Tag: the McCrary Sisters

BGS WRAPS: The McCrary Sisters, “Go Tell It on the Mountain”

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Artist: The McCrary Sisters
Song: “Go Tell It on the Mountain”
Album: Go Tell It on the Mountain/No Room at the Inn

In Their Words: “I have always loved the Staple Singers, so when our producer Scott Billington at Rounder Records shared his idea of using the song ‘Respect Yourself’ for the groove of this song and put ‘Go Tell It On the Mountain’ to that feel, we jumped all over that opportunity. I love it, I pray — and yet I know — you will love it too. So join us on the highest mountain and lowest street corner to proclaim the message of love, joy, peace, and happiness!” – Regina McCrary

Enjoy more BGS Wraps music.

BGS 5+5: Paul Thorn

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Artist: Paul Thorn
Hometown: Tupelo, MS
Latest Album: Don’t Let the Devil Ride
Personal Nicknames: Bozo

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I would have to say that Elvis Presley is the artist who influenced me the most. I grew up in the same town he grew up in (Tupelo, Mississippi).  Everyone around where I lived grew up listening to him. I always liked his gospel music and, when he would do a gospel record, he would get the great gospel artists of the day to back him. So, when I did mine, I did the same thing. I got the best gospel groups of the day — the Blind Boys of Alabama and the McCrary Sisters — to help me do my record. I did it like that because that’s what Elvis did — he got the best of the best.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

My favorite memory from being on stage is from when I was in the eighth grade talent show. I sang “Three Times a Lady” and won first place. It was life changing. I was sort of a social outcast and, after I sang that song, I was the coolest kid in school. It made me feel good because I discovered singing was something I was good at.

How do other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

Mostly art and paintings. When I create my own art, a song comes out of it somewhere. I drew a picture of a statue in my dad’s years and ended up writing a song bout it (“800 Pound Jesus”). I drew the picture before I wrote the song!

Since food and music go so well together, what would be your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

Eating a filet mignon and seeing Tom Waits.

As you travel around the world, what is the overriding sense you get of the people?

I get a sense of family. I’m very open to meeting and getting to know my fans personally. It feels like a family reunion every time we get back together.

Photo credit: Lee Harrelson 

ANNOUNCING: Two New Ways to Hang & Sang

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Last summer, Team BGS noticed that Facebook was really pushing their Live videos. We also saw that our friends Ann Powers and Jewly Hight were doing some casual sessions on Ann’s porch here in Nashville for NPR Music using that medium. So we decided we should give it a whirl. Ani DiFranco was coming to town, and we asked if she’d be our first. We didn’t have a name for it or much of a plan at all, but Ani said yes and City Winery said we could use their lounge. On June 30, 2016, what would become Hangin’ & Sangin’ was born.

Since then, we’ve had Sam Bush, Lori McKenna, Uncle Earl, Indigo Girls, Chely Wright, Colin Hay, Natalie Hemby, Ruby Amanfu, Special Consensus, the Revivalists, Marc Broussard, the McCrary Sisters, Whiskey Myers, Glen Phillips, Mary Gauthier, and a slew of other fantastic artists on the show.

And we’re just getting started.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be hangin’ with Johnnyswim, Angaleena Presley, Drew Holcomb, John Paul White, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Keb’ Mo’, Gaby Moreno, and so many more of your favorite artists at Hillbilly Central, right off Music Row, in the heart of Nashville. Join us every Friday at 2:30 pm CT on Facebook Live, catch us every Sunday at 6:30 am and Tuesday at 9 pm on WMOT Roots Radio, or listen to the podcast via iTunes any time you like. We’d love to have you hang with us.

 

Special thanks to Alison Brown, Garry West, Gordon Hammond, and everyone at Compass Records for lending us their historic studio. Additional thanks to Jessie Scott, Val Hoeppner, John Walker, Craig Havighurst, and the whole team at WMOT Roots Radio for giving us some air time. And an extra shout out to Josephine Wood for helping get this thing off the ground to begin with. We couldn’t be happier to partner with all of you.