Pioneering Hispanic Country Music Star Johnny Rodriguez Has Died
118 Comments
Any serious fan of 1970’s country music worth their salt will know the name, the hits, and doesn’t need to be sold on the importance of Johnny Rodriguez. Six #1 songs, fourteen Top 5’s, twenty Top 10’s…
Review – Turnpike Troubadours Play 3-Night Run at Historic Gruene Hall
23 Comments
Time was when the Turnpike Troubadours were just hoping to garner enough of a following so they could play historic venues like Cain’s Ballroom or Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, TX. Now they’re facing the reality that they may just be too big to play these historic spaces anymore except as a nostalgic anomaly. They required a three-night residency at the “Oldest Dance Hall in Texas” to accommodate all the comers.
Song Review – “Mom” by Garth Brooks
89 Comments
The problem with “Mom” is it has that mawkish, signature-Garth over-sentimentality that just makes you want to vomit. Are the words themselves terrible? No. But the lyrical payoff’s potency is good for about one pass of the song, if you can’t see the “Mom” hook coming from a mile away, which most listeners will. Today we’re too gripped with irony and sarcasm to let something so sappy and direct resonate widely.
NBC’s “The Voice” & Craig Wayne Boyd Tribute Wayne Mills
13 Comments
On Monday night’s episode, before Craig Wayne Boyd’s performance of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line,” a tribute to Wayne Mills aired, detailing his life and tragic death, and his relationship with Boyd. Craig Wayne then took the now famous “WM” necklace that Wayne Mills wore at all times from Wayne’s widow Carol, and presented it to Wayne’s former pupil, Blake Shelton.
Jamey Johnson Launches “Big Gassed Records” Label
30 Comments
Jamey Johnson will be releasing “The Christmas Song,” But that’s not where the goodies stop from the songwriter. Announced today, November 24th, Jamey Johnson is starting his own record label called Big Gassed Records. The first release will be the Christmas EP, but there will be much more music on the way. “From now on, as soon as I can get it written and recorded, we will make it available,” says Johnson.
Curb to Release Hank III Album “Take As Needed For Pain”
14 Comments
That’s right, the Curb Records madness continues, and continues to reach for comical, if not maniacal heights. Apparently Curb Records is readying the release of a new Hank III album called “Take As Needed For Pain.” Meanwhile Curb has prepped the 10th compilation/Greatest Hits album from Tim McGraw, and has more greatest hits albums ahead for LeAnn Rimes and Rodney Atkins.
Garth Brooks Addresses the Waylon Jennings Feud
46 Comments
The feud between country music Outlaw legend Waylon Jennings and country superstar Garth Brooks has been well-documented and talked about over the years. Though a lot of rumor and conjecture tend to cloud the conversation, we do know that Waylon’s dislike for Garth, who was coming up just as Waylon’s career was hitting a sharp decline, was very real.
“Nashville is alcohol-poisoning the minds of our young people.”
64 Comments
CBS Evening News reporter Steve Hartman took a deeper look into how his two young kids were computing the lyrics of country songs in their developing brains as they sat and listened to popular country music in the family motor carriage. His conclusion? “I’ve got some sobering news — Nashville is alcohol-poisoning the minds of our young people,” he says in his report.
Caleb Klauder Offers “Just A Little” EP After Vocal Cord Surgery
9 Comments
If you’re populating a list of criminally-underrated country music talent, Caleb Klauder has to be somewhere near the top. The Pacific Northwest’s best kept country music secret is beloved by those who know about him, and revered by his fellow musicians. Caleb’s fortunes turned for the worse this summer though when he was diagnosed with vocal cord polyps.
The Death of Wayne Mills – One Year Later
5 Comments
One year ago today, Outlaw country artist and songwriter Wayne Mills was shot in the back of the head at the Pit & Barrel Bar in Nashville, TN at approximately 5:00 AM after an altercation erupted with the bar’s owner, Chris Michael Ferrell—a friend of Wayne’s who was hosting an after hours gathering following a tribute concert to George Jones earlier in the evening at the Bridgestone Arena.
Guy Clark “Without Getting Killed or Caught” Documentary On The Way
11 Comments
Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark is currently in production and is being helmed by music industry veteran Tamara Savian as producer, writer, and director. Guy Clark fans will recognize Savian’s name as the producer of 2011’s This One’s For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark that went on to win the 2012 Americana Album of the Year.
The Mavericks to Release New Album “Mono”
12 Comments
Saving Country Music’s 2013 Album of the Year was not Jason Isbell’s breathtaking Southeastern, or Sturgill Simpson’s breakout High Top Mountain, but the comeback record from the Latin-inspired Raul Malo and The Mavericks called “In Time.” Now The Mavericks have announced that they’ve been in the studio again and will release the followup to In Time called “Mono.”
Leon Virgil Bowers Leads Star-Studded Cash Cabin Singalong
27 Comments
In September of 2012, Blake Judd of JuddFilms brought a camera crew to the famous Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, TN to shoot a pilot episode for a television series that has never been aired. The idea was to take well-known established artists, worthy undiscovered musicians and songwriters, and stick them all in Johnny Cash’s legendary cabin with an open bar, and set the camera’s rolling.