Fans Against Fake Bands » Country Music

38 Special

videeoo — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:31:55 +0000

Rating 4 Stars 38 Special is an American rock band that was formed by neighborhood friends Don Barnes and Donnie Van Zant in 1975 in Jacksonville, Florida. By the early 1980s, 38 Special began amalgamating southern rock and arena rock in their music, thereby kicking off a string of successful albums and singles. Their first high-charting song was “Hold On Loosely” (1981); “Caught Up In You” (1982) and “If I’d Been The One” (1983) both hit #1 on Billboard magazine’s Album Rock Tracks chart. “Back Where You Belong” (1984) continued the annual sequence of radio favorites, and “Second Chance” (1989), a #1 hit on Billboard’s adult contemporary chart, was sung by former Specialist Max Carl. In 2007, 38 Special was the opening act on Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr.’s Rowdy Frynds Tour, and on September 27, 2008, they filmed a CMT Crossroads special with country singer Trace Adkins, performing both artists’ hits from over the years. In 2009, 38 Special opened for REO Speedwagon and Styx as part of the “Can’t Stop Rockin’ Tour.” The current lineup consists of Barnes, Van Zant, guitarist Danny Chauncey, bassist Larry Junstrom, keyboardist Bobby Capps and drummer Gary Moffatt. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Alabama

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:31:24 +0000

Rating: 4.5 Stars Alabama’s members are lead singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter Randy Owen; his cousin, bass player, songwriter and harmony vocalist Teddy Gentry; their distant cousin, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Jeff Cook; and drummer Mark Herndon. Owen, Gentry and Cook became professional musicians in 1973, taking up residence in a honky-tonk called The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, S.C. There the band sometimes played for 13 hours a day, going through three drummers during the next six years. To survive, they not only played all the time, they played a little of everything — rock, country, pop, dance music, r&b, whatever. In 1979, the year Herndon joined, RCA Records signed the band. This was an unusual event at the time. Prior to the rise of Alabama, the concept of groups in country music was rather unfamiliar. Although common — indeed, dominant — in rock ‘n roll, the idea of bands being stars in country was foreign. Alabama changed all that. Its stardom led to an infusion of bands into the genre in the 80s and 90s. Alabama’s string of No. 1 hits began in the summer of 1980 with Owen’s song “Tennessee River.” Its success made Alabama the first country group to top the chart with its first major-label release. The ballad “Why Lady Why” topped the charts as 1980 drew to a close. Then “Old Flame” followed suit. By the touring season of 1981, Alabama had three straight No. 1s. The members’ long hair, dynamic onstage antics and country-rock sound made it the hottest “youth appeal” act on the country scene. One recurring theme has been fidelity, commitment and enduring love. The first single to explore this was 1981′s “Feels So Right.” Since then, Alabama has returned to this kind of romance several times. “Face to Face,” featuring a cameo appearance by K.T. Oslin, topped the charts in early 1988. “When We Make Love” (1984), “There’s No Way” (1985), “(You’ve Got) The Touch” (1987), “Once Upon a Lifetime” (1993) and “Forever’s As Far As I’ll Go” (1990) also became chart-topping Alabama love ballads. In addition to going to the peak of the country hit parade, the mid-tempo love song “Love in the First Degree” became a No. 15 pop hit during Christmas Week in 1981. Alabama returned to the Southern-rock style of “Tennessee River” in 1982′s Grammy Award winning “Mountain Music.” Other staples of the band’s early repertoire that showcased Cook’s rompin’, stompin’ fiddle style were 1984′s “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)” and 1983′s “Dixieland Delight.” Alabama scored several of its biggest hits with working-man’s anthems and homages to its Southern roots. “Roll On (18 Wheeler)” saluted truck drivers in 1984. Even more stirring was 1985′s “Forty Hour Week (for a Livin’).” The band’s proud-of-Dixie songs include such No. 1 hits as “Song of the South” (1989), “High Cotton” (1989) and “Southern Star” (1990). “Down Home” (1991), “Hometown Honeymoon” (1993) and “Born Country” (1992) also mine this rural vein. The band has proved equally capable with sophisticated pop-rockers as Exile’s “Take Me Down” (1982) and “The Closer You Get” (1983), Beth Nielsen Chapman and Vince Gill’s “Here We Are” (1991) and the Dave Loggins tune “She and I” (1986). Alabama’s 1985 favorite “(There’s a) Fire in the Night” later appeared on the soundtrack of the Patrick Swayze movie Roadhouse. One of the hallmarks of Alabama’s career is its impressive ability to shift musical genres, production techniques and song styles from year to year. Thus, its No. 1 hits include honky-tonkers such as “Jukebox in My Mind” (1990), thoughtful meditations like “Then Again” (1991) and “Close Enough to Perfect” (1982), the lilting Carpenters pop tune “Touch Me When We’re Dancing” (1986), the raucous “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” (1985) and 1983′s insightful “Lady Down on Love.” As different as those sounds are, they share one thing in common. They all became No. 1 hits. By the close of the 1980s Alabama had smashed all records for chart dominance by a country group. The Academy of Country Music named Alabama its artist of the decade. Another major milepost along the way was “If I Had You.” In 1989, it became the band’s 25th No. 1 single. The group entered the 1990s with more audio personality than ever. The frenetic “I’m in a Hurry (and Don’t Know Why)” (1992), the blue-collar rocker “Reckless” (1993), the bopping “She Ain’t Your Ordinary Girl” (1994) and the energetic “Give Me One More Shot” (1994) all hit the No. 1 spot. Owen’s favorite from this era is a fatherhood ballad, 1995′s “In Pictures.” For many years, Alabama has championed and supported worthy causes, both in the national arena and in their local community of Fort Payne, Ala. In 1989, Owen and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., established the “Country Cares” fundraiser. The “Country Cares” radio network currently boasts over 160 stations nationwide. The country music industry embraced the cause, and through the combined efforts of the radiothon and other industry functions, “Country Cares” has raised a staggering $130 million for St. Jude. In 1997, Alabama participated in the recording of Country Cares for Kids, a holiday album to benefit the hospital. The band members have made countless appearances on the hospital’s behalf. Alabama’s June Jam, held in Fort Payne for 15 years, was one of the premier country music concerts in the nation. Artists ranging from Garth Brooks to Vince Gill and Neal McCoy joined Fort Payne’s famous sons for concert performances that raised more than $4 million for various organizations within the local community. One organization is The Big Oak Ranch, which helps children 6-21 who are orphaned, abused, neglected, homeless or have had minor trouble with the law. In 1998, the band was honored with its own star in the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2000, it was presented with the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award. The band announced its farewell tour during the Academy of Country Music awards in 2002, and spent most of 2003 saying good-bye to the fans. In 2005, they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The following year, they notched a No. 1 country album, Songs of Inspiration. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Allman Brothers

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:40:48 +0000

No Rating, this band does not tour The story of the Allman Brothers Band is one of triumph, tragedy, redemption, dissolution, and a new redemption. Over nearly 30 years, they’ve gone from being America’s single most influential band to a has-been group trading on past glories, to reach the 21st century as one of the most respected rock acts of their era. For the first half of the 1970s, the Allman Brothers Band was the most influential rock group in America, redefining rock music and its boundaries. The band’s mix of blues, country, jazz, and even classical influences, and their powerful, extended on-stage jamming altered the standards of concert performance — other groups were known for their on-stage jamming, but when the Allman Brothers stretched a song out for 30 or 40 minutes, at their best they were exciting, never self-indulgent. They gave it all a distinctly Southern voice and, in the process, opened the way for a wave of ’70s rock acts from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, including the Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Blackfoot, whose music, at least initially, celebrated their roots. And for a time, almost single-handedly, they also made Capricorn Records into a major independent label. The group was founded in 1969 by Duane Allman (b. Nov. 20, 1946-d. Oct. 29, 1971) on guitar; Gregg Allman (b. Dec. 8, 1947) on vocals and organ; Forrest Richard (“Dickey”) Betts (b. Dec. 12, 1943) on guitar; Berry Oakley (b. Apr. 4, 1948-d. Nov. 12, 1972) on bass; and Claude Hudson (“Butch”) Trucks (b. May 11, 1947) and Jaimoe (Johnny Lee Johnson) Johanson (b. July 8, 1944) on drums. Duane and Gregg Allman loved soul and R&B, although they listened to their share of rock & roll, especially as it sounded coming out of England in the mid-’60s. Their first group was a local Daytona Beach garage band called the Escorts, who sounded a lot like the early Beatles and Rolling Stones; they later became the Allman Joys and plunged into Cream-style British blues, and then the Hour Glass, a more soul-oriented outfit. The group landed a contract with Liberty Records with help from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but the company wasted the opportunity on a pair of over-produced albums that failed to capture the Hour Glass’ sound. The group split up after Liberty rejected a proposed third LP steeped in blues and R&B. Duane Allman began working as a session guitarist at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, and it was there, appearing on records by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, John Hammond, and King Curtis, among others, that he made his reputation. In 1969, at the coaxing of ex-Otis Redding manager Phil Walden, Allman gave up session work and began putting together a new band — Jaimoe came aboard, and then Allman’s longtime friend Butch Trucks and another Allman friend, Berry Oakley, joined, along with Dickey Betts, with whom Oakley was playing in a group called Second Coming. A marathon jam session ensued, at the end of which Allman had his band, except for a singer — that came later, when his brother Gregg agreed to join. They were duly signed to Walden’s new Capricorn label. The band didn’t record their first album until after they’d worked their sound out on the road, playing heavily around Florida and Georgia. The self-titled debut album was a solid blues-rock album and one of the better showcases for guitar pyrotechnics in a year with more than its share, amid albums by Cream, Blind Faith, the Jeff Beck Group, and Led Zeppelin. It didn’t sell 50,000 copies on its initial release, but The Allman Brothers Band impressed everyone who heard it and nearly everyone who reviewed it. Coming out at the end of the 1960s, it could have passed for a follow-up to the kind of blues-rock coming out of England from acts like Cream, except that it had a sharper edge — the Allmans were American and Southern, and their understanding of blues (not to mention elements of jazz, mostly courtesy of Jaimoe) was as natural as breathing. The album also introduced one of the band’s most popular concert numbers, “Whipping Post.” Their debut album attracted good reviews and a cult following with its mix of assured dual lead guitars by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, soulful singing by Gregg Allman, and a rhythm section that was nearly as busy as the lead instruments, between Oakley’s rock-hard bass and the dual drumming of Trucks and Johanson. Their second album, 1970′s Idlewild South, recorded at Capricorn’s studios in Macon, GA, was produced by Tom Dowd, who had previously recorded Cream. This was a magical combination — Dowd was completely attuned to the group’s sound and goals, and Idlewild South broadened that sound, adding a softer acoustic texture to their music and introducing Betts as a composer (including the original studio version of “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” an instrumental tribute to Miles Davis that would become a highlight of their shows, in many different forms, for the next 30 years). It also had a Gregg Allman number, “Midnight Rider,” which became one of the band’s more widely covered originals and the composer’s signature tune. By this time, the band’s concerts were becoming legendary for the extraordinarily complex yet coherent interplay between the two guitarists and Gregg Allman’s keyboards, sometimes in jams of 40 minutes or more to a single song without wasting a note. And unlike the art rock bands of the era, they weren’t interested in impressing anyone with how they played scales, how many different tunings they knew, or which classical riffs they could quote. Rather, the Allmans incorporated the techniques and structures of jazz and classical into their playing. In March of 1971, the band played a series of shows at the Fillmore East that were recorded for posterity and subsequently transformed into their third album, At Fillmore East. This double LP, issued in July of 1971, became an instant classic, rivaling the previous blues-rock touchstone cut at the Fillmore, Cream’s Wheels of Fire. Duane Allman and his band were suddenly the new heroes to millions of mostly older teenage fans. Although it never cracked the Top Ten, At Fillmore East was certified as a gold record on October 15, 1971. Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident 14 days later. The band had been midway through work on its next album, Eat a Peach, which they completed as a five-piece, with Dickey Betts playing all of the lead and slide guitar parts. Their second double album in a row became another instant classic, and their first album to reach the Top Ten, peaking at number five. Despite having completed Eat a Peach, the group was intact in name only. Rather than try to replace Duane Allman as a guitarist, they contrived to add a second solo instrument in the form of a piano, played by Chuck Leavell. The group had already begun work on a long-delayed follow-up to Eat a Peach, when Oakley was killed in a motorcycle accident only a few blocks from Allman’s accident site. Lamar Williams (b. Jan. 15, 1949-d. Jan. 25, 1983) was recruited on bass, and the new lineup continued the group’s concert activities, as well as eventually finishing the band’s next album, Brothers and Sisters. which was released on August 1, 1973. During the extended gap in releases following Eat a Peach, Atco reissued The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South together as the double LP Beginnings, which charted higher than either individual release. Brothers and Sisters marked the beginning of a new era. The album had a more easygoing and freewheeling sound, less bluesy and more country-ish. This was partly a result of Capricorn losing the services of Tom Dowd, who had produced their three previous albums. Additionally, Dickey Betts’ full emergence as a songwriter and singer as well as the group’s only guitarist, playing all of the lead and slide parts, altered the balance of the group’s sound, pushing forth his distinct interest in country-rock. Betts also became the reluctant de facto leader of the band during this period, not from a desire for control as much as because he was the only one with the comparative stability and creative input to take on the responsibility. The record occupied the number one spot for six weeks, spurred by the number two single “Ramblin’ Man,” and became their most well-known album. It was an odd reversal of the usual order of success for a rock band — usually, it was the release of an album that drew the crowds to concerts, but in this case, the months of touring the band had done paved the way for the album. The fact that it kept getting pushed back only heightened the fans’ interest. Ironically, Brothers and Sisters was a less challenging record than the group’s earlier releases, with a relatively laid-back sound, relaxed compared to the groundbreaking work on the group’s previous four albums. But all of this hardly mattered; based on the reputation they’d established with their first four albums, and the crowd-pleasing nature of “Ramblin’ Man” and the Dickey Betts-composed instrumental “Jessica,” the group was playing larger halls and bigger crowds than ever. An entire range of Southern rock acts had started to make serious inroads into the charts in the wake of the Allman Brothers. Labels such as MCA and even Island Records began looking for this same audience, signing acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot, respectively, among others. For the first time since the mid-’50s, the heyday of the rockabilly era, a major part of the country was listening to rock & roll with a distinctly Southern twang. The band began showing cracks in 1974, as Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts both began solo careers, recording albums separately from the group. Allman married Cher (twice), an event that set him up in a Hollywood-based lifestyle that created a schism with the rest of the band. They might have survived all of this, but for the increasing strain of the members’ other personal habits — drugs and alcohol had always been a significant part of the lives of each of the members, except perhaps for Jaimoe, but as the strain and exhaustion of touring continued, coupled with the need to produce new music, these indulgences began to get out of control, and Betts’ leadership of the group created a further strain for him. The band’s difficulties were showcased by their next album, the highly uneven Win, Lose or Draw, which lacked the intensity and sharpness of their prior work. The whole band wasn’t present for some of the album, and Gregg Allman’s involvement with Cher, coupled with his serious drug problems, prevented him from participating with the rest of the group — his vocals were added separately, on the other side of the country. The band finally came apart in 1976 when Allman found himself in the midst of a federal drug case against a supplier and agreed to testify against a friend and band employee. Leavell, Johanson, and Williams split to form Sea Level, which became a moderately successful band, cutting four albums for Capricorn over the next four years, while Betts pursued a solo career. All of them vowed never to work with Gregg Allman again. Amid this split, Capricorn Records, reaching ever deeper into its vaults for anything that could generate income, issued two collections, a double-LP live collection called Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas, showcasing the Brothers and Sisters-era band at various concerts, and a double-LP best-of package, And the Road Goes On Forever. Wipe the Windows was a modest seller, appearing as it did when the group’s sales had already fallen off, and it was compared unfavorably with the legendary work on At Fillmore East. The studio compilation passed with barely a ripple, however, because most fans already had the stuff on the original albums. They were all back together by 1978, however, and over the next four years the group issued a somewhat uneven series of albums. Enlightened Rogues (1979) somewhat redeemed their reputations — produced by Tom Dowd, who had always managed to get the very best work out of the group, it had more energy than any record they’d issued in at least six years. It also restored the two-guitar lineup, courtesy of Dan Toler (from Dickey Betts’ solo band), who was brought in when Chuck Leavell (along with Lamar Williams) refused to return to the Allmans. By that time, however, the Allmans were fighting against time and musical trends. Disco, punk, and power pop had pretty much stolen a march on the arena acts epitomized by the Allmans; whatever interest they attracted was a matter of nostalgia for their earlier releases. The group was in danger of becoming arena rock’s third big oldies act (after the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s Wings). Additionally, their business affairs were in a shambles, owing to the bankruptcy of Capricorn Records in late 1979. When the fallout from the Capricorn collapse settled, PolyGram Records, the company’s biggest creditor, took over the label’s library, and the Allman Brothers were cut loose from their contract. Their signing to Arista enabled the group to resume recording. What they released, however, was safe, unambitious, routinely commercial pop/rock, closer in spirit to the Doobie Brothers than their own classic work, and a shadow of that work, without any of the invention and daring upon which they’d built their reputations. The group’s fortunes hit a further downturn when Jaimoe was fired, breaking up one of the best rhythm sections in rock. For most of the 1980s, the group was on hiatus, while the individual members sorted out their personal and professional situations. During those years, only Dickey Betts seemed to be in a position to do much with his music, and most of that wasn’t selling. In 1989, the band was reactivated again, partly owing to PolyGram’s decision to issue the four-CD box set retrospective Dreams. That set, coupled with the reissue of their entire Capricorn catalog on compact disc in the years leading up to the box’s release, reminded millions of older listeners of the band’s greatness, and introduced the group to millions of people too young to have been around for Watkins Glen, much less the Fillmore shows. They reunited and also restored the band’s original double-lead-guitar configuration, adding Warren Haynes on lead guitar alongside Dickey Betts, with Allen Woody playing bass; Chuck Leavell was gone, however, having agreed to join the Rolling Stones on tour as their resident keyboard player, and Lamar Williams had succumbed to cancer in 1983. The new lineup reinvigorated the band, which signed with Epic Records and surprised everyone with their first release, Seven Turns. Issued in 1990, it got some of the best reviews and healthiest sales they’d had in more than a decade. Their subsequent studio albums failed to attract as much enthusiasm, and their two live albums, An Evening With the Allman Brothers Band and 2nd Set, released in 1992 and 1995, respectively, were steady but not massive sellers. Much of this isn’t the fault of the material so much as a natural result of the passage of time, which has left the Allmans competing with two decades’ worth of successors and rivals. The group has stayed together since 1989, overcoming continuing health and drug problems, which have occasionally battered their efforts at new music. They remain a top concert attraction 25-plus years after their last historically important album, easily drawing more than 20,000 fans at a time to outdoor venues, or booking 2,000-seat theaters for three weeks at a time. Their back catalog, especially the first five albums, remain consistent sellers on compact disc and recently returned to the reconstituted Capricorn label (still a home for Southern rockers, including the latter-day Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as reissues of Elmore James and other classic bluesmen), under a 1997 licensing agreement that has resulted in their third round of digital remastering. Apart from their Arista releases, the Allman Brothers Band has remained remarkably consistent, altering their music only gradually over 30 years. They sound more country than they did in their early days, and they’re a bit more varied in the vocal department, but they have still been soaring at their concerts and on most of their records over the last ten-plus years. Source: Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Brooks & Dunn

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:55:06 +0000

5 Stars Leon Eric “Kix” Brooks III was born May 12, 1955, in Shreveport, La., and worked the club circuit in Alaska and Maine before moving to Nashville in 1979. Ronnie Gene Dunn was born June 1, 1953, in Coleman, Texas, and briefly studied theology at Abilene (Texas) Christian College before moving to Tulsa, Okla. There, he fronted the house band at a popular nightspot called Duke’s Country. Later, he broke into the national spotlight by winning a talent contest sponsored by Marlboro. In 1990, Arista Records’ Tim DuBois put the two hopefuls together. “Brand New Man,” the duo’s first single, blasted to No. 1 in 1991, followed by the chart-topping “My Next Broken Heart,” “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” Their debut album Brand New Man has since sold more than 6 million copies. They kept up their winning streak with more No. 1 hits: “She Used to Be Mine,” “That Ain’t No Way to Go,” “She’s Not the Cheatin’ Kind,” “Little Miss Honky Tonk” and “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone.” Dunn usually serves as the lead vocalist while Brooks plays guitar and works the stage. Although they write most of their material, a 1996 remake of “My Maria” spent three weeks at No. 1. They won the CMA entertainer of the year trophy in 1996. In 1998, a duet with Reba McEntire (“If You See Him/If You See Her”) reached No. 1, and they toured together extensively. The duo’s 1999 album Tight Rope failed to yield a smash hit, but they returned in a big way with “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” in 2001. The song spent six weeks at No. 1, and the follow-up “Only in America” became a rallying cry after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The duo also launched the hugely popular Neon Circus & Wild West Show tour, bringing along a variety of up-and-coming acts. The album Red Dirt Road arrived in 2003, which the duo supported by touring smaller markets. The title track quickly reached No. 1 and received a Grammy nomination. Greatest Hits II in 2004 produced the No. 1 hit, “It’s Getting Better All the Time.” The following year, the duo released Hillbilly Deluxe, which included the hits “Play Something Country” and “Believe.” The duo hosted the CMA Awards in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2006, “Believe” won CMA Awards for song and single of the year and Brooks & Dunn won in the vocal duo category. Because Dunn co-wrote “Believe,” the victory moved him into first place among all CMA winners, with a total of 19; Brooks is just behind with 18, tied with Vince Gill. Source and more information: Wikipedia

Chet Atkins

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:42:32 +0000

Without Chet Atkins, country music may never have crossed over into the pop charts in the ’50s and ’60s. Although he recorded hundreds of solo records, Atkins’ largest influence came as a session musician and a record producer. During the ’50s and ’60s, he helped create the Nashville sound, a style of country music that owed nearly as much to pop as it did to honky-tonks. Born June 20, 1924, in Luttrell, Tenn., Atkins didn’t begin his musical career by playing guitar. On the recommendation of his older brother, Lowell, he began playing the fiddle at a child. However, Chet was still attracted to the guitar, and at the age of nine he traded a pistol for a guitar. Atkins’ style grew out of his admiration for Merle Travis, expanding Travis’ signature syncopated thumb and fingers roll into new territory. He learned his instrument rapidly, becoming an accomplished player by the time he left high school in 1941. Using a variety of contacts, he wound up performing on the Bill Carlisle Show on WNOX in Knoxville, TN, as well as becoming part of the Dixie Swingers. Atkins worked with Homer & Jethro while he was at the radio station. After three years, he moved to a radio station in Cincinnati. Supporting Red Foley, Atkins made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1946. That same year, he made his first records, recording for Bullet. Atkins also began making regular performances on the WRVA radio station in Richmond, VA, but he was repeatedly fired because his musical arrangements differed from the expectations of the station’s executives. He eventually moved to Springfield, MO, working for the KWTO station. A tape of one of Atkins’ performances was sent to RCA Victor’s office in Chicago. Eventually, it worked its way to Steve Sholes, the head of country music at RCA. Sholes had heard Atkins previously, and had been trying to find him for several years. By the time Sholes heard the tape, Atkins had moved to Denver, and was playing with Shorty Thompson & His Rangers. Upon receiving the call from RCA, he moved to Nashville to record. Once he arrived in Nashville, Atkins recorded eight tracks for the label, five of which featured the guitarist singing. Impressed by his playing, Sholes made Atkins the studio guitarist for all of the RCA studio’s Nashville sessions in 1949. The following year, Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters hired him as a regular on the Grand Ole Opry, making his place in Nashville’s musical community secure. While he worked for RCA, he played on many hit records and helped fashion the Nashville sound. RCA appreciated his work and made him a consultant to the company’s Nashville division in 1953. That year, the label began to issue a number of instrumental albums that showcased Atkins’ considerable talents. Two years later, he scored his first hit with a version of “Mr. Sandman”; it was followed by “Silver Bell,” a duet with Hank Snow. By the late ’50s, Atkins was known throughout the music industry as a first-rate player. Not only did his records sell well, he designed guitars for Gibson and Gretsch; the popularity of these models continues to the present day. Sholes left for New York in 1957 to act as head of pop A&R, leaving Atkins as the manager of RCA’s Nashville division. However, the guitarist didn’t abandon performing, and throughout the early ’60s his star continued to rise. He played the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960; in 1961, he performed at the White House. Atkins had his first Top Five hit in 1965 with a reworking of Boots Randolph’s “Yakety Sax,” retitled “Yakety Axe”; in addition to being a sizable country hit, the song crossed over to the pop charts. Atkins’ role behind the scenes was thriving as well. He produced hits for the majority of RCA’s Nashville acts, including Elvis Presley and Eddy Arnold, and discovered a wealth of talent, including Don Gibson, Waylon Jennings, Floyd Cramer, Charley Pride, Bobby Bare, and Connie Smith. Because of his consistent track record, Atkins was promoted to vice president of RCA’s country division when Sholes died in 1968. The following year, Atkins had his last major hit single, “Country Gentleman.” In the late ’60s and early ’70s, several minor hits followed, but only one song, “Prissy” (1968), made it into the Top 40. Instead, the guitarist’s major musical contribution in the early part of the ’70s was with Homer & Jethro. Under the name the Nashville String Band, the trio released five albums between 1970 and 1972. Following Homer’s death, Atkins continued to work with Jethro. Atkins continued to record for RCA throughout the ’70s, although he was creatively stifled by the label by the end of the decade. The guitarist wanted to record a jazz album, but he was met with resistance by the label. In 1982, he left the label and signed with Columbia, releasing his first album for the label, Work It Out With Chet Atkins, in 1983. During his time at Columbia, Atkins departed from his traditional country roots, demonstrating that he was a bold and tasteful jazz guitarist as well. He did return to country on occasion, particularly on duet albums with Mark Knopfler and Jerry Reed, but by and large, Atkins’ Columbia records demonstrated a more adventurous guitarist than was previously captured on his RCA albums. Atkins was diagnosed with cancer and doctors removed a tumor from his brain in 1997. In his last months, the cancer had made Atkins inactive, and he finally lost the battle on June 30, 2001, at his home in Nashville. Throughout his career, Chet Atkins earned numerous awards, including 11 Grammy awards and nine CMA Instrumentalist of the Year honors, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

David Allan Coe

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:00:59 +0000

5 Stars Born Sept. 6, 1939, in Akron, Ohio, David Allan Coe was in and out of reform schools, correction centers and prisons since the age of 9. One of the most fascinating — and, some would say, dangerous — figures in the entire history of country music, David Allan Coe unrestrained ego is evident throughout his work. After all, he was not shy in listing himself alongside two undisputed icons when he wrote and recorded the 1976 single, “Willie, Waylon and Me.” While some of the circumstances of David Allan Coe’s outlaw life are easily substantiated, it’s often impossible to unravel all of the stories that have led to his larger myth. According to his publicity campaigns, David Allan Coe spent time on Death Row for killing a fellow inmate who demanded oral sex. After receiving a conflicting account from prison officials, a Rolling Stone magazine reporter questioned David Allan Coe about the alleged murder. David Allan Coe musical response was the song, “I’d Like to Kick the Shit Out of You.” Whatever the truth of the matter, David Allan Coe was paroled in 1967 and took his songs about prison life to record executive Shelby Singleton, who released two albums on his SSS label. David Allan Coe wrote Tanya Tucker’s 1974 No. 1 single, “Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)?” and took to calling himself “Davey Coe, the Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy” — performing in a mask and driving a hearse. David Allan Coe satirized the themes of country music with hilarious additions to Steve Goodman’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” but has often used the clichs himself. His defiant stance and love of motorcycles, multiple tattoos and ultra-long hair made him a natural Nashville outlaw, which he wrote about in the self-glorifying “Longhaired Redneck” and “Willie, Waylon and Me.” In 1978, Johnny Paycheck had a No. 1 country hit with Coe’s “Take This Job and Shove It,” which inspired a film of the same title in 1981. David Allan Coe’s own successes included the witty “Divers Do it Deeper” (1978), “Jack Daniels if You Please” (1979), “Now I Lay Me Down to Cheat” (1982) and “The Ride” (1983′s song which conjures up a meeting between Coe and Hank Williams). In 1984, Coe reached No. 2 on the country charts with “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile” to mark his highest chart position as a performer. Recordings with other performers include “Don’t Cry Darlin’” and “This Bottle (In My Hand)” with George Jones, “I’ve Already Cheated on You” with Willie Nelson and “Get A Little Dirt on Your Hands” with Bill Anderson. David Allan Coe’s 1978 album Human Emotions was about his divorce — one side being “Happy Side” and the other “Su-i-side.” The controversial cover of Texas Moon shows the bare backsides of his band and crew, and he has also released two mail-order albums of explicit songs, Nothing Sacred and Underground. In 2003, David Allan Coe released CD and DVD versions of Live at Billy Bob’s Texas. David Allan Coe has frequently mentioned his sessions with Kid Rock and the hard rock band Pantera for a new album expected to be released in 2004.

Freddy Fender

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:13:45 +0000

Solo Act – No rating Freddy Fender was one of the few Hispanic stars in country music, a singer and songwriter whose work was defined largely by its strong Latin sensibility. Born Baldemar Huerta to a family of migrant laborers in San Benito, TX, on June 4, 1937, Freddy Fender began playing guitar early in his childhood. After dropping out of school at the age of 16 to join the Marine Corps, he released his first Spanish-language recordings under his given name in 1958. While his initial sides were successful with listeners in Texas and Mexico, in 1959 he decided to adopt his stage name, along with a stronger rockabilly feel, in order to attract “gringo” audiences. The following year, he released the self-penned “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” his most successful single yet. But in May of 1960, Freddy Fender was convicted of marijuana possession, and was sentenced to five years in Louisiana’s notorious Angola State Prison (the same correctional facility which once held blues legend Leadbelly). After serving three years, he was paroled thanks to the efforts of Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis, on the condition that upon Freddy Fender’s release he stay away from the corruptive influences of the music scene. After his parole ended, Freddy Fender tried to re-ignite his career, but with the exception of a few scattered nightclub gigs in the New Orleans area, Freddy Fender found little success, and ultimately returned to San Benito. In Texas, Freddy Fender spent several years working as an auto mechanic, and even returned to school to pursue a degree in sociology. In 1974, Freddy Fender met Huey P. Meaux, the owner of the Houston-based Crazy Cajun label; after agreeing on a recording deal, it was Meaux who convinced Freddy Fender to steer in the direction of country & western while maintaining his music’s Hispanic roots. After Freddy Fender’s first Meaux-produced single, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” failed to attract the attention of a major label, it was released on Crazy Cajun; in the first weeks of 1975, the song hit the top of both the country and pop charts, and Fender became an overnight star. For the follow-up, he re-recorded his early single, “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” and notched his second straight number one country hit. Before the year ended, he had released yet another chart-topper in “Secret Love,” and also issued two LPs, Since I Met You Baby and a self-titled effort. Throughout the remainder of the ’70s, Freddy Fender’s success continued, most notably with the number two single “Living It Down” in 1976. That same year, he released two more albums, Your Cheatin’ Heart and Rock ‘N’ Country. In 1977, Freddy Fender also issued a holiday record, Merry Christmas/Feliz Navidad. As the 1980s dawned, however, his popularity began slipping; after his final chart hit, 1983′s “Chokin’ Kind,” he focused on an acting career, highlighted by an appearance in the 1988 Robert Redford film The Milagro Beanfield War. Freddy Fender remained largely silent as a musician until 1990, when he formed the Tex-Mex supergroup Texas Tornados with Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez, and Augie Meyers. After three albums, the group disbanded, and Freddy Fender again resumed his solo career. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Gatlin Brothers

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:19:31 +0000

5 Stars Led by Larry Gatlin, the Gatlin Brothers are one of the most popular country groups in the music’s history. Adopting the close harmony vocal techniques of the Louvins and the Everlys to the highly polished country-pop era, Larry and the Gatlin Brothers scored a number of hits during the ’70s and ’80s. Often, the group walked the line between intricate, inventive country and pure commercial material, which resulted in strong sales but occasionally poor reviews. Nevertheless, they remained near the top of the charts until the late ’80s, when the new traditionalists began to gain popularity. Following their decline in popularity, Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers went into semiretirement during the early ’90s, which resulted in the group relocating to Branson, MO, where they ran their own theater. The Gatlin Brothers didn’t officially form until 1979, when Larry began crediting them as a supporting band on his solo singles, but the three brothers — Larry, Steve, and Rudy — had been performing together since childhood, when they sang in church and on several local Texas television shows. While they were still in their teens, they recorded a religious album for the independent Sword & Shield label. Following high-school graduation, Larry, who was the eldest of the brothers, headed off to the University of Houston, where he briefly joined the gospel group the Imperials. Larry performed with the Imperials in Las Vegas, where he met Dottie West, who was impressed enough by his songwriting talents to record two of his songs, “You’re the Other Half of Me” and “Once You Were Mine,” and pay for him to move to Nashville. Once he arrived in Nashville, he found that West had been circulating his demo tapes, which led to Kris Kristofferson playing Larry’s demo for Monument Records executive Fred Foster. Impressed by the tape, Foster offered Gatlin a contract in 1972. By that time, Larry had already invited his brothers to Nashville to form a backing group, and they wound up singing on his debut album, The Pilgrim, which featured his first country hit, “Sweet Becky Walker.” Gatlin’s second album, Rain Rainbow, also featured support from his brothers and contained “Delta Dirt,” which climbed to number 14. The third Gatlin album was officially credited to Gatlin With Family and Friends, and contained his first Top Ten hit, “Broken Lady,” which peaked at number five in early 1976. Later that year, the Gatlin Brothers were made members of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1977, Gatlin’s fourth album, High Time, was credited to Larry With Brothers and Friends and contained his first number one hit, “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love.” After releasing one more solo album, the Gatlin Brothers were officially credited as Larry’s backing band as of 1979, just as he signed to Columbia Records. The first hit single to bear this name was the number one “All the Gold in California.” Throughout the ’80s, the Gatlin Brothers ran up a string of 15 Top 40 hits, including “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You),” “Denver,” “The Lady Takes the Cowboy Everytime,” and “She Used to Be Somebody’s Baby.” All of their recordings during this time were released under a variety of names, including Larry & the Gatlin Brothers Band, Larry & the Gatlin Brothers, and Larry, Steve, Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers. By the end of the decade, the group’s popularity began to decline, due to the popularity of new traditionalist performers. In 1991, the group decided to retire after they performed a farewell tour. Larry appeared in the lead role in the Broadway musical The Will Rogers Follies the following year, while Steve recorded an inspirational album and Rudy opened two Gatlin Brothers Music City Grilles. In 1993, the group opened their own theater in Branson, MO, where they began performing regularly; they also sang frequently in Las Vegas. That same year, the group signed to the small label Branson Entertainment and released Moments to Remember, which was followed by Cool Water the next year. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Ricky Skaggs

videeoo — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:41:08 +0000

No Rating, Solo Act Sometimes in life, things come full circle. That’s the story of Ricky Skaggs. By age 21, he was already considered a “recognized master” of one of America’s most demanding art forms, but his career took him in other directions, catapulting him to popularity and success in the mainstream of country music. Now the road has brought him back to where it all began – bluegrass music. 2009 marks Ricky’s 38th year as a professional musician, and this fourteen-time Grammy Award winner continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in music. Known affectionately today as bluegrass music’s official ambassador, Ricky has brought the genre to greater levels of popularity in the past few years than the father of bluegrass music, the legendary Bill Monroe, could ever have imagined. Ricky Skaggs has often said that he is “just trying to make a living” playing the music he loves. But it’s clear that his passion for bluegrass puts him in the position to bring this lively, distinctively American form of music out of isolation and into the ears and hearts of audiences across the country and around the world. Blessed with a close-knit family, and abundance of talent, a lifetime of musical experience and a crack band behind him, Ricky Skaggs is well on the way to showing the world that “country rocks, but bluegrass rules!” For more information: Wikipedia

The Eagles

videeoo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:06:53 +0000

5 Stars Formed in Los Angeles in 1971, this highly successful unit was formed by musicians drawn from singer Linda Ronstadt ‘s backing group. Of the quartet, Bernie Leadon (born July 19, 1947, Minneapolis, Minn; guitar, vocals) boasted the most prodigious pedigree, having embraced traditional country music with the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, before gaining significant rock experience as a member of Hearts and Flowers, Dillard and Clark and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Randy Meisner (born March 8, 1947, Scottsbluff, Neb.; bass, vocals) was formerly of Poco and Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band; Glenn Frey (born Nov. 6, 1948, Detroit, Mich.; guitar, vocals) had recorded as half of Longbranch Pennywhistle. Don Henley (born July 22, 1947, Gilmer, Texas; drums, vocals) had led Texas-based Shiloh, a band that included future Warner Bros. Nashville president Jim Ed Norman on keyboards and Richard Bowden (later of the musical comedy duo Pinkard & Bowden) on guitar. Such pedigrees ensured interest in the new venture, which was immediately signed to David Geffen’s nascent Asylum Records label. The Eagles, recorded in London with producer Glyn Johns, contained “Take It Easy,” co-written by Frey and Jackson Browne, and “Witchy Woman.” Both reached the Top 20 and established the quartet’s meticulous harmonies and relaxed, but purposeful, country-rock sound. Critical reaction to Desperado, an ambitious concept album based on a Western theme, firmly established the band as leaders in their field and contained several of their most enduring compositions, including the pleadingly emotional title track. The follow-up, On the Border, reasserted the unit’s commerciality. “Best of My Love” became their first No. 1 single while new member Don Felder (born Sept. 21, 1947, Topanga, Calif.; guitar, vocals), drafted from David Blue’s backing group in March 1974, considerably bolstered the Eagles’ sound. The reshaped quintet attained superstar status with the album One of These Nights, and the title track also topped the charts. This platinum-selling album included “Lyin’ Eyes” and the anthemic “Take It to the Limit.” The album also established the Eagles as an international act; each of these tracks had reached the UK Top 30, but the newfound pressure proved too great for Leadon who left the lineup in December 1975. He subsequently pursued a low-key career with the Leadon-Georgiades band. Leadon’s replacement was Joe Walsh (born Nov. 20, 1947, Wichita, Kan.), former lead guitarist with the James Gang and a successful solo artist in his own right. His somewhat surprising induction was tempered by the knowledge that he shared the same manager as his new colleagues. The choice was ratified by the powerful Hotel California which topped the album charts for eight weeks and spawned two No.1 singles in the title track and “New Kid in Town.” A seasonal recording, “Please Come Home for Christmas,” was the quintet’s sole recorded offering for 1978 and internal ructions the following year resulted in Meisner’s departure. His replacement, Timothy B. Schmit (born Oct. 30, 1947, Sacramento, Calif.), was another former member of Poco, but by this point, the Eagles’ impetus was waning. The Long Run was generally regarded as disappointing, despite containing a fifth No. 1 in “Heartache Tonight,” and a temporary hiatus taken at the end of the decade became a fully fledged break in 1982 when long-standing disagreements could not be resolved. Henley, Frey and Felder began solo careers with contrasting results, while Walsh resumed the path he had followed prior to joining the band. The final lineup of the band eventually re-formed in the mid-’90s, after months of speculation. The resulting album, Hell Freezes Over, proved they were still one of the world’s most popular acts, even though it was a hastily assembled live collection. Their 1994-1995 tour of the U.S. was (apart from the Rolling Stones parallel tour) the largest-grossing on record. Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the biggest-selling album of all time, with 28 million units sold in the U.S. alone. The Eagles’ influence on mainstream country music was magnified when country musicians paid tribute to the band with the 1993 album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles. Travis Tritt convinced the members from the 1980 lineup to join him in the video for “Take it Easy.” Others appearing on the tribute album include Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black and Trisha Yearwood. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. A 4-CD box set, Selected Works 1972-1999, was issued in 2000. Felder left the band in February 2001 and filed suit against his former cohorts for wrongful termination. Felder’s replacement on the road was Steuart Smith, a guitarist who had worked extensively with Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell. A 2-disc retrospective, The Very Best of the Eagles, was released in 2003.