Like a high ‘E’ string hitting the sweetest note of a soaring harmonious guitar solo, a collective exhalation of sincere grief, but undying gratitude pierces through the din to mark the death of the indomitable Dickey Betts.
To the rock world, Jerry Abbott was known as the father of heavy metal legends “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott and Vinnie Paul Abbott. But before his sons got into music, Jerry Abbott was a country singer, guitar player, and songwriter.
Jimmy Buffet wasn’t just a musician. He was the embodiment of resetting your mood, of centering the right priorities in life, and of making sure you don’t waste your time on Earth by making sure you budget time for wasting.
Not only does Eddie Rabbitt (of all people) deserve credit for cutting one of the first country rap songs, he probably deserves credit for the very first country rap song protesting rap, drum machines, and other things in music, with Paul Franklin playing steel guitar, Brent Mason playing lead…
The truth is, Hank Williams at the time was in the twilight of his life, whether he knew it or not. Having suffered chronic back pain throughout adulthood that aided his alcoholism, by late 1952, Hank had turned thin, frail, incontinent, and had lost most of his hair, even though he was only 29 years old.
There is one thing that can’t be disputed about the song “Wagon Wheel.” It is unequivocally now one of the biggest songs in country music history. Darius Rucker and his label Capitol Records Nashville celebrated the song going Certified Diamond by the RIAA, meaning it has now racked up 10 million in sales.
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.
George Strait doesn’t make many public appearances these days after officially retiring from the road. But he’ll be making a “special appearance” at the inaugural Legends of Music Row Festival set to transpire October 13-15 in Key West, Florida at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater.
Country music is country music, and the best definition of what country music is, is that you know it when you hear it. It’s self-evident. But the genre has birthed many subgenres, many stylistic movements over the years, and at times has seen a splintering and Balkanization.
The bigger issue here is that people just want more Tyler Childers, and you can’t blame them for that. If he was playing two hours sets on his own tour, most everyone would be leaving satisfied. But he’s not, even though it feels like he should be.
If you asked me point blank what the single most important moment in country music over the last ten years has been, without any hesitation, I would answer conclusively that it was Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake performing “Tennessee Whiskey” at the CMA Awards.
“It’s more radio-oriented,” Dillon says. “I hate to say it, but more one-hit wonder-ish kind of thing now, as opposed to back then when we strived to write great every time. I don’t think that holds true now. I think what holds true is radio candy, I call it. You can call it whatever you want…”
When this playlist was first started as a simple collection point for the top songs in the current moment in country, who knew it would still be around nearly five years later, and garner over 7,700 followers on Spotify alone? Since then it’s helped launch songs and artists.
It’s that time of year again to consider who might be in the running for the precious few spots as the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. A secret committee commissioned by the CMA is going over their final ballots and whittling down the names.
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.
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.
A serious tussle with COVID-19, and even a host of pre-existing conditions was no death sentence for country legend David Allan Coe. And now with a long list of accolades and nicknames he already enjoys, perhaps we can now call him the Rolling Stone of Country. He might outlive us all.
81-year-old Outlaw country legend David Allan Coe is currently in the hospital after testing positive for Covid-19. He is receiving treatment, including oxygen, high doses of vitamins, and is being fed intravenously. Coe’s wife Kim and other family members tested positive as well.
“What is country music?!” This is what thousands of country music fans screamed at their televisions on Tuesday, June 8th when they were taken by surprise to see one of the questions on the TV game show dealt with one of the most iconic songs in country history.
Releasing it solely on YouTube, and addressing it simply as an “Outlaw Classic Country Cover, Played and Sang in real time no editing,” his slowed-down and echo-rich version of the country classic clocks in at almost 7 minutes, and is being lapped up by thirsty and grateful Hank3 fans.
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.
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the inaugural episode of Country History X. We start by telling the crazy story of how a box of unheard and currently-unpublished George Jones reel-to-reel master tapes ended up being used as the bond collateral for two international drug smugglers.
“She said Jimmy Rabbitt turned her on to my last album” is the line from David Allan Coe’s infamous song “Longhaired Redneck” where many got clued into this man’s importance. But his legacy goes much deeper as both a DJ and a performer.
We all know what the perfect country & western song is, because David Allan Coe told us. He also told us why it was the perfect country & western song, and who wrote it. That would be the great Steve Goodman, and the song of course is “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.” But John Prine was a silent partner.