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Getting started

Thank you all for signing up. Hopefully this project will help us organize our efforts to improve country articles on Wikipedia. I hope to eventually get to some community discussion about what exactly this wikiproject should do. For example, we might want to do weekly or monthly collaborations, and we might want to develop a country music portal. Our immediate objective, though, should be to recruit more members. There are plently of country music enthusiasts who edit Wikipedia. There's even a category for them. (Don't go spamming their talk pages with invitations to join the project unless you know them and are familiar with their edits; there are several reasons to avoid spamming the category.) Anyway, I have been studying the development of some of Wikipedia's successful wikiprojects. (WikiProject Military History is the most impressive in my opinion.) As far as I can tell, the best way to advertise projects is to tag the talk pages of related articles. That's what {{Countrynotice}} is for. If you're willing to perform a mindless repetitive tasks for hours on end, feel free to get started tagging articles in Category:Country music and its subcategories. Also, we can go ahead and start filling out the project's open tasks chart. If you know of an article that needs to be improved, feel free to place it in the chart. If you have any questions, you can ask on this page or on my talk page and I'll try my best to answer you (or find an answer for you). Once again, thanks for your interest. --TantalumTelluride♪ 02:53, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

Well now I'm ready so let's do this! - Alakey2010 05:03, 16 May 2006
I don't know how to do it, but the template for the country banner needs editing. The WikiProject Country Music link leads here, but the project page link further down in the sentence leads to the project page for numismatists.Juneappal 20:21, 22 May 2006 (UTC) NEVER MIND - I figured it outJuneappal 23:00, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
Sorry about that. I copied some other templates from some other projects, too. I wouldn't be surprised if I messed up more than once. :-[ --TantalumTelluride 23:06, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Goals

I've reiterated our primary goals on the main project page[1]. We don't have much of a group for discussion yet, but any objections or suggestions are welcome. Hopefully some more users will soon join the project so that we can start discussing some major collaborations. I'd like to eventually get some country articles to features status! --TantalumTelluride 05:20, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Mary Chapin Carpenter

The article on Mary Chapin Carpenter needs a lot of work, and I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet. It deserves to get up to the standards of articles like those on Alison Krauss and Linda Ronstadt. I have very limited knowlegde on editing, but a good start could maybe be to put one of those templates on it so that the word is spread that it needs some work. It would be great if someone could do that. 11:20, 05 July 2006 (UTC)

I placed the "request for expert" tag on the article and the "CountryNotice" template on its talk page. However, even with limited knowledge of editing, you can add content and somebody else will be glad to fix any formatting issues that result. Be Bold, my friend.--WilliamThweatt 16:23, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

Johnny Rodriguez

On Johnny Rodriguez's page I put most of his albums and I added a picture as well. So check it out! - Alakey2010 18 May 2006 04:21 pm.

Great start! The text of the article still needs some work, though. It's terribly unencyclopedic. --TantalumTelluride 21:41, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Leroy Van Dyke

This page has very little info we need to expand this page for Leroy Van Dyke. I'll see what I can do for this page. - Alakey2010 21 May 2006 1:08

Billy Walker Dies!

CMT/CMT.com Reports

We need to make a page for Billy Walker I just check it out and there is no page for this Opry star! I would like to send my condolences to the Walker family. - Alakey2010 22 May 2006 4:06 pm.

I was thinking the same thing. It looks like some pages already link to Billy Walker (singer), so that's probably where the article needs to go. --TantalumTelluride 21:35, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
I've started the page at Billy Walker (singer). It's not much more than a stub at this point, though. --TantalumTelluride 23:08, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good free-license or public-domain image that we can use to represent this project? I'm thinking about something like the commons:Image:Waricon.png used at WP:MILHIST. --TantalumTelluride 23:45, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Almost There!

As of 23 May 2006 at 01:55 PM we have 7 memebers! Hope to get that 3 more. - Alakey2010 23 May 2006 01:55 PM.

As of 24 May 2006 at 12:04 PM we now have 8 memebers! Almost there only 2 more until 10. - Alakey2010 24 May 2006 12:04 PM.
As of 31 May 2006 at 09:19 PM we have 10 memebers! - Alakey2010 31 May 2006 09:19 PM.

No. 1 on other charts

I am the creator of the "(year) in country music" pages; so far, pages exist for each year since 1951, and I hope to actually put content with the earlier years in soon. In any case, we have reliable No. 1 information from only the Billboard magazine Hot Country Songs (and its predecessors) charts, since there seems to be reference materials for only that magazine available. What I am wondering is if there is reliable information — print or Web based — for the other charts, such as Radio & Records, etc., since — at least in past years — a song that didn't go No. 1 on Billboard perhaps made the top of R&R, Cashbox, etc. What I'd like to do after such information is found is create a wikilist of some sort listing the No. 1 country songs in chronological order for R&R, Cashbox, etc., and perhaps have it link up with each of the "(year) in country music" pages. Sorry if this request sounds so vague, but any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks. [[Briguy52748 19:09, 23 May 2006 (UTC)]]

That's an interesting idea, but I can't find any reliable online lists of top country songs except for the Billboard charts. --TantalumTelluride 20:39, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
The only reliable source I can think of is actual back issues of Radio & Records magazine, but I doubt that many public libraries subscribe to the magazine, much less keep back issues back to 1973. Same goes for Cashbox and the other trade mags. Perhaps one day someone will write a book compiling the chart histories of R&R, etc., similar to the Joel Whitburn series with Billboard. Thanks anyway. [[Briguy52748 16:24, 29 May 2006 (UTC)]]

T. Graham Brown

We need to make a page for T. Graham Brown he may have not be the biggest star but he had a few good songs and some hits. Also he is a good singer as well! I see what info I can get on Mr. Brown. - Alakey2010 24 May 2006 12:03 pm.

I made a page for T. Graham Brown so check it out. This page could still use some work. - Alakey2010 27 May 2006 10:58 pm.
I put T. Graham Brown's album on his page. But I still don't know when he was born. This page could still use some work. - Alakey2010 28 May 2006 10:13 am.
I explained the copyright violation on your talk page. I'll try to find Brown's date of birth as soon as I get a chance to look for it. --TantalumTelluride 18:22, 29 May 2006 (UTC)
Got it: October 30, 1954, according to the trusty ole All Music Guide. --TantalumTelluride 02:15, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Gene Watson

We need a page for Gene Watson. - Alakey2010 28 May 2006 04:28 pm.

Yep, I'm surprised there isn't already an article for Gene Watson. If you know of any other important people or subjects that don't already have articles, you can add them to the new requested articles section of Template:Country music tasks. --TantalumTelluride 18:11, 29 May 2006 (UTC)
Check it out: Gene Watson. --TantalumTelluride 20:27, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
I just put a picture of Gene Watson on his page so...check it out! - Alakey2010 30 June 2006, 08:06 pm.

Some recent additions to the project page

Here's some additions I've made to the project page's "Request for articles," and why they may be deserving of their own articles:

  • Artists
    • Mel Street — beloved honky-tonk styled singer from the 1970s; sadly committed suicide.
    • Johnny Russell — songwriter, most notably "Act Naturally"
    • Tommy Overstreet — pop-styled singer who had success in the '70s.
    • Johnny Carver — had major hits with covers of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" (his was titled simply "Yellow Ribbon") and "Afternoon Delight."
    • Danny Davis — bandleader who won many CMA awards in the 1960s-1970s.
    • Norro Wilson — songwriter and record producer whose career has spanned five decades.
    • Jimmy Wakely — 1940s country star.
    • Sonny Throckmorton
    • Redd Stewart — Lead singer for Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys
    • Carson Robison — 1930s-1940s country singer.
    • Dickey Lee — pop-styled country singer, had death-themed songs like "Rocky" and "Angels, Roses and Rain."
    • Leon Payne, Dallas Frazier, Dean Dillon, Jerry Foster, Bill Rice, Tommy Collins — All well-known songwriters.
    • Melba Montgomery — honky-tonk styled female vocalist of the 1960s, had duets with George Jones, recorded the sentimental ode to motherhood "No Charge" in 1974.
    • Don Rich — Buck Owens' right-hand man for years, part of the Buckaroos.
    • Margo Smith — Another popular singer of the 1970s, won yodeling contests.
    • Ed Bruce — writer of "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," and had several big 1980s hits of his own.
    • Jacky Ward — country star of the late 1970s-early 1980s; dueted with Reba McEntire on some of her earliest Top 40 hits.
    • That Nashville Music and Pop! Goes the Country — Both syndicated country music programs during the 1970s-1980s.

That's just a start. Briguy52748 15:08, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Let's do something!

Saluton! We now have ten members, and at least a few of us are active, so I think it may be time to start discussing some major projects. I'd like to get some community input about what we should actually do first. If you're familiar with any other wikiprojects, you probably have some ideas about the various schemes that they implement to encourage productivity. For example, many of them have periodic collaborations, where everyone bands together and beefs up a particular article over the course of a fixed amount of time, perhaps a week or month. Alternatively, we could just choose an article to collaborate on until its ready to be submitted for peer review or featured status. (I would really like to see this project improve an article to featured status.) Wouldn't it be cool to have your work appear on the Main Page one day? Anyway, now let's hear it. Would you all like to have a country collaboration of the <insert length of time here>? Or do you have any other suggestions? --TantalumTelluride 03:07, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

I like the idea of having a collaboration project for everybody here to research and contribute to. (Thanks for the Welcome, by the way. I have worked mostly on modern acts, like Chesney, Strait, Garth, etc., but I'm into all kinds of Country & Western). It would be great to have a Country article reach feature status.--WilliamThweatt 03:44, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

Since nobody seems to be making any suggestions about a collaboration, I'll stick my neck out and suggest we do something with Jimmie Rodgers (country singer). Personally, I think this could make a great featured article candidate if it could get fixed up. He's widely acknowledged as the "first country music superstar"...seems like a good place to start. I grew up listening to my Grandpa strum his guitar and sing "Waitin' for a Train" over and over. Rodgers influenced all the early greats. What does everybody think?--WilliamThweatt 01:30, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

Another suggestion that seems obvious to me is the Carter Family article. As the first country "super star group", A.P. and Mother Maybelle have influenced every generation of Country singers and songwriters. Who doesn't know how to pluck out "Wildwood Flower"? I think this would make another good candidate for Featured Article if it was fixed up and wikified.--WilliamThweatt 01:43, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

What time period do you think would be best? In my opinion, a week is probably too short and a month is too long. What do you think about two weeks or perhaps half a month? --TantalumTelluride 16:51, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

I would like to suggestion Hank Williams. He was a great singer and songwriter and his music lives to this day. All of his hits like "Hey, Good Lookin'", "Your Cheatin' Heart", and others have become American classics. Hank Williams is a true country music icon. - Alakey2010 11:38 AM, 05 June 2006

Check out Wikipedia:WikiProject Country Music/Collaboration. I've added the first three suggestions, but you can feel free to amend your nomination statements, which I just copied and pasted from this page. We can start the first collaboration on June 15; that way it'll be easy to keep track of when each collaboration is supposed to begin and end. --TantalumTelluride 21:18, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

Billy "Crash" Craddock

Just started this article from the "requested articles" section of Template:Country music tasks. Should I remove it from the template? Or place it in a "stubs to be expanded" section?--WilliamThweatt 04:25, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

I guess you can just move it to the "stub" section. --TantalumTelluride 06:04, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

White trash with money

It says on Toby Keith's White Trash with Money page that the song "runnin block" is controversial does anyone know why? I have the CD and i recommend to any Toby fans but I don't know why it's controversial. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kevmicester2000 (talk • contribs) 19:43, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

The song is probably offensive to some listeners because it makes fun of obesity. Feel free to change the wording of the article for clarification. In fact, since there are no sources cited, the article isn't very reliable at this point. --TantalumTelluride 04:58, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia Country Hall of Fame

It's exactly what it sounds like I propose that we have a Country wikipedia Hall of Fame it could include Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams --Kevmicester2000 20:49, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

The only problem with that idea is that we'd have to violate Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy in deciding who to include and exclude from the Hall of Fame. I have a pretty good bit of experience at WP:MfD, and I'd say that that a Wikipedia Hall of Fame probably wouldn't survive very long. Pages in the main namespace have to be neutral and encyclopedic, while pages in the project namespace have to somehow support or improve the main namespace. We might be able to pull something off by saying that it improves community spirit, thus indirectly helping the encyclopedia. (It seems as though a lot of users, even Esperanzians, have been forgetting lately that Wikipedia is a community as well as an encyclopedia.) What do you think about a page or section where each member of the project lists his/her favorite country singers and/or songs? That way, we would also know which articles each member might be especially interested in improving. --TantalumTelluride 21:32, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
  • While not a literal hall of fame, there's nothing wrong with maintaining a list somewhere on the Project page of featured country content as a Wikipedia Country Music HoF rather than a Country Music HoF on Wikipedia. Staxringold talkcontribs 20:15, 16 July 2006 (UTC)

CMT Outlaws

Check out the page for CMT Outlaws I just made it. It still needs alot of work. - Alakey2010 25 July 2006, 11:39 am

Ratings: Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other

Anyone willing and able to help me or find ratings information about Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other "such as sales figures...and which record charts the song has appeared on"? I would appreciate it much and it would be a quick and easy way to turn an article into a Featured article, per Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other. Hyacinth 19:48, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Featured article candidates

Is the Hank Williams page on Wikipedia:Featured article candidates? - Alakey2010 07:12 p.m. Monday, August 07, 2006

Having worked on a more than a few Featured Article Candidates in the past, I can say with confidence that the article is not ready for Featured Article status yet. There are not enough in-line sources to support all the statements of fact. I've worked on articles of approximately this same length with footnotes numbering in the 30s and 40s and people still complained that the article was not thoroughly sourced. Also, they like to see the nitty-gritty details of longer sections broken off into daughter articles, especially where tables and lists are concerned. Lastly, the folks that tend to "vote" on Featured Articles are sticklers for prose style, punctuation and grammar. Redundancy, ambiguous clauses, colloquial phrasings, etc won't cut it. I don't know enough about Hank to do what needs to be done here and I don't have access to any sources to provide references. Since it seems that work has stalled here in this circle, I'm going to submit this article for Peer Review to get some fresh eyes on it and to offer suggestions for improvement.--WilliamThweatt 02:47, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again

Kickin' Out the Footlighs...Again is an upcoming about by American country music singer and songwriters George Jones and Merle Haggard. This album is to be released on October 24, 2006 on the Bandit Records label. Merle Haggard and George Jones will record an album together this summer. Kicking Out the Footlights...Again will feature Haggard singing five of his favorite Jones songs (such as "She Thinks I Still Care"), and Jones will offer covers of five of his favorite Haggard songs (including "Silver Wings"). They also plan to record several duets for the project that will be produced by Keith Stegall, best known for his work with Alan Jackson. "The last time we recorded together was 25 years ago, and though we've both changed a lot over the years, our love for real country music and respect for each other has only gotten stronger," Jones said. They released the album, "A Tast of Yesterday's Wine", in 1982. The title track (written by Willie Nelson) reached No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart. – Alakey2010 03:35 p.m., 14 August 2006 (CDT)

Singer-Songwriter Johnny Duncan Dies of Heart Attack

Johnny Duncan, a country hitmaker of the '70s, died Monday afternoon (Aug. 14) after suffering an apparent heart attack while being flown to a Fort Worth, Texas, hospital. Earlier in the day, the 67-year-old singer-songwriter had sought treatment for abdominal pains he experienced at his home in Dublin, Texas. Duncan was a cousin of Jim Seals (of the pop duo Seals & Crofts) and Dan Seals (who moved to a country career after a pop career in England Dan & John Ford Coley). After attending Texas Christian University, Duncan moved to Clovis, N.M., in 1959 to record with producer Norman Petty, who had worked with Buddy Holly. After working as a radio disc jockey, Duncan moved to Nashville in 1964. A guest appearance on Ralph Emery's local TV show led to a contract with Columbia Records. He charted his first single, "Hard Luck Joe," in 1967 and scored his first Top 10 hit in 1973 with "Sweet Country Woman." However, his greatest success began in 1976 when he enjoyed a Top 10 hit with Kris Kristofferson's "Stranger." He followed it up with three No. 1 singles -- "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous," "It Couldn't Have Been Any Better" and "She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed (Anytime)." Funeral arrangements, which were incomplete late Tuesday (Aug. 15), are under the direction of Harrell Funeral Home in Dublin. – CMT/CMT.com Reports

This page has very little info we need to due something about this! - Alakey2010 05:55 p.m., 15 August 2006 (CDT)

Tom T. Hall

On Tom T. Hall's page there is very little info about one of country music's greatest songwriter. So if we could put more info on his page that would be great! I will see what info that I can get on Tom T. Hall. – Alakey2010 12:50 p.m., 19 August 2006 (CDT)

Harold Bradley

Got word this morning that Harold Bradley is a new inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, but yet there is no article. He is a legendary session musician (guitarist) who performed on some of country music's best-known hits (too many to list, but a few include "Crazy," "King of the Road," and "Make the World Go Away," among many many others) and is a founding father of the Nashville recording scene (he and brother Owen Bradley built the Castle Recording Studio in the 1940s), and has many, many other honors. I've placed this article on the "requested articles" page, but someone should do a story on him. Thanks! [[Briguy52748 15:54, 30 August 2006 (UTC)]]

Strait, James and Bradley Tapped for Country Hall of Fame

Contemporary superstar George Strait, '60s and '70s hitmaker Sonny James and legendary studio musician Harold Bradley have been selected as the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. The formal inductions will take place during the 40th annual CMA Awards on Nov. 6 in Nashville.

Strait will become the second artist inducted in a category for artists who achieved national prominence between 1975 and the present. James will be inducted in a separate category for those who achieved career prominence between World War II and 1975. Bradley will be inducted in a category honoring recording and/or touring musicians active prior to 1980.

Strait, James and Bradley will increase membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame from 95 to 98 inductees. All Hall of Fame inductees are selected by a panel of more than 300 anonymous voters appointed by the board of directors of the Country Music Association.

George Strait

George Strait remains one of the most successful and influential country artists of the past 25 years. Born May 18, 1952, in Poteet, Texas, and raised in nearby Pearsall, Strait was the son of a junior high school teacher who owned and operated a ranch that had been in his family for nearly 100 years. After graduating from high school and briefly attending college, Strait married his high school sweetheart, Norma, before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1971. While stationed in Hawaii, he began playing country music with an Army-sponsored group.

Discharged from the Army in 1975, Strait returned to Texas and enrolled in Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. He graduated in 1979 with a degree in agriculture, but he also formed the Ace in the Hole band and recorded a few albums for a Dallas-based independent record company. In 1979, Strait became friends with Erv Woolsey, a Texas club owner and former MCA Records employee. A year later, Strait was signed to MCA Records with Woolsey as his manager.

Strait's debut single, "Unwound," hit No. 6 on the country chart in 1981 and became a Top 10 hit. Ever since, he has had at least one single hit the Top 10. He landed his first No. 1 single, "Fool Hearted Memory," in 1982, and his long string of Billboard No. 1 hits include "You Look So Good in Love," "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind," "The Chair," "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her," "All My Ex's Live in Texas," "Blue Clear Sky," "Carrying Your Love With Me," "Write This Down" and "She'll Leave You With a Smile."

From 1997 until 2001, he headlined the George Strait Country Music Festival. The day-long concerts at stadiums throughout the U.S. featured Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and several others.

Strait has sold more than 62 million albums, and his certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 30 platinum and 33 gold albums. According to the RIAA, he has received more Gold albums than any other country artist, and he is currently tied with Frank Sinatra in eighth place for the most gold albums of any artist in any musical genre. Strait has received 16 CMA Awards, including consecutive entertainer of the year honors in 1989 and 1990.

He will release his 34th MCA Nashville album, It Just Comes Natural, on Oct. 3.

Sonny James

Born James Hugh Loden on May 1, 1929, in Hackleburg, Ala., Sonny James was one of the most successful country artists of the '60s and '70s. Known as the Southern Gentleman, James recorded a string of singles that spent a total of 57 weeks in the No. 1 spot on the country chart between 1960 and 1979.

By the time he was 3, James was performing with his family at friends' houses. In 1933, the family band began performing regularly on radio station WMSD in Muscle Shoals, Ala. After winning a regional talent competition, the group performed for two weeks on WAPI in Birmingham, Ala., where vocalist Kate Smith gave the child a silver dollar and predicted he would have a bright future as a musician. The Loden Family performed on radio stations in Arkansas and Mississippi before heading to WNOX in Knoxville, Tenn., in the mid-'40s. At the Knoxville station, James first came into contact with several notable musicians, including Chet Atkins and Earl Scruggs.

After finishing high school and serving a tour of duty in the National Guard during the Korean Conflict, James moved to Nashville and renewed his friendship with Atkins, who had become a successful recording artist and studio musician. Atkins arranged an audition with Capitol Records' producer Ken Nelson. He changed his name to Sonny James before releasing his first Capitol single, "That's Me Without You," in 1953. He scored his first No. 1 in 1956 with "Young Love," a single that spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the country chart and also topped the pop chart.

With a smooth vocal delivery and a sophisticated acoustic guitar style, James began hitting his stride in 1964 with the No. 1 single, "You're the Only World I Know." With a total of 23 No. 1 singles, James was never hesitant to put a country spin on songs that had been pop hits for others. His biggest hits include "Take Good Care of Her," "I'll Never Find Another You," "A World of Our Own," "Born to Be With You," "Bright Lights, Big City," "My Love," "Running Bear," "It's the Little Things" and "Only the Lonely." Backed by his band and vocal group, the Southern Gentlemen, James toured the U.S. and overseas and made frequent TV appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Bob Hope Show and The Andy Williams Show.

In 1961, James became the first country artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1967, he and Bobbie Gentry co-hosted the first-ever CMA Awards show. James moved to Columbia Records in 1972 and scored a string of Top 10 singles, including two that reached No. 1. He became involved in music publishing and producing other artists during the early '70s. His production work with Marie Osmond includes three albums and her first No. 1 single, "Paper Roses," in 1973. James retired from performing in 1983 to raise cattle in Alabama. He currently lives in Nashville.

Harold Bradley

One of the most prolific session musicians in the history of recorded music, Harold Bradley is a founding father of Nashville's recording industry. Born Jan. 26, 1926, in Nashville, he is the brother of legendary record producer Owen Bradley, who himself was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974.

Harold Bradley's first instrument was a tenor banjo, but he soon began playing guitar and was touring as a member of Ernest Tubb's band, the Texas Troubadours, during the summer between his junior and senior years in high school. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Bradley studied music at George Peabody College in Nashville while playing guitar for artists on the Grand Ole Opry. His first country music recording session took place in Chicago in 1946 with Pee Wee King & the Golden West Cowboys. When Nashville's recording industry began to flourish in the late '40s and early '50s, he became in great demand as a guitarist and banjo player. Adept at rhythm, lead and bass guitar, he is credited with creating the "tic-tac" style of muting notes on the bass guitar.

Bradley and his brother built Castle Recording Studio, Nashville's first recording facility, in the late '40s. In 1955, they built the Bradley Film and Recording Studios as the first studio to be located in the area near downtown Nashville that became known as Music Row. They sold the studio to Columbia Records in 1962.

With a reputation as the Dean of Nashville Session Guitarists, Bradley was one of the city's original "A Team" studio musicians. His session credits include numerous classics, including "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" (Red Foley); "Ballad of New Orleans" (Johnny Horton); "Jingle Bell Rock" (Bobby Helms); "I'm Sorry" (Brenda Lee); "Crazy" (Patsy Cline); "Only the Lonely" (Roy Orbison); "King of the Road" (Roger Miller); "Big Bad John" (Jimmy Dean); "Make the World Go Away" (Eddy Arnold); "Harper Valley PTA" (Jeannie C. Riley); "Stand by Your Man" (Tammy Wynette); "Coal Miner's Daughter" (Loretta Lynn); and "Swingin'" (John Anderson). He also played on recordings by Joan Baez, Perry Como, Buddy Holly, Burl Ives, George Morgan, Elvis Presley, Charley Pride, Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, Conway Twitty, Gene Watson, Hank Williams and many others. As a solo artist, he recorded three albums of guitar instrumentals.

Bradley was the first president of the Nashville chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), and he has served as president of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) in Nashville since 1991. He became vice president of the AFM International in 1999. – CMT/CMT.com Reports – Alakey2010 04:40 p.m., 30 August 2006 (CDT)

We Did It!

We made our goal of getting 30 memebers by the end of Sepetmber! Thanks. – Alakey2010 30 September 2006, 04:31 p.m. CDT.

Singer Freddy Fender Dead at 69

Singer-songwriter Freddy Fender, acclaimed for his work as a solo artist and with the Texas Tornados, died Saturday (Oct. 14) at his home in Corpus Christi, Texas, following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He was 69.

One of the few Hispanic artists to achieve major success as a mainstream country artist, Fender came to national prominence in 1975 with his No. 1 single, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls." His other No. 1 hits -- all released in 1975 and 1976 -- include "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," "Secret Love" and "You'll Lose a Good Thing."

Born to a family of migrant workers in San Benito, Texas, on June 4, 1937, his real name was Baldemar Huerta. He later adopted the professional name of Freddy Fender, borrowing the last name from the brand name of the electric guitar he played.

Raised in one of San Benito's barrios, he was exposed at an early age to a wide variety of traditional Mexican music and polkas that were popular in the Rio Grande Valley. At age 10, he made his professional debut on a radio station in Harlingen, Texas, but his style was later influenced by black blues musicians he met while his parents traveled to work on farms.

Fender joined the Marines when he was just 16 and served for three years. Following his discharge, he performed in dance halls and clubs in Texas while recording two of his earliest records -- Spanish-language versions of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" and Harry Belafonte's "Jamaica Farewell." Billed as El Bebop Kid, he scored a regional hit with "Holy One," but the success of his original 1959 recording of "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" put him in national limelight when the single was released a year later on Imperial Records. It was then that he changed his stage name to Freddy Fender in an effort to gain an even wider audience.

However, Fender's career was interrupted in 1960 when he and his bass player were arrested in Baton Rouge, La., for possession of two marijuana cigarettes. Sentenced to five years at Angola State Penitentiary, a maximum security prison that housed murderers and other violent criminals, he served three years. His early release came when he was paroled by Louisiana Gov. Jimmie Davis, a singer and politician who was later inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

After his release from prison, Fender moved to New Orleans and spent five years playing in the clubs of the French Quarter. During his time in Louisiana, he was influenced by the region's swamp-pop music, a blend of country, rock and Cajun styles. Unable to get his music career back on track, he returned to San Benito in 1969 and took a fulltime job as a mechanic. He also enrolled at Del Mar College in nearby Corpus Christi, Texas, and played music on weekends.

Although Fender first met record label owner Huey Meaux while working in Louisiana, they began working together after Meaux moved his music operations to Houston. In 1974, Meaux convinced Fender to add his voice to the prerecorded instrumental track of "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," a song written by Vivian Keith and Ben Peters. Initially released on Meaux's Crazy Cajun record label, the recording received national distribution on the ABC/Dot Records in 1975. It reached No. 1 on both the country and pop charts and was named the Country Music Association's single of the year for 1975.

Fender followed up the success with an updated version of his earlier pop hit, "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights," which he wrote with Wayne Duncan. The single also reached No. 1 on the country charts. His other Top 10 hits include "Since I Met You Baby," "Vaya ConDios," "Living it Down" and a remake of the Sir Douglas Quintet's '60s pop hit, "The Rains Came."

In the late '70s, Fender began working as an actor in films and television shows. His acting career was highlighted by a role in the 1988 film, The Milagro Beanfield War. Directed by Robert Redford, the cast included Rubén Blades, Sonia Braga, Melanie Griffith, John Heard and Christopher Walken.

In 1990, Fender teamed with Tejano music legend Flaco Jimenez and Sir Douglas Quintet members Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers to form the Tex-Mex supergroup, the Texas Tornados. "Soy de San Luis," a track from the band's self-titled album for Reprise Records, won a Grammy for best Mexican-American performance. They recorded three additional studio albums for Reprise -- Zone of Our Own (1991), Hangin' On by a Thread (1992) and 4 Aces (1996). Live From the Limo, Vol. 1, recorded in 1998 at Antone's club in Austin, Texas, was released by Virgin Records in 1999. Another live performance originally recorded for an episode of the Austin City Limits television series was released in 2005 by New West Records as part of its Live From Austin, TX series.

Although he continued to tour, Fender's health began to deteriorate in the late '90s. He received a kidney transplant from his daughter, Marla Garcia, in 2002 and a liver transplant in 2004.

Fender's last performance took place on Dec. 31, 2005. In January, doctors discovered two tumors in his lungs. He underwent chemotherapy later that month but decided to stop the treatments because of the side effects. In July, nine smaller tumors were detected. He was being treated at a Tulsa, Okla., hospital when he was transferred to another medical center in San Antonio on Oct. 4 because of a blood infection. He was released from the hospital Thursday (Oct. 12) and returned to his home.

Funeral arrangements are pending. – – CMT/CMT.com Reports – Alakey2010 14 October 2006, 08:02pm (CDT)

Project Directory

Hello. The WikiProject Council is currently in the process of developing a master directory of the existing WikiProjects to replace and update the existing Wikipedia:WikiProject Council/Directory. These WikiProjects are of vital importance in helping wikipedia achieve its goal of becoming truly encyclopedic. Please review the following pages:

and make any changes to the entries for your project that you see fit. There is also a directory of portals, at User:B2T2/Portal, listing all the existing portals. Feel free to add any of them to the portals or comments section of your entries in the directory. The three columns regarding assessment, peer review, and collaboration are included in the directory for both the use of the projects themselves and for that of others. Having such departments will allow a project to more quickly and easily identify its most important articles and its articles in greatest need of improvement. If you have not already done so, please consider whether your project would benefit from having departments which deal in these matters. It is my hope to have the existing directory replaced by the updated and corrected version of the directory above by November 1. Please feel free to make any changes you see fit to the entries for your project before then. If you should have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you. B2T2 21:32, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Sorry if you tried to update it before, and the corrections were gone. I have now put the new draft in the old directory pages, so the links should work better. My apologies for any confusion this may have caused you. B2T2 00:21, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia Day Awards

Hello, all. It was initially my hope to try to have this done as part of Esperanza's proposal for an appreciation week to end on Wikipedia Day, January 15. However, several people have once again proposed the entirety of Esperanza for deletion, so that might not work. It was the intention of the Appreciation Week proposal to set aside a given time when the various individuals who have made significant, valuable contributions to the encyclopedia would be recognized and honored. I believe that, with some effort, this could still be done. My proposal is to, with luck, try to organize the various WikiProjects and other entities of wikipedia to take part in a larger celebrartion of its contributors to take place in January, probably beginning January 15, 2007. I have created yet another new subpage for myself (a weakness of mine, I'm afraid) at User talk:Badbilltucker/Appreciation Week where I would greatly appreciate any indications from the members of this project as to whether and how they might be willing and/or able to assist in recognizing the contributions of our editors. Thank you for your attention. Badbilltucker 17:55, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

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