It’s been a long and arduous wait for many classic country fans sitting on the edge of their seats for the second record from country songsmith and crooner Zephaniah OHora. But ‘Listening to the Music’ has finally been announced, with a new song “All American Singer” available now.
Call him the Founder, call him the Father, but whatever you call him, make sure you recognize that without Fuzzy Owen, there may have never been a “Bakersfield Sound” in country music, and country may have never taken such a foothold on the West Coast.
You won’t find the 1982 film ‘Six Pack’ archived in the Smithsonian or in the short list of Oscar-awarded efforts. But for thousands, maybe millions of Americans who grew up in the 80’s, ‘Six Pack’ looms quite large in their little cultural ethos. It’s where they learned to cuss. It’s where they learned about love.
Another one of The Strangers has reunited with Merle Haggard in the big honky tonk in the sky. Biff Adam—the long-time drummer for Merle Haggard’s backing band passed away in his sleep Saturday evening, March 7th, due to congestive heart failure. He was 83-years-old.
There is no doubt that by any objective assessment, when it comes to the world of creative types in the realm of music or otherwise, their ranks tend to veer more towards liberal ideals when it comes to politics. But that in no way excludes the gift of creativity from people who happen to be more conservative or independent of mindset.
Only seven other people have received the award, and Alan Jackson is only the fourth artist. George Jones won the award in 2015 posthumously, as did Merle Haggard in 2016. Marty Stuart also won the award in 2007. “That’s pretty good company there with two of my heroes of all time, George and Merle,” Alan Jackson said.
Mark Yeary, a California native who played piano for Merle Haggard in his famous backing band The Strangers for nearly 20 years, passed away on Friday, January 17th at his home in Arizona City, Arizona. Yeary died due to a cardiac arrest episode according to Bakersfield.com. He was 67-years-old. Growing up in Orange County, California, […]
But Dolly Parton doesn’t deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, at least not at the moment when there are so many other women and men waiting in the wings that are much more deserving, and could use the distinction to preserve a legacy that Dolly Parton already has secured for herself by many fold.
Dolly Parton’s approach to archiving songs for a future she’s no longer living in is something completely unique. “I’m one of those people that believe in being prepared. I don’t want to ever leave my stuff in the same shape like Prince or Aretha or anybody that don’t plan ahead … I’ve got hundreds, hundreds, even thousands of songs.”
Releasing a live record is seen as a rite of passage for many artists. And with the energy she brings to a live show, you would think Miranda Lambert would be a good candidate for one. Many fans have been requesting a live record, and now some 15+ years into her career, you would think she’s about due. But she says it’s not going to happen.
On Saturday, December 21st, 2019, the hottest show in the Live Music Capital of the World commenced at 3:30 in the afternoon, and came with free admission. It was Redd Volkaert’s final Saturday afternoon matinee residency at The Continental Club on South Congress, a spot he’s held for 20-something years.
Austin, TX is losing yet another music legend. The latest to join the stampede out of the Live Music Capital of the World is Grammy winner and guitar-playing legend Redd Volkaert. Renown throughout the country music world and beyond for being one of the greatest Telecaster players in history, Volkaert once played in Merle Haggard’s band.
It’s been said before, and it will be said again: We can’t agree on much these days. But we all agree on Dolly Parton. “Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Grand Ole Opry” reminded us of why, and hopefully brought fans of music in country and beyond together at the commencement of the Holiday season.
When they finally get around to opening a proper brick and mortar Red Dirt Music Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, you can be assured it will be seeded with a bust of Stoney LaRue. Though many modern day artists love to cite Red Dirt as a sound and influence to their music, it’s only a select few who can say they’re founding members.
When the Ken Burns documentary was first announced a few years ago, the hope was the film could act like a big reset button on the status of country music, and give a boost to many of the songs and artists abandoned by radio in the present day. It has been a big boon in sales and streams for many of the classic country artists featured.
The 7th Episode in the series was unique in that 30 more minutes were added to give Ken Burns and his team the time to delve into a decade of the music, explain the important influence of Texas songwriters and the emergence of the Outlaw movement in the early and mid 70’s, all while keeping up with the goings on in popular country in Nashville.
Undoubtedly, you could not tell the story of country music in the late 60’s and early 70’s without broaching the political upheaval and countercultural revolution roiling American society at the time. But the time spent on stories that were only proxies to country music bogged this episode down in stretches.
The fifth installment of the Ken Burns country music documentary zeroed in on the time period between 1964 and 1968, when the United States at large began to be embroiled in tumultuous times, and two separate epicenters in country music began to emerge. Arguably the most egalitarian of the episodes so far, it covered a lot of performers.
Even though names like Jimmie Rodgers, Roy Acuff, and The Carter Family loom large for many of country music’s devoted fans, they don’t necessarily rise to the level of household names like Ernest Tubb, and of course the great Hank Williams, who was the centerpiece of the third installment of the Ken Burns ‘Country Music’ documentary.
Over seven years of full-time labor on the part of numerous people, over 101 interviews conducted, countless hours of archival work digging up old photographs, audio, video, and other vintage material, and an elongated year-long promotional effort finally culminated in the broadcast of the debut episode for the Ken Burns Country Music epic.
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.
PBS is gearing up for the release of the extensive 8 part, 16-hour Country Music Documentary starting September 15th directed by Ken Burns. And ahead of the release, PBS is trying to engage the country music public by asking people to share who their favorite country music icon is. They started by asking Miranda Lambert, Vince Gill, & Ray Benson.
What I’m getting at here is that I don’t think I just speak for myself when I say I wouldn’t be opposed to hearing you take a stab at releasing an original album of some sort. I’m talking about something beyond what you’ve already been doing on the stage. Get Dave Cobb involved as a producer, or perhaps your buddy Sturgill Simpson.
On October 10th, 1969, Merle Haggard and his famous backing band The Strangers rolled into Muskogee, Oklahoma to play the Muskogee Civic Center for a packed house. Just two weeks previous, on September 25th, Haggard had officially released the song “Okie From Muskogee” as a single.