Showing posts with label bluegrass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bluegrass. Show all posts
October 16, 2010
August 22, 2010
April 22, 2010
January 17, 2009
Grammy-Bound: Living Music Legend Charlie Louvin Releases New CD for Tompkins Square label
Rare is the instance when I get the opportunity to call someone a "legend," because one of the many tried 'n' true writing rules I learned way back when in journalism school was that such an adjective is reserved for those who no longer walk this plane.
In other words, one must no longer breathe air for me to be able to apply this term to him or her, no matter how seemingly worthy one may be. (Yes, I know you probably see writers calling folks who are alive "legends" or "legendary" relatively frequently, but I assure you they were not trained by the hard-core, old-school journalists who beat me over the head with the journalist's Bible, the Associated Press manual.)
At any rate, it's with great joy that I'm able to make mention of low-tenor/guitarist Charlie Louvin, one-half the legendary gospel/bluegrass-meets-country duo known as the Louvin Brothers, who's having a mighty prolific recording surge at the ripe and ever-creative age of 81. His late brother, high tenor/mandolinist Ira Louvin, tragically died in summer 1965 in a car accident, but the duo's music goes on and on. (My story on the brothers is linked to here, above.)
Rainsville, Ala., native Charlie, who now calls Bell Buckle, Tenn., home, has accrued an incredibly impressive recording and music career over the decades, both with his late brother, whom he still misses dearly, and as a solo artist.
Charlie's record label, Tompkins Square in New York, released this living legend's latest album offering, Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs, on Dec. 9, 2008. Life's hardships have etched their way into the prolific octenegarian's voice, but it makes this selection of tragedy-rooted songs all the more intriguing. It's a must-listen for fans of old-time country, bluegrass, Americana and gospel.
Grammy Alert: Charlie's Steps to Heaven CD, released earlier in 2008, is nominated in the 51st annual Grammy Awards' "Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album" category. This year's awards will be held Feb. 8, 2009, in Los Angeles.
- Note: Check out the music video for "Ira," a poignant song Charlie wrote and recorded in honor of his beloved brother in life and song. It's worth waiting through the commercial for on the CMT site linked to herein.
January 15, 2009
'The Mark Twain of Traditional Music': Country Music Hall of Fame Honors Bluegrass Icon John Hartford with Exhibit
John Hartford was many things in life, from steamboat captain, fiddle and banjo player, to hit songwriter, Grammy-winning artist, author, folklorist and father. Born John Cowan Harford on Dec. 30, 1937, in New York City, the Grammy-winning artist grew up in St. Louis, Mo., with a love for two things: the Mississippi River and music, especially old-time music and bluegrass. When it came to the latter, he brought new life to his genre of choice, influencing the likes of critically acclaimed musicians Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush of New Grass Revival and Tim O’Brien, among many.
Although many best know Hartford as the tunesmith behind Gentle on My Mind, a signature song that country artist Glen Campbell is usually associated with, his life is a storied and compelling portrait that will be reflected in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s upcoming Spotlight exhibit in his honor, John Hartford: Ever Smiling, Ever Gentle on My Mind, which will open Jan. 24, 2009, and continue through Jan. 2, 2010.
Bluegrass Player's Love for Old-Time Music Inspires 'New Grass' Sound
“In many ways, John Hartford is the Mark Twain of traditional music,” Mick Buck, the museum’s curator of collections, has said. “He was a beloved American figure whose influence went far beyond his commercial success. He brought literacy, humor and inventiveness to his music and an eclectic sense of adventure to his life. He was a true artist in every sense of the word.”
Jeremy Rush, a representative for the Nashville-based hall of fame and museum, reported that the exhibit in Hartford’s honor—which will feature moving images, photographs, costumes, handwritten lyrics and instruments from both the museum’s collection and from the Hartford family—will explore numerous aspects of his career, including his songwriting success and his experimental and influential approach to traditional music, as well as his pursuits “as an artist, performer, steamboat pilot, author and historian.”
Banjo Music of Earl Scruggs Shapes Hartford's Life
Hartford—who added the “t” to his given surname upon the request of the late producer-guitar legend Chet Atkins—credited the music of banjo player Earl Scruggs, a bluegrass legend, as changing his life forever. After hearing Scruggs’ music, a young Hartford was instantly attracted to traditional string music set about becoming proficient at not only banjo but also fiddle and guitar.
In his teen years, Hartford began performing professionally in bluegrass groups in central Missouri and Illinois, before moving to Nashville in 1965, where he served as an overnight disc jockey at country-radio station WSIX while striving to establish his music career.
- To read the full overview of Hartford's careeer, including how he forged the "new grass" genere of bluegrass ... about his love and music for the Mississippi ... and about his final Grammy win for the "O' Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, please access the full story at: http://countrymusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/an_overview_songwriterartist_john_hartford
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