Articles by Kevin John Coyne

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100 Greatest Men: #93. Vernon Dalhart

February 2, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 3

Have you heard the one about the country artist who had the top-selling single for seventy years?

Vernon Dalhart is that country artist, and “The Prisoner’s Song” his record breaking hit. It was one of several classic singles that solidify him as one of the genre’s most significant founding fathers.

Dalhart was born in Jefferson, Texas in 1883. His birth name was Marion Try Slaughter. He was the son of a violent father, who died in a fight with his uncle when the boy was ten years old. His mother cultivated her son’s love of music, and by age thirteen, he was studying at the Dallas Conservatory, in addition to working to support his mother.

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2011 ACM Awards Nominations

February 1, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 110

Here are this year’s nominees for the ACM Awards. Biggest surprises: Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band not up for Entertainer; Rascal Flatts out of the Vocal Group race; Jason Aldean finally scores major nominations, both Entertainer and Male Vocalist.

Entertainer of the Year

  • Jason Aldean
  • Toby Keith
  • Miranda Lambert
  • Brad Paisley
  • Taylor Swift
  • Keith Urban

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Identity Crisis

January 31, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 49

I became a country fan twenty years ago, and have been fully immersed in the genre for about as long. I’ve read up on the history, heard pretty much every significant artist and recording, and can speak knowledgeably about the genres highs and lows over the past few decades.

We’ve never been this low. I think I finally understand why that is.

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Classic Country Singles: Rosanne Cash featuring Johnny Cash, “September When it Comes”

January 30, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 9

September When it Comes
Rosanne Cash featuring Johnny Cash
2003

Written by Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal

In her memoir Composed, Rosanne Cash describes a handful of prophetic songs that she has written as being “Postcards From the Future”, describing life events in detail before they happen. The most haunting example of this is “September When it Comes.”

She had written the lyrics in the nineties, scribbled quickly on a piece of paper while she was on the Long Island Expressway. At the time, her father Johnny was suffering through a health crisis. The lyrics describe her preparing for the impending death of her father, the time of reckoning described as September, a beautiful metaphor for the autumn years of life.

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100 Greatest Men: #94. Ricky Van Shelton

January 28, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 9

Ricky Van Shelton rose to superstardom in the late eighties, bringing his old traditionalist sound to the forefront of the new traditionalist movement.

Born and raised in Virginia, Shelton enjoyed the traditional country music of the sixties, but also had a taste for the pop of the same era and the gospel sounds that he heard in church every Sunday. He would draw from all three genres in his recording career, but his heart was always in traditional country music.

After playing in a band with his brother, he followed his girlfriend to Nashville in 1984. He played in nightclubs for a short time before being discovered by a local journalist. The media exposure led him to a deal with Columbia Records.

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Crunching the Numbers: January 2011

January 27, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 55

Feel that chill in the air? It’s not just climate change, friends. The music industry is suffering through historic lows in record sales, the worst since SoundScan started tallying them in 1991.

How are country artists faring? Let’s take a look at cumulative sales for current albums. Sales are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Top Selling Current Country Albums

  1. Taylor Swift, Fearless: 6,233,900
  2. Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift: 4,955,000
  3. Lady Antebellum, Need You Now: 3,138,700
  4. Taylor Swift, Speak Now: 3,078,600
  5. Zac Brown Band, The Foundation: 2,489,200

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Say What? Classic – Marty Stuart

January 25, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 7

Marty Stuart, April 1994:

At the end of the day, when nobody’s looking and I’m just alone, my favorite thing to do is get my mandolin or acoustic guitar and sit in the corner with one light bulb hanging down in the dark and sing about sick people or dead people.

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