An Interview With Ron Rutherford

Back on Thursday, July 10th, 2008, I posted “Ron Rutherford — Lone Wolf (Debut Solo Album)” after discovering his music on Last.fm. Being a fan of many of the singer songwriters that came out of the 1970s – Warren Zevon, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, JD Souther, Jackson Browne, Loggins & Messina, James Taylor, Steven Stills – I found Rutherford’s mix of Country Rock, Southern Rock and Classic Rock infused with elements of Blues and Pop to be quite refreshing. That Rutherford’s CD was also self produced appealed to my “Do-It-Yourself” ethic.

In this streaming podcast interview from Radio Galactica, Rutherford speaks at length about the emerging independent music industry replacing the old boy’s club of traditional record companies and traditional radio, the meaning behind the songs on ‘Lone Wolf’, and how the internet and internet radio is changing the landscape for independent artists.

The interview is 3 hours long yet well worth the listen. It includes the entire album, ‘Lone Wolf’ for your listening pleasure. I know it was mine.

Ann Wilson — Hope & Glory

Another CD which I recently picked up was Ann Wilson’s first-ever solo effort ‘Hope & Glory,’ from Zoë/ Rounder Records. Produced by Ben Mink, Hope & Glory features appearances from such artists as Elton John, Gretchen Wilson, Alison Krauss, Rufus Wainwright, Ann’s sister Nancy Wilson and others on unique renditions of songs made famous by Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Neil Young and more. In these two videos, Ann Wilson performs unique covers of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant song” (Track 5) and Pink Floyd’s “Goodbye Blue Sky” (Track 1).

Ron Rutherford — Lone Wolf (Debut Solo Album)


Just discovered this debut solo album by Texan, New Yorker, country rocker rebel Ron Rutherford on Last.fm recently entitled, Lone Wolf (Rarestar Records, 2006). He’s a singer songwriter reminiscent of Warren Zevon, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Chris Whitley; and the music is somewhere between that of Loggins & Messina and Poco. Give the album a listen here. My favourite tracks were “Freak Flag” and “Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye”.