Cowboy crooner Gene Autry’s ride to stardom, Part 2
Last month, I shared the first of a two-part series about one of America’s cowboy heroes — Gene Autry. When we left off, Texas-born Autry
Rhythm of the Road by Kris Rutherford
Cowboy crooner Gene Autry’s ride to stardom, Part 1
Those who know me sometimes say I have a one-track mind when it comes to music. That is a fallacy. After all, I listen to
Leon Everette rode ‘Hurricane’ to fame
Leon Everette may have grown up in Queens, New York, but his South Carolina roots were pure country. During his childhood, Everette didn’t aspire to
David Frizzell, brother of superstar Lefty Frizzell, carved his own path to the top of the charts
If your last name is Frizzell, you may or not be country music royalty. But if your last name is Frizzell AND your brother’s name
Country singer/songwriter Ed Bruce immortalized parking lots back in the ’80s
Parking is still a hot issue in the trucking world, and the lack of it creates headaches for most every truck driver at some point.
‘God Bless the USA’ singer/songwriter Lee Greenwood is more than a one-hit-wonder
Country crooner Lee Greenwood isn’t a one-hit wonder, and this performer didn’t just come to Nashville after drifting down some “Dusty Dixie Road.” But, then
Statler Brothers thrived on Americana, as reflected in baseball-themed ballad
Now that the new baseball season is under way, it’s time to reflect on the rites of passage for a sport — the millions upon
Was the Louvin Brothers’ 1959 song ‘Knoxville Girl’ a precursor to modern entertainment?
If one is to look at the television, it seems murder is all the rage these days. You have a choice of “NCIS (insert your
Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett’s body of work is poetry that offers a lesson to anyone who listens
In last month’s column, Kris Rutherford kicked off the first of a series about Jimmy Buffett. To read the previous piece, click here. Summarizing the
Despite Billboard charts, Jimmy Buffett is no ‘one-hit wonder’
Truck drivers navigating the interstates aren’t much different than other American workers. Every worker thinks often of reaching the next destination, of finishing the next
The Charlie Daniels Band excelled at toeing the line between Southern rock and classic country
As a caveat to what you’ll read if you continue reading this column, I admit I am no expert on Southern rock music. After all,
‘Double-necked biscuit board’ drives Junior Brown’s ‘semi-crazy’ career
If your musical tastes are confined to Top 40 country radio, chances are you’ve never heard of Junior Brown. Despite a career dating back to
Trucking tunes from Down Under: Nev Nicholls enjoyed popularity with songs of the road
Big rigs, and of course, big rig drivers, are hardly unique to the U.S. Large numbers of Canadian and Mexican trucking firms employ drivers, and
Moore and Napier head for home with ‘Truck Driver’s Queen’
Just a few decades ago folks referred to almost any type of country music as “hillbilly” — a genre known primarily as bluegrass among music
Ricky Skaggs’ ‘Highway 40 Blues’ tells a familiar story of the long journey home
Of the countless miles I spent in the back seat of a Chevy station wagon, traveling along the interstates of America during the 1970s, I
Mickey Gilley leads two country music cultural shifts
By the late 1970s, Mickey Gilley was a bona fide country music headliner. But he couldn’t have imagined what lay in store for him as
Superstar cousins slowed Mickey Gilley’s rise to country music fame, Part 1
Few American performers are as closely associated with nightclubs — or in the case of country music, “honky-tonks” — than Mickey Gilley. The long-time musician,
After 60 years, Gene Watson’s ‘Farewell Party’ is nowhere in sight
It’s been six decades since Gene Watson emerged from his childhood home in Sumner, Texas, with a hobby that would eventually land him a spot
Nonsense syllables are completely clear on Del Reeves’ road to success
Downt-downt-da-downt-downt-downt. Downt downt-downt-downt-da-down. Scrutinizing readers will immediately recognize the above lyrics as those the late country star Roger Miller sang to accompany the guitar licks
Marty Stuart: A second look at a diverse performer who serves as an ‘ambassador’ of country music
If you’re going to be an ambassador, it’s best to know two things: What you represent and who you’re representing it toward. That’s the way