Wednesday, August 25, 2004

He may have whacked her in the woods on "The Sopranos." But that isn't stopping Steve Van Zandt from teaming with Drea de Matteo.

The two are collaborating on a concert film celebrating country legend Waylon Jennings. Showtime was supposed to broadcast the film, but when cable execs lost interest, Little Steven rallied his musical pals - getting Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Kid Rock, Norah Jones, Beck and the White Stripes on board.


Carter's Famous Guitar Returned to Hall of Fame


Maybelle Carter's guitar is back on permanent display at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, thanks to a Murfreesboro, Tenn., philanthropist. The announcement was made Monday (Aug. 23) during a ceremony at the museum in downtown Nashville.

Bob McLean seemed a bit uncomfortable with the attention he received from artists such as Vince Gill and Marty Stuart, but his donation allowed the Hall of Fame to write a $575,000 check for the purchase of the instrument that's acknowledged as one of the most historically significant instruments in American
music.


The guitar -- a Gibson L-5 arch top acoustic built in 1928 -- was purchased by Carter shortly after she, cousin Sara and brother-in-law A.P. recorded their first music in Bristol, Tenn., in 1927. In addition to the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and the Stoneman Family also participated in the recordings now known as the Bristol Sessions. The recordings first signaled country music's commercial viability and were, as Johnny Cash once said, "the single most important event in country music." Carter also revolutionized guitar playing by using her thumb and fingers to simultaneously perform melodies with rhythm chords.


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