Hillbilly Music Straight Outta Compton
I would imagine most people know Compton as the epicenter of late ‘80s hip-hop and a city dominated by crime and gang violence. Smack in the middle between Long Beach and Los Angeles, just south of Watts, back in the ‘50s and ‘60s it became a suburban destination for middle
Stepping into the Spotlight: Women in Bluegrass
Recently I wrote a review of Holly Gleason’s marvelous new book, Woman Walk the Line, a collection of essays written by 27 highly accomplished women writing about 27 female country artists. These fairly compact essays vividly present the the impact the performers’ music and lives had upon the writer
Poco’s Rusty Young Puts a Cherry on Top of a Brilliant Career
Recording music in bands since 1967, steel guitar extraordinaire Rusty Young finally released his first solo record this month—and it’s a tour de force.
Waitin’ for the Sun on Blue Elan Records finally shows the world what Poco fans have known for decades: Rusty Young is not just
Billy Bragg Explores the Roots and Reach of Skiffle
Whenever skiffle comes up in a conversation, folks mention Lonnie Donegan — and maybe Van Morrison — as if just the sound of the name should be the end of the conversation. Thankfully, Billy Bragg decided that a proper history of skiffle — including its influence on him and his own music — needed
Brighter than Sunshine: Jim Yester on The Association's Past and Future
Jim Yester remembers his band, the Association, playing before a crowd that could fill up the Rose Bowl, but it’s the small venues he likes best.
“The largest crowd the Association played before was probably the Wisconsin State Fair,” he says. “I don't remember what year, but
Hey, Mike Scott and The Waterboys: How Does It Feel?
In my younger and more vulnerable years, back in Boston in October of 1989, I scored a right and left cross of The Waterboys and Bob Dylan. On a Sunday night in October, with the leaves turning on the Common and cold in the air, I heard The Waterboys live