MCM Home
Traditional Bluegrass Musician, Alvin Breeden Passes
Alvin Breeden, 70, a traditional bluegrass musician and an enthusiast of the late Don Reno’s style of banjo died on February 26, 2013 at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA. The cause of death was not disclosed. The Preddy Funeral Home Chapel in Madison, VA., confirmed the death.
Breeden played professionally from the time he was 16 years of age. During his career Breeden played with Dr. Ralph Stanley; and banjo extraordinaire, Don Reno. The Osborne Brothers recorded a song, “Fastest Grass Alive,” written by Paul Craft in Breeden’s honor.
Our 1st Music Charts Magazine Jukebox is up and running! Push Play on this Jukebox, sit back.. and enjoy.. ~
This jukebox has been made of what not better?.. – The BMI Top 100 Songs of the Century as listed by BMI.
You can have the Jukebox running while you work and play on the internet. All you do is push the white circle to the left of the play button and it will appear as a separate window.
Go to the tab “MCM Jukebox” or/ Click below to listen to Jukebox:
http://www.musicchartsmagazine.com/bmi-all-time-top-100-jukebox/
————–
BMI Top 100 Songs of the Century, listing the most played songs on American radio and television. Leading the list is the anthemic “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” written by Barry Mann, Phil Spector and Cynthia Weil, which recently passed the historic 8 million performance plateau. It was originally recorded by The Righteous Brothers and produced by Spector.
The second, third and fourth place songs have all attained more than 7 million airplays. They are: “Never My Love,” written by Donald and Richard Addrisi; “Yesterday” by John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney; and “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Rounding out the Top 10 are the six-million-plateau performers: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio; “Sitting On the Dock Of the Bay” by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper; Paul Simon‘s “Mrs. Robinson”; “Baby I Need Your Loving” by the legendary Motown writers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland; John Gummoe’s “Rhythm Of The Rain”; and the evergreen “Georgia On My Mind” written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell.
John Lennon and Paul Simon each have four songs in the Top 100. Lennon’s contributions are his Beatles’s classics “Yesterday,” “Michelle” (#42), and “Let It Be” (#89), all co-written by McCartney, as well as his solo outing “Imagine” (#96). In addition to “Mrs. Robinson,” Simon is represented on the list with “The Sound of Silence” (# 18), “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (#19), and “Scarborough Fair” (#31), co-written by his long-time partner Art Garfunkel. Other songwriters with multiple listings include..
Read all by clicking on the BMI website link below:
http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/19991214_bmi_announces_top_100_songs_of_the_century
———————–
We here at Music Charts Magazine have made this jukebox of these historical songs for your listening enjoyment. Reminiscing through hit song after hit song of songs we all know is quite a blast and it can really bring back some fond memories. You might even find a few songs you haven’t heard and wish you had. 😉
Have a Great day!
~ MCM Staff
LADY ANTEBELLUM, WILLIE NELSON AND FAMILY, TRACE ADKINS, HUNTER HAYES, AND MORE ANNOUNCED AS INAUGURAL TASTE OF COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL PERFORMERS
more are available online.
The Taste of Country Music Festival will be held the weekend following the ninth annual Mountain Jam Music Festival that is scheduled for June 6-9, 2013. Mountain Jam is one of the top music festivals in the country and will feature Phil Lesh & Friends, Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, Primus, Dispatch, The Avett Brothers and more. Additional information can be found on www.MountainJam.com.
also the sister company of Radio Woodstock.
RANDY HOUSER’S NEW ALBUM HOW COUNTRY FEELS NOW AVAILABLE
cred writing, “Nashville’s country music insiders have known for some time that Randy Houser is one of the finest male vocalists the community has ever welcomed.”Prescription Bluegrass CD Review–The Hillbenders
THE HILLBENDERS – CAN YOU HEAR ME
Label: Compass Records
Released: September 2012
By: W.J. Hallock
One of the definitions of “Symbiosis” is: “A close, prolonged association between two or more different species that is mutually beneficial to each member.” Yep….. that sounds like THE HILLBENDERS to me! “SYMBIOTIC!” Chad “Gravy Boat” Graves’ screamin’ dobro benefits from Mark Cassidy’s high wattage, parallel banjo licks, while Mark’s banjo benefits from Nolan Lawrence’s hot and tasty mandolin chops. Nolan’s mandolin benefits from Jim Rea’s enthusiastic guitar, just like Jim’s guitar benefits from his cousin, Gary Rea’s thunder storm driven upright bass, and Gary’s bass, in turn, churns right back around under the current of Chad’s dobro. Around and around they go, five different “Species” of instruments bouncing in and out of each other‘s space for their mutual benefit! Simply put, this band is so tight they probably all breathe in unison!
There’s a very amazing thing that happens when a band becomes this close….. unless the listener is really paying attention, it can be hard to tell exactly which instrument is playing when! The pickup notes from the banjo over riding the end of a dobro line can be so fast and precise that you can’t tell when one ends and the other begins. Even the tone of each instrument becomes similar….. the individual sounds of the dobro and the banjo together then almost make a third unique sound all it’s own! And when the guitar and bass are so rhythmically solid under the solos and the mandolin is playing right ON that off beat, that all powerful FEEL, that has to be earned, with years of practice and live performances, suddenly takes on a life of it’s own and you have….. MAGIC!
Read the rest of this review by clicking here: http://www.prescriptionbluegrassblog.com/2013/01/prescription-bluegrass-cd-reviewthe.html
L to R: U.S. Marine Corps E-3/Lance Corporal Christopher Allen, Strait, and Lieutenant General Leroy Sisco, U.S. Army (Retired)
Photo: Courtesy of Terry Calonge
Fans at the Sold-Out United Spirit Arena ‘Give Strait All They’ve Got’ on The Cowboy Rides Away Tour in Lubbock, Texas
Prescription Bluegrass CD Review–Jerry Douglas “Traveler”
Jerry Douglas – Traveler
Label: eOne Music
Released: October 2012
Reviewed by: Dan King
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the greatest Dobro player of all?
Faced with that query, most magic mirrors would probably respond by saying that Jerry Douglas has been, and is, the premier Dobro player of our time.
And who could argue?
As the featured soloist for the multi-Platinum, multi-Grammy, multi-(pick an award) Alison Krauss and Union Station, Jerry Douglas has consistently raised the bar for what passes as virtuosity on that instrument. Douglas has also ventured from his “Allison Wonderland” from time to time to tour and record with a deep and stunning Who’s Who of élite musical acts, solo performers, and singer/songwriters. Furthermore, his personal list of awards from the music industry could make the much decorated Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps blush from feelings of inadequacy.
Read the rest here: http://www.prescriptionbluegrassblog.com/2013/01/prescription-bluegrass-cd-reviewjerry.html#more
Gary Allan’s new CD, “Set You Free” will be releasing on Jan. 22, 2013. Tonight I got to preview the whole CD, and I liked what I heard. The only song I had heard before tonight was “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain). It’s on the radio, it’s a great song. We all know it, and I think we all love it. It’s the kind of music I’ve grown to expect from Gary Allan.
There were a few disappointments – at least for me. I wasn’t crazy about “Tough Goodbye”, and I didn’t really like “Bones” at all. I first became a Gary Allen fan when he released “Smoke Rings in the Dark.” It doesn’t matter how many songs he releases, or how many albums he puts out during the rest of his career, I’m sure “Smoke Rings” will always be my favorite. I’m not saying “Tough Goodbye” and “Bones” are bad songs. But I didn’t really feel like they were country songs, and they didn’t remind me of the reason I love Gary Allan. I may be the only one who thinks that – but that’s okay.
After I got through “Bones” I got to hear “It Ain’t The Whiskey” – this one I liked. Very prolific. And very Gary Allan. “It ain’t the whiskey, it ain’t the cigarettes that’s killing me, it ain’t the stuff I smoke, it’s all these things I can’t forget. And it ain’t the hard times, it ain’t the all nights, Well it ain’t that easy, it ain’t the whiskey that’s killing me….” Yep, that’s Gary Allan at his best. I think this is probably my favorite song on the new CD. I’ll be interested to know which one all of you like best.
“Sand in My Soul” is a little more up-tempo, but it’s still Gary. You listen to it, and you know know that it’s something he would have recorded. I think this one would do well as a single, too. It’s the one I found myself wanting to sing along with. He slows us back down with the number six song, “You Without Me.” I just want all of you to listen to this one – when I got this far in the CD, I started changing my mind about exactly which song on the new album really is my favorite. And deciding that I’m allowed to have more than one that I like best.
After I got through “Bones” I got to hear “It Ain’t The Whiskey” – this one I liked. Very prolific. And very Gary Allan. “It ain’t the whiskey, it ain’t the cigarettes that’s killing me, it ain’t the stuff I smoke, it’s all these things I can’t forget. And it ain’t the hard times, it ain’t the all nights, Well it ain’t that easy, it ain’t the whiskey that’s killing me….” Yep, that’s Gary Allan at his best. I think this is probably my favorite song on the new CD. I’ll be interested to know which one all of you like best.
“Sand in My Soul” is a little more up-tempo, but it’s still Gary. You listen to it, and you know know that it’s something he would have recorded. I think this one would do well as a single, too. It’s the one I found myself wanting to sing along with. He slows us back down with the number six song, “You Without Me.” I just want all of you to listen to this one – when I got this far in the CD, I started changing my mind about exactly which song on the new album really is my favorite. And deciding that I’m allowed to have more than one that I like best.
The song “One More Time” is one of those, grab you cup of coffee, gaze out the window, put your feet up…and remember. It’s one of those ‘look back at your whole life…the mistakes you made, things you might have done differently…’ I think this one definitely reminded me what kind of Gary Allan songs I like most – the slow ones. He has an incredible voice. And you can really hear his vocals in these slower songs.
I review a lot of CDs. Some I tell you a little about one or two songs, and then just rate the album over-all. And some, I tell you a little bit about every song – at least what I thought of every song, and why. And Gary has given me one of those challenges. One of those CDs that I just felt like I needed to tell you a little about every song. The ones I like the best, and the ones that didn’t do as much for me. I’m putting “Hungover Heart” right up there with the ones I like the most. It’s another song that if anyone else had sung it, you would be saying “Gary Allan should have had this one.”
Get ready to smile – here comes “No Worries.” That’s all I can say about it. It’s a cute song. “No Worries, I don’t have a single care today. Everything is going to go my way. No worries.” That about sums it up. I think you are all going to like this one as much as I do!
listened to “Drop” and the first thing I thought of was Harry Connick Jr. I don’t know why, but for some reason I could see that man sitting at the piano singing “Drop.” But I really liked the song. And I thought about some sneaky, cartoon character type detective lurking in the shadows chasing some cartoon criminal. Oh, don’t get me wrong – the lyrics are definitely NOT screaming ‘cartoon character detective”…it was just something about the melody that led me in that direction. But, I really do like the song.
“Pieces” is another faster one. But it’s another really good song. When I finish listening to a song for the first time, and find myself quoting lyrics, I know it was written with people in mind. People who are going to be able to relate to it for one reason or another. I think is probably my favorite of the aster songs on the album.
That brings us to “Good As New”. Gary slows it down for us with this final track. And I discover one thing about Gary Allan. When he sings, you listen. And you pay attention to what he’s saying. I think there are a lot of times when the lyrics just become part of the background noise. That’s not the case with Gary Allen. I’ve listen through the whole album three times. By the thiThere’s my opinion and here’s your track list. Now, put Jan. 22 on your calendar, because you are going to want to get this CD the minute it hits store shelves.
Tough Goodbye
Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)
Bones
It Ain’t The Whiskey
Sand In My Soul
You Without Me
One More Time
Hungover Heart
No Worries
Drop
Pieces
Good As New
Country (CountrysChatter.com)
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known by her professional name Patti Page, was an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and sold over 100 million records.Her nickname was The Singin’ Rage (a phrase commonly followed by “Miss Patti Page”).
Page signed with Mercury Records in 1947, and became their first successful female artist, starting with 1948′s “Confess”. In 1950, she had her first million-selling single “With My Eyes Wide Open, I’m Dreaming”, and would eventually have 14 additional million-selling singles between 1950 and 1965.
Read more at Wikipedia