The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer-Songwriters of Texas
Throw a rock from anywhere you’re standing in Texas, and you’re bound to hit a songwriter. Like churches, there’s a singer-songwriter on every corner in every town of the Lone Star republic. Simply to list the names of recent artists would fill the pages of a book:
Ruthie Foster & Sunny Sweeney Trump Hate With Pink Power
These are demoralizing times for most Americans, and it's at such historical junctures that music is most potent and therapeutic. Ruthie Foster couldn't have known it as she was recording her deeply satisfying new album, Joy Comes Back, but the tune "Working Woman" is
Album Review: Tift Merritt, “Stitch Of The World”
Tift Merritt’s fantastic new album, Stitch of the World, perfectly represents the depth of her voice and songwriting that so many fans have come to know and love over the past 15 years. There is a thread through these songs of confidence and control while being pulled emotionally in
Five Lesser-Known Folksingers from the '60s Greenwich Village Scene
The following is a continuation of my article Half-forgotten Folksingers from the '60s Greenwich Village Folk Scene. This one adds five more artists to the list.
1.
Dave Van Ronk
Many were introduced to Van Ronk by the popular film Inside Llewyn Davis, which was partially inspired by Van
The Alternative Fact of "Buffalo Gals"
In 1844 a blackface minstrel named John Hodges, who performed under the name “Cool White,” wrote and published a song titled “Lubly Fan.” Over the years it became quite popular throughout the country, and touring minstrels would often switch up the lyrics to appeal to wherever they were playing. Now
Rhonda Vincent: All-American Bluegrass Girl
Rhonda Vincent has had a long and successful career in bluegrass music. From her origins in northeastern Missouri to her emergence as the Queen of Bluegrass, a crown conferred on her by The Wall Street Journal, she has represented bluegrass music's wholesome image while winning awards and growing