Billboard’s Senior Country Chart Manager Departs. What It Could Mean
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The name Jim Asker probably doesn’t ring a bell to you. But as Billboard’s senior manager of the country music charts, some of his decisions over the last decade have been the most titanic, and historically significant.
How Braxton Schuffert Helped Discover Hank Williams
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Whether you want to go as far as to say Braxton Schuffert “discovered” Hank Williams depends on your perspective, but that Hormel delivery driver was certainly seminal to setting Hank Williams on the path to super stardom, shepherding the young man as a musician and songwriter, making critical contributions to the rise of Hank, and helping Hank as a close friend all the way up to his death in 1953.
George Jones & His Notorious Riding Lawnmower
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The most notorious George Jones drinking story involves the country music legend and a John Deere lawnmower, but what a lot of folks don’t know is that George Jones chose this slow-moving mode of transportation to procure alcohol more than once. As entertaining as the lawnmower incidents may be, they underlined the seriousness of the alcohol issues George Jones was facing.
Country Music Legend George Jones Dies at 81
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George Jones, aka, The Possum, has died at age 81. While in the midst of his 60-date farewell tour, Jones was hospitalized for running a slight fever and for having irregular blood pressure, canceling shows in both Atlanta, and Salem, VA. His next show was to be tomorrow, April 27th, in Huntsville, AL. The official cause of death has been named ‘Hypoxic Respiratory Failure.’
Hey Chris Brown, So I Heard You May Want to Go Country
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On the behalf of the people of country music, I’d like to graciously request that you keep your woman-beating, Auto-tuning, lip-syncing, shitty-music making, metrosexual-doucher, getting-in-fights-in-swanky-nightclubs-over-idiotic-rap-turf-wars ass the hell away from anything that could ever be associated or construed with or even misrepresented as country music.
Is “Accidental Racist” An Accidental Hit?
17 CommentsOne problem with Billboard’s new system, and many digital metrics we use to gauge popularity these days, is their ability to measure intent. One of the new paradigms of digital music is that sometimes songs are not popular because people like them, they’re popular because people don’t. It’s not uncommon these days for a song to become heavily buzzed, and a viral event to ensue because of either the curiosity or car crash factor.
7 Men Who Could Immediately Make Country Music Better
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There’s been much talk so far this year about how the women of country are outpacing the men when it comes to the quality of music, we’ve talked about possible reasons why that is. But we haven’t talked about some of the men that if simply given a chance, could shoot an immediate injection of substance into the country music format. They just need similar chances to their female counterparts.
Marty Stuart Takes His Country Music Artifacts Seriously
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The April 28th issue of Country Weekly features Saving Country Music’s 2012 Artist of the Year Marty Stuart and his legendary 20,000-piece archive of country music collectibles, clothing, instruments, and other memorabilia. As Marty Stuart tells the magazine, his passion for preserving artifacts led to his career in country music.
Album Review – Fifth on the Floor’s “Ashes & Angels”
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As evidenced by Ashes & Angels, Fifth on the Floor doesn’t need to piggy back off of any name. They are a tight knit group of musician friends with formidable musical skills and a top notch ear for arrangement and composition. Despite the average songwriting effort– an effort that still boast some elevated moments–the appeal for this band rests in their ability to get you to lose yourself in the music.
Two Dollar Pistols’ Legacy Revived in John Howie Jr.’s ‘Leaving Yesterday’
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“Leavin’ Yesterday” is a brilliantly-written, steadfastly country old school tearjerker that doesn’t relent on the heartaches once in the album’s 13 stellar tracks. Just a glance at song titles like “I’m So Happy I Could Cry” and “That Makes 3 Of Us” lets you know you’re in store for a stone cold and felonious hard country heart stabbing.
Hellbound Glory Still Hungry After Kid Rock Tour
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Reno, Nevada’s Hellbound Glory has just come off two legs of arena shows opening for Kid Rock on his nationwide Rebel Soul tour, and are recovering now to get ready for their own tour in early summer. Saving Country Music talks with Hellbound front man Leroy Virgil about the tour, the potential for new music, and about the new single “The Feud.” Leroy releases an alternative version of the song through SCM.
Scott Borchetta’s New Songwriting Deal Means More Pop In Country
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The objective of the joint venture is “to allow the two companies to co-publish songwriters with the goal of bringing country and pop writers into each other’s realm.” In other words, the deal will likely mean even more pop on country radio, as pop songwriters and producers collaborate more intimately with Big Machine’s growing roster of country talent.
West, TX — Kolaches, And So Much More
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I remember a few years ago I was at the Hole in the Wall bar in Austin, TX, right by the UT campus, watching songwriting couple Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay performing. Brennen Leigh told the crowd that right after the show, her and Noel had to drive to Nashville, and how she was dreading the trip. “But then Noel reminded me that since we’re going north, we get to stop in West for kolaches, and so now I’m super excited.”