NEWS
Jim Ed Brown (1934-2015)
Jim Ed Brown died June 11 at the Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tennessee, of lung cancer. He was 81. He last performed on the Grand Ole Opry in April, while his cancer was in remission. It returned June 3, and he began a second round of chemotherapy. James Edward Brown was born April 1, 1934, and grew up in Benton and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He and Maxine and Bonnie, known as the Browns, joined the Opry in 1963. When his sisters retired from the music business, Jim Ed became a solo artist and a member of a duo with Helen Cornelius. The Browns were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame three months ago, with Jim Ed holding the distinction of being a hit maker as a trio, a duo, and a solo artist. His 90-minute funeral service was held June 15 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, with his flower-covered casket sitting in front of the stage. The Oak Ridge Boys provided the first musical tribute and Lady Antebellum the final one. Other performers and speakers included Jeannie Seely, Brenda Lee, Crystal Gayle, Craig Morgan, Vince Gill, and the Gatlin Brothers. (more…)

NEW RELEASE OF TWENTIETH CENTURY DRIFTER: THE LIFE OF MARTY ROBBINS
The University of Illinois Press is issuing the paperback version of Twentieth Century Drifter: The Life of Marty Robbins in August. Any suggestions as to what I should do to publicize the release?

FEATURED ARTIST – SAMMY KERSHAW
I Won’t Back Down is the new CD by Sammy Kershaw, and it will be released June 9. The title cut is a Tom Petty cover, and the first single is “Grillin’ and Chillin’.” When Sammy called me to talk about it, I told him my favorite song is “Fixer Upper,” and I asked if there’s a story behind it. “Well, kinda,” he said, “but I can’t tell you yet. I have a book coming out this fall. People are going to find out just what kind of a fixer upper I really am.” The book title is The Route That I Took. Sammy is working with a ghostwriter, and he says the book will “get into something that people will not be expecting.” (more…)