I love American roots music.  I've been watching the Ken Burns series on country music, and it has reminded me of just how much I love Americana music.  Here's a few songs, including a new and great one out of Texas, to keep your Sunday buzzin'.  

Let's start new with Whiskey Myers out of Tyler, Texas.  If you like rock, I don't know how you won't be able to like this, too.  It grooves and moves, and makes me want to take my girl out and dance.  Here ya go:
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I've loved Joe Ely's music forever.  He's from West Texas where the sky goes on forever and the land is flat as a pancake.  If you want to see for a few miles, stand on a coffee can and the view unfolds.  I've seen him a few times, and this is one of my favorite tracks.  It's all American in the best way possible.
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I like to dance.  Here's a great little dance track from Dwight Yoakam.  I like honky tonks blasting out great tunes just like this one.  Try it out and then go find your person and go dancing.  You won't be sorry, trust me.

Perhaps the best country/roots performer out there is a fella named Chris Stapleton.  I'm going to give you about 15 minutes why.  Take a look and a listen when you have the time.  He's so goooooood.
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Let's go back-to-back classics:  Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.  Enough said.
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There you go.  New to old, but all great.  How's that for a beautiful sunny Sunday?  

You know I'm thinking of you and enjoying immensely the fact that you decided to hang out with me for a few minutes.  Swing by soon as I've got three concert reviews to post, and I'm adding to that list this week.  Phew, I'm tuckered out just thinking about it!

See you soon.

I've been stuck on Smokey Robinson lately, particularly this song.  I love it.  I want to share it.  It's sweet, sad, and yet hopeful too.  And it has a bouncy sound that you can dance to.  Here you go:
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My oh my, the musicians of my youth are all beginning to play their last gig.

Last week, Ric Ocasek of the Cars and Eddie Money of Eddie Money both cashed their last check and left us mere mortals to wander the face of the Earth.

I was always a Cars fan.  Their first album didn't sound like much of the other "radio ready" songs being played on my FM kit, and they had a very nice career run.  The man behind it all was Ric Ocasek.  A gaunt, skinny dude with always-on shades, Ric was not the most dynamic performer I've ever seen, but hey, he married a supermodel and made enough dough that he could live a life many of us only dream of.  Here are a couple of Cars tunes in remembrance:
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Good stuff, right?

And then there's Eddie Money.  He came blazin' out of the radio during my high school years with a couple of monster hits.  Somehow he was able to remain relevant enough to score a reality TV show decades later.  I didn't really follow his career, but just have fond memories of driving around in V-8 muscle cars in the late 70s with Mr. Money on the radio.
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I have a feeling that the Reeper is going to be busy with a lot of older rockers soon.  That will be an end of an era.  But the magic of recorded music and YouTube will keep these people in our minds and hearts for as long as we want to remember them.  For now, let's say goodbye to Ric and Eddie, and wish them godspeed.  
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