60 Years Ago: Kris Kristofferson Gets His Start in Music … As a Janitor
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Kris Kristofferson had been named a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He’d also been an officer in the US Army. But he wanted to be a songwriter, so he had to start somewhere.
W.B. Walker’s “Old Soul” Podcast Receives Takedown Notice
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The Ameripolitan Award-winning independent country podcast W.B. Walker’s Old Soul Radio Show is the latest music-based podcast to receive a takedown notice for using copyrighted audio files despite securing permission from the artists, and will be deleting all of its episodes.
John Prine Birthday to be Marked by “Picture Show” Airing
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Saturday, October 10th would have been John Prine’s 74th birthday. The revered songwriting legend passed away on April 7th due to COVID-19. But there will still be plenty of remembering and celebration to mark the occasion., including re-airing the popular “Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine.”
Album Review – Brennen Leigh’s “Prairie Love Letter”
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It’s easy to soliloquize the expansive mountains or the rolling sea. It’s another to find inspiration in the expansive stillness of America’s midriff. But as Brennen Leigh can attest from her intimate acquaintance, you’ll never believe the brilliance of it unless you’ve beheld them with your own eyes.
On Morgan Wallen Getting Booted From “Saturday Night Live”
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Dozens of TikTok videos of the 27-year-old’s maskless partying with college-aged girls emerged, and specifically of Morgan Wallen sucking face with half a dozen of them. This has resulted in ‘Saturday Night Live’ canceling his appearance.
Texas Supergroup ‘Hill Country’ is Now ‘The Wilder Blue’
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Ever since releasing their debut self-titled record in late May, the newly-formed Texas music supergroup recording under the name ‘Hill Country’ has been receiving worthy praise for their music. But as some have remarked, the name is just generic enough for it to get buried or confused.
“I’m a Ramblin’ Man” Writer Ray Pennington Dies in House Fire
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Songwriter, performer, producer, and record label owner Ray Pennington was killed Wednesday, October 7th in a house fire in Sumner County in a rural part of Hendersonville, just north and east of Nashville. He’s known for writing “I’m a Ramblin’ Man” for Waylon Jennings.
Suspects Sought After Assault on Mavericks Trumpet Player
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Trumpet player Lorenzo Molina Ruiz for the country and Latin group The Mavericks, and his friend Orlando Morales were allegedly assaulted early Sunday morning, October 4th, at Tony’s Eat & Drink in Franklin, Tennessee, allegedly for speaking Spanish.
On The Passing of Eddie Van Halen
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There is a lot one can say about the passing of Eddie Van Halen, and virtually none of it is relevant to country music. But it’s all relevant. If you grew up in the late 70’s, 80’s or early 90’s, or rock music is in any way important to your little universe and Van Halen doesn’t loom large in it, you missed out on the preeminent American experience.
New Billboard / Rolling Stone Partnership & Paywall is Troubling
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The media landscape in music just got a lot more cloistered, oligarchical, and insular. Announced recently, Rolling Stone’s parent company Penske Media Corp. (or PMC) has entered into a joint venture with Billboard’s parent company called MRC to bring the two biggest music media companies together.
FINALLY: Ray Wylie Hubbard to Play ‘Austin City Limits’
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It only took 45 years, and many many impassioned pleas by fans and supporters and believers (including here at Saving Country Music), but Ray Wylie Hubbard will finally be appearing on his own segment on the longest-running music show on television, ‘Austin City Limits.’
Luke Combs Is Putting His Name Behind Independent Country
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When making the case for the character of someone, it’s not just about how they rise to the top, but what they do when they get there. In the case of Luke Combs, he’s been using his platform and his time off of the road during the pandemic to promote and collaborate with some of the best artists in independent country.
Album Review – David Adam Byrnes – “Neon Town”
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Slapping you square across the face with steel, fiddle, and Telecaster guitar, David Adam Byrnes is here to answer where all the country in country music has gone. And no, it didn’t take flight to “Americana.” You want country damn music? Well here you go. So quit complaining about the latest Sam Hunt single.