Aficionados of classic country acknowledge the original Carter Family as among the wellsprings of country music. The hundreds of songs recorded by A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter in the 1920s and 1930s are considered foundational works. Most discussion of the Carters, however, then slides effortlessly along to June Carter and her work with Johnny Cash … Continue reading An Overlooked Country Gem
Month: February 2016
Walt Across Texas
Texas got its first Tennessee Walt sighting this past Sunday, Feb. 21, when Walt was a featured guest artist in Gilbert & Sullivan and Me, a lecture/concert presented by noted Gilbert & Sullivan expert Gayden Wren under the auspices of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin. An appreciative audience of Savoyards found a bit … Continue reading Walt Across Texas
Is It Country? Is It Hip Hop? 20 Ways to Tell
As any year’s Grammy awards can demonstrate, Americans love to slice and dice their music. Is a given song country, folk or Americana? Is it folk-rock, alt country or roots music? Is it neo-folk, country-punk or folkabilly? This might not seem important, but it matters in the business end of “show business.” How music is … Continue reading Is It Country? Is It Hip Hop? 20 Ways to Tell
What Is Country Music?
Let’s begin by acknowledging that it’s a profoundly unnecessary question. A good song is a good song, whether you call it country, barbershop or Gregorian chant, and it won’t get any better—or any worse—by any other name. If you like a song, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. Nonetheless, there’s few things Americans like … Continue reading What Is Country Music?
Tennessee Walt 