Discographies and Databases
Andrew Smith Discographies are a valuable resource for country music collectors and researchers. Perhaps the most impressive in country music is Tony Russell’s Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942, which lists every country music song recorded in the United States from 1921 to 1942. This book was an invaluable reference for my research on […]
The Devil’s Box
Jordi Guasch Barcelona, Spain Editor’s Introduction – James E Akenson Years ago, disapproval of the fiddle ran deep, particularly in Evangelical Protestant Christianity common in the southern United States. “The Devil’s Box” could cause the faithful to stray. “The Devil’s Box” could result in a life of sin preventing salvation through acceptance of Jesus as […]
Second Verse Same As The First
James E. Akenson Tennessee Tech University (Retired) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S.A HH? No Dylan “It was a dark and stormy night.” I’m not stealing from Snoopy of Peanuts fame as he wrote the beginning to never completed stories. It was, for sure, an overcast, gloomy, and threatening late afternoon as a special time with the music […]
Artificial Intelligence and Country Music
The Fine Line Between Innovation and Authenticity Dr Larissa Rector Cookeville, Tennessee Editor’s Introduction – James E Akenson Artificial intelligence (Ai) emerged in recent years as a powerful force for almost every from of human activity. We won’t worry about the impact of Ai on the environment or the loss of jobs in this […]
Roseanna Rogers: A Long Time Never Met Relationship
James E. Akenson Tennessee Tech University (Retired) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S.A A few years back I wrote about my friend Andrew Smith in Tasmania who I had known for years but never met in person. Finally, at the 2018 International Country Music Conference (ICMC), I met Andrew Smith. We continue to be friends and communicate […]
Country Music and Reincarnation
Jordi Guasch Barcelona, Spain Editor’s Introduction – James E Akenson Jordi Gausch on Reincarnation in Country Music Jordi Guasch lives in Barcelona, Spain. Yet, he loves Country Music, has traveled to the U.S. to see Country Music artists perform, and has written and blogged about his understanding of Country Music. All of Country Music interest […]
Country Music Where?: A Drop In the Bucket. The Upper Cumberland
James E. Akenson Tennessee Tech University (Retired) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S.A Country Music seems to be the Energizer Bunny. It keeps on running. There is an amazing number of books, articles, blogs, and social media postings about Country Music. When I first started learning about Country Music there weren’t lots of sources easily found. Now you […]
Lesley Riddle Meets Artificial Intelligence
James E. Akenson Tennessee Tech University (Retired) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S.A You never know what’s coming down the proverbial pike. I’ve known about the African American influence on Country Music for quite a while. From time to time, I heard about African American Lesley Riddle who worked with A.P. Carter collecting songs. Recently, I stumbled on […]
2 Cubed x Ten=More Dolly and TheoDollyGy
James E. Akenson You never know. My friend Pat Quillen likes to quote a baseball legend Yogi Berra who said “I can sum it up in two words. You never know.” That’s off by 50% but nevertheless it’s true. You never know. We just got through the Christian based holiday season, then New Years, […]
Jac Holzman Presents Dylan’s Circle
Andrew Smith Elektra Records 603497813575 Curated by Jac Holzman and music historian Dr. Ted Olson to celebrate Elektra Records’ 75th anniversary, Dylan’s Circle showcases Bob Dylan alongside a variety of influential Elektra artists, including Fred Neil, Tom Paxton, and Judy Collins. This special collection honours the creativity, collaboration, and friendly rivalry that defined these artists, […]