There’s is no debating that George Strait is the undisputed King of Country music, proudly holding the title for the most #1 singles of all time, and he was recently recognized as a recipient at the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony took place in Washington, D.C. In addition to all of his hit songs and albums, Strait is largely recognized for being instrumental in bringing about the neotraditional country style in the 1980s. He joined the Army in the early 70’s, and around that time, he auditioned to be in a band called the Country Kings, and I find the name in and of itself kind of ironic now. Strait says he got through one gig and they let him go, saying he that he wasn’t “country enough” (hilarious), but it didn’t get him down too bad, and he got another opportunity not long after. That new opportunity was a spot in a band called Rambling Country, which he performed in alongside other Army soldiers. He left the service in 1975, and resumed his studies at Southwest Texas State University, where he graduated with a degree in agriculture in 1979. A couple years later, in 1981, Strait released “Unwound” as his major label debut single, which was written by Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus. It peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, becoming his first Top 10 hit and the start of an incredibly legendary career. Strait came from humble beginnings, growing up the son of a teacher and was raised by his father, who also operated a 2,000 acre farm, and during an interview as part of the Kennedy Center Honors special that aired last night, the ever-humble Strait said he was “blown away” by the performances in honor of his music by Miranda Lambert and Brooks & Dunn, taking time to thank them for coming out there and being part of such a special evening. He also took time to reflect on all he’s accomplished, saying his career has been “unbelievable,” saying he doesn’t know if he’s done enough to receive such an honor and that he never had a plan to get to this point in his life and career: “It was amazing having those great artists come up, all the way here, for me. I just appreciate it so much, and I was blown away, I thought they did an amazing job. My whole story, I think, is kind of unbelievable because even when I signed with the record company in 1981, I just wouldn’t have ever believed that I would be standing here right now at the Kennedy Center. Would have never dreamed it. My career has been unbelievable. Those dreams have come true. When I get invited to something like this, I think about, well, have I really done that much? I don’t know. I mean, it’s just, things happened. It’s not that I have plan, I never had areal plan. I just tried to sing the best songs, make the best records I could, and do the best shows that I could.” His humility is just part of what makes him so endearing, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has accomplished as much as he has that is this down-to-earth and gracious. And for as amazing of an artist as he’s always been, he’s also been known to “make a cowgirl’s jeans twitch at 100 yards…” It’s funny, but it is undoubtedly true, and even President Trump commented on how good looking Strait still is, and he has always been incredibly handsome. During an interview with Elaine Ganick around the time of the 1985 Country Music Association Awards, where he took home both Album of the Year for Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, as well as Male Vocalist of the Year, Strait said he was “in shock” to have taken home such big awards: “I’m still in shock, I really am. It’s a wonderful thing.” But Elaine asked the real questions, getting straight to the point with this one: “What is it about you, George, that is so sexy?” Of course, Strait was incredibly humble, saying he doesn’t know and he has never looked in the mirror and thought that: “You’re gonna have to tell me, Elaine. Because I certainly don’t know, you know, I don’t look in the mirror and say, ‘What is it about you, George?'” Well every woman in America still wants to know, so there’s that. But Elaine took it one step further, telling him the ladies wanted to know whether or not he slept in pajamas, and Strait didn’t hesitate in answering that one: “No, I don’t. No pajamas for this guy.” There you have it, ladies… George Strait in his prime. Absolutely no one can compete with it, and they’d still have a hard time today in my humble opinion: Here’s his 1985 acceptance speech for Male Vocalist of the Year: The post “You Tell Me”: Vintage George Strait Interview Proves He’s Always Been Country Music’s Ultimate Heartthrob first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Trump lawyer explains JPMorgan lawsuit over alleged debanking

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As we age, changes in memory, routine, and brain processing alter how we perceive time.

Since its birth, Heavy Metal has evolved with each passing decade and 11 years after Black Sabbath released their debut album, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich formed Metallica, a band that would take this kind of music to a new level. Their sound was faster and heavier, introducing fans to what would later be known as Thrash Metal and influencing an entire new generation of aspiring musicians. In the 1990s, the band experimented extensively, changing both their sound and image, drawing inspiration particularly from Grunge. By the end of the decade, Nu Metal bands began to emerge. One of them was Slipknot, a band on which James Hetfield has already shared his opinion and with which Metallica has several interesting connections. What is James Hetfield's opinion on Slipknot James Hetfield is a fan of Slipknot, particularly the band’s vocalist, Corey Taylor, who is a good friend of Metallica. However, he once mentioned the singer while discussing his dislike of musicians who put their main band aside to pursue side projects. "There's a part of me that thinks (that) as soon as somebody goes off and does a 'side project', I don't take them seriously anymore. Not to knock other bands but say Slipknot, Corey (Taylor), amazing frontman, amazing singer. But you don't really know which band he's in at the moment, you know." "He's got so many things going on, I certainly won't judge him on that. Maybe he's doing that to survive, maybe the money thing is tough or who knows what it is. Maybe he's not getting in all the stuff he needs to get in, but that's his journey. I think dedication and loyalty goes a long way," James Hetfield said in an interview in 2009 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). Apart from that, he has praised Slipknot’s music and even took them on the road in 2004 as Metallica’s opening act. They were set to open for Metallica again in 2019, but the tour did not take place after James entered rehab. Curiously, many Slipknot fans pointed out to the similarity between the guitar riff of Metallica's "If Darkness Had a Son" of their 2023 album "72 Seasons" and the one from Slipknot's "Before I Forget" (2004). Slipknot’s third album was one of the reasons James Hetfield and Metallica decided to work with Rick Rubin Slipknot’s third album, “Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)”, released in 2004 and was one of the records that influenced James Hetfield and his bandmates when, years later, they were deciding which producer to work with on their new album. The producer of that Slipknot album was Rick Rubin. "There is no question that we pay attention to the outside world when the bar has been raised sonically. One of the reasons we wanted Rick Rubin to work with us is because we liked the sound of his production on the Slipknot and System of a Down albums," James Hetfield said in an interview with Guitar World in 2008. The Thrash Metal band worked with Rubin on their ninth studio album "Death Magnetic". That praised record marked the band's return to their heavier and classic sound. Rubin had worked with many other Nu Metal bands in the 2000s, including Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. He was the producer of an incredible amount of very successful and praised Rock albums during the past decades. The story of when Joey Jordison replaced Lars Ulrich during a concert Back in 2004, when Metallica were set to play at the Download Festival in England, Lars Ulrich suffered an anxiety attack on their plane and had to be rushed to the hospital. In order not to disappoint the fans at the festival, the band relied on the help of Slipknot’s late original drummer, Joey Jordison. He shared drumming duties with Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, who also filled in for Lars that day. Not long after, Joey Jordison was asked during a press conference about that experience. He said: "What I can really says was that it was a dream come true. It was amazing, an amazing experience. I mean, there's really not even words (to describe that). I mean, he's (Lars) never missed a show in 23 years, I happened to be there and I got the chance to do it." "The real highlight of the whole thing was (just talking before the show). (I was with) Kirk and James (on James') trailer, just rehearsing the songs. The first song I played was 'For Whom the Bells Tolls'," Joey Jordison said (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). Besides the song mentioned by Joey, he also played that day "Creeping Death", "Seek & Destroy", "Wherever I May Roam", "Last Caress" (Misfits cover), "Sad But True", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Enter Sandman". Slipknot stole Metallica’s beers when they opened for them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbFPCA5mLeU Corey Taylor once revealed that when Slipknot opened for Metallica in the early 2000s, they stole the band’s beers. When asked about it a few years ago, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett laughed about the incident. Hetfield explained that he was fine with it: "It's a rite of passage, I get it. The band that is up and coming they need more beer than we need it. That's ok (laughs)." "We love going on tour with bands and helping them out. I tell you, we got such a fantastic crew, we got a fantastic family out there. The biggest joy I get is when some other band's crew comes up to me and says: 'Your crew is the best in the world. I wanna be on that crew'. That to me is just an extension of us and our vibe, you know. It used to be very different in the old days. It's just that we want the best show. If you are stealing our beers and you gonna make it better, go for it," James Hetfield told Kerrang Radio. Like Hetfield, Corey also battled alcoholism for many years before finally getting sober in 2010. Besides his own will to stop and change his life, he was also inspired by the Metallica frontman. “(I was) dealing with my own various addictions and fighting the depression that I had to deal with for years. The trauma that kind of came from when I was growing up." He continued: "I think one of the people who helped me kind of figure it out was James Hetfield. When he first started his journey, getting sober and getting healthy and whatnot, I looked at that. I was like, ‘Well, shit, if he’s strong enough to do it, maybe I can try it.’” “(Sobriety) had a big enough effect on me that, over the years. I’ve really tried to stick with it. In figuring that out, I also realized that there were so many people who were going down that path, as well. Jerry Cantrell had just gotten sober around that time. He was starting to kind of put his steps together,” Corey Taylor said in an interview with Consequence in 2023.The post James Hetfield’s opinion on Slipknot appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

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Before Anthony Bourdain was a foodie's hero, he evaluated Gordon Ramsay's culinary dishes, including this simple soup. And Bourdain declared it extraordinary.

"We had this discussion with him two weeks ago or so, you know, that go ahead and protest, but do not engage, do not do anything stupid, basically," says Pretti's dad.