The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band…..as the group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California, in 1966…..while the band’s membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years….including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded as The Dirt Band…..as seen in this video herewith…..when…
Cliff Bruner (April 25, 1915 – August 25, 2000) was a fiddler and bandleader of the Western Swing era of the 1930’s and 1940’s…..whose music combined elements of traditional string band music, improvisation, blues, folk and popular melodies of the times. Bruner was born in Texas City, Texas….who learned to play fiddle….and traveled with medicine shows to begin his musical career. Milton Brown’s Musical Brownies drafted Bruner in 1935….as he…
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950’s to late 1960’s…..as the group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds….which rose to international popularity….which was fueled by unprecedented sales of LP records….and helped alter the direction of popular music in the U.S. …
Webb Pierce (August 8, 1921 – February 24, 1991) was an American honk#y tonk vocalist, songwriter and guitarist of the 1950’s….while being one of the most popular country and western performers after charting more No. 1 hits than any other country artist during the decade….with his biggest hit was “In the Jailhouse Now”….which charted for 37 weeks in 1955…..with 21 of them…
Steven Fromholz (June 8, 1945 – January 19, 2014) was an American entertainer, singer-songwriter ….who was selected as the Poet Laureate of Texas for 2007…..as Fromholz was born in Temple, Texas….and attended the University of North Texas….where he was president of the Folk Music Club. Fromholz began performing while he was serving in the United States Navy during the 1960’s….which after leaving, he…
Truck-driving Country is a subgenre of country and western music….which is characterised by lyrical content about trucks and truck drivers (truckers)….i.e. commercial vehicles, not pick-up trucks….and the trucking industry experience….which would include, for example, references to truck stops, CB (Citizens Band) radio, geography, drugs, teamsters, roads, weather, fuel, law enforcement, loads, traffic, ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission), contraband, DOT (Department of Transportation) and accidents,…
During the mid-to-late 1970’s, Austin, Texas was blessed to have two country and Texas swing bands led by fiddle player extraordinaire Johnny Gimble…..The Bosque Bandits and The Texas Swing Pioneers….. who not only performed on Austin City Limits…..but also played often at live music venues around the World Live Music Capitol….as both bands were highly regarded due…
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author and visual artist who has been a major figure in popular culture for more than fifty years…..with much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960’s….when songs such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963) and “The Times They Are a-Changin’” (1964) became anthems for the civil rights movement and anti-war movement. His lyrics…
“Jambalaya (On the Bayou)“ is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952…..which was named for a Creole and Cajun rice based dish, jambalaya….which spawned numerous cover versions….and has since achieved popularity in several different music genres. With a melody based on the Cajun song “Grand Texas”….it has been said by some sources to claim that the…