- Glen Campbell has announced that he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and will embark on a farewell tour this fall. Just earlier this month, a reviewer for the Indianapolis Star described a “mystifyingly bad show” in which Campbell forgot lyrics and seemed generally confused.
- Garth Brooks and Leon Russell were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last week.
- Mindy McCready is suing her mom and the National Enquirer for portraying her as an unfit parent.
- Kris Kristofferson turns 75 today, and The Tennessean has a photo gallery of Kris through the ages.
- Country Day: June at Farce the Music includes parody album covers of Eli Young Band, Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson, Rhonda Vincent, Justin Moore, Sammy Kershaw, and more.
- There’s a new Guy Clark live album called Songs and Stories coming out August 16. Recorded at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre, it features Guy Clark being awesome and support from Verlon Thompson, Shawn Camp, Bryn Davies, and Kenny Malone. Country Standard Time has the full track listing.
- GAC’s News & Notes has details on Vince Gill’s upcoming single (“Threaten Me With Heaven”) and album (Guitar Slinger), both due later this year.
- My Kind of Country’s Occasional Hope reviewed one of the great unheralded Randy Travis albums, 1996′s Full Circle. It’s one of my favorites.
- Dolly Parton will perform new single “Together You and I” on “The Tonight Show” this Friday.
- Rosie Flores’ Kickstarter project to mix and master the final recordings of late rockabilly legend Janis Martin successfully met its funding goal of $15,000. Pretty cool to see.
- That Nashville Sound has a brief review of David Adam Byrnes’ Premium Country, one of the spotlight selections in yesterday’s new album roundup.
- Connie Smith has a new Facebook page where you can hear the title track of her upcoming album.
- Chris Neal has a blog!
- Writing for American Songwriter, Jewly Hight reviewed Matraca Berg’s latest:
When it comes to songwriting, Berg’s new album is a reminder of the remarkable alchemy she’s capable of. “If I Had Wings” is a story of dead-ends, domestic abuse and death lifted by a breathtaking—even hooky—melody. “Racing the Angels” soars too, even though it’s a song of loss. “Your Husband’s Cheating On Us” gets a story of savvy women across with spellbinding talking-blues cool, in the spirit of Bobbie Gentry.
- Also writing for American Songwriter, Stephen Deusner reviewed Gillian Welch’s first album in eight years, The Harrow & the Harvest. That one hits stores next week.
- Bob Losche reviewed Gary Nicholson’s new album, Texas Songbook, over at Country Universe.
- Speaking of Country Universe, the staff of that site is embarking on an ambitious retro single reviews project that will initially focus on the complete works of Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, George Strait, and Shania Twain. Overachievers.
- Kenny Rogers reportedly built a recording studio that runs on puppy blood and children’s nightmares.
- Toby Keith will make his Bluebird Cafe debut on June 28, performing alongside frequent collaborators Scotty Emerick and Bobby Pinson. Tickets range from $75 to $150.
- Music Fog caught Cody Canada & the Departed performing “Years in the Making.”
- As if that weren’t enough, they also have The Trishas performing “Chicken and Dumplings.”
- I am utterly confused by any list of the “Top 10 Blake Shelton Songs” that puts both “Honey Bee” and “Hillbilly Bone” ahead of “Goodbye Time.” Really, The Boot?
- If you’ll be in or around Los Angeles next Tuesday (June 28), you can enter this here contest to win tickets to an intimate show by Jeff Bridges. If you’ll be somewhere else, you can still enter to win some $300 Bowers & Wilkins P5 headphones.
- Ben Foster spoke with fiddler Jeremy Abshire of The Grascals.
- Tonight on Music City Roots: Westbound Rangers, Sarah Jarosz, Becky Schlegel, Jim Lauderdale, Tiller’s Folly. Catch the video live stream starting at 7PM CST.
- Cool off with some new music from David Adam Byrnes.
Glen Campbell Has Alzheimer’s; Mindy McCready Suing Mom, National Enquirer; New Guy Clark Live Album
June 22, 2011 by 5 Comments
Bless ‘Em, Blame ‘Em – October 3
Miranda Lambert, Pistol Annies Albums Get Release Dates; Oak Ridge Boys to Join Opry; RIP Kenny Baker About C.M. Wilcox
A freelance writer and humorist with an abiding love of country music, C.M. Wilcox's cutting, clear-eyed take on the genre has drawn the attention of Country Weekly, The Washington Post, and The Tennessean in the years since this site began. He lives near Sacramento and can be reached by email at CMW (at) countrycalifornia.com.
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Jim is doing a full set with his bluegrass band tonight, launching his new record ‘Reason and Rhyme’. I’ll be tuning in from Sydney.
That’s really too bad about Glen Campbell. It’s an awful disease. I won’t be surprised if he won’t be able to get through the whole tour, but I hope he can.
Thanks for the heads up on the B&W Jeff Bridges contest. Gosh, if you win they notify you the day before the concert! Talk about last minute planning! (lol) I would like a pair of the headphones though.
I got to see Sierra Hull do a short set last night in Hollywood at The Hotel Cafe and Sierra and her band sound just as good live as they do on her CD’s. I requested “Best Buy” before the show and they graciously added it to the set list. Sierra said that since the song title is a plug for the big electronics chain, she’s really been hoping to get some free stuff from them for promotional reasons! No luck so far…(lol)
MCR’s guest tonight Sarah Jarosz is coming to LA this weekend and while I’m going to see her at McCabe’s Guitar Shop I’d really rather have it be a full set from Sierra Hull. I’ll take straight ahead bluegrass over that high falutin’ jazzy grass stuff any day of the week. Garrison Keillor needs to start booking Sierra Hull as much as he does Sarah!
Chris Neal has a new blog, eh? I’ll have to head on over to annoy that dyed in the wool, politically correct libtard! Man I miss ranting and raving at The 9513…
I rather disappointed at some of the omissions on that Shelton list – no ‘It Ain’t Easy Being Me’?
Thanks for the link!
Rick, you stay right here.