My Faron Young/Marty Robbins e-mail newsletter is coming from my new Windows 8 computer with Windows Live email. Please forward to anyone who might like to read this, and I welcome your suggestions.

NEWS
I watched via the Internet Tuesday morning to see the announcement of the 2014 members of the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Kix Brooks served as emcee. Bobby Bare introduced the posthumous Songwriter award for Hank Cochran. Jo Walker Meador then introduced the Veteran Era awardee as Mac Wiseman, and Mac told a few stories about the good old days. Hunter Hayes came in off a tour to introduce the Modern Era performer – Ronnie Milsap. Ronnie started his speech with, “I’ve wanted to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame for as long as I can remember.” (more…)

My Faron Young/Marty Robbins e-mail newsletter has evolved into a variety of country music bits. Please forward to anyone who might like to read this. And let me know if you have suggestions for Featured Artist, Song of the Week, Sideman Sidebar, or Question of the Week. My next newsletter will be coming from my new Windows 8 computer with Windows Live email. I bought a new computer four months ago and am finally forcing myself to switch from the old one.

NEWS
One of the newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is 67-year-old Linda Ronstadt, ten-time Grammy Award winner. She can’t attend this week’s ceremony in New York City because she is coping with the onset of Parkinson’s disease. (more…)

FEATURED ARTIST
At a Texas Country Music Hall of Fame concert last August, Tommy Overstreet announced, “My career started 62 years ago in Houston, Texas, and it ends here tonight in Carthage, Texas.” Although there would be no more touring, he is currently working on two new albums, one of which is totally acoustic. He and his wife, Diane, live in Oregon, where they moved from Branson in 2001 to be close to her family. “We love it here, “ he told me when I called him several days ago.

His hit songs, beginning with “Gwen (Congratulations)” in 1971, include “Heaven Is My Woman’s Love,” “(Jeannie Marie) You Were A Lady,” and “Don’t Go City Girl On Me.” (more…)