By James Calemine This letter from Jimmy Carter to Hunter S. Thompson serves as a taste to my upcoming article about the relationship, correspondence and encounters between Carter and Thompson. Thompson played a role in getting Carter elected President in 1976. This...
By James Calemine I watched To Live and Die in L. A. for the first time in a theater 33 years ago. William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist & Bug) directed this classic. And, say, for the 20th time I watched it again on DVD today. The story is based...
By James Calemine William L. Hawkins was born in Union City, Kentucky. A self-taught artist whose work did not gain attention until the 1980s, Hawkins' paintings have been exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the American Folk Art Museum and the Mingei...
By James Calemine Dreams To Remember emerged as the first full-length Otis Redding DVD. December 10, 2017, represented the 50th Anniversary of Redding's death. This essential DVD includes interviews with Otis Redding, his widow Zelma, Steve Cropper (Booker T & The...
By James Calemine Jim White is an interesting character. Born in Pensacola, Florida, as Michael Davis Pratt during 1957, he grew up listening to gospel music. White’s debut album Wrong-Eyed Jesus! came out in 1997. He’s collaborated with Victoria Williams, Aimee...
This morning, I re-read the Terry Southern short story “Razor Fight”. The dark tale reveals how two gambling brothers resolve a disagreement with knives. “Razor Fight” is the second story in Southern’s collection Red Dirt Marijuana and Other Tastes. Born in Alvarado,...
Last Friday I visited Maggie Mae’s for breakfast. While I waited for my eggs, hash browns and bacon I noticed a small bookcase in the back of the diner. I scanned the books and pulled Craig Johnson’s 2012 As The Crow Flies off the shelf. I never read Johnson, but I...
By James Calemine Songwriter Don Nix's release, I Don't Want No Trouble!, should attract a wide audience of music fans. Nix, an obscure music hero, helped create 'The Memphis Sound' by playing with Booker T & The MGs and other STAX musicians like Carla Thomas and...
By James Calemine Produced by T-Bone Burnett, eleven original Steve Earle songs comprise I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive. Earle named this album after a Hank Williams song. According to Earle’s liner notes: “These songs were written during a three year period...
By James Calemine The Harrow & The Harvest counts as Gillian Welch's fifth studio album with her musical partner David Rawlings. Welch’s respect in the industry is well deserved. She’s performed and collaborated with T-Bone Burnett, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou...