Alan Lomax once declared the Golden Isles of Georgia home of the American song. Get In Union: Bessie Jones with the Sea Island Singers and Others, a 2 CD set, features 26 previously unreleased tracks. This collection truly captures essential roots of American music....
I conducted this interview in the spring of 2006 with Mrs. Frankie Quimby. She grew up on the Georgia sea islands. Her ancestors were traced all the way back to the Foulah Tribe in Africa. This interview is American history of the highest order. After four...
“I’d like to point out to people the divine in a musical language that transcends words. I want to speak to their souls.” –John Coltrane John Coltrane’s music emits an unmistakable sound. The album Coltrane Plays the Blues, released in 1962, ranks as one of Coltrane’s...
“And the days keep on worryin' me Of a hellhound on my trail..." --Robert Johnson "Hellhound On My Trail" This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ace Atkins’ debut novel, Crossroad Blues. The book was first published when Atkins was 27 years old and worked as a...
“I think Nashville is one of the best places to make money…” –Ron Ormond The Ormond family survived a plane crash in 1967. After the crash, the independent filmmakers knew they must change their show biz ways. At that point in their career, they were raking in cash...
Somewhere in Hawkins County, Tennessee, the Down Home General Store was a rural business that, if it were in Mississippi, would be featured in a William Faulkner novel. The place most likely thrived in its day. It's hard to tell how long it has been abandoned. The...
“Where was that, Where'd I go Never been there before But it was beautiful I needed it, it opened the door…” “A Big Sunshine” –Billy Bob Thornton/J.D. Andrew Tonight's show in Liverpool, England, at the Cavern Club, counts as one of the final dates on Billy Bob...
"In a sea of steel I see a golden glow Screaming the message anyone could know Like a walking translation on a street of lies Singing this scrapyard lullaby..." --Chris Whitley A quick junkyard dispatch… We did not plan to visit the School Bus Graveyard in Alto,...
I discovered a printed copy of Hunter S. Thompson's last article--"Shotgun Golf with Bill Murray"--yesterday. I printed Thompson's ESPN article the day it was published on February 16, 2005. Four days later, Thompson committed suicide in his Woody Creek, Colorado,...
This two thousand seat amphitheater thrived for years. Built in 1972 this place served as a popular location for musical theater. However, due to lack of funding this cultural space was permanently closed in 2005. Hurricanes demolished the stage beyond repair through...