
Merle Haggard passed away Wednesday on his seventy-ninth birthday. Entertainers don’t get any more genuine than Merle the Pearl. He could talk the talk because he had walked the walk. In and out of trouble, in and out of prison,…
Merle Haggard passed away Wednesday on his seventy-ninth birthday. Entertainers don’t get any more genuine than Merle the Pearl. He could talk the talk because he had walked the walk. In and out of trouble, in and out of prison,…
It has steadily fallen for the past decade or two, but there was a time when Rod Stewart’s 1971 album Every Picture Tells a Story routinely landed near the top of most “Best Albums” lists. There are probably several reasons…
When you grow up in Montgomery, Alabama the name “Atlanta” has a certain magical charm to it. The city’s towers of steel and glass rose on the horizon of our imaginations like Oz’s Emerald City, full of wonder and delight.…
At the beginning of any given week I have at least two or three ideas about what I want to do for FNWGG. By Wednesday I have chosen one, by Thursday night I have completed the write-up, and Friday morning…
The past two editions of FNWGG have been (by necessity) somber in tone, so tonight I want to lighten the mood a little bit. What better way to brighten things up than with a harmonica, a washboard, random percussive elements,…
It looks like 2016 is going to force us to face a harsh reality. Just days after the passing of David Bowie, Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey and Mott the Hoople drummer Dale Griffin died, both at age 67. All of…
Writer’s note: On Wednesday night I finished writing this essay about Jason Isbell that mentions Sadler Vaden. Unbeknownst of this, on Thursday morning Vaden tweeted out an article about Isbell—a day before my essay goes out worldwide on the BGS…
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that there is something about Eric Clapton’s guitar playing that always feels appropriate on New Year’s Eve. In last year’s New Year’s Eve Edition we featured Clapton performing with his hero J.J. Cale.…
Welcome to a special Thursday edition of FNWGG. As with last year’s Christmas edition, we are keeping it simple: one song, beautifully sung. Those who believe that this song strictly a children’s carol have never heard this rendition of it. …
Today is Keith Richards’ seventy-second birthday. Let’s skip all the worn-out jabs about how unlikely and scientifically contradictory his continued existence is. I would suggest that rather than being surprised by Keith’s longevity, we should instead be appreciative of it.…