From the very dawn of 2018, we have been assaulted with references to so many Songwriting Legends returning to their zenith of success and to be honest I for one am overly ecstatic to see their names once again on the forefront.
In this article I shall touch on THREE Country Music (and other genres) songwriting legends that have emerged out of near obscurity to those that do not delve into history like many of us do. You know in many interviews I have stated that in order to make a PERFECT Country Music album you need THREE ingredients: Producer, Steel Guitarist and Songwriter. That is the trifecta for total unadulterated greatness in Country Music, and if you have all three, you have an iconic album…like Red Headed Stranger.
Much of the recognition of the Legends being involved with music festivals from the more independent people began about ten years ago with my friends out at Muddy Roots and other more smaller ones that offered us a more intimate setting. But here lately many are blooming and flourishing all over the United States like this one I am involved with Master Musicians Festival, now going on it’s 25th year…and they are featuring a name you hear a LOT in 2018….John Prine.
I really have no need to go into long drawn out details about how this new album that came out on Record Store Day was a commercial success for Mr. John in every way. It rapidly grew to become his best selling album in 20 years, and was at the TOP of SO MANY grab lists, some stores ran out of them. There is NO DOUBT that this man will adorn MANY TOP 50 of 2018’s (including mine).
John Prine has embellished not only Country Music and the Ryman, but he has influenced and grown ALL GENRES of music as well. I remember Miss Margo Price saying he sent her flowers on her first Ryman appearance, and has always dressed and acted with GREAT love for the ones that paved HIS roads. In just a few days I will be hooking up with my good friend Mr. W.B. Walker of the Old Soul Radio Show podcast, and we will chat about his introduction for Mr. John Prine during the Master Musicians Festival.
Mr. Rodney Crowell also recently came to my area with his new project “Adventures In Song” which is a complete interactive four day seminar for aspiring songwriters and others seeking refuge in this craft. Also. on July 13th he shall release this acoustic album:
Grammy-winning roots troubadour RODNEY CROWELL announces the July 13th release of his new album, ACOUSTIC CLASSICS, the debut entry from his newly-launched imprint, RC1. Exclusive pre-order bundles featuring the new cd and vinyl can be found on Crowell’s website,www.rodneycrowell.com.
A creative powerhouse with no off switch, the acclaimed songwriter, musician, author and poet is adding yet another title to his already esteemed pedigree; label head. As prolific today, as he was in his twenties, Crowell has released sixalbums in the last ten years. Next on deck is a re-distilled, acoustic presentation of 12 masterfully-crafted tunes from his 40-plus-year career in a truly intimate setting. “With the help of some of my favorite musicians, I’ve made all acoustic instrument recordings of ten of my most recognizable songs. Also included is a couple more recently written that I want people to hear. There’s even a revised version of my most commercially successful song, “Shame on the Moon,” said Crowell. “All in good fun.”
Marking Crowell’s 19th solo effort and the first release from his new label, RC1, the project features songs originally made famous by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, The Oak Ridge Boys, Bob Seger, Tim McGraw and more. But for ACOUSTIC CLASSICS, Crowell peels back the layers of familiarity on these standouts of the American song cannon, revealing the original spirit behind each track’s creation.
01. Earthbound
02. Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight
03. Anything But Tame
04. Making Memories of Us
05. Lovin’ All Night
06. Shame on the Moon Redux
07. I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried
08. She’s Crazy For Leaving
09. After All This Time
10. Tennessee Wedding
11. I Ain’t Living Long Like This
12. Please Remember Me
Mr. Jim Lauderdale has made several announcements that he shall be releasing two albums in August, one of them has been lost for over 40 years. Lauderdale recently announced the upcoming release of Time Flies, alongside a collaboration album, Jim Lauderdale and Roland White. Lauderdale originally record that project with mandolin legend White in 1979, but never released it, and the album was lost for the next four decades. Recorded in Earl Scruggs basement, more than a decade before Lauderdale’s solo debut, the tracks were recently unearthed by White’s wife.
“I wasn’t able to get a deal for it at the time with my efforts. Several years later … I thought the time was right and called Roland to get the masters,” Lauderdale shares. “Roland said, ‘I thought you had them.’ We couldn’t find them anywhere. A few months ago as Roland was leaving the stage after sitting in with me at the Station Inn, he said, ‘I think my wife found our tape at the bottom of a box…’ These two records being released on the same day are good bookends to me for the rest of my recorded work.”
Time Flies and Jim Lauderdale and Roland White will be released on Aug. 3. The two-time Grammy Award winner has released 29 solo albums previously, in addition to being a prolific, award-winning songwriter in the country music world.
Jim Lauderdale, Time Flies track listing:
1. “Time Flies”
2. “The Road is a River”
3. “Violet”
4. “Slow As Molasses”
5. “Where the Cars Go By Fast”
6. “When I Held The Cards”
7. “Wearing Out Your Cool”
8. “Wild On Me Fast”
9. “While You’re Hoping”
10. “It Blows My Mind”
11. “If the World’s Still Here Tomorrow”
Jim Lauderdale and Roland White track listing:
1. “Forgive and Forget”
2. “Gold and Silver”
3. “(Stone Must Be The) Walls Built Around Your Heart”
4. “Six White Horses”
5. “I Might Take You Back Again”
6. “Try and Catch the Wind”
7. “Don’t Laugh”
8. “Regrets and Mistakes”
9. “February Snow”
10. “(That’s What You Get) For Loving Me”
11. “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar”
12. “Nashville Blues”
