Category: Music

Marty Brown’s “Broken Road”

Marty Brown Broken Road Tonight on a semi-finals show of America’s Got Talent, Marty Brown performed the “Bless the Broken Road,” made famous by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Rascal Flatts. Alone on stage with his guitar, Brown had a lot of pressure on him after the judges had criticized his last performance. But Brown showed he could handle the pressure, putting on a touching performance of the song within the limited time given to performers on the show.

Hopefully, Brown will advance to the pre-finals Top 12 round, but the competition is tough with a wide variety of talented acts, so fans need to make sure to vote by phone, Internet, and Twitter. See our previous post on how to vote or go to AGT’s website.

Marty Brown chose a fitting song for this national television performance. Marty Brown has taken a broken road to get to the semifinals of America’s Got Talent. Here’s to the next steps along that comeback road.

September 4 Update: Marty Brown did not advance to the top 12 of America’s Got Talent. Besides making a great run, we are more excited than ever that he won so many new fans. So we look forward to more exposure and more original music in the future. We will continue to cover Brown’s ongoing successful career!

[Update: For a post on Brown’s entire run on America’s Got Talent, check out our post on The Great AGT Rebirth of Marty Brown.]

What was your favorite performance on “America’s Got Talent”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Great AGT Rebirth of Marty Brown
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  • Marty Brown Sings His Song “To the Moon” (Originally Recorded by George Strait)
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    It’s the Working, the Working, Just the Working Life

    Labor Day book We hope our U.S. readers are enjoying the Labor Day weekend. The official holiday was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland to honor working people, following the 1894 Pullman Strike where strikers had been killed by law enforcement officials and soldiers. But citizens had already been celebrating the Labor Day for years.

    There are a number of songs about jobs, but when I think of the word “work” and music, the first song that comes to my mind is Bruce Springsteen’s “Factory,” from Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978). The haunting repetitiveness of the line about “the working, the working, just the working life” captures the boring sameness that appears in some way in almost every job, although some more than others. Yet, the song always seemed like a tribute to those who do those difficult jobs, such as the factory workers in the song.

    I recently discovered the Canadian band The Deep Dark Woods. The band, from Saskatoon, has put out several albums that one might classify as alt-country. I plan to check out more of there music, and you should too. For now, though, check out their awesome take on Springsteen’s “Factory.”

    The U.S. Labor Department website notes that the holiday is “a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.” And it is a “tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” Enjoy your day, and then get back to the working, the working, just the working life.

    What is your favorite song about working? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Bruce Springsteen’s Fighting Prayer for the U.S.

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    Marty Brown Is From the Country But Sings From the City This Week

    Marty Brown Kentucky State Fair

    Marty Brown returns to the America’s Got Talent stage this Tuesday. As Marty Brown has continued his comeback with the help of America’s Got Talent, fans have been lucky to see him performing in a variety of places. Recently, he opened for Montgomery Gentry at the Kentucky State Fair. At the show, Brown played “I’m from the Country,” a song he co-wrote that became a hit for Tracy Byrd. It’s great to see him performing his hit at a sold-out show. Check it out.

    Marty Brown will be back on America’s Got Talent this Tuesday, September 3, so make sure to watch and check out our previous post on how to vote by phone, Internet, and Twitter. To vote by phone, call the number they show on your screen for Marty Brown, which looks like it will be 1-866-602-4802 but double-check your TV. To vote by Internet, go here. To vote on Twitter, tweet using the hashtag #voteAGT followed by “Marty Brown.” You get one vote on Twitter but can vote up to ten times each on the phone and on the Internet (for each email address).

    Voting begins 10:55 p.m. Tuesday, and the phone voting goes until 1 a.m. EST while the online and Twitter voting goes to 6:00 a.m. Wednesday. For more information and details on the voting times for your time zone, check out AGT’s website.

    For another original Marty Brown song, check out “I’m Gonna Make It Fly” below, and make sure to catch the show on Tuesday, where Brown will continue to make his comeback fly. [October 2014 Update: Unfortunately, the video is no longer available but we hear that “I’m Gonna Make It Fly” is going to be a new single, so we will post a video once it becomes available.]


    What song would you like to hear Marty Brown sing? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Marty Brown’s Sleeping Wall
  • Marty Brown on “Words & Music”
  • Marty Brown’s Son Christian Brown Auditions on “American Idol”
  • Marty Brown Sings His Song “To the Moon” (Originally Recorded by George Strait)
  • George Strait Sings a Marty Brown Song: “To the Moon” (Song of the Day)
  • Marty Brown Sings “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Bob Dylan and George Harrison: “Time Passes Slowly”

    One of the songs on Bob Dylan’s new “Bootleg” release, Another Self Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series Vol. 10(2013), is the demo “Time Passes Slowly #1.” featuring George Harrison on guitar and background vocals. Harrison stopped by one of the Self Portrait sessions and the two recorded this version of the song.

    Another version of “Time Passes Slowly” would end up on New Morning, but it is cool we get to hear this one from the vaults.

    Of course, the two played together on other occasions. Harrison played slide guitar on Dylan’s Under the Red Sky (1990) album. And Nelson Wilbury (Harrison) and Lucky Wilbury (Dylan) were part of The Traveling Wilburys.

    What is your favorite Dylan-Harrison collaboration? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Got My Mind Set on George Harrison
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    The Replacements Reunite

    Replacements Reunion While everyone is buzzing about the MTV Video Music Awards, there actually was a major music event last night. The Replacements reunited for the first time in 22 years at Riot Fest in Toronto. Rolling Stone reports that nearly 10,000 people showed up for the historic event with Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson, along with drummer Josh Freese and Dave Minehan on guitar.

    The band’s 23-song set spanned their career and included a number of covers. So far, there are a few videos from the performance on YouTube. But for now, you may hear the entire performance streaming below courtesy of The Replacements – Live Archive Project. It is an audience recording, but it is still worth turning up your speakers and checking out.

    The Replacements will play again September 15th in Chicago and September 21st in Denver.

    What is your favorite song by The Replacements? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Reunited Replacements on “The Tonight Show”
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