Tag Archives: country music

October 12, 2020

Q&A with Lydia R. Hamessley, Author of Unlikely Angel

Posted by Tachel Brown
in american history, author commentary, authors, banjo, biography, feminist studies, interviews, music, new books, Q&A | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Q&A with Lydia R. Hamessley, Author of Unlikely Angel

Lydia R. Hamessley, author of Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton, answers questions about her inspirations, Appalachian music, songwriting, and, of course, music legend Dolly Parton. Q: Why did you decide to write this book? Laurie Matheson, the Director … Continue reading →

June 10, 2020

Banjo Roots and Branches Awarded American Musical Instrument Society’s Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize

Posted by Tachel Brown
in African American Studies, awards, bluegrass, folklore, music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Banjo Roots and Branches Awarded American Musical Instrument Society’s Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize

We are pleased to announce Banjo Roots and Branches edited by Robert B. Winans has won the American Musical Instrument Society’s Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize. The Nicholas Bessaraboff Prize is awarded annually for the most distinguished book-length work in English which … Continue reading →

September 26, 2016

Marty Robbins, El Paso, and Mr. Teardrop

Posted by rkcunningham
in biography, music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Marty Robbins, El Paso, and Mr. Teardrop

In three decades as a singer and songwriter Robbins placed a staggering 94 songs on Billboard’s country music charts. His musical style ranged from rockabilly rave-ups to pop standards and even Hawaiian songs. Fulfilling another dream, Robbins spent time on … Continue reading →

September 24, 2015

Throwbacklist Thursday

Posted by rkcunningham
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The University of Illinois Press thinks country and western music hung the moon. Our list of C&W books reads like a who’s who of that musical form’s rhinestone-studded history. You want singers? Our bill features hitmakers and hip shakers like the Singing Sheriff Faron … Continue reading →

September 17, 2015

Throwbacklist Thursday

Posted by rkcunningham
in american history, biography, music | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Throwbacklist Thursday

George Hamilton IV departed the world two years ago today. Unrelated to the actor and tanning phenomenon of the same name, IV, as he was sometimes called, ambled out of North Carolina in his college years to become a teen … Continue reading →

September 27, 2014

Beyond “El Paso”: a story song survey

Posted by rkcunningham
in biography, music | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Beyond “El Paso”: a story song survey

Story songs had won love from an admiring public since the days when drunken Vikings flung wandering skalds into a nearby volcano. When the wireless came along, story songs filled the air in a different way. The story song “El … Continue reading →

September 26, 2014

For the love of wicked Feleena

Posted by rkcunningham
in biography, music | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on For the love of wicked Feleena

There is a possibly apocryphal story about Loretta Lynn’s classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Supposedly, Lynn’s original version of the song included ten (or eight or twelve) verses. Hearing it, her producer Owen Bradley said something along the order of, “Loretta, … Continue reading →

July 23, 2014

Happy birthday Alison Krauss

Posted by sfast
in bluegrass, music, women's history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Happy birthday Alison Krauss

Born on July 23, 1971, Central Illinois native Alison Krauss has been awarded with more Grammys than any other female artist. The singer and fiddle player has put up sales numbers greater than any other living bluegrass act. Yet, as Murphy … Continue reading →

September 21, 2013

Happy birthday to Ginger Boatwright

Posted by sfast
in bluegrass, music, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Happy birthday to Ginger Boatwright

Bluegrass singer Ginger Boatwright was born on September 21st in 1944. She has been involved in various bands throughout the years including the Grammy nominated Red White and Blue(grass), the all-female bluegrass group the Bushwackers, and the Doug Dillard Band. … Continue reading →

August 14, 2013

Happy birthday to bluegrass pioneer Rose Maddox

Posted by sfast
in music, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy birthday to bluegrass pioneer Rose Maddox

Rose Maddox, the lead singer of America’s “most colorful hillbilly band” the Maddox Brothers and Rose, was born on August 15, 1925. Rose went from very modest beginnings to fronting her family band, to a solo career that included a … Continue reading →