Tagged: countrymusic

Even though it's generally considered to be a Jimmie Rodgers Depression-era song, you would probably have to visit a vaudeville house even earlier than that to find the true roots of "In The Jailhouse Now." The first written trace is a 1915 copyright for the team of Davis and Stafford, but it was often performed in stage shows in those days, albeit under a couple of different titles and with varying lyrics. But one thing was a constant - it's always been the story of a rascal, usually a guy named Ramblin' Bob. Early performers like [...]

There's been a lot of talk lately, both here on my blog and out in the world, about the intersection of crime fiction and music. For the most part, I vehemently disagree with Adrian McKinty's argument that Crime Fiction is "the new punk". McKinty is a hell of a writer, though, so I'm willing to listen to whatever he has to say. No kidding, he really is one of the best young* crime fiction writers going right now , and his latest book, I Hear the Sirens in the Street , has [...]

Waiheke Island musician Bede Taylor has released his fourth album skinriddletestament on CD and digital download via Bandcamp - http://bedetaylor.bandcamp.com Taylor was the founding member and primary songwriter for Three Legged Horse, an alt-country three piece from Waiheke Island that included local musicians Aaron Carpenter (MoJo Risers) and singer Gina Higham. Taylor previously fronted rock band Clench, as well as forming the large rock ensemble Tank & Pump. Recently, he has performed with a guitar band BunnyJak with Frankie Fatal (Fatal Jellyspace, Anti-X Factor) and Kevin Glamuzina (Tank & Pump) before going [...]

John Mellencamp's top billing owes more to his work with writer Stephen King on the narrative that would become a play called Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. He sings just once here, giving the album over to a host of guest stars - and the reliably atmospheric work of producer T Bone Burnett. There's a separate review to be written [...]

I always enjoy our 'special feature' posts - you know, like Anatomy Of A Song and Fantastic Foursome - because they're a change of pace from our usual stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with our regular posts, but I think it's good to have a breath of fresh air once in a while. With that in mind, I thought I'd inaugurate a new feature, one that might at first resemble Anatomy Of A Song, but has an important difference. I've been thinking about [...]

We've been looking forward to this album for quite some time now, ever since we announced our partnership with Lonestar last summer, and it's finally upon us! We've gotten to preview two awesome tracks: "The Countdown" and "Maybe Someday," with a killer music video that'll move even the most closeted ...

One of my favorite movies has been on TV a lot lately, and it's the basis for today's Anatomy Of A Song feature. The film - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - starred George Clooney and was broadly based on Homer's Odyssey (in fact, Clooney's character was named Everett Ulysses McGill) but took place in Depression-era Mississippi and was given a decidedly comic twist. I always felt that the film didn't get the kind of praise it deserved, but one thing that it did accomplish was help fuel a reborn [...]

One of the most interesting acts of the early days of country music was a pair of sisters who called themselves the Girls of the Golden West. Rising to popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s via radio, they continued to find a lot of success on the broadcast waves and in record sales for a number of years. The duo dressed as cowgirls and specialized in Western songs and yodeling - but they were a little more sophisticated than fans thought. Mildred and Dorothy (Dolly) Good were born near St. Louis and grew up [...]

Five years ago we featured the Fontane Sisters and mentioned several of their hits, including one that wasn't their biggest but still nearly reached the top of the charts. But the trio's version of 'Seventeen" wasn't the only one to hit high on the charts, and it also wasn't the first. That distinction belongs to the guy who wrote the song - Boyd Bennett - an early rockabilly performer who had his biggest hit with it. Alabama-born but raised near Nashville, Bennett grew up surrounded by music at home, in church, and [...]

Jones (1931-2013) will also be missed for his band's natty attire. (By the way, that's Johnny Paycheck to his left.) I'm not sure how such an important passing completely escaped my attention, but it turns out George Jones passed away on April 26, at the age of 81. Given how much of his life passed in a blur of alcohol and drug addiction, it's amazing that he made it that far. Nonetheless, he leaves behind an unsurpassed legacy as possibly the greatest of all country singers, and certainly one of the most influential. He [...]

• George Jones - Things Have Gone To Pieces

Well after all the obituaries we've had around here of late it's great to be able to celebrate a good ol' birthday. Happy birthday to Willie Nelson who turned 80 years old today. Here's a fairly new one by Willie ... a new gospel song as he says, called "Roll me up and smoke me when I die" which is also the name of his new autobiography, memoirs, musings .

"The Possum" has died. From gritty Texas honky tonks to the glitzy country of Nashville George Jones had the golden voice that most could only envy. During his fiery marriage to Tammy Wynette in the 1970's the couple became "Mr. and Mrs. Country Music" and toured extensively, but their tempestuous relationship was marked by alcohol abuse and even gunplay, and ended after six years mostly due to Jones' alcoholism. Throughout his long career, Jones made headlines often as much for tales of his extreme drinking, stormy relationships with women, and violent rages as much [...]

Most of us probably know by now that country music superstar George Jones has died at age 81. You can find any number of long and detail-rich articles about him ( here's a good one ), but I thought we'd take a little different approach here on the GMC. In a long, long career that had countless best-sellers and award winners, Jones was probably best known - at least in the latter part of life - for a song that he didn't much like at first. It was in 1980 that [...]

After a career that lasted over half a century, country musician George Jones died earlier today in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 81. According to a press release, he was admitted into a hospital on April 18 due to complications of fever and irregular blood pressure. Despite being a country musician, Jones received the fame equivalent of a rock star with headlines of his rocky relationships, and inebriated, drugged rendezvous. But despite his tumultuous relationship with fame, he became known for his honey sweet baritone voice and slew of #1 singles like "Why Baby Why," [...]

these country music pics of the month are from a concert that happened on this date 3 years ago today. on april 25, 2010 i took my wife to see one of her favorites, Trace Adkins ( mim ) , who happened to be opening for Martina McBride ( site / wiki / CMT [...]

Once in a while I get in the mood for the kind of music that has echoed through the heartland for generations. I can't say that I've always been a fan of it and for that matter a lot of it was really before my time, but the sound is timeless and it has the power to evoke thoughts of a simpler era. The original Coon Creek Girls, a country string band that was very popular for a period of time beginning in the 1930s, began to come together when Kentucky native Lily May Ledford caught the attention [...]

MUSIC NEWS- Announced today, Glen Campbell will release a new album, See You There, on August 6. Campbell, who celebrates his 77th birthday today, offers new takes on his career-defining hits, including "Gentle On My Mind," "By The Time I...

For a while in the early 1950s, singer/songwriter Jimmie Logsdon was on top of the world. After an early career spent trying to make his name in country music, he'd managed to become friends with Hank Williams - and even better, he was touring and appearing on stage with his hero. Unfortunately, Hank died in 1953 and Logsdon had to move on, but in subsequent years he often paid homage to his mentor with songs like "The Death Of Hank Williams" and "Hank Williams Sings The Blues No More." Growing up in [...]

By now we've all marveled at Brad Paisley and LL Cool J's "Accidental Racist." But as we were considering the song yesterday , we got to thinking about the fact that pretty much every report about it has described Paisley and LL as an "unlikely duo," an "odd couple," or something along those lines. At first glance, of course, they are — a white southern country star and a black MC from New York. But then again, maybe not, because their respective genres have lot more in common than perhaps either realizes. Both sounds started off as the voice of a [...]

I love it when online travels uncover some lone guy with a Fender strat who's been listening to Buddy Holly or Dylan and he's got the blues in his fingers and a mess of songs swimmin' around his head. Gotta thank the internet for that; in years gone by you would have had to have been in the right crossroad town at the right time. And how's this for a "how I got turned on to music story" ...Ron Franklin told music journalist Denise Sullivan that he was introduced to Memphis music when Mississippi Hill Country artists Jessie [...]