NEWS Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter Don Schlitz, 73, died April 16 at a Nashville hospital after a sudden illness, reports MusicRow. Born (in 1952) and raised in Durham, North Carolina, he moved to Nashville at age 20. His first cut came in 1978 when Kenny Rogers recorded “The Gambler.” He wrote fifty top […]
NEWS On March 29, Ray Stevens fell and broke his neck. He was briefly hospitalized and is now recovering at home. According to a press release, he will wear a neck brace for the next month, and he “remains fully mobile and in good spirits as he continues his recovery.” Get-well wishes can be sent […]
NEWS When the Country Music Hall of Fame opened its live stream to reveal the 2026 inductees on March 20, I was sitting at my computer. Following welcomes by CMA CEO Sarah Trahern and CMHOF CEO Kyle Young, Marty Stuart came to the microphone to announce the songwriter inductee. When Marty said “he” (which knocked […]
IN THE SPOTLIGHT – DAVE POMEROY Dave Pomeroy is reaching the end of his third six-year term as president of the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257. He will soon tie Harold Bradley as second longest president—18 years. Decades earlier, George Cooper was president for 36 years. Dave defeated Harold in 2008 and plans to […]
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 […]
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. […]