Tag: Pam Tillis

You Gotta Hear This: New Music From Ana Egge, Jaelee Roberts, and More

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

In the words of Chris Stapleton, “What are you listening to?” This week, our premiere round up is full of music we’re very excited to bring to your speakers and earphones.

Below, check out new videos from Ana Egge, Ordinary Elephant, and our brand new Rootsy Summer Session featuring Jim Lauderdale performing at a cute music shop in Falkenberg, Sweden. Plus, we’ve got new tracks from Jaelee Roberts, Parker Smith, Wyndham Baird, and Will Kimbrough. To top it all off, Phillip Lammonds performs “Forever Ain’t That Far Away” with his pal, the legendary Pam Tillis.

There’s so much to enjoy in our latest premiere round up, and if we do say so ourselves – You Gotta Hear This!

Ana Egge, “Door Won’t Close”

Artist: Ana Egge
Hometown: Ambrose, North Dakota
Song: “Door Won’t Close”
Album: Sharing in the Spirit
Release Date: May 17, 2024
Label: StorySound Records

In Their Words:“‘Door Won’t Close’ is about confronting an abusive person. One of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. I stood up to him on behalf of my sister and nephew. I opened the door to what he’d done by telling the truth and not allowing myself to be shut down by fear. Then I left the door open by telling his wife and friends about it. The song is mostly in conversation with his wife — her denial of his abuse and her support of him.” – Ana Egge

Track Credits:

Ana Egge – Vocals, acoustic guitar, harmony vocals
Michael “Squeaky” Robinson – Pedal steel
Alex Hargreaves – Fiddle
Rob Heath – Drums
Lorenzo Wolff – Bass
Devon Yesberger – Organ, Wurlitzer

Video Credits: Directed, filmed and edited by Haoyan of America.
Special thanks Alden Harris-McCoy and Cole-Berry Miller.

Jaelee Roberts, “Stuck In The Middle With You”

Artist: Jaelee Roberts
Hometown: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Song: “Stuck In The Middle With You”
Release Date: April 5, 2024
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ is a song that I have loved for a really long time and I’ve been keeping it in mind to record, because I felt like it would be so much fun to cover. Of course I love the original version by Stealers Wheel (written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan), but when I was pretty young I found Keith Urban’s version from the ’90s with his band, The Ranch, and I was really hooked on it. I have literally listened to it hundreds of times and it never gets old. I love all genres of music and I recorded a ’70s rock song (“Landslide”) on my debut album and people really seemed to enjoy it, so I wanted to include a song from that era on my new album, too. I knew ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ was the one. I’m excited that it just happens to be the first single!

“I have to say that I am absolutely thrilled with how this song turned out with the help of my producer and bass player, Byron House, and all of the other STELLAR musicians: Ron Block on banjo/guitar, Cody Kilby on guitar, Andy Leftwich on mandolin, Russ Pahl on dobro, and John Gardner on percussion along with backing vocals by John Cowan.

“It was truly amazing to hear this come to life and I really think we made it our own by combining two awesome versions and throwing in a twist or two for a new take on ‘Stuck In The Middle With You.’ I hope it makes you smile and maybe even want to get up and dance!” – Jaelee Roberts

“Jaelee’s voice is THE GOLDEN THREAD shining so brightly in what feels to me like a well-woven tapestry of mighty fine playing, all supported by this classic groove. Her version of ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ was every bit as fun to play and produce as I hope it will be for you to hear! So grateful to be working with Jaelee Roberts!” – Byron House, producer

Parker Smith, “Air Stream”

Artist: Parker Smith
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Song: “Air Stream”
Album: Short Street
Release Date: June 7, 2024

In Their Words: “My brother and I drove up to Unicoi State Park with his two kids, a couple of cots, one tent, and not enough warm clothing. We debated not making the trek, because the weather was supposed to dip below freezing, but we didn’t want to disappoint his kids, who were looking forward to it. When we rolled up to the campsite, our neighbors, an elderly couple, were sitting outside in a couple of crazy creek chairs with their dog in front of an Airstream.

“I’ve always wanted an Airstream camper, and I am big into double meanings to a fault when it comes to song lyrics; ‘Air Stream’ also refers to the cold snap we were experiencing in North Georgia. We said maybe two words to the couple, but it was so interesting how we interacted with neighbors pretty much the same at home and on vacation. We overheard them bickering with each other and then making up at the end of the night. It was also interesting to see how they had everything figured out with some warm shelter and supplies, and we were out here roughing it with two young kids in a cold tent. We ended up having a great time outdoors, swinging on hammocks and making a fire, but the kids were complaining and shivering in the middle of the night, and we ended up leaving at 5 a.m. to head home.

“My favorite line in the song is ‘growing cold together, blaming it on the weather’ in the last verse. This line can be interpreted in several ways, and I liked substituting ‘cold’ for ‘old.’ This verse is when the song gets quiet, and the vocals are upfront before all the instruments tumble back in for the last chorus. Sonically, the song has a floating quality, especially with the sound of the pedal steel and the faraway fiddle solo. I wanted a simple chorus that people could sing along around a campfire, and my producer Colin had a great idea for me to overdub my vocals an octave apart to give it that vibe. ‘Air Stream’ has been a fun one to play live.” – Parker Smith

Track Credits:

Parker Smith – Guitars, vocals
Trygve Myers – Bass
Christopher Case – Keyboards
John Kingsley – Pedal steel, lap steel, fiddle, slide guitar
Colin Agnew – Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals

Mixing & production – Colin Agnew
Mastering – Bob Weston, Chicago Mastering Service

Wyndham Baird, “Meet Me By the Moonlight, Alone”

Artist: Wyndham Baird
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Song: “Meet Me By the Moonlight, Alone”
Album: After the Morning
Release Date: May 31, 2024
Label: Jalopy Records

In Their Words: “I learned ‘Meet Me By The Moonlight’ from The Carter Family when I was about 20 years old. When I first heard The Carter Family it felt like I was listening some long lost relatives. They sounded like they had been my great grandmother’s neighbors. Taking up Maybelle’s picking style set me free from the doldrums of riffing. Her playing taught me how to make the guitar sound good enough all by itself. That being said, Eli Smith’s autoharp lends our recording of ‘Moonlight’ some rocking chair rhythm and Samoa Wilson’s harmony vocal sounds somehow like a roll top bread box.” – Wyndham Baird

Will Kimbrough, “Every Day”

Artist: Will Kimbrough
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Every Day”
Album: For the Life of Me
Release Date: April 5, 2024 (single); May 3, 2024 (album)
Label: Daphne Records, Soundly Music

In Their Words: “David Henry and I wrote ‘Every Day’ trying to create something carefree and joyful. We pulled it off! I needed it then and we need it now. Favorite lyric: ‘Singing in the sunshine. Laughing in the pouring rain. Gonna have a good time. Everybody it’s a sunshine day.'” – Will Kimbrough

Track Credits: 

Bryan Owings – Drums
Chris Donohue – Bass
Will Kimbrough – Vocals, guitar, keyboards

Ordinary Elephant, “I See You”

Artist: Ordinary Elephant
Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana
Song: “I See You”
Album: Ordinary Elephant
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Label: Berkalin Records

In Their Words: “We can talk to anyone in a song. Time, space, beliefs, viewpoints — none of those can keep the ‘I’ from having a conversation with the ‘you.’ The ‘you’ can be Gandhi, a grocery store clerk, the President, or your dog. It can also be yourself, perhaps at some future point in time.

“I started this song a few months into my journey with sobriety. Because there were things I couldn’t escape from seeing about myself. And there were, and are, so many things I don’t yet know, or know how to figure out, but there’s a sense of what I want this unraveling to look like when it’s sewn back together.

“Being in the moment and accepting who and where we are is valuable, and I believe that getting better at this is a practice that can hold a lot of happiness. But it also seems that if we don’t look ahead and think of a future self, it can be difficult to grow in ways that feel meaningful. So this is a talk with that future self, letting her know that I see her.” – Crystal Damore

Video Credits: Directed & edited by Syd Horn & Olivia Perillo.
Cinematography & color by Olivia Perillo.
Honest Art Productions, Lafayette, Louisiana.

Phillip Lammonds, “Forever Ain’t That Far Away”

Artist: Phillip Lammonds
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Forever Ain’t That Far Away”
Album: Cowboy Things
Release Date: April 5, 2024
Label: Freestone Records

In Their Words: “It’s a song that I wrote with Matt Wynne – a great singer-songwriter from Missouri and just a great guy. We were co-writing one day and we didn’t really have anything. We were working around in the writers room and he said, ‘You know, the afternoon is not that far away,’ and I said, ‘Wait a minute…’ and we backed into this title, ‘Forever Ain’t That Far Away.’ It’s turned into one of the coolest songs. One of the greatest things about this song is that on the record, Pam Tillis sings the background vocals on it. There is no question you can hear her. She is amazing, and she’s still the same star she’s ever been.” – Phillip Lammonds

Track Credits: Written by Phillip Lammonds & Matt Wynne.
Produced by Lee Brice.
Co-Production by Gabriel Klein, Gideon Klein, Phillip Lammonds.
Engineered & Mixed by Cody Labelle, Gabriel Klein, Gideon Klein.

Video Credit: Brooke Stevens

Rootsy Summer Sessions: Jim Lauderdale

This week, we bring you a brand-new installment of our Rootsy Summer Sessions, which were shot last year in gorgeous Falkenberg, Sweden, during Rootsy Summer Fest ’23. The videography team behind I Know We Should set aside time during the summertime roots music festival with Nashville renaissance man, Americana magnate, and hit songwriter Jim Lauderdale while on his trip to Scandinavia.

For his first performance, he performs “The Road Is a River,” a song from his 2018 album, Time Flies, in an adorable local music store, Liljedahls Musik. Joined by his band, including recording artist and fiddler Lillie Mae, guitarists Craig Smith and Frank Carter Rische, Jay D. Weaver on bass, and Dave Racine on drums, they cheerfully lope through the darker tinges of the song, harmonizing in three parts on the track’s foreboding and certainly apocalyptic lyrics. “The Road Is a River” demonstrates the ease with which Lauderdale combines styles, textures, and sonics with his deep understanding of history and a literary reckoning with the machinations of the earth – natural and unnatural.

Read more and watch the entire session here.

Photo Credit: Ana Egge by Lorenzo Wolf; Jaelee Roberts by Eric Ahlgrim.

The String – Pam Tillis plus Joe Diffie

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

She’s a daughter of Grand Ole Opry royalty, but Pam Tillis found her own way to the music business and the top of the country charts in the 1990s.

LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS

She’s long been one of Music City’s most independent-minded major leaguers, and she shows it on Looking For A Feeling, her first album in more than a decade. She works with some of Nashville’s most creative musical minds too. Also in the hour, highlights from a 2008 interview in which we remember the timeless voice and humor of Joe Diffie, who died in March after contracting Covid-19.

LISTEN: Pam Tillis, “Dark Turn of Mind”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Pam Tillis
Hometown: Plant City, Florida (born) + Nashville, Tennessee (lives)
Song: “Dark Turn of Mind”
Album: Looking for a Feeling
Release Date: April 24, 2020
Label: Stellar Cat via OneRPM

In Their Words: “While the album is called Looking for a Feeling, I was drawn to ‘Dark Turn of Mind’ because it’s about owning your feelings. Letting yourself slow down long enough to acknowledge the shadows in your soul helps you experience the light in a deeper way. In this era of everybody trying to keep up some facade on social media, I loved that this song unapologetically says, ‘Yes I reserve the right to have my good old meltdown, pity party, wallow-in-my-misery moments and that will probably keep me way saner than having to fake-smile my way thru these crazy-ass times.'” — Pam Tillis

Photo credit: Matt Spicher

22 Top Country Duos

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Country music was made for duets. Not only because those tight, tasty harmonies are a foundational aspect of the music, but also because country accomplishes heartbreak — and every other make and model of love song — better than almost any other genre. (Thought quite possibly better than all other genres.) It just makes sense to have two singers, one to play each role in a lost, soon-to-be-lost, or (rarely) divine, never-perishing romance. But the format isn’t restricted to lovers or their placeholders, it can just as seamlessly fit heroes and acolytes, parents and children, siblings, peers, fellow pot smokers, and on and on.

Take a scroll through these twenty-two country twosomes:

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton

We couldn’t have this list without these two. They should be the start, middle, and end of any definitive list of country duos. So we’ll just make the easy choice and kick it all off with Kenny and Dolly — that extra intro about their friendship and the years they’ve known each other? Swoon.

Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty

After saying what we did about Kenny & Dolly we knew this pair needed to come next — so as to not rile anyone. Out of countless duets we could have chosen, how could any top “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly?”

Willie Nelson & Ray Charles

For inexplicable reasons people tend to forget Ray Charles’ incredible forays into country. His collaborations with Willie are stunning for the extreme juxtaposition of their voices and styles — they feel and swing so distinctly and differently, but all while perfectly complementary. “Seven Spanish Angels” ranked a very close second to this number in our selection process.

Glen Campbell & John Hartford

The most-recorded song in the history of recording? It’s said “Gentle On My Mind” holds that honor. And goodness gracious of course it does. Here’s its writer and its popularizer and hitmaker together.

Lee Ann Womack & George Strait

Together, Lee Ann and George were beacons of the trad country duet form, especially in the ’90s and early 2000s. This one from the jewel in the crown of Lee Ann’s discography, Call Me Crazy, is crisply modern, but with decidedly timeless vocals.

George Jones & Tammy Wynette

A broken, country fairy tale of a love story, George and Tammy’s relationship was infamously fraught, but damn if that didn’t just make their duets ever more… ethereal. Which doesn’t justify that Tammy Wynette kinda pain, to be sure, but it does remind us that if country can do anything better than all other genres, it can be sad.

Reba McEntire & Linda Davis

One of the best country songs, duets, and music videos EVER MADE. Theatrical and epic and a little silly and downright catchy and Rob Reiner and… we could go on forever.

Tanya Tucker & Delbert McClinton

Tanya is back with a brand new album and its well-deserved level of attention has been helping to re-shine the spotlight on her expansive career. Forty top ten hits across three decades. Who does that? Here she duets with Delbert McClinton on their 1993 hit, “Tell Me About It.”

Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett

Hey, if this has to be stuck in our heads for the rest of the month, it should be stuck in yours, too. Fair’s fair. It’s only half past [whatever time it is], but we don’t care.

Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash

One of the most recognizable duos in the history of the genre, immortalized not only in their discography but in a film adaptation of their love as well, Walk the Line. We all know “Jackson” as familiarly as the ABC’s, so here’s a slightly lesser-known beaut. (Keep watching til the last verse for an adorable bit from June.)

Eric Church & Rhiannon Giddens

Country is at its best when it surprises us. This collaboration is certainly, on the surface, unexpected, but the message of the song isn’t the only way these two artists can relate to each other. Over the course of their careers they’ve both fought their way from the fringes to the centers of their respective scenes. More of this, please.

Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner

Dolly got her start with Porter Wagoner on his television show in the 1960s. They can certainly be credited with pioneering, popularizing, and epitomizing the country duet format. One of her most famous hits, “I Will Always Love You,” was written for Porter as she lamented leaving their act to go totally solo. (We’re a little glad she did.) You can tell they sang this song just a few gajillion times together, give or take.

Pam Tillis & Mel Tillis

Father/daughter duos in country aren’t as common, but they certainly aren’t unheard of. Pam and Mel are a perfect example. (The Kendalls are another.)

Patty Loveless & Ralph Stanley

Patty Loveless received the first ever Ralph Stanley Mountain Music Memorial Legacy Award in 2017 at Ralph’s home festival, Hills of Home, in Wise County, Virginia. Patty and Ralph were longtime friends and collaborators during his lifetime and even through her mainstream country success she referenced bluegrass and Ralph as influences — and she cut a few bluegrass records as well.

Alison Krauss & James Taylor

It’s. Just. Too. Good. Like butter. Like a warm bubble bath. Like floating on a cloud. Two voices that were meant to intertwine.

Charley Pride & Glen Campbell

These two were made to sing Latin-inflected harmonies together, weren’t they? Charley Pride gets overlooked by these sorts of lists all too often. But dang if he didn’t crank out some stellar collaborations, too!

Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris

“Love Hurts” and boy, if Gram and Emmylou don’t make you believe it heart and soul and body and being. The definitive version of this Boudleaux Bryant song? Perhaps.

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard

Icons being icons. And friends. And amazingly talented, ceaselessly musical comrades. You love to see it. (We could’ve/should’ve chosen “Pancho & Lefty.” We did not.)

Vince Gill & Amy Grant

There are quite a few reasons why the Ryman Auditorium basically hands this husband and wife duo the keys to the place each December. Basically all of those reasons are evident in this one. It’s fitting that this video came from one of those Christmas shows, too.

Dolly Parton & Sia

Dolly literally outdoes herself, re-recording “Here I Am” for the original soundtrack for her Netflix film, Dumplin’, after she first cut the Top 40 country single in 1971. Clearly she and Sia have much more in common than an affinity for wigs; their soaring, acrobatic voices seem so disparate in style and form until you hear them together. Listen on repeat for the best therapeutic results.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

[Insert entire Raising Sand album here, because how could we ever choose?] Lol jk, here’s “Killing the Blues.”

Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis

Cross-generational, meet-your-hero magic right here. Little did we know what was in store for Carrie Underwood then. But the way Randy looks at her up there, you can tell he knows she’s goin’ places.

14 Songs for Roller Skating in Buffalo Herds

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

No matter where you may stand on the Lil Nas X viral sensation “Old Town Road” and the associated media firestorm, Twitter debates, and raging country-purity authenticity signalling, we should all be able to agree on one thing: country music has always been a welcoming home to musical memes. Sure, that term may be more recent, a product of the internet age, but ever since the dawn of country as a format silly, tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating, hilarious, and downright foolish songs have been just as integral a part of the genre as heartbreak, cheatin’, booze, and trucks.

We thought it’s high time we celebrate the knee-slappin’, gut-bustin’ history of country music’s meme-ready songs from across the decades. Here are fourteen of our favorites — yes, just fourteen. We can assure you there are dozens and dozens more where these came from.

“A Boy Named Sue” – Johnny Cash

The man in black, one of the most iconic personas in the history of country music, famous for his grit, his stoicism, and his rough-hewn voice wasn’t even “above” recording a song steeped in satire. Hopefully in 2019 life is getting easier for boys named Sue.

“What a Waste of Good Corn Liquor” – Tennessee Mafia Jug Band

Originally recorded by Country Music Hall of Fame and Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Mac Wiseman, this disconcertingly happy-sounding song tells a story with a moral: moonshine will melt you. Don’t spoil the moonshine.

“The King Is Gone (So Are You)” – George Jones

A song about Elvis, Fred Flintstone, drinking, and heartbreak. This one ticks all of the boxes. Even the “use yabadabadoo in a song” box.

“Did I Shave My Legs For This?” – Deana Carter

Country, after all, is all about the relatability of the human condition. Jilted would-be lovers everywhere have felt your pain, Deana. We truly have.

“Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyeballs” – Homer & Jethro

The original Weird Al Yankovics of country and bluegrass, Homer & Jethro wrote (and re-wrote) scores of songs with wacky, eye roll-inducing, laugh-out-loud funny lyrics, ad libs, and arrangements. Check that steel solo!

“I’ll Oilwells Love You” – Dolly Parton

No, Whitney Houston did not cover this one. But that would have been magnificent.

“You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd” – Roger Miller

One of country’s humorous kings, Roger Miller recorded a host of silly songs over the course of his career. We chose this particular number because of its evergreen wisdom. Of course.

“You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” – Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty

But you know what? Looks ain’t everything. And money ain’t everything.

“I’m My Own Grandpa” – Willie Nelson

Get out a piece of scratch paper and sketch this family tree as you go. Does it seem a little… circular? Yeah… that’s the problem.

“Would Jesus Wear A Rolex” – Ray Stevens

A modern country parable. Again, an artist with plenty of silly and sarcastic songs to choose from — and Ray Stevens is being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year. Sounds pretty country to us…

“Cleopatra, Queen Of Denial” – Pam Tillis

Yes. More country songs with outright puns as their hooks, please. And of course, we’ve all been there, Pam. Denial is a popular destination.

“Illegal Smile” – John Prine

On the opening track of his debut album Prine immediately set the tone for his entire career with some of the most nonsensical and witty lyrics ever set to song. “Well done, hot dog bun, my sister’s a nun.”

“I’ll Think Of A Reason Later” – Lee Ann Womack

If you’ve never driven down the road shouting along with this one, we highly recommend that you do — as soon as possible. The song’s main character has a remarkable sense of self-awareness for being so viscerally incensed. If you really hate someone — who may or may not have ended up with your former significant other — it may be your family’s redneck nature.

“My Give A Damn’s Busted” – Jo Dee Messina

Look, if you’ve gotten to the end of this list and you haven’t enjoyed yourself, or maybe you don’t get the point, or maybe you think this is just useless clickbait… whatever the case may be, this song counts as our response. “Nah, man. Sorry.” (Isn’t country the best?)