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Henry Carrigan

THE READING ROOM: In Memoir and Conversations, John Cowan Reflects on His ‘Newgrass Odyssey’

THE READING ROOM: In Memoir and Conversations, John Cowan Reflects on His ‘Newgrass Odyssey’

John Cowan admits that on Feb. 9, 1964, the cosmic balance of the universe shifted: “A comet slipped through the ether from the bonds of the galaxy (or was it Liverpool?) and into the side door of the Ed Sullivan Theater, depositing four humanlike beings onto Ed’s stage and

ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Songwriter’ Resurrects Johnny Cash Demos From Early 1990s

ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Songwriter’ Resurrects Johnny Cash Demos From Early 1990s

In maybe the best news of the year, the Man in Black returns, more than 20 years after his death, with new music on Songwriter. These 11 songs, which he wrote mostly in the late 1980s and early 1990s, capture the richness and purity of his voice, and the clarity

ALBUM REVIEW: Jim Lauderdale Sounds Right at Home on ‘My Favorite Place’

ALBUM REVIEW: Jim Lauderdale Sounds Right at Home on ‘My Favorite Place’

The title of Jim Lauderdale’s new album is just right. On My Favorite Place, his 37th album, the ambassador of Americana has settled into his musical comfort zones: western swing, rockabilly, country weepers, bluegrass rambles, and folk ballads. He’s enjoying himself, too, crooning in his unmistakable voice, following

THE READING ROOM: Memoir Celebrates the Songs That Shaped Darius Rucker

THE READING ROOM: Memoir Celebrates the Songs That Shaped Darius Rucker

When he was 6 years old, country singer Darius Rucker discovered his destiny. Rucker was lying on his living room floor listening to Al Green’s then-new album, I’m Still in Love with You, he recalls in his new memoir, Life’s Too Short. His mother, who had passed

ALBUM REVIEW: The Mavericks Reach New Heights on 'Moon & Stars'

ALBUM REVIEW: The Mavericks Reach New Heights on 'Moon & Stars'

The Mavericks just keep getting better. There’s an intimate, organic quality to their music that pulls listeners in immediately, allowing them to dwell in the luscious harmonies, the sumptuous instrumentation, and the ingenious songwriting of the band. Moon & Stars launches these qualities into the sonic stratosphere. The album

THE READING ROOM: Greg Brown on the Power of Care, the Intimacy of Art, and His New Songbook

THE READING ROOM: Greg Brown on the Power of Care, the Intimacy of Art, and His New Songbook

If it hadn’t been for Gerde’s Folk City’s Johny Porco one day in 1969, Greg Brown might have headed home from his adventure in New York City, where he had gone to try to make it as a folk singer. In the opening story of his just-released

THE READING ROOM: Jonathan Cott Explores Two Beatles A-Sides in 'Let Me Take You Down'

THE READING ROOM: Jonathan Cott Explores Two Beatles A-Sides in 'Let Me Take You Down'

There’s seemingly no end to the number of Beatles books out there. Readers can expect to travel endlessly down a long and winding road full of Beatles ephemera for more than eight days a week with recollections of their hangers-on, philosophical musings on the priest in “Eleanor Rigby,” phenomenological