Wayne Bledsoe

• Bledsoe: Freelance Whales thriving in big musical ocean Published 03/05/2010 at 5:35 p.m.

  Picture the Freelance Whales performing in New York: The band performed in subway stations with harmonium, glockenspeil, marching band drum, mandolin, banjo and guitar.

• Bledsoe: Guitarist Frank Vignola pays tribute with taste and style Published 02/26/2010 at 5:19 p.m.

  Frank Vignola is an amazing artist who has flown just below the radar for years. However, 2010 should be the year he emerges to the rest of the world. With two terrific albums released within just a few months of ...

• Bledsoe: RB Morris' latest album is well worth the wait Published 02/12/2010 at 6:50 p.m.

  It's been 12 years since Knoxville's RB Morris released his last full-length album. Morris' new album, "Spies, Lies and Burning Eyes," gives us only one song for each of those 12 years, but it's hard to begrudge the wait.

• Grammy-nominated Karrin Allyson likes a good mix in her music Published 02/05/2010 at 4:56 p.m.

  Karrin Allyson's journey to jazz was not a direct flight. The singer, who has earned Grammy nominations in the jazz category, grew up listening to her mother play classical piano, and she was influenced by her minister father's love of ...

• Bledsoe: Jag Star shimmers, Steve Brown shines Published 02/05/2010 at 4:48 p.m.

  Wayne Bledsoe reviews local CD releases "Static Bliss" by Jag Star and "Within" by Steve Brown.

• Bledsoe: Patty Griffin goes to church Published 01/31/2010 at midnight

  Singer-songwriter Patty Griffin has always had a streak of gospel running through her music. Her best songs have an ache and a longing that you can feel deep in your soul. Griffin has some-times spoken of her love of gospel, ...

• Bledsoe: Mountain Folk backtracks to local success Published 01/22/2010 at 6:20 p.m.

  Walker Johnson would like to know why his group, Mountain Folk Reunion, seems to have a corner on the local market of the urban folk movement. Yes, the trend peaked from 1958-1962 when the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and ...

• Bledsoe: Three music greats shine in vintage show Published 01/17/2010 at midnight

  On Oct. 16, 1970, Phil Ochs, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell performed a concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, to raise money for the fledgling environmental activist group Greenpeace. In the ensuing 39 years, the organization has become a major and ...

• Bledsoe: The ones that got away in 2009 Updated 01/11/2010 at 11:45 a.m.

  At the end of every year I realize just how many local albums I wanted to get reviewed before the year ended.

• Bledsoe: The best CDs of 2009 were an eclectic lot Published 12/20/2009 at midnight

  Every year about this time I, like every other music critic in the country, have the torturous task of picking my favorite discs of the year. Each year I find fewer big national releases to celebrate and more and more ...

• Fred Eaglesmith happy to keep rough edges in shows Published 03/18/2010 at 4:35 p.m.

  Singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith is driving into Monta and he reckons he's lucky. He is one of those artists who is a long way from a household name, but is a legend for those in the know. The Ontario native has ...

• Jo Dee Messina's music is no longer held hostage Published 03/18/2010 at 3:55 p.m.

  It has been five years since Jo Dee Messina released a new album. The singer, whose debut single "Heads California, Tails Carolina," made her a country star, was a regular fixture on country radio for a decade. But even though ...

• Jamey Johnson country? Published 03/18/2010 at 2:08 p.m.

  Jamey Johnson has the appearance and the style of a classic country music outsider. He writes story songs. He sounds like a old-fashioned honky-tonker and looks like a fella who might whallop you upside the head in a bar fight. ...

• Justin Bieber announces first national tour Updated 03/16/2010 at 11:28 a.m.

  Canadian teen pop music phenomenon Justin Bieber will perform in Nashville as part of his first North American tour. Bieber's hits include "One Time," "One Less Lonely Girl," "Love Me," "Favorite Girl" and "Baby."

• Dierks Bentley inks Knoxville show Published 03/15/2010 at 3:12 p.m.

  Country star Dierks Bentley will return to Knoxville on Saturday, May 2, to perform at the Bijou Theatre. Bentley will be supporting his upcoming bluegrass and acoustic-themed album "Up On the Ridge." The show will feature members of the Del ...

• 'Future Passed': Moody Blues classic album wasn't the ‘New World' the record company ordered Published 03/12/2010 at midnight

  The Moody Blues album "Days of Future Passed" is one of the most iconic discs in rock. The 1967 release marked the first time a rock band had recorded a full album with an orchestra, but Moody Blues member John ...

• Jag Star couple find their bliss between music and parenthood Updated 03/15/2010 at 10:29 a.m.

  Sarah and J Lewis sit in their North Knoxville home. A mini recording studio sits on one side of the room and a playpen sits on the other side. Inside the gate, 18-month-old Sophie plays happily. This is the state ...

• Gabriel Iglesias Updated 03/15/2010 at 6:47 p.m.

  "Fluffy" comedian Gabriel Iglesias will perform at the Tennessee Theater.

• New band feels like the first time for Foreigner founder Published 03/11/2010 at 2:01 p.m.

  Foreigner founder Mick Jones says he sometimes has to do a double take when he looks into the crowd and sees young people singing along with Foreigner songs.

• Comedian Bill Maher to perform in Knoxville Published 03/10/2010 at 7:20 p.m.

  Comedian, commentator Bill Maher will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 22, at the Tennessee Theatre.

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