For a one-hit-wonder, Tommy McLain admits he has few complaints.
Back in 1966, he’d climbed into the top 15 with a swamp-lounge version of Don Gibson’s “Sweet Dreams,” which showcased the Louisiana native’s tremulous voice. Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe were fans of his work; Joe Strummer cut a cover of “Before I Grow Too Old,” a Fats Domino B-side associated with McLain (Strummer’s version was called “Silver and Gold”). The drugs and alcohol were behind him, and decades later, McLain was gigging regularly in his home state.
Back in 1966, he’d climbed into the top 15 with a swamp-lounge version of Don Gibson’s “Sweet Dreams,” which showcased the Louisiana native’s tremulous voice. Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe were fans of his work; Joe Strummer cut a cover of “Before I Grow Too Old,” a Fats Domino B-side associated with McLain (Strummer’s version was called “Silver and Gold”). The drugs and alcohol were behind him, and decades later, McLain was gigging regularly in his home state.
- 4/19/2022
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
The Country Music Hall of Fame has announced its 2021 class of inductees. The mother and daughter duo the Judds will be inducted as Modern Era artists, legendary soul vocalist and piano player Ray Charles will be enshrined in the Veteran category, and drummer Eddie Bayers and pedal-steel player Pete Drake enter in the Recording and/or Touring Musician field. Bayers and Drake tied for induction.
Reba McEntire made the announcement of the 2021 honorees during a livestreame presentation on Monday.
The duo of Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd signed their record...
Reba McEntire made the announcement of the 2021 honorees during a livestreame presentation on Monday.
The duo of Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd signed their record...
- 8/16/2021
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Blues icon B.B. King often said in interviews that the blues and country music were “first cousins.” Riley B. “Blues Boy” King was born on this day in 1925, and is being paid tribute in today’s Google Doodle, which depicts the legendary musician playing his signature guitar, “Lucille.” Hitchhiking to Memphis in 1947 from his home in tiny Itta Bena, Mississippi, King would soon become one of the most renowned blues musicians in the world. While he excelled as a solo artist King also collaborated with a number of acts outside blues,...
- 9/16/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Of all the Eighties bands that took hardcore punk as their launching pad, no one got further (or weirder) faster than guitar-twisting stoner gods the Meat Puppets. Even when the Arizona trio was recording for Black Flag’s record label and thrashing out one-minute songs at atomic speed, their music always had a glazed sense of amiably demented wonder. It’s a sound that grew deeper and druggier as they explored Sun Belt sprawl on their psychedelic 1984 masterwork II and the post-punk pastoralism of 1985’s insanely idyllic Up on the Sun.
- 3/14/2019
- by Jon Dolan
- Rollingstone.com
Preparations for Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged appearance in November 1993 were reportedly tense, but that’s not how easygoing Meat Puppets songwriter and frontman Curt Kirkwood remembers it. One of his fondest memories, in fact, is of joking with Kurt Cobain just before the now-legendary performance.
“We were walking down towards the playing area, and [I was] telling Kurt that I liked to eat the gum off the bottoms of tables when I was a little kid,” Kirkwood laughs, recalling the absurdity.
“I don’t know why we were talking about that, but...
“We were walking down towards the playing area, and [I was] telling Kurt that I liked to eat the gum off the bottoms of tables when I was a little kid,” Kirkwood laughs, recalling the absurdity.
“I don’t know why we were talking about that, but...
- 3/7/2019
- by Jim Beaugez
- Rollingstone.com
Of the dozens of pop hits Ray Charles had during his remarkable career, his biggest was a soulful take on Don Gibson’s country classic “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” which logged five weeks at Number One. Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 1, the 1962 album featuring that now legendary performance, will be reissued early in 2019, along with the second volume of the Georgia-born musician’s takes on country standards, and will be available for the first time on streaming platforms beginning February 22nd.
“I’m not a country singer.
“I’m not a country singer.
- 12/10/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
The genre-defying legacy of Ray Charles will be celebrated next month on one of the stages where the late entertainer felt most at home. During a special Monday night presentation of the Grand Ole Opry on October 8th, artists will gather for “An Opry Salute to Ray Charles.” Hosted by Opry member Darius Rucker, the evening will feature Chris Young, Boyz II Men, Brett Eldredge, Cam, Travis Tritt, Lukas Nelson, and others performing songs popularized by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame icon.
The event will be filmed for a...
The event will be filmed for a...
- 9/19/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
In the summer of 1979, Conway Twitty earned his 22nd Number One hit with “I May Never Get to Heaven,” written by longtime friends Bill Anderson and Buddy Killen. Anderson had been enshrined in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame four years earlier, but has continued to have hits into the 21st century, including the multi-award-winning “Whiskey Lullaby,” written with Jon Randall. “I May Never Get to Heaven,” however, took a long, circuitous route to the top of the charts, yet along the way ended up being recorded by numerous artists — including the late Aretha Franklin,...
- 8/16/2018
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Anyone who saw singer Mandy Barnett playing the title role in Always… Patsy Cline or heard her splendid 2013 tribute LP to singer-songwriter Don Gibson is already aware of Barnett’s ability to deliver polished Nashville Sound classics with panache. The Tennessee native, who grazed the country charts in the late Nineties with Americana-ready material when that movement was in its infancy, earned considerable praise for her vocal range and should be well-positioned to do the same with regard to the breadth of material on her forthcoming album.
Barnett will end...
Barnett will end...
- 7/19/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Him goes back to solo for pleasant but uneven record
"Everybody’s goin’ out / Havin’ fun / I’m a fool for stayin’ home / Havin’ none,” Matt Ward sings on his cover of Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me.” But those words clearly don’t apply to Ward’s life. Over the past decade, as he’s been cultivating a successful solo career as one of America’s finest singer/songwriters, Ward has also found ample work in production (Jenny Lewis’ Rabbit Fur Coat), guest spots (My Morning Jacket, Norah Jones, Bright Eyes) and a critically acclaimed side project (She & Him). So it makes sense that Hold Time comes almost three years after Ward’s last solo effort, the excellent Post-War. It’s the longest it’s taken the Oregonian to follow-up an album.
"Everybody’s goin’ out / Havin’ fun / I’m a fool for stayin’ home / Havin’ none,” Matt Ward sings on his cover of Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me.” But those words clearly don’t apply to Ward’s life. Over the past decade, as he’s been cultivating a successful solo career as one of America’s finest singer/songwriters, Ward has also found ample work in production (Jenny Lewis’ Rabbit Fur Coat), guest spots (My Morning Jacket, Norah Jones, Bright Eyes) and a critically acclaimed side project (She & Him). So it makes sense that Hold Time comes almost three years after Ward’s last solo effort, the excellent Post-War. It’s the longest it’s taken the Oregonian to follow-up an album.
- 2/16/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
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