Jan
30
The JaneDear girls photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s latest spotlight exhibit will be in support of the American Heart Association and Go Red For Women. The Exhibit, Something in Red, will feature red ensembles from several country stars including Sara Evans, Naomi Judd, and Lorrie Morgan. The exhibit opens on February 3, National Wear Red Day, and runs through April 2012.
The red dress symbolizes the fight against heart disease in women. Several country artists have parented with the American Heart Association and the museum to raise awareness for the disease, which is the number one killer in women.
Some of the dresses featured in Something in Red include Sara Evans’ dress from the1999 Academy of Country Music Awards, Naomi Judd’s leather-like jacket and skirt she wore at the 1987 Country Music Association Awards, the dress worn by the JaneDear girls’ Danelle Leverett on the cover of the duo’s debut album (photo above) and Susie Brown’s dress from the 2011 ACM Awards, and gowns worn by Lorrie Morgan and Julie Roberts on the Grand Ole Opry. Continue Reading
ShareThis
Nov
3
- L to R: Tex Williams, Gene Autry, Nudie Cohn, Roy Rogers, and Rex Allen in Nudie’s Hollywood store. Photo courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened a new spotlight exhibit dedicated to legendary fashion designer Nudie Cohn on October 28. The “Silver Threads and Golden Needles: Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors” exhibit will run through November 2012. The exhibit traces Nudie’s journey across America from designing burlesque costumes in New York to opening his shop in North Hollywood. Gene Autry, Elton John, Gram Parsons, Elvis Presley, Roy Rogers and Hank Williams are among the artists who wore Nudie’s designs.
Born Nutya Kotlyrenko in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1902, Nudie immigrated to the United States when he was 11. He became ‘Nudie’ when immigration officials mistranslated his first name. His first job was shining shoes in Brooklyn and in 1918, he headed to California where he worked as a movie extra and film cutter before returning east. On his way back, he met Bobbie Kruger, whom he would later marry. The couple moved to New York, where Nudie found work designing burlesque costumes with his brother.
The Cohns returned to the west coast in the 1940s where they ran a small tailoring shop out of their Los Angeles-area garage for seven years. In 1947, Tex Williams commissioned ten outfits for his band from Nudie. With Tex’s endorsement, business started rolling in and Nudie opened his famous Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors. His slogan was ‘Everything for the Horse and Rider,’ though he began to cater to country artists and stars of western movies.
Nudie found his niche in the industry with the creation of a rhinestone-accented suit for Lefty Frizzell and began creating custom outfits for performers. He designed wagon-wheel suits for Porter Wagoner, Native-American motifs for Ray Price and a railroad-themed suit for Hank Snow inspired by Hank’s hit “The Golden Rocket.”
Working with embroidery specialist Rose Clements and fashion designer and one-time son-in-law Manuel, Nudie also designed instruments, cars, rugs and other items. Nudie was as much a celebrity as any of his clients and was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1969. He passed away of kidney failure in 1984. Continue Reading
ShareThis
Nov
2
Willie Nelson photo by David McClister, courtesy of Lost Highway Records.
Willie Nelson will release Remember Me, Vol. 1 on November 21. The album is a collection of Willie performing some of country music’s most definitive songs, hand picked by Willie himself. Songs included on the album span 70 years of Billboard hits. Remember Me, Vol. 2 is scheduled to be released next year.
Ernest Tubb, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Rosemary Clooney, Porter Wagoner and Ray Price are just some of the artists and songwriters Willie chose to cover on volume 1. The first volume comes from Willie’s sessions with longtime friend and producer James Stroud, which yielded more than 30 songs. Continue Reading
ShareThis
Jul
14
Dolly Parton on the set of GAC's The Collection with host Bill Cody. Photo credit GAC staff.
It’s not often you get spend an hour swapping stories with a country legend like Dolly Parton. But that’s exactly what host Bill Cody got to do when he recently taped the latest episode of GAC’s The Collection with Dolly. The show is built on the idea of having the artist take fans on a guided tour through a collection of their music videos. And when Dolly’s involved, you know it’s gonna be a good time. Watch the premiere of Dolly’s episode of The Collection tonight at 8/7c exclusively on GAC. Click here for the full schedule of airings »
Bill kicks the show off by taking Dolly all the way back to 1985 for a live performance video, featuring her onstage with good pal Kenny Rogers doing “Real Love.” As it turns out, Dolly had never seen the final cut of this video before and had a good laugh with Bill reminiscing about her many musical adventures with Kenny. Continue Reading
ShareThis
Jun
22
l-r: Josh Turner photo courtesy of UMG Nashville; Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville; Blake Shelton photo courtesy of WBR Nashville.
The Grand Ole Opry and Cracker Barrel have teamed up to release four new albums. The three-CD series Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection and the contemporary Our Kind of Country albums together feature more than 50 legendary and contemporary country music stars spanning six decades.
“The classic collection is truly ‘classic’ in every sense of the word,” said Julie Craig, marketing manager for Cracker Barrel. “It’s as close to an Opry experience as you can get without actually being in the Opry House. Listeners will enjoy high quality sound on every track, songs by historically renowned artists and enduring examples of some truly great performances. And Our Kind Of Country is an incredible showcase of the Opry’s current superstars and more recent additions—a dozen of the Opry’s best available on one CD for the first time.”
Trace Adkins, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride and more are featured on the Our Kind of Country album. All artists are Grand Ole Opry members and have collectively won every major award presented by the Country Music Association. Continue Reading
ShareThis
May
9
Marty Stuart photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.
The lineup for the 10th Annual Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam has been announced. Joining Marty this year will be Dolly Parton, Mel Tillis, Connie Smith, The Quebe Sisters Band, Doug Kershaw and other surprise guests. The Late Night Jam has become known as the unofficial kick-off of the CMA Music Festival and tickets this year have sold faster than ever, despite a previously unknown lineup. Continue Reading
ShareThis
Apr
27
Reba McEntire photo courtesy of The Valory Music Co.
Reba McEntire was honored and humbled when she received an invitation to be one of the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame earlier this year, along with Bobby Braddock and Jean Shepard. Reba already has many special memories of the Hall of Fame and Museum, but seeing her name as a permanent fixture on one of the gold plaques immortalizing Hall of Fame members is a moment she has wished for, for years.
“Coming to Nashville when I was a litty bitty girl – that was the only vacation we ever took, because Daddy always took us rodeoing and although he was working, we were still kind of sightseeing,” Reba said. “He said we stayed on vacation anyway, all the time. But coming down here and seeing those bronze plaques on the walls and I remember seeing Dolly’s and Porter’s, and I remember thinking, ‘Man, Dolly Parton. That’d be so cool to have one of those one of these days.’” Continue Reading
ShareThis
Feb
10
Marty Stuart photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.
Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam has become recognized as the kick off event of the CMA Music Festival and in 2011, Marty will celebrate the jam session’s 10th year. Marty started the event as way to welcome fans to country music’s biggest festival, but the jam has also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for MusiCares, which provides assistance for music people in times of need.
“The Late Night Jam has evolved into the centerpiece concert event for me on my yearly calendar,” Marty said.“It’s hard to believe that this is the 10th anniversary of the show. Looking back, the guest list has been staggering. Fans come from all over the world to support us and the relationship with NARAS and MusiCares is precious to me. The Late Night Jam has raised a considerable amount of money over the last decade with the mission of helping people in need. MusiCares has done a wonderful job of distributing the funds as they see fit. I know of a number of people who have benefitting from MusiCares and in some instances lives were saved. That’s what it’s all about. I’m looking forward to this year’s event, me and the Superlatives will do our best to add another interesting chapter to the Jam’s ongoing story.” Continue Reading
ShareThis
Sep
22
Grand Ole Opry members Brad Paisley (l) and Little Jimmy Dickens (r) unveil the refurbished 6-foot circle of wood (taken from the historic Ryman Auditorium when the show moved to the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974) that was damaged in the May 2010 Nashville flood. Photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry.
When Nashville was flooded in May, the tragedy was best symbolized for the world by the Grand Ole Opry House. Muddy water from the Cumberland River stood nearly four feet over the Opry stage, and the manager of the Opry literally surveyed the damage by kayaking through the venue.
The Opry House reopens Tuesday, September 28 with an all-star Opry edition that airs on GAC at 9/8c as Country Comes Home: An Opry Live Celebration. The lineup features a ton of artists, including Trace Adkins, Keith Urban, Josh Turner and the two men who helped put a famous wooden circle back in the restored Opry stage: Brad Paisley and Little Jimmy Dickens.
The wood is a six-foot section of oak taken from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, the previous home of the Opry, when the Opry House originally opened in 1974. At the Ryman, that wood supported the likes of Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. But the Opry has now been at the Opry House for 36 years — longer than any home it’s previously occupied.
Continue Reading
ShareThis
Aug
30
Marty Stuart photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.
When Marty Stuart set out to record his latest album, Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions, at a historic Nashville studio, he was the perfect guy to do it.
RCA Studio B was the breeding ground for a ton of country hits by the likes of Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers and Jim Reeves. It’s currently owned by the Country Music Hall of Fame and serves more as a tourist attraction these days than a working studio, but it was a great location for Marty, who has an avowed appreciation for country’s past.
The RCA studio had a personal connection, because it was the site of Marty’s very first recording session, when he worked as a sideman for Country Music Hall of Fame member Lester Flatt. Since then, Marty’s gone on to have some important final moments with several other Hall of Famers. He was the producer of Porter Wagoner’s very last album, Wagonmaster. And Marty co-wrote the last song that Johnny Cash authored. Both Porter and Johnny are recalled on Ghost Train — Marty wrote a recitation called “Porter Wagoner’s Grave,” and he recorded the song that he and Johnny wrote together, “Hangman.”
Continue Reading
ShareThis
