Crystal Gayle

“Before country was ‘cool,’ Crystal was ‘class’…” Never has one reviewer captured a platinum clad, Grammy Award winning career  so beautifully in so few words. Crystal encapsulates everything the dazzling qualities of her name implies—although that name came to her in quite an unusual fashion.  “Crystal” came at the suggestion of Brenda Gayle Webb’s older sister, Loretta Lynn—who knowing there was already a ‘Brenda Lee’ currently successful in the music industry—suggested her younger sibling adopt the name ‘Crystal’ when she began recording.

Once re-named, her musical boundaries have since been seemingly limitless—as proven by her latest much anticipated project—“All My Tomorrows”—a mood influenced collection of American standards.  Songs such as “Cry Me A River,” “Sentimental Journey,” “It Had To Be You,” and “Smile” somehow reach the heights their songwriter’s must have dreamed of when piped through the beautiful chords of Crystal Gayle.    “These are songs any artist loves to sing,” said Crystal in a recent interview. “They’ve endured to become timeless.” Strange to think of anyone as young and vibrant as the artist in question as a “timeless classic” herself—but that indeed describes the course Crystal Gayle’s career has taken. …continue reading

Chris Cagle

Ask Chris Cagle what’s most important to him and you can bet he’ll answer this way: “Family, ranch, music. That’s it.” This response is seemingly simple for a man whose professional credits include two gold albums, two No. 1 albums and 12 charted songs. From 2000-2008, Cagle released an almost nonstop catalog of hits that resulted in a scorching hot career. Cagle’s musical character and burning ambition never wavered but today, Cagle’s personal perspective has mellowed. 2012′s album is, in more ways than one, a new lease on life.

Born in DeRidder, La., and raised “all over,” Chris set off for Nashville after trying his hand at college in Texas and finding the pull to pursue music too strong to ignore. Like many young artists, he spent several years working odd jobs in Nashville and scraping up enough cash to record four original songs for a demo tape. Thanks to a couple of chance meetings and the opportunity to be heard by Scott Hendricks, Chris was signed to Virgin Records in 2000 – that first album featured the unaltered version of his demo songs. Chris quickly earned critical and commercial success and attracted a legion of fans that included industry heavyweights and country fans alike. Cagle’s first number one smash, “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out,” remains a fan favorite. …continue reading

Asleep at the Wheel

Since the early ’70s, Asleep at the Wheel have been the most important force in keeping the sound of Western swing alive. In reviving the freewheeling, eclectic sensibility of Western swing godfather Bob Wills, the Wheel have earned enthusiastic critical praise throughout their lengthy career; they have not only preserved classic sounds that had all but disappeared from country music, but have also been able to update the music, keeping it a living, breathing art form.

Typically featuring eight to 11 musicians, the group has gone through myriad personnel changes (at last count, over 80 members had passed through their ranks), but 6’7″ frontman Ray Benson has held it together for four decades, keeping Asleep at the Wheel a viable recording and touring concern and maintaining their devotion to classic-style Western swing. (So much so that in 2011, Ray Benson was named Texan of the Year and received the Texas Medal of the Arts) …continue reading