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May 26, 2008
Utah Phillips, RIP
(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- Utah Phillips, a prominent American folk singer, songwriter, storyteller and political/social activist for five decades, died Friday of congestive heart failure at his home in Nevada City, California. He was 73.
Born Bruce Phillips in 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio, he served in the military during the late 1950s, after which he became active in labor organizing and politics, as well as music, while living in Salt Lake City during the 1960s. His adopted moniker of "U. Utah Phillips" was a reverential reference to the country singer and sonwgriter T. Texas Tyler.
Among the first artists who picked up on Phillips' songwriting was noted folk singer Rosalie Sorrels, who recorded six of his songs on her 1967 Folk Legacy Records album If I Could Be The Rain and many others over the course of her career (including three on her 2004 Red House Records disc My Last Go Round).
Phillips' best-known tune, "Rock Salt And Nails", has been recorded by quite a few prominent artists, including Waylon Jennings, Earl Scruggs, Joan Baez, Levon Helm, Steve Young, and Buddy & Julie Miller. Others who covered Phillips' songs over the years included Emmylou Harris, the Flatlanders, Kate Wolf, Chris LeDoux, John Martyn, and Uncle Earl.
Fellow Workers, the second of Phillips' two 1990s collaborations with singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, was nominated for a Grammy in the contemporary folk category. Also receiving a Grammy nomination, for traditional folk, was the 1997 disc Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs Of Utah Phillips, by Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin.
Among the reissues and collections of Phillips' works currently in-print are Starlight On The Rails: A Songbook, a four-disc box on Daemon Records; his 1973 Philo Records release Good Though!; a latter-day Philo outing titled The Telling Takes Me Home (1997); and his two discs with DiFranco, 1996's The Past Didn't Go Anywhere and 1999's Fellow Workers (both on DiFranco's label Righteous Babe).
According to an entry by his son Duncan on Phillips' blog page, tentative funeral plans are for Thursday, with a memorial service on Sunday,
Posted by Peter at 3:39 PM | Permalink
May 24, 2008
Candye Kane benefit May 29
(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- A stellar Austin line-up, headlined by Kim Wilson and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Billy Joe Shaver, Paula Nelson, and Rosie Flores will headline a benefit for longtime blues singer Candye Kane on Thursday, May 29, at Antone's in Austin, TX.
Kane recently emerged from a nine-hour "whipple" surgery for pancreatic cancer and is, as they say, happy to be moving around.
Over the years Kane has recorded several albums for the Antone's label, including Home Cookin' and Knockout, appeared on "The Gong Show", worked in the adult entertainment industry, served as a spokesperson for women's and gay/lesbian rights, and labored as the single mother of two children.
And, of course, she's a musician, and so health insurance is an ongoing issue.
Posted by Grant at 8:38 AM | Permalink
May 22, 2008
Twangfest 2008 Lineup
(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- For the 12th year, our pals in St. Louis (and beyond) are putting on the big musical shindig known as Twangfest, a four-day festival of Americana and rock 'n' roll. Twangfest's roots run back to the early days of No Depression, when an AOL discussion board (No Depression/Alt.Country) helped to inspire a print magazine and a similarly-styled internet mailing-list (Postcard2) helped to inspire Twangfest's creation. We've been fans ever since.
They recently announced the lineup for this year's event, presented in conjunction with St. Louis community radio station KDHX-FM. Here's who's playing, and where (all venues in St. Louis):
WEDNESDAY JUNE 4
SCHLAFLY TAP ROOM
Schlafly Tap Room
Chuck Prophet (San Francisco, CA)
Centro-matic (Denton, TX)
The Builders & The Butchers (Portland, OR)
THURSDAY JUNE 5
DUCK ROOM AT BLUEBERRY HILL
Gourds (Austin, TX)
Charles Walker & The Dynamites (Nashville, TN)
Deadstring Brothers (Detroit, MI)
FRIDAY JUNE 6
PAGEANT
Old 97's (Dallas, TX)
Hayes Carll (Houston, TX
Miles Of Wire (St. Louis, MO)
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
OFF BROADWAY
Waco Brothers (Chicago, IL)
Ha Ha Tonka (Springfield, MO)
Everybodyfields (Johnson City, TN)
Caleb Travers (St. Louis, MO)
Saturday's agenda will also inclued Twangpin, a bowling tournament at Saratoga Lanes in the St. Louis suburb of Maplewood, from noon to 5 p.m., with live music from Americana band Rough Shop. There's also an online auction that began this week on eBay, with CDs, vinyl records, posters and other collectibles, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit KDHX and the all-volunteer Twangfest. More details at: www.twangfest.com
Posted by Peter at 3:05 PM | Permalink
May 11, 2008
Dottie Rambo, RIP
(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- Gospel legend Dottie Joyce Rambo, 74, died in a bus crash near Springfield, Missouri, early Sunday morning, May 11, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. She was apparently on her way to Texas.
Few details are yet available, but Associated Press reports suggest overnight storms and high winds (still buffeting the southeast) caused the 1997 Prevost bus to crash into a guard rail and an embankment around 2:20 a.m. on I-44, two miles east of Mt. Vernon, Missouri.
The bus driver, Ronnie Meadows, is in serious condition and Ms. Rambo's manager, Larry Ferguson, and his wife and his two children, are also hospitalized in Springfield, Mo., the report says. Chris Barnes, 22, Ms. Rambo's web master and Mr. Ferguson's assistant, was in serious condition.
Ms. Rambo was a prolific writer and singer whose hits include "We Shall Behold Him", "Holy Spirit Thou Art Welcome (In The Place)", I Go To The Rock, and Sheltered In The Arms Of God".
Elvis Presley, Barbara Mandrell, Carol Channing, Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton are among those who have recorded Ms. Rambo's songs.
Ms. Parton quickly released the following statement: "I know Dottie is in heaven in the arms of God right now, but our earth angel will surely be missed. Dottie was a dear friend, a fellow singer, songwriter and entertainer, and as of late my duet singing partner. Dottie, 'stand by the river' and wait for me. I will always love you, Dolly.
"I also want to send my prayers and thoughts to her manager Larry Ferguson, the children, families and everyone involved in this terrible tragedy."
As a young girl, Ms. Rambo fell in love with country music while listening to the Grand Ole Opry in her Morganfield, Kentucky, home. She started writing songs at ate 8, and by age 10, Ms. Rambo was singing covers of country songs on a local radio station.
By age 12, she became a born-again Christian, a decision her dad abhorred. He ended up kicking her out of the house, and Ms. Rambo started her Christian career.
Ms. Rambo met Buck Rambo at age 16 and they married soon after, forming a gospel trio that would launch a 50-plus years career in Christian music.
Barbara Mandrell inducted Ms. Rambo -- who wrote some 2500 songs -- into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame late last year, making Rambo only the 10th woman to enter the hall. She is also a member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, inducted there in 2006.
Rambo was slated to release a new album, Sheltered, in the summer. The album was to include a duet with the late Porter Wagoner, "Sheltered In The Arms of God", and Dottie was set to dedicate her album to Wagoner.
Posted by Grant at 6:42 PM | Permalink
May 8, 2008
When Duhks fly again: August
(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- The Canadian sometime-stringband the Duhks, now referring to themselves a punk-folk act, will release their fourth album, Fast Paced World, August 12 on Sugar Hill. This will be their first release with Sarah Dugas on lead vocals, replacing Jessee Havey.
The album was produced by Jay Joyce (Bela Fleck, Tim O'Brien) in his basement studio in Nashville. The present Duhks lineup includes Dugas, Leonard Podolak (clawhammer banjo), Tania Elizabeth (fiddle, mandolin), Jordan McConnel (guitar), and Sarah's brother Christian Dugas, a worldbeat drummer who has been added to the lineup.
Hints to the album's sound include a French pop song ("Toujours Vouloir"), what is described as a scratchy soul meditation on the venerable topical folksong, "Mighty Storm," about the 1900 Galveston flood, and "Sleeping Is All I Wanna Do." Plus what is decribed as the soundtrack of the weirdest 1930s Marlene Dietrich film, "This Fall."
The Duhks have also gone green with a new website (www.greenduhks.com).
Posted by Grant at 8:03 PM | Permalink
Eddy Arnold, RIP
(NODEPRESSION.NET) One of country music's biggest and longest running stars came to the end of his trail around 4:30 a.m. today, May 8, in Cool Springs, Tennessee. Arnold was 89. Richard Edward Arnold was born May 15, 1918, in Henderson, TN.
Over his distinguished career Arnold sold more than 85-million records (back when they really were records), put 37 singles in the pop charts, and 128 singles in the country charts, beginning with 1945's "Each Minute Seems A Million Years" (Col. Tom Parker was then managing Arnold) and ending with "All I'm Missing Is You" in January of 1982. His first #1 was 1947's "What Is Life Without Love"; his first gold record was 1948's "Bouquet Of Roses." Signature hits included "Make The World Go Away," "You Don't Know Me," "I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)," and "There's Been A Change In Me."
Arnold, elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966, is to be given the quintessential Nashville send-off. His body is to lie in state at the Country Music Hall of Fame rotunda, with viewings scheduled for Tuesday, May 13 from 5-9 p.m., and on Wednesday, May 14 from 9 a.m. until noon. A public funeral service at the Ryman Auditorium will take place Wednesday, May 14, at 2:00 p.m. Burial, at least, will be private.
Posted by Grant at 3:46 PM | Permalink
May 5, 2008
Los Lonely Boys about to be Forgiven
(NO DEPRESSION.NET) -- The third studio album from the Texas trio Los Lonely Boys, titled Forgiven, is set for a July 1 release on Epic, with the first single available digitally on May 6.
Produced by Steve Jordan, a Grammy-award-winning drummer who has worked with Keith Richards, John Mayer, and Herbie Hancock, it was recorded at East Side Stages in Austin, TX, with the band set up as if they were playing live.
The track listing follows:
Heart Won't Tell a Lie
Forgiven
Staying With Me
Loving You Always
I'm a Man
Make it Better
Love Don't Care About Me
Cruel
You Can't See the Light
Superman
Another Broken Heart
The Way I Feel
Posted by Grant at 4:09 PM | Permalink