The marriage of Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, two pillars of the country and Americana music worlds, has struck its final chord.
Isbell filed for divorce from Shires after nearly 11 years of marriage on Dec. 15, 2023, according to court records reviewed by Rolling Stone. Isbell is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who, for the last decade, has led his band, the 400 Unit; Shires is both a respected solo artist, a member of the Highwomen supergroup, and an occasional member of Isbell’s band. At last Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Isbell and the 400 Unit won two Grammys,...
Isbell filed for divorce from Shires after nearly 11 years of marriage on Dec. 15, 2023, according to court records reviewed by Rolling Stone. Isbell is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter who, for the last decade, has led his band, the 400 Unit; Shires is both a respected solo artist, a member of the Highwomen supergroup, and an occasional member of Isbell’s band. At last Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Isbell and the 400 Unit won two Grammys,...
- 2/8/2024
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
The only way to reach Todd Snider is to call his landline. He’s never had a cell phone. Never cared to own one, either. If you want to find him, hopefully he’s home when you ring or you’re lucky enough to run into him by happenstance.
“I’ve always been into being a troubadour. I love the chaos, that life of adventure — that’s what struck me. I had a predisposition for it,” the singer-songwriter tells Rolling Stone from his Nashville home. “I was [already] a hitchhike and sofa circuit person.
“I’ve always been into being a troubadour. I love the chaos, that life of adventure — that’s what struck me. I had a predisposition for it,” the singer-songwriter tells Rolling Stone from his Nashville home. “I was [already] a hitchhike and sofa circuit person.
- 11/27/2023
- by Garret K. Woodward
- Rollingstone.com
Billy Strings was seemingly all over the stage this weekend at the Willie Nelson 90th birthday concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. On Saturday, the bluegrass picker opened the show with “Whiskey River” and later joined Bob Weir for “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” On Sunday, he played “I Gotta Get Drunk” and reunited with Weir, along with Margo Price, for “Stay All Night.” But the literal and figurative high point was Strings’ live debut of “California Sober” with Nelson.
The pair released the song, an ode to choosing weed over booze,...
The pair released the song, an ode to choosing weed over booze,...
- 5/1/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
With his signature one-liner — “It’s good to be here, it’s good to be anywhere” — Keith Richards emerged onstage at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday night to sing with Willie Nelson at the second of the country legend’s two 90th birthday concerts. Together onstage, Richards, 79, and Nelson, 90 plus a day, made their case as the ultimate survivors. They sang about it, too, capping a two-song performance with Billy Joe Shaver’s eternal “Live Forever.”
But first, they revisited “We Had It All,” which they performed back in 2004 at the Wiltern in L.
But first, they revisited “We Had It All,” which they performed back in 2004 at the Wiltern in L.
- 5/1/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Just call them the Rolling Stoners.
You know you are music royalty when Keith Richards shows up to pay his respects. And the Rolling Stones icon was on hand Sunday for the second and final night of Willie Nelson’s epic, 90th birthday concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
At 79, Richards was the youngster in this pairing of living legends, and the two harmonized sweetly on two songs: Waylon Jennings’ “We Had It All” and the late outlaw Billy Joe Shaver’s “Live Forever,” particularly poignant with its refrain, “Just like the songs I leave behind me / I’m gonna live forever, now.”
The Richards surprise came shortly after 10:00 p.m. on this cool, overcast night in the hills above Hollywood, nearly three-and-a-half hours into the evening’s celebration.
Keith Richards
Earlier in the set, giant plumes of smoke were projected against the Bowl bandshell as Jack Johnson regaled the...
You know you are music royalty when Keith Richards shows up to pay his respects. And the Rolling Stones icon was on hand Sunday for the second and final night of Willie Nelson’s epic, 90th birthday concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
At 79, Richards was the youngster in this pairing of living legends, and the two harmonized sweetly on two songs: Waylon Jennings’ “We Had It All” and the late outlaw Billy Joe Shaver’s “Live Forever,” particularly poignant with its refrain, “Just like the songs I leave behind me / I’m gonna live forever, now.”
The Richards surprise came shortly after 10:00 p.m. on this cool, overcast night in the hills above Hollywood, nearly three-and-a-half hours into the evening’s celebration.
Keith Richards
Earlier in the set, giant plumes of smoke were projected against the Bowl bandshell as Jack Johnson regaled the...
- 5/1/2023
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On an overcast night inside the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, the crowd had barely found their seats when Billy Strings and the band launched into “Whiskey River” at 7 p.m. sharp. After all, this was Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday bash — and no one wanted to waste time.
The Red Headed Stranger might’ve been over a thousand miles away from Spicewood, Texas, but for four hours on a Saturday night, a birthday celebration at the Bowl felt just like partying at home with close friends and family gathered around,...
The Red Headed Stranger might’ve been over a thousand miles away from Spicewood, Texas, but for four hours on a Saturday night, a birthday celebration at the Bowl felt just like partying at home with close friends and family gathered around,...
- 4/30/2023
- by John Lonsdale
- Rollingstone.com
Newly-announced Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker will release her latest album, Sweet Western Sound, on June 2, a record that finds her reuniting with production collaborators Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings. The country musician has shared the first preview of their latest efforts with the lead single “Kindness.”
“‘Sweet Western Sound’ is another revelation, and I’m excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor. It’s always a trip working with Brandi and Shooter,” Tucker shared in a statement, referencing her first go-round with them on her 2019 comeback album.
“‘Sweet Western Sound’ is another revelation, and I’m excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor. It’s always a trip working with Brandi and Shooter,” Tucker shared in a statement, referencing her first go-round with them on her 2019 comeback album.
- 4/5/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Tanya Tucker began releasing new music for the first time in years back in 2019, and she’s not slowing down any time soon. The country legend and newly inducted member of the Country Music Hall of Fame has readied another LP called Sweet Western Sound, due out June 2nd via Fantasy Records. To coincide with today’s announcement, she’s shared lead single “Kindness.”
Tucker’s new album reunites her with Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, the writers and producers who coaxed her out of retirement for 2019’s While I’m Livin’. In a statement, the artist said collaborating with the modern country stars is like “magic.”
“Sweet Western Sound is another revelation and I’m excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor,” Tucker said. “It’s Always a trip working with Brandi and Shooter. I didn’t know if we’d be working together again on...
Tucker’s new album reunites her with Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, the writers and producers who coaxed her out of retirement for 2019’s While I’m Livin’. In a statement, the artist said collaborating with the modern country stars is like “magic.”
“Sweet Western Sound is another revelation and I’m excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor,” Tucker said. “It’s Always a trip working with Brandi and Shooter. I didn’t know if we’d be working together again on...
- 4/5/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde won their first-ever Grammys when the bulk of the country music categories were presented during the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony on Sunday afternoon in L.A. The country vocalists’ collaboration “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” was named Best Country Duo/Group Performance, besting nominees like Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
“I’m still working on pulling my dress up,” McBryde said after rushing hand-in-hand to the stage with Pearce. “I’ve known Ashley for a long time and...
“I’m still working on pulling my dress up,” McBryde said after rushing hand-in-hand to the stage with Pearce. “I’ve known Ashley for a long time and...
- 2/5/2023
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Country star Tanya Tucker and her friend and producer Brandi Carlile are as ready as they’ll ever be to be considered for film awards, as a song they co-wrote for a documentary they both starred in this year is in the mix of current contenders. That song, “Ready as I’ll Never Be,” a very personalized ballad about watching the next generation up pass on, is a heart-tugger, and should be under consideration if voters get a chance to hear it — which Tucker admits she very much hopes they will.
“I’d love for the world to hear it,” Tucker tells Variety. “I just want the opportunity to be heard. And then if they don’t like me, that’s fine, but just listen to me, just for three minutes.” And, she adds in characteristic fashion, “If the Oscars are gonna give me a nod or a kick in the ass — either one,...
“I’d love for the world to hear it,” Tucker tells Variety. “I just want the opportunity to be heard. And then if they don’t like me, that’s fine, but just listen to me, just for three minutes.” And, she adds in characteristic fashion, “If the Oscars are gonna give me a nod or a kick in the ass — either one,...
- 12/15/2022
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
This story about Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
It began with a conversation about death. After the making of “The Return of Tanya Tucker—Featuring Brandi Carlile,” the Oscar-eligible documentary that chronicles the comeback of country firebrand Tucker with an album co-produced and largely written by Carlile, the two women were having a quiet dinner in Nashville when the conversation turned to the people they’d lost during Covid.
“We’d lost John Prine, and she lost Billy Joe Shaver, who was a real friend of hers,” Carlile said to TheWrap. “I said to her, ‘Tanya, I’m really sorry about Billy Joe passing away,’ and she said, ‘Oh, I’m the youngest of all those guys. I’m gonna have to watch them all get their wings before me. I guess I’m ready.’ And then she looked at me and said,...
It began with a conversation about death. After the making of “The Return of Tanya Tucker—Featuring Brandi Carlile,” the Oscar-eligible documentary that chronicles the comeback of country firebrand Tucker with an album co-produced and largely written by Carlile, the two women were having a quiet dinner in Nashville when the conversation turned to the people they’d lost during Covid.
“We’d lost John Prine, and she lost Billy Joe Shaver, who was a real friend of hers,” Carlile said to TheWrap. “I said to her, ‘Tanya, I’m really sorry about Billy Joe passing away,’ and she said, ‘Oh, I’m the youngest of all those guys. I’m gonna have to watch them all get their wings before me. I guess I’m ready.’ And then she looked at me and said,...
- 11/21/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Miranda Lambert interprets Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)” as a barroom jam with tinkling piano, a swinging rhythm, and drawling vocals. The track is the latest release from the upcoming Live Forever: A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver, due Nov. 11.
Shaver, a real-deal outlaw who allegedly once asked a man, “Where do you want it?” before shooting him in the face, died in October 2020 at 81. Along with the mouthful title that is “I’m Just...
Shaver, a real-deal outlaw who allegedly once asked a man, “Where do you want it?” before shooting him in the face, died in October 2020 at 81. Along with the mouthful title that is “I’m Just...
- 9/8/2022
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
“I have a love/hate relationship with the term ‘outlaw,'” Eric Church says in the opening moments of the the trailer to They Called Us Outlaws: Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes And the Rise of Renegade Troubadours, a six-part documentary due next year.
Executive produced by country music luminaries Jessi Colter, Ray Benson, and Jack Ingram (who narrates), the 12-hour film, released in association with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, will feature interviews or performances from names like Church and Miranda Lambert to contemporary singer-songwriters Tyler Childers and Charley Crockett,...
Executive produced by country music luminaries Jessi Colter, Ray Benson, and Jack Ingram (who narrates), the 12-hour film, released in association with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, will feature interviews or performances from names like Church and Miranda Lambert to contemporary singer-songwriters Tyler Childers and Charley Crockett,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Jonathan Bernstein
- Rollingstone.com
The following is a piece in a four-part series highlighting all that Missouri has to offer in the worlds of food, art, music and adventure. Missouri – or “Mo,” as we refer to her – has no shortage of places to explore, so whatever you’re after, there’s a Mo for every M-o.
Savvy travelers know that the Kansas City music scene has a not-so-hidden wealth of destinations worth visiting. The barbecue-loving, middle-of-the-map metropolis has grown into a buzzing live music hotspot that is also known the world over for its storied place in jazz history.
Savvy travelers know that the Kansas City music scene has a not-so-hidden wealth of destinations worth visiting. The barbecue-loving, middle-of-the-map metropolis has grown into a buzzing live music hotspot that is also known the world over for its storied place in jazz history.
- 6/9/2021
- by Aaron Rhodes
- Rollingstone.com
Todd Snider’s live shows are unparalleled experiences. The folk singer delivers hilarious, heartbreaking songs about his life, punctuating them with stories that can stretch as long as 18 minutes — about everything from the time he joined a Memphis cover band called K.K. Rider to the time he took mushrooms and immediately quit his high-school football team. “When people on the plane ask me what I do,” says Snider, “I say, ‘Pretty much just like “Alice’s Restaurant.”‘ I just talk. It’s a nervous tick.”
When the pandemic hit, the crowds went away,...
When the pandemic hit, the crowds went away,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
Richie Albright, who manned the drum kit for Waylon Jennings since the Sixties and was essential to the Outlaw country trailblazer’s signature rock-based sound, died suddenly Tuesday in Nashville. He was 81. A rep for Shooter Jennings, with whom Albright toured up until 2017, confirmed Albright’s death to Rolling Stone.
An Oklahoma native, Albright joined Jennings’ backing band the Waylors in 1964 in Arizona, and the group developed a fan base at the Tempe nightspot J.D.’s. Jennings’ first album, in fact, was named after the club, Waylon Jennings At J.
An Oklahoma native, Albright joined Jennings’ backing band the Waylors in 1964 in Arizona, and the group developed a fan base at the Tempe nightspot J.D.’s. Jennings’ first album, in fact, was named after the club, Waylon Jennings At J.
- 2/10/2021
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
A few nights ago, Tanya Tucker was listening to Apple Music at her Texas ranch. She heard songs by her favorite singers including Nina Simone, Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson — and then she heard herself. The song was “Mustang Ridge,” from her 2019 album While I’m Livin’, produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings.
“I thought, ‘You know what? I’m so much better now,'” says Tucker, who turned 62 in October. “I feel like I sing better, I sound better. I don’t know, I guess the stars lined up again for me.
“I thought, ‘You know what? I’m so much better now,'” says Tucker, who turned 62 in October. “I feel like I sing better, I sound better. I don’t know, I guess the stars lined up again for me.
- 2/9/2021
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
Last October, Texas lost two of its biggest musical legends: Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver. Walker wrote some of country music’s funniest, most heartbreaking songs, including 1968’s “Mr. Bojangles.” Shaver pioneered outlaw country, writing classics like “Georgia on a Fast Train” and “Ride Me Down Easy,” recorded by Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and more — all while living up to his outlaw reputation in real life.
Those two artists are celebrated on Austin City Limits this weekend, with a show featuring highlights from their multiple appearances on Acl.
Those two artists are celebrated on Austin City Limits this weekend, with a show featuring highlights from their multiple appearances on Acl.
- 2/4/2021
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
Spoon’s four concerts for their native Austin City Limits will be the focus of this weekend’s episode, which features an hour’s worth of highlights from the Austin band’s appearances on the long-running music series.
In the absence of live music due to the coronavirus, Austin City Limits has aired episodes dedicated to standout performances from artists’ multiple visits to the Moody Theater. Following a Foo Fighters-centric episode, the “Best of Spoon” will broadcast on Saturday, January 30th, with footage from the band’s Acl debut...
In the absence of live music due to the coronavirus, Austin City Limits has aired episodes dedicated to standout performances from artists’ multiple visits to the Moody Theater. Following a Foo Fighters-centric episode, the “Best of Spoon” will broadcast on Saturday, January 30th, with footage from the band’s Acl debut...
- 1/29/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Since emerging from the Texas outlaw scene in the early Seventies, Ray Wylie Hubbard has written some of the genre’s smartest, funniest — and most overlooked — classics. A favorite of Jerry Jeff Walker and Eric Church, Hubbard explores everything from his wild past to his deep knowledge of Christianity, Buddhism ,and Native American religions. “I read about this stuff and it just kinda shows up,” he told Rolling Stone in 2017. “But I still enjoy being a smartass.”
At 74, Hubbard is still breaking new ground: On Saturday, he will make his...
At 74, Hubbard is still breaking new ground: On Saturday, he will make his...
- 1/22/2021
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
Foo Fighters deliver a thrilling rendition of their hit “My Hero” in this exclusive clip from the upcoming episode of Austin City Limits, which features highlights from a pair of archival Acl performances by Dave Grohl and company.
“I’m sure I can speak for every musician when I say that being asked to come play Austin City Limits is practically like getting a medal,” Grohl said in a statement of the venerable music series. “As a musician, it’s something to aspire to and if you actually achieve that...
“I’m sure I can speak for every musician when I say that being asked to come play Austin City Limits is practically like getting a medal,” Grohl said in a statement of the venerable music series. “As a musician, it’s something to aspire to and if you actually achieve that...
- 1/7/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Austin City Limits marks the first six years of its Hall of Fame induction ceremonies with a special retrospective featuring performances by Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, Rosanne Cash, Los Lobos, and more. The 14-song episode culminates in a salute to Stevie Ray Vaughan with an all-star rendition of “Texas Flood” by Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, Lyle Lovett, Lukas Nelson, Robert Randolph, and Doyle Bramhall II.
Acl Hall of Fame: The First 6 Years premieres January 2nd at 9 p.m. Et on PBS. It streams at pbs.org beginning Sunday,...
Acl Hall of Fame: The First 6 Years premieres January 2nd at 9 p.m. Et on PBS. It streams at pbs.org beginning Sunday,...
- 12/30/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Amanda Shires is closing out 2020 with a danceable cover of the 1983 Genesis hit “That’s All,” released on Wednesday.
Describing the song as a “true Covid anthem,” Shires constructs her version around a thumping kick drum and a syncopated piano part lifted from the Phil Collins-led original. Shires sings the verses in her lower range, then jumps several steps up to hit the higher chorus, giving the song an eerie feel when she doubles herself in two octaves. When the beat hits, it’s a programmed groove of stuttering...
Describing the song as a “true Covid anthem,” Shires constructs her version around a thumping kick drum and a syncopated piano part lifted from the Phil Collins-led original. Shires sings the verses in her lower range, then jumps several steps up to hit the higher chorus, giving the song an eerie feel when she doubles herself in two octaves. When the beat hits, it’s a programmed groove of stuttering...
- 12/30/2020
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
So, How Was Your 2020? is a series in which our favorite entertainers answer our questionnaire about the music, culture and memorable moments that shaped their year. We’ll be rolling these pieces out throughout December.
Brent Cobb spent the year making what he calls “country music for grown folks,” which is to say, country songs that are more about full hearts and open minds than empty beer cans and truck beds. In October, he released the album Keep ‘Em on They Toes, recorded with producer Brad Cook in Durham, North Carolina,...
Brent Cobb spent the year making what he calls “country music for grown folks,” which is to say, country songs that are more about full hearts and open minds than empty beer cans and truck beds. In October, he released the album Keep ‘Em on They Toes, recorded with producer Brad Cook in Durham, North Carolina,...
- 12/23/2020
- by Rolling Stone
- Rollingstone.com
Back in May, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires premiered his new album Reunions during a stripped-down livestream concert at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl. On New Year’s Eve, the songwriter will return to the venue with Shires and his full band, the 400 Unit, for another livestream gig.
Streaming exclusively on Fans.live, the concert begins at 8 p.m. Ct on December 31st. Tickets begin at $25, with a concert and special poster bundle priced at $55.
While quarantine has kept nearly all artists off the road, Isbell and the 400 Unit have found fresh ways to play live.
Streaming exclusively on Fans.live, the concert begins at 8 p.m. Ct on December 31st. Tickets begin at $25, with a concert and special poster bundle priced at $55.
While quarantine has kept nearly all artists off the road, Isbell and the 400 Unit have found fresh ways to play live.
- 12/16/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Austin City Limits has announced the lineup for the second half of Season 46, featuring hour-long specials for Foo Fighters, Spoon, and more.
The season returns on January 9th at 8:00 p.m. Ct/9:00 p.m. Et with Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits, an hour-long compilation of the band’s appearances on the show in 2008 and 2014, including a raucous rendition of “Best of You.” The special marks the 25th anniversary of Foo Fighters’ formation.
Later, on January 30th, Acl will air The Best of Spoon, gathered from Spoon’s...
The season returns on January 9th at 8:00 p.m. Ct/9:00 p.m. Et with Foo Fighters Rock Austin City Limits, an hour-long compilation of the band’s appearances on the show in 2008 and 2014, including a raucous rendition of “Best of You.” The special marks the 25th anniversary of Foo Fighters’ formation.
Later, on January 30th, Acl will air The Best of Spoon, gathered from Spoon’s...
- 12/15/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
The 2020 CMA Awards were held earlier this week, pandemic be damned, with several tributes to country legends that were lost this year, including a Charlie Daniels medley, renditions of Joe Diffie and Kenny Rogers songs, and a Mac Davis’ “In the Ghetto.” Notably absent were mentions of the late John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver — figures who were less in the spotlight than the stars that the CMAs chose to recognize, but who nonetheless made immeasurable contributions to country music.
Several artists have since angrily spoken out about the snubs.
Several artists have since angrily spoken out about the snubs.
- 11/13/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
“You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone,” Billy Joe Shaver sang in his signature anthem “Live Forever.” The Texas songwriter died October 28th at 81 after suffering a stroke, immediately casting that lyric into stark reality. Just a few days prior, Jerry Jeff Walker died at 78 after a long bout with cancer. Both men were influential songwriters and personalities of the outlaw country movement and their deaths hit especially hard with those they influenced — including Ryan Bingham.
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Lost a few more of my heroes...
View this post on Instagram
Lost a few more of my heroes...
- 11/3/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
This weekend, Steve Earle devotes an entire episode of his Hardcore Troubadour Radio show on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country to the memory of Billy Joe Shaver, who died Wednesday at 81. Earle wrote the liner notes for Shaver’s last album, 2014’s Long in the Tooth, and he reads from those words in tribute to the Texas songwriter.
“If God ever woke up and decided that he was going to make himself a songwriter it was on the morning of August 16th, 1939,” Earle says, noting the date of Shaver’s birth...
“If God ever woke up and decided that he was going to make himself a songwriter it was on the morning of August 16th, 1939,” Earle says, noting the date of Shaver’s birth...
- 10/30/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Billy Joe Shaver, who died Wednesday at 81, wrote country songs about what he knew firsthand: sin and heartbreak, hard living and hard working, and ultimately salvation. Waylon Jennings famously cut a bunch of them for 1973’s Honky Tonk Heroes, and Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash would all record some too. Even Elvis Presley got in on the action. Here’s 10 Shaver classics that illustrate why Nelson once called him “the greatest living songwriter.”
“I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond...
“I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond...
- 10/28/2020
- by Jonathan Bernstein, Jon Freeman and Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Billy Joe Shaver, the outlaw-country original who wrote classic songs for the likes of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings and whose “Live Forever” was performed by Robert Duvall in the 2009 Best Picture Oscar nominee Crazy Heart, died today after a stroke in Waco, TX. He was 81. A friend confirmed his death to our sister publication Rolling Stone.
Although Shaver never had much commercial success as a recording artist, he is widely considered among country’s greatest songwriters. All but one of the tracks on Jennings’ 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes — an early benchmark of the “outlaw country” genre — were written or co-written by Shaver, including its famous title cut. His best-known songs also include “Ain’t No God in Mexico” “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day),” “Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Tramp on Your Street” and “Try and Try Again.
Although Shaver never had much commercial success as a recording artist, he is widely considered among country’s greatest songwriters. All but one of the tracks on Jennings’ 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes — an early benchmark of the “outlaw country” genre — were written or co-written by Shaver, including its famous title cut. His best-known songs also include “Ain’t No God in Mexico” “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day),” “Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Tramp on Your Street” and “Try and Try Again.
- 10/28/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Billy Joe Shaver, the outlaw-country music pioneer who wrote some of the genre’s greatest songs, died Wednesday in Waco, Texas, after suffering a stroke. He was 81. Connie Nelson, a friend of Shaver’s, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone.
Shaver’s hard-lived career classics included “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” and “Live Forever.” He wrote nine out of the 10 songs on Waylon Jennings’ 1973 outlaw-country breakthrough Honky Tonk Heroes; Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley all recorded his songs; and...
Shaver’s hard-lived career classics included “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” and “Live Forever.” He wrote nine out of the 10 songs on Waylon Jennings’ 1973 outlaw-country breakthrough Honky Tonk Heroes; Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley all recorded his songs; and...
- 10/28/2020
- by Patrick Doyle and Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Now in its 27th year, Austin Film Festival continues to champion independent filmmaking and, for this year’s edition, a notable world premiere has its roots in the Texas town. Having grown up in Austin, Justin Corsbie will bow his feature debut, Hard Luck Love Song, at the festival later this month and today brings the first look.
The story follows Jesse, a charismatic but down on his luck troubadour who finds himself at an existential crossroads as bad choices catch up with him during an unexpected reunion with Carla (Sophia Bush), an old flame. Also starring RZA, Dermot Mulroney, Brian Sacca, Melora Walters, and Eric Roberts, we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the first images from the film, courtesy of Synthetic Pictures.
“I spent my childhood in Austin, TX singer/songwriter bars owned by family friends watching performers like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver,...
The story follows Jesse, a charismatic but down on his luck troubadour who finds himself at an existential crossroads as bad choices catch up with him during an unexpected reunion with Carla (Sophia Bush), an old flame. Also starring RZA, Dermot Mulroney, Brian Sacca, Melora Walters, and Eric Roberts, we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the first images from the film, courtesy of Synthetic Pictures.
“I spent my childhood in Austin, TX singer/songwriter bars owned by family friends watching performers like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver,...
- 10/12/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Willie Nelson has now been releasing music for over seven decades, since the 1950s. Yet his enthusiasm for finding great songs remains unmatched: See “The First Rose of Spring,” the title track of his new album, written by Nashville pros Randy Houser, Allen Shamblin and Mark Beeson, a perfectly-crafted love song with a tragic ending; it’s the kind of track made for Nelson to deliver, and he plays a gorgeous, melody-shaking solo on his ragged guitar Trigger. After writing many of the songs on 2018’s Last Man Standing and 2019’s Ride Me Back Home,...
- 7/10/2020
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
There’s an inherent romanticism to the cowboy archetype: a restless wanderer, perpetually in search of his next heroic adventure somewhere in the American southwest. Billy Joe Shaver turned that idea upside down in his 1981 song “We Are the Cowboys,” pointing out that cowboys are just average folks of all stripes — “Texicans, Mexicans, black men and Jews” — and their heroism comes in fighting everyday injustices, from hunger to violence.
Willie Nelson covers the song on his upcoming album, First Rose of Spring, and released a video for the track on Friday.
Willie Nelson covers the song on his upcoming album, First Rose of Spring, and released a video for the track on Friday.
- 6/19/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Willie Nelson will turn 87 on April 29th — on April 24th, he’ll release his 70th album. Titled First Rose of Spring, the record features two new songs written by Nelson with producer Buddy Cannon, and Nelson’s interpretations of tracks penned by Toby Keith, Chris Stapleton, and his longtime friend and contemporary Billy Joe Shaver. The country legend, whose last album was Ride Me Back Home, tackles Keith’s “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” Stapleton’s “Our Song,” and Shaver’s “We Are the Cowboys.”
Ahead of the release,...
Ahead of the release,...
- 2/21/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Tanya Tucker remains the “female Elvis,” a moniker she earned from the King himself more than 40 years ago. For nearly two hours during her “Tanya Tucker & Friends” show on Sunday night, the charismatic entertainer karate-chopped, high-kicked, and hip-thrusted her way across the stage at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, delivering both songs she transformed into indelible hits when she was just a teenager and material off her Grammy-nominated album While I’m Livin’. It was a scenery gobbling performance, but a master class in how to inject actual spontaneity into a country music concert.
- 1/13/2020
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic was back in Austin, Texas, on Thursday to celebrate Independence Day. Alison Krauss returned for the first time since 2016, joining Jamey Johnson, Billy Joe Shaver, Steve Earle & the Dukes, and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, who made their Picnic debut. Luke Combs also performed at his first Picnic, delivering a powerful set of hits like “Beautiful Crazy,” “Hurricane” and his new single, “Beer Never Broke My Heart.”
Of course, it’s the Red Headed Stranger who ties it all together. The outlaw country legend offered his customary staples,...
Of course, it’s the Red Headed Stranger who ties it all together. The outlaw country legend offered his customary staples,...
- 7/5/2019
- by Rolling Stone
- Rollingstone.com
Country stars Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert are among the recipients for the Academy of Country Music’s 13th Annual Acm Honors, which will be presented Wednesday, August 21st, at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Recognizing the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards, these honors include previously announced Songwriter of the Year Award winner Shane McAnally (earning the award for a second time), as well as several recently announced Industry and Studio Recording Awards winners.
Multi-award-winning duo Brooks & Dunn...
Recognizing the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards, these honors include previously announced Songwriter of the Year Award winner Shane McAnally (earning the award for a second time), as well as several recently announced Industry and Studio Recording Awards winners.
Multi-award-winning duo Brooks & Dunn...
- 5/28/2019
- by Stephen L. Betts
- Rollingstone.com
Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic is headed back to Austin, Texas, for its 46th installment this summer, with the soon-to-be 86-year-old joined by a lineup of artists that includes Luke Combs, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and Alison Krauss.
With roots dating back to Nelson’s first Independence Day bash in nearby Dripping Springs in 1973, the Picnic celebrates its fifth year in its current home at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack outside Austin. Both Combs and Rateliff — who, as a solo act, was a headliner at...
With roots dating back to Nelson’s first Independence Day bash in nearby Dripping Springs in 1973, the Picnic celebrates its fifth year in its current home at the Circuit of the Americas racetrack outside Austin. Both Combs and Rateliff — who, as a solo act, was a headliner at...
- 4/1/2019
- by Jeff Gage
- Rollingstone.com
Rolling Stone and Imagine Documentaries are partnering to produce Sound & Vision, a rock and roll anthology series of immersive films that will delve deep into music and cultural history.
Mined from the extensive Rolling Stone archive, and helmed by visionary and award-winning filmmakers, each episode is a specific journey through a unique moment in music and cultural history. Framed by the reporting of Rolling Stone, episodes will range from biographical to investigatory of a watershed event or cultural milestone.
“We are thrilled to be taking our fierce and ambitious journalism to a new medium,” said Rolling Stone President and COO Gus Wenner. “Imagine is the perfect partner to tell the most important stories in music and culture the way they deserve to be told.”
The series will include a mix of iconic Rolling Stone features and new in-depth reporting from its top journalists. Episodes will range from exclusive portraits of Freddie Mercury,...
Mined from the extensive Rolling Stone archive, and helmed by visionary and award-winning filmmakers, each episode is a specific journey through a unique moment in music and cultural history. Framed by the reporting of Rolling Stone, episodes will range from biographical to investigatory of a watershed event or cultural milestone.
“We are thrilled to be taking our fierce and ambitious journalism to a new medium,” said Rolling Stone President and COO Gus Wenner. “Imagine is the perfect partner to tell the most important stories in music and culture the way they deserve to be told.”
The series will include a mix of iconic Rolling Stone features and new in-depth reporting from its top journalists. Episodes will range from exclusive portraits of Freddie Mercury,...
- 2/25/2019
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Amanda Shires slides her chair back, its legs audibly groaning against the wooden floor, and leaps up from the table. She circles the rustic space, swinging one arm in an exaggerated fashion to mimic an elephant, while thrusting her hips as she hops forward.
“Oh, the trunk. And some Martha Graham-style interpretations,” says Jason Isbell, amused. “For ‘If We Were Vampires’, you’ll do the big teeth, like Rawr!'”
“I’ll wear a cloak,” insists Shires, drawing her arm across her face with an air of mystery, leaving...
“Oh, the trunk. And some Martha Graham-style interpretations,” says Jason Isbell, amused. “For ‘If We Were Vampires’, you’ll do the big teeth, like Rawr!'”
“I’ll wear a cloak,” insists Shires, drawing her arm across her face with an air of mystery, leaving...
- 10/17/2018
- by Jon Freeman
- Rollingstone.com
At his show at Forest Hills Stadium this summer, Willie Nelson did something unusual: He played his classic “Funny How Time Slips Away” in full. Regulars of his shows might have noticed that he usually plays a short version of the 1961 song as part of a medley alongside “Night Life” and “Crazy,” but because he was playing a shorter set, he decided to drop some other songs and switch things up. “I like to keep it in [my set] if I can,” he told Rolling Stone afterward.
The performance was reminiscent of...
The performance was reminiscent of...
- 10/16/2018
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
Updated, 10:15 Am: For those who want to get funked up, Cinemax has set a November 2 premiere date for Season 2 of Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, which will put the spotlight on the likes of James Brown and P-Funk icon George Clinton.
Previously, May 16: Cinemax is about to get funked up. The premium channel has ordered a second season of Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, moving the genre focus from country to the likes of James Brown and P-Funk lord George Clinton.
The toon series from the man behind Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill chronicles the raucous exploits of legendary music artists as told by those who knew them best. It features interviews with former bandmates, friends and other erstwhile associates who share uncensored anecdotes about these artists. Animated re-enactments are woven together with live-action archival performance footage and photos.
Previously, May 16: Cinemax is about to get funked up. The premium channel has ordered a second season of Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, moving the genre focus from country to the likes of James Brown and P-Funk lord George Clinton.
The toon series from the man behind Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill chronicles the raucous exploits of legendary music artists as told by those who knew them best. It features interviews with former bandmates, friends and other erstwhile associates who share uncensored anecdotes about these artists. Animated re-enactments are woven together with live-action archival performance footage and photos.
- 10/4/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The first car Margo Price ever owned was a Nineties-something silver Saturn that she bought with money she saved from lifeguarding — and promptly wrecked in her parents’ driveway. Rushing home from her boyfriend’s to make midnight curfew, she put it in park and dashed inside. Or thought she did.
“I woke up the next morning and they had it up on a tow truck. I came out in my underwear and T-shirt because I thought it was a bad dream,” she says. “My dad got home from working second...
“I woke up the next morning and they had it up on a tow truck. I came out in my underwear and T-shirt because I thought it was a bad dream,” she says. “My dad got home from working second...
- 10/2/2018
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
When you’re Norm Macdonald, you surround yourself with things that interest you.
These days, that often means a playing cards at a Vegas casino, as he competes on “Poker After Dark.” Sometimes that means working on new ideas with his longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra. And as the legendary comic told IndieWire, sometimes that even means indulging in some newfound online fascination. “I watch YouTube all the time. I go down YouTube holes where I’ll just watch every Orson Welles video and just gorge myself on information,” Macdonald said.
It’s that kind of interest — somehow laser-focused and scattershot at the same time — that guides the latest act of Macdonald’s career: Netflix talk show host. Premiering this Friday on the streaming platform, “Norm Macdonald Has a Show” is a collection of 10 half-hour interviews with a wide mix of entertainment subjects. Macdonald speaks to actors such as Drew Barrymore and Michael Keaton,...
These days, that often means a playing cards at a Vegas casino, as he competes on “Poker After Dark.” Sometimes that means working on new ideas with his longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra. And as the legendary comic told IndieWire, sometimes that even means indulging in some newfound online fascination. “I watch YouTube all the time. I go down YouTube holes where I’ll just watch every Orson Welles video and just gorge myself on information,” Macdonald said.
It’s that kind of interest — somehow laser-focused and scattershot at the same time — that guides the latest act of Macdonald’s career: Netflix talk show host. Premiering this Friday on the streaming platform, “Norm Macdonald Has a Show” is a collection of 10 half-hour interviews with a wide mix of entertainment subjects. Macdonald speaks to actors such as Drew Barrymore and Michael Keaton,...
- 9/11/2018
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
In today’s TV roundup, the trailer is out for ‘Norm Mcdonald Has a Show’ and the Facebook page is up for ‘You Kiddin’ Me?” executive produced by Kim Kardashian West.
First Looks
The trailer for “Norm Macdonald Has A Show”is out. Streaming on Netflix Sept. 14, the first season will feature ten 30-minute episodes, showcasing the former cast member of “Saturday Night Live” having conversations with guests David Spade, Drew Barrymore, David Letterman, Jane Fonda, M. Night Shyamalan, Judge Judy, Chevy Chase, Michael Keaton, Billy Joe Shaver and Lorne Michaels. Serving as MacDonald’s sidekick is Adam Eget, who performed the same role on Macdonald’s podcast.
The show page is up for the new comedic prank show “You Kiddin’ Me?” Executive produced by Kim Kardashian West and produced by Lionsgate, fans who follow the page will be notified when new episodes drop. Celebrities featured on the show must...
First Looks
The trailer for “Norm Macdonald Has A Show”is out. Streaming on Netflix Sept. 14, the first season will feature ten 30-minute episodes, showcasing the former cast member of “Saturday Night Live” having conversations with guests David Spade, Drew Barrymore, David Letterman, Jane Fonda, M. Night Shyamalan, Judge Judy, Chevy Chase, Michael Keaton, Billy Joe Shaver and Lorne Michaels. Serving as MacDonald’s sidekick is Adam Eget, who performed the same role on Macdonald’s podcast.
The show page is up for the new comedic prank show “You Kiddin’ Me?” Executive produced by Kim Kardashian West and produced by Lionsgate, fans who follow the page will be notified when new episodes drop. Celebrities featured on the show must...
- 9/7/2018
- by Margeaux Sippell
- Variety Film + TV
Norm Macdonald, the onetime SNL “Weekend Update” host and failed candidate to inherit The Late Late Show, will be back behind a prop desk this fall as the host of Netflix’s Norm Macdonald Has a Show. A trailer for the talk show spotlights Macdonald stiffly questioning the title of the program, asking Drew Barrymore if she misses cocaine, David Letterman if he thinks much about dying and Chevy Chase about knowing Bob Dylan (“I fucked him,” Chase answers). Throughout, it shows Macdonald’s off-the-cuff, irreverent brand of silliness. “This isn’t in the script,...
- 9/7/2018
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Norm Macdonald has a show, and Chevy Chase has a startling connection to Bob Dylan. Only one of those statements is the name of a new Netflix series (or true), but this trailer explains both.
The premiere season of Netflix’s Norm Macdonald has a Show launches Sept. 14 (all ten 30-minute episodes debut at once), and promises to showcase the former Saturday Night Live player at his driest. Does Drew Barrymore miss cocaine? Has Judge Judy been to a strip club? He asks, they answer.
Among the other guests of the talk show’s premiere season are David Spade, David Letterman, Jane Fonda, M. Night Shyamalan, Michael Keaton, Billy Joe Shaver and Lorne Michaels. Macdonald’s sidekick is Adam Eget, who filled the same spot on Macdonald’s podcasts.
One of the more surprising moments of the trailer? Jane Fonda thinks Macdonald resembles Marlon Brando.
The premiere season of Netflix’s Norm Macdonald has a Show launches Sept. 14 (all ten 30-minute episodes debut at once), and promises to showcase the former Saturday Night Live player at his driest. Does Drew Barrymore miss cocaine? Has Judge Judy been to a strip club? He asks, they answer.
Among the other guests of the talk show’s premiere season are David Spade, David Letterman, Jane Fonda, M. Night Shyamalan, Michael Keaton, Billy Joe Shaver and Lorne Michaels. Macdonald’s sidekick is Adam Eget, who filled the same spot on Macdonald’s podcasts.
One of the more surprising moments of the trailer? Jane Fonda thinks Macdonald resembles Marlon Brando.
- 9/7/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Esai Morales is coming to NCIS: Los Angeles‘ aid: The NYPD Blue vet will recur during Season 10 of the CBS procedural as Deputy Director Gaines, our sister site Deadline reports.
Gaines — who will be introduced in a late October episode — is there to protect the team while a special prosecutor from the Department of Defense investigates the NCIS office and its employees.
“Following the rescue mission in Mexico from last season’s finale and this season’s premiere, our NCIS: Los Angeles team will face challenging repercussions, but they will have a new ally in the Deputy Director,” executive...
Gaines — who will be introduced in a late October episode — is there to protect the team while a special prosecutor from the Department of Defense investigates the NCIS office and its employees.
“Following the rescue mission in Mexico from last season’s finale and this season’s premiere, our NCIS: Los Angeles team will face challenging repercussions, but they will have a new ally in the Deputy Director,” executive...
- 8/21/2018
- TVLine.com
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