Album Review – Wesley Hanna’s “Magnolia”
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‘Magnolia’ is certain the right thing when it comes to country music. It’s an exploration of the history of Wesley Hanna and his family rendered in traditional country style.
Album Review – Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide To Earth”
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The idea that country music is somehow a limited musical format is an illusion, and an excuse. Instrumentation is just the clothing; it’s what you say, and how you say it that counts. The only true restrictions a country music artist or any musician faces are those they put on themselves.
“Country Weekly” Is The Latest Victim of the “NASH” Brand Implosion
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“Country Weekly” started in 1994 as a country music lifestyle magazine that ran interviews with stars and covered news from around the genre. In 2014, Cumulus purchased 50% of the magazine in a partnership with it’s owners American Media and eventually relaunched as “NASH Country Weekly.” And in typical corporate takeover fashion, Cumulus is now gutting the publication.
Cajun and Country Rock Performer Gib Guilbeau Has Died
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Though maybe not as recognizable of a name as many of the artists Gib shared lineups with, including Gene Parsons and Clarence White, his unique approach to music, influenced by his distinctly Cajun flavor and upbringing, made Guibeau seminal to the sound that would become West Coast country rock.
Country & Roots Artists Coming Together to Celebrate Bob Dylan’s 75th
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Iconic American songwriter Bob Dylan will be celebrating his 75th birthday on May 24th, and country and roots artist, including many songwriters who cite Dylan as a primary influence on their music, will be coming together to pay tribute to the man in numerous events across the country.
Curb Records is Trying to Mount a Comeback
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When LeAnn Rimes and Hank Williams III fought very public battles with the label, people chalked it up to a couple of artists with declining careers who couldn’t handle being professional. But after high profile and nasty exits by Hank Williams Jr. and then superstar Tim McGraw, the word was out on the streets about Curb Records’ unfair business practices.
A Merle Haggard Biopic Movie Called “Done It All” Is In The Works
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Merle Haggard is gone, but he won’t be forgotten. A week after his death, word has come down that a motion picture about his life is in the works. GMH Productions has optioned a script about the life of Merle Haggard called “Done It All,” written by screenwriter Cliff Hollingsworth who is best known for writing the critically-acclaimed motion picture “Cinderella Man.”
Randy Houser Compares Luke Bryan to Willie, Waylon, and Johnny Cash
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Randy Houser may want to spend more time perfecting his faux hawk instead of speaking his mind after he put his foot in his mouth in a recent interview with radio.com (see below). The co-writer of “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and the close friend of Bro-Country Godfather Dallas Davidson decided to go on the offensive against Bro-Country haters.
Leave Music & Musicians Out of Your Boycotts Against Religious Freedom Laws
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New religious freedom laws in North Carolina and Mississippi, and pending legislation in Tennessee, has the South and the United States in an uproar over religious and civil liberties in an already contentious political season. And all of a sudden, music, and country music specifically, is getting caught in the crossfire.
Song Review – Dierks Bentley w/ Maren Morris “I’ll Be The Moon”
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If you were worried what direction Dierks Bentley’s new Black album would take after hearing “Somewhere on a Beach,” all you had to do was wait. Dierks (or really, his label) sure don’t make it easy on his fans, but those who’ve stuck with Dierks through “Drunk on a Plane” and others know he’ll always come back around to releasing music that sets the bar for substance in the mainstream.
“I Saw The Light” Biopic Flops at the Box Office
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The final chapter has been written on the highly-anticipated and much maligned movie on the life of country music icon Hank Williams, at least until the DVD is released. “I Saw The Light”—starring Tom Hiddleston as Hank, written and directed by Marc Abraham, and based off of the Hank biography written by Colin Escott—is a commercial flop. This is on top of receiving terrible reviews…
Album Review – Robbie Fulks’ “Upland Stories”
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As Robbie’s career arc has continued into his fifties, he’s favored more and more the bluegrass style of his Virginia and North Carolina roots compared to more traditional country and folk. Add on top of that his acute sense of dynamics and an unexpected adeptness at showmanship, and Robbie Fulks makes the case for himself as our generation’s John Hartford.
300 to 400 Unreleased Merle Haggard Songs Remain in an Archive
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Though Merle Haggard is no longer around to record and release new music, that doesn’t mean there isn’t unheard, unreleased recordings waiting to be unearthed for the public in the future. As is often the case with music artists who pass away, unreleased Merle Haggard music remains vaulted away, either as leftovers and outtakes from previous recording sessions, or in Merle’s case, purposely stashed away…