In a surprising and refreshing listening session, we were served a heaping helping of honest country sounds. Alan Jackson, Miss Leslie, Easton Corbin and Laura Dodd all turned in excellent efforts with nary a pop note in the bunch.
B-o-r-i-n-g. In general, that’s what this week’s listening session was. There is nothing in this stack of platters that will change your life. Indeed, most of these discs will barely rouse you from your spring slumbers. The most exciting thing here comes courtesy of our DisCovery Award winner. Kyle Park is a triple threat as a singer, writer and producer. Lend him your ears.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow, Saturday, April 3, for Pirates of the Mississippi’s Dean Townson. Townson died at age 50 on March 25. Kenneth Dean Townson was the bass player and harmony singer for the Pirates from 1990 to 1995. He sang on all of the group’s hits, including 1991’s “Feed Jake.” He […]
Widely beloved radio personality, songwriter and entertainer Charles “Peanut” Faircloth was buried yesterday [Sunday, March 21] in Chattanooga – he died Tuesday, March 16, at age 82. Born in Mitchell Country, Georgia, he had childhood polio which stunted his growth at 4’8.” This led to his nickname, “Peanut.” He began his radio career at WNEX […]
Vanderbilt University professor Richard “Pete” Peterson—one of the first sociologists to seriously study country music—has died at age 77. During his career, Peterson studied the Nashville music industry, popular culture, the definition of musical genres, the aging of the fine-arts audience and the impact of digital technology on music. In addition, he was a former […]
(Updated 2/3/10) Madeleine Parlatore, longtime administrator and office manager of Big Tractor Music, has passed away. The company’s Jason Krupek says she was “Mom” to everyone at the publishing company, where she spent 13 years. The funeral will be Friday, February 5 at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens, located at 9090 Highway 100. Visitation will be […]
Sheldon Kurland, known throughout the Nashville music community as a session musician and as the leader of The Sheldon Kurland Strings, died Wednesday, Jan. 6 at age 81. He can be heard on such hits as “Last Cheater’s Waltz” by T. G. Sheppard, “Rose Colored Glasses” by John Conlee, “Everything is Beautiful” by Ray Stevens, […]
Nashville r&b star Earl Gaines died on New Year’s Eve at St. Thomas Hospital. He was 74 years old. Gaines was a gruff-voiced shouter who was a central figure in Music City’s soul scene for decades. That fact was underscored by his prominence in the Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit and Grammy Award winning […]
Lifelong folk-music champion Bess Lomax Hawes died Friday, November 27 at the age of 88 in Portland, Oregon. In 1941-43 she was a member of The Almanac Singers alongside Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. In 1948, she wrote the folk classic “M.T.A.,” which became a hit for The Kingston Trio in 1959. She moved to […]
Yikes: How did it get to be the end of September already? The official first day of Autumn was Tuesday, and everyone is polishing up their late-year releases. Tim scores big points in this column with “Southern Voice,” the title tune of his Oct. 20 CD. Last night, Miranda debuted her Revolution at the Ryman. […]