“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 Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who…
Chuck Leavell: From Sea Level to tree level
By Bruce Rosenstein One of the best examples of a multi-dimensional person living in more than one world is Chuck Leavell. He is probably best known as a top-level pianist who has played with The Rolling Stones for nearly 30 years and was with the Allman Brothers Band before that. He has also led his own band, Sea Level, and…
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 what was once a magical…
Tin Pan South Festival dates in Nashville announced
Tin Pan South, the annual songwriters’ festival, wil be held in Nashville March 27-31, according to the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Festival passes will go on sale on March 7 at the festival’s site. 2011 highlights of this always entertaining festival included Tom T. Hall’s appearance at the Bluebird Cafe, an all-Texas night at the Hard Rock Cafe and the…