“Whiskey And Cigarettes Show” Welcomes Country Music Biographer Mark Rickert

whiskey&cigarettes_banner transparentWhiskey and Cigarettes Country Radio Show is happy to announce the airing of their exclusive interview with country music biographer, Mark Rickert.  Mr. Rickert joined award-winning host, DJ Nik Bernitz Pizzigoni, to discuss his latest book, These Are My People: The Merle Kilgore Story.


The interview with Mark Rickert will air this coming Sunday, April 23, 2017 between 11am ET-3pm ET. The live show airs on Military Brotherhood Radio at http://www.militarybrotherhoodradio.comWhiskey And Cigarettes is also re-broadcast on internet and am/fm syndicate  stations, and their affiliates around the world.  The show is also available on demand, on Soundcloud and at www.whiskeyandcigarettesshow.com.

these_are_my_people_book_cover_0_0Merle Kilgore co-wrote “Ring Of Fire,” carried Hank Williams Sr.’s guitar, managed Hank Jr. for more than two decades, and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. From wrecking hotel rooms with Johnny Cash to explorations into the “other side” with Johnny Horton and the often-hilarious anecdotes of his life as a disc jockey and as a performer on the Louisiana Hayride and the Grand Ole Opry, Merle lived life to the fullest. Blazing new career paths into the industry itself, Kilgore was undeniably a critical strand in the fabric of the Country music storyline. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Kilgore.

Mark Rickert grew up in a Country music household, just a few miles from the Opryland USATheme Park and the Grand Ole Opry, and only a block from the home of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley’s manager.  Mark’s father even worked as a Nashville tour guide.  But it was his grandfather, Merle Kilgore, who showed him the backstage side of the business.  Before publishing his first novel, Mark served eight years a photo-journalist for the U.S. Army Reserve, spending a year of that service in Baghdad, Iraq, writing for military publications. In 2008, he earned a Master’s in English Literature from Middle Tennessee State University. Today, he works as chief of public affairs for an Army recruiting battalion.

“Whiskey And Cigarettes Radio Show” is a weekly show, originating in Milan, Italy, hosted by the “Romeo of the Rodeo” Nik Pizzigoni.  Nik is a Nashville Universe Awards Winner, International Music and Entertainment Association Award Winner, a New Music Awards Winner, AMG Heritage Awards nominee,  and an Independent Country Music Association nominee. The show features a unique blend of classic, current and indie country, trivia, contests, artist spotlights and interviews and Nik’s European charm. Previous guests have included Charley Pride, Hank Williams, Jr., Charlie Daniels, Steve Wariner, John Rich, Oak Ridge Boys, Lorrie Morgan, Bill Anderson, Luke Bryan, Bryan White, Travis Tritt, Lee Greenwood, Collin Raye and many others.  www.whiskeyandcigarettesshow.com.