Steel guitar great Ralph Mooney, the co-writer of the country standard “Crazy Arms,” died Sunday, March 20, at his home in Arlington, Texas. Mooney was noted for his distinctive playing behind such superstars as Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. He can be heard on such early 1960s Owens hits as “Under Your Spell […]
Aashid Himons, 68, one of Nashville’s leading world-music exponents, died Saturday morning at Vanderbilt Hospital following a long illness. Himons is perhaps best known as the leader of Afrikan Dreamland, a group that fused reggae, new age, blues, jazz and African musical styles. As that band’s leader as well as a solo artist, Himons recorded […]
The funeral for Ferlin Husky will be held this afternoon (3/21) in Hendersonville – the Country Music Hall of Fame member died on Thursday March 17 at age 85 following 30 years of heart problems. His funeral will be officiated by the Rev. Dallas Frazier. Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Frazier was a protégée […]
Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Carlton Haney, once dubbed “The P.T. Barnum of Country Music” died Wednesday afternoon at age 82. Haney inaugurated the first multi-day bluegrass festival – there are now more than 500 such events annually. He was the publisher of the national periodical Muleskinner News. He ran the New Dominion Barn Dance […]
This week, let’s do like the televised awards shows do. Our Female Vocalist of the Week is Amber Hayes. Her sophomore single is every bit as lively, fun and delightful as her debut. I remain a fan. The Male Vocalist of the Week is no stranger to DisClaimer honors. It’s Eric Church, who has won more prizes from this column than any other artist.
Can you be fabulously famous and a new face at the same time? If your name is Jennette McCurdy, you can. Known by millions of teens for her role as sassy “Sam” on the Nickelodeon TV comedy series iCarly, 18-year-old Jeanette can’t go out to a restaurant without being mobbed. But in country music, she is a newcomer.
Welcome to Country Radio Seminar. You registrants are going to be hearing a lot of great new music this week. Alas, very little of it was on my desk today. There are only a few real highlights.
Music City is Boys Town today. The ladies are evidently taking the week off, since every platter here on the reviewing desk comes from a solo male. Let the testosterone festival begin.
WAMB radio show host Danny Winchell has died at age 84. He was also a pop singer, magazine publisher, record producer and music promoter.
Contemporary country music sounds wildly diverse this week. We have bluegrass flavored The Roys, outlaw sounds from the George Brothers, rollicking pop-country by Kenny Chesney and southern, guitar-slinger rock via Frankie Ballard. How’s that for variety?