Country Universe

100 Greatest Women, #3: Maybelle and Sara Carter

June 28, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 8

100 Greatest Women #3 Maybelle and Sara Carter (The Carter Family) Just over eighty years ago, a family act from Appalachia traveled to Bristol, Tennessee. Behind the wheel was A.P. Carter, and on board were

Saturday Open Thread

June 28, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

From the Awesome Gifts department: Not only does it play vinyl, it copies records directly to CD. Definitely the coolest thing I’ve been given in a very long time and I will be spending my

100 Greatest Women, #4: Emmylou Harris

June 27, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 27

100 Greatest Women #4 Emmylou Harris The living embodiment of artistic integrity, Emmylou Harris has been creating acclaimed music for more than three decades, building up the most consistent catalog in the history of country

Randy Travis, “Dig Two Graves”

June 27, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

There are love songs that can only be sung by older adults who have experienced a lot more of life than young singers. When the concept of “till death do us part” becomes an approaching

The Del McCoury Band, “Moneyland”

June 27, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

One of the year’s best singles comes from bluegrass stalwarts The Del McCoury Band. The lyrics fly so fast that you can almost miss the scathing indictment of a culture driven by greed, coupled with

Toby Keith, “She Never Cried in Front of Me”

June 27, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 14

Toby Keith is one of the best ballad singers that country music has ever produced, and he’s at his best when he’s communicating melancholy regret. He sings the hell out of “She Never Cried in

Friday Open Thread

June 27, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

I’m thinking today of the stars that should have been. Some of them have been preserved thanks to YouTube. Here’s one that I liked who never made it: Dude Mowrey A great honky-tonk voice. I

100 Greatest Women, #5: Tammy Wynette

June 26, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 20

100 Greatest Women #5 Tammy Wynette The First Lady of Country Music, and the Heroine of Heartbreak. Tammy Wynette sang with a tear in her voice, a classic country wail that perfectly complemented the desperate

Thursday Open Thread

June 26, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 0

I’ve just gotten back from a vacation in Orlando, where I listened to country radio for the first time in years. Apparently, country radio now consists solely of Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift.

100 Greatest Women, #6: Reba McEntire

June 25, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 43

100 Greatest Women #6 Reba McEntire Her rise to the top was slow, with four years passing before her first top ten single and a decade before she earned her first gold album. But with