NASHVILLE, TN — Country music star Kane Brown will co-host next Sunday’s 57th edition of the CMT Awards. It will be the first time the ceremony will be aired from Austin, TX. It is being shown on CBS (locally on Channel 5) at 7 pm. Brown, a past winner of the CMT Artist of the Year Award, is being joined by Kelsea Ballerini in hosting the event. Unlike some other country industry awards, the CMTs refect fan choices. Brown is among several artists with multiple nominations. But it is Lainey Wilson who has earned the most nominations with four. Both…
Author: Ron Wynn
Ran Carthon is certainly a trailblazer and a role model as the first Black general manager in Tennessee Titans history. He is one of a record nine Blacks in that position throughout the NFL. But as the holder of arguably the most high profile upper management sports job in Nashville, he also has an enormous task ahead and he will ultimately be judged by one yardstick, wins and losses. Right now Carthon heads a team that has gone steadily downhill since losing the opening game of last years playoffs at home to the Cincinnati Bengals. They were horrible in the…
Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Volunteers earned a number four seed in the NCAA Tournament East Regional Sunday. They will play 13th seed Louisiana Thursday in Orlando with a possible second round game against Duke looming if they win. But the Volunteers know that their prospects to advance aren’t that great. With their top point guard out for the rest of the season, all three analysts on the CBS selection show picked Louisiana to upset Tennessee. The other thing folks are weighing is Tennessee hasn’t fared well in recent NCAAs. Last year they were a number three seed…
NASHVILLE, TN — Perhaps the boldest move on the HBO reimaging of the classic series “Perry Mason” involves the casting of North Carolina actor Chris Chalk as detective Paul Drake. The series, now in its second season, airs Sunday nights at 8 pm central on HBO. Given that in the original series the iconic character portrayed by Raymond Burr never had any Black clients, giving him a Black investigator is just one of several new touches as the producers seek to totally transform the character and show. First, it is set in the 30s rather than the present day. This…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — One of the greatest guitarists and bandleaders in blues history returns to Nashville this weekend. Buddy Guy makes his annual visit to the Ryman Auditorium Saturday night. Guy hails back to the early days of the Chicago blues revolution, having served as a session guitarist with Chess and played with many of its legends. Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter and Otis Spann were just a few of the people he backed. But Guy was always anxious to blaze his own trail, and often angered label head Leonard Chess with his desire to experiment…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The last two weeks have been ones where the only constant has been change for the Nashville Predators. Not only at the top with the impending retirement of longtime general manager David Poile, but with a flurry of trades as Poile acknowledged that the team was “taking a step backward to move forward. “ However the interesting thing has been their play in the wake of all the trades. Saturday they won their fourth straight road game and sixth in the last eight overall with a 3-1 victory I’m Chicago. That upped their record…
When Marcus Freeman became the second Black head coach at Notre Dame last year, there was a lot of fanfare, praise for the school, and comments that this represented a great step forward for both college football and Black head coaches. But now, with Freeman beginning his second year, the optimism has faded, the doubts have set in, and as ridiculous at it may seem, there have already been a series of columns written speculating that Freeman may well be in trouble despite the fact he was the consensus choice of the players to replace Brian Kelley after he left…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — In a genre where lyrical flair and vocal.mastety are usually noticed more than musical splendor, bassist Michael Rhodes was so exceptional his rhythm section contributions were always a highlight and extremely valued, especially by other musicians and artists. Rhodes, who died last week at age 69, played with so many great musicians that it is probably easier to cite those he didn’t work with rather than try to mention all the ones whose bandstand he graced. But a short list would include Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton. Rosanne Cash Rodney Crowell, Steve Winwood,…
By Ron Wynn NASHILLE, TN — Few players or composers have enjoyed as long or as important a career in both areas as Wayne Shorter. The legendary Shorter, whose lyrical jazz compositions and pioneering saxophone playing sounded through more than half a century of American music, died last Thursday at his Los Angeles home at 89. No cause of death was given. “Visionary composer, saxophonist, visual artist, devout Buddhist, devoted husband, father and grandfather, Wayne Shorter has embarked on a new journey as part of his extraordinary life — departing the earth as we know it in search of an…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Major changes are happening to the Nashville Predators, both in terms of management and also in relation to the player roster. Over the past few days, major announcements have been made that will reshape the franchise. The biggest was Monday’s announcement that David Poile, the only general manager in Predators history, will be retiring in July. He will be replaced by longtime former Predators head coach Barry Trotz, who is the third winningest coach in NHL history and a past Stanley Cup winner while coaching the Washington Capitals. Trotz spent his first 15 seasons…