Formed in Dallas in 1992, Old 97’s became one of the seminal bands of the alternative country movement, alongside Whiskeytown, Son Volt, the Bottle Rockets and BR549. At its heart was the longtime friendship of bass player Murry Hammond and guitarist/songwriter Rhett Miller. Remarkably, across 13 albums and millions of miles, Old 97’s remains the same quartet that broke out on Bloodshot Records three decades ago. They’re still having fun and keeping company with their large base of lifelong fans. Craig made a field trip to Lexington, KY this summer to catch a show and sit down with Miller to talk about the long road and the newest album American Primitive.
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Many of you have joined us for Roots On The Rivers, our boutique summer festival at the historic Two Rivers Mansion. For three years running, we’ve welcomed slates of exceptional artists from across the Americana spectrum to play nice, long sets on a great-sounding stage. The setting - the grounds of a 150-year-old antebellum home built by one of Nashville’s founding fathers - is relaxed, shady and ideal for our community to gather, converse, listen, and meet the artists. But what you don’t know, dear radio friends, is that behind the scenes at this year’s ROTR, on June 1, while the likes of Elizabeth Cook, Devon Gilfillian and Chatham County Line rocked the main stage, our crack audio/video crew produced a parallel, private concert.
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The conversation about Black influence on and presence in country music has been intense and restorative over the past decade, and nobody has a more authoritative or informed take on the subject than writer and scholar Alice Randall. She became the first Black woman to launch a career as a professional Music Row songwriter and publisher in the 1980s. She’s shared her incredible journey in her new memoir My Black Country, while a multi-artist collection of the same title features a dozen leading Black female voices in Americana singing her songs. Craig Havighurst visited Alice at her home to talk about it all.
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Episode 292 of The String begins, as any introduction to Madeleine Peyroux should, with the story of Careless Love. Released in 2004, it became the pivotal album of her international career. Its fresh and beguiling blend of jazz, early blues, and country influences fell between the industry’s proverbial cracks, yet the album became a hit in a dozen countries, selling more than a half million copies (hard to do in the new digital age) for its roots-centered label Rounder Records. Peyroux’s voice and phrasing, with echoes of Billie Holiday and Joni Mitchell, had more verve than the newly famous Norah Jones and more blues than Diana Krall. Her story was more remarkable than either.
LINER NOTES
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Jessie Scott attended Willie's 4th of July Picnic
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WMOT VIDEO: LIVE SESSIONS ON NPR MUSIC
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Chuck Mead kicks off our secret Mansion Sessions with 2 acoustic songs recorded live from Two Rivers Mansion during this year's Roots on the Rivers festival.
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Robert Earl Keen and Kiely Connell performed at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series. Watch their performances here.
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Click here to watch Robert Earl Keen and Kiely Connell perform LIVE at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series on August 21st at 7 p.m. CST.
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Tommy Prine and Lonesome Joy performed at Riverside Revival for WMOT's Wired In series. Watch highlights from their performances here.
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New spacesuits, untested astronauts, and a lot that can go wrong make this five-day mission unusually complex, but with a potentially great reward.
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A lot of people say they'll tune in Tuesday night to the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris, according to an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
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Tuesday's strike was among the deadliest strikes yet in a sprawl of crowded tent camps along the Gaza coast that Israel designated as a humanitarian zone for hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Win a pair of tickets to Molly Tuttle at Ryman Auditorium on September
13, 2024.
13, 2024.
Win a pair of wristbands for AMERICANAFEST September 17th-21st. One lucky winner will win passes to the Americana Honors And Awards show at The Ryman September 18th.
New Album "Mantras"
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