The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications have received fair criticism here for missing the moment in country and roots. But a new New York Times article gets it right.
It remains an unfortunate aspect of the modern media landscape that whenever higher institutions broach the subject of country music, it’s commonly done by someone uniquely unqualified to speak on the matter.
Rhiannon Giddens has “complicated feelings” about her involvement in the project that saw Beyoncé use Rhiannon’s banjo and viola in the album’s big single “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
First formed in 2005, the Carolina Chocolate Drops launched the careers of Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons, with Leyla McCalla, Hubby Jenkins, and others using the group as a proving ground early in their careers.
“She clearly was not trying to showcase the talents of black country artists in a real way, which I’m sure is extremely disappointing to the black country folks busting their asses to make it.”
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is not a country album. It was never meant to be considered a country album. When the first songs were released, they were not labeled as country songs, and were not sent to country radio.
As you can imagine, the news of the #1 has been met with with praise for Beyoncé breaking down barriers and shattering glass ceilings in country. But this is more about a megastar worth $800 million cutting in line.
Using this current event as a jumping off point, numerous outlets and now viral social media posts have proclaimed that the Black influence and contributions to country music have been stricken from the history of the genre.
Maybe Beyoncé’s new songs are country, or at least, they may be more country than they are anything else. But these are decisions that need to be determined irrespective of the noise already surrounding Beyoncé’s foray into country.
Lets not overlook that a bunch of very cool and important artists all announced new albums this week in a cavalcade of titlesthat shouldn’t be allowed to slide under your radar.
It is a bittersweet time this Labor Day weekend down in Texas, and specifically at the legendary Floore’s Country Store in Helotes where Robert Earl Keen is wrapping up 41 years of touring with three final shows. Eric Church, and rodeo legend Phil Lyne showed up to help.
Certain events and venues take on an exceptional status in music, simply from the moments that happened there, the memories made, and the artists discovered. Such is the case for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, which celebrated its 49th Anniversary in 2022.
The new award will give one more opportunity for Americana artists (and some country artists by proxy) to be nominated and win in what has become one of the most crowded categories in all of the Grammy Awards. But the problem remains that anything can be called Americana.
The Grammy Awards Premier Ceremony transpired Sunday afternoon, and though some worthy artists and valued projects walked away with deserved awards, it’s hard not to describe 2022’s Grammy haul in country and roots as anything but somewhat deflating.
Tyler Childers might not be going bluegrass, but he is going to Telluride as one of the headliners of the 2022 Telluride Bluegrass Festival in beautiful Colorado. Along with Molly Tuttle, Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart, Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, and others.
What is the litmus test for a Song of the Year nominee? Simply put, it’s something that very well might wet the eye. These are songs that have the power to change hearts and change lives, open you up new ideas or ways of thinking, or unlock memories or emotions you haven’t felt in years
The places a song can take you, the realizations a song can impart, this is the reason we cherish music so much, and we cherish songs specifically as the kernel root of all musical experiences that we remember forever. These are the best country and roots songs of 2021 so far.
The Saving Country Music Top 25 Playlist is built to keep you informed on all the best songs and albums coming out right here, right now in country and roots music. It’s available on most all streaming formats. New songs have just been added.
Once again partnering with Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi in Ireland, Rhiannon Giddens looks to take compositions such as “O Death” and “Amazing Grace” and give them new life, and to do the same to the classic Alice Gerrard song this new album is titled for.
Country music is usually left off the lineup when it comes Super Bowl time. But there will be at least a sliver of representation in 2021 though as Eric Church has been tapped to perform the National Anthem with Jazmine Sullivan before the game.
Over the last few years we’ve something completely unexpected from Eric Church, and unprecedented from many mainstream country stars. Whether it was a natural maturation, becoming a father, or actually listening to his critics, Eric Church changed, and in a meaningful way.
Re-integrating important black voices into that living tapestry should be a priority for the genre moving forward. But performing this important re-integration as either a commercial enterprise, or via hip-hop appropriations will only be effective at eroding what makes country music so vital.
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.
The broadcast of the Ken Burns-produced 8-part, 16-hour documentary on country music could very well be the most significant event to happen in country music in 2019, if not in the next few years. For country music to receive the expansive documentary treatment for America’s preeminent filmmaking archivist could have significant implications.