Lots Happening in the Willie Nelson World
Willie Nelson may have turned 90 last month, but he remains one of the most active and prolific artists in country music.
Lee Ann Womack
Paul Franklin’s Been Nominated for CMAs 30 Times. He’s Never Won.
Susan Lucci is the name people love to cite when it comes to someone who’s accrued a long string of nominations for a certain award without ever actually winning it. But legendary country music steel guitarist Paul Franklin actually has Susan Lucci beat, and by more than a decade.
Trailer for “They Called Us Outlaws” Documentary Series Released
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.
Country Guitarist Chris Rodriguez Convicted on Assault Charge
Country musician and current member of the supergroup Generation Radio, Chris Rodriguez, has plead “no contest” to a misdemeanor charge of Assault with Bodily Injury stemming from a 2021 domestic dispute incident with his wife. Rodriguez was initially arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault – Strangulation.
End of an Era: On Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis Announcing Split
Texas music couple Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis announced the end of their marriage late last week, and with everything else going on, it may have been easy to miss the news, or to maybe gloss over just how significant this news is, and regard it simply as gossip.
New Hayes Carll Album “You Get It All” Calls Heavily on Country
Carll’s coming out and saying with his upcoming record called You Get It All to be released October 29th on Dualtone that his country roots rise to the surface. ““A lot of musical styles found their way onto this record, but my first and most formative influences came from country.”
Landmark Willie Nelson Tribute Concert to Finally Be Released
A once-in-a-lifetime event happened on January 12th, 2019 when a wide-ranging assemblage of talent from country music and beyond came together at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville to pay tribute to Willie Nelson. Called ‘Willie: Life and Songs of an American Outlaw,’ it’s being released on CD and DVD.
Album Review – Brennen Leigh’s “Prairie Love Letter”
It’s easy to soliloquize the expansive mountains or the rolling sea. It’s another to find inspiration in the expansive stillness of America’s midriff. But as Brennen Leigh can attest from her intimate acquaintance, you’ll never believe the brilliance of it unless you’ve beheld them with your own eyes.
Hayes Carll Announces New Album “Alone Together Sessions”
COVID-19 has country and Americana artists doing all kinds of creative things to stay busy and afloat. But there’s only a few artists that can take an acoustic guitar and a song and steal your undivided attention, and Hayes Carll is one of them.
Waylon Payne Readies Release of Long-Awaited Album
Waylon Payne is the name you turn to when you need a ringer of a song to really anchor a record, and that is what names like Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack, Wade Bowen, Charlie Robison, Pam Tillis, and many more have been doing for a while. But those who know Waylon Payne know he’s just as fit to be a performer.
Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, & Kenny Rogers Specials to Air
The big tribute show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for Willie Nelson that transpired on January 12th, 2019 is finally set to be broadcast for the rest of us who couldn’t attend, and it will include some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews as well. Specials for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers are also on the way.
Brent Cobb to Reissue Debut Album “No Place Left to Leave”
Brent Cobb will be reissuing his often-overlooked and hard-to-find debut album “No Place Left to Leave.” It finds Brent in his most nascent state, but already sharing songs that would withstand the test of time and be recorded by others, including the Oak Ridge Boys, and Whiskey Myers.
Album Review – McKay & Leigh – Self-Titled
Country music is also one of the few constants in a world of change. The onslaught of technology and the incursion of automation into our lives hasn’t made country music less relevant, it’s made it even more imperative. These are the themes and reminders you will find throughout the latest record from Noel McKay and Brennen Leigh.
Brent Cobb Announces Intimate Acoustic Tour to Open 2020
Grammy-nominated country music songwriter and performer Brent Cobb will be touring extensively once again in 2020, and he’ll start by stripping it all down and performing his much-beloved songs in seated, intimate venues this winter in a tour being called, “A Night of Fine Acoustic Country Music with Brent Cobb.”
Texas Music Artists Adorn Cow Skulls for Good Cause
Participating in the auction are greats like Lee Ann Womack, who adorned her skull with a flower arrangement, Ray Wylie Hubbard who took to his skull with a bunch of “Screw You, We’re From Texas” stickers. Cody Braun of Reckless Kelly gave his skull a peacock paint job, and Matt Hillyer chose the Yellow Rose of Texas as his inspiration.
Album Review – Erin Enderlin’s “Faulkner County”
When you want to record one of those absolutely devastating country music tearjerkers that holds back nothing and mercilessly goes to work on the audience’s emotional receptors, the songbook of Erin Enderlin is where you turn. Now she’s more posed than ever to emerge from the songwriting shadows.
Stoney LaRue Announces New Album “Onward”
Few can claim direct involvement with the formation of Oklahoma’s distinct mix of country, rock, and roots music known affectionately as Red Dirt, and Stoney LaRue is one of them. Stoney LaRue has been a warrior of the Texas and Red Dirt touring circuit for nearly 20 years. Now he’s getting ready to release a new album called “Onward.”
Chris Knight Announces First Album in 7 Years, “Almost Daylight”
There is daylight at the end of the long tunnel that has been the dearth of new music from one of country music’s most revered songwriters. Chris Knight can stand toe to toe with just about any of the songwriting stalwarts of the era, but it’s been seven years since he last hunkered down in the studio and given us something new.
Miranda Lambert’s Shakeup at Producer Feels Significant
It felt quite significant this week when Miranda Lambert revealed that she’s doing something that she hasn’t done over the 14 years and six major studio albums of her career, which is switch producers. A long time collaborator with Frank Liddell, Miranda has let it be known she’s now going with well-known mainstream country producer Jay Joyce.
Alan Jackson Documentary “Small Town Southern Man” Released
Completely unexpected, but absolutely welcome, Country Music Hall of Famer Alan Jackson is the beneficiary of a brand new documentary called Small Town Southern Man that has just been released via multiple streaming services (iTunes, Amazon Prime, etc.), and will receive a DVD release on June 28th.
Rodney Crowell Readies New Collaborative Album, “TEXAS”
Making a collaborative album with some of the most iconic artists from Texas and beyond wasn’t exactly what Houston native Rodney Crowell had in mind when he first started out to write and record his latest record. It just sort of happened that way. This won’t just be a Texas record in name.
George Strait Debuts New Willie Nelson Tribute Song “Sing One With Willie”
It’s both weird that fellow Texans and country legends Willie Nelson and George Strait have never collaborated together or even performed side by side in their illustrious careers, and yet it also makes perfect sense. But it was bound to happen eventually that the two would sing together.
“All My Ex’s” Songwriter Whitey Shafer Has Died
A legend of country music songwriting, and one that put the painful experience of divorce into words and song like none other has gone to the great honky tonk in the sky. Sanger D. Shafer, known popularly as Whitey Shafer, passed away on Saturday, January 12th according to reports.
Brandi Carlile Leads 2019 Country & Roots Grammy Nominations
The nominees for the 2019 Grammy Awards were announced Friday morning (12-7), and some of the things we anticipated happening have happened. But the biggest takeaway, and surprisingly so, is Brandi Carlile earning six total nominations, including all-genre nominations for Album, Song, and Record of the Year.