THROUGH THE LENS: John Prine Was One of Us
“I guess I just process death differently than some folks. Realizing you’re not going to see that person again is always the most difficult part about it. But that feeling settles, and then you are glad you had that person in your life, and then the happiness and the
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
John Prine, A Beacon of Middle America
When John Prine sang of “Paradise,” an Americana concept became a real and present truth. He wrote the song for his father, who was reared in the pastoral confines of Western Kentucky coal country. But he sang it for my great-grandparents, my second and third cousins, and great aunts and
ROOTS IN THE ARCHIVE: Zora Neale Hurston’s Song-Collecting Recordings
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the debut of our new monthly column, Roots in the Archive. Each month, Stephen Winick, writer and editor for the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and editor of their blog, Folklife Today, will highlight items of interest to roots music fans
SPOTLIGHT: Pokey LaFarge Sheds Demons and Damage After ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’
EDITOR'S NOTE: Pokey LaFarge is No Depression's Spotlight artist for April 2020. Tune in all month long for more from LaFarge and his new album, Rock Bottom Rhapsody, out April 10.
When Pokey LaFarge picks up the phone in Austin, it’s not from one of
Crooning and Creativity Highlight Logan Ledger’s Debut
At first blush, singer-songwriter Logan Ledger sounds like he just wasn’t made for these times. His singing is a throwback to a bygone era, stirring up echoes of the lonesome voices of a Glen Campbell or Roy Orbison. Ledger’s eponymous debut LP, produced by T Bone Burnett and