New Music Video From Wynonna - "Am I Missing Out"

New Music Video From Wynonna - "Kentucky Queen"

New Live Video From Wynonna Judd - "She Is His Only Need" (Live at Farm Aid 40)

New Music Video From Wynonna and Lainey Wilson - "Refugee"

Highlights Of The 2023 Country Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Singer Patty Loveless, songwriter Bob McDill, and singer Tanya Tucker officially joined the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 22, in a star-studded Medallion Ceremony at the Museum’s @CMATheater. It was an evening filled with once-in-a-lifetime musical performances and heartfelt, and at times tearful, testimonials. 

Those presenting musical highlights from the inductees’ careers included Country Music Hall of Fame members Dean Dillon, Vince Gill, Charlie McCoy, and Wynonna Judd. They were joined by Brandi Carlile, Jessi Colter, Charley Crockett, Jamey Johnson, Margo Price, Bob Seger, and Sister Sadie. Country Music Hall of Fame member Wynonna Judd led the audience in the ceremonial closing song, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” 

Following longstanding custom, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, chosen by the inductee, welcomed each new member. Vince Gill inducted Patty Loveless, Don Schlitz inducted Bob McDill, and Brenda Lee and Connie Smith inducted Tanya Tucker.

 Filled with soaring musical performances and moving tributes, the Medallion Ceremony showcased the camaraderie and the broad range of talent—from legends to newcomers—that define the country music community. 

Watch the video and experience some of the special tributes that members of the music community shared in honoring these newest inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

Naomi Judd of The Judds Passes Away At 76 - Mental Illness To Blame

May 1, 2022 was supposed to be special day for Naomi and Wynonna Judd, as the formal induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame for the “class of 2021” was scheduled. 

Instead, it’s a day of deep sorrow. 

Naomi Judd, the mother of Wynonna (and actress Ashley Judd), died today (4/30).

In their statement to the Associated Press, the sisters wrote:

Today we sisters experienced a tragedy.  We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.  We are shattered.  We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public.  We are in unknown territory.

The wording does imply that Naomi may have taken her own life; however, no explicit details were released.

The Judds’ Hall of Fame career began with “Mama, He’s Crazy” in 1984.  After follow-up hits like “Why Not Me,” “Give a Little Love,” and the Grammy-winning “Love Can Build a Bridge” brought them to superstardom, Naomi, who had started singing with daughter Wynonna (who took her stage name from the song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”: “Flagstaff, Arizona, don’t forget Winona”) while working as a nurse, stopped performing in 1991 because of a diagnosis of hepatitis C.  Wynonna continued on her own with a successful solo career. 

Mother and daughter were hoping to do a reunion tour in 2020 before COVID hit.  The plans were rescheduled for last year, and had finally been set for later this year.  

Naomi, however, had a long history of battling severe depression.  She was quite open about the sexual abuse she endured as a youngster and her prolonged panic attacks that kept her locked away in her home for months at a time.

Deepest condolences to Wynonna, Ashley, and a world of fans who are shocked and stunned by this tragic news the day before what was to be the crowning achievement in the Judds’ wonderful career.

Naomi Judd was 76.

K.F. Raizor, author of the website Raizor's Edge is our guest writer today on That Nashville Sound. She's ever so gracious to provide wonderful tributes to honor those to whom the music we treasure just wouldn't be the same without. Thank you, K.F.

New Music Video - Courtney Patton, Jason Eady & Jamie Lin Wilson Cover The Judds - "Why Not Me"

Wynonna Judd Starts New Duo With Cass McCombs Called The Frothy Pit

At this week's AmericanaFest in Nashville, Tennessee, The Mercy Lounge was the host of an event celebrating the 20th Anniversary of ANTI-Records.  Over the years, they've been the home to likes of Merle Haggard, Mavis Staples, Kate Bush and more. But on this special night, a new duo was born. Wynonna Judd, half of what will soon be the Country Music Hall of Fame group The Judds, and songwriter Cass McCombs unveiled their new duo called The Frothy Pit to the world.

“Like many people, I grew up listening to The Judds,” Cass McCombs explained. “Needless to say, it's been a real honor to collaborate with Wynonna, co-writing “The Child” together and stepping into the uncharted terrain of The Frothy Pit.”

“Getting to work with artists like Cass McCombs has broadened my musical horizons and made me even more grateful that even after 35 years I still love the creative process,” Wynonna said.

Nashville Scene's PJ Kinzer gave a inkling on what to expect to the duo from that night's performance, "Judd’s voice is as soulful and velvety as ever, and her charisma is as strong it’s ever been in her 36-year career. There’s something special about seeing a woman used to commanding an arena play to a small room, and Judd couldn’t have done it better. McCombs, normally the star of the show, made a great partner. They even pulled out a few unexpected tricks out of the bag, with a jovial cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Ramble on Rose” — Judd had a great deal to say about her appreciation for the Dead’s Bob Weir — and The Judds’ No. 1 hit “Why Not Me.” For a band just getting used to playing in public together, The Frothy Pit came across like well-groomed veterans."

The first collaboration of the two won't be a The Frothy Pit duo release, but a song the two wrote together that Wynonna will release as a solo artist. The song is a deeply personal autobiographical take on her musical journey called "The Child."  You can hear it below:

New Music Video From Wynonna Judd & The Texas Gentlemen - "Flyin' High" (Luck Mansion Sessions)

The Day The Music Died: To Those Country Music Lost in 2017

Glen Campbell

K.F. Raizor, author of the website Raizor's Edge and the book We Can't Sing and We Ain't Funny: The World of Homer and Jethro is our guest writer today on That Nashville Sound. She's ever so gracious to provide wonderful tributes to honor those to whom the music we treasure just wouldn't be the same without. Thank you, K.F.

Here are the people from the world of country and bluegrass who sang their final song in 2017.

Tommy Allsup (January 11, complications from hernia surgery, age 85): album producer, western swing performer, and session guitarist who lost his seat on the ill-fated Buddy Holly plane in February 1959.

Chuck Berry (March 17, heart attack, age 90): rock and roll's daddy had a major impact on country music as well, with enough Chuck Berry-penned tunes becoming country hits to warrant his induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Billy Joe Burnette (December 29, 2016, heart attack, age 76): rockabilly singer-songwriter who wrote the Red Sovine cross-over tear-jerker "Teddy Bear."

Dr. Benjamin H. Caldwell Jr. (May 8, long illness, age 82): a Nashville physician who did country music a gigantic favor in the 1970s by spearheading a movement to save the Ryman Auditorium from demolition.

Glen Campbell (August 8, Alzheimer's disease, age 81): session guitarist and one-time Beach Boy who became a massive success in country and pop, earning his way into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His poignant farewell albums and public battle with Alzheimer's put a familiar face on the dreaded disease.

Steve Chapman (July 29, unknown cause, age 74): guitarist who worked with Ernest Tubb, Bill Anderson, and Mandy Barnett.

Dave Evans (June 26, long illness, age 66): bluegrass performer who worked with Larry Sparks and had his own band, Dave Evans & the River Bend.

Bob Forshee (May 11, unknown cause, age 80): country music songwriter who penned Darrell McCall's early hit "A Stranger Was Here" as well as songs recorded by Jimmy C. Newman, Jan Howard, and others.

Troy Gentry (September 8, helicopter crash, age 50): half of the 90s/00s superstar duo Montgomery Gentry.

Wendell Goodman (May 21, unknown cause, age 81): husband and manager of rockabilly and country legend Wanda Jackson.

Hairl Hensley (December 31, illness, unknown age): Country Music DJ Hall of Fame member who was the voice of the Grand Ole Opry and early-morning bluegrass music on WSM for decades.

Alan Jabbour (January 13, cancer, age 74): old-time fiddler who was the founding director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Blake Johnson (June 4, heart attack, age 33): bluegrass musician who worked with Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, James King, and others.

Michael Johnson (July 25, long illness, age 72): singer and songwriter who had country ("Give Me Wings," "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder") and pop ("This Night Won't Last Forever," "Bluer Than Blue") hits.

Danny Lee Jones (February 3, cancer, age 77): bluegrass musician who was a member of Bluegrass Alliance and the Bluegrass Generation, and worked with the Goins Brothers and Bill Monroe.

Rhubarb Jones (April 2, heart attack, age 65): Country Music DJ Hall of Fame member who also announced for the WWF.

Pete Kuykendall (August 24, long illness, age 79): bluegrass songwriter (under the pseudonym "Pete Roberts"), performer (as part of the Country Gentlemen), and promoter. His love of bluegrass led to the founding of the premiere magazine for the genre, Bluegrass Unlimited.

Sam Lovullo (January 3, natural causes, age 88): the producer of the long-running country comedy variety series Hee Haw.

Geoff Mack (July 21, natural causes, age 94): Australian country singer/songwriter whose best-known song was "Americanized" into the huge Hank Snow hit "I've Been Everywhere."

Don Markham (February 24, long illness, age 85): "Here comes Don!" was Merle Haggard's typical introduction to the saxophonist who played with Haggard's band the Strangers after leaving Johnny Paycheck's band.

Grover "G.C." McCoury (February 27, stroke, age 87): the older brother of Del McCoury had his own regional bluegrass act, the McCoury Family.

Billy Mize (November 1, long illness, age 88): Bakersfield Sound singer and songwriter, best-known for writing the Charlie Walker hit "Who Will Buy the Wine."

Leon Rhodes (December 10, illness, age 85): one of the great guitarists in country music who made a huge mark on the sound of Ernest Tubb (remember Tubb's call of "and Leon!" in "Waltz Across Texas").

Kayton Roberts (July 13, stroke, age 83): Steel Guitar Hall of Fame member who played for years with Hank Snow.

Curly Seckler (December 27, natural causes, age 98): Bluegrass Hall of Fame member who was part of Charlie Monroe's Kentucky Partners, Flatt & Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Boys and member of Flatt's "Nashville Grass."

Mark Selby (September 18, cancer, age 56): session musician (Kenny Rogers, Wynonna), singer, and songwriter (including the Grammy-winning "There's Your Trouble" by the Dixie Chicks).

Ben Speers (April 7, Alzheimer's disease, age 86): member of the legendary southern gospel group the Speers Family.

Billy Stewart (March 24, illness, age 85): the brother of Redd Stewart who served as fiddler for Little Jimmy Dickens, Lonzo & Oscar, and others on the Opry in the 1950s.

Tammy Sullivan (April 21, cancer, age 52): part of the bluegrass gospel band the Sullivan Family.

Mel Tillis (November 19, respiratory failure, age 85): Hall of Fame singer and songwriter with a career that spanned six decades.

Greg Trooper (January 15, pancreatic cancer, age 61): Americana singer/songwriter who had his songs covered by acts such as Steve Earle and Vince Gill.

Jo Walker-Meador (August 16, stroke, age 93): the longest-serving executive director of the Country Music Foundation, she was responsible for the expansion of the CMA, the Hall of Fame, and country music as an industry.

Don Warden (March 11, natural causes, age 87): Steel Guitar Hall of Fame member who played in Porter Wagoner's band and became Dolly Parton's manager beginning in 1967.

Don Williams (September 8, short illness, age 78): Country Music Hall of Fame singer and songwriter known as "the Gentle Giant" for his quiet baritone voice that delivered over 40 years' worth of love songs to the world.

Norro Wilson (June 8, illness, age 79): Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member who wrote songs ranging from "The Grand Tour" to "A Very Special Love Song."

Bob Wootton (April 9, unknown cause, age 75): longtime guitarist for Johnny Cash's "Tennessee Three" who joined the band after Luther Perkins' death.

Gil Wright (April 30, unknown cause, age 87): member of the legendary background vocal group the Anita Kerr Singers.

Joe Wright (January 3, unknown cause, age 79): the original lead guitarist for Marty Robbins' backing band, the Teardrops.

Farewell, and thank you for the music.

And finally, sadly:

Hannah Ahlers, 34, Beaumont, CA
Heather Alvarado, 35, Enoch, UT
Dorene Anderson, 49, Anchorage, AK
Carrie Barnette, 34, Garden Grove, CA
Jack Beaton, 54, Bakersfield, CA
Steve Berger, 44, Milwaukee, WI
Candice Bowers, 40, Garden Grove, CA
Denise Burditus, 50, Martinsburg, WV
Sandy Casey, 35, Redondo Beach, CA
Andrea Castilla, 28, Huntington Beach, CA
Denise Cohen, 58, Carpinteria, CA
Austin Davis, 29, Riverside, CA
Thomas Day Jr., 54, Corona, CA
Christiana Duarte, 22, Torrance, CA
Stacee Etcheber, 50, Novato, CA
Brian Fraser, 39, Walnut, CA
Dana Gardner, 52, Grand Terrace, CA
Keri Galvan, 51, Thousand Oaks, CA
Angie Gomez, 20, Riverside, CA
Charleston Hartfield, 34, Las Vegas, NV
Christopher Hazencomb, 44, Camarillo, CA
Jennifer Irvine, 42, San Diego, CA
Nicol Kimura, 38, Placentia, CA
Jessica Klymchuk, 34, Valleyview, Alberta
Carly Kreibaum, 33, Sutherland, IA
Rhonda LeRocque, 42, Tewksbury, MA
Victor Link, 55, San Clemente, CA
Jordan McIldoon, 23, Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Kelsey Meadows, 28, Taft, CA
Calla Medig, 28, Jasper, Alberta
Sonny Melton, 29, Paris, TN
Pati Mestas, 67, Menifee, CA
Austin Meyer, 24, Reno, NV
Adrian Murfitt, 35, Anchorage, AK
Rachel Parker, 33, Manhattan Beach, CA
Jennifer Parks, 36, Lancaster, CA
Carrie Parsons, 31, Seattle, WA
Lisa Patterson, 46, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
John Phippen, 57, Valencia, CA
Melissa Ramirez, 26, Bakersfield, CA
Jordyn Rivera, 21, San Bernardino, CA
Quintin Robbins, 20, Henderson, NV
Cameron Robinson, 28, St. George, UT
Rocio Guillen Rocha, 40, Eastvale, CA
Lisa Romero-Muniz, 48, Gallup, NM
Christopher Roybal, 28, Denver, CO
Brett Schwanbeck, 61, Bullhead City, AZ
Bailey Schweitzer, 20, Bakersfield, CA
Laura Shipp, 50, Thousand Oaks, CA
Erick Silva, 21, Las Vegas, NV
Susan Smith, 53, Simi Valley, CA
Tara Roe Smith, 34, Okotoks, Alberta
Brennan Stewart, 30, Las Vegas, NV
Derrick "Bo" Taylor, 56, Oxnard, CA
Neysa Tonks, 46, Las Vegas, NV
Michelle Vo, 32, Los Angeles, CA
Kurt Von Tillow, 55, Cameron Park, CA
Bill Wolfe, Jr., 42, Shippensburg, PA

These fifty eight individuals were killed when a gunman opened fire on 22,000 fans at an outdoor country music concert headlined by Jason Aldean on October 1 in Las Vegas. Additionally, 546 other concertgoers were injured.

New Music Video From Wynonna Judd - "Keeps Me Alive"

Concert Review Flashback - Wynonna at Lake Tahoe Music Festival & Northstar at Tahoe

I have been blessed to write contributions/reviews/interviews/opinion pieces for several country music and roots-oriented websites and publications over the years including Saving Country Music, Nashville Scene, Country California, Country Weekly, American Noise, The 9513 and Engine 145. As a regular contributor to the last two in that list, I did several hundred features/pieces. One of those was this concert review that I will reprint here to give it a home in perpetuity. This concert review was originally published in August 2010 in The 9513.

It’s not often that the venue for any concert is as much as part of the discussion as the music performance. But for the Wynonna Judd performance during the Lake Tahoe Music Festival at Northstar at Tahoe this past Saturday, this was definitely the case.

Quite the unique experience awaits the attendee as he or she pulls into Northstar at Tahoe- a longtime established ski resort during the winter and a community of mostly vacation and retirement homes by summer. After parking in the large lots reserved for wintertime skiers, large state-of-the-art buses pick you up and take you into the heart of the ski village where every restaurant, bar or shopping experience awaits for those that arrived early enough. Electronic signage and volunteers everywhere assist with finding your way over to the gondolas- the same gondolas that run you up the face of the mountain to the top of Northstar Mountain. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the incredibly peaceful gondola ride up over 1000 vertical feet and a mile in length up high on the mountainside. (The actual summit is 8,610 feet in elevation.) There, at the end of your gondola ride, is a stage that has been set up in the middle of flat spot on a wide ski run and a recently sod grass hillside for a attendance of roughly 1500 people. Behind the stage is the North Tahoe basin of the Eastern Sierra Mountains with Martis Lake off in the distance. Lake Tahoe isn’t in view but just over the mountain just a few minutes down the road. The scenery and environment are unmatched. As the concert got underway, the temperature was perfect in the low 70’s.

Seating arrangements were three-fold. Sponsors and special guests had 20 rows of seats or so and the rest of the crowd had two general lawn-seating areas. They called it Preferred and General. We thought it Close and Closer. As we entered the seating area, we were handed two low-back folding chairs given to those with or without chairs of their own as to not block the vision of those behind you. Multiple wine-tasting and wine vendor booths were sprawled around the venue. It was difficult not to be impressed by the grandeur of it all- and all of that’s before Wynonna ever came out and sang a note. Much to the delight of the crowd, she came out right on time- looking healthier and better than she has been in recent years- and kicked right in with the brassy “If the House Is a Rockin.” She had been involved in a serious car wreck just a week or two before this performance and she showed no signs of stiffness or discomfort dancing around the stage. Wynonna was supremely backed by a solid and professional backing band, featuring 2 guitarists that switched from electric to acoustic to mandolin seamlessly depending on the number, a base player, a drummer, two back-up singers and a keyboardist. She finished up the first song and announced to everyone in the audience, “Hi, I'm Wynonna and I'm attitude personified.” That became the theme of the night. Like a VH1 Storytellers, Wynonna would share personal stories of growing up with her Mom and sister, Ashley- always with sass and many of them self-depreciating. In between songs, she’d alternate between lessons learned throughout her career and hysterically chastising those who arrived late or had to get up and use the restrooms. One poor guy- who took it all in stride- had her commenting all his way to the porta-potties. And on his return, she started right back in again. “Are you going to be able to make it the rest of the show, now, huh?” Her trademark growl came out several times throughout the night- reminding this attendee that she’s really the female country “Elvis” of our time. One break was spent talking about her dedication and performance at Tammy Wynette’s funeral service and how a comment she made about how country radio ignored the legend at the end of her career really hurt her relationship with radio in general. The comment was philosophical, but her attitude of “I have to say and do what’s in my heart” really played well to the crowd and spoke volumes about where she is in her career these days.

At one point during the event, she stopped and made a comparison between where she was now and where she was growing up. She remarked that when she was growing up on welfare up on a mountain side with a single mom that worked long hours and a younger sister she had to take care of, she couldn’t wait to get off that mountain. Now, here she was full circle on a mountainside again. Only this one was okay because it had a Ritz Carlton on it. “Room service is going to be up all night tonight, everybody!”

Her voice is as powerful and strong as ever- gaining strength and power as the night went on. That brassy and sassy persona carries forth into her singing and gives it an edge and uniqueness that is specifically Wynonna. That voice is big and bold and rises to the occasion on the slower numbers that she covered. After her opening number, she went four straight classic hits of her own including, “No One Else on Earth,” “Tell Me Why,” “Rock Bottom,” and “Only Love.” A fan in the front row pleaded for “To Be Loved By You” next and after making the lady promise that she wasn’t a stalker, satisfied the fan with the beautiful soft ballad.

Wynonna has had no shortage of covers in her career and her most recent album, Sing: Chapter 1 has many different tributes on it. She went on long about how every artist needs those to look up to and take them by the hand- for girls she called them her “Sheros.” Female heros. Nearly half of the concert was dedicated to performing songs, from classic 1930’s tunes such as The Boswell Sister’s “That’s How Rhythm Was Born” to modern soft rock anthems such as Foreigner’s “I Want To Know What Love Is.” She flipped genres fluidly from Haggard to Christian band MercyMe and from Tammy Wynette to Elvis. Wynonna commented how, at this stage of her career, she really has musical ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) which is why she borrows so easily from many genres. Each cover was unique in its always semi-country arrangement, always honoring the original version but allowing Wynonna to put her own stamp of take-no-prisoners attitude in the song. The balance of the two never swung too far either way. The encore brought Wynonna back out for two last numbers, both of which she played an acoustic guitar with a much quieter set behind her. But that wasn’t all that was behind her. The setting sun across the valley and adjoining mountains cast an amazing sunset that combined multiple shades of yellows, blues, oranges and reds. Mother Nature knows how to run special effects as good as any other concert operator, evidently.

Her first song returning to the stage was the classic “Grandpa (Tell Me Bout’ The Good Ole Days)” which was followed up with the other huge Judds hit, “Love Can Build A Bridge.” Over the course of the two songs, things darkened up on the hill. Wynonna let the crowd finish the chorus of “Bridge” completely on their own to end the concert which gave at least two of us in the audience goose bumps- and it wasn’t from the Sierra Nevada chill in the air. And as Wynonna left the stage to a standing ovation, the first stars of the evening began poking out through the evening sky above the stage up on that mountain. It reminded me that, while Wynonna’s own star may have faded a bit on current country radio, for this night she shone as brightly as any in the night sky.

Set list
“The House Is Rockin’”
“No One Else On Earth”
“Tell Me Why”
“Rock Bottom”
“Only Love”
“To Be Loved By You”
“That’s How Rhythm Was Born” (Boswell Sisters Cover)
“Don’t Advertise Your Man” (Sippie Wallace Cover)
“Til’ I Get It Right” (Tammy Wynette Cover)
“Are The Good Times Really Over (I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver)” (Waylon Jennings Cover) “Burning Love” (Elvis Cover)
“I Can Only Imagine” (MercyMe Cover)
“I Want To Know What Love Is” (Foreigner Cover)

Encore
“Grandpa (Tell Me Bout’ The Good Ole Days)”
“Love Can Build A Bridge”

Friday Five Flashback - Schoolhouse Rock!

I have been blessed to write contributions/reviews/interviews/opinion pieces for several country music and roots-oriented websites and publications over the years including Saving Country Music, Nashville Scene, Country California, Country Weekly, American Noise, The 9513 and Engine 145. As a regular contributor to the last two in that list, I did several hundred features/pieces. One of those was this fun Friday Five playlist that I will reprint here to give it a home in perpetuity. This piece was originally published in February 2011 in The 9513.

Back when we only had three television stations and we had to walk five uphill miles both ways to and from school through three feet of snow, Saturday mornings were looked forward to for a little cartoon watching. And if you were watching ABC, you became intimately familiar with a little in-between segment called Schoolhouse Rock!.

Schoolhouse Rock! was an elaborate series of animated musical educational short films that aired during Saturday morning cartoons between 1973 and 1985 (although it was revived again between 1993 and 1999.) It covered topics including grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics.

Now I was a little partial to The Tale Of Mr. Morton, but over the course of the show’s history, we learned how a bill was passed, what the heck an adverb was, our multiplication tables, and even our planets from Interplanet Janet. While the show centered mainly around soft rock and R&B music formats, several of the shorts were centered squarely in country music production. So this Friday, we present five Schoolhouse Rock shorts with country music touches.

5. “Dollars and Sense” Dolly Parton, Reba, Loretta Lynn and Wynonna Judd get great namedrops on this little piece about how interest with the bank works. Becky Sue is a ukulele playing aspiring country music star and she needs a new guitar and amp. Remember back in the good old days where banks actually loaned money?



4. “A Noun Is a Person, Place or Thing” These little shorts weren’t just sung by any little known schmuck off the street. A great example is this little short about nouns. The singer on this track, Lynn Aherns, won a Tony Award for the Broadway musical Ragtime and was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for the animated film "Anastasia."



3. “Three Ring Government” The folks from Schoolhouse Rock! must have been psychics on this little number- politics really did turn into a circus.



2. “Preamble” “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Set to banjo.



1. “Elbow Room” A history geek’s perfect song, this little ditty shares how the citizens of the U.S. spread out across the country across the Mississippi into Louisiana and to the west. That little guy doing the deal with Thomas Jefferson looks like he has a Napoleon-complex.

New Music Video From Wynonna - "Jesus and a Jukebox"

Wynonna Preps Some "Big Noise" For Release In February 2016

Artist: Wynonna
Album: Wynonna and the Big Noise
Label: Curb
Release date: Feb. 12, 2016

With husband-drummer Cactus Moser producing, Wynonna is back with another solo album this coming February. After topping the charts with 14 #1 hits as half of the country music duo The Judds, Wynonna ventured out on a solo career and has eight previouis studio albums to her credit. Wynonna and the Big Noise will be number nine.

In an interview with Alabama Media Group, Wynonna explained the name of the band:

“We’re loud and we call ourselves The Big Noise,” she says. “We go out and shake it up. Piss and vinegar is an understatement.”

But her shows have gotten rowdier, bolder and more unpredictable. Wynonna likes it that way, and Moser does, too.

“We’ve kind of become a Sonny & Cher,” she says. “I tell stories to the crowd, about putting him between my mom and sister at Thanksgiving. We have our shtick. There’s an emphasis on music, but the rest is just an absolute ‘Let it fly.’ We have fun; what a concept.”

Jesse Winchester Passes Away At The Age Of 69

“You can’t talk about the best songwriters and not include him.” – Bob Dylan
“The word that comes to mind is grace.” – Elvis Costello

Jesse Winchester, a singer’s singer and a songwriter’s songwriter, died of bladder cancer on April 11, 2014, at the age of 69. His voice, by turns ethereal, sly, earthy, and heartbreakingly direct, delivered some of the finest songs of our time over more than four decades of live performance, and twelve original albums, including the forthcoming A Reasonable Amount of Trouble. His songs have been covered by artists as different as Jimmy Buffett, Elvis Costello, Reba McEntire, Wilson Pickett, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and the Everly Brothers.

Jesse Winchester was born May 17, 1944 in Bossier City, Louisiana, to James Ridout Winchester and Frances (Manire) Winchester. He spent his early years in Mississippi, and moved to Memphis with his family at age 12, where his father went to work with the Winchester law firm. There, Jesse’s ears were opened to the sounds of rhythm and blues and rockabilly via radio stations such as WDIA, where B.B. King and Rufus Thomas hosted shows, and WHBQ, where the irrepressible Dewey Phillips mixed the music of black and white acts in a glorious jumble. Jesse got his first guitar shortly after arriving in Memphis, and began playing in bands around town while attending Christian Brothers High School.

Winchester left Memphis to attend Williams College, from which he graduated (after a brief period studying, and playing with a band, in Munich, Germany) in 1966. Soon thereafter he received a piece of mail that would profoundly alter the course of his life – a draft notice summoning him to serve in Vietnam. Deeply disturbed by the war and the prospect of killing in what he considered a dubious cause, Winchester abruptly left the United States for Montreal, Canada, where he was to live for the next 36 years.

In Montreal he made his living first playing with various bands, including one called Les Astronauts, whose members were required to dress in spaceman costumes. Deciding that space travel was not his forte, he began to focus on solo performance and, more importantly, songwriting. The first song he wrote, “The Brand-New Tennessee Waltz,” set a very high standard, and remained a signature tune for him. It was eventually covered by Joan Baez, Ralph Stanley, the Everly Brothers, and, in 2000, Patti Page, who had recorded the original “Tennessee Waltz” fifty years earlier.

In 1970, his self-titled first album, Jesse Winchester, was released. Produced by Robbie Robertson and engineered by Todd Rundgren, the album contained several of Jesse’s most enduring and popular songs, including “The Brand New Tennessee Waltz,” “Payday,” “Biloxi,” “Yankee Lady,” and the haunting “Quiet About It.” The record firmly established his reputation as both songwriter and performer, and a succession of albums followed as he kept up a busy touring schedule through Canada, Australia, and Europe.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter announced an amnesty for those who had left the country to avoid being sent to Vietnam, and Jesse was finally able to visit, and perform in, the United States. He did not, however, consider moving back. “I had a Canadian wife,” he said later, “Canadian children, and a Canadian mortgage.” Based in Montreal, he continued busily touring and recording through the 1980s.

On the eve of the 1990s, tired of touring, and with his songs being recorded regularly by top country artists such as Reba McEntire and Wynonna Judd, Winchester took nearly a full decade off from traveling and performing to stay home and concentrate on songwriting. At the end of that decade, Winchester recorded Gentleman of Leisure, an album containing his pick of the songs he’d written during that time. The record, produced by Jerry Douglas, remained one of Winchester’s favorites among his own recordings.

In 2002, he met his future wife, Cindy, and the next year moved back to the United States, settling in Charlottesville, Virginia, after a brief period in his old home town of Memphis. In 2007 he was awarded ASCAP’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.  He maintained a comfortable touring schedule and continued to write new songs, the best of which made up his 2009 album Love Filling Station.

But a 2010 appearance on Elvis Costello’s Sundance series Spectacle introduced Jesse’s music to a new and larger audience. Alongside Costello, Neko Case, Sheryl Crow, and Ron Sexsmith, Jesse performed several songs, most notably the stunning “Sham-A-Ling-Dong-Ding,” from Love Filling Station, a tender and shockingly beautiful ode to the nonsense lyrics in the teenage love songs of the 1950s. The performance literally stopped the show, according to Costello. “I just bowed my head,” the host said, “and told the audience that they had to go home because I could not gather myself to make the next introduction, such was supernatural beauty of his voice.” That performance quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation via YouTube, and Winchester’s performing schedule went into a higher gear.

That wave of activity was brought to an abrupt halt in June 2011, when Jesse was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He underwent surgery and a brief but difficult treatment, which he faced with extraordinary dignity and spirit. Amazingly, in August of that year he was pronounced cancer-free, and he resumed his performing schedule. During his illness, an all-star group of artists recorded an excellent tribute album of Jesse’s songs, entitled Quiet About It. Jimmy Buffett, one of Jesse’s biggest fans, was the driving force behind the tribute.

In February 2014, cancer was found again, and this time it was untreatable. Jesse Winchester finally succumbed to it on April 11, 2014, at home – not alone, but surrounded by the presence and love of his wife, Cindy, and his family.

He is survived by his wife, Cindy, a brother, Cassius Winchester, and a sister, Ellyn Weeks, as well as his children, James Winchester, Alice Winchester, and Marcus Lee Winchester, a stepdaughter, Jennifer Slangerup, and his grandchildren Oliver, Gus, and Luke Dungavell of Ontario, Canada, and Tave and Vann Slangerup of Charlottesville, Virginia.

– Tom Piazza, author and family friend
 

Willie Nelson To Release To All The Girls Album On 9/20

The ever-prolific Willie Nelson will be releasing a large collection of duets with some of country music's brightest ladies called To All The Girls on September 20th of this year. Nelson's iconic and distinctive voice will be paired with the likes of Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn, Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris on the album.

Earlier this year, Nelson let the cat out of the bag in an interview with Exclaim. “We cut most of the tracks in Nashville with people like Barbra Streisand, Loretta Lynn, Rosanne Cash, Alison Krauss and Norah Jones. Miranda Lambert and I just did one of the last songs that Waylon [Jennings] wrote. I’m looking forward to singing with all the girls in Nashville if I get a chance.”

Willie Nelson ‘To All The Girls…’ Track Listing:

1. ‘From Here to the Moon and Back’ feat. Dolly Parton
2. ‘She Was No Good for Me’ feat. Miranda Lambert
3. ‘It Won’t Be Very Long’ feat. The Secret Sisters
4. ‘Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends’ feat. Rosanne Cash
5. ‘Far Away Places’ feat. Sheryl Crow
6. ‘Bloody Mary Morning’ feat. Wynonna Judd
7. ‘Always on My Mind’ feat. Carrie Underwood
8. ‘Somewhere Between’ feat. Loretta Lynn
9. ‘No Mas Amor’ feat. Alison Krauss
10. ‘Back to Earth’ feat. Melonie Cannon
11. ‘Grandma’s Hands’ feat. Mavis Staples
12. ‘Walkin” feat. Norah Jones
13. ‘Till the End of the World’ feat. Shelby Lynne
14. ‘Will You Remember Mine’ feat. Lily Meola
15. ‘Dry Lightning’ feat. Emmylou Harris
16. ‘Making Believe’ feat. Brandi Carlile
17. ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’ feat. Paula Nelson
18. ‘After the Fire Is Gone’ feat. Tina Rose

TNS Video History- Clint Black & Wynonna Judd- "A Bad Goodbye"

Cracker Barrel Unveils New Collections From LeAnn Rimes, Tim McGraw, Larry Gatlin, The Judds, Rodney Atkins and Wynonna

Curb Records and Cracker Barrel have combined forces to introduce new compilation albums from LeAnn Rimes, Tim McGraw, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, The Judds and Rodney Atkins. All are now available at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations.  “This is a great opportunity to share these special packages of our most popular recordings with Cracker Barrel customers,” said Benson Curb, VP Sales/Curb Records.  “We’re happy to offer these projects and look forward to adding more recordings into their stores in the near future.”

Track Listings are as follows:

LeAnn Rimes (Special 3 CD Package)
Disc 1 – This Woman
1. I Want To Be With You
2. You Take Me Home
3. Something’s Gotta Give
4. Won’t Be Lonely Long
5. Nothin’ Bout Love Makes Sense
6. Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way
7. The Weight of Love
8. With You
9. I Got It Bad
10. I Dare You
11. When This Woman Loves A Man
12. Some People

Disc 2 – Blue
1. Blue
2. Hurt Me
3. One Way Ticket
4. My Baby
5. Honestly
6. The Light In Your Eyes
7. Talk To Me
8. I’ll Get Even With You
9. Cattle Call (with Eddy Arnold)
10. Good Lookin’ Man
11. Fade To Blue

Disc 3 – You Light Up My Life
1. You Light Up My Life
2. The Rose
3. Bridge Over Troubled Waters
4. I Believe
5. Ten Thousand Angels Cried
6. Clinging To A Saving Hand
7. On The Side Of Angels
8. I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
9. God Bless America
10. How Do I Live (Extended Mix)
11. Amazing Grace
12. National Anthem

Tim McGraw -- Classic Collection, Greatest Hits
1. Indian Outlaw
2. Don't Take The Girl
3. She Never Lets It Go To Her Heart
4. I Like It, I Love It
5. Just To See You Smile
6. It's Your Love (With Faith Hill)
7. Where The Green Grass Grows
8. For A Little While
9. Please Remember Me
10. Something Like That
11. My Best Friend
12. Maybe We Should Just Sleep On It
13. Down On The Farm
14. My Next Thirty Years
15. Let's Make Love (With Faith Hill)

Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Bros -- Classic Collection
1. All The Gold In California
2. Night Time Magic
3. Broken Lady
4. Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer To You
5. Statues Without Hearts
6. Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down)
7. Handsome Young Gringo
8. Family Reunion
9. Down
10. Americans, That’s Who

The Judds -- Classic Collection
1. Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days)
2. Why Not Me
3. Love Can Build A Bridge
4. Mama He’s Crazy
5. Young Love
6. Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain
7. Love Is Alive
8. Have Mercy
9. Girls Night Out
10. Turn It Loose

Rodney Atkins
1. These Are My People
2. About The South
3. Watching You
4. Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)
5. In The Middle
6. A Man On A Tractor
7. Wasted Whiskey
8. Invisibly Shaken
9. Angel’s Hands
10. If You’re Going Through Hell (Before The Devil Even Knows)
11. Farmer’s Daughter
12. More Like Your Memory (Always Takes Me Back)

Wynonna – Love Heals
1. She Is His Only Need
2. No One Else On Earth
3. My Strongest Weakness
4. Tell Me Why
5. Only Love
6. Rock Bottom
7. What The World Needs
8. Come Some Rainy Day
9.  Is It Over Yet
10. Let Your Light Shine
11. Sing (Radio Mix)
12. When I Fall In Love (Radio Edit)

TNS Video History- Wynonna & Bette Midler- "The Rose"