Country & Western musik
Per-Unos hemsida - uppdaterad 2006-12-18

Nyhetsbrev  från 2002 nr 01-20

Per-Unos hemsida avdelning COUNTRY
http://home.bip.net/peruno/country.htm    
Här finns nyhetsbrev från Janne Lindgren &:

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 3 - 2002-01-24

Hej, här kommer en intressant artikel om Hank Cochran,
som är en fantastisk songwriter, en av de bästa enligt mitt tycke. 
                                                       Janne Lindgren

           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 23, 2002 Nashville, Tennessee

Legendary Country Songwriter Hank Cochran….

42 years in Nashville and still "Livin’ For A Song"

Hank Cochran celebrates 42 years in Nashville this month and takes center stage, not as a songwriter, but as a performer, with the release of "Livin’ For A Song." Co-written with Bo Roberts, the single "Livin’ For A Song" will be included on the 38^th edition of the Country HotDisc compilation CD to be released February 1, 2002. Country HotDisc targets the European market by servicing over 800 International DJ’s and media outlets – and this single is sure to please their traditional country tastes.

An ode to the art of songwriting, "Livin’ For A Song," is a tribute to the sometimes hard-knocks and soul-searching lifestyle that the "creative ones" must sometimes endure. Evident throughout this moving and unique recording is both strong emotion and real knowledge of the writer’s craft and the sacrifice involved in its pursuit. Cochran’s heartfelt vocals reach out and beg for a listen. This is a songwriter’s song sung by a master of the craft.

Hank Cochran wrote his first song at the age of 13. He began his performing career as part of the popular 1950’s duo, The Cochran Brothers. His songs have influenced the careers of artists (Patsy Cline, Ray Price, George Strait & LeAnn Rimes) and consistently held top charting positions for the last 5 decades. He was inducted into the Country Music Foundation’s Walkway of Stars in 1967 and the Nashville Songwriters’ Association Int’l Hall of Fame in 1974. While Cochran "classics" continue to be recorded by contemporary country artists, his new songs are hot commodities as well. Recent cuts by top young country stars LeeAnn Womack, Daryle Singletary and Wade Hayes prove that fine songwriters - like fine wines - just get better with age.

"Livin’ For A Song" is Hank’s first release since his Number One Americana CD "Desperate Men: The Legend & The Outlaw" was issued in late 1996. His last Country CD, "Make The World Go Away" on Electra Records, dates to the early ‘80s. No stranger to performing, Cochran enjoys the recording process and is busy in the studio putting the finishing touches on THE PEN, the upcoming album that will include his single, "Livin’ For A Song."

As the 10-year anniversary of the NSAI’s Tin Pan South fast approaches, Cochran could not think of a more fitting tribute to his fellow writers than his new single. "All I did was write my biography," he said. "I hope they like it. It wasn’t always easy and at first there were parts of it I didn’t like, but now I do. And I’d do it all over again."

Hank is celebrating his 42 years in Nashville the only way he knows how…by continuing to write, record and perform. A recent in-the-round performance featuring Cochran, Kent Blazy, Dennis Morgan and Larry Cordle can soon be heard on XM Satellite’s program Bill Anderson Visits With The Legends. And, PBS will be filming Hank, at home, in February for a documentary on songwriting titled Waiting To Be Sung.

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 4 – 2002-01-28 

Hej och hå!  

Det verkar som om Carlene Carter har hamnat i klistret igen. Här är ett utdrag ur en artikel jag just läste. Carl  har det inte lätt med sin dotter!

It is Carl Smith's daughter---and NOT Carl-- who is trouble with the law. An arrest warrant has reportedly been issued by an Albuquerque, N.M. judge, for Carlene Carter, who did not show up for arraignment Dec. 10 on a felony drug charge. Carter is the daughter of Carl Smith and June Carter Cash and the stepdaughter of Johnny Cash. She had three Top 5 country hits in the early 1990s. In June, state police stopped Carter and Howie Epstein, bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in Albuquerque. Officers found black tar heroin and drug paraphernalia inside the sport utility vehicle
they were driving. Carter was indicted in November on charges of heroin possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Resa till Texas den 12 mars till 27 mars!

Nu är flygbiljetterna till Texas betalda och jag väntar bara tills vi ska åka den 12 mars. Tiden fram till dess går säkert snabbt eftersom det är mycket att göra innan dess. Det mesta arbetet görs förstås per Internet där det går att få reda på nästan allt. Vi är en grupp på fem personer som åker och vi kommer att besöka Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, San Antonio och några andra ställen. Det blir garanterat mycket countrymusik och god mat på vår resa! Vi kommer att avsluta resan i Dallas och Texas Steel Guitar Jamboree, där alla fantastiska musikanter finns med. Vi som åker heter Janne Lindgren, Eddie Eriksson, Raymond Hejdström, Marianne Pettersson och Ros-Marie Ljunggren.

Steeldays i Holland i oktober.

Johan Jansen arrangerar ännu ett Steeldays i Holland i år och det går av stapeln i oktober. Mer uppgifter kommer senare.

Steelguitar show i England i maj och september.

Gerry Hogan fortsätter att arrangera steel guitar seminarium i England. Som vanligt är det Newbury ca. 5 mil från London som gäller.  I maj kommer Joe Wright att spela och underhålla på sitt speciella sätt. Jag har sett honom vid flera tillfällen och han är fantastiskt skicklig och mycket rolig. I september kommer då Jeff Newman och kör två veckor med sitt speciella kursprogram.

Alan  Jackson på topp i USA!

Alan Jackson tog skuttet direkt upp på Billboards lista Top Country Albums med sitt nya album "Drive". Vilket är fantastiskt i sig, men det mest märkliga är att det blev samma resultat på Billboard 200 listan. Alltså, Billboards rock och pop-lista toppas nu av Alan Jackson.  På samma lista ligger Garth Brooks med sin "Scarecrow" men bara på 17:de plats.  Vilket otroligt lyft för countrymusiken! Det är kanske bara en tidsfråga innan Alan Jackson blir allmänt känd i Sverige?

Det är bara att gratulera Alan Jackson till denna framgång. En mer genuin countryartist är det svårt att hitta. Han och George Strait har alltid hållit på den traditionella formen av country och det tackar vi för. Kanske trenden nu vänder så att vi slipper alla avarter av artister som kallar sig country? Förresten ska vi också vara glada över att Gaylord Entertainment inte ändrar WSM-650FM till att bli en sportstation. Grand Ole Opry fortsätter som vanligt och om ni inte vet det redan så är det världens äldsta radioprogram.

Janne Lindgren

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 6   2002-02-05

Hej vänner,

Här kommer lite nyheter saxat från olika källor! Som ni kan se så sprider sig countrymusiken över världen under OS. Snart kanske t o m svenska dagstidningar börjar att inse att country music är stort? Men vad jag vet har ingen dagstidning hittills uppmärksammat Alan Jacksons förstaplacering på Billboard Top 200. Nästan skandal!!

Loretta Lynn Graduates in March
Loretta Lynn will receive her honorary doctorate from the University of Kentucky in March, during the annual meeting of the Society for American Music. The University’s board of trustees voted in December to give Lynn the honour. The scholarly society meets March 6-10 on the university’s Lexington campus.

Emmylou Gets Her Own Gibson
The Gibson Montana division of the Gibson Guitar Corporation has created the Gibson L-200 Emmylou Harris guitar, a slightly smaller version of the classic Gibson SJ-200 that Harris has played throughout her career. "I love the size of this guitar," the singer says in a news release. Harris' black J-200, with a red rose inlaid in the top, appears on the cover of her 1979 release, Blue Kentucky Girl. A pink J-200 is a central image for her 1985 album, The Ballad of Sally Rose. The SJ-200 was introduced in 1937 as the Super Jumbo and was a favourite of singing cowboys.

Chicks, Rimes Will Open Olympics
The Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rimes, Rita Coolidge and The Deseret String Band/Bunkhouse Orchestra will take part in opening ceremonies February 8 for 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Theme for the ceremonies will be Light the Fire Within. Also scheduled to participate in the extravaganza at Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City are Robbie Robertson, Sting, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Utah Symphony and the choristers of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Rita Coolidge will perform with her Native American ensemble, Walela.

Här är en adress för de som var med under Chart-tiden. Dessa fantastiska plattor! Kolla! Här finns plattor med Lloyd Green, Jim Nesbitt, Red Sovine, Lynn Anderson, Johnny Dollar, Kenny Vernon och många fler. Nostalgi känns det som!

www.chartrecords.net/artists.htm

För er som är intresserade av att köpa countryplattor kan gå in här och leta.

www.honkytonkinmusic.bizland.com

Vi hörs och syns snart igen,   
Janne Lindgren

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 7   2002-02-11

Så har då OS invigts och det kommer att bli en del sena nätter framöver vad jag förstår. Svenska folket kommer till jobbet med hängande ögon och sjukskrivningar blir det i massor. Konstigt att just sjukdomar ökar då det är OS och VM med flera arrangemang? Det får vara hur det vill med den saken, men det intressanta för oss countryälskare är att exponeringen av countrymusiken var enorm under den pampiga invigningen. I den avdelningen som handlade om Utahs historia med nybyggare, sjöng en lokal kvartett en fin cowboysång alá Marty Robbins. Lite senare i programmet spelade Dixie Chicks med band och jag minns att de spelade bl a "Orange Blossom Special" och alla nybyggare dansade sin typiska stil som man sett i västernfilmer sedan man var liten pilt. För övrigt tyckte jag att avdelningen med indianer var fantastisk!

LeAnn Rimes var också med under OS-invigningen, men hon sjöng inte någon countrysång. Ändå är det positivt för countrymusiken att hon var med då mina tankar är så här. Några av de miljoner tittare som såg invigningen kanske blev förtjust i just hennes röst och vill kanske höra mer av henne. Då går de  till en skivaffär och letar upp någon CD med just LeAnn. Då finns där en chans att de lyckas få tag på en av hennes bättre plattor och därmed har vi fått några nya countryfans. Enkelt eller hur? Därför är det alltid viktigt att countryartister uppträder i stora TV-shower även om de inte vid just det tillfället framför countrymusik.

Jag vill sända ett grattis till Ben Olander som denna vecka ligger på femte plats på Svensktoppen med "Till En Liten Hund". Det är Nils han sjunger om i visan. Jo, just så heter hans hund och det är en pigg liten krabat. Kul också att de denna vecka inte tonade bort låten precis då dobrosolot började som de gjort tidigare.

Bröderna Olsson i Stockholm, ni vet de som serverar vitlök till allt, brukar köra countrymusik några veckodagar ibland. Nu är det Tommy Carlsson som är diskjockey där och han berättar att han spelar country i restaurangens källare på torsdagen den 14 februari. Besök stället, det är trevligt!

Nu börjar nedräkningen till dagen då jag och några kompisar ska åka till Texas. En månad kvar och man tänker mer och mer på resan och på alla platser vi ska besöka. Vi kommer att landa på den enorma flygplatsen DFW som ligger mellan Dallas och Fort Worth. Vi tittar på platsen Elm Street där Kennedy blev skjuten och åker givetvis upp i Reunion Tower, med utsikt över hela Dallas. I Fort Worth finns förstås Stockyards och alla countryklubbar med Billy Bob´s i spetsen. Vi reser sedan till Waco, ni vet "Cross The Brazos At Waco" som Billy Walker sjöng på 60-talet och givetvis blir det Austin. Denna fantastiska musikstad som just den helgen vi är där kommer att sjuda av musik. San Antonio är också en mycket intressant stad, inte bara för att Alamo finns där, utan också för att staden är så otroligt vacker med sitt River Walk. För att inte tala om tex-mex maten som serveras. Avslutningen på vår resa blir Texas Steel Guitar Jamboree i Dallas. Tre dagar med bara countrymusik med mycket fiddle och steel. Ca. 50-60 steelpickers kommer att framträda under de här dagarna och som vanligt kommer en del countryartister att närvara och sjunga några låtar då och då. Senast jag var där var Hank Thompson och Marty Stuart några av gästerna.

Det var allt för denna gång.
Ha det så bra och glöm inte att lyssna på
Country, Country Music på Radio Lidingö 97,8  varje tisdag 20.00, repris lördagar 15.00.

Janne Lindgren

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 8   2002-02-18

Waylon Jennings Dies

Country music legend Waylon Jennings died yesterday (February 13) at his home in Arizona. He was 64. and died very peacefully in his sleep.A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Waylon was one of the most influential singers, songwriters, entertainers, and personalities in the history of popular music. His unique sound and independent spirit helped inspire much of the best that country music had to offer for four decades, and they will no doubt resonate within country music for decades to come. Waylon sold more than 40 million records worldwide. He had 89 singles that entered the Billboard singles charts, including 53 that hit the top ten and 16 that hit number one. Among his many awards are two Grammys and four CMA Awards.  His collaboration with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Jessi Colter, Wanted: The Outlaws, was the first RIAA-certified platinum country album, and lent its name to a movement. Like his friend Willie, he often bristled at the boundaries imposed on artists and music by Music Row's method of operation, and he was based for many years in his native Texas. He once said, "It wasn't until I started producing my own records and using my own musicians and working with people who understood what I was about that I first started having any real success." The duo's "Good Hearted Woman" was number one for three weeks in 1976 and was CMA Single of the Year.

Waylon was born in Littlefield, Texas, on June 15, 1937. He was a disc jockey at 12, performed regionally as a teenager, and toured as Buddy Holly's bass player in 1958-9. In the early ‘60s, he established himself as one of the premiere nightclub entertainers in the Phoenix area. Chet Atkins heard him play in 1965 and signed him to RCA Records. His chart-topping hits included "Are You Sure Hank Done It That Way," "Luckenbach, Texas" (number one for six weeks), "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, " (four weeks), "I've Always Been Crazy," (three weeks), "Just To Satisfy You," "Amanda, " "Lucille," and "The Wurlitzer Prize." His legendary collaborations include his work with wife Jessi Colter, and with the Highwaymen, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson.

Waylon Jennings Biography

Waylon Jennings has been acclaimed as one of the music world's truly innovative stylists. A powerful voice and a strong personality have enabled this charismatic man to aspire to country music 's heights. From a modestly successful career as a mainstream country and folk-country artist, he became the definitive Outlaw figure, a man who spearheaded the movement away from orchestral blandness in country towards exciting, gritty, more personalised music. Whether winning the CMA's Male Vocalist of the Year award (1975), sharing CMA and Grammy awards for vocal duets with Willie Nelson, or joining with Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser on country music’s first platinum-selling album (Wanted: The Outlaws), Waylon’s uncompromising insistence on staying true to himself has earned him the devotion of millions of fans and the respect and admiration of his colleagues. From his early days as a member of Buddy Holly’s Crickets, through his well-publicised battles with producers over control of his albums, to his towering success in the 1970s and 1980s, Waylon has always followed his own path. Most would agree that he reached the peak of his artistry in the mid-1970s with the highly acclaimed Honky Tonk Heroes and Dreaming My Dreams albums, and classic songs like I'm A Ramblin' Man, Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way, Good Hearted Woman and Luckenbach, Texas.

Ten years earlier, against his better judgement and disregarding the advice of fellow Texan Willie Nelson, Waylon moved to Nashville aiming to make his mark as a country singer. He had already spent ten years dabbling with the music and was hungry for some kind of recognition. When he was first signed to RCA Records by Chet Atkins in 1965, country artists creative hands were often tied too tightly, and Waylon had to endure seven years of frustration as he tried to be honest and truthful to his music. Despite some minor rope burns, Jennings eventually managed to escape the barrier and find amazing success. He accumulated a good half-dozen platinum discs, more than a dozen gold discs, and sixteen chart-topping singles, while evolving into one of country music's most eclectic performers, connecting with audiences in a way that few have and becoming one of country music's true all-time legends. He had reached the pinnacle of superstardom, but like so many artistic people thrown into the limelight and highly pressurised commercialism, Waylon just didn't know how to handle it. He lost some career steam to cocaine addiction by the 1980s, and the hits dried up in the 1990s as radio stations switched to younger artists. Despite such long and winding trails, Jennings, unlike other entertainers who have soared and then sunk into drugs and alcohol, has survived.

Waylon Jennings was born 15^th June 1937 in Littlefield, Texas, the son of a truck driver. Though poor and deprived, the Jennings' household was a happy one and Waylon grew up listening to the Carter Family on border radio, and the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday evening. Those barren Texas plains have produced a whole host of musical legends including Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Joe Ely, Mac Davis and Sonny Curtis. He could play guitar by his teens and began his music career as a disc jockey on a Littlefield radio station when he was twelve. In 1958 he moved to Lubbock where he worked on radio and toured as Buddy Holly's bassist. Holly produced his first records and in 1959, out on the Winter Dance Party tour, he gave up a seat on Holly's plane to J.P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson. The plane crashed, killing Richardson, Holly and Richie Valens. In the early 1960s, Waylon settles in Phoenix, Arizona, forming the Waylors to back him and becoming locally known at Phoenix's famous JD's club. He recorded for the small Ramco and Trend labels without any success. After recording a folkish album for A&M, he was signed by Chet Atkins to RCA in Nashville. Atkins produced Folk-Country an eclectic 1966 collection of Jennings' originals, Harlan Howard songs, and country oddities that, as the title hints, was still heavily tilted in the direction of folk music. He made the country top ten with (That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me, The Chokin' Kind and Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line, but generally his chart success tended to be a little erratic. He was an artist in search of an identity, but the artistry still shone through, especially on the less-successful Love Of the Common People, Singer Of Sad Songs and (Don't Let The Sun Set On You) Tulsa.

He desperately wanted to break out from the tight Nashville Sound in order to direct his own production. He upset the RCA Nashville hierarchy by negotiating directly with the New York bosses. He was guaranteed an independent production package in which he would provide RCA with completed recordings for them to promote and sell. The big musical change became apparent on the Ladies Love Outlaws album. The top ten entries were now much more consistent, beginning with Good Hearted Woman in 1972. Honky Tonk Heroes from 1973 proved an even bigger watershed. Waylon extensively plundered the repertoire of Billy Joe Shaver to come up with an album featuring music sounding as hard and outlaw as Waylon's reputation. His first number one came with 1974's This Time. The following year he teamed up with Willie Nelson for a revived live duet version of Good Hearted Woman, which crossed over into the pop charts and was named CMA Single of The Year. In 1976 he scored with Suspicious Minds, an evocative duet with his wife Jessi Colter, which won Single of the Year. That year also saw the release of the ground-breaking, million-selling The Outlaws album, giving the new contemporary strain of country credibility and official acceptance. It was a period during which Waylon could do no wrong. His self-penned Good Ol' Boys was the theme to the hit TV series The Dukes Of Hazzard, while a Greatest Hits set sold more than three million within months of release.

Though by this time he was heavily into drugs, he was still maintaining commercial success with creative credibility, often getting more personal on such powerful hits as I've Always Been Crazy and Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out Of Hand. He quit drugs in 1984 and the following year left RCA to join MCA for Will The Wolf Survive. By this time he had formed a liaison with Willie nelson, Johnny Cash and Kristofferson, resulting in the best-selling album The Highwayman. By this time, the top ten hits were no longer a guaranteed certainty. A move to Epic in 1990 coincided with his last top ten entry, Wrong. He has continued to speak out through his music as she showed with Too Dumb For New York City, Too Ugly For LA, the title tune of a 1992 album that pokes fun at the way those in high places think of country people and more specifically, country music. In 1994 he returned to RCA and worked with Don Was on the highly acclaimed Waymore's Blues II. Two years later he moved to the Texas-based Justice Records with Right For The Time. Next came Closing In On The Fire on Ark 21 Records. Unlike anything he had recorded before, this had a grizzled old country music outlaw sitting down, taking stock of things. With his large Waymore Blues Band, featuring a full horn section and special guests, he recorded Never Say Die, a live album at Nashville's Ryman auditorium in 1999 for release the following year on Sony's Lucky Dog label. In the summer of 2001, Waylon and his long-time wife, Jessi Colter, were preparing to leave Nashville and move to Phoenix, Arizona for well-deserved retirement.

Check out the Waylon Jennings Web Site at www.waylon.com      

    Källa: Alan Cacket, London

Det var allt för denna gång.
Ha det så bra och glöm inte att lyssna på
Country, Country Music på Radio Lidingö 97,8  varje tisdag 20.00, repris lördagar 15.00.

Janne Lindgren

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 9   2002-02-20

Den här listan gillar jag!
Vad tycker ni själva?   
                   Janne Lindgren

TopTrax Traditional Country Music Chart
P.O. Box 8 Ottsville, PA 18942
(610) 847-8289 Fax (610) 847-6937
e-mail: djcowboy@erols.com
Website: http://www.tptx.net

America’s Only “Real Country” Music Airplay Chart
Compiled from Play Lists submitted by U.S. reporting stations
Compiled by Tom Wardle
VOLUME #1 – ISSUE #9
January 16, 2002 – February 15, 2002


POS./ ARTIST / LABEL(S) / Pos.Last Chart / Mos.On Chart

1. George Jones Mercury/Epic/Asylum 1 9
2. Johnny Bush Lonestar/Watermelon 4 9
3. Gene Watson RMG/Curb/Step One/Capitol 3 9
4. Willie Nelson Navarre/Audium/Lost Hwy/Columbia 8 9
5. Merle Haggard Anti/Capitol/Relentless 5 9
6. Ernest Tubb MCA/Decca/1st Generation 7 9
7. Charlie Louvin Hilltopper/WHP/1st Generation 11 4
8. Ernie Ashworth B&E/Hilltopper/Curb/WHP 16 9
9. Bob Wills Columbia/Longhorn/Liberty 17 8
10. Buck Owens Rhino/Capitol/Audium 13 9
11. Charley Pride Honest/RCA 36 9
12. Hank Thompson Capitol/Hightone/Bloodshot 22 9
13. Norma Jean Roma/CCM/RCA 19 5
14. Ray Price Columbia/Bear 12 4
15. Leona Williams Neon Nightmare/Lonestar/TIMA 21 7
16. George Strait MCA 2 7
17. Patsy Cline MCA/Razor & Tie/Fat Boy 20 8
18. Lee Sims LS 6 9
19. Jimmy Dickens Bear/Razor & Tie 15 9
20. Bill Anderson Decca/TWI/MCA/Curb/BA Ent. 18 9
21. Loretta Lynn MCA/Decca/Audium 26 9
22. Johnny Cash Sony/Columbia/American/Sun 10 9
23. Mel Tillis MCA/Curb 62 3
24. Erin Hay Westwood/Stardust -- 8
25. Porter Wagoner Shell Point/RCA 31 5
26. Marty Robbins Columbia/Sony 35 9
27. Dale Watson Koch/Audium/Hightone 77 9
28. Dugg Collins Startex 25 8
29. Kitty Wells OMS/MCA/Decca 61 9
30. Troy Cook Jr. Stardust 14 9
31. Johnny Rodriguez -- 1
32. Red Simpson Columbia/Razor & Tie 30 7
33. Conway Twitty MCA/Branson 75 4
34. Darlin’ & Rose DR -- 1
35. Bill Murray Starbuck 29 4
36. Billy Walker Tall Texan 23 9
37. Justin Tubb 1st Generation/Starday/King -- 1
38. Michael Ballew Soul Of The Heart 42 6
39. Cal Smith MCA/1st Generation -- 1
40. Tom Morrell WR -- 2
41. Asleep At The Wheel Relentless 50 6
42. Jack Greene Edsel/Decca 43 2
43. Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan Stardust -- 1
44. Connie Smith RCA 33 3
45. Tammy Wynette Epic 40 3
46. Hank Locklin Coldwater -- 1
47. Bobby Helms Decca/MCA 46 3
48. Darrell McCall Bear -- 1
49. Chester Smith & Merle Haggard Hag Record -- 1
50. Dottie West RCA 60 2
51. Roy Acuff Columbia 87 5
52. Hank Williams, Sr. Polydor/MGM/Mercury 28 9
53. Ronnie Milsap Koch/RCA -- 1
54. Lamar Morris Barrister 55 6
55. Johnny Paycheck WHP/EPIC/Masters -- 8
56. Bobby Stephenson Aaron 47 3
57. Del Reeves UA 82 2
58. Wanda Jackson Capitol/Sony 51 2
59. Waylon Jennings Javelin/RCA -- 1
60. Moe Bandy Razor & Tie/Sony -- 1
61. Dolly Parton Sugar Hill/RCA 52 8
62. Stonewall Jackson ETRS/Columbia 34 3
63. Jimmy Day Midland/Bear -- 1
64. Rooster Quantrell Stardust 69 3
65. David Ball Dualtone -- 1
66. Dick Shuey Hero 73 3
67. Wynn Stewart Varese/Bear/Capitol 44 5
68. Emmy Lou Harris WB/Eminent -- 3
69. Freddie Hart Edsel/Sony/Capitol -- 1
70. Hank Williams, Jr. Curb/Rebound -- 1
71. Melba Montgomery UA/CCM 65 2
72. Hank Adam Locklin Coldwater -- 1
73. Jan Howard Legends & Legacies 72 5
74. Carl Smith Columbia/Bear 41 5
75. Faron Young Curb/mercury 32 6
76. Glynn Martin Country Discovery 53 5
77. Jimmy Eaves Pureco 66 9
78. Joe Paul Nichols Custom/TIMA 59 5
79. Charley Walker Bear -- 1
80. Claude Gray TIMA/Sunrise/Mercury 39 3
81. Joe Stampley Critter -- 2
82. Webb Pierce MCA/Rhino/Decca 88 8
83. Eddy Arnold RCA/Sony 63 8
84. Donna Fargo Mercury 97 3
85. Don Walser -- 1
86. Alan Jackson Arista 9 9
87. Louvin Brothers Razor & Tie 67 6
88. Bill Monroe Columbia/Decca 71 3
89. T Jae Christian Universal/Stardust -- 2
90. Joey Sloan Dark Horse Traditions -- 1
91. Boxcar Willie Madacy/CTS 86 5
92. Kim Novas Universal -- 1
93. Mac Wiseman Rebel/Highland 99 2
94. Kenny Roberts Bear -- 4
95. Gene Autry Sony/Rhino/Columbia 57 5
96. Ralph Stanley Rounder 54 5
97. Ricky Skaggs Epic/Skaggs Family 38 9
98. Jimmy Martin Highland/SMR 91 2
99. Hal Willis Pearl/Stardust -- 1
100. Osborne Brothers CMH/Laserlight -- 1

TopTrax - America's REAL COUNTRY Airplay Chart

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 10    2002-02-28

Hej igen,

Här kommer en liten nyhetssammanfattning för senaste veckan. Det är inte mycket som händer så här mitt i vintern, men vi får glädjas åt att svensk television visade delar av CMA-galan i denna vecka (vecka 9). Jag var lite orolig att det skulle bli som vanligt, d v s man klipper bort countryakterna och visar bara det dåliga och som oftast inte har med countrymusik att göra. Den här gången blev det en positiv klippning med Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley och George Jones som höjdpunkter. Men även en hel del andra artisterna gjorde bra countrymusik, med mycket steel och fiddle i arrangemangen. Visst fanns en del bottennapp med, men det uppvägdes med att vi den här gången fick några bluegrasslåtar att njuta av. Förhoppningsvis får vi nästa år se hela den 3-timmars show som CMA visar i USA.

Stockholms Country Music Club hade möte måndagen den 25 februari, som vanligt i lokalerna Restaurant Torshof. Inte många av klubbens medlemmar dök upp den här gången och lite tröstlöst känns det allt. Kanske bör man titta på vad det är som gör att medlemmarna hellre stannar hemma än går på ett SCMC-möte. Det är ju trots allt inte mer än en gång per månad och om fler medlemmar kommer så blir träffarna trevligare och . . . . . . .klubbkassan kommer att blir större ju fler som dricker kaffe och äter bulla. D v s  om samtliga betalar för det som tages!  Tydligen har klubben gått i förlust vid tidigare tillfällen då man köpt mackor från krogen. Det går ju inte och enligt min åsikt ska en klubbträff gå med vinst om än med små marginaler. Men kanske är jag ensam om den funderingen.? Det ska bli spännande att se hur mina motioner mottages på lördag! Är det egentligen inte lite konstigt att endast två motioner har kommit in till SCMC´s årsmöte? Finns det INGEN mer än jag som har några åsikter?

De som är intresserade att veta mer om Fan Fair som hålls varje år i Nashville kan gå in på sidorna www.FanFair.com/  Här finns allt som kan vara av intresse för oss fans. Om ni tänker åka till Nashville just den här årstiden (juni) bör ni beställa hotell med mera i mycket god tid. Själv föredrar jag att åka till just Nashville då det inte är speciella arrangemang där. Det blir lugnare och billigare då!

En hyllningskonsert för Waylon Jennings kommer att hållas i Ryman Auditorioum den 23 mars i år. Det blir säkert en rysare som man gärna skulle vilja se. Dessvärre är jag i Texas just vid det tillfället!

Här nedan kan ni läsa om gårdagens Grammy Awards. Håll till godo! 
Janne

2002 Grammy Winners

For the first time in the 44-year history of the Grammy Awards, an album coming out of Nashville -– the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack –- won honours for album of the year, trumping highly touted works by India.Arie, Bob Dylan, Outkast and U2.

"Not even minds as elliptical as the Coen Brothers could have written this ending," said the album’s producer, T Bone Burnett, as he collected the last of his awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. The Coen Brothers’ movie revisited Homer’s Odyssey, placing the story in Depression-era Mississippi.

In all, the soundtrack captured five awards, tying R&B singer Alicia Keys with the most victories. O Brother spawned awards for album of the year, best compilation soundtrack (the award going to producer T Bone Burnett), producer of the year (Burnett), best country collaboration with vocals for the Soggy Bottom Boys’ I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow and best male country vocal for Ralph Stanley’s haunting ballad O Death.

"Everybody thought I was insane, but I had produced a Counting Crows record that had sold 8 or so million records and a Wallflowers record that had sold 5 million records or so," Burnett said backstage. "This seemed like one of those kinds of records. It was those kinds of songs, that general kind of music, American music, except, rather than one good singer, we had 15 or 12 great singers. Ralph Stanley is the most important singer in country music today."

It was a night of surprises for Music Row. If Grammy voters made decisions about country radio playlists, Earl Scruggs, Stanley, Dolly Parton and Hank Williams would be on the charts again.

Burnett explained that music is finding other, non-traditional outlets. "Things have changed, as the man said," he said, referencing Bob Dylan. "There are a lot of different broadcast media now. Radio doesn’t have the stranglehold that it once had on the distribution of music, to say the least."

Mainstream country artists could almost be heard to mutter, "O brother," as they found themselves out of the winners’ circle in every country category.

A Hank Williams tribute album, Timeless, with performances by rock and pop stars like Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams and Sheryl Crow, and country legends such as Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, was named best country album. The project triumphed over titles by Tim McGraw, Diamond Rio and Trisha Yearwood.

Backstage, Luke Lewis, label chief for Lost Highway Records -- source for Timeless and O Brother -- shrugged off any suggestion that the night’s country victories might send a message to Music Row. "I think it’s the most country album to come out of Nashville all year, in my estimation," he said of Timeless.

Adding further to the Lost Highway tally was a trophy for best traditional folk album for Down From the Mountain. The O Brother-inspired concert album was recorded in May 2000 in Nashville, before the release of the movie or soundtrack. The success of the live performance gave rise to the recently concluded Down From the Mountain tour.

Given a prominent performance spot during the 3½-hour telecast on CBS, the O Brother cast made the most of their moment. Harris, Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss opened the segment with Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby; Stanley followed with O Death and the cast ended with I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow.

Krauss, a major contributor to O Brother and Down From the Mountain, picked up four awards including wins for best bluegrass album and best country performance by a duo or group with vocal, for The Lucky One, both with her band, Union Station, album of the year and best traditional folk album.

The Lucky One also was named best country song, a win for truck-driving songwriter Robert Lee Castleman. The song was not released as a single and did not have significant radio airplay, a first in the country song category.

Parton picked up her seventh Grammy, best female country vocal performance, for Shine, a track from her second bluegrass album, Little Sparrow. Parton did not attend this year’s awards.

Scruggs’ newly recorded version of the Flatt & Scruggs classic Foggy Mountain Breakdown was named best country instrumental performance. Scruggs won his first Grammy in 1969 for the same song, which he wrote in the ‘40s. The new version features Scruggs with Glen Duncan, Randy Scruggs, Steve Martin, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Gary Scruggs, Albert Lee, Paul Shaffer, Jerry Douglas and Leon Russell.

"To me, it’s almost like a new song every time I get into a group of new pickers," Scruggs said backstage. "It kinda turned me on, to say the least, to get into the studio with good artists like that, so it was a real blast to do it."

Randy Scruggs, Earl’s son and producer for the album Earl Scruggs & Friends, said it was important that Scruggs’ first solo album in 17 years be a tribute to the spirit of collaboration that has been a thread throughout his Hall of Fame career.

"We wanted to celebrate that collaborative effort," Scruggs said backstage. "To re-record ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown,’ we wanted it to be something [special]. We didn’t want to duplicate what we had done before. It has a new-found energy, but it’s with artists clearly recognised as outstanding instrumentalists."

Gill’s trophy as part of the Foggy Mountain crew brings his career Grammy total to 15 and moves him past Chet Atkins among country artists. With her victories, Krauss’ career total now rests at 14, tying her with Atkins.

Stanley, also a bluegrass legend and Scruggs’ contemporary, picked up his first-ever Grammy not in bluegrass but in a country category. "People think I should sing more old-time, traditional country," Stanley said backstage. "Actually, I have always thought that I did anyway. I just thought I was an old-time, traditional, mountain country singer."

The O Brother album and the Down From the Mountain tour helped his cause, Stanley said. "One reason this old time music has hit," he reasoned backstage, "it was put out where millions of people could hear it. Before, it wasn’t promoted, it wasn’t where people could hear it. Now they’ve heard it."

Union Station member Douglas, who has worked for years in traditional and acoustic music, said he feels the interest in traditional country music inspired by O Brother is unprecedented. "There’s a cycle," he observed. "This happens about every eight years or so, but this, to me, is the strongest one I’ve ever seen. A lot of radio programmers are probably holding their breath right now, hoping this is going to pass. Maybe it won’t. They might actually have to put us all in rotation."

"We don’t consider ourselves the establishment," said Mary Martin, artists-and-repertoire executive for O Brother label Lost Highway. "Lost Highway Records represents the passion of music."

Nashville-based banjo specialist Bela Fleck picked up two awards, bringing his career total to seven. In recent years, Fleck has explored classical music after making a name for himself in bluegrass and jazz. His victories came for best classical crossover album, for Perpetual Motion –- a set that also features mandolinist Chris Thile of Nickel Creek -– and for best instrumental arrangement, for an arrangement of Debussy’s Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum, a track from Perpetual Motion.

Kid Rock paid his respects to Waylon Jennings. Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks proclaimed, "In case you hadn’t heard, bluegrass kicks ass."

Alan Jackson's performance of the Sept. 11-inspired Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) received a standing ovation.

Freddy Fender won the Grammy for best Latin pop album, for La Musica de Baldemar Huerta. Jimmy Sturr, a frequent visitor to Nashville, earned a victory for best polka album for Gone Country, a project that pairs him with country stars Brenda Lee and Willie Nelson.

Lucinda Williams, a contributor to Timeless, also took a Grammy for best female rock vocal for Get Right With God, a track from her album Essence, on Lost Highway Records. Backstage she summed up her label’s approach: "They’re not trying to follow what’s commonly known as the Music Row machine.

Country Music Connected Grammy Winners

Best female vocal country vocal performance
• "Shine" -- Dolly Parton

Best male country vocal performance
• "O Death" -- Ralph Stanley

Best country performance by a duo or group with vocal
• "The Lucky One" -- Alison Krauss + Union Station

Best country collaboration with vocals
• "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" -- Dan Tyminski, Harley Allen & Pat Enright (The Soggy Bottom Boys)

Best country instrumental performance
• "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" -- Earl Scruggs, Glen Duncan, Randy Scruggs, Steve Martin, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Gary Scruggs, Albert Lee, Paul Shaffer, Jerry Douglas & Leon Russell

Best country song
• "The Lucky One," Robert Lee Castleman, songwriter (Alison Krauss + Union Station)

Best country album
• Timeless - Hank Williams Tribute -- Various Artists

Best bluegrass album
• New Favorite -- Alison Krauss + Union Station

Country Artist/Recording Winners in Non-Country Categories

Album of the year
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? -- Various Artists
producer: T Bone Burnett engineer/mixer: Mike Piersante

Best compilation soundtrack album for a motion picture, television or other visual media
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? -- Various Artists producer: T Bone Burnett

Best instrumental arrangement
• Claude Debussy "Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum" From Children's Corner
arrangers: Béla Fleck & Edgar Meyer artists: Béla Fleck With Joshua Bell & Gary Hoffmann

Producer of the year
• T Bone Burnett -- O Brother and Down From the Mountain

Best classical crossover album
• Perpetual Motion -- Béla Fleck (banjo), Edgar Meyer (bass & piano), Chris Thile (mandolin) composers: Scarlatti, Bach, Debussy, Chopin, etc.

Best female rock vocal performance
• "Get Right With God" -- Lucinda Williams

Best Latin pop album
• La Musica De Baldemar Huerta -- Freddy Fender

Best traditional folk album
• Down From the Mountain -- Various Artists producer: T Bone Burnett

Best polka album
• Gone Polka -- Jimmy Sturr, featuring Willie Nelson and Brenda Lee

Best contemporary blues album
• Nothing Personal -- Delbert McClinton

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 11    2002-03-03

Ännu ett tragiskt dödsfall inom countrymusiken meddelas härmed: 
Harlan Howard, en av de största av låtskrivare, dog igår den 3 mars. Han lär ha haft över 100 number one hits på listorna och några av hans mest kända alster är: Heartaches By The Number, The Keys In The Mailbox, Yours Love, Pick Me Up On Your Way Down, She Called Me Baby, I Don´t Believe I´ll Fall In Love Today, Mary Ann Regrets och många, många fler. Hans koncept har alltid varit enkla countrysånger, lätta att förstå. Vila i frid.

Stockholms Country Music Club hade årsmöte i lördags. Ca. 20 medlemmar av 422 kom till mötet, vilket får betecknas som urusel uppslutning. Avgående ordförande Jock Peterson och några andra ledamöter tackade för sig och nya styrelsemedlemmar blev invalda. SCMCs danssektion har lades ned med klar majoritet. Läs mer på deras hemsida:  www.scmc.2y.net 

To be released this week on Lyric Street Records is Ricky Skaggs & Friends Sing The Songs Of Bill Monroe. This all-star tribute to Bill Monroe was inspired by the PBS special All-Star Bluegrass Celebration. A labour of love by a cast of stars -- consisting of 10 Grammy winners, six Grand Ole Opry members and 11 platinum or multi-platinum album-sellers and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Produced by Ricky Skaggs, this musical memorial to the Father of Bluegrass Music features performances by The Dixie Chicks, Bruce Hornsby, Dolly Parton, John Fogerty, Steve Wariner, Travis Tritt, The Whites, Patty Loveless, Charlie Daniels, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joan Osborne, Dwight Yoakam and Skaggs.

BRAD PAISLEY DATING ACTRESS

Brad Paisley and "Father of the Bride" actress, Kimberly Williams, are dating. It is reported that Williams had been travelling with Paisley on his West Coast run, though she did have to rush back to Los Angeles to be on the set of the show the next morning. No confirmation directly from Brad on this, the sort of thing he politely doesn't talk about.

GEORGE STRAIT HAND PICKS NEW HITS COLLECTION

George Strait has always been very hands-on when recording his albums. And he continues that tradition by hand picking the 12 songs for his Best of George Strait CD for the 20th Century Masters/The Millennium collection from MCA Records. The collection is set for release March 26. Included are some of Strait's greatest songs of lost love - You Look So Good In Love, Famous Last Words Of A Fool, Baby Blue, Baby's Gotten Good At Goodbye, What's Going On In Your World and Easy Come Easy Go. Also featured are upbeat ballads like the wedding favourite, I Cross My Heart and the tale of fatherly devotion, Love Without End, Amen. Picking up the tempo are such concert favourites as All My Ex's Live In Texas, I've Come to Expect It From You, Ace In The Hole and If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin').

Det här var allt för denna gång. Jag försöker att sända ett nyhetsblad till innan jag åker till Texas den 12 mars. Ha det bra!  

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 12    2002-03-04

Harlan Howard

Harlan Howard
Born Sep 8, 1929 in Lexington, KY
Years Active
Genres Country
Styles Bakersfield Sound, Honky Tonk, Traditional Country
Instruments Vocals, Composer
Labels RCA Victor (2), Koch (2), Capitol (2)


Country music's preeminent composer, Harlan Howard boasted an unparalleled body of work encompassing well over 4000 songs; the writer behind such perennials as "I Fall to Pieces," "Life Turned Her That Way" and "Heartaches By the Number," he scored major chart hits during every decade of the postwar era. Born September 8, 1929 in Lexington, Kentucky, Howard and his family moved to Detroit just two years later. A devoted fan of the Grand Ole Opry radio show, his idol was the great Ernest Tubb, whose songs Howard attempted to copy down lyric by lyric; a number of words were subsequently lost in the translation, of course, forcing him to invent new lines — sometimes even entire verses — and in the process an aspiring songwriter was born. After graduating high school, Howard spent the next four years stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia, serving as a military paratrooper; in his off hours, he learned to play guitar, and each Friday night he and a friend would hitchhike to Nashville, spending the weekends soaking up live country music.

After leaving the service, Howard spent the last half of the 1950s traveling the country, accepting short-term jobs everywhere from Michigan to Arizona; he finally ended up in California, gravitating towards the Bakersfield area. There performers including Buck Owens and Wynn Stewart were developing the famed Bakersfield Sound; Howard's fledgling compositional skills were recognized, and soon artists like Tex Ritter and Johnny Bond agreed to publish his songs. Then Stewart recorded Howard's "You Took Her Off My Hands," and virtually overnight his work was in hot demand; with his wife, Jan Howard — herself a rising country star — recording his demos, in 1958 his "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" was cut by Charlie Walker, and a short time later "What Makes a Man Wonder?" was covered by Jimmie Skinner. In early 1959, Kitty Wells scored with her rendition of "Mommy for a Day; " however, Howard's true breakthrough came later in the year, when his classic "Heartaches By the Number" became a smash for Ray Price. A pop remake by Guy Mitchell was also an enormous success.

In mid-1960, the Howards relocated to Nashville; he soon authored another hit for Price, "I Wish I Could Fall In Love Today," as well as a pair of tracks for Buck Owens, "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)" and "Above and Beyond." Then, in 1961, Howard and Hank Cochran co-wrote arguably his best-loved song, "I Fall to Pieces," a crossover success for the legendary Patsy Cline. After penning the hit "Three Steps to the Phone (Millions of Miles)" for Jim Reeves, he then wrote a follow-up, "He'll Have to Go"; Reeves rejected the track, however, and it was passed on to George Hamilton IV, in whose hands it was a major success. (Reeves instead cut Howard's "The Blizzard," to significant acclaim.) In all, Howard notched 15 chart hits in 1961 alone; among his other notable compositions that year were "Heartbreak U.S.A." (covered by Kitty Wells), as well as "Under the Influence of Love" and "Foolin' Around" (two more by Owens). He was writing a minimum of two or three songs daily, with about a dozen of those recorded each week; not surprisingly, he was named Billboard's "Songwriter of the Year" two years running.

Also in 1961, Harlan Howard Sings Harlan Howard, his debut solo LP, was released; he cut several more albums in the years to follow, even scoring a minor hit a decade later with the single "Sunday Morning Christian," but a serious recording career was clearly never his intention. Instead, he remained Nashville's most prolific composer; between 1962 and 1963, his major hits included Johnny Cash's "Busted" (later a pop hit for Ray Charles), Ray Price's rendition of "You Took Her Off My Hands," George Jones' "You Comb Her Hair," Roy Drusky's "Second Hand Rose," and Johnny & Jonie Mosby's "Don't Call Me From a Honky Tonk." In 1964, Howard established his own publishing imprint, Wilderness Music, and George Jones notched another hit with "Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was On the Right)"; the following year, he and Owens co-authored the latter's chart-topper "I've Got the Tiger by the Tail." In 1966, Howard and Tompall Glaser teamed to write the superlative "Streets of Baltimore" for Bobby Bare, and a year later wife Jan even hit with "Evil On Your Mind."

In 1967, Waylon Jennings issued Sings Ol' Harlan, an album comprised solely of Howard songs; that same year, Mel Tillis cut "Life Turned Her That Way," another of his greatest compositions (it was later successfully covered by Ricky Van Shelton). Hank Williams Jr. scored in 1968 with "It's All Over (But the Crying)," but as the decade drew to a close, Howard fell prey to an extreme case of writer's block which threatened to derail him for the duration of the 1970s. Indeed, he scored only a handful of hits in the years to follow, among them a pair of chart-toppers, Melba Montgomery's "No Charge" and Charlie Rich's "She Called Me Baby." By the 1980s, Howard had settled into semi-retirement, although he regularly tutored up-and-coming songwriters at Tree Publishing; in 1982, John Conlee dusted off his "Busted" and reached the Top Ten, and two years later a pair of his more recent gems — "I Don't Know a Thing About Love (The Moon Song)," covered by Conway Twitty, and the Judds' rendition of "Why Not Me" — reached number one. Other contemporary artists to hit with Howard's songs include Reba McEntire, Highway 101 and k.d. lang. — Jason Ankeny


Similar Artists: Roger Miller Don Rich
Followers: Tom T. Hall
Worked With: Richard Weize, Ray Edenton, Grady Martin, Floyd Cramer, Harold Bradley, Carl Belew, Ernest Tubb, Pete Drake, Hank Thompson, Buck Owens, Bobby Bare, Bobby George, Jack Rhodes, Vic McAlpin, R.A. Andreas, Bob Wills, Fred Rose, Bill Rice, Wayne Moss

Tillägg av Per-Uno:  www.harlanhoward.com

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 13    2002-03-05

Harlan Howard

Harlan Howard, country music's most successful and consistent songwriter, passed away at his Nashville home on Sunday March 3^rd. He was 74 years old. The writer of such classic country songs as The Chokin' Kind, He Called me Baby, Your Heart Turned Left, Odds And Ends, The Keys In the Mailbox, The Blizzard, Foolin' Around, I Don't Believe I'll Fall In Love Today, Mary Ann Regrets, Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache), You Took Her Off My Hands, The Everglades, She's Gone, Gone, Gone, I Won't Forget You, I've Got A Tiger By the Tail, Too Many Rivers, Yours Love, You Comb Her Hair, Above And Beyond. The Streets Of Baltimore, The Deepening Snow, Evil On Your Mind, Life Turned Her That Way, No Charge, Another Bridge To Burn, She's A Little Bit Country, I Don't Know A Thing About Love, I'm Down To my Last Cigarette, Somewhere Tonight, Why Not Me, Blame It On Your Heart, Somebody Should Leave and dozens more, has left the kind of legacy that is unlikely to ever be repeated.

Here is a feature written by Alan Cackett following an interview with the legendary songwriter in Nashville a few years ago -

For more than 30 years there has been some confusion about the date and place of Harlan Howard's birth. Most reference books have it that he was born in Kentucky in 1929 - but Howard yells another story.

'It was 1927, in Detroit, Michigan. There was a little mix-up back in time someplace. I'd just hit town and cut a Capitol record and this PR person came over and said, "We've got to get these facts sorted out." So we talked around and when she found I was born in Detroit, she said, "Jeez, it's too bad you weren't born in Texas or Georgia or Alabama or Kentucky at least." So I said, "Just say I was born in Kentucky, let's say Lexington or somewhere." We tpk two years off my age as well. I was 33 at the time, so they made me 31. The truth is Detroit, September 8, 1927.'

For more than 45 years, Harlan Howard plied his trade. He has penned more than 400 songs, and at least 40 0f them have become hits, including I Fall To Pieces, Too Many Rivers, Somewhere Tonight, Why Not me, Blame It On Your Heart, Busted and Heartaches By the Number.

The most awarded songwriter in country music history, Harlan was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996, and less than a year later, he gained wider recognition when he was voted into the National Academy of Popular Music's Songwriters' Hall Of Fame. With songs recorded by such diverse performers as Ella Fitzgerald, the Judds, Ray Charles, Ernest Tubb, Pam Tillis, Jim Reeves and Frank Sinatra, he made a major impact outside of just the confines of country music.

'I learned a lot from Tin Pan Alley,' he said. 'I have a great respect for Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, all those great writers, I feel a brotherhood with them, But from early childhood I was drawn towards country music. Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, the more traditional country. Emotionally, that's what floored me when I was a kid, and that's all I've ever tried to do.'

Harlan began writing country songs at the age of 12. After graduation he went through a large variety of jobs before moving to Los Angeles in 1955 to pursue a songwriting career. His first real hit, Pick me Up on Your Way Down, was recorded by Charlie Walker in 1959, followed shortly by Heartaches By The Number, recorded by Ray Price and Guy Mitchell respectively. Both versions topped the country and pop charts.

These successes enabled Howard to move to Nashville, where he commenced a string of hits, having as many as 15 songs in the country at one time - a feat unequalled to this day. Nashville welcomed Howard with open arms and within a year he has landed a recording contract with Capitol Records.

'The Blizzard is still one of my favourite songs, it just came out of me,' he recalled. 'I was kind of dazed out. I had been reading a bunch of books about people writing through you, a spiritual kind of thing, and I did wonder about that. I woke up and there I was staring at six verses that I just wrote down and I never changed a thing.

I'm a pretty straight-ahead type of person, all I need is a title and a kind of interesting story, and I go from there.'

'Another of my favourites is No Charge,' he continued. 'Melba Montgomery was a great singer back in those days, I didn't really know her, but I really loved her voice, a raw Alabama texture, several of my buddies had heard the song, and I had other girls who wanted it, but I stuck with it and it probably took about a year to get it to Melba, but it was like the biggest hit she's ever had and she still has to sing it all time. An r&b lady, Shirley Ceasar, she had quite a big hit. But I was lucky that song probably had more cover versions, like in Europe, it was big pop hit in London by some guy, actually he was a narrator. And it was big hit in Germany and France. It was really gutterral in German, but it was a good record over there. I think looking back, especially a family song, and I haven't written a lot of those. When you hit the whole family, mamas and daddies and the kids, that's about as commercial as you can get, I guess. I haven't done that too often, I wish I could do it some more.'

Although he fabricated his birth details, Howard did in fact have southern roots. Both his parents came from the Tri-State area of East Kentucky, Southern Ohio and West Virginia. 'I wasn't born there, but that's where my heritage is,' he said.

Simple, but effective country songs were always the Howard trademark - a straightforward, honky-tonk style with the subject matter being love in all its intricacies.

'Most people want to hear about love and the quest for love,' he said. 'That's so dominant in people's lives that it's almost foolish to waste your time writing something that doesn't have to do with a man and a woman and their need for each other. That's the only thing that counts.'

Harlan always had an affinity with the fairer sex. 'I write songs almost exclusively for women. I really love women. I think women are better people than guys. I know us pretty well and I know them pretty well and I get along great with women. Most of my friends that I hang around with are women. I'd rather sit around a table full of women than guys anytime. I feed off them and give them a whole lot of trash talk, but they know I'm innocent. In general, I think they're morally better than we are.'

Obviously, Harlan understood the opposite sex pretty well. That's why Reba McEntire grabbed his tear-jerker Somebody Should Leave a few years back. She was the only artist to whom the song was pitched. 'That is one of my favourite songs and it's also one of my favourite records,' Harlan disclosed. 'Reba really got into that and she was more country back then to what she is now. She's still one of my favourite singers. That was like a benchmark song for both of us. That's my kind of country, I really like to get to the heart of the matter. I detect about 50 per cent of all couples are in trouble, and I like to write for that 50 per cent in trouble.'

Somebody Should Leave is a song full of real feelings. It's a journey through the break-up of Harlan's 13-year marriage. 'Nobody cheated, nobody lied. We just ran out of love,' he explained, sounding like the line in a yet-to-be-written song. With a sense of humour, he added, 'We just ran out of gas like a car you see beside the freeway with the hood up.'

Howard was happily married to his fifth wife, Melanie, who was running his song publishing company. He had settled into a role as the unofficial mentor of the next generation of Nashville tunesmiths. Hanging out at Nashville writers' nights, he would cultivate friendships with young unproven writers. Every few years, one of his proteges - such as Jamie O'Hara or Kevin Welch or Sara Evans - would become a songwriting success. Howard said that the that brother and sisterhood of writers was one of the most satisfying aspects of his Nashville life.

'I think of it as kind of like the Left Bank of Paris used to be, when young authors and painters and people would go there and hang out in these coffee houses and chess clubs and argue over the meaning of life and abstract painting. I think you're born with a creative gift, whether you're an architect, a painter, a lot of different things. I just happen to have chosen country music. Maybe if I'd had more education then something else might have attracted me.'

In his later years, Harlan Howard was very much a walking treasure, a vigorous reminder of Nashville's glorious, storied past. He said that he regretted the Tin Pan Alley, the famed New York City songwriting community of his heroes had gone. 'There's definitely a Tin Pan Alley here,' he said of the booming Music City songwriting scene. 'In fact, it's the biggest one by far in the world. You see those studios, with parking lots full of cars, and that means somebody's in there cutting an album. They're cutting songs. Well, who's writing them? I'd say90 per cent of them are written here.'

Apart from a brief respite in the late 1970s and early 1980s - the Urban Cowboy era - Howard had been writing steadily since the mid 1950s until shortly before he passed away. His songs have been favoured by such contemporary stars as k.d. lang, Patty Loveless, Sara Evans and Nanci Griffith. 'I've been here and watched all this stuff, and I'm still kicking butt. I meant to be a lifetime songwriter. Irving Berlin wrote all his life. Why stop something that really is a lot of fun.'

'I think I was born to write. It's what I love doing, and it's worked out real fine. I love the traditional music and even now, I'm known for that, I'm not the hottest guy in town, but it'll come back around - it always does.'

It was a well-known fact in Nashville that when Harlan Howard laid the guitar down and put the legal pad aside to get away from it all, you were likely to find him pursuing his favourite pastime. There was a sign he put up that reads Gone Fishin'. And that is where he probably is, reeling in those big ones way over yonder.

Och så här säger Hank Cochran om sin gamle vän!

In case you are doing a story or tribute on your radio show on Harlan Howard..

Hank is unable to speak with anyone....but here's his statement on Harlan's death.-------------

"I am devastated by the loss of my friend, and old writing partner. He was the master of the country song. I must admit that's one hell of a guitar pull up there now that Harlan has joined Chet, Waylon, etc. This town and country music will never be the same. I love him and will never forget the times we had together. "

Hank Cochran

 www.harlanhoward.com
Per-Unos kommentar:
Nyligen avlidne Waylon har gjort en LP: "Waylon sings Ol´ Harlan".
Den finns på en CD tillsammans med en annan gammal fin Waylon-LP: "Leavin´ town".
De 24 låtarna finns på albumet med nr 74321 29455 2. Bolag: BMG.
Till min glädje hittade jag den av mig saknade skivan nyligen för 89:- i musikaffären i huset bakom Överskottsbolaget i Solna. De har faktiskt väldigt mycket bra country. Ägarkillen vet en hel del och verkar kunna plocka ut bra skivor.

Nyhetsbrev  nr. 14   2002-03-10

Lista över svenska country-artister & -band

Vänner, här kommer en lista på svenska countryartister som Anders Brundell hade vänligheten att sända mig för en tid sedan. Listan kommer ursprungligen, om jag inte minns fel, från den fina publikationen Kountry Korral  http://medlem.tripodnet.nu/kountry    Jag åker nu till Texas och det blir alltså lite uppehåll med mina nyhetsblad. Ha det så bra här hemma i Sverige. Vädret i Texas just nu är ca.  25 grader.
Hej och hå!

                      Janne Lindgren 

Den här listan - som är en av f. n. totalt 2 listor med countryartister - omfattar countrysångare m fl artister inom countryfacket, och deras bokningsadresser. Maila eventuella förändringar till Tommy, tolva@telia.com . Detsamma gäller den som vill vara med på listan men inte finns här. Vi försöker hålla listan aktuell och fri från felaktigheter, men törs inte svära på att den alltid är det. Se också teckenförklaringarna längst ner på sidan.

GUNNAR A (C) Gunnar Almqvist Country och 50-60 tal m.m. 08-531 83 931

JOHN BEE (C) Bengt Johansson, 0223-19443 Efter 18.00 0223-109 84

BELLE & THE BROKEN SPOKES (C) Peter Olofsson 0454-92230 Peter Lindström 044-102856 Skåne-Blekinge

BLUEGRASS SWEDES (BG & C) Floda Lomaeus, Box 58, 170 11 Drottningholm 08-759 06 52

BO GÖRAN SVENSSON & RAWHIDE AB Emerson Promotion (C) Tel. & Fax. 0451-54000

BORDERLINE (C) Åsbackav. 338, FIN-68500 KRONOBY TEL (06) 834 6402

CACTUS (C) Kjell Höök 0640-202 55

RAY CLARK & C:o (CR) 08-771 88 21

RAY CLARK & JUST IN TIME (CR) Homepage http://surf.to/justintime 08-531 81 907 alt. 08-771 88 21

COUNTRY COMFORT (BG) Bobby Ahl 08-29 13 98

COUNTRY CREAM (C) Tommy Backström 0225-31153 Thomas Norman 0240-74955 http://www.geocities.com/countrycream_2000

COUNTRY FRIENDS (C) Finn Johansen, Tunveien 4, 4790 Lillesand, Norge 00947-41-715 21

COUNTRY MINSTRELS (C) och STETSON (C), två band med Janne Lindgren på steel. Frösätrabacken 10, 127 37 Skärholmen Tel: 08 - 88 46 86 www.steelguitar.nu steelguitar@swipnet.se

CROSS COUNTRY BAND (C) Ekebergsvägen 24, 375 91 Mörrum. Tel: 0454-513 20, 0709-851 320 070-5921320 (Marlene & Ulf Clausson)

CINA SAMUELSSON (C) Johnny Samuelsson 033-244215 fax: 033-125 804

DELIVERENCE (BG) Lars Sundström 023-33777 Stefan Wadell 023-770028

DOWNHILL (BG) Kenneth Kjellgren 0226-14950 Jonas Kjellgren 026-250 745 www.downhill.nu

ELLOCO (RB) & (CR) Robert Wahlberg 016-143844 070-3782181 Michael Garesjö 016-422710, 070-6492710  http://get.to/el-loco

Eva Eastwood & the Major Keys, Bokning: Eva Östlund. Vissbodav. 6. 690 45 Åsbro Telefon: 070-200 88 84 E-mail: evaeastwood@hotmail.com hemsida: http://home.swipnet.se/evaeastwood

GARRY LEE TAYLOR, Ellboys Entertainment c/o Fredrik Vikström Ytterhärdevägen 74 818 91 Valbo tel/fax 026-32500 el. 0708-358333

THOMAS HAGLUND BAND (C) Bokning: Thomas H 0390-10046 FAX 0390-12202 t.haglund.music@telia.com

HAZARD (CR) kontakta Rolf "Texas" Jonsson 0691-61394, texas.jonsson@home.se http://www.hazard.nu

HEADIN' WEST (C) Per Jarle Johansen, Norge 00947-54-720 21 eller AMAS 00947-5-29 15 60

HIGH SIERRA (C) Tommy Löfgren, 08-761 61 75

HIGHWAY 40 (C) Bokas genom B Sjunnesson Sofiebergsvägen 91 D 256 61 Helsingborg 042-144687 0739-253 855 Lars Davidsson 042-221446

HONKY TONK BROTHERS (C) Billy Malmström 0691-10123

JACK DANIELS BAND (C) Thomas Ahlberg 019-227026, 070-439 4901 070-202 1199 jdband@hotmail.com www.algonet.se/~maja

JIMBOB CONVOY Niklas Karlsson info@jimbob-convoy.com 031-51 58 98

John Whiteleather (CR) http://listen.to/whiteleather email; wleather@hotmail.com

JUST FOUR FUN (BG) Eva Stievert Lammholmsbacken 144 127 43 Skärholmen 08-740 8070, 070-640 1490

LAZY BONES (C & CR) Conny: 0372-13655 Björn 0372-12146

RAYMOND MATHIASON (C) Bokas genom Ray Music Sweden Tel: +46 511 34 09 88 Fax: +46 511 34 09 89 Email: raymusic@telia.com

McKENNARD Roland Sundell 08-532 57437

MIDNIGHT FLYER c/o Peter Emery Smedgatan 14 662 34 Åmål 0532-16387, 0736-286 981

NASHVILLE NEUROTICS (CR) Moke Music 011-126614

INGER NORDSTRÖM 'n' her Rhinestone Band (C) bokas på 0514-10993 e-mail: newmusic@alfa.telenordia.se

PE-TO BANDET (C) Mix Music, Storgatan 23 N-2400 Elverum, Norge 00947 62 41 64 08. fax 00947 62 41 52 20

RIVER BAND (C) Anders 035-509 01 070-543 0901 info@riverband.com

ROUTE 65 (C) Torbjörn Brissman 0155-513 90

SLIDE BAR & Maria-Helena Persson (C) Info & Bokning 070-468 28 66, 018-24 50 62

LASSE SUNDBERG Lasse Sundberg 08-21 05 44, 070 5890 544

TEXAS COUNTRYBAND (C) Karlskrona 0455-405 47 Eleanor & Anders

THE STREAMS (CR) Håkan Grip, Hallandsv. 6, 826 39 Söderhamn 0270-182 34 el. 765 07 (arb) the_streams@hotmail.com

YELLOW & BLUEGRASS Bosse Gustavsson 016-147940

WASHBOARD WILMA (C, R, RB) Kontakt: Yodeler 08 5325 1697, 070 208 09 28 Email: safka88@hotmail.com

WEEDS (BG) Lars Blom G:a Landsvägen 31, 813 40 Torsåker 0290-406 41 weeds@telia.com

WILD FIRE WILLIE & RAMBLERS Jan Svensson 016-149 032 (R & RB)

WILDWOOD COUNTRY BAND (C) Pelle Ljungström 060-563052 eller Göran Gustafsson 060-20361

LIANA WALLINDER (C) Orionvägen 55 831 55 Östersund, 063-46008

***********************************************

C = country. CR = countryrock (en modern rockinfluerad country). BG = bluegrass (en ofta snabb, akustisk country med mycket stämsång i). RB = rockabilly (en tidig countryrockmusik från 40- och 50-talen; typexempel tidig Elvis och Bill Haley). WS = western swing (en jazzinfluerad, litet tuffare country, och staten Texas nationalmusik).

********************************************************

Hej vänner,

Nu är jag tillbaka efter resan till Texas. En härlig upplevelse med klubbar, steeljamboree och mycket god mat! Jag berättar i ett senare mail om resan, då jag först måste ta hand om en massa mail som samlat sig i en stor hög i datorn. Så är det alltid då man kommer hem från en resa, rensningen tar sin tid.

Här lite nyheter i alla fall. 

Legenden Tommy Hill avled för några veckor sedan och så här skriver Hermann Lammers Meyer: 
What key are we in , Tommy ?

I was just informed that Starday Legend Tommy Hill passed away last night. 
I am shocked , this news came so surprising to me
........ and it leaves me sad.....
I loved the old man inside and outside the studio,
he was the best, he worked with the best,
he loved life , what a good spirit he was ....
and he loved country music,
and ... I loved every second I was around him,
all those hours and hours recording, talking ghost stories,
havin fun .....

It sure was a privileg .... and an honor,
wherever you are now, Tommy ....... thanks for all,
Hermann Lammers Meyer ....

What key were we in, Tommy ?

Earl Scruggs continues to excite his fans by doing various tour dates throughout the United States. Following his Grammy Award win, Scruggs set out to Knoxville, TN for the first of these dates. The 78-year-old performed a 90-minute set with an all-star group. The sold-out event was at the Tennessee Theatre, the site of Scruggs' first performance in Knoxville in 1945. For other information visit www.earlscruggs.com. Scruggs' current release, Earl Scruggs And Friends, which includes his Grammy Award winning song Foggy Mountain Breakdown is in stores now.

Did you know that Travis Tritt has mastered guitar, banjo, mandolin, and mando/guitar, all he counts as important elements of his music? AND, that he's had 15 major TV and movie acting roles (including "Rio Diablo," "Blues Brothers 2000," "Touched by an Angel," "Tales from the Crypt," "Arliss" and more)? ALSO, that Tritt has had a hand in writing more than half of the 82 songs on his 8 albums, and he wrote or co-wrote 10 of his 12 Number One songs? Now you know.

Gill Is New Hall President
Vince Gill is the new president of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s board. E.W. "Bud" Wendell, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, continues as board chairman. Gill replaces Marty Stuart, who served for six years as board president. Stuart remains an officer on the board.

1960, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge opened in Nashville. The lounge became a
nightclub for Grand Ole Opry members during the Opry's Ryman Auditorium
years.


Hi everyone,

About four years ago, Allene and I were able to purchase four acres of beachfront property on an island in the Caribbean off the coast of Panama. The property has a beautiful white sand beach with palm trees overlooking crystal blue water. Right out in front there¹s a good surfing spot. We dove on the reef and found an abundance of fish and lobster. Our intentions were to someday build some sort of dwelling where we could retreat periodically to get away from it all.

About eight weeks ago, Allene had to have total hip replacement surgery. She¹s doing fantastic and is pain-free for the first time in years. Her surgery and the fact that we aren¹t getting any younger have made us re-examine our life priorities. After much soul-searching and deliberation, we have decided to leave the music business now and move to our island. We think the time is right and we¹re very excited about starting our new life.

I¹m still going to be writing songs and maybe I¹ll get a solo gig playing in one of the bars or restaurants on the island. We might start a bed-and-breakfast or buy a boat and run a service for surfers and divers. Who knows? We¹ll figure it out when we get there. One thing¹s for sure, from now on we¹ll be surfing, diving or fishing every day.

Once we get settled in, we hope some of you will come visit us. See you in the water.

Love,

Clay and Allene Blaker

Janne Lindgren

Hej vänner,

Över tusen personer åkte med Silja Linedanceturen.

Det var roligt att så många åkte med Silja Line helgen som gick. Det var fullt ös på båten från början till slut. Underhållning av Western Satellites, Mats Rådberg och Monia Sjöström, linedanceundervisning med Urban Cowboys, countrydisco av undertecknad. Kjell Wärnevall och övriga inblandade i ledningsgruppen ska ha ett JÄTTETACK  för sin satsning. Här ser man att det går att ordna countrytillställningar med lyckat resultat. Nu hoppas jag på att många andra arrangörer får upp ögonen för countrymusik. Vi behöver fler arrangemang i Stockholm, men det gäller också att vi sköter oss och inte fimpar i heltäckande mattor!!??

Janne Lindgren

International Bluegrass Music Museum

When the International Bluegrass Music Museum re-opens next Thursday (April 11) in Owensboro, Kentucky, one of the features certain to attract a lot of close attention -- and debate -- will be a plaque that lists at least 231 of the most significant members of the first generation of bluegrass. That generation is defined as the singers, musicians and entertainers who, between 1940 and 1954, collectively created the style now known as bluegrass. The list is published in the March/April issue of the International Bluegrass Music Association newsletter. Naturally, all the big names are there -- Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Carter and Ralph Stanley, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, Sonny and Bobby Osborne, Don Reno, Jimmy Martin and the Stoneman Family -- but there are some surprises, as well. Among the names not generally associated with bluegrass are music publishing magnate Buddy Killen, who got his start as a bass player on the Grand Ole Opry and the Wheeling Jamboree; producer, performer and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Jack Clement; Boudleaux Bryant, a classical, country and jazz fiddle player before he and his wife, Felice, teamed up to become successful country and pop songwriters; innovative guitarists Hank Garland and Grady Martin; multi-instrumentalist and comic Roy Clark; and country singer/guitarist/fiddler Sonny James.

Several pioneering women are also cited in this peerage, including Molly O'Day, Sally Ann Forrester, Bessie Lee Mauldin and Wilma Lee Cooper. Students and long-time fans of bluegrass can use this honour roll as a test of their knowledge of the genre -- and to speculate who else should be on it. More recent converts may plumb the list to discover such largely forgotten stylists as Hylo Brown, Clyde Moody and Charlie Moore.

Long overdue PayCheck Collection

Perhaps one of country music's most under-appreciated vocal stylists, Johnny PayCheck receives the star treatment with The Soul & the Edge: The Best of Johnny PayCheck, due April 30 on Columbia/Legacy. PayCheck was an outlaw when outlaws weren't cool, and the set masterfully blends his soulful ballads with rougher-edged, sometimes violent fare, both styles spiced with equal amounts of alcohol and attitude. For PayCheck, the compilation is in many ways a validation of the broad scope of his material. "It makes me feel good to listen to it, because this is a big part of my career," says PayCheck, whose failing health -- including struggles with emphysema -- keep him off the road and out of the studio today. Even so, he looks back on his body of work with pride. "I enjoyed all those days. I enjoyed both the recording and the tours. I loved the studio work with the musicians and creating something. If I had it to do over again, I think I'd do about the same thing."

The collection is an intriguing mix of such classics as the bitter Take This Job and Shove It, the outlaw anthem I'm the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised), the quintessential cheatin' song Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets, and the solid gold (Don't Take Her) She's All I Got, with lesser-known but often even more powerful cuts, like Billy Joe Shaver's Ragged Old Truck, the violent Colorado Cool-Aid, the defiant Fifteen Beers, and the hangdog 11 Months and 29 Days. PayCheck is also a confident balladeer, as evidenced on such stone country cuts as Feminine Touch, Old Violin, and Merle Haggard's All Night Lady.

New Memorial Will Replace Museum Walkway
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will replace the old Walkway of Stars, formerly housed in the lobby of the old building on Music Row, with a new memorial. The old terrazzo-and-bronze squares could not be moved intact to the new building. They were "completely destroyed in order to protect the integrity of the new memorial," says museum director Kyle Young. The hall of fame will announce plans for a new memorial at a later date. "The new memorial," Young promises,

Hej vänner,

Mike Bella
kommer till Göteborg den 25 maj för att uppträda vid Motorshow Festival 2002.
Detta sker på Vårväderstorget i Göteborg.

MORE OF COUNTRY MUSIC'S HOTTEST STARS SIGN ON FOR FAN FAIR 2002!
Fan Fair 2002 has added several of the industry's most exciting artists to its already star-studded roster. Alabama, Bill Anderson, David Ball, Tracy Byrd, Mark Chesnutt, Charlie Daniels, Deryl Dodd, Eric Heatherly, Daniel Lee Martin, Jo Dee Messina, John Michael Montgomery, Montgeomery Gentry, PinMonkey, Craig Morgan, Tim Rushlow, Sawyer Brown, Tommy Shane Steiner, Doug Stone, Bryan White, Wild Horses and The Wilkinsons join the growing list of dynamic entertainers scheduled to appear during Fan Fair, taking place in Downtown Nashville, Thursday through Sunday, June 13 - 16. http://www.fanfair.com/2002/appearing/default.asp

Dwight leaves Warners

Dwight Yoakam has split from Warner Bros./Reprise after 16 years and
15 albums. Yoakam, who has a leading role in the current hit film Panic Room, will tour this spring as part of Brooks & Dunn's Neon Circus & Wild West Show,. Meanwhile, the artist is "entertaining offers" from other labels, according to a spokesperson.

Clay Blaker
kommer inte till Lida Country Festival i år. Clay flyttar inom kort till de karibiska öarna med sin hustru. Han slutar att turnéra helt!

Here is a list of events around Sweden this summer!

April 27   Country/Rhythm Blues Evening at Mora Park in Mora, Sweden. Charlie Chearer and Jolie Holliday from USA will be the head                    attractions.
                Information  at  adm@mcwc-radio.com

 May 11    StockholmCountryMusicClub Spring Festival at Årsta Folkets Hus in Stockholm, Sweden. Live music and buffé! 
                  More information at www.scmc.2y.net

May 29   Country Music Night at Hågelbyparken, Stockholm.  The band is Western Satellites.

June 26   The Southern Harvest Show at Mölleplatsen, Malmö, Sweden. 
                Willie Nelson And His Family, Nick Lowe, Amiee Mann and more. Country music and more
                Information at  www.southernharvestshow.com

June 28 – 29  Lida Country Music Festival  just outside Stockholm, Sweden.
                Two days of great country music including A Nashville Star Evening with Pat Roden, T.Jae Christian, Paul Alan Coons and Harley                     Cummins on Friday.
                On Saturday Wanda Jackson and many more artists will enter the stage.
                 More information at  www.lida.cjb.net

 June 22 – July 20  Wanda Jackson is on tour in Sweden. The program is not available for  the moment.

July 25 – 27  Västkustens Countryfestival at Lane Loge. 
                Linda Gail Lewis, A Nashville Star Evening (see above), and Patty Booker is the head attractions.
                Three days with lots of country music and more.
                Information at roger@laneloge.nu  

July 28     A Nashville Star Evening (see above) at Dalhalla, Rättvik.
                Information at www.dalhalla.se 

August 2 – 4  Scandinavian Country Music Festival 2002 at Furuvik, Sweden.
                Claude Gray, Justin Trevino, Becky Hobbs, Kenny & Dawn Sears are the head   attractions.
                Three days with fantastic country music.
                Information at   kountry@mailbox.as 

More information about what happen in Sweden will follow in a couple of weeks.

 Janne Lindgren

Hej,

Här kommer ett nyhetsbrev som handlar om årets Fan Fair i Nashville. Kanske någon av er är på väg dit? Om inte så kanske informationen ändå är intressant? Gå in på de olika sidorna och bli lite sugna på att åka dit! Nedanstående är bara en liten del av vad som händer i Nashville under Fan Fair. Men om ni ska åka dit så räkna med mycket folk överallt, inklusive att alla hotell är fullbokade inne i själva centrum.    

Janne Lindgren

CHECK OUT ALL THE ARTISTS WHO WILL BE SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS IN THE EXHIBIT HALL.
Trace Adkins, Alabama, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tracy Lawrence, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, John Michael Montgomery, Jamie O'Neal, Rascal Flatts, Sawyer Brown, Blake Shelton, and Lee Ann Womack are just a few of the artists scheduled to sign autographs during Fan Fair 2002 at the Nashville Convention Center. Please remember artist appearances are subject to change. Check back often to see what artists have been added.
http://www.fanfair.com/2002/appearing/default.asp?page=tab3&enews

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POPULAR "FAN FAIR AFTER HOURS" RETURNS FOR 2002 - THE PARTY CONTINUES WITH MARTY STUART & TRAVIS TRITT, NBC DAYTIME STARS AND MORE

The music and fun continue long after the Nightly Concerts at Adelphia Coliseum are over as Fan Fair 2002 once again takes over Downtown Nashville's most popular nightspots. Thirteen official Fan Fair After Hours locations have been confirmed thus far: Bailey's Pub & Grille; Graham Central Station; Grand Ole Opry House (for their late-night Superstar Spectacular Show); Hard Rock Café; Legends Corner; Ryman Auditorium (for a special "Marty Stuart Late Night Jam"); Seanachie; The Stage on Broadway; Rippy's Smokin' Bar and Grill; Robert's Western World; Tootsie's Orchid Lounge; Wildhorse Saloon; and Wolfy's. These venues will receive Fan Fair After Hours bar kits with napkins, coasters, banners and door prizes to celebrate Fan Fair. The clubs are responsible for their own entertainment and special admission policies.

Some of the highlights of Fan Fair After Hours this year include:

The Ryman Auditorium will play host to a special "Marty Stuart's Late Night Jam" event on Wednesday, June 12, at 11:00 PM. The show will be hosted by Stuart and feature Travis Tritt, and Montgomery Gentry, among other artists yet to be announced. Tickets can be purchased from all Ticketmaster outlets or the Ryman Box Office at (615) 255-9600.

The Grand Ole Opry House will present its annual "Grand Ole Opry Superstar Spectacular" on Thursday, June 13, from 11:00 PM until 2:00 AM. All proceeds benefit the Opry Trust Fund, which assists members of the Country Music community in need. Call (615) 871-OPRY for tickets and more information.

The Wildhorse Saloon will once again host the "NBC Daytime Fan Fair After Hours Party" with stars from the NBC Daytime programs "Days of Our Lives" and "Passions." The actors will perform and answer questions from the audience beginning at 11:00 PM, Saturday, June 15, following the close of the Adelphia concert and fireworks. Tickets to this event are $20 and will be sold by the Wildhorse Saloon Box Office, which can be reached by calling (615) 902-8200.

The Rage, a free weekly guide to Nashville entertainment, is once again a promotional partner for Fan Fair After Hours this year.
http://www.fanfair.com/2002/schedule/default.asp?page=tab2&enews

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TICKETS ARE GOING FAST!

Advance ticket sales for Fan Fair 2002 are going fast. All seats at Adelphia Coliseum are reserved. For complete ticket information, please call 1-866-FAN-FAIR (326-3247) or check out http://www.fanfair.com/2002/tickets/default.asp?enews.

KNOW SOMEONE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN FAN FAIR?

If you know someone who may be interested in Fan Fair, please feel free to forward them this information and encourage them to sign up for our Fan Fair e-news!

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Posted by David McCormick on April 28, 2002 at 15:29:36:

Hillous died yesterday afternoon at home.

Hillous Butrum
Born Apr 21, 1928

Worked With: Bob L. Moore, Joe Vincent, Jimmy Rollins, Jack Pruett, Louis Dunn, Farris Coursey, Harold Carmack, James Farmer, Hank Williams, Grover Lavender, Joe Knight, Ray Edenton, Owen Bradley, Grady Martin, Hank Snow, Johnny Gimble, Chet Atkins, Jimmy Gossett, Marvin H. Hughes

Marty Robbins Hawaii's Calling Me (1963) Guitar
Marty Robbins Rock'n Roll'n Robbins: Marty... (1985) Guitar
Marty Robbins Essential Marty Robbins: 1951-1982 (1991) Guitar
Marty Robbins Country 1951-1958 (1991) Guitar
Hank Snow Singing Ranger: 1949-1953 (1989) Bass
Hank Snow Singing Ranger, Vol. 2 (1990) Bass
Hank Williams, Sr. Health & Happiness Shows (1993)
Hank Williams Instrumentals: Original Drifting... (2000) Guitar (Rhythm)
Hank Williams Prodigal Son (2001) Bass
Various Artists Heroes of Country Music, Vol. 3:... (1996) Guitar

 Ännu en legend har gått ur tiden och finns nu i Hillbilly Heaven!!

Janne Lindgren