April 24th is a Busy Day for New Country Albums
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Every once in a while, the releases on a given Friday get so hectic, it becomes imperative to offer an addendum to the regular Release Radar. Friday, April 24th is one of those days.
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.
Patty Loveless Named to the Country Music Hall of Fame
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It was Kentucky that seeded the roots of country music in its earliest incarnations, it was Kentucky that gave rise to some of the most important artists of bluegrass in the 40s and 50s, and mainstream country music in the 90s, and it’s Kentucky that is fueling the country music revolution of today.
Finally! Tanya Tucker to Be Inducted to Country Music Hall of Fame
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Tanya Tucker’s life has been like a country song. That’s how she can sing them with such a convincing attitude, and conviction. And though it feels like she’s lived many lifetimes in her career, at 62, Tanya still has time to enjoy this accolade, and add to what now can be called a Hall of Fame career.
Holy $hit The 2023 CMT Awards Were Terrible
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This weekend, Police and Fire personnel had large swaths of downtown Austin cordoned off due to a mass casualty/hazardous exposure event, also known as the CMT Awards. The barriers and checkpoints weren’t there to keep freeloaders out, it was to keep the grotesque infection of pop country quarantined.
Album Review – Willie Nelson’s “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love”
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Willie Nelson will turn 90 on April 29th, and has shown no signs of slowing down, either on the road, or in the studio. His last album called “A Beautiful Time” was released last year on his birthday and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Album, and earned it entirely on the merit of the music.
Watch JP Harris Pay Tribute to Luke Bell at the Mother Church
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JP Harris was currently on tour at the time, and flew into Nashville last minute to perform the tribute. Early on in Luke Bell’s career, not only did JP Harris give Luke a place to stay and a job (JP Harris is also a full-time contractor), he also was a mentor to Luke, referring to him as “little brother.”
Album Review – Dillon Massengale’s “Buckleshines”
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In many respects it feels like a victory and cause for celebration any time a truly traditional country record is released. Making country music the right way requires such an uphill battle in today’s country landscape. When it comes to Dillon Massengale though, that’s just where the victories begin.
49 Winchester Adds to Anticipated 2023 Tour
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Few artists or bands in independent country are getting the same opportunities as 49 Winchester at the moment. Not only is reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs walking around in one of their T-shirts, he’s booked them to open a bunch of his shows in Europe later this year.
Apple’s “My Kind of Country” Gets It All Wrong
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In the current country music landscape, it is not country radio, it’s not the major labels on Music Row, it’s not even the media, or pop or hip-hop artists trying to break into the country mainstream that are blurring the lines of what country music is more than ever before. It is Apple Music above all entities.