Folks, we have a very special show in store for you this week!

 

Jim Ed’s friend Crystal Gayle came down to the Hard Scuffle Studios to chat with him…and I got it all on tape so you could hear it!

 

All you’ve got to do is tune in to your local country radio station and sit back while Jim Ed asks all the “hard hitting” questions like:  “How do you maintain that long hair?”

 

In all seriousness, Crystal is one of the kindest people you’re ever likely to meet, especially in the music business!  Not only that, but she has one of the prettiest and smoothest voices around.

 

I guess she should, she’s Loretta Lynn’s sister after all!  Did you know that?  Well, now you do!

 

Tune in for our show this week and learn even more about Crystal!  We’ll see you on the radio!

 

 

 

 

 

This past week has been one full of sorrow and celebration over the life of Country Music Great George Jones! 

Hey fans we have an early sneak-peek at our upcoming George Jones tribute radio show.  And it’s not just part of the show — it’s the entire tribute show! Jim Ed, along with other favorite Country artists, share their thoughts on The Possum.  The only thing we’ve had to edit are the songs.  You’ll find smaller, 30-sec snippets of each song in the show instead of the entire song due to broadcast restrictions.  We’ve also listed and linked each of the songs from the show below to our sister site PureCountryMusic.com.

1. George Jones: “Why, Baby, Why?”
2. George Jones: “I’m A One Woman Man”
3. George Jones: “White Lightning”
4. George Jones: “He Stopped Loving Her Today”
5. George Jones: “Tender Years”
6. George Jones: “She’s My Rock”
7. George Jones: “She Thinks I Still Care”
8. Johnny Paycheck: “A-11”
9. George Jones: “The Window Up Above”
10. George Jones & Tammy Wynette: “Golden Ring”
11. George Jones: “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes”
12. George Jones: “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will)”
13. Waylon Jennings: “Rainy Day Woman”
14. George Jones: “The Grand Tour”
15. Jerry Reed: “The Bird”
16. George Jones: “Loving You Could Never Be Better”
17. George Jones: “Busted”
18. George Strait: “Love Bug”
19. Vince Gill: “One More Last Chance”
20. George Jones: “Still Doin’ Time”
21. Charlie Rich: “Rollin’ With The Flow”
22. George Jones: “The Race Is On”
23. George Jones: “The Door”

Also Available — A Pure Country Music/Country Music Greats Exclusive!: 4 DVD George Jones Ultimate Remembrance Set for $59.98.

 

Folks, if you’re a fan of bluegrass, you simply cannot miss this week’s episode!

 

We were so lucky to have ‘The New Queen of Bluegrass’ Ms. Rhonda Vincent right here in our very own Hard Scuffle Studios to chat with Jim Ed!

 

She and Jim Ed are old friends, and it really showed in their candid conversation.  Jim Ed actually was one of the first people to introduce Rhonda to fans of country music, when she was a guest on TNN’s You Can Be A Star!  Ya’ll remember Jim Ed’s show?

 

Well, we are extremely grateful that Rhonda took time out of her busy touring schedule to chat with us, and it really made for a fantastic show.  It’s going to be one of our best!

 

So please do yourself a favor and tune in, folks.  You’ll hear all your favorite bluegrass and country artists, as well as an in-depth interview with the one-and-only Rhonda Vincent.

 

Have a great week, and we’ll see you on the radio!

 

 

 

There really are no words…

 

Country Music has lost one of it’s greatest voices.  Our thoughts and sincerest condolences go out to George’s family and friends.  Truly, no one will be able to fill his shoes.

 

 

 

Friends and neighbors!

 

We’ve got a big show planned for you this week.  We’re calling it Queens of Country and we’ll be playing all of your favorite country tunes from all of your favorite female country stars!

 

Starting way back in the early 20th century, women struggled to find a true voice in country music.  It was very much a “boys-club” and women were often portrayed as one-dimensional characters.

 

The female musicians were making their presence known, however.  Led in the charge by women like Mother Maybelle Carter, who invented a style of guitar playing called the Carter Scratch, which was a precursor to the Travis Picking guitar style.   And “Aunt” Samantha Bumgarner, who is believed to be the first person of either sex to be recorded playing the 5-string banjo.

 

The tides began to shift; however, when in 1935, Patsy Montana became the first female country singer to sell a million singles when she released “I Want To Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”  While certainly groundbreaking, this was simply a nudge in the right direction.  Things for women in country music would remain largely unchanged for the following two decades.

 

That was, until Kitty Wells released “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” in the early 1950′s.  Kitty presented a female voice that had never been heard before in country music, and it would become the first No. 1 Billboard country hit for a solo female artist.  It was a little provocative, and with a heaping spoonful of attitude.  The door was now cracked, and ready for the following generations of female country stars to kick it off it’s hinges!

 

Of course, over the years many female country singers have come and gone, but some classics never go out of style:  Patsy, Reba, Tammy, Wynona, Dottie, Jean, Skeeter, Wanda… There are so many classics that we couldn’t possibly fit them into one show, but we sure tried!

 

This week is packed to the gills with as many female country legends as we could manage, and we’re covering the 50′s all the way up to the 90′s. I know you’ll love it.

 

So, don’t miss this weeks Country Music Greats Radio Show, The Queens of Country.

 

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you on the radio!

 

 

 

 

 

Fortune has smiled upon us again, friends!

 

This week, we were fortunate enough to have Grand Ole Opry Star Jeannie Seely come right on down to the Hard Scuffle Studios to sit down for an interview with our very own Jim Ed Brown!

 

Jeannie‘s probably best known for her 1966 Grammy winning country hit “Don’t Touch Me,” which peaked at number two on the country chart that year.  But she’s also had many other hits, such as “Can I Sleep In Your Arms?”, “I’ll Love You More (Than You Need),” and “It’s Only Love.”

 

Not to mention her series of fantastic duets with our featured artist from last week, Mr. Jack Greene!  They scored hits with “Wish I Didn’t Have To Miss You,” and “Much Obliged.”

 

But possibly more interesting than that, are all the great friends she’s made in country music over the years.  She’s got such a bubbly personality that it’s easy to see why everybody seems to love her so much!  She definitely had some stories to tell on some of our favorite country stars…and you’ll just have to tune into this week’s show to find out what they’re all about!

 

Check out this video of Jeannie singing a song she wrote for Faron Young back in 1972, “Leavin’ And Sayin’ Goodbye.”

 

Have a great weekend folks, and we’ll see you on the radio!

 

 

(January 7th, 1930 – March 15th, 2013)

 

 

Hello, folks…

 

As I’m sure you all know, the country world lost a great artist when Jack Greene passed away on March 15th of this year.

There was no way to express our full sympathies to his family, but we thought it was the least we could do to dedicate an entire episode of the Country Music Greats Radio Show to this Grand Ole Opry legend.

 
We’ll be playing all of Jack’s songs that you know and love, including a few of his duets with Jeannie Seely, who was kind enough to come down and talk with Jim Ed for a while about her friend and duet partner.

 
We’ve also got an archived interview from Jack that we’ll be playing clips of as well.  It’ll be one of our better shows, and a special one for a lost friend.

 

Have a great weekend everybody, and we’ll see you on the radio!

 

 

 

 

 

The legend himself, and our humble host, Jim Ed Brown turns another year old today!

 

Born in Sparkman, Arkansas in 1934…Jim Ed began his career harmonizing with sister Maxine on the Barnyard Frolic out of KRLA in Little Rock, AR.  They would release their first hit, which they wrote themselves called  Looking Back To See in 1954.  Following stints on the Louisiana Hayride and the Ozark Jubilee, they would be joined by their sister Bonnie in 1955.

 

Now known simply as The Browns, Jim Ed and his sisters would release the hit singles I Take The Chance, I Heard The Bluebird Sing…and the song that would make them instant legends The Three Bells.

 

The Three Bells would sell over a million copies back in the days when that was a very rare feat, and would be the first number one country song to cross over to number one on both the pop and rhythm & blues charts as well.    They would continue to rack up the hits with songs like The Old Lamplighter and Scarlet Ribbons, finishing off 1962 in style by being inducted as the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry.

 

1966 would see Jim Ed venturing out on his musical own for the first time, and he would make  his mark quickly.  He would release the instant classic Pop-A-Top in late 1966, and follow it up with the hits Southern Loving, Sometime Sunshine, and the fan-favorite Morning.  

 

At this point, he had recorded music as a trio, and a solo artist, so naturally his next move was to record a series of hit duets!  Teaming up with Helen Cornelius in 1976 would produce the smash singles Don’t Bother To Knock, Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye, and of course Lying In Love With You.

 

Ever diverse, Jim Ed also has been a television host, racking up six season tenures each hosting “Nashville On The Road,” and TNN’s “You Can Be A Star.”

 

And then, of course, in 2003 he began hosting our very own Country Music Greats Radio Show.

 

It has been an absolute honor to work with and get to know Jim Ed Brown over the past year.   Always professional, entertaining, and a friend, Jim Ed is a true pleasure to work with.  Not only that, but his drive to continually push himself as an artist is a constant inspiration.  There aren’t many other artists of Jim Ed’s age and accomplishment that are still writing and recording songs, and playing tour dates all over the country!  I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve next!

 

Happy Birthday Jim Ed…here’s to many more, and we’ll see you on the radio!

 

 

 

Hello All!

 

This week, we were lucky enough to have singer/songwriter Dickey Lee right here in our studios to chat with Jim Ed!

 

In case you didn’t know…Dickey is the pen behind Tracy Byrd’s “The Keeper of the Stars,” John Schneider’s “I’ve Been Around Enough To Know…….oh yeah, and a little song by George Jones called “She Thinks I Still Care.”

 

He also had a string of hits himself in the 60′s, such as this classic I’m sure some of you will remember……enjoy “Patches” and we’ll see you on the radio!

 

 

 

 

 

Great news, friends!

 

This week’s Country Music Greats Radio Show is all about Mr. Glen Campbell!  We’ve got all his greatest songs lined up, plus an interview from our archives that’ll give you a one-of-a-kind insight into this special artist!

 

Make sure to tune in, and we’ll see you on the radio!