Let me take you to Oregon. It’s the autumn of 1989 and Lorraine and I have rented a car to take us out to the countryside. I can’t remember much other than enjoying the landscape and making a promise to ourselves that we’d come back and spend more time on the west coast. There were pines and far off hills and pulling away from the tour for a day felt like a small holiday in itself. We stopped at what our U.S. friends call a Mom and Pop store which was an extended log cabin in the woods. We were buying soft drinks and snacks when I noticed a tired looking shelf of less than current cassette albums. We’d tired of the radio and it seemed a good chance to get some new music. The trouble was there wasn’t a great choice of anything very new. It was then I spied The Judds compilation.

I’d heard of the Judds as they’d caught the ear of a few opinion formers back in the UK and had been featured on The Whistle Test. So it was we pushed the cassette into the car and set off to go deeper into the woods accompanied by the voices of Naomi and Wynonna. It turned out to be one of the best investments we ever made. The Judds and The Oregon landscape somehow went together like candyfloss and carnivals and the tape stayed in the car as long as the rental lasted.

Years later I saw Wynonna Judd appear at Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam and I reflected that any artist who ditches their surname seems to lose a little of their soul. A Naomi-less Judds was not the beautiful sound I’d discovered all those years before.

So it was the other day while running my eyes over the CD collection I saw again a favourite album of the duo. Known as Heartland in the US and as Give A Little Love here, it’s a perfect showcase of what made The Judds so great. On this week’s AC I’ll give you some reasons for revisiting this lost classic.

Our main event this week is a session and conversation we recorded with Erin Kinsey during her fleeting visit to Glasgow for C2C last month. Erin’s music had caught my attention via my daughter flagging up Hate This Hometown a few months back. Erin told me the story about that one, how she became a TikTok star and how Dolly Parton covered her song at The Opry.

It’s a packed show this week and it all starts at five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland or any time you fancy on BBC Sounds. Join me if you can.

I grew up with Gospel music. It was everywhere around me. Our church, a Brethren assembly, sang from two hymn books. The Sunday morning one was called The Believer’s Hymn Book and on Sunday evenings we all sang from Redemption Songs. It was the evening version I loved more. It was a treasure trove containing big, joyful choruses and catchy refrains all designed to affirm faith and/or drive the seeking soul towards salvation. There would be Hymns asking questions, “Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?,” hymns of encouragement ‘Trust and obey,” or the gory but affirmative, “fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins.”

As we grew up and the modern ways set in the young people of the church rather turned their nose up at some of these old hymns which had found favour with the revival meetings of the early part of the century. Some of these had been brought over by American Evangelists who also wrote the lyrics and music. The most famous team had been Sankey and Moody whose combination of preaching and singing left a lasting repertoire which formed a good deal of the hymnal in mission halls and tent meetings for the best part of the next century.

It was in this context I first heard Willie Nelson’s ‘The Troublemaker,’ an album of hymns and sacred songs arranged by Willie and the family which brought a new energy to the old chestnuts I’d heard since I was knee high. Looking back now, Willie was only following a great country tradition of recording Christmas albums and sacred albums where the artists would put their own spin on a familiar repertoire. That the tradition still exists would be a mild understatement. Only in the last year there have been more Gospel albums added to the groaning pile already in the vaults. Brent Cobb and Carrie Underwood have recently cut their own sacred recordings and in recent years Alan Jackson has brought out two volumes of faith filled songs. All of which is a delight to me, as the repertoire rarely goes too far beyond the classic hymns I learned to sing as a lad.

As it’s Holy Week we thought we’d celebrate this great tradition once more. We’ve cast our net a little wider and we will bring you some fine interpretations from George Jones, Breland, Flatt & Scruggs and Dolly Parton. We’ll also disappear down a couple of interesting rabbit holes in our desire to update you with all that is good in current country music. It all starts at five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland this Tuesday evening or any time or place of your choosing from that time onwards on BBC Sounds. Do join me if you can.

They say, and Hailey Whitters sings, that Nashville is a ten year town. The reference is usually made to describe the long apprenticeship undertaken by young artists as they set out to become country stars. It can also prove to be true of some country careers too. There is a thirst in all commercial music to discover and break the next big thing and nurturing something beyond a ten-year-career often proves to be beyond Music Row.

In fairness, country music is a genre which is more accommodating of older artists than many other branches of popular entertainment. There’s many a breakthrough artist I’ve encountered who are getting wider recognition for the first time when they are somewhere north of thirty years old. That, I would suggest, is refreshing. The difficult trick, for any artist, is building a career which will last. How does any singer or group ensure that their audience will stick around as long as they have? I may be biased here, but I think it’s got a lot to do with the songs.

This week we’re going to mark the beginning of one of the most successful country careers ever. That this artist is still alive, making music that matters when so many of his contemporaries have passed on is a tribute to his voice, his energy and his repertoire. And what a repertoire there has been for Willie Nelson. He’s been a soldier, a disc jockey, a song writer, singer, actor and a country outlaw and, in the sixty five years since he first released a record, he has proved to be one of the world’s most popular entertainers, whose appeal and fame goes well beyond the boundaries of country music. It took Willie five years to have a hit single and on this week’s AC we’re going to remind you of the moment the world first fell in love with Willie. We’ll also play you something from the new album he’s about to release at the grand old age of eighty nine. I suspect this is a sentence I will repeat, with a slight edit to the numbers, over the next few years.

Elsewhere we have some Grammy news and a significant anniversary for the man who first gave us the Blue Suede Shoes, the great Carl Perkins. A regular traveller with the Johnny Cash live entourage we’ll play you some early Carl as well as a great Johnny and Carl duet.

It’s also a week we’ll play you plenty of new, young acts too. Listen out for AC debutantes The Whitmore Sisters,  Kaitlin Butts and John Craigie. It all starts at five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland this Tuesday evening or on BBC Sounds at a time and a place of your own choosing.

Have you ever been to a ’round?’ If not, this week’s AC will enlighten and, hopefully, delight you. Let me tell you how it works.

In Music City and famously at The Bluebird Cafe, The Round is the performance format which is often staged to showcase the songwriters of the city. You may not know the names of course, but you will probably know some of the songs. In the centre of the room four chairs are placed facing inwards. Around the circle are the tables where the customers can enjoy a light supper and a few drinks all served by the most discreet staff you’ll ever witness. The four songwriters will assemble and in turn perform a song before passing on the musical baton to the next singer in the circle. So the round carries on while stories are told and the songs flow.

I suspect many of you will have experienced some of these nights and can vouch at how special they can be. We’ve been lucky enough to host a round in one of our sister studios in Nashville during our last visit to the city. On this week’s show we will give you a slightly different emphasis as we host three of Music City’s youngest stars.

Priscilla Block, Tiera Kennedy and Morgan Wade were the three singer songwriters chosen to open C2C’s Saturday line up at this year’s festival. The Hydro crowd got a chance to see these talented women a couple of weeks ago, but the great news is that, before they journeyed across the river, they spent an hour singing and telling stories in Studio One at BBC Radio Scotland. I got to sit in on the round and ask a few questions about each of their stories. You can hear all of this round on this week’s Another Country.

As well as the three singers I’ll play you some other tracks from stand out artists who featured at this year’s C2C. Listen out for songs from Brittney Spencer, Seaforth and Tenille Arts. We’ll also, as ever, have some killer new releases too. It all starts at five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland and whenever you want to listen on BBC Sounds. Join me if you can.

Over the last few months any certainty we had that C2C would happen has been slightly tempered by the nature of the current pandemic. For a while at the start of the year, we feared the whole event might prove impossible. There were too many known unknowns…as for the unknown unknowns …… most of that was simply beyond our ability to forecast.

However, on Friday night at Glasgow’s Hydro at 5:20 p.m. Hailey Whitters climbed up a small flight of stairs to take the stage of a festival which ran for three nights. Everyone showed up, everyone played their hearts out and an audience which averaged around 10,000 for each night enjoyed a unique country festival. The numbers are important. Only a few years ago I had to announce from the stage that next year’s event was to happen at the big arena next door and, believe it or not, there were complaints. People wanted their festival to be a little secret between a few friends. As much as that is understandable, these folk forgot that country music is more popular now in the UK than it has been since the seventies. In 2022 I heard no complaints from people that they were sharing the event with another 10,000 concert goers, and the sound and visuals were a credit to one of the best music arenas in the UK (and in case you think I don’t know what I’m talking about, I have played a good few of them!)

By Sunday night we had witnessed a great cross section of contemporary, commercial country music. One thing I probably should explain is that C2C is not the place where you might enjoy the nuanced corners of Americana. As much as I love Gillian Welch, Charley Crockett or Son Volt…this is not their space. C2C is hit friendly, multi-platinum and success orientated. That said, there is room for some great intimate moments which always make each event a delight and a surprise. Within that broad category there are too some wildly contrasting interpretations of what is and isn’t country music there days. To the great credit of the Glasgow C2C audience they always show a great knowledge and breadth of appreciation for all the acts. There were a few times when I really couldn’t enthuse about what I was hearing and it all got a little too loud and a bit obvious with Kip Moore on Saturday night (necking ‘Jack Daniels’..really?) ..but for the few things I didn’t enjoy I’m pretty sure I was out of step with the majority in the room. I’m glad about that, as who could curate an event that pleases everyone’s taste?

My own highlights were the great performances from this year’s Spotlight Stage. There is something compelling about a young act getting three songs to wow a new audience and having to do it on a tiny stage with only an acoustic guitar. So, big love to Seaforth, Tenille Arts, Brittney Spencer, Erin Kinsey, Matt Stell and Callista Clark – you people were truly great. I really enjoyed Ashley McBryde again and was knocked out by Luke Combs who tore down the house on Friday night. Miranda Lambert was probably one of my highlights. I loved her song choices and her own acoustic rendition of Tin Man was one of those special moments. Brett Young on Sunday night took me by surprise. I don’t know what I expected but it certainly surpassed anything I’d imagined. Tenille Townes took the Hydro by the scruff of the neck and staked a claim to be a future headline act in years to come. She really is the real deal. It was a joy to introduce these special guests and, of course, a particular delight to welcome back Darius Rucker who might be the best act you could pick to bring appropriate warmth and collective delight to a weekend which was a celebration of people getting back together.

All photos © Julie Broadfoot for BBC Scotland

On Sunday afternoon we hosted these great final night acts in the BBC foyer. They sang, laughed and told me stories in front of a very patient audience of regular listeners. Thank you for coming along folks – you were a great audience. On this week’s show you can hear all of that over the the two hours of the AC. It’s a special show in the company of Tenille Townes, Brett Young and Darius Rucker. It goes out at five past eight on Tuesday evening and you can hear it live on BBC Radio Scotland or any time you choose on BBC Sounds. Join me if you can.

If you remember, it was raining.

I was, if I recall correctly, staring out at a bleak hospital car park upon which it seemed the rain had been pouring continuously for a month. It hadn’t. It seldom is as long, but it felt as long or maybe from where I stood, a little longer.

The news was bad. Coronavirus was spreading and no one seemed to be able to make a decision about what we should all be doing about it. This was two years ago on the day before Country 2 Country 2020 was meant to be taking place. Within a few hours the festival and all our BBC events around it were cancelled.

So, despite all the current news, there is a part of me which is feeling good that we have passed through the waters and reached some kind of safe shore, even if we are all still a little shell shocked. We all have stories to tell of what we learned living through a pandemic, about how we changed and who we lost. As 10,000 of us gather to listen to some great country music this weekend in Glasgow, it may be that some of these stories will return as the songs hit home. The world is a different place now. We know things we certainly didn’t know two years ago and the songs we loved then may have new twists as we listen again.

On this week’s Another Country I’ll be telling you news about what our involvement in C2C will be. I’ll let you know live on this Tuesday’s show how you might be able to join us for our limited coverage. The good news is it looks likely we will be seeing each other at some point in the foyer of BBC’s HQ at Pacific Quay. It has, however, been an uphill task trying to pull all of this together despite Covid being less of a threat than it was a couple of months ago. Artists are naturally reluctant to break out of well maintained safety bubbles and the BBC building is still getting back on its feet after two years of all but essential staff working from home. So…keep your fingers crossed. If you don’t make it to see any of our events I hope you will join me at The Hydro, where I will again be introducing events from the stage.

This Tuesday night I’ll aim to remind you about how special C2C can be by introducing you to the lineup for this year’s festival. There are some great new artists coming to the Hydro as well as some country superstars. Listen out for tracks by Darius Rucker, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Miranda Lambert and Tenille Townes. We’ll even have time to take you down a beautiful diversion of Guy Clark songs too.

It’s going to be a great Glasgow weekend and you can get yourself in the mood by joining me live on BBC Radio Scotland this Tuesday evening from five past eight.

I was thinking about music the other day. In times of trouble, we all go towards it. It, perhaps, becomes more important than it ever was when we seem to be facing circumstances for which we have little or no solution.

As I heard news of the Ukraine invasion my mind went back to another European war over twenty five years ago, the significance of which, in all the inevitable, shock and outrage of the last week, seems to have been forgotten. The Bosnian conflict was, and continues to be, one of the worst conflicts we have seen in Europe. Thousands were killed, genocide was carried out, people became homeless, stateless and to make matters worse, there has been no real reconciliation within the countries affected.

I learned all of this three years ago when I visited Sarajevo with the Scottish Remembering Srebrenica group. As I tweeted out some thoughts on my visit I received an interesting response from a follower. She had been a young school girl who lived in Bosnia and was delighted I was visiting her home land. Her own life had taken her to live in Greece, but she remembered hearing the bombs fall and listening to the radio or her CD collection and how much our music had brought comfort during that time. It was a revelation to me that the music had reached that part of the world, but it was welcome news.

I thought too of the brutal invasions of Iraq in 91 and 2003 and how rock music had been used by the military to terrorise and intimidate the enemy. How too it was played at ear bleeding volumes to political prisoners in the hell hole of Guantanamo Bay on Cuba. Music, in the wrong hands, can be a curse or a blessing.

I wonder what songs are going round the heads of those waiting for the next attack to begin in villages, towns and cities in Ukraine this week? In years to come we may find out.

That’s why I never feel time spent playing great music on the radio is anything but the most important thing I could be doing at any given time. Over the years the right song at the right time has made my day and seen me through the week.

On this week’s Another Country we’ll play you some of these songs which might prove to become valuable friends in the years ahead. We’ll also give a warm welcome to our special guest Luke Combs in the second hour of the programme. If I reached for my Country Music A-Z I fear there would be no mention of Luke as his star has risen so quickly and certainly over the last few years. It’s all based on two massive selling albums which contain the voice that has clearly impacted more with the country audience than any other over the last while. The albums This One’s For You (2017) and What You See Is What You Get (2019) have brought Grammy nominations as well as ACM and CMA awards, not to mention multi platinum sales.

Luke is the headline act for the first night of this year’s Country 2 Country in Glasgow. We’ll get right into the mood on this week’s AC. Join me on BBC Radio Scotland or BBC Sounds from five past eight this Tuesday evening if you can.