Jimmy Swaggart Dead at 90. His Close Ties to Country Music
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When you think of Jimmy Swaggart, you might not think of music, or country music specifically. But there is a reason that in 1982 Newsweek dubbed Swaggart the “King of Honky Tonk Heaven.”
WARNING: The Roots Resurgence Will Not Last Forever
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In the present-day roots music realm we live in times of high cotton. With the widespread commercial success of bands like Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, and the Avett Brothers, artists and bands that for many years were pushing against stones are finally getting the recognition they deserve. But history teaches that it may not be this way for long.
Sturgill Simpson Goes Godzillabilly In “Railroad of Sin” (Video Premier)
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Country music savior and critically-acclaimed songsmith Sturgill Simpson has been making waves all over the country with his new breakout album High Top Mountain released on June 11th, and now he threatens to take the high-flying act international in the the video for his heart-pounding, hot plate, house on fire, country as hell, soon to be hit single “Railroad of Sin.”
David Letterman Reaching Out To Support Roots Artists
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Letterman’s recent run of supporting independent country and roots artists like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Dale Watson, Shovels & Rope, and many more is not the result of some crack team of publicists and booking agents working together to peddle these artists to the right people, it is coming from David Letterman himself listening to these artists and wanting them to be featured on the show.
Big Mess & Fights Left in Kenny Chesney / Eric Church Concert Wake
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For years Saving Country Music has been preaching that the result of these idiotic, bellicose laundry list country songs perpetuated by country music’s belligerent males would result in a trash culture full of fighting and general disrespect for everything but materialism and the consumer culture. This was on full display this Saturday (June, 22) when Kenny Chesney’s “No Shoe’s Nation Tour” stopped in Pittsburgh.
Most Embarrassing Moments in Country Music History
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When looking at the historical timeline of country music, many times it is big events that set the wheels of change in motion, for the good and the bad. Whether it is intrusion of pop or rap into country, or the ill-treatment of country music greats, here are some of the most embarrassing moments in country music history.
How Slim Whitman’s Yodel Saved Earth From Invading Martians
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Slim Whitman’s influence far outlasted his popular music popularity, and so do his songs that illustrate an astounding, enchanting control of the human vocal range. Oh, and let’s not forget that moment in 1996 when Slim Whitman’s music single-handedly saved the world from invading Martians
John Moreland’s “In The Throes” Proves People Still Care About Songs
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“I heard truth is what songs are for. Nobody gives a damn about songs anymore…” is the line that people are quoting to both exemplify Moreland’s wordsmith skills, and to throw back in his face as fallacy as critics and fans alike line up to herald Moreland’s In The Throes songwriting effort. Every line John Moreland throws out is like a lyrical haymaker meant to score an empathic knockout punch between the eyes.
The Worst “Country” Songs of 2013 So Far
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As you might suspect, at the halfway point of 2013 a list of mainstream country’s worst misdeeds is mostly populated by an ear-serrating cacophony of country rap. With only a couple of exceptions, country rap has replaced what last year at this time was a parade of laundry list-themed songs. Country rap has become the next devolving plateau in mainstream country.
How Hip-Hop Stole Country Music: The Arrival of the Mono-Genre
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All of a sudden hip-hop influences are dominating the top of the country music charts, asserting just as much influence, if not more than indigenous country influences, with a bevy of new country rap tunes from numerous artists ready to be released, and mainstream artists lining up to try and be a part of the trend. How did country music get here?
Chet Flippo – Country Music’s Original Outlaw Writer (RIP)
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Chet Flippo’s wife had recently passed away, and today we got the unfortunate news that Chet Flippo has now joined her in the great newsroom in the sky. Every third year the Country Music Hall of Fame inducts a non-performer into its exclusive ranks. If there was ever a journalist that deserved to be included amongst the artists he covered so dutifully for so many years, it would be Chet Flippo.
Randy Travis Tributes George Jones in “Tonight I’m Playing Possum”
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We like to make fun of how so many country songs are about other country songs, but the reason it is so common is because it works so well at revitalizing those roots that are so deeply intertwined with our personal fabrics and story lines. The songs of George Jones and others offer a soundtrack to our lives that nobody can take away from us.
What Does Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley Actually Do?
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The question that often comes up about the duo is what exactly does the short, blond-haired Brian Kelley do in the band? The longer-haired Tyler Hubbard seems to be the only voice you hear prominently in the vocal mix, and though Brian Kelley is commonly seen holding a guitar, he doesn’t appear to be handling any of the guitar solos, or really fulfilling any significant function of the Florida Georgia Line sound.