Over a decade before Nashville tunesmith Dallas Frazier’s career-defining “Elvira” was granted a glossy country pop makeover courtesy of the Oak Ridge Boys, a victorious post-’68 Comeback Special Elvis Presley sank his teeth into “Wearin’ That Loved on Look,” “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road,” “There Goes My Everything,”…

The ‘I Just Can’t Help Believing’ singer intended a studio reunion with Aretha’s ‘Do Right Woman, Do Right Man’ lyricist Dan Penn if COVID-19 and lung cancer had not intruded — “I’m not necessarily looking for a genre, but I like something with an R&B feeling.” For two and a half years B.J. Thomas had set his sights on the legendary soul-brewing hub of Muscle Shoals in northwestern Alabama. Thomas’ previous…

It’s doubtful anyone ever daydreamed about Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach approaching the late B.J. Thomas to collaborate on a project. But it wasn’t so far-fetched. The above candid verifies the stubbly singer-songwriter gave the “Hooked on a Feeling” blue-eyed soul stylist an exclusive listening party inside the former’s Easy…

‘Was I worthy of being in the TCB Band? After being around Elvis’ house in Palm Springs, I realized it wasn’t necessarily about being as good as Glen D. Hardin. It was about being real. The way I played reminded Elvis of his gospel roots.’ — Tony Brown waited — and waited — for a clinically depressed Elvis Presley at his final, ultimately scrapped recording session. He supplied acoustic piano for Presley’s last sold-out tour. Having ascended to the producer’s seat, Curb Records refused to reimburse him for Wynonna Judd’s quintuple platinum debut. George Strait’s manager…

The 26th edition of the Alapaha Easter Passion Play that perpetually packs the rafters of the Hwy. 82 gym in Alapaha, Ga., debuted in glorious Technicolor one week prior to Easter. The magnum opus of the late Marian Dixon was sidelined by COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021. Entitled “Behold the…

Carnival sensation Johnny Eck’s severely truncated stature did not deter him from being crowned “The Most Remarkable Man Alive” in the 1930s by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Prompted by a dose of eBay browsing serendipity, a twilight expedition to the retired Tarzan Escapes actor’s modest Baltimore home is fondly…

“Here comes the sleepless nights, the booze, the fights, and all that you put me through.” Matt Dixon has a day gig as an optometrist. Evidenced by two full-length albums [e.g. 2012’s Walk on By] and various singles [2019’s “Rockabye Baby”] in his back pocket, he nourishes his musical chops…

An exclusive interview summit with Elvis Presley’s TCB Band pianist Tony Brown is imperative to unraveling the boy from Tupelo’s latter-day career discontent. Brown, who veered from his origins as a gospel accompanist to kingpin of MCA Nashville, is also the recipient of an Academy Award nomination in the Best…

‘15 Big Ones,’ ’68 Camaros, intimidating drummer Dennis Wilson, soft-spoken bandleader Carl Wilson, and more backstage exploits with the ‘Return of the Killer Shrews’ screenwriter-burgeoning vintage film restorer behind Roy Rogers’ final western ‘Mackintosh and T.J.’ — The Steve Latshaw Interview I wanna hear how your fascination for “America’s Band” originated. I was 16 years old in 1975, part of that mid-’70s second generation of fans, when I became captivated by the Beach Boys sound on the radio. But it wasn’t a Beach Boys song. It was “Beach Baby” [No. 4…