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Henry Carrigan

ALBUM REVIEW: Pure Prairie League is 'Back on Track'

ALBUM REVIEW: Pure Prairie League is 'Back on Track'

Pure Prairie League came Bustin’ Out in 1970 with hit love song “Amie,” and riding the country rock highway with songs like “Early Morning Riser,” “Two Lane Highway,” “Kentucky Moonshine,” and “I’ll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle.” Over the last 50 years, new members have shuffled in and out

ALBUM REVIEW: New Laura Nyro Box Set is Her Most Complete Yet

ALBUM REVIEW: New Laura Nyro Box Set is Her Most Complete Yet

Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro, beloved for her introspective lyrics and rich vocals, left us far too early when she died at 49, following a struggle with ovarian cancer. Now, a 19-CD limited edition boxed set, Hear My Song, honors Nyro’s musical legacy and traces her evolution as an artist. The

THE READING ROOM: Dave Dalton Thomas’ 'Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition'

THE READING ROOM: Dave Dalton Thomas’ 'Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition'

Texas historian Joe Nick Patoski sums up the experience of attending one of Willie Nelson’s annual picnics as “living inside a Willie Nelson song every Fourth of July.” As Patoski writes in his foreword to journalist Dave Dalton Thomas’ Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition (Texas A&

THE READING ROOM: New Book Celebrates Street Singing Traditions

THE READING ROOM: New Book Celebrates Street Singing Traditions

In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival celebrated the lives and music of a group of fictional street singers Willy and the Poor Boys in their hit song “Down on the Corner.” As the four boys gather on the corner near suppertime, there’s a “happy noise” as they try “to bring

ALBUM REVIEW: Yonder Mountain String Band Heads Somewhere Good on 'Nowhere Next'

ALBUM REVIEW: Yonder Mountain String Band Heads Somewhere Good on 'Nowhere Next'

Despite the title of Yonder Mountain String Band’s new album, Nowhere Next, they’re always headed somewhere, blazing new sonic trails and revisiting some familiar musical territory. For the album’s 11 songs (it’s their 11th album, as well), the band chases each other around the tablature with

ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Last Leaf on the Tree' Willie Nelson Contemplates Still Standing

ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Last Leaf on the Tree' Willie Nelson Contemplates Still Standing

On his latest album, Last Leaf on the Tree, country music legend Willie Nelson reflects on mortality and love as he interprets songs by Tom Waits, Neil Young, Sunny War, Keith Richards, and Beck, among others. Produced by his son Micah, Last Leaf is Nelson’s 153rd album and his

THE READING ROOM: New Anthology Tells More of the Story of 'How Women Made Music'

THE READING ROOM: New Anthology Tells More of the Story of 'How Women Made Music'

There is a sense in which this book should not need to be written. Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, Mother Maybelle Carter, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, among others, are the fount of the blues, jazz, gospel, country, and rock. So the title of this book gets it just right: