More updates from April’s Inside Track on Music Row
My column, Inside Track on Music Row, has been a mainstay of the Nashville Music Guide for more than twenty five years, and is now read by country music fans around the world via the Internet.
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Idol alum Alexandria Corn “Cheated Better” with new single
Becky Buller passes “The Barber’s Fiddle” down through generations
Brandy Clark’s new album, Your Life Is A Record
Young Fables release ‘homemade’ EP
Street named to honor Conway Twitty
Joe Hanson moves on with “Part of Me”
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Alexandria Corn’s ex could have “Cheated Better”
Rising country artist AND American Idol alumna Alexandria Corn is a scorned woman in her newest single “Cheated Better” in which she laments the lackluster cheating of an ex-boyfriend. She advises that he could have been smarter by anything from bringing a change of clothes to making sure to come up with an alibi. With her detailed lyrics placed over a pop-influenced melody, “Cheated Better” is a force to be reckoned with. Written by Corn with Khiana Meyer and Mandy McMillan and produced by Sam Grow, listen to the single here.
The unique genius of John Prine is being recognized by fans and fellow musicians across the world, following his death on April 7 from complications related to Covid-19.
October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020
Although his songs often tackled thorny social issues, they were usually driven by wry, witty lyrics that became a hallmark of his inimitable songwriting. Prine never anticipated a career as a recording artist. After a spell in the U.S. Army, he worked full-time as a mailman in Chicago, singing self-penned songs in folk clubs in the evening. Following a glowing review by journalist Roger Ebert, Prine’s music began to draw wider attention, leading to deal with Atlantic Records in 1971. His first major label album resulted in a nomination for Best New Artist at the 1972 Grammys. Read the obituary and comprehensive review of Prine’s life and music career by NPR’s Annie Zaleski here.
A national treasure
The Tree of Forgiveness
Among the many tributes was a tweet from Bruce Springsteen
who described Prine as a “national treasure and a songwriter for the ages”. Springsteen tweeted: “Over here on E Street,
we are crushed by the loss of John Prine. John and I were the ’New Dylans’
together in the early 70s and he was never anything but the loveliest guy in
the world.”
In 2018, Prine released his first new album in 13 years, The Tree of Forgiveness, produced by Dave Cobb for Prine’s own Oh Boy Records. It became his highest-charting album on the Billboard 200.
“When I Get To Heaven”
When I get to heaven, I’m gonna shake God’s hand
Thank him for more blessings than one man can stand
Then I’m gonna get a guitar and start a rock-n-roll band
Check into a swell hotel; ain’t the afterlife grand?
[Chorus]
And then I’m gonna get a cocktail: vodka and ginger ale
Yeah, I’m gonna smoke a cigarette that’s nine miles long
I’m gonna kiss that pretty girl on the tilt-a-whirl
‘Cause this old man is goin’ to town
From the lyrics of “When I Get To Heaven” a track on The Tree of Forgiveness. Listen to and/or buy the album and other John Prine albums here.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
Here’s a quick look at some of the stories from the April 2020 edition of my column Inside Track on Music Row, the longest continually-running country music column in the USA. I’ve been writing this column for more than a quarter of a century (Phew!) and you can catch the full column (and archived previous columns) when it is published at Nashville Music Guide.
ACM Awards to clash with Americana Awards
New album from Craig Morgan
Maddie & Tae know The Way it Feels
CDB set Volunteer Jam date
Opry icon Jan Howard passes
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ACM news: ACM Awards set for same date as Americana Awards
The ACM announced the new date for the 55th ACM Awards. It has always been held the first week in April following a full week of charity events, golfing tourneys, etc. The new Awards date is going to be Wednesday, Sept. 16 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and will stream live and on demand on CBS All Access. As previously announced, the 55th ACM Awards® will be hosted by reigning ACM® Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award® winner Keith Urban for the first time.
Joe Diffie, who passed away March 29, 2020, will be deeply missed by fans and members of Nashville’s music industry. My personal memories of Joe are below, but first just a few of the many tributes from the music community.
Joe Diffie, December 28, 1958 – March 29, 2020. Photo: Crystal K. Martell
“Joe was much more
than a great country singer. He was a great song guy as well. He also knew how
to put on a show. I will miss you, my friend.” – Teddy Gentry on behalf
of ALABAMA.
“Joe was a character. A great singer of songs and always had a story or joke to make you smile. I’ll miss crossing paths with him every year on the road, and my heart goes out to his family.” – John Anderson.
“Joe Diffie was the
‘pickup man’ — always had a smile and a story, to cure and encourage. It was my
fortunate blessing to come along the same time JD did, in music —so many great
memories, and so many times he ‘propped me up.’” – Randy Travis.
“He was a warm-hearted,
good-natured, fun-loving man with an extraordinary voice. I will miss
him.” – Lee Roy Parnell.
“Rest in peace, Joe
Diffie. Country music‘s huge loss of my friend, a great singer and songwriter.
May God Bless his family and friends.” – Jerry Lee Lewis.
Personal memories of Joe
I have many personal memories of Joe. We met in the 90s when Joe cut “Coolest Fool in Town,” a track on his first album (A Thousand Winding Roads) that was written by my future boss Randy Boudreaux (“Alibis” “Brokenheartsville”). All of us would hang out at Barbara’s bar and restaurant with Joe, Tim McGraw, Tracy Lawrence and others. Nobody “ghermed” them there; they were just regular joes, no pun intended.
When I was working with award-winning songwriter Mary Francis in the late 90s I was listening to some of the demos of songs she had written. One of those demos was for a song titled “Tonight the Heartache’s on Me” with a male vocalist singing the demo. I told Mary that the vocalist sounded like Joe Diffie and she replied, “It is Joe, singing the male two-step version that I have been pitching for several years.” I went ahead and sent the demo with Joe’s vocal to Paul Worley who, with Blake Chancey, was producing Wide Open Spaces, the major-label debut album for the Dixie Chicks. The Chicks cut “Heartaches” that was included on the Platinum-selling album and was also a hit single – thanks in part to Joe’s great vocals on the demo.
Joe’s first release was “Home,” followed by “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” and many more including “Third Rock From the Sun,” “Bigger Than the Beatles” and “Pickup Man” that became a perennial fan favorite.
He charted 18 Top Ten singles, with the majority reaching the Top Five, including the 1993 radio staples “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” and “John Deere Green.” More about Joe here.
Lyrics from “Prop Me Up By the Jukebox”: “Just let my headstone be a neon sign/ Just let it burn in memory of all of my good times,” Joe sang. “… I’ll be the life of the party, even when I’m dead and gone.”
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
