Country music lost one its most groundbreaking artists on October 4th, 2022. That woman was the queen of country music herself Ms. Loretta Lynn. Born on April 14th, 1932 in Butchers Hallow, Kentucky, Loretta Lynn's story is one of triumph, perseverance, and dedication. She was the oldest of 3 siblings. Her father Ted worked as coal miner and a substance farmer. Her father died at the age of 52 from a stroke which left Loretta's mother becoming a single mother raising 3 kids. This would become autobiographical when she released her biggest hit "Coal Miner's Daughter" which was released in 1971. In 1980, her life would bought to the big screen with the autobiographical movie Coal Miners Daughter in 1980 starring Sissy Spacek as the queen of country herself. At age 15, she married Oliver (Dolittle) in January of 1948. Loretta began singing as early as the late 1950s when she won a talent contest hosted by Bakersfield legend Buck Owens in Tacoma, Washington. In 1960, she cut her first record "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl and that rerecording blew the floodgates wide open. Since the inception of country in the late 1900s, country music was dominated by male artists. Fellow trendsetter Kitty Wells had her breakthrough hit "It wasn't God who made Honky Tonk Angels" in 1952 which covered taboo topics, but it was Loretta's song that emphasized those struggles and cute deep. From songs like "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl', "You Ain't Woman Enough" and "Don't Come Home A Drinking (with loving on your mind) became feminist anthems and paved the way for artists like Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. Loretta made her debut at the Grand Ol Opry at the age of 28 in 1960. On September 25th, 1962 Loretta was inducted into The Grand Ol Opry and thus began her lifelong residents at the iconic venue. Outside of her own recordings, Loretta was known to collaborate with a wide range of artists including her long working friendship with Conway Twitty. In 2004, Loretta Lynn was introduced to a new generation of fans thanks to the admiration of Jack White formerly of The White Stripes. Their collaboration led to Van Lear Rose and the smash it "Portland, Oregon". Collaborations didn't stop there. In 2016, Loretta released her Full Circle and released the country gem "Everything it Takes" with rocker Elvis Costello and the ballad "Lay Me Down" with fellow country legend Willie Nelson. Loretta Lynn died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 90. Trailblazers come once in a lifetime and Loretta Lynn was undoubtably just that. May the queen of country rest in blissful peace.
Monday, October 10, 2022
Monday, October 3, 2022
The Black Keys: the hardest working contemporary rock n roll band
The Black Keys had humble and cutthroat beginnings but over time went from an underground following to global superstars. The Black Keys formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001 with childhood friends Dan Auerbach (guitar and vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums) who grew up in the same neighborhood together a few houses apart. Their debut album The Big Come Up was released in 2002 and although it sold poorly, it gained a cult following and earned respect from critics. Their second album, Thickfreakness was the album that started to put the band on the map. Thickfreakness is a landmark album for the Indie-rock blues movement. With swaggering in pocket distorted riffs, Auerbach's cannabis infused vocals, and Patrick Carney's tight drumming the album spawns classic blues covers along with original material. In 2010, the band released their most critically acclaimed album titled Brothers. Production wise, it's their best sounding because of the recording studio. The band was able to snag a slot at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Legendary songs have been recorded in studio including "Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones and 'I"d Rather Go Blind" by Etta James were all recorded in the legendary studio. Blues favorites "Next Girl", "Tighten Up", "Howlin' For You" and the boogie woogie rocking "She's Long Gone" are all masterpieces. The album would go on to win 3 grammy's. The following year, they would release yet another epic titled El Camino which spawned on of their most streamed songs on Spotify "Lonely Boy" with the now iconic epic guitar tone. Recently, the band released a hill country blues cover album titled Delta Kream. I love the production on the record and I think Dan Auerbach never sounded better rhythmically. This band is truly a gem in today's vast landscape of overproduced pop music. They're a shining light. Give them a listen.