IN THE SPOTLIGHT – CHARLIE MCCOY Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy has been playing on Nashville recording sessions since 1961. He and Hargus “Pig” Robbins both belong to the original A-team of session sidemen. When I called him last week at his winter home in Florida, to talk about Hargus for my […]
RANDY TRAVIS: STORMS OF LIFE AUDIOBOOK Randy Travis: Storms of Life is now available as an audiobook. Thanks to Frank Gerard for doing the narration. I selected Frank because of his experience as a narrator and his love for classic country music. This is our third book together. He also narrated Twentieth Century Drifter: The […]
NEWS The Grand Ole Opry canceled its in-house Saturday night performance on January 24, due to the winter storm, although the Opry radio broadcast was aired. The radio show featured a mix of live performances and recorded highlights from past Opry shows. Country Now summarizes Opry history: The Grand Ole Opry began as a radio show in […]
NEWS Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Jim McBride died January 6 at age 78, reports Country Insider. Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, he got his first guitar at 21; some of his earliest songs were performed on Hee Haw. His first hit song was Conway Twitty’s “A Bridge That Just Won’t Burn,” followed by […]
By Rob Miller The title of Rob Miller’s newly released memoir, The Hours Are Long But the Pay Is Low, caught my attention and made me want to read the book. It tells the story of Bloodshot Records, a recording company Miller cofounded in Chicago in 1993. “For decades,” he writes, “music has grabbed me […]
BOOK REVIEW – THE HOURS ARE LONG BUT THE PAY IS LOW The title of Rob Miller’s newly released memoir, The Hours Are Long But the Pay Is Low, caught my attention and made me want to read the book. It tells the story of Bloodshot Records, a recording company Miller cofounded in Chicago in […]
NEWS Singer/songwriter Joe Ely, 78, died December 15 from complications of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia, according to PEOPLE. His wife, Sharon, and daughter Marie were with him at home in Taos, New Mexico. Born in 1947 in Amarillo, Texas, and raised in Lubbock, he became part of the live music scene in Austin. […]
This week we especially remember Faron Young and Marty Robbins and honor their memories. Marty died December 8, 1982, at age 57. Faron died December 10, 1996, at age 64. Both gone too soon. Both never forgotten. NEWS Raul Malo, 60, founder and frontman of the Mavericks, died Monday, December 8. In June 2024 he was […]
NEWS I watched portions of the 59th Annual CMA Awards, which aired live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 19 on ABC-TV. My favorite part was seeing Vince Gill presented with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. The segment began with the announcement that Brandi Carlile would sing “When I Call Your Name.” The song […]
NEWS For her first time ever, Reba McEntire will present and sing at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting in New York City. NBC will broadcast the two-hour special, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, on December 3 at 8 p.m. ET. This year’s event, held annually since 1931, features a 75-foot Norway Spruce adorned with tens […]