This week has been very bittersweet for Martha Spencer. It happened to be that Luke Bell picked the same week to grab everyone’s attention that she was releasing her new album called ‘Wonderland,’ which also happens to feature Luke Bell appearing on one of the album’s tracks—one of Luke’s last recordings.
As reported by Saving Country Music in July, a new 6-part, 12-hour documentary named ‘They Called Us Outlaws: Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes, and the Rise of Renegade Troubadours’ is on the way, featuring over 90 interviews and 75 live performances, with Jessi Colter executive producing.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced their 2022 class last week, with Shania Twain, Steve Wariner, Hillary Lindsey, Gary Nicholson, and David Malloy all being named 2022 inductees. With Shania leading the way, this is the first time since 2009 that the Nashville institution has picked two women.
A new country music documentary is on the way, courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and executive producer Jessi Colter. Delving deep into the Outlaw era of country music like never before, They Called Us Outlaws will be a six-part series spanning 12 total hours.
Jerry Jeff Walker died on October 23rd, 2020, but not before becoming a folk hero from the song “Mr. Bojangles,” and helping to set up the conditions in Austin, TX that would ultimately make it the Live Music Capital of the World, and an alternative to Nashville.
Normally a video for a cover song may not be cause to stop down and request your undivided attention. But anything that involves the always elusive Luke Bell these days is worth stopping down for, and he proves why when he teams up with the equally impressive Martha Spencer.
The songs of Noel McKay, they’re like those one of a kind items, carefully crafted with their dovetailed joints and beveled edges, and proudly engraved with a maker’s mark. They’re well-loved, and presented to the world without commercial concern, and more for the memories they hold.
Another guy that paid all the dues and left a crater of an impact, even though he never hit the big time has passed onto that honky tonk in the sky. His name was Chris Wall, and even if you’ve never heard of him or his music, you’ve certainly heard his influence in many of your favorite artists.
Many know the “perfect Country & Western song” is “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” performed by David Allan Coe, and written by Steve Goodman. Or at least, that’s how David Allan Coe and Steve Goodman presented it. But what many don’t know is that John Prine was a co-writer of the song.
John Lomax III continued in the family business, but in a way that ultimately had major impacts in country music through the many Texas-born songwriters that would shake country music up as part of the 70’s Outlaw movement, and later in the emergence of alt-country.
“80’s Ladies” spoke to women both young and old, and became an anthem. It also made K.T. the first ever middle-aged woman to launch a country career in history. “80’s Ladies” was her signature, but subsequent songs would become bigger hits.
Chris Stapleton has always been the most unlikely of superstars. Slightly overweight 36-year-olds with beards and a burly countenance aren’t supposed to be the beneficiaries of the confluence of positive circumstances that powered Stapleton so high into the stratosphere of country music, he’s transcended the genre.
Though we’ll never forget, it will be impossible to not remember all those good times Jerry Jeff afforded us, and feel a rush of incredible sadness proportionate to the impact Jerry Jeff Walker had on music, and people, and places, which was infinite.
From contributing one of the most important folk songs of the American songbook in history, to becoming a seminal member of the Austin, TX music scene and founding father of Texas country music, there is no comparing, and no replacing the impact of performer, songwriter, musical icon, and gonzo musician Jerry Jeff Walker.
Steve Earle and his backing band The Dukes will be releasing a record of songs written by Steve Earle’s late son Justin Townes Earle who passed away in late August at the age of 38. Though details are still coming together, Steve Earle announced the album on Wednesday, September 16th.
The new record will include 14 new songs, 11 of which Stapleton wrote or co-wrote himself, along with a few notable covers, specifically John Fogerty’s “Joy of My Life,” and two covers of Guy Clark songs—“Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends.” He also collaborates with members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Though Dean Dillon has written songs for scores of artists, including Chris Stapleton, Gary Stewart, Vince Gill, Vern Gosdin, Lee Ann Womack, and so many others, it’s his partnership with George Strait that has gone on to become legendary, and is the undeniable impetus for putting him in the Hall of Fame.
With the recent death of John Prine at the hands of COVID-19, the question has been posed by many about the legendary songwriter’s prospects of ever being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s an interesting discussion point for sure, and one with a few important qualifiers.
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.
Canadian country and Western artist Colter Wall was one of the fortunate ones to be selected to perform for the new season of the long-running and highly-revered PBS music show Austin City Limits for their 45th season. And if you want to catch the taping, you better be on your toes because it’s coming up this Friday.
‘Red Bandana’ is anything but typical, for Aaron Watson or anyone else. When Watson says this is his most involved and personal work that he rates at the top of the heap, believe him. When others say they’re shocked or ecstatic about how good this record is, take their word for it. With Red Bandana, Aaron Watson defies his own odds.
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.
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.
Songwriter and Texas music wildman Jack Ingram has a new album on the way called ‘Ridin’ High … Again.’ It will be Ingram’s tenth studio record overall, and was recorded at Austin, TX’s iconic Arlyn Studios in just two days in what Ingram describes as one “forty-eight hour party.”