Singer Lari White Has Passed

Singer/Songwriter, Producer and Vocal Coach, Lari White has died earlier this morning (1/23) after a courageous four month battle against a rare peritoneal cancer. 

Update 1/23/18
Her mom took to Caring Bridge again today and announced that "At 4:44 this morning, Lari peacefully took her "Rain Walk"..." referencing Lari's love of the rain. Lari was able to spend the weekend at her home with close family and was able to enjoy a sunny and rainy day, as that were her wishes. 
Our condolences go out to her loved ones. May there be a light in the darkness!


Original post:

Her mom took to Caring Bridge to post an update on Friday (1/19) and it looks disheartening:
"Last night Lari was admitted to a wonderful Hospice facility here in Nashville, where she has all the Care she needs to make her comfortable and quiet for this part of the Journey, and where she is completely surrounded by loving family…"

It was only in November when Lari took to her "ArtistWorks" space to tell her voice students that she was diagnosed with cancer:
"...The surgery revealed advanced Peritoneal Cancer. Since then a series of complications including pain management, pneumonia and a bowel obstruction requiring emergency surgery has kept me in and out of the hospital fighting for my life. This is, of course, my focus for the foreseeable future."

But she also encouraged her students to keep going on: "All I ask is that you keep singing! Make a joyful noise, because I believe Our Creator loves the sound!"

Lari came to prominence in the late 80's with winning "You Can Be A Star" on The Nashville Network. A resulting record deal with Capitol didn't give her the success she was looking for and she started singing backup for Rodney Crowell. It was him, who, after she got another deal with RCA, produced her debut album "LEAD ME NOT" with the rockabilly-tinged "What A Woman Wants" being its biggest success.



She triumphed even more with her follow up, 1994's "WISHES" giving her three top-ten hits, two again co-written with Cannon "That's My Baby" and "That's How You Know (When You're in Love)" and the Cindy Greene, Don Cook, Chick Rains penned "Now I Know." The album was produced by Garth Fundis and was certified Gold a year later for half a million copies sold.

On her third and last (besides a Greatest Hits Compilation) outing for RCA "DON'T FENCE ME IN" which she produced with Josh Leo, was the marvelous single "Wild At Heart," a co-write with Al Anderson.



Another stint came in 1998 with Lyric Street Records. With the title track, "Stepping Stone" (White, David Kent, Craig Wiseman) she not only cracked the Country top-twenty but also appeared on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Other singles were "Take Me" (Bob DiPiero, Stephony Smith) and "John Wayne Walking Away "(Austin Cunningham, Jerry Boonstra, Doak Snead).

Over the years she appeared in films like "Cast Away", Broadway Musical ("Ring Of Fire") and Cabaret Shows ("My First Affair"), producing artists and playing house concerts all over the country, including some appearances on Delbert McClinton's cruise. As a producer, she was actually in charge of the Platinum certified album by Toby Keith "WHITE TRASH WITH MONEY." She also started releasing albums on her own label, Skinny White Girl, like "GREEN EYED SOUL".
In February of last year, she released two EPs "New Loves" and "Old Friends" (both available through the links on her website) containing new songs and some re-recordings of her old hits, with some special friends, Suzy Bogguss, Lee Roy Parnell, Delbert McClinton, Etta Britt and Victor Wooten helping out.
To promote the release Lari visited Eric Dahl, the longtime host of Nashville's FOX 17 Rock & Review TV show.



Lari White is married to singer/songwriter Chuck Cannon (among many others "I Love The Way You Love Me - John Michael Montgomery), the couple has two daughters, M'Kenzy and Kyra, and a son, Jaxon.

To cope with the enormity of medical bills, some friends have established, a gofundme account in the name of Lari White and Chuck Cannon.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Lari and her family.






Sources: LariWhite.com, Caring Bridge, Billboard, RIAA,

Simpler Times - Toby Keith Wishes There Would Be A Few More Cowboys

What a nice surprise - Toby Keith just entered the Country Charts this last weekend at #51 with his new single "A Few More Cowboys," a song which became recently a staple during his life shows on his 2016 Interstates & Tailgates Tour. 

A surprise as he haven't had a Number-One-Hit in five years since "Made In America," and he wasn't able to crack the Top-30 of the Hot Country Songs charts since his 2013 title track "Drinks After Work."

What's really nice, is that besides some raunchy guitar, the tune is actually quite country and reminds me of some of his stuff he did in the late 90's early 00's. The message of the song is quite laudable too - with "A Few More Cowboys" - gallantry would still be around and with more "Yes Ma'am" and less boot licking "Yes Men" the world would be a better place.
Keith wrote the song and it is actually an old-time full story-song, with monster songwriters Dean Dillon, who was recognized by the ACM with the "Poet's Award - Living" for songs recorded by George Jones, Keith Whitley, Toby and most of all George Strait and the almost two decades younger Bobby Pinson, who is a regular contributor with Keith. The duo actually wrote eight out of eleven songs on Keith's "THAT DON'T MAKE ME A BAD GUY."

Government (with a White House in Texas), legalization of marijuana, crime but also job-outsourcing are topics mentioned - in somehow a humorous way - in the song, basically it also ask to go back to a simpler time. In the video below - Toby told IHeart Radio, what "A Few More Cowboys" is all about

"I think people can apply this song to their life because it just kind of sums it up . Everything in the world right now is looked at under a microscope and everything is critiqued. The little stuff becomes the biggest stuff, and the biggest stuff gets forgotten about. Maybe the cowboys had a simpler way of life and dealing with things that needed to be dealt with."



If the White House was in Texas, man, we'd get a straighter answer
If they'd let us smoke what we want, we'd have a lot less cancer
There'd be a bunch more daddies, sons could be proud of
We'd have half the crime, we'd have twice the fun

With a few more cowboys, be a lot less outlaws
With a few more amens, be a lot less bad calls
With a few more yes ma'ams and a lot less yes man
This world would be a better place to live in
With a few more cowboys

If we did it with a handshake, we'd save a lot of paper
That'd save a lot of trees we're shippin' overseas to make her
If we stood by our word, took care of our own
Bought it made in the USA, we'd keep it here at home

With a few more cowboys, be a lot less outlaws
With a few more amens, be a lot less bad calls
With a few more yes ma'ams and a lot less yes man
This world would be a better place to live in
With a few more cowboys

If we had a little more grit, less politics, and more fist fights
Met 'em at high noon, hell, it's about high time
We looked 'em in the eye, got our head out of the sand
Hit 'em with a big John Wayne, by God they'd understand

With a few more cowboys, be a lot less outlaws
With a few more amens, be a lot less bad calls
With a few more yes ma'ams and a lot less yes man
This world would be a better place to live in
With a few more cowboys

All in all we'd have a better world
With a few more cowboys
We'd have a few more cowgirls
With a few more cowboys

If the White House was in Texas, man
We'd get a straighter answer
They'd let us smoke what we want
Be a lot less cancer

★★★★/★★★★★ (4/5)



Sources: Vevo, IHeart Radio, TobyKeith.com, Billboard

Wanna Sell Weed For Willie Nelson? // FarmAid Line Up

When I tell friends that I did Willie two favors in spring of 1988 in Switzerland, their first question always is: "Did you get Willie some pot and what was the other thing you did?" 

No I didn't get him any smoke, even though I would have had the resources to get him some of the best Black Afghan hash, that was circulating in the air about that time. Which is bragging, that stuff was everywhere at that time and a short tram ride to a street park less than a mile away would have fulfilled his unsaid wishes.

But no, Willie just wanted to put the sweats on and go for a work out. and I organized him a gym where he could go incognito and be not bothered by other patron's of the fitness studio.
My first cover shot on a that day's major newspaper "The Sonntagszeitung" with a Willie  interview I penned with the guy who got me into the paper did it's magic too.

And while all that may have gotten me some perks from Willie and his Family (actually the late Poodie, Willie's longtime road manager)  over the years to go see some of his shows and hang on the bus, it may prevent me from applying for a job for Willie's new endeavor of selling "Willie Reserve" - yes they are currently hiring - for not being connected enough in the smoking business anymore. My THC free lifestyle for over a decade, well almost free, one or two joints a year don't really leave a piss mark on the scale, may take me out for qualifying. And then there are some other hurdles: "This position is open to Colorado state residents who currently hold or are qualified to hold a Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) Badge."

So if you live in CO and have the required MED badge, you may apply for one of the five jobs being offered: Compliance Officer, Bookkeeper/ Admin / Office Assistant, Production Manager, Sales Director or Extractor. I just hope the bookkeeper will be a bit more spot-on with crunching the numbers and less in a haze then the former accountant that left Willie (and some of his friends) financially in the dust and in debt to the I.R.S.

Smoking "Willie Weed" as it is slangy re(e)ferred to in Austin, may get you into trouble and you may besides screwing your math up, miss out on a party you are invited to hang with basketball great Charles Barkley, as Toby had to confess to "True Country TV" in an interview . The good thing about it is though, Toby came up with a funny song, he co-wrote with his hit supplier Scotty Emerick "I Will Never Smoke Weed With Willie Nelson Again," which they presented to him on his 70th Birthday TV show special.

Toby Keith - Interview




And when all is said and done, just "Roll Me Up And Smoke Me." Below is a live encore version from FarmAid 2014.
Talking about FarmAid, Willie also just announced the newest incarnation of the by now over 30 year old benefit event. It will take place September, 17 in Bristow, Vrigina with the following line up. Besides Willie, there will be the three other directors of the non-profit organisation performing: Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds. Other acts include Alabama Shakes, Sturgill Simpson, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jamey Johnson, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Carlene Carter and Insects Vs Robots. Pre-sale tickets went on the market yesterday and if you want to look at the complete lineup a video stream - you can click on - introduces you to all artists.

The late Merle Haggard was part of the inaugural farm aid concert in Champaign, Illinois on September 22, 1985, so I had to include him in this story too. Roughly a year ago, the two (Merle & Willie) topped the country chart with their duet album "DJANGO AND JIMMIE" their homage to jazz gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and country music father Jimmie Rodgers. It was their second hit Nr. 1 together, the first one being "PANCHO & LEFTY" 32 years earlier. Watch below for the fun Willie and Merle had in recording "It's All Going To Pot," a song written by "DJANGO & JIMMIE" producer Buddy Cannon, together with Jamey Johnson and Larry Shell. But first a live version of another smoking classic by now - "Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die" where Buddy Cannon and Willie Nelson were joined by the original tunesmiths Rich Alves (Pirates of the Mississippi), John Colgin and Mike McQuerry.

Roll Me Up - LIve FarmAid 2014


It's All Going To Pot




Sources: Willie's Reserve, FarmAid.org, YouTube, Recollections