Eddy Arnold Set the Standard for Humility
In the hours after Eddy Arnold's death early Thursday morning, country music stars and everyday working class people from Nashville have been sharing their stories of the Country Music Hall of Fame member. And if there's one underlying theme, it's the kindness and decency he showed to everyone he had contact with long after he [...]
Around the Web: Why Robert Plant Loves Alison Krauss
Robert Plant gushes over Alison Krauss, both as a tourmate and as his vocal mentor.Teen pregnancy? Taylor Swift's against it. And she said so at the Event to Prevent gala in New York City.Country music was coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Monday as Phil Vassar performed on the White House's south lawn to honor [...]
From Canada's Border to the Apple Blossom Festival
One thing is for sure -- traveling on the road is never boring. There's always an adventure just ahead. After performing to a sold out venue in Farmington Hills, Mich., we started towards the Canadian border at Port Huron. Just before reaching the border, traffic came to a stand still, due to a toxic waste [...]
Key West Songwriters Festival Brought Music and More
Some of country music's top songwriters converged last week in Key West, Fla., for the 13th annual Key West Songwriters Festival, where they played free shows in the town's various nightspots and watering holes along Duval Street. The tiny island was overrun with tourists and festival attendees who jam-packed the venues for dancing and late [...]
"Chattahoochee": Alan Jackson's Surprise Hit
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."That famous quote from Sigmund Freud cautions against forcing meaning into events or objects where there is none.Most of the time, when recording artists put out positive uptempo songs, the point is to not think too deeply, just to simply breeze through the moment and try to embrace some [...]
Bluegrass Comes to the Home of the Burgies
Bluegrass in the U.S. is barely a curiosity anymore, not since O Brother. Not so here in Germany. A few stalwart supporters and curious music lovers are enough to make touring viable, but it's a lot like being in a traveling freak show. You get up on stage and play, some nights you get wild [...]
Boo! The Grascals' New Banjo Player
Hey there everyone! Here we are again. We can't wait for you to hear our upcoming album, Keep On Walkin', so you can check out Aaron McDaris featured on banjo. Aaron joined our group a year and a half ago. This is his first recorded work with us and he is incredible. For you fans [...]
Around the Web: Line Dancin' for the Record Books
As if he hasn't broken enough records already, Alan Jackson is trying to do it again by creating the world's longest line dance in his "Good Time" video.When Lee Ann Womack puts on a hat for the Kentucky Derby, she really puts on a hat.Taylor Swift tells MTV how each one of her "firsts" felt.Sara [...]
Big Is Back With Keith Anderson, James Otto
In an age when Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and I all wear the same size jeans, it feels good to see Keith Anderson and James Otto so comfortable in their own bigness. It's tempting to get into all kinds of "size matters" and "live large" clichés, but I won't.I will say, though, that I think [...]
Is Rhonda Vincent Singing the Next Bluegrass Song of the Year?
Have I been listening to the next IBMA song of the year? I know it's already got my vote. Rhonda Vincent's recording of Jerry Salley and Lisa Shaffer's "I Gotta Start Somewhere" swept me away the first time I heard it. Most of us can recall a romantic breakup we didn't want to happen and [...]
