Dolly Parton will be one of the next inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The next question is how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will consider country performers for induction moving forward. This moment presents a slippery slope.
A fourth generation of the Hank Williams lineage will officially be crowned when IV and the Strange Band featuring Coleman Williams release their debut album ‘Southern Circus’ on June 17th via the Black Country Rock label owned by Shooter Jennings.
The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced last month, and leading the pack and making the biggest splash was not a name from the rock world, but a country one in the form of Country Music Hall of Famer Dolly Parton.
It was 1913, and ethnic Jews living in the Ukraine region of the Russian Empire were regularly subjected to brutal, mob-like massacres, known as pogroms. Just two years after a young boy named Nuta Kotlyarenko (Нута Котляренко) was born in Kiev on December 15th, 1902.
The bloodlines of Jennings and Williams are running together once again as the great grandson of Hank Williams, grandson of Hank Jr., and the son of Hank Williams III has signed with the record label of the son of Waylon Jennings, Black Country Rock.
Before you can understand where country music is going, you first have to know where it’s been. And since the very beginning of the genre, country music has been calling on the roots of Gospel music for much of its structure and inspiration.
On December 9th, 1996, with his career forgotten and his health failing, Faron Young decided to end his own life. He penned a suicide note specifically enumerating the decline in his career, and how he felt abandoned and forgotten by country music as one of the causes
Capturing a classic country sound with a faraway feel, Nick Sizemore carried a handful of his original songs into the studio with producer Brett Robinson and captured just about the perfect mood for this material. Morose and melancholy, Nick Sizemore seizes the essence of the sad country song both in writing and sound.
There’s just about nothing that will give you deeper chills in country music than the delivery of the final verse in the song “The Ride” written by Gary Gentry, J. B. Detterline Jr., and performed by David Allan Coe. It’s almost like seeing a ghost. That may not be by accident.
On this night in 1951 when Hank found the time to record the demo for “Tear In My Beer,” and 40 years later when it became a big hit in country, it proved that a good song with a simple sentiment can often withstand the ultimate test of time, and be entered into eternal cultural relevance.
Imagine having backed Hank Williams on his legendary Grand Ole Opry debut in 1949, or playing behind any of the other country music legends who performed on that hallowed stage during the Opry’s golden era. This was the fortune of steel guitarist Billy Robinson.
Could it be that the most important and influential bloodline in country music history actually has a lost branch? Country History X Episode #11 delves into this complicated and convoluted story, while now a 4th generation of performers have emerged looking to carry on Hank’s name.
The son of Hank Williams Jr. has been kicking around the music industry for a few years now, dabbling with some traditional country stuff, then moving in a much more contemporary direction, but overall just seeming to be trying to find himself. Don’t expect a chip off the old block.
40 years ago this week, one could make the case Hank Williams Jr. finally and forever extricated himself from the elongated shadow his father’s legacy cast, and became his own man, his own performer, and one that would impact country music on a major scale.
And then right there in the center of town, completely taking you off guard is this immaculately cared-for memorial park to Chris LeDoux, bursting with vibrancy and color, and of course, a towering 12 1/2-foot sculpture of LeDoux himself riding bareback affectionately named “Good Ride Cowboy.”
Breland is back, and collaborating closely with Keith Urban in the hopes of giving him some credibility in country’s mainstream. Jokes on him though, because Keith Urban has no credibility to lend. Don’t believe me, just recall when he accidentally won Entertainer of the Year in 2018.
The authenticated and restored poster on cardboard was put on the auction block by Heritage Auction Galleries out of Dallas, TX on Saturday, May 1st where it brought the record bid. Consignment director Pete Howard of Heritage says the piece is the “top of Mount Everest.”
A famous family name in country music is both the greatest asset one can hold, and the most unbelievably burdensome yoke from the expectations it foists upon you. At 30 years old, the son of Shelton Hank Williams III has decided to throw his hat in the ring.
Sad news out of Texas Tuesday evening (3-23) as it’s been revealed that country, Christian, and classic pop artist B.J. Thomas has been diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer. The five-time Grammy winner is known for the song, “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.”
There are many incredibly important legacy families to the country music lineage, from the Carter’s to the Cash’s. But arguably no crop of performers have offered more entertainment, influence, intrigue, and tragedy than the family tree that sprouts from the loins of Hank Williams.
There’s a new performer on the way, and he’s one that has a legitimate claim to arguably the most important bloodline in country music history. That’s right, the son of Hank Williams III is getting ready to emerge, and to do so under the moniker “IV.”
To help in the COVID-19 recovery effort, the Hall of Fame is planning a special live streaming event that will match up many of the iconic instruments in the “Precious Jewels” collection and other displays with many of the best artists and players of today.
On Friday evening, October 16th, PBS will air the presentation of the Grammy’s special merit awards for the year’s Lifetime Achievement recipients. The event is capped off with a tribute to John Prine, whose segment runs almost twice as long as any other tribute.
Dozens of TikTok videos of the 27-year-old’s maskless partying with college-aged girls emerged, and specifically of Morgan Wallen sucking face with half a dozen of them. This has resulted in ‘Saturday Night Live’ canceling his appearance.