From Rifleman to Recording Artist
by Michael McCall
In the 1958-1963 TV series The Rifleman, young Johnny Crawford played Mark McCain, the only child of widower rancher Lucas McCain, portrayed by Chuck Connors.
first appeared: 3/23/2008
Singing Without Limits
by Michael McCall
When Bradley Walker's name rang out inside the Ryman Auditorium in October, the entire audience rose in a standing ovation.
first appeared: 1/20/2008
Hometown Harmonizers
by Alanna Nash
Former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson may have hailed from Staunton, Va. (pop. 23,853), but The Statler Brothers really put the town on the map.
first appeared: 11/25/2007
Titan of the Tuba
by Marta W. Aldrich
Winston Morris stands center stage, anchoring a fanfare of gleaming brass instruments and 26 student musicians who comprise the oldest and most recorded tuba ensemble in the world.
first appeared: 10/7/2007
Making Classical Cool
by Michael McCall
Most classical concerts begin with the performers walking out in a stiff and serious manner and quietly arriving at their instruments without speaking a word.
first appeared: 9/23/2007
Life After the Brady Bunch
by Paulette Cohn
Baby boomers best remember Florence Henderson as one of America’s favorite TV moms: Carol Brady on the popular 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch.
first appeared: 9/9/2007
Donna Fargo: Singing a New Song
by Alanna Nash
Country singer Donna Fargo delighted millions of music fans in the 1970s with upbeat songs such as 'Funny Face' and 'The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.'
first appeared: 8/19/2007
Pickin' Grinnin' and Giving
by Pam Windsor
Even though 2007 marks his 60th year as a performer, Roy Clark is as excited as ever about making music.
first appeared: 6/10/2007
Trent Willmon Contest Winners
The cold rain and choppy water didn't stop two Kansas City natives from enjoying their fishing trip with country music star Trent Willmon.
first appeared: 5/15/2007
Alabama Goes Back to Church
by Chris Neal
Randy Owen, lead singer of the country group Alabama, had a couple of very good reasons for wanting to make a CD of gospel music.
first appeared: 4/22/2007
Sharing His Faith
by Beverly Keel
Until they saw him on television playing the bumbling but loveable farmhand Eb on Green Acres in the late 1960s, almost no one in Tom Lester’s hometown of Laurel, Miss., thought he would become a successful actor in Hollywood.
first appeared: 3/4/2007
Spreading the Chicken House Gospel
by Audrey T. Hingley
In 1973, Ray Pollard allowed a local gospel group to use the vacant chicken shed behind his house in Montpelier, Va., for a practice session. Word got around, and about 35 people showed up to enjoy the music.
first appeared: 2/25/2007
Singing the Language of Love
by Cynthia Rubin
At the Sarasota Memorial Nursing Home Center in Sarasota, Fla. (pop. 52,715), an assembled audience of patients slowly but surely perks up...
first appeared: 2/11/2007
Christmas Classics
by Katie Dodd
When you ask people to name their favorite holiday films and shows, few cite recent releases. Instead, more than any other time of year, Christmas inspires movie fans to gravitate toward the classics that they first saw as children.
first appeared: 12/10/2006
'Little House' Popularity Endures
by Bob Gulla
The Little House on the Prairie television series, which ran for nine seasons beginning in 1974, struck a lasting chord with audiences on its way to becoming one of TV’s most popular and enduring programs.
first appeared: 12/3/2006
Dance Hall Days
by Kristen Tribe
A crowd gathers around the stage at Gruene Hall, singing along as Kelly Willis belts out a tune on a steamy summer night in New Braunfels, Texas (pop. 36,494).
first appeared: 11/26/2006
Rockin' Role Models
by Pam Windsor
Seventh- and eighth-graders pour into the gym at South Laurel Middle School in Laurel, Ky., quickly filling the bleachers.
first appeared: 10/22/2006
Happy Birthday, Dick Tracy
by Beverly Keel
Dick Tracy, the stern, upright, big-city police detective in the bright yellow fedora who snagged some of the most sinister criminals known in the comic-strip world, turns 75 years old this week.
first appeared: 10/1/2006