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Easy Ed

EASY ED'S BROADSIDE: Spade Cooley: Western Swing's Killer Cowboy

EASY ED'S BROADSIDE: Spade Cooley: Western Swing's Killer Cowboy

My oldest son and his friend stopped by my apartment the other night for a few minutes and I punched the play button on a playlist I put together of old jazz and western swing tracks. There are a couple thousand songs in there that I enjoy listening to, mixing

A 1967 Revisitation: The Youngbloods' 'Earth Music'

A 1967 Revisitation: The Youngbloods' 'Earth Music'

Last summer I saw Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore in concert before I had a chance to listen to their Downey to Lubbock album, and I was pretty surprised when they pulled out an artifact from the ’60s, well known as a hit for The Youngbloods. The late Chet

What If Woody Guthrie Got It All Wrong?

What If Woody Guthrie Got It All Wrong?

You've likely seen the image of Woody Guthrie's guitar an infinite number of times in your life. It reads “THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS” and you could interpret that phrase to mean that lyrics and music will unite people to rise against economic, racial, and social injustice.

The Night I Met Bob Marley

The Night I Met Bob Marley

I was just cruisin' around today ... coffee and conversation with a friend, a trip to the car wash, gas, groceries, and a burger and fries at Five Guys. Typical stuff one does on one’s day off. I was listening mostly to tunes spanning three years from the BBC

The Everly Brothers Play with Sharp Objects

The Everly Brothers Play with Sharp Objects

This summer's runaway small-screen “must see” TV show was HBO's miniseries Sharp Objects, adapted from a book of the same name written by Gillian Flynn. I won't spoil it for those who have yet to see it, but it takes place in the fictional

Americana Lost and Found: Doo-Wop Music

Americana Lost and Found: Doo-Wop Music

I'm not sure that the twangy contingent of the roots music intelligentsia will agree with me on this one, but I've been thinking a lot lately about the vocal group harmony style that emerged out of African American communities in the late ’40s, and how it

Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music at 66

Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music at 66

Several months ago when I transitioned from an owner of music to a renter via streaming, the first selection I imported into my cloud-based digital library was a collection of folk music I first heard when I was just a little sprout. I was introduced to Harry Smith's