Don Williams – Back to the Simple Things
Oldies Songs Don Williams – “Back to the Simple Things”: The Gentle Giant’s Late-Life Ode to Quiet Contentment There is a timeless, reassuring quality to the music of Don Williams, and as…
Don Williams – Heart of Hearts
Don Williams – “Heart of Hearts”: The Gentle Giant’s Late-Career Testament to Inner Truth For those of us who have followed the long, steady river of country music, the voice…
Marty Robbins – Return to Me
Marty Robbins – “Return to Me”: A Late-Career Triumph Wrapped in Old-World Charm For those of us who followed Marty Robbins throughout his career, one of his great joys was…
Don Williams and Alison Krauss – Lay Down Beside Me
Don Williams and Alison Krauss’ “Lay Down Beside Me”: A Duet of Earth and Heaven The song “Lay Down Beside Me” is, in its purest form, a monument to the…
Marty Robbins – A Woman’s Touch
Marty Robbins -“A Woman’s Touch”: The Quiet Beauty of Domestic Salvation In the grand, sweeping canvas of Marty Robbins’ legendary career, we often find ourselves captivated by the gunfighters, the…
Marty Robbins – A Man and a Train
Marty Robbins -“A Man and a Train”: The Enduring American Dream on a Rail, Sung with Poetic Grandeur There is an entire genre of American music devoted to the lore…
Marty Robbins – Completely Out of Love
Marty Robbins -“Completely Out of Love”: A Late-Career Farewell to Passion, Delivered with That Signature Smoothness There are singers whose artistry lies in sheer vocal power, and then there is…
Don Williams – Better Than Today
Don Williams’ “Better Than Today”: The Gentle Giant’s Enduring Optimism, Eight Years Later There are some voices in music that don’t just sing to you; they feel like they’re speaking…
Marty Robbins – A Hundred and Sixty Acres
Marty Robbins – “A Hundred and Sixty Acres”: The Dream of the Homesteader and the Sweetness of Simplicity In the vast, magnificent tapestry of Marty Robbins’ work, “A Hundred and…
Marty Robbins – You Gave Me A Mountain
Marty Robbins – “You Gave Me A Mountain”: The Epic Struggle of Heartache and Faith The genius of Marty Robbins lay in his ability to inhabit a narrative, whether it…
Don Williams – Infinity
Don Williams – Infinity (2012): The Enduring Circle of Love, Not His Final Recording There’s a beautiful misconception that can sometimes surround the later works of our musical heroes, a…
Don Williams – I’ll Be Here in the Morning
Don Williams – I’ll Be Here in the Morning (2014): The Gentle Giant’s Final Word on Love and Lasting Devotion If ever a song could serve as a perfect, tender…
Don Williams and Joey Lauren Adams – Cryin’ Eyes
Don Williams and Joey Lauren Adams – Cryin’ Eyes (1997): The Quiet Echo of Heartbreak Hidden in Plain Sight There is a timeless beauty in a song that doesn’t scream…
Jim Reeves and Deborah Allen – Don’t Let Me Cross Over
Jim Reeves and Deborah Allen’s “Don’t Let Me Cross Over”: A Timeless Echo of Temptation and Regret For those of us who lived through the golden age of Country Music,…
Marty Robbins – Shackles and Chains
Marty Robbins – “Shackles and Chains”: A Somber Country Standard About Life’s Unseen Burdens When we think of Marty Robbins, our minds often jump to the cinematic sweep of “El…
Marty Robbins – The Story of My Life
Marty Robbins – “The Story of My Life”: A Quiet Hymn of Unrequited Love Penned by Pop Royalty To discuss Marty Robbins’ 1957 smash hit, “The Story of My Life,”…
Marty Robbins & Merle Haggard – Devil Woman
Marty Robbins & Merle Haggard – “Devil Woman”: The Electric Live Meeting of Two Country Giants When you mention “Devil Woman,” the mind of any classic country music lover immediately…
Marty Robbins – How’s The World Treating You
Marty Robbins – “How’s The World Treating You”: A Masterclass in Poignant, Post-Breakup Civility The true beauty of classic country music, particularly the sophisticated strain that emerged in Nashville during…
Jim Reeves and Ginny Wright – “I Love You”
Jim Reeves and Ginny Wright – “I Love You”: The Tender Breakthrough That Heralded a New Star There are songs that merely entertain, and then there are those that mark…
Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline – “Have You Ever Been Lonely?”
Jim Reeves & Patsy Cline – “Have You Ever Been Lonely? (Have You Ever Been Blue?)”: A Ghostly Duet of Timeless Longing Ah, the sound of their voices together… for…
Marty Robbins – Chained To A Memory
Marty Robbins – “Chained To A Memory” (1946/Recorded Later): The Timeless Agony of a Love That Refuses to Fade To fully appreciate the depth of Marty Robbins, we must look…
Marty Robbins – Mr. Shorty
Marty Robbins – “Mr. Shorty” (1966): The Unsung Ballad of Underestimated Justice on the Dusty Trail To immerse oneself in the music of Marty Robbins is to open a well-worn…
Don Williams – I’ve Got a Winner in You (1978)
Don Williams – “I’ve Got a Winner in You” (1978): A Quiet Declaration of Victory in the Game of Love In the annals of Country Music, few voices possess the…
Don Williams – We Should Be Together (1974)
Don Williams – “We Should Be Together” (1974): The Gentle Giant’s First Top 5 Plea for Simple, Enduring Love There’s a beautiful, understated power in the early work of Don…
Don Williams – Where Do I Go from Here (1977)
Don Williams – “Where Do I Go from Here” (1977): A Tender Question Echoing in the Quiet Spaces of a Gentle Giant’s Legacy Ah, to speak of the man they…
Marty Robbins – The Strawberry Roan
Marty Robbins – “The Strawberry Roan”: The Epic Cowboy Ballad of Man Versus Beast, and the Pride That Takes a Fall. Ah, “The Strawberry Roan.” Now we’re riding back in…
Marty Robbins – Am I That Easy To Forget
Marty Robbins – “Am I That Easy To Forget”: The Timeless Echo of a Broken Heart That Won’t Be Silenced. There are some songs, my friends, that simply feel like…
Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash – Streets Of Laredo
A shared farewell ballad where two voices honor the dignity of loss, memory, and the passing of time When Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash came together to perform “Streets of…
Jim Reeves – Billy Bayou (1958)
Jim Reeves – Billy Bayou (1958): The Whimsical Tale That Rode the Wave of Country’s Golden Era Let’s take a trip back to the tail end of the 1950s, a…
Jim Reeves – This World Is Not My Home (1962)
Jim Reeves – This World Is Not My Home (1962): The Gentle Baritone of an Eternal Longing There are songs that simply entertain, and then there are hymns that gently…