CONCERT REVIEW – MARK CHESNUTT We sang happy birthday to Mark Chesnutt (age 51) Saturday night during his show at the University of Sioux Falls. He sang his hits for ninety minutes and joked with his two guitarists and the audience. Although I was disappointed he didn’t have his band, the tradeoff was the personal […]
NEWS The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City on November 17. A select group of American musical icons will be given ASCAP Centennial Awards to recognize their exceptional accomplishments. They are Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Joan […]
FEATURE ARTICLE – ALASKA CRUISE Sioux Falls residents Cam and Sharon Lind celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary on the Alaska Cruise sponsored by Country’s Family Reunion and Larry’s Country Diner. I asked Cam to provide a report, and here’s what he said: The cruise was great and my three favorite country singers were there: Gene […]
“I feel inundated these days with music that’s telling me how country it is. What I long for more than anything is to hear how country it is.” — Vince Gill, 2012 ACM awards show As the biographer of Faron Young and Marty Robbins, I bring you these newsletters to connect […]
FEATURED ARTIST – JANIE FRICKE “What I see in my future is exactly what I’m doing right now,” Janie Fricke told me when she called the other day in response to my request for an interview. “I get surprised all the time with new offers and new possibilities.” She credits Kirt Webster with finding those […]
FEATURED ARTIST – GENE WATSON “I have a lot of goals in front of me,” Gene Watson says. “I’ve got a whole lot more scheduled in my mind than I can see over the top of.” At age 70, this Texan is not slowing down. “I’m working more now than I was twenty years ago,” […]
NEWS The two-year Cowboy Rides Away Tour concluded Saturday night, June 7, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas–home of the Dallas Cowboys. George Strait drew 104,793 fans, the largest crowd for an indoor concert in North American history. He broke the record set by The Rolling Stones at the Louisiana Superdome in 1981. Asleep at […]
I’m the biographer of Faron Young and Marty Robbins, bringing you these newsletters to connect classic country music fans around the world. Feel free to forward this email to your friends, and tell them to send me an email if they want to be added to the list. I welcome your comments and ideas. FEATURED […]
NEWS Willie Nelson has donated major portions of his collection of correspondence, manuscripts, records and awards to The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin. The Willie Nelson Collection, soon to be the focus of an exhibit on the UT Austin campus, will offer […]
NEWS A crowd of 300 gathered at Woodlawn Cemetery in Nashville to remember George Jones on the first anniversary of his death. Nancy Jones, who organized the event, stood in front of the “He Stopped Loving Her Today” headstone to talk to her husband’s fans. She led the planting of two dogwood trees. Keith Bilbrey […]