As I continue to spotlight some amazingly dedicated radio programmers from other countries, Dutch DJ Jos Van den Boom is the first to mention the universal, worldwide question of what to do with all the CDs we accumulate. Bill Frater: Where […]
In my continuing effort to highlight DJs from all over the world, I present Rolf Hierath from Germany. He is a big Johnny Cash fan and does no less then three weekly radio shows. Bill Frater: Where and when did you […]
Three weeks ago — on April 6, 2016— Merle Haggard died. His unmistakable voice wound its way into our lives in drinkin’ songs (“I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” Barroom Buddies”), family songs (“Grandma Harp,” “Daddy Frank,” “Mama […]
When I was a kid, the place was called Spec’s Music — a chain store that sat at the far corner of a WalMart shopping center. My development as a musician and music fan could be traced by the albums […]
Welcome to the front porch of The Real Easy Ed, where each week I curate, aggregate and update news, events, images, ideas, sound, fury, odds and ends. Just a little place to pause for a few minutes, get out of the sun […]
Jason Samuel is a regular attendee at the Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville every year. When I’ve seen him there, I’ve always appreciated his enthusiasm for the music and for radio. Bill Frater: Where and when did you start in […]
Branded Man. Outlaw. Okie. Poet. The Working Man. Hag. Merle Haggard defies labels. But he has been tagged with many. Kris Kristofferson namechecks him in the superb song “Wild American,” a tribute to people who show courage, conviction and individualism […]
While it’s a little hard to admit that every now and then I can lose my focus and get sidetracked, there are those occasions when I take on a particular subject only to end up somewhere else. For example, about […]
Johnny Cash wrote an entire song about his iconic wardrobe: Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day And tell the world that everything’s okay But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back Til things are […]
This is a tale of two historic and enduring country music institutions based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Grand Ole Opry-the longest running live radio broadcast in America and Ryman Auditorium-where the Opry called home for thirty years. Today they […]
