50 Year Ago: George Strait Plays First Professional Gig
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From humble beginnings and low expectations to the very pinnacle of the country genre, George Strait is an inspiration for all those country performers getting up on stage to play their first professional gig.
A Country Music Media Arms Race Has Broken Out
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Yes ladies and gentlemen, just like the great American eagle and the mighty Soviet bear staring each other down and belligerently stockpiling armaments to intimidate one another, the two titans of American radio, Clear Channel and Cumulus Media, have entered a no-holds-barred arms race with country music as the platform, with the ultimate prize being you…
Curb Records to Release Hank III “Ramblin Man” Album
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Yes, the Curb Records saga for Hank3 continues. The grandson of Hank Williams and the son of Hank Jr. is having to deal with yet another post-contract release from Curb records, this time called Rambin’ Man, slated for release on April 1st. The album will include 8 tracks of outtakes, unreleased material, and cover songs Hank3 contributed to tribute albums and other projects during his Curb years.
Aaron Lewis Says “That Is Not Country Music, I’m Sorry”
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It was looking like Lewis was falling right in line with the procession of other country music outsiders fleeing to the country genre in the twilight of their careers to find commercial strength. But when his full-length album The Road was released in late 2012, it was actually a pleasant surprise to hear just how country and non-commercial it was.
15-Year-Old Talent Takes On Music Row
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Williamson Branch is a bluegrass and country band from Nashville, and their 15-year-old fiddle and guitar player Melody Williamson recently wrote a song called “There’s No Country Here.” Despite her age, Music Row would be wise to remove themselves for their laundry list clatter and listen to what the future of country music has to say about where country music is headed.
CMT Whores Itself with New “Party Down South” Show
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The flagship of CMT’s new lineup is a reality show called Party Down South from producer SallyAnn Salsano—the same producer of the popular MTV reality show Jersey Shore. The idea is to create a Jersey Shore of the South, but just like Jersey Shore, the show does not depict realities of life, it cobbles together castoff, amateur acting talent from across a wide geographic region…
Photos of a Recovering Randy Travis Surface
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Photos of a recovering Randy Travis have finally been surfacing on Twitter over the recent days—the first glimpse concerned country music fans have seen of the future Country Hall of Famer since he suffered a stroke and subsequent health issues in July of 2013. Randy Travis was initially admitted to the hospital on July 7th, 2013 for viral cardiomyopathy, or a weakening of the heart muscle.
Album Review – Jason Eady’s “Daylight & Dark”
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If you were asked to populate a list of current country music artists that with no frills and no variations lay down country music as country music was meant to be, Jason Eady would very have to be at or near the top of your list. And if you found yourself beset on all sides by ravenous legions of flesh-eating pop country music fans whose only bane was the authentic sound of true country…
The Great Kacey Musgraves Country Music Experiment
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Mid January is the season that most of the big mainstream country music acts unveil their touring plans for the year. Country music critical favorite Kacey Musgraves announced she would not be touring with one of her country music bunk mates, but of all people, the buxom purple-haired pop star Katy Perry. ome Kacey Musgraves’ supporters were disappointed…
Rosanne Cash’s “The River & The Thread”
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The River & The Thread is an album that was worth waiting for. Produced and co-written with Rosanne’s husband, accomplished musician John Leventhal, this album is exhaustive, thematic, all-encompassing, and compromises nothing when it comes to desiring the highest degree of quality in songwriting and production.
UPDATED – Texas Country Legend Steve Fromholz Passes Away
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Singer, songwriter, Poet Laureate, and the author of the Texas Trilogy, Steven Fromholz passed away Sunday morning (1-19) according to the Texas Music Chart. Fromholz was a towering figure of words and music in his home state of Texas, and amongst his famous music friends. He wrote the song “I’d Have To Be Crazy” made popular by Willie Nelson…
The Ben Davenport Band’s “Slow Start”
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It’s been a while since I’ve heard such great texture and diversity in a record that still clings tightly to its country roots. Reflecting back on a lifetime of memories, accomplishments, failures, and the fortunes and lessons that come with both, it is a self-critique and cathartic, fiercely personal, and an album you can tell Jim Yoss made for himself, be damned if anyone else likes it
Auto-Tune In Country Isn’t Evolution, It’s Falling Behind
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Forget about the intended use of Antares flagship software product known as “Auto-Tune” for a second. Almost since the inception of the pitch-correction software, Auto-Tune has been utilized as a vocal effect as well, and one that has become an indelible part of popular music. But country music stayed mostly on the sidelines of the Auto-Tune phenomenon.