![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTYwM2I2YjgtMzI3My00YWZmLWI5YTctMzZiYTVjNjE1ZjdmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR25,0,500,281_.jpg)
Sadly, the world lost the megastar Toby Keith earlier this year. His death occurred before he was able to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. His fans from around the world have been begging for this Oklahoma native to be inducted for years. Their pleas have only gotten louder since his death. Now, the world wants to know when will Toby Keith receive this honor.
The Death Of Toby Keith
Toby Keith passed away on February 5, 2024. This happened after his long and heroic battle with stomach cancer. His family made the sad announcement on his Facebook page.
The “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” singer was only 61 years old. He was survived by his wife and children as well as his millions of fans from all over the world.
Tributes Poured In From All Over
After his untimely and shocking death, tributes from Toby...
The Death Of Toby Keith
Toby Keith passed away on February 5, 2024. This happened after his long and heroic battle with stomach cancer. His family made the sad announcement on his Facebook page.
The “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” singer was only 61 years old. He was survived by his wife and children as well as his millions of fans from all over the world.
Tributes Poured In From All Over
After his untimely and shocking death, tributes from Toby...
- 3/18/2024
- by Emma Riley Sutton
- Country Music Alley
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjhlZWIxODktZjFmYS00M2EwLThkNzEtOTBhMzFkZjQ4NDJhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjhlZWIxODktZjFmYS00M2EwLThkNzEtOTBhMzFkZjQ4NDJhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Myron Elkins is one of those guys who seems to have stepped out of another time. At just 22, the former welder from the small town of Otsego, Michigan — closest city: Kalamazoo — drops names like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Al Green when recounting his musical mileposts. But he’s also fully aware that he’s a white man from the Midwest and that any claim he has to vintage soul music goes through one of his state’s most celebrated blue-collar singers.
“I have this thing, almost like a ‘worthy...
“I have this thing, almost like a ‘worthy...
- 5/5/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Actress Jessica Chastain, star of the new Showtime miniseries "George and Tammy", poses for the December 2022 issue of "Marie Claire" magazine, wearing Gucci, Polo Ralph Lauren, Victoria Beckham and a whole lot more, photographed by Jessica Chou:
Cast of "George and Tammy" also includes Steve Zahn as 'George Richey', Tim Blake Nelson as 'Roy Acuff', Kelly McCormack as 'Sheila Richey', Katy Mixon as 'Jan Smith'...
... Hendrix Yancey as 'Gwen', Walton Goggins as 'Earl Peanutt Montgomery', David Wilson Barnes as 'Billy Sherrill...
...John Teer as 'Harold Bradley', Joshua C. Allen as 'Lou Bradley'. Kate Arrington as 'Charlene Montgomery,' Pat Healy as 'Don Chapel'...
...Bobbie Eakes as 'Nan Smith', Abby Glover as 'Georgette Jones', Ian Lyons as 'Paul Richey', GiGi Erneta as 'Nancy Sepulvado' and Vivie Myrick as 'Donna Chapel'.
Click the images to enlarge.
Cast of "George and Tammy" also includes Steve Zahn as 'George Richey', Tim Blake Nelson as 'Roy Acuff', Kelly McCormack as 'Sheila Richey', Katy Mixon as 'Jan Smith'...
... Hendrix Yancey as 'Gwen', Walton Goggins as 'Earl Peanutt Montgomery', David Wilson Barnes as 'Billy Sherrill...
...John Teer as 'Harold Bradley', Joshua C. Allen as 'Lou Bradley'. Kate Arrington as 'Charlene Montgomery,' Pat Healy as 'Don Chapel'...
...Bobbie Eakes as 'Nan Smith', Abby Glover as 'Georgette Jones', Ian Lyons as 'Paul Richey', GiGi Erneta as 'Nancy Sepulvado' and Vivie Myrick as 'Donna Chapel'.
Click the images to enlarge.
- 12/14/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"George and Tammy" is a new dramatic TV miniseries created by Abe Sylvia and directed by John Hillcoat, starring Jessica Chastain as country singer 'Tammy Wynette' and Michael Shannon as 'George Jones', now streaming on Showtime:
Cast also includes Steve Zahn as 'George Richey', Tim Blake Nelson as 'Roy Acuff', Kelly McCormack as 'Sheila Richey', Katy Mixon as 'Jan Smith', Hendrix Yancey as 'Gwen', Walton Goggins as 'Earl Peanutt Montgomery', David Wilson Barnes as 'Billy Sherrill...
...John Teer as 'Harold Bradley', Joshua C. Allen as 'Lou Bradley'. Kate Arrington as 'Charlene Montgomery,' Pat Healy as 'Don Chapel'. Bobbie Eakes as 'Nan Smith', Abby Glover as 'Georgette Jones', Ian Lyons as 'Paul Richey', GiGi Erneta as 'Nancy Sepulvado' and Vivie Myrick as 'Donna Chapel'.
Click the images to enlarge...
Cast also includes Steve Zahn as 'George Richey', Tim Blake Nelson as 'Roy Acuff', Kelly McCormack as 'Sheila Richey', Katy Mixon as 'Jan Smith', Hendrix Yancey as 'Gwen', Walton Goggins as 'Earl Peanutt Montgomery', David Wilson Barnes as 'Billy Sherrill...
...John Teer as 'Harold Bradley', Joshua C. Allen as 'Lou Bradley'. Kate Arrington as 'Charlene Montgomery,' Pat Healy as 'Don Chapel'. Bobbie Eakes as 'Nan Smith', Abby Glover as 'Georgette Jones', Ian Lyons as 'Paul Richey', GiGi Erneta as 'Nancy Sepulvado' and Vivie Myrick as 'Donna Chapel'.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 12/5/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTc5MGMxM2ItNmRkOC00YmEwLTlkYWEtNjlmNjg3YTZkOGJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTc5MGMxM2ItNmRkOC00YmEwLTlkYWEtNjlmNjg3YTZkOGJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Jeannie Seely was a 12-year-old girl in rural Pennsylvania when she first heard Kitty Wells’ song “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” It was 1952, and Wells’ unlikely hit was climbing the charts on its way to making country music history. That August — 70 years ago this month — it became the first single by a solo female artist to reach No. 1 on the country charts, and a bellwether for women in the industry.
“I was absolutely thrilled, of course, to hear another girl was a big thing, because there...
“I was absolutely thrilled, of course, to hear another girl was a big thing, because there...
- 8/29/2022
- by Jeff Gage
- Rollingstone.com
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWQyYTZmYWYtYTRmYS00NzY0LTllNTktZTAwZTRhNjU2YmYyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWQyYTZmYWYtYTRmYS00NzY0LTllNTktZTAwZTRhNjU2YmYyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Roy Acuff was synonymous with the fiddle. It was his constant companion, and when he wasn’t playing it on songs like “Night Train to Memphis,” it was in his hand. Or sometimes, balanced on his chin. On Wednesday, the Country Music Hall of Fame received one of Acuff’s fiddles for its permanent collection.
Vince Gill came into possession of the fiddle this year (he purchased it from the granddaughter of Bashful Brother Oswald, a member of Acuff’s Smokey Mountain Boys) and knew there was only one home for the instrument.
Vince Gill came into possession of the fiddle this year (he purchased it from the granddaughter of Bashful Brother Oswald, a member of Acuff’s Smokey Mountain Boys) and knew there was only one home for the instrument.
- 6/30/2021
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGQyM2U1MjMtMTk0ZS00YmRlLTgyNjEtNjFmMjkxNTM1Yjk5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGQyM2U1MjMtMTk0ZS00YmRlLTgyNjEtNjFmMjkxNTM1Yjk5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Daniels, who played bass and guitar on Bob Dylan’s 1969 Nashville Skyline LP and would go on to pioneer the burgeoning Southern rock movement with his namesake Charlie Daniels Band, died Monday at 83. His publicist confirmed Daniels’ death from a hemorrhagic stroke to Rolling Stone.
With his fiery fiddle at the forefront of much of his recorded output, the leader of the Charlie Daniels Band paved the way for the mainstream country-rock success of that group and others, including Alabama and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and crossed over...
With his fiery fiddle at the forefront of much of his recorded output, the leader of the Charlie Daniels Band paved the way for the mainstream country-rock success of that group and others, including Alabama and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and crossed over...
- 7/6/2020
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Trace Adkins](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTgzODQ2NzQwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTIxMDMxNw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR5,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Trace Adkins](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTgzODQ2NzQwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTIxMDMxNw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR5,0,140,207_.jpg)
At a time when volunteerism has been crucial to millions of residents of Tennessee, following the tornado and flood outbreak earlier this month and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, country legend Charlie Daniels has revealed that the Volunteer Jam concert will return to Music City’s Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, September 15th.
Currently set to appear alongside the headlining Charlie Daniels Band are a mix of country legends, southern rock acts and relative newcomers including Trace Adkins, Charley Pride, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Justin Moore, Chris Janson, the Gatlin Brothers, Travis Denning,...
Currently set to appear alongside the headlining Charlie Daniels Band are a mix of country legends, southern rock acts and relative newcomers including Trace Adkins, Charley Pride, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Justin Moore, Chris Janson, the Gatlin Brothers, Travis Denning,...
- 3/27/2020
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Dan Rather](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTYzNDQzODEyNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwOTQwOTI4._V1_QL75_UY207_CR9,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Dan Rather](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTYzNDQzODEyNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwOTQwOTI4._V1_QL75_UY207_CR9,0,140,207_.jpg)
Dan Rather was born 10 years before America entered World War II, is more familiar with long-ago singing cowboy Tex Ritter than his actor son John, and took a stab at playing bassoon as a child growing up in Texas. In other words, he’s admittedly the last person anyone would associate with rock & roll. “I once said to my wife Jean, ‘Why didn’t I catch on to rock & roll earlier?’” Rather says. “She said, ‘Dan, for one thing, you were working all the time.’ And that’s true. I...
- 3/26/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
![Merle Haggard](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTE3NzE3MzU1MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjc0MjU1ODE@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,4,140,207_.jpg)
![Merle Haggard](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTE3NzE3MzU1MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjc0MjU1ODE@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,4,140,207_.jpg)
In March 1973, Merle Haggard and the Strangers released a new single called “The Emptiest Arms in the World,” a boozy, forlorn honky-tonk ballad from the soon-to-be-released I Love Dixie Blues LP. The country song’s lonely main character, however, might well have been positively giddy compared to the actual country’s beleaguered leader. President Richard Nixon was at an all-time high 67% approval rating at the time of his inauguration. But with the Watergate scandal dominating national news, Nixon’s numbers soon went into freefall — and never recovered.
It’s no wonder,...
It’s no wonder,...
- 3/17/2020
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Roy Acuff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjI5YTMyNDAtMjRiYy00MGZiLWE5ZDktNDdhMDkxY2ZiMzUyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzI5NDcxNzI@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Roy Acuff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjI5YTMyNDAtMjRiYy00MGZiLWE5ZDktNDdhMDkxY2ZiMzUyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzI5NDcxNzI@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
Few Nashville institutions are as revered — and reliable — as the weekly Grand Ole Opry shows, which have for nearly 100 years taken place to packed auditoriums from East Nashville’s Dixie Tabernacle to the Ryman Auditorium to its current location, the Grand Ole Opry House. But with the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, the world’s longest-running live radio show will go without a live audience for its centerpiece Saturday night broadcasts.
Beginning today, the Opry will be presented only on Saturday nights through April 4th. The Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday performances have been canceled,...
Beginning today, the Opry will be presented only on Saturday nights through April 4th. The Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday performances have been canceled,...
- 3/13/2020
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Dolly Parton](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQxNjI5MjI2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzExMzI1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dolly Parton](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQxNjI5MjI2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzExMzI1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
By the time Dolly Parton had entered her teens, the young girl from the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee had accomplished something that most adults who love to sing country music could only dare dream: she had performed on the Grand Ole Opry.
Parton, who this week celebrates her 50th anniversary as a member of the Opry cast with an all-star salute, was officially inducted as an Opry member in January 1969, by which time she was a nationally recognized TV star alongside Porter Wagoner. But in 1959, the 13-year-old, then unknown outside of Knoxville,...
Parton, who this week celebrates her 50th anniversary as a member of the Opry cast with an all-star salute, was officially inducted as an Opry member in January 1969, by which time she was a nationally recognized TV star alongside Porter Wagoner. But in 1959, the 13-year-old, then unknown outside of Knoxville,...
- 10/11/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Ken Burns at an event for Cairo Time (2009)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI1OTkyNTQ1NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzYwNTk2Mw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Ken Burns at an event for Cairo Time (2009)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI1OTkyNTQ1NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzYwNTk2Mw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
Ken Burns’ “Jazz” had a huge impact on jazz catalog sales — the tail of which is still being felt, 18 years later — so it’s no surprise that his “Country Music” series would instigate some kind of stampede back to classic country. Still, there’s room to be additionally impressed at just how thoroughly decades-old albums by artists featured on the PBS show are taking over the Amazon and iTunes charts.
As of Thursday morning, on Amazon’s physical media chart, classic country artists who’ve been given the spotlight on “Country Music” command eight of the top 20 spots among all-genre sales and 35 of the general top 100.
On iTunes’ all-genre album download chart, which is naturally going to skew a bit younger, albums by artists featured on Burns’ “Country Music” account for 14 out of the top 80 spots.
If you’re looking strictly at the country charts, of course, the numbers are even more impressive.
As of Thursday morning, on Amazon’s physical media chart, classic country artists who’ve been given the spotlight on “Country Music” command eight of the top 20 spots among all-genre sales and 35 of the general top 100.
On iTunes’ all-genre album download chart, which is naturally going to skew a bit younger, albums by artists featured on Burns’ “Country Music” account for 14 out of the top 80 spots.
If you’re looking strictly at the country charts, of course, the numbers are even more impressive.
- 9/26/2019
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
![Ken Burns at an event for Cairo Time (2009)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI1OTkyNTQ1NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzYwNTk2Mw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Ken Burns at an event for Cairo Time (2009)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI1OTkyNTQ1NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzYwNTk2Mw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
By the second half of the 20th century, country music was big business. Radio, records, television and movies all played a part in its popularity, but its artists and its songs were still at the forefront, even as profits soared or slumped. The second half of Ken Burns’ Country Music begins in 1964 and runs through the mid-Nineties, exploring everything from the rise of the Bakersfield Sound to the pop-country explosion of the Seventies, right up to Garth Brooks’ unprecedented approach to superstardom. Rolling Stone Country looks at 10 key moments from...
- 9/22/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Hank Williams](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTYzODdlOGMtZjk5Yy00M2EzLWIxNGQtM2E5ZmYzMjU2ZTFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcyODY2NDQ@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR18,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Hank Williams](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTYzODdlOGMtZjk5Yy00M2EzLWIxNGQtM2E5ZmYzMjU2ZTFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcyODY2NDQ@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR18,0,140,207_.jpg)
September 17th marks the 96th anniversary of the birth of the country-music icon commonly referred to as the “Hillbilly Shakespeare.” Hank Williams not only earned that distinction for the many exceptional songs he wrote throughout his short, turbulent, yet influential career, but for his uncanny ability to connect with radio listeners and concert audiences, whether performing a rousing honky-tonk tune or, in the persona of his alter ego, Luke the Drifter, laying heart and soul bare with a gospel song.
As a child growing up in Alabama, Hank Williams met...
As a child growing up in Alabama, Hank Williams met...
- 9/17/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Ketch Secor](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWMyYzE4MzQtODg5ZS00ODYzLTg3ZGItYmMxMTNiODA2MmQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzQ0MDUyMzg@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,21,500,281_.jpg)
In conversation, Ketch Secor, the Old Crow Medicine Show frontman and fiddler, is always ducking down the backroads and side alleys of American musical history. And it’s impossible to not tag along. Credit his old-soul personality and charisma, but especially his encyclopedic knowledge of country music, which makes him a perfect commentator in Ken Burns’ sprawling Country Music documentary. The series premiered Sunday on PBS and runs nightly through September 18th, before resuming for another four episodes on September 22nd.
Aside from being interviewed, Secor was also brought in...
Aside from being interviewed, Secor was also brought in...
- 9/16/2019
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
Blues icon B.B. King often said in interviews that the blues and country music were “first cousins.” Riley B. “Blues Boy” King was born on this day in 1925, and is being paid tribute in today’s Google Doodle, which depicts the legendary musician playing his signature guitar, “Lucille.” Hitchhiking to Memphis in 1947 from his home in tiny Itta Bena, Mississippi, King would soon become one of the most renowned blues musicians in the world. While he excelled as a solo artist King also collaborated with a number of acts outside blues,...
- 9/16/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
“There was a saying: ‘The blues had a baby and they called it rock & roll.’ I always say, ‘Yeah, and I think the daddy was a hillbilly.” That’s Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Braddock, writer of songs including “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” on the genesis of rock music. He makes the case that its birth, near the end of the first half of the 20th century, was as influenced by country music as it was the blues.
Related: 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time
Braddock is...
Related: 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time
Braddock is...
- 9/15/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Tanya Tucker](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGYyYTU5MGUtMjhhNC00ZTg1LWJhZWQtMDNkYmRkZGM4ODkyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUxMjc1OTM@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR20,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Tanya Tucker](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGYyYTU5MGUtMjhhNC00ZTg1LWJhZWQtMDNkYmRkZGM4ODkyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUxMjc1OTM@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR20,0,140,207_.jpg)
Tanya Tucker’s poignant cover of Miranda Lambert’s 2010 Number One hit “The House That Built Me” paints an emotional tableau vivant of bittersweet childhood recollection. Now, the video for the track, taken from the country legend’s just-released While I’m Livin’ album, unlocks decades worth of photographic memories, serving not only as a tribute to Tucker’s parents and her own childhood as a pre-teen country star, but also to country legends such as Loretta Lynn, Roy Acuff, and Minnie Pearl, past romantic partners including Glen Campbell, and...
- 8/26/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Chely Wright](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk2MDA1NTIzNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzE4NDg1OA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Chely Wright](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk2MDA1NTIzNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzE4NDg1OA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR3,0,140,207_.jpg)
In September 1989, Wellsville, Kansas, native Chely Wright made the first of many appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, a venue that would become an important touchstone in her career. But after coming out as a lesbian in 2010, Wright, now 48, went more than nine years without an invitation to come play the hallowed stage. That is, until August 10th, nearly 30 years after her debut.
As Opry member Jeannie Seely introduced her to rousing applause, Wright performed the familiar hits “Shut Up and Drive” and “Single White Female” — the latter of which...
As Opry member Jeannie Seely introduced her to rousing applause, Wright performed the familiar hits “Shut Up and Drive” and “Single White Female” — the latter of which...
- 8/20/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Linda Ronstadt](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzNkNWNhZTYtMTVhYi00NTFiLWI0YjQtZTczNmMyNzY1NzUzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjU5OTg5NDc@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR7,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Linda Ronstadt](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzNkNWNhZTYtMTVhYi00NTFiLWI0YjQtZTczNmMyNzY1NzUzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjU5OTg5NDc@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR7,0,140,207_.jpg)
Happy 73rd birthday to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Linda Ronstadt, born July 15th, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to her mid-Seventies dominance as rock’s premier female artist, Ronstadt also delivered impassioned performances of country songs throughout, and beyond, that era, with crossover hits including the Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved,” Neil Young’s “Love Is a Rose,” and her Grammy-winning take on Hank Williams’ “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You).”
Also faithful to the origins of country music...
Also faithful to the origins of country music...
- 7/15/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Just ahead of the September 15th premiere of the eight-part PBS documentary Country Music – A Film By Ken Burns, Legacy Recordings will unveil musical highlights from the 16-and-a-half-hour series with a deluxe five-cd set spanning the history of the genre.
The impressive track list represents artists featured in each of the series’ episodes, from the first stars of the genre, such as the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, to influential acts from the latter half of the 20th century, including Randy Travis and the Judds. The set will be released Friday,...
The impressive track list represents artists featured in each of the series’ episodes, from the first stars of the genre, such as the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, to influential acts from the latter half of the 20th century, including Randy Travis and the Judds. The set will be released Friday,...
- 6/13/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
In 1944, one week after the accidental death of his older brother Jack, 12-year-old J.R. Cash answered the altar call and accepted Jesus Christ as his savior at the First Baptist Church, the tiny house of worship his family attended three days a week in Dyess, Arkansas. It was at that same church that J.R. would make his public singing debut, accompanied on piano by his mother, Carrie Cash. The song he sang was a late-19th-century hymn, “The Unclouded Day.”
By 1970, J.R. was known simply as Johnny Cash,...
By 1970, J.R. was known simply as Johnny Cash,...
- 5/10/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Toby Keith](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzMTE0ODA2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDM2Njg2MQ@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,2,140,207_.jpg)
![Toby Keith](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzMTE0ODA2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDM2Njg2MQ@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,2,140,207_.jpg)
Toby Keith follows up the poignant ballad “Don’t Let the Old Man In” with a raucous blast of country-music pride. “That’s Country Bro” is a classic list song, but instead of the usual run-through of rural imagery (trucks, bonfires and coolers), Keith ticks off a Hall of Fame-worthy roster of country singers.
Jimmie Rodgers, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Johnny Horton, Bill Monroe, Woody Guthrie and Bob Wills all get shout-outs in the first 18 seconds, followed by Kitty Wells, Jimmy Dean, Hank Snow and even Spade Cooley.
Jimmie Rodgers, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Johnny Horton, Bill Monroe, Woody Guthrie and Bob Wills all get shout-outs in the first 18 seconds, followed by Kitty Wells, Jimmy Dean, Hank Snow and even Spade Cooley.
- 5/3/2019
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Rising country crooner Logan Ledger recently released the first two singles from his eponymous debut album, produced by T Bone Burnett and due in October. “Starlight” and “Imagining Raindrops” form a resounding introduction for the California native, who works in an aesthetic best described as “Country Noir.”
“Starlight,” with its cosmic country meets Bakersfield vibe, straddles the line between Buck Owens and Dick Dale, while “Imagining Raindrops” is a wistful, classic ballad full of sorrow and warbling pedal steel. Ledger sings both like a modern George Jones with an appreciation for Chris Isaak’s stylish,...
“Starlight,” with its cosmic country meets Bakersfield vibe, straddles the line between Buck Owens and Dick Dale, while “Imagining Raindrops” is a wistful, classic ballad full of sorrow and warbling pedal steel. Ledger sings both like a modern George Jones with an appreciation for Chris Isaak’s stylish,...
- 3/25/2019
- by Thomas Mooney
- Rollingstone.com
![Andy Warhol](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTNkMDVlNWItMWYzZi00YWE4LTlmYTQtOWFkMGZiY2Y2MTJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUxMjc1OTM@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR19,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Andy Warhol](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTNkMDVlNWItMWYzZi00YWE4LTlmYTQtOWFkMGZiY2Y2MTJlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjUxMjc1OTM@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR19,0,140,207_.jpg)
In 1968, decades before reality-tv and social media, sentient artist and pop culture icon Andy Warhol said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” A decade later he would find himself visiting a Nashville institution that had by that time been world-famous for more than 50 years.
Through his art, Warhol had become one of the planet’s most celebrated but enigmatic figures, attending glittering social events, frequenting New York’s upscale restaurants and nightclubs, and mingling at various functions with everyone from Jacqueline Onassis to John Lennon.
In late...
Through his art, Warhol had become one of the planet’s most celebrated but enigmatic figures, attending glittering social events, frequenting New York’s upscale restaurants and nightclubs, and mingling at various functions with everyone from Jacqueline Onassis to John Lennon.
In late...
- 1/29/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Miles Davis performing at Shelly Manne's nightclub in Los Angeles circa 1960](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg2MjUzOTU2NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzM3OTM2._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Miles Davis performing at Shelly Manne's nightclub in Los Angeles circa 1960](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg2MjUzOTU2NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzM3OTM2._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
“Few players have changed the way we hear an instrument the way Earl has, putting him in a category with Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Chet Atkins and Jimi Hendrix.”
Those words, penned by actor, comedian, author and banjo player Steve Martin, appeared in a New Yorker tribute following the 2012 death of legendary picker and Country Music Hall of Fame member Earl Scruggs, who revolutionized the three-finger style of banjo playing that now most commonly is referred to by his surname. Scruggs, who would have turned 95 years old on January 6th,...
Those words, penned by actor, comedian, author and banjo player Steve Martin, appeared in a New Yorker tribute following the 2012 death of legendary picker and Country Music Hall of Fame member Earl Scruggs, who revolutionized the three-finger style of banjo playing that now most commonly is referred to by his surname. Scruggs, who would have turned 95 years old on January 6th,...
- 1/11/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Josh Turner](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTU5MzQ4NTA4MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzExMDMxNw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR1,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Josh Turner](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTU5MzQ4NTA4MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzExMDMxNw@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR1,0,140,207_.jpg)
There are two places where country hitmaker Josh Turner no doubt feels most at home. One is in the realm of gospel music and the other is the Grand Ole Opry. Turner has been an official Opry member since October 2007 and recently returned to Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, the site of the wintertime Opry at the Ryman performances, to deliver a gospel classic with significant ties to the long-running radio show.
Joined onstage by Sonya Isaacs, a member of one of contemporary gospel music’s most distinguished family acts,...
Joined onstage by Sonya Isaacs, a member of one of contemporary gospel music’s most distinguished family acts,...
- 12/5/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Roy Clark and Buck Owens in Hee Haw (1969)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTU5NTcyMTE3NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDAzNzU1MTE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR1,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Roy Clark and Buck Owens in Hee Haw (1969)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTU5NTcyMTE3NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDAzNzU1MTE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR1,0,140,207_.jpg)
Roy Clark may have found his most wide audience as the co-host of the TV comedy series Hee Haw, but it was his prowess on the guitar, banjo and fiddle that made him such a hit with music fans, including famous friends like Brad Paisley. Clark died Thursday at 85, leaving behind a legacy of thrilling live performances. Here are six of his best.
“Twelfth Street Rag”
On the 1962 Capitol LP The Lightning Fingers of Roy Clark, the guitar picker trained his dizzy digits on such familiar tunes as “Golden Slippers” and “In the Mood.
“Twelfth Street Rag”
On the 1962 Capitol LP The Lightning Fingers of Roy Clark, the guitar picker trained his dizzy digits on such familiar tunes as “Golden Slippers” and “In the Mood.
- 11/15/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
![Roy Clark and Buck Owens in Hee Haw (1969)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTU5NTcyMTE3NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDAzNzU1MTE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR1,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Roy Clark and Buck Owens in Hee Haw (1969)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTU5NTcyMTE3NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDAzNzU1MTE@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR1,0,140,207_.jpg)
Roy Clark, the popular country music singer-guitarist who co-hosted the long-running sketch/variety series Hee Haw with Buck Owens, died today of pneumonia complications at his home in Tulsa, Ok. He was 85.
CBS launched Hee Haw in summer 1969 as country music’s answer to Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Weaving performances by the genre’s top stars with surprise cameos and down-home comedy skits loaded with catchphrases, it lasted three seasons on the network — finishing in the primetime ratings top 20 in each of its first two — before moving to first-run syndication in 1971 — where it aired for 22 more years.
Among the many series regulars over the years were Louis “Grandpa” Jones, Minnie Pearl — she of the $1.98 pricetag hanging from her flowered hat — Barbi Benton, Roy Acuff, Harry Cole and that animated donkey who punctuated the punchlines with the shows titular laugh. Clark’s longtime co-host Owens died in 2006.
As a musician,...
CBS launched Hee Haw in summer 1969 as country music’s answer to Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Weaving performances by the genre’s top stars with surprise cameos and down-home comedy skits loaded with catchphrases, it lasted three seasons on the network — finishing in the primetime ratings top 20 in each of its first two — before moving to first-run syndication in 1971 — where it aired for 22 more years.
Among the many series regulars over the years were Louis “Grandpa” Jones, Minnie Pearl — she of the $1.98 pricetag hanging from her flowered hat — Barbi Benton, Roy Acuff, Harry Cole and that animated donkey who punctuated the punchlines with the shows titular laugh. Clark’s longtime co-host Owens died in 2006.
As a musician,...
- 11/15/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
![Luke Bryan](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzA5MjFlNDItZWJjYy00NTI3LWExYjctYzUxYzFhYzllMDcwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDA4NzMyOA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR10,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Luke Bryan](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzA5MjFlNDItZWJjYy00NTI3LWExYjctYzUxYzFhYzllMDcwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDA4NzMyOA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR10,0,140,207_.jpg)
Our night in downtown Nashville begins in a bank-turned-tattoo-parlor-turned-Luke Bryan-themed restaurant with a pickup truck dangling over the stage where a band is covering Maren Morris’s “My Church.” The space has six levels, eight bars, numerous light-up “Luke Bryan” signs and more flat screens than a Best Buy. But we are on the roof drinking Coors Light and eating fried sushi.
“Same kitchen, different bars,” a hostess says, referring to Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar located next door, as if she has explained it a thousand times.
“Same kitchen, different bars,” a hostess says, referring to Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar located next door, as if she has explained it a thousand times.
- 9/9/2018
- by Jennifer Justus
- Rollingstone.com
On July 15th, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium kicked off the first show in a series of six called “Americana at the Ryman.” Slated to become an annual event, the series celebrates the best and brightest in Americana and roots music in the city at the epicenter of the rapidly growing genre.
The first show was an all-star celebration billed as Buddy Miller and Friends, featuring Lee Ann Womack, Tony Joe White, the McCrary Sisters, Elizabeth Cook and Parker Millsap. That show was followed by the July 22nd installment, which showcased...
The first show was an all-star celebration billed as Buddy Miller and Friends, featuring Lee Ann Womack, Tony Joe White, the McCrary Sisters, Elizabeth Cook and Parker Millsap. That show was followed by the July 22nd installment, which showcased...
- 7/30/2018
- by Brittney McKenna
- Rollingstone.com
![Randy Travis](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTAyODY5ODUxMDdeQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDI0NjAyMzQz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Randy Travis](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTAyODY5ODUxMDdeQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDI0NjAyMzQz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Randy Travis sang.
Once, those three words were a given. But on Sunday night they were a miracle, considering the country legend has been virtually unable to speak since suffering a massive stroke three years ago.
And no, his singing voice no longer soars like the music on his beloved albums. But at the Nashville ceremony that ushered him into the Country Music Hall of Fame, he held the audience in his palm with one brief, ragged verse of “Amazing Grace.”
It was a heroic gift of gratitude, offered in response to the tender tribute that the country music community had just extended to him.
Once, those three words were a given. But on Sunday night they were a miracle, considering the country legend has been virtually unable to speak since suffering a massive stroke three years ago.
And no, his singing voice no longer soars like the music on his beloved albums. But at the Nashville ceremony that ushered him into the Country Music Hall of Fame, he held the audience in his palm with one brief, ragged verse of “Amazing Grace.”
It was a heroic gift of gratitude, offered in response to the tender tribute that the country music community had just extended to him.
- 10/17/2016
- by Sarah
- PEOPLE.com
“Y’all take it easy now. This isn’t Dallas, it’s Nashville! They can’t do this to us here in Nashville! Let’s show them what we’re made of. Come on everybody, sing! Somebody, sing!”
Nashville screens one time only Thursday, September 24th at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis) at 7pm
In a decade of great films, Nashville is one of the greatest. I saw Nashville during its initial theatrical release and have seen it several times since but it has not played on the big screen (at least in St. Louis) in a long time. In 1974 director Robert Altman was directing films for United Artists and wanted them to produce his film Thieves Like Us. They agreed if he would agree to direct a story about country music that they had a script for. He rejected the script and said he would offer them...
Nashville screens one time only Thursday, September 24th at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis) at 7pm
In a decade of great films, Nashville is one of the greatest. I saw Nashville during its initial theatrical release and have seen it several times since but it has not played on the big screen (at least in St. Louis) in a long time. In 1974 director Robert Altman was directing films for United Artists and wanted them to produce his film Thieves Like Us. They agreed if he would agree to direct a story about country music that they had a script for. He rejected the script and said he would offer them...
- 9/22/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Happy birthday to Pat Metheny (born August 12, 1954), one of the few jazz superstars of the past four decades to combine commercial success and critical plaudits. After paying his dues in Gary Burton's band (which he joined at age 19), Metheny put out his first album in 1976 and by the time of his third release two years later was gaining crossover radio play. Though the style of his eponymous band was smooth and tuneful, Metheny had a firm basis in jazz and straight-ahead guitarist gods such as Jim Hall (with whom he eventually recorded a fine duo album).
With success came the challenge of avoiding complacency, which Metheny has met masterfully with a wide-ranging series of albums in a variety of stylistic bags, from atonal skronk to mellow Brazilian, from thorny Ornette Coleman covers to mercurial bebop. Along the way he has lent his prestige to both respected elders (Hall, Burton, Coleman,...
With success came the challenge of avoiding complacency, which Metheny has met masterfully with a wide-ranging series of albums in a variety of stylistic bags, from atonal skronk to mellow Brazilian, from thorny Ornette Coleman covers to mercurial bebop. Along the way he has lent his prestige to both respected elders (Hall, Burton, Coleman,...
- 8/12/2015
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
![Lois Ranson, June Weaver, Frank Weaver, and Leon Weaver in Grand Ole Opry (1940)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjAwOTczZDUtNDBlOC00NWQzLTg4MjQtOWYwNWM2NTY0YjY2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDU4MTQ0Ng@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,3,140,207_.jpg)
![Lois Ranson, June Weaver, Frank Weaver, and Leon Weaver in Grand Ole Opry (1940)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjAwOTczZDUtNDBlOC00NWQzLTg4MjQtOWYwNWM2NTY0YjY2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDU4MTQ0Ng@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,3,140,207_.jpg)
He never stood any taller than 4'11", but he cast an impressive shadow on eight decades of country music. James Cecil Dickens - known to generations of Grand Ole Opry fans as Little Jimmy Dickens - died in a Nashville area hospital on Friday. He was 94. Dickens died of cardiac arrest after suffering a stroke on Christmas Day. He is survived by his wife, Mona Dickens, married since 1971, and two daughters, Pamela Detert and Lisa King. Dickens was the longest running member of the Opry, joining in 1948, and last performed at the Opry on Dec. 20, 2014, singing "Out Behind The Barn" and delivering his trademark comedy.
- 1/3/2015
- by Kay West
- PEOPLE.com
![Lois Ranson, June Weaver, Frank Weaver, and Leon Weaver in Grand Ole Opry (1940)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjAwOTczZDUtNDBlOC00NWQzLTg4MjQtOWYwNWM2NTY0YjY2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDU4MTQ0Ng@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,3,140,207_.jpg)
![Lois Ranson, June Weaver, Frank Weaver, and Leon Weaver in Grand Ole Opry (1940)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjAwOTczZDUtNDBlOC00NWQzLTg4MjQtOWYwNWM2NTY0YjY2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDU4MTQ0Ng@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,3,140,207_.jpg)
He never stood any taller than 4'11", but he cast an impressive shadow on eight decades of country music. James Cecil Dickens - known to generations of Grand Ole Opry fans as Little Jimmy Dickens - died in a Nashville area hospital on Friday. He was 94. Dickens died of cardiac arrest after suffering a stroke on Christmas Day. He is survived by his wife, Mona Dickens, married since 1971, and two daughters, Pamela Detert and Lisa King. Dickens was the longest running member of the Opry, joining in 1948, and last performed at the Opry on Dec. 20, 2014, singing "Out Behind The Barn" and delivering his trademark comedy.
- 1/3/2015
- by Kay West
- PEOPLE.com
The Hank Williams biopic I Saw the Light has added The West Wing actor Bradley Whitford and fellow Emmy-winner Cherry Jones to its cast.
Whitford will play iconic songwriter and music publisher Fred Rose, who co-wrote with Williams such classic tunes as "Kaw-Liga" and "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." He also penned numerous songs recorded by other artists including the Willie Nelson hit, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "Deed I Do," by Sophie Tucker. With entertainer Roy Acuff, Rose formed Acuff-Rose, one of the most...
Whitford will play iconic songwriter and music publisher Fred Rose, who co-wrote with Williams such classic tunes as "Kaw-Liga" and "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." He also penned numerous songs recorded by other artists including the Willie Nelson hit, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and "Deed I Do," by Sophie Tucker. With entertainer Roy Acuff, Rose formed Acuff-Rose, one of the most...
- 11/7/2014
- Rollingstone.com
![Mark O'Connor](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzU0ODVmYTYtZGJhYy00ZTIxLWIxNGItMWY4Njc4NDNhMjQ3XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Mark O'Connor](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzU0ODVmYTYtZGJhYy00ZTIxLWIxNGItMWY4Njc4NDNhMjQ3XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
At just 13 years old, a skinny, braces-clad Mark O'Connor was awarded the title of Grand Master Fiddler Champion. The violin-yielding prodigy beat out the likes of James "Texas Shorty" Chancellor, Lewis Franklin, and J.T. Perkins for the coveted award, and began what would become a decades-long career as a bluegrass, jazz and country icon.
It's been four decades now since O'Connor stepped into the business of fiddling (not to mention playing the guitar and mandolin like a virtuoso). The Seattle-born musician is celebrating his 40th anniversary this year, releasing a new CD/DVD collection in honor of his 40 albums in 40 years. We chatted with O'Connor via email earlier this year and reflected back on the teacher and player's most memorable moments. (Scroll down for interview.)
Hp: You entered the world of professional music as a teenager, playing guitar, mandolin and violin with musicians much older than you. What was...
It's been four decades now since O'Connor stepped into the business of fiddling (not to mention playing the guitar and mandolin like a virtuoso). The Seattle-born musician is celebrating his 40th anniversary this year, releasing a new CD/DVD collection in honor of his 40 albums in 40 years. We chatted with O'Connor via email earlier this year and reflected back on the teacher and player's most memorable moments. (Scroll down for interview.)
Hp: You entered the world of professional music as a teenager, playing guitar, mandolin and violin with musicians much older than you. What was...
- 6/9/2013
- by Katherine Brooks
- Huffington Post
![Hank Williams](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTYzODdlOGMtZjk5Yy00M2EzLWIxNGQtM2E5ZmYzMjU2ZTFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcyODY2NDQ@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR18,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Hank Williams](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTYzODdlOGMtZjk5Yy00M2EzLWIxNGQtM2E5ZmYzMjU2ZTFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcyODY2NDQ@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR18,0,140,207_.jpg)
George Jones, the peerless, hard-living country singer who recorded dozens of hits about good times and regrets and peaked with the heartbreaking classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today," has died. He was 81. Publicist Kirt Webster says Jones died Friday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville after being hospitalized with fever and irregular blood pressure. Known for his clenched, precise baritone, Jones had No. 1 songs in five separate decades, 1950s to 1990s, and was idolized not just by fellow country singers, but by Frank Sinatra, Pete Townshend, Elvis Costello, James Taylor and countless others. In a career that lasted more than 50 years,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
![June Carter Cash](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTQ0NjQxODI3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDc5MDQwOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![June Carter Cash](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTQ0NjQxODI3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDc5MDQwOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
The "Cajun Pawn Stars" (Wed., 9 p.m. Et on History) were offered a potentially valuable autograph book on Wednesday night's episode.
It was full of signatures of 1950s' country music stars including June Carter, Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins.
Tantalisingly, it also contained Hank Williams' autograph which, if authentic, would be extremely rare and therefore valuable.
The Silver Dollar crew brought in an expert appraiser to assess the autograph and he pronounced it to be genuine. In his opinion, the autograph book was worth an estimated $15,000.
After the pawnbrokers offered him $7,000 for it the owner decided not to sell.
Follow the bargain-hunting on "Cajun Pawn Stars," Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Et on History.
TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and amazing moments - and delivers them right to your browser.
It was full of signatures of 1950s' country music stars including June Carter, Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins.
Tantalisingly, it also contained Hank Williams' autograph which, if authentic, would be extremely rare and therefore valuable.
The Silver Dollar crew brought in an expert appraiser to assess the autograph and he pronounced it to be genuine. In his opinion, the autograph book was worth an estimated $15,000.
After the pawnbrokers offered him $7,000 for it the owner decided not to sell.
Follow the bargain-hunting on "Cajun Pawn Stars," Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Et on History.
TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and amazing moments - and delivers them right to your browser.
- 6/14/2012
- by Catherine Lawson
- Huffington Post
![June Carter Cash](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTQ0NjQxODI3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDc5MDQwOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![June Carter Cash](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTQ0NjQxODI3OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDc5MDQwOA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
The "Cajun Pawn Stars" (Wed., 9 p.m. Et on History) were offered a potentially valuable autograph book on Wednesday night's episode.
It was full of signatures of 1950s' country music stars including June Carter, Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins.
Tantalisingly, it also contained Hank Williams' autograph which, if authentic, would be extremely rare and therefore valuable.
The Silver Dollar crew brought in an expert appraiser to assess the autograph and he pronounced it to be genuine. In his opinion, the autograph book was worth an estimated $15,000.
After the pawnbrokers offered him $7,000 for it the owner decided not to sell.
Follow the bargain-hunting on "Cajun Pawn Stars," Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Et on History.
TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and amazing moments - and delivers them right to your browser.
It was full of signatures of 1950s' country music stars including June Carter, Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins.
Tantalisingly, it also contained Hank Williams' autograph which, if authentic, would be extremely rare and therefore valuable.
The Silver Dollar crew brought in an expert appraiser to assess the autograph and he pronounced it to be genuine. In his opinion, the autograph book was worth an estimated $15,000.
After the pawnbrokers offered him $7,000 for it the owner decided not to sell.
Follow the bargain-hunting on "Cajun Pawn Stars," Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Et on History.
TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and amazing moments - and delivers them right to your browser.
- 6/14/2012
- by Catherine Lawson
- Aol TV.
![Roy Acuff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjI5YTMyNDAtMjRiYy00MGZiLWE5ZDktNDdhMDkxY2ZiMzUyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzI5NDcxNzI@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Roy Acuff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjI5YTMyNDAtMjRiYy00MGZiLWE5ZDktNDdhMDkxY2ZiMzUyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzI5NDcxNzI@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
Nate Powell
In 1966, when I was eight years old, my father moved our family to Houston from San Antonio to take a job as a local television reporter. Television reporting back then was more like newspaper reporting – hard work, long hours and decidedly unglamorous. In the years before live broadcasts or even videotape, TV reporters were one-man bands, investigating, filming, interviewing and then racing back to the station to develop and edit their film while writing and recording voice over.
In 1966, when I was eight years old, my father moved our family to Houston from San Antonio to take a job as a local television reporter. Television reporting back then was more like newspaper reporting – hard work, long hours and decidedly unglamorous. In the years before live broadcasts or even videotape, TV reporters were one-man bands, investigating, filming, interviewing and then racing back to the station to develop and edit their film while writing and recording voice over.
- 2/9/2012
- by Mark Long
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
The Kennedy Center Honors have been handed out since 1978. Recipients hail from various branches of the American performance art world — including film, stage, music, and dance — even though performers more closely associated with British show business have managed to sneak in every now and then, e.g., Paul McCartney, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Pete Townshend. Since recipients are supposed to attend the Washington, D.C., ceremony in order to take home their Kennedy awards, Doris Day has remained unhonored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Katharine Hepburn kept putting it off until she finally relented in 1990. (Irene Dunne, see above photo, was one who managed to be honored though absent due to ill health.) Ginger Rogers, for her part, was present at the ceremony, but her films with Fred Astaire weren't — because Astaire's widow, Robyn Astaire, demanded payment for the televised clips. At the time, Kennedy Center Honors...
- 9/7/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Country Music Hall of Famer was a singer, TV host and actor before launching Jimmy Dean Meat.
By Gil Kaufman
Jimmy Dean
Photo: Steve Helber/ AP Photos
Country singer Jimmy Dean, whose career as a storyteller was equaled later in life by his success as a sausage pitchman, died at his home in Varina, Virginia, on Sunday night at the age of 81. According to CNN, the Country Music Hall of Famer apparently died of natural causes.
Though later in life his name was most familiar for his famous line of smoked sausages, Dean made his mark first in the world of country music, scoring a #1 hit on the pop and country charts in 1961 with the song "Big Bad John," a tune about a mysterious, Paul Bunyan-esque coal miner who saves his fellow workers after a mine collapse. Written with country legend Roy Acuff, the million-selling song won a 1962 Grammy...
By Gil Kaufman
Jimmy Dean
Photo: Steve Helber/ AP Photos
Country singer Jimmy Dean, whose career as a storyteller was equaled later in life by his success as a sausage pitchman, died at his home in Varina, Virginia, on Sunday night at the age of 81. According to CNN, the Country Music Hall of Famer apparently died of natural causes.
Though later in life his name was most familiar for his famous line of smoked sausages, Dean made his mark first in the world of country music, scoring a #1 hit on the pop and country charts in 1961 with the song "Big Bad John," a tune about a mysterious, Paul Bunyan-esque coal miner who saves his fellow workers after a mine collapse. Written with country legend Roy Acuff, the million-selling song won a 1962 Grammy...
- 6/14/2010
- MTV Music News
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