Modern country music doesn't much resemble what I remember coming out of the radio during my childhood, but I don't have a big problem with it. In fact, some of it is pretty good. But it would be a shame if the slick, packaged music of today caused modern listeners to run away from the pure, unvarnished sounds of the past. Which brings us to Molly O'Day. Born Lois LaVerne Williamson, a child of Appalachia who grew up in a coal-mining family during the Great Depression, she certainly had the background for a country music career. She [...]
By the early 1940s the crooners had begun to make their mark, with Jimmie Davies — future Democrat governor of Louisiana — having led the way. Many of them had toiled and crooned in the 1930s. But with a world war slowly engulfing the globe, the market wanted, and got, romance. More than that, men took their country songs with them to the army and disseminated the music among their fellow soldiers. Country music thus found new fans, and its leading singers — Roy Acuff, Gene Autry, Red Foley, Tex Ritter, Eddy Arnold — gained a national audience. In 1945, [...]
Murder is a hot topic in music, especially in the blues, country, and gangsta rap variety. As a subject matter of songs it probably ranks third, just behind love and drinking. For this week's Baker's Dozen I've selected thirteen killer tunes about homicide.
A Brother Like That. Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve When Paul came out of his office, a young boy was walking around the shiny car admiring it. "Is this your car, mister?" he asked. Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy…I wish…" He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what the boy ws going to wish for. He was going to [...]
by Laura Cantrell Folks, if you know me, you've heard this rant before. There is one fact that bothers me to death - the dearth of female artists in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I worked at the Hall of Fame and Museum as a tour guide right before I went to college. It's the place where my interest in country music shifted from a casual familiarity with the sounds of my home town (Nashville born and bred I am) to a more meaningful consideration of the people, history, and evolving styles of country [...]
I first met my good friends Greg and Ramona when Greg and I worked together on a project in Illinois. I had arrived at the jobsite a day before I was to start work. As I had done many times before, I drove east from the jobsite in search of a place to stay while I was on the job. I learned early on in this gypsy career, if I live east of the job, I won't be driving into the sun on my way to and from work. As often happened, I found a bar before [...]
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