NEWS A memorial service for Jeannie Seely, who died August 1 at age 85, was held August 14 at the Grand Ole Opry House. Billed as “Jeannie Seely’s 5,398th Opry Show,” it was hosted by 650 AM WSM and Grand Ole Opry personalities Mike Terry, Bill Cody, Charlie Mattos and Kelly Sutton. Among the many performances was a […]
BOOK REVIEW – DOLLY PARTON: JOURNEY OF A SEEKER Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker is the title of an extensive exhibition that opened May 20, 2025, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. It is also the title of this companion book, which was created by the staff of […]
NEWS Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson celebrated his 64th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member on Tuesday night, July 15, reports MusicRow. (He was inducted into the Opry on July 15, 1961, at the age of 23.) Opry Vice President and Executive Producer Dan Rogers presented Bill with a custom scarf designed by Manuel Cuevas. The South Carolina […]
TRIP REPORT – RANDY TRAVIS BOOK RELEASE IN NASHVILLE This was my first ever trip to Nashville without going downtown. We stayed mostly in Music Valley. Perry Steilow drove with me to Nashville for my Randy Travis book release. We arrived at 11:15 Wednesday evening, June 25, and were at WSMV Channel Four TV studio […]
BOOK REVIEW – RIDERS IN THE SKY: ROMANCING THE WEST WITH MUSIC AND HUMOR A newly released biography on the western singing group Riders in the Sky tells the story of its original members still going strong after almost fifty years. Known as “America’s favorite cowboy musicians” and “the most educated band in country music,” […]
NEWS “I almost died,” Mark Chesnutt says about his years-long journey to reclaim his health. According to American Songwriter, he had lived with a fractured spine for years, and it eventually deteriorated to bone-on-bone with a lot of nerve damage. Following surgery that included inserting two titanium rods in his back, he started physical therapy […]
NEWS At a May 17 concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during his Last Call: One More for the Road Tour, Alan Jackson, 66, announced he is “winding down.” He confirmed, “This is my last road show.” According to a press release, this is his last year of major touring, with his “big finale” set for summer […]
NEWS Johnny Rodriguez (December 10, 1951 – May 9, 2025) One of my favorite singers, Johnny Rodriguez, 73, died May 9 after a few days in home hospice. His daughter Aubry, 27, announced his death. Juan Raoul Davis Rodriguez was born December 10, 1951, in Sabinal, Texas. At age 21, he moved to Nashville. According to MusicRow, “Discovered […]
NEWS Famed Hee Haw cast member Lulu Roman, 78, died unexpectedly April 22 in Bellingham, Washington. According to MusicRow, the Dallas, Texas, native was born with a thyroid condition and placed in an orphanage at birth. Before moving to Nashville, she worked in Jack Ruby’s Dallas nightclubs under the stage name “Lulu Roman, the World’s […]
IN THE SPOTLIGHT – DAVID ROBBINS (SON OF PIG ROBBINS) By the mid-1960s, Hargus “Pig” Robbins was a well-known session pianist, part of Nashville’s A-Team. He’d joined the musicians’ union in 1957, at age nineteen. For the first two years he sat by the phone, occasionally getting a call to work a session. Then came […]