A Country Fan Appreciates the Catalog of Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond. The Jewish Elvis Presley as some have referred to him over the years. But country? That’s probably not what you think of when you think Neil Diamond.
Neil Diamond. The Jewish Elvis Presley as some have referred to him over the years. But country? That’s probably not what you think of when you think Neil Diamond.
It goes without saying that at this moment in history, everyone in America is incensed and sickened by the level of gun violence plaguing society, and specifically the prevalence of mass shootings, and especially school shootings.
You can’t let fans load into the venue, get a beer in their hand, and then last minute, pull the plug. It’s not cool. And this is what Morgan Wallen did in Oxford, Mississippi on Sunday night, April 23rd at the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, even waiting until after openers Hardy and Ernest had performed.
One of the most promising voices and songwriters in independent country to emerge in the last few years has been Charlie Marie from the unexpected origination point of Rhode Island. Flooring folks with her 2019 self-titled EP that drew immediate comparisons to Patsy Cline.
I would be lying if I said that Sturgill Simpson’s first emergence out of supposed retirement wasn’t a little disappointing, since in comes in the form of a dance track with the pretty scuzzy country music carpetbagger Diplo. That’s not a commentary on the track itself called “Use Me (Brutal Hearts)”…
The 2023 CMT Awards could very well go down in country music history as a significant moment, but it won’t be for the reasons the producers of the presentation or their proponents in the media hoped for, or will purport it to be. And no, we’re not just talking about the polarizing political moments…
There is nothing more hip than complaining about what Lower Broadway has turned into over the last half decade or so. But the situation could be so much incredibly worse. It could be 6th Street in Austin, which is supposed to be the entertainment epicenter of the “Live Music Capital of the World.”
Instead of admitting to any potential mistakes made in the Mark Capps killing, while meeting with The Tennessean’s editorial board, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake told the paper that SWAT Officers who responded to the home of Mark Capps acted within department policy.
Similar to Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert has been one of those mainstream artist that delineates herself from most mainstream contributors by following her heart, sometimes to the detriment of her commercial appeal or success, while then sliding right back into the good graces of the industry.
After NBC Universal purchased a 30% stake in the Grand Ole Opry’s parent company Ryman Hospitality in 2022, you knew there would be an effort to cross-pollinate the two companies for better or worse. Lo and behold, come September we will now have the “People’s Choice Country Awards.”
When these officer-involved killings occur, they immediately dominate the news cycle nationally, let alone locally, and for good reasons. It is the job of the public, and the press as the fourth estate to scrutinize law enforcement, and push for accountability. But that is not happening with the killing of Mark Capps.
You would think that if you had more cooks in the kitchen, they would come up with something more creative. But that’s not the case when it comes to country music songwriting, and a new study corroborates what our ears have been telling us for years. As the amount of songwriters per track has increased…
For the last dozen years or so, one of the most contentious battles within the realm of commercial country music has centered around the incursion of hip-hop influences into the genre, and specifically the use of verses that are rapped as opposed to sung, and electronic beats replacing organic drums.
While on the Red Carper at the 2023 Grammy Awards if February, someone from CBS shoved a microphone into the face of Luke Combs, and asked him “What song can you not stop listening to?” Luke’s answer? “John Prine’s son, Tommy Prine, wrote a song when his dad passed called ‘Ships in the Harbor.'”
For every pleasure, there is a cost, or a consequence. Relaxation comes at the loss of productivity. A luxury comes at the expenditure of wealth. The one exception to the entanglement of weighted outcomes when it comes to the partaking in the pleasures of life is the illustrious gift of music.
Eddie Rabbitt’s career wasn’t just accomplished, it was downright Hall of Fame worthy. But you almost never hear Eddie Rabbitt’s name brought up in the context of the Hall of Fame. In fact, you barely ever hear the name of Eddie Rabbitt in country music at all these days.
Make no mistake about it. Whether you’re a happy camper with a pair of tickets to an upcoming Zach Bryan concert securely in hand or not, his effort to completely eliminate scalpers and bots from the ticket buying process was a success, … unless you didn’t get tickets/
If there were any specific spot on this Earth that you could cite as a place to go and experience the magic and majesty of country music in its most potent and shiver-inducing forms, without hesitation, the final resting place of Hank Williams in Montgomery, Alabama.
Lo and behold, when in London, England recently, Tyler Childers stopped by a local record store and was digging on the debut Jesse Daniel record while someone snapped a photo. The photo started making the rounds thanks to Vinyl Cup Records in Des Moines, Iowa.
Chris Stapleton needs no stepping stone or discovery at this moment in his career, but we all know he will slay the National Anthem on Sunday, because this is what Chris Stapleton does. He’s such a good singer, it’s one of the reasons purists love to claim he isn’t country.
For years now this organization has fleeced aspiring and up-and-coming musicians with the promise of big exposure to important people in the music industry while charging musicians an application fee simply to be considered to play, and often not even allowing them admittance.
The only thing more cool than your favorite country music performers is when your favorite country music performers come together to collaborate in a supergroup. Some of these collaborations have gone on to become just as legendary as the individual performers themselves.
Well here we are again talking about a major country music artist being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and just like Dolly Parton in 2022, Willie Nelson will be one of the next Rock Hall members. His nomination ordains that. Voters won’t not drop a vote on Willie.
In a recent behind-the-scenes clip as part of this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Maren Morris felt then needed to apologize to the drag queens competing on this season’s show on behalf of country music. But Maren Morris has some specific things she should apologize for personally.