One sign that mainstream country music continues to improve is the decrease in “country” songs that were worthy of rants in 2019 compared to previous years. However there were a few exceptions in 2019, and songs worthy of taking out back to the woodshed. Our full-throated opposition to these monstrosities misappropriated as “country.”
Shooter Jennings and Lukas Nelson got together to recreate the magic of their famous fathers on a new rendition of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” originally written and performed by Ed Bruce with his wife Patsy. But of course you only get a teaser version of the song in the opening segment of ‘The Ranch.’
n a recent interview, the long-time marijuana advocate revealed that he is no longer smoking pot due to his continued breathing issues. The news came as a shock to some, if not many in the marijuana community, and others that see Willie Nelson’s name as synonymous with marijuana.
Chris Stapleton has just announced a slew of new tour dates on the 2020 leg of his ongoing All-American Road Show Tour, along with the openers for each date. Though this isn’t the big dump of dates we’re used to seeing from Stapleton, presales and tickets for these select dates are coming up shortly, so folks should be aware.
The distaste the CMA Awards experience can leave in the mouth of actual country music fans is chased early this year by the announcement of the 2020 Grammy Award nominees in the Country and American Roots categories. Though no set of ears will find the nominees list ideal, those with distinguishing tastes will be much more rewarded.
Fans of true country music were very happy to hear that Willie Nelson was tapped to perform at the CMA Awards in 2019. However it was fair to say that happiness and appreciation for Willie Nelson’s presence on the usually contemporary-minded and pop-oriented CMA Awards turned to concern when Willie Nelson started attempting to sing.
That’s right. The 83-year-old is blowing off the 2019 CMA’s and won’t be in attendance to receive is CMA Lifetime Achievement trophy. Instead of walking out on the stage at the Bridgestone Arena, Kris Kristofferson has elected to honor his contract to play the Adler Theater and Apartment Complex that night in beautiful downtown Davenport, Iowa.
Getting to see Chris Stapleton, Willie Nelson, or Jamey Johnson individually is probably worth your country music time. Put them all together on one bill and it’s a no brainer if you’re within driving distance or otherwise. Throw in upsurging country-soul queen Yola from the U.K. whose having a breakout year in 2019, and it’s a bill for the ages.
Well because they’re fans of The Likely Culprits, of course. Who are The Likely Culprits? It’s a crew of seven all-star band members and session musicians who comprise some of the most highly-regarded pickers and singers in the country music business.
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.
The fourth installment of the eight-part Ken Burns documentary on country music laid out in no uncertain terms how country music became a well-ordered business in the aftermath of the death of Hank Williams, and during the rise of rock n’ roll as the most popular genre in America, putting pressure on country music.
The commonality of criticizing country radio within the ranks of country music’s classic and independent fans is pretty severe, and for good reason. Generally speaking, country radio is a blob of nationalized playlists and unimaginative music, and no curation by the DJs on the ground in local markets. But this doesn’t mean all radio is bad.
Willie Nelson had a lot of folks worried when late on August 7th, he released a statement saying, “To my fans, I’m sorry to cancel my tour, but I have a breathing problem that I need to have my doctor check out. I’ll be back Love, Willie.” The statement came after Willie had been performing at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
Willie Nelson has canceled his current tour due to breathing problems. This was the news coming out of the Willie Nelson camp late Wednesday evening (8-7) after he performed a show Wednesday at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio and experienced breathing issues. “To my fans, I’m sorry to cancel my tour,” Willie said in a statement.
Willie Nelson and the usual suspects, along with some fresh talent will once again reunite for the plight of the American farmer as part of the 2019 installment of Farm Aid, which this year will focus its attention on the land of dairy. The location was chosen specifically due to the crisis affecting many of America’s dairy farmers.
Willie Nelson’s 1975 conceptualized album Red Headed Stranger is considered by many to be the greatest country music album of all time. The film Red Headed Stranger based off the album and released 11 years after holds a bit of a different legacy. Starring Willie Nelson, Morgan Fairchild, and Katharine Ross…
It’s a Texas invasion at the very top of the country music albums charts this week as an oldtimer, an independent maverick, and an upstart troublemaker all from the Lone Star State have pushed the powers that be in pop country down the ladder, and come in at #1, #2, and #3 respectively in album sales.
It’s the common bane of most second and third generation music performers that they are expected to carry on the legacy of their parents in form and fashion, and perform up to a standard dictated by their pedigree that is often difficult to impossible to attain. But with the natural gifts for music making that […]
Willie Nelson turned 86-years-old last week, but don’t expect to see him slowing down anytime soon. If anything, he’s putting his foot down on the gas for 2019, announcing a new album, and recently extending his Outlaw Music Festival dates which will keep him busy well into the summer.
For the pot holiday 4/20, the Godfather of Bro-Country Brantley Gilbert reminds us that our prayers to country music Jesus to inflict pestilence upon his singing voice, or at least permanently impair him with chronic laryngitis to render him irrevocably unable to perform have gone wholly unanswered.
Willie Nelson’s latest album will be called ‘Ride Me Back Home,’ and will once again be produced by Buddy Cannon, with a release date forthcoming sometime in June. This is the news coming out of an exclusive SiriusXM taping that occurred at Willie’s ranch outside of Austin on April 13th in the chapel of his own private Western town, Luck, TX.
Making a collaborative album with some of the most iconic artists from Texas and beyond wasn’t exactly what Houston native Rodney Crowell had in mind when he first started out to write and record his latest record. It just sort of happened that way. This won’t just be a Texas record in name.
For the fifth year in a row, Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic will be held at the Circuit of the Americas speedway just south of Austin, TX, and will include many long-standing invitees and Nelson family members in the lineup, as well as other special guests. The initial lineup for the nearly 50-year-old event has just been announced.