It’s a funny old thing getting old. On one hand there’s much of modern life which eludes me and on the other there’s so much of the past I can enjoy for reasons of nostalgia which must seem incomprehensible to any millennial.

Much of this came to me while watching the football the other night in my old home town of Dundee. There’s so much that is familiar in walking down to Tannadice from Clepington Rd with my son. In some ways almost nothing has changed and yet…My pal and I got talking in the ground about how much of the stadium had changed, what half time refreshments consisted of (was it simply pies and bovril as he remembered?) and I recalled how during the early 70’s the crowds were so low the club put on side-shows at half-time to bring in more customers. Who can forget the pie eating contest or Santa visiting one year? (Santa, it seems, still runs our defence)

There is in music too a great nostalgia for the past, often half remembered. There’s much that I forget but I’m quite good on years. Unfailingly someone will insist on telling me they saw a gig I was involved in before it was even possible to have performed it. Musicians will wax endlessly about instruments built in particular years and insist (usually to long suffering partners) how owning a particular guitar of some far off year will make  their musical journey so complete that all appropriate sacrifices should be made.

There is too a  great myth of old for old’s sake. The word ‘tape’ is now expelled so reverently in some circles one almost feels the need to genuflect. The disdain with which certain musician vew the term MP3 is always a joy to behold. A very good producer told me how a more famous producer colleague insisted he had such items on his computer until the first one helpfully went through his digital store to point out that, contrary to his claims, he listened to them all the time. Neil Young is the high priest of this incorruptible sonic school. Quite how Neil establishes the difference in the aural quality of digital sampling after a lifetime of rockin’ in the free world at deafening volume is beyond me.

I thought of some of this when thinking about our guests this week, The Low Anthem. When they first appeared as session guests they brought with them a rolling musical junk shop of instruments and tuned percussion that delighted us. Eschewing the musical snobbery of all I have set down above they rejoiced in the pump organ, the crotale and the slightly distressed drum kit. They created the impression that, should someone offer to replace any of these artefacts with more reliable pristine items, they’d be told where they could put store them.

So it was sad to hear of the missing years of the band where many of the instruments used in these early gigs and recordings were destroyed in the van crash which also injured bassist and founder member Jeff Prytowsky. In a remarkable turn of events it was the convalescence of his band mate Prytowski that triggered the creative spurt of Ben Knox Miller to write the current album, ‘The Salt Doll Went To Measure The Depth of The Sea.’ You can hear that story and the band in session on this Tuesday’s Another Country when they’ll share the genesis of this album and what really went on in the years since we last saw them.

We’ll have bluegrass, gospel, country music you love and some great new things from Kim Richey, Kala Kater, Deam Owens and many more. We’ll be live this Tuesday from five past nine on BBC Radio Scotland FM. Join me if you can.

In a fairly shabby common room within a college that no longer exists there was a juke box whose contents were seldom, if ever, rotated. Money being tight for students in the late 70’s it’s probably fair to argue that choosing an EP on the old wurlitzer was a little more of a thrifty option than selecting a straight 45. One of the EPs available was a beautiful 4 track selection by Hall and Oates. There is always something about ‘She’s Gone’ that thrilled me then but perhaps the extra bottom end from the old record machine just drove the point home. Somehow that Hall and Oates EP could delay anything…usually a swift return to study….and even sliced between the most hideous hits from the era it would resolutely proclaim to anyone who was listening, ‘we’re from Philly and we make this music because we love it.’

It was in that context I first went to see Hall and Oates. By this time a further ten years or so had passed and I was keen to see was the new Concert Hall in Glasgow looked and sounded like as we were booked to play a little later in the year. We went, Mrs R and I, to see Daryll and John and their splendid combo of musicians. It didn’t disappoint.

Apart from the brilliant tv show, ‘Live From Daryll’s House,’ which has featured some great Americana acts I had no expectation that my radio life would ever cross paths with Daryll or John. That all changed a few weeks ago when new Nashvillian, Mr Oates released his latest solo album, ‘Arkansas.’ It turned out that we would be in Music City at exactly the same time as John’s album was coming out and the final night of his tour came to town. Like all things Hall and Oates, it was perfect timing.

I spent an hour or so with John talking about his new life in the south and the music of the south inspiring him in his new direction. We shared mutual joy at the draw of the landscape which opens up as you drive south-west to Memphis and encounter the majesty of the Mississippi as it separates the two states of Tennessee and Arkansas. We talked about Mississippi John Hurt, the great players John encounters in his new home town – including mandolin legend Sam Bush – and why all of this is really a home coming to the music he was making before that fateful meeting with his old partner, Daryll Hall.

What you won’t hear in the interview is how wonderful all of this was live as it wasn’t until three days later that we went down to 3rd and Lindsley to watch, at close quarters, John Oates and a hand picked selection of great pickers play a spell binding gig.

So this Tuesday night on Another Country you can hear all of that conversation, more selections from the south from Elvis Presley, Sonny James, Ashley Monroe and new acts Mattiel and Cicada Rhythm. Join me from five past nine this Tuesday evening on BBC Radio Scotland FM….I think there’s some football match on the other side…can’t quite remember who’s playing though.

As Patty Loveless (sort of said) I think about Elvis quite a lot these days. I blame the last ten years of visits to Tennessee where it’s hard not to let your mind wander a little towards the times when The King was in town.

One of the things to do in Nashville is to go on the RCA Studio B tour to see where Elvis Presley recorded. Apart from that particular studio there really isn’t much other evidence that Elvis was ever in town. However, he really was in Nashville a lot. The only apparent reason for the lack of any physical relics of his recording career there seems to be that his fame was so great his recording schedule was entirely nocturnal and during daylight hours Elvis laid low in his hotel suite. This seems reasonable, though slightly inconclusive for me and my search for Elvis in Music City continues.

On our visit this year I was therefore quite taken by the large billboards bearing his image which trailed the upcoming HBO documentary on his music titled, The Searcher. Produced and directed by Thom Zinny with additional support from Bruce Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, The Searcher has still to get a transmission date in the UK. We’ve therefore asked our Nashville correspondent, Bill DeMain to give us the low down having watched  the screening last week.

What we do  know is this: Popular music journalism  declared Elvis unfit for rock ‘n’ roll duty after his return from the army and his enrolment in Hollywood. Purists will declare that nothing is worthwhile in his post-Sun Records recording career. Visit Graceland and the experience (in my sad experience) will do its utmost to divorce Presley from the music he created. In this film the producers have attempted to reverse all of these trends and get us ‘behind the carnival barkers, the headlines and the histories. This is a film that wants us to move in closer.’

Some of us would like to, HBO – but we’ll need to wait and see it first. In the meantime the soundtrack is a joy. A Double CD of Elvis recordings from all parts of his career and a bonus CD of the music which shaped him . If you can look and listen out for The Blackwood Brothers, Little Junior’s Blue Flames, Howling’ Wolf and Bill Monroe.  We’ll be thinking and talking Elvis on Tuesday evening.

Bill DeMain will also showcase some records which have crossed his Nashville turntable since his last visit. Meantime we want you to hear  The Jellyman’s Daughter, Scott Matthews and Isaac Gracie from this side of the Atlantic and from America we’ll bring you wonderful new records by The Brothers Osborne, Brent Cobb and Little Bandit.

So much to enjoy and only two hours to play everything. Check in early. We’re on air from five past nine this Tuesday on BBC Radio Scotland.

We all know what Philip Larkin said about parents and there’s time when, as a parent, I’ve whole heartedly agreed with him. However over the last few weeks I’ve had a chance to think on all of this a little further.

My own Mother turned 90 a couple of weeks ago and with most of her grandchildren and great grandchildren around her we’ve been celebrating her remarkable life. My Mum was a teacher all her working life and (fortunately for me) was  popular at the primary school I where she worked and I attended. Though she never took my own class I knew a lot of pals who were taught by her and she was loved and respected by all of them…though, like me, they probably knew she could take them apart if they stepped out of line.

One Friday at the fag end of June I was on the bus which took me to my grandparents’ house at the other side of town when two girls from the year above started a conversation. They were to be taught by my mother the following year and they identified me as her offspring and wanted a word. I was nervous. It came as such a relief to be told they were so delighted to be getting taught by Mrs Ross and were at pains to tell me how happy they were. The journey went a little better than expected.

I’ve been thinking about parents and children a lot over these last few weeks. In Nashville we spent a fascinating evening with Del Bryant as he told us the remarkable story of his parents Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and their ground breaking songwriting career. The pride of a man towards his folks was palpable. Similarly, later in the same visit, I spent some time with Gordon Kennedy as he told me stories of his father Jerry and his role as a Nashville Cat as well as producing some of the seminal 60’s country records. These are tales we hope to tell in full over the coming months.

Meantime we caught up with one of Nashville’s most interesting families. Marcus Hummon is a great musician and songwriter who has written massive hits for The Dixie Chicks and Rascal Flatts for which he was nominated twice for Grammy, winning once. A few weeks ago we caught up with his son Levi when he visited Glasgow. Levi’s music career is just taking off and we’ve been enjoying playing his gorgeous single, ‘Love Heals,’ a duet with a duet with Alison Krauss.

Love Heals is the motto of Levi’s mother, Becca Stevens’, charity Thistle Farms. You may have heard me talk to Becca on my Sunday Morning special from Nashville a couple of weeks ago. An Episcopal Priest, Becca responded to the need of women she encountered in Music City who were struggling to re connect after penal sentences.

Combatting a wide range of problems she established safe houses and a social enterprise which allowed them to find a settled home and work pattern in an otherwise disrupted life. It was at a charity night for Thistle Farms that her son, Levi and her husband, Marcus had the idea of writing the anthem, ‘Love Heals’ and releasing the song for the benefit of the project. On Tuesday we talk to Marcus, hear Levi in session and you will discover their remarkable story.

Elsewhere we will celebrate Kacey Musgraves‘ position of queen of all she surveys by playing you some of her current collaborations and another gem from Golden Hour. We’ll introduce you to the joys of The Brummies, Sarah Shook and play you the man Nashville passed on and Jack White believed in, Joshua Hedley.

All in two hours? We’ll try but we’ll be starting sharp at five past nine on BBC Radio Scotland this Tuesday evening. Join me if you can.

Did that just happen? It’s a question we’ve asked ourselves a lot over the last ten years or so as we (metaphorically) sweep out the studio floor after a mesmerising session or interview. In Nashville this year it happened about twice or three times a day.

It started early too. Within a couple of hours of our first morning we had our hands on a grammy.(I checked my spelling twice there) You can hear some of the fruits of our labours this coming Tuesday on Another Country when you’ll hear some of the records we heard on our little Mitsubishi rental car radio. Listen out for some great things from Conway Twitty and Carly Pearce heard in the car or spilling from a honky-tonk or two or at a song writers round.

Conversationally we catch up with Johnny Cash’s younger brother, Tommy Cash, radio veteran Keith Bilbrey but spend a great deal of time with the great John Prine. Our first Nashville ‘moment’ came early on the first morning as we steered our car out of the parking garage and fumbled around to find our go-to modern country radio station…Nash FM. (There are a few but, for whatever reason I’ve used this FM station as a reliable guide to what’s happening on country radio at any given moment.) To our delight and surprise the opening chords for ‘A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega’ were playing. It was a magical moment as we were due to catch up with the singer and writer of the song, Ashley McBryde the following day.

When the day came round we found our way to a famous club gig in Music City called Third and Lindsley. It was around 6 o’clock in the evening and we’d timed it to be there for her finishing a sound-check. The doors weren’t opening for another hour and winter was having one last blast as sleet started to fall. Nevertheless, snaking round the club was a 150 yard queue of fans determined not to miss the support act...Ashley McBryde. The gig was a triumph as you might expect and for  40 minutes before the show we sat down with her in her dressing room and heard the story of how Ashley played her own string of dive bars or as she sings it:
It took a whole lot of yes I wills and I don’t care
A whole lot of basement dives and county fairs
To this show right now and y’all sure look good out there
Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere

Later on that first morning we had another ‘Did that just happen?’ moments too. I think it was walking out of John Prine‘s ‘Oh Boy Records’ office and realising we’d spent an hour with one of the greatest songwriters of the last 50 years. We were celebrating the fact John is releasing his first new recording since before Another Country went on air and the fact we were getting a chance to reflect on his rich back catalogue of songs. We talked about ‘The Tree of Forgiveness’ (it’s a nightclub you know), Dan Auerbach and then we talked through some old songs and that Chicago mail route John was walking when he came home and wrote Sam Stone. It’s all in a fascinating second hour this Tuesday.

Along the way you’ll hear how Keith Bilbrey remembers his first night hosting The Opry and you’ll hear some amazing music and how Ray Stevens came to Music City where, aged 79, he’s opening his own caba-ray. Only in Nashville folks!

We’re on air from five past nine on BBC Radio Scotland FM. Join me if you can.

A few years ago I was working in Brixton, London with a young Ugandan keyboard player/producer called ‘Fingaz.’ We talked over many things and (for some still unknown reason) the subject of Country Music came up. ‘I love it,’ he told me. I looked askance ….’Fingaz,’ I implored, ‘why would YOU love country music?’ ‘Simple.’ he replied ‘The stories.’

He was right of course. It’s the stories. This week’s Another Country comes from our recent adventures in Music City where we encountered a great variety of music people who all had a great collection of stories. In this week’s first episode you’ll hear Josh Osborne tell you how he played his first nervous song round through to his multi platinum successes with Chris Young, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Sam Hunt and Midland. It’s a great listen for anyone who feels like almost giving up…..Josh had a few false starts so talking to him in his writing room where he was surrounded by awards and gold discs told its own story.

Josh’s office is a brand new-build on Music Row belonging to his publisher Smack which is owned by Shane McAnally. The Row is changing but publishing is still the core of its working life. Little publishing houses with dusty writing rooms and large corporate shiny offices are all part of the geography of 16th and 17th Avenue South..the postal address of Music Row. That is all in cosmopolitan West Nashville. However if you’re looking for the new, the strange or the alternative then you need to head over the Cumberland River to East Nashville. On Gallatin Pike you’ll find a unique little pre-loved clothing store called High Class Hillbilly which is owned by one of our favourite artists from 2017, Nikki Lane. Here’s what the front window of her shop looks like:

Nikki is an artist and and an entrepreneur and it’s the latter which has allowed her music to flourish. Alway from the mainstream of Music Row hers is a story which will help you understand how country keeps being re invented. You won’t hear Nikki on the main country FM stations or see her being music being discussed or played on CMT. She is however doing something vital, fresh and new which will eventually inform and influence the mainstream. You need to hear her story, not least to find out how she managed to get so close to those buffalos on her record sleeve.

Finally we caught up with Nancy Jones (widow of George) who gave us a personal tour of the George Jones museum. Nancy will tell you how George never could duet with Frank Sinatra, the real tractor story and explain how George’s hair always looked so well kept. Mostly she’ll reflect on why most people agree George had the best country voice of all time.

It’s the stories people…..and they’ll all be part of our Nashville radio specials this week and next. Start this Tuesday on BBC Radio Scotland FM from five past nine.

It’s been interesting being in Music City for the last week or so. There’s much to tell you about our visit here, but safe to say, many people we meet are interested in our take on C2C. BBC Scotland’s close proximity to the event itself has been one of the reasons why we’ve been able to lock in with the festival. As the soundchecks roll through we can ‘spring’ an artist or two from the confines of their dressing room and bring them over the river to talk at our live events.

On the Saturday of the festival we welcomed a live set from Brett Young as well as an extended conversation from rising superstar Kelsea Ballerini. So it’s welcome news that as the sun went down on Nashville last night the news broke that Brett had just won an early ACM award as Male Vocalist of the year. Though the awards are made on the 15th of April three of the winners received ‘surprise’ phone calls from host Reba McIntire. (So surprising that the phone calls were filmed and posted on twitter…but hey it’s Nashvegas!) Brett is a worthy winner. Two great Number One singles and another which we loved (Sleep Without You) gave him an incredible 2017 and he talks too in this conversation about his current single, ‘Mercy’ written with Sean McConnell.

We catch up too with Kelsea Ballerini. Kelsea, as my family will attest, is my go- to pop country artist of the last 18 months or so. I was originally interested in her progress as she was a lone woman in the country air-play chart at the time. I can’t remember the exact details but I seem to remember one week where the only other female singers on the countdown were members of duos or groups. With her excellent follow up album to ‘The First Time’ coming out towards the end of 2017, C2C was a perfect place to reflect on three hugely successful years. Oh and you’ll get to hear about her dog called….‘Dibs.’

We’ll catch up with Sugarland backstage at the Hydro too. They’ve gone through a fairly lengthy hiatus but are back with a new album and renewed energy. You can hear the inside chat from Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles as they set out on an extensive road trip over the spring and summer.

And finally but with the biggest fanfare I can muster….. we also welcome Kacey Musgraves. I’ve already gushed about Kacey’s C2C set here a couple of weeks ago so I won’t bore you again, you will however hear what happened when she popped into our mini studio (my breeze-block dressing room)  backstage in her pre gig slippers. I’ve met Kacey a few years back and the contrast of her then and now is profound. First time round it almost seemed if every step of the promotional journey was a little tentative at best and painful at worst. Three albums later and huge success already behind her it’s remarkable how confident and happy she now seems. Newly married and with the knowing look of someone who’s just delivered the album she knows will change perceptions, Kacey was in expansive form. The five minute chat we had planned suddenly became much longer and it was great to hear her take on her success as well as her palpable excitement about the new album, Golden Hour.’ The album comes out this coming Friday so you can judge for yourselves but you need to hear the conversation.

That will all be played out this Tuesday on Another Country on BBC Radio Scotland FM. Wee start at five past nine.

We’re out in music city. As I write this it’s warmer here than back home and we’re glad to see the back of the snow…though a tornado warning here does give me pause for thought.

On this week’s Another Country we’re going to let you have your own Nashville experience as we play out the conversations we recorded at C2C at BBC’s Pacific Quay. If you couldn’t be there you’ll not know that we had some great stories on the Friday afternoon when we welcomed Midland, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Campbell and Margo Price.

It was a great pleasure to welcome back Margo. The first time round she’d managed to fight off a stomach bug and still perform brilliantly for the round at our Celtic Connection show in Glasgow’s CCA. A year before her album came out we played a track by Margo on our show as recommended by our correspondent Bill DeMain. Margo’s own story of being roundly ignored by the Music Row community is one of life’s sweeter tales when viewed from her current position as the darling of the alt-country loving world. On the Jack White’s label and free to write and record the music she’s always wanted to, her interview makes for compulsory listening for anyone wanting to be inspired to make music when everything is conspiring against you. (Selling the car to pay for studio time is a particular tale that sticks in my mind)

Of course Margo’s story contrasts with our two members of country’s royal families. Ashley Campbell and Lukas Nelson are the daughter and son of two of the greats of country music. Ashley’s father Glen Campbell has brought so much pleasure to generations of fans but it’s questionable whether his influence status is any greater than the last of the living Outlaws, Willie Nelson, father of Lukas. You will enjoy hearing their own stories of their parents while Willie makes an extra guest appearance on Margo’s record too.

Midland are going to be such a huge country act. Based in Austin Texas they bring something fresh and raw to country music. Three western guys who love the music of Gary Stewart and Keith Whitley. Their harmonies bear witness to the influence of these two  artists and for people of my generation think those early Eagles albums and you’ll get a good sound picture of the band.

Yesterday Richard Murdoch and I spent time with Josh Osborne one of the co-writers on Drinkin Problem and his writing room was proof of the success of that song. No 1 country song awards and ACM nominations were littering the place and really it’s just the beginning for Midland. We will play the conversation with Josh out in future weeks but he confirmed what you’ll hear for yourself: Midland are something very special.

It’s a show packed with country stars and it starts at five past nine on BBC Radio Scotland FM. Join me if you can.

The title of this makes it sound much more exciting than it is. We’re bunkered up in my dressing room at The Hydro on the final night of C2C….(one of the tour managers was audibly surprised that we had one..we assume he thought we media types should just lurk around in the corridors)…..which is really a small box with a couch and a table. As well as hosting conversations across the water on Friday and Saturday we’ve been trying to corner one or two of the artists for conversations on this last day.

Looking back it’s been another spectacularly successful weekend. C2C Glasgow has hosted a wide range of artists from different schools within country and the audience have welcomed all of them to their hearts. It’s been lovely to watch people see and hear songs performed live for the first time here in Scotland and see them being received with genuine joy. I walked around the venue as Kelsea Ballerina was in full flow to see groups of different women singing along to every word and later that evening enjoyed the Tim ‘n’ Faith Soul to Soul show and discovered, to my amazement, neither had ever visited Scotland before!

It was a weekend of firsts. First time in the big venue, first time for the new Spotlight Stage which, after a few teething problems, worked very well as an acoustic platform for a few breaking acts and, for me, the first time I’d been aware of such a diverse array of covers. We heard Tom Petty‘s American Girl by Midland, Ashley Campbell covering Gentle on My Mind and Faith and Tim open their set with George Michael‘s ‘I Knew You Were Waiting For Me. Believe me we were surprised too!

Highlights? There were many. Though some people moaned about The Hydro, the majority enjoyed the bigger atmosphere and all round excitement and scope it brought to the festival. A nice addition was the record shop in the foyer where acoustic sessions were taking place. Musically Midland, Margo Price, Brett Young, Morgan Evans, Ryan Kinder, Kelsea Ballerini were all highlights. Faith and Tim in all honestly battered my senses a little. I’ve never seen the need for 5 guitarists in any band and the sound engineer decided he needed to turn it all up and it became a bit of a sound war for me. Later on it settled down and Tim McGraw himself delivered a gorgeous few hits of which, Lori McKenna‘s Humble and Kind proved to be one of the best moments. If there’s been a more complete performance this weekend than Little Big Town I haven’t seen it. They gave us everything….honesty and passion in delivery and real light and shade too. Coming out of Little White Church and onto the acoustic stage at the back of the arena was a clever move and they really showed off their musicality with four voices and two guitars in that short segment.

The Glasgow audience loved Luke Combs and Kip Moore though duties elsewhere meant I wasn’t able to catch all of them and this leads me to remark on something we, the punters, and the artists all seem to agree on. The Scottish audience are a delight. Loud and vocal when they needed to be but respectful and listening when required. Full marks people.

Since writing most of the above I have enjoyed two wonderful conversations with Sugarland..and I caught a good bit of their excellent show on Sunday…and Kacey Musgraves. I’m probably in a minority here and don’t all shout at me at once…but I really did think Kacey’s set had so much of what I was hoping for. Intelligent, crafted and sung and played with impeccable precision and economy; it was the most enjoyable thing I have seen in a long while. Perhaps too it was helped by her band playing with the restraint required to help her FOH sound person get a beautiful sound-balance which proved you really can sound great at The Hydro. People will now begin to assault me on why Kacey isn’t a headliner etc (I’ve already had a twitter battle) and there are some reasonable arguments here…but, and this is a big but…. Kacey will never be what she cannot be and, for me given how good the material and the voice is, concentrating on delivering songs impeccably with great humour, warmth and musical intelligence is all she needs to do. And yes…I did hear her dedication and yes…there is now a big picture of her on my bedroom wall.

On this Tuesday’s AC we’ll play out many of the songs which got us excited over the weekend, share some great acoustic sessions from Brett Young, Lukas Nelson and Midland and, inevitably share all that’s best in country. Join me live this coming Tuesday night on BBC Radio Scotland FM from five past nine.

Oh the bitter winds are coming in
And I’m already missing the summer….

In the coldest of times it feels appropriate to anticipate two young women who know a little about waiting out the winter. Johanna and Klara Soderberg come from the city of Stockholm but also spent a good few times enduring the icy blasts of Omaha Nebraska to bring you the music we’ve enjoyed so far. On their new album, ‘Ruins’ however they swapped the joys of the mid-west for the musical hub that is Portland Oregon. Now working with Tucker Martine and assorted luminaries from his phone book, First Aid Kit’s new record is a small parcel of gently unfolding joy.

On their recent visit to Glasgow to play a sold-out show at the Academy, Klara and Johanna came in to see us and, to our surprise and delight, made time to record an exclusive session as well as a long conversation about where they are now. Watching them perform through the glass that day I was taken by how naturally they become First Aid Kit as soon as they start singing. Very simply Klara strums her guitar and crafts of those rich melodies so typical of their canon of music. Then, within seconds, Johanna brings the harmony and, with nothing else accompanying them, their sound is complete. It’s on tape so you can hear it too; but I wanted you to know that in its most basic form the sound of First Aid Kit is a wonderful and magical thing.

In conversation they talk about love, life on the road with their extended family and the thing we all know about them ..their respect  admiration and deep knowledge of country music. It was their song Emmylou (quoted above) in tribute to the bond between Gram  and Emmylou and Johnny and June Carter Cash which brought tears to the eyes of Ms Harris herself on a tribute night in Stockholm a couple of years back. In celebrating the love of Johnny and June too the Soderbergh sisters confirmed their true status as worthy keepers of the flame of country music.

On this week in 1968 Johnny Cash and June Carter were married; and fifty years on the best way to celebrate their legacy will be playing new music which carries on the tradition. As two people who inspired and nurtured new talent I’d imagine they’d be delighted that was how we marked the day.

Join me with for a very special two hours this Tuesday evening on BBC Radio Scotland from five past nine.

Next weekend will be busy too. Another Country will be hosting extended conversations for Country to Country. Some of you may well be in the audience, but fear not if you can’t make it as we will be recording everything for future broadcast. If you can’t get to Glasgow next weekend you may well love next Sunday Morning with when my special guest in the first hour will be Beth Nielson Chapman. It’s on BBC Radio Scotland this Sunday from five past ten.