For all of its other flaws as an industry, country music and Nashville have always tried to give songwriters their due, establishing the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and making sure songwriters share in awards. But until Joe Chambers came along, musicians continued to play a role as second fiddle.
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.
Capturing Kristofferson at the height of his powers and fame, his live band for the show included absolute legends of their field. It’s basically Kris Kristofferson’s Greatest Hits recorded live, and during his heyday, with the most legendary lineup of his band.
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.
The ‘More Life’ documentary following the life of Randy Travis from the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of his debut album Storms of Life to his current life after the stroke he suffered in 2013 first premiered on The Circle Network on February 10th.
One of the features that makes the film remarkable is that it captures Randy Travis in the final moments of his career right before the stroke. Hours of performances and interviews were collected, including the last footage of Randy Travis performing signature hits.
Beginning in the 00’s, songwriting in country music began to change, and by the early 2010’s, the population of country music songwriters had contracted by as much as 90% by some estimates, as the royalties that helped sustain these writers also began to dry up.
It was the stars of Nashville and beyond that performed the music that made country music famous. But it was Ralph Emery who served it up all to the public in a way that made made it so easy for everyone to invite it into their homes, and into their hearts.
Before you can write it, you first have to live it. And Dallas Frazier lived many lives in his lifetime, putting it all in song along the way, and amassing one of the most legendary song catalogs in country music history, while also enjoying moments as a singer and a performer.
It had been since 1997—or 25 years—since Warner Bros. had done a proper accounting on Randy’s catalog, and made sure his Gold and Platinum Certifications were current. Now Randy Travis has received five new RIAA Certifications.
Taken from a Westwood One radio broadcast with announcer and all, what makes this recording unique is it includes all kinds of stage banter, stories, and jokes from Randy, and it comes from a legendary spot in Gilley’s during a really important time in Randy’s career.
In 2012, producer and director Shaun Silva started working on a made-for-television special about Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis. Little did he know that while the project was ongoing, Randy Travis would go through a series of health issues in 2013.
There is just something that makes the elements of country music exceptionally complimentary to Christmas carols and Holiday music. The sense of comfort and home that is conferred by country music is similar to the one many feel listening to Christmas songs.
Combining the two Texas passions of barbecue and country music, the inaugural Troubadour Festival in Celina, TX went down on Saturday, November 6th. Randy Travis showed up and became the guest of honor at the festival.
‘An Old Time Christmas’ has always been considered one of the better bets for Christmas albums from country legends. That is how it achieved its Certified Gold status by the RIAA—something many of Randy’s 90’s and early 2000’s studio albums didn’t achieve.
Over the last few weeks, many fans of Randy Travis have been celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the release of his debut album Storms of Life by spinning the latest, remastered edition of the album that also comes with three previously-unreleased tracks.
As you get together with friends, family, and co-workers for the Labor Day holiday, it’s the perfect excuse to aggressively ambush them about their bad choices when it comes to country music. Instruct them to ditch the Dan + Shay, and detox with this playlist.
Well ladies and gentlemen, all the down time of the quarantine is catching up with us with an extra busy final portion of 2021 when it comes to the release of new albums. So to help you stay on top of it all, find this handy dandy guide to the albums you should be on top of.
Recorded in 1985 around the time of the rest of the Storms of Life album, the three unreleased songs slide perfectly into the original track list. Why they were left on the cutting house floor in the first place is anyone’s guess, but they capture Randy Travis in peak form.
“I’m speechless right now,” Dustin Lee said afterwards. “He ended up staying all night until we were finished, tapping his foot and having a good time. I said, ‘Sir, I sure hope we did your songs justice,’ and he smiled real big and gave us a big thumbs up!”
For his Hall of Fame career, Randy Travis’s ace-in-the-hole behind-the-scenes was his manager, his biggest believer, his staunchest champion, his eventual wife, and eventually, his biggest and most catastrophic adversary, Elizabeth “Lib” Hatcher. This is their story.
The first time Randy Travis showed up to a Cody Jinks show, it was a surprise, as was Randy’s endorsement of Cody Jinks in his autobiography. The way Randy came out this time, you could tell a friendship has developed between the two country stars.
June 2nd marked the 35th Anniversary of the release of the legendary debut album from Randy Travis, Storms of Life. Given credit for righting the country music ship in 1986 with its neotraditional sound while propelling Randy Travis to superstardom, it’s an important album in country music history.
That’s right, Saving Country Music is brushing off this old feature, and featuring another name from the modern era of country music badasses in Cody Jinks after his recent run over the last few years has made him one of the most formidable names in independent country.