Off Kilter LoveThe best part about the Valentine's Day season is the music. Popular culture has provided us with an endless number of songs that deal with love, given the fact that love is excruciatingly indefinable, yet always tantalizingly within our reach.
Tugging the Harp StringsMusic is an undeniable part of Mississippi's culture, so much so that the state brands itself the "Birthplace of America's Music." Mississippi transplant Kristi Flake wants to add another element to the Magnolia State's rich musical heritage: the harp.
Mississippi Gal, Louisiana BluesmanThe neon signs from the neighboring buildings reflected a soft pink glow on the concrete and illuminated Guitar Lightnin' Lee's face, as he stood in front of the Hi Ho Lounge. With his signature western shirt, black with white ruffles …
Delta MusicThis past weekend, I attended Delta Night at Hal & Mal's, sponsored by Delta State University's Delta Music Institute. There is so much to know about the DMI. Open since 2003, it provides students with an opportunity to become educated …
21st Century Spirit"All Day" by Girl Talk is the latest entry in what is rapidly becoming "the" sound of the 21st century. The mash-up fits perfectly in a society where everything competes for attention in a machine-gun blast of information and advertising.
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?When ever I'm driving down to Hattiesburg for gigs, I always enjoy listening to the local radio stations. My favorite on the FM dial is Super Country 99.1. They play all the classic country songs my daddy (pronounced "deddy") and …
Award-Winning Opera Singer to Visit JacksonReviews fill her website with applause and praise. Once you see her perform, you won't soon forget the experience. Who is she? Alabama native and operatic soprano, Susanna Phillips, recipient of the Metropolitan Opera's 2010 Beverly Sills Artist Award, among …
Lead 'Em to the LightOver a perfectly sparse, yet somehow still-cinematic beat, David Banner leaves no doubt about where his mind is with his new collaboration record with producer 9th Wonder, "Death of a Pop Star."
First DanceWhat song played for the first dance at your weddng?
Treetops and BluesmanBorn and reared in Wisconsin, I grew up believing Chicago was the birthplace of the blues. Since then, I've lived all over--London, Edinburgh, Phoenix, Dallas, Boston, Roanoke and Lynchburg--and no one challenged my false precept. In 2008, I debated: Should …
All I Want for Christmas ...Some children play football, and some run track, but 18-year-old Zach Lovett plays a different sport: "My legs were always weak. They still are. The guitar became my sport," he says.
Get Your Freak OnIf you want an upbeat and danceable peek into Josh Hailey and Tre Pepper's mind, J-TRAN's self-titled debut album is your best bet. Released in early December, the pop/electro CD is a fun and raunchy compilation of songs the duo …
The Original Rolling StoneEven before Mick Jagger and Keith Moon joined the British invasion of the 1960s, some Mississippi college kids in a band called the Rolling Stones awoke a generation. From 1955 to 1961, they pounded out a beat that grew louder …
Memphis Boys Make Music HistoryLincoln "Chips" Moman is one of the most successful record producers in history. A music visionary with a knack for matching songs with artists, he was the genius behind Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds" and "Kentucky Rain," Dusty Springfield's "Son of …