Author: Ken Paulson

  • Jody Miller on Epic: Remembering the “Queen of the House”

    “Answer” songs rarely launch careers. These records — far more common in the ’60s than today — “answered” hit records of the day, responding to a current hit in theme and sound in hopes of riding the coattails of an established record. Most of these novelty songs vanished quickly, but there were rare exceptions. Kitty…

  • Chuck Mead goes “Back to the Quonset Hut”

    One of the coolest sites in Nashville is rarely seen by the public. The legendary Quonset Hut was once the most prominent studio on Music Row, the home of such recordings as “King of the Road,” “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.” In the ‘80s, it was converted into office space, a disturbing fate for…

  • Kenny Vaughan on “V”

    Kenny Vaughan, guitarist for Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives, had a nice run on the Americana music radio chart with V, his solo debut. He says Stuart encouraged him to record the album so he would have something to sell at shows. In this interview backstage at the very noisy Mercy Lounge in Nashville, Vaughan talks…

  • New holiday albums you haven’t heard

    It’s just five days until Christmas, but thanks to digital delivery, there’s still time to buy a fresh batch of holiday music. Among recent releases of note: – David Mead and Bill DeMain (of Swan Dive) have teamed up on Instant December, a five-song EP that is melodic, endearing and a little twisted. From the…