Nashville Or Bust

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  Nashville or Bust Week 23: George Strait, The Exception

  Spending time with the modern country star that everyone agrees is pretty neat.

  November 17, 2009 | 12:42pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 22: Lee Hazlewood, space cowboy/peculiar guy

  The wry, tragic cowboy stylings of a Hollywood misfit.

  November 3, 2009 | 1:48pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 21: Keith Whitley, son of Lefty

  The Lefty Frizzell trail leads to an interpreter who could sell any emotion.

  October 20, 2009 | 12:00am -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 20: Garth Brooks

  Is Garth Brooks history’s greatest monster?

  October 6, 2009 | 2:29pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 19: The Legendary Lefty Frizzell

  The man who was Merle before Merle.

  September 22, 2009 | 12:14pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 18: Emmylou Harris and the perfection problem

  The queen of interpretation proves that she's more than "a collector of songs."

  August 18, 2009 | 12:42pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 17: Billy Joe Shaver, Honky-Tonk Hero 

  Meet the outlaw who got left behind.

  August 4, 2009 | 11:00am -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 16, Special Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club Crossover Edition: George Jones: The Heartbreak Kid

  Meet the man who made the world sad. And his multiple personalities.

  July 21, 2009 | 12:01am -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 15: Jimmie Rodgers’ White Man Blues

  Getting back to the source with America's Blue Yodeler.

  July 7, 2009 | 12:00am -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 14: The Louvin Brothers’ tragic songs of Satan’s realness 

  The sinful, regretful, sweetly harmonized world of the Louvin Brothers.

  June 23, 2009 | 12:00am -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 13: Tom T. Hall, America’s Storyteller 

  The man behind the story songs.

  June 9, 2009 | 12:00am -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 12: Hank Williams' Lost Highway

  The sad, transcendent career of the King Of Country.

  May 26, 2009 | 3:36pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 11: Dolly Parton blows up and goes pop

  The endless rise of a country superstar.

  May 12, 2009 | 12:23pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 10: Bob Wills, King Of Texas, Father of Western Swing

  Nathan Rabin explores the undisputed king of Western Swing.

  May 5, 2009 | 1:15pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 9: Merle Haggard: Drinkin’, Prison, Laughing and Sammy Davis Jr.

  Some singers know how to turn their obsessions into careers.

  April 28, 2009 | 11:50am -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 8: Merle Haggard, poet of Poverty Row

  This week’s column connects the dots between a country balladeer and an angry communist hip-hop group, one listener at a time.

  April 21, 2009 | 12:00pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 7: Gram Parsons' solo years: Life hurts

  The grievous angel's journey ends.

  April 14, 2009 | 12:55pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 6: Gram Parsons: The International Byrds Burrito Submarine Brothers Flying Band Years

  In search of Cosmic American Music.

  April 7, 2009 | 3:48pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Week 5: Genre-hopping Willie

   

  March 31, 2009 | 4:30pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Nashville Or Bust, Week 4: Shotgun Willie’s concept albums, or The voice of imperfect man must now be made manifest

  The many concepts of Willie Nelson.

  March 24, 2009 | 4:25pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Nashville Or Bust, Week 3: Johnny Cash’s America

   The long journey.

  March 17, 2009 | 12:00pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Nashville Or Bust, Week 2: Johnny Cash’s American Recordings

  The late spring of Johnny Cash.

  March 10, 2009 | 1:15pm -

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  Nashville or Bust Nashville Or Bust: Introduction

  Nathan Rabin's year-long journey into country music begins here.

  March 3, 2009 | 12:36pm -