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<title>Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</title><link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link><description>Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</description><category>Country-Folk</category><language>en</language><ttl>720</ttl><pubDate>Wed, 9 Dec 2009 10:57:16 -0800</pubDate><image>
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<title>Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</title>
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<title>John Denver</title>
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<category>Country Pop/Cosmopolitan</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:42 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[If thrift store record bins are any sort of barometer, it would seem that every person in America at one time owned a John Denver record. By this same logic, you can also guess to say that they all tossed them out at the same time. At some point, John Denver went from being America's most loved singer-songwriter to being the punchline on late-night talk shows. Blame it on overexposure or his constant mugging with Muppets, George Burns, and other bloodless creatures. Eventually, his humanitarian concerns took precedence over his folk/pop. The author of such heart-on-a-sleeve snapshots as "Sunshine On My Shoulder" and "Rocky Mountain High" died in a plane crash in 1997. John Denver's real name was Henry John Deutschendorf. He was raised on many Air Force bases, but always loved and championed the outdoors.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young</title>
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<category>Classic Rock</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:56:12 -0700</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The heavenly harmonies and melodic Folk-Rock of CSN&Y was born in the uncanny chemistry of David Crosby (from the Byrds), Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield), Graham Nash (the Hollies) and Neil Young (also from Buffalo Springfield). The supergroup formed in 1968 (Young was added in 1970), and continue to sail a wooden ship of melodic soul into the new century. The salient aspects of the band's updated sound poke out in the form of harsh, angular, electric guitar tones and glossy, allocated riffs. The production is obviously much more pristine and glossy than the quartet's first album, <i>Deja Vu</i>, but they still manage to stamp their signature vocal style on the sound, traversing from melodic pop to acoustic folk to Hard Rock.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Crosby, Stills and Nash</title>
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<category>Folk-Rock</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:53:11 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The heavenly harmonies and melodic Folk-Rock of Crosby, Stills and Nash was born in the uncanny chemistry of David Crosby (from the Byrds), Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield), and Graham Nash (the Hollies). The supergroup formed in 1968 (Neil Young was added in 1970 -- he kind of plays whenever he feels like it), and continue to sail a wooden ship of melodic soul into the new century. The salient aspects of the band's updated sound poke out in the form of harsh, angular, electric guitar tones and glossy, allocated riffs. The production is obviously much more pristine and glossy than the trio's self-titled debut, but they still manage to stamp their signature vocal style on the sound, traversing from melodic pop to acoustic folk to Hard Rock -- and even experimenting with some silly '80s pop, as seen here.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Dolly Parton</title>
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<category>Country Pop/Cosmopolitan</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:46 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Dolly Parton is almost more famous for her impossibly curvaceous figure and huge hair than for her music -- which is somewhat of a shame. She is, after all, a distinctive and important part of country music, representing a link from the music of her Appalachian birth place to country's crossover to pop. Parton is a multifaceted artist whose first success came as a songwriter in the mid-1960s, with hit songs recorded by Bill Phillips. After she became Porter Wagoner's singing partner, her career took off and she became a solo artist by 1971. She consistently charted throughout the '70s and crossed over to the Pop charts with " Here You Come Again" in 1977. Along the way Parton became a genuine pop culture icon. Despite the glitzy, glamorous aura that surrounds her, on her recordings Parton always manages to include some element that seems like pure country. As Nashville in the '90s has continued to show its disdain for veteran performers -- and for that matter any artist who doesn't seem genetically engineered -- Parton seems to be backing away from her own image. Her latest releases have been straight bluegrass and countrified folk-pop albums that she's recorded with members of Nashville's elite community of virtuoso bluegrass pickers.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>The Byrds</title>
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<category>Folk-Rock</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:40 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The Byrds are one of rock 'n' roll's most underrated bands. There is so much more to The Byrds than the Folk Rock of "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is A Season)" -- they were the first group to blend the harmonies and backbeat of British Invasion with the warm, lyrical blood of folk music. The sustenance to their sugar was the evocative mash of Roger McGuinn's trademark, chiming 12-string Rickenbacker, soaring, three-part, gossamer vocal harmonies, and innovative pairing of analog synthesizers with country music's elastic tonal twang provided by the Telecaster B-bender (a string-stretching device invented by the late, great Clarence White and Gene Parsons to approximate a pedal steel's fluid cry). The Byrds effortlessly flew like a feathered Lear jet through Dylan-esque musings, inner galactic Psychedelia, and Cosmic American Music soundscapes that helped bring country music to a wider audience.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>John Prine</title>
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<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:07:04 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[They give him Grammies as a folk artist, but you can't really categorize a genius as big as John Prine's. He's as deft with Memphis skronk as he is with Nashville sentiment, and a long time ago, people were calling him the next Dylan. He may never have reached Mr. Zimmerman's heights of fame and influence, but Prine has spent almost thirty years crafting a unique body of work. Like Kurt Vonnegut's early novels, Prine's songs are notable for both their bite and their warmth -- the gentle surface of ballads such as "All the Best" often hide a dark heart, while angrier numbers like "Angel from Montgomery" always seem to forgive the targets of their indignation. He's a true hero, and his devoted cult of admirers will be pleased to hear his first studio album in four years, a collection of classic country duets featuring Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Iris DeMent, and more.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Buffalo Springfield</title>
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<category>Folk-Rock</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:38:29 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Los Angelino folk rockers Buffalo Springfield were as integral to the West Coast canyon rock sound as the Byrds, but they were also politically active: they dared to criticize the establishment at a time when the youth revolution was hit hard by the Kent State massacre and the Berkeley campus riots. Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Jim Messina, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (from bluegrass hipsters the Dillards) came together as Buffalo Springfield in 1966, when Stills spotted Neil Young's hearse driving down Sunset Boulevard. Recognizing him from the Canadian coffeehouse folk scene, Stills flipped a U-turn and chased him down to see if he wanted to start a rock 'n' roll band. He did, and Buffalo Springfield was born. The band's sound reflected the early to mid-1960s, when college kids, beatniks and other free thinkers were gravitating from folk protest songs to rock. Like Dylan and the Byrds, their folk roots flirted with country rock and psychedelic undertones to create a sound laden with beautiful vocal harmonies. While the pacific "For What It's Worth" was the only commercially successful song, there could have been more to follow but the band lasted just two years, as the conflicting egos of multiple visionaries amounted to too many cooks in the kitchen. Nonetheless, in that short time Buffalo Springfield put a serious dent in the music world. Their fruitful family tree bore Neil Young's solo career, Stephen Stills' Manassas, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Loggins & Messina, Poco and rootsy outfits including the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. Buffalo Springfield's songs stand the test of time, influencing everyone from Big Star to the Beachwood Sparks and beyond.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Kris Kristofferson</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61501&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Texas Country</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:06:28 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[It's hard to know just which has been more influential: Kris Krisofferson's songwriting, or his persona. The songs speak for themselves -- "Sunday Morning Coming Down," "Help Me Make it Through the Night," "Me and Bobby McGee," to name a few. But a lot of people who recognize Kristofferson's grizzled visage don't even know he wrote those numbers, so there must be something else about the guy that resonates. He's the personification of an individualism America often pays lip service to, but rarely respects. A Nashville outsider in the early '70s with his beard, long hair, and left-leaning politics, his rebel stance never seemed like a callow pose. It instead came off as the product of careful deliberation and hard-earned wisdom -- after all, the guy was a Rhodes Scholar. His singing has always been a little too ragged to match the commercial success of those who covered his tunes, but his face and demeanor are perfect for the movies, where he continues to play reserved characters that seem to have deep wells of knowledge and experience.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Mary Chapin Carpenter</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2093&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>New Folk</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:41:17 -0800</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Carpenter is as unlikely a star as one can find in today's cookie-cutter, mainstream country music scene. She began her career in earnest on the folk music circuit in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s, making a name for herself and developing a sizeable following thanks to her smart songwriting and crystal clear vocals. After signing to a major label, her third record yielded a surprise smash hit with the Cajun-inflected country rock song "Down At the Twist and Shout," an ode to a favorite D.C. nightclub. Her fourth record featured several hits, including a version of Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses," and won several awards, selling over two million copies.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Nickel Creek</title>
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<category>Progressive Bluegrass</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 6 Oct 2009 09:54:16 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<description><![CDATA[Nickel Creek are a young power trio from San Diego who write devastatingly beautiful Bluegrass-inspired folk songs, sung by an angelic-voiced female singer. It's no surprise that Alison Krauss asked to produce Nickel Creek's album; their rustically-influenced accounts of moody folk songs are sung with textured, breathy vocal harmonies and seem like a gift from the gods. Although the music is a collective wash of otherworldly stringed tones, Nickel Creek blend a diverse cornucopia of instruments to create their ethereal woodland sound. Mandolin, Greek bouzouki, fiddle, banjo, upright bass, acoustic and electric guitars come together to create unique sonic layering that was seemingly created in some pastoral sound laboratory, rather than in a conventional studio.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>The Jayhawks</title>
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<category>Alt Country</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 2 Sep 2009 12:05:32 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<description><![CDATA[The first thing you notice are the harmonies. Several Alt-Country bands channel Gram Parsons' ghost; the Jayhawks go one better by cloning the guy in various sizes so he can sing along with himself. Next, their guitars can either chime like the Byrds or crunch like Crazy Horse. Finally, their lyrics can make you profoundly sad, even as they reach out of the speakers to comfort you. The Jayhawks are one of those rare bands that make the mundane sound profound.]]></description>
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<title>Josh Ritter</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8160&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:36 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Josh Ritter</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8160&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Josh Ritter's Americana utopia would involve broadcasting some old Woody Guthrie from a pre-war radio and connecting the transmission with a satellite uplink that would bounce the signal through outer space off of planets and spacecraft. Imagine kicking it anti-gravity in a Moonraker-like space station, hearing "Dust Bowl Blues" piped in from interstellar sound waves and you might have an idea of what Ritter's songwriting is like. He blends traditional country folk with pure innovation that seems as effortless to him as breathing air. His voice sounds like an inspired young man who packs the wisdom of a weathered freight hopper from the turn of the century.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Pure Prairie League</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7561&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country Rock</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:21:21 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Pure Prairie League</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.7561&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Columbus, Ohio, may seem like an unlikely place for a harmonious country rock band to form, but believe it or not, the warm sounds of Pure Prairie League hail from one of the coldest cities in the country. It's unfortunate that so many twang rockers were thought to have formed in the wake of the Eagles' success, but like Poco or the Flying Burrito Brothers, Pure Prairie League predated the chambray-clad quartet from Los Angeles. Their biggest hit was the infectious "Amie," which garnered them enough gusto to keep the band going (albeit with myriad personnel changes) up until 1998. Their ongoing album mascot was a rootin' tootin' saloon-patronizing cowboy character named Luke who was originally painted by Norman Rockwell.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Gillian Welch</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.37870&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:24:33 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Gillian Welch</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.37870&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.37870&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Gillian Welch never grew up in Appalachia. She grew up in California. Although she spent a little bit of time in Nashville, her southern drawl is feigned. But the funny thing is that nobody seems to care about any of this because her music sounds so pastoral and authentic. When she and David Rawlings are playing live, time stands still, and then begins to reverse a little. Welch's songs are haunting and romantic musings that seem to use the tempo of a dying heartbeat for a metronome. Her study and deliverance (no pun intended) of old timey Americana and Bluegrass music are a large influence in her sound, but she maintains her own subtly soulful (and sometimes sultry) voice to birth new ideas and phrasings within her appreciation of America's musical history.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Robert Earl Keen</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68985&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 2 Dec 2009 11:06:58 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Robert Earl Keen</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68985&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68985&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Robert Earl Keen got his start playing country music on his front porch with Lyle Lovett -- they used to sing and play in their underwear to astonished church goers across the street from Keen's house. Lovett even recorded one of Keen's songs (as did Joe Ely, Nanci Griffith, Jill Sobule, Gillian Welch, and Kelly Willis, to name a few). His accessible Country-Folk/Country Rock is rooted in the foolproof formula of good songwriting. Like Kris Kristofferson, Keen writes hypnotizing narratives of lost love and emotional rescue. The music here consists of rich, country-tinged, nostalgic numbers and feel-good Americana anthems that will be pleasantly stuck in your head all day long after listening.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Townes Van Zandt</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43978&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:06:26 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Townes Van Zandt</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43978&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43978&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Whoever dubbed George Jones "King of the Broken Hearts" never heard Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997). His haunting verity made him more than what some considered Americana's own Nick Drake -- Van Zandt was a poet with a burning soul. Although he never had a radio hit, many other country music artists found success with songs "Pancho and Lefty" and "If I Needed You." Though he occasionally delved into more upbeat, light-hearted, bluesy numbers, he is best known for lamenting, wind-swept, road-written songs. Van Zandt had a way of making painfully honest lyrics stick to naturally birthed melodies that attached themselves to the heart of any listener with an ounce of humanity.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Dar Williams</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2716&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Adult Alternative</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:28:40 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dar Williams</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2716&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2716&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[A staple of the New England folk scene, Dar Williams wrote her first song at age 11, and to this day draws comparisons to the tremoloed vocal tones of both Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. Williams' songwriting is by no means retro, but her soulful singing and deep, cathartic lyrics sometimes traverse into lighthearted and playful (yet cunningly witty) ditties in almost the same style as the aforementioned pair of Singer-Songwriters. Although she is a celebrated folk singer who has consistently played the festival circuit, Williams still unleashes her shimmering soprano vocal stylings in various urban coffeehouses.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Michael Martin Murphey</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.12740&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country Pop/Cosmopolitan</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:27:38 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Michael Martin Murphey</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.12740&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.12740&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Murphey has had a long and varied career on the fringes of pop and country. Playing a number of stringed instruments, he initially found success as a songwriter, as artists such as Kenny Rogers and the Monkees covered his work. In Austin, Tex., in the early '70s he was part of a loose scene of singer-songwriters (including Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker) who were expanding the scope of country music. Throughout this time he steadily released records that found critical acclaim and regional success. Murphey hit pop pay dirt with his 1975 ode to a horse called "Wild Fire" -- it went to the top of the pop charts and made him a star. Since then he has cut a number of popular records of traditional Cowboy songs.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Guy Clark</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3587&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:51 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Guy Clark</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3587&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3587&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Guy Clark has been sculpting songs out of pure pastoral soul and warm vocals since 1975. His songs are masterworks meticulously crafted with all the patience and detail of a boatmaker (check out the chiseled arrangement on "Boats to Build"). Clark was raised by his grandmother in the West Texas town of Monahans and began writing and singing many of his songs in Spanish. He later moved to Texas and befriended the late, great Townes Van Zandt, who influenced his bluesy, folk style of Americana and country music. Clark is the kind of songwriter that musicians and music lovers understand and admire, while radio programmers just seem to scratch their head and look for the next Billy Ray Cyrus hit to play. Friend Jerry Jeff Walker had a hit with Clark's "L.A. Freeway," a sort of anti-West Coast anthem that he is best known for. Other country artists to cover Clark's songs include George Strait, Johnny Cash, The Highwaymen, David Allen Coe, Vince Gill, and Ricky Skaggs (who had a number one hit with "Heartbroke").
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Rosanne Cash</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68439&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:34 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Rosanne Cash</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68439&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Johnny Cash's daughter has a voice that floats like smoke. But she can also turn it up and belt it out, especially when she's dipping into some of that New Traditional country. Cash's more glossily produced songs about her failed marriage to Rodney Crowell don't really do her justice; the plastic production tends to make her sound like any other New Country singer with a famous daddy. It's when we get to hear the real Rosanne, like on 1981's <I>Seven Year Ache</I> that the twang really becomes her.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Tom T. Hall</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1045&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 6 Dec 2009 09:55:35 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Tom T. Hall</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1045&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1045&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Tom T. Hall was Nashville's most popular storyteller from the 1960s to the 1970s. From his first Bluegrass band, the Kentucky Travelers, to the 1968 hit song "Harper Valley P.T.A." (as garnished by the sweet vocal stylings of Jeannie C. Riley), Hall's rich narratives have intelligently embellished his compassionate Country Pop and Country Folk songs. After penning a string of hits, Hall covered Rudy Vallee's 1934 hit song, "P.S. I Love You" in 1984 shortly before retiring for a decade. He returned in 1996 with an album entitled <i>Songs from Sopchoppy.</i>
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>Robert Randolph</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56940&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Blues</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:43:07 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Robert Randolph</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56940&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.56940&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Only a few years new to the scene, Robert Randolph (most often joined by "the Family Band) is the single most funkadelic rock-gospel player in the industry. The urgency in his musical passion is born of a life balanced between the torment of the streets and the haven of the soulful sounds surrounding his childhood home. Randolph started playing the pedal steel in his Orange, N.J., House of God Church, an African Pentecostal denomination where the pedal steel has become known as "sacred steel" based on a musical history dating back to the 1930s. He praised the Lord, stomped his feet, and shook the rafters all the way to venues like New York City's Beacon Theater and the long-revered Wetlands. When the Wetlands closed their famous doors for the last time, Randolph and the Family Band were asked by the owners to rock the walls one final time on that propitious night, oddly enough to the beat of a wailing gospel groove. Fire extinguishers are definitely required when Randolph plays his number one most requested, "I Don't Know What You Came to Do."
- Amy Bartlett]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Kathy Mattea</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2073&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:48 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Kathy Mattea</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2073&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2073&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Kathy Mattea's brand of folkified New Country has leaked over into the Adult Contemporary market more than once, ensuring her a widespread popularity among grown-ups from a variety of backgrounds. With a crystalline, well-trained voice and primarily acoustic arrangements that bespeak her affinity for both Emmylou Harris and James Taylor, Mattea provides engaging singer-songwriter material that is as fitting at the CMA awards as it is at the Newport Folk Festival.
- Mike McGuirk]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Jolie Holland</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.67466&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 8 Dec 2009 09:16:53 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Jolie Holland</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.67466&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.67466&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Once a member of Canadian folk troupe the Be Good Tanyas, Jolie Holland set out to do her own thing, spawning a solo debut that won her the Best Americana Artist of 2003 award for the <I>SF Weekly</I> Music Awards. Her songs are haunting, ashen, pastoral folk musings that make Gillian Welch look like a smiling member of the New Main Street Singers from the film <I>A Mighty Wind</I>. Originally from Texas, Holland's prairie-sweet voice emits a deep southern drawl providing a contrast that works beautifully when set to the dark and desolate instrumentation of her recordings. Holland's stark songwriting paints pictures of a somber kind of Americana by pulling influences from Carter Family murder ballads and bucolic tones that would even wow Greil Marcus.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Iris Dement</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43717&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:52:07 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Iris Dement</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.43717</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43717&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43717&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[<I>Infamous Angel</I> (1992) was an auspicious debut, roundly praised by critics, that fell through the cavernous cracks in the public's appetite for non-commercial country. Songs more honest and moving than "Sweet Forgiveness" and "After You're Gone" are rarely heard: the emotional stingers they leave deep within the listener burn worse as time goes on. It's Dement's gift to convert tiny packages of painful experience into vocal honey so it's easy going down, but these songs pack one heck of an emotional hangover. Dement's no Nashville hothouse flower to whom tick mattresses and gingham dresses are as foreign as distant stars -- she's got the scrappy tough voice and sensibility of a woman who's faced poverty and personal loss and keeps a piece of them within to remind her of where she's been. <i>My Life</i> (1993) and <i>The Way I Should</i> (1996) proved Dement is an artist capable of consistently releasing albums as remarkable as her debut.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Norman Blake</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44783&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Progressive Bluegrass</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:41:58 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Norman Blake</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.44783</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44783&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.44783&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[A musical prodigy proficient on numerous stringed instruments, Blake played professionally by the age of sixteen. In the 1960s, he played with both June Carter Cash and husband Johnny, which led to a stint with Kris Kristofferson and ultimately a prominent role on Bob Dylan's <I>Nashville Skyline</I> album. Blake launched a solo career that made him a star on the Bluegrass and folk circuit, though he maintained a high profile as a session player. Although he is most often identified as a Bluegrass player, his style over the years has evolved into something much harder to label. His sound ties Old-Time String Band music, Bluegrass fiddle tunes, Country Blues, Early Jazz and even Tin Pan Alley pop together with a combination of technical virtuosity and lyrical melodic invention.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Be Good Tanyas</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.38013&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:24:33 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
<guid isPermaLink="false">art.38013</guid>
<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.38013</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Be Good Tanyas</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.38013</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.38013&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.38013&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Cheryl Wheeler</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3283&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Singer-Songwriter</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:55 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.3283</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Cheryl Wheeler</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.3283</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3283&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3283&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Quiet, introspective songwriter. Plucked acoustic guitar, pedal steel and sparse drumming create bittersweet melodies for confessional, personal lyrics.
- Kelly Bauman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Billy Joe Shaver</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4096&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Outlaw Country</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 7 Dec 2009 10:13:48 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.4096</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Billy Joe Shaver</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.4096</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4096&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4096&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Billy Joe Shaver's Americana is a pastoral melting pot. His Outlaw Country stylings seem to come as naturally to him as breathing air, mostly on account of Shaver putting his fast living and ragged life stories into his songs. Waylon Jennings recorded <i>Honky Tonk Heroes</i> in 1973, which was an album containing mostly Shaver-penned songs about raising hell, loving and losing. Shaver's Country Rock songs inspired many twang enthusiasts in the 1970s who admired his ability to effortlessly segue between hard-edged, gritty tones and softer Country-Folk stylings. Although he never gained huge commercial success, songs such as "Good Christian Soldier" and "Ride Me Down Easy" reflect an earnest man with heartfelt lyrics and a warm, comforting voice that fits his songs like a worn-in, hand-me-down baseball mitt.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Jimmie Dale Gilmore</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2551&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:13:34 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Jimmie Dale Gilmore</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.2551</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2551&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.2551&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Jimmie Dale Gilmore's watery voice is really warm and easy on the ears. His easygoing rapport with the audience comes from his music's soul. Mellow Country-Folk songs swirl bits of blues and very subtle flavors of Texan Country Rock with light pastoral crooning that manages to carry a heavy soul. Lyrics are often inward speculations that sometimes turn into arcadian porch songs.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Graham Nash</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6871&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Folk-Rock</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:27:54 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6871</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Graham Nash</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6871</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6871&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6871&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Holly Williams</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6523158&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:31:25 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6523158</rhap:rcid>
<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Holly Williams</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.6523158</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6523158&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.6523158&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Rather than migrate to Nashville like so many would-be starlets willing to do anything for a country record contract, Holly Williams was born and raised in Music City. Moreover, she was raised in country music. That's right -- she's the granddaughter of honky-tonk hero Hank Williams and the little girl of outlaw country rocker Hank Williams Jr. (not to mention half sister to Hank III). But don't put on your Nudie suit just yet. Those expecting her to sing like Dottie West or a young Loretta Lynn are in for a surprise because the young Williams' music is much more akin to the songs of Mindy Smith or Tift Merritt. Williams never even really considered playing music until she picked up her father's guitar at the age of 17 purely out of boredom. A few years later (and with ample help from Ron Sexsmith), she had written a bunch of haunting Americana-tinged tunes and began touring them to receptive audiences. Williams' songs are moody musings wrapped in the ribbons of her milky smooth vocals.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Dobie Gray</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3724&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country Soul</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:51:43 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dobie Gray</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.3724</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3724&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3724&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[There aren't a lot of brothers who dabble in country music. Okay, there was Charlie Pride, Joe Tex and of course Ray Charles did some Nashville sounding songs with all those strings and backing vocal choirs. But when guys like Johnny Nash or Dobie Gray played country music it was always better than those who stuck to country's often limiting and formulaic blueprint. Gray's smash hit "Drift Away" (written by Mentor Williams) is a perfect example of this. It has the instrumentation of a Jerry Reid or Bobbie Gentry recorded song, but Gray's emotive singing and subtle vocal gymnastics could go places that someone like...oh, say Kenny Rogers could never ever even dream about. He wasn't as gritty as Joe Tex, but out of all the African American guys out there who dared to try the twang, Gray's buttery voice gave his songs a flavor unmatched by anyone else. He wasn't always going for a country soul sound. Born Leonard Victor Ainsworth, he tried his hands at a few different musical styles. His first real hit "The 'In' Crowd" was a go-go pop soul ditty that the mod kids loved dancing to in the '60s. He also experimented with disco in the late '70s and garnered another chart topper with "You Can Do It" before going back to singing and recording more country songs in the '80s.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Radney Foster</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69060&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>New Traditional</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:38:32 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Radney Foster</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.69060</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69060&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.69060&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>David Crosby</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.9045&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:55 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">David Crosby</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.9045</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.9045&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.9045&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[The Byrds wouldn't have been the same band without the god-given vocal touches and innovative songwriting of David Crosby. While he was helping to give California a sound that continues to be imitated to this day, he wrote some of the most beautiful Psychedelic ballads ever. Transcendental epics like "Draft Morning" and "Eight Miles High" fused soundscapes with love songs, and spacemen with cowboys. After Crosby quit the band in 1967, during the recording of the Notorious Byrd Brothers record (there's a hidden track of heated studio chatter on the reissue of this album), he released a masterpiece of a debut solo album pointedly titled "If I Could Only Remember My Name." He went on to help form Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the grand supergroup of vocal harmony. In the 1990s, Crosby began work with a project consisting of his faithful guitar player, Jeff Pevar, and his own son, James Raymond, on the keyboards. The group goes by the name CPR.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Slaid Cleaves</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10499&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:10:31 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Slaid Cleaves</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.10499</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10499&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.10499&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[A native of Portland, Maine, Cleaves moved to Austin, Tex., after releasing a number of Folk-Rock albums on his own. In Austin -- despite some stiff competition in the Singer-Songwriter field -- he came to the attention of former Lucinda Williams sideman and producer, Gurf Morlix, who helped him record an album for Rounder Records. Cleaves' pithy songs and reedy tenor, combined with Morlix' sensitive production to considerably expanded Slaid's audience. By the time he finished his second record <i>Brokedown</i> (2000), Cleaves was on his way to becoming a rising star on the Americana scene.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>High Windy</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.22683761&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bluegrass</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:13:48 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">High Windy</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.22683761</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.22683761&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.22683761&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Dan Tyminski</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15592&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bluegrass</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:19:33 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dan Tyminski</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15592&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15592&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Steve Goodman</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1291&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:43:21 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Steve Goodman</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.1291</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1291&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1291&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Steve Goodman is a revered Singer-Songwriter who died of leukemia in 1984 at the age of 36. He wrote songs that could be clever and heartbreakingly affecting at the same time. Like many Singer-Songwriters that came of age in the late 1960s and early '70s, he was an able acoustic guitar player whose style was informed by the folk/blues renaissance of the early '60s. Goodman's songs were covered by such artists as Jimmy Buffett, Bonnie Raitt, John Denver, and most notably, Arlo Guthrie, who had a hit with the now-standard "City of New Orleans."
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>John Hartford</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43976&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:06:51 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">John Hartford</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.43976</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43976&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.43976&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[The original writer of the crossover hit "Gentle On My Mind," John Hartford was much more than a one hit wonder. He was an accomplished fiddle, mandolin, guitar and banjo player (as well as a riverboat captain), and he played on the Byrds' cult classic album <I>Sweetheart Of The Rodeo</I>. After joining up with like-minded string band enthusiasts Norman Blake and Vassar Clements, Hartford began exploring bluegrass and pushing the boundaries of tradition. Today he is considered one of the founding pioneers of progressive bluegrass, and hailed as an acoustic deity. He passed away in 2001 due to complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Beth Nielsen Chapman</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4229&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:25:17 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Beth Nielsen Chapman</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4229&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4229&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
</item><item>
<title>Jesse Winchester</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4697&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Singer-Songwriter</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:05:58 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Jesse Winchester</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.4697</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4697&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4697&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Winchester is a freakishly talented singer-songwriter who fled the United States for Canada in 1967 after he was drafted to service in Vietnam War. Vocal gifts and songwriting talent rarely come together the way they do in Winchester. Raised in Memphis, he sings in a keening tenor infused with the spirit of the place where country, blues and soul come together. At the same time, his songs reveal a short-story writer's eye for detail and a poet's sense of metaphor. His first record, released in 1970, was produced by Robbie Robertson of the Band, and since then he's released records sparingly, but steadily. Winchester's exile has no doubt contributed to the fact that he's not a bigger star, but it hasn't prevented other folks from recording his songs. He's been covered by vast array of singers, including Tim Hardin and Wynonna Judd, and is a favorite of the discerning, slightly offbeat country act the Mavericks, as well as mainstream artists such as Reba McEntire.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Earl Scruggs</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5554&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Bluegrass</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:13:50 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Earl Scruggs</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5554&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5554&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[When Lester Raymond Flatt and Earl Scruggs left the Foggy Mountain Boys and split up their notorious picking outfit due to artistic differences, Flatt took the traditional route and Scruggs struck out to expand his musical horizons. His journey within the Earl Scruggs Review was successful. Rather than sticking to a tried and true yet absolutely predictable formula, Scruggs injected his matchless style of Bluegrass picking with bits of rock and pop sensibilities, while maintaining a pastoral twang. The songs reflect a healthy nod to the roots of Bluegrass music and oldfangled, countrified folk traditionals.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Ramblin' Jack Elliott</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5980&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Traditional Folk</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:39:19 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Ramblin' Jack Elliott</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5980&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5980&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Ramblin' Jack Elliott borrowed from Woody Guthrie's folk stylings long before Bob Dylan did. Elliott is one of the most longstanding artists in the folk realm. He was first inspired to pick up a guitar and teach himself to play when he ran away from home at the age of fifteen to join a traveling carnival. He stumbled upon a singing rodeo clown and soon realized that he wanted to play guitar and sing. He befriended the inspirational Guthrie and even traveled with him. Elliott's folk style is different from Guthrie's in that much like his regular discourse, the narratives of Elliott's songs branch out into patchwork quilts of stories and rich accounts of hoboing as well as witty working-class yarns. His nickname was given to him by the mother of fellow folkie Odetta, who after meeting him for the first time remarked, "That Jack Elliott, he sure can ramble.Â
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>John Sebastian</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5387&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:52:06 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">John Sebastian</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.5387</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5387&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.5387&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Ex-front man from the Lovin' Spoonful plays to a stadium armed with only a guitar, a harmonica, and a southern porch voice. His throaty, Okie-affected vocals sit well with his jug band guitar-strumming and harmonica virtuosity.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Fred Eaglesmith</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.39658&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Americana</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:25:11 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Fred Eaglesmith</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.39658</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.39658&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.39658&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Debuting in the mid-'90s, Canada's Fred Eaglesmith was equal parts country and rock 'n' roll. His scratchy vocals spun tales of moonshiners and big cars. His rural escapades caught the ears of both Americana and "hollering" enthusiasts. His newest record <I>50 Odd Dollars</i> finds him continuing down a path still strewn with an assortment of unsavory characters and stellar songwriting.
- Eric Shea]]></description>
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<title>The SteelDrivers</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17594966&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Progressive Bluegrass</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 4 Nov 2009 12:13:50 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">The SteelDrivers</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17594966&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17594966&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description />
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<title>Chris Smither</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.12803&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Acoustic Blues</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:49:02 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Chris Smither</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.12803&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.12803&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Country Blues singer-songwriter and guitar player Smither got his start in the Cambridge, Mass., coffeehouses during the folk revival of the 1960s. He was an influential performer on the circuit, and Bonnie Raitt, who was also on the scene at the time, has covered a number of his songs. Smither recorded several records at that time but nothing much came of them, and he spent a good part of the '70s in an alcoholic haze. Since cleaning up, Smither has given his career a full throttle revival with a constant schedule of touring and critically praised releases. His style involves intricate guitar fingerpicking and percussive foot tapping that backs up his powerfully bluesy voice.
- Tom Heyman]]></description>
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<title>Aztec Two-Step</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15676&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Country-Folk</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 7 May 2009 09:55:46 -0700</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Aztec Two-Step</rhap:artist>
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<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15676&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15676&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[Folk duo consisting of Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman. Their 1972 self-titled debut presented solid, satisfying songwriting occasionally defaced by the epic-making aspirations of prog rock. Still, it's their best album and a forgotten classic of '70s Folk-Rock. Stand-out tracks include "Cockroach Cacophony" -- the American folk scene's answer to the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" -- and "The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty (On The Road)," which, along with Tom Waits' "Jack & Neil," is one of the coolest songs ever about the Beats.
- Chad Driscoll]]></description>
</item><item>
<title>Dan Bern</title>
<link>http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4647&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</link>
<category>Modern Folk</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:09:36 -0800</pubDate>
<source url="http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&amp;category=genre&amp;genreId=121&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss">Top Country-Folk Artists on Rhapsody Online</source>
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<rhap:artist xmlns:rhap="rhap">Dan Bern</rhap:artist>
<rhap:artist-rcid xmlns:rhap="rhap">art.4647</rhap:artist-rcid>
<rhap:play-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4647&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:play-href>
<rhap:data-href xmlns:rhap="rhap">http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.4647&amp;variant=data&amp;rws=%2Fcountry%2Fcountry-folk-bluegrass%2Fcountry-folk%2Fartist-chart.rss</rhap:data-href>
<description><![CDATA[With a delivery that, at times, sounds just like Dylan, Dan Bern's modern day folkisms are the sort of cleverly worded, tongue-in-cheek, quasi-jaded masterpieces that aging, gainfully employed hippies go nuts for. Whether rambling along with his acoustic guitar or backed by a small country-prone band, Bern's acute observations on modern life and love, as well as his talent for hooks that sound just like those of the 1960s, is coffeehouse folk that's hit the big time.
- Mike McGuirk]]></description>
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