Maureen McCormick Brady Country by Ronald Sklar Each and every one of us has early memories of Maureen McCormick, but one of her earliest memories was entering the Miss San Fernando Valley beauty contest at age seven. She remembers the delighted look on her parents’ faces as she took center stage in her bathing suit and sang … Continue reading
Luke Bryan Staying True To Himself by Abraham Kuranga Just as country music is singing its high notes, reaching more people than ever before, another budding star has entered the arena, ready to fuel the fire. That star? Luke Bryan. The Georgia native – fresh off hit singles, “All My Friends Say” and “We Rode … Continue reading
Anne Murray The Voice, the Songs—and That Sad, Old Wintry Feeling by Mark Mussari Anne Murray keeps making the same mistake. She thinks her recording career is over. She thinks the awards are long gone. She thinks the charts are out of reach. Fortunately for all of us, she’s wrong on all counts. Murray is … Continue reading
Little Big Town The Band Has Landed By Mark Mussari It’s an impossible task trying to define Little Big Town. There’s no one like them in country music – or in any genre of music for that matter. And their singularity goes far beyond their unique configuration of two men and two women. Flying high … Continue reading
Dale Watson Lone Star State of Mind by Ronald Sklar How’s this for irony: Dale Watson – who embodies both the past and the promise (but possibly not the future) of country music – is talking to me on his cell phone. Forget about me – I’m about as far away from country as you … Continue reading
ATLANTIC RECORDS – THE HOUSE THAT AHMET BUILT (2007) Starring Ahmet Ertegun, Bette Midler, Chris Blackwell, Solomon Burke, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, David Geffen, Taylor Hackford, Mick Jagger, Mick Jones, Kid Rock, Ben E. King, Leiber and Stoller, Wynton Marsalis, Paolo Nutini, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Jann Wenner, Jerry Wexler and … Continue reading
BROKEN BRIDGES (2006) Starring Toby Keith, Kelly Preston, Lindsey Haun, Willie Nelson, Burt Reynolds, Tess Harper, Katie Finneran, Anna Maria Horsford, BeBe Winans, Josh Henderson, Daniel Newman, Steve Coulter and Leland L. Jones. Screenplay by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld. Directed by Steve Goldmann. Distributed by Paramount Pictures. 104 minutes. Rated PG-13. This film — … Continue reading
Cheyenne Kimball One Original Singer by Jay S. Jacobs It almost sounds like a cliché to say that you have seen someone growing up on TV. However, in the case of young singer/songwriter Cheyenne Kimball, it is undeniable. Granted she is only sixteen years old so she still has a lot of growing to do, … Continue reading
Little Big Town Four Distinct Voices in Perfect Harmony By Mark Mussari As a vocal group Little Big Town exists on a rarified plane. The country-rock quartet – whose album The Road to Here has already sold over 500,000 copies and spawned a mega-hit in the stomping Southern anthem “Boondocks” – consists of two women and two men. … Continue reading
Cowboy Junkies Music to Grow Old and Die to by Jay S. Jacobs It’s almost unbelievable that Cowboy Junkies are on a twentieth anniversary tour. That whole time the band has had a core made up of three siblings – Margo Timmins (lead vocals), Michael Timmins (guitarist and songwriter), Peter Timmins (drums) – and their long-time friend Alan Anton … Continue reading
