I got to see Ricky do this song live when he played the Chili Cookoff & Music Festival quite a few years back when it was held here in Tulsa, and he didn't miss a note !! Alison Krauss got her start here as well. I remember no one knowing who she was - her first year performing, but by the second year the concert grounds were overflowing !!! She was just an angel voiced teen back then...  - c.f.

To me...and I've been saying this for years...Vince Gill is the Eric Clapton of Country Music. Only a few incredibly gifted songwriters have been able to write & perform such a body of diverse songs & styles like Vince. Eric definitely comes to mind in the blues & rock music genre. Merle Haggard is such the songwriter & performer as is Willie Nelson, Dwght Yoakum has the gift just as Johnny Cash most certainly did. Keith Urban & Brad Paisley have it, John Mayer is definitely headed in that direction and the incredible Joe Bonamassa may aleady be there. - c.f.

Lee Roy Parnell is a singer, songwriter & incredible slide guitarist from Tx. I had the good fortune to see him live a couple of times at the Cain's Ballroom back when he was touring promoting the album that contained his hit single "What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am" back in the mid 90's. At the end of one of the concerts I attended I was up at the front of the stage looking for an overlooked discarded guitar pic but couldn't find one...I eventually asked Lee Roy whom was still on stage signing autographs and such if he might have one...being the incredibly nice guy that he is he looked around on the stage floor & on his mic stand and couldn't find one either...he quickly told me to hold on and dug in his front jeans pocket and handed me one saying "Here ya go" - I still cherish that memory & that pic !! - c.f.

This is about as close to a perfect performance as you can get. Incredible lyrics, vocals & pace...and the guitar playing is masterful. - c.f.

This has always been a country song - to me...and the slide guitar performance is just...unbelievable !! Performed by Legendary guitarist Rick Vito. - c.f.

Performed by The Soggy Bottom Boys in the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou ?" Actually Recorded by Dan Tyminski - lead vocals (Alison Krauss & Union Station), Harley Allen, & Pat Enright. The film version was done in the classic Ralph Stanley lyrics and singing style which made it a hit back in 1951.
The Song received a CMA for "Single of the Year" and a Grammy for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" and it peaked at #35 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. - c.f.

Steve Wariner had a string of country music hits back in the 80's & 90's. American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Wariner has released eighteen studio albums, including six on MCA Records, and three each on RCA Records, Arista Records and Capitol Records. He has also charted more than fifty singles on the Billboard country singles charts, including ten Number One hits: "All Roads Lead to You", "Some Fools Never Learn", "You Can Dream of Me", "Life's Highway", "Small Town Girl", "The Weekend", "Lynda", "Where Did I Go Wrong", and "I Got Dreams", and "What If I Said", a duet with Anita Cochran from her album Back to You.
 In addition to writing or co-writing most of his own songs, Wariner holds several writing credits for other artists, including Number One hits for Clint Black and Garth Brooks, as well as singles for Bryan White and Keith Urban. Other artists with whom he has worked include Nicolette Larson, Glen Campbell, Mark O'Connor, Asleep at the Wheel and Brad Paisley. Wariner has also won four Grammy Awards: one for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, and three for Best Country Instrumental, the most recent in 2010 for "Producer's Medley" from the album Steve Wariner, c.g.p., My Tribute to Chet Atkins. Steve Wariner was one of only four guitar players in the world to be given the "Certified Guitar Player" (CGP) award by Chet Atkins (five including Atkins himself). And just like Glen Campbell, most people aren't aware that Steve Wariner is widely considered one of the finest guitar players in the world. R&B & Jazz singer, songwriter & guitar player George Benson falls into that category as well. - c.f.

Many people state that they absolutely hate country music...yet the same people Love the Eagles ? Definitely a country oriented rock band...this version of the song - which began as a Don Felder instrumental found within his demo tapes - done acoustically like this pretty much has to be considered "a great country song". - c.f.

Written by: Don Felder, Glenn Frey & Don Henley
 The acoustic version on the 1994 Hell Freezes Over reunion concert CD and video release is performed using eight guitars and has a decidedly Spanish feel to it with Don Felder's flamenco-inspired intro and concludes with an extended section of amazing acoustic guitar interplay between Don Felder and Joe Walsh ( The two guitarists performance was recorded on seperate channels.)  The term "colitas" in the first stanza of the song is a Spanish term for "little tails" and in Mexican slang it is a reference to the buds of the cannabis plant. According to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best of Eagles, the use of the word "steely" in the lyric (referring to knives) was a playful nod to band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their song "Everything You Did".
 In 2009, the song "Hotel California" was certified Platinum (Digital Sales Award) by the RIAA for sales of 1 million digital downloads.
Three months after its release Feb 1977, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing 1 million copies shipped. The Eagles also won the 1977 Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Hotel California"
 The song's guitar solo is ranked 8th on Guitar Magazine's Top 100 Guitar Solos and was voted the best solo of all time by readers of Guitarist magazine.       - c.f.

Being a guitar player myself I was instantly drawn to Dwight's music because of the rockin' guitar perfomances which can also be heard within this song & especially at the end when the amazing guitarist Pete Anderson just rips out one great riff after another !!! - Awesome guitar work !! - c.f. ( This track is from "Sharp Dressd Man - ZZ Top Country Tribute Album" )