Steve Earle, the renowned country music rebel, once said of his early mentor: "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole wide world, and "I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." A bold statement -- but in certain regards, Van Zandt's influence stretches as

Contemplative, Gritty, Rebel, Rough, Smoky

Rachelle Garniez, singer / songwriter / accordionist / performer was born into a musical family in New York City and has been devoted to music ever since. She began playing the accordion in 1986, and her explorations have taken her from playing on the subway platforms and in the clubs of New York to

Eclectic, Kinetic, Sardonic, Sexy, Smart, Trippy

One of the most enigmatic figures in rock history, Scott Walker was known as Scotty Engel when he cut obscure flop records in the late '50s and early '60s in the teen idol vein. He then hooked up with John Maus and Gary Leeds to form the Walker Brothers. They weren't named Walker, they weren't brothe

Cool, Dark, Self-reflection

Johnny Cash is "The Man in Black." A patriarch of country music, Cash has played with and influenced some of the greatest figures in contemporary music. Cash has a voice that can bend steel. Deep, resonant, and manly, when combined with his songs' marching bass lines, the Cash voice evokes a sense of

Dark, Gritty, Intimate, Masculine, Pathos