Fifty years later, and he's still rattlin' the Devil's cage. Charlie Louvin can walk through a crowded mall and not attract attention. But it shouldn't be that way; the humble 83-year-old musician in the cowboy hat and jeans is a true American hero. To start, 50 years ago he and his brother recorded "Satan is Real," an album that shook up the music business. And the life he lived thereafter was pretty radical, too, from his military service to his country to his 61-year marriage to his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry. On Friday, December 3, 2010 at the fooBAR in Nashville, we caught Charlie Louvin on stage, making music for his fans, celebrating the anniversary of that famous album. And we filmed the night for history's sake. This is the tribute he so richly deserves.
A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.
The Carter Family, Roy Acuff and the Sons of the Pioneers belong to a select group of the earliest and most successful country recording artists. Pioneers spotlights them all doing such signature songs as Keep On the Sunny Side, Wabash Cannonball and Tumbling Tumbleweeds, alongside the influential blue-grass bands of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. And when Grandpa Jones stomps through Good Old Mountain Dew, you won't be able to sit down.
Long, long ago, a record didn't just reach the No. 1 spot - it resided there, sometimes for months. Songs That Topped the Charts captures the biggest country hits, many of which also became significant pop singles. Check out Leroy Van Dyke's Walk On By (19 weeks at No. 1); Stonewall Jackson's Waterloo; and the Browns' The Three Bells, a country and pop chart-topper. They don't cut 'em like that anymore.
Country music has always been Black music. For Love & Country examines the genre's past through the lens of a new generation of Black artists claiming space in Nashville, and transforming country music in the process.
Southern indie rockers Lucero hit the road in this documentary, which shows the Memphis, Tennessee band on tour and in the studio. In addition to candid interviews with band members Ben Nichols, Roy Berry, John Stubblefield and Brian Venable, the video features footage of the band on tour with The North Mississippi All-Stars, in the studio for the recording of "Tennessee" and performing live at the Memphis in May Music Festival.
Neil Hamburger is a two-bit stand-up with a bad comb-over--an aging, phlegmy jokester with a penchant for cheap celebrity jabs. He's also the brilliantly odd creation of Gregg Turkington, a decidedly more gifted comedian who has found a loyal cult following for his Tony Clifton-esque character. In this concert release, Hamburger performs a handful of twangy country tunes alongside the Too-Good-For-Neil-Hamburger Band, a name that speaks the truth: the back-up group includes veteran rockers Prairie Prince, David Gleason, and Atom Ellis.
The intersecting stories of twenty-four characters—from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress—connect to the music business in Nashville, Tennessee.
Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.
Chutthong won't let a little thing like death stop him from paying back his debts and keeping his band together — all he needs is a little jab.
The Stanley sound is true old-time, mountain style bluegrass music. This film tells Ralph's story through interviews with Ralph, fellow musicians, and those who know Ralph best. Rank Stranger, White Dove, Pretty Polly, Man of Constant Sorrow, and over twenty other songs help tell the story. Ralph performs with Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Junior Brown, Larry Sparks, George Shuffler, Ricky Skaggs, and members of the Clinch Mountain Boys.
The story of the American music dynasty, the Carters and Cashes, and their decades-long influence on popular music.
The legendary Willie Nelson is in fantastic form on this 1990 Austin City Limits performance. The DVD includes his classic songs, Whiskey River, On The Road Again, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain and Always On My Mind. The DVD also features a couple of duets with Shelby Lynne. This DVD includes performances that have not been available until now.
Shut Up and Sing is a documentary about the country band from Texas called the Dixie Chicks and how one tiny comment against President Bush dropped their number one hit off the charts and caused fans to hate them, destroy their CD’s, and protest at their concerts. A film about freedom of speech gone out of control and the three girls lives that were forever changed by a small anti-Bush comment
A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.
Dusty Chandler is a super star in the country music world, but his shows have the style of a '70s rock concert. One day he takes a walk - out of his overdone concerts to find his real country roots. He's helped and hindered by friends and staff, but pushes on in his search for a real music style as well as a real romance.
The DVD was recorded July 14 and 15, 2006, at the historic Cain's Ballroom and Dancehall in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in front of sold-out crowds. This showcases the band's staggering musicianship and and off-the-charts energy level.
A struggling country singer meets a Nashville songwriter in need of inspiration. Teaming up to write a song, their work gets complicated but results in both a hit song...and true love.
Larry Pierce is a family man and factory worker who lives in Middletown, Indiana with his wife Sandy. Outside of his regular nine-to-five job, Pierce has also been writing and recording raunchy country albums since 1994. After being forced to retire from his job after thirty-one years, the 53-year-old Pierce hooks up with the rock group -itis and performs his first concert in front of a live audience.