Diane’s Country Music Newsletter — 13 November 2024
CONCERT REVIEW—LAINEY WILSON
The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year played to a sold-out 12,000-seat Denny Sanford Premier Center when she brought her “Country’s Cool Again Tour” to Sioux Falls this past Saturday night. Lainey Wilson, 32, has had a meteoric rise to stardom but is no overnight success. In 2011 she moved to Nashville from her hometown of Baskin, Louisiana, to pursue a music career. Her breakout single, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” reached number one on Billboard in 2021. “Heart Like a Truck” achieved number one the following year. After receiving six nominations at the 2022 Country Music Association Awards, she went from opening act to headliner. She received nine nominations in 2023 and won five awards, including Entertainer of the Year. The Academy of Country Music chose her as ACM Entertainer of the Year in May of this year, and the Grand Ole Opry inducted her as a member in June.
I know it was a sold-out show because when I went to the ticket window to get a last-minute ticket, they had just opened up a few seats behind the Mix section and warned that the view might be obstructed. My seat was at center stage level directly across the main floor, with the right half of the stage visible. Of course, it was so distant that the upper wide screens offered the best view.
The person I most wanted to see was opening act Zach Top, 27, who grew up on a ranch in Washington state and got his musical start with his siblings in a bluegrass band. He co-wrote his debut country single, “Sounds Like the Radio,” to express his love of 1990s-era country music and artists such as George Strait, Keith Whitley, and Randy Travis. His debut studio album is Cold Beer & Country Music.
Disappointingly but expectedly, Zach only had 25 minutes. He reminded me of George Strait, standing at the mic and singing. Although he didn’t introduce his band, he had fiddle, bass, steel, rhythm guitar, and drums. He played lead guitar, and I couldn’t see if there was a lead player onstage. It was country music. I wished he could have traded places with the next act.
That was Jackson Dean, 24, who moved to Nashville from his Maryland home in 2018 to begin songwriting. His debut single was “Don’t Come Lookin’,” and his newest single is “Heavens to Betsy.” He introduced his four-piece band of lead guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard. The stage was usually dark, with a spotlight on the singer. I had to look him up on the internet to determine his genre, and it was listed as “country music singer and songwriter.” His set lasted 50 minutes.
Before the show and during the intermission, I noticed a preponderance of young women wearing flat-brimmed hats and bellbottoms–the signature Lainey Wilson look. She refers to her music as “bellbottom country.”
Lainey’s show opened at 9 p.m. with Barbara Mandrell’s “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.” The lights came on with Lainey standing on the top of an old pickup truck and a desert scene in the background. Although the video scenes changed throughout the show, the pickup was always a prop. It was sometimes turned so Lainey could sit on the tailgate. Her set contained 18 songs, none of which I recognized. But the fans did. They sounded like a choir that filled the arena with background vocals. It was quite impressive.
I never could identify her band members, due to flashing lights and video scenes, people running around, and the general darkness of the stage. The music was definitely not country. After 75 minutes, she and the band ran off the stage, the crowd clapped and roared, and Lainey returned alone. She sat on a stool and commented that just her and her guitar was the way she’d started. After her acoustic number, the band returned for her final song, followed by a fiddle solo that turned into a “Ghost Riders in the Sky” jam. Storms crashed on the video screen.
A red barn with an open doorway appeared on the back screen at 10:40 p.m. Barbara’s voice sang “I was country…” and the pickup drove into the barn. The show was over.
I didn’t think Governor Noem would mind me borrowing three of her Facebook photos from the concert:
NEWS
The songwriting community descended upon Nashville’s Music City Center to honor the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2024 on November 6, reports Country Now. First to be inducted, in the Legacy category, was the late Tony Joe White. His son, Jody White, accepted his award. Nikki Lane, accompanied by Kenny Vaughan, performed “Polk Salad Annie.” Next came the Songwriter category. Hillary Lindsey paid tribute to Liz Rose, and Little Big Town delivered an acoustic rendition of “Better Man” in her honor. Al Anderson was welcomed by Sharon Vaughn. Vince Gill, Glenn Worf, and Carolyn Dawn Johnson joined forces to perform “Some Things Never Get Old.” Dan Penn was welcomed by Gretchen Peters in the Veteran Songwriter category, Wendy Moten, accompanied by Kevin McKendree, sang “The Dark End Of The Street.” Larry Gatlin welcomed David Bellamy as Veteran Singer/Songwriter, and John Anderson sang “Redneck Girl.” The final inductee of the evening was Veteran Songwriter Victoria Shaw, who was welcomed by Gary Burr. Garth Brooks performed “The River” in her honor.
The Country Music Association will honor George Strait with the 2024 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award during the upcoming 58th annual CMA Awards on November 20, reports MSN. This award recognizes those who have achieved both national and international prominence, have contributed to the growth of the genre over the course of many years, and have had an unprecedented historical impact on fans and industry alike. Previous recipients of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award include Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013), Johnny Cash (2015), Dolly Parton (2016), Kris Kristofferson (2019), Charley Pride (2020), Loretta Lynn (2021), and Alan Jackson (2022).
Harley Wayne Alsup, 84, of Whiteside, Tennessee died May 15, 2024. Born in 1939, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1956 to 1958. As a musician, he was a member of The Good Time Charlies band with Del Reeves. He also worked with Stonewall Jackson and sang harmony during recording sessions. He was a handyman who could fix anything and especially loved working on cars.
Brad Paisley performed the National Anthem at Game 1 of the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. MusicRow reports the appearance was his fourth World Series anthem performance. His new single, “Truck Still Works,” is the first song from an album due out next year.
NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison, 86, died November 9 at his home in Mooresville, North Carolina. A three-time winner of the Daytona 500 and with 84 NASCAR victories, he was inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011. His career ended at age 50 when he crashed at Pennsylvania’s Pocono track in June 1988. Robert Arthur Allison was born in 1937 in Miami. After working as a mechanic for a NASCAR team in Charlotte, North Carolina, he and other family members built a garage headquarters in Hueytown, Alabama. His entourage at Hueytown expanded into what became known as the Alabama Gang. Over the years, the Allison family headquarters in Hueytown became a tourist attraction. At the end of this newsletter, you can read his interview about Marty Robbins.
David “Dave” Arthur McCall, 89, of Lynchburg, Ohio, died October 30. Born in 1935, he graduated from high school in 1953 and served in the U.S. Navy. An accomplished musician, he was said to be able to play anything with strings on it. That talent earned him a place in the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame as part of the McCall family, with siblings Darrell McCall, Dennis McCall, Diane McCall, and Dee Jee Overbey.
George Austin Robertson Jr., 79, known professionally as Austin Roberts, died November 1 after a prolonged period of health issues. Born in 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia, and raised in Newport News, he resided in Franklin, Tennessee, for the past 45 years. After his discharge from the Marine Corps, he moved to New York City where he found success as a pop singer. In the late 1970s, he moved to Nashville and established himself as a country music songwriter. His co-written hit songs include “I.O.U.” by Lee Greenwood, “You Lie” by Reba McEntire, the 1988 Olympics Gymnastics Team theme song “When You Put Your Heart In It” by Kenny Rogers, and other hit songs by BJ Thomas, Gary Morris, Lorrie Morgan, and many more. His obituary lists his numerous awards and credits, with the statement that he “was never happier than when he was immersed in writing solo or with fellow talent, working on a song.” A Celebration of Life will be held November 23 at Franklin First United Methodist Church in downtown Franklin.
The Music City Walk of Fame inducted a new group of honorees on October 30, reports MusicRow. They are the late Jimmy Buffett, iconic gospel quartet The Fairfield Four, hospitality leader Colin Reed of Ryman Hospitality Properties, and Grand Ole Opry host Bill Cody. All were recognized for their significant work of preserving the music heritage of Nashville and contributing to the world through song. The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of Music City Inc., the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation.
The first new solo Jamey Johnson album in 14 years, Midnight Gasoline, has been released. It was recorded at the famous Cash Cabin, the studio formerly owned by Johnny and June Carter Cash and now run by their son, John Carter Cash. Whiskey Riff explains what motivated Jamey to get back into the studio after 14 years and record 30 songs in less than a month. It was Toby Keith’s unexpected death on February 5. Jamey (49) and Toby (62) were working together on new songs, and Jamey assumed they had more time. The reminder of mortality inspired him to get back into the studio and cut an album. The songs they were working on are temporarily on hold and could eventually bring Toby a posthumous hit.
The “Patty Loveless: No Trouble with the Truth” exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum closed this past weekend. MusicRow reports the exhibit, which opened sixteen months ago, traced her story from a musical prodigy with Appalachian roots to a Grammy-winning country star. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1988 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2023.
The newest member of the Grand Ole Opry is Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman, who was inducted by Lady A on November 3. Opry member Ricky Skaggs, who had issued the invitation earlier this summer, participated in the ceremony. Steve launched his career in 1987 and has been awarded 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, along with five Grammys. He worked at Opryland in 1981 and made his Opry debut in 1982.
MusicRow reports that Dolly Parton has teamed up with Tennessee Tourism to promote the Tennessee “Playcation” Kid’s Guide, a free resource featuring kid-friendly activities and over 45 family-friendly Tennessee destinations. The “Playcation” campaign was launched last year as an initiative to engage families and inspire kids to play an active role in planning vacations. Hidden within the 90-plus-page guides are 10 Butterfly Tickets, which give recipients a VIP celebration at the opening of Dollywood’s 40th season, along with many prizes. “I love making dreams come true, and this is a chance for families to dream big and plan their perfect Tennessee vacation at one of my favorite places–Dollywood,” says Dolly. “I’m tickled to be part of this adventure and help create some memories that will last a lifetime.”
Country music appears to be good for your mental health, according to a study conducted by Tebra and reported by Whiskey Riff. The study looked into the best types of music for positive mental health and found that those who listen to country music tend to be happier. The study results stated: “As for genres, people who listened to country and reggae reported the best mental health, with 52% of each music fandom indicating strong well-being. In contrast, listeners of indie/alternative and heavy metal reported the worst mental health, with 30% and 28%, respectively, saying their mental health was poor.” Country music listeners also reported the lowest amounts of poor mental health.
PEOPLE reports that Garth Brooks filed new documents on November 1 to have his complaint against “Jane Roe” heard in federal court, since her damage request exceeds $75K and falls within federal court regulations. According to legal expert Tre Lovell, taking the case to federal court could include a “quicker trial date,” “broader jury pool,” and the idea that federal judges are more “amenable to dismissing a case.” This comes a month after Garth re-filed his original complaint and publicly named Roe because her attorneys had disclosed his identity.
T.G. Sheppard is celebrating his 50-year anniversary as a country artist, reports MusicRow. His first number one single, “Devil In The Bottle,” was released in October 1974. The 21 number ones that followed included “Last Cheater’s Waltz,” “I’ll Be Coming Back for More,” “Do You Want to Go to Heaven,” “Party Time,” “Only One You,” “I Loved ‘Em Every One,” and “Slow Burn.” T.G. says, “Every day, I thank God and the fans for blessing me with such an amazing life and allowing me to continue doing what I love. I hope you’ll join me on the 50th Anniversary Tour.” He and wife Kelly Lang recently released an album of eleven love songs, Chemistry: The Duets Collection.
LETTERS
Dominique ‘Imperial’ Anglares writes from France, “Thank you to you and your contributors for that Country Music newsletter. Glad to have the great news about James Burton. Sadly, time is made of joys but also bad news. My friend Dick Penner passed away on September 24 after a stroke that happened August 23. Allen Richard (Dick) Penner was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 14, 1936, shortly before his family moved to Texas. As soon as 1952, after his daddy Roy bought him a Gibson guitar, he started playing local gigs with a musical partner named Dave Young. Later, he enrolled at North Texas State College in Denton, where he teamed with Wade Lee Moore as ‘Wade and Dick.’ They wrote in February 1955, on the top of their fraternity house, the classic rock’n’roll song ‘Ooby Dooby’ that was recorded by Sid King & The Five Strings as ‘Oobie-Doobie’ and next, Roy Orbison under the original title. The ‘Ooby Dooby’ success led Sam Phillips to sign Dick Penner and Wade Moore on his record label in early September 1956. Two or three weeks later (not 16 December 1956 as is often stated), they were in Memphis to record four songs but only ‘Bop Bop Baby’ and ‘Don’t Need Your Lovin Baby’ (Sun 269) were issued on 15 April 1957 under the name of ‘Wade and Dick – The College Kids.’ A solo session for Dick Penner was set on 16 February 1957, very probably in Dallas, to record four of his compositions. Two of these, ‘Cindy Lou’ and ‘Your Honey Love,’ were issued on Sun 282 on 3 November 1957. Dick, being a sophomore in 1957, graduated on 23 August 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English. Following a six-month stint in the Army in 1958, Dick Penner returned to his studies with a view to becoming a professor of English.”
Diane: Thanks for the thorough bio. I’ll add that he was a professor of English at the University of Tennessee for 32 years until retiring in 1990.
Tony Byworth writes from Knebworth, United Kingdom, “Just thought I’d let you know that my book, A Country Music Journey, is now published and very pleased to say receiving great reviews here in the UK and on your side of the pond. Broadcaster/columnist David Allan critiqued it as ‘the best, most entertaining account of the golden days of country music, from a British viewpoint I’ve ever read,’ and BCMA founder/broadcaster Godfrey J (Goff) Greenwood wrote, ‘this memoir is an absolute must read for country music enthusiasts.’ It’s published by Rollercoaster Records. Keep up the good work on your newsletter, always great to read.”
Jackie Allen Thomas in Arizona says, “Wow, thanks so much for the great Newsletter and pictures. And thanks for the bluegrass video, hadn’t seen this group before. Please keep these wonderful newsletters coming.”
Eric Calhoun writes from a very Jubilant Los Angeles, about to celebrate the Dodgers winning the World Series, “I just read the Charlotte Observer story you passed down, that was great! And a great concert. I hope to get down to Carolina soon, I have friends down there. Thank you, also, for the update on the Garth Brooks court case, and the fact that this woman wants to countersue Garth. Again I say, she is a piece of work. With regard to you reminiscing over your travels here in Los Angeles, KLAC was a talk station at the time, switching over from adult standards from country, which they got after the Lakers game in 1993, as I stated. I’ve heard little of Lucinda Williams, but from what I’ve heard, I love her sound. When KSCA, 101.9, was an album-oriented rock station, I would frequently hear some of her albums. They were, unofficially, a little country station, at times.”
Mike McCloud says, “I am appalled at the way YouTube is putting out news about Country stars that are deceased when they are really alive and well. I always check Wikipedia before believing anything. Recently there was a thing on YouTube saying Alan Jackson’s house burned down and he died in the fire! Somebody put it out that Jeannie C Riley died last year. These stories are absolutely appalling, and I am getting sick of seeing this crap every time I turn around. It is against the law to report that someone is dead when they are not. I wonder what can be done to stop this?”
James Akenson says, “I always appreciate and enjoy your newsletters. I hope you’re ready to enjoy Halloween.”
Bobby Fischer announces the death of Austin Roberts: “What a great talent so glad we got to share some of his life. One of his great songs was I.O.U. by Lee Greenwood. Me and Charlie Black worked a lot with him. His music lives on. His given name was George Robertson. Early he was a teen pop artist with a big hit on ‘Rocky.’ The kids’ TV name ‘Scooby Doo.’ Thinking of times with him on my back deck we wrote ‘Rainbow Rider’ by Tanya Tucker, ‘You Lie’ on Reba with Charlie Black. He was fun to be with.”
Bob Jennings says, “Thank you for printing my letter on the Gibson Console Grande, and the photo–I thought you and our Readers may like seeing a piece of Country Music History from the Golden Age of Country Music.”
Ed Guy in Palm Coast, Florida, says, “Your Newsletter is simply wonderful. By the way, Faron Young was 10 Feet Tall and Bullet-Proof!!!”
Martha Moore of So Much MOORE Media writes, “BBR artist Drew Baldridge kicked off his tour in Atlanta at Eddie’s Attic last Friday night, November 8. His special guests were LuckySky Music artist Tori Martin and Illinois-based singer/songwriter Dylan Wolfe. Tori, who is a main staple on the Texas Charts, performed her current #3 song, ‘Lost In The Country,’ and more during her 30-minute set. Tori will continue on tour with Drew Baldridge through December 6.
UPDATE ON RANDY TRAVIS BIOGRAPHY
It was quite a surprise to learn that Randy Travis: Storms of Life is available for pre-order on Amazon.com, It is now listed as one of my books. No cover image yet, though. I’m expecting to be emailed the draft cover art at any time. And the page proofs will probably arrive this week. That will be my opportunity to spot any errors on the pages of the book. Because the pages will be numbered, that’s also when I must finish the index.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Do you prefer a traditional or modern concert experience? Would you rather see singers and bands standing onstage and providing music, or do you enjoy flashing lights and a kaleidoscope of background video scenery as the singer runs around the stage and the band stands in the dark?
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
It’s been exactly eighteen years since I called Bobby Allison to ask him about his friendship with Marty Robbins and about Marty’s NASCAR career. As you can see by this transcript, what he told me added value to Marty’s biography. Bobby died Saturday, November 9, 2024, at age 86.
The car that was the purple and yellow one, number 42 that he ran, the Dodge Charger, we did that in a trade deal. Marty had bought a ’67 Dodge Charger from Cotton Owens, and decided he wanted to give a try to the Cup-style racing, Grand National at the time, and so we made a trade in which he ended up with my ’71 Dodge Charger, and I ended up with his ’67 Dodge, which I sold somebody for a sportsman car. This was back in the ’70s.
He wanted to go fast on the big tracks. We were at Talladega, which was the biggest and the fastest track. The restrictors had come into the picture, so he asked my brother Eddie if he could fix the restrictor plate so that it would–actually, the restrictor was fixed so that the restricting piece fell into the intake manifold and was contained by a little arrangement–a little thing made to catch the restrictor ring. My brother Eddie agreed to do that for him. So they got the race started, and Marty went out and passed Richard Petty, which was the big goal he had at the time. Then he came into the garage area and told NASCAR that he was cheating. NASCAR fined my brother Eddie and kicked Eddie out of NASCAR, and Eddie’s never been back in NASCAR.
We tried to explain to Marty that there were several other people doing that same thing. There was no need for him to take any blame with NASCAR. It was one of those things that we did, and he had some fun, and he pulled out of the race. But I was out on the track racing, so I couldn’t be involved with whatever was going on right at the moment. My brother Eddie was the mechanic on his car, and so they placed all the blame on Eddie, and took his license away, and he still hasn’t got it back. Eddie didn’t expect Marty to turn himself in. We knew other people were doing the same things, and it certainly was NASCAR’s job to try to catch those kinds of things, but–
I did not remember that the rookie of the race issue was part of it at all. I still don’t remember that. When he pulled in, maybe one of the officials came and said he was going to get the award for rookie of the race, and Marty said no, he wanted to be placed last.
Eddie continued to admire Marty and consider him a friend. Eddie was out of NASCAR and went to work for a masonry construction company as their equipment mechanic. So Eddie’s career took him a different direction. But he still admired Marty. He felt that Marty had done the honorable thing, but that NASCAR had overreacted. There were a couple of inspectors at NASCAR who really did not like the Allison family. They had a dislike for me and for Eddie, and a little bit for Donnie, but not as much as for me and Eddie. Those inspectors were the ones involved heavily in the discipline–I think Marty agreed to pay whatever the money fine was that they placed on Eddie. They placed a fairly substantial fine for the period of time. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but if a $100 fine was a big one, they put $1,000 on Eddie, or something like that. They also took his license away, and like I said, he never got it back.
Marty Robbins started out being a singer driving a race car, but he became a race car driver who could sing. I thought he did a nice job in a car. He raced at the old Nashville fairgrounds speedway quite a bit. And he actually raced pretty good. He had finishes near the front. I don’t know that he won, but he came really close to it and really was a great competitor.
I was friends with Marty before any of the racing stuff went on. I raced against him real early when he was racing with the late model sportsman stuff at the Nashville Fairgrounds speedway. He was my favorite country music singer anyway. Had been from way before, and then one day I got to meet him, and then I raced against him, and then I did some things with him in the racing part of the business. I helped him try to go out and compete in some races. I made comments to him, how I thought he could go faster. And that is what the name of the game is.
I thought he did a great effort for all of us, because he helped people become aware of how big this racing thing really was. I appreciated all of that. He had a big fan base in the music business, and certainly some of those fans came to races just because he was giving it a try. So he brought more fans into NASCAR.
I had a lot of enjoyment with him. I got to enjoy his singing and his entertaining quite a bit, because we would leave the fairgrounds at Nashville late on Saturday night and dash over to the Opry to catch the last show of the evening, which Marty always took. We’d go backstage and take in that last half hour of the Grand Ole Opry on several occasions, and really enjoyed that. This was way back before NASCAR. I lived in Alabama, but I came to Nashville because it was one of the tracks that paid good purses. I had some pretty good success there.