CMA CEO Sarah Trahern Retirement Ends an Era. Let’s Hope It Starts a New One
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Sarah Trahern’s tenure at the CMA wasn’t really marked with any especially remarkable achievements or catastrophic mistakes. She wasn’t really vilified by purists or lauded by the industry.
The CMT Awards were NOT the CMA Awards, or Indicative of Country
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The 2023 CMT Awards could very well go down in country music history as a significant moment, but it won’t be for the reasons the producers of the presentation or their proponents in the media hoped for, or will purport it to be. And no, we’re not just talking about the polarizing political moments…
Album Review – Josie Toney’s “Extra”
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Extra is everything you were hoping Josie Toney’s debut album would be. When she sings, Toney evokes the ghosts of the classic country era by mixing old-school country with old-school blues indicative at times of Hank One. You may think of her as an instrumentalist first, but the album showcases…
Newest Adds to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#117)
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The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed on all the best songs and albums coming out right here, right now in country and roots music. It’s available on most all streaming formats, or you can just use the song, artist, and album recommendations.
Amid Meteoric Rise, 49 Winchester Plays Packed Pittsburgh Show
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Friday night (4-7), 49 Winchester rolled into Pittsburgh, a.k.a the Paris of Appalachia, and played the newly renovated Thunderbird Cafe on a hot sell-out streak. After warming up the crowd with the road weary anthem “All I Need” and a soaring rendition of “Second Chance,” the crowd really got rocking…
Melonie Cannon & Friends to Pay Tribute to Vern Gosdin
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Melonie Cannon owes a special debut of gratitude to Vern Gosdin. She’s gives Vern credit for believing in her as a singer even before her own father did. Gosdin took Melonie under her wing when she was a teenager, and got her father to pay attention to her as a serious country vocalist.
Album Review – Jake Worthington (Self-Titled)
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If you want to hear true traditional country in its most pure form in 2023, listen to Jake Worthington. We’re talking Mark Chesnutt, Daryle Singletary country, where you can’t fit an index card between the true definition of “country music,” and what Worthington turns in here.
10 Years Ago Today: George Jones Plays His Final Concert
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It’s something that most of us mere mortals can’t comprehend. But for our country legends, they would have it no other way. Willie Nelson has regularly said that he wants to die on stage. And as morbid as a prognosis as that might be, it speaks to how important music and performance is to these legends.
Tanya Tucker Announces New Album “Sweet Western Sound”
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The last time Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlile joined forces to produce an album for Tanya Tucker, it resulted in two Grammy Awards and four nominations. Now in the wake of Tucker being named as the newest member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, she has announced the release of her new album.
Turnpike Troubadours Fans, Get Lance Roark on Your Radar
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RC Edwards stumbled upon Lance Roark in 2020 during the Turnpike hiatus/pandemic when he was looking for a lead guitar player. Roark fit the bill, but has subsequently slid even deeper into the Turnpike universe while finding a way to showcase his own music at the same time.
Rebels & Renegades Festival Reveals MASSIVE 2023 Lineup
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There is yet another massive music festival that has emerged to cover the surging interest in independent country, roots music, and Americana, putting deserving artists in headliner spots as opposed to just opening slots, and has fans from across the country rearranging vacation plans.
50 Years Ago: Conway Twitty Records Country’s Ultimate Creeper Song
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Oh how people love to regard classic country music as coming from this pure and idyllic era, full of traditional American values and virtue, while regarding today’s country music as full of filth. That may be somewhat fair on the whole, but there are certainly some exceptions to that rule.
Bob McDill Is Now a Country Music Hall of Fame Songwriter
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Songwriters are so integral to country music, there is a dedicated Hall of Fame in Nashville just for them. But every three years, the Country Music Hall of Fame proper takes time to recognize someone who has dedicated their life to the craft, and left a lasting impact. In 2023, that person is Bob McDill.