 International
Artists
-
-
-
-
-
-
The 2008 CMA Music Festival will
take place Thursday through Sunday, June 5-8, in Downtown
Nashville and tickets are available now. Fans who want to
experience the excitement of the Festival firsthand, can order
tickets by calling 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378); visiting
CMAfest.com to download an order form to fax or mail; or
visiting Ticketmaster.com to buy online or charge-by-phone at
(615) 255-9600. Prices do not include applicable handling fees.
Ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All sales
are final and non-refundable.
The Gold Circle section is already sold out and tickets are
selling at a rapid pace. Fans are encouraged to order early for
best available seating. Four-day ticket packages correspond to a
different level of seating at LP Field. Children 3 years and
younger are admitted free.
2008 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL FOUR-DAY TICKET PACKAGE PRICES
LEVEL ADULT 12 & YOUNGER
Gold Circle (Floor) SOLD OUT N/A
Floor Level $165 $116
Lower Level $145 $102
Club Level $135 $95
Upper Level (GA) $110 $78
CMA Music Festival is organized and
produced by the Country Music Association. CMA Board member Tony
Conway is the Executive Producer of CMA Music Festival. Premiere
Radio Networks is the official radio broadcaster. Chevy: The
Official Ride of Country Music. Mary Kay® is the Official Beauty
Sponsor. Fan Fair® is a registered trademark of CMA.
-
Charlie Daniels, Rodney Atkins and Taylor
Swift will perform at the 11th Annual Christmas For Kids Benefit
Concert Monday, Nov. 19
at the Ryman Auditorium. Tickets are available at
www.christmas4kids.org. All proceeds from this and other events
such as the Tour Bus Show will be donated towards the children's
Christmas shopping excursion.
-
Ex-Elvis girlfriend Linda Thompson and actress Raquel Welch are
among those sharing their memories of The King with "Ladies Home
Journal." Thompson notes that Elvis was a needy man who liked
having a mother figure in his life, one of the roles she says
she was happy to play for him. But she adds that he was very
paternal as well, both towards her and to his daughter, Lisa
Marie. Thompson also says Elvis didn't want to die young, but
had looked forward to the future. She says he especially wanted
to see Lisa Marie grow up and have a family of her own, and he
wanted to be a grandfather. Also included are actress Mary Ann
Mobley, who co-starred with Presley in "Harum
Scarum;"
and rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson, an early girlfriend who
also toured with Elvis in 1955 and '56 and saw first-hand how he
skyrocketedd
from obscurity to superstardom. The women are featured in the
August issue of "Ladies Home Journal."
-
-
TV Land is planning special programming throughout August in
honor of the 30th anniversary of Presley's death. The "Concert
Weekends" will include broadcasts of the "Elvis: '68 Comeback
Special," "Aloha From Hawaii," and
"Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics: Elvis Presley." The
channel will also present a mix of Presley films -- such as
"Love Me Tender," "Easy Come, Easy Go," "Speedway,"
"Roustabout," "Fun in Acapulco," and "Paradise Hawaiian Style"
-- with other documentaries and made-for-TV movies about The
King.
-
-
Hank Williams Jr. will be honored as a “CMT Giant” with his own
two-hour special. “CMT Giants” will air in November on CMT.
-
-
“Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City”
will be published in November by the University of Illinois
Press. Written by Craig Havighurst, the book explains how the
country radio station transformed Nashville, Tennessee into a
city known for music and entertainment.
-
-
Floyd Cramer played piano on Patsy Cline’s record of “Crazy”
along with Walter Haynes on steel guitar, Buddy Harmon on drums,
Grady Martin on lead guitar and Bob Moore on bass
-
-
Charlie Louvin will open a series of concerts for Lucinda
Williams beginning July 14 in Kansas City. The 13-city tour will
conclude Aug. 1 in Council Bluffs, Iowa
-
-
Emmylou Harris and the Grascals will be performing at the
International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Fan Fest
October 5th -7th in Nashville, Tennessee
at the Grand Ole Opry House.
-
-
Forty-four
people were arrested in Canada during a four-day country music
festival that featured Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Big &
Rich, and Gretchen Wilson. Some 23,000 people showed up for the
final day of the Craven Country Music Jamboree in Craven,
Saskatchewan. Ten people were arrested for impaired driving, but
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police also investigated five
assaults, two assaults with a weapon, four sexual assaults and
seven thefts.
-
-
Charlie Louvin celebrates his 80th birthday on July 7th
and will celebrate with a performance at the Grand Ole Opry and
on the ”Midnight Jamboree” at Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop near the
Opry House. Sunday he will celebrate the world premier of his new
video “Ira,” which is about his brother Ira Louvin, at the Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
-
-
-
July 2nd,1956, Elvis Presley recorded “Don’t Be Cruel”
and “Hound Dog” at the RCA Records’ New York studios. When the two
songs were released as a double-sided single later that year, they
hit number one and stayed there for eleven weeks. That session
also marked the first time that Elvis used the gospel trio the
Jordanaires as his backup group.
-
-
The Nashville
Convention & Visitor's Bureau estimates the combined total
attendance for the recent
2007 CMA Music Festival was 191-thousand people.
-
-
Charlie Daniels was awarded the Secretary
of Defense Medal during a recent visit to the Pentagon, for his
exceptional public support of the armed forces. Charlie has
performed at 20 military installations around the globe for
America military personnel.
-
-
Lee Greenwood will perform “God Bless the U.S.A.” at the "Living
the American Dream” U.S. citizenship ceremony on Wednesday. The
Department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will host
the giant U.S. Citizenship Ceremony at the Magic Kingdom at Walt
Disney World. Over one thousand immigrants from over 50 countries
will be sworn in as American Citizens on Main Street USA.
-
-
Willie Nelson
will headline a press conference and ground breaking of the
expansion of the Sequential Pacific Biodiesel plant in Salem,
Oregon on July 6th 2007. The singer is also scheduled for concert
dates in the area that week, including that night in Eugene,
Oregon and the next night in Bend, Oregon. Nelson will arrive in
his biodiesel powered tour bus for the July 6th event.
-
-
The International Bluegrass Music Awards will be held October 4th
in Nashville, Tennessee at the Grand Ole Opry. The award show is
part of the World of Bluegrass week, October 1st
through 7th.
-
-
Willie Nelson has recorded "I Hear You Knockin'" for the Fats
Domino tribute album, “Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats
Domino,’”which will be in stores on September 25th.
Other artists on the album include Elton John, Paul McCartney, and
Tom Petty. Proceeds from sales will be used to purchase musical
instruments to be donated to public schools in New Orleans,
Domino's hometown.
-
-
Crystal Gayle and Dwight Yoakam will be inducted into the Kentucky
Music Hall of Fame in 2008.The Hall of Fame is located in Renfro
Valley, Kentucky.
-
-
Visit
CMAfest.com today to listen to the
first in a series of "Road Stories" from today's road warriors -
those artists hitting the pavement to take Country Music to the
fans!
First up is Show Dog Nashville group
Carter's Chord , who spoke
with us recently following an acoustic performance at the CMA
offices.
Look for upcoming "Road Stories" from artists including Eric
Church, Cowboy Crush, Ray Scott and more!
-
'Country's Night To Rock' is Monday, July 23!
ABC TELEVISION NETWORK TO AIR CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL SPECIAL
-
Country Music’s hottest concert event of the summer – CMA Music
Festival – is bound to be television’s hottest summer special when
“CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” airs Monday, July 23
(9/8c) on the ABC Television Network.
The special was taped Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10, during
the Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience - the CMA Music Festival
- in Nashville.
Several of today’s top hit makers are already scheduled to appear
on the special including Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich,
Brooks & Dunn, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Kellie
Pickler, Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Sugarland, Josh Turner,
Carrie Underwood, and Reba McEntire in a duet with Kelly Clarkson.
More artists will be announced soon. This is the third time ABC
will broadcast this special, which invites the whole country to
America’s biggest Country Music celebration.
“The fans and their relationship with the artists and their
passion for the music is the cornerstone of the Festival,” said
Tammy Genovese, Chief Operating Officer for the Country Music
Association. “That relationship and our artists’ ability to
deliver an unbeatable stage performance is what sets this special
apart. It is a terrific platform for reaching music enthusiasts
with a front-row seat to some of today’s most dynamic
entertainers.”
Both the concerts and the interaction between the artists and fans
will be captured in the special with heart-pounding performances
interspersed with heart-warming encounters between the artists and
their avid admirers. Taped exclusively for the special, cameras
will follow the stories of several Festival attendees, who will
have their dreams come true when they are granted surprise,
once-in-a-lifetime meetings and personal encounters with their
favorite Country stars.
-
Jason Aldean: A Year To
Remember
By Keith Ryan Cartwright
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service /
Country Music Association, Inc.
Sitting on his bus parked outside of the Pengrowth Saddledome in
Calgary, Canada, Jason Aldean paused to gather his thoughts before
declaring, "Yeah, it's been a weird year."
If you consider snow in Las Vegas weird, yeah, it has been a weird
year for Aldean. And if you consider the fire that ravaged
Treasure Isle, the studio he was using to record the follow-up to
his Platinum self-titled debut, it's been a really weird year for
the Georgia native.
"I almost had a heart attack," Aldean recalled, of the phone call
he received from producer Michael Knox. "He was like,
'Everything's cool, but the studio caught fire.' I was really
nervous. You hit stuff the first time that's just on instinct. I
would have hated to try and recreate it ... but once he said the
masters were fine, I was OK."
"The first single is 'Johnny Cash,' and we really mixed it in a
ring of fire," joked Knox, who started mixing the new album two
days later amidst the reconstruction process. "We had to mix in
all the ash and change clothes twice a day. It was awful, but I
had no choice."
The fire happened on a Saturday in mid February, while Aldean was
in Vegas filming a video with director Wes Edwards for "Johnny
Cash." During an otherwise cold month in Music City, the emerging
singer/songwriter thought a trip to the desert would have been a
reprieve from the winter-like weather. Not so, as it snowed the
day he filmed the video.
"I sure hope this is not a sign of things to come in '07," said
Aldean, only half in jest.
For the past two years, though, everything has seemed to be
working, especially since the release of his sophomore album
Relentless, a groove-laden collection that borders on a rock 'n'
roll sound.
"We're ready for some new music," he admitted. Two years ago, when
Knox and his touring band cut Aldean's debut, no one knew exactly
who would make up his fan base. This time, however, they have a
better idea of who the fans are and what they want.
"The first record struck a nerve," Aldean said. "You want songs
you like and songs they can relate to, but it's kind of a
balance."
If the early success of "Johnny Cash" forecasts how fans and radio
will react to the new album, then Aldean is poised for his fourth
trip into the Top 10. Less about Cash as a person and more about
the Man in Black as a symbol of freedom, "Johnny Cash" resonated
immediately with those who have heard the hardhitting tune about a
man willing to abandon his cramped routine for a life with fewer
constraints.
"It embraces the attitude of Johnny Cash," Aldean explained. "I
was going to put it on my first record."
Unfortunately, the publishers of the song wound up holding it for
another artist. Though disappointed, Aldean responded by cutting "Hicktown,"
which like "Johnny Cash" included John Rich of Big & Rich and
Vicky McGehee among its writers. (Big Kenny also co-wrote on "Hicktown,"
while Rodney Clauson shares writer credits on "Johnny Cash.")
Amidst the success of the first album, Aldean and Knox never
stopped listening to "Cash," and when they started selecting songs
last year, fortunately for them, "Cash" hadn't been recorded. "I
still wanted to cut it," Aldean said. "'Hicktown' was a great song
to introduce us with, and 'Johnny Cash' became a great intro to
the second album."
"The cut you hear on the radio is the one I cut at Warner
Chappell," Knox explained. "It was the one I cut to get him his
record deal and the one that everyone passed on. We just went in
and remastered it."
Aldean's growth as a singer is evident on Relentless. Be it the
vocals of "Grown Woman," a duet with Miranda Lambert, the swampy
"I Break Everything I Touch," or the hard-driving "Back in This
Cigarette," Aldean solidifies the raucous, goodtime attitude he
established the first time around.
"It's more me personally finding my niche," Aldean explained,
"knowing what I like to sing, what comes off in the live shows and
what works for me. It has the same vibe as the first album. There
are some cool things on there, and we cut some things that may
never be heard on the radio but they were cool to us." The "we" he
refers to is the band he's toured and recorded with for the past
nine years. They've embraced their success as a group, with Aldean
pointing to one particular show in Portland, Ore., late in 2005,
as the moment they knew their collective efforts were beginning to
pay off.
"The crowds were getting a little bit bigger," Aldean said. "Until
then they were honky tonks and we just happened to be there, but
that night they were coming to see us. We started playing 'Hicktown'
and they started singing back, word for word. That's when I
realized we were making an impact outside of Nashville and
Georgia.
"We're still building a fan base. We had a couple big weeks. But
it's been a steady build, which is great 'cause now we're getting
ready to drop the second album. It's perfect timing."
It hasn't always been this perfect.
In the summer of 2003, Aldean was ready to "throw in the towel,"
as he put it. His first record deal didn't materialize into
anything. His publishing deal was about to expire and it didn't
look as though it would be renewed. He was married to his high
school sweetheart and they were expecting their first child to go
along with a mortgage and two car payments he could no longer
afford.
Just days before moving back to his hometown of Macon, Ga., and
reprioritizing what was most important to him, he got a call
saying that Broken Bow founder Benny Brown, who resurrected Craig
Morgan's career, was interested in signing him. Aldean stopped
applying for new jobs, put off the move home, and by January 2004,
he was signed.
His debut Platinum-selling album spawned three successive Top 10
hits: "Hicktown" (No. 9), "Why" (No. 1) and "Amarillo Sky" (No.
4). More than 18 months later it remained the oldest release on
Billboard's Top 20 Country Albums Chart.
The sweetest part of this picture, Aldean noted, is the creative
freedom that transpires when "not only are you an artist on a
label, but you experience everything together for the first time.
It doesn't happen every week. When a milestone happens, it's a big
deal - and it should be."
The milestones and success he had at radio have led also to
extensive touring, which hasn't been easy on his family. But,
Aldean observed, "you have an obligation to your career. It's not
ideal for all families ... but it's our lifestyle."
On the Web: jasonaldean.com
Photographer: Kristin Barlowe
Photography courtesy of Broken Bow Records.
-
Charlie Louvin will perform at the Country Music Hall of Fame and
Museum's Ford Theater on July 8, the weekend he turns 80. Louvin
will also premiere a music video for "Ira," a song featured on his
new self-titled album featuring guest appearances by numerous
artists. The video was shot at Shangri-La Records in Memphis,
Tenn., with additional footage shot in Louvin's hometown of
Manchester, Tenn. He wrote the song as a tribute to his late
brother, Ira Louvin, who was killed in an automobile accident in
1965. The Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Country Music
Hall of Fame in 2001.
-
-
The Country Music Association awards will be held November 7th
in Nashville, Tennessee. They will air on ABC at 8:00 p.m.
Eastern.
-
-
Kris Kristofferson has been named the Country Music Hall of Fame's
artist-in-residence this year. He will perform at the Museum's
Ford Theatre on Aug. 14 and 15.
-
-
Music City Hitmakers, July
20-22
-
Gaylord Opryland presents Music City Hit
Makers, July 20 -22, 2007. Spend an intimate weekend with some of
Nashville’s top songwriters who have written hits for artists like
Tim McGraw, Montgomery Gentry, Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride and
Faith Hill. Enjoy pool parties, writers rounds and concerts by
Jeffrey Steele, Crossin’ Dixon, Randy Houser, and Lee Brice .
Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) will offer
onsite workshops featuring your favorite hit songwriters. Perfect
for music enthusiasts or anyone who wants an authentic and fun
Music City experience. For tickets and package information, call
1-888-OPRY-872 or visit
www.gaylordopryland.com .
-
-
Rodney Atkins Goes Deep
By Bob Doerschuk
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service /
Country Music Association, Inc.
There's a message buried within the lyrics on Rodney Atkins' If
You're Going Through Hell album.
Actually, there are two. The more obvious one is suggested by the
visual references that bring its stories to life. Thompson's Barn,
Martin's Creek, that old gray fence: All of these places in his
songs are real. There's a deeper meaning, though, which reveals a
lot more than this artist's home ground: Atkins simply will not
record, or even sing, a song that doesn't tell some truth about
his life.
"That's all I can sing about," he affirmed, speaking shortly after
completing a promotional video for Target near his home. "Greg
Hill, from my management company [Red Light Management], has this
picture of me from a photo shoot, wearing the clothes I wear every
day - the ball cap, the T-shirt. And whenever we listen for new
songs, he says to me, 'Okay, this guy in the picture - would he
sing this song? Will folks feel comfortable with him doing it?'
That's how I choose what I sing; it comes from how I live."
This was true when Atkins, an East Tennessee native, released his
Curb Records debut, Honesty, back in 2003. Someone who followed
the rules of radio-friendliness might not have picked the title
cut for a single. Atkins himself was dubious. Luckily, for 13
years now, he has worked closely with producer/songwriter/musician
Ted Hewitt, who knew that keeping it real counted more than
keeping it commercial. And so, sensing that title song "Honesty"
would connect, he challenged his friend to give it another shot.
"It was a four-minute ballad and another song was already slated
as the first single," Hewitt recalled. "But I believed that Rodney
would come around. He's a strong person. He can be set in his
ways. But I respect that. And we respect each other to the point
that if one of us is passionate about a song the other isn't sure
about, we try to find what it is that he feels."
"The guy that drives a truck views things differently from the guy
who puts on a suit every day and runs a company," Atkins said. "So
when I heard 'Honesty' I thought, 'Well, that's kind of nice. It's
so nice that it's gooey.' But Ted made me understand that it's
about what people face every day. And I still get e-mails from
folks in major corporations as well as truck drivers about how
this song affects them."
"Honesty" made it into the Top 5, but the title cut from If You're
Going Through Hell and the second single, "Watching You," both
climbed to the top of the charts while the album went Gold within
the first four months of its July 2006 release date. And it's no
coincidence that both songs reveal even more of who Atkins is.
"It's funny," said Dave Berg, who co-wrote three of the tracks on
this album. "Sometimes when we're writing, Rodney will play me a
song that he's heard, something that blows him away, but he'll say
that he's not interested in recording it because it's not really
him. So when we started writing 'In the Middle,' I could see how
it does reflect where he's at in his life right now. He is that
everyday, blue-collar guy, living the songs he sings."
"I want to let people know through my music about my life, the
decisions I make and the things I hold dear, like family and
growing up in the South," Atkins explained. "People talk about
getting around the kitchen table to eat supper. We don't do that:
We eat on the front porch, which looks out onto the old
tar-and-chip road that leads to our house. That's where the good
road ends - the blacktop - and the gate used to be, when they had
cattle on our property. We can see that road from the porch, and
then across from that is another field and then the woods. At
night you can look up and see all the stars."
The people with whom he shares this Eden are as important as the
land itself. "When the alternator goes down, you call your
neighbor," he said. "You ask if they can come over and help you
work on this, and they do it. Or if they see you doing fencing,
they'll pull their truck over and help you out. To me, that's the
American way of life. When I listen to Alan Jackson, that's how he
feels to me - like my neighbor. I want my songs to hone in on that
too."
The songs on If You're Going Through Hell are snapshots taken from
this world, especially the ones with his name among the writer
credits: "About the South," a litany of lifestyle icons ("We
believe the Book of John and we drive John Deere."); "Wasted
Whiskey," an old-school jukebox lament that doesn't forget to
recommend having a designated driver; and "In the Middle," which
is actually about as close as a song can get to taking a picture
of one man's life and homestead - it's so close to the bone that
Atkins jokingly described it to co-writer Berg as "directions to
our house."
"When I signed my record deal and went through the different
producer situations while making my first album, I kind of forgot
what brought me here and the kinds of songs that changed my life,"
Atkins said. "After I finished that album and went on the road, it
came back to me: 'Oh, yeah, I'm singing to people, not to a bunch
of record executives. This is what I love.' The music business is
in Nashville, but out here it's just music."
All of that is true, but it's true as well that success will
change even some of those things that a Country Music
star-on-the-rise holds dear. With his schedule growing more
demanding while he gears up to go on tour in April with Martina
McBride and Little Big Town and 90-minute drives into Nashville
for meetings or flights out of town, Atkins and his wife Tammy Jo
are thinking about the unthinkable: leaving their home up on the
ridge and moving closer to the city.
"Yeah, we're talking about that," he admitted. "But we're not
talking about moving into town. Wherever we wind up, I've got to
have some land around me, somewhere to ride four-wheelers and get
out into the woods, because we're still the same folks we always
were. I'm that guy who doesn't put the toilet paper on right or
leaves something spilled on the counter or makes too much noise in
the morning when he goes out fishing. Luckily, Tammy Jo loves me
for who I am - not who I was or who I'm going to be, but in that
moment, right then. So no matter where we go from here, these are
the best years of my life."
On the Web: rodneyatkins.com
Photographers: Erick Anderson and Eric Welch
Photos courtesy of Curb Records.
-
New Artist Spotlight:
Lantana
By Kristen Scherer
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service /
Country Music Association, Inc.
Is Country Music ready for another prodigiously talented trio of
females emanating from the Lone Star state? With their debut
album, Ubridled, the three veteran musicians who comprise Lantana
answer with a Texas-sized "yes." Texans Karol Ann DeLong and Biz
Haddock, and Alberta, Canada-native Dalene Richelle came together
in a creative and supportive club scene in Dallas and the musical
magic and personal chemistry were evident immediately.
"We were three strangers who are now three friends," said group
founder Haddock. "We've become kindred spirits; we laugh, we cry;
we pull each other along."
Produced by Bill Green and released in September 2006 on BGM
Records, Lantana's 13-song debut covers a lot of ground,
reflecting the trio's wide-ranging influences that include
everything from gospel and R&B to Don Henley and Dolly Parton.
Right out of the box, Lantana's debut single, "Country as a City
Girl Can Be" (written by Billy O'Rourke and Mitch Stephen), hit
the Top 10 on the Best in Texas chart and stayed there for 12
weeks. The trio contributed one of their own songwriting
collaborations to the album, the fiddle-driven "The Juice Ain't
Worth the Squeeze," and showcased its softer side with the release
of their sophomore single, the heartfelt ballad, "Let Somebody
Love You."
Lantana played some springtime dates in France and Switzerland,
the perfect warm up for the band's appearance at the 2007 CMA
Music Festival in Nashville.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS:
WHICH SONG WOULD YOU SECRETLY LIKE TO COVER?
DeLong: "'At This Moment' by Billy Vera & The Beaters."
Hadock: "'Don't Mess Around with Jim' by Jim Croce."
Richele: "'Sweet Child of Mine' by Guns and Roses."
WHAT BOOK IS ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
DeLong: "The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by
Paulo Coelho."
Hadock: "Phillip Yancy's What's So Amazing About Grace."
Richele: "Living Buddha Living Christ by Thich Nhat HanH."
WHAT SONG DO YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN?
DeLong: "'I Will Always Love You.'"
Hadock: "Sarah McLachlan's 'I Will Remember You.'"
Richele: "'I Hope You Dance.'"
On the Web: lantanamusic.com
Photographer: Melissa Webb
Photo courtesy of BGM Records.
-
John Carter Cash, has written a book about his mother. “Anchored
in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash,” and includes
stories of June’s life on the road with the Carter Family when she
was only a child and stories about her life with Cash. John
includes information about her various marriages, her own trial
with drugs and her skill as a musician and entertainer.
-
-
Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings and Don
Williams will receive the Cliffie Stone Pioneer award from the
Academy of Country Music during a reception on June 20th 2007 in
Nashville, Tennessee
-
JohnnyCash.Com Radio is streaming weekly broadcasts featuring
interviews with Cash family members, associates, friends and fans,
plus discussions of Johnny Cash's 50-year long career, music,
sound bites from the Man In Black himself, interactive contests
and more.
-
-
DON'T MISS MONOLITH ... BE PART OF HISTORY
MONOLITH marks the first ever multi-day, multi-stage
festival at Colorado's world-renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre!
A must-visit destination for any music fan, MONOLITH Festival
offers the perfect excuse to finally visit the legendary outdoor
venue. Hosting 50+ bands on 5 stages, MONOLITH promises an
exceptional and intimate (only 9000 tickets will be sold!)
festival experience sure to go down in rock history.
-
THE FLAMING LIPS * CAKE * THE DECEMBERISTS *
KINGS OF LEON * SPOON * CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH * ART BRUT *
EDITORS * JULIETTE & THE LICKS ** TURBONEGRO * GHOSTLAND
OBSERVATORY * BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE * WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE
* DAS EFX * THE DEARS * FLOSSTRADAMUS * KID SISTER * WHITE RABBITS
* BOB LOG III * IAN BALL OF GOMEZ * VIENNA TENG * ROCKY VOTALATO
and 40+ more!
Get the complete day-by-day lineup at
www.monolithfestival.com
Submit your artist now before the June 20th deadline, for a chance
to perform at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Monolith Festival * September 14-15, 2007 * Morrison, CO
MonolithFestival.com
Monolith Festival * Red Rocks September 14-15, 2007 Morrison,
Colorado
-
Tickets for 2008 CMA Music Festival
-
On Sale Nationwide Now!
-
2008 CMA Music Festival will take place
Thursday through Sunday, June 5-8, in Downtown Nashville and
tickets are available now.
Tickets for 2008 CMA Music Festival were available to Music
Festival attendees during the event and available nationally,
today. The Gold Circle section is already sold out and tickets are
selling at a rapid pace – up 25 percent over 2006 and 76 percent
over 2005. Fans are encouraged to order early for best available
seating.
Order online at
Ticketmaster.com
or by calling
1-800-CMA-FEST or (615) 255-9600. Prices do not include applicable
handling fees. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.
All sales are final and non-refundable.
Four-day ticket package categories correspond to different levels
of seating at LP Field. Children 3 years and younger are admitted
FREE.
2008 CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL FOUR-DAY TICKET PACKAGE PRICES
LEVEL ADULT 12 & YOUNGER
Gold Circle (Floor), Adult & Youth - SOLD OUT
Floor Level, Adult - $165
Floor Level, Youth - $116
Lower Level, Adult - $145
Lower Level, Youth - $102
Club Level, Adult - $135
Club Level, Youth -$95
Upper Level (GA), Adult - $110
Upper Level (GA), Youth - $78
-
CMA Music Festival Fans
'Keep the Music Playing'
The artists and celebrities participating in CMA Music Festival
donate their time. They are not compensated for the hours they
spend signing autographs and performing. In appreciation of their
exhaustive efforts, CMA donates half the net proceeds from the
event to music education on their behalf through a partnership
with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education called “Keep the
Music Playing.”
To date, CMA has donated more than $1.1 million to worthy causes
on behalf of the artists who participate in the Festival for free
– including $368,500 from the 2006 CMA Music Festival for “Keep
the Music Playing.” Several students groups participated in the
Festival including drum corps from Hillwood High School and
Hunters Lane High School, who marched in the Kick-Off Parade along
with students from the Nashville School of the Arts, which
received a Chevy Silverado truck to transport band equipment to
community performances as part of the “Keep the Music Playing”
campaign.
-
-
2007 CMA Music Festival Breaks
Attendance Record
More than 191,000 Country Fans Attend
Kelly Clarkson, Ted Nugent and Rascal Flatts Surprise Fans With
Drop-Ins
© 2007 Country Music Association, Inc.
NASHVILLE – CMA Music Festival set a new aggregate attendance
record in 2007 with 191,154 people attending the four-day
Festival, June 7-10, in Downtown Nashville.
“It was an amazing event on many different levels – from the
outstanding lineup of artists; to our incredibly enthusiastic
fans, who traveled from around the globe to be here; to the
outpouring of support from Nashville and our surrounding
communities,” said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Operating Officer.
“Each year I find myself saying this, and it is happening again in
2007, but this is the best CMA Music Festival ever.”
Attendance at the Festival hit an all-time high. Single concert
tickets for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field were up 14 percent
from 2006. In fact, CMA opened the upper level of LP Field to meet
the demand for four-day ticket packages and single night concert
tickets. CMA also experienced a 20 percent increase in the sale of
four-day ticket packages.
Fans enjoyed themselves and made it known at the Box Office.
Tickets for CMA Music Festival 2008, June 5-8, went on sale
Saturday and Gold Circle four-day ticket packages sold out in a
record 90 minutes. By Sunday, advance sales bested sales during
the same period in 2006, by a robust 25 percent.
“You know you are giving the fans what they want when they put
down their hard-earned money for an event and we haven’t even
announced who will be performing,” Genovese said. “That speaks to
the dedication of our fans, the popularity of the Festival and the
strength of our format.”
Aggregate attendance has grown from 124,000 in 2003, to 132,000 in
2004, 145,000 in 2005, to 161,000 in 2006, and now more than
191,000. Increased sales of four-day ticket packages and single
concert tickets at Riverfront Park and LP Field contributed to the
growth, as well as record attendance at CMA Music Festival’s free
areas – including the Crisco® Family Zone, CMT® Fun Zone and
Chevy™ Sports Zone.
Several factors accounted for the increased attendance: sales of
four-day ticket packages outpaced 2006 sales; there was an
extensive local advertising campaign to drive awareness;
additional free performance stages were added; and with the
exception of a brief storm Friday, hospitable weather helped
stimulate sales of single-day tickets. Even on Sunday, four-day
tickets, which allowed access to LP Field, the Convention Center
and the Riverfront concerts, were still being sold.
Surprise appearances are a hallmark of this event. And 2007 didn’t
disappoint. The first night at LP Field included an unannounced
appearance by first season “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson,
who joined Reba McEntire on two songs – “Does He Love You” and
their recent duet release “Because of You.” On Friday evening
Motor City madman Ted Nugent joined Montgomery Gentry onstage for
a ferocious rendition of his classic “Cat Scratch Fever.” And
reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts made a surprise
concert appearance the following night.
“We love giving our fans something special and unexpected,”
Genovese said. “It is amazing to hear the stadium erupt in
applause when an unannounced guest steps out on that stage.”
At its heart, CMA Music Festival is – and always will be – about
the fans and their relationship with the artists and the music.
The theme is universal and in 2007, Festival attendees came from
every state and 21 foreign countries.
The Festival got underway Wednesday with “The Third Annual CMA
Music Festival Kick-Off Parade” with an estimated crowd of 10,000
spectators Downtown. Following the procession, the fun kicked into
high gear with “The Second Annual CMA Music Festival Block Party”
at the Chevy Music Tour Stage on the plaza at The Sommet Center,
formerly Nashville Arena. Jason Michael Carroll, Mark Chesnutt,
Elizabeth Cook, Cowboy Troy, Jennifer Hanson and Darryl Worley
performed for an estimated crowd of 5,000 according to police.
Nightly Concerts at LP Field
In all, 32 acts participated in the star-packed Nightly
Concerts at LP Field. The lineup Thursday included Trace Adkins,
Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire with
special guest Kelly Clarkson, The Wreckers, and a two-song
acoustic performance by Jason Michael Carroll. Pre-show activities
included Jennifer Hanson, singing the national anthem, the
participation of the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Station
Nashville Color Guard, and a fly over by three Air Force FA-18s
from The Checkerboards of Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons VMFA
533, 122 and 312, from Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S.C.
During her first performance at the Festival in 11 years, McEntire,
was obviously moved by the adoring crowd’s thunderous welcome. She
spoke with heartfelt gratitude when she said, “Ah, it’s good to
hear that.”
Fans were treated to performances Friday by Jason Aldean, Sara
Evans, Little Big Town, Montgomery Gentry with guest Ted Nugent,
Sugarland and Carrie Underwood, who made her first Festival
appearance in 2005 after being named American Idol. Former
“American Idol” finalist Bucky Covington performed an acoustic
set.
Saturday’s lineup included Billy Ray Cyrus, Martina McBride, Jo
Dee Messina, surprise guest Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes and Josh
Turner. “Nashville Star” winner Angela Hacker delivered an
acoustic performance.
Sunday rocked the house with Rodney Atkins, Big & Rich, Billy
Currington, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Kellie Picker, Taylor
Swift, Gretchen Wilson and an acoustic performance by Telstra Road
to Tamworth winner Morgan Evans of Australia. Apollo Ohno’s
professional dance partner Julianne Hough from “Dancing with the
Stars” introduced Big & Rich.
“This is the best night of the year for people who love Country
Music,” Wilson proclaimed to her cheering supporters.
Greased Lightning® Daytime Stages
Fan favorite Terri Clark got the 2007 CMA Music Festival
off to an energetic start Thursday morning with her distinctive
brand of power Country at the kick-off concert at Riverfront Park.
Fans were waiting before dawn to see the leave-’em-rockin’
singer/songwriter. And the concert venue on the banks of the
Cumberland River stayed packed all day and every day after.
Clark bonded with her audience immediately through a subject that
was on everyone’s mind – the already-rising temperature that
morning: “This is supposed to be the hottest day this year, of
course, because it’s the first day of CMA Music Festival!”
Joining Clark in the opening morning show were John Anderson,
Craig Morgan, Jamie O’Neal and Chris Young. And the dual stages
bustled throughout the four days with a rich array of performers
from both major and independent record labels. In all, 101 acts
performed more than 33 hours of concerts. The concerts stopped for
90 minutes Friday due to a downpour with lightning and high winds,
but the artists and fans returned when the storm passed without a
single missed performance.
A half block away on the third-floor, rooftop patio at Graham
Central Station overlooking Riverfront Park, “Good Morning
America” Weather Anchor Sam Champion interviewed artists Bucky
Covington and The Wreckers live on the ABC Television Network in
front of an enthusiastic, sign-toting crowd.
Fan Fair® Exhibit Hall
The state of continuous commotion that’s been the standard
for the Fan Fair Exhibit Hall was back in force with 349 artists
and celebrities appearing at the Nashville Convention Center.
Exhibit booths sold out with 212 exhibitors. Attendance over the
four days was up 15 percent from 49,507 in 2006 to 56,244 in 2007.
As in previous years, dedicated fans camped out on the street
outside of the Exhibit Hall starting at 8:00 PM, not only in hopes
of being the first in line for autographs when the doors opened
the following morning but also to share in what has become a
special tradition for this group. As one of these early arrivers
commented, “We’re friends from all over the country. It’s like a
reunion.”
Observers estimate that Carrie Underwood attracted the longest
autograph lines, due in large part to the fact that she dedicated
the bulk of her time Saturday to meeting her fans and signing more
than 600 signatures. Other popular artists included Trace Adkins,
Big & Rich, Jason Michael Carroll, Billy Currington, Billy Ray
Cyrus, Beverley Mitchell, Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson,
Chris Young among many, many more. Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn
made a surprise appearance in the Exhibit Hall Thursday. One of
the Fan Fair highlights was when Big Machine Records presented
Taylor Swift with a Platinum plaque in their booth for her
self-titled debut so she could share the moment with her fans.
Rock singer John Waite (“Missing You”) made his CMA Music Festival
debut by signing in the Borders® Books & Music booth on Friday.
And CMA COO Tammy Genovese stopped by to congratulate Country
Music Hall of Fame member Bill Anderson on having an Exhibit Hall
booth every year since the Festival began as Fan Fair in 1972.
The Acoustic Corner Presented by Mary Kay, which launched in 2004
as a showcase for independent artists, featured 24 solo or group
performers. The area on the second floor of the Convention Center
hosted a steady stream of fans.
Borders Books & Music
Borders had locations at the Exhibit Hall, Riverfront and
LP Field. The Top 5 selling titles belonged to Jason Michael
Carroll, Stephen Cochran, Beverley Mitchell, Carrie Underwood and
Chris Young. Other bestselling artists included Jason Aldean, Big
& Rich, Bucky Covington, Emerson Drive, Little Big Town, Sugarland,
Taylor Swift and Josh Turner. Organizers said autograph sessions
for several of the top-selling artists in the Borders’ booth
contributed to their sales success.
“One of the goals with this event is to help build a marketing
platform for developing artists,” Genovese said. “With the variety
of artists on the list, it tells me that our fans are discovering
new music at CMA Music Festival and they aren’t waiting until they
get home to buy it.”
Chevy Sports Zone
CMA’s free Chevy Sports Zone was a huge hit with
participants and fans looking for fun and friendly competition
among celebrities, artists and athletes.
On Thursday the surest shot at the “The Sixth Annual Andy Griggs
Celebrity Archery Tournament” was Rusty Tabor, winner of the 2006
tournament. He retained his crown after tying with Craig Morgan at
43 points each and then winning a five-target shootout (42 to 39).
Rhean Boyer of Carolina Rain finished third with 41 points.
On Friday, “The Steve Azar Celebrity Sports Challenge” proved to
be a fan favorite with an amazing array of sports champions and
celebrities competing along with Azar and other artists. In the
end, the Blue Team was victorious with Andrew Abide (a.k.a., the
“dentist to the stars”), Rocky Calmus (linebacker, Titans/Colts),
Jeanne Cho-Hunicke (LPGA Tour player), Ray Lloyd (pro wrestler),
Ryan Lucotch (PovertyNeck Hillbillies), and Scott Reeves (Blue
County) winning with a score of 98.
Sunday’s “The Michael Peterson/New Holland Celebrity Tractor Race”
had fans revved up. Country Music artists and celebrities raced
against the clock through an obstacle course on a New Holland
compact tractor and the winner was Todd Fritsch, with a track time
of 52.6 seconds, followed by Tennessee Titan Ben Hartsock (54
seconds) and artist Billy Yates (54.5 seconds). Fritsch shaved 1.4
seconds off 2006 victor Wade Hayes’ winning time of 54 seconds.
As an added attraction, Jay Leno’s Eco-Jet, biodiesel-powered
automobile was on display at the Sports Zone on Saturday and
Sunday.
Chevy Music Tour
The Chevy Music Tour free area on The Sommet Center plaza
buzzed with activities featuring vehicle displays, interactive
consumer experiences, games, and the Chevy Ride & Drive event. The
Chevy Music Tour Stage featured 25 daily performances including a
showcase of Bluegrass music and a Latin Country Music Show.
Visitors were also able to test-drive an Avalanche, Cobalt SS,
Colorado Crew Cab, HHR, Impala SS, Tahoe or one of three
Silverados (1500 Crew Cab, Extended Cab or HD with Duramax).
-
Crisco Family Zone
The Crisco Family Zone was a popular destination Sunday for
the Crisco® Family Picnic, featuring free lunch for the first 500
attendees. The meal was made from recipes found in the Crisco®
Country Favorites Vol. III Recipe Book. Nationally-recognized chef
Jon Ashton conducted cooking demonstrations throughout the
Festival.
Before the Festival got officially underway, the Crisco Country
Favorites Cook-Off Contest took place Wednesday at the Downtown
Hilton Hotel. The Cook-Off winner was culled from thousands of
mouth-watering entries. Of the 12 finalists who competed in
Nashville, Beth Royals, of Richmond, Va., was the Grand Prize
winner for her tasty Coffee Toffee Tart. Saturday fans gathered
under a tent in the Family Zone for “The 24th Annual YW Celebrity
Auction hosted by Martina McBride” with proceeds supporting
programs to benefit victims of domestic violence. The auction,
which has been hosted by McBride since 1995, raised $103,603. The
highest bid was $12,000 for a collection of six Platinum albums
McBride solicited on the spot from some of her famous friends; an
autographed photo paired with a VIP package from McBride brought
$7,250; and a meet and greet and tickets to see Reba McEntire
raised $3,400.
The Music City’s Rising Star Youth Vocal Soloist Competition was
held in the Crisco Family Zone with students from 35 states
competing. The Top 5 finishers were announced Saturday on the
Greased Lightning Daytime Stages. Earlier that day artist Erika Jo
participated in a separate award ceremony at the Wildhorse Saloon.
Winners included: Tara Clance, 16, of Georgia, fifth place;
Brianna Tyson, 14, of California, fourth place; Keeghan Nolan, 15,
of Vermont, third place; Amanda Stathos, 16, of Virginia, second
place; and 16-year-old Avery Hovey of Tennessee was the first
place finisher.On Sunday, Greased Lightning and stars gave back to
those in need by helping to construct the frame of a Habitat for
Humanity home for a Nashville family. Artists participating in the
construction project included Clayton Bellamy of The Road Hammers,
Blue County, Ty Herndon, Jason Meadows and Bryan White .
Chris McCarthy, President of the Nashville Area Habitat for
Humanity remarked: “CMA Music Festival fans are like our
volunteers – eager to help out and have a great time in the
process.”
CMA Celebrity Close Up Presented by Great American Country
The inside track is what CMA Celebrity Close Up is all about with
a lively question and answer format hosted by media personality
Lorianne Crook. And she treated the audience of more than 2,500 to
a bit of insider information with guests Trace Adkins, Terri
Clark, Charley Pride, Neal McCoy, Montgomery Gentry and Josh
Turner during two sessions on Thursday.
Great American Country (GAC) was the presenting sponsor of the
celebrity gab sessions, which were taped for two television
specials by the same name on the Country-themed cable network.
“CMA Celebrity Close Up” will premiere on Wednesday, July 18 (9:00
PM/ET); and the second special premieres on Monday, July 30 (8:00
PM/ET). Schedule subject to change.
CMA Music Festival After Hours™
A record 19 Downtown Nashville clubs participated in CMA Music
Festival After Hours™ offering drink discounts and special events
for festival goers and Nashvillians.
Setting the tone for each night’s revelers was “The Official CMA
After Hours Kick-Off Concerts” following the Nightly Concerts at
LP Field in the Hard Rock Cafe parking lot. The free concerts
Thursday through Saturday featured Emerson Drive, Lantana and The
PovertyNeck Hillbillies.
Another new feature of After Hours in 2007 was the Hard Rock Cafe
Writers Night, Thursday through Saturday, featuring some of
Nashville’s most successful tunesmiths in the round – trading
stories and playing the songs that made several artists household
names.
ABC Daytime
Real life drama is a staple of both Country Music lyrics and
daytime television series, and the artists and actors met at the
crossroads during 2007 CMA Music Festival when the ABC daytime
stars of “All My Children,” “One Life to Live,” and “General
Hospital” made their first appearance during the Festival.
Daytime actors that attended CMA Music Festival included Colin
Egglesfield (Joshua Madden) and Justin Bruening (Jamie Martin)
from “All My Children”; Kathy Brier (“Marcie McBain”), John-Paul
Lavoisier (“Rex Balsom”), and Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer) from
“One Life To Live”; and Rebecca Herbst (“Elizabeth Spencer”) and
Greg Vaughan (“Lucky Spencer”) from “General Hospital.”
The actors made several appearances in the Fan Fair Exhibit Hall
and introduced concerts, but the highlight for fans had to be “Fun
in the Sun,” Saturday at the Wildhorse Saloon, with interviews,
performances, dance lessons, and many more activities for more
than 1,200 faithful fans.
ABC Block Party
The ABC Block Party hosted by Matt Gallant on Saturday included
“Ugly Betty” look-alikes, “Dancing with the Stars” champion Cheryl
Burke, and ABC trivia games testing participants knowledge of
“Brothers and Sisters” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Jason Michael Carroll
also performed for the packed crowd.
Media Coverage
Nearly 700 journalists were credentialed for 2007 CMA Music
Festival representing more than 200 domestic and international
media outlets. Among the domestic outlets at CMA Music Festival
were “48 Hours,” ABC.com, ABC Radio Networks, Associated Press,
Blender, CMT, CNBC, Country Weekly, “Fox & Friends,” GAC, Getty
Images, "Good Morning America," People, Premiere Radio Networks,
Reuters, The Sportsman Channel, The Tennessean, TV Guide, and USA
Today.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is a key element to the marketing, fan
experience and financial support of the Festival. More than 55
partners gave out more than 300,000 product samples. Greased
Lightning Cleaning Products passed out more than 33,000 samples of
their product and ran out Sunday afternoon. In addition to food
samples and coupons, Crisco and The J.M. Smucker Company
distributed more than 140,000 premium items.
The CMA Music Festival Fun Team treated fans to a wide array of
premiums and samples including Cutter® Wipes, Yankee Candle ™CAR
JAR® air fresheners, Crest Toothpaste, CMA Awards T-shirts, Mary
Kay lip gloss samples, and iTunes® digital sampler cards.
ABC Television Special – Monday, July 23
As previously announced, the Festival was filmed for a
two-hour television special “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night
to Rock” scheduled to air on the ABC Television Network Monday,
July 23 (9:00-11:00 PM/ET). This is the third year the special
will air on ABC. The primetime special debuted on the CBS
Television Network in 2004.
Both the concerts and the interaction between the artists and fans
will be captured in the special with heart-pounding performances
interspersed with heart-warming encounters between the artists and
their avid admirers. Taped exclusively for the special, cameras
followed the stories of several Festival attendees, who had their
dreams come true when they were granted a once-in-a-lifetime
meeting and personal encounter with their favorite Country stars.
On the Web
CMAfest.com the official Web site of 2007 CMA Music
Festival, had 387,473 visitors from January 1- June 11, an
increase of 23 percent from the same time period in 2006.
Fans online coordinated a party at Buckwild Saloon on Saturday
through the CMA Music Festival MySpace page, where a maximum
capacity crowd of filled the club. CMA surprised the fans with an
autograph session by Emerson Drive and an acoustic performance by
Lady Antebellum – all of which was filmed for an upcoming CMA
Webisode.
For up-to-the-minute information about tickets, travel
information, schedules, artists appearing at 2008 CMA Music
Festival and more, visit
www.CMAfest.com and sign up for Exclusive, a periodic
e-newsletter with exciting artist features and Country Music news.
CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music
Association. CMA Board member Tony Conway is the Executive
Producer of CMA Music Festival. Premiere Radio Networks is the
official radio broadcaster. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country
Music. Borders® Books & Music: The Official Music & Book retailer
of CMA Music Festival. Additional promotional partners include
American Airlines, BMI, Carl Black Chevrolet, CiCi’s Pizza®, CMT®,
Coca-Cola®, Country Weekly, Crisco®, Cutter®, Dr Pepper®, GAC
Great American Country, Gallo Family Vineyards, Gibson Guitar®,
Greased Lightning Cleaning Products®, Hard Rock Cafe Nashville,
Mary Kay®, Music Festivals®, New Holland Agriculture Equipment
S.p.A., On the Run® at Exxon, Prilosec OTC®, Purity® Dairies,
Radisson Hotel Nashville Airport, The Sportsman Channel®, Super
8®, Wrangler®, and Yamaha Motor Corp., USA. EMT services are
provided by Vanderbilt Sports Medicine and Vanderbilt Life Flight.
Fan Fair® is a registered trademark of CMA.
Smucker's®, JIF®, Crisco®, Hungry Jack®, Martha White®,
Uncrustables® and White Lily® are registered trademarks of The J.M.
Smucker Company.
CMA Exclusive!
VISIT US ONLINE
CMAAWARDS.COM
CMAFEST.COM
-
-
-
Emmylou Harris
will headline the inaugural Cayamo music cruise, February 4
through February 10th 2008 and will take fans through
Cozumel, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. Tickets for
“Cayamo: A Journey Through Song,” go on sale June 25.
-
Dolly Parton will join the Girl Scouts on June 15 at a
presentation at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
More than 1000 Girl Scouts will join Dolly to lead her in the Girl
Scout Promise and present her with the lifetime membership pin.
-
The Farm Aid benefit concert will be held at
Randalls Island in New York City on September 9th.
Performers will include Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil
Young and Dave Matthews.
-
-
-
-
-
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- New Artist Spotlight:
Bucky Covington
By Kristen Scherer
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service /
Country Music Association, Inc.
With Bucky Covington 's arrival in Nashville, sightings of "American Idol"
veterans along Music Row have become almost routine.
Thankfully, Covington's Country credentials are as real as they come and his
singing is anything but routine. Growing up with his identical twin brother
Rocky in Laurinburg, N.C., Covington was still a kid when he started
listening to and imitating Tim McGraw, George Strait and Travis Tritt on the
family's karaoke machine.
At 19, he heard guitarist Jeff Healey's "Angel Eyes," and his fate was
sealed.
"The minute I heard it, I pictured myself on the stage playing guitar and
singing," Covington said. "It was the best, warmest feeling I've ever had.
So I bought an electric guitar."
Obsessed, it wasn't long before he had mastered the basics and was looking
for a band. His first groups were decidedly rock oriented, but over the
course of the next few formative years, the singer gravitated more and more
to Country, finally hooking up with regional favorites Southern Thunder,
where he would learn the ropes on the road and find himself musically.
Covington's first "American Idol" season five audition - a thousand miles
away in Memphis, Tenn., - coincided with Hurricane Katrina and was canceled.
Following a subsequent audition in nearby Greenville, N.C., he made it to
Hollywood and into the finals. Among the many post-competition calls he
received was one from fellow contest winner Mark Miller, whose band, Sawyer
Brown , launched their hit career after winning the top prize on "Idol"
predecessor "Star Search."
Covington and Miller immediately hit it off, and, with Miller and Dale
Oliver producing, Covington was soon in the studio recording his self-titled
Lyric Street Records debut, released on April 17.
His debut single, "A Different World," was written by Jennifer Hanson, Tony
Martin and Mark Nesler .
IN HIS OWN WORDS:
WHO IS YOUR MUSICAL HERO?
"Elvis Presley. His showmanship was second to none and he had such wide
appeal because his music crossed into every genre."
WHICH SONG WOULD YOU SECRETLY LIKE TO COVER?
"Elvis' 'Suspicious Minds.' That's the song that got me listening to Elvis."
WHAT BOOK IS ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
"The Bible."
On The Web:
buckycovingtonmusic.com ;
myspace.com/buckycovington
- This Week at the Opry
For tickets and more information, visit
opry.com/CMAFest or call 1-800-SEE-OPRY.
- Montgomery Gentry
- Little Big Town: Music, Momentum
& Mellencamp
By Phyllis Stark
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service /
Country Music Association, Inc.
For Little Big Town, the creative process never stops, not even in the
bathroom.
Take group member Karen Fairchild, who recently came up with a verse and
chorus of a new song while showering at a hotel. Worried about losing the
idea, she hollered for her husband and band mate, Jimi Westbrook, to bring
her something to record on. He soon produced a cell phone set to "video"
mode and - given her wet and naked state - laughingly advised her to turn it
toward the wall.
"So I recorded in the shower," Fairchild recounted. "You can hear water
dripping and the whole verse and chorus, and all you can see is tile."
That's typical of this hard charging band's "always on" work ethic. In 2006,
they did about 220 tour dates, sandwiching key media opportunities including
"CMT Crossroads" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in between. They also
found time to land two CMA Awards nominations, two GRAMMY nominations and
celebrate RIAA Gold certification of their Equity Music Group album, The
Road to Here. The album has since gone Platinum.
In other 2006 milestones, The Road to Here topped Billboard's all-genre
year-end list of top independent albums, and the band was named Billboard's
independent artist of the year. Their first hit single, "Boondocks," sold
more than 100,000 in digital downloads, scoring the band a Gold digital
certification from the RIAA.
In the midst of all that, they found time to sing backing vocals on eight
tracks from John Mellencamp's recently-released Freedom's Road album,
including the single "Our Country," which was featured in a national ad
campaign for Chevrolet. Little Big Town toured with Mellencamp as the
opening act for his spring 2006 tour.
Westbrook was shocked when he got a call from Mellencamp asking the band to
record with him because even though Little Big Town had performed "Pink
Houses" with him every night on stage, Mellencamp had never really spoken to
them. "I didn't even know if he knew my name," Westbrook said.
Over the course of recording with him, however, the band members say they
became friends and developed a new level of respect for the mercurial
Mellencamp. "He's a real man of action," Fairchild said. "He has some strong
opinions and strong political views. Not that we share all of them, but you
have to admire him because he's an activist. He's not just some guy who
spews off at the mouth and then doesn't go do something about it. He really
gets out there and tries to make a difference."
In June 2007, Little Big Town returned for a second consecutive year to perform,
at CMA Music Festival. Also, Little Big Town hit the road with an
artist sure to remember their names - Martina McBride - for three months. They're trying to slow down their schedule
enough to finish recording their third album, due from Equity Music Group in
the fall.
Repeating the successful formula used on The Road to Here, they'll once
again co-produce the new album with their songwriting collaborator, Wayne
Kirkpatrick, in his Nashville-area studio.
"It's too good a place of safety and creativity to not do it again,"
Fairchild said of Kirkpatrick's studio.
Added band member Phillip Sweet, "I'm looking forward to going to work in
that environment with that same group [of musicians] because there's a well
full of creativity there."
In that environment, said Westbrook, "It's easier to open yourself up and
expose your guts."
While the recording and writing process will be the same, the band's
attitude and confidence level is completely different this time around.
Before recording The Road to Here, Little Big Town had been dropped by Sony
Music Nashville after the one album they had recorded for that label became
both a commercial and critical disappointment.
Thus, when they went into the studio with Kirkpatrick they were a bit beaten
down and their confidence was shaky. As the process of recording that album
wore on, however, that confidence rose as their sound and direction became
defined.
"We were so second guessing our every move for a little while," said
Fairchild of that time. "Toward the back half of the record where we got
more confident, but the front half we kept going 'Gosh, is this right? Are
we on the right path?' Now, we really know and, of course, now we've had
some affirmation that we were on the right path."
Sweet said their success over the past year has provided, "a clarity of
direction about who we are. It's helped us define our 'thing' a little bit
more."
The band's roadwork has also boosted its collective confidence. "Night after
night it just solidifies, this is us. This is our voice,'" Westbrook said.
Band member Kimberly Roads anticipates some happier tunes this time around.
"When we wrote [songs for] The Road to Here, we were all at very low points
in our lives," she said. "Now we're not, so it'll be interesting to see what
comes out."
Westbrook also thinks the album can't help but have an upbeat feel overall.
"It's a positive time in all of our lives and that's going to come through."
In the midst of a crazy year, members of Little Big Town found time to wed,
including Fairchild and Westbrook, who surprised fans with their news after
having kept their romance secret.
Another surprise wedding took place in late November when Roads married
longtime friend Stephen Schlapman on a private island in the Caribbean.
Schlapman had already quit his job to come out on the road with the band and
handle merchandise sales. It was announced in late February that the couple
is expecting their first child later this year.
The last single member of the band, Sweet, married Rebecca Arthur in late
March.
Despite being able to travel with spouses, working the road as hard as
Little Big Town does isn't always pleasant, as the band learned last summer
when it played a string of county fairs in rainy, muddy conditions.
"Everywhere we went it was a mud pit," Fairchild recalled. "The conditions
would be horrible and we felt so sorry for the fans. They would be drenched
and muddy. Then we would get out there and we would have a ball and they
would have a ball. The two hours on the stage is completely cool," she said.
"It's managing the other 22 that can be a challenge."
Still, the band enjoys life on the road. "It's like going to camp with your
friends," Sweet said. "You get on the big bus and you all pile up together.
The living conditions are a little tight, but you do it because you love
it."
"Everybody has hard jobs," Roads added. "When you look at ours, it ain't
hard."
After years of struggling, the band has trouble pulling back on its tour
dates, even to write and record a new album.
"If we were to really slow down a whole lot we'd be nervous," Westbrook
said. "It's still hard to say 'no' when the offers come in."
"For eight years we sang for free and we really didn't know you could make
money singing," Fairchild explained. "It wasn't three years ago when we were
begging someone to book us."
"We wanted this really bad," Roads said. "We worked for many, many years and
when the momentum began, we were afraid to say 'no' to anything because we
wanted it so bad for so long."
"When children come, we may pare it back a little bit," Fairchild said of
their tour schedule. Until then, it's full steam ahead.
A popular misconception outside the music industry is that as soon as an act
lands a record deal and puts out a successful album, they are instantly
wealthy. That is, of course, far from reality, especially when any profits
must be split among four band members.
Little Big Town has seen little financial reward thus far, although that
situation continues to improve. Fairchild, who has a degree in early
childhood education, remembers hoping just a few years ago to one day make a
school teacher's salary. Roads reports that three years ago, the band's
income was below the poverty level.
"We could have applied for food stamps," Fairchild quipped. "Maybe we should
get some government cheese for the bus," Sweet added. And while things have
certainly improved, Fairchild said, "Last year's income tax returns were
laughable. But you do what you've got to do. I'd much rather make music and
be poor and happy."
Now that the band is hot, they've recently gotten offers from other labels
trying to poach them. Some offers are from the same label executives who
passed on the band when they were shopping for a new label deal after
leaving Sony. But all four band members emphatically say they have no desire
to move on.
"The great thing about where we are with Equity is we make every decision,"
Fairchild said. "We sit as a team and hear input from the knowledge that's
in the room, but then ultimately [label President] Mike [Kraski] will look
at us and go 'What's the single going to be?'"
"We're not going to go anywhere else and get that," Westbrook said.
Meanwhile, as the band celebrates Platinum sales for The Road to Here,
they're getting help from an unlikely place. Fairchild's parents regularly
visit retail stores and check the CD stock. If they can't find their
daughter's album, they'll go into what Fairchild calls "covert operations"
mode, asking to speak to the store's music buyer, then reporting their
findings to the label's sales team.
With supporters like that, double Platinum sales can't be far away.
On the Web:
littlebigtown.com
Little Big Town will perform at CMA Music Festival in Downtown Nashville on
Friday, June 8 at the Nightly Concert at LP Field. Four-day CMA Music
Festival tickets and single night tickets to the individual Nightly Concerts
at LP Field are still available to purchase at Ticketmaster.com or
Ticketmaster outlets.
-
Montgomery Gentry, Charley Pride and Neal McCoy will tape a session of "CMA
Celebrity Close Up Series" June seventh at the Ryman Auditorium in
Nashville for G-A-C for a future television broadcast.
-
- Dolly
Parton helped raise half a million dollars to build a new hospital with a
benefit concert in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up.
-
-
The
free 2007 Opry Plaza Parties begin Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 26th
and will run every Saturday night through July 28 beginning at 5:30 p.m. on
the Opry Plaza concert stage located in front of the Opry House, Acuff
Theatre, and the Opry Museum. Artists
scheduled to perform throughout the summer includes Mandy Barnett, Elizabeth
Cook, Carolina Rain, John England & the Western Swingers, Jim Lauderdale,
Chris Young, Gail Davies, The Derailers and more.
-
- Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Joe
Diffie and Mark Chesnutt will join The Grand Ole Opry Memorial Day Weekend
to honor members of the United States military. The Opry’s salute to the
military will continue through Labor Day Weekend. The series includes
special shows, recognition of military personnel, and special offers. Other
performers on the Memorial Day weekend show are Hal Ketchum, the Del McCoury
Band and Porter Wagoner. There will be performances from the Opry stage and
military performances and displays in the Opry Plaza.
-
Vince Gill
and Ricky Skaggs will headline
-
Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs will headline “Bluegrass at the Ryman,” July
5th and July 19th, respectively. Others in the lineup include Earl Scruggs
on June 21st; Rhonda Vincent on June 28th, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver on
July 12th and Mountain Heart and The Grascals on July 26th.
-
-
-
- Northern California's Premier Music, Camping
& Sustainable Lifestyle Festival
"Promoting Global Cooling"
June 8, 9, 10, 2007
Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Santa Rosa, California
http://www.harmonyfestival.com
-
Kris
Kristofferson was recently presented the Texas Legends award in Austin for
his contributions to the culture and music scene. The concert, “The Road to
Austin,” also featuree Bonnie Raitt, Delbert McClinton, and Joe Ely.
-
-
Tanya Tucker will join Clay Walker,
Catherine Britt, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Lonestar, Neal McCoy, Danielle Peck,
Trent Willmon, Darryl Worley and Chris Young, for the June 6th
“Country Weekly’s” Fashion Show. The magazine partners with Wrangler and
Hard Rock Cafe to raise money and awareness for Musicians On Call.
-
- Tanya
Tucker has sold her 500-acre estate. Her 23-thousand-foot home is expected
to become the clubhouse for an 18-hole golf course and subdivision. The
sale reportedly brought thirteen-point-five-million dollars.
-
- Mel
Tillis will become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry on June 9th.
Bill Anderson issued the invitation on stage. Mel’s son, Mel Jr. and
daughter Pam Tillis were also on hand. Pam has been an Opry member since
2000.
-
- Willie Nelson is asking fans to help stop the
slaughter of horses in Texas. The singer says, quote, “The last place in the
world I thought would ever support horse slaughter is my home state. No
other animal symbolizes the spirit of Texas better than the horse.” He adds,
quote, “We are aware of the overwhelming cruelty horses face on the trip to
the slaughterhouse, and we do not mistake slaughter for euthanasia." To
learn more about the issue visit
www.saplonline.org/horses.htm .
- Little Big Town
-
-
Gibson Guitars
Gibson Guitar is the instrument of choice for many of the world's top
Country Music stars including Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Kix Brooks,
Montgomery Gentry, Charlie Daniels, The Wreckers, Sugarland, Keith Urban,
Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts and many, many more. For more information on
the Gibson family of brands go to
www.gibson.com .
- Country Fans: Share Your Story & Win a Trip to
Nashville!
Are you and your friends HUGE fans of Country Music? Would you like
to go to the CMA Music Festival June 7-10 in Nashville to see all the
artists perform live?
If you think you and your friends are Country Music's biggest fans AND you
have an amazing story to tell, write a brief paragraph about your story and
email that, along with a recent picture and contact information, to:
cmamusicfestival@gmail.com
.
You may also NOMINATE someone else who deserves to go to the CMA Music
Festival!
Hurry! Deadline is this Monday, May 21!
-
-
-
Emerson Drive
- Sara Evans and Montgomery Gentry
- Trace Adkins, Terri Clark and Josh Turner Set for CMA Celebrity Close
Up
 
-
The Oak
Ridge Boys were recognized with the Bronze Winner in the Education category
by the 28th Annual Telly Awards. The honor was for their part in hosting the
2006 “World’s Largest Concert for Feed the Children.”
-
-
John
Carter Cash’s book, “Anchored in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter
Cash” goes on sale June 19th. The book takes a look at June’s
career through the eyes of her son with Johnny Cash
-
-
This year's "International Rock-A-Billy Music
Festival" in Jackson, Tennessee on August 9, 10 &11 will feature Sonny
Burgess and the Pacers, Ace Cannon and Narvel Felts. The "International
Rock-A-Billy Festival" will also feature a special appearance by Johnny
Cash’s band, The Tennessee Three, along with performances by the 10-0-C
band, featuring Lee McAlpin who was Carl Perkins’ pianist for many years,
Carl Mann, and Rayburn Anthony. For tickets or more information, contact“The
International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame, Inc.”105 North Church Street,
Jackson, Tennessee 38301 Telephone 731-427-6262 OR go to their website
at: www.rockabillyhall.org
email:
rock@rockabillyhall.org
-
-
Willie
Nelson will host his Fourth of July picnic in the state of Washington this
year, marking the first time the event has taken place outside of Texas. The
concert will take place at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Wash., about
150 miles east of Seattle. Tickets go on sale May 12. Nelson founded the
picnic in 1973 in Dripping Springs, Texas, and has held it in various
locations throughout the state until this year.
-
-
Elvis Presley Enterprises has started a national advertising campaign to
attract fans to Graceland for the annual Elvis Week, August 11th
thru 19th. inviting people to, quote, "Discover Your Inner
Elvis." Internationally, Elvis impersonators are taking part in contests in
23 locations, and finalists will come to Memphis to compete as part of the
festivities during Elvis Week, Presley died at his Graceland mansion home in
Memphis on August 16th, 1977.
-
-
Willie Nelson has plead guilty to possession of marijuana in Louisiana. His
bus was stopped last September and a pound and a half of the substance was
found. Nelson and his manager David Anderson received a sentence of six
months probation and a little over one thousand dollars in fines and fees.
-
- Josh Turner
-
Porter
Wagoner
celebrated 50 years as an Opry member
on May
15th 2007. Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless were on hand for the
celebration.
-
-
Kenny
Rogers is opening THEGAMBLERPOKERCLUB.COM. Rogers says the free and legal
poker club offers players the chance to win a free eight-day, seven-night
cruise each night for the next two weeks. All members are also offered the
chance to win a seat at this years World Series of Poker, a prize worth ten
thousand dollars.
-
- WSM IS PODCASTING!
Now you can take 650 AM WSM with you wherever you go! Load your
favorite WSM programs onto your iPod so you can listen to them at your
leisure. If you are an iTunes user, just click
here to subscribe to WSM Podcasts. If you aren't podcast-savvy,
you can still use our point-click-listen archives on
WSMOnline.com. Right now, you can hear interviews
with Earl Scruggs and George Jones. Stay tuned for more additions soon.
-
- 2007
-
Two months after Merle
Haggard unveiled a song to promote Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary
Rodham Clinton, rival candidate John Edwards is handing out a CD featuring a
Haggard tune. Donors who contribute $50 or more to Edwards' presidential
campaign will receive an advance copy of "Moneyland," a collection of songs
about the plight of rural America. The CD includes a duet with Haggard and
Marty Stuart called "Farmer's Blues."
Meanwhile, on his Web site, Haggard is prominently advertising copies of his
new song "Hillary," which praises Clinton and declares, "Let's put a woman
in charge." A spokesman for the Edwards campaign said he did not immediately
have a comment on the CD. One of Edwards' policy proposals is a Rural
Recovery Act, which details his plans to boost rural economies and support
family farmers.
-
Dolly Parton, Don Williams and the late Harlan Howard and Waylon Jennings
have been named the recipients of the 2007 Pioneer Awards from the
Academy of Country Music. They were honored at the Tennessee State Museum
in Nashville on June 20 2007at a ceremony hosted by Marty Stuart. The late Buck
Owens was remembered with the Jim Reeves International Award.
-
-
-
The Gibb’s plan to build a
new home on a higher part of the estate and preserve the foundation of the
house the burned. The foundation of the old house will not be used in the
new home construction.
-
- Barry Gibb plans to retain the
foundation of Johnny
- and June Carter Cash's former home
- Barry Gibb says he plans to retain the
foundation of Johnny and June Carter Cash's former home in Hendersonville,
Tennessee, while building a new home on the 4.6-acre lot on Old Hickory
Lake. Gibb and his wife Linda were having the home renovated when it
recently burned. Gibb said. "Linda and I have decided to build our own home
on the higher ground surrounding the Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash home,
and the original foundations shall be kept intact and preserved for the
people of Hendersonville and the people of Nashville. This land is sacred
land to all of us here and must be protected forever. “
-
Willie Nelson is teaming
with New York racetrack entrepreneur Richard Fields to develop a number of
country-themed casinos.
-
-
Wynonna Judd will perform with the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Symphony August
2nd-3rd for its summer Picnic Pops Series. The outdoor concerts
are held at Cannonsburg Ski Area.
-
-
Kris
Kristofferson will be honored at the 2007 CMT Music Awards with the Johnny Cash
Visionary Award. Rosanne Cash will present the award to Kristofferson.
-
-
Vince
Gill has added wife Amy Grant and the Del McCoury Band to 18 dates on his
summer tour. The shows with Grant and McCoury begin July 14 in Atlanta and
conclude Sept. 11 in Rio Rancho, N.M.
-
-
Billy
Joe Shaver turned himself in at a Waco, Texas jail on April 3rd, after
shooting a man at a bar. Shaver was released after posting $50,000 bond.
His attorney stated that Shaver acted in self-defense after an aggressive
drunk man followed Shaver out of the bar with a knife. The man was
reportedly shot in the cheek. Shaver's charges included assault and a
weapons charge.
-
- Billy Joe Shaver
-2007
- Arrest warrants were reportedly issued for
Billy Joe Shaver in connection with a Saturday night shooting on the parking
lot of a bar in Lorena, Texas. According to Shaver’s attorney, Joseph
Turner, his client acted in self defense when he shot and wounded a man in
the cheek at Papa Joe's Texas Saloon. "The other guy was the aggressor,"
according to Turner. "He was intoxicated and followed Billy Joe outside the
bar with a knife." Police have not identified the victim whose injuries are
not believed to be life-threatening. Shaver, 67, did not know the victim,
his attorney said. Police in Lorena issued arrest warrants on charges of
aggravated assault and possessing a firearm in a prohibited place. Turner
said he accompanied his client Monday night when he attempted to surrender
to Austin police. However, he said Shaver was not arrested because Austin
authorities did not have a record of the warrants that were issued just a
few hours earlier.
- Brooks & Dunn
- Home of Johnny Cash
-
Firefighters battled flames in a major fire at the home of the late country
singer Johnny Cash.
Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, lived at the house until their deaths
in 2003.
The property was purchased by Barry Gibb, a member of the Bee Gees, in
January 2006. Gibb and his wife, Linda, had said they planned to restore the
home on Old Hickory Lake and hoped to write songs there.
-
Dolly Parton was inducted into London’s
Wembley Square of Fame. A plaque was unveiled
honoring her 40-year contribution to the music industry. The Square is
modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
-
-
Reba
McEntire celebrated her 52nd birthday March 2007. She celebrated with
husband Narvel and son Shelby at an undisclosed location.
-
-
Rhino
Entertaimnet will reissue The Traveling Wilburys' two albums on June 12th.
The all-star band included Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Tom
Petty and Bob Dylan. Rare and previously unreleased bonus tracks have been
added to the package. The Traveling Wilburys Collection also includes a
bonus DVD with a 24-minute documentary showing unseen footage of the band
and a 16-page collectible book. The package will also be available in
deluxe, vinyl and digital editions. The band's first album, 1988's Traveling
Wilburys Volume 1, was certified double platinum and won a Grammy. A
follow-up album was released in 1990 following Orbison's death.
-
- Kenny Chesney: Everyday
Superstar
By Holly Gleason
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
In a knit cap, a pair of baggy khakis and a gray sweatshirt, the young man
looks like any 20-something frat boy who's making his way in the world, but
isn't quite ready to cave into the uniform of respectability. That's the
beauty of Kenny Chesney: the two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year (2004,
2006) and 2004 CMA Album of the Year (When the Sun Goes Down ) winner looks
just like everyone else.
It's not a practiced camouflage. Even with 25 million albums sold, Chesney
really is an artist who is his audience. That identification with the people
who bought nearly 6 million concert tickets over the past five years goes
both ways: when Chesney looks out in the audience, he sees himself.
"I absolutely was one of those kids on the grass, and I think I still am,"
Chesney said. "When I get onstage or I'm making a record, I try to think
about what turns me on, because I want to give those people the time of
their life."
Since blowing wide open in 2002 with No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems - on
the heels of the double-Platinum Everywhere We Go and Greatest Hits -
Chesney has struck a chord in the lives of people beyond the media centers.
Celebrating accessible moments has given the singer a common touch that
offers a dignity to the things everybody goes through.
"We all go through the same things, and that's what a lot of these songs are
about," said the Luttrell, Tenn., native. "It's why I wrote 'I Go Back,'
because I think no matter who you are, there are songs that mark those
moments. When you hear them, you're right back there. I've been blessed with
a lot of songs that do that."
Indeed, "Summertime," Chesney's five-week No. 1, captures what it means to
be young and alive in the carefree days out of school; while "The Good
Stuff," a six-week No. 1, defines the things that truly matter in life; and
"There Goes My Life," the eight-week chart-topper, offers a sense of how
powerful lives can be when fully lived.
"That's the thing," said SONY BMG Nashville Chairman Joe Galante. "He's
never forgotten what it was like to be the kid in the crowd, looking up at
the star onstage. He continues to be a fan. Look at his ticket price. He
could charge more, but he wants his fans to be able to feel like they got
the value, unlike some other stars."
In some ways, Chesney is an unlikely superstar. Last year, he played nine
football and soccer stadiums - selling out such nontraditional places for
Country Music as Seattle, Boston and Detroit, as well as New York City's
Madison Square Garden.
"You don't think about that stuff, because you're trying to make the moments
mean something," said the soft-spoken singer/songwriter. "People tell me the
stats and it makes me pause and think about it. Sometimes I'll try to take
it in, but those are just numbers. To me, it's about the people who are
turning up their car radios or singing along with us when we play their
town. Those are the moments that matter."
Equal parts hard work and good song sense, Chesney, who sang in Nashville's
Lower Broadway dive bars before the legendary honky tonk row found its
renaissance, also applied a somewhat magical intangible: dreams in the
truest sense of the word. For a kid who didn't get serious about playing
guitar until freshman year in college, it was a big dream to take a bite out
of. Yet he did, moving to Music City after graduation.
A little success would lead to slightly bigger dreams, but there are things
even a jumbo-sized dreamer like Chesney wouldn't dare - being interviewed by
Rodney Crowell about songwriting, getting to sing "You Don't Know Me" at the
all-genre Ray Charles tribute celebrating the opening of the movie "Ray" and
now producing Willie Nelson's upcoming album.
"When he opens his mouth, there's just so much there, beyond the notes,
even," Chesney said. "He's Willie Nelson. He's one of the great American
voices of all time, and he's someone I've listened to my whole life. So the
idea that he'd call me about making a record with him, well, you just don't
dream stuff like that."
Having honed his craft at Acuff Rose as a staff writer, Chesney learned
songwriting in the old school sense. What makes a song work was ingrained in
him, and it was something he took very seriously when looking for material
for Nelson. Drawing on Guy Clark, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Dave
Matthews and Randy Newman, Chesney sought out songs as strong as Nelson's
singing.
"We had all the guys in the studio in a circle, and they were just so
there," Chesney said. "This was Willie Nelson, singing some of the best
American songwriters, and you could tell everyone was completely into it.
Even Willie said it was the most fun he'd had in the studio. That made me
proud."
Between the Nelson album and a bluegrass project for his own bandmate Tim
Hensley, both co-produced with longtime creative cohort Buddy Cannon, it
would seem Chesney's focus has shifted. After all, with Chesney's drive and
commitment to what he does, how much could be left over? The answer is
exactly what you'd expect from a man committed to keeping ticket prices
reasonable, his shows exciting and his music connected to his audience. He
began looking at set designs for his "Flip Flop Summer Tour" almost before
his 1.3 million tickets sold "The Road and the Radio Tour" was finished -
and he and the band have already begun thinking through the new set list.
The new tour, sponsored by Cruzan Rum, kicks off April 12 and rolls through
early fall with an all-star line up including Brooks & Dunn, Sara Evans, Pat
Green and Sugarland. Chesney recently appeared on CBS' "60 Minutes" and in
the "Sports Illustrated" Swim Suit issue.
Galante recognizes the drive within the artist he helped mold.
"Kenny will continue to grow as an entertainer, writer and singer," Galante
said.
"He learns from experience and is a student who knows when someone does it
better than him. It raises his game. Having played sports, you're taught to
always think things are possible even when it seems they aren't. The end
result: you put more of yourself into it, and keep striving."
Five singles deep on the triple Platinum The Road and the Radio - with its
multiple week No. 1s, "Living in Fast Forward" and "Summertime,' as well as
a pair of No. 2s, "Who You'd Be Today" and "You Save Me" plus his current
release, "Beer in Mexico," his fastest moving single to date at No. 2 and
rising, Chesney has been spending time listening to songs and thinking about
what he wants to say next.
"The thing that keeps you at this is that desire to dig a little deeper into
a song's core," Chesney said. "Being blessed with such great songs really
sets the bar pretty high. If there's one thing I've learned on the road -
whether driving in my car, listening to the radio, or playing shows - the
songs really set the tone. If you've got the songs, everything else is
possible; if you don't, then even the best stuff just kind of falls apart
around you."
Official Website:
KennyChesney.com
Holly Gleason is a former publicist for Kenny Chesney.
Photographer: Melanie Dunea
Photos courtesy of BNA Nashville.
Kenny Chesney Official Fanclub:
Member Benefits: Advance Tickets, Member Only Website, Road Journal, Member
Newsletter.
Visit
KennyChesneyFanClub.com for more information and to sign-up.
- Jason Michael Carroll is a
- 28-year-old North Carolinian who's not afraid
to dream big. As a preacher's son, Carroll grew up not being allowed to
listen to "secular" music, but like any resourceful young man, he eventually
found his dream emanating from the radio.
Carroll became obsessed with Country Music and quickly got his first break,
winning a local radio station's karaoke contest. As a result of that
triumph, he was asked to join a local band. His appearance on "Gimme the Mic,"
an "American Idol"-style show for local FOX television affiliates, led
Carroll to a national competition in New York City where he caught the
attention of manager Rusty Harmon, who had helped Hootie & the Blowfish to
multi-Platinum success. A subsequent meeting with producer Don Gehman (John
Mellencamp , REM) led Carroll to a deal with Arista Nashville.
Things started falling into place when he was given the opportunity to write
with Jewel, a singer/ songwriter he had long admired. They collaborated
(with Shaye Smith) on the ballad "No Good in Goodbye," which they recorded
as a duet on Carroll's Gehman-produced debut album Waitin' in the Country,
released Feb. 6. An unflinching look at the life and death of an abused
child, first single "Alyssa Lies" is one of five songs written or co-written
by Carroll on the album, and is quickly climbing the charts. The single has
already set multiple records, and its massive airplay success has now made
Carroll the first new male Country artist in two and a half years to take a
debut single into the Country airplay Top 5.
- TUESDAY NIGHT OPRY IS BACK
Make Tuesday like the weekend with the Tuesday Night Opry!
- UPCOMING SHOWS AT THE RYMAN
Visit Ryman.com for more information.
-
-
Colorado Senator Bob Hagedorn says he'd like to officially make John
Denver's 1973 hit "Rocky Mountain High" a state song. According to Hagedon,
Denver's tune is more memorable than the current state song, "Where the
Columbine Grow." He notes that he plans to introduce legislation later this
month.
-
-
Designed
Birdhouses
-
Martina
McBride, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, and Dierks Bentley have
designed birdhouses to help the W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville,
Tennessee The public will bid on the birdhouses March 8th at the
annual Birdhouse Event at the Mall at Green Hills.
-
- “CMA
Songwriter Series
Salutes the Men of Country Music”
-
“CMA
Songwriter Series Salutes the Men of Country Music” will feature Keith
Anderson, Bob DiPiero, Tony Mullins, Jeffery Steele and Craig Wiseman on
March 29th at Joe’s Pub in New York City. They have written hits
for Garth Brooks, George Jones, George Strait, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn,
Tim McGraw and Montgomery Gentry. This concert kicks off a series of four
singer/songwriter concerts in New York sponsored by the Country Music
Association (CMA). The second concert, on May 31st, will be themed "CMA
Songwriters Series Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Bluebird Café;"
October 4th’s concert will be "CMA Songwriters Series Salutes The
Women of Country Music." The final show on November 29th will be
titled "CMA Songwriters Series Salutes the Groups/Duos of Country Music."
Songwriters for additional shows
will be announced in the coming months.
-
- Being George Strait
By Phyllis Stark
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
George Strait gave a memorable lead performance as Country singer Dusty
Chandler in the 1992 film "Pure Country," but hasn't been seen on film
since. But with his recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and
with 54 No. 1 hits under his big belt buckle, Strait confessed he's
considering going Hollywood once more.
"I am starting to get the bug again," he said of acting. "If the right thing
was to come along, I may get serious. I need to do it again because I really
enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun."
In the meantime, Strait has plenty to keep him occupied on the music side of
his career, with two new albums on the market and a major tour that launched
in January. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last
November during "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" in Nashville.
Strait released his most recent MCA Nashville Platinum-selling album, It
Just Comes Natural, his 34th album, Oct. 3, 2006. Its leadoff single, "Give
It Away," gave him that 53rd No. 1 at the same time Strait marked his 25th
anniversary with the label and more than 62 million albums sold, 32 of which
are Platinum. Strait is the third most certified artists of all genres after
Elvis and The Beatles. His second single, "It Just Comes Natural," was his
54th No. 1 hit. Strait is Billboard's all-time leader for No. 1 Country
singles.
From sophisticated Western swing and clever barroom anthems to sawdust
two-steppers and smoky neon ballads, It Just Comes Natural, featuring 15
songs, is all that and more. It's vintage Strait from Bobby Braddock's
timeless, tongue-in-cheek "She Told Me So," to the sensual ballad "That's My
Kind of Woman," co-written by perennial Strait favorite Dean Dillon. The
deceptively simple title track, penned by Jim Collins and Marv Green, is a
perfect fit for Strait's smooth, unaffected style, as is the easygoing Cris
Moore and Lee Roy Parnell toe-tapper, "One Foot in Front of the Other." The
whimsical "Texas Cookin'," written by the legendary Guy Clark, is culinary
gold mined from the mid-'70s Austin folk scene. A trio of cowboy tunes help
round out the album featuring 15 gems from the master.
Strait also had a new holiday album released late last year, Fresh Cut
Christmas, which sold exclusively - and briskly - in Hallmark Cold Crown
stores for only $7.95 each with purchase of three Hallmark cards. Hallmark
reported the album sold a million copies in just its first week on the rack.
The retailer also sold special "Say It With Music" song cards that played
Strait's version of "O Christmas Tree," as featured on the album.
As for the Hall of Fame induction, Strait said he was "totally surprised"
when he first got the news. While it was something he aspired to achieve one
day, Strait never thought it would happen at what he considers to be this
early stage of his career. "It's such a huge honor," he said, adding that
it's an "outstanding idea" to induct some artists into the Hall at the prime
of their careers.
Still, Strait said, it's only now starting to sink in that he's joined the
legends as a member of the Hall of Fame. "I'm starting to get a little
cockier, starting to treat people a little different, look down on people a
little bit," he quipped with a boisterous laugh."
Not likely.
"I'm starting to realize that this is the ultimate compliment that can be
paid to an entertainer in the County Music field," he said, more seriously.
"I'm wondering what the hell else am I going to do now?"
Longtime producer Tony Brown thinks part of the appeal of this five-time CMA
Male Vocalist of the Year winner is that he's not trying to reinvent the
wheel. He has a strong sense of what works for him as an artist, and he
sticks close to what he knows his audience wants. Consequently, Brown said,
"He's still a relevant artist after all these years."
"Unlike some artists who get bored and try to reinvent themselves, he's
never felt the need to do that," said Brown, who has worked with Strait on
15 albums. "It's fun working with an artist like that because he's not
trying to push the envelope. He just enjoys being George Strait."
One secret to Strait's success, according to Brown, is that "George always
comes to the studio and sings like he was performing in front of 20,000
people, which inspires the band. He still has that fire in his belly."
Brown said Strait likes to use the same studio musicians for each album, and
"if someone can't make it, it's always a big deal. His comfort zone is to be
around people he loves working with."
After a quarter century in the business Strait said he still finds almost
everything about it enjoyable, with the exception of the travel.
"It's still a lot of fun when I walk out on stage and do the shows," Strait
said. "There's just hardly any words to describe it because the crowds are
just awesome. The traveling part is not something I look forward to, but
doing the shows I love, and making the records I love."
As a touring act, Strait's performances have been consistently successful.
He holds more than 20 attendance records at venues around the country.
Given the 25 years he's been on the road, and the number of venue capacity
records his shows have broken, it's hard to imagine that Strait still gets
nervous about performing. Yet he admitted to getting butterflies in his
stomach as plans for each annual tour ramp up, with the nerves continuing
until the first gig is well underway.
"That first show is always a little nerve wracking," he confessed. "After
all these years you'd think it would just come automatic, but you still have
those doubts. You just don't want to mess up. But after I walk out and I've
gone through that first song, it's just like we've been doing it all year
long."
Strait kicked off his current arena tour Jan. 11, at the Cajundome in
Lafayette, La., which meant the butterflies began for him back in October.
The tour's first leg, with Ronnie Milsap in the supporting role, will
encompass more than 23 dates ending March 10. Last year, Strait grossed more
than $15 million from 18 arena dates, according to Billboard Boxscore.
After six months or more off the road, Strait ramps up for each new tour by
rehearsing with his Ace in the Hole band to "knock the cobwebs off, grease
all the wheels and get back in the feel of it," he said.
Asked what it is about him as an entertainer that consistently packs arenas,
Strait modestly responds, "I wish I knew." Pressed for an answer, he
credited his "great band," which ensures a show that is "musically very
tight." He also credited the abundance of hit songs he has to draw on, and
the fact that he and the band try to perform the songs just as they sound on
the CDs, something Strait believes his audience really wants.
"Other than that, I have no idea what it is," he said of his appeal
Despite the butterflies, and his jokes about "hanging it up," Strait has no
plans to quit touring anytime soon. "We've had a lot of fans for a lot of
years and they're very loyal," he said. "I'm going to keep going as long as
they keep coming."
On the Web: www.georgestrait.com
Photographers: Sid Farbstein, John Russell and Davide Stoeckline.
Photography courtesy of MCA Nashville.
- © 2007 Country Music Association, Inc.
Alan Jackson Dierks
Bentley
-
-
Big & Rich Vince Gill,
-
- Learn more about the great City of Nashville
and its wonderful vacation offerings online at musiccityusa.com or by
calling 1-800-657-6910 . Get details on Nashville vacation packages, hotel
accommodations, area attractions and more.
- Barbara Mandrell's Cool Country Tribute
By Phyllis Stark
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
As a longtime performer who knows the demands of a busy schedule, Barbara
Mandrell is both humbled and gratified that so many top-tier Country artists
took the time to contribute to an album that pays tribute to her and her
amazing career.
"They have really given me a great gift of not only their talent and their
time, but their love," Mandrell, the two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year,
said in an emotion-filled voice.
The album, She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute To Barbara
Mandrell, was released last October on BNA Records. Mandrell, whose six No.
1 hits include "Years" and "I Was Country, When Country Wasn't Cool," is
still Country and, according to the artists who participated in the tribute
project, still very cool. Sara Evans was literally raised on Mandrell's
songs.
"Everything about Barbara Mandrell reminds me of my childhood and growing up
as a Country singer," said Evans, who contributed Mandrell's 1980 hit
"Crackers" to the tribute project. "My mother had me learn every one of her
songs and perform them in our [family] band."
Naturally, Evans was eager to participate in the tribute and said she chose
"Crackers" because "it is so cheeky and fun." For her own version of the
song, Evans recalled the things she loved best about Mandrell's original and
"tried to blend that with who I am musically." In the end, she said, "I'm
really happy with what we came out of the studio with."
For Terri Clark, who contributed a rocking version of Mandrell's first No. 1
hit, "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed," Mandrell's work "was the start of my
love affair with Country Music that's lasted my entire life."
Clark's appreciation for Mandrell's music dates back to her childhood in
Canada, where she idolized the two-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year. As
a 13-year-old, Clark was a huge fan of Mandrell's NBC-TV variety show,
"Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters," which averaged more than 40
million viewers per week.
"I wrote her fan mail and spent all my allowances on magazines that had
anything about her in [them]," Clark said. "I clipped them out, put them in
a photo album and sent it to her. I drew pictures of her and sent them to
her. I was just absolutely blown away with her and her showmanship. My
mother was about to send me to therapy because she was tired of hearing
about her."
For Clark, the recording session for "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed"
provided a touching opportunity to show Mandrell that she was a lifelong
devotee.
"I had a fan letter that I had written to her when I was 13," Clark said. "I
made a practice copy of it and then re-wrote it and sent her that one, but I
kept the original all these years. When we did the tribute record, I gave
her the letter."
Clark describes the fan letter as "so 13-year-old. It was hilarious. I drew
little pictures of cowboy hats and boots on it and signed it, 'Your friend,
Terri Clark.'"
In the studio, however, Mandrell handled the moment with typical class,
telling an emotional Clark she'd cherish the letter.
Although Mandrell retired from the music business 10 years ago, no one
needed convincing that this groundbreaking singer, musician, actress,
motivational speaker and best-selling author, who landed 55 singles on the
Billboard chart between 1969 and 1989, was a fitting subject for a tribute.
Artist manager Clint Higham, a longtime friend of the Mandrell family, first
hatched the tribute idea and brought it to SONY BMG Nashville Chairman Joe
Galante, who said he "fell in love with the plan."
Galante called Mandrell an "unbelievable entertainer. When I first moved to
[Nashville,] I remember her being on the CMA Awards show and being riveted
by how she was as a host and an entertainer," he said.
Not surprisingly, Galante said, nearly all of the artists who were
approached to participate "jumped up and said 'Yeah, she's meant so much to
me.'"
Kenny Chesney and Reba McEntire performed "I Was Country When Country Wasn't
Cool," with Chesney supplying the memorable George Jones parts from the
original, which is Mandrell's signature song. Other tracks on the album
include Dierks Bentley's "Fast Lanes and Country Roads;" Blaine Larsen's "I
Wish that I Could Fall in Love Today;" Lorrie Morgan's "That's What Friends
Are For;" Willie Nelson and Shelby Lynne's duet on "This Time I Almost Made
It;" Randy Owen's "Years;" Brad Paisley's version of "In Times Like These;"
LeAnn Rimes' "(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right;" Gretchen
Wilson's "The Midnight Oil;" and CeCe Winans' "He Set My Life to Music."
All of the songs were Top 10 Country hits for Mandrell with the exception of
"This Time I Almost Made It," which peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard chart
in 1974, and "That's What Friends Are For," which topped out at No. 16 two
years later. "He Set My Life to Music" was not a Country single, but rather
the title track of Mandrell's GRAMMY and Dove Award-winning 1983 gospel
album.
Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan wrote many of Mandrell's signature hits
including five songs that appear on the collection. "There would be no
album, there would be no Barbara Mandrell, if it were not for Kye and
Dennis," she said. Mandrell is delighted with the finished album, calling it
the "ultimate compliment."
"This is not one of those albums where you have to skip [around]," she said.
"Every single artist on there just gave it their all. I'm overwhelmed."
Higham worked with Galante and his A&R team and sought Mandrell's input in
deciding which artists and songs to include in the tribute. Most of the
participating artists chose the songs they wanted to cut and each artist
recorded their individual track on their own, with the producer and
musicians of their choice.
Mandrell thinks having multiple producers on the project "gives a distinct
artistry to each individual cut." Producers on the project include Brett
Beavers, Mark Bright, Buddy Cannon, Chris Harris, Dann Huff, Tim Johnson,
Frank Rogers, Wally Wilson and Mark Wright. Clark and Lynne produced their
own tracks.
While Mandrell was hands-on in the creation of the tribute, she gave a quick
and definitive "no" when asked if anything about the process of putting the
album together made her want to come out of retirement. She explained that
she doesn't regret her decision to retire, no matter how much she cherished
her career.
"I was never bored, never sick of it, never tired. It was all positive," she
said of her lengthy stint as a top entertainer. But, she added, "I feel good
that I said 'thank you' and expressed my gratitude and stepped out of the
spotlight at the highest point of my career. . I wouldn't change a thing."
On the Web:
www.barbara-mandrell.com
Photographer: Glen Rose
Album artwork courtesy of BNA Records Nashville
- Rascal Flatts Honored by CMA and
City of Nashville
CMA and the City of Nashville let the good times roll on Tuesday, when they
celebrated the 2006 best-selling act of all genres, Rascal Flatts, at a
Mardi Gras-style event at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in
Nashville.
“An accomplishment like this calls for a celebration,” said CMA Chief
Operating Officer Tammy Genovese. “And we were delighted to partner with the
City of Nashville to acknowledge the significance of this career milestone
and the positive impact that this outstanding group has had on Country
Music, Tennessee, and Rascal Flatts’ hometown – Music City, USA.”
“We take seriously the art of making music and try to put a lot of hard work
and dedication into our albums,” says Jay DeMarcus, Rascal Flatts bassist
and background vocalist. “We are very thankful to our fans who have given us
the best jobs in the world and are grateful to CMA, the City of Nashville
and the Country Music community for making this our special day!”
Me and My Gang, was the highest debuting album in 2006 with more than
721,000 units sold in its first week, and when the cash registers stopped
ka-chinging at year’s end, the album was the top selling artist album of the
year with 3.4 million copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And that
figure continues to rise with a current tally of more than 4 million copies.
These sales combined with the continued strong sales of previous albums,
including Feels Like Today, earned Rascal Flatts the title of being the best
selling artist of 2006 in all musical genres.
This marked the first time in the era of monitored music sales that a
Country group had the top-selling artist album of the year, according to
Nielsen SoundScan research.
Rascal Flatts has sold more than 13.7 million units in the six years since
the release of their self-titled debut. Feels Like Today is certified
quadruple Platinum for sales of more than 4 million units, while Rascal
Flatts and Melt are each certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA). Me and My Gang is the band’s fastest selling
title to date.
Country Music Hall of Fame inductee
George Strait .
New Artist Spotlight:
Sarah Buxton
Compiled by Kristen Scherer
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country
Music Association, Inc.
With a playful attitude and an irresistible rasp in her voice, Sarah Buxton
has a distinct sound. Lyrically, the singer-songwriter is dedicated to
painting a picture of her own life. Growing up in Lawrence, Kan., playing
piano and flute and writing music was dominating Buxton's free time. At age
12, she got involved with the Lawrence Children's Choir and quickly realized
she was a part of "something that was truly beautiful." Later, during her
junior year in high school she sang solo for the first time at the school's
talent show and here she knew she'd found her true calling.
"I stood backstage with that cordless mic, listening to the crowd," Buxton
said. "I thought, 'I love this, and why am I not nervous?'"
Growing up, she was seduced by the sounds of Faith Hill, Patty Loveless and
George Strait, but it was Stevie Nicks who captured her heart and inspired
her to begin crafting lyrics. After graduating and actually meeting Nicks,
she became more determined to make the move to Music City and chase her
dreams.
Buxton enrolled at Nashville's Belmont University and quickly formed a jam
band, the regionally popular Stoik Oak . The band spent three years
recording and touring before calling it quits. Buxton's music took a back
seat when she met and fell in love with a local guitarist. They were married
and moved to a rural cabin close the Cumberland River. After a lot of
housekeeping and some serious soul searching, Buxton came to realize she was
unhappy in the marriage and made the move back to Music City, set up in a
small apartment and began to pursue her dream in earnest.
She met with friend John Rich of Big & Rich , who encouraged her and told
her she could do anything she wanted to do if she put her mind to it. Buxton
signed with a song publisher and was soon co-writing with some of
Nashville's top tunesmiths, who spread the word about the feisty newcomer
with the amazing voice.
One of those co-writers, Craig Wiseman ("Believe," "Live Like You Were
Dying," "The Good Stuff") co-produced her self-titled Lyric Street Records
debut album along with veteran producer Dann Huff (Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts,
Keith Urban). Buxton co-wrote 10 of the album's 11 songs, including the
leadoff single, "Innocence," written with Dave Berg, Georgia Middleman and
Jeremy Stover.
"These songs are the pictures in my head," Buxton said. "They are my own
feelings and memories and they ring true for me today as they probably would
have if I had heard them when I was 8 years old."
IN HER OWN WORDS:
Who is your musical hero?
"Peter Gabriel . I love his sound but it's really about his authenticity as
a performer."
Which song would you secretly like to cover?
"I'd love to add Steely Dan 's 'Fire in the Hole' when I start touring with
a full band later this year. It's got the best steel solo I've ever heard."
What CD is on your stereo?
"I've really been into Steely Dan lately. I've been listening to the whole
catalog, starting with their last release and working my way up to the
first. Right now I'm listening to Can't Buy a Thrill ."
What book is on your nightstand?
"'The Devil and Mrs. Primm' by Paul Coehlo ."
Who is your dream duet partner?
"Lowell George of Little Feat , may he rest in peace. He's probably got one
of the sexiest and most soulful voices ever."
On the Web:
www.myspace.com/sarahbuxton
Photographer: Kristin Barlowe
Photo courtesy of Lyric Street Records.
- Establishment of a Johnny Cash
Memorial in Dyess, Arkansas
- A. J. Henson is actively involved in the
establishment of a Johnny Cash Memorial in Dyess, Arkansas and hopes to have
Gene Williams, Katie Lynn, Jackson Cash ( an impersonator of Johnnie) and
Mickey Gilley this July the 7th, and Tommy Cash back on the 6th of July." AJ
reports: "Dyess Days 2006 was such a success that memorial organizers are
planning an additional event on May 19th, during Heritage Month. The show
will feature many Johnny Cash impersonators. Jackson Cash has been invited
to perform then also. Also see web site
http://www.genewilliamscountry.com/bio%20page.htm for Gene
Williams. There is some related info about Cindy Cash at
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1289456/bio - if you need further
information please contact A. J. Henson at
hensonaj@gmail.com
Loretta Lynn is to receive an
honorary doctorate of music
- Loretta Lynn is to receive an honorary
doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music during her March 17th Grand
Ole Opry performance. The honor from the Boston college puts the
71-year-old Lynn into a select group of recording artists that includes Duke
Ellington, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Bonnie
Raitt, Earl Scruggs, Sting and Sarah Vaughan.
-
Hank
Williams Jr. fans. It’s a limited edition guitar,
-
Copley Musical Instrument Company has created an acoustic guitar exclusively
for Hank Williams Jr. fans. It’s a limited edition guitar, engraved with
the Hank Jr. logo. The full-sized six-string guitar has a top consisting of
laminated spruce; the back and sides of the guitar sport exotic rosewood
with inlaid bindings. The guitar is priced at just under 300 hundred
dollars, which includes a hard shell carrying case.
-
- Neal McCoy Launches Own Label, 903 Music
Label Aims to be Artists' Missing Link
By Edward Morris
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
As a performer, Neal McCoy had all he could hope for - except a record
company that loved him as much as the crowds did. So he started his own
label, dubbing it "903 Music" after the area code of Longview, Texas, his
hometown. So far, the new enterprise has done well. For starters, it
generated McCoy his first Top 10 single in nine years. It's also developed
enough muscle and confidence to take on two more acts: Darryl Worley and the
Drew Davis Band . Worley's first 903 album was released on Nov. 21,
while Drew Davis Band is scheduled to make its
recording debut the second quarter of 2007.
After working with Charley Pride for six years, McCoy signed to 16th Avenue
Records, Gaylord Entertainment's short-lived label, in 1988. In 1990, he
migrated to Atlantic Records, where he would spend the next decade. His
first few singles fizzled on the charts, but his career appeared to
skyrocket in 1994 when "No Doubt About It" went to No. 1. He followed it
with "Wink," an even bigger hit that stayed at the top of the Billboard
chart for four weeks. Throughout the next three years, he scored six more
Top 5 singles. Then things began tapering off. From 1997 until "Billy's Got
His Beer Goggles On" came along in 2005, none of his singles rose higher
than No. 22.
When Atlantic shut down, McCoy moved to Giant Records and then briefly to
Warner Bros. Records. But despite being plagued by label closings, executive
turnovers, priority shifts and a frustrating indifference at radio, the
lanky singer was such a dynamic live performer and tireless touring act that
he still racked up one Gold and three Platinum albums.
Allied with McCoy in 903 Music are two silent-partner financial backers and
his long-time manager, Karen Kane. They launched the label in July 2004,
Kane said, but didn't announce it until the following February, after they
had a staff in place. In the interim, McCoy completed his album, That's Life
, and shot the music video for his rollout single, "Billy's Got His Beer
Goggles On."
"We realized that as an independent [label], we had a lot of things working
against us," Kane said. "But, luckily, when we did launch the label, it was
the perfect time for one in the marketplace. We needed to have a really
strong promotion team in-house. That's the first thing that we did." (Prior
to becoming McCoy's manager, Kane spent 13 years in marketing and sales with
Warner Bros. and WEA Distribution.)
Kane's first hire was Bill Mayne, a former General Manager and promotion
executive at Warner Bros. whom she once described as "Vice President of
anything and everything." He was put in charge of promotion and artist
development. Then came four regional in-house promotional reps, a digital
content staffer, a marketing consultant and an independent publicist.
Recently, Kane added Chris Rogers, the veteran music video director, to the
marketing staff. The label uses independent producers.
"The landscape has changed completely," Mayne said. "To me, the exciting
part is understanding the changes in the marketplace and adapting to a new
methodology to getting music exposed. First and foremost, you have to have
credible people and credible product. We've got a smaller staff than anybody
out there in the marketplace, so it's a matter of working hard and working
smart. It's not about unlimited resources and large staffs. We're forced to
be more creative."
To raise both McCoy's and the new label's visibility, 903 signed on as a
sponsor of the 2005 Country Radio Seminar. This enabled the video for
"Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" to be played prominently throughout the
Seminar, including at the heavily attended New Faces Show. That's Life was
released in August 2005, and "Billy" peaked at No. 10 in late November.
- Darryl Worley
Once it became apparent that 903 was gaining traction for McCoy, the
principals decided to "grow the label" by signing other acts, Kane
explained. Worley was a natural choice. A casualty of DreamWorks' closing,
he had a catalog of hits that included "I Miss My Friend," "Have You
Forgotten" and "Awful, Beautiful Life." More important, as far as the label
was concerned, he had an organization behind him.
So did the Drew Davis Band . "They're a new act, but they already have a
business in place," Kane said. "They've been touring for three years. And
that's really our criterion - signing acts that already have businesses in
place. The way our business model works is that we view ourselves as sort of
a link in the chain of the artist's business. One of the issues with Neal
was that we felt like our organization was working on all levels except for
our records. We decided if we did everything else in-house, why not pull
that in-house too."
Based in Los Angeles, the Drew Davis Band, Kane said, already has a
publishing deal and a booking agent and is managed by Doc McGhee of McGhee
Entertainment. Currently, the band is shopping for songs and a producer. And
so is McCoy, as he looks toward his second album.
Kane speculated that the label's album budgets will vary widely, "depending
on which producer you have and what kind of deals you cut. But I think the
budgets that we have for albums are comparable to what the majors have. We
want to put out quality products."
While 903 products are available via all the major digital providers, Kane
said that most of the company's sales are through conventional retail
outlets. She turned to another former colleague at Warner Bros. - Neal
Spielberg - to advise the label on how to get its albums into the
marketplace most effectively. "Because we have a real seasoned professional
advising us in Neal, we're pretty conservative on what we manufacture as
opposed to what we ship. We want to make sure that we don't have a lot of
returns. Because of Neal's experience, we've been able to keep that
percentage pretty tight and not over-manufacture. Our distributor is
Navarre, and they've been really great about turning around product very
quickly."
Kane admitted she couldn't comprehend the gulf that exists between McCoy's
enormous crowd appeal and his generally tepid reception at radio. "After 10
years with Neal, I still scratch my head about that. Of course, every
station wants him for its listener-appreciation show. We try to explain to
radio that their consumers are buying tickets to his shows, putting out cold
cash to see him and that he has a real impact in the market. But sometimes
there's just a disconnect there that I haven't really been able to explain.
"I know that [radio programmers] love Neal personally. It's not that they've
turned their backs on him as an artist. But they just haven't felt - this is
what they're telling us - that he's had the right songs. And then we came
with 'Billy,' and they gave us that support. They felt like their audiences
demanded that song. Neal's biggest successes have been from songs that
consumers have demanded."
Kane estimated that McCoy does about 120 shows a year. "He would do many
more," she said with a laugh, "if we would let him. He's really in heavy,
heavy demand as a live performer." Later on, McCoy plans to give the Drew
Davis Band a shot as his opening act.
"Neal generally tours on his own," Kane observed. "He's headlined his own
tours from the very beginning because nobody would follow him."
On the Web: www.903music.com ;
www.nealmccoy.com ;
www.darrylworley.com ;
www.drewdavisband.com
Neal McCoy photo: Erick Anderson
Karen Kane photo: Amanda Eckard, CMA
Darryl Worley photo: Jeremy Cowart
Drew Davis Band photo: courtesy of Grand Overview Magazine Chicago
- New Artist Spotlight:
Kellie Pickler
- By Kristen Scherer
© 2007 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
Kellie Pickler may not have been the winner on “American Idol,” but from the
opening notes of Small Town Girl, her debut album, it’s crystal clear that
she has no intention of giving up on her dream. Raised by her grandparents
since age 2 in Albemarle, N.C., Pickler was surrounded by the music of
artists Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Martina McBride and Dolly Parton. She
started singing at an early age and hasn’t stopped since.
After graduating from North Stanly High School in New London, N.C.,
Pickler’s life began to change after she sang her first solo at her
graduation in 2004. Having caught the performing bug, she began competing in
local Miss America pageants, winning the “Miss Stanly County” contest at 17
and vying for Miss North Carolina 2004.
The 19-year-old Pickler auditioned for “American Idol” in the Fall of 2005
in Greensboro, N.C. After surviving the first few rounds, it was off to
Hollywood, where she became one of Idol judge Simon Cowell’s favorites. She
made it to Top 6 before being eliminated. In the show’s finale, she showed
off her formidable comedic skills in a segment entitled “Puck ’n Pickler”
with chef Wolfgang Puck .
Following her “American Idol” experience, she returned to her hometown where
she was feted with a parade and presented with a key to the city. The mayor
proclaimed May 6, 2006 as “Kellie Pickler Day.” For the young singer, the
whirlwind was just beginning as she hit the talk show circuit, appearing on
“Today,” “Live with Regis and Kelly” and the “Ellen DeGeneres Show.” In
January 2007, Pickler served for two days as guest co-host on"The View,"
where she was surprised by Rosie O'Donnell with the news that Small Town
Girl had been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of
America, signaling sales of 500,000 units.
Small Town Girl was produced by Blake Chancey and released in October 2006
on 19 Recordings/ BNA Records. Pickler is a writer on five of the album’s
songs, including the lead single “Red High Heels,” which she co-wrote with
Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo and Karyn Rochelle .
-
The 1940
acoustic Martin guitar played by Bill Haley on his “Rock Around The Clock”
hit reportedly sold for $57,000 during a recent auction in Arizona.
-
- Reba McEntire
Andy Griggs
- WE-BE-MUSIC PRODUCTION CENTER
- BOOKING NEW ACTS NOW
- WE-BE-MUSIC PRODUCTION CENTER
3801 HARRISON AVENUE
CINCINNATI, OHIO 45211
ATTN: CALLY CANTRELL-LOVE
513-481-3100
FAX: 513-481-3101
PLEASE SEND PRESS KITS, CD'S, RATES, ETC...
BOOKING NOW FOR BRAND NEW MUSIC THEATRE 2007-08-09
LOOK FOR OUR AD IN FEBRUARY ISSUE OF BILLBOARD MAGAZINE
CALLY CANTRELL
-
-
Cars the
Movie
-
In
the six degrees of connection category, “Cars”was named Best Animated Film
at the Golden Globes. Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Hank Williams Sr. all
had music in the film.
-
-
Porter Wagoner will tour this summer with Marty Stuart and his Fabulous
Superlatives. Stuart has been in the studio with Wagoner, producing his new
album.
-
-
The museum at Elvis Presley's birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi., has just
reopened to the public, after undergoing a 250-thousand dollar renovation.
The collection features memorabilia given by Elvis to his personal friend,
Janelle McComb.
-
-
George Strait, Reba McEntire and Toby Keith will be among
the 23 acts headlining nightly concerts at the Houston Livestock Show &
Rodeo's 75th anniversary, February 27th through March 18th. Strait has a
history with the rodeo, having performed there The all-star lineup also
includes performances by Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, Gretchen Wilson, Clay
Walker, Pat Green, Martina McBride, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn,
Dierks Bently and others. Strait will perform February 27th
-
- Willie
Nelson and Jessica Simpson have been added to the cast “Blonde Ambition,” a
new film based on the 1988 movie, “Working Girl.” Nelson plays Simpson's
grandfather. They previously co-starred in the 2005 film version of “The
Dukes of Hazzard.”
-
- Dennis Lind has Died
- Sixty three year old Dennis Linde, whose
credits include Elvis Presley's "Burning Love," Garth Brooks' "Callin' Baton
Rouge" and the Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye Earl," died December 22nd at a
Nashville hospital after battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung
disease. Linde's songwriting success began in the early '70s after Roger
Miller recorded "Tom Green County Fair" and Roy Drusky scored a Top 10 hit
with "Long Long Texas Road." Linde also wrote hits for Mark Chesnutt ("Bubba
Shot the Jukebox," "It Sure Is Monday"), Joe Diffie ("John Deere Green"),
Alan Jackson ("The Talkin' Song Repair Blues"), Sammy Kershaw ("Queen of My
Double Wide Trailer"), Eddy Raven ("In a Letter to You"), Shenandoah ("Janie
Baker's Love Slave") and Don Williams ("Then It's Love," "Walkin' a Broken
Heart"). Dennis who rarely attended awards ceremonies or other music
industry events, but was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2001 and was named songwriter of the year by the Nashville Songwriters
Association in 1993 and BMI in 1994.
- Merle Haggard will be honored with a street
named in his honor in Oildale, Calif., a small town north of Bakersfield,
where he spent his childhood years. The two-mile stretch will be renamed
Merle Haggard Drive. The cities of Oildale and Bakersfield had a rivalry
over which town would name a street after Haggard.
Former Bee Gee Barry Gibb is not remodeling but refurbishing Johnny
Cash's lakefront home north of Nashville. Barry and his wife, Linda, bought
Cash's old house last year and all the wood has been brought back to its
original condition.
- Kenny Chesney and Willie Nelson will be back in
the studio in January, where Kenny is co-producing Willie’s new album with
Buddy Cannon. The album contains songs from Kris Kristofferson, Dave
Matthews, Guy Clark, Jimmy Buffett and Randy Newman, plus some new tunes
from Willie himself.
-
- The Tommy Channel on Guitar
Player TV is now up and running. Have a look and listen and
send the link to your friends!
http://www.guitarplayertv.com
Click on the TOMMY EMMANUEL channel on the left of the screen.
-
-
- Neil Thrasher's Continuing
Education
- By Robert L. Doerschuk
Photographer: Kiss Kavanas
- © 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country
Music Association, Inc.
The first thing you notice about Neil Thrasher is his deadpan humor; he
drops punch lines into his conversation, waiting for a beat or two to make
sure they register. He uses that same timing when he's saying something he
knows will make a different kind of impression.
"I learn something every time I write, but I don't know if I'll ever really
find my own voice," he said. "Most writers never do."
This isn't the kind of talk you expect from a former ASCAP Songwriter of the
Year, whose credits include Kenny Chesney's chart-topping "There Goes My
Life" and Montgomery Gentry's smash, "Some People Change," along with hits
by Diamond Rio, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts and Restless Heart. But the
more he talks, the more unexpected twists Thrasher seems to take. He admits,
for instance, that unlike most of his colleagues, he only began thinking of
himself as a songwriter after he'd already been in Nashville for a while.
"I came here to be a star," Thrasher said. "I actually wouldn't be writing
today if it weren't for my wife, Lana. She saw something in me that I didn't
know I had. She's the one who set me up with writers here in town."
Music has been a constant passion in Thrasher's life. His parents met as
performers of Southern gospel music, and Thrasher grew up listening to his
father's successful quartet, the Thrasher Brothers.
"To me, it was all about the singing," he recalled. "I spent a lot of time
at gospel shows, paying attention to everything: the voices, the
showmanship, even the outfits the groups would wear. I've got album covers
of my dad and his group in matching, fire-engine red suits, or in electric
blue suits. They looked like the Mafia! I thought it couldn't get any cooler
than that."
He was into rock 'n' roll too, at least until his father took the time to
read the lyrics on one of his KISS albums. Still, by the time he got to
Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., he'd spent several
years playing in bands. When a stomach infection ended his plans to play
college football, performing seemed like the sensible thing to do. Then he
met Lana, who was working at the office of his future publishing company,
Major Bob Music. She brought him into the office, where he met another young
talent, Kelly Shiver. Their voices blended beautifully as Thrasher Shiver,
and the pair soon had an album out on Asylum Records and two CMA Vocal Duo
of the Year nominations.
"Up to that point I wasn't planning on writing for a living," Thrasher said.
"That's when I started paying more attention to structure and listening to
how people actually said things and started putting that into my lyrics.
Lana was helpful too. She's a great song person. I've learned a lot from her
about what a good song is."
Lana was running Major Bob, helping to guide the exploding career of
management client Garth Brooks when she met her future husband, who was
singing with a gospel quartet, in 1992.
"It was through doing demos with that band that I met Neil," she said. "I
just kept noticing that Neil had so much natural talent, and of all the
people in the band he was just hungry and had that burning desire to do
music."
Thrasher learned a lot from his future wife, including how to handle it when
a publisher or artist edits your songs.
"Listening to someone else and knowing that you don't know everything is
part of the learning process," Thrasher said. "For example, when Michael
Dulaney and I wrote 'What Do You Say,' the third verse had a comedy thing to
it - something about someone forgetting the words at a wedding. Reba loved
the song, but she asked us, 'Can y'all write me a different third verse,
about life and death?' She knew more than we did about what she wanted to
say and what radio wanted to play. So we didn't hesitate, and that only made
the song better."
For all he has learned, Thrasher admits that the deeper he gets into the
creative process, the more mysterious it seems. Inspiration can come from
anywhere, usually when you least expect it.
"Wendell Mobley and I were sitting in my living room; it was one of those
brain-dead nights," he said. "Then Lana comes around the corner, lights
three candles on the mantel and turns the light off. Wendell and I looked at
each other, and then we called Gary LeVox. That's how we got 'I Melt'"
(recorded by Rascal Flatts).
"The point is, there is no formula," Thrasher summed up. "It happens when it
happens. A song can come to me here or at home, in my wife's office, or in
my car."
How about on the golf course? Thrasher pulls down his shades and smiles.
"Well, we can say we're working out there. That sounds like a good excuse to
me."
On the Web:
www.majorbob.com/writers/current/thrasher.htm
-
Willie
Nelson will be co-owner in the new Austin City Limits Studio to be built
north of Austin City Hall. The Block 21 project will also have a new luxury
hotel and high-priced condos. This will be part of the emerging Second
Street retail district.
-
-
Dolly Parton was honored at a White House reception as one of the Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts honorees along with Stephen Spielberg,
Smokey Robinson, Andrew Lloyd Webber and conductor Zubin Mehta. The men and
women were being honored by the Kennedy Center for their contribution to
American culture and a lifetime of achievement in the performing arts.
-
- Josh Turner Sings from the Heart
By Robert L. Doerschuk
- photos Margaret Malandruccolo
- © 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
Part of it was the song - "Long Black Train," a tune that seemed to beckon
from a hundred years ago, with a lyric that mixed intimations of eternity
with images of rails stretching toward doom or redemption.
Part of it was the venue - the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, where every
singer dreams of seizing America's imagination at just the right moment. A
lot of it had to do with the feel of the singer - Josh Turner, whose
upbringing in the backwoods of South Carolina invested him with an
unimpeachable Country pedigree. And, of course, there was the voice, a deep
baritone that turned his national radio debut into a moment that would
change his life forever.
Turner didn't even have a record deal when he stepped up to the microphone
on Dec. 21, 2001, and delivered a reading of "Long Black Train" that roused
the audience to a standing ovation that wouldn't quit until the young
artist, unknown up to that moment, sang it once again. That was nearly five
years ago - a long time in the life of any emerging star. In a sense, Turner
has been in a continuous state of emergence since then, playing gigs that
inevitably centered on the song, the days ticking by without any second
album in sight.
There's a reason for that, as Turner explained, now that his sophomore
album, Your Man, has reached Platinum status and spawned two No. 1 singles,
the title track and "Would You Go with Me," - a feat that even "Long Black
Train," peaking at No. 13, failed to attain.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself as to how to outdo 'Long Black Train,'"
he said. "I worried about overcoming that phenomenon until I finally
realized that I needed to do something completely different while still
being Josh Turner. So I started thinking about what Eddy Arnold told me one
time: He said I should take every opportunity I could to record a love song
because nothing relates to people more than the relationship between a man
and a woman."
Turner resolved to follow his own instincts and, track by track, Your Man
grew on a foundation built largely from songs about love. This may not be a
revolutionary concept, but this focus liberated Turner to arrange his
priorities appropriately. Though you can't mistake that timbre and
resonance, these tunes follow melodies that another singer might be able to
handle, if maybe an octave higher. And for every descent into the depths of
his range, as in the last note on "Way Down South," there's a passage that
climbs nearly to the tenor heights, as on the chorus of "Would You Go with
Me." But that was only part of the picture. Being associated with one
special song may unlock the door toward notoriety; the problem is that this
door could slam shut and trap you in a smaller spotlight than you had
anticipated. Turner and his producer, Frank Rogers (Brad Paisley),
understood this perfectly as they mapped out their strategy for Your Man .
"We looked at the great moments on the first album and aimed at having 10
times as many great moments on the next one," Turner explained. "We began
with the fact that the Josh Turner sound is very traditional, with a lot of
the characteristics of the music and many of the artists that have gone
before me. It's swampy, rustic and earthy and gritty to some extent. At the
same time, we wanted to put a smooth texture over it, so that it feels fresh
but yet you feel like you've been hearing these songs your whole life."
The sound they created bears a label that Turner, without help from any
publicist or scribe, came up with on his own. "I call it 'South Carolina Low
Country,'" he said, smiling. "I grew up there in a small farming community
called Hannah, surrounded by fields, pine trees, dirt roads and rivers. I
spent a lot of time outdoors, hunting and fishing or riding around on my
four-wheeler. It was a Country lifestyle all the way."
Vital to this world was the Missionary Baptist Church that stood about a
mile down the road from Turner's house. This was where he first heard music
and where he cut his teeth as a singer. "The hymns we sang there are still
very special to me," he said. "Songs like 'Just as I Am' are relevant even
today. And I used to sing 'Without Him' in a quartet called the Thankful
Harps with some other guys my age. Some of those lyrics are extremely
eloquent, even though they were written before this past century."
The feel of those hymns, complemented by the Stanley Brothers and Osborne
Brothers albums that he heard at his grandmother's place, instilled the
belief that feeling was what all the great singers had in common. Sound
wasn't an issue for Turner at that point; he was a baritone, which meant he
looked to Randy Travis as a model on which to base his style. But that basso
profundo hadn't yet risen up and taken shape. In fact, it wouldn't be an
issue until 1996, with the onset of a medical setback that would in fact
prove to be a great stroke of luck.
"I got a lesion on my right vocal cord," he recalled. "I went to the
Vanderbilt University clinic, and rather than do surgery, they put me on a
year's rest from singing. My coaches at Belmont University - Patricia
Roberts for classical repertoire, and my commercial teacher Janet Kenyon -
helped me work every day to get over this injury. After a while I started to
notice that my sound was getting richer and fuller. My range was broadening.
I kept chipping away until it was like, 'Wait a minute. I've never hit that
note before.'"
Though his transformation left Turner with a voice that almost any male
singer would envy, he maintained his focus on the song through the hubbub
that followed that adulation at the Opry. This is why Your Man doesn't come
across as a series of dive-bomb vocal gimmicks. Rather, it is a mature
performance, from the nostalgic autobiography of "Way Down South," the
comfortable profession of faith that he shares with a boyhood hero, Ralph
Stanley, on "Me and God," the deadpan humor of "Baby's Gone Home to Mama,"
and of course those love songs that were essential to the mix from the
start.
"Josh's voice isn't a gimmick," said producer Frank Rogers. "It's an amazing
instrument. There's no voice like it in Country Music or even music in
general. More than that, it's who he is, which is why I knew it had to be
out front in the mix. This is probably the loudest I've ever turned up
vocals on a record, but I wanted to make sure that you didn't just hear it -
you'd feel it too."
"I'm already looking forward to the next record," Turner added. "I'm keeping
a file of all my ideas for songs. There are plenty of other songs already
out there that mean something to me. Hopefully, I'll have a lot of time to
record them all. Sure, I'm blessed with having a great voice, but what's the
point of it unless I can use it to sing from what's in my heart?"
On the Web: www.joshturner.com
- DOLLY
PARTON DRINKS FROM DEEP WELL OF SUCCESS
By PETER COOPER
Before Dollywood and ''9 to 5'' and ''I Will Always Love You'' and all such
as that, Dolly Parton lived in a dodgy trailer on Murfreesboro Road.
Her impoverished family back in East Tennessee worried about her decision to
move to a big, hard town like Nashville, and some folks back home told her
she'd likely starve to death.
''I thought, 'Well, how much poorer can I be?' '' said Parton, 60, who
tonight will receive the nation's highest award for artistic achievement
during the 29th annual Kennedy Center Honors. ''I was poor at home in the
mountains, I figured I could be poor somewhere else.''
In any case, starving to death wasn't a possibility for Dolly Parton.
''To eat, I used to go over to some of the motels, and I'd go up and down
the halls and find where people had left their trays out in the hallways,''
she said. ''I'd get pieces of hamburger or whatever from their trays. I
didn't feel like a bum. I felt like, 'Lord, some people waste more food than
other people have.' There'd be stuff left over that people hadn't even
touched.''
Parton knows that such behavior might seem at the least uncouth and at the
most outright strange, and she's never been a bit scared of aberrance. She
stood out as a schoolgirl who sang on Knoxville television as a pre-teen.
She stood out as an early teen who wrangled a guest slot on the Grand Ole
Opry with the help of Opry star Jimmy C. Newman, and she now stands as a
giant of American popular music.
Her legacy, which will be celebrated at the Kennedy Center tonight with
songs and praise from a gathering of surprise guests, is inherently
singular. Her voice, her appearance, her songs, her career decisions and
most everything else about Parton are anything and everything but typical.
Like the three other country artists who have received Kennedy Center Honors
— Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash — Parton may rightly be
considered a maverick. She was the first country female artist to record two
No. 1 pop singles, to accumulate 50 Top 10 country singles, to be nominated
for an Academy Award, to be worth $500 million (estimated in the late 1990s
by Business Nashville magazine) or, in an event that caused much controversy
in 1978, to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine. She was also the first
female songwriter to win performing rights organization BMI's Five-Million
Air Award, given for 5 million radio airings of ''I Will Always Love You.''
But even those who don't know that Parton ever set pen to paper and wrote a
song tend to be aware of her enduringly curious combination punch of a
mountain-pure voice and outlandish, wig-wearing, bespangled image. This is a
woman who yodels in stilettos. She's not planning to tone it down in
Washington this weekend, as her two scheduled luncheons, a dinner with
National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice and tonight's gala awards show
sent her on a shopping spree.
''I spent a fortune on those clothes, but I still look cheap in them,'' she
said. ''But that's all right. They know how I'm gonna look, right?''
They do, but necks shall still crane. Glimpsing Dolly Parton is nearly as
unusual and memorable an experience as hearing Dolly Parton. But even if
she'd never mastered the grand entrance, the red carpet walk or the tough
trick of finding the perfect wig, she'd have been a major force in music
because of her catalog of self-penned songs, including ''I Will Always Love
You,'' ''Jolene,'' ''Coat of Many Colors,'' ''My Tennessee Mountain Home''
and ''To Daddy.'' If she hadn't been a writer, she'd have made a mark with a
voice that is the unmistakable starting point for hundreds of singers: The
current crop of successful Parton-followers includes Alison Krauss and Lee
Ann Womack.
It's the songwriting for which Parton is proudest. In a career that has
garnered her entrance into the Country Music Hall of Fame, she is proudest
of her inclusion in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and it was her
songs that allowed her initial security in Music City.
'When I first realized I was going to be able to make a living out of this
was when I got put on a weekly salary for my songwriting, by Fred Foster at
Combine Music, in 1965,'' she said. ''I've never thought about doing
anything else since then.''
That salary wasn't enough to live on, necessitating some odd jobs and some
motel scavenging. The early years were full of struggle, and full of
meetings with Nashville power brokers who were unaccustomed to a woman who
spoke with such sweet but frank confidence.
''I think they saw somebody who was going to do it either way . . . so they
might as well help me,'' said Parton, sitting in her Nashville office along
12th Avenue South. ''I was friendly, and I was country, and I was no
pushover. I would go right in and say what I thought, which was, 'I'm gonna
make a lot of money, do you want to get in on it?' In my mind, I was a
business person: 'This is my product, I'm here to sell it. You're a business
man, do you want to buy it?' I was proud to take in what I had. I thought,
'If these people are smart, maybe I'm not that good just yet but they'll see
that I have potential.' I always said I had more guts than talent, but I had
enough talent to back it up.''
One of the men who saw her potential, of course, was Porter Wagoner, now a
Country Music Hall of Famer himself. In 1967, Wagoner hired Parton to
perform on his influential syndicated radio show, and their duets were far
more successful than Parton's solo efforts through the remainder of the
1960s.
By the mid-1970s, though, Parton was well-established as a solo artist, and
her break from Wagoner was contentious on personal, professional and legal
levels. On her own, she began her well-documented climb beyond Nashville, to
pop radio and Hollywood and beyond. Along the way, she's flummoxed the
country community by signing with California-based agents when that sort of
thing just wasn't done and by unabashedly (and successfully) courting
mainstream appeal. By the 1990s, those things were nearly de rigueur for the
Nashville-based divas who followed in her wake.
''I had such strong dreams and opinions and desires of my own,'' she said.
''But, also, I leave myself open. I'm a very spiritual person. I pray every
day, and I try to keep myself alert and open, and I seem to know what to do,
even when other people think I've lost my mind.''
In Parton's childhood, her strict Pentecostal upbringing offered an at-times
frightening spiritual vision. ''We thought God was a monster in the sky,''
she once told writer Otis James. But she is deeply attached to the notion
that people — and songs, for that matter — are divine inspirations. She's
also fearful of becoming a false idol to fans who clamor to follow her from
concert to concert, who design their homes around themes from her songs and
who express near-religious fervor for her. A recent documentary film called
''For the Love of Dolly'' explored the world of Parton's most devoted fans,
and the film's scenes sometimes verge on frightening. Parton said she hasn't
seen the movie but knows the phenomenon quite well.
''I'm flattered, but I worry about some of them a lot,'' she said. ''I want
them to see the God light in me, not to worship me. I'm very touched, but
I'm also very troubled sometimes about how people will live through somebody
else.''
Living through others is, at heart, the opposite of everything Parton has
stood for and sung for. She's into performing for others, to the point that
she believes that people come to her concerts ''Not to see me be me, they
come to see me be them. And I can be some of everybody.''
But her path to what the Kennedy Center has deemed a life of cultural
significance has been one she forged for herself, through willful purpose.
''I wrote a song yesterday called 'The Sacrifice,' '' she said. ''The chorus
says, 'I was going to be rich no matter how much it cost, and I was going to
win no matter how much I lost/ 'Cause all through the years I kept my eye on
the prize, but I knew early on about the sacrifice.'
''People ask if it was worth it and, yes, it was,'' she continued. ''While
other people go on vacations, I work. And there were lots of lonely times.
Looking back, all the bad and hurt falls away as you go on. I love thinking
I'm leaving something in the world that wasn't there yesterday. When you
start out in the business, you never know how you're going to be remembered
when you're older.
''That song, 'The Sacrifice,' is about all that. It says, 'From grindstone
to rhinestone I carry my pail, 'cause you can't drink the water if you don't
dig the well.' That's kind of like how I feel.''
|
VIDEO FOR
"GOD'S GONNA CUT YOU DOWN"
EXCLUSIVE PREMIER TOMORROW,
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH
ON
FEATURING
IGGY POP, BRIAN WILSON, KEITH RICHARDS, THE DIXIE CHICKS, BONO, JAY Z,
KANYE WEST,
JOHNNY DEPP, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, KID ROCK, PATTI SMITH, CHRIS ROCK, RICK
RUBIN
AND MANY OTHERS...
 |
-
-
- Brooks & Dunn Win Three During CMA Awards
Ronnie Dunn Also Picks Up Song of the Year for
“Believe”
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood Each Win Two
By Amanda Eckard
© 2006 Country Music Association, Inc.
Music City threw its arms wide open to welcome back “Country Music’s Biggest
Night™” when “The 40th Annual CMA Awards” broadcast live from the Gaylord
Entertainment Center in Downtown Nashville on the ABC Television Network.
After a successful move to New York City in 2005, the CMA Awards came back
home for its 40th Anniversary. It was a homecoming fit for a king –
actually, two kings. The evening’s hosts Brooks & Dunn took home the crown
for most wins, including Music Video and Single of the Year for “Believe,”
and their unprecedented fourteenth Vocal Duo of the Year Award. These three
Awards bring Brooks & Dunn’s overall CMA Awards tally to 18, tying Vince
Gill’s record for most wins.
“It’s really good to win,” Kix Brooks said backstage. “We are prepared every
year to clap for someone else. We are surprised that voters aren’t tired of
seeing us win every year.”
Ronnie Dunn also picked up his first Song of the Year Award with 2004 Song
of the Year winner Craig Wiseman for “Believe,” a song about hope and
redemption with a Gospel feel.
“It’s an amazing song and I am blown away by it,” Wiseman said backstage
after praising his co-writer. “Every time I hear it it’s like I hear it for
the first time.”
The duo, who took their third turn as hosts of the CMA Awards, opened the
show with “Building Bridges” with Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow, which was
nominated for Musical Event of the Year.
Brad Paisley picked up two Awards, including Musical Event of the Year for
“When I Get Where I’m Going” featuring Dolly Parton and Album of the Year
for Time Well Wasted. Paisley performed “She’s Everything,” from his
Award-winning album.
“The album really encompasses a lot of people,” Paisley said backstage. “The
producers, the fans, co-writers and even family get involved in the album
process. And I like that. It’s an art form it should feel like a journey.”
“American Idol” Carrie Underwood took home her first Female Vocalist of the
Year Award and the coveted Horizon Award, which is given to the artist who
demonstrates the most significant creative growth and development in Country
Music. It was the first time that an artist has won the Female Vocalist and
Horizon Awards in the same year since Alison Krauss in 1995.
“Just two years ago I was watching these Awards on TV watching other people
win these Awards and I never thought I would be up here,” a visibly moved
Underwood said accepting her Female Vocalist Award. “Thank you anyone who
has had anything to do with this past year.”
Earlier in the broadcast, Underwood performed the revenge-themed “Before He
Cheats” from her triple-Platinum album Some Hearts .
Relentless touring artist Kenny Chesney took home his second Entertainer of
the Year Award. “The relationship that I have with all of the people back
there in the back is unbelievable,” Chesney said from the stage.
Backstage, Chesney could not say enough about his fans. “To see those people
come hear the songs I sing – it’s bigger than anything I have ever dreamed.”
Chesney performed current single “You Save Me” from his double-Platinum
album The Road and the Radio .
Keith Urban won his third consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year Award, a
feat that had not been repeated since George Strait won in 1996 through
1998. Though he was not present to accept his Award, his friend Ronnie Dunn
read a letter from Urban. “I’m pained not being here tonight,” Urban wrote.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I look forward to coming home
and seeing you soon.”
Rascal Flatts grabbed their fourth consecutive Vocal Group of the Year
Award. “We’ve had an amazing year,” lead singer Gary LeVox said. “Thank you
to God for giving us a stage to perform on every night.” The trio performed
“My Wish” from their CMA Award-nominated album
Me and My Gang .
The Horizon Award nominees made their creative mark on the broadcast. Red
hot group Sugarland performed “Settlin’” from their brand new album Enjoy
the Ride. Little Big Town weaved their harmonies around the haunting “Bones”
from their album The Road To Here. Fireball Miranda Lambert blazed through
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” from her forthcoming sophomore album, set to be
released in February. Deep-voiced crooner Josh Turner performed his hit
“Would You Go With Me” from his second consecutive Platinum album Your Man .
Alan Jackson performed the title single from his Alison Krauss-produced
album, Like Red on a Rose, backed by Musician of the Year nominee Jerry
Douglas on dobro. Four-time Female Vocalist of the Year winner Martina
McBride wowed the crowd with the no-regrets song “Anyway.” Fresh off of the
top-grossing Country tour of the year with her husband Tim McGraw, Faith
Hill performed her new single “Stealing Kisses,” from Fireflies. New duo The
Wreckers performed their No. 1 hit “Leave the Pieces” from the album Stand
Still, Look Pretty. Dierks Bentley, the 2005 Horizon Award winner, performed
“Every Mile a Memory” from his third album Long Trip Alone. “Redneck Woman”
Gretchen Wilson teamed up with Big & Rich’s John Rich for “Come to Bed” off
of her forthcoming third album to be released Spring 2007. Newcomer Jason
Aldean performed his hit “Hicktown” from his self-titled debut album.
Twelve-time CMA Awards host Gill performed “Give It Away,” a song from his
new four-disc album These Days. Crow along with Gill’s wife Amy Grant and
daughter Jenny Gill provided background vocals on the song.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson introduced the newest
inductees into the hallowed Hall, Harold Bradley, Sonny James and George
Strait. Strait, who was the second artist inducted in the “Career Achieved
National Prominence Between 1975 and the Present” category, performed “Give
It Away” from his newest album It Just Comes Natural. In his career, Strait
has sold more than 62 million albums, won 16 CMA Awards, and produced 53 No.
1 hits, more than any music artist in history.
“Who’d of thunk it,” the humble Strait said as he accepted his induction
plaque. “To my fans, don’t think I don’t realize why I am up here.”
Bradley, a noted session musician and producer, was inducted in the
“Recording and/or Touring Musician Active Prior to 1980” category.
“Thank you God for 60 years of working with the greatest singers, greatest
songwriters, greatest musicians and greatest producers in the business,”
Bradley said.
James, who co-hosted the very first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” in 1967,
was inducted in the “Career Achieved National Prominence Between World War
II and 1975” category.
Guitarist Randy Scruggs won his third Musician of the Year Award which he
won in 1999 and 2004.
The CMA Awards’ new network home, ABC-TV, brought out its presenter star
power for Country Music’s Biggest Night™. “Desperate Housewives” stars Eva
Longoria and James Denton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley of “According to Jim,”
Cameron Mathison of “All My Children,” and the Disney Channel stars of
“Hannah Montana” Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus all presented Awards during the
broadcast.
Presenters included Gary Allan, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi,
Billy Currington, Barbara Mandrell, Montgomery Gentry, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn
Rimes, Lee Ann Womack and Trisha Yearwood .
-
-
Billy Joe Shaver married Wanda Lynn Canady, his most recent ex-wife, for the
second time on October 13th 2006 in Las Vegas. Shortly after the wedding, Shaver
cracked a vertebra while "Indian wrestling" with a friend but is expected to
recover fully.
-
- Sugarland to Wake Up Nashville
and Nation on 'Good Morning America' CMA Awards Morning!
- In celebration of the Nov. 7
release of their sophomore album Enjoy The Ride, Mercury double
Platinum-selling group Sugarland will wake up Downtown Nashville Monday,
Nov. 6 with a live performance on "Good Morning America." The special
concert event will take place on The Chevy Stage at Gaylord Entertainment
Center's outside plaza at the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The
public is invited to come out for this free event on GEC Plaza at the corner
of Broadway and Fifth Avenue.
"We couldn't think of a better way to kick off the CMA Awards and the launch
of our new album," exclaimed lead singer Jennifer Nettles. "Get ready
Nashville, we are taking to your streets!"
Special guests Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi will join
Sugarland that morning and that night, as the two groups will vie for a
trophy in the Musical Event of the Year category at the CMA Awards for their
collaboration on "Who Says You Can't Go Home." Additionally, Sugarland is
nominated for the Horizon Award and Vocal Group of the Year.
ABC's "Good Morning America" will also celebrate "The 40th Annual CMA
Awards," airing later that night (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) live from the Gaylord
Entertainment Center, for the first time on the ABC Television Network.
read the full release
- Carrie Underwood's
- Wild Ride
By Peter Cronin
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
In the year since she beat out blue-eyed soul shouter Bo Bice to emerge
victorious as the 2005 American Idol, Carrie Underwood hasn't had a whole
lot of time to savor her victory. As demanding and life-changing as the
"Idol" experience was for Underwood, it was only a small taste of what was
to come as her life became an endless series of press interviews, TV
appearances, photo shoots, awards shows, concerts and coast-to-coast travel.
And then she made a record. Released in November 2005 and propelled by its
chart-topping leadoff single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" (six weeks at No. 1),
Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts, quickly became the fastest
triple-Platinum female Country debut in history, spending a phenomenal 15
weeks at the top of Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. No doubt about it:
for this 23-year-old singer from Checotah, Okla., the past 12 months have
been one wild ride.
"I think the only word that I can say is, Wow!" Underwood enthused at a
recent triple-Platinum celebration thrown by her label, 19 Recordings/Arista
Nashville. There's a lot to celebrate. Underwood's is the kind of
out-of-the-box success that hits Music Row every once in awhile, boosting
percentages and providing the Country format with a much-needed shot in the
arm. In other words, everybody's talking about Underwood. They may be
debating her pop leanings or her reality-TV beginnings, but there's one
thing they all say: This girl can really sing. That is made crystal clear
with every one of Underwood's incredibly poised and pitch-perfect live
performances. While she's glad her contest days are behind her, Underwood is
quick to give some of the credit for her "overnight" success to the
sink-or-swim ethic of "American Idol."
"It was basically like a boot camp," she said. "There was nobody to tell me
what I should sing, or what to do, and being away from my friends and
family, pretty much on my own, I had to grow up. If I could survive that and
not go crazy then I could survive everything that followed. It so prepared
me for what I do now."
Immediately following her "Idol" win, Underwood was hustled into the studio
to record the contest-winning power ballad, "Inside Your Heaven." The single
debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart and became the
best-selling song of 2005. While the track displayed her stunning vocal
chops in a big pop setting, Underwood insisted on recording a vocally
challenging Martina McBride classic for the B-side.
"I think 'Inside Your Heaven' is a good song, but I didn't choose it," she
stated. "That's why we put 'Independence Day' on the back, because we don't
want to confuse everybody. I like to try new things, but I'm a Country girl
and that's the kind of music that I made it clear I wanted to sing."
"Carrie from the very beginning always made the point that she was a Country
singer," said SONY BMG Nashville Chairman Joe Galante. "She took a risk by
doing that because it's obvious that Simon Cowell is not a fan of the music
- but that is who she is. She is going to have a long and successful career
here - and that is going to be a big shot for everyone in Country Music!"
Growing up in a fairly typical but non-musical family in small town
Oklahoma, Underwood was nonetheless exposed to all kinds of music in all
kinds of places.
"We'd take car trips and my parents always had it on the oldies station,"
she said. "I got a lot of Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John
Denver and all that. My sisters were teenagers when I was growing up and
they were in their rebellious stage, so I got a lot of '80s rock music out
of them. But being from Oklahoma, Country Music was always playing
everywhere. In every store you went into, if there was a radio on,
95-percent of the time it was a Country station. So it was something that
had a lot of influence on me."
Songs including "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and the follow-up single, "Don't
Forget to Remember Me," are powered by Underwood's undeniably pure Country
sensibility, but deeper album cuts "We're Young and Beautiful" and her
current single, "Before He Cheats," showcase the singer's more mischievous
and sassy side.
"I think that has to do with what I grew up with," she said. "Dann Huff, who
was one of the producers of my album, without me saying anything said, 'Do
you listen to a lot of rock music?' And I said, 'Yeah, I like it.' And he
was like, 'I can tell. A lot of choices you make vocally are choices that a
person with a more rock edge would choose.'"
She may be comfortable with her rocking side, and she does possess one of
those voices that can go just about anywhere, but when it came time to
decide where she wanted to make her music, where she lived, for Underwood
there was no hesitation.
"I'm sure a lot of meetings were held to try to figure out a way to market
me," she said." But my management company made it very clear that I was
going to sing Country Music and that's what I wanted. I love all kinds of
music, but I feel like I fit with Country and that's the kind of music I
love."
Preparing to record her debut, Underwood went directly to the heart of
Nashville's creative songwriting community. Her management team set up a
"retreat" at Nashville's Karian Studios, giving Underwood a chance to mingle
and even co-write with some of Music Row's biggest hitmakers. Songwriters
including Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Rivers Rutherford took the time
to get to know the person behind the image and custom-crafted songs to
reflect Underwood's life and concerns, including one she co-wrote about her
hometown.
"I wanted to meet the songwriters, get to know them and let them know the
kind of album I wanted to make," Underwood said. "They broke off into little
groups and I'd bounce around from room to room and give suggestions and sing
part of what they'd written. We even recorded some rough drafts right there
in the studio. 'I Ain't In Checotah Anymore' came from that time, and I
co-wrote on another one that didn't make the album. I can't wait to get into
the next one. I want to have a bigger hand in it and co-write on a lot more
songs."
Underwood has also been busy touring and getting to know her fellow Country
artists, gaining some valuable advice along the way.
"The advice most people have given me is to take it all in," Underwood said.
"Don't just go and go and go and not have fun with it. You've got to have
fun."
As hectic as things have gotten, Underwood is definitely enjoying the trip,
and she makes a point of taking regular breaks, heading home to Checotah and
to her alma mater, Northeastern State University in nearby Tahlequah, where
she recently graduated Magna Cum Laude and where she still loves to spend
time with her old, reliable, pre-"Idol" friends.
"I try to get home about once a month, so it's not that bad," she said. "I
miss my family and my animals, but they're always waiting for me when I get
home. And a lot of my friends still go to college in Tahlequah, so I'll go
hang out with my sorority sisters for a few days. The people that knew me
before still treat me the same . when we go out it's a different story."
As she reflects on all she's learned and experienced in the past year,
including being nominated for four CMA Awards (Horizon, Female Vocalist,
Single and Music Video of the Year), and gets ready to perform at "The 40th
Annual CMA Awards" in November, Underwood has her Country Music priorities
perfectly straight.
"I like the intimacy of the studio and hearing how everything evolves from
the demo to the finished product," she said. "But there's nothing like being
in front of the fans. Especially now, they come to see me, and they give off
a great energy. They're happy to be there, and I'm happy they're there.
On the Web:
www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com
Photographer: Andrew Southam
Photography courtesy Arista Nashville.
-
“Smart
Blonde: The Life of Dolly Parton”
-
is the first book on Parton to be released in 15 years and includes
interviews with family and friends as well as musicians and producers who
have worked with her throughout her career. The book chronicles her career
as a singer and songwriter in Nashville and follows her to Hollywood, where
she also became a film star alongside Jane Fonda, Burt Reynolds and
Sylvester Stallone. “Smart Blonde: The Life of Dolly Parton” is scheduled
for a November 1st release.
-
-
George
Jones and Merle Haggard have teamed up for “Kickin’ Out The Footlights …
Again,” to be released October 24th. 2006 Each singer chose five
songs to record that were made popular by the other. Together they chose
four additional songs as duets. One of the duets, “Don’t Get Around Much
Anymore,” was recorded in California while Jones was on tour in Haggard’s
home territory. The two also perform the title track and a newly written
Haggard song, “Born With The Blues.” Among the songs Jones chose of Merle’s
are “The Way I Am,” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink” and “You Take Me
For Granted.” Haggard picked “The Race Is On,” Things Have Gone To Pieces”
and “Window Up Above” among the five Jones songs he recorded.
-
-
- Tex-Mex Singer Freddy Fender, 69, Dies
1937-2006
-
- DELUXE EDITION HIGHLIGHTS
• Full project participation by Lucinda Williams
• Features a newly remastered version of the album
• Includes 2 previously unreleased tracks:
Alternate version of “Still I Long For Your Kiss” & “Down The Big
Road Blues”
• The original unissued version of “Out Of Touch”
• Previously unreleased FULL concert performance (WXPN LIVE AT THE
WORLD CAFÉ recorded July 11, 1998)
• Featuring 13 performances drawn from the Car Wheels album, as well
as riveting versions of some of her earlier-penned songs “Pineola,”
“Hot Blood” & Changed The Locks”
• Guest performers include Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Charlie
Sexton and Buddy Miller
• Deluxe digipak packaging features lyrics, photos and essay10/20/06
Malibu,
-
|
-
- Willie Nelson cited for possession of
marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms after their tour bus was stopped for
inspection.
-
- Martina McBride
Keith Urban
- Photography:
John Russell / CMA
- 2006 -Sara Evans and Partner Tony Dovolani Dance the
Paso Doble, Request Fan Votes!
- Photo: courtesy of ABC
- The competition is getting stiff on ABC's hit show "Dancing with the
Stars" and Sara Evans needs the support of the Country Music fans and
community to help her move on to the next round! She has wowed the judges in
recent weeks with her moves – especially a Country-infused Jive dance last
week. And as she prepares to dance the Paso Doble with partner Tony Dovolani
tonight, she isl counting on votes from the fans to help her advance in the
competition!
Sara is representing Country Music before a national television audience.
Please support her by tuning in every Tuesday night at 8/7c on ABC and vote!
WIVK’s Americana Highway HEMI Awards
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
WIVK’s Americana Highway with Jack Ryan
announced the winners in the 2006 Americana Highway
- HEMI Awards during a special broadcast on
Sunday, September 24.
The Americana Highway 2006 HEMI Awards winners:
Favorite Female Artist – Rhonda Vincent
Favorite Male Artist – Mike Dekle
Favorite Band/Duo – Blue Moon Rising
Favorite Song – “Step Out Of The Shade” by Amy Speace
Favorite Album – “This World Is Not My Home” by Amy LaVere
Favorite Future Female – Tresa Jordan
Favorite Future Male – Michael O’Neill
Favorite Future Band/Duo – Lou Reid & Carolina
Favorite Local Female – Karen E. Reynolds
Favorite Local Male – Phil Leadbetter
Favorite Local Band/Duo – Lone Mountain Station
Favorite Local Song – “Papaw Taught Me” by Blue Moon Rising
Favorite Gospel Performance “Jesus Built A Bridge To Heaven” by Rhonda
Vincent
Favorite Instrumental Performance – “Unionhouse Branch” by Alison Krauss +
Union Station
Favorite Acoustic Performance – “Within” by Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Favorite Special Event Recording – “Being Me” by The Grascals with Dierks
Bentley
Favorite International Artist – The Greencards
Congratulations!! from Ragepage
Favorite Songwriter – Doug & Telisha Williams
Favorite Cover Song – “Runaway Train” by Darcy Lynne Ward
Favorite Song From A Movie – “Jackson” by Reese Witherspoon & Joaquin
Phoenix
The Americana Highway listeners also voted for an artist to be the first
inducted into The Americana Highway Hall of Fame. The artist selected for
induction is Dolly Parton.
“The voter turnout was magnificent,” said the show’s host Jack Ryan. “We
knew there was a passion for this kind of music – bluegrass, Americana,
folk, acoustic, alt. country – but quite honestly we were a little surprised
by the number of votes cast. Over 40,000 votes! That’s pretty amazing.
Especially since this was our first year of the doing these awards. I can’t
wait ‘til 2007!”
Listeners of the show on WIVK-FM could vote either online or through email
for this one-of-a-kind awards competition. The winners were then determined
by combining both the online and email ballots.
The Americana Highway with Jack Ryan is a weekly radio program broadcast on
WIVK-FM in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday evenings from 10:15 p.m. to
Midnight EST. The program is streamed worldwide on the Internet via
www.wivk.com . Information about the
program can be found at
www.americanahighway.com .
- Alan Jackson Carrie
Underwood Rascal Flatts
-
Sara Evans on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
- Bradley, James, Strait Newest Country Music Hall of
Fame Inductees
© 2006 Country Music Association, Inc.
NASHVILLE – The Country Music Association has announced that influential
musician/ producer Harold Bradley, legendary singer Sonny
James and multi-award-winning entertainer George Strait, will become
the newest members of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame. Formal
induction for the artists will take place during “The 40th Annual CMA
Awards,” which will be broadcast live on the ABC Television Network, Monday,
Nov. 6 (8:00–11:00 PM/ET) from the Gaylord Entertainment Center in
Nashville, Tenn.
(read
the full press release)
Harold Bradley
- – A Nashville native born Jan. 2, 1926, Bradley and his older brother
Owen (who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974) grew up
to become instrumental in both Country Music and Nashville’s music history.
Fascinated early on with the banjo, Bradley expanded his talent to the
guitar. His skill on the guitar led him to tour with Ernest Tubb and the
Texas Troubadours prior to graduating high school.
After serving with the U.S. Navy, Bradley studied music at George Peabody
College in Nashville and played guitar on the Grand Ole Opry. In 1946, he
held his first recording session with Pee Wee King and the Golden West
Cowboys. Bradley became one of the busiest studio musicians in Nashville,
playing rhythm, lead and/or bass guitar as well as banjo. He was known for
creating the “tic-tac” style of muting bass notes for the bass guitar.
In the late 1940s, Bradley and his brother Owen built Nashville’s first
recording facility, Castle Recording Studio. In 1955 they built the larger
facility Bradley Film and Recording Studios on Sixteenth Avenue South in
Nashville; the founding studio on “Music Row.” In 1962, Bradley Studio was
bought by Columbia Records.
Through the years, Bradley became the most recorded guitar player in history
and would come to be known as “the Dean of Nashville Session Guitarists” and
was one of the original “A Team” studio musicians of Nashville. In addition
to recording with hundreds of artists, Bradley recorded three solo albums of
instrumentals and performed on a variety of film soundtracks.
Bradley also worked as a producer. He co-produced 39 half-hour episodes of
the late 1950s television series “Country Style, USA,” which featured many
Grand Ole Opry artists. He appeared briefly in Robert Altman’s 1975
award-winning movie “Nashville” and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
named him music director for their fundraising telethon, “Legends of Country
Music” in 1985.
Bradley has served as the first President of the Nashville chapter of the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and the American
Federation of Musicians (AFM) in Nashville since 1991, and was named the AFM
International Vice President in 1999. Bradley is one of 12 musicians
inducted into the Studio Musicians Hall of Fame at RCA’s Studio B. He also
received the NARAS Superpicker Award for six consecutive years (1974-1979).
Sonny James
- – Born James Hugh Loden on May 1, 1929 in Hackleburg, Ala., the boy
who would grow up to be known as “The Southern Gentleman” was raised on a
300-acre farm in a family of musicians. At the age of 3, James began singing
and playing a homemade mandolin. The Loden Family began performing locally,
prior to becoming regulars on regional radio shows with headliners like Chet
Atkins and Johnny Wright.
Loden finished high school just prior to being called to become a member of
the First National Guard troops sent to Korea for the Korean Conflict in
Sept. 1950. While there, Loden began seriously writing songs while playing
both the guitar and fiddle. Loden returned to Nashville after two years
overseas and met up with Atkins who had become an established recording
artist and session musician. Through Atkins, Loden secured an audition and
later recording contract with Capitol Records’ under the stage name of Sonny
James and tagline – “The Southern Gentleman.”
In 1953, his single “That’s Me Without You” hit No. 9 on the Billboard
Country chart. James began appearing on important radio shows and
co-hosting the television show “Ozark Jubilee.” James’ singles continued to
be hits. Between 1960 and 1979, his singles spent an incredible 57 weeks in
the No. 1 position – more than any other Country artist.
In 1967, James and Bobbie Gentry co-hosted the first CMA Awards. Throughout
his career James received five CMA nominations throughout his career
including Entertainer (1967); Male Vocalist (1967; 1969); and Album of the
Year (1967;1976). In 1961, he became the first Country Music artist to
receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Billboard named him the No. 1
Country Artist of 1969.
A man of many talents, James expanded his career by producing other artists
and entering music publishing in the early ‘70s. He also continued to
perform concerts, appear on national television shows such as “Hee Haw” and
participate regularly in Fan Fair, now CMA Music Festival. In 1983, James
retired from performing to raise cattle in Alabama. He currently lives in
Nashville, Tenn.
George Strait
-
- – Born May 18, 1952 in Poteet, Texas, and raised in nearby Pearsall,
Strait grew up on his family ranch. Strait married his high school
sweetheart Norma prior to enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1971. He moved to
Hawaii two years later where he began playing Country Music with an
Army-sponsored group called Rambling Country, which also played some dates
off-base under the name Santee.
Strait returned to Texas in 1975 and enrolled in Southwest Texas State
University in San Marcos, where he formed his Country band, Ace in the Hole.
The band recorded a few albums for an independent label in Dallas in the
late ‘70s, but had little success. In 1979, Strait became friends with Erv
Woolsey who invited MCA executives to watch Strait perform and in 1980
Strait was signed to MCA Records with Woolsey as his manager.
Strait’s debut single “Unwound” from his first album Strait Country was
released in 1981 and became a Top 10 hit. Astonishingly, Strait has had at
least one single hit the Top 10 every year since. Strait established a
reputation for consistently recording songs influenced by honkytonk and
Western swing traditions. He also began co-producing his albums from 1984
onward, starting with his fourth album, Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your
Mind. Strait released his first box set Strait Out of the Box in 1995 and
continued recording hit songs included on his 50 Number One Hits , released
in 2004. Strait’s success translated to the stage as he became one of
Country Music’s top concert attractions of all time. As of 2006, 25 years
after releasing his debut single, Strait remains a dominant force in Country
Music with sales exceeding 62 million albums. The Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) has certified Strait with 13 multi-Platinum,
30 Platinum and 33 Gold albums. Strait has also received 16 CMA Awaards.
Strait maintained his family’s ranching traditions as well as his love of
team roping by launching the George Strait Team Roping Classic in 1983 and
he remains and avid outdoorsman and an expert horseman.
PHOTOGRAPHY
-Harold Bradley and Sonny James photos
courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame
and Museum.
-George Strait photograph by Tony Baker, courtesy of MCA Nashville.
-
-
Click here to read about the Life of
Roy Orbison
-
-
- Country Industry Makes Inroads
to World of Sports
By Amy Green
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
Photo courtesy of Webster & Associates.
- Are you ready for some football?
Hank Williams Jr. made the question famous, but a growing number of
Country artists - Big & Rich and Tim McGraw among them - have moved to "the
big leagues" to lend their names to promote national sports events and
shows.
Artists long have sung the national anthem during pre-game shows - both
Brooks & Dunn and Carrie Underwood performed for the last NBA Playoff series
of games. And acts have long rendered their own tunes at halftime shows.
What's new is Country's more prominent place in promoting national sports.
More than a decade after Williams first asked his rowdy question on ABC's
"Monday Night Football," McGraw joined the broadcast with his song, "I Like
It, I Love it," and Big & Rich joined ESPN's "College GameDay" with their
song, "Coming To Your City," the first single from their sophomore album,
released in November 2005.
The trend to feature more Country acts is a result of broadening audiences
both for Country and sports, said Kathy Armistead of the William Morris
Agency, a talent and literary agency. Country now borrows sounds and fans
from rock and pop, while sports saturates fans with its many cable shows and
video games. The fan bases have collided, she said.
"I think it's new for the mass market to choose a Country song to maybe
anchor a sportscast or a large event in the sports world, to choose a
Country song versus maybe an old rock anthem from the '80s," said Armistead,
a Nashville agent who specializes in commercials, endorsements and tour
sponsorships.
The entire industry stands to benefit, according to Paul Jankowski, whose
Nashville agency provides brand development services for companies and
celebrities from Jo Dee Messina to Beyonce to Evander Holyfield.
"I think Country Music is very relevant right now," he said. "It's all about
marketing. It's about having an edge. It's about having something fresh and
new, and so when they're marketing those programs, music is an enormous part
of the brand that they're trying to portray. It's a huge testament again to
Country Music."
Often it's the lyric or mood of the Country song that connects with the
audience which sports program producers want to target. ESPN featured
Carolina Rain's raucous song, "Let's Get It On," during its "College
Football Primetime" show in November.
Most times a network contacts an artist's agency or management about a deal,
perhaps after an executive is inspired by personal preference or a
recommendation from a family member. But it can work both ways. An artist's
management may pitch song placements, too. After negotiations, the
appropriate parties agree to a song licensing deal for a specified time.
Sometimes the deal may include performances or appearances.
Artists must have a clear brand. They must demonstrate they are relevant
through tours and sales, but also that they are relevant to what the network
is promoting, Jankowski said. The artist's demographic and brand should
match that of the sports program. For example, McGraw is ideal for "Monday
Night Football" because he is athletic, a co-owner of the Arena Football
League's Nashville Kats and he appeals to both men and women. Trace Adkins,
known for his brawn and bass voice, was a good choice for the 2004 "Orange
Bowl Fed Ex Halftime Show," along with mainstream pop celebrities Kelly
Clarkson and Ashlee Simpson.
"How can my artist help you move your product?" Jankowski asked. "I need to
understand their business and what drives their bottom line way beyond 'they
can stamp a banner on my tour bus.' That is the new generation of building
marketing partnerships."
ABC executives suggested a "Monday Night Football" partnership with McGraw
in 2004 after McGraw performed during halftime at a Washington Redskins
game, his manager Scott Siman said. The two parties negotiated for six
months and for the 2005 season decided to air weekend highlights to the
chorus, "I Like It, I Love It," with lyrics rewritten each week to match the
highlights. It's not been decided whether McGraw will continue with "Monday
Night Football" now that it has moved to ESPN, Siman said.
"It was a good thing for both of us," he said. "It was a ratings success
from their perspective, and from ours we saw a really dramatic increase in
the sale of Tim's greatest hits record after the 'Monday Night Football'
program."
Big & Rich have partnered with ESPN since 2004 when the duo did a large
promotion for the network using their single, "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy,"
their manager Marc Oswald said. The network asked for music suggestions for
last season's "College GameDay" and were given three tracks off the duo's
latest album, including "Coming To Your City." As part of the one-year deal,
Big & Rich opened the season with a performance at the University of South
Carolina marking Steve Spurrier's return, and they closed the season with a
six-song concert before the Rose Bowl national title game.
The partnerships worked because McGraw and Big & Rich each cultivate an
image, or brand, that blends well with sports, Jankowski said.
Meanwhile, Williams, who helped define the core image of pro football, made
his fifth Super Bowl appearance, singing in the pre-filmed opening
introduction to the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle
Seahawks.
Country and sports likely will continue expanding the partnership, said CMA
Board member Robert Deaton, Co-owner of Deaton Flanigen Productions, which
directed and produced Williams' "Monday Night Football" opening for eight
years.
"Sports is about America, and that's what Country is. Country Music is about
America," he said. "It goes hand-in-hand."
On the Web: www.HankJr.com
-
“The 40th Annual CMA Awards” will be hosted for the third year by Kix Brooks
and Ronnie Dunn of super duo Brooks & Dunn and broadcast live from the
Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville Monday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM
ET/delayed PT) on ABC.
read more
- Photographer: Kristin Barlowe
Photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records
-
- New Artist Spotlight:
Megan Mullins
By Peter Cronin
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music
Association, Inc.
Indiana native Megan Mullins began studying violin at 18 months,
using the Suzuki method. At 3 years
old she won the Indiana State Fair Showmanship Award at the State Fiddle
Championship performing "Rocky Top." Soon after, Mullins and her brother
Marcus were performing together, eventually appearing on the Grand Ole Opry.
Mullins became Concert Master in the Fort Wayne Youth Symphony at 10 and won
the Ohio Grand Champion Fiddle contest the same year. She followed up the
next year with a win at the Young Artist Classical Competition in Fort
Wayne, Ind.
Mullins has performed at fairs, festivals, coffee houses, pubs, churches and
the CMA Music Festival. She also studied dance and gymnastics and graduated
early from high school at age 15.
Proficient on violin, mandolin, guitar, piano, bass, clarinet, and
accordion, today Mullins is part of the Nashville Star house band. She's
toured with Catherine Britt and Sherrie Austin playing fiddle and
contributing background vocals, as well as appearing in Austin's videos,
"Streets of Heaven" and "Drivin' Into the Sun."
Mullins, who signed with Broken Bow Records and who cites Patsy Cline,
Alison Krauss and Dolly Parton as musical influences, has released her first
single, "Ain't What It Used To Be," written by Tony Martin and Mark Nesler.
IN HER OWN WORDS:
Which song would you secretly like to cover?
"It wouldn't be a secret if I told you!"
What CD is on your stereo right now?
"I have a Ryan Adams CD in my stereo."
What is your pet peeve?
"I don't have a pet peeve, but I do have a pet dog, Maxie."
Do you have a lucky charm?
"Cross necklaces from my parents."
Which mode of transportation do you prefer - planes, trains or automobiles?
"Tour Buses!"
What actor would portray you in a biopic about your life?
"Natalie Portman"
When they look back on your life in 50 years, what do you hope people say
about you?
"What a lady."
On the Web: www.meganmullins.com
- Martina McBride Records an Album of 'Timeless'
Classics
By Bobby Reed
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
Martina McBride has been surrounded by traditional Country Music her entire
life.
At age 7, the Kansas native joined her father's band, which played cover
versions of chestnuts including "Heartaches By The Number," "Satin Sheets"
and "I'll Be There."
Then she grew up to become a Country Music superstar.
In 1995, McBride joined the cast of the Grand Ole Opry, where she has
frequently shared the stage with trailblazing artists such as Country Music
Hall of Fame member Loretta Lynn, Jeanne Pruett and Connie Smith.
With the October 2005 release of her album Timeless, which debuted at No. 1
on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and has since gone Platinum,
McBride has come full circle, returning to the classic Country songs that
were such an important part of her formative years. The singer's eighth
studio album is comprised of 18 new recordings of songs from the 1950s, '60s
and '70s, including tunes that were hits for Lynn, Pruett and Smith.
The album's lead single was "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden," a song
written by Joe South that became a No. 1 Country hit for Lynn Anderson and
helped her earn the honor of CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1971.
The key inspiration for Timeless was a new version of Buck Owens' "Together
Again," which McBride recorded for My Heart, a compilation of her music that
was sold exclusively at Hallmark Gold Crown® stores in 2005.
"That was the spark that started this whole thing," McBride said. "I had
such a great time recording 'Together Again,' and it reminded me how much I
loved this music and loved singing it. I thought, 'Someday, I'm going to do
a whole album of this music.' And then I thought, 'Why wait until someday?
Why don't I just do it now?'"
In addition to paying tribute to legendary stylists, the album also salutes
the craftsmanship of some of the genre's most revered tunesmiths. McBride
delivers dazzling renditions of Bill Anderson's "Once A Day," Johnny Cash's
"I Still Miss Someone" (with guest vocalist Dolly Parton), Harlan Howard's
"Heartaches By The Number" (with guest vocalist Dwight Yoakam) and Hank
Williams' "You Win Again."
"Martina's love and understanding of Country Music is part of every word she
sings on this album," said Joe Galante, Chairman, RCA Label Group. "There is
no doubt in my mind that the writers of these timeless songs would agree
that they have been given an equally timeless voice."
McBride has a deep respect for all the artists whose songs she interprets on
Timeless, but she feels a special kinship with the pioneering female
vocalists. Throughout her career, McBride has drawn inspiration from those
courageous women who triumphed in an era when chauvinism and gender
discrimination were prevalent in the music industry.
"Those women made it possible for me to do what I do," McBride said. "They
had to face obstacles that I don't even have to think about now because of
the path that they've set for us. In choosing these songs, I wanted to pay
my respects to those women. So I went back and listened to how Loretta and
Connie sang the songs. I didn't want to copy them note-for-note, but I did
pay respect to their phrasing and enunciation and the kind of style in which
they sang the songs."
McBride has become a groundbreaking artist in her own right, combining
Platinum sales with social commentary. Her hit singles, such as
"Independence Day," "A Broken Wing" and "Concrete Angel," have often
addressed social ills, and she has served as the spokesperson for the
National Network to End Domestic Violence. To date, McBride has sold 15
million albums, and has won the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award in
1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Timeless is a landmark album for McBride because it is the first release for
which she was the sole producer. She and Paul Worley co-produced several of
her earlier albums.
"Paul has been a mentor to me in the truest sense," McBride explained. "He
taught me everything I know about making albums. I felt that I was at the
point where I could make an album by myself. So I asked Paul to come play on
the tracks and to be available to me if I had a question or needed help with
a final mix. It was the best of both worlds because I was able to make the
album 90 percent on my own, but I still had him available for whatever I
needed."
"Martina had the image in her head of what the album should sound like,"
said Worley, who played acoustic guitar on Timeless. "Once the magic started
happening on the very first song, we all had the sense that we were doing
something historic. And something that people were really going to love."
McBride hand-picked most of the musicians for the sessions, and they used
vintage instruments, microphones and amplifiers. In another nod to the
techniques of the golden age, McBride recorded her lead vocals live in the
studio, backed by an ensemble.
"I put together a band that was just as excited as I was about making this
album,'' McBride recalled. "I wanted to get the feel of the original
recordings. I was really open to everyone's input and suggestions because
the passion for this project was something we all shared."
The core musicians for the sessions included Eddie Bayers (drums); Stuart
Duncan (fiddle); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Steve Gibson (guitars);
Gordon Mote (keyboards); Marty Schiff (guitar); Glenn Worf (bass); and Larry
Paxton (bass).
"Martina presented these songs to us in a way that utilized our creativity,
allowing us the freedom to make each song our own while maintaining the
integrity of the original classic," Franklin said. "I was so impressed by
the way Martina's voice captured the soul in each lyric. In my solos, I
tried to capture the same kind of emotional connection she had with the
song."
McBride has a long personal history with the tune "I'll Be There," which was
a hit for Ray Price in 1954. "I have a 78 rpm of my dad singing it when he
was probably 15 years old," McBride said. "He won a contest and the prize
was making a record at a recording studio somewhere in Kansas. When we were
kids, my grandma would pull out this record and play it for us."
McBride recorded another memorable classic, "Harper Valley P.T.A.," for
Music From And Inspired By Desperate Housewives, released in 2005 by
Hollywood Records. The TV soundtrack includes contributions from Sara Evans,
k.d. lang, LeAnn Rimes, SHeDAISY and Shania Twain.
In July 2005, McBride joined the ranks of icons such as Elvis Presley, Diana
Ross and Frank Sinatra by being immortalized with a collectible Barbie® doll
from Mattel. The Martina McBride Barbie® doll retails for $19.99 and is
available at Toys "R" Us and other stores.
"We like to partner with the No. 1 person in his or her category, and
Martina McBride has cross-generation appeal for both our older and younger
collector," said Elizabeth Grampp, Mattel's Barbie® Collector Senior
Marketing Manager.
"Having been a fan of Barbie® doll since I was a little girl, it's
incredible to actually have a Barbie® created in my likeness," McBride said.
The singer is promoting Timeless with a headlining tour that continues into
the fall. In late November, McBride launches the fourth year of her "The Joy
of Christmas" tour, which will hit 16 cities, concluding Dec. 22.
On the Web: martina-mcbride.com
Photo courtesy of RCA Records.
-
George’s 1962 # one "He thinks I
still care" was written by Dickey lee
-
-
Dolly Parton
-
Dolly
Parton has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences. Dolly’s new membership means that she can vote on the Oscar
winners for 2007. Dolly will be welcomed into the organization on September
20th at an invitation-only reception at the Academy’s Fairbanks
Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills, CA. The exclusive invite
goes to people who have distinguished themselves in the field of theatrical
motion pictures.
-
-
The Country Music Hall
of Fame and Museum annual Calendar
-
The Country Music Hall
of Fame and Museum has chosen the 12 artists to be featured in its annual
calendar, including Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney,
Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Brad
Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban and Gretchen Wilson. The calendar
also includes dozens of archival photos from the museum's collection and
country music facts for every day of the year.
-
-
-
Kris Kristofferson just
celebrated his 70th birthday - 2006
-
Kris
Kristofferson just celebrated his 70th birthday. The CD "The
Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson" features Gretchen Wilson,
Rosanne Cash, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Shooter Jennings, Emmylou Harris,
and Rodney Crowell.
-
- The four day CMA Music Festival / Fan Fair in
Nashville has proven to country fans again, what seems to be impossible in
Europe. It only takes good will and an awesome lineup of artists to make the
biggest party in the world.
For music lovers, there was a lot to see and hear. The convention center
floor was a giant meet and greet where you could line up and get your
picture taken with your favorite stars and get their autographs and a few
minutes to talk with them.
The riverfront area had concerts every day, all day long. So many artists
played there, I will not even attempt to name them. The crowds excited the
artists and the artists excited the crowds.
The same goes for the nightly concerts in the stadium. They were really
great even though just like last year, it rained at night. Other than that,
it was sunny and hot. But that didn’t bother the true country fans because
everybody was having a good time no matter where they were or what they were
doing. There was so much to see and hear that you couldn’t do it all. With
so many events going on at the same time, you had to choose which ones you
were going to see and which ones your were going to miss.
There were also many private parties for fan club members and I was
privileged to attend the party given by Andy Griggs and Tracy Byrd at the
Wildhorse Saloon. It was a very special concert experience. Andy and Tracy
were on stage singing hit song after hit song with just their guitars. From
time to time they would invite special guests like Rhett Akins or Marty
Brown to join them, also only with their guitars, no band. It was a very
warm and personal show with their long term fans who filled every seat in
the house.
During the CMA Music Festival / Fan Fair week, the International Fan Club
Organization (IFCO) has it’s annual show at the Ryman Auditorium and it’s
always a very special treat. It is much more quiet than the outdoor venues
and therefore the music can be enjoyed even better. Be sure to check out
their website www.ifco.org
as well as read my interviews with the stars from backstage at the mother
church of country music and home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman
Auditorium. You might even want to join one of the many fan clubs and let
them know we love country music in Europe too.
If you would like to see the CMA Music Festival in 2007, tickets are already
available at
www.cmafest.com . All I can say is, bring suntan lotion so you don’t get
sun burned.
Here’s a hot tip for you. When you travel to the States you can get good
travel deals at Reisebüro Sareiter,
www.sareiter.de/country . They make it a priority to have the best
prices you can get anywhere. Also, it’s always nice to catch a concert
featuring your favorite artist. You can get concert tickets at a good price
at
www.starticketsplus.com.
Christian Lamitschka (
Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de )
Germany
- Tommy Emmanuel , heaped praise on Keith Urban to his audience at a recent
concert he held. Keith had once said about Tommy's guitar playing,"
that some people are touched by the hands of God, Tommy is the hands
of God, the way he plays guitar"! Click here
Keith Urban Artist Report page
Tommy Emmanuel Artist Report Page
- Record-Breaking 161,000 Country Music Fans Attend 2006
CMA Music Festival
By Wendy Pearl
© 2006 Country Music Association, Inc.
CMA Music Festival set a new attendance record in 2006 with 161,590
people attending the four-day Festival, June 8-11, in Downtown Nashville.
"It was an amazing event on many different levels - from the caliber of the
artists and our surprise guests, to our incredibly enthusiastic fans, who
traveled from around the globe to be here, and the growing support from
Nashville and our surrounding communities," said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief
Operating Officer. "Each year we say it, and it is true again in 2006, this
was the best CMA Music Festival ever."
Attendance at the Festival hit an all-time high. Single concert tickets at
the Greased Lightning® Daytime Stages at Riverfront Park and the Nightly
Concerts at LP Field were up eight percent from 2005. In fact, CMA opened
the upper level of LP Field for the second year and doubled the amount of
seating to accommodate the demand for single night concert tickets. CMA also
experienced a six percent increase in the sale of four-day ticket packages.
"Increased single concert ticket sales are an indication of increased local
support and participation in the Festival," Genovese said. "It is a trend
that started last year and I'm happy to say we saw it continue in 2006.
Local companies and individuals are embracing this event as never before -
especially now that it benefits music education."
Fans enjoyed themselves and made it known at the Box Office. Tickets for CMA
Music Festival 2007, June 7-10, went on sale Saturday and Gold Circle
four-day ticket packages sold out in a record two hours. By Sunday, advance
sales bested sales during the same period in 2005, by a robust 41 percent.
"They are coming back based on the experience they had this year, and from
the initial response and what we are hearing from the Box Office, they
obviously had a good time and will be back in 2007," Genovese said.
Attendance has grown from 124,000 in 2003, to 132,000 in 2004, 145,000 in
2005 to more than 161,000 in 2006. Increased sales of four-day ticket
packages and single concert tickets at Riverfront Park and LP Field
contributed to the growth, as well as record attendance at CMA Music
Festival's free areas - including the Family Zone, Fun Zone, Chevy Sports
Zone, and Chevy "All Access Music Tour."
"Our aim has been to grow this event into a world-class Festival for our
fans, our artists, our industry, and our city," Genovese said. "And working
together with our key stakeholders and partners, we are well on our way to
accomplishing that goal."
Several factors accounted for the increase including moving the Chevy Sports
Zone from the LP Field side of the Cumberland River to a new location
adjacent to the Family Zone; an extensive local advertising campaign to
drive awareness of the free areas; additional programs, including a sports
challenge with celebrities and pro-athletes; additional performance stages;
activities for children; and the weather, which had stayed clear and dry
until the very end of the event.
The concert at LP Field was delayed Sunday night for more than an hour due
to heavy lightning and storms, but the fans weren't ready to call it quits
and the music continued with Sugarland after the storm passed.
Unfortunately, a second weather system made it impossible for unannounced,
surprise guest reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Gretchen Wilson to
perform.
"We were fighting the clock and weather, and we ran out of time with another
storm approaching," Genovese said. "The Office of Emergency Management was
advising against going any later and we have to put the safety of the
artists, our fans and hundreds of on-site workers and volunteers first and
foremost."
Surprise appearances are a hallmark of this event. And 2006 didn't
disappoint. Thursday night reigning CMA Horizon Award winner Dierks Bentley
made an unannounced appearance, while CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith
Urban joined CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn during their set. On Friday,
Country superstar Kenny Chesney also made a surprise appearance.
"We love giving our fans something special and unexpected," Genovese said.
And it all benefits children and music education in Nashville. The artists
and celebrities participating in CMA Music Festival donate their time. They
are not compensated for the hours they spend signing autographs and
performing. In appreciation of their exhaustive efforts, CMA donates half
the net proceeds from the event to music education on their behalf.
To date, CMA has donated more than $800,000 to worthy causes on behalf of
the artists and in 2006, CMA launched "Keep the Music Playing," which
earmarks music education in public schools for this important initiative
through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. CMA
anticipates contributing $300,000 toward music education for Metro
Nashville's 73,000 public school students in 2006.
The charity donation is appreciated, but at its heart, CMA Music Festival is
- and always will be - about the fans and their relationship with the
artists and the music. The theme is universal and in 2006, Festival
attendees came from every state and 27 foreign countries including
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France,
Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, The
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
New this year was the "CMA Music Festival Block Party" following "The Second
Annual CMA Music Festival Kick Off Parade," featuring special guests Big &
Rich and a variety of artists, celebrities, and athletes riding in classic
Chevy vehicles and the newest model cars.
Following the Downtown procession, the party kicked into high gear with a
free block party at the Chevy "All Access Music Tour" stage on the plaza at
the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Big & Rich made a surprise appearance and
Cowboy Troy acted as host and emcee for the event, which drew an estimated
crowd of 3,000 according to police estimates.
Nightly Concerts at LP Field
In all, 33 acts participated in the star-packed Nightly Concerts at LP
Field.
The lineup Thursday included Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn with
Keith Urban playing guitar on "Believe," Sara Evans, Pat Green, Little Big
Town, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blake Shelton, and Hank Williams Jr. Pre-show
activities included Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell; Mark Wills, singing the
national anthem; and the participation of the United States Marine Corps
Recruiting Station Nashville Color Guard and a fly over by three Air Force
F-16s from The Checkerboards of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312, from
Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S.C
Midway through Evans' hit-filled set, the singer stopped to introduce
Kristen Wright and Sean Marks, both 24 of Buffalo, N.Y. When Marks dropped
to his knee and asked Wright to marry him, the crowd erupted into cheers.
Fans were treated to performances Friday by Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean,
Kenny Chesney, Terri Clark, Billy Currington, Montgomery Gentry, Wynonna,
and Trisha Yearwood.
During her performance, Yearwood stopped to say, "We always hear so much
about how great it is for the fans to see all their favorite artists in the
same place, but it's the same for me. I just love coming here and getting a
chance to see all the fans."
Saturday's lineup included Billy Ray Cyrus, Miranda Lambert, Martina
McBride, Craig Morgan, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, and Carrie Underwood, who
made her first Festival appearance in 2005 after being named American Idol.
"It's been a great week," Underwood shouted to the enthusiastic audience.
"It wasn't too long ago, I was sitting out there with y'all."
Sunday rocked the house with Keith Anderson, Clint Black, Los Lonely Boys
with Ronnie Milsap, Joe Nichols, LeAnn Rimes, SHeDAISY, and Sugarland -- who
capped the night and the Festival.
"Country Music fans are the best fans in the world," Sugarland's Jennifer
Nettles shouted as the band launched into "Something More," to the delight
of the wet, but eager crowd.
(Read the full story online at
CMAfest.com )
- New Artist Spotlight: Carrie
Underwood
By Gary Voorhies
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
"American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood grew up in Checotah, Okla., where
her father worked at a paper mill and her mother taught school. The youngest
of three girls, Underwood started singing at church at 3 years old.
By seventh grade, the "little girl with the big voice," began to enter local
talent shows.
Underwood's early music influences varied. "I grew up listening to The Four
Seasons and The Bee Gees, John Denver and The Beatles. I learned to love the
music of the '80s through my sisters. And growing up in Oklahoma, it was
hard not to know Country Music really well. I started listening to it in the
car and then my mom and dad picked up on it," she said.
Underwood studied journalism at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma,
where she produced a student-run television program, wrote for the school
paper and performed in a Country Music show on campus. One night after a
show, Underwood drove to St. Louis, where she waited eight hours to sing
Martina McBride's "Phones Are Ringing All Over Town" for the "American Idol"
audition.
After a series of callbacks, Underwood earned a spot on the show. When she
won, Underwood signed to 19 Recordings/Arista Records. Her first release,
"Inside Your Heaven," made Billboard chart history as the first Country
Music song to debut in the top spot on the Hot 100. She embarked on a
40-city "American Idol" summer tour and appeared in national advertising
campaigns for Hershey's chocolate and Skechers.
Produced by Mark Bright and Dann Huff, Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts,
was released in November 2005 and features the single, "Jesus Take the
Wheel," written by Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson and Brett James. The
album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, selling
314,000 copies in its first week, making Underwood the highest-debuting new
artist in the Country genre during the SoundScan era. The album went Gold
after only two weeks and remained at No. 1 for five consecutive weeks. In
January, Some Hearts went Triple Platinum and is the RIAA's
fastest-certified and Nielsen SoundScan's fastest-selling debut Country
album.
The album has also become the fastest-selling "American Idol" project to
date, outpacing earlier CDs at the six-week sales point.
- Brooks & Dunn: The Game's Just
Getting Started
By Michael McCall
© 2005 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
One of Brooks & Dunn’s many talents is downplaying their talents. Like all
good male duos - from Abbott and Costello to Starsky and Hutch to Mel Gibson
and Danny Glover - these two have mastered the pose of playing the fool
while making the difficult look easy.
They may come off as the good-timing, honky tonk twins; just two
rambunctious roughnecks out for a good time. But look past the swaggering
front and you'll find plenty of soul, sensitivity and songwriting smarts.
"We are real competitive," Dunn said. "We see all these hot new acts coming
up, and it motivates us to keep our level high. It inspires us."
Now, after 28 million albums sold and 23 No. 1 hits - as well as a whopping
15 CMA Awards, including the 1996 Entertainer of the Year honor - the duo
that once graced the cover of a Corn Flakes box are making their best, most
soulful recordings yet. Their "Deuces Wild Tour" which ran through Oct. 30,
featured fellow duos Big & Rich and the Warren Brothers. Rather than
relaxing into senior statesmanship, Brooks & Dunn have stepped up their
game.
Dunn recalled a conversation he and Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry had
while on tour together. "Why are you guys so dang competitive," Gentry asked
Dunn. The veteran responded, "I told him I wasn't shooting for him. I'm just
trying to keep my draw as sharp and fast as it possibly can be."
Their latest album, Hillbilly Deluxe, co-produced by the duo and Tony Brown,
proves that they are indeed as sharp as ever - and that their songwriting is
gaining even more depth as the years pass. "We feel we're doing our best
work," Brooks said. "Something happened with Red Dirt Road that changed us
for the better. We knew we were at a crossroads, and we needed to either
raise the level or cut our losses. We took some chances, we dug deeper, and
apparently something clicked."
Dunn agreed: "We rode that good-timin', honky tonk thing forever - maybe too
long. Obviously it was working, but then you realize you can do more.
There's more depth here that we're capable of. Whatever it was going to
cost, we had to take that risk. We had to try and do something grittier."
After the success of the true-life tales of Platinum-selling Red Dirt Road,
there was no turning back. "We feel our mandate now is to write meaningful
stuff," Dunn said. "We've challenged ourselves to draw on our lives and to
open up and tell the truth in our songs, and frankly it's been real exciting
to take this step."
Brooks feels the same sense of inspiration. "I always felt I was a
songwriter first and foremost, and now it's as if we're saying, 'OK, buddy,
show me what you've got," he said. "Red Dirt Road was partly there, it was
the beginning. But on Hillbilly Deluxe, we take it all the way. We weren't
going to compromise or settle for anything less."
They still rock, of course. Brooks & Dunn rounded up writers Larry
Willoughby, Hank DeVito, Radney Foster and Darrell Brown in addition to
co-writing with Bob DiPiero, Craig Wiseman and Terry McBride. "Building
Bridges" includes guest performances by Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill. The
first single, "Play Something Country," written by Dunn and McBride, shows
how Brooks & Dunn have been at the forefront of changing how guitars sound
in mainstream Country Music.
"My dad used to use that phrase all the time," Dunn said. "I'd start into
something that rocked a little, and he'd interrupt me and say, 'Play
something Country!' This song is my revenge, because it has both Country and
rock in it."
Brooks sees the song as part Rolling Stones, part Merle Haggard. "What we do
isn't Southern rock," he said. "Everything we do has a real Country base to
it. It's honky tonk music kicked up a bit. A lot of time when people think
of rock associated with Country, they immediately think Lynyrd Skynyrd and
that kind of thing. We dig that stuff, but that's not what we do. We take
real Country Music and put some swagger behind it."
Also on the album are the Brooks vocal showcase "Her West Was Wilder," and
two stellar Dunn co-writes, "Believe" and "She's About as Lonely as I'm
Going to Let Her Get."
"Everything we write, and what we write about, comes out of being inspired
by Country songwriters," Brooks said. "The same goes for our vocals.
Ronnie's such a great, authentic Country singer. So when we take a song and
rock it up, it still has that real Country thing to it. To me, that just
feels good."
The album title Hillbilly Deluxe refers to the Southern blue-collar
experience, and its work-hard-and-play-hard ethos.
"Hillbilly Deluxe is about people working hard all week, then breaking that
chain that's holding them down and getting out and making the most of a
Saturday night," Brooks said. "It's about a kind of life that's very much
alive today. You can take that message downtown to a big city, or you can
take it out in the country to smalltown U.S.A., and they'll all get it."
Brooks & Dunn are set to perform during the 2006 CMA Music Festival. Look
for the high-energy performers at the Thursday night Coliseum show,
alongside Gary Allan, Sara Evans, Pat Green, Little Big Town, Lynyrd Skynyrd,
Blake Shelton and Hank Williams Jr. Additionally, the duo will be featured
on the ABC Television special “CMA Music Festival: Country Music’s Biggest
Party” when it airs Monday, July 24.
On the Web: www.brooks-dunn.com
© 2005 CMA Close Up News Service
Photo courtesy of Arista Nashville.
- The Changing World of Brad Paisley
By Michael McCall
- Photographer: Jim Shea
- © 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
Until recently, Brad Paisley resisted repeated suggestions that he jazz up
his concerts with high-tech flash. He worried, as an emerging artist, that
glitz might overwhelm the connection between him and his audience. He wanted
listeners to get to know his growing catalogue of songs, and by extension, get
to know him. He didn't want his show to grow faster than he did.
The strategy worked, too. Fans seeing the young West Virginian perform for
the first time realized they were seeing an exceptionally multi-talented
artist. He sang well and looked good, sure. But he also played like a guitar
hero and wrote distinctive songs in a wide range of styles. The songs
revealed a witty, whip-smart personality with an everyman quality. Paisley's
shows connected with fans through sly jokes and an easy-going, confident
manner that brought everyone into the party with him.
But with five No. 1 hits, four multi-Platinum albums and more than 6 million
in sales, it was time to up the ante. For the "Time Well Wasted" tour
featuring Sara Evans and special guest Josh Turner, Paisley brought on the
glitz and the gadgets and the high-tech flash. The crowds were already there
and already with him. The next step was delivering more bang for their buck.
"We really started seeing crowds big enough to justify investing in what we
do," said Paisley while relaxing at his Franklin, Tenn., farm on a rare day
off. "So we took the plunge, and it was a good move, because it became a
more enjoyable experience for the audience as well as for us."
For such a laid-back guy, Paisley is a constant innovator. He didn't want to
just add fireworks, more screens, bigger stages and fancier lighting to his
show. He wanted to do something distinctly his own.
He personally created a cartoon that animates each band member during the
performance of the instrumental "Time Warp." Alison Krauss magically appears
on screen during "Whiskey Lullaby," and Little Jimmy Dickens visits the show
via satellite. Also, Paisley's Web site comes up each night on the
widescreen to show the results of an online contest to pick a song from his
back catalog for the band to perform.
"The song contest makes it a different show each night," Paisley said, "and
that makes it fun for the fans and fun for us."
For the cartoon, Paisley writes his own script and uses Toon Boom software
to create animation. "It was something I was dared into doing," he noted.
"It gave me something to do on long airplane flights."
He'll act as if learning animation is no big deal, which tells you something
about Paisley. Many young artists like to beat their chests and demand
attention for every accomplishment. Paisley tends to politely smile and let
the work speak for itself. Those who figure out he is a busy artist involved
in all levels of artistry in his career, do so on their own.
It's also instructive to observe where in the show he uses the cartoon.
"'Time Warp' is a long, fast instrumental that without the cartoon might not
be as entertaining for the crowd," Paisley said. "It's the kind of song
musicians and music geeks appreciate, and hopefully the cartoon makes it
enjoyable for those who might otherwise get restless during an
instrumental."
On the other hand, Paisley knows the added stage flash might rub some fans
wrong. Including an instrumental is one of many ways he reaches out to them.
"There are musical purists out there who might not enjoy the pyrotechnics
and other distractions, but we lace those within songs with a lot of playing
and a lot of musicality," he said. "So that's the trick we try to pull off.
Hopefully the yin and yang of the show leaves everyone entertained at some
level. It seems like it's working, that we're pleasing the very critical and
the easy-to-please fans at the same time."
For Paisley, it's been a steady six-year climb into the hearts and minds of
Country fans, who accepted him as a humble yet multi-dimensional artist who
loved and respected the music's traditions yet had a vision for its future.
His progress from promising upstart to emerging star to headliner and genre
leader can be verified in every measurement, from radio play to album sales
to concert audience to awards shows. His four GRAMMY nominations were the
most among Country artists this year, just as his six nominations at the
2005 CMA Awards, including his first in the elite CMA Entertainer of the
Year category, ranked him as the most nominated performer that night.
This year shows even more growth. Besides his hit tour, Platinum album Time
Well Wasted and gracing the cover of the April issue of Vintage Guitar
magazine, he's scored another big hit with "When I Get Where I'm Going," a
touching, spiritual tune with harmonies by Dolly Parton, re-affirming the
singer's ties to Country's past while bringing depth to today's sound. While
it's his fifth No. 1, it's telling that many of Paisley's career songs -
"Alcohol," "Celebrity," "Whiskey Lullaby," "Little Moments" and "Me Neither"
- didn't reach No. 1, even though they'll remain Country mainstays for
decades to come.
"There does seem to be a heightened awareness," said Paisley with typical
understatement. "All these nominations kind of put you on the offensive. It
makes you want to live up to it every night. That's a welcome kind of
pressure."
He also acknowledges that positive encouragement only pushes him to work
harder to keep things fresh. "I feel like we've got a really great show
right now," he said. "It's the most fun I've ever had on stage, times 10.
But there isn't a night I don't worry if people will come. I can be told
it's sold out, and I'll still worry until I'm out there and see for myself.
I'll think, 'They're wrong, they're not coming, they made a mistake.' I
don't know what that's about, but it makes me work hard every night."
He also recognizes that he's part of a new Country vanguard that's taking
the music into the 21st century with endless promise and possibilities for
expansion. Paisley sees himself as a team player in a crusade led by the CMA
to show the nation and the world the universal appeal inherent in Country
Music. Paisley praises the forward-looking advances made in the CMA Music
Festival and the CMA Awards in recent years, pointing out that both have
brought greater attention to the music and its stars. He's proud to be
performing at the Festival this June.
"It seems like everything has a little lift to it these days," he said. "The
music feels alive, and so does the business around it. We're looking at new
ideas and finding new ways to get the music to people, and the CMA is
definitely at the forefront of that. Country Music is in a great place, and
the CMA should be credited. There are a lot of moves being made that are
really well-planned and really well thought out."
On the Web: www.bradpaisley.com
LeAnn Rimes: the Little Girl with a Big Voice
is All Grown Up
-
- New Artist Spotlight: Danielle Peck
By Edward Morris
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
- Photographer: Kristen Barlow
When Danielle Peck likes a song, she sticks with it. Her parents say the
first song she learned was Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," which
remains part of her live show today. Born in Jacksonville, N.C., Peck is the
daughter of a U.S. Marine and spent her formative years in Coshocton, Ohio.
Her mother's side of the family traveled and sang in churches. Her father's
family played Country Music at local dances.
With music all around her, it's no surprise that Peck sat on the kitchen
counter and pounded out the Cash song at 3 years old. Peck, who made labels
for her own imaginary albums as a child, performed in church and joined a
band at 16.
"We played weekends and hit the local summer fairs," she said. "While my
friends were into sports, I was consumed with music."
When she graduated from high school, she hit the road leading her own band,
working up to regional fairs and festivals. Shortly after, Peck moved to
Nashville to pursue a record deal. She met a publishing executive, which led
to her first publishing contract. A chance meeting with music industry
executive Scott Borchetta while working as a waitress prompted a late-night
singing audition. Borchetta eventually established Big Machine Records,
distributed by Universal Music Group, and signed her.
Peck wrote or co-wrote seven of the tracks on her self-titled debut album,
which carries production credits by Byron Gallimore, Tommy Lee James and
Jeremy Stover. The album, which was released as a digital download on March
14, is set for release in stores June 6 and includes the leadoff single, "I
Don't," which Peck penned with Burton Collins and Clay Mills. Peck is the
opening act for Toby Keith on his "Big Throwdown II" tour, which kicked off
in January.
IN HER OWN WORDS:
Which song would you secretly like to cover?
"'I'll Stand by You' written by Chrissie Hynde, performed by The
Pretenders."
What CD is on your stereo?
"Tammy Wynette's Greatest Hits."
What is your pet peeve?
"Slow drivers."
What moment in your life would you relive if you could?
"The first time I fell in love."
Do you have a lucky charm?
"A green amber necklace and bangle bracelet. I also make a wish at
11:11 AM and PM."
-
-
- Joe Melson
- Joe Melson was the man who
co-wrote together with Roy Orbison and together they created some of the
biggest hits in the world. Two of these songs had the most airplays
worldwide.
Read full interview:
http://www.iwde.de/interviews/interview_eng_2006/joe_melson_2006.htm
Editor & Journalist for Country Music
Christian Lamitschka
An der Pfingstweide 28
61118 Bad Vilbel
Germany
- Hank Williams Sr.
will have a bronze statue erected in his honor on the steps of the Municipal
Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Williams was a major member of the
Louisiana Hayride, which broadcast from the Auditorium, for nine months
before he went to the Grand Ole Opry.
-
-
Merle
Haggard says he’s thought about filming his life story for 20 years, and on
May 11th2006, he’ll start to film a documentary. According to Merle,
“I’m trying to get ‘em talked into doing a series like ‘The Waltons’.” He
says the series would be based on episodes in his life, and his role would
be as the writer or narrator. He hopes he’ll have the time to tell his life
as it really happened.
-
-
A TV
commercial for Tennessee's tourism department features a current day Dolly
Parton riding in a convertible with a '60s-era Elvis Presley, thanks to
digital video technology. The digital scene was recreated from his
1967 film, “Clambake,” and is the first time Elvis Presley Enterprises, the
corporation that administers his estate, has authorized the late singer's
likeness to be used in a TV commercial with another celebrity.
-
- Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson was
on hand for the official announcement of Austin, Texas Guitartown, a ten
foot tall Gibson Guitar sculpture, designed to highlight the Lone Star
State's flag. The sculpture will serve as a reminder that Austin Guitartown
displays will be located throughout the city for charity. The arts project
brings together visual artists and musicians in a display of up to 50
ten-foot tall Gibson Guitar sculptures, which will be on display this
summer.
-
New Musicians Hall of
Fame and Museum
-
The new
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is a proposed multi-million-dollar
facility that will honor all musical styles and feature memorabilia from
artists from across the globe. The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
will feature an eclectic mix of artifacts, ranging from the Nashville stage
where a young Jimi Hendrix honed his talent and to the hardware used during
a variety of recording sessions. Instruments played on sessions for
Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Neil Young will sit alongside those used for
recordings by country legend Hank Williams, Sr., modern rock group the Red
Hot Chili Pepper, and other performers.
-
- Trisha Yearwood Learns Digging Deep Pays Off
By Michael McCall
Photo courtesy of MCA Nashville.
Photographer: Russ Harrington
- from CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association,
-
- With Jasper County, Trisha Yearwood's first album in four years, the
two-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year proves that a grand entrance more
than makes up for an extended absence.
In 2001, after 20 Top 10 hits with nine at No. 1 in 12 years, the singer
decided that she'd take a year off from recording and touring. One year
stretched to two. "I was anxious to get into the studio and get a record
done," she recalled. "But I was in such a hurry that we forced it. We
started working in the studio before I was ready."
Yearwood believes she works best when she takes the time to learn new
material and lets it seep into her bones before starting the recording
process. "When you're not a songwriter, you have to live with songs for
awhile and make them yours," Yearwood explained. "It's hard for me to find
songs that say what I would say if I could write them myself. That's what I
look for, songs that allow me to say something personal or something I can
relate with."
In 2003, she headed into the studio. But after recording plenty of tunes,
Yearwood realized she wasn't satisfied - she hadn't spent enough time making
her song choices.
"It wasn't that they were bad songs," she said, "it's just that they weren't
the right ones." She called her producer, Garth Fundis, to relay her
concerns. "To Garth's credit, he was the one who said, 'OK, let's start
over.'"
Yearwood and Fundis ditched all but two tunes, then began re-visiting
publishing houses to explain that this time they wanted to dig deeper - and
the new selections are reflected on her new album, Jasper County, released
in September 2005. The CD features the kind of songs that Yearwood is known
to excel: emotionally rich lyrics about heartbreak, confrontation, inner
strength and moving on.
"My goal was to make a Trisha Yearwood album," said the Georgia native.
"After having been off the radio for awhile, I didn't want to come back with
something radically different. I wanted to do what I think I do well."
That means stately songs with lyrics that probe life and love with a scalpel
instead of a hammer. Yearwood strives to delve into difficult truths
delivered with subtle grace rather than easy slogans conveyed with
conspicuous sentimentality.
"Songs are like mini-movies to me," Yearwood noted. "I really like to put
myself in the middle of the experience and to feel whatever the person in
the song is feeling. That's just how I was when I grew up listening to
songs, and that's how I am now when I sing them."
With the album's first single, "Georgia Rain," Yearwood convinced
songwriters Ed Hill and Karyn Rochelle to alter the original tune so she
could slip into character more readily and make the song feel
autobiographical. "I'd been looking for a song about Georgia for a long
time," she said. "I loved this song immediately, but the original title was
'Augusta Rain.' That's Augusta, Ga., of course, but a lot of people might
not know that."
Yearwood maintains a deep respect for songwriters, and she's never
previously asked that a lyric be altered. "I just thought I could make a
much stronger personal connection if I sang 'Georgia Rain,'" she explained.
"So I asked if they'd change the song, and if they could put Jasper County
in it, since that's where I'm from. They were happy to do it, and, I must
say, it made the song very personal. That song really set the tone for
everything on the album."
A sweeping epic, the tune not only says we can go home again, but suggests
that, in this transitory time, returning home can feed your soul. "It was
very easy to put myself into that song and feel everything it says," she
said. "I think that's why I'm drawn to ballads. They tend to be a lot more
dramatic."
That doesn't mean she can't rock. From "That's What I Like About You" and "XXX's
and OOO's (An American Girl)," to "A Perfect Love" and "Squeeze Me In," her
2001 duet with Garth Brooks, Yearwood repeatedly has proven she can growl
and soar with gritty punch. Jasper County shows this off with a raucous
roadhouse take on an Al Anderson/Leslie Satcher song, "Pistol," one of the
most ferocious cuts Yearwood's ever recorded.
That song - about falling in love with a wild soul and the trouble that
comes with it - also serves as the subject of another of Yearwood's new
recordings, "Trying to Love You," written by Beth Nielsen Chapman and Bill
Lloyd. Quiet and contemplative, the lush ballad showcases Yearwood's ability
to convincingly communicate tender emotion and tough truths within one song.
"That song is probably autobiographical for anybody," she explained. "Anyone
who's been in a relationship ends up having a hard time at some point. But I
think that song is ultimately positive - even if it acknowledges that when
you love someone, you sometimes grow frustrated with them. I think people
can relate with that kind of honesty."
The singer is quick to point out that not every song is autobiographical.
"Who Invented the Wheel," for instance, tells of a woman lashing out in
frustration at a deceitful, absent lover. "I certainly don't feel that way
in my life right now," she said with a laugh. Still, she explains, it allows
her to flash anger in a song, which she enjoyed.
On the other hand, she knows exactly how the happy, strong woman feels in
"Gimme the Good Stuff." "Who doesn't want to cheer for someone who's saying
that they're not going to settle for less, that they're going to be happy,
and bring it on?" she said. "That's a great statement to make for anyone."
Jasper County is sequenced so that it follows a storyline with which
Yearwood also can relate. It begins with a woman realizing that she had to
leave her lover to save herself. A couple of tunes deal with heartbreak and
ends with several positive love songs. That emotion, said the newly engaged
singer, was easy to tap.
"There was a time when I didn't feel comfortable singing happy songs," she
said. "Part of it was that I didn't think they were as serious or meaningful
as the sadder ones. But I think your songs can reflect where you are in
life, and I'm definitely a happy girl these days. I didn't have to pretend
on the fun songs, and I think that makes them feel more real to me."
Her relationship with Country Music's most famous retiree, Garth Brooks,
certainly colors her music, she revealed. It also had much to do with why
she took so long between albums. She moved with Brooks to Oklahoma, lending
a hand in raising his daughters. "It's a very small town," she explained.
"You know everybody, pretty much. And there are a lot of soccer games. It
reminds me of how I grew up."
Getting away from Nashville also helped minimize the gossip, though the
couple remained a hot topic for the tabloids. "You just have to laugh at it,
because it's ridiculous. It's never right," Yearwood said.
Of course, headlines and spotlights aren't anything new to Yearwood. The
three-time GRAMMY winner has performed duets with pop stars Aaron Neville
and Don Henley and opera great Luciano Pavarotti. She's drawn ovations when
singing at the Academy Awards, the closing ceremonies of the '96 Olympics,
The White House and the Library of Congress.
Now that she's back in action, Yearwood figures press coverage will
intensify. But she remains focused on her career.
"Music is something that's a very important part of who I am. I've got
plenty still to do," Yearwood said.
On the Web: www.trishayearwood.com
-
-
Cindy Walker
- Our deepest condolences go out to family and friends of Cindy Walker,
who passed last Thursday. Arguably one of the greatest female songwriters of
all time, Cindy's musical legacy will live on for many years to come. For
more information, please visit:
http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1526976/
- Buck Owens has Died
- Honky-tonk singer Buck Owens has Died
suddenly at age 76yrs. He
sold more than 16 million albums and his songs hit #1 more than 20 times
known for hits like Act Naturally, also the long running TV show Hee Haw.
Click
here
-
- Cindy Walker has passed away
- Perhaps the finest female composer in country music history, Cindy
Walker who became a charter member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 1970 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997. She
has had Top Ten hits during each of the five decades spanning the 1940s
through the 1980s. Her credits include such country standards as “Cherokee
Maiden” and such as “You Don’t Know Me.”
- Kimberley Dahme who is a Nashville
Singer/Songwriter and who sings and plays bass for the WORLD famous band
BOSTON
For more information or photo’s on both Kimberley Dahme and Freedom Reign,
visit their Website at
www.kimberleydahme.com
and
www.freedomreign.com
-
- Faith Hill Never Stopped Being a
'Mississippi Girl'
By Michael McCall
- © 2005 CMA Close Up News Service
/ Country Music Association, Inc.
Faith Hill peppers her conversation with sudden bursts of uninhibited
laughter and with phrases like "Bless your heart," "Oh my gosh," "God bless
them," "Isn't that sweet?" and "Don't you just love her?"
In other words, she sounds exactly like thousands of other 30-something
women raised in religious families in small Southern towns. Like many
others, she moved to the city, worked hard, found success and gave shape to
her dreams. Yet she held onto a piece of her rural identity, not only in the
way she talks, but in the way she lives. As the song says, "a Mississippi
girl don't change her ways just 'cause everybody knows her name."
Only now, after Hurricane Katrina, taking pride in being a Mississippi
native has assumed new layers of meaning. As with many things creative,
Hill's artistic move has, by coincidence, taken on significance she never
could have predicted.
"I'm so glad I am out there telling the world I'm from Mississippi right
now," Hill said. "It's something I've always been proud of, but with all the
devastation and damage, there's a lot of concern and I'm feeling a lot of
connection."
For Hill, Mississippi's plight resembles experiencing a loved one facing a
serious illness. Suddenly she wants to visit more often, and home occupies a
larger part of her thoughts and her heart.
"I have so many friends and relatives along the coast," she explained.
"They're doing OK, but you worry about them more. My parents and my older
brother live north of the coast, and they were without power or water for
about a week and a half or two weeks. There were a lot of trees down in
Star, but it's nothing like on the coast."
Hill has toured the damaged areas along the Gulf Coast, and as with other
eyewitnesses, she says that television footage and print photos can't convey
the vastness of the damage. "I couldn't believe it when I went there to see
it," she explained. "It's just mind-blowing, the devastation. I'd spent a
lot of time there in the past, and I'd just recently been to Biloxi to work
before all this happened. The amount of destruction is just unbelievable. It
was so widespread and so far inland."
The storms and floods came as the single, "Mississippi Girl," from Hill's
album Fireflies gained daily radio play and sat at the top of the charts.
What surprised Hill was how she had to defend her choice to record a song
about her raising and defend putting it on an album that had a more
stripped-down, acoustic sound than her two previous albums, 2002's Cry and
1999's Breathe.
"There's been so much said about it, and a lot of it is just plain wrong,"
she said. "But how do you defend it? Oh my gosh, I've even had the question,
'Is your hair dark now because you're going back to your roots?'"
She lets out one of her characteristic bursts of laughter. "I mean, what do
you say to that? Is that supposed to be a joke?"
She continues to laugh, but it dies down to a somber chuckle as she shakes
her head in disbelief. "You know, to me, I've never left my roots behind,"
she continued. "I didn't on Cry, and I didn't on Breathe. They just sound
differently because at that time, I was interested in going into a different
part of who I am and what I want to sing. I cut my musical teeth in the
church, in raise-the-roof Pentecostal churches. Of course, I was raised on
Country Music as well, on Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn and George and
Dolly and Reba.
"But those are two different things - the church music and the Country
Music. So my musical tastes are so extreme. I feel like I'm influenced by
all the music I grew up with, and all the music that I love listening to
now. Trying to find my place in all that is sometimes very complicated."
She accepts that her decisions can be confusing to others. "I know that Cry
wasn't something that worked for Country radio, but it sold 3 million
copies, and no one ever talks about that," she said with a laugh. "It's
written about like it was a bomb, but it wasn't. I'm still very proud of
it."
What she can't accept, she says, is people describing Fireflies as a
calculated move - a return to straightforward Country Music inspired only by
business, not artistic merit.
"That doesn't even fit into my realm of reality," she said. "I couldn't be
less like that. The toughest part of all this is hearing that kind of
criticism. That's what hurts. People mistake your actions for ... whatever.
When someone can't see that things are honest and come from your heart,
that's difficult to take. But I'm a big girl. You just have to stand tall
and walk forward."
Hill says she created Fireflies because songs that came along that inspired
her worked best in a sparer, rootsier setting. And after a couple of albums
in which her music grew increasingly fuller and more theatrical, she felt a
desire to do something simpler and more straightforward.
John Rich of Big & Rich and Adam Shoenfeld co-wrote "Mississippi Girl" for
Hill.
"I basically stalked Faith Hill because I wanted to write a song for her,"
said Rich, who got to know the singer during Big & Rich's first national
tour as opening act for Tim McGraw. Hill and the couple's daughters often
joined McGraw during the tour, with Hill dressing down in her ballcap,
jeans, T-shirts and sneakers. Rich got to see a side of the superstar few
ever do, and she impressed him with how down-to-earth she was.
"I've always admired the emotional way she sings," Rich said. "I knew I
wanted to write a song for her. But I started hiding out watching her, and I
wanted to capture that part of her in a song."
She had already gathered some other key songs including "I Ain't Gonna Take
It Anymore" and the album's second hit, "Like We Never Loved at All." She'd
put aside a jazzy tune called "Paris" (a hidden track on Fireflies), at
first thinking it might be too unusual for her to record. But as the album
filled out, she realized it wasn't so different after all.
Then, as she thought she was nearing the end of recording, Nashville song
publisher Melanie Howard sent Hill a song by Lori McKenna, a Massachusetts
singer-songwriter and mother of five. Hill listened to the song, "If You
Ask," and flipped for it. She immediately requested to hear everything
McKenna had written. It turned out to be quite a lot - McKenna had released
four independent albums.
"I couldn't believe the honesty in her writing," Hill said. "It was so
human. I just fell in love with her. There was a while there that I didn't
listen to anything but her records. I knew I was going to cut several of her
songs."
Besides "If You Ask," Hill cut McKenna's "Stealing Kisses" and "Fireflies,"
which became the album's title. The two appeared together on an "Oprah"
segment devoted to Hill. McKenna has since been signed to Warner Bros.
Records and had her most recent album, Bittertown, re-released by the major
label.
"There's still not a week that goes by that I don't listen to Lori's music,"
Hill said. "She just kills me. And I love her as a person now. I've really
gotten to know her and she's just a great girl - very funny, very smart and
a great mom."
At one point, Hill thought McKenna's "Stealing Kisses" would be the leadoff
cut. But others convinced her to start with "Mississippi Girl," a decision
that obviously worked well. "It was a good way to introduce myself back into
the market," she conceded. "It was what I needed to say at that moment, and
it's fun to sing live and the crowd loves it. If it was up to me, I could've
done a whole album of Lori McKenna songs, but it's good to hit different
marks on an album. You have to have those feel-good songs that make you feel
great."
So there she goes again - defending herself for having contradictory
creative impulses. She laughs loud and long at that thought. "You know, I
have to walk to the beat of my own drum, for sure," she sighed. "Who wants
to be predictable, to be a follower? I have three daughters, and I want them
to see that I follow my heart and don't always take the safe, easy way. I'd
want them to be the same way."
On the Web: www.FaithHill.com
______________________________
DJ Willy wants artists to send cds to
station. He will play them on Europe radio
radioaracountryshow@yahoo.com
- Brooks and Yearwood tie the knot
(12-Dec-05)
\Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood said "I do" on
Saturday in a private ceremony at their Oklahoma home.
Brooks, an Oklahoma native, and Yearwood exchanged vows before family
members, said Nancy Seltzer, a publicist for the couple.
"They said it is the perfect Christmas gift to each other and they couldn't
be happier," Seltzer said. She declined to provide any other details.
Brooks, 43, got down on one knee and proposed to Yearwood, 41, in May in
front of 7,000 fans at the "Legends in Bronze” event at Buck Owens' Crystal
Palace in Bakersfield, Calif. Ten larger-than-life bronze statues honouring
country stars were unveiled during that event, including one of Brooks.
The marriage is the second for Brooks, who has three children, and the third
for Yearwood.
Brooks is credited with widening the genre's appeal in the 1990s by merging
traditional country with honky tonk, pop, folk and rock. His Ropin' The Wind
album was the first such country recording to debut at the top of the pop
music charts. His latest album, Scarecrow, went triple platinum.
Yearwood was named the Country Music Awards female vocalist of the year in
1997 and 1998. Her latest album is Jasper County
-
- CountryHome is proud of the fact that Germany's Country Music Band #1
give readers of CountryHome -
-
-
Scottish Design Instruments
- We specialize in products of Scottish design,
such as Bagpipes and accessories, Drums, Vellum drum heads, Practice and pipe
chanters and reeds, spats, kilts and shawls, Glengarries, Balmorals (plain &
diced), Waist & shoulder belts,Bugles & trumpets, staves & hackles, Leather
pouches & sporrans, As well as Educational Instruments, Tambourines, Bodhrans,
Dumbeks, Congas and bongos, Children's drums, Uniform accessories, Brass
horns, Djembes, Harps of all kinds, Other percussion instruments, We supply
these products all over the world.
Respectfully yours,
RIZWAN, PARTNER
LESLIE & COMPANY
COMMISSIONER ROAD
SIALKOT-1, PAKISTAN
TEL: +92 52 4273888 & 4273999
FAX: +92 52 4260101 & 4265885
Website:
http://www.sialkotpak.com/music
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
-
-
-
-
Keith Urban to guest on Dolly Parton's
new CD: Those Were The Days
http://66.45.13.138/index.cfm?section=12&screen=news&news_id=45024
From the Nashville City Paper (Oct 10): "Dolly Parton continues her
run of exceptional tribute and concept works with her latest
collection Those Were The Days (Sugarhill), which is being released
this week. The astonishing guest list includes Norah Jones, Judy
Collins, Keith Urban, Lee Ann Womack, Alison Krauss, Mindy Smith,
Porter Wagoner, Joe Nichols, Kris Kristofferson, Yusuf Islam (aka Cat
Stevens) and Nickel Creek. Parton offers stunning, sometimes unusual
interpretations of classic numbers from Bob Dylan, John Lennon, the
Byrds, Collins, Kristofferson, and even Tommy James. Country,
bluegrass, and folk elements converge through both Parton’s tremendous
singing and the interaction she enjoys with the great group of
collaborators on what is another marvellous entry in her distinguished
catalogue, one that she also produced."
Photos 2005 - Country Thunder USA
-
- Slovak country-music band " MLOCI "
http://mloci.vadium.sk
-
Witajcie
|
Wydarzenia |
Artyści |
Książka skarg i wniosków |
Wyszukaj
Linki |
Barmani |
Pełna lista
Pełne archiwum
-
-
RENÉE ZELLWEGER and
country star KENNY CHESNEY
-
have now untied the knot!
The couple were married on the beautiful island of St. John
in the
U.S. Virgin Islands, where the singer has a home. It was a short,
15-minute ceremony performed by a female preacher in front of a small
group of family and friends, the bride wore CAROLINA HERRERA, one of
her favorite designers, while the groom was reportedly barefoot. Both
laughed and cried during the ceremony.
The marriage was a first for both stars, although the 37-year-old
Kenny reportedly broke off an engagement to another woman in 1999,
three weeks before the wedding. Prior to marrying Kenny, Renée dated
WHITE STRIPES singer JACK WHITE and her 'Me, Myself & Irene' co-star
JIM CARREY.
-
Steve Earle and Allison
Moorer
-
Steve Earle and Allison Moorer were
married 11 August 2005. It is the 7th marriage for Steve Earle
(married twice to the same woman) Allison Moorer has been married once
before.
-
-
Ray Charles exhibit at the
hall of fame
-
"I
Can’t Stop Loving You: Ray Charles & Country Music," will open March
10, 2006 at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville,
Tennessee, and will trace Ray’s life-long love affair with country
music, ultimately helping to redefine American popular music. The
5,000-square-foot Ray Charles exhibit will include artifacts,
instruments, song manuscripts, costumes, photographs, computer
inter-actives, rare music and moving images to tell a country music
story about an impoverished blind child who grew up listening to the
Grand Ole Opry and became known as the Genius of Soul
-
-
“The Tao of Willie,”
will be a book about Willie’s life and his secrets to spiritual
happiness. The 72 year old Nelson is writing the book with
Turk Pippen
and release date is set for next May.
-
-
Download
Mercy Now album at iTunes and receive a Bonus track:
"Mercy Now" - Radio Edit
-
Download Real Music Store's "I Drink"
exclusive single
-
Download Napster exclusive "Too Soon To
Tell"
www.marygauthier.com
Purchase CD & Download
Mary Gauthier (pronounced Go-shay ya'll)
releases Mercy Now, her fourth full-length album and Lost Highway
debut. Mercy Now features 10 songs overflowing with beauty, darkness,
raw emotion and unflinching honesty, from a truly compelling artist.
Buddy Miller
- Quote: "I don't have any tricks up my sleeve. I record
everything in our home, using an old two-inch tape machine,
ProTools (computerized sound engineering programs), and really old
gear — vintage instruments, amplifiers and microphones, things
I've collected over the years. I like it to sound messy ... like
my house." - Buddy Miller, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter
(Greg Quill/Toronto Star)
- SINGER OF BEVERLEY HILLBILLIES THEME DIES
JERRY SCOGGINS, the voice behind The Ballad Of Jed Clampett
on the Beverly Hillbillies TV series, died on Tuesday (December 7
2004)
in Los Angeles. He was 93.
Scoggins' deep voice accompanied Lester Flatt on guitar and Earl
Scruggs on banjo, with that familiar first line: "Come and listen
to a story about a man named Jed." He also sang the theme song for
the 1993 film version of the show.
- The original series ran from 1962 to 1971. Scoggins was also a
member of the Cass County Boys, who were closely associated with
Gene Autry's performing career.
-
- Recordings by Elvis Presley in Film
- Several classic holiday recordings by Elvis Presley and
Brenda Lee are included in the film, "Christmas With the Kranks,"
Tracks include Elvis' "Blue Christmas" and Lee's "Jingle Bell
Rock.” The album will be in stores on November 23 2004, and the film in theaters two days later. "Christmas with the Kranks" stars Tim
Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Akroyd, and Cheech Marin, and is
based on a novel by John Grisham.
- Holly Williams
- Holly Williams is the
daughter of Hank Williams Jr. and the Grand Daughter of the legend
Hank Williams Senior. Holly was a special guest on
Australia's Kasey Chambers 's American Tour. From what we
have heard Hank Williams Senior would be very impressed.
- Shania Twain
- Shania Twain and husband Robert 'Mutt' Lange have bought a
61,000 acres property (rugged and scenic farmland) for 21.4
million on the South Island of New Zealand. They will
use it as a holiday getaway. They live in Switzerland.
-
- Dolly Parton
By Kevin C. Johnson
Post-Dispatch Pop Music Critic
The perky, impossibly proportioned pop icon told her 2,700 fans at
the Concert Club at Savvis Center Sunday night she came dressed as
Dolly Parton, which truly is a costume in itself, and she "brought
my pumpkins with me," one of several references to her famously
large breasts. Later, she mentioned Janet Jackson's Super Bowl
debacle: "If I pulled a trick like that, I might take out the
first four rows."
Around the same time, she managed to throw out her moldy signature
line: "It's amazing how much it costs to look this cheap."
Dolly Parton, you gotta love her.
Wearing a "power pack" (a microphone headset) for the first
time, the chatty Parton said she hated it but liked the freedom it
provided. She said this tour involved a lot of extra things,
touting her lights and video screens as if they were something
never seen in concert before. She also said parts of the show
would be "enhanced" - "not to fool you but to entertain you" -
which may have raised a few eyebrows considering Ashlee Simpson's
recent lip-synching controversy. It's still not clear exactly what
Parton meant, though it seemed as if an invisible choir assisted
her during her cover of John Lennon's "Imagine."
Parton opened the 100-minute show with a "Hello, Dolly" routine,
with lyrics like "Well, hello, I'm Dolly." But even she knew it
was cheesy, asking, "Who do I have to see to get out of this
song?" She then moved on to "Two Doors Down."
Making a scraping sound with her acrylic nails, she asked if they
sounded like a typewriter, an obvious introduction to one of her
biggest hits, "9 to 5." Other big hits - "Jolene," "Here You Come
Again" and "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" -
unjustifiably received the shortened medley treatment.
She claimed she was no Norah Jones when she played piano on "The
Grass Is Blue." Parton also sat atop a piano and dueted with a
member of the band on "Baby, It's Cold Outside." She recorded the
song with Rod Stewart for his latest "Songbook" collection.
The goofy "PMS Blues," which Parton performed on acoustic guitar,
was exactly what its title implies. An Elvis impersonator joined
her for one rollicking country song, ending with a riff on "I Will
Always Love You." Afterward, she told the crowd Elvis Presley once
wanted to record the song but needed her to sign over half of the
publishing rights, and she refused. "My family needed that money
more than Priscilla and Lisa," said Parton, who then performed the
hit song, which continues to stand the test of time.
Parton felt especially nostalgic for home late in the show,
performing "My Tennessee Mountain Home," "Smoky Mountain Memories"
and "Coat of Many Colors," before wrapping it up with a new song
from her recent "Halos & Horns" CD titled "Hello God," a big power
ballad that came with some post 9/11 reflections and hackneyed
lyrics.
The Grascals, who were among the players in her large band, opened
the show with its own set and supported Parton on "Viva Las Vegas"
and "Rocky Top."
- Gary Allan's wife has died -
2004
- Funeral services was held Thursday morning (Oct. 28) near
Nashville for Gary Allan's wife, Angela L. Herzberg, who died
early Monday at the couple's home.
Police say Herzberg, 36, apparently shot herself. A preliminary
autopsy indicated she died from a single self-inflicted wound.
Allan has now cancelled additional tour dates, including three
concerts with Rascal Flatts taking place Nov. 4-6 in Knoxville,
Tenn., Greenville, S.C., and Winston-Salem, N.C. Rascal Flatts
will perform the three shows without an opening act. Allan also
cancelled a Nov. 3 solo show in Indianapolis, in addition to
previously announced cancellations this week in Maine, Connecticut
and Pennsylvania.
Johnny Cash
- "Ring of Fire," a new musical based
on the life and songs of Johnny Cash, will embark on a multi-city
tour in the fall of 2005, followed by a Broadway opening in 2006.
- Willie Nelson
- Willie Nelson is a big proponent of bio-diesel fuel—oil
made out of agricultural products. He says he drives a Mercedes
and his wife drives a Volkswagen, and they both run on vegetable
oil. Willie is also working to get politicians to reinstate the
Homestead Act, which would let farmers grow corn and soybeans on
unused land, helping to create more bio-diesel fuel. Willie says,
“My plan is to get 5 million farmers on 5 million farms that have
just been laying there to grow fuel so we don’t have to go around
the world starting wars over oil.”
-
She's just a
coal miner's hipster
By ROBERT EVERETT-GREEN
Loretta Lynn is hip for the first time in her long career, and she
won't pretend she saw it coming. On the contrary, she was braced
for disaster after she saw the bare-bones gear in the funky old
house chosen by Jack White of the White Stripes as the site of her
latest recording, Van Lear Rose.
"I walked in there, and I thought, God be with us, we'll never get
anything out of here," said the 69-year-old country singer, during
a phone interview from her Nashville home. "But I figured if it
didn't work, I could always make another record real quick." No
need. Van Lear Rose sold 37,000 copies in its first week -- her
best showing ever (total Canadian sales are nearing 20,000).
The album was feted in publications that have ignored Lynn for
decades, and on TV shows such as Late Night with David Letterman.
The fabled Coal Miner's Daughter has become an instant
favourite of people who previously
knew her mainly through TV viewings of the 1980 movie based on her
autobiography.
Everything about her dealings with White has surprised her. She
couldn't fathom why a man known for bluesy, elemental garage rock
would dedicate an album to her (White Blood Cells, the Stripes'
breakthrough disc of 2002). She didn't know why he wanted to
record her next album, and she sure couldn't get used to his
working methods.
"I just let him have his way, and he took it," she said, with a
ripe Kentucky twang. White put her in the old house (pictured on
the album cover), brought in his own players, and wouldn't let her
do second takes. He added all kinds of extra tracks, including his
own vocals, after she'd gone home for the day. He even recorded
her on the sly, taping a long conversational anecdote and
ornamenting it later with his own music.
Lynn seems to have received these indignities with a kind of
bemused shock, as if reacting to charming
misbehaviour by a house guest. She may have been slow to
understand White's shenanigans, but she could see that he had a
clear idea of what he wanted.
"He was trying to get the sound I had when I first came to
Nashville," she said. "Randy Scruggs did my last album, Still
Country. It was polished, it was perfect. I loved it. But I think
people are getting tired of that polished sound. Jack's record
sounds like we're sitting in the front room, singing. It's the
countriest thing I've done since I've
been in Nashville. . . .
"This boy will make a great producer," she said. "When he was
doing the listening part, he put me in mind of Owen [Bradley], the
way he hears every little thing, even things I wasn't hearing."
There's some irony in her reference to her first Nashville
producer, and she knows it. Bradley, who made Lynn's most
successful discs in the sixties and seventies, was all for using
the best technology and the most polished performance, even if he
needed a dozen takes to get it.
Recording with White was often more like flying without a net, in
someone else's circus. His long, distorted guitar introduction to
Portland, Oregon, added in after her singing was recorded, has no
precursor in Lynn's experience of country music.
"My first reaction was that he played enough music for another
song," she said. "I had to laugh. I said, 'You
know what the disc jockeys are gonna
do, Jack? They're gonna know exactly
where to start playing this one. They're
gonna drop the needle just before the vocal comes in.' "
And yet she feels quite at home with the overall direction of the
album. It's the first disc since her debut in 1960 to feature
nothing but her own songs.
There are some moments when White's rock pedigree blares forth,
but there are also tunes that feel like they were recorded within
shouting distance of Lynn's old Kentucky home. Others revive the
rough, ramblin'-woman spirit of Lynn's
early days as a country star whose first hit was called I'm a
Honky Tonk Girl.
The timing for the disc couldn't be better. Country music is
indeed seeing a revolt against the sleek productions of cover-girl
divas such as Faith Hill. Earthier talents such as Gretchen Wilson
and Toby Keith are storming up the charts. Wilson, whose debut
album Here for the Party sits at No. 1 on the Canadian country
list, revels in her identity as a beer-swigging Redneck Woman (the
title of her hit single) who really has
lived in trailer parks.
As well, the deaths of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash last year
alerted the broader music public to the irreplaceable qualities of
the elder generation of country stars, the ones who really did
grow up on cotton farms and play in juke joints. Lynn's humble
origins may not be that different from Wilson's, but she has a
gracious patina that belongs to her experience and her generation.
At its most elemental, Lynn's music isn't far from the old-timey
stuff brought back into vogue by T. Bone Burnett and the
Coen brothers (in their film O
Brother, Where Art Thou?
White, who has frequently covered Dolly
Parton's Jolene in concert, expressed his taste of the old
moonshine during the making of another recent film, Anthony
Minghella's Cold Mountain. The
soundtrack features White singing some vintage tunes with
accompaniments by the likes of Norman Blake, the finger-picking
guitarist from the old Nitty Gritty
Dirt Band. One of those songs,
Sittin' on Top of the World, had
previously been recorded by Bob Wills, Carl Perkins and the
Grateful Dead. Rock's debt to country music and western swing
couldn't be more succinctly noted.
Lynn's music, however, didn't come into being solely in an
atmosphere of coal dust and poverty. She made a point, during our
conversation, of remembering how a Canadian named Norm Burley
played a crucial role in her early career.
"He'd seen me on the Buck Owens show, and he sent for me to come
up to Vancouver and record," she said. "He was a pretty wealthy
man, he had a lumber yard. He sent me to L.A.,
he furnished everything, the gas and everything. And by golly,
Honky Tonk Girl broke the ice for me.
He was the one who really let everyone know that I sang." That
first single appeared on Burley's Zero Records, which he invented
for the sole purpose of recording Lynn. When she drove to
Nashville and was offered a deal with Decca and Bradley, Burley
happily released her from her contract.
The rough and tumble of her early days, when she and her late
husband Doo drove around the United
States delivering her singles to every country station they could
find, still resurfaces occasionally, often in the lives of her
family. Her son Ernest, described in Coal Miner's Daughter as a
man who "could find trouble if you tied him in chains," was
arrested last month for vehicular homicide, after being involved
in a fatal crash while drunk.
More recently, she had to cancel her June concerts because of back
problems. But dates at the new Niagara
Fallsview Casino remain in place for early July, and a tour
with White is being mooted for the fall.
Loretta Lynn plays the Niagara
Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls,
Ont., on July 9 and 10.
- Born: Roy
Linwood Clark
Born Apr 15, 1933 in Meherrin, VA
by David Vinopal
In the '70s, Roy Clark symbolized country music in the U.S. and
abroad. Between guest-hosting for Johnny Carson on The Tonight
Show and performing to packed houses in the Soviet Union on a tour
that sold out all 18 concerts, he used his musical talent and his
entertaining personality to bring country music into homes across
the world. As one of the hosts of TV's Hee Haw (Buck Owens was the
other) for more than 20 years, Clark picked and sang and offered
country corn to 30 million people weekly. He is first and foremost
an entertainer, drawing crowds at venues as different as Las
Vegas, Atlantic City, and the Opry. His middle-of-the-road
approach has filled a national void, with Clark offering country
that was harder-edged than Kenny Rogers but softer and more
accessible than Waylon Jennings. Among his numerous vocal hits are
"Yesterday, When I Was Young" and "Thank God and Greyhound."
Instrumentally he has won awards, for both guitar and banjo. Clark
has also co-starred on the silver screen with Mel Tillis, in the
comedy Uphill All the Way.
The son of two amateur musicians, Roy Clark began playing banjo,
guitar, and mandolin at an early age. By the time he was 14, he
was playing guitar behind his father at local dances. Within a few
years, he had won two National Banjo Championships, with his
second win earning him an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.
Despite his success as a musician, Clark decided to pursue an
athletic career, rejecting baseball for boxing. At the age of 17,
he won 15 fights in a row before deciding that he would rather be
a musician than a fighter.
Clark found work at local clubs, radio stations, and television
shows. By 1955, he was a regular on Jimmy Dean's D.C.-based
television show, Country Style. Once Dean left Washington for New
York, Clark took over the show, and over the next few years he
earned a reputation as an excellent musician and entertainer. In
1960, he decided to leave the East Coast to pursue his fame and
fortune out West. That year, he became the leader of Wanda
Jackson's band, playing on her hit singles like "Let's Have a
Party," as well as touring with the singer and playing concerts
with her in Las Vegas. Once Jackson decided to break up her band,
Clark continued to play regularly at the Frontier Hotel in Vegas
and through his new manager, Jackson's ex-manager Jim Halsey, he
landed spots on The Tonight Show and the sitcom The Beverly
Hillbillies, where he played both Cousin Roy and Big Mama Halsey.
In 1963, Clark signed to Capitol Records, and his first single for
the label, "Tips of My Fingers," became a Top Ten hit. Over the
next two years, he had a handful of minor hits for Capitol before
he switched labels, signing with Dot in 1968. At Dot, his career
took off again, through covers of pop songs like Charles
Aznavour's "Yesterday, When I Was Young" (number nine, 1969).
However, what really turned Clark's career around was not records,
but rather a television show called Hee Haw. Conceived as a
country version of Laugh-In, Hee Haw began its run in 1969 on CBS.
Roy Clark and Bakersfield country pioneer Buck Owens were picked
as co-hosts. Over the next two years, it was one of the most
popular shows on television. In 1971, CBS dropped the show because
its corny country humor didn't fit the network's new, urban image,
but Hee Haw quickly moved into syndication, where it continued to
thrive throughout the decade.
While Hee Haw was at the height of its popularity, Clark had a
string of country hits that ranged from Top Ten singles like "I
Never Picked Cotton" (1970), "Thank God and Greyhound" (1970),
"The Lawrence Welk — Hee Haw Counter-Revolution Polka" (1972),
"Come Live With Me" (1973), "Somewhere Between Love and Tomorrow"
(1973), "Honeymoon Feelin'" (1974), and "If I Had It to Do All
Over Again" (1976) to a multitude of minor hits. Though he didn't
consistently top the country charts, Clark became one of the most
recognizable faces in country music, appearing on television
commercials, Hee Haw, and touring not only the United States but a
number of other countries, including a groundbreaking sojourn to
the Soviet Union in 1976. Frequently, he played concerts and
recorded albums with a wide variety of musicians from other
genres, including the Boston Pops Orchestra and Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown.
In 1979, the momentum of his career began to slow down, as he left
his longtime label ABC/Dot for MCA. Over the next two years, he
had a number of minor hits before leaving the label. He recorded
one inspirational album for Songbird in 1981 before signing to
Churchill in 1982. Hee Haw's audience was beginning to decline in
the early '80s, but Clark diversified his interests by investing
in property, minor-league baseball teams, cattle, publishing, and
advertising. None of Clark's recordings for Churchill were big
hits, and his brief stays at Silver Dollar in 1986 and Hallmark in
1989 also resulted in no hits. Nevertheless, Clark had become a
country icon by the mid-'80s, so his lack of sales didn't matter —
he continued to sell out concerts and win awards; he even made the
comedy Western Uphill All the Way in 1986 with Mel Tillis. In
1987, he was belatedly made a member of the Grand Ole Opry. During
the '90s, Clark concentrated on performing at his theater in
Branson, MO, sporadically releasing re-recordings of his big hits
on a variety of small labels, though 2000's Live at Billy Bob's
Texas marked his first live release in nearly a decade. Christmas
Memories followed that same year.
From Twangtown Messageboard
Check it out at:
http://www.bananatech.com/twboard/
“Cash:
An American Man,” is a new
biography and covers the Johnny’s first
record for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in 1955, and goes through his
award-winning video of “Hurt.”
The book is authorized by the Johnny Cash
Estate, and was created in cooperation with his
friend Bill Miller. The book also includes hundreds of
photographs, private letters and handwritten lyrics, as well as Cash's
final interview, which was given just three weeks before he died.
“Cash:
An American Man” should be
available in May.
- Eagle Country Radio
- - Broadcasting on the internet 24 hours a day,
Best Country Songs And Upcoming Hits Online Always!
http://www.ecradio.net
Playlist: Weekly updates - every Sunday..
Billboard Top 20 TWICE EVERY DAY!
Eagle Country Radio - Airplay Your Favorite Song (Independent & Major)
- 2003 - Buck Owens has commissioned sculptor
Bill Rains to create life-size statues
of Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Bob Wills and Garth Brooks. The new
statues
will join those of Owens, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash as part of a new
sculpture garden honoring country music legends at Buck Owens' Crystal
Palace in Bakersfield, California
- Johnny Cash has died
- September 12, 2003,
- Johnny Cash has died at age 71 in a Nashville,
Tennessee hospital.
- Click
here for info
Merle Kilgore, best-man to Johnny Cash at his wedding to June Carter
Cash
and co-writer of "Ring of Fire", is deeply saddened with the news of
Johnny
Cash's passing.
"It's a sad day in Tennessee, but a great day in Heaven. The 'Man in
Black'
is now wearing white as he joins his wife June in the angel band," says
Kilgore.
Ralph Stanley Museum
- $1.2 million in funding has been approved for the Ralph Stanley
Museum and
Traditional Mountain Music Center in Clintwood, Virginia. The town,
which
has a population of 1,500, secured a building for the museum in 2002.
Funding recently approved for the project include a $500,000 grant from
the
Appalachian Regional Commission, a $600,000 grant from the Virginia
Coalfield Economic Development Authority and $100,000 in federal
transportation enhancement funds. Officials plan for the museum to open
in
May 2004 during Stanley's annual music festival. The museum is about 10
miles from the community of Stratton, Va., where Stanley and his older
brother, Carter, were born. The two performed and recorded as the
Stanley
Brothers from 1946 until 1966, when Carter died.
Sun Recording Studios in Memphis
Tennessee has been designated as a
National Historic Landmark. It's the first recording studio to receive
such
an honour.
THE OPRY Trust Fund in America has announced the
commitment of $250,000 toward the building of a Country Music Retirement
Center which will give music industry retirees a place to live out their
golden years, regardless of income.
Opry member Martina McBride, a member of the Center's board of directors,
accepted an initial $50,000 check during Saturday's performance of "Grand
Ole Opry Live" on the CMT television channel.
"It is our duty to ensure that the people that came before us and helped
establish the country music industry are provided with housing and medical
care in their later years if they are in financial need," McBride said.
The Opry management formed the Opry Trust Fund in 1965 to help those in
the country music industry who have fallen on hard times. The center
project started in 1994 as an initiative of a Country Music Association
task force.
- Fan Fair 2003
Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney at Fan Fair
"In a surprise, last-minute schedule change, Kenny Chesney ended up
opening up Fan Fair 2003 on the Greased Lighting Riverfront Stages.
While he was originally due to appear in The Coliseum on Friday
night, a scheduling conflict with his current tour forced him to
cancel. But in not wanting to disappoint his fans, he took to the
smaller stage to at least perform a handful of his hits like, "No
Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," "Big Star," "She Thinks My Tractor's
Sexy," and "Don't Happen Twice." His performance really filled up
Riverfront Park!"
Click here for more Photos of Fan Fair |
|
GRINDERS SWITCH DEPOT
INTERPRETIVE CENTER
"A TRIBUTE TO
MINNIE PEARL"
The Hickman County Chamber of Commerce
Grinders Switch Depot Interpretive Center
P.O. Box 126
Centerville, TN 37033
That very familiar "How-Deeeeeee" will
echo eternally as we remember Minnie Pearl, the Queen of Country
Comedy. The Hickman County Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to keeping
her memory alive with the development of the "Grinders Switch Depot
Interpretive Center - A Tribute to Minnie Pearl".
Grinders Switch is an honest-to-goodness real
place made infamous by Hickman County's own Sarah Ophelia Colley
Cannon. It's a rails switch that is still used by the South Central
Tennessee Railroad.
The Center is in the development stage and will
include a small theater showing tapes of Minnie Pearl as well an interviews
with local people who knew her from childhood. There will also be a
museum area with memorabilia along with a gift shop.
Visitors come from all over the country to see
Grinders Switch. As a fan, you can help be a part of keeping the
spirit of Minnie Pearl and the place she called home alive. You can
send your contribution to:
"As I grow older the place is no
longer a little, abandoned loading switch on a railroad in Hickman
County. Grinders Switch is a state of mind - a place where there is no
illness, no war, no unhappiness - where all you worry about is what you're
going to wear to the church social, and if your feller is going to kiss you
in the moonlight on the way home. I wish all of you a Grinders
Switch"[1]
|
Elvis's Hair
That hunk-a Elvis hair up for auction?
The hair was collected by Elvis' former hairstylist, who gave it to
someone else, who sold it throu MastroNet, an internet auction house.
According to AP, the baseball-sized collection of clippings brought a
winning bid of $ 115,120
Who has rights to the DNA in the hair?
- Jerry Reid
- Boomtown Casino at Biloxi
- in Mississippi (early September)
- Photos courtesy of Bob Dickie
-
-
-
Main Page
|
Tamworth
Rage Page
