It seems too crazy to be true. It was over a year ago that I read about a potential collaboration between Dwight Yoakam and Beck. I thought it was too good to be true and as the months rolled by I thought my hunch was correct. No way Jose.
I’ve never been so glade to be mistaken. The recently announced “3 Pears,†is the result of that creative union and will be be released Sept. 18. It’s also Yoakam’s first studio album of original material since in seven years ‎and his return to Warner Bros. Records.
I read that Yoakam has been working on the 12 songs on the album since 2008 and jokingly describes the process as “reaaall reaaaallllll sloooww.â€
Let’s hope it results in a release that’s reaaall reaaaallllll good!
Here’s a little Bakersfield heaven with Dwight joining the Hag on his “Swinging Doors.”
Country music legend Glen Campbell is canceling his upcoming Australia and New Zealand tour with Kenny Rogers due to health reasons, the Associated Press reports.
A spokesperson for Campbell, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease last year and currently on his farewell tour, said isn’t up for “the very long flight that it would require.” The Australian shows would have been his last international stop. Campbell is still scheduled for U.S. dates
throughout the summer and into the fall.
Glen Campbell was a recipients of the GRAMMYs Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and recently played the legendary Hollywood Bowl for his last concert in his home of Los Angeles
Here’s is campbell’s “A Better Place,” with a cameo from Queen of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures member Josh Homme.
I am sad to announce the passing of yet another legend, Kitty Wells. Well’s known as the “Queen of Country Musicâ€, died today in Nashville at the age of 92 following complications from a stroke. Her official site reads Wells “passed peacefully with family by her side at her home.â€
Born Ellen Muriel Deason Wright, Wells started her country music career with her late husband Johnnie Wright in 1937.
In 1952 she was the first female singer to reach No. 1 on the country charts with her signature song, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.†(below) The song was an “answer song†to the Hank Thompson hit from the same year, “The Wild Side Of Life.†Kitty was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1976.
The news swept across social media rapidly. Elizabeth Cook tweeted “Thank you, and RIP Kitty Wells.” @WSMradio , the twitter account for the station that carries the Grand Ol’ Opry tweeted “The staff at WSM would like to express our condolences to the family of Kitty Wells, the “Queen of Country Music,†who passed away today.”
And this from Loretta Lynn Official Facebook page “Kitty Wells will always be the greatest female country singer of all times. She was my hero. If I had never heard of Kitty Wells, I don’t think I would have been a singer myself. I wanted to sound just like her, but as far as I am concerned, no one will ever be as great as Kitty Wells. She truly is the Queen of Country Music.”
[EDIT] In a press releases Barbara Mandrell, a longtime friend of Kitty Wells, offers her comments on her mentor’s life and work:“Kitty Wells was every female country music performer’s heroine. She lead the way for all of us and I feel very grateful and honored to have known her. She was always the most gracious, kind and lovely person to be around. I so appreciated her being a part of my life and a mentor to me.â€
[EDIT]In another press release from Dolly Parton gives her respect “Kitty Wells was the first and only Queen of Country Music, no matter what they call the rest of us. She was a great inspiration to me as well as every other female singer in the country music business. In addition to being a wonderful asset to country music, she was a wonderful woman. We will always remember her fondly.” Â
[EDIT] “She paved the way for generations after her and really made a mark for women in country. It’s a tough business for women. She proved that she could sell records and tickets and have hits in a time when that hadn’t been proven yet by female acts.” Lee Ann Womack
From 1953 to 1968, various polls listed Wells as the No. 1 female country singer. Tammy Wynette finally dethroned her. She continued her performing career occasionally on into her 80s.
WKRN reports funeral services will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at the Hendersonville Church of Christ in Hendersonville, Tenn. Burial will follow in Spring Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be held Thursday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to Goodpasture Christian School, C/O Kitty Well/Johnnie Wright Scholarship Fund.
According to RollingStone.com the next release by rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson, “Unfinished Business,” will be produced by none other than Justin Townes Earle. Look for this 31st release from Jackson to come out October 9th on Sugar Hill Records.
Jackson says that Earle had encouraged her to “get back to her roots” of country, blues, and rockabilly. Earle steps into producer and music accompaniment shoes previously filled by Jack White on 2011’s “The Party Ain’t Over.” Personally, I think with his mastery of early roots and folk forms that Earle will be a better fit than White was to tap into Jackson’s greatness. What do you think?
Track list for “Unfinished Business:”
“I’m Tore Down”
“The Graveyard Shift”
“Am I Even a Memory” (feat. Justin Townes Earle)
“Pushover”
“It’s All Over Now”
“Two Hands”
“Old Weakness”
“What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome”
“Down Past the Bottom”
“California Stars”
I always knew Houston’s Robert Ellis was the real deal. Now they agree with me across the pond. From The Guardian’s New Band of the Day:
“That idea of dovetailing country old and “new” – the Nudie suit-wearing good ol’ boys and the countercultural LA wannabes – is a development, of sorts, although arguably Gram Parsons was the living embodiment of both sensibilities. Robert Ellis is a hippie throwback but he also moves between periods and worlds with aplomb – at a recent party for Paste magazine he and his band, according to one onlooker, “deconstructed old bluegrass songs and borrowed as much from Radiohead as George Jones”. He alternates between country and alt.country on the two “sides” ofof (sic) his concept album Photographs.”
Aside from his appearance I don’t get the “hippie” reference, but whatever. Ellis is getting the attention he so richly deserves.
Podcast number is in the can and it might be the best one yet.
Here you’ll find great cuts from upcoming albums like Corb Lund’s swamp-guitar laced road buddy number featuring Hayes Carll “Bible On The Dash” and The Trishas bring sweet, sweet harmony in Little Sweet Cigars.
Blackberry Smoke channels 70’s era Allman Brothers in the soulful The Whippoorwill. There’s also some great cuts from newcomers Angela Perley, Shovels & Rope and The Driftwood Singers.
Finally I use the last slot to say goodbye to another legend. Susanna Clark’s “Easy From Now On,” a song she penned for Emmylou Harris’ album “Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town,” and album she also painted the cover for.
I hope you all enjoy the great Americana and roots music featured in this and all the podcasts, and hope you seek out the musicians and buy their music, merch and , most importantly, take all your friends and see them live. Remember you can leave requests or feedback below or email me at baron(at)twangnation(dot)com. All you feedback , good and bad, is appreciated.
1. Corb Lund – Song: “Bible On The Dash” – Album: Cabin Fever (New West Records)
2. Polecat – Song: “Fire On The Hill” – Album: Fire On The Hill (Independently released)
3. Shovels & Rope – Song: O’ Be Joyful – Album: Song: O’ Be Joyful (Dualtone Records)
4. Catherine Irwin – Song: Mockingbird – Album: Little Heater (Thrill Jockey Records )
Removed by request of Thrill Jockey Records
5. The Trishas – Song: Little Sweet Cigars – Album: High Wide & Handsome (Trisha Records)
6. Blackberry Smoke – Song: The Whippoorwill – Album: The Whippoorwill (Southern Ground Records.
7. The Driftwood Singers – Song: If I Take That Notion – Album: The Driftwood Singers (Trailer Fire Records)
8. Angela Perley and The Howlin’ Moons – Song: 18 Feet Under- Album: Nowhere is Now Here. (Vital Music USA)
9. Whitey Morgan and the 78’s – Song: I Ain’t Drunk – Album: Whitey Morgan and the 78’s (Bloodshot Records)
10. Turnpike Troubadours – Song: “Before the Devil Knows We’re Dead” – Album: Goodbye Normal Street (Bossier City Records)
11. Emmylou Harris – Song: “Easy From Now On” – Album: Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town (Warner Bros)
Though we might not always see eye to eye the Americana Music Association know how to put on a party. The Americana Music Festival & Conference is annually held in Nashville and this year will mark it’s This 13th year. Each year it occurs in Fall and this year it will run September 12-15. The event has loads of the best Americana music, media and industry people you could ever care to meet. All that and somehow they keep letting me back in!
The AMA has just released an early list of performers a slated to appear. They are:
American Aquarium – Amy Helm – Andrew Combs – Angel Snow – Anthony da Costa – Bearfoot – Belle Starr – Bill Kirchen – Billy Joe Shaver – Black Lillies – Blue Highway – Blue Mountain – BoDeans – Brandi Carlile – Brennen Leigh – Buddy Miller – Buxton – Caitlin Harnett – Chastity Brown – Corb Lund – Cory Branan – Darrell Scott – The Deep Dark Woods – Della Mae – Derek Hoke – The Dunwells – Eilen Jewell – Felicity Urquhart – Fort Frances – Gretchen Peters – Holy Ghost Tent Revival – honeyhoney – Humming House – Immigrant Union – Jason Boland & The Stragglers – Jill Andrews – Jim Lauderdale – Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition – John Fullbright – John Hiatt – Jordie Lane – Julie Lee – Kasey Anderson and the Honkies – Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson – Kevin Gordon – Lera Lynn – Lydia Loveless – Mandolin Orange – Mary Gauthier – The Mastersons – Max Gomez – McCrary Sisters – Mindy Smith – Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers – Phoebe Hunt – Punch Brothers – Reckless Kelly – Richard Thompson – Robert Ellis – Rodney Crowell – Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – Sara Watkins – Shovels & Rope – Sons of Bill – Sons of Fathers – Star and Micey – Starr Anna – Steep Canyon Rangers – Steve Forbert – Teresa Williams and Larry Campbell – Tift Merritt – Turnpike Troubadours – Two Gallants – Wheeler Brothers – Whitehorse – The Wood Brothers – The World Famous Headliners
Behind every great man there is a great woman rings none more true than in the case of Guy and Susanna Clark.
Atlanta, Texas-born Susanna Clark, a former art teacher and renowned songwriter for Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea, Miranda Lambert, Rosanne Cash, Jerry Jeff Walker and others, died Wednesday, June 27 in Nashville. She was 73, and had reported to have been in poor health in recent years.
Susanna was key to Guy Clark quitting his job at a Houston television station and focusing on songwriting. Guy Clark, a contemporary of frequent house-guest Townes Van Zandt, would go on to pen great songs such as “L.A. Freeway” (which mentions Susanna ) , “Desperados Waiting for a Train” and “Hemingway’s Whiskey” (which was later covered by Kenny Chesney.)Clark would go on to become a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The Tennessean sites a Journal of Country Music interview where Susanna said “I just asked him what he wanted to do, and he said, ‘Music, I said, ‘Well, let’s do it.’ And he said, ‘That’s the first time a woman has ever asked me to quit a job.”
Her first Top 20 country hit was “I’ll Be Your San Antone Rose†for singer Dottsy in 1975. In 1978, she and Carlene Carter wrote “Easy From Now On” the lead track of Harris’ Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town. Most recently she wrote the title cut from Miranda Lambert’s 2007 “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” Clark also put her painting talents to work creating the album cover for Harris as well as Willie Nelson’s “Stardust.”
One of my favorite scenes from the classic film “Heartworn Highways” is the scene with Texas singer/songwriters gathered at Guy and Susanna Clark’s home for a picking session on Christmas Eve 1975. Here you see Guy and Susanna in the opening scene followed by Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell and Richard Dobson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJrVwJonlrA
Here’s a great video of Guy Clark telling a great story about Susanna and performing a song he wrote for her.
Kathy Mattea has seen both sides of the Nashville fence. 15 consecutive Top 10 hits and four No. 1 singles has her in the good graces of Music City. 2008’s Grammy-nominated “Coal” had her working more in the Americana mystic side of things.
Mattea will be releasing ‘Calling Me Home,’ her first album with Sugar Hill Records, home to Marty Stuart, Connie Smith and Don Williams
Check the EPK below for what Mattea describes as “a love letter to her home state of West Virginia.”
It seems too crazy to be true. It was over a year ago that I read about a potential collaboration between Dwight Yoakam and Beck. I thought it was too good to be true and as the months rolled by I thought my hunch was correct. No way Jose. 
