Randall King’s a “Big Deal” in Country, But Currently Not on a Label
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On November 21st, Randall King released a new single called “Big Deal.” Some Randall King fans quickly noticed that on the copyright stamp of the single, Warner Music Nashville wasn’t mentioned.
Who the Hell is “Bebe Rexha”? And What The Hell Is She Doing Debuting at #1 in Country?
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That’s right. Think about the scores of female country music performers who have dedicated their entire lives to the craft, including many mainstream country pop performers, who have never enjoyed a debut at #1, or a #1 at all. And then a pop star you’ve probably have never heard of shows up and is cresting country music’s top metric for songs.
The Media Should Not Publish The Randy Travis Arrest Tape, But They Should Have Every Right To
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After five years of legal wrangling, the video of Randy Travis being arrested for DWI after crashing his Trans Am and being found naked in the middle of the road by sheriff’s deputies near Tioga, TX has finally been released. The Randy Travis arrest tape case cuts at very critical matters facing Freedom of the Press, privacy laws, and criminal justice.
George Strait Named 2018 Texan of the Year – Only 2nd Musician in Over 40 Years
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“King” George Strait can now add yet another accolade to his long list of accomplishments in his storied, Hall of Fame career. According to the Texas Legislative Conference, which is a non-partisan annual forum on Texas public policy, George Strait is the Texan of the Year for 2018. But it’s not for his music, and least not directly.
Nominees for the 2017 Saving Country Music Album of the Year
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The last few years have been a somewhat down era for excellent, legacy-caliber releases in country music and independent roots,. But 2017 was a different story, especially the first half, leaving us with difficult choices of what to consider to be the best of the year. As always, your feedback is requested, and will be included in the final calculus.
Mike & The Moonpies Join with John Baumann to Counter Claims That “Country Music’s Dead”
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When you come across someone making traditional country music for a living, you know they’re not focused on fame and treasure. If anything they must be a glutton for punishment. But when you have a passion that can’t be quenched by compromise, it’s better to scrape by doing what you love than succeeding at what you hate.
Amid Cumulus Bankruptcy, Rival iHeartMedia’s Financial Situation is Even More Dire
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iHeartMedia will likely be filing for its own bankruptcy soon enough, but the situation is so difficult for the radio giant, they can’t even come to a resolution with creditors to file for bankruptcy protection at the moment. Cumulus Media used Chapter 11 to resolve some $1 billion dollars in overhanging debt, iHeartMedia’s debut is a whopping $7.7 billion.
Album Review – Chris Stapleton’s “From A Room: Vol. 2”
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You get what you expect from this record, which is good, and bad. If it feels like we were just here a few months ago, it’s because we were. You could call Chris Stapleton’s latest release, and his second one in 2017 “From A Room: Vol. 2,” or perhaps you could call it “Traveller #3.”
Either You’re Listening to David Allan Coe’s Son’s Podcast, or Doing Country Fandom All Wrong
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It’s so rare to find something that truly engages you as a traditional country fan and is being done in the here and now, and that’s exactly what Tyler Mahan Coe is doing with country music history via his Cocaine & Rhinestones podcast. It’s incredible how relevant history can be when looking at it in the modern day perspective.
Radio Giant Cumulus Media Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
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The first shoe has fallen in what promises to be a prolonged period of massive reorganization and debt restructuring in America’s radio landscape, as one of the largest radio station owners has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Cumulus Media has filed voluntary petitions to reorganize under Chapter 11.
Old Settler’s Fest Averts the Ever-Increasing Crisis of the Revenge Festival
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Maybe you have, or maybe you haven’t been following the strange and unfortunate row surrounding the Austin’s 31-year-old roots gathering called Old Settler’s Music Festival over the past few months. But it has come to illustrate a far too common problem in independent music.
Where Is Sturgill Simpson’s Former Guitarist Laur Joamets Now?
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As Sturgill Simpson was making his meteoric rise over the last few years, so was his Estonian-born guitar player Laur Joamets, also known as Little Joe, appearing on Sturgill’s breakout album ‘Metamodern Sounds in Country Music’ and in the live band. After leaving the band in March of 2017, where did he end up?
Newest Additions to Saving Country Music’s Top 25 Current Playlist (#12)
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As we near the end of the year, it’s time to start thinking about the Song of the Year and Album of the Year candidates, and to start sifting back thought this year’s playlists and reviews to see what resonated the most, and what we might have missed. But there are still new songs and new albums being released as well.