The New York Times – Music:
As the country music institution celebrates a century of its radio broadcast, listen to how the show defined the culture — and was reshaped by it — decade by decade.
Author: Bill Friskics-Warren
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Melba Montgomery, Country Singer Known for Her Duets, Dies at 86
The New York Times – Music:
Her high harmonies put an emotional charge into her work with George Jones and others. She also had solo hits, including “No Charge,” a country No. 1.
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Frank Wakefield, Who Expanded the Mandolin’s Range, Dies at 89
The New York Times – Music:
A bluegrass innovator, he recorded numerous albums as a leader, and his list of collaborators included both Leonard Bernstein and Jerry Garcia.
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Duane Eddy, Whose Twang Changed Rock ’n’ Roll, Dies at 86
The New York Times – Music:
A self-taught electric guitar virtuoso, he influenced a generation of musicians. One of them, John Fogerty, called him rock’s first guitar god.
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Roni Stoneman, Country Music’s ‘First Lady of the Banjo,’ Dies at 85
The New York Times – Music:
A featured player on ‘Hee Haw’ and member of the famed Stoneman Family, she was the first woman to play modern bluegrass banjo on a phonograph record.
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Jimmy Van Eaton, Purveyor of the Sun Records Beat, Dies at 86
The New York Times – Music:
His drumming lent spontaneity and imagination to the unfettered sound of seminal rock ’n’ roll records by Jerry Lee Lewis and others.
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Toby Keith, Popular Country Music Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 62
The New York Times – Music:
Mr. Keith, who announced in 2022 he had cancer, cultivated an in-your-face persona with hits like “Who’s Your Daddy” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”
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Jo-El Sonnier, Who Sparked a Revival of Cajun Music, Dies at 77
The New York Times – Music:
An accordion virtuoso and a gifted vocalist, he scored country hits in the 1980s by putting a Cajun spin on songs like Richard Thompson’s “Tear-Stained Letter.”