Guardian Music — Popular country singer in the early 1950s Carl Smith, who has died aged 82, was a key figure in the changing sound of country music in the early 1950s. Like Eddy Arnold, he purveyed a softer, warmer vocal manner, while keeping the music muscular by p... more info

411 Mania — From Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" and Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" to Johnny Cash's "Hurt" and others, the 411Music Staffers discuss their Top 5 favorite pop ballads. Stop in, read the lists, and leave your own! more info

Chorus.fm — *Nathaniel Rateliff* (http://www.myspace.com/nathanielrateliff)'s new album In Memory Of Loss will be released on May 4th via Rounder Records (http://www.rounder.com/). You can watch a video of him covering Johnny Cash's song "You Should Have Seen T... more info

To coincide with the release of the Man in Black's final set of recordings, American VI: Ain't No Grave, Johnny Cash fans are helping to create a video for the title track via a collective art project more info

CMT — Johnny Cash's estate has a unique problem. To coincide with the release of the Man in Black's final set of recordings, American VI: Ain't No Grave, they really wanted to do a music video for the title track. It's a weighty piece of music, though, and... more info

Guardian Music — Photographer whose candid images helped define rock's halcyon era of the 60s and 70sThe photographer Jim Marshall, who has died aged 74, was as colourful and unpredictable as many of the rock stars he shot. "I've been busted a few times for drugs, gu... more info

Rolling Stone — The rock world lost a giant with the death of Jim Marshall the iconic photographer who captured Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar at Monterey Pop and Johnny Cash flipping the bird at San Quentin. Janet Jackson told us she’s not working on a new albu... more info

L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — Jim Marshall, the great rock, jazz, country, blues and folk photojournalist who died Wednesday in New York at age 74, was the world’s eye on countless key moments in pop music during the '60s and beyond. In this shot that... more info

Pitchfork — Rolling Stone reports that the iconic rock photographer Jim Marshall died in his sleep Tuesday night in New York. He was 74 years old. Marshall was responsible for famous photos of Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and many ot... more info

Guardian Music — As a nation, we haven't warmed much to country and western – but are the Avett Brothers the ones to change all that, asks Alexis PetridisYou never feel more British than when perusing the Billboard Country Chart. It's packed with people you've... more info