Five Things You Probably Don't Know About Dwight Yoakam

Dwight David Yoakam was born on October 23, 1956 in Pikeville, KY, to keypunch operator Ruth Ann Tibbs Yoakam and gas station owner David Yoakam. Soon after, his family moved from their Floyd County home to Columbus Ohio. Dwight remained fiercely proud of his Kentucky roots, and he sang of the trip North up U.S. Highway 23 that many Eastern Kentuckians -- like his own parents -- were forced to take in order to find factory jobs.

In honor of Dwight Yoakam's birthday, here are five facts you probably didn't know about the singer and actor:

• Dwight was briefly enrolled at the Ohio State University, but dropped out in order to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in entertainment.  He was later awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, WV.
• He has released four albums that were comprised solely of cover songs, including one album of Buck Owens songs.
• Dwight's acting career includes roles in Slingblade, Panic Room, Wedding Crashers, and Bandidas.
• He owns a food brand known as Bakersfield Biscuits.
• Johnny Cash once said that Yoakam was his favorite country singer.

Happy Birthday, Dwight!

Joy Williams Venus Album Review

I was a huge fan of the Nashville-based duo The Civil Wars. I LOVED the way Joy Willams' haunting, ethereal voice soared opposite John Paul White's soulful sound. Like a lot of Civil Wars fans, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Joy's post-Civil Wars solo album. Of course, when One2One Network offered me the opportunity to review the album, I was thrilled to give it an early listen.

Williams' solo album, Venus, tells a beautiful, uplifting story of modern womanhood. Themes of mothering, relationships, and strength abound. The songs don't have the dreamy, old-time feel of Civil Wars tunes; rather, they're often straightforward tales of love, loss, or celebration. "Sweet Love of Mine" will resonate with mothers or anyone else who has a very special child in their life. "Woman (Oh Mama)" is beautifully celebratory, and if "Before I Sleep" hasn't already been slated for a movie soundtrack, it should be soon! Of course, for Civil Wars die-hards, it's easy to interpret a few songs as being about the band's breakup; perhaps "One Day I Will" is just that, or maybe it's about the end of another type of relationship. That's the beauty of Venus; many of these songs go beyond Joy's own experiences and touch something universal in the listener.

Venus will be available for download June 29. You can preorder via iTunes or Amazon now, or download select singles now.

{One2One Network provided the album download to HerKentucky for review purposes. No additional compensation was provided; all opinions are my own.)