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.”
One of the best things CMT did in the last decade was to air the limited series Sun Records back in 2017. Consisting of eight episodes written by Hank Williams biographer Colin Escott, and based off the Million Dollar Quartet musical, it captured the important moments that most all of popular music sprang from.
Dickey Lee is one of the greatest living country music songwriters. If you don’t believe me, just start by looking at the list of #1’s he’s written. This in part is how Dickey Lee landed in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995, and has amassed 22 BMI awards. But that’s not all.
Drake Milligan has got the “it” factor that so many otherwise excellent singers are missing. What is “it”? It’s a combination of things that go well beyond talent: originality, intrigue, unique appeal, and very often, fortuitous timing.
With a great voice, this 23-year-old injects new vigor and a youthful point of view into timeless country themes while avoiding list-y or whiskey cliches for the most part, backed by flawless and twangy music. The dude’s got the disposition of George Strait, with the smoothness of Chris Isaak.
This is the story of how none other than Johnny Cash was the first person to intercept the World-changing news of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin’s death, and communicate it to the Free World while stationed in Germany as a Morse code interceptor for the Air Force.
From his important work with the throwback country outfit BR549, to his long and productive solo career, to numerous causes and enterprises behind-the-scenes few catch wind of, Chuck Mead has on the front lines of helping to save country music for a quarter century. On June 28th, the country throwback will release his fourth album.
A show that gave a fresh shot in the arm to the legacy of Sun Records and artists like Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis will not be renewed for a second season. CMT’s series ‘Sun Records’ has been canceled after an eight episode run behind the network’s now signature series, ‘Nashville.’