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RECENT NEWS
- Industry Ink: Luke Bryan, SiriusXM, ‘Ten Year Town,’ The Listening Room October 13, 2026
- The War And Treaty To Receive Inaugural Origins Vanguard Award October 13, 2026
- Songwriter Rory Bourke Passes October 13, 2026
- Lady A, Tyler Hubbard, More Featured On ‘Songs Inspired By The Chosen’ Album October 12, 2026
- Matt Jenkins Enters Top 20 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart October 12, 2026
- John Morgan Lands Second No. 1 As An Artist & Seventh As A Songwriter With ‘Kid Myself’ October 12, 2026
- Kameron Marlowe Slates ‘Take You Down With Me Tour’ For February October 12, 2026
- Miranda Lambert’s Amazon Music ‘Songline Live’ Debuts October 12, 2026
- Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Josiah Queen Among Winners At The 57th Annual GMA Dove Awards October 12, 2026
- Industry Ink: Wynonna, Gibson, Lauren Daigle, Troubadour Blue October 12, 2026
DISClaimer (9/16/09)
/by Robert K OermannThe Americana music convention begins today in Nashville, so what better time to run a column about the genre? The artists we’re talking about today are all up for awards at Thursday’s gala at the Ryman Auditorium. So we’re talking the cream of Americana, here. Earlier in the year, I raved about nominees such as […]
DISClaimer (9/11/09)
/by Robert K OermannIt’s country collaboration day! Ronnie Milsap is singing with Trace Adkins. Bruce Springsteen turns up as a guest on John Fogerty’s album. Billy Gibbons meets Brooks & Dunn in a roadhouse rumble. And in the most unlikely scenario of all, Hank Williams Jr. takes a ride in Appalachia with The Grascals. And mostly the match-up […]
DISClaimer (9/4/09)
/by Robert K OermannThis is quite a mixed bag. Leeann Atherton clocks in with a dreamy blues tune. Rocker Ronnie Godfrey has a Tennessee Titans fight song. We have excellent Nashville songwriter albums from Bill Luther and Kent Blazy. And there’s a whole flurry of newcomers. Among them, Melanie Denard wins our DisCovery Award. And to add some […]
DISClaimer (8/28/09)
/by Robert K OermannThe stars are twinkling so brightly that I am temporarily blinded. That is to say, I simply can’t make up my mind. Should I choose the hearty male country vocal? What about our teen-queen sales champion? And then there’s the refreshingly rocking group performance. All three qualify for a Disc of the Day prize, yet […]
DISClaimer (8/21/09)
/by Robert K OermannWe live in an era of singles and tracks, but there are still a few out there who buck the trend. It pleases me to report that there are several folks in this week’s stack of platters who still make true ALBUMS. There is an art to this that many mainstream country artists seem to […]
DISClaimer (8/14/09)
/by Robert K OermannIt is independents’ day. We are in what are known as the dog days of summer, when major-label releases slow to a trickle in anticipation of the big fall product push. What better time for the indies to scurry about and make some noise? As is generally the case in surveying indie singles, the quality […]
DISClaimer (8/7/09)
/by Robert K OermannThis stack of platters is a nice mix of veterans and baby acts. In the former column are Marty Raybon and Brady Seals, both of whom have splendid CD’s coming your way. Somewhere in between vet and baby are Trey Hensley, The Coal Men, Emma Jacob, Mica Roberts and Lee Brice, all of whom competed […]
Book Review of “How The Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll”
/by DonCusicHow The Beatles Destroyed Rock ’n’ Roll by Elijah Wald (Oxford University Press, 2009) Review by Belmont professor Don Cusic: This isn’t really a book about the Beatles; rather it is a book that notes the distortion of the history of popular music through the years. Wald, who wrote an excellent book on Robert Johnson, […]
Book Offers Cultural Bill Of Rights
/by DonCusicBook Review Arts, Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights Bill Ivey (University of California Press, 2008) Bill Ivey is one of the most articulate commentators on art and culture in America. He served as head of the National Endowment for the Arts during the Clinton Administration and prior to that was […]
Bluegrass DISClaimer (10/2/09)
/by Robert K OermannThe best part of the bluegrass-music week starts today. Up until now it has been mostly panel discussions, showcases, a trade show and last night’s awards gala. Today begins the Bluegrass Fan Fest part of the IBMA’s convention. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday you get nothing but music, music, music on the lower level of […]