It’s been a great tradition of country music. Falling in love, marrying, getting divorced, singing about it and…well, getting back together again. You don’t have to be a fan to have a passing knowledge of Johnny and June, Tammy and George and Merle Haggard and……. lots of people.
So this Friday it’s with great pleasure that we celebrate a new couple of country, Jason Isbell and Amanada Shires. Together in Glasgow to play at King Tuts last Friday we booked them in to the AC early to talk and play. Amanda and Jason have both made excellent albums this last year and, for the first time ever, they have been touring together as a self contained double act. there were no other musicians on the tour and the stark and sober reflections of Jason’s new album Southeastern make it a very appropriate record to showcase in an unplugged format. Amanda plays fiddle on that album and her own CD, Down Fell The Doves is one of the AC’s albums of the year – no doubt. They play together and apart and we ask them both what it feels like to be on the road with their other half. (as if I didn’t know!)
We’ll continue this celebration with some other couples – Marty and Connie, Billy Joe and Norah and our faves Zervas and Pepper. All this and a new single from Bruce Springsteen too. Listen out for some fanatstic new things from Rick Redbeard, Jadea Kelly and some lovely old one…yes, Elvis on the AC – that’s always a good week. It all on BBC Radio Scotland. Visiting hour is between 8 – 10.
Any plans to mark the 12th anniversary of George Harrison’s death on tonight’s programme… I know we don’t associate him much with country but there were country influences on his guitar playing and songwriting.