Yeah Mel, of course not being American and living with American culture, all this seems like a step in the wrong direction. I would have thought as you said, 'a band chose it's name to evoke a southern rock vibe'. Geez! I can't see any harm in their name or their music at all.
America is in the throes of a culture civil war at the moment fueled by the insane vitriol found on social media. These problems would more or less disappear overnight if Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were banned.
Some of you may recognize this gentleman as part of the cast from the long-running tv series "Hee Haw," from 1969-86. Jackie Phelps (1925-1990) was known for "eefing," which is a hillbilly vocal style based on rhythmic wheezing. In addition to recording with the likes of Hawkshaw Hawkins, Mac Wiseman and Porter Wagoner, Jackie played guitar and banjo for Bill Monroe and was a talented player both live and in the studio. The instrumental recordings Jackie made under his own name are of a high quality and worth a listen for fans of Chet Atkins. Jackie Phelps performing 'Kentucky Rag'
From the master, I was listening to the RCA/Groove Recordings and this popped up. The man could sing anything and get to the emotional core of a lyric like nobody else. Then there's his piano playing...
An all women lineup now for hosting the CMA awards eh? Brad Paisley has been given the boot! Is this a sign of the times? I enjoyed the male/female camaraderie and balance between the two over the years. Now Brad is gone, it's in the hands of Carrie, Reba and Dolly. What do you think? Is this discriminate and gone to left field? Here is one person's opinion about it all...... Brad Paisley Got Screwed: The CMA’s Misguided Hosting Change
With my father passing last year, I've inherited his Country collection, which includes Marty Robbins, Buck Owens and Johnny Cash. His Cash collection outnumbered the others, with most of the Columbia LP output up to San Quentin and some of the Sun compilations. These were all LPs my father purchased as they originally came out, all in pristine condition. I finally got round to bringing myself to deal with the memories of my father playing these when I was little, how they helped him relax and how those records filled our house with music so many times. Today, started with the Columbia The Fabulous Johnny Cash. Amazing LP. Playing it, I can swear the music sounds cleaner coming from this record than most digital remasters I've heard of track from this LP. A great start to my complete Cash journey!
I'm a huge Dean Martin fan with all four of the Bear Family sets. Great, relaxed singer that knew his way around a tune, no matter what genre.
