That Nashville Sound Saturday Newsbytes - Unheard Johnny Cash, New Moonpies, New Videos and Dani Rucker

With our nation at odds with itself on many topics including politics, race relations, COVID-19 response and who knows what else, here's hoping that music can continue to be a respite from the rest of the noise and be a place that brings you comfort and bliss on this Saturday morning.

~ Many Texas singer-songwriters have been doing a digital guitar pull dedication show across Facebook every Monday night that has quite possibly been the musical highlight of this music fan since the quarantine began. The group has paid tribute to some legendary musicians such as John Prine,  Joe Diffie, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Tom T. Hall and Don Williams. Monday night, June 1st, catch the tribute to Guy Clark starting at 6pm CDT. As for the featured songwriters, the list is star studded with some of your favorites such as Jamie Lin Wilson, Walt Wilkins, Heather and Max Stalling, Drew Kennedy, Courtney Patton, Cody Canada, Jason Eady, Josh Abbott, Mike Harmeier and Wade Bowen… the list goes on. You can watch it on their Facebook page HERE.

~ Darius Rucker now might have the second-best vocals in his house. The Opry member and Hootie frontman made the best of stay at home orders and family time and decided to play around with garage band and put his producer hat on. With his daughter Dani Rucker back home from college, she joined on lead vocals on a new track called "I Don't Love You Like That." 

~ New music videos from the last couple of days: 

      Charlie Crockett - "Welcome To Hard Times"

      Marc Broussard - "Fire on the Bayou"

      Cam - "Redwood Tree"

      Ray Wylie Hubbard and The Cadillac Three - "Fast Left Hand"

      John Berry - "The Graduation Song"

      Courtney Marie Andrews - "It Must Be Someone Else's Fault"

      Jordan Davis - "Church in a Chevy"

      

~ Vlogger Grady Smith broke down the many sub-genres of country music for the "beginner."  

~ Be sure to check out the phenomenal new album from Mike and the Moonpies. The full-length album is called 'Touch of You - The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart.' The most interesting piece of news about this project is that these are unreleased tracks (circa: 70s and 80s) from country music icon Gary Stewart. The band has been working closely with Stewart's daughter, Shannon, and his longtime friend/confidante Tommy Schwartz to get these songs recorded and out in to the world.  The band had initially intended to release this album later this year. Due to circumstances with COVID-19//tour dates on hold, they decided to finish recording it and release it early on Stewart's birthday, May 28. The album was produced by Adam Odor and recorded remotely from each band member's home studios and at yellow DOG Studios in Wimberley, TX. One highlight to note is "Smooth Shot of Whiskey" featuring Mark Wystrach from Midland. Other guests include harmony vocal help from Jamie Lin Wilson (“Heart A Home”), Courtney Patton (“Heart A Home,” “Dance With Barbara”) and Zac Wilkerson (“The Gold Barstool”). 

~ Despite the struggles independent musicians have been facing recently, twenty-five Texas artists have banded together to help raise money and awareness for a population of people with even greater struggles than their own. The group of singer-songwriters, along with notable band and orchestral musicians, have joined forces as the Fort Worth Musicians Choir, to support the area’s struggling refugee community, with the release of their grand version of the Willie Nelson classic “Living in the Promiseland,” written by David Lynn Jones and originally released by Nelson in 1986. All proceeds from the song and video, as well as an upcoming benefit concert scheduled for June 21st in Fort Worth, benefit the Refugee Services of Texas, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to finding homes and jobs for, educating, and acclimating the area's refugee population. You can listen to the track HERE. 

~ Johnny Cash’s often overlooked and underappreciated chapter of his body of work will be showcased with a suite of releases via Mercury/UMe including a comprehensive new box set, The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991, and a new greatest hits album, Easy Rider: The Best Of The Mercury Recordings, a newly assembled collection that compiles 24 highlights selected from Cash’s Mercury catalog. The CD version of The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991 is augmented with several rare or previously unreleased tracks and an additional 20-track disc of spare early mixes aptly titled Classic Cash: Hall Of Fame Series (Early Mixes), mastered from tapes newly discovered in the Mercury vaults.