country music Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

‘The Farewell Tour’ brings readers back in time to Tacoma’s honky-tonk history

By Lauren Gallup March 22, 2023

The exterior of Steve's Cafe, later commonly known as Steve's Gay '90s, as it appeared in April of 1951. The real-life dining and entertainment hot spot is a setting in the historical fiction novel, The Farewell Tour. Photo courtesy of Northwest Room at The Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studio A57331-36.

While the West Coast is known for grunge and surf rock, Stephanie Clifford’s latest novel, a piece of historical fiction, reminds readers of the roots country music has here, especially Tacoma. Tacoma, a burgeoning port city on Commencement Bay in the 1940s and 50s, plays a central role in The Farewell Tour. The book is an American West tale of coming home, with a few Read More

Northwest Native Brandi Carlile Talks Ambition, Avoidance And Finally Finding Her Place

By NPR News April 7, 2021

"Queer people love country music," singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile says. "... We just don't think that it's going to open its doors to us. And when it does, it's wildly satisfying." Austin Hargrave/AUGUST

Growing up poor in Washington state, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile learned about harmony and rhythm while performing as a backup singer for a friend's dad, who worked as an Elvis impersonator.Read More

Charley Pride, Country Music’s First Major Black Star, Dies Of Coronavirus Complications At 86

By NPR News December 13, 2020

Pride died Saturday from complications of COVID-19 in Dallas. The baritone-voiced singer was the first Black man inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.Read More

Country Star Mickey Guyton: Why Being ‘Black Like Me’ Shouldn’t Be Twice As Hard

By NPR News June 9, 2020

"I did Nashville the Nashville way for so long ... with very little results," Guyton tells NPR. "So why am I holding out just in case?"Read More

RIP John Prine: A Man Whose Songs Saw The Whole Of Us

By NPR News April 7, 2020

John Prine, performing during Coachella on April 27, 2014. CREDIT: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The music of this quintessential Nashville songwriter and lifelong independent spirit makes room for the wide range of emotions that careen through people as they stumble and dance through life.Read More

The Woman Leading The Fiddle Revival In Country Music

By NPR News December 31, 2019

Jenee Fleenor at the 53rd annual CMA Awards on Nov. 13, 2019 in Nashville, Tenn., where she was honored as the first woman to win Musician of the Year. Leah Puttkammer/Getty Images

Fiddler Jenee Fleenor is the first woman ever to win the Country Music Association's Musician of the Year Award. Her work is partly responsible for the instrument's resurgence.Read More

A New Podcast From Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad Asks: Can Dolly Parton Heal America?

By NPR News October 29, 2019

WNYC's new podcast, Dolly Parton's America, examines the role of the country icon in building social bridges in a divided country. CREDIT: Christine de Carvalho/WNYC

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to WNYC's Jad Abumrad about his new podcast which explores the life and legacy of the prolific songwriter and her ability to bridge the divide in America.Read More

Rosanne Cash Brings Fire And Ice For NPR Tiny Desk Concert

By NPR News October 6, 2019

Rosanne Cash plays a Tiny Desk Concert. CREDIT: Amr Alfiky/NPR

Roseanne Cash has been making great records for forty years, but she's never played or written better music than she's doing right now.Read More

Country’s New Supergroup ‘The Highwomen’ Unite To Make Way For Unsung Female Artists

By NPR News September 16, 2019

The Highwomens' self-titled album is out now via Elektra Records. Alysse Gafkjen/Courtesy of the artists

Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires talk about the formation of their new all-female supergroup, a gutsy move within a male-dominated genre.Read More

Ken Burns Reveals The Song Stuck In His Head As ‘Country Music’ Series Premieres On PBS

By PBS Newshour September 14, 2019

Promotional picture for the Ken Burns documentary 'Country Music'

In his latest compendium of American culture, filmmaker Ken Burns, along with writer Dayton Duncan, explores the history of “Country Music” in a new 16-hour documentary. Burns said that story-songs are a phenomenon that can be traced back centuries, to long, multi-verse ballads that were handed down from generation to generation.Read More

With A New Album, Tanya Tucker Is Back And Taking No Prisoners

By NPR News August 23, 2019

Tanya Tucker's While I'm Livin', out now, builds on her storied country legacy. Danny Clinch /Courtesy of the artist

After first shooting to fame in the 1970s, Tucker is back with her first full-length studio album in more than a decade called While I'm Livin'.Read More

For Women Musicians, Maybelle Carter Set The Standard And Broke The Mold

By NPR News August 13, 2019

Maybelle Carter, playing her autoharp, performs with her daughter, Helen. Robert Alexander/Getty Images

One of the most indispensable guitarists of all time, Carter was a quiet revolutionary. Though she didn't concern herself with celebrity or need to be the star, she deserves our deepest admiration.Read More

Missed For A Decade, Roots Icons Buddy And Julie Miller Return To A Shared Spotlight

By NPR News July 5, 2019

A prolific force in Americana, beloved and emulated by Nashville royalty, the couple is back with its first album together in a decade — guided, as always, by a powerful but adaptable partnership.Read More

In Erika Ryan’s Voice Come The Moody Sounds Of The West

By PBS Newshour July 3, 2019

Erika Ryann performing in Carbondale, Colorado, in 2017. She opened up for Band of Heathens. Courtesy of the artist

The PBS NewsHour recently spoke to Erika Ryann, who is based in Larskpur, Colorado, while on a solo tour. She has been performing and writing for the last 15 years, currently plays both solo and in five other bands, and is releasing her first solo album this coming winter.Read More