Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is a landmark provocation that dares the country music establishment to look itself in the eye. Nashville has spent decades marginalizing Black women like Linda Martell and Rhiannon Giddens, and outright ignoring the likes of Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts. Beyoncé, inspired at least partially by the ugly fallout from her appearance alongside the Chicks at the CMAs in 2016, is now playing a game of chicken with Music Row. Are they really going to ignore one of the most prominent Black artists of the last 20 years when she comes to the gates of their white picket fences? And, if so, how are they going to reconcile that with their insistence that of course we aren’t racist with the fact that Beyoncé has proven that she knows exactly what she’s doing and why.
Every choice Beyoncé has made on Cowboy Carter betrays a...
Every choice Beyoncé has made on Cowboy Carter betrays a...
- 4/2/2024
- by Jonathan Keefe
- Slant Magazine
"The Beverly Hillbillies" is the platonic ideal of a high-concept sitcom hook. At its essence, it's simply "Poor folks get stinking rich and move to Beverly Hills." That's probably all CBS needed to hear from creator Paul Henning, who, between 1962 and 1971, exploited this simple premise to the tune of nine seasons and 274 episodes. During this span, "The Beverly Hillbillies" was one of the top-rated shows on TV.
How could such a simple premise, which was never really tweaked, sustain a series for nearly a decade? This question perpetually flummoxed the nation's TV critics, who generally loathed the show, but anyone who gorged on "The Beverly Hillbillies" throughout their formative couch potato years (during its initial run or via syndication) knows the answer is obvious: it's the cast, stupid.
Buddy Ebsen was perfect casting as Jed Clampett, a gentleman of the Ozarks who accidentally discovers oil on his Missouri mountain land...
How could such a simple premise, which was never really tweaked, sustain a series for nearly a decade? This question perpetually flummoxed the nation's TV critics, who generally loathed the show, but anyone who gorged on "The Beverly Hillbillies" throughout their formative couch potato years (during its initial run or via syndication) knows the answer is obvious: it's the cast, stupid.
Buddy Ebsen was perfect casting as Jed Clampett, a gentleman of the Ozarks who accidentally discovers oil on his Missouri mountain land...
- 3/3/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The 2024 Grammys will inspire a good deal of next-day debate among viewers. And that debate will be over: Which was the more moving comeback performance, Tracy Chapman’s or Joni Mitchell’s?
Life is good — and awards shows better than they have a right to be — when the hot post-telecast topic is which legend most tugged at our heartstrings with an unexpected return to the television spotlight. A huge reason why the 66th annual show will likely be considered the best Grammys in several years is the one-two punch of Mitchell and Chapman — the two artists the world was most eager to see come back from distressingly long sabbaticals. Exec producer Ben Winston’s success in landing both in one year provided a level of sentiment unlikely to be matched in any Grammys telecast soon, short of the producers convincing Bobbie Gentry she needs to un-retire and do the show,...
Life is good — and awards shows better than they have a right to be — when the hot post-telecast topic is which legend most tugged at our heartstrings with an unexpected return to the television spotlight. A huge reason why the 66th annual show will likely be considered the best Grammys in several years is the one-two punch of Mitchell and Chapman — the two artists the world was most eager to see come back from distressingly long sabbaticals. Exec producer Ben Winston’s success in landing both in one year provided a level of sentiment unlikely to be matched in any Grammys telecast soon, short of the producers convincing Bobbie Gentry she needs to un-retire and do the show,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
The music business is all about the next big act, the next big performer. Who’s going to break out. Who’s going to be the next household name. The Grammys, over the years and to varying degrees of success, has delivered that prediction with its Best New Artist prize.
Starting with Bobby Darin in 1960, the award has been the harbinger of who’s going to be topping the music world … some of the time. Darin didn’t do too bad in his long music and acting career. In 1965, a little combo from the UK made the cut and The Beatles went on to become one of the greatest bands ever.
Some other highlights of the Best New Artist roster. In 1962, Peter Nero was the first jazz musician to win. Bobbie Gentry was the first woman to win in 1968. The Carpenters, Richard and Karen, was the first duo to win...
Starting with Bobby Darin in 1960, the award has been the harbinger of who’s going to be topping the music world … some of the time. Darin didn’t do too bad in his long music and acting career. In 1965, a little combo from the UK made the cut and The Beatles went on to become one of the greatest bands ever.
Some other highlights of the Best New Artist roster. In 1962, Peter Nero was the first jazz musician to win. Bobbie Gentry was the first woman to win in 1968. The Carpenters, Richard and Karen, was the first duo to win...
- 2/5/2024
- by David Morgan
- Deadline Film + TV
Herman Raucher, a best-selling author and the Academy Award nominated screenwriter of “Summer of ’42,” died Dec. 28 of natural causes at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn. He was 95.
Raucher got his start in the industry working in live television. He wrote one hour dramas for anthology series including “Studio One,” “Good Year Playhouse” and “The Alcoa Hour.” In his screenwriting career, he wrote the scripts for two films starring Anthony Newley, “Sweet November” (1968) and “Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?” (1969), which Newley also directed.
Raucher was inspired by Bobbie Gentry’s popular song “Ode to Billie Joe” to write the screenplay for Max Baer Jr.’s 1976 romance film of the same name starring Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor. Raucher also co-wrote the script for the 1977 film “The Other Side of Midnight.”
Raucher is remembered for penning the script for the popular coming-of-age film “Summer of ’42,...
Raucher got his start in the industry working in live television. He wrote one hour dramas for anthology series including “Studio One,” “Good Year Playhouse” and “The Alcoa Hour.” In his screenwriting career, he wrote the scripts for two films starring Anthony Newley, “Sweet November” (1968) and “Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?” (1969), which Newley also directed.
Raucher was inspired by Bobbie Gentry’s popular song “Ode to Billie Joe” to write the screenplay for Max Baer Jr.’s 1976 romance film of the same name starring Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor. Raucher also co-wrote the script for the 1977 film “The Other Side of Midnight.”
Raucher is remembered for penning the script for the popular coming-of-age film “Summer of ’42,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Herman Raucher, the best-selling author and screenwriter who earned an Oscar nomination for the coming-of-age classic Summer of ’42 and wrote the script for the thought-provoking Watermelon Man, has died. He was 95.
Raucher died Thursday of natural causes at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, his daughter Jenny Raucher told The Hollywood Reporter.
Raucher, who started out in live television, penned the screenplays for two Anthony Newley-starring films: Sweet November (1968), directed by Robert Ellis Miller and also featuring Sandy Dennis, and Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969), featuring Joan Collins.
He also was given inspiration from Bobbie Gentry’s 1967 hit song to write the screenplay to Ode to Billy Joe (1976), a love story that starred Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor and was helmed by Max Baer Jr.
With the Robert Mulligan-directed Summer of ’42 (1971) in postproduction, someone came up with the idea of Raucher writing a...
Raucher died Thursday of natural causes at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, his daughter Jenny Raucher told The Hollywood Reporter.
Raucher, who started out in live television, penned the screenplays for two Anthony Newley-starring films: Sweet November (1968), directed by Robert Ellis Miller and also featuring Sandy Dennis, and Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969), featuring Joan Collins.
He also was given inspiration from Bobbie Gentry’s 1967 hit song to write the screenplay to Ode to Billy Joe (1976), a love story that starred Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor and was helmed by Max Baer Jr.
With the Robert Mulligan-directed Summer of ’42 (1971) in postproduction, someone came up with the idea of Raucher writing a...
- 1/3/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Margo Price has readied a follow-up to her January album Strays, naturally dubbed Strays II. She’ll roll out the sequel project in three acts culminating in a double album due out October 13th, and also embark on a tour of the UK and US this fall. What’s more, the three songs comprising Act I: Topanga Canyon are out now.
Strays had a pretty mystical origin story involving a psychedelic trip to the South Carolina countryside, and Price wrote some of the music that would become Strays II during the same excursion. Before combining the two projects into a double LP, the nine songs on the second record will initially be shared as three acts known as Topanga Canyon, Mind Travel, and Burn Whatever’s Left.
Out today is Strays II’s Act I: Topanga Canyon, featuring the tracks “Strays,” “Closer I Get (ft. Ny Oh),” and “Malibu (ft.
Strays had a pretty mystical origin story involving a psychedelic trip to the South Carolina countryside, and Price wrote some of the music that would become Strays II during the same excursion. Before combining the two projects into a double LP, the nine songs on the second record will initially be shared as three acts known as Topanga Canyon, Mind Travel, and Burn Whatever’s Left.
Out today is Strays II’s Act I: Topanga Canyon, featuring the tracks “Strays,” “Closer I Get (ft. Ny Oh),” and “Malibu (ft.
- 8/22/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
Margo Price continues to embark on her own evolution with Strays II, an extension of her original 2023 opus with nine new songs that will arrive in the form of three distinct acts.
The Nashville singer-songwriter announced that the double album will arrive on Oct. 13, and shared Act I: Topanga Canyon on Monday at midnight. Each act is billed as “its own unique story of love, grief and acceptance.” On the first offering, a trio of songs, she’s joined by Strays producer Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Dawes), as well...
The Nashville singer-songwriter announced that the double album will arrive on Oct. 13, and shared Act I: Topanga Canyon on Monday at midnight. Each act is billed as “its own unique story of love, grief and acceptance.” On the first offering, a trio of songs, she’s joined by Strays producer Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Dawes), as well...
- 8/22/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Sinéad O’Connor was as world-renowned for fervid rock & roll and adventurous pop as she was for her defiant stance on often-controversial issues. But the Irish-born musician also recorded a handful of modern country-music covers — and even performed a duet with a country legend.
O’Connor, whose death at age 56 was announced Wednesday, was already a galvanizing figure in popular music when she released her third album, Am I Not Your Girl, in the fall of 1992. A collection of lushly orchestrated jazz and pre-rock pop covers, the LP also included O...
O’Connor, whose death at age 56 was announced Wednesday, was already a galvanizing figure in popular music when she released her third album, Am I Not Your Girl, in the fall of 1992. A collection of lushly orchestrated jazz and pre-rock pop covers, the LP also included O...
- 7/27/2023
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Ed Ames, the deep-toned baritone pop singer and actor who portrayed the faithful Cherokee sidekick Mingo on the 1960s NBC series Daniel Boone, has died. He was 95.
Ames died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with Alzheimer’s, his wife Jeanne told The Hollywood Reporter.
A native of Massachusetts and a son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, Ames starred as the Oxford-educated Mingo opposite Fess Parker as Daniel Boone on the first four seasons (1964-68) of the TV Western.
His most memorable night on television, however, came in April 1965 during an appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show. Demonstrating to host Johnny Carson how Mingo would expertly handle a tomahawk, he hurled the weapon at an outline of a cowboy drawn on a wooden board — and it stuck right in the crotch.
As the audience howled, Carson left his desk and said to Ames in now-classic ad-libbed lines,...
Ames died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with Alzheimer’s, his wife Jeanne told The Hollywood Reporter.
A native of Massachusetts and a son of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine, Ames starred as the Oxford-educated Mingo opposite Fess Parker as Daniel Boone on the first four seasons (1964-68) of the TV Western.
His most memorable night on television, however, came in April 1965 during an appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show. Demonstrating to host Johnny Carson how Mingo would expertly handle a tomahawk, he hurled the weapon at an outline of a cowboy drawn on a wooden board — and it stuck right in the crotch.
As the audience howled, Carson left his desk and said to Ames in now-classic ad-libbed lines,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Mike Barnes and Duane Byrge
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Madonna’s Like a Virgin, Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” and Mariah Carey’s unbeatable holiday classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” are among the recordings selected for preservation in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry this year.
The 2023 class of recordings includes a mix of pop hits, classic gems, and even a few left-field choices, like Carl Sagan’s audiobook of Pale Blue Dot and Koji Kondo’s original Super Mario Bros. theme song (marking the first time video game music has been added to the National...
The 2023 class of recordings includes a mix of pop hits, classic gems, and even a few left-field choices, like Carl Sagan’s audiobook of Pale Blue Dot and Koji Kondo’s original Super Mario Bros. theme song (marking the first time video game music has been added to the National...
- 4/12/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
One of The Monkees‘ most prolific singalong hits, “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” appeared on their classic album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones Ltd. Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the song was inspired by a street near the couple’s suburban New Jersey home. However, the song’s lyrics had a darker edge than fans realized.
Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Mike Nesmith are the cast of ‘The Monkees’ | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ was a Monkees smash
The single peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1967. At the number one position was Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” followed by The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
The Monkees held steady at number three. In addition, rounding out the top five in the first week of August 1967 was The Doors’ “Light My Fire” and Aretha Franklin’s “Baby I Love You.
Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Mike Nesmith are the cast of ‘The Monkees’ | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ was a Monkees smash
The single peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1967. At the number one position was Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” followed by The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
The Monkees held steady at number three. In addition, rounding out the top five in the first week of August 1967 was The Doors’ “Light My Fire” and Aretha Franklin’s “Baby I Love You.
- 3/30/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
By the end of Minx‘s Season 1 finale, Joyce achieves the outcome she wanted from Episode 1: She’s the sole owner/publisher of the feminist erotic magazine she created. But Doug is no longer involved, and Bottom Dollar Publications is literally in ruins. How did we get here? Let’s recap Episode 10, “You Happened to Me,” which started streaming Thursday.
At the beginning of the episode, we meet Wanda (played by guest star Allison Tolman, Fargo), wife of Willy, that chauvinist radio host Joyce encountered earlier in the season. Turns out, Wanda has been reading Minx and was very...
At the beginning of the episode, we meet Wanda (played by guest star Allison Tolman, Fargo), wife of Willy, that chauvinist radio host Joyce encountered earlier in the season. Turns out, Wanda has been reading Minx and was very...
- 4/14/2022
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
Carol Speed, who lit up the screen in the cult blaxploitation film The Mack, died on Jan. 14 in Muskogee, Okla. She was 76 and her family announced her death in a statement published online, but did not specify the cause.
Speed came to filmgoer attention in the 1970s in a series of blaxploitation movies, but broke through in 1973’s The Mack, in which she played the girlfriend and head prostitute of star Max Julien, who died earlier this month. That led Speed to television roles on TV shows, including Julia and Sanford and Son.
Her other big role was in the horror film Abby in 1974, playing the title character, who is possessed by an ancient Nigerian devil known as Eshu. The film was a hit among moviegoers after its Christmas Day release. But Warner Bros. sued, claiming it stole the plot of its film The Exorcist. The litigation led to Abby being pulled from theaters,...
Speed came to filmgoer attention in the 1970s in a series of blaxploitation movies, but broke through in 1973’s The Mack, in which she played the girlfriend and head prostitute of star Max Julien, who died earlier this month. That led Speed to television roles on TV shows, including Julia and Sanford and Son.
Her other big role was in the horror film Abby in 1974, playing the title character, who is possessed by an ancient Nigerian devil known as Eshu. The film was a hit among moviegoers after its Christmas Day release. But Warner Bros. sued, claiming it stole the plot of its film The Exorcist. The litigation led to Abby being pulled from theaters,...
- 1/29/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
One of Lainey Wilson’s early jobs was performing as a Hannah Montana impersonator at birthday parties and county fairs. The native of tiny Baskin, Louisiana, would travel all around the Deep South and run through the musical repertoire of Miley Cyrus’ breakout TV role. Wilson would sometimes “open” for Hannah too — under her own name.
“I’d be like, ‘Can Lainey Wilson open the show?’” Wilson recalls in her thick Southern drawl. “They’d be like, ‘Who’s Lainey?’ I’d be like, ‘The person you hired to be Hannah Montana!
“I’d be like, ‘Can Lainey Wilson open the show?’” Wilson recalls in her thick Southern drawl. “They’d be like, ‘Who’s Lainey?’ I’d be like, ‘The person you hired to be Hannah Montana!
- 12/23/2021
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
When the Grammy nominations were announced on November 23, Olivia Rodrigo earned seven nominations including Album of the Year (“Sour”), Record of the Year and Song of the Year (“Drivers License”), and Best New Artist. That makes her only the 13th artist in Grammy history to earn all four of those nominations in the same year. But guess what, Finneas is the 14th … kind of.
We were surprised by Rodrigo’s dominance in the top four categories. Going into the nominations we were predicting her to win all four, which only two other artists have ever done before: Christopher Cross (1981) and Billie Eilish (2020). But just getting nominated for all four is a good omen. Consider the list of 12 artists who previously accomplished the feat:
SEEHow The Weeknd ended up with 3 Grammy nominations despite boycotting the awards
1968: Bobbie Gentry
1981: Christopher Cross
1985: Cyndi Lauper
1989: Tracy Chapman
1991: Mariah Carey...
We were surprised by Rodrigo’s dominance in the top four categories. Going into the nominations we were predicting her to win all four, which only two other artists have ever done before: Christopher Cross (1981) and Billie Eilish (2020). But just getting nominated for all four is a good omen. Consider the list of 12 artists who previously accomplished the feat:
SEEHow The Weeknd ended up with 3 Grammy nominations despite boycotting the awards
1968: Bobbie Gentry
1981: Christopher Cross
1985: Cyndi Lauper
1989: Tracy Chapman
1991: Mariah Carey...
- 11/28/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame will induct five new members, including Toby Keith and Amy Grant, with its class of 2021. The new members will be formally inducted at the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala, which will be held at Music City Center on November 1st.
Keith and Grant have both amassed formidable bodies of work in their semi-separate spheres. From his debut hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” on, Keith has almost always written his own material, with scores of other hits including “How Do You Like Me Now,...
Keith and Grant have both amassed formidable bodies of work in their semi-separate spheres. From his debut hit “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” on, Keith has almost always written his own material, with scores of other hits including “How Do You Like Me Now,...
- 7/13/2021
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Brandy Clark briefly thought quarantine might just be a short break to recharge from a hard winter touring season. Instead, it came close to swallowing up her ambitious third album.
“I was like, Ok, this is going to be a nice 10-day break,” she says. “But then as it became clear that we were in a state of lockdown for a while, I really on a professional level got really scared of my album getting lost in the shuffle because of what was going on.”
Indeed, Clark’s album Your...
“I was like, Ok, this is going to be a nice 10-day break,” she says. “But then as it became clear that we were in a state of lockdown for a while, I really on a professional level got really scared of my album getting lost in the shuffle because of what was going on.”
Indeed, Clark’s album Your...
- 3/12/2021
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Bobbie Gentry and Steve Earle are among the composers who will be inducted as the newest members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The five inductees will be honored during the NaSHoF Gala on November 1st, 2021, along with the yet-to-be-named inductees for next year — the 2020 ceremony was canceled due to the Covid pandemic.
Gentry’s iconic and mysterious “Ode to Billie Joe” would be enough to merit her inclusion in the Hall of Fame, but she also wrote and recorded “Fancy” and the Glen Campbell duet “Mornin’ Glory,” as...
Gentry’s iconic and mysterious “Ode to Billie Joe” would be enough to merit her inclusion in the Hall of Fame, but she also wrote and recorded “Fancy” and the Glen Campbell duet “Mornin’ Glory,” as...
- 11/3/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Adorned with sunglasses and in a pink fur-trimmed robe, Jean (Rachel Brosnahan) sits reclined on her patio chair as she sips champagne. Bobbie Gentry’s “I Wouldn’t Be Surprised” — one of the film’s many soulful needle drops — fills the ears. Jean doesn’t worry about much. The chic woman lives in a contemporary suburban home with her husband Eddie (Bill Heck), where her gravest trouble, in the opening minutes, is finding a pair of scissors to cut the price tag from her robe.
Continue reading ‘I’m Your Woman’: Rachel Brosnahan Is Staggering In Julia Hart’s Wickedly Entertaining Thriller [AFI Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘I’m Your Woman’: Rachel Brosnahan Is Staggering In Julia Hart’s Wickedly Entertaining Thriller [AFI Review] at The Playlist.
- 10/16/2020
- by Robert Daniels
- The Playlist
It may sound obvious, but Orville Peck doesn’t particularly go for casual dress. The masked entertainer tends to complement his signature facial fringe with bright colors and rhinestones, nods to a bygone era of country music when the entertainers lived large and wore the clothes to prove it.
“That’s what I grew up loving,” Peck tells Rolling Stone. “I’m not the kind of guy who wants to go onstage in jeans and T-shirt and pretend that’s me being real, because the real me is someone larger than life.
“That’s what I grew up loving,” Peck tells Rolling Stone. “I’m not the kind of guy who wants to go onstage in jeans and T-shirt and pretend that’s me being real, because the real me is someone larger than life.
- 9/11/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists.
Brit Taylor, “Back in the Fire”
Brit Taylor goes full Bobbie Gentry in the new single “Back in the Fire,” mining the funky acoustic guitar-plus-strings combo from “Ode to Billie Joe” for a searing, soulful number about the pull of desire. Penned...
Brit Taylor, “Back in the Fire”
Brit Taylor goes full Bobbie Gentry in the new single “Back in the Fire,” mining the funky acoustic guitar-plus-strings combo from “Ode to Billie Joe” for a searing, soulful number about the pull of desire. Penned...
- 9/7/2020
- by Jon Freeman and Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Masked singer Orville Peck’s distinctive aesthetic plays around with masculinity, queer desire, and cowboy ruggedness, which he delivers in a romantic, trembling croon. Likewise, his productions such as “Dead of Night” tend toward the narcotic and spacious, like a nighttime drive in a David Lynch film. His newly released cover of Bronski Beat’s 1984 synth-pop hit “Smalltown Boy,” however, feels positively suffocating by comparison.
Rightfully recognized as a classic gay anthem, “Smalltown Boy” perfectly articulates that claustrophobia of a boy who flees the place where he grew up because...
Rightfully recognized as a classic gay anthem, “Smalltown Boy” perfectly articulates that claustrophobia of a boy who flees the place where he grew up because...
- 8/7/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
The dog and pony show just wasn’t doing it for Hailey Whitters.
After her self-released, heartbreaking ode to the cruel realities of the Nashville music business, “Ten Year Town,” took off while she was waiting tables, Whitters found herself doing the usual rounds to major labels — singing a few songs, going through the motions, hearing the excuses for why they wouldn’t be able to sign her after all. She’d dress up just to get let down, and, 12 years into a 10-year town, the experience was still living...
After her self-released, heartbreaking ode to the cruel realities of the Nashville music business, “Ten Year Town,” took off while she was waiting tables, Whitters found herself doing the usual rounds to major labels — singing a few songs, going through the motions, hearing the excuses for why they wouldn’t be able to sign her after all. She’d dress up just to get let down, and, 12 years into a 10-year town, the experience was still living...
- 6/11/2020
- by Marissa R. Moss
- Rollingstone.com
Orville Peck has announced details for his new Ep Show Pony, his first release since signing with Columbia Records and the follow-up to 2019’s Sub Pop album Pony. As a preview of the six-track project, which arrives June 12th and features a duet with pop-country queen Shania Twain, Peck has released the brooding song “No Glory in the West.”
With gentle acoustic strums that echo cowboy songs of old, “No Glory in the West” dismantles various romantic ideals of travel and cowboy life as a way to examine solitary life.
With gentle acoustic strums that echo cowboy songs of old, “No Glory in the West” dismantles various romantic ideals of travel and cowboy life as a way to examine solitary life.
- 5/29/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
As it must do every week, “The Masked Singer,” has kicked off another contestant and this week it was the Mouse, who was revealed to be legendary singer Dionne Warwick. Warwick is now the fifth performer to be eliminated from the show’s third season, joining Lil Wayne (Robot), Drew Carey (Llama), Chaka Khan (Miss Monster) and Tony Hawk (Elephant) in failing to properly wow the show’s audience. But which one of these rejects didn’t really deserve to be kicked off? Which one do You think is most deserving of a second chance at this competition? Vote in our poll below.
Warwick used her trademark pipes to sing “Get Here” by Oleta Adams in her debut. She followed that up with her version of “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by her former touring partner, Natalie Cole.
SEEYikes! Ken Jeong is the only ‘The Masked Singer’ judge without...
Warwick used her trademark pipes to sing “Get Here” by Oleta Adams in her debut. She followed that up with her version of “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by her former touring partner, Natalie Cole.
SEEYikes! Ken Jeong is the only ‘The Masked Singer’ judge without...
- 2/29/2020
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Grammy-winning country artist Pam Tillis is making her return with the new album Looking for a Feeling, due out April 24th via her own Stellar Cat Records. As a preview of the upcoming project, the “Maybe It Was Memphis” singer has issued the smoky title track, a bit of Muscle Shoals-style country-soul in the key of Bobbie Gentry.
“Sister’s on a sidewalk listening to the devil’s lies/Brother’s on a mountaintop trying to get wise,” she begins, rattling off a cast of characters who are all looking...
“Sister’s on a sidewalk listening to the devil’s lies/Brother’s on a mountaintop trying to get wise,” she begins, rattling off a cast of characters who are all looking...
- 2/28/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead, if you have not watched Season 3, Episode 3 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Feb. 12 on Fox.
Chaka Khan, I feel for you. The iconic singer and songwriter, who had been disguised as Miss Monster, was the next celebrity to be eliminated on Season 3 of “The Masked Singer.”
The artist behind hits such as “I’m Every Woman,” “I Feel For You” and “Through the Fire” became the third celebrity to be unmasked on Wednesday night, following previous reveals of hip-hop star Lil Wayne and comedian/”The Price is Right” host Drew Carey. Khan was voted off despite impressing the show’s panelists with her legendary voice.
“I could have gone on forever and ever,” Khan told Variety, which chose the singer last October as one of its “Power of Women” honorees. “I was disappointed that it ended so fast.”
Khan, who also competed on...
Chaka Khan, I feel for you. The iconic singer and songwriter, who had been disguised as Miss Monster, was the next celebrity to be eliminated on Season 3 of “The Masked Singer.”
The artist behind hits such as “I’m Every Woman,” “I Feel For You” and “Through the Fire” became the third celebrity to be unmasked on Wednesday night, following previous reveals of hip-hop star Lil Wayne and comedian/”The Price is Right” host Drew Carey. Khan was voted off despite impressing the show’s panelists with her legendary voice.
“I could have gone on forever and ever,” Khan told Variety, which chose the singer last October as one of its “Power of Women” honorees. “I was disappointed that it ended so fast.”
Khan, who also competed on...
- 2/13/2020
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
One of the four remaining contestants in Group A of “The Masked Singer” didn’t make the cut in episode 3, which aired on Fox on February 12. The best singer of this bunch is the one disguised as Miss Monster. While we can’t see her face, we are certain we recognize her voice, with its signature style.
Miss Monster first performed on the post-Super Bowl premiere where she blew the roof on the joint with her rousing rendition of the Bonnie Raitt rock hit “Something to Talk About.” Then on episode 2 she changed genres and made the country classic “Fancy” by Bobbie Gentry her own.
We are certain that we know the name of the celebrity hiding inside the Miss Monster costume. We ruled out those guesses by the judges that it is Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion or Dionne Warwick. Keep reading as we’ve got all “The Masked Singer” spoilers,...
Miss Monster first performed on the post-Super Bowl premiere where she blew the roof on the joint with her rousing rendition of the Bonnie Raitt rock hit “Something to Talk About.” Then on episode 2 she changed genres and made the country classic “Fancy” by Bobbie Gentry her own.
We are certain that we know the name of the celebrity hiding inside the Miss Monster costume. We ruled out those guesses by the judges that it is Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion or Dionne Warwick. Keep reading as we’ve got all “The Masked Singer” spoilers,...
- 2/12/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Four masked performers remain in Group A of the third season of “The Masked Singer.” The first two have been revealed and eliminated and even in this early stage of the competition, we can’t help but think, who of this group has the best shot at going all the way? Below, we’ve ranked the four remaining contestants from Group A in order of their likelihood of taking home the Golden Mask. Do you think that these are in the right order? If not, how would you rank them? Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.
The post-Super Bowl episode brought one of the biggest celebrities yet to the show’s stage when the Robot was revealed to be Lil Wayne after a performance of “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz. Then the most recent episode saw the Llama eliminated after performing “She...
The post-Super Bowl episode brought one of the biggest celebrities yet to the show’s stage when the Robot was revealed to be Lil Wayne after a performance of “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz. Then the most recent episode saw the Llama eliminated after performing “She...
- 2/12/2020
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
In the second episode of Fox’s “The Masked Singer” Season 3, the reality TV show welcomed Jason Biggs to join the panel alongside Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong and Nicole Scherzinger. Their collective goal, as always, was to try to identify the mystery celebrities hiding inside the elaborate costumes. After the elimination of the Robot on Super Bowl Sunday, only five celebs remained in Group A: Kangaroo, Llama, Miss Monster, Turtle and White Tiger. Did you correctly guess which member from this group was sent home second, and who was hiding underneath their mask?
SEEAre ‘The Masked Singer’ celebrity contestants lip-syncing or singing live?
Below, check out our minute-by-minute “The Masked Singer” recap of Season 3, Episode 2, titled “The Playoffs: Group A,” to find out what happened Wednesday, February 5 at 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite costumed celebs...
SEEAre ‘The Masked Singer’ celebrity contestants lip-syncing or singing live?
Below, check out our minute-by-minute “The Masked Singer” recap of Season 3, Episode 2, titled “The Playoffs: Group A,” to find out what happened Wednesday, February 5 at 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite costumed celebs...
- 2/6/2020
- by Denton Davidson and Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
With today’s unveiling of the 2020 Grammy nominations, high-profile snubs like Taylor Swift and BTS have attracted the most attention. But there’s plenty more to look for among the field of nominees. Here are 12 noteworthy takeaways.
1. Two artists racked up nominations in the four major categories — a Grammy first.
For breakout acts, the ultimate Grammy achievement is landing nominations in all four major categories — Song, Record, and Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. It’s happened only sporadically in the past — Bobbie Gentry in 1967, the Carpenters in...
1. Two artists racked up nominations in the four major categories — a Grammy first.
For breakout acts, the ultimate Grammy achievement is landing nominations in all four major categories — Song, Record, and Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. It’s happened only sporadically in the past — Bobbie Gentry in 1967, the Carpenters in...
- 11/20/2019
- by David Browne, Brenna Ehrlich, Suzy Exposito, Jon Freeman, Kory Grow, Elias Leight, Jerry Portwood, Hank Shteamer and Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
The Country Music Association’s 53rd annual Cma Awards are poised to make history on Wednesday night, with this year’s show spotlighting a half-century of female artistry and opening with an all-star, all-women collaboration.
Here’s everything you need to know before the CMAs get underway from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
How to watch: The show airs live on November 13th at 8:00 p.m. Et on ABC, with multiple digital outlets carrying live red-carpet coverage prior to the ceremonies. Ahead of some 40 female performers and presenters, co-hosts Carrie Underwood,...
Here’s everything you need to know before the CMAs get underway from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
How to watch: The show airs live on November 13th at 8:00 p.m. Et on ABC, with multiple digital outlets carrying live red-carpet coverage prior to the ceremonies. Ahead of some 40 female performers and presenters, co-hosts Carrie Underwood,...
- 11/12/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Teenage breakout Billie Eilish has been the star of our Grammy odds ever since we opened our Album of the Year predictions in the spring. Now she’s the front-runner to win all four general field categories according to the combined predictions of our users. The only artist who has ever done that before in the same year was Christopher Cross in 1981. But since Eilish is such big news, it could be easy to overlook that Lizzo is likely to be nominated in the same four categories. If that happens, it would be the first time in Grammy history that two artists have achieved the nominations grand slam at the same time.
Eilish is on top of our odds for Album of the Year, Record and Song of the Year (“Bad Guy”) and Best New Artist. But hip-hop star Lizzo isn’t far behind. She ranks fourth for Album (“Cuz...
Eilish is on top of our odds for Album of the Year, Record and Song of the Year (“Bad Guy”) and Best New Artist. But hip-hop star Lizzo isn’t far behind. She ranks fourth for Album (“Cuz...
- 10/19/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
There’s an acoustic segment during Sam Hunt’s concerts where he performs hits by Nineties country divas. On Wednesday night, he revisited one of the biggest crowd-pleasers, Bobbie Gentry’s “Fancy,” in front of the artist who made it popular in the Nineties, Reba McEntire.
Reba was among the honorees at the 2019 Cmt Artists of the Year ceremonies in Nashville, receiving the Artist of a Lifetime Award. Introduced by Vince Gill, who went off-script to speak about his friendship with the entertainer, Reba accepted the award by nodding to...
Reba was among the honorees at the 2019 Cmt Artists of the Year ceremonies in Nashville, receiving the Artist of a Lifetime Award. Introduced by Vince Gill, who went off-script to speak about his friendship with the entertainer, Reba accepted the award by nodding to...
- 10/17/2019
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Glen Campbell’s phenomenal recording career, which began in 1961 with his first single “Turn Around, Look at Me,” will be revisited in the upcoming release of The Legacy 1961-2017, an updated and expanded edition of the long-out-of-print box set originally released in 2003. The four-disc collection will be available June 21st.
The 78-track set, which is bookended by Campbell’s first single and tracks from his final album Adiós, is buoyed by the legendary performer’s classic hits, including “Gentle on My Mind,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Galveston” and “Wichita Lineman,...
The 78-track set, which is bookended by Campbell’s first single and tracks from his final album Adiós, is buoyed by the legendary performer’s classic hits, including “Gentle on My Mind,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Galveston” and “Wichita Lineman,...
- 5/1/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
On March 31st, 1969, 50 years ago this weekend, Americans got their first chance to hear Dusty in Memphis, the new album by British singer Dusty Springfield and her first after signing with the powerful R&B-centric Atlantic Records. Although the early Sixties afforded her hits “I Only Want to Be With You,” “Wishin’ and Hopin’” and “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” significant airplay stateside, her albums didn’t sell or chart well in the U.S. And, even though its title held the promise of the beautiful...
- 3/31/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
With the Outlaw Country Cruise produced in part by SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel, the satellite radio giant stages a number of “SiriusXM Sessions at Sea” over the course of the voyage. On Thursday, American songwriter Elizabeth Cook — and host of Elizabeth Cook’s Apron Strings — sat with New Artist of the Year Grammy nominee Margo Price for a wide-ranging interview. Premiering Thursday, February 7th, on Outlaw Country, the conversation found the two women sharing their experiences in the male-dominated music industry, heaping praise on the work of Bobbie Gentry...
- 2/1/2019
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Lucinda Williams adds a touch of her native Louisiana grit to the Southern Gothic of Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” in a version of the quintessentially mysterious tune that supplements Mercury Rev’s adventurous track-by-track re-imagining of Gentry’s largely forgotten 1968 sophomore album, The Delta Sweete.
Set within darkly atmospheric production elements, Williams’ vocal is tinged with pain and echoes with hints of anger and regret throughout, deepening the classic tune’s enigmatic nature. The song — and its phenomenal success on the pop chart at a time when...
Set within darkly atmospheric production elements, Williams’ vocal is tinged with pain and echoes with hints of anger and regret throughout, deepening the classic tune’s enigmatic nature. The song — and its phenomenal success on the pop chart at a time when...
- 1/23/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
As a vital member of L.A.’s Wrecking Crew, the group of ace studio musicians who backed countless recordings in the Sixties and Seventies, guitarist Glen Campbell was heard on songs that ran the gamut from the sunshine pop of the Partridge Family to the gritty R&B of Ike and Tina Turner. Campbell would move from session work to worldwide superstardom with 1967’s “Gentle on My Mind,” which was followed closely that year by “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Those two songs would serve as the...
- 1/22/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Reclusive “Ode to Billie Joe” and “Fancy” songwriter Bobbie Gentry continues to inspire a new generation of artists including indie rockers Mercury Rev, who have debuted their uniquely psychedelic jazz rendition of the Mississippi legend’s swampy “Okolona River Bottom Band,” with vocal assistance from Norah Jones.
“Okolona” is the opening track on Mercury Rev’s forthcoming LP, The Delta Sweete Revisited, the Buffalo, New York band’s track-by-track recreation of Gentry’s sophomore LP, released 50 years ago next month. Coming on the heels of the singer-songwriter’s groundbreaking debut,...
“Okolona” is the opening track on Mercury Rev’s forthcoming LP, The Delta Sweete Revisited, the Buffalo, New York band’s track-by-track recreation of Gentry’s sophomore LP, released 50 years ago next month. Coming on the heels of the singer-songwriter’s groundbreaking debut,...
- 1/9/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Reba McEntire represented country music in this year’s Kennedy Center Honors class. The Oklahoma native was in attendance as Kelly Clarkson, Lady Antebellum and Brooks & Dunn performed her songs at the December 2nd Washington, D.C., ceremony, which aired on CBS on Wednesday night.
Clarkson, resplendent in a red dress (a subtle nod to McEntire’s infamous 1993 CMAs dress), delivered a majestic take of “Fancy,” the Bobbie Gentry tale of a young girl persuaded by her mother to “be nice to the gentlemen.” A staple of McEntire’s own live show,...
Clarkson, resplendent in a red dress (a subtle nod to McEntire’s infamous 1993 CMAs dress), delivered a majestic take of “Fancy,” the Bobbie Gentry tale of a young girl persuaded by her mother to “be nice to the gentlemen.” A staple of McEntire’s own live show,...
- 12/27/2018
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
A new song from Greensky Bluegrass, the title track of Kacey Musgraves’ Cma award-winning Golden Hour and a dancehall-ready entry from Mike and the Moonpies make up the songs you must hear this week.
Greensky Bluegrass, “All for Money”
The title track from Greensky Bluegrass’ upcoming seventh album, All for Money, kicks up some string-band dust for two spirited minutes, then dissolves into woozy, wobbly psychedelia. Co-produced by Jack White’s longtime bassist, this is the sound of a band firmly embracing its own weirdness.
Mike and the Moonpies, “Can...
Greensky Bluegrass, “All for Money”
The title track from Greensky Bluegrass’ upcoming seventh album, All for Money, kicks up some string-band dust for two spirited minutes, then dissolves into woozy, wobbly psychedelia. Co-produced by Jack White’s longtime bassist, this is the sound of a band firmly embracing its own weirdness.
Mike and the Moonpies, “Can...
- 11/16/2018
- by Robert Crawford
- Rollingstone.com
Pistol Annies — the trio of singer-songwriters Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe — won huge critical praise for their 2013 LP Annie Up, a wry collection of songs about drinking and divorce.
But the album was released during a critical shift in country jump-started by the record-breaking success of Florida Georgia Line and Nelly’s “Cruise,” which hit radio just a few weeks before Annie Up. In the ensuing five years, mainstream country has mostly embraced the template that “Cruise” offered: male voices singing about partying and women over slick, pop-savvy production.
But the album was released during a critical shift in country jump-started by the record-breaking success of Florida Georgia Line and Nelly’s “Cruise,” which hit radio just a few weeks before Annie Up. In the ensuing five years, mainstream country has mostly embraced the template that “Cruise” offered: male voices singing about partying and women over slick, pop-savvy production.
- 11/2/2018
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
Guitars and other instruments line the walls of the living room in the Nashville home that singer Kathy Mattea shares with husband-songwriter Jon Venzer. Alongside them are color-splashed works of art, many created by the couple’s close friends. On the fireplace mantel rests an oversized painting by Nashville artist Deborah Denson, a dramatic image that serves as the cover of Mattea’s new album Pretty Bird, released in September.
Sung in a voice that was subjected to significant retraining over the years, the material found on Pretty Bird — including...
Sung in a voice that was subjected to significant retraining over the years, the material found on Pretty Bird — including...
- 10/1/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Two chords of Patti Smith’s brilliant and multifaceted career harmonize and ring out in Patti Smith: Words And Music, a three-night-only Off Broadway production that, like the show uptown starring her old Jersey pal and “Because the Night” cowriter, combines storytelling with well-chosen samples of a 40-year-plus rock & roll repertoire.
The performances (the third and final is set for tonight) are being recorded by Audible, the Amazon audio books division that has made Greenwich Village’s Minetta Lane Theatre its home base for public recordings as varied as these evenings with Smith and an upcoming star-packed reading of a new Billy Crystal play.
Whether reading short excerpts from her award-winning memoir Just Kids or recounting some wonderfully shaggy and moving anecdote about loved ones she’s lost – husband Fred “Sonic” Smith and photographer friend Robert Mapplethorpe, chiefly – Smith creates an immediate and intimate rapport with her audience. First-night jitters...
The performances (the third and final is set for tonight) are being recorded by Audible, the Amazon audio books division that has made Greenwich Village’s Minetta Lane Theatre its home base for public recordings as varied as these evenings with Smith and an upcoming star-packed reading of a new Billy Crystal play.
Whether reading short excerpts from her award-winning memoir Just Kids or recounting some wonderfully shaggy and moving anecdote about loved ones she’s lost – husband Fred “Sonic” Smith and photographer friend Robert Mapplethorpe, chiefly – Smith creates an immediate and intimate rapport with her audience. First-night jitters...
- 9/24/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Fifty-one years ago this month, Capitol Records released the debut single by Mississippi-born singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. Now, for the first time, all seven of Gentry’s studio albums will be re-mastered from the original tapes and available in a massive eight-disc collection. The Girl From Chickasaw County, out September 21st on Capitol/UMe, also features more than 75 previously unreleased recordings including Gentry’s “lost” jazz album, along with outtakes, demos and other rarities.
Amid the Summer of Love’s psychedelic hits (“San Francisco,” “White Rabbit.” “Light My Fire” and the like,...
Amid the Summer of Love’s psychedelic hits (“San Francisco,” “White Rabbit.” “Light My Fire” and the like,...
- 7/30/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
On September 7th, Cma Award-winning vocalist Kathy Mattea will release Pretty Bird, her first new album in six years. A sublime acoustic collection including a number of smartly chosen and heartfelt covers, the record marks something of a new era in Mattea’s 30-plus-year career. Over the past several years her deep, rich singing voice has experienced significant changes that could have put a permanent end to her performing, but after extensive vocal training she has emerged from what she refers to as her “dark night of the soul” with a duskier instrument.
- 7/12/2018
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
As The Voice’s Season 13 Blind Auditions drew to a close Tuesday, coach Miley Cyrus made a big to-do about her hopes of rounding out the show’s first-ever all-female team. But the chatter might have been just a distraction technique, as she was stealthily assembling the season’s strongest lineup, including standouts Ashland Craft and Moriah Formica. Do you think Miley’s got the crew to beat? Before you size up the coaches’ rosters in the comments, let’s review the final group of singers advancing to next week’s Battles and see if the erstwhile Hannah Montana managed to make Voice herstory.
- 10/11/2017
- TVLine.com
It's difficult for any newcomer to make an impact in the music industry, and it's harder still to make such an impact that you earn nominations in all four general-field categories at the Grammys: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. Only 10 artists have ever accomplished that feat, including two in the last three years. They are: -Break- Grammy mystery: Can Meghan Trainor end male winning streak for Best New Artist? 1967 – Bobbie Gentry 1979 – Christopher Cross 1984 – Cyndi Lauper 1988 – Tracy Chapman 1990 – Mariah Carey 1997 – Paula Cole 2001 – India.Arie 2007 – Amy Winehouse 2012 – Fun. 2014 – Sam Smith All but one of those (India.Arie) went on to win Best New Artist, so sweeping up nominations in all four races is key to identifying the Grammy frontrunner. But can any of this year's New Artist hopefuls crack th...'...
- 10/28/2015
- Gold Derby
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