Dixie to Arms

Dixie Chicks first came together as a bluegrass quartet in Texas in 1989, later becoming a trio in 1995 when founding members (and sisters) Emily Robison (banjo/dobro) and Martie Maguire (fiddle/mandolin) were joined by 21-year-old Natalie Maines (daughter of guitarist/producer Lloyd Maines) as the group's new lead vocalist and guitarist. By the late 1990s, the classic Dixie Chicks trio lineup struck a stunning balance between the traditional Nashville sound and the contemporary influences of alternative rock and pop. In 2016, Columbia/Legacy have reissued the Dixie Chicks classic four studio albums: Wide Open Spaces (1998), Fly (1999), Home (2002) and Taking The Long Way (2006), newly remastered and available on vinyl and digital download.

Dixie Chicks first came together as a bluegrass quartet in Texas in 1989, later becoming a trio in 1995 when founding members (and sisters) Emily Robison (banjo/dobro) and Martie Maguire (fiddle/mandolin) were joined by 21-year-old Natalie Maines (daughter of guitarist/producer Lloyd Maines) as the group's new lead vocalist and guitarist. By the late 1990s, the classic Dixie Chicks trio lineup struck a stunning balance between the traditional Nashville sound and the contemporary influences of alternative rock and pop. In 2016, Columbia/Legacy have reissued the Dixie Chicks classic four studio albums: Wide Open Spaces (1998), Fly (1999), Home (2002) and Taking The Long Way (2006), newly remastered and available on vinyl and digital download.

It s Saturday Night!, an exciting collection of rockabilly recordings from the same label. Starday Records was launched in Beaumont, Texas, in the early 1950s, with perfect timing to catch the first wave of the rockabilly tsunami that would sweep the Southern states of America between 1954 and 1958…and the Texas teenagers with their distinctive cat music were just as ready to rock as those being captured by Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Tennessee. A cult label for rockabilly collectors worldwide - if not the holy grail of all rockabilly record labels - Starday embraced the new teenage music enthusiastically, introducing the likes of Sonny Fisher and Sleepy LaBeef, as well as revitalising the careers of veterans such as Link Davis, Bill Mack and Leon Payne. In addition, household-names-in-waiting such as George Jones, Big Bopper and Link Wray would also cut their teeth with the little Texas label. Following the 1970s rockabilly revival, even more of these artists were to become internationally famous with their renown being directly attributable to their time with Starday/Dixie; Fisher, LaBeef, Rudy Grayzell, Glenn Barber and Joe Poovey, all enjoyed extended musical careers courtesy of their insatiable European fans, while those that were unable to tour became absent heroes whose 1950s recordings could still fill dance floors decades after they were laid down.

Anybody who has cut a standard like "Drift Away" can hardly be called unappreciated, but a hit of that magnitude can tend to overshadow the rest of an artist's career. Such is the case with Dobie Gray, who not only had a huge number five hit with "Drift Away" in 1973, but had a number 11 hit eight years earlier with "The 'In' Crowd." Two big hits, both widely known, which is more than most artists get, and Gray continued to chart throughout the '70s, albeit in the lower reaches of the R&B charts. All of this suggests that Gray was a minor talent, but that's misleading, as Hip-O Select's excellent four-disc box set Drift Away: A Decade of Dobie (1969-1979) proves. Chronicling the music Gray made after "The 'In' Crowd," it illustrates that Gray wasn't just a powerful yet nuanced soul singer, but that he restlessly tried different sounds and styles. The first tracks on this set collect his singles for the L.A. soft pop label White Whale, where he cut versions of Joe South's "Rose Garden" and Paul Williams' "Do You Really Have a Heart" that perfectly fit the label's breezy, lazy style while retaining a soulful edge. After that, it moves to his Drift Away album, recorded for Decca in 1973.

Anybody who has cut a standard like "Drift Away" can hardly be called unappreciated, but a hit of that magnitude can tend to overshadow the rest of an artist's career. Such is the case with Dobie Gray, who not only had a huge number five hit with "Drift Away" in 1973, but had a number 11 hit eight years earlier with "The 'In' Crowd." Two big hits, both widely known, which is more than most artists get, and Gray continued to chart throughout the '70s, albeit in the lower reaches of the R&B charts. All of this suggests that Gray was a minor talent, but that's misleading, as Hip-O Select's excellent four-disc box set Drift Away: A Decade of Dobie (1969-1979) proves. Chronicling the music Gray made after "The 'In' Crowd," it illustrates that Gray wasn't just a powerful yet nuanced soul singer, but that he restlessly tried different sounds and styles. The first tracks on this set collect his singles for the L.A. soft pop label White Whale, where he cut versions of Joe South's "Rose Garden" and Paul Williams' "Do You Really Have a Heart" that perfectly fit the label's breezy, lazy style while retaining a soulful edge. After that, it moves to his Drift Away album, recorded for Decca in 1973.

Anybody who has cut a standard like "Drift Away" can hardly be called unappreciated, but a hit of that magnitude can tend to overshadow the rest of an artist's career. Such is the case with Dobie Gray, who not only had a huge number five hit with "Drift Away" in 1973, but had a number 11 hit eight years earlier with "The 'In' Crowd." Two big hits, both widely known, which is more than most artists get, and Gray continued to chart throughout the '70s, albeit in the lower reaches of the R&B charts. All of this suggests that Gray was a minor talent, but that's misleading, as Hip-O Select's excellent four-disc box set Drift Away: A Decade of Dobie (1969-1979) proves. Chronicling the music Gray made after "The 'In' Crowd," it illustrates that Gray wasn't just a powerful yet nuanced soul singer, but that he restlessly tried different sounds and styles. The first tracks on this set collect his singles for the L.A. soft pop label White Whale, where he cut versions of Joe South's "Rose Garden" and Paul Williams' "Do You Really Have a Heart" that perfectly fit the label's breezy, lazy style while retaining a soulful edge. After that, it moves to his Drift Away album, recorded for Decca in 1973.

From his '86 multiplatinum debut Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. through '01s South Of Heaven, West Of Hell, this expansive 4-CD boxed set culls material from Yoakam's entire Warner Bros. career. Presents 87 tracks circa 1981-2002, encompassing singles, album, cuts, previously unissued material, rarities, and soundtrack selections. Contains 3 brand new recordings (exclusively available to this set): "Sittin' Pretty," "Louisville," and "Mercury Blues." Includes a full disc comprised of nothing but previously unreleased material, including rare early demos from 1981, and live gems from various venues spanning nearly a decade, including renditions of "Truckin'," and "Mystery Train."