Lore Posts
Paul Hemphill's Fall Tour
Atlanta Writer Paul Hemphill's New Book Tour 8/26/08
Video: Jerry Wexler On Bob Dylan
Alabama Rules: From Blue-Eyed Soul to Soulful Blues
My friend Deryle Perryman, native of Florence and read more...
From Athens, Georgia To Jerry Wexler
From Athens, Georgia To Jerry Wexler: A Feast of Friends… 8/16/08
A Humorous Comparison of College Football Between the South and the North
As our beloved college football season nears, we at Tribal Fever thought everyone should read this comparison between college read more...
The Dog Star Rages and Leos Roar
It is August and the dog days of summer are upon us. The ancient read more...
Where Have All the Small Towns Gone?
The centuries old ubi sunt query—where are those read more...
An Ongoing Journey To the Heart of Southern Culture
A Sunday Service On Southern Culture 7/20/08
Alabama in July
The Fourth of July is over and along with it Willie read more...
A Forgotten Hero: Chips Moman
A Forgotten Hitmaker Chips Moman 7/13/08
Steve Cropper Remembers First Meeting with Otis Redding
Steve Cropper Remembers His First Meeting with Soul Legend Otis Redding 7/11/08
Words From Charlie
Charlie Musselwhite On Muddy Waters 7/5/08
Alabama: A Place in the Sun
It is July in Alabama and the corn is literally as high as an elephant’s eye. Jungles of lush green flank the country roads. read more...
Booker T & The MGs, The Memphis Horns and The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section Inducted Into Musicians Hall of Fame
Musicians Hall of Fame Announces 2008 Inductees 7/2/08
An American Hero: Steve Cropper
Mystery And Manners Interview with The Great Steve Cropper 7/1/08
New Hunter S. Thompson Documentary Bursts In Air On July 4
Gonzo: The Life And Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson Released July 4 6/30/08
Midnight Shakedown
Midnight Shakedown: Renaldo & Clara, Marc Ford & Widespread Panic...And Beyond 6/28/08
...A Dog Day Afternoon...
Georgia Falls In College World Series...Random Notes... 6/25/08
Female Soul Opens the Summer
A Cast of Female Artists Bloom In Summer 6/23/08
The Great Charlie Musselwhite
An Interview with The "Greatest Living Harp Player" 6/19/08
Mystery And Manners Honorary Southern Artist Volume Seven: Neil Young
Mystery And Manners Honorary Southern Artist: Volume Seven—Neil Young 6/18/08
Chuck Berry & Sly Stone Headline Long Beach Blues Festival
Chuck Berry, Sly Stone, Booker T. Jones, Charlie Musselwhite and others Perform 29th Annual Long Beach Blues Festival
Southern Literature Series to Premiere on Swampland
“The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past” (
Owsley "Bear" Stanley's Sonic Journal: Gram Parsons Liner Notes
Owsley "Bear" Stanley's New 'Sonic Journal' Notes on Gram Parsons Recordings 6/13/08 "This old town's read more...
Bingham, Merritt and Emmylou In Today's Camera Eye
Bingham's Nomination & Harris-Merritt Television Appearance 6/12/08
Father's Day and Rick Bragg
If you are looking for a gift for Father’s Day, look no further than
Friends of New Orleans and Swampland.com Join Together!
Swampland.com is proud to announce that we have joined Friends of New Orleans (FONO) as an official cultural partner for this worthy read more...
Bo Diddley RIP (1928-2008)
Bo Diddley RIP (1928-2008)
Tying The Knot: East Meets West in the Deep South
This weekend I attended the wedding of two young friends at the Von Braun read more...
Amy LaVere & The North Mississippi All-Stars Storm Atlanta
Amy LaVere & The North Mississippi All-Stars Storm Atlanta: Notes From A Soundcheck 5/31/08
Birthday Greetings To Bob Dylan & Rich Robinson
Birthday Wishes To Bob Dylan & The Black Crowes' Rich Robinson 5/24/08
More Six Degrees: From Florence, Alabama, to Florence, Italy
On March 4, 2006, my old friend Deryle Perryman and read more...
Mississippi Blues Commission
The Mississippi Blues Trail 5/14/08
New Allman Brothers Documentary Premiere May 16
New Allman Brothers Documentary Premieres May 16 5/7/08
Mavis Staples To Headline Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival
Mavis Staples To Headline Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival 5/5/08
Mystery And Manners Honorary Southern Artist(s) Part Six: Clarence White
Mystery And Manners Honorary Southern Artist(s)—PART SIX Clarence White By James Calemine
Mudcrutch & Gram Parsons' Florida Roots
Mudcrutch & Gram Parsons’ Florida Roots 4/27/08
April in Alabama
Nothing could be more beautiful than April in Alabama and, in my case, nothing could be more exciting. I recently returned from the read more...
...Night Before Widespread Panic On The Beach...
A Prelude To The Spectacle 4/17/08
The Blessing of Mavis Staples
The Blessing of Mavis Staples 4/14/08
Alabama: Places to Be and People to See
The Alabama Book Festival held in Montgomery, read more...
A Shot of the Blues
A Daily Dose of Authenticity...Keith Richards...James Burton...MLK...Widespread Panic...The Black Crowes...Jim Dickinson...
The Legacy of Ardent Records
The Legacy of Ardent Records 4/2/08
The Road To Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions
A Few Insights For The Faithful On A Thursday Evening 3/27/08
Bound For Glory
The Southern Foodways Alliance Needs Your Recipes!
Swampland has the utmost respect for the Southern Foodways Alliance so read more...
Mudcrutch: Tom Petty's Florida Roots
The surprise announcement of Mudcrutch's reunion is welcome news to the Swampland Footprint. Mudcrutch is an essential chapter read more...
Alabama's Going Green: "Let's Get Dirty"
Huntsville, Alabama, has chosen
Chris Robinson's "Inhale! Inhale! Rock N Roll" Article
Chris Robinson's 1993 Article "Inhale! Inhale! Rock N Roll" 3/15/08
The Dickinson's Mojo & The Black Crowes' Voodoo
Mystery & Manners Investigates The Mojo of The Dickinson Family & The Black Crowes' Voodoo 3/11/02
Alabama's Going Green
Holden Caulfield wanted to know where all the read more...
Dylan Organizes Recordings of Unfinished Hank Williams Songs
Bob Dylan Discovers Unfinished Hank Williams Songs 2/28/08
Black History Month: Look Back, but Move Forward
“Look back but move forward” was the credo of civil rights activist
Latest Releases From James McMurtry & Otis Redding
Latest Releases From James McMurtry and Otis Redding 2/27/08
Down In the Groove with Widespread Panic's Todd Nance (PART TWO)
Down In The Groove with Widespread Panic's Todd Nance (Part Two) 2/26/08
Down In The Groove with Widespread Panic's Todd Nance (Part One)
Mystery & Manners Interview with Widespread Panic's Todd Nance (Part One) 2/25/08
Poetic Felony
MAXIM Magazine Reviews Black Crowes' Warpaint Without Hearing The Album 2/23/08
Water, Water, Everywhere, Nor Any Drop To Drink
Today the New York Times ran an article entitled
Another Call To Harry Crews & Beyond
...An Ongoing Pursuit & Recording of the Mystery And Manners Saga...Widespread Panic...Jim Dickinson...Harry Crews and read more...
Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer Wins GRAMMY
Dirt Farmer Wins GRAMMY 2/11/08
It's Not Easy Being Indie
I always thought that in my next incarnation I wanted to come back as an independent documentary filmmaker. I held on to that dream read more...
Jim Dickinson On The Line
Mystery & Manners Interview With Memphis Legend Jim Dickinson 2/9/08
Adventures In The (Pig) Skin Trade On Super Bowl Sunday
Roving Notes On Super Bowl Sunday 2/3/08
The Day The Music Died
The day was February 3, 1959. At approximately 12:55 AM, Buddy read more...
Lest We Forget: Four Spirits
January 30, 2008, marked the 60th anniversary of the assassination of India’s political and spiritual leader
The Best of All Possible Worlds or Is There Balm in Gilead?
I live in the boonies, the hinterlands of Northern Alabama. For years, I made do with erratic reception from local television read more...
Luther Dickinson: Night Before theTour...
Luther Dickinson Talks Present, Past & Future 1/16/08
Six Degrees of Separation
In the south we not only claim kin we also claim friends. I have learned that behind every new acquaintance there lies the read more...
...A Rising Tide of Georgia Rock And Roll...
A Rising Tide of Georgia Rock And Roll: David Barbe, The Drive By Truckers, Bloodkin & The Black Crowes
2008 Year of The Crowe
...Atlanta's Black Crowes Prepare for the Warpath... 1/7/08
LIghts, Camera, Action! Film Festivals and Film Debuts in the South
Late winter and spring of 2008 will see the blossoming of a host of film festivals in the South. A number of the festivals read more...
Criteria Studios: 50 Years Later
Legendary Miami Studio 50 Years Later 12/30/07
Lead Belly: A Life In Pictures
A New Lead Belly Book Hits The Streets 12/29/07
Country's Top 100 Heartbreaks
A List of Country Music's Greatest Hurtin' Songs 12/28/07
White Pelicans on Elk River
White Pelicans are a rarity on Elk River. I have never seen one north of Gulf Shores, but on Christmas morning a friend down the read more...
Full Moon Fever With Stanley Booth
Full Moon Fever With Stanley Booth 12/24/07
Music and Movie Making in Alabama
Sorry to have been incommunicado since Thanksgiving. This time I was overwhelmed by the holiday madness and computer read more...
Honeydripper Star Plays Hometown
Gary Clark Jr. Plays Austin 12/21/07
George Porter Celebrates 60th Birthday
New Orleans Musician Celebrates 60th Birthday 12/21/07
Blues Trail Marker For "Nighthawk" McCollum
A New Blues Marker Tribute 12/19/07
New Willie Nelson Album Out January 29, 2008
New Nelson CD, Moment of Forever, Hits Streets Early 08 12/19/07
Mama Hill of H&H in Macon Passes Away at 94
Mama Inez Hill, the co-owner of Macon's H&H Restaurant has passed away at 94. Inez Hill, 94, died early this read more...
Montgomery Dedicates New Year's Eve To Hank Williams
On New Year's Eve Hank Williams Fans Gather In Montgomery 12/17/07
Ike Turner Dead at 76
Ike Turner Dead at 76 12/12/07
Southern Greats Play Post Led Zeppelin London Gig
Sam Moore, Ben E. King, Percy Sledge and Solomon Burke Perform Post Led Zep Gig 12/11/07
John Sayles Interview
Mystery & Manners John Sayles Interview 12/8/07 On Thursday I interviewed
No Country For Old Men Voted Best Film
Joel & Ethan Cohen's Film Earns High Praise 12/06/07
...Into The Deep...
Mystery & Manners Dispatch 12/05/07
The Black Crowes Put On Warpaint
The Black Crowes New Album Warpaint Set For Release 11/27/07
TF Rivalry Week Preview
Rivalry games define college football. More than bowl games or even conference championships, a win against your rival means read more...
Swampland Salutes Great Southern Writer Paul Hemphill
Mystery & Manners Highlights Writer Paul Hemphill 11/21/07
Johnny Cash's First Wife's New Book
New Book From the Late Vivian Cash 11/19/07
Confessions Redux
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Auburn’s 1957 National Championship. Not only did the Tigers go undefeated that read more...
Jerry Wexler Talks Bob Dylan, Doug Sahm and Muscle Shoals
Jerry Wexler Talks Dylan, Doug Sahm and Muscle Shoals 11/15/07
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s) PART FIVE: The Band
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s) PART FIVE: The Band
Music Maker Relief Foundation's Latest Project
Music Maker's Built For The Blues 11/13/07
Coen Brothers Adapt Cormac McCarthy's Book No Country For Old Men Into Film
Coen Brothers Adapt Cormac McCarthy's Book No Country For Old Men Into Film 11/11/07
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s) PART FOUR: The Rolling Stones
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s)PART FOUR: The Rolling Stones 11/8/07
Blind Boys of Alabama 70 Years Young
Blind Boys of Alabama: 70 Years Young
A Day In The Life of A Great American Guitarist (Marc Ford) PART THREE
A Day In the Life of A Great American Guitar Player: PART THREE Marc Ford In San Francisco 11/05/07
Mystery & Manners Dispatch From San Francisco
Dispatch From San Francisco 11/3/07
Tiger Rag
In the spring a young man’s fancy may turn to baseball, but in the fall in the South everyone’s fancy turns to read more...
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s) PART THREE--Tom Waits
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s) PART THREE 10/31/07
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s) PART TWO--Jerry Garcia
Mystery & Manners Honorary Southern Artist(s) Part Two 10/30/07
SWAMPLAND Goin' Out West...Frisco Bound...
Mystery & Manners Goin' Out West To San Francisco 10/25/07
It is Raining on the River!
I guess I rattled my rain stick enough this weekend to wake up the clouds. We In North Alabama are reveling in what the Navajos call read more...
Weirdness Way Down South
Weirdness Down South 10/22/07
Birthday Cheers To Tom Petty
Mystery & Manners Cheers To Tom Petty 10/20/07
Ryan Bingham And The Drive By Truckers Hit the Road
Ryan Bingham and The Drive By Truckers Hit The Road 10/17/07
A Day In The Life of A Great American Guitarist (Marc Ford) PART TWO
A Day In the Life of A Great American Guitarist Part read more...
TF's Saturday Preview: The History Behind SEC Dominance
Tribal Fever would like to start this weekend's festivities by directing everyone to a fantastic series on
Thelonious Monk's North Carolina Roots
Thelonious Monk's North Carolina Roots 10/11/07
Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s) PART ONE--Bob Dylan
...Mystery & Manners' Honorary Southern Artist(s)...PART ONE... 10/11/07
Haggard's Horizon
Merle Haggard Gives Insight To Future In Billboard Q & A 10/9/07
A Pearl in the Heart of South Carolina
Down the road from me in Bishopville, South Carolina, there lives a man named Pearl. Pearl Fryar, a sixty-six year old African read more...
Marc Ford Burns Through Atlanta
A Day In The Life of a Great American Guitarist: Marc Ford Burns Through Atlanta
William Eggleston: The Father of Color Photography
The Photography of William Eggleston 10/4/07
Ray McKinnon Randy and the Mob Blog
Ray McKinnon's Recent Blogs About His Latest Film, Randy and the Mob 10/3/07
The Paintings of Woodie Long
The Paintings of Woodie Long 10/2/07
Otis Redding Film Premier October 8
Dreams To Remember Premier October 8 10/1/07
Arrivederci Roma, Ciao Athens (Alabama)
I have just returned from ten days in Italy (Venice, Florence/Tuscany, and Rome) and am way behind on my blog, so please bear read more...
People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
Tompkins Square Releases Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs This Week 9/29/07
Blues Great Memphis Minnie Honored
Blues Great Memphis Minnie Honored 9/28/07
Swampland welcomes Tribal Fever!
It was only a matter of time before Swampland Sports starting covering the colleges in earnest. Today marks the start of Tribal read more...
Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino
GOIN' HOME: A TRIBUTE TO FATS DOMINO 9/26/07
Excerpt from Paul Hemphill's The Good Old Boys
Excerpt from Paul Hemphill's The Good Old Boys 9/24/07
Ray McKinnon's Randy and the Mob
Ray McKinnon's New Film Randy and the Mob 9/22/07 From Capricorn Pictures...Here's the trailer for read more...
SPF Friday Fishwrap-up: the Cowboy/Redskin paradigm
We've just posted a new analysis of the Wayne issue in read more...
Dylan Plays The Ryman
BOB DYLAN PLAYS THE RYMAN AUDITORIUM IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 9/21/07
CD and DVD releases for week of September 18, 2007
New Releases Doyle Bramhall
The Shadow And the Truth
9/19/07 ...THE SHADOW AND THE TRUTH...
Emmylou Harris Retrospective "Songbird" Hits Streets Today
Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems Out Today 9/18/07
Macon's Tribute To Otis Redding
Macon's Tribute To Otis Redding 9/16/07
More Alabama Authors: Eric Smith
Eric Smith is assistant professor of English at the University of Alabama-Huntsville where his speciality is Post Colonial read more...
Steve Gaines' Birthday Today: The Late Ace Mooreland Talks About Steve (Video)
Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines has been read more...
Patterson Hood Song In New Ray McKinnon Film
Patterson Hood Song In New Ray McKinnon Film 9/12/07
"When I die, the brush dies": Remembering Jimmie Lee Sudduth
Blind Willie McTell Named Stateboro's Second Legend In the Arts
9/9/07
Sounds of the South
Lost Gram Parsons Shows From 1969 Set For Release
Lost Gram read more...
Breakfast With Paul, Drinks With Dan
8/19/07
Hot and Wet or Hot and Dry?
The state of Alabama made the national news on two consecutive days this week: first regarding the referendum that could read more...
DEATH WEEK
The 30 year anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death falls on August 16, 2007. Like it or not, Elvis ranks as a southern icon. read more...
Turtle Tracks
In the fall of 2005, my sister Peggy bought a 1985 Toyota Dolphin RV from her son in Seaside, CA, and in late October Peggy, our read more...
...A Call To Harry Crews...
7/27/07
CD and DVD releases for week of July 24, 2007
New Releases Billy Bob Thornton
West "by God" Virginia and The Free State of Winston
Is West Virginia really a part of the south? Jason Headley in an article entitled "A State of Confusion" pleads the case read more...
Look Homeward, Angel: In Memoriam Doug Marlette
On Tuesday, July 10, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Doug read more...
The Last Outpost of Time
read more...
Fire On The Mountain
6/25/07
The Rise And Disappearance of Sly Stone
6/20/07 Few groups ever attain the musical power and wide commercial appeal of Sly & read more...
Johnny Cash Radio & Elvis Auction Items
6/18/07 The Sun Records boys are in the news again...
Fathers Day: Hot Fun In the Summertime
6/17/07 Happy Father’s Day…
The True Adventures of Stanley Booth
6/10/07 THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF STANLEY BOOTH As I wrote in the
A boom for Jacksonville's economy?
A new day may be dawning in Jacksonville. Long a read more...
Arkansas athletics in turmoil
ESPN is known for its quick soundbite-style of sports journalism, but they have many fine writers on their read more...
New Carter Family Documentary Released
3/25/07 A new hour long documentary on the Carter Family--Will The Circle Be Unbroken--highlights the career of the legendary read more...
Appalachian Culture: Shaped-note Singing
3/20/07 In this Asheville, North Carolina, news article, old vocal traditions are highlighted and how they integrate with read more...
Lore Reviews
Nudge It Up A Notch
Nudge It Up A Notch Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere Concord Music/STAX By James read more...
Two Men With The Blues
Two Men With The Blues Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis Angel Records By James Calemine
Deep Cuts
Tony Joe White Deep Cuts Swamp Records Tony Joe read more...
The Prince of Frogtown
“My father was the prince of Frogtown” writes Alabama author and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg in his latest book read more...
All I Intended To Be
All I Intended to Be Emmylou Harris Nonesuch Records By James Calemine All I read more...
Riverbend Music Festival: Chattanooga, Tennessee
The Riverbend Music Festival Chattanooga, Tennessee The Black Crowes 6/6/08 By James Calemine
Amy LaVere: Live at The Variety Playhouse
Amy LaVere Live Variety Playhouse Atlanta, Georgia 5/30/08 By James Calemine
Lay It Down
Lay It Down Al Green Blue Note By James Calemine Soul legend Al Green needs no read more...
Mojo Man/Arkansas Rockpile
Mojo Man/Arkansas Rockpile Ronnie Hawkins Collector’s Choice Music By James Calemine
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Me and Pepper
Me and Pepper Mel Tillis Collectors' Choice By James Calemine Born in Tampa, Florida, during the Great read more...
See You In A Hundred Years
See You In A Hundred Years by Logan Ward Benbella Books Has the stess of today's world with read more...
Third And A Mile
Third And A Mile by William C. Rhoden ESPN Books
Runnin' Down A Dream
Runnin’ Down A Dream Peter Bogdanovich Warner Brothers By James Calemine Born read more...
Honey Songs
Honey Songs Jim Lauderdale & The Dream Players Yep Roc Records By James Calemine North read more...
Warpaint
Warpaint The Black Crowes Silver Arrow Records By James Calemine Warpaint read more...
Vagabonds
Vagabonds Gary Louris Rykodisc By James Calemine Gary Louris, co-founder of the read more...
Margie Joseph
Margie Joseph Margie Joseph Collector’s Choice Music By James Calemine This read more...
Catch
Catch William Tonks Ghostmeat Records By James Calemine Recorded within a year read more...
Being Dead Is No Excuse
Being Dead is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting The Perfect Funeral Hyperion Press, 2005
Free Somehow
Free Somehow Widespread Panic Widespread Records By James Calemine The Athens, read more...
Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Brighter Than Creation’s Dark Drive By Truckers New West Records By James Calemine
Hernando
Hernando North Mississippi Allstars Songs of the South By James Calemine Hernando is read more...
Conversations With Tom Petty
Conversations With Tom Petty Paul Zollo Omnibus Press By James Calemine Tom read more...
Buy The Ticket: Take The Ride: Hunter S. Thompson
Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film Starz Entertainment By James Calemine
Death Proof
Death Proof Quentin Tarantino Genius Productions By James Calemine Quentin Tarantino always read more...
Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T.
Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T. Tom T. Hall Blue Circle Records By James read more...
How Low Can You Go?
How Low Can You Go? Anthology of the String Bass Various Artists Dust-To-Digital By James read more...
Salvation On Sand Mountain
Salvation On Sand Mountain Dennis Covington Penguin Books By James Calemine
Desperate Man Blues
Desperate Man Blues: Discovering The Roots of American Music The Story of Joe Bussard
I Belong To This Band
I Belong To This Band: Eighty-Five Years of Sacred Harp Recordings Various Artists Dust-To-Digital By read more...
Where Will You Be On Christmas Day?
Where Will You Be Christmas Day? Various Artists Dust To Digital By James Calemine
The 25th Day of December
The 25th Day of December The Staple Singers Concord Music Group By James Calemine
Blues Sweet Blues
Blues Sweet Blues Various Music Maker Artists Music Maker Series #91 & #92 By James Calemine
Dirt Farmer
Dirt Farmer Levon Helm Dirt Farmer/Vanguard Music By James Calemine Turkey Scratch, read more...
The Woodstock Album
The Woodstock Album Muddy Waters Chess/MCA Records By James Calemine Recorded in two days at read more...
Live At the Avalon Ballroom 1969
Live At The Avalon Ballroom 1969 Gram Parsons with The Flying Burrito Brothers Amoeba Records By James read more...
Song of America
Song of America Various Artists 31 Tigers Records By James Calemine This 50-song, 3 CD read more...
Blood Meridian Or the Evening Redness in the West
Blood Meridian Or the Evening Redness in the West Cormac McCarthy Vintage Books By James read more...
Feast of Snakes
Feast of Snakes Harry Crews Macmillan Publishing By James Calemine November in Mystic, Georgia, read more...
GONZO: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson
GONZO: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson Jann S. Wenner & Corey Seymour Little, Brown and Company By read more...
Blues From The Gutter
Blues From The Gutter Champion Jack Dupree Atlantic Records By James Calemine ...One from the read more...
Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding
Dreams To Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding Otis Redding STAX Records By James read more...
Hurricane Season
KELBRN
I Don't Want No Trouble
I Don't Want No Trouble Don Nix Section Eight Productions By James Calemine Songwriter Don read more...
Mescalito
Mescalito Ryan Bingham Lost Highway By James Calemine This CD ranks as one of the best releases read more...
Killers From Space
Killers From Space James Luther Dickinson Memphis International Records By James read more...
Runnin' With The Big Dogs
Part of [beating Texas] is that old Okie inferiority complex. There’s no better cure for that than whipping Texas’s read more...
Coltrane:The Story of a Sound
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound Ben Ratliff FSG Books By James Calemine Ben Ratliff wastes no words in read more...
Live at the Bohemian Caverns
Live at the Bohemian Caverns Carla Thomas Stax Records By James Calemine Recorded live at the read more...
Whatever Remembers Us: An Anthology
Whatever Remembers Us: An Anthology of Alabama Poetry edited by Sue Brannan Walker and J. read more...
Angel In Disguise
Angel In Disguise Leon Russell MRI Records By James Calemine Angel In Disguise read more...
Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built
(Atlantic DVD) Let me tell you a story. According to The Rolling Stones and Led read more...
Black Snake Moan
Come Early Morning
Sirens Of The Ditch
(New West Records) Recorded several years ago at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Sirens of the read more...
Brothers Of A Feather
Brothers Of A Feather Chris & Rich Robinson Eagle Records By James Calemine
Southern Soul Barbecue
Southern Soul Barbecue 318 Mallory Street Saint Simons Island, Georgia 31522 912-634-7516
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room-Savannah, Georgia
Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room 107 West Jones Street Savannah, Georgia 31401 912-232-5997 James read more...
Red Dirt Marijuana & Other Tastes
Driving With The Devil
Jesus Out To Sea
Cigar City Mafia
To Live's To Fly
A Love Supreme
The Getaway
The Complete Recordings
40 Greatest Hits
Straight No Chaser
Dislocation Blues
Atlanta Twelve String
Atlanta Twelve String Blind Willie McTell Atlantic Records By James Calemine Perhaps the most gifted of read more...
Criss-Cross
Criss-Cross Thelonious Monk Columbia Records By James Calemine Born October 10, 1917, in Rocky Mount, read more...
The Lost Crowes
The Lost Crowes The Black Crowes Rhino Entertainment Company By James Calemine The Lost read more...
New Lease On Life
New Lease On Life William Bell Wilbe Records William Bell's music epitomizes the classic read more...
The Queen Alone
Carla Thomas The Queen Alone Stax Records By James Calemine Carla Thomas--the great Rufus Thomas' read more...
Portraits and Songs From the Roots of America
Enclosed within the new Music Maker book titled Portraits and Songs From the Roots of America rests a CD featuring 22 read more...
Fruit Tramp Ballads of the Great Northwest
Dave McGrew’s Fruit Tramp Ballads of the Great Northwest preserves a testimony to those hardworking folks who may read more...
Follow Your Heart's Desire
Pura Fe is her birth name. In Spanish it translates, “Pure Faith”. Born in 1959, Pura Fe was named by her Puerto Rican read more...
Toot Blues
Guitar Gabriel’s Toot Blues originally existed as a cassette in 1991. That same year, Tim Duffy discovered Gabe, one read more...
Etta Baker with Taj Mahal
Etta Baker was born in 1913 amid the hills of Morganton, North Carolina. She began playing guitar at age four. Baker remains the read more...
High Steppin' Mama
Clyde Langford learned guitar from Texas blues great Sam “Lightning” Hopkins’ older brother Joe read more...
The Feelings Of Beverly "Guitar" Watkins
Recorded at Cleantracks Studio in Vinemont, Alabama, these ten songs illustrate the true guitar mastery of Beverly Watkins. Born in read more...
Chicken Raid
The quiet droning sound of Frank Edwards’ Chicken Raid resembles a blues mantra from a man who dedicated his 90-year read more...
Raw Sugar
Raw Sugar provides 71 minutes of old-time music enhanced by a warm, clear sound quality. Cootie Stark, a Greenville, South read more...
Sisters of the South
Sisters of the South contains 13 songs performed by 12 different female Music Maker artists. Every song on this amazing read more...
Born In Newton County
Cora Mae Bryant is the daughter of Georgia guitar legend Curly Weaver. She grew up on the countryside outside Atlanta. As a girl, read more...
H & H Restaurant, Macon, GA
H & H Restaurant Macon, Georgia by Michael Buffalo Smith How many times read more...
Edgar Winter Group - Live at The Galaxy
Edgar Winter Group Live At The Galaxy (Classic Pictures) Edgar read more...
Gram Parsons - Fallen Angel
Gram Parsons Fallen Angel A Film By Gandulf Hennig (Rhino) Gram Parsons was one of a read more...
A Salute to Hee Haw - Collector's Edition
A Salute To Hee Haw Collector’s Edition (Time Life) This 5-disc DVD is jam read more...
Country Music Changed My Life
Country Music Changed My Life by Ken Burke (Chicago Review Press) My first read more...
Sing My Way Home: Voices of the New American Roots
Sing My Way Home Voices of the New American Roots Rock by Keith and Kent Zimmerman
Honky Tonk Hero by Billy Joe Shaver
Honky Tonk Hero by Billy Joe Shaver (University of Texas Press) Billy Joe read more...
No Saints, No Saviors
No Saints, No Saviors My Years With The Allman Brothers Band by Willie Perkins
Between Rock And A Hard Place: Chuck Leavell
Between Rock And A Hard Place Chuck Leavell with J. Marshall Craig (Mercer University Press) read more...
Lovesick Blues: The Life of Hank Williams
Lovesick Blues: The Life Of Hank Williams by Paul Hemphill (Viking) So much has been read more...
Skydog: The Duane Allman Story
Skydog The Duane Allman Story by Randy Poe (Backbeat Books) I have been read more...
John D. Wyker & Eddie Hinton - Johnny Wyker Video
(MFOV) Once in a very blue moon, something crosses my desk that is absolutely, without a doubt, totally unique. Well read more...
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
The Byrds’ classic country record, 1968’s Sweetheart of the Rodeo, has been reissued with unreleased Gram read more...
To Tulsa and Back
To Tulsa and Back serves as J.J. Cale’s first studio album in eight years. Cale returned to Tulsa, his hometown, and read more...
Another Joyous Occasion
“For train days get me back to New Orleans,” are the opening lines on Widespread Panic’s new live release, read more...
The Man, His World, His Music
(Sanctuary) Watching this DVD is a little like looking at home movies. Actually, a lot of it is old home read more...
The Legends, Live in 1971
Ike and Tina Turner The Legends - Live in 1971 (Eagle Vision) Red hot, read more...
Live From The Garden State
The Marshall Tucker Band Live From The Garden State 1981 (Shout! Factory)
Tom Dowd & The Language of Music
(Palm Pictures) thelanguageofmusic.com The read more...
Heartworn Highways
(Catfish Entertainment/Snapper Music) In the early 1970’s outlaw country music came onto the scene to read more...
There Will Be A Light
Ben Harper & The Blind Boys of Alabama There Will Be A Light (Virgin Records) Ben Harper produced read more...
One Ruined Life of a Bronze Tourist
One Ruined Life of a Bronze Tourist was originally recorded in 1978 for Atlanta’s Pine Tree Records. Terminus Records read more...
In The Beginning
Ten undiscovered Townes Van Zandt songs demoed for an early Nashville publishing contract in 1966 remained unheard for thirty-seven read more...
Ragged Old Flag
Originally released on Columbia Records in April 1974, Ragged Old Flag consists of twelve original Johnny Cash compositions. read more...
Southscape
Chuck Leavell commands respect in the music world. He’s played piano with the Rolling Stones (for half the band’s read more...
Arkansas
Colonel Bruce Hampton’s album Arkansas, like his 1978 One Ruined Life of A Bronze Tourist, has been recently read more...
If I Could Only Fly
The name Merle Haggard carries a heavy weight in country music. Haggard remains a maverick who stared into the face of decadence read more...
New Earth Mud
New Earth Mud sounds like a man surviving his worst professional fear…in this case Chris Robinson facing the breakup read more...
Lee Gates and the Alabama Cotton Kings
Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi in 1937, Lee Gates moved to Milwaukee as a teenager where he’s been playing juke joints for over read more...
Guitar Heaven
Cool John Ferguson’s Guitar Heaven stands as his second Music Maker album. Born on Saint Helena read more...
I'll Be Young Once Too
I’ll Be Young Once Too serves as a mighty fine musical lubricant… Danny “Mudcat” read more...
Hard Luck Guy
Eddie Hinton, the Muscle Shoals singer/songwriter, did not live to complete the 1999 Capricorn release Hard Luck Guy. In read more...
Classic Southern Gospel
Various Artists Classic Southern Gospel (Smithsonian Folkways) Sixty minutes of gospel read more...
Friends Of Old Time Music
Friends Of Old Time Music The Folk Arrival 1961-1965 (Smithsonian Folkways) Between read more...
You're Gonna Need That Pure Religion
Born August 18, 1915 in Abbeville, Georgia, Reverend Pearly Brown lived his life preaching and singing about the word of God to read more...
Killers and Stars
"When they thaw out Uncle Disney, gonna be some changes made/Pointing fingers, asking questions/forty years of decisions read more...
The Hard Way
The Heroines
Tony Joe White's work inspired many great musicians like Ray Charles, Brook Benton, Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, read more...
Lonesome In Black - The Legendary Sun Recordings
This definitive collection features Johnny Cash's recordings for the Sun Records label from 1955-1958. These stark classics serve as read more...
The Road To Escondido
Some of Eric Clapton's biggest hits ("After Midnight" and "Cocaine") were J.J. Cale songs, so it's only fitting read more...
Lore ArticlesLOST IN SPACE: The Epic Saga of Fort Worth's Space Opera
by Frank Gutch A FOREWORD, OF SORTS... I have to laugh when I think of how many people, including those in the music industry, considered Space Opera one of Canada's best rock exports. It is understandable, as the only information on the jacket and inner sleeve besides lyrics and personnel had to do with mixing and mastering (Crystal read more...
Guest Blog by Dick Cooper: Remembering Jerry Wexler
by Dick Cooper This has been a hard time for me. Jerry Wexler was more than a mentor; he altered the forces of nature and changed the world for me. I was never sure why he befriended me. I wrote a gossip column for a small town newspaper, and he was one of the most powerful read more...
What It Is--Is Swamp Music--Is What It Is
What It Is—Swamp Music—Is What It Is
Dr. Milly Caudle: A Renaissance Woman for a Renaissance Town
by Penne J. Laubenthal Milly Caudle, affectionately known as “Red,” is a petite dynamo who was appointed a year and a half ago to fill the unexpired term of Athens City Councilman Henry White who was elected to the state legislature. Milly is currently a candidate for Place Five read more...
Mystery And Manners' Honorary Southern Artists: Volume One
Mystery And Manners' Honorary Southern Artists Overview: Volume One By James Calemine “Like Judas of old
Steve Cropper: The Master Song Craftsman and Rhythm King
The Steve Cropper Interview
Resurrection
by Penne J. Laubenthal Birthdays are often opportunities for self-examination and reflection. Some birthdays provoke more introspection than others. A couple of years ago I decided it was time for me to "live deliberately," in the words of Thoreau: " to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, read more...
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..." Muddy Waters
Bob Dylan's Renaldo & Clara: Asleep In The Tomb
Bob Dylan’s Lost Classic Renaldo & Clara: Asleep In the Tomb By James Calemine "I've been double-crossed for the very last time, And now I'm finally free"
See You In A Hundred Years
An excerpt from SEE YOU IN A HUNDRED YEARS: Four Seasons In Forgotten America By Logan Ward Benbella read more...
The Gentle Spirit of Jonathan Wilson
A Southern Son Out West By James Calemine “Are you satisfied? Are you occupied? Do you have enough time To reflect in your mind? As your life moves on Towards some Avalon Just remember read more...
Eddie Hinton Does Porretta--Again!
by Penne J. Laubenthal Eighteen years ago in April of 1991 an Italian named Graziano Uliani, founder of the Porretta Soul Festival, came to
Driving With The Devil
An excerpt from DRIVING WITH THE DEVIL: Southern Moonshiners, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR By Neal Thompson Crown read more...
Jim Dickinson's All-Star Music & Film
In Jim Dickinson’s first contribution to Swampland/Mystery And Manners, he wrote an indelible piece on Memphis barbecue. For his second installment Dickinson cites his favorite pianists, films and a desert island music stash. The High Priest of Memphis Mojo offers a timeless blueprint for anyone seeking musical pots of gold. James Calemine
Billy Bob Thornton : Six Degrees of Swampland
YOUR GUIDE TO ALL THINGS BILLY BOB AT SWAMPLAND.COM
New York City Southern Style: Alabama Studio Weekend in the Shoals
by Penne J. Laubenthal Imagine starting off your Saturday morning with the perfect Bloody Mary, garnished in typical southern fashion with pickled okra, and served to you by one of the country’s foremost clothing designers, Billy Reid, in his boutique housed in the historic and elegantly appointed Pickett Place read more...
Widespread Panic: On The Beach
Widespread Panic: On The Beach
Th' Legendary Shack Shakers: "Treulogizing the Gothic South"
A review of “The Tentshow Trilogy”, consisting of “Believe”, “Pandelirium” and “Swampblood” (All on Yep Roc Records) by Frank Gutch
Jim Dickinson's Best Memphis Barbecue & Favorite Meals On The Road
When I interviewed the High Priest of Memphis Mojo—Jim Dickinson—I asked him if he’d be interested in submitting his inimitable insight on barbecue, music and movies. Mr. Dickinson sent along some very interesting details on these cultural topics. His expertise in these read more...
Natasha Trethewey: Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
by Penne J. Laubenthal Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey is a poet who gives voice to the voiceless, names to the nameless, and who creates monuments in words for those whom history has forgotten. Relying on photographs, personal memory, read more...
"Inhale! Inhale! Rock N Roll" by Chris Robinson
INHALE! INHALE! ROCK N ROLL By Chris Robinson Originally Published in New Musical Express July 17, 1993 You pick up the block of moist, Moroccan hashish and you sniff at it carefully. Satisfied, you heat it up, crumble it into read more...
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 ain't tough, If they don't kill you they handle you mighty rough."
Down In The Groove With Widespread Panic's Todd Nance
DOWN IN THE GROOVE WITH WIDESPREAD PANIC’S TODD NANCE “Either brace yourself for elimination/Or your heart must have the courage for the changing of the guard.”
Sena Jeter Naslund and Growing Up in the Segregated South
Four Spirits, a novel by Birmingham native Sena Jeter Naslund based on the aftermath of the1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four little girls, made its world premiere as a theatrical production at the University of Alabama--Huntsville this past weekend. The stage play read more...
Luther Dickinson Interview: The Secret Code of Memphis Guitars
Luther Dickinson Interview The Secret Code of Memphis Guitars By James Calemine "I'm gonna leave Memphis and spread the news/Memphis women don't wear no shoes."
Deryle Perryman and Dangerous Highway, a Film About Eddie Hinton
by Penne J. Laubenthal Dangerous Highway is an amazing documentary about the life and music of the incredibly talented and tragically fated Eddie Hinton, called the "greatest unknown musician you have ever heard." The film was made by read more...
The Sounds of David Barbe
THE SOUNDS OF DAVID BARBE
Fifth Annual Oxford Film Festival
The Fifth Annual Oxford Film Festival (OFF) will open Wednesday evening, February 6, in Oxford, read more...
The Appalachian Sounds of Fonotone Records
The Appalachian Sounds of Fonotone Records By James Calemine “I went out in the open field/Black snake bit me on the heel, I’ve stood around and done my best/Shoved my head in a hornet’s read more...
Billy C Farlow is Having Too Much Fun
by Penne J. Laubenthal Billy C Farlow, blues musician, song writer, and harmonica player who skyrocketed to fame in the early ‘70s with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, is a force to be reckoned with on the music circuit. Billy C has been out there for over forty years making his music, writing read more...
Goodbye, Babylon: A Patchwork Quilt of American Music
GOODBYE, BABYLON A Patchwork Quilt of American Music By James Calemine
Way Down South With John Sayles
Way Down South with John Sayles By James Calemine John Sayles’ films command respect. His latest film, Honeydripper, takes place in Alabama during the 1950s. Honeydripper counts as Sayles’16th film which read more...
Cosmic Art Show in Georgia: A Photographic Retrospective
Buena Vista, Georgia's St. EOM is a Mecca for Cosmic Art Pasaquan's second annual Arts for Pasaquan Day on November 3rd, 2007 featured some of America's best visionary artists including Miz Thang, Robert Seven, Chris (Chubb) Hubbard's Heaven & Hell Car, and music by Bibb City Ramblers from Columbus, Georgia.
A Celebration of The Life & Work of Paul Hemphill
A Celebration of The Life & Work of Paul Hemphill By James Calemine "I was ridin' number nine Headin' south from Caroline I heard that lonesome whistle blow."
Confessions of an Auburn Fan or It's Not Easy Being Orange (and Blue)
by Penne Jones Laubenthal The state of Alabama is a red state. It has been slowly turning red politically since 1960. In the past twenty-seven years, Alabama voters have increasingly voted for Republican candidates at the federal level, especially in Presidential read more...
Hunting the Cotaco Creek
by Charles Ghigna His hand in hold so trigger tight even its blood believes in ghosts. It clings with set finger on steel and waits inside a dream of ducks. The twilight gives into a rise of eastern sky as sun reveals herself too proud and instantly receives full face a splash of mallard flock. A shotgun blasts the read more...
The Alabama Wiregrassers
by Charles Ghigna Dry rooted in penny coated clay, the wiregrassers come suntan tamed in drawl through the mire faster. Machetes high aimed for home, they carry the clues of day across their open, flying clothes. Blade for blade, steel for grass, they flog the wire with a hungry denim run.
Shacks on Highway 231, Along the High Red Clay Embankments
By Bonnie Roberts These words are for those who never wrote a word, or sang a song, or thought a great thought, or invented something, or made something lasting. These words are for those who lived extraordinary non-extraordinary lives, of getting up each day, and walking through the day,
Truck Driving Man (An American Roadsong)
Truck Driving Man (An American Roadsong)
Auger and Old Shoes
by Eric Smith I. On her rocker’s each forward pitch she glimpses the scuffed toes of shoes down the hall, unlaced, empty, still at the foot of the bed, a very old cliché, like the read more...
Tom Coerver: On Louisiana, China Sky and Hurricane Katrina
BACKWATER TALES FROM A GREAT SOUTHERN MUSICIAN by Michael Buffalo Smith Tom Coerver is a musician's musician. A good ol' Louisiana boy who has an inate ability to play just about any musical instrument he can get his hands on, including a
St. Simons Island: Seaside Reckoning
St. Simons Island:
My South
By Doris Gabel Welch My South is Hot Humid Sultry Just like its women. My South is
The King Is Dead! Hang The Doctor!
The King Is Dead! Hang the Doctor!
Phillip Quinn Morris
Phillip Quinn Morris, author of Mussels and
W.C. Handy Music Festival, Florence, Alabama, July 22-29
“If Beale Street could talk Married men would have to take up their beds and walk…” Beale Street Blues W. C. Handy wrote those words when he was living in Memphis in 1916. It had been a long road from Florence, Alabama, to Memphis, Tennessee, read more...
The Bayou Sideshow
The Bayou Sideshow By James Calemine read more...
The Divine Spark of Sly & The Family Stone
By James Calemine
The Challenge of Pro Sports in the South
It seems like a simple equation. Growing markets equals new growth opportunities for outside businesses seeking new markets. New economic engines in the South (new factories, new banking and financial concerns, growing tech base, growing populations, and increased buying power) have led many companies to open their doors in the South.
Clifton Taulbert at the 6th Annual Writers Conference
Ah, April in Alabama---blistering sun one day, pouring rain the next. A certainty regarding the South is that one just has to wait long enough and the weather will change. Outside the conference building at Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama, a precious rain is falling, soaking the parched cotton fields and drenching the freshly turned gardens.
Kirk West
Kirk West Swampland Interview James Calemine April, 2007 KIRK WEST’S PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES Kirk West plays an integral part in The Allman Brothers Band organization. West began taking photographs in the '70s which included hundreds of musicians such as Merle Haggard, Bob Marley, Jerry Garcia and The Allman Brothers Band. read more...
Tim Duffy: Music Maker Relief Foundation
Tim Duffy Swampland Interview Music Maker Relief Foundation A Treasure Trove of American Music by James Calemine March, 2007 Music Maker Relief foundation, a non-profit organization, assists neglected southern musicians with daily expenses, instrument acquisition, recording, tour 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 raised poor in Henagar, Alabama, and began singing gospel music early in their lives. A few years later read more...
Reflections on Willie Nelson: The Complete Atlantic Sessions
WILLIE NELSON: THE COMPLETE ATLANTIC SESSIONS …A JOURNEY TO THE RESERVOIR OF AMERICAN COUNTRY & SOUL… by James Calemine “If America had one voice, it would be Willie’s…” - Emmylou Harris Willie Nelson’s music crosses many generations. His life’s work includes 50 read more...
Reflections on Gram Parsons: The Complete Reprise Sessions
GRAM PARSONS - THE COMPLETE REPRISE SESSIONS by James Calemine “In my hour of darkness, in my hour of need Oh Lord grant me vision oh Lord grant me speed.” (from Return of the Grievous Angel) A veritable writer once said, “Death is a great career move.” No finer read more...
Phil Walden Memorial
Phil Was a Capricorn By Michael Buffalo Smith May 2006 Phil Walden, 66, the Capricorn Records founder who launched the careers of Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band, died on Sunday, April 23, 2006 after a long battle with cancer. Walden died at his home in Atlanta. Founded in 1969, Phil Walden’s read more...
The Georgia Sea Island Singers - Preserving Coastal Music Traditions
The Georgia Sea Island Singers Preserving Coastal Music Traditions By James Calemine Spring 2006 After four decades, Frankie and Doug Quimby continue to travel the world as the Georgia Sea Island Singers, sharing the Gullah culture with audiences from presidents to preschoolers. The group’s read more...
Sam Shepard Stars in "Don't Come Knocking"
The Electric Cowboy Stars In Wim Wenders' Latest Film by James Calemine December '05 Sam Shepard’s career epitomizes the rugged soul of America’s West. The award winning playwright stars in Wim Wenders latest film, Don’t Come Knocking, as a 60 read more...
Rodney Moag
Austin's own western swingin', yodel singin', morse-codin', on the roadin', book writin', out-of sightin', college teachin', language speakin', fiddle playin', radio deejayin', pickin' singin', always grinnin', college professor by Rush Evans November, 2005 When I arrive at Rod Moag's read more...
John D. Wyker's Cat Tales - Eddie Hinton
AN EDDIE HINTON CAT TALE October, 2005 In The long, hot, stinking summer of 1984 Eddie Hinton caught a Greyhound Bus back into my hardware store, Hammer Swingin' Life...This was Hinton at his worst...No Nothin'...but a mean and bad attitude...and a bad body odor that was a mixture of human sweat built up in layers until read more...
John D. Wyker's Cat Tales - Dan Penn
A DAN PENN CAT TALE by JD Wyker April, 2005 Conway Twitty's version of "Is A Bluebird Blue" was real important to Dan Penn...or should I say Wallace Pennington..It was the first real money he made as a songwriter! I was lucky enough to have been at Spar Music above City Drug Store in read more...
John D. Wyker's Cat Tales - Macon & Capricorn Records
Macon & Capricorn Records Cat Tale The year 1969 was a wild and strange and crazy time for me.When the editor of GRITZ asked me to write a Cat Tale about the time I spent in Macon,Georgia I was honored to be asked and to be able to say that I would try to give the readers a feel for what the mood and atmosphere was like during those read more...
Breakfast With Hunter
Breakfast With Hunter: A Film By Wayne Ewing Starring Dr. Hunter S. Thompson by James Calemine Feb. 2005 “There may be flies on you and me, but there are no flies on Jesus.” -Hunter S. read more...
Sam Peckinpah
The Furious Legacy of an American Maverick by James Calemine December 2004 2004 marks the thirtieth anniversary of Sam Peckinpah’s Bring Me the read more...
Rich Robinson (Black Crowes)
AS THE CROWE FLIES RICH ROBINSON ON THE BLACK CROWES AND GOING SOLO By James Calemine This interview was conducted with Rich Robinson four months before the Black Crowes regrouped in February of 2005 to tour for their “All Join Hands” tour. -JC 15 years ago Rich Robinson and his brother Chris left Atlanta, read more...
Drive-By Truckers: Southern (Dis)Comfort
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Southern (Dis)Comfort: It’s Only Rock and Roll by James Calemine I “People need trouble——a little frustration to sharpen the spirit on, toughen it. Artists do; I don’t mean you need to live in a rat hole or read more...
Capricorn Records
By Russell Hall April 2004 In a business where executives often achieve legendary status, Capricorn Records founder Phil Walden has always been something of an anomaly. Unlike say, Jerry Wexler or Ahmet Ertegun, Walden’s achievements occurred outside the glare of the public spotlight and without read more...
The Late Great Townes Van Zandt
A deluge of Townes Van Zandt releases flood the market since his death on January 1, 1997. A bitter legal battles ensues over Van Zandt's prolific song catalogue. Various related projects recently became available such as Norah Jones' Handsome Band: Live 2004, Margaret Brown's great DVD: Be Here To Love Me, and Townes in Amsterdam, a 1991 live performance. The following article read more...
Hurt: Remembering Johnny Cash
by Michael Buffalo Smith September 2003 During the last several years of his life Johnny Cash was in severe pain 24 hours a day. For many men it would have meant retiring from the spotlight and into seclusion, popping pills to ease the pain and hiding from the very legacy he had created for read more...
Tom Dowd
From The Manhattan Project to the Allman Brothers Band An Interview with Tom Dowd by Michael Buffalo Smith Fall 2002 Okay. We know that he has produced some of the greatest records in the history of rock and roll, from The Allman Brothers Band’s Fillmore album to Layla by read more...
Tom Dowd Memorial
TOM DOWD The Legendary Producer Dies on October 27, 2002 By Derek Halsey Last May I was invited to be backstage at the Grand Ole Opry as the guest of the excellent country and western singer, Joni Harms, whom I had interviewed earlier here at GRITZ. Joni plays country music like it should be, like it used to be, and it was a read more...
George Lindsey
GEORGE LINDSEY A Chat with Mayberry’s Goober Pyle by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2002 There’s no doubt about it. George Lindsey will always been remembered first and foremost as the loveable goof known as Goober Pyle, whom he made famous read more...
Clarence Fountain (Blind Boys of Alabama)
Clarence Fountain Interview Higher Ground by James Calemine Spring 2002 On September 3, 2002, Real World Records released the new Blind Boys of Alabama album titled Higher Ground, featuring Robert Randolph & the Family Band as the backing musicians. This gospel collection covers read more...
Barney Barnwell, A Possum's Tale
What follows are some true-to-life tales told by a genuine mountain man, my friend Barney Barnwell of Campobello, S.C. (Camp'beller, that is.) Barney has lead The Plum Hollow Band as singer and fiddle player for over 25 years, playing a unique mix of bluegrass and rock and roll that has recently become a trend, but Barney was doing it FIRST. Take my good word for it. read more...
Alan Walden
Skynyrd, The Allmans and Otis Alan Walden's Career in Rock and Soul by Michael Buffalo Smith January 2002 Anyone who has read anything at all about the history of Southern Music is familiar with the Walden name. Phil Walden and his brother Alan did more for Macon music during the sixties and read more...
John Hartford Memorial
Where Does an Old Time River Man Go? John Hartford Remembered By Derek Halsey December 2001 In the cool autumn air the sounds of the riverboats were everywhere. There is nothing like the whistle of a ship like the Delta Queen blowing as it comes up river and into port. In October of 1988, at the port of Cincinnati on read more...
Red Dog Campbell
The Original Road Dog Red Dog Campbell’s Thirty-Three Years with The Allman Brothers Band by Michael Buffalo Smith August 2001 He’s the most famous “roadie” on the planet, no matter how you slice the pie. Joseph “Red Dog” Campbell, the hard working, hard tripping, read more...
John Lee Hooker Memorial
John Lee Hooker (1917-2001) The Man is Gone, But The Boogie Lives On by J.C. Juanis June 21, 2001 The music community lost a great one today, when news of the death of bluesman John Lee Hooker began to spread through the music community. Hooker was perhaps the last living link to a generation of read more...
Stanley Booth: Can I Get A Witness
Can I Get A Witness The True Adventures of Stanley Booth By James Calemine Winter 2000 Jack Kerouac was a writer. That is, he wrote. Many people who call themselves writers and have their names on books aren’t writers and can’t write—the difference being a bullfighter who fights a bull is different than read more...
Remembering Eddie Hinton
Remembering Eddie Hinton "A Musician's Musician" by Dick Cooper Winter 2000 Eddie Hinton was a jewel. The many facets of his talent shone independently, and the whole was much greater than its parts. And like any jewel the light shinning on it enhanced its beauty. Eddie was a musician's read more...
Janis Joplin Remembered
Recollections of Janis Seen Through the Eyes of Big Brother by Sam Andrew Summer 2000 Janis Joplin spent her childhood in Port Arthur, Texas. That town and indeed all of Texas east of Houston is bayou country, swampy, fetid, really more Louisiana than Texas. Why, the Buffalo Bayou runs right through Houston, read more...
Moon Mullins
THE LIFE OF A ROADIE Arthur Mullins Recalls His Days with The Marshall Tucker Band by Michael Buffalo Smith June, 1999 Spartanburg’s Arthur “Moon” Mullins was almost as popular as the band members of The Marshall Tucker Band during his tenure as Road Crew Chief for them read more...