Album Review – Pitney Meyer’s “Cherokee Pioneer”
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Together they offer up a straightforward bluegrass album under the duo name Pitney Meyer that warms your cockles, and does for bluegrass what Mo Pitney did for traditional country previously: make you hopeful for the future.
Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide” Was Almost Deemed Not Country Enough by Grammy Awards
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The fact that the Grammy committee considered turning down ‘A Sailor’s Guide’ for Best Country Album shows how stringent the litmus test is for these country categories. This is important because of the controversy that erupted after it was revealed that Beyoncé’s song “Daddy Lessons” was turned down by the same committee for not being country enough.
Album Review – Natalie Hemby’s “Puxico”
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She didn’t choose the title Puxico for the way it popped for focus group audiences. It’s the name of her less than 1,000 population hometown in southeastern Missouri that sets the scene for an album that feels devoutly personal, humble in approach, and eager to express things a professional songwriter just can’t with total fulfillment through the voices of others.
Sturgill Simpson Absolutely Destroys the Saturday Night Live Stage
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In the music business, they call it a “moment.” Some artists go their entire careers without ever having one, even quite successful artists. A “moment” is what caused Chris Stapleton to rocket to the biggest artist in all of country music. A “moment” is what rockets the obscure to the profound. And a “moment” is what Sturgill Simpson experienced late Saturday night.
Mike Judge Is Making A Country Music-Themed Animated Series
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That’s right, from the unsettled mind that brought us Beavis and Butthead, and one of the best-received primetime animated series in history in King of the Hill, comes a new animated series dealing specifically with country music. Called Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, the series has been greenlighted by HBO.
Tanya Tucker Hospitalized for 3rd Time in a Year
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Tanya Tucker has once again been forced to cancel tour dates and is recovering in the hospital after taking a fall that fractured a rib and a vertebrae in her back. While in the hospital in Texas, Tucker was also diagnosed with bronchitis. She is currently receiving breathing treatments for the bronchitis, and will also undergo physical therapy.
David Allan Coe Has Loretta Lynn’s Approval for the Country Hall of Fame
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The checkered past of David Allan Coe often has country fans pontificating on if he’ll ever make it into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Though many Hall of Fame experts believe he’s a long shot, one Hall of Famer thinks he belongs. Loretta Lynn, speaking to Broadway on The Electric Barnyard recently, and asked if Coe should be in the Hall, answered…
2017 Houston Rodeo Lineup Shows Some Improvement. Some.
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Call it cautious or guarded optimism, but after the abomination that was the 2016 Houston Rodeo musical lineup led by folks such as Luke Bryan, Pitbull, and Florida Georgia Line, and where only one artist with Texas ties and only one female performer were booked (and both were Miranda Lambert), they couldn’t go any lower, that’s for sure.
Legendary Rockabilly and Western Swing Guitarist Tommy Allsup Has Died
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Legendary rockabilly and Western swing guitarist Tommy Allsup passed away on Wednesday, January 11th according to his son Austin Allsup. The 85-year-old had been placed in Intensive Care earlier this month. No funeral arrangements have been made at the moment, but the family is asking for continued prayers.
Country Radio Seminar to Offer Free Hearing Checks for Country DJ’s
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Hearing loss is a serious matter people, especially when it comes to those enshrined with the responsibility of selecting what songs the teeming masses will be subjected to through the instrument of corporate radio. That is why the massive Country Radio Seminar (or CRS) has teamed up with Starkey Hearing Technologies to administer free hearing tests.
Cody Jinks to Make His National Television Debut
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Folks like Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, and Jason Isbell were not overnight sensations. It took years of effort and these artists reaching their mid 30’s before it all came together for them. And if you put your ear to the ground, you get the sense that a similarly shaped groundswell is building beneath Cody Jinks at the moment.
Album Review – Dale Watson and Ray Benson’s “Dale & Ray”
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It was bound to happen at some point. It’s almost strange it took so long. Two guys who have long called Austin, TX their main haunt, and who have made careers out of steadfastly sticking to their guns in their particular styles of country music, be damned of the financial ramifications, what fleeting trends come and go, or what Nashville thinks of it all, joining forces on a duets record.
Pete Fisher Leaving The Grand Ole Opry Could Be Huge
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As the most storied institution in country, the direction of the Grand Ole Opry is always a hot topic, especially among traditional country fans. And many were unhappy with how the Opry functioned under the Pete Fisher regime. Of course the biggest question for Grand Ole Opry fans is who will be Pete Fisher’s replacement, and what direction will the new leadership take the institution?