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 […]
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 […]
NEWS A three-hour ceremony of songs and ovations honored the 156th, 157th, and 158th members of the Country Music Hall of Fame as they were inducted during an invitation-only Medallion Ceremony on October 19 in the museum’s CMA Theater. iHeart.com reports that George Strait made a surprise appearance to honor record producer Tony Brown, who was […]
NEWS When Kathy Mattea was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry this past Saturday evening, she sang “Eighteen Wheels and A Dozen Roses,” with Terri Clark, Trisha Yearwood, and Suzy Bogguss as her harmony singers. She interrupted the song to say that, as the newest member of the Opry, she had already been given her […]