I have often spoken about how Uncle Tupelo and Steve Earle pretty much invented the genre of Alt-Country in the late 1980s, blending together outlaw country with hints of punk. But that, of course, is not really the full story – like claiming the Pistols and The Clash invented punk and omitting The Stooges and The Ramones from the narrative. And that is the case here; Joe Ely , who sadly died yesterday aged 78, was doing all of that a decade before the rest. Don’t believe me?

Lubbock, Texas. A place pretty much miles from anywhere else, surrounded by the high up, dusty plains full of cotton, randomly cut across...

Here we are with news of two new releases - one that has just happened and one coming up this autumn. With over twenty solo albums...