On Saturday, April 3, 1948, the “Louisiana Hayride,” America’s newest live country radio show, debuted over KWKH in Shreveport. Staged at the city’s Municipal Auditorium, it became a launching pad for artists who would become worldwide icons – the reason the show was soon nicknamed the “Cradle of the Stars.” The “Hayride” elite speak for…

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To understand this album’s significance, it’s worth recounting the highlights of Chris Hillman’s distinguished career. An admired West Coast bluegrass musician, in 1964 he picked up an electric bass and joined the original Byrds, the pioneer folk-rock band founded by Roger McGuinn and David Crosby. He stayed four years. Hillman and Gram Parsons worked on…

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Before and even after pedal-steel guitars began showing up on country records, Jerry Byrd (1920-2005) and his lap steel remained a gold standard. Whether soloing or accompanying, his distinctive, easy-flowing, undulating lines, flawless voicings and a tone oozing warmth and depth, earned him the title Master of Touch and Tone. The Ohio native’s playing became…

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Bluegrass today follows countless musical variations, but through nearly 40 years, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver have remained true to the classic sound. Lawson, a veteran Jimmy Martin and J.D. Crowe sideman, launched Quicksilver in the late ’70s. He fronted the ensemble on vocals and mandolin, the band reflecting an impeccable blend of tight performance, quality…

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On October 23, 1988, Buck Owens and his biggest fan, superstar Dwight Yoakam were taping separate “Austin City Limits” performances. A year earlier, they’d met in Bakersfield when Yoakam invited his hero to join him onstage. Retired from music, the veteran hitmaker had long hoped the world would rediscover his twangy legacy. Master and disciple…

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Three years ago, the New Orleans quintet The Deslondes released their debut, described as a mélange of Crescent City R&B, classic country, rockabilly, and vintage Memphis soul. This latest adds new facets as they incorporate ’60s rock and eerie overtones of the late L.A. producer/singer Lee Hazlewood that have broadened their sound and added depth.…

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The beginnings of Elvis Presley’s professional career during July, 1954, through late 1955 long ago acquired a mystique that has grown over the decades. During this time, the unknown Memphis singer, recording at Sam Phillips’ Sun studio and based at Shreveport’s Louisiana Hayride radio show, lit a fire with audiences across the South. This almost…

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This new collection extends Dylan’s venture into the Great American Songbook, a journey he began with 2015’s Shadows In The Night, this time offering three discs of material beyond the Frank Sinatra catalog. He’s accompanied by his usual band, highlighted by the glimmering guitars of Charlie Sexton and Dean Parks, with Tony Garnier’s rock-solid upright…

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This three-part documentary chronicles the early days of modern electrical recording in the 1920s and 1930s. Many seminal rural blues, country, Cajun, Hawaiian, norteño, and gospel acts were first recorded during this era in early studios or on then-revolutionary portable equipment in makeshift studios around the country. Recordings from the series are being issued in…

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