The entirety of the music world mourns whenever a titan at the level of original Beach Boys member and musical mastermind Brian Wilson makes their exit from the mortal coil, leaving behind a planet that feels a bit more cold.
Did you know that there was a very distinct possibility that The Highwaymen might have never been called “The Highwaymen,” and that they might have never recorded the iconic song that gave them their name?
Listening back to “Garden Party” now and regarding Ricky Nelson’s career at large, it feels like he deserves way more credit for making country music cool to rock ‘n roll kids, and a new generation.
Buffy Sainte-Marie’s music and advocacy have resulted in unquestionable benefits to the culture and society of the United States and Canada. But questions surrounding her identity have significantly tainted those contributions.
Tanya Tucker’s life has been like a country song. That’s how she can sing them with such a convincing attitude, and conviction. And though it feels like she’s lived many lifetimes in her career, at 62, Tanya still has time to enjoy this accolade, and add to what now can be called a Hall of Fame career.
There may not be a greater cautionary tale in the history of country music for what can happen when you chase trends and try to forage in the greener pastures of pop than what happened to The Band Perry. The sibling trio of Kimberly, Reid, and Neil Perry was one of country music’s most promising bands.
From performers, to songwriters, to executives and producers, to the strong scene of bluegrass entertainers from New York that have gone on to define the very highest reaches of the discipline, these Jewish contributors deserve our recognition and appreciation.
Tanya Tucker is nothing short of a modern living Queen of Country Country Music, who deserves all the rights and privileges that such a designation bestows. She proved this in Pryor, Oklahoma on the grounds of the famous Rocklahoma festival where Born & Raised is held.
Country music is country music, and the best definition of what country music is, is that you know it when you hear it. It’s self-evident. But the genre has birthed many subgenres, many stylistic movements over the years, and at times has seen a splintering and Balkanization.
Dolly Parton will be one of the next inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The next question is how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will consider country performers for induction moving forward. This moment presents a slippery slope.
He could have been a star in the NFL. Instead Jim Weatherly chose to become a songwriter. The football world’s loss was the music world’s gain, if for no other accomplishment than the Pontotoc, Mississippi native wrote the iconic Southern anthem “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
Not as a rebuke of the work of the documentary, but as an addendum for those who watched and might want to dig deeper into the history of country through some of its more important personalities not represented well in the film, here are some of the Country Music film’s biggest oversights.
If you’re a country music fan and are disappointed that your favorite artist didn’t get enough screen time in the Ken Burns film on country music, well guess what, your favorite genre did, and by the most revered documentary filmmaker of our time, and before rock n’ roll, pop, the blues, soul music, or hip-hop.
It’s the voice of Tanya Tucker that compels the country listener to seek her records out. It’s always been a mixture of worn leather and honky tonk smoke, even at a tender age. Some may call it husky, including those who mean that in a demeaning manner. But it’s hard not to fall prey to the “lived it” notions the tone of Tanya Tucker conveys, and how it cracks in all the right places to punctuate emotions in the most important moments.
When we saw the expansive list of performances scheduled for the 2018 ACM Awards Sunday night (4-15) in Las Vegas, we knew something would need to be axed from the presentation to make room. During most every awards show in the modern era, performers and dignitaries of note who have passed away in the last year are honored.
As the end of the year draws near, it comes time to reflect on all the country music greats big and small, superstars and sidemen, session players and songwriters, who passed away in the past year, and pay our respects to the contributions they made to country music, and to us as fans through the music they shared.
When it comes to country music albums, it is Chris Stapleton, and everyone else. And it’s not even close. After the release of Stapleton’s latest record, ‘From A Room: Vol. 2,’ Chris Stapleton holds three of the top four spots on the country albums charts. ‘From A Room: Vol. 2’ easily comes in at #1 in country, as well as #2 all genre.
The nominations for the 2018 Grammy Awards were announced Tuesday morning (11-28), and among the most nominated names are multiple traditional country and roots music favorites, including Chris Stapleton who comes in with three nominations, tied with award show favorites Little Big Town for the most nominations in country.
If you’re looking for further evidence that the tide may be turning more in the direction of a deeper appreciation of traditional country, we just received quite a significant sign. Yes, the sympathy vote most certainly factored into this, but the achievement and its symbolic and subsnative importance shouldn’t be understated.
Amid the news of country and pop legend Glen Campbell’s death on Tuesday August 8th at the age of 81, sales of his music have spiked dramatically as past and current fans turn to Campbell’s timeless songs to mourn his passing. BuzzAngle Music reports that Campbell’s music sales spiked 13,665% on Tuesday, with most of […]
How should a country purist regard the legacy of Glen Campbell? That should be a really easy question to answer: with class, respect, and appreciation for a man that was an incredible ambassador for the genre through multiple avenues, and a timeless contributor to the country music canon.
After a protracted battle with Alzheimer’s, and a remarkable career that minted one of the most recognized voices in country music and made him an ambassador for the genre to millions as many of his songs crossed over into contemporary spheres, Glen Campbell has passed away at the age of 81. He died on Tuesday, […]
Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2011, and subsequently announced a farewell tour for 2011 and 2012. After the tour is when Adiós was recorded to “[capture] what magic was left” according to Glen’s wife Kim. The album features songs that Campbell loved, but never had a chance to record in his career.
As the title implies, this is a record for the core fandom of LaRue. It’s not exactly a covers album, but it’s not exactly a big original, once-every-two-years release. Whether it was meant to come out now at this time, or was expedited because of recent events, Stoney is doing his best to turn the focal point back to the music, not just as a PR move, but for himself and his fans.