Country Fans Aren’t Unwitting Pawns (a Response to Ketch Secor & NYT)
213 CommentsIt 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.
Original Country Music Outlaw Tompall Glaser, Dead at 79
11 CommentsTompall Glaser, one of country music’s original Outlaws, is dead at 79 after fighting a prolonged illness according to his family. He died at his home in Nashville. Tompall got his start in country music with his two brothers Chuck and Jim in Tompall & The Glaser Brothers who were members of the Grand Ole Opry. The family band released 10 albums and had 9 charting singles before breaking up in 1975.
CMA Fan Fest “Country’s Night To Rock” LIVE Blog
66 CommentsWelcome ladies and gentlemen to the LIVE blog for the 2013 broadcast of CMA’s Fan Fest, dubbed over the last few years as “Country’s Night to Rock.” Since our live blogs for mainstream country’s big awards shows have been so successful over the years, and because we had many requests to also create a platform for commiseration, it was decided we’ll give it a shot for this event too.
The Science Behind Why Pop Music Sucks
47 CommentsUnless you’re a dedicated listener of Top 40 pop music, you’ve probably found yourself at one point or another complaining about the current state of mainstream music and how it’s too simplistic and unoriginal. Well you might be surprised to find out that this is more than just an opinion. There’s actually scientific evidence to back your hypothesis up.
Movie Review – “Shakespeare Was Big George Jones Fan”
1 Comment“Shakespeare Was A Big George Jones Fan: Cowboy Jack Clement’s Home Movies” was made in 2005 to document Jack’s life, and the wild environment swirling around his legendary home studio, the “Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa.” It is about capturing the spirit of the man—the whimsy that he approached the creative process with.
Jody Payne, Guitarist for Willie Nelson, Dead at 77
5 CommentsJames L. Payne, aka Jody Payne, electric guitarist for Willie Nelson for 35 years, has passed away. He died this morning (8-10) in Stapleton, AL due to cardiac arrest according to his wife Vicki. Payne had been suffering from heart problems for years prior. Throughout the 60’s Payne played bass for Ray Price, and also played with Merle Haggard among others before eventually joining Willie in 1973.
The Civil Wars Sing Their Swan Song
15 Commentsby all accounts, The Civil Wars latest, self-titled album will be the duo’s swan song. Certain undisclosed, but publicly acknowledged irreconcilable differences have officially split the project in two, and almost kept this album from seeing the light of day altogether. But there’s still this business of 12 new tracks that they’ve released into a world.
“Cowboy” Jack Clement Dies At 82
10 Commentsountry Music Hall of Famer, legendary producer, songwriter, and cosmic music man “Cowboy” Jack Clement has died according to the Nashville newspaper The Tennessean. He was 82. Jack Clement was just inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year. He got his start working at Sun Studios in Memphis under Sam Phillips, arranging such hits as Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”
Florida Georgia Line’s Response to Tom Petty: “U Think We Care?”
83 CommentsYesterday the big story was that Tom Petty had said some disparaging things about the direction of country music to the Rolling Stone. Though Petty’s comments did not mention pop country band Florida Georgia Line or anyone else specifically, it is probably safe to conclude that the duo was included. earlier today on Twitter, Florida Georgia Line responded with, “U think we care?”
The Meaningless Billboard Florida Georgia Line Songs Record
29 CommentsBillboard and the echo chamber that is much of the entertainment media/blogosphere made much hoopla last week over Florida-Georgia Line’s “Cruise” breaking the all-time record for weeks at #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Closer scrutiny of the charts shows that, contrary to the flashy press releases and hype you may see regarding Florida-Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” its “record-setting” week is the historical achievement that isn’t.
Tom Petty Slams Modern Country As “Bad Rock with a Fiddle”
167 CommentsIf it seems like Saving Country Music is running a story every other day about an artist speaking out on the state of country music, it is because we are, and it’s because they are more and more frequently as modern pop country strives to set a lower standard for itself seemingly every day. Tom Petty is the latest. Following up on an anti modern country rant Petty delivered from the stage of the Beacon Theater in New York City…
6 Canadian Artists Helping to Save Country Music
55 CommentsWe’ve been saying it all year—right now it is women taking the leadership role in trying help to save country music. But they’re not the only ones, and if you wanted to look for another significant segment of artists doing more help than harm to the genre, there’s no better place to look than north of the border. Here are six Canadian showing the type of creative leadership country music needs.
Rodney Crowell: New Country Artists “Missing The Boat”
19 CommentsOf all the people you could have picked to become an outspoken dissenter to the direction of country music, Rodney Crowell would have been pretty far down the list. Not that he doesn’t have the skins on the wall to say such things and have them carry weight, or that he doesn’t practice what he preaches when it comes to his own approach to music. But he always seemed to be more of a reserved soul.