Country Universe

Dixie Chicks guest on The Simpsons this Sunday

April 8, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 4

Talk about combining two of my favorite things in the world! This week, the Dixie Chicks will guest as themselves on The Simpsons. In the episode “Papa Don’t Leech”, Homer meets up with Lurleen Lumpkin,

James Otto, “Ain’t Gonna Stop”

April 6, 2008 Leeann Ward 6

Coming off the heels of James Otto’s excellent and groovy “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”, his latest single, “Ain’t Gonna Stop” is rather different. As soon as it begins, the Big & Rich influence is

Neal McCoy, “Rednecktified”

April 6, 2008 Leeann Ward 2

The challenge of releasing a song that connects to one specific demographic is that it must possess something that is strong enough to redeem it so that people outside of the chosen demographic can embrace

Rodney Atkins, “Invisibly Shaken”

April 6, 2008 Leeann Ward 13

With four songs from his If You’re Going Through Hell album already reaching the top spot on the country music charts, Rodney Atkins has been enjoying amazing success with his second album. So, his record

100 Greatest Women, #85: Gretchen Wilson

April 6, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 24

100 Greatest Women #85 Gretchen Wilson Never underestimate the power of good timing. When Gretchen Wilson finally landed a recording contract after years of laboring in obscurity, country radio was more hostile to female artists

100 Greatest Women, #86: The Forester Sisters

April 5, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 3

100 Greatest Women #86 The Forester Sisters In the wake of the massive success of mother-daughter duo The Judds, female family acts experienced something of a mini-boom in the mid-to-late eighties. The most successful of

100 Greatest Women, #87: Wilma Lee Cooper

April 3, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 7

100 Greatest Women #87 Wilma Lee Cooper When the Grand Ole Opry radio show was finally televised in the eighties, country fans both old and new got a glimpse of the men and women who

Darryl Lee Rush, Live From the River Road Icehouse

April 3, 2008 Leeann Ward 5

Darryl Lee Rush Live From the River Road Icehouse Darryl Lee Rush hails from Markham, a small farming town in South Central Texas. His roots are proudly referenced in his second recording effort entitled Live

Dolly Parton Night on American Idol: Rating the Performances

April 1, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 15

I’d be hard-pressed to name a better catalog of country music to choose from for American Idol than Dolly Parton’s. It’s deep with fantastic songs, and she’s recorded them in enough styles for them to

100 Greatest Women, #88: Marijohn Wilkin

March 31, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 1

100 Greatest Women #88 Marijohn Wilkin Much like Jeanne Pruett a few years later, Marijohn Wilkin became a successful female songwriter during the days when male domination was near-complete. Cindy Walker and Felice Bryant had