PureCountryMusic.Com Blog

Since real country music has basically changed its name to Americana. Here are a couple of artists that might pique your interest. Zach Kerber is one of those rich baritone singers that you could listen to all day long.  His lyrics are not bad to listen to either. Kerber’s style is definitely country folk, with…

If you are like me, you might have come to the conclusion that Sammy Kershaw is just another casualty of war. He has been bounced from so many record labels and has experienced financial difficulties to the extent to where I thought he was living under a bridge off of I-40. Well I…

It’s common knowledge that Willie Nelson is a fan of cannabis. He and Snoop Dogg are pot’s unofficial spokesmen. If you haven’t heard, five days ago several members from Willie’s crew were charged with possession of marijuana and moonshine. I am not going to harp on the legalities of the issue, but one thing always…

Throughout his tenure as a singer/songwriter,  George Hamilton IV only recorded one #1 hit, the timeless classic “Abilene.” Even though people classify Hamilton’s music as country pop, there were also traces of folk in George’s music as well. I don’t know if this was on purpose. He was not a prolific songwriter. Hamilton…

We all know that Taylor Swift couldn’t sing her way out of a parking ticket, so I am not going to press the issue any further, but I was amazed from the lack of surprises this year at The Grammys. I guess there was not enough ground-breaking material released to qualify for any type of…

Hank Williams has always reminded me of the main character in the gospel classic “Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea.” Since Hank was born and raised in the belt buckle of the bible belt, it comes as no surprise that gospel music was dear to his heart. He is the best country songwriter of all time. This prowess…

Here we go again. Country music news faster than the sales of dirty bombs on the black market.

We would like to congratulate Jason Aldean on third #1 hit with “The Truth.” Thanks for showing us that people are really that easy to please.

I don’t know if she will duplicate the incredible performance that…

Nor rain, Nor snow, oh I’m sorry, that applies to someone else. The weather is going to be just a little too frightful for George Strait this weekend.  Snow is heading this way, so two dates of Strait’s tour will be rescheduled. Knoxville fans that were chomping at the bit to see Strait, Reba Mcentire,…

Country Music, just like any genre, has seen its fair share of deplorable music throughout its history. In 1969, Don Earl and Nick Nixon came together and brought us one of the most unforgettable (not a compliment) country songs of all time. Do you think that was too harsh? I am just getting warmed up.…

I guess the most ill-conceived notion is that successful artists always have #1 hits.  Creedence Clearwater Revival never had a #1 hit, and of all people, Bruce Springsteen has never made it to the top of the charts. Well, Miranda Lambert will never have to worry about being among these artists. After a lot of…

If you’re a purist, you probably grow weary of what Nashville calls country music. After one listen of a  Rodney Atkins’ single, justifiably, you rush for the nearest Merle Haggard album. However, there are still artists in Music City that are releasing quality music. Before moving to Nashville, I used to work in Paris, TN…

Instead of putting Lonestar out of their misery, Saguaro Road Records is happy with letting us suffer some more. Keep April 27th on your calendars if you want new music from this “fantastic” quartet. What did this band ever do for us. It gave us a colorless ballad in the way of “Amazed.” If you…

We all secretly know that vitality is Charlie Daniels‘ middle name. Well he want let something as small as a stroke slow him down. Last Friday he suffered a mild stroke while snowmobiling during his vacation in Colorado. We would understand if the Long Hair Country Boy wanted to cancel his tour to…

There is only one aspect of  The Great Depression that I would like to have experienced, snake oil salesmen. It must have been a wonder to watch these men work while duping the public into believing that their magical elixir can cure whatever that ails them, when it was just a good ol’ bottle of…

Can you believe it that people actually questioned Carl Smith’s authenticity? I guess this is because he was one of the first country artists to add those sinful drums. Actually, on most of his larger hits, the percussion is hardly noticeable. The snare drum is slightly heard on the offbeats, and only engineers…

Willie Nelson has kept some pretty strange company over the years, and I am not talking about Waylon or Johnny. Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney should have been Willie’s last two choices to record something together. The collaboration of Toby Keith and Willie Nelson on “Beer For My Horses”…

This one would probably make it on my top 5 country songs of all time. My first exposure to our #2 was on the Elvis Presley: Amazing Grace Collection Box Set. It features some rare cuts, but more importantly, it features J.D. Sumner and The Stamps performing Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me.” If you haven’t heard…

When people mention the type of music that they like it usually ends with one of the following phrases: “I like a little bit of everything except country” Or “I like all kinds except rap. Well, folks I hate to tell you that the genres really aren’t that different.  Sure, you can sit all day…

I suppose that Mary Chapin Carpenter could be considered the Shawn Colvin of country music. Though she has been labeled as a country folk artist, her goulash approach to music leaves most of us scratching our heads. I am all about not being pigeon-holed, but her music is self-serving. We all want her to be…

Ok, I am going to break my own rules with #3. Numbers 5 and 4 were songs that were written by the artists themselves, but this one is about as unoriginal as it can get. Most gospel albums are generally a rehashing of previous works that do not offer anything new to the listener. Willie…

Country Music is not above recycling a melody. If you’re ears are in good shape then you have noticed that the melody of our #4 can be heard on some of country music’s top hits. You can pick it out in Hank Thompson’s “Wild Side Of Life” and Kitty Well’s “It Wasn’t God Who Made…

“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” probably should have been Elvis Presley’s’ mantra. Apparently, he never found that yen to his yang. Alanna Nash, one of the foremost experts on all things Elvis, has authored a pretty exhaustive book that details the emotional and romantic exploits of…

PureCountryMusic is counting down the top 5 country gospel songs of all time. Our number 5 Stuart Hamblin’s ‘This Old House.” There has been several groups that have covered this song. Most people associate it with the deep rich voice of George Younce, the classic bass singer from the Cathedrals. My favorite rendition is by…

Traditional country fans are holding to anything remotely real that they can get their hands on. Jamey Johnson and Miranda Lambert have become the new unsung heroes for everything country. I don’t how I feel about this, but I am a fan of both and have no shame in this. However, it is surprising to…

So here at PureCountryMusic we were trying to name off the country singers who are natural basses. See if you can add to the list:

1. Johnny Cash

2. Josh Turner

3. Randy Travis

4. Trace Adkins

5. George Jones(has a great range, but his talking voice is way down there, but this is probably…