UPDATE: Plant’s U.K.-based manager says was being “cheeky” when he used the word “eloped” to describe his home life. “Robert has not married Patty Griffin,” she tells us. “He was just referring to the fact that he’s been residing in Texas.”
Rock legend and recent Americana emigre Robert Plant, has taken his Austin Austin residency seriously.
Led Zeppelin and Band of Joy front man revealed in an interview last Wednesday with the U.K.’s Independent
that he has secretly tied the knot with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Band of Joy member Patty Griffin.
“I eloped and ran off to Texas,” Plant told the newspaper.
No word on if the couple has been seen at the local Whole Foods product isle and whether Griffin can keep her hands off his lemon.
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.
The other day I was listening to one of the dozens of submissions I get a week and a song cued up assaulting me with a ham-fisted ode to the locomotive. I was in front of my computer and finding myself without an internal editor I threw this into the Twitter wind “I love train songs, but there should never be another one written ever again….EVER AGAIN…” I had no idea this rail (see what I did there?) against a once beautiful metaphor that has been debased into a threadbare cliche’ would stir up such a…er…discussion. It appears people still ride, wait at crossings and live within spitting distance of the proverbial iron horse.
After much constructive tweet and forth I was convinced that, when done with respect and creativity, there is still room for a good old train song. Here are some of the top picks suggested to me by some of my good-natured and learned twitter followers that taught me the error of my ways. If you have others please leave them in the comments, and enjoy the ride!
Fred Eaglesmith – “I Like Trains”
Todd Snider – “Play a Train Song”
Amanda Shires – “When You Need a Train it Never Comes”
Justin Townes Earle – “Workin’ for the MTA”
Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band – Texas Eagle
Anyone subscribed to Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires twitter accounts know they are both very adept at using twitter to draw in their fans.
They would also know that over the last several months there was a courtship going on, many times from separate states. As of yesterday Isbell promised to make her an honest woman by tweeting “Happiest day of my life. @amandashires said yes!” along with this sweet pic. Later on Shires tweeted “Loveliest day ever.” I should have known something was up when Isbell tweeted a few hours before the announcement “Damn right I’m listening to Supertramp.”
Here’s to the happy couple from Casa Twang. Here’s to many years of love, happiness and great, collaborative music!
Here’s the happy couple together onstage last month at Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, Ala. covering Townes Van Zandt’s “”Pancho & Lefty.”
Check the inspirational new video from Brooklyn’s Spirit Family Reunion of “Green Rocky Road,” the song featured as the B-side of their new 7″ and found on the band’s debut ‘No Separation. Spirit Family Reunion will play Newport Folk Festival July 28 and is taping an interview and performance for NPR’s Weekend Edition tomorrow, July 11th.
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.”
The Avett Brothers, one of the hardest working bands in Americana music, announced today via their Facebook page that they have picked a title and release date for their next album.
Titled The Carpenter, the Avetts’ sixth album will be released on September 11 via Universal Records. Like their 2009 breakout album “I And Love And You” the album was once again produced by Rick Rubin.
So far two songs have surfaced that I presume will be on the tracklist, “The Once and Future Carpenter†(below) and “Live and Die,†which is currently streaming at NPR Music.
Look for the Avetts on the road near you this Summer and at the Austin City Limits Festival, the New Orleans’ Voodoo Experience and Florida’s Clearwater Jazz Festival in October.
