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JOHN PAUL KEITH: THE RHYTHM OF MEMPHIS
When John Paul Keith moved to Memphis, he had no idea how far down the city’s deeper-than-deep well of music, creativity and inspiration...
By Alan Richard
Jun 3, 202111 min read


OH, MERCY! MEET DEVON GILFILLIAN
Soul singer Devon Gilfillian hit the streets last year with thousands of his Nashville neighbors to protest police brutality after George...
By Alan Richard
May 12, 20218 min read


Rick Holmstrom: SEEING THE LIGHT
Rick Holmstrom’s chiming, cutting, blistering guitar is like a duet partner on many of Mavis Staples’ recordings over the past two...
By Alan Richard
Apr 23, 202110 min read


MATT ROLLINGS' MUSICAL MOSAIC
If you’ve listened to music from the past 25 years, you’ve likely heard Matt Rollings’ stylish and soulful piano, his pristine work as a...
By Alan Richard
Apr 19, 202112 min read


KYSHONA WANTS US ALL TO 'LISTEN'
As Nashville singer-songwriter Kyshona Armstrong begins touring again, she won’t quite be the same dynamic singer as before. She won’t be...
By Alan Richard
Mar 27, 20218 min read


KELSEY WALDON'S FREEDOM SONGS
Kelsey Waldon was on a tour of the world, singing songs from her first album for John Prine’s record label, 2019's White Noise, White...
By Alan Richard
Mar 18, 20218 min read


NEW MUSEUM LIKE 'A RIVER OF SONG'
The new National Museum of African American Music recently opened in Nashville, just across the street from the Ryman Auditorium. Check...
By Alan Richard
Feb 26, 20211 min read


Barry Gibb: COUNTRY-SOUL MELODY
Barry Gibb has come full circle. From the folk-rock trio with his brothers to adapting Philadelphia soul into the Bee Gees’ distinctive...
By Alan Richard
Jan 12, 202110 min read


OUR FAVORITE MUSIC OF 2020
Welcome to SoulCountry’s first-ever “favorites” list. There was so much unforgettable music made in 2020 that'll stay with us long after...
By Alan Richard
Dec 31, 20206 min read


MEMPHIS' SACRED SOUL REVIVAL
MEMPHIS — Inside a restored Memphis brownstone dating to the 1860s, Pastor Juan D. Shipp danced and pointed through the studio window as...
By Alan Richard
Dec 27, 20202 min read


RISSI PALMER'S COLOR OF COUNTRY
Had Rissi Palmer not become one of a handful of Black women ever to make Billboard magazine’s country-music charts, perform on the Grand...
By Alan Richard
Dec 19, 20209 min read


DeLila Black's Country-Punk Vision
In a little club in London, DeLila Black marches on stage in a dark, honky-tonk western shirt, slacks with an oversized belt-buckle, and...
By Alan Richard
Aug 8, 20208 min read


THE GOSPEL OF STAX
LEGENDARY LABEL RE-RELEASES LOST CLASSICS, WITH HELP FROM MEMPHIS WRITER In the early 1970s, Stax Records already was known for soul...
By Alan Richard
Jul 5, 202010 min read


SOUL MUSIC and CIVIL RIGHTS
HOW 1960S AND 70S SOUL IS STILL CHANGING THE WORLD Can soul music save the world? In many ways, it already has. It did for me and still...
By Alan Richard
Jun 21, 20209 min read


ESQUERITA: LOST ROCK LEGEND
Without Esquerita, there might have been no Little Richard, hence no Prince and no Elton John—and no rock ‘n roll as we know it. Little...
By Alan Richard
Jun 3, 20201 min read


MARSHALL CHAPMAN'S SONGS, SOUL AND GRACE
The first time I ever spoke with Marshall Chapman, she was crying on the other end of the telephone line. My assignment as a young...
By Alan Richard
May 21, 202013 min read


SWEET PEA ATKINSON: A TRIBUTE
Blues and soul singer Sweet Pea Atkinson passed away on May 4, 2020 after a heart attack. He was 74. Born in Ohio and raised in Detroit,...
By Alan Richard
May 11, 20206 min read


Little Richard: MUSICAL GIANT
How to pay tribute to one of the godfathers of rock 'n roll, who took gospel, blues and soul along with him for the kind of wild ride few...
By Alan Richard
May 10, 20206 min read


WHY HALL & OATES MATTER
Rooted in Philly soul, the duo blended folk, rock, country, and new wave into their own irresistible sound. Daryl Hall and John Oates met...
By Alan Richard
Apr 5, 202010 min read


A TRIBUTE TO BILL WITHERS
Soulful singer-songwriter Bill Withers died on March 30, 2020. Born in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, WV, and raised in the town of...
By Alan Richard
Apr 4, 20203 min read
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