A COUPLE OF REASONS WHY

I haven't been writing as much on this blog for a couple of weeks now. Yes, I can tell that you are very upset at this fact, because reading this blog probably is as high on your list as it is getting the e-mail that the blog has been updated. But, it has been a crazy past few weeks...but all good.

I wanted to write you this week and tell you about a couple of things that happened to me this week. With all that goes on in the music industry---consolidation, losing jobs, seeing talented artists not make it----it's sometimes easy to get a little bit jaded...Then, you have a week that I had.

Wednesday night, I had a chance to attend the album premiere party for Dailey and Vincent's new album, DAILEY AND VINCENT SING THE STATLER BROTHERS, at the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Bluegrass music, generally, is something that I can take or leave....unless it's done right. Names like Lawson, Skaggs, Krauss, Nugent, and yes, Dailey and Vincent do it right--and then some. The album is fantastic, and the live performance at the Hall that night was even better.

In fact, I want to challenge each and every one of you to run to Cracker Barrel right now (unless it's the middle of the night), and get this album. It is truly a musical event. The harmonies, the instrumentation, everything about it as tight as twin fiddles in a Bob Wills band....I stole that line from the great honky-tonk philosopher Gosdin, by the way!

The next night, as an early birthday present, my wife took me to the Schermerhorn Center in Nashville to see my favorite singer, Kenny Rogers. So many of my earliest musical memories from my childhood stem from his music---whether it be my mother buying his 8-track tapes, or seeing the clouds go around on the record player on the United Artists label. I think I sang along with every song, and it was a great night. One time before he retires, I would love to be the person that he grabs from the audience where he pays them 10 dollars for each of his songs they can remember. Then again, seeing how I could probably quote the track sequence from each album he has released since 1975.....that might not be a good idea on his part...but still, it was a great night!

I say all that to say this. Friday, I decided I would call Dailey and Vincent's publicist, Karen Byrd, and thank her for the invite. Something she said struck me. We were talking about how easy it is to get jaded by it all, and because of that fact, you don't get truly excited about as much. She said "It kinda makes you remember why you do what you do, doesn't it?" Karen, after those two nights...you are exactly right!