All I can say is, if I drank as much as he appears to based on his songs, I’d be pretty haggard, too. (Thanks. I’ll be here all week.)
Country
k.d. lang
Patron saint of L …. L …. L …. Lawrence Welk fans everywhere. If you get that joke, you are a diehard k.d. lang fan. If you know who Lawrence Welk is, you are old.
Johnny Cash
Of all the “artists I can’t believe I skipped in round 1,” Johnny Cash is probably at the top of the list. Not being a country music fan, I actually like Johnny Cash. (Mariachi horns in “Ring of Fire”? Awesome.) Clearly I was rushing to get to Joni Mitchell.
Dolly Parton
Sure, she’s been a cartoon character for a long time, but apparently Dolly Parton is the most-awarded country music artist of all time—so that must count for something. Plus, I secretly think she (and especially “9 to 5”) is awesome.
Asleep at the Wheel
There’s a joke to be made about how I was “asleep at the wheel” in remembering to include these cult favorites in round 1. But it is lame, so I won’t do it.
Alt Country
A few years ago, I ran into a guy who looked kind of familiar from college. It turns out we were in the same program, graduated the same year—and had never actually met. I was also at the same school at the same time as Mary Chapin Carpenter, and I never met her, either. In other words: Clearly I wasn’t paying a lot of attention when I was at school.
Willie Nelson
Z IS COMING SOON! BE SURE TO SEND IN YOUR ARTIST/GROUP SUGGESTIONS FOR POTD, ROUND 2!
The one who isn’t Waylon Jennings. Also: Only artist to perform duets with both Joni Mitchell and … Julio Iglesias?
Waylon Jennings
Z IS COMING SOON! BE SURE TO SEND IN YOUR ARTIST/GROUP SUGGESTIONS FOR POTD, ROUND 2!
The one who isn’t Willie Nelson.
Patsy Cline
For many of the musicians who didn’t make it much (if at all) past 30—Hendrix, Joplin, etc.—you could argue that their early demise was karmic payback for their behaviors and choices. But Patsy Cline? I’m pretty sure the worst thing she ever did was say “heck.” Once.
Hank Williams
I don’t really listen to—or even know much about—country music. But if I did, I might listen to Hank Williams. He looks like Bing Crosby’s dapper country cousin, but he was one of the original members of the “live fast, die young” set (decades before Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin, etc.). Looks can be deceiving.
Playlist of the Day 