If you’re anything like me, if I want to hear some new music, you sure aren’t going to find me sniffing around CMT or burying your nose in the latest Rolling Stone. No, I’m likely going to be looking to the past, not the future. And man, what a thrill it is when you find [...]
It was 35 years ago today, or tonight, that Austin City Limits, inspired by Jan Reid’s book The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock and the exploding Outlaw country music scene in Austin, aired their first episode. And who better to book for the first show than the Improbable Willie Nelson.
It was 1974; two years before [...]
Of all the rough characters the Outlaw Country music scene can boast, only one has a glass eye and is a former gang leader and pimp. Only one when asked once by a 20/20 reporter if he carried a gun, and if so could he see it answered, “Which one?” because he notoriously carried two [...]
Back in the mid 70’s-the first time country music was saved- The Outlaws of country like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings found a home and harbor from Nashville’s ill ways in the Austin, TX singer-songwriter scene. People like Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphy, Townes Van Zandt, and Ray Wylie Hubbard had made Austin a [...]
Death has been busy lately in the world of country music. When Vern Gosdin passed away, I hated to admit that for all my country music geekness, I had never heard of the man. But I can’t say the same about Poodie Locke, who passed away last Wednesday (5-6-09). I knew exactly who [...]
Country music is an interesting thing. More so than in any other genre of music, you can look back at it’s history and almost see a grand design; an underlying purpose to all of it’s ebbs and flows. Country music has created folk heroes and arch villains within it’s ranks of performers and business handlers. [...]
In a poll conducted by The Birmingham News in Alabama where over 31,000 ballots were cast in six total rounds since March 5th, Hank Williams was named Alabama’s “Top Music Icon” by the people.
I first learned about this contest from the General of European Operations Restless in Amsterdam. Unfortunately I heard about it too [...]
I’ve said it many times before. About the only country music institution you can count on nowadays to honor the old greats and preserve the traditions of REAL country music is The Country Music Hall of Fame. But unfortunately like so many of us they are having financial troubles.
I first read about this [...]
I’ve seen this theme hashed out many times, in my blogs and blogs of others, on message boards, etc. etc. :
How am I supposed to feel when one of my country heroes hooks up with a country zero of the modern pop country era?
Whether you’re talking about the love fest between Hank Jr. and [...]
I was happy to hear the news yesterday that the Queen of Rockabilly, the immortal Wanda Jackson is going to be inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame on April 4th as an early influence inductee.
If you do not know who Wanda Jackson is then shit, I don’t even know where [...]
First off, this blog is a follow up to the Shooter Jennings VS. Shelton Hank Williams III blog, so if you didn’t catch that one you might want to read it first.
I always try to be as accurate as possible in my blogs when it comes to facts. I give my opinions [...]
Xmas is nigh upon us people, and for that certain special hellibilly or hellbetty I have a few suggestions if you’re short on ideas. First you can always check out 3bay for the latest in III gear and Reinstate Hank merch. There is also issue #1 of Metal Farm [...]
George Jones Receives the Kennedy Center Honors:
The silver-toned devil, the greatest living country music singer George Jones received the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Medal this week for giving country music 50+ years of his life, and counting. George hasn’t missed a step either, despite the drug abuse and brushes with the law. [...]
So on Saturday night, I get a phone call from a friend who knows I like pop country about as much as getting a splintered board shoved up my ass, telling me that the perfume peddling Timberly McGraw is the host of Saturday Night Live. So I tune into the last half of the [...]
Well, it’s been just over a week since I suffered through watching the whole CMA Pop Country Award Infomercial, and I am happy to report that I am finally able to keep solid foods down, and I finally achieved my first solid bowel movement since Kid Rock took the stage with “Lil Wayne,” making [...]
This is a dude I probably would not write about under normal circumstances. I think he did have a huge influence on the Outlaw Country movement, but it would be a stretch to call him an Outlaw. But I’ve had numerous requests for a Gram Parsons blog, so here we go.
This isn’t [...]
Real quick: A Hank III tour announcement is imminent. According to hank3.com it’s gonna start on the 23rd. But remember last Spring there was a big brewha when a bunch of tour dates surfaced and they turned out to be false. So nothing is official until it’s official, and let’s not go chasing rumors. [...]
Well, if you liked Part 1 of ‘Down with the CMA’, this part is gonna blow your doors off! Man have I dug up some dirt!In the last part we learned from Waylon Jennings about the backroom deals that go on when the CMA decides who to give awards to. Waylon also [...]
On Wednesday night, the sham which is the CMA Awards will be shoving pop music down America’s throat packaged as “country,” in an attempt to sell as many CD’s of talentless, pretty-faced product musicians as possible. This is NOT and award show people. This is not even an event to promote country music, because I’ll [...]
I’ve always said that Hank Williams III’s Straight to Hell was one of the most significant albums in country music history. But since no mainstream media outlets are willing to recognize this, I will, and to prove that this is not my biased opinion as a simple Hank III fan, I’m going to [...]
