Tennessee Article Archives
Walking with Zambi: The Colonel Bruce Hampton Interview
Walking with Zambi: The Colonel Bruce Hampton Interview By James Calemine "I do not come to you as a reality. I come to you as read more...
The Grayson Capps Interview: The Zen of Grayson Capps
The Zen of Grayson Capps By James Calemine From wonder into wonder existence opens. Lao Tzu Grayson Capps was driving somewhere on Alabama's Gulf Coast when I called him last Thursday. The following day, he began to tour in read more...
The Riley Watkins Interview
The Riley Watkins Interview By James Calemine Alabama-born, songwriter/guitarist Riley Watkins epitomizes an obscure talent. Watkins wrote songs and performed his own blend of rock, country and blues all over America for decades. Watkins performed in various bands read more...
Barry Lee Harwood 2010
By Michael Buffalo Smith Editors Note: Be sure to download our FREE GRITZ Sampler CD for June that includes a track from Barry Lee Harwood as well as a track from Mainstream South!
Luther Dickinson Interview: It's A Family Affair
Luther Dickinson Interview It's A Family Affair by James Calemine The Dickinson Family ranks as one of the most read more...
The Mary Lindsay Dickinson Interview
The Mary Lindsay Dickinson Interview "Bless your soul Bless your soul When your time has come Youre just dead, not read more...
Lance Ledbetter Interview: The Divine Grace of Dust To Digital
Lance Ledbetter Interview Dust To Digital’s Divine Grace By James Calemine The story of Dust To Digital is a divine one. In the read more...
The Todd Nance Interview Series: Volume 2
Todd Nance Interview Series: Volume 2 December 29, 2009 By James Calemine So, at the end of 2009 read more...
Lee Bogan: The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith Lee Bogan is one of my favorite songwriters. The hard working Nashville based writer, singer and guitarist has worked with everyone from Joe Diffie to Billy Joe Royal to Dr. read more...
Singer/Songwriter Amanda Martin: The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith I first met Amanda Martin when we did a gig together at The High Lonesome Saloon in Rome, Georgia. I was immediately read more...
Cody Dickinson Makes A Move
The Cody Dickinson Interview Cody Dickinson’s latest band, The Hill Country Revue, prepare to hit the road behind their new CD
This Country's Rockin'! The Candy Coburn Interview
By Michael Buffalo Smith I met Candy Coburn and her manager in the lobby of the Music Row Best Western in downtown Nashville. The night before I had attended
Clay Travis, an Email Conversation
with Jim Markel As founder of Swampland.com, I don't often get a chance to step out from behind the scenes. The inspiration to do so came when my sister in law gave me Dixieland Delight by Clay read more...
Bo Bice: Southern Rock Forever! The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith When Bo Bice won runner up (to Carrie Underwood) in the 2005 American Idol competition, it was just the beginning of a rise to stardom for the Alabama born Southern Rocker. Following his Clive Davis produced debut of 2005, Bo is back with read more...
Steve Cropper: The Master Song Craftsman and Rhythm King
The Steve Cropper Interview
Charlie Musselwhite: The Master of Smokestack Lightning
Charlie Musselwhite Interview The Master of Smokestack Lightning By James Calemine "I'm ready as anybody could be..."
The Bonnie Bramlett Interview 2008
by Michael Buffalo Smith Bonnie Bramlett is the true Queen of Southern Rock. A true soul singer if ever there was one, Bonnie has performed and recorded with the best of the best, not read more...
The Majestic and Graceful Music of Amy LaVere
The Majestic and Graceful Music of Amy LaVere The Amy LaVere Interview By James Calemine
Dixie Fried with The High Priest of Memphis Mojo Jim Dickinson
JIM DICKINSON INTERVIEW DIXIE FRIED WITH THE HIGH PRIEST OF MEMPHIS MOJO By James Calemine "Some people say worried blues read more...
Luther Dickinson Interview: The Secret Code of Memphis Guitars
Luther Dickinson Interview The Secret Code of Memphis Guitars By James Calemine January 2008 "I'm gonna leave Memphis and spread the read more...
John Carter Cash: Johnny and June's Son Talks About His Parents
by Michael Buffalo Smith John Carter Cash is one busy man. As the only son of country music legends Johnny Cash and
Joe Biddle, (Nashville) Tennessean
Ron Higgins, (Memphis) Commerical Appeal
Chris Cagle: The GRITZ Interview
Country Star Chris Cagle – The Long, Hard Road To Making It In Nashville By Derek Halsey “What’s funny is, every year I’d go, ‘Is this over? Do they even know me? Is it going to read more...
Charlie Louvin
CHARLIE LOUVIN INSURED BEYOND THE GRAVE by James Calemine February 2007 The Louvin Brothers legendary songs transcend time. Born Ira (April 21, 1924) and Charlie (July 7, 1927) Loudermilk, the brothers were read more...
Clay Walker
Clay Walker's Texas Country by Michael Buffalo Smith January 2007 Country star Clay Walker first topped the Billboard country singles chart in 1993 with “What’s It to You” and read more...
John Hammond
by Michael Buffalo Smith January 2007 After three decades, John Hammond proves he's still a vital performer in American music. One of the very few white blues musicians performing at the beginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-'60s, he found read more...
Vince Gill
VINCE GILL - FINALLY DOING IT HIS WAY “There was no skin involved. I didn’t drop my pants, but they got the message. I flipped them off and the police all gave me a standing O. It was really surreal. It was like a scene from Spinal read more...
Joe Diffie
CATCHING UP WITH AN OLD FRIEND by Lee Bogan November, 2006
David Allan Coe 2006
OUTLAW UPDATE: COE TALKS ABOUT REBEL MEETS REBEL and THE COE SHOW by Michael Buffalo Smith The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy himself, David Allan Coe, continues to build on his own mythology with the read more...
John Cowan
JOHN COWAN: NEWGRASS, OLD GRASS, BORROWED GRASS, BLUEGRASS By Barry Barnes (Edited by Derek Halsey) September 2006 John Cowan is a major player in the world of bluegrass music. From his days with New Grass Revival in read more...
Billy Bob Thornton
The Wit and Wisdom of Actor, Director, Writer, Musician and Southern Rock Fan by Michael Buffalo Smith July 2006 I have been a fan of Billy Bob for years. I vaguely recall his acting in the old Burt Reynolds TV read more...
Cowboy Jack Clement
COWBOY JACK CLEMENT CASH, PRIDE, SUN and POLKA by Michael Buffalo Smith May, 2006 Cowboy Jack Clement is a true Nashville legend if ever there was one. From his days working at Sun Studios, to writing hit songs for read more...
Hank Williams III
THE NEXT GENERATION OF A COUNTRY LEGACY by Michael Buffalo Smith April, 2006 Hank Williams the third, better known as "Hank III," embodies a lot of the same restless, wandering spirit, rebel read more...
Marshall Chapman 2006
CALL THE LLAMAS...EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TALL GIRL, BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK by Michael Buffalo Smith April, 2006 During the seven years that GRITZ Magazine has been in cyberspace, read more...
Delbert McClinton
DELBERT McCLINTON KEEPS IT REAL by Michael Buffalo Smith November 2005 Delbert McClinton’s formative years were spent as a member of The Straitjackets, the house band at a blues/rhythm and blues club on the outskirts of read more...
Shooter Jennings
Ol’ Shooter : Are you ready for the country? Are you ready for him? November 2005 by Michael Buffalo Smith At the age of 25, Shooter Jennings, the only son of legendary country music icon Waylon Jennings read more...
Jerry Reed
WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT An Interview with Country Superstar/Actor Jerry Reed by Michael Buffalo Smith September, 2005 Jerry Reed is a true star. From his string of hit read more...
Jimmy Martin
Jimmy Martin--Mr. Good N’ Country, the King Of Bluegrass By Derek Halsey June 2005 Jimmy Martin died on May 14, 2005 of bladder cancer at the age of 77. Almost a year before that he was kind enough to have granted us read more...
Tony Joe White
TONY JOE WHITE: THE SWAMP FOX by Michael Buffalo Smith October 2004 Tony Joe White is an American treasure. In 1969, Tony Joe came bursting out of the read more...
Lee Roy Parnell
LEE ROY PARNELL GUITARS, SLIDES AND THE BLUES by Michael RedTail Wolf Nystrom July 2004 I know you're a native Texan, but I don't know what town you were born in. Abilene, Texas and I grew up on a ranch read more...
David Allan Coe
THE ORIGINAL OUTLAW: DAVID ALLAN COE by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2004 Let’s face it, David Allan Coe defies categorization. For three decades, Coe has read more...
Marshall Chapman 2004
TALL Y’ALL: MARSHALL CHAPMAN by Michael Buffalo Smith April 2004 Marshall Chapman has created quite a name for herself in Nashville as one of Music read more...
Charlie Daniels 2003
The Heart & Soul of Charlie Daniels by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2003 For the cover story of our third print issue in 2003 I called on our old friend Charlie Daniels. Having interviewed him read more...
Del McCoury
MAN OF THE YEAR: DEL McCOURY By Derek Halsey September 2003 The story of the rise of the Del McCoury Band is an impressive one. These days they are playing before large crowds of young read more...
Greg Martin (Kentucky Headhunters)
by Michael Buffalo Smith July 2003 The Kentucky Headhunters are back and in fine form with their new album Soul, a fun-filled romp through Muscle Shoals influenced soul and Memphis flavored r&b. We caught up read more...
Billy Joe Shaver
ODE TO BILLY JOE - AN INTERVIEW WITH BILLY JOE SHAVER by Derek Halsey Spring 2003 Billy Joe Shaver is one of the best and most prolific songwriters that America has ever produced. He is known to a lot of people for being a huge part read more...
Tommy Crain
TOMMY CRAIN by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2002 During our first three years on the internet, one question that got asked more often than any other was, read more...
Don Winters
THEY CALL ME SWEET PAPA DON Papa Don Winters' Last Interview by Michael Buffalo Smith July 2002 Don Winters scored a major country hit as songwriter for The Louvin Brothers back in 1955 with “You’re Running read more...
Ricky Godfrey
OUT OF THE DARKNESS, A BEAUTIFUL LIGHT COMETH Nashville Musician Ricky Godfrey On Garfeel Ruff, The Marshall Tucker Band and Beach Music
Blue Mother Tupelo
Ricky and Micol Davis By Derek Halsey July 2002 Blue Mother Tupelo is a blues/rock/roots band out of Tennessee that has as good a thing going as any southern band out there. There are a lot of read more...
Charlie Hayward (The Charlie Daniels Band)
CHARLIE HAYWARD Playing in The Charlie Daniels Band by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2002 Since 1975, Charlie Hayward has held down the bottom for the Charlie read more...
Wayne Moss
ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE DOWN IN TENNESSEE ARE DIGGING BAREFOOT JERRY… An Interview with Wayne Moss By Derek Halsey February 2002 Wayne Moss is a musician who has played in the studio with everyone from Nancy Sinatra to Bob read more...
Artimus Pyle 2001
Street Survivor: Artimus Pyle on his friend Allen Woody, the new APB album and life in general by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2001 Hi Artimus. I’d like to begin this second read more...
Steve Ripley (The Tractors)
FAST GIRLS AND COUNTRY MUSIC The Steve Ripley/Tractors Interview by Ken Burke June 2001 The 1992 hit "Baby Likes To Rock It" made Steve Ripley and his band The Tractors stars virtually overnight. read more...
Travis Wammack
"SCRATCHY" WAS JUST THE BEGINNING Travis Wammack is Still Rocking May, 2001 by Michael B. Smith We can think of no better introduction to our exclusive interview than the following article from ROLLING read more...
Johnny Neel
From The Allmans to Gov't Mule, Johnny Neel Rocks The Blues with Style by Michael Buffalo Smith April 2001 Where were you born and raised? read more...
Van Zant
BROTHERS IN ARMS Donnie and Johnny Van Zant Talk About Their Brother, Their Parents, and Their Second Collaborative Album By Michael B. Smith March, 2001 Perhaps no other name in Southern Rock conjures up as read more...
Col. Bruce Hampton
THE DADDY OF US ALL Col. Bruce Hampton (ret) Discusses Everything from Andy Griffith to Slingblade to The Aquarium Rescue Unit , Horse Racing and Zambee by Michael B. Smith January, 2001 Col. Bruce read more...
Charlie Daniels 2000
Back to Tennessee: Catching Up with Charlie Daniels by Michael Buffalo Smith October 2000 What inspired you to record the songs you recorded for your new album Tailgate Party?
Bobby Whitlock
Layla, and Many Other Songs of Love Bobby Whitlock Talks About Derek & The Dominos, Duane Allman, Gram Parsons, Eric Clapton and more... by Mitch Lopate Winter 2000 I see you released a new album on the read more...
Lonnie Mack
The Guitar Player's Guitar Player Gritz Speaks with Guitar Hero Lonnie Mack by Michael Buffalo Smith (June, 2000) Lonnie Mack is a roadhouse blues-rock legend - modern rock's first true guitar read more...
Bonnie Bramlett
Don't You Remember You Told Me You Loved Me Baby? A Conversation with Bonnie Bramlett by Jill McLane Smith Summer 2000 From her work with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, to her friendships with a who's-who of '60's and read more...
Dennis Winters
Checking in with Dennis Winters of The Winters Brothers Band by Michael Buffalo Smith March 2000 One question we here at Gritz have been asked time and time again over the past year is read more...
Koko Taylor
Praise the Bridge that Carried You Across An Audience with The Queen of the Blues by Michael Buffalo Smith 2000 I understand that Koko is a nickname. How did you come to be called Koko?
Wayne Perkins
THE ULTIMATE ROCK AND ROLL SIDE MAN Wayne Perkins: A Lifetime on Six Strings by Roxane Crutcher December 1999 Wayne, could you give the readers of the interview a brief review of your music read more...
Artimus Pyle 1999
His Tonka Toys Were Real An Exclusive Interview with Artimus Pyle by Michael Buffalo Smith November 1999 He was the second drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd but most fans know him as THE drummer for read more...
Ricky Skaggs Returns to His Roots
by Michael Buffalo Smith June, 1999 Ricky Skaggs has finally found his bliss. After years of performing Top 40 Country music, which netted him twelve number one singles and a wall filled with gold and platinum records, eight CMA awards, read more...
Jimmy Hall
JUST AS WET AS EVER WET WILLIE FRONTMAN JIMMY HALL by Michael Buffalo Smith Summer 1998 When the stage is his, Jimmy Hall, the dynamic, Mobile, Alabama -born singer transforms himself into one righteous medium who melds read more...