Voices in the Hall

Linda Ronstadt is one of the most versatile, successful, and influential vocalists of our time. The woman who many consider to be the top female rock ‘n’ roll vocalist of the 1970s has often sung country music and collaborated with Nashville-based singers and writers such as Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Paul Craft. Ronstadt has sold more than 100 million albums in her career. A Kennedy Center Honoree in 2019, she is the subject of a new documentary called Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice.

Michael and Tanya Trotter are The War and Treaty, a celebrated Americana duo that has received praise and admiration from greats including Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, and John Prine. The Trotters’ climb to notoriety was powerful and unlikely. It involved two gifted singers whose gifts were challenged by hardship and combat. They met and married, consoling and inspiring each other at every turn, with love as a given, a directive, and an imperative.

Mandolin master Sam Bush formed the influential band New Grass Revival in the ‘70s, and has worked with notables including Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, Bill Monroe, Dolly Parton, and Taylor Swift—in addition to recording his own trailblazing albums. In this second part of a two-part conversation, Bush talks about going solo, becoming an elder statesman, and, of course, baseball.

Sam Bush is a mandolin master whose unbridled spirit helped to create the progressive acoustic music that is often referred to as “Newgrass.” In 1971, he formed the influential band New Grass Revival, and since then he has worked with notables including Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, Bill Monroe, Dolly Parton, and Taylor Swift. In this two-episode edition of Voices in the Hall, he talks about the places he’s been, the legends he’s known, and the lessons he’s learned.

Delaware native Jimmie Allen visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to record his episode of Voices in the Hall in front of a live audience during CMA Music Festival. Allen talked about his rise from poverty and homelessness to a place as one of country music’s up-and-coming stars. His 2018 hit, “Best Shot,” topped Billboard’s U.S. Country Songs chart, making Allen the first African-American country artist to send his career debut single all the way to Number One.

Equally gifted as a singer-songwriter, musician, and producer, Nick Lowe is the author of classic songs including “Cruel to Be Kind,” “Without Love,” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding).” Impacted and influenced by country music since childhood, Lowe made his way through England’s pop and rock world of the 1960s and ‘70s, and by the mid-1990s was concentrating on a quieter, deeply rooted sound, forging what amounts to a second musical career.

Buddy Miller is a force in Americana music as a singer, musician, recording artist, and a songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert. His wife and musical partner, Julie Miller, is an often-covered songwriter (Emmylou Harris, Lee Ann Womack), and together their harmonies are as riveting, inspiring, and unlikely as their personal stories. They share some of those stories, shedding light on trials, tribulations, and triumphs on this edition of Voices in the Hall.

Kane Brown has emerged as one of contemporary country music’s biggest stars, only a few years after he was spending break time at a shipping company posting videos of himself singing covers of songs by Chris Young, Lee Brice, and Alan Jackson. A child of poverty who sometimes didn’t have a roof over his head, he had his first smash hit in 2017: “What Ifs” was a duet with Lauren Alaina, who Brown knew from school days. He tells his unprecedented story in this episode of Voices in the Hall.

Part Two of our conversation with Emmylou Harris finds her reflecting on her college years as a drama student at the University of North Carolina, her winding path to Nashville, and constructing -- and maintaining -- her many incredible live bands. This special edition of Voices In The Hall was recorded live in the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in support of the exhibit Emmylou Harris: Songbird's Flight. 

Emmylou Harris ranks among the most significant recording artists in the history of country and pop music. For over 40 years, she has released music of merit and consequence. She’s won 14 Grammys, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. She has recorded with Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Neil Young, and more. The first of two special episodes of Voices in the Hall, this conversation was recorded live in the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Grammy-winning musician Larry Gatlin authored chart-topping country songs including “All the Gold in California,” “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You),” and “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love.” He was encouraged and inspired by greats including Johnny Cash, Fred Foster, and Kris Kristofferson, and he sang in rich harmony with his brothers, Rudy and Steve. On this episode, he talks about his heady early days, his problematic relationships with fame and creativity, and his influences.

At age 11, Sierra Hull was identified as a genius player by Alison Krauss; as a young adult, Hull has become a musical master. She was the first female winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s mandolin player of the year award; her album Weighted Mind was nominated for a Grammy; and she has won praise and attention from Krauss, Sam Bush, Mac Wiseman, Chris Thile, and other greats. Here, she talks about the pains and glories of growth, the necessity of commitment, and history’s inspirati

Born Harold Ray Ragsdale, the Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, arranger, and performer known as Ray Stevens is regarded as one of the most talented forces in country music. Though often thought of as a funnyman who writes hilarious and topical songs, he also wrote music recorded by Brook Benton, Dierks Bentley, Sammy Davis, Jr., and many others. On Voices in the Hall, he recounts his rise from Georgia boy to international star.

The most beguiling of “outlaws,” Jessi Colter wrote and performed hit songs including “I’m Not Lisa,” and “What’s Happened to Blue Eyes.” She was a part of the multi-million-selling album Wanted! The Outlaws, which won the CMA’s album of the year award in 1976. Her partners on that album included Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and Colter’s husband, Country Music Hall of Fame member Waylon Jennings. Colter talks here about a remarkable life in music, and about a remarkable life with Waylo

Charlie Worsham is one of the most impressive guitarists in a city that is often called “Guitar Town.” With two albums released on Warner Bros. Records, and a Top 20 hit in “Could It Be,” he is cited by Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, and others as someone who will take country music into the future while honoring its past at every turn. In this episode of Voices in the Hall, Charlie shares the struggles and heartache, the pratfalls and miscues, that comprise his life as a professional musician.