By James Calemine Recorded at Zebra Ranch in Independence, Mississippi, during February and March of 2007, Killers From Space marks another interesting release by Jim (James Luther) Dickinson. Dickinson’s resume includes gigs with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Furry...
Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers opened three shows for The Grateful Dead in San Francisco during early April of 1969. These two nights were recorded by the Grateful Dead’s sonic guru, Stanley “Bear” Owsley. If you’re reading this review, chances are...
Produced by Daniel Lanois, Willie Nelson’s album Teatro was released in 1998. Teatro sounds like no other Nelson album. These 14 songs retain the lush Lanois sonic landscape. Lanois produced Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Chris Whitley, Emmylou Harris and U2 to name a few....
By James Calemine Quentin Tarantino always gives a nod to the south in his films. Most folks are aware of Knoxville-native Tarantino films such as True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill 1 & 2, and Grindhouse as well as his on screen...
By James Calemine Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, native Levon Helm’s voice epitomizes the American music storyteller. Of course, Helm sang some of The Band’s most memorable songs such as “The Weight”, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, “Rag Mama Rag”, “Up On Cripple...
Published in 1982, Sam Shepard’s Motel Chronicles serves as a time capsule in his long career. Some of the chapters from this book formed the basis to his play “Superstitions” and the film Paris, Texas, featuring the Ry Cooder/Jim Dickinson soundtrack. Shepard also...
“This descent into himself will, at the same time, be a descent into his region. It will be a descent through the darkness of the familiar into a world where, like the blind man cured in the gospels, he sees men as if they were trees, but walking. –Flannery O’Connor...
Desperate Man Blues tells the story of Fonotone Records founder Joe Bussard. For over 50 years, Bussard has collected rare records by traveling to Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Maryland. An avid collector of 78s, Bussard...
Johnny Cash also wrote praise: “Jake Hawkins is a lot like my own dad was, and this book took me home. King of the Road is a southern masterpiece, and one of the finest things I’ve ever read by any writer. I can’t wait to get some copies to give out to my friends.”
This 30-song collection serves as a companion to the film Awake, My Soul: The Story of Sacred Harp. Sacred Harp Singing hinges upon a musical community of participation. Sacred Harp began in the rural south during the 18th century. This collection is the first to...