The Secret Sisters photo courtesy of Essential Broadcast Media.

Alabama-reared siblings Laura and Lydia Rogers, a.k.a. The Secret Sisters, have come a long way in their short time in the spotlight. Their classic, old school sound and sister harmonies caught the attention of producer T Bone Burnett, who produced their self-titled debut album. If you haven’t seen them in concert yet — you’re in luck, because we are airing a very special show, featuring Laura and Lydia as well as Elvis Costello and Jakob Dylan.

Secret Sisters: Live in Concert, premieres TONIGHT on GAC at 10 p.m. Eastern. And since the “secret” is out, here’s a sneak peek!: Continue Reading

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Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley.

Jaw-dropping.

There’s probably not a better phrase to describe an all-star band that’s being put together by producer T Bone Burnett. Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, who sung the Grammy-winning “O Death” on T Bone’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, will share the stage with keyboard players Elton John and Leon Russell, eclectic rocker Elvis Costello, Americana artist Neko Case and actor Jeff Bridges under the banner T Bone Burnett’s Speaking Clock Revue. They’ll be assembled Oct. 24 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., during the second day of Neil Young’s annual Bridge School Benefit.

The rock-and-country mix in T Bone’s ensemble is reflective of the multi-genre texture of the event’s larger lineup. Country-rock pioneers Buffalo Springfield will reunite for the weekend, and country’s Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson will play the same stage as Americana’s Lucinda Williams, classic-rockers Jackson Browne and Billy Idol, and modern-rock bands Pearl Jam and Modest Mouse.

The link between country artists and their pop and rock peers is strong these days. And it’s in full force in a lot of ways. Among other notable examples:

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Hank Cochran photo courtesy of So Much Moore Media.

Hank Cochran, a legendary songwriter who had hits in four decades, died Thursday after battling pancreatic cancer. A longtime member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, his words and melodies were significant in the careers of such signature artists as George Strait, Patsy Cline, Keith Whitley and Eddy Arnold.

Hank was part of the first generation of Nashville’s full-time songwriters. Born in Mississippi, he was living and performing in California when he signed his first songwriting contract in 1959 with Pamper Music, a publishing company owned in part by Ray Price. In January 1960, he moved to Music City, where he became a regular at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, a legendary music-business hangout. Tootsie’s provided an informal meeting room for country’s artists and writers, including Harlan Howard, Mel Tillis, Marty Robbins and Willie Nelson, who Hank first met there. He helped Willie get signed to Pamper and even gave up a raise to make sure the company could afford Willie.

Hank’s legend was practically cemented when he and Harlan co-wrote “I Fall To Pieces,” a landmark Patsy Cline song with a nicely contoured melody and deftly direct lyrics. It was not just a great calling card. The National Endowment for the Arts named it one of 365 culturally significant recordings in a new-millennium list of the Songs of the Century.

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Emmylou Harris photo by Rocky Schenck, courtesy of Nonesuch Records.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris and superstar Faith Hill both paid a visit to the White House on Wednesday, performing in front of President Barack Obama as Paul McCartney was honored with the Library of Congress’ third annual Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Faith sang “The Long And Winding Road,” according to the Associated Press, while Emmylou turned in a version of “For No One,” a song that originally appeared on the Beatles’ Revolver album in 1966. Emmy recorded it for her 1975 release Pieces Of The Sky, her first album to appear on the country chart.

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Faith Hill photo by Andrew Southam, courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Intentionally or not, a number of country’s bedrock performers — including Faith Hill, Diamond Rio, Trace Adkins and Tracy Lawrence — have all found themselves linked to politics or politicians this week.

For two artists, those connections involve actual campaigning for gubernatorial candidates. The others are tied to honoring people’s lives or accomplishments: Faith and Emmylou Harris will be performing at the White House; Trace and Diamond Rio paid their respects to 11 workers whose deaths are part of the tragic oil spill that has become a political nightmare.

The stories:

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Willie Nelson photo courtesy of Lost Highway Records.

There are plenty of ways to meet the Christmas gift wishes of country music fans in 2010: new Christmas albums from Sugarland, Richie McDonald and John Cowan; concert tickets for one of the coming year’s summer festivals; or maybe a Keith Urban fundraising calendar.

But if you want to go the extra mile — and you’ve got bucks to spend — you might want to consider something that’s been signed, or previously owned, by a country star. Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift and Johnny Cash are among numerous artists represented at auction this month, with the proceeds in most instances going to a worthy charity.

Some are online, some require you to show up in person, and the most expensive one is already completed. But here are some reasons to do a friend’s “bidding” for Christmas:

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Dolly Parton photo courtesy of Dolly Parton Management.

The list is out, the tickets to Los Angeles are being bought, and the country stars in the running for 2010 Grammy Awards are all coming to grips with the reality that their work is being recognized by their peers among the year’s best.

Kenny Chesney’s duet with Mac McAnally, Dolly Parton’s Broadway cast album and Lady Antebellum’s pair of nominations have all spurred gratitude and joy. Tracy Lawrence scored his first-ever Grammy nomination, Jim Lauderdale is a bluegrass finalist — and also had a hand in a couple of other nominated projects: He wrote two songs on George Strait’s Twang album, and he was a member of Elvis Costello’s supporting band on Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. Keith Urban collected four nods, and Taylor Swift appeared eight times on the list.

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Taylor Swift did not need to be present to win. She picked up three honors Thursday night at the Nashville Music Awards, held at the Cannery Ballroom.

Taylor grabbed Artist and Songwriter/Artist of the Year, while Fearless earned Country Album of the Year.

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Rosanne Cash photo courtesy of myspace.com/rosannecash.

When Rosanne Cash’s album The List is released on Tuesday, it will unveil only a portion of a much larger treasure.

When she was a teenager, Rosanne went on tour with her father, Country Music Hall of Fame member Johnny Cash, and he wrote out a list of the 100 most important country songs for her to learn if she intended to become an artist.

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