Zac Brown and his father Jim Brown. Photo courtesy of Zac Brown.

Zac Brown, frontman of the Zac Brown Band, and his father, Jim Brown, recorded a special iTune’s Celebrity Playlist Podcast just in time for Father’s Day. In the podcast, Zac and Jim have chosen their favorite songs and discuss what it is that makes them special. Heavy on traditional country music, their playlist features Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner and Johnny Cash, among others.

Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader Of The Band,” a song Zac calls one of his favorites, made the playlist as a dedication from Zac to Jim. “He wrote it about his life as a musician and how his dad always loved him with a thundering and velvet hand and let him do what he needed to do…what he wanted to do, even though sometimes it wasn’t necessarily the easiest way to go,” Zac said. “This is the song I dedicate to my dad until I write a song that’s worthy of, that’s better than that. It’s going to be a hard one to beat though.”

Jim added a favorite song of his as well, “A Satisfied Mind” by Porter Wagoner. It is the lesson in the song that Jim said is his favorite thing about it, adding that he and his buddies used to sing harmony while playing it. “I think it just has a lot to do with life and your expectations and that you can work through everything…as long as you have a satisfied mind, you can handle the problems and the song speaks to that. The whole songs speaks to that,” Jim says. Continue Reading

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Marty Stuart photo courtesy of The GreenRoom.

It’s a small, old-timey spot on Music Row, a boxy building that’s easily overlooked if you’re just driving by. But there’s a treasure trove of history at RCA Studio B in Nashville, and Marty Stuart used the joint on Wednesday to preview his Ghost Train album for a select group of media.

Studio B practically rings with history. The Everly Brothers, Skeeter Davis, Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley all recorded there. Marty’s first session, in October 1972, took place in the studio when he was a 13-year-old member of Lester Flatt’s band. And Marty’s wife, Connie Smith — who was among the guests Wednesday — recorded her first hit in the same place in 1964.

Marty stood in the back of the room — in the same general area where Elvis stood when he recorded “It’s Now Or Never” and “A Big Hunk O’ Love” — as he previewed the new CD, which required Marty to give a little extra effort to get the facility sounding right.

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Willie Nelson photo by David McClister, courtesy of Lost Highway.

When fans talk about classic-country sounds in 2010, they more often than not are thinking about music by the likes of Merle Haggard, George Jones, Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson.

Who did those artists consider classic? Well, you get a bit of an answer to that question on Willie’s latest album, Country Music. Released Tuesday, it includes covers of songs first made famous by the likes of Porter Wagoner, Al Dexter, the Louvin Brothers and Merle Travis.

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Jerrod Niemann photo by Jeremy Cowart, courtesy of myspace.com/jerrodniemann.

If you want to be a success, the best way to do it is develop your talents and then make some connections with the right people. Jerrod Niemann’s been following that path, and it’s starting to look like he knew what he was doing all along.

Hailing from Liberal, Kan. — just across the border from the Oklahoma Panhandle — Jerrod got his first hit as a songwriter when Okie Garth Brooks recorded his Chris LeDoux tribute “Good Ride Cowboy.” Just this last year, Brad Paisley opened his new Sea Gayle label and signed Jerrod as the first artist. And now Jerrod’s played the same legendary stage where Garth and Brad — not to mention Roy Acuff and Porter Wagoner — all made a huge impact: the Grand Ole Opry House.

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Willie Nelson photo by David McClister, courtesy of Lost Highway.

He’s done American pop standards, the blues, jazz and even reggae music. But Willie Nelson is keeping it simple with his next album, giving it a tell-tale title, Country Music.

Set for release April 20, he recorded the project with the acclaimed T Bone Burnett, who won a Golden Globe this month for his work on Crazy Heart and likewise produced the music to O Brother, Where Art Thou?. T Bone brought together some of Nashville’s best musicians — including guitarist Buddy Miller, mandolin player Ronnie McCoury and background vocalist Jim Lauderdale — to work with Willie, and they laid down a total of 23 tracks, ultimately picking 15 for the final draft.

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Elvis Presley image used by permission, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Elvis Presley, George Jones, June Carter Cash and Sheldon Kurland — a key musician in the growth of Nashville’s music industry — are all receiving recognition for their legacies in ways that range from sad to historical to simply amusing.

Elvis and June are being commemorated by public institutions, Sheldon is being remembered by friends after his death this week, and one of the Possum’s most infamous moments was documented in a piece of art by a fellow musician.

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