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Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: A Study of 'The Gospel According to Johnny Cash'

THE READING ROOM: A Study of 'The Gospel According to Johnny Cash'

Johnny Cash embodied the lyrics in the chorus of his friend Kris Kristofferson’s song “The Pilgrim, Chapter 33”: “He's a poet, he's a picker / He's a prophet, he's a pusher / He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem

Shelby Lynne Opens Emotional Floodgates

Shelby Lynne Opens Emotional Floodgates

There’s a raw beauty, an exquisite vulnerability, and a defiant passion running through the songs on Shelby Lynne, and Lynne’s brilliant canniness in exploring the musical landscape of emotions pulls us into the songs so that we can dwell with her in their expansiveness. The album opens with

In His One-of-a-Kind Voice, John Anderson Celebrates Past and Present on ‘Years’

In His One-of-a-Kind Voice, John Anderson Celebrates Past and Present on ‘Years’

John Anderson still has one of the most recognizable voices in country music, and listening to Years is like hearing an old friend tell you stories and sing you songs about the lessons he’s learned in life. The singer who brought us “Swingin’,” “Straight Tequila Night,” “Seminole Wind,” and

THE READING ROOM: Loretta Lynn Recounts Support and Sass from Her Friend Patsy Cline

THE READING ROOM: Loretta Lynn Recounts Support and Sass from Her Friend Patsy Cline

Loretta Lynn says she feels like Patsy Cline is watching over her sometimes, especially when life gets hard or when she feels like she’s ready to give up and lose sight of the many blessings she’s been given in life. In her new memoir, Me & Patsy Kickin’

THE READING ROOM: Where Politics and Country Music Collide

THE READING ROOM: Where Politics and Country Music Collide

Some listeners these days like their concerts to be politics-free zones. They want the shows they attend to be entertaining, and they’re there for the music; they leave their political debates at the door to the venue, and they won’t hesitate to tell artists to “Shut up and

THE READING ROOM: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jazz

THE READING ROOM: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jazz

Martin Luther King, Jr. once called Mahalia Jackson his favorite singer. She was with him before and after he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Washington Memorial on August 28, 1963. King asked her to sing the familiar spiritual “How I Got Over” before his address, and

THE READING ROOM: New Janis Joplin Biography Brings the Focus Back to the Music

THE READING ROOM: New Janis Joplin Biography Brings the Focus Back to the Music

In June 1967, a young singer and her band took the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival. It was Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company’s first large-scale public performance, but her performances riveted the crowd and introduced to the world a blues singer who pulled every