country music – Ticket 2 Ride

Best songs of country-rock artists: Eagles, Poco, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Loggins & Messina, Marshall Tucker Band, Jimmy Buffett, John Denver

November 3, 2022

What is country rock? It might be the laidback feel, steel pedal guitar, other “traditional” instruments, rockabilly or bluegrass rhythm, or vocal inflection. I like the country rock vibe, though I’m not a big bluegrass, rockabilly or roots fan. I enjoy the early Eagles brand of country rock, but not so much Poco’s early countrified … More Best songs of country-rock artists: Eagles, Poco, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Loggins & Messina, Marshall Tucker Band, Jimmy Buffett, John Denver

Merle Haggard

April 16, 2022

Last week, the Grand Ole Opry celebrated the life of Merle Haggard. Merle was never a “Nashville guy,” he did not like the cookie-cutter way Nashville made their music and preferred the rougher, Bakersfield outlier sound. Still, Merle was a country music icon and an influence on many country music entertainers. In Bakersfield, California on … More Merle Haggard

Musical Surprises

November 25, 2021

I love to be surprised by music I didn’t know about or was convinced I would not like. As I get older, I have to fight harder to move out of my comfort zone of musical tastes. Retracing my steps over many decades, there are some game-changers. Although I will not likely be shouting the … More Musical Surprises

Remembering Nanci Griffith

August 14, 2021

Nanci Griffith passed away this week. She had been out of the new for a long time. Her last album release was in 2012. In January 2020, I wrote the blog below, so I thought I would reflect on it and push it back into the universe. Peace, Nanci. ☀️ With a voice, every bit … More Remembering Nanci Griffith

Marshall Tucker Band: Where We All Belong (1974)

August 13, 2021

I did not really explore the Marshall Tucker Band until I was college in the mid 1970s, although I knew a few of their songs that got played on the radio, but there was more to this band than what disc jockeys offered. MTB did not fit into any singular category. They were country-rock, country, … More Marshall Tucker Band: Where We All Belong (1974)

80s Ladies

December 22, 2020

Country singer K.T. Oslin recently passed away. She had a hit record called “80s Ladies” and it got me to thinking about my interest in country music back in the late 1980s. There were some very successful female singers that flirted with pop music. K.T. Oslin – Sadly, it seemed she did not release a … More 80s Ladies

Kenny Rogers: A Dozen Songs

March 22, 2020

Kenny Rogers passed away, silencing a six decade career. There will be many articles and blogs about his life and long career, so I won’t focus on that. Kenny Rogers did a very unusual thing, he was a successful entertainer in just about every medium and genre. As such, he charted a large number of … More Kenny Rogers: A Dozen Songs

Nanci Griffith

January 24, 2020

With a voice, every bit as distinctive as Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith blended folk, country and pop into vignettes of struggle and joy. Griffith wrote most of her own songs, and was covered by many other artists, but also released albums of songs that influenced her. Mary Chapin Carpenter is … More Nanci Griffith

John McEuen: Musical Royalty

October 10, 2019

Once in a while, you get to meet someone whose career is not only long and successful, but influential. John McEuen, former member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, was scheduled to play a concert at a local venue and spent part of the afternoon talking and playing for a small audience at a music … More John McEuen: Musical Royalty

Jimmy Dean & Roger Miller

May 5, 2019

Tennessee Ernie Ford was the first to have a weekly television show in the late 1950’s, featuring country as well as show tunes and contemporary music. This was more than a decade before Hee Haw. Ford’s show was folksy and traditional. Then along cane Jimmy Dean, who also got a musical show. Dean was arising … More Jimmy Dean & Roger Miller

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Tag: country music