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Unfinished Business: The Life And Times Of Danny Gatton

Danny Gatton was not "the world's greatest unknown guitar player," although many national magazines and local television stations swore to it. Quite a few people knew exactly who he was. Many professional musicians (especially those with an ear to the ground) had heard -- and heard

Merle Haggard - Branded man

Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself (I am huge, I contain multitudes.) -- Walt Whitman ("Song Of Myself") It says here that Merle Haggard is our greatest living singer and songwriter. Country singer and songwriter, if you must limit him. Just do not argue

Handsome Family - Tragic songs of life

On an early September evening, across the U.S.A., a million little girls -- and quite a few boys, too -- gasp suddenly, struck by a fleeting spasm of pain. The origin of this mysterious discomfort? Rennie Sparks of the Handsome Family, who has just expressed a sentiment so

Glen Bonham - Bluegrass blooded

While some might think a man of Choctaw-British descent an unlikely candidate to become a bluegrass star, that's exactly what Glen Bonham has turned out to be. Bonham has played with the likes of Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs and Jimmy Martin, and is constantly in demand on the

Various Artists - Country Got Soul, Volume One

Although much less broad in scope and goal and coming from a different perspective, the Country Got Soul compilation has an against-the-grain mission statement similar to that of 1998's three-disc From Where I Stand: The Black Experience In Country Music box set. Whereas From Where I Stand spotlighted

Waterboys - Universal Hall

Mike Scott always injected spirituality into his music regardless of his myriad stylistic detours, although, like a number of his mid-'80s peers (U2, The Alarm, etc.), he tended to rely more on metaphor when tackling faith-based issues. Since the turn of the millennium, however, he's dealt

Jan Smith - Tin Heart

A native Kentuckian, Jan Smith traveled west and east before landing in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she has quickly made a name for herself with the help of a top-notch backing band. Tin Heart is a thoroughly enjoyable mix of country, folk and bluegrass that showcases her strong and considerable songwriting