When it comes to country music, the piano has always played second fiddle to the guitar. But there are a handful of pianists who have broken through to help shape the sound of country music. "Get Rhythm" piano lesson Most notably is Floyd Cramer, who could be considered the King of Country Piano for his work with Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, and Elvis Presley. Hargus “Pig” Robbins is considered Nashville’s top session keyboardist, recording with Dolly Parton, Patti Page, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers, Merle Haggard and a dual recipient of Country Music Association’s musician of the year. We can’t leave out Moon Mullican, the “King of Hillbilly Piano Players”. And Ray Charles made his mark on country music with “I Can’t Stop Loving You” ranked on the list of 100 Greatest Songs of …
Ray Charles
IROCKU Student, Jagger Clark, Wins Prestigious Eastman School of Music Award- Congratulations Jagger!!!
Congratulations to high school junior, Jagger Clark, for winning the Prestigious Eastman School of Music Award for his musical talents and contributions to his school. Chuck and the team at IROCKU couldn't be prouder of your achievements!!!! "What'd I Say" piano lesson Jagger's earliest introduction to the piano was through his IROCKU lessons. In fact, at one of our early recording sessions with Chuck, Jagger was asked to participate since he was our youngest student at the time. Under the guidance of IROCKU musical director, Cary Brown, Jagger has worked his way through the 7-level IROCKU curriculum and now routinely performs the IROCKU material in his gigs. Thank you Eastman School of Music for validating that the classical approach to learning piano is not the only path …
Chuck Leavell jamming on “Losing Hand” by his musical hero Ray Charles.
Here is a special treat of Chuck jamming on "Losing Hand" by his musical hero Ray Charles. Chuck began his music career as a tagalong kid brother on his older sister’s date to a Ray Charles gig in Tuscaloosa in 1965. “I was 13 and my parents had something else going on that night,” Leavell recalled to Atlanta magazine this week from his 2500-acre tree farm in Macon. “So they said, ‘Why don’t you take Chuck with you?’ She graciously said yes. I was already playing music, learning piano and guitar. I was very interested in music. But I had never seen anything that powerful. I mean, Ray Charles is Ray Charles but then he had [David] Fathead Newman on sax, the Raelettes were singing. The band was just so tight. I walked away that night knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life. …
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