James Luther Dickinson, a musician, producer and patriarch of Southern music, died Sunday after heart bypass surgery. He was 67. In the 1980s I worked with this guy, John W. King, who was an A&R guy at Stax Records in Memphis back in the day. One of his co-workers at Stax was a young Bill Browder, who would later become the country singer T.G. Sheppard. And one of his good buddies was James Luther Dickinson.
One of the better radio stations in the country is Austin’s KGSR-FM, and one of the reasons that they’re so good is that they fully support local music. By “local” I mean Austin and Texas music – every week KGSR features at least one live, in-studio performance by a local artist and Austin and Texas musicians make up the majority of the station’s playlist.
And like other radio stations across the country, KGSR annually packages their exclusive live performances on a CD (proceeds benefit a musicians’ medical care program). KGSR always has so much to offer, each year they fill up two discs! This year’s Broadcasts Vol. 16 is one of the best packages they’ve ever offered. Featuring performances by the likes of Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Daniel Lanois, James McMurtry and many others, Broadcasts usually leans toward the mellow and acoustic side of country rock, but it’s a great snapshot of the Austin music scene.
Some of the performers are not really Austin, but they’re world-class: R.E.M. shows up with “Supernatural Superserious” and Aimee Mann, Ingrid Michaelson, Shelby Lynne and Feist all turn in strong songs to show this was a year for the women. Alejandro Escovedo also provides a highlight with his “Sister Lost Soul” live from the Continental Club. This a great party soundtrack, two CDs full of great performances – don’t miss this one!
Don’t know if you are going to hit the road this summer, but if you do don’t forget to pack a radio. That would be a cheap entertainment addition for any $4-a-gallon road trip and if you avoid Clear Channel-owned stations you might get lucky and hear some new stuff. While exploring America, try and explore “Americana,” usually found on the left side of the FM radio dial.
30 Days Out 
