A version of this column appears in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.

BAM’s top 10 albums of 2011
Column: Oklahoma recording artists from across the musical spectrum made beautiful music and reached impressive milestones in the year just past.

For fans of Oklahoma music, it’s hard to imagine a more exciting year than 2011.

Tulsa Sound pioneer Leon Russell finally made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then the Songwriters Hall of Fame for good measure, Owasso-based country star Garth Brooks joined Uncle Leon in …

Stoney LaRue

A version of this column appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To see Nos. 21-11 on my list of top 21 Oklahoma country songs, click here.

OklahomaRock.com counts down the top 100 country songs with state ties
BAM column: Website is revealing the list throughout the month of August.

From mainstream mega-stars and red dirt rebels to singing cowboys and sharp-penned songwriters, Oklahoma has birthed, bred or nurtured numerous influential country music makers.

Throughout August, OklahomaRock.com is counting down the top 100 songs from our …

Red dirt rockers Cody Canada & The Departed have topped the Texas Music Charts with “The Ballad of Rosalie,” the lead-off single from the their debut album, “This Is Indian Land.”

After Oklahoma-rooted red dirt band Cross Canadian Ragweed announced last year an indefinite hiatus, singer/songwriter/guitarist Canada and singer/bassist Jeremy Plato formed The Departed with Texas guitarist Seth James, Tulsa keyboardist Steve Littleton and Yukon drummer David Bowen. For their first project, their frontman proposed they showcase their Oklahoma music heroes.

“This Is Indian Land” is an 18-track salute to …

A version of this story appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read my recent interview with Cody Canada, click here.

Country

Cody Canada & The Departed “This Is Indian Land” (Underground Sound/Apex Nashville)

Cody Canada & The Departed dig deep into Oklahoma’s fertile musical soil and unearth an diverse collection of gems on their debut album “This Is Indian Land,” due out Tuesday.

The newly formed red dirt quintet — former Cross Canadian Ragweed singer/songwriter/guitarist Canada, ex-Ragweed bassist/singer Jeremy Plato, Texas guitarist Seth James, Tulsa keyboardist/organist …

Red dirt rockers Cody Canada & The Departed take fans behind the scenes of the making of their debut album, “This Is Indian Land,” in this mini-documentary.

Released Tuesday, the pays tribute to some of Oklahoma’s great songwriters. The video includes snippets of the band performing Leon Russell’s “Home Sweet Oklahoma,” the Red Dirt Rangers “Starin’ Down the Sun,” Tom Skinner’s “Water Your Own Yard” and Randy Pease’s “Ballad of Rosalie.”

As listed in today’s “What to do in Oklahoma” here on BAM’s Blog, The Departed are celebrating the release …

Red dirt rockers Cody Canada & The Departed released their debut album “This Is Indian Land,” today on Apex Music/Underground Sound.

The band, which features former Cross Canadian Ragweed frontman Cody Canada and bassist Jeremy Plato, pays tribute to great Oklahoma songwriters like the Red Dirt Rangers, Bob Childers, Leon Russell, J.J. Cale, Kevin Welch, Tom Skinner and more on the album.

The Departed will celebrate and perform with many of the songwriters featured on the album at a semi-private show Tuesday night at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. The Departed …

Red dirt rockers Cody Canada & The Departed premiered the music video for “Staring Down the Sun” today on CMT.com.

The song is featured on the band’s debut album “This Is Indian Land,” coming out Tuesday on Apex Music/Underground Sound.

The band, which features former Cross Canadian Ragweed frontman Cody Canada and bassist Jeremy Plato, pays tribute to great Oklahoma songwriters like the Red Dirt Rangers, Bob Childers, Leon Russell, J.J. Cale, Kevin …

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. See the full list of Oklahoma songwriters featured on “This Is Indian Land” after the break.

Cody Canada & The Departed dig into musical roots with debut album
The red dirt band, which formed last year after the dissolution of Cross Canadian Ragweed, releases “This Is Indian Land” Tuesday.

Cody Canada & The Departed are digging into their Oklahoma music roots with their debut album.

Formed last year after the disbanding of red dirt stars Cross Canadian Ragweed, the Oklahoma-Texas quintet is …

Last month, a few dozen red dirt songwriter/performers converged in Stillwater for the filming of a mini-documentary about red dirt music, the uniquely Oklahoma genre that mixes rock, country, folk and more. The reunion, dubbed the Red Bull Gypsy Cafe, started out one evening at The Farm, the old homestead on the outskirts of town that is recognized as the birthplace of red dirt.

The day after the private story-swapping and jam session, the musicians played as duos at a public music festival at four Stillwater venues, where more filming …

Musicians pack the shed known as the Gypsy Cafe at The Farm, the legendary Stillwater homestead recognized as the birthplace of red dirt music. Several musicians reunited in Stillwater last month for the filming of a Red Bull mini-documentary about red dirt music. (Red Bull photo by Trevor Paulhus)

Musicians Mike McClure and Randy Crouch play together April 15 at the Stonewall Tavern in Stillwater. Several musicians reunited in Stillwater last month for the filming of a Red Bull mini-documentary about red dirt music. (Red Bull photo by Kelly Kerr)

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