Country Music

Darius Rucker will release his third country album, True Believers, on Tuesday, May 21st. The album, produced by Frank Rogers, features the current smash hit single “Wagon Wheel” which has just been certified Platinum by the RIAA. In support of his new album, Rucker will perform on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on May 21st and [...]

It is a BIG day for George Strait.  Not only is he celebrating his 61st Birthday today but he is also celebrating his 60th #1 song for “Give It All We Got Tonight”!   They don’t call him the King of Country Music for nothin!  Congratulations and Happy Birthday George!

…in every audience there are those who come not just to hear… but to be healed. Thanks to friend and Willie Nelson fan Katie, from Louisiana, for sharing this picture from her collection. It is from a 1981 Playboy Magazine.

“My brother and I went to the show last night in Des Moines and it was amazing (as usual). Lukas, Amy, Micah, and Paula were all there as well which made it so special. This was my first time seeing Lukas and Willie play together and it was so nice. You can see how proud Willie is of all his children.” — Rawley Butler [Thanks, Rawley! - LL] /a> I got to meet Paul and Kevin before the show which was awesome. They are such great people! After the show I got a picture of me giving Willie a hug and my brother shaking Willie’s hand. It was Zane’s (my brother) first Willie show and he thought it was one of the best concerts he has ever seen (he was especially shocked that he got to shake Willie’s hand and take a picture).

Thank you so much to Frank O, for sharing photos from the Willie Nelson & Family Show at the Surf Ballroom in Iowa. So happy to have a picture of Willie Nelson’s name on the Surf Ballroom Billboard. Billy English, Paula Nelson, Mickey Raphael, Amy Nelson

by: Red Another entry into Creative Common’s Willie Nelson Poster Contest. See more great entries at their website: http://creativeallies.com

Tim McGraw played country music singer turned hero at a recent Two Lanes of Freedom tour stop in Atlanta. Tim was mid-show when he realized a female fan in the pit area collapse from heat exhaustion. I remember waking up and there was Tim McGraw sitting in front of me, handing me water,” recalls Paula [...]

By Dean Gordon-Smith Published: May 17, 2013 1:00 AM Set the lights down low. Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday present to himself is an album of lovely old pop, jazz and country standards done with his band, Family.  Nelson’s selection of songs reveals the wide stretch of his tastes and influences, reaching back 60 years. Also revealed is the well-oiled performance of Family (including sister Bobbie on piano and son Micah on percussion). They give moody readings of Irving Berlin’s title track and a soft rockabilly kick on Carl Perkins’ Matchbox.  The highlights of Nelson’s 61st studio album are his dignified voice and rickety, stately guitar picking. It’s as if, in doing an album of such forgotten classics, Nelson has opened a channel into another expressive side of his delivery that isn’t acknowledged.  Age hasn’t slowed him down and his obvious passion for music making is on display throughout. His take on Twilight Time is an easy metaphor for Nelson’s direction here: it’s played like a swooning celebration of the oncoming evening.  Nelson’s band carries him and Trigger (his battered 1969 Martin gut-string guitar) brings along the low-volume taste.  Because this is a quiet recording, riding the volume control brings the music alive. It also opens the space up and shows what a smart, well modulated set of songs this is and how thoughtfully the band treats them.  The pacing is super smooth, and  the ambiance keeps the embers glowing. By the time the swing ballad, I Wish I Didn’t Love You, appears, you’re 10 tracks in. The mood is mellow; the sound is sweet and Nelson sounds like an old friend playing great songs that he’s plucked out of the ether. The music is relaxed and familiar but never dull or complacent: there’s joy in the playing.  Then Nelson and Family give Nuages (written by Django Rheinhardt) a smoky Western treatment that’s a laid-back stunner before ending on the ambiguous Spade Cooley song Shame on You.  The album is another definition of cool and Nelson demonstrates why it’s good to keep it real.  — Dean Gordon-Smith is a musician and freelance writer who reviews new releases for The Morning Star. Rating:

photo: Paul Marotta www.TasteofCountry.com by: Christina Vinson Willie Nelson has made a lasting and memorable contribution to country music, solidifying his status as an icon. At 80, he continues to make himself known — not only in music, but also as a kind heart. The singer recently turned his birthday bash into a benefit for the victims of last month’s West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion, and hanging over a big check to go toward the relief efforts just this week. Shotgun Willie raised more $120,000 following the tragedy, the Tennessean reports. A representative for the singer presented a check on Monday (May 13) for nearly $81,000 to the West Volunteer Fire Department. Most of that money was raised during Nelson’s Austin-area benefit concert. In addition, approximately $40,000 was given to Nelson’s hometown of Abbott, which was also impacted by the blast. “There are a lot of our friends and loved ones and neighbors down there,” the singer says. “We talked to some of them and some of them made it out OK, and some of them didn’t.” The ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance‘ icon certainly provided a vast amount of relief through his philanthropic and heartfelt giving, and his care for the people in the West, Texas area is tangible. Adds Nelson, “But they’re strong and they’ll be back. It’s one of those things you don’t get over. But you will get through it.” It doesn’t seem that the legendary singer will kick his feet up in a leisurely retirement anytime soon — after the release of a new album, Nelson is gearing up for the 2013 Taste of Country Music Festival this June and will keep up a busy touring schedule throughout the heat of the summer.