By Mark Kemp Here’s a great way to start out your week: North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Kamara Thomas‘ tender ode to her guitar, with lyrics any player could identify with: I wept all night when I forgot my axe Down in New Orleans at the One-Eyed Jack’s And that’s no way to treat…

A member of the the Nick Drake Appreciation Society (yes, there is such a group and you can join it on Facebook) emailed us awhile back with a link to the above video, a version of the song “Hazey Jane 1” from Nick Drake’s 1971 album Bryter Layter, minus everything but guitar and vocals. Without…

By Mark Kemp Among the most famous musical families in U.S. history – from the Guthries to the Jacksons to the Wainwrights and Roches – none has made a more profound and lasting impact on American popular culture than the Carters. And no Carter Family documentary has captured that impact better than director…

By Greg Cahill Hot on the heels of the vinyl release of four classic albums (including three that are being released on vinyl for the first time), the controversial Dixie Chicks have embarked on their first headlining US tour in a decade. The two-LP, 150-gram vinyl remasters (each disc includes…

Henry McCullough, the guitarist for Paul McCartney and Wings whose notable work includes the gorgeous solo on the band’s 1972 No. 1 hit, “My Love,” died today after a long illness, according to Billboard. McCullough was 73. “He was a pleasure to work with, a super-talented musician with a lovely sense of humour,”…

From the July 2016 issue of Acoustic Guitar | By GREG CAHILL When NASA rocketed a gold-plated album into the cold, dark reaches of space aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1977, the space agency chose to showcase Earth’s music, including Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F (First Movement) and…

There are so-called supergroups and then there’s the ultimate supergroup, the Highwaymen: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. Kristofferson sums up their special dynamic pretty well: “Willie’s the outlaw coyote. Waylon’s the riverboat gambler. I’m the revolutionary communist radical and John is the father of our country.”…

The Blues Society, a documentary directed by Augusta Palmer, captures the spirit and importance of the Memphis Country Blues Festival between 1966 and 1969, a time when people of all racial stripes came together to make music in a city that was rife with tension and segregation. Watch a sneak preview above, which…

The Guardian’s recent profile on Margo Price is a perfect excuse to get to know the Nashville singer/guitarist and her exemplary brand of spit-fire country-rock. Her debut album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, which is full of tales of drinking and trouble, was rejected 30 times before Jack White heard her, and signed Price to Third Man as his label’s first country artist.…

It’s pretty rare for Justin Timberlake to n’sync his singing with a guitar — it’s hard to dance with an axe, after all — but recently the pop star picked up his Gibson J-200 with vintage sunburst and performed a syrupy, acoustic cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” with Anna Kendrick at the Cannes Film Festival. Co-stars…

By Greg Cahill There’s an ancient wisdom to the songs of Chaim Tannenbaum. After five decades behind the scenes, Tannenbaum has quietly become a folk-music legend, of sorts. This expert multi-instrumentalist has been a longtime collaborator of the Wainwright-McGarrigle family (including Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and Loudon, Rufus, and Martha…

Editor’s Note: Bummer alert for those of us who watch music-themed soaps (slowly raises hand), Nashville has been cancelled. The ABC show, which officially ends May 25, has launched many careers—from the young songwriters who pen the music to the actors who sing it. For Chris Carmack, landing the role of…

The Wild Reeds—Kinsey Lee, Sharon Silva, and Mackenzie Howe—have released a new three-song EP, Best Wishes. Listen to “What I Had in Mind” from the EP. “‘What I Had in Mind’ came to me at midnight as an extended vocal diary entry after being blind sighted at the loss of a major…

With his latest recording, Too Late to Die Young (Tompkins Square), American-primitive pioneer Harry Taussig, 75, has refined certain aspects of what he has done before. Too Late to Die Young is an in-depth exploration of a single guitar in a single tuning. “I now realize the direction in which…

Donovan will tour North America this fall to celebrate his 1966 hit single “Sunshine Superman” turning 50. The ’60s folk-rock icon promises the Sunshine Superman Tour will be a hit parade, with performances of its namesake song, as well as “Mellow Yellow,” “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” “Jennifer Juniper,” and more. Tickets…

Though he wasn't known to pick up an acoustic guitar very often, we found this clip of him from a 2004 MTV special

Fingerstyle guitarist Andy McKee launched his career on Youtube, and he continues to make great videos. The guitarist is releasing this video of “Ouray” in advance of his new live album, Live Book, which arrived in Europe in February and comes out worldwide on April 22. McKee is currently embarking on the U.S. leg…