The 2000 publication of Dolly Bull’s lavish Hillbilly Hollywood may well have inspired its successor, Nudie The Rodeo Tailor, written by granddaughter Jamie Lee Nudie and Mary Lynn Cabrall. Nudie is a bit less lavish (it has a similar die-cut […]
When IBMA Hall of Honor member Charlie Waller suffered a fatal heart attack on August 18, bluegrass lost one of the greatest interpreters and ambassadors the music has known. Lead vocalist and guitar player for the Country Gentlemen for nearly […]
Bandleader Isidro Lopez, who died in Corpus Christi, Texas, on August 16 at age 75, was to Tejano music what Ray Charles was to soul, or Clifton Chenier to zydeco. Lopez combined two popular genres — in his case, conjunto […]
If alternative-country has ever had a definitive drummer, it would be Kenneth A. Buttrey. After a long battle with cancer, Buttrey died at his Nashville home on September 12, 2004. He was 59. Buttrey brought the mercury to the thin, […]
Bassist William “Lum” York played in Hank Williams’ Driftin’ Cowboys band during the mid-to-late 1940s. Also known for his comic skills, York performed in Lefty Frizzell’s and Marty Robbins’ bands as well. He died on August 15 at age 85. […]
Under a purple evening sky, Bloodshot Records founders Nan Warshaw and Rob Miller took to the temporary stage that filled the street outside Chicago bar the Hideout. Capping a day-long celebration of their label’s tenth anniversary, the pair thanked a […]
The fourth annual Spread Your Wings Benefit Concert for Breast Cancer was more of a regional affair than previous benefits, which have featured the likes of Alejandro Escovedo, Richard Buckner, Jim Lauderdale, Kevin Gordon, the Gourds and the Silos. This […]
To add to the buzzing anticipation of Golden Smog’s first sighting in New York since 1998, the all-star band scheduled not one but two shows at the intimate Bowery Ballroom. Since the group’s inception in the early ’90s, an impressive […]
Between his woodworking business in Austin and his fondness for flyfishing, J.T. Van Zandt, the oldest of Townes’ three children, doesn’t tour much. That’s a shame, because his pleasant stage persona, evident sincerity and inborn musicality are a dandy combination. […]
Music writers need to retire the words “quirky,” “endearing” and even “dishabille” from their thesauri. Give it up; Victoria Williams owns them. As always, throughout the first show of a brief, politically inspired tour through “swing states,” Williams sang as […]
