‘King of the Road’ Roger Miller Tribute Recruits Alison Krauss, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson

Roger Miller

Few people these days are aware of the gENius of Roger Miller. If he’s known at all it’s for his deceptively goofy sons like ‘Dang Me’ and Z”You Can’t Rollerskate In A Buffalo Herd.” He was also the one of the greatest songwriters to ever work the country music genre snagging 11 Grammy Awards, a Tony Award for writing the music and lyrics for the Broadway play “Big River’ and was voted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995. He performed, and was friends with greats like Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.

Speaking of Kris Kristofferson, Miller was also the to record and commercially release his “Me and Bobby McGee” a full year before Janis Joplin made it a classic.

Now his friends and new blood that owe him a debt have come together to pay tribute. ‘King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller,’ out Aug. 31 via BMG, pays long overdue respects to one of American music’s premier entertainers and songwriters. The two-disc collection contains new renditions of Miller’s songs by Ringo Starr, Dolly Parton, Eric Church, Loretta Lynn, John Goodman and more than two dozen others, including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard on one track. Produced by Miller’s son, Dean Miller, and Colby Barnum Wright, ‘King of the Road’ offers a fresh look at the work of a creative giant who has been gone 26 years but whose genius continues to shape contemporary music in ways both overt and subtle.

Read more about the project in a new interview at The Tennessean: https://tnne.ws/2toJY7B

Before Miller’s premature death of cancer at age 56, the Country Music Hall of Famer had 31 Top 40 Billboard country hits (10 of which crossed over to the pop chart), including his signature songs “Dang Me” and “King of the Road.” He held the record for most GRAMMY wins in a single night until Michael Jackson and ‘Thriller’ broke it in 1984. Miller wrote songs and voiced a character for Walt Disney’s 1973 Robin Hood film. He also wrote the music and lyrics for the Tony-winning Big River, helping launch the career of actor John Goodman, who reprises the musical’s “Guv’ment” on ‘King of the Road.’ As Dean Miller writes in liner notes accompanying ‘King of the Road,’ “Roger Miller was too gigantic to be contained by genres and definitions.”

‘King of the Road’ includes versions of Miller’s biggest ’60s hits, like “Chug-A-Lug” (Asleep at the Wheel ft. Huey Lewis) and “England Swings” (Lyle Lovett), and lesser-known treasures from a catalog full of gems. As with Miller’s own output, the album contains plenty of unexpected turns — country superstar Eric Church’s playful take on Robin Hood’s “Oo De Lally,” for instance, or Starr’s selection of “Hey, Would You Hold It Down?,” a song from Miller’s long-out-of-print 1979 ‘Making a Name for Myself’ album. By any standard of measurement, Miller was “one of the greatest songwriters that ever lived” — even if he did say so himself. And he did, in the first of a handful of the album’s live-performance interstitials that capture the spontaneous wit of a mind that operated at a breakneck pace.

There is a television event in the works, more information coming soon.

The scope of material and performances on ‘King of the Road’ both capture Miller’s personality and convey an astonishing legacy that’s still felt today. “Roger Miller didn’t have to say much,” Dean writes in the liners. “You were simply drawn to him. He had a magnetic smile, and electric wit and a passion for life and music that transcended generations.”

‘King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller’ Tracklist:

Disc One
Greatest Songwriter (Banter)
Chug-a-Lug – Asleep at the Wheel ft. Huey Lewis (!)
Dang Me – Brad Paisley
Leavin’s Not the Only Way to Go – The Stellas/Lennon and Maisy
Kansas City Star – Kacey Musgraves
World So Full of Love – Rodney Crowell
Old Friends (Banter)
Old Friends – Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard
Lock Stock and Teardrops – Mandy Barnett
You Oughta Be Here With Me – Alison Krauss ft. The Cox Family
The Crossing – Ronnie Dunn, The Blind Boys of Alabama
In the Summertime – The Earls of Leicester ft. Shawn Camp
Fiddle (Banter)
England Swings – Lyle Lovett
You Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd – Various Artists
Half a Mind – Loretta Lynn
Invitation to the Blues – Shooter Jennings, Jessi Colter
It Only Hurts Me When I Cry (Live) – Dwight Yoakam

Disc Two
Hey, Would You Hold It Down? – Ringo Starr
Engine, Engine #9 – Emerson Hart ft. Jon Randall
When Two Worlds Collide – Flatt Lonesome
Oo De Lally – Eric Church
You Can’t Do Me This Way and Get By With It – Dean Miller ft. The McCrary Sisters
Chicken S#$! (Banter)
Nothing Can Stop Me – Toad the Wet Sprocket
Husbands and Wives – Jamey Johnson ft. Emmylou Harris
I Believe in the Sunshine – Lily Meola
Guv’ment – John Goodman
Old Songwriters Never Die (Banter)
The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me – Dolly Parton ft. Alison Krauss
I’d Come Back to Me – Radney Foster ft. Tawnya Reynolds
Reincarnation – Cake
One Dying and a Burying – The Dead South
Do Wacka Do – Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
King of the Road – Various Artists

Record Store Day 2017 – Americana and Roots Music Picks

It’s that time of year again. Well, yes Spring but more specifically for a music blog it’s the annual season of blossoming limit selections of rare and obscure vinyl known as Record Store Day. The event has helped fuel the resurgence in sales and pushing the few remaining pressing plant’s production capacity to the hilt. As is tradition the event will be taking place on the fourth Saturday in April. For 2017 that means Saturday, April 22nd.

Record Store Day offerings are scarce, unique releases, some only available in specific regions. Some are produced in very limited runs, some totaling no more than a few hundred total.
Check out the Americana and roots selections below and take a look at the full list. Get to your favorite indy record early on April 22nd  (I’ll be at Good Records in Dallas) and share those great finds with me on Instagram and Twitter.

Blaze Foley – Sittin’ By The Road [LP] (180 Gram Gold Colored Vinyl, detailed liner notes by film maker Kevin Triplett, limited, indie-retail exclusive)

Brandy Clark – Live From Los Angeles [LP] (previously unreleased songs, limited to 2500, indie-retail exclusive)

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Hammersmith Odeon London ’75 [4LP] (150 Gram, first time on vinyl, numbered/limited to 3000, indie-retail exclusive)

The Cadillac Three – Live At Abbey Road [10 ” EP] (limited to 1500, indie-retail exclusive)

Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin, Hard Travelin’ EP (Yep Roc Records) Packaging: 12” Vinyl / Transparent Red

Dolly Parton – Puppy Love [7”] (limited to 2500, indie-retail exclusive

Drive By Truckers – Live In Studio, New York, NY 12/07/16 [LP] (Clear Vinyl, limited to 3530, indie-retail exclusive)

Emmylou Harris – Queen Of The Silver Dollar [5LP + 7 ” Box Set] (Emmylou’s first five studio albums plus a bonus 7 ” single, limited to 1100, indie-retail exclusive)

Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels – Live 1973 featuring Emmylou Harris [LP] (180 Gram, gold foil jacket and holographic numbered/limited to 2000, indie-retail exclusive)

Hayseed Dixie – Free Your Mind And Your Grass Will Follow [LP] (Clear Vinyl, limited to 1000, indie-retail exclusive)

Head And The Heart, The – Stinson Beach Sessions [LP] (unreleased songs and demos, limited to 3000, indie-retail exclusive)

Iron And Wine – Archives Series Volume No. 3 [LP] (Translucent Blue Vinyl, limited to 700, indie-retail exclusive

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Welcome to 1979 – Live recordings direct cut to acetate at Nashville studio Welcome To 1979. 12″, tip-on style, simple sleeve jacket, white dust sleeve. Side A: 1. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (Jagger/Richards) 2. Storm Windows (Prine) 3. Heart on a String (Jackson/Buckins) Side B: 1. Atlantic City (Springsteen) 2. Sway (Jagger/Richards) 3. Never Gonna Change (Isbell)

John Paul White & Donnie Fritts – John Paul White Sings Donnie Fritts, Donnie Fritts Sings John Paul White [7”] (limited to 1000, indie-retail exclusive)

Leon Russell – Guitar Blues [CD] (limited to 1000, indie-retail exclusive)

The Lumineers – Song Seeds [10”] (limited to 1500, indie-retail exclusive)

Neil Young – Decade [3LP] (1977 compilation of solo and group hits, remastered, 2 photo reproductions by Henry Diltz, limited to 5000, indie-retail exclusive)

Nels Cline (Wilco) – In The Wee Small Hours [7 ”] (Frank Sinatra cover, limited to 1000, indie-retail exclusive)

Old 97’s – Terlingua b / w Off My Mynd [12 ”] (Opaque White Vinyl, Unreleased exclusive B-sides, etched B-side, limited to 2530, indie-retail exclusive

Pokey LaFarge – Riot In The Streets / Better Man Than Me [10 ”] (B-side etching of original hand-drawn image by Pokey, limited to 1500, indie-retail exclusive)

Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings: The Centennial Collection [3LP] (150 Gram, gatefold, download, 12×24 poster, numbered/limited to 2500, indie-retail exclusive)

Sharon Jones with the E.L. Fields Gospel Wonders – Heaven Bound b/w Key To The Kingdom [7”] (‘picture frame’ custom jacket with easel-back, limited to 2500, indie-retail exclusive)

Sharon Jones, Corey Harris & Peter McGennis – Bubble Girl (Soundtrack) [12”] (limited, indie-retail exclusive)
Shooter Jennings & Waymore’s Outlaws – Live [12”] (Coke Clear Vinyl, single jacket with white inner sleeve, limited to 500, indie-retail exclusive)

Steve Earle & The Dukes – Live [7 ”] (picture sleeve, limited to 3000, indie-retail exclusive)

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – Live At Carnegie Hall [2LP] (150 Gram Marbled Brown Vinyl, download, limited to 3000, indie-retail exclusive)

Townes Van Zandt – Live At Austin City Limits [LP] (limited to 2500, indie-retail exclusive)

Waylon Jennings & The 357’s – Waylon Forever [12”] (Clear Orange Vinyl, single jacket with white inner sleeve, limited to 250, indie-retail exclusive)

Record Store Day 2015 – Americana and Roots Music Picks

130424-record-store-day

Record Store Day, the annual celebration of local record stores for aficionados of the antiquated data storage device known as vinyl will be taking place as always on the Third Saturday in April. For 2015 that means Saturday, April 18.

The crew behind Record Store Day have been the driving force for 8 years on what we’re now seeing as the explosive, and surprising, resurgence of vinyl releases. The most public example of this is last year’s Record Store Day ambassador Jack White’s the recent sales of his latest ‘Lazaretto’ setting a record for first-week sales by moving 40,000 vinyl copies. This eclipsed the previous long-standing record of about 33,000 held by Pearl Jam’s ‘Vitalogy.’

As overall music sales continue to decline , vinyl sales increased to 6.1 million in 2013, up from 4.6 million the year before. By comparison, total vinyl sales failed to reach even one million units in 2007.

As vinyl grows in popularity there’s is pressure on vinyl manufacturers, who like us all were caught off-guard by the resurgence. But shops like United Record Pressing based in Nashville, TN, the shop responsible for manufacturing White’s best-seller are expanding to meet the growing demand.

The demand for vinyl is partially due to it’s described ‘warmer’ sound, BUt the real drive behind Record Store Day is uniqueness and scarcity. Maay of the releases come on colored vinyl or as picture discs and many of the releases are produced in very limited runs, some totaling no more than a few hundred.

This stands in direct contrast to digital music’s hemogeny of sound and structure. an MP3 might be convenient, but it’s never scarce or unique.

Check out the Americana and roots selections below and take a look at the full list. Get to your favorite indy record early on April 18 (I’ll be at Good Records in Dallas) and share those great finds with me on Instagram and Twitter.

Asleep At The Wheel (with Willie Nelson and The Blind Boys of Alabama) – Unreleased single from ‘Still The King: Celebrating The Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys’
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Bismeaux Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
RSD Exclusive single featuring bonus Asleep at The Wheel performances with Willie Nelson and The Blind Boys of Alabama not included on the Still The King album. Signed by Ray Benson, and numbered.
TRACKLIST: “New Spanish Two Step”/”The Devil Ain’t Lazy”

Bob Dylan – ‘The Basement Tapes’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Other Peoples Music
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info: The Basement Tapes recorded in 1967 while Bob Dylan recuperated and features many Dylan songs that had appeared on bootleg records prior to the “official” release in 1975. The recording took place in Woodstock and features four members of the Hawks (Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson – and one American, Levon Helm) better known today as The Band. Individually autographed and numbered by Garth Hudson.

Bob Dylan – ‘The Night We Called It A Day’
Format: 7″ Colored Vinyl
Label: Columbia
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Limited Edition blue vinyl single featuring two songs from Bob Dylan’s newest release “Shadows In The Night”

Brandi Carlisle – special 7”
single of the new song “Wherever Is Your Heart” + B-side cover of Graham Nash’s “Simple Man”

Johnny Cash – Koncert v Praze (In Prague–Live)
Format: 12″ Colored Vinyl
Label: Legacy
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Johnny Cash playing his greatest hits behind the Iron Curtain in 1983. Limited edition heavy weight vinyl release pressed on Soviet Red 180 gram vinyl.

Steve Earle & The Dukes – ‘Terraplane’
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: NEW WEST RECORDS
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Steve Earle A-side version of Terraplane (a song not on the record) and a b-side of Robert Johnsons “Terraplane Blues”. Will be mastered at the level of Robert Johnson’s original recording. Most of the versions you hear today are remastered and the db’s are brought up. This one will be as close to the original 78 as possible. Includes download card.
TRACKLIST: A: Steve Earle “Terraplane” B: Robert Johnsons “Terraplane Blues”

Father John Misty – ‘I Love You, Honeybear’
Format: 7″ Colored Vinyl
Label: SUB POP
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Father John Misty presents a lovely, acoustic version of the title track of his latest album, I Love You, Honeybear, along with a new, exclusive B-side, truthfully-entitled “Never Been a Woman,” on a colored-vinyl, heart-shaped 7”. This release is exclusive to Record Store Day, and it is limited to 5,700 copies worldwide. Includes download card.
TRACKLIST: “I Love You, Honeybear (Acoustic Version)”/”Never Been a Woman”
TRACKLIST: Side A: “The Night We Called It A Day” Side B: “Stay With Me”

Charlie Feathers – ‘Charlie Feathers’
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Sundazed Music
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Crazy, coveted rockabilly recordings from legendary wildman Charlie Feathers! Includes all eight of his King sides as originally issued in ‘56 & ‘57 – now rare and pricey 45s and 78s – with new notes from Colin Escott.
TRACKLIST: “One Hand Loose” / “Can’t Hardly Stand It” / “Bottle To The Baby” / “Everybody’s Lovin’ My Baby” / “Too Much Alike” / “When You Come Around”

Dom Flemons – ‘What Got Over’
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Music Maker
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
10″ record with nine new tracks. “Included here on What Got Over, there are also a few alternatesto the main tracks I picked for Prospect Hill – versions in which I experimented with the sound and instrumentation but in the end they didn’t make the final cut. I sequenced this EP to be record two of two in conjunction with Prospect Hill. When you reach the end of this album you will have heard the whole Prospect Hill Omnibus! If you take both albums and make them into a playlist it will be a full hour of music.” – Dom Flemons
TRACKLIST: “Big Head Joe’s March”/”Milwaukee Blues”/”Clock On The Wall”/”Keep On Truckin'”/”Hot Chicken”/”Have I Stayed Away Too Long”/”Going Backward Up The Mountain”/”Til’ The Seas Run Dry”/”What Got Over”

Gram Parsons/Lemonheads – ‘Brass Buttons’
Format: 7″ Colored Vinyl
Label: Rhino
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
7″ 45 RPM Vinyl is Circle swatch splatter Bronze on Baby Pink. Part of Rhino’s now celebrated RSD exclusive Side By Side 7″ singles series. Two artists perform the same song. Surprising and unusual performances and repertoire.
TRACKLIST: “Brass Buttons”/”Brass Buttons”

Justin Townes Earle – ‘Live at Grimey’s’
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Vagrant
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
TRACKLIST: Side A: Call Ya Momma, When the One You Love Loses Faith, Worried Bout the Weather, Single Mothers
Side B: Today and a Lonely Night, Burning Pictures, White Gar

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band – ‘A Little Something From The Road, Vol. 1’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Concord
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
12″ vinyl featuring live smokin’ versions of classics from the recent Goin’ Home project as well as a couple extra blues nuggets.
TRACKLIST: 1. “Looking Back” 2. “House Is Rockin’” 3. “You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover” 4. “Woke Up This Morning” 5. “You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now”

Robert Earl Keen – ‘Gringo Honeymoon’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Sugar Hill
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Much anticipated vinyl issue of the Texas troubadour’s breakout 1994 release.

Lucero – ‘Jukebox Series #3’
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Liberty & Lament
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
TRACKLIST: “Boom Boom”/”Midnight Special”

Mumford & Sons – ‘Believe’
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Glassnote
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Bootleg style 7″ hand numbered and hand stamped. First physical release of music from the upcoming album.
TRACKLIST: “Believe”/”The Wolf”

Willie Nelson – ‘Teatro’
Format: 2 x 12″ Colored Vinyl
Label: Modern Classics/Light in the Attic
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
* First time ever issued on vinyl for Record Store Day 2015
* Features duets with and backing vocals by Emmylou Harris
* Produced by Daniel Lanois (U2 Joshua Tree; Bob Dylan Time Out Of Mind; Emmylou Harris Wrecking Ball)
* Record Store Day exclusive featuring deluxe gatefold “tip-on” uncoated jacket and gold vinyl
* Limited to 5,000 copies

Location is everything. When Willie Nelson and album producer Daniel Lanois set out to create a cinematic-sounding album, Teatro, they took over a disused movie theatre in Oxnard, California, and pictured its dusty glory on the LP sleeve. Recorded as-live in situ amid the red velvet seats, Teatro sees Nelson working extensively with his frequent collaborator Emmylou Harris, who joins him for duets and on backing vocals on 11 of the 14 tracks. The other major player is U2 and Paul McCartney collaborator Daniel Lanois (producer of Bob Dylan’s Time Out of Mind, Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball), who produces the album, plays guitar and bass, took the cover photo and wrote one of the album’s songs, “The Maker”, a stunning performance with glacier-thick vibe.

Originally released by Island Record in 1998, Teatro is issued here as a special Record Store Day release. LA and Seattle-based Light In The Attic present the album as it’s never been seen before – on vinyl. Pressed on gold vinyl with a deluxe, gatefold, ‘tip-on’ uncoated jacket, this is a chance to own this unique album in its most beautifully presented form.
TRACKLIST: Side A: “Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour? (Where Are You, My Love?)”, “I Never Cared for You”, “Everywhere I Go”, “Darkness on the Face of the Earth”
Side B: “My Own Peculiar Way”, “These Lonely Nights”, “Home Motel”, “The Maker”
Side C: “I Just Can’t Let You Say Goodbye”, “I’ve Just Destroyed the World (I’m Living In)”, “Somebody Pick Up My Pieces”
Side D: “Three Days”, “I’ve Loved You All Over the World”, “Annie”

Okkervil River – ‘Sleep and Wake-Up Songs’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: JAGJAGUWAR
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Sleep and Wake-Up Songs is now being rereleased for Record Store Day, it’s first time pressed ever on vinyl. Including a demo of the EP track “You’re Untied Again” and the never before released song “Knocking Myself Out,” the EP reveals Okkervil River in-between the monumental albums Down The River of Golden Dreams and Black Sheep Boy. Band leader Will Sheff looked back to this EP, remarking, “I can hear in it somebody who is actually getting comfortable with singing, with playing the guitar, with letting music happen naturally.”
TRACKLIST: SIDE A: 1. A Favor 2. You’re Untied Again 3. And I Have Seen the World of Dreams 4. Just Give Me Time
SIDE B: 5. No Hidden Track 6. You’re Untied Again [Solo Sketch] 7. Knocking Myself Out [Home Recording]”

Reverend Horton Heat – ‘It’s A Rave-Up/Beer, Write This Song’
Format: 7″ Colored Vinyl
Label: Victory Records
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Two brand new, previously unreleased tracks from Reverend Horton Heat on solid red 7″ vinyl with 150 randomly distributed clear pink copies.
TRACKLIST: “It’s A Rave-Up”/”Beer, Write This Song”

Simon & Garfunkel – ‘Homeward Bound/Leaves That Are Green’
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Legacy
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
This collectible 7” 45rpm vinyl releases recreates the origina 1966 “Homeward Bound” single, pairing two essential Simon & Garfunkel cuts from that year: “Homeward Bound” (from Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme) and “Leaves That Are Green” (from Sounds of Silence). A Top 5 single in the US, “Homeward Bound” became a worldwide phenomenon reaching #4 in the Netherlands and #9 in the UK while going Top 20 in Australia and Sweden (where it hit #12). The cover for this RSD 2015 release is based on the German single artwork.

Dolly Parton – ‘The Grass is Blue’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Sugar Hill
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Dolly’s seminal 1999 bluegrass debut, available for the first time on vinyl.
TRACKLIST: “Homeward Bound”/”Leaves That Are Green”

Todd Snider – ‘Impending Doom’
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Aimless
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
The A-side of this RSD exclusive 7″ is a Rolling Stones cover, the B-side is an unreleased Todd Snider original.
TRACKLIST: “Shattered”/”Backlash”

st paul

St. Paul and the Broken Bones – Live From The Alabama Theatre
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Single Lock
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Covers of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song” and David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” recorded live at the Alabama Theatre on 11/14/14. Released on a 12″ transparent crimson record SHAPED LIKE THE STATE OF ALABAMA.
TRACKLIST: “Sing a Simple Song”/”Moonage Daydream”

Doc and Merle Watson – ‘Ballads from the Gap’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
More Info:
Fan-voted vinyl re-issue of the iconic release, re-mastered from the original tapes and presented in ‘exact replica’ packaging.

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & Broeder Dieleman – Split 7″
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Snowstar Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
Bonnie ‘prince’ Billy & Broeder Dieleman cover and translate each other, after having toured together in the Netherlands in 2014. Broeder Dieleman is from the south of the Netherlands, and sings in Dutch. He translated Bonnie prince Billy’s ‘Three Questions’, while Will Oldham does his (translated) take of ‘Gloria’
TRACKLIST: 1: Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Gloria 2: Broeder Dieleman – Drie Vragen

Junior Brown – Better Call Saul: Theme 7″
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: SPACELAB9
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
TRACKLIST: “Better Call Saul”/”Better Call Saul (Instrumental)”

Giant Sand – ‘Valley of Rain (30th Anniversary Edition)’
Format: 2 x 12″ Vinyl
Label: Fire America
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
Marking the 30th anniversary since Giant Sand’s debut album “Valley of Rain,” Fire America brings you this limited edition 2xLP 30th Anniversary Edition. The first disc is the lovingly re-mastered “Valley of Rain” in its entirety, with the addition of the track “Torture of Love,” which was added by Howe Gelb himself. The second disc features extra material recorded as Giant Sand and the pre-Giant Sand line up “Giant Sandworms,” including a “Valley of Rain” remix, a “repaired” version of “Tumble and Tear” along with five fascinating bonus tracks compiled from live and radio recordings from the time period.
• Limited to 500 copies for North America
• Liner notes from Howe Gelb.
TRACKLIST: Disc One: 1. Valley Of Rain, 2. Tumble & Tear, 3. October Anywhere, 4. Barrio, 5. Death, Dying & Channel 5, 6. Torture Of Love, 7. Down On Town / Love’s No Answer, 8. Black Venetian Blind, 9. Curse Of A Thousand Flames, 10. Artists, 11. Man Of Want
Disc Two: 1. Valley Of Rain – Remixed Instrumental, 2. Tumble And Tear – Repaired, + Five bonus tracks

Lydia Loveless & Cory Brannan - 'Prince Covers Split Single'

Lydia Loveless & Cory Brannan – ‘Prince Covers Split Single’
Format: 7″ Colored Vinyl
Label: Bloodshot
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
Two never before released tracks. Physical Only, Purple Vinyl
TRACKLIST: Lydia: “I Would Die For You” Cory: “Under The Cherry Moon”

Lee Ann Womack – ‘Trouble in Mind’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Sugar Hill Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
a limited edition 3-Song 12” vinyl – blues classic “Trouble in Mind,” Roger Miller’s demi-obscure “Where Have All The Average People Gone?” and Ralph Stanley’s bluegrass gospel “I’ve Just Seen The Rock of Ages.”

Various Artists – ‘Music To Drink Beer To’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Legacy
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
Music To Drink Beer To is a limited-edition compilation put together by longtime friends Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Adam Block of Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings. Sam, who’s in the beer business and a raging music geek, and Adam, who’s in the music business and a raging beer geek, sat down over a few beers and a stash of well worn vinyl and picked some of their favorite tracks.
TRACKLIST: 01. “Please, Mrs. Henry”/Bob Dylan & The Band, 02. “Fishin’ Blues”/Taj Mahal, 03. “I Put A Spell On You”/Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, 04. “Gimmie Danger”/Iggy And The Stooges, 05. “Whiskey Bottle”/Uncle Tupelo, 06. “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”/The Byrds, 07. “What Good Can Drinking Do”/Janis Joplin, 08. “Mannish Boy”/Muddy Waters, 09. “Scuttle Buttin’”/Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble, 10. “Surrender”/Cheap Trick, 11. “Juicy Fruit”/Mtume, 12. “Electric Relaxation”/A Tribe Called Quest

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – ‘You Can’t Judge A Book…’
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Daddy Kool Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band has been creating a whirlwind with their riveting and unconventional elixir of muscular and high voltage country blues capped by gritty growling vocals and striking finger picking. Inspired by the likes of Charley Patton, Furry Lewis and John Hurt, Reverend Peyton is steeped in the great blues tradition but is catapulting its roots into a new era.
TRACKLIST: “You Can’t Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover” B/W “Some These Days I’ll Be Gone”

Chris Stapleton – ‘IN STEREO’
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Mercury Nashville
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
TRACKLIST: “When the Stars Come Out” “Fire Away” “Tennessee Whiskey”

The Waterboys – ‘Puck’s Blues’
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Harlequin & Clown
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:
Home demos and acoustic tracks recorded in advance of the new album.
TRACKLIST: A1-November Tale, A2-I Can See Elvis
B1-The Girl Who Slept ForScotland, B2- Destinies Entwined

The Mavericks – ‘Mono’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: The Valory Music Company
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
Early vinyl release for Record Store Day, includes digital download

John Prine – ‘September 78’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Oh Boy Records
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
A live record of John playing with a full band. There are loud guitar solos, funky organ playing and a couple of unreleased covers that will really surprise some folks.

Various Artists – ‘Sawyer Sessions Vol 1’
Format: CD
Label: Yep Roc Records
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
The Sawyer Sessions started simple enough: new town, new building, new vibe. When the Yep Roc Music Group moved to Hillsborough, North Carolina two years ago, they wanted to find a way to integrate themselves into the creative juices flowing just beneath the surface of this historic, southern town. Named after their nearly 100-year-old office building, The Sawyer Sessions are one part video series, one part mobile recording lab, one part way to introduce the music group to their neighbors. But instead of bringing by a pie, they bring a collection of artists with diverse backgrounds and styles – Grammy Award winners, noted international songwriters, all legendary performers. They drop them into to everyday life situations and record them at restaurants, galleries and private homes – the only rule is that it has to be within the roughly 4.3 square miles of their new hometown. This record documents the best of those first year of performances and serves as a “map” of Hillsborough, North Carolina. Limited Edition Record Store Day Exclusive with hand-drawn cover art.

Bruce Springsteen – ‘Nebraska’
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Legacy
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
• Newly remastered on LP!
• Packaged in faithful recreation of original LP sleeves.
• Remastered from the original source tapes
• 180-gram audiophile vinyl
TRACKLIST: “Nebraska”, “Atlantic City”, “Mansion On The Hill”, “Johnny 99”, “Highway Patrolman”, “State Trooper”, “Used Cars”, “Open All Night”, “My Father’s House”,”Reason To Believe”

BBC Lost Highway: The History of American Country

Lost-Highway-The-Story-of-Country-Music-Cover

If you haven’t seen the BBC’s “Lost Highway: The History of American Country’ then you’re in for a treat.

This four-part, four-hour documentary follows the musical lineage from the Bristol Sessions to Nashville, from Texas to Bakersfield, and brings it all together in a beautiful story of heritage and style any songwriter would love.

The history of it’s roots in mountain music, through bluegrass it’s first super star Hank Williams and honky tonkers. From the jazz fusion of Western Swing to the dominance of the adult-pop Nashville Sound through the extraordinary and game-changing emergence of female performers and the evolution of newer forms of the genre – country rock to alt.country and Americana.

Featuring contributions from Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Hank Williams III, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam and Dolly Parton among others. Lost Highway: The Story of Country Music is produced by William Naylor; the series editor is Michael Poole.

Sit back with your favorite drink and enjoy.

Review: Kacey Musgraves — The Granada Theater – Dallas, Texas [SOLD OUT]

Kacey Musgraves -- The Granada Theater - Dallas, Texas

“This is my hometown show!” Kacey Musgraves exclaimed from the stage near the start of her performance.

Though she had been on her current tour for several days in Texas this as close as Musgraves had come to her hometown. Musgraves cut her honky-tonk teeth in Golden TX. which lay a little more than 96 miles West of Dallas and many friends and family had come to see her at this special homecoming to celebrate a top-selling, Grammy-winning, chart-landing big-label debut and a tour of the world to support it.

Musgraves and her family were joined by a long-ago sold-out crowd of fans that formed a line that snaked around the side of the venue hours before doors were announced to open. Good ol’ boys, tattooed young gals and middle-age couples all stood boot-to-boot to catch country music’s newest star.

Credit Musgraves or her team for picking the Granada, and it’s capacity for roughly 800, for an intimate homecoming. She had recently rolled off an opening slot for pop-goddess Katy Perry, where the audience was treated to “Fire and dancing cats” and they were “shocked that we were a country band,” but the KatyCats eventually warmed up to them.

It’s easy to see why.

Though deeply steeped in country music’s traditional forms Musgraves has done what her predecessors like Dolly Parton and The Dixie Chicks had done years before. Worked traditional country music forms, and their strengths of storytelling, to build connections blended with contemporary sounds and dialect to appeal to a wider audience. All this without diluting the original spirit. This is no small task.

The 800 plus venue faced a stage that appeared set for a set for a larger production and might very well have been as much was probably used on the bigger venues she’s recently played.

The signature “acid western” motif of dusky western sky backdrop and neon cacti were on display to add just the right amount of kitschy fun. And her band’s Nudie style matching suits festooned with Christmas lights sealed the deal.

And a big show it was. Not big in the contemporary KISS-style circus definition of the word, but big in talent and heart.

From the opener “Silver Lining,” from her Grammy-winning 4th studio release ” Same Trailer Different Park,” she had the crowd enchanted. Donning a short skirt (she warned the front row to be careful with those phone cameras) cowboy boots, checked cotton shirt and fringed rhinestone wrist cuffs, she had the room as background accompaniment with the opening verse.

Woke up on the right side of rock bottom
You’re all out of pennies, and the well it done run dry
Light ’em up and smoke ’em if you had ’em,
But you just ain’t got ’em
Ain’t we always looking for a bluer sky

And it went that way the whole hour-plus show. Musgraves and her excellent band played ” Same Trailer…” nearly in it’s entirety as well as some choice covers and new songs at the encore.

Highlights were “Blowin’ Smoke,” which had the crowd answering back with the “Hey yeah” that gives the song it’s bluesy swagger. The non album track “The Trailer Song” which she premiered earlier this year ( “You might not have lived in a trailer, but I bet you has a nosey neighbor.”) was also a highlight as well as “Merry Go ‘Round” as Musgraves asked the crowd to use their cell phone lights to create a wonderful starry effect.

The covers were inspired as Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again ” fit her pop leanings and the Roger Cook, John Prine penned “Dance With You,” made famous by Texas legend George Strait shows she has a keen sense of great songs.

Her reggae-flavored working of “Step Off” folded nicely into Bob Marley’s positive vibe of “3 Lil’ Birds” to the crowd’s roaring delight and her version of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood “These Boots Are Made For Walkin” brought the show to a steamy, rocking boil.

The finale has Musgrames and the boys circled around a single mic for an accapella version of Roy Rogers “Happy Trails.”

Years of playing live and penning quality songs for the likes of Gretchen Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and ABC’s Nashville have honed Musgraves into a sharp songwriter with an eye for common themes told in uncommon ways. Her “aw shucks” demeanor never come off as false or forced.

Will she have the staying power of loretta, Dolly or the pre-scandal Dixie Chicks? Time will tell. But one thing for sure, Kacey Musgraves is off to a hell of a start.

Set List:
Silver Lining
Stupid
Blowin’ Smoke
I Miss You
High Time
Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton cover)
The Trailer Song
Keep It To Yourself
Back on the Map
Mama’s Broken Heart (Miranda Lambert)
No Scrubs (TLC cover)
It Is What It Is
Dance With You – (George Strait cover)

    Step Off / 3 Lil’ Birds (Bob Marley & The Wailers cover)
    Merry Go ‘Round
    My House

    Encore:
    Biscuits (new song – solo acoustic)
    Cup of Tea (new song – solo acoustic)
    These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (Nancy Sinatra /Lee Hazlewood cover)
    Follow Your Arrow
    Happy Trails (Roy Rogers cover)

A Celebration of Dolly Parton [VIDEO]

Dolly Parton
Has anyone reached the heights of entertainer as completely as Dolly Parton. Her beginnings as the platinum buxom female talent on the Porter Wagoner show to an international superstar, actress and entertainment entrepreneur Parton is still releasing music and doing loads of media and touring behind it.

Her latest, Blue Smoke is her 42nd studio album. the release doesn’t play it safe. Besides great new cuts are duet with Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson as well as covers of Bob Dylan (!) and Bon Jovi (!!)

In celebration of this great performer here are some of her most memorable songs from her extraordinary career.

Nothing better than Dolly at The Ryman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laCiYFS14Ws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFBWP60I3pw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz_ejQbDoS0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb-Y5rsGKDo

Record Store Day 2014 – Americana and Roots Music Picks

Gram Parsons - Alternate Takes from GP and Grievous Angel

It’s that time again twangers. Yes, Record Store Day 2014 is upon us. The annual celebration of local record stores that leaves behind clowns and balloons and replaced them with long lines and limited edition slabs of vinyl.

This year’s RSD2013 releases offer some great selections from the roots and Americana side of the fence. Steve Earle townes album stripped back to it’s solo guitar base? Yes! Alternate Takes from Gram Parsons’ pivotal GP and Grievous Angel albums? Oh yes! Unreleased Hank Williams from the 1950 The Garden radio spot programs? Hells yes!

Head to your local indy record store on April 19th early and scoop up some of these limited edition goodies below.

Check the RSD14 full list and remember to tweet a pic of your bounty to my twitter account and I’ll share it with those that dared to stay home.

Print

Big Mama Thornton – Sassy Mama
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
– A scorching 1975 live set from Big Mama including “Rolling Stone,” “Lost City,” and “Mr. Cool.”

Joan Baez – “Blessed Are”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Baez’s seminal 1971 double album is presented here in an ‘exact replica’ gatefold package. Included are “Blessed Are,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Salt of the Earth,” and many more.

The Allman Brothers – “Selections from: Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Legacy
Double vinyl release of live songs previously only available on DVD.

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin – Songs from Common Ground
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Yep Roc
Four song 12″ featuring the Alvin Brothers playing the songs of Bill Broonzy

Blue Rodeo – “Diamond Mine”
Label: Rhino
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
25th anniversary reissue, first time on blue and green colored vinyl

Neko Case & Jason Lytle – “Satellite of Love”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Brink
Take a trip into space with musicians Howe Gelb, Neko Case, Victoria Williams, John Covertino (Calexico), and many more in this limited edition 7 inch vinyl. Includes songs Satellite of Love, Mars Cassette Waltz, and Untethered Space Walk from the award winning animation comedy film Mars (Starring Mark Duplass of The League and Safety Not Guaranteed).

Johnny Cash – With His Hot and Blue Guitar
Format: 12″ Blue Vinyl
Label: ORG Music
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar is the debut album of country singer Johnny Cash. Released in 1957, it was the first LP ever issued on Sam Phillips’ Sun Records label. Currently out of print, the album is being remastered and reissued on an exclusive blue color vinyl for Record Store Day. This limited edition pressing of 3,000 units will be numbered with a foil stamp on each jacket.

CENTRO-MATIC – Redo The Stacks
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Navigational Transmissions
Reissue of the band’s first album, originally released in 1996. This version is remastered and artwork has been redone and hand painted to match the original version.

The Civil Wars – Live at Eddie’s Attic
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Columbia
Nine songs recorded live in Decatur, Georgia in April 2009.

Court Yard Hounds – Amelita
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: New West Records
12″ vinyl of the new record with bonus 7″

Drive-By Truckers – Dragon Pants EP
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: ATO
B-Sides and outtakes from the new album English Oceans

Steve Earle – Townes: The Basics
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: New West Records
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
In 2009 Steve Earle released an album of Townes Van Zandt songs. It began as solo guitar and vocal tracks recorded in October 2008 in New York City. Other instruments were added later in subsequent sessions for the album in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. Those original recordings – The Basics – were released on a limited edition bonus CD with the Townes album and are available here for the first time on vinyl.; HAND NUMBERED

The Everly Brothers – Roots
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Rhino
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
“Roots” showcases the harmonies of the Everlys with covers of songs by performers who had been influential on the duo’s career. Songs by Jimmie Rodgers, George Jones, Randy Newman and Merle Haggard plus traditional standards offer laid-back, tasteful, acoustic-oriented arrangements with superb vocals that convey qualities of innocence tempered by experience. Originally released in 1968, “Roots” is one of the finest early country-rock albums.

Mary Gauthier/Sam Baker – When A Woman Goes Cold/Ditch
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Gram Parsons – 180 Gram: Alternate Takes from GP and Grievous Angel
Label: Rhino
2LP vinyl release of audio sourced from “The Complete Reprise Sessions” released in 2005. Contains a postcard insert at the request of Gram’s daughter, Polly Parsons, for the Hickory Wind Ranch Recovery Community. Foil numbering.

TRACK LISTING: SIDE ONE: “She (Alternative Version)”, “That’s All It Took (Alternative Version)”, “Still Feeling Blue (Alternative Version)”, “Kiss The Children (Alternative Version)”, “Streets of Baltimore (Alternative Version)” SIDE TWO: We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning (Alternative Version)”, “The New Soft Shoe (Alternative Version)”, “Return of the Grievous Angel #1 (Alternative Version)”, “In My Hour of Darkness (Alternative Version)”, “In My Hour of Darkness (Alternative Version)”, “Ooh Las Vegas (Alternative Version) SIDE THREE: “I Can’t Dance (Alternative Version)”, “Sleepless Nights (Alternative Version)”, “Love Hurts (Alternative Version)”, “Brass Buttons (Alternative Version)”, “Hickory Wind (Alternative Version)” SIDE FOUR: “Brand New Heartache”, “Sleepless Nights”, “The Angels Rejoiced Last Night”

Waylon Jennings/Sanford Clark – Zia Records Presents: Audio Recorders Archive Vol. 1
Format: 7″ 45 – Limited to 500 copies on “GOLD” wax for Record Store Day
Label: Zia Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Lake Street Dive – What I’m Doing Here/Wedding Band
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Signature Sounds
Single 45 in a picutre sleeve, unreleased tracks

Ray Lamontagne – “Supernova”/”Pick Up A Gun”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: RCA
First single from the album Supernova coming May 6th. Produced by Dan Auerbach.

Jon Langford & Skull Orchard – “Days & Nights”/”Here’s What We Have”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: In De Goot Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Langhorne Slim & The Law – “Animal”/”Space Girl”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Ramseur Records
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release

Lydia Loveless – “Mile High”/”Blind”
Format: 7″ Limited edition on colored vinyl. B-side is exclusive Ke$ha cover.
Label: Bloodshot
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Jessica Lea Mayfield – “Make My Head Sing”
Format: Pink Cassette of the full album
Label: ATO Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Doug Paisley – “Growin Souls/”Lies Lead To Lies”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: No Quarter
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Dolly Parton – “Blue Smoke”/”Home”
Format: Blue 7″ Vinyl
Label: Masterworks
Tracks from the forthcoming Dolly Parton record

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott – “Jack Elliott”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Ramblin’ Jack’s Vanguard debut, notable also for the appearance of Bob Dylan (credited as Tedham Porterhouse) on harmonica. It includes such staples as “Roving Gambler,” “Diamond Joe,” and “Black Snake Moan.”

Songs: Ohia – Journey On: Collected Singles
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Secretly Canadian
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
Almost 20 years after Jason Molina’s voice first rang out from Ohio, in this brave new world of streaming, the discussion surrounding the resurgence of vinyl rarely includes the 7”.

Southern Culture On The Skids – Party at my Trouse
Format: 7″ Vinyl – SCOTS collaboration with B-52s frontman Fred Schnieder
Label: Yep Roc
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Various Artists – The Folk Box 50th Anniversary
Label: Rhino
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
50th Anniversary Edition of the Elektra Records (in cooperation with Folkway Records) Vinyl Box Set 4-LP set containing 83 tracks featuring artists such as Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton and Judy Collins and many more. Vinyl cut from the original 1964 master tapes. Limited edition with foil stamp numbering. Bonus exclusive 7″ Vinyl included featuring Judy Collins’ rare version of Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It with Mine” backed with Tom Paxton’s recording of “The Last Thing on My Mind” for Record Store Day only. Includes a 48 Page booklet including Forewords from legendary Producer Jac Holzman and Co-Producer Ted Olson. Out of print for over 40 years.

Various Artists – The Newport Folk Festival 1963–The Evening Concerts, Vol. 1
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Fans at RecordStoreDay.com and VanguardRecords.com voted for this re-issue of Newport’s 1963 installment, remastered from the original tapes by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering and features performances from Mississppi John Hurt, Joan Baez, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and, yes, Bob Dylan. Presented in ‘exact replica’ package.

“The Barnyard Song” (Sam Hinton), “Must I Go Bound” (Sam Hinton), “The Arkansas Traveller (Sam Hinton), “C.C.Rider” (Mississippi John Hurt/Pete Seeger), “Stagolee” (Mississippi John Hurt), “Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt), “Coffee Blues (Mississippi John Hurt), “Diamond Joe” (Ramblin’ Jack Elliott), “Walk Right In” (Rooftop Singers), “Un Canadian Errant” (Ian and Sylvia), “Woke Up This Morning” (The Freedom Singers), “Oh, Freedom” (Joan Baez/Theodore Bikel), “Te Adore, Ate Amanha” (Joan Baez), “Wagoner’s Lad” (Joan Baez), “Blowin’ In The Wind” (Bob Dylan), “We Shall Overcome” (The Freedom Singers)

“Doc Watson – Southbound”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
Fans at RecordStoreDay.com and VanguardRecords.com voted for this re-issue of Doc’s classic 1966 album, remastered from the original tapes by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. Presented in ‘exact replica’ package.

“Walk On Boy”, “Blue Railroad Train”, “Sweet Georgia Brown”, “Alberta”, “Southbound”, “Windy and Warm”, “Call of the Road”, “Tennessee Stud”, “That Was The Last Thing On My Mind”, “Little Darling Pal of Mine”, “Nothing To It”, “Riddle Song”, “Never No More Blues”, “Nashville Picking”

The Wild Feathers – “Got It Wrong/Marie”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Warner Bros.

Hank Williams – The Garden Spot Programs, 1950–Extended Play
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Omnivore Recordings
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
All recordings previously unreleased! From a 1950 radio show sponsored by Texas’ Naughton Farms Nursery, and brought to brown 10″ vinyl with the help of Williams’ daughter Jett.

SIDE ONE: “The Garden Spot Jingle” (Show 4), “I Don’t Care (If Tomorrow Never Comes) (Show 10), “Lovesick Blues” (Show 4), “Closing/Oh Susanna” (Show 10) SIDE TWO: “Farther Along” (Show 10), “Mind Your Own Business” (Show 9), “Fiddle Tune” (Show 4), “Closing/Oh Susanna” (Show 11)

Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys – Transcriptions
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Real Gone Music
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:

Ten sides from Bob Wills’ legendary Tiffany Transcriptions, which were recordings made available only to radio stations in the late ’40s. The Tiffany Transcriptions are generally considered to be the best recordings that the King of Western Swing ever made, as the lack of commercial restrictions allowed his incredible band–and vocalist Tommy Duncan–to stretch out. Wills made over 300 transcription sides for Tiffany; only about half of them have been reissued on vinyl or compact disc. This 10-track album not only includes ten songs that have never been heard or seen anywhere since they appeared on the transcription discs some 65 years ago, but also features packaging designed to mimic the look of the original transcriptions, with a cutaway hole in front to show the vintage Tiffany logo on the vinyl, which is pressed in red as some Tiffany transcriptions did come in red vinyl. The back cover also includes vintage graphics from the period.

“I’m an Old Cowhand”, “Long Eared Mule”, “Put Another Chair at the Table”, “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes”, “Don’t Fence Me In”, “Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Age”, “Black and Blue Rag”, “Have I Stayed Away Too Long”, “Moonlight on the Ganges”, “What Is Life Without Love”

Mary Sarah to Release “Bridges,” duets with Dolly, Willie, Merle, Ray Price

Sarah Mary

It’s fashionable to gripe about the current sorry state of contemporary country music and for good reason. In it’s single-minded obsession for hits and radio charting Music Row often appears to be like an Chinese iPad factory (with better clothes.) A casual listen of country music hits from the last 40 years clearly shows that the industry often tilts the cultural scales toward stacks of commerce over the beauty of craft.

Mary Sarah has the looks and the pipes to shoot for the denim and glitter of Country Music stardom. She even toured with the lucrative Kidz Bop franchise as a singer and dancer when she was 12 years old. The lady’s got options

But performing in the Texas near her home in Richmond TX home (outside Houston) put her in a unique position to be steeped in tradition and to meet some of the legends that created that music.

Her upcoming release, “Bridges,” is a collection iconic songs done as duets with the legends that made them famous. Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Vince Gill, recorded over the last two-and-a-half years.

“I never imagined that singing these songs in the Texas Oprys would lead to one day recording them with some of the greatest country legends of our time,” Mary Sarah says. “Working on this album and with these legends has changed my life. Not only did I learn more about traditional country music, it has led me to have a clearer vision of what I want to accomplish in country music.”

That doesn’t sound like a crass money grab to grease the path to maga-stardom. It does sound like a smart move in a genre starving for substance to set herself up for longevity and, dare I say, a shot as legend.

Yes, Loretta there is hope for Music City.

“Bridges” is expected to be released in early April.

“Bridges” track listing

“Jolene” with Dolly Parton
“Crazy” with Willie Nelson
“Fightin’ Side of Me” with Merle Haggard
“Heartaches by the Number” with Ray Price
“What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life” with Ronnie Milsap
“Texas, When I Die” with Tanya Tucker
“Rose Garden” with Lynn Anderson
“Go Rest High on That Mountain” with Vince Gill
“Dream On” with the Oak Ridge Boys
All I Wanna Do Is Sing My Song” with Freddy Powers
“Where the Boys Are” with Neil Sedaka
“My Great Escape” with Big & Rich (original song)
“I’m Sorry” (solo version of Brenda Lee classic)

Music Review: “Divided & United: The Songs of The Civil War” – Various Artists [ATO Records]

Divided & United: Songs of the Civil War

One of he bloodiest periods in American history, the Civil War (or the War of Northern Aggression as it’s often referred to south of the Mason/Dixon,) left deep and lingering cultural wounds in the nation’s psyche. These scare are often picked at by the ignorant, the malicious and those depraved enough to exploit them for power.

It’s said that music as a healing and uniting force. I believe it can be. Like Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 watershed release, “Will the Circle be Unbroken, Movie soundtrack producer Randall Poster’s “Divided and United – Songs of the American Civil War” beings together generations of country and roots musicians to interpret’s songs from both sides of the conflict.

Legends abound on “Divided and United.” Loretta Lynn’s take on “Take Your Gun and Go, John” is a stark with Lynn’s accompanied by banjo and fiddle. Her Southern lilt put an odd twist on this popular Union call to arms.

Del McCoury and Ricky Skaggs conjure bluegrass magic on the lost love lament “Lorena” and the bloody tale of brothers-in-arms “Two Soldiers,” respectively.

New blood represents the past equal aplomb. Sam Amidon’s gives a spirited performance on Joseph Philbrick Webster’s 1860 composition “Wildwood Flower” and new Opry inductees Old Crow Medicine Show give passionate performance on the globally popular “Marching Through Georgia,” though their double-time conclusion would have troops marching right past their destination.

Dirk Powell and Steve Earle trade off dutifully on the “Just Before the Battle, Mother Farewell, Mother” and makes me wish that Earle would tackle more music in this vein. Vince Gill’s expressive voice brings out the innate melancholy of a drummer boy fatally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg on “For The Dear Old Flag, I Die.”

Charleston duo Shovels & Rope give a woozy ramshackle rendition of, naturally, “The Fall of Charleston.” John Doe’s cajun flair to “Tenting on the Old Camp Ground” and it’s ground-level account of loss and battle.

A collection like this wouldn’t be complete without the presence off T Bone Burnett, But instead of his usual shepherding of the effort he lends his halting voice to recounting the single bloodiest event in American history on “The Battle of Antietam.”

In many ways “Divided and United” tills the same ground as Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 watershed release, “Will the Circle be Unbroken.” Ages-old, deeply rooted, American music draws together generations in common reverence and celebration. This wonderful collection has the added dimension of addressing past scars and bringing just a little humility, understanding and empathy.

Buy

10 Country Music Awards Moments to Remind Us It Didn’t Always Suck

charlie-rich-envelope-john-denver-cma-1975

Remember when Loretta Lynne won CMA Awards with Loretta Lynn announced as Entertainer of the Year? How about when johnny Cash hosted the event.

Of course you don’t. It was decades ago and most of you weren’t even born yet.

There was a time that the Country Music Awards, like the industry and culture itself, had an edge and a spirit of danger. Performers would roll off a couch in a studio somewhere in town to accept their award. Sometimes they were drunk and looking for a fight. Below find some great moments from CMA history to help us steel through the glitter-choked tailgate party it’s become.

The one video I wanted o find most of all was one of Charlie Rich burning the piece of paper announcing John Denver as the Country Music Association “Entertainer of the Year” at the 1975 CMA Awards. Alas that little gem of industry spontaneity has been shut down.

Dolly Parton sneaks up on Randy Travis

Waylon Jennings performs “America” on what looks like an ’80’s CMA

CMA’s hosted by Johnny Cash in 1978
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkbBJE76KU0

Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge perform Me and Bobby McGee at the 1974 CMA Awards
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fujhzkyYias

Sonny James and Bobby Goldsboro present the award for the Country Music Association Instrumentalist to Jerry Reed in 1971.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko39cIFowRY

1974 CMA Awards with Loretta Lynn announced as Entertainer of the Year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8370bQ5Izo

Willie Nelson Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame by Johnny Cash at the 27th CMA Awards 1993
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMrh7aPaagg

Alison Krauss & Union Station performs ‘My Poor Old Heart’ on the 2005 CMA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuGJaU25ZIA

1968 Country Music Awards with an induction of Bob Wills into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Skip over the insipid performance by Bobby Goldsboro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BYNuPL0Te4

In 1999 George Jones, recovering from a near-fatal car accident, was nominated for Single of the Year for his autobiographical ballad “Choices.”
CMA executives asked Jones to sing a shortened version of the nominated song, but he opted to stay home as a sign of his protest against the request.
Alan Jackson showed class and reverence for Jones worked “Choices” into the last portion of his scheduled performance of his current single, “Pop A Top.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_WmbAek0-4