Put A Record On: Dolly and Duets

Dolly and Banjo — a match made in heaven.

Welcome back to Don’t Rock the Inbox. Here’s this week’s music recommendation post and playlist, which are for paying subscribers only. If you’re interested in paid content but not able to afford it, shoot us an email.

The Good

"Bound To Ride," Dolly Parton and the First Ladies Of Bluegrass: Dolly Parton and bluegrass was a pitch perfect combo, up until the very, very end. — NW

Bluegrass Women, Lindsay Lou: Speaking of which — an all-star cast that just happens to be made up completely of women doing bluegrass and country standards? Obviously a must-listen. — NW

Occasional Rain, Terry Callier: Remember underheralded innovator Terry Callier from our interview with Ashawnta Jackson about Soul Folk? Well, one of his most ambitious albums is getting a vinyl reissue thanks to Slow Down Sounds — not to reduce his output to vibe, but this one has fall listen all over it. — NW

"Endless Texas Summer," Chaparelle: We are, in fact, in an endless summer here in Texas (recordsetting triple digit days etc.), so this feels apropos. The guitar riff makes this one, but there's nothing wrong with that. — NW

“Two Things Can Be True,” Miranda Lambert: Classic country weeper from our King. - MM

Americana Fest: The Free Show Guide

I will confess: there is so much going on at Americana Fest in Nashville this week, it is hard to get your head around it all. The insane heat wave and spread out nature of the venues makes navigating it all a bit tricky (and hot). That said, there is

Converting The Skeptics: Roger Miller

Let's start off by admitting that I don't know if anyone reading this newsletter is actually skeptical of Roger Miller. His box set is called "The Genius Of Roger Miller," after all. But I find that his name gets mentioned a little less often

Dolly Parton and the Highwomen at Newport Folk: An Excerpt from 'Her Country'

Over the past few months, I've been really enjoying sharing some archival interviews from people I spoke with for my book Her Country, which will finally be available in the UK on September 24 via Omnibus Press. You can preorder a copy here, which has a new cover,

On Dolly Parton, Brilliant In Every Era

Today marks an unfathomable loss: Dolly Parton has died. Brilliant artist, devoted philanthropist, remarkable human; to list her achievements here feels redundant, as the cult of Dolly has long since gone national. Here, I've collected some of my writing on Dolly that has been scrubbed from the web;