Nashville Article Archives
The Riley Watkins Interview
The Riley Watkins Interview By James Calemine Alabama-born, songwriter/guitarist Riley Watkins epitomizes an obscure talent. Watkins wrote songs and performed his own blend of rock, country and blues all over America for decades. Watkins performed in various bands read more...
Lee Bogan: The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith Lee Bogan is one of my favorite songwriters. The hard working Nashville based writer, singer and guitarist has worked with everyone from Joe Diffie to Billy Joe Royal to Dr. read more...
Singer/Songwriter Amanda Martin: The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith I first met Amanda Martin when we did a gig together at The High Lonesome Saloon in Rome, Georgia. I was immediately read more...
This Country's Rockin'! The Candy Coburn Interview
By Michael Buffalo Smith I met Candy Coburn and her manager in the lobby of the Music Row Best Western in downtown Nashville. The night before I had attended
Clay Travis, an Email Conversation
with Jim Markel As founder of Swampland.com, I don't often get a chance to step out from behind the scenes. The inspiration to do so came when my sister in law gave me Dixieland Delight by Clay read more...
Bo Bice: Southern Rock Forever! The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith When Bo Bice won runner up (to Carrie Underwood) in the 2005 American Idol competition, it was just the beginning of a rise to stardom for the Alabama born Southern Rocker. Following his Clive Davis produced debut of 2005, Bo is back with read more...
The Bonnie Bramlett Interview 2008
by Michael Buffalo Smith Bonnie Bramlett is the true Queen of Southern Rock. A true soul singer if ever there was one, Bonnie has performed and recorded with the best of the best, not read more...
Tift Merritt: A Poetic Songbird
Tift Merritt A Poetic Songbird By James Calemine "I can't keep quiet Oh, I can't hide I want to shout and read more...
John Carter Cash: Johnny and June's Son Talks About His Parents
by Michael Buffalo Smith John Carter Cash is one busy man. As the only son of country music legends Johnny Cash and
Joe Biddle, (Nashville) Tennessean
Chris Cagle: The GRITZ Interview
Country Star Chris Cagle – The Long, Hard Road To Making It In Nashville By Derek Halsey “What’s funny is, every year I’d go, ‘Is this over? Do they even know me? Is it going to read more...
Charlie Louvin
CHARLIE LOUVIN INSURED BEYOND THE GRAVE by James Calemine February 2007 The Louvin Brothers legendary songs transcend time. Born Ira (April 21, 1924) and Charlie (July 7, 1927) Loudermilk, the brothers were read more...
Clay Walker
Clay Walker's Texas Country by Michael Buffalo Smith January 2007 Country star Clay Walker first topped the Billboard country singles chart in 1993 with “What’s It to You” and read more...
Vince Gill
VINCE GILL - FINALLY DOING IT HIS WAY “There was no skin involved. I didn’t drop my pants, but they got the message. I flipped them off and the police all gave me a standing O. It was really surreal. It was like a scene from Spinal read more...
Joe Diffie
CATCHING UP WITH AN OLD FRIEND by Lee Bogan November, 2006
David Allan Coe 2006
OUTLAW UPDATE: COE TALKS ABOUT REBEL MEETS REBEL and THE COE SHOW by Michael Buffalo Smith The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy himself, David Allan Coe, continues to build on his own mythology with the read more...
John Cowan
JOHN COWAN: NEWGRASS, OLD GRASS, BORROWED GRASS, BLUEGRASS By Barry Barnes (Edited by Derek Halsey) September 2006 John Cowan is a major player in the world of bluegrass music. From his days with New Grass Revival in read more...
Billy Bob Thornton
The Wit and Wisdom of Actor, Director, Writer, Musician and Southern Rock Fan by Michael Buffalo Smith July 2006 I have been a fan of Billy Bob for years. I vaguely recall his acting in the old Burt Reynolds TV read more...
Cowboy Jack Clement
COWBOY JACK CLEMENT CASH, PRIDE, SUN and POLKA by Michael Buffalo Smith May, 2006 Cowboy Jack Clement is a true Nashville legend if ever there was one. From his days working at Sun Studios, to writing hit songs for read more...
Hank Williams III
THE NEXT GENERATION OF A COUNTRY LEGACY by Michael Buffalo Smith April, 2006 Hank Williams the third, better known as "Hank III," embodies a lot of the same restless, wandering spirit, rebel read more...
Marshall Chapman 2006
CALL THE LLAMAS...EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TALL GIRL, BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK by Michael Buffalo Smith April, 2006 During the seven years that GRITZ Magazine has been in cyberspace, read more...
Bobby Bare
THE BARE ESSENTIALS: BOBBY BARE IS BACK by Michael Buffalo Smith November 2005 In the late '50s, he moved from Ohio to Los Angeles. Bare's first appearance on record was in 1958, as he recorded his own blues tune "The All read more...
Delbert McClinton
DELBERT McCLINTON KEEPS IT REAL by Michael Buffalo Smith November 2005 Delbert McClinton’s formative years were spent as a member of The Straitjackets, the house band at a blues/rhythm and blues club on the outskirts of read more...
Shooter Jennings
Ol’ Shooter : Are you ready for the country? Are you ready for him? November 2005 by Michael Buffalo Smith At the age of 25, Shooter Jennings, the only son of legendary country music icon Waylon Jennings read more...
Al Kooper
AL KOOPER Black Coffee and Some Lynyrd Skynyrd, Please by Michael Buffalo Smith October, 2005 No introduction is necessary. If you listen to rock and pop music, you know who Al Kooper is. For those of us entangled in the world read more...
Jerry Reed
WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT An Interview with Country Superstar/Actor Jerry Reed by Michael Buffalo Smith September, 2005 Jerry Reed is a true star. From his string of hit read more...
Jimmy Martin
Jimmy Martin--Mr. Good N’ Country, the King Of Bluegrass By Derek Halsey June 2005 Jimmy Martin died on May 14, 2005 of bladder cancer at the age of 77. Almost a year before that he was kind enough to have granted us read more...
Tony Joe White
TONY JOE WHITE: THE SWAMP FOX by Michael Buffalo Smith October 2004 Tony Joe White is an American treasure. In 1969, Tony Joe came bursting out of the read more...
Lee Roy Parnell
LEE ROY PARNELL GUITARS, SLIDES AND THE BLUES by Michael RedTail Wolf Nystrom July 2004 I know you're a native Texan, but I don't know what town you were born in. Abilene, Texas and I grew up on a ranch read more...
Sam Bush
SAM BUSH by Derek Halsey June 2004 Gritz Magazine caught up with Sam Bush at Merlefest 2004, back in April. He took a minute to talk about his first studio read more...
David Allan Coe
THE ORIGINAL OUTLAW: DAVID ALLAN COE by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2004 Let’s face it, David Allan Coe defies categorization. For three decades, Coe has read more...
Marshall Chapman 2004
TALL Y’ALL: MARSHALL CHAPMAN by Michael Buffalo Smith April 2004 Marshall Chapman has created quite a name for herself in Nashville as one of Music read more...
Charlie Daniels 2003
The Heart & Soul of Charlie Daniels by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2003 For the cover story of our third print issue in 2003 I called on our old friend Charlie Daniels. Having interviewed him read more...
Richard Young (Kentucky Headhunters)
RICHARD YOUNG: THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS by Michael Buffalo Smith September 2003 For the second part of our Kentucky Headhunters spotlight, we spoke with read more...
Del McCoury
MAN OF THE YEAR: DEL McCOURY By Derek Halsey September 2003 The story of the rise of the Del McCoury Band is an impressive one. These days they are playing before large crowds of young read more...
Freddie Edwards
FREDDIE EDWARDS: THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND by Michael Buffalo Smith August 2003 As one of the two drummers for The Charlie Daniels Band for fourteen years, Fred Edwards was a part of the Southern rock scene during read more...
Greg Martin (Kentucky Headhunters)
by Michael Buffalo Smith July 2003 The Kentucky Headhunters are back and in fine form with their new album Soul, a fun-filled romp through Muscle Shoals influenced soul and Memphis flavored r&b. We caught up read more...
Billy Joe Shaver
ODE TO BILLY JOE - AN INTERVIEW WITH BILLY JOE SHAVER by Derek Halsey Spring 2003 Billy Joe Shaver is one of the best and most prolific songwriters that America has ever produced. He is known to a lot of people for being a huge part read more...
JD Crowe
Bluegrass Legend J.D. Crowe by Derek Halsey December 2002 In 1956, a 15 year old J.D. Crowe came out of Lexington, Kentucky and joined the legendary Jimmy read more...
Tommy Crain
TOMMY CRAIN by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2002 During our first three years on the internet, one question that got asked more often than any other was, read more...
Don Winters
THEY CALL ME SWEET PAPA DON Papa Don Winters' Last Interview by Michael Buffalo Smith July 2002 Don Winters scored a major country hit as songwriter for The Louvin Brothers back in 1955 with “You’re Running read more...
Ricky Godfrey
OUT OF THE DARKNESS, A BEAUTIFUL LIGHT COMETH Nashville Musician Ricky Godfrey On Garfeel Ruff, The Marshall Tucker Band and Beach Music
Blue Mother Tupelo
Ricky and Micol Davis By Derek Halsey July 2002 Blue Mother Tupelo is a blues/rock/roots band out of Tennessee that has as good a thing going as any southern band out there. There are a lot of read more...
Charlie Hayward (The Charlie Daniels Band)
CHARLIE HAYWARD Playing in The Charlie Daniels Band by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2002 Since 1975, Charlie Hayward has held down the bottom for the Charlie read more...
Peanutt Montgomery
Peanutt & The Possum A Visit with Songwriter/Musician Peanutt Montgomery by Michael Buffalo Smith June, 2002 When we made our way back down to Alabama for the George Lindsey Film & TV Festival, read more...
Wayne Moss
ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE DOWN IN TENNESSEE ARE DIGGING BAREFOOT JERRY… An Interview with Wayne Moss By Derek Halsey February 2002 Wayne Moss is a musician who has played in the studio with everyone from Nancy Sinatra to Bob read more...
Bob Timmers
Be Boppin' with Nashville Cat Bob Timmers The Founder of The Rockabilly Hall of Fame Divides Time Between The Hall and His Guitar Playing by Michael Buffalo Smith January 2002 He has been my friend since read more...
John McEuen
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Instrumentalist Recalls The Early Days, Duane Allman, Steve Martin and a Lifetime of Music by Derek Halsey January 2002 John McEuen has been in the music read more...
Taz DiGregorio
Love The Spider Taz DiGregorio On Thirty-Plus and Counting Years in The Charlie Daniels Band and His New Solo Album by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2001 After thirty-one years as a member of The read more...
Lee Bogan
The Good Lord, Family and Friends Lee Bogan Knows What it Takes To Make a Country Hit by Michael Buffalo Smith December 2001 From his years as guitarist for country stars Joe read more...
Leon Russell
STILL PLAYING A SONG FOR YOU Leon Russell On Bangladesh, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, and His Hot New Independent Label by Michael Buffalo Smith November 2001 As I dialed up the number, my mind was still busy filtering the read more...
Ray Brand
Our Favorite Brand Alabama Guitar Slinger Ray Brand is Still Rockin' November 2001 In Memory of Ray Brand, who Passed Over in August, 2005, We have established a Memorial Page
David Ball
Checking in with Our Amigo, David Ball by Michael Buffalo Smith November 2001 I can remember seeing David Ball, along with Champ Hood and the late Walter Hyatt as Uncle Walt's Band here in Upstate read more...
Steve Ripley (The Tractors)
FAST GIRLS AND COUNTRY MUSIC The Steve Ripley/Tractors Interview by Ken Burke June 2001 The 1992 hit "Baby Likes To Rock It" made Steve Ripley and his band The Tractors stars virtually overnight. read more...
George McCorkle 2001
Checking Back in with George McCorkle Rockin’ Blues on an American Street by Michael Buffalo Smith April 2001 George McCorkle was a founding member of The Marshall Tucker Band and, for the past read more...
Johnny Neel
From The Allmans to Gov't Mule, Johnny Neel Rocks The Blues with Style by Michael Buffalo Smith April 2001 Where were you born and raised? read more...
Van Zant
BROTHERS IN ARMS Donnie and Johnny Van Zant Talk About Their Brother, Their Parents, and Their Second Collaborative Album By Michael B. Smith March, 2001 Perhaps no other name in Southern Rock conjures up as read more...
Larry Byrom (Steppenwolf)
Looking for Adventure In Whatever Comes Our Way by Mitch Lopate November, 2000 Before becoming one of Nashville's finest session guitarists, Larry Byrom rocked it hard as the axe man for one of rock and roll's read more...
Charlie Daniels 2000
Back to Tennessee: Catching Up with Charlie Daniels by Michael Buffalo Smith October 2000 What inspired you to record the songs you recorded for your new album Tailgate Party?
Jimmy Nalls
The Bionic Blues Man Jimmy Nalls Battles Disease and Keeps On Rockin’ by Michael Buffalo Smith Fall 2000 Jimmy Nalls is read more...
Lonnie Mack
The Guitar Player's Guitar Player Gritz Speaks with Guitar Hero Lonnie Mack by Michael Buffalo Smith (June, 2000) Lonnie Mack is a roadhouse blues-rock legend - modern rock's first true guitar read more...
Chuck Leavell
POUNDING KEYS & HUGGING TREES A Conversation with Chuck Leavell By Michael B. Smith June 2000 What can you say about Chuck Leavell? He is and has been one of the most sought-after keyboard players in rock and roll, read more...
Danny O'Keefe
Saving Our Planet: Danny O'Keefe Speaks up for Conservation and Land Stewardship, Feathered Friends & Tuneful Buddies, and Making Music That Has a Purpose. by Mitch Lopate Summer 2000 Danny read more...
Bonnie Bramlett
Don't You Remember You Told Me You Loved Me Baby? A Conversation with Bonnie Bramlett by Jill McLane Smith Summer 2000 From her work with Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, to her friendships with a who's-who of '60's and read more...
Dennis Winters
Checking in with Dennis Winters of The Winters Brothers Band by Michael Buffalo Smith March 2000 One question we here at Gritz have been asked time and time again over the past year is read more...
Wayne Perkins
THE ULTIMATE ROCK AND ROLL SIDE MAN Wayne Perkins: A Lifetime on Six Strings by Roxane Crutcher December 1999 Wayne, could you give the readers of the interview a brief review of your music read more...
Mike Estes (Brave New South)
Welcome to The Brave New South Mike Estes Talks About His Friend Allen Collins, His Days with Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Brave New South by Michael B. Smith Summer 1999 Born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio and read more...
Ricky Skaggs Returns to His Roots
by Michael Buffalo Smith June, 1999 Ricky Skaggs has finally found his bliss. After years of performing Top 40 Country music, which netted him twelve number one singles and a wall filled with gold and platinum records, eight CMA awards, read more...
Jimmy Hall
JUST AS WET AS EVER WET WILLIE FRONTMAN JIMMY HALL by Michael Buffalo Smith Summer 1998 When the stage is his, Jimmy Hall, the dynamic, Mobile, Alabama -born singer transforms himself into one righteous medium who melds read more...