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CMAs Get Soggy
by Marcus Errico
Aug 28, 2001, 3:15 PM PT
Looks like it will be the Sara and Soggy Bottom Boys' show at this year's Country Music Association Awards.
Nominations were announced Tuesday for Nashville's top honor, with Sara Evans leading the way with seven nods and the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album collecting four.
Brooks & Dunn, who announced the nominations along with singer Jo Dee Messina, also will be competing for four awards at the 35th annual CMAs. Alan Jackson also picked up four nods. Winners, selected by the group's 6,000-odd members, will be announced November 7 at a ceremony from the Grand Ole Opry broadcast live on CBS.
With some of country's top acts on hiatus this year (Garth is semi-retired, the Dixie Chicks are getting married and/or pregnant and Shania was laying low in Switzerland awaiting the birth of her first child), there were some surprise nominees for the CMAs, which tend to keep honoring the same tired slate of performers year after year.
On the strength of her third album, Born To Fly, Evans, 30, scored nods for Best Female Vocalist, Best Album, Best Single, Best Song and Best Video (the latter three for her album's title track). She could conceivably walk off with seven "Hats," because as a producer, she would get two trophies in both the Best Album and Best Single races if she wins. Not bad for someone who has been nominated for three previous CMAs over the course of her career but never taken home the hardware.
The O Brother disc, a collection of bluegrass, country blues and folk tunes pegged to the Coen brothers' flick, is up for Best Album, Best Single (the Soggy Bottom Boys' "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") and has two entries in the Vocal Event of the Year race ("Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby" by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch and "I'll Fly Away" by Krauss and Welch). No, George Clooney isn't eligible for a trophy--he merely lip-synched "Man of Constant Sorrow." Country vet Dan Tyminski handled the vocal duties on the cut.
Brooks & Dunn picked up their perennial nomination in the Vocal Duo category, along with nods for Entertainer of the Year, Best Single ("Ain't Nothing 'Bout You") and Album (Steers & Stripes).
Jackson is also up in the Entertainer of the Year race, in addition to Album (When Somebody Loves You), Male Vocalist and Video ("www.memory").
The other nominees for the coveted Entertainer of the Year prize were the Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw and George Strait.
Here's a complete rundown of nominations:
Entertainer of the Year:
Brooks & Dunn
Dixie Chicks
Alan Jackson
Tim McGraw
George Strait
Female Vocalist:
Sara Evans
Faith Hill
Martina McBride
Lee Ann Womack
Trisha Yearwood
Male Vocalist:
Alan Jackson
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Single:
"Ain't Nothing 'Bout You," Brooks & Dunn
"Born To Fly," Sara Evans
"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," the Soggy Bottom Boys featuring Dan Tyminski
"I'm Already There," Lonestar, producer Dann Huff
"One More Day," Diamond Rio, producer Michael D. Clute and Diamond Rio
Album:
Born to Fly, Sara Evans
O Brother, Where Art Thou?, various
Set This Circus Down, Tim McGraw
Steers & Stripes, Brooks & Dunn
When Somebody Loves You, Alan Jackson
Horizon Award (for career progress):
Jessica Andrews
Nickel Creek
Jamie O'Neal
Keith Urban
Phil Vassar
Vocal Group:
Alabama
Diamond Rio
Dixie Chicks
Lonestar
Nickel Creek
Vocal Duo:
Bellamy Brothers
Brooks & Dunn
Montgomery Gentry
The Kinleys
The Warren Brothers
Music Video:
"Ashes by Now," Lee Ann Womack
"Born to Fly," Sara Evans
"I Would've Loved You Anyway," Trisha Yearwood
"There Is No Arizona," Jamie O'Neal
"www.memory," Alan Jackson
Song (for songwriter):
"Born To Fly," Sara Evans, Marcus Hummond and Darryl Scott
"How Do You Like Me Now?!" Chuck Cannon and Toby Keith
"I'm Already There," Richie McDonald, Gary Baker and Frank Myers
"Murder on Music Row," by Larry Cordle and Larry Shell
"One More Day," Steven Dale Jones and Bobby Tomberlin
Vocal Event:
"Alright, I'm Wrong," Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens
"Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby," Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch
"Hard To Be a Husband, Hard To Be a Wife," Brad Paisley and Chely Wright
"I'll Fly Away," Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch
"Too Country," Brad Paisley, George Jones, Bill Anderson and Buck Owens
Musician:
Stuart Duncan
Paul Franklin
John Hobbs
Dann Huff
Brent Mason
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Alan Jackson Ropes In Record CMA Nominations
Thu Aug 29, 1:45 PM ET
By Josh Grossberg
Patriotism goes a long way at the Country Music Awards. Just ask Alan Jackson and Toby Keith.
Jackson today lassoed a record-setting 10 CMA nominations; Keith received nominations in six categories, thanks to their flag-waving, Sept. 11-inspired tunes, "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," and "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)," respectively.
Jackson and Keith will square off for Entertainer of the Year honors. Their patriotic tunes will go star-to-stripe in the best song and best single races, with Jackson's "Drive (The Daddy Gene)" also nominated in those categories.
Jackson is a perennial CMA fave, who was named best entertainer in 1995 and scored four nominations last year. His 10 nods set a new record for most nominations ever by a performer. He surpasses Merle Haggard who notched nine CMA noms back in 1970.
While Jackson and Keith both scored success today, their Sept. 11 tunes couldn't be more different. Jackson's "Where Were You" is a melancholy remembrance of the day of the 2001 terror attacks, while Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue" is a controversial anthem exulting in the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan ( news - web sites). Earlier this summer, ABC News declined to include Keith in the lineup of its July 4 musical celebration partly because of concern over the "anger" and "frustration" in his lyrics.
Among the women, meanwhile, it was a big day for bluegrass songbird Alison Krauss, who took home noms for best female vocalist and, with her band, Union Station, best album for No Favorite.
Living legend Willie Nelson proved he's still very much alive, grabbing nods for best album (The Great Divide) and best vocal event for his duet with Lee Ann Womack on "Mendocino County Line."
The winners of "country music's biggest night," determined by the votes of more than 5,000 industry execs, musicians, publishers, songwriters, and producers, will be announced Nov. 6 at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. CBS is scheduled to carry to the live telecast.
Here's a rundown of the major 2002 nominees:
Entertainer: Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, George Strait
Male Vocalist: Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, George Strait
Female Vocalist: Sara Evans, Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack, Trisha Yearwood
Single (for singer): "Blessed," Martina McBride; "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)," Toby Keith; "Drive (For Daddy Gene)," "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson; "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," Brad Paisley
Album: Drive, Alan Jackson; New Favorite, Alison Krauss & Union Station; No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, Kenny Chesney; Pull My Chain, Toby Keith; The Great Divide, Willie Nelson; The Road Less Traveled, George Strait
Song (for songwriter): "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)," Toby Keith; "Drive (For Daddy Gene)," "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson; "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," Richard Burnett; "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," Brad Paisley, Frank Rogers
Music Video: "Drive (For Daddy Gene)," "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson; "I Wanna Talk About Me," Toby Keith; "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)," Brad Paisley; "Modern Day Bonnie & Clyde," Travis Tritt
Vocal Group: Diamond Rio, Dixie Chicks, Lonestar, Nickel Creek, Rascal Flatts
Vocal Duo: Bellamy Brothers, Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Sons of the Desert, The Warren Brothers
Vocal Event: "Beer Run," Garth Brooks, George Jones; "Bring on the Rain," Jo Dee Messina, Tim McGraw; "Designated Drinker," Alan Jackson, George Strait; "I'll Fly Away," Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch; "Mendocino County Line," Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack
Musician: Jerry Douglas, Glen Duncan, Paul Franklin, Dann Huff, Brent Mason
Horizon Award (for emerging performer): Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Nickel Creek, Rascal Flatts, Phil Vassar, Darryl Worley
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Elvis Is Still King of Stamps
Thu Sep 5, 3:56 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) - When it comes to collecting stamps Elvis is still king.
Some 124 million stamps featuring the rock 'n' roll star have been purchased and never used to mail a letter, the Postal Service reports.
That means the 29-cent Elvis stamp issued in 1993 made a tidy $36 million profit for the post office.
The post office used surveys to track what it calls stamp retention; that is, stamps that are purchased but never used. Mostly it reflects the purchases of stamp collectors, but on special items like the Elvis or Marilyn Monroe stamps many people who are not normally collectors buy some of the stamps and save them too.
Placing second to Elvis were the 1992 wildflowers stamps, with a retention of 76..2 million, according to figures released by the Postal Service on Thursday.
Third at 75.8 million stamps are the rock 'n' roll/rhythm and blues stamps issued in 1993. The 1999 insects and spiders stamps are fourth at 60.9 million followed 53.9 million for Legends of Baseball issued in 2000.
Rounding out the top 10 are Baseball's Legendary Playing Fields, 2001, 49.0 million; First Moon Landing, 1994, 47.9 million; Civil War, 1995, 46.6 million; Legends of the West, 1994, 46.5 million; Marilyn Monroe, 1995, 46.3 million.
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Country Singer Walker Back From MS
Thu Sep 5, 3:01 PM ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Six years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Clay Walker calls it a "blessing" that he is in remission and appreciates every day more than ever.
The country star said being diagnosed early let doctors treat it more effectively. He had minimal use of his right arm and leg, but has regained about 95 percent function in those limbs.
"Mainly with MS it's an every day, I wouldn't say struggle, but it's not even something that really stays on my mind every day, but it is something that you do take day-to-day," the 33-year-old Walker told The Associated Press. "And I'm very grateful to have good health right now and to be in remission. And I hope that it's an inspiration to other people that have MS; they can look at me."
He takes medication daily and stays as physically active as he can.
"I'm blessed," Walker said. "God's given me a lot of gifts. It's great to be able to use them every day. And it just makes you appreciate every day. I golf a lot; try to stay active."
The big thing he said is not to get overheated, since heat makes his symptoms flare up. "It just makes your fingers and toes tingle, and sometimes that's not so bad," he said with a laugh.
Walker, who will release his first Christmas album this month, says he wants his recovery to inspire others.
"I just hope that people can look at me, and whatever they have, whatever disease they have, they can say, 'You know, I can get better.'"
Walker's seventh album, "Say No More," follows four platinum albums, two gold albums, and 11 No. 1 country singles and tracks.
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Toby Keith to Keep Horse Racing
Thu Sep 5, 6:50 AM ET
By The Associated Press
RUIDOSO DOWNS, N.M. (AP) - His horse finished last in the $2 million All American Futurity, but country music star Toby Keith isn't going to pull back on his venture into quarter horse racing.
"You can't catch any fish if you don't have your bait in the water," Keith said as he waited to watch his 2-year-old colt, The Down Side, run in the futurity.
Keith, Ruidoso Downs owner R.D. Hubbard and Texas businessman John T.L. Jones teamed up to buy several yearling quarter horses at a sale in Ruidoso last year.
The Down Side was fast enough to qualify for the All American, the quarter horse industry's version of the Kentucky Derby.
"For the last six or seven years, I've been heavily involved in the thoroughbred business," Keith said. "This is my first quarter horse thing to be involved with. We get in a partnership, buy six or seven horses and one of them qualifies for the All American."
The Down Side, purchased by Keith and his partners for $47,000, broke ninth in the 10-horse field in the 440-yard race Monday and was never a contender.
Keith and his partners will try again next year. The trio bought three more yearlings at this year's Ruidoso Select Sale.
"We're here to have fun and enjoy the atmosphere and support horse racing," the 41-year-old singer said.
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Dixie Chick Wants to Be 'Idol' Judge
Wed Sep 4,10:51 PM ET
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Now that Kelly Clarkson has captured the "American Idol" crown, she might want to include Dixie Chick Natalie Maines in her thank yous.
Maines, the Grammy-winning country trio's lead singer, told The Associated Press she's been a fan of Clarkson since the Fox TV series began.
"I knew from the first episode that Kelly was the best one on there," Maines said Wednesday. "She had it from the beginning.
"I like that she doesn't look like she's trying too hard ... her pitch is always on."
The televised talent contest began with 10,000 contestants, and has been the summer's most popular new program. On Wednesday night, it came down to two wannabe pop stars: the 20-year-old Clarkson of Burleson, Texas, and 23-year-old Justin Guarini of Doylestown, Pa.
After more than 15 million telephone votes were cast by viewers, Clarkson beat the big-haired crooner.
Maines, a fellow Texan, is such a fan of the show, she said she'd love to be a judge if it returns for a second season.
"They should watch out for me, I'd be more ruthless than Simon," the 27-year-old singer said, referring to the show's snide judge, Simon Cowell. Cowell has gotten into verbal battles not with only the contestants, but with fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
"Paula Abdul would really hate me!" Maines joked.
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Dixie Chicks Knock Eminem Off Top
Wed Sep 4, 1:17 PM ET
By The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - It took three Dixie Chicks to knock one bad-boy rapper off the top of the album chart.
The country trio debuted at No. 1 with their latest album, "Home," selling nearly 780,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures released Wednesday. Eminem ( news - web sites)'s "The Eminem Show" fell to No. 2, but has sold about 5.4 million copies since its release in late May.
"I just heard what we sold and I'm still a little stunned," Dixie Chick Natalie Maines told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I feel extra lucky on this record that people are liking it and loving it."
Maines says she planned to celebrate with the other Chicks, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire, when they met up later Wednesday in Los Angeles.
"I'm sure we'll open a bottle of champagne, and Emily will have a bottle of sparkling cider," she said. (Robison is pregnant with her first child.)
In other chart news, "Rush of Blood to the Head," the second album from the British alternative group Coldplay, entered the chart at No. 5, with nearly 141,000 copies sold.
Rapper Eve came in sixth place for the week, selling about 123,000 copies of her new disc, "Eve-Olution."
And Jimmy Fallon's comedy disc "The Bathroom Wall," which includes songs and bits of his standup routine, debuted at No. 47 with about 26,000 copies sold.
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Nickel Creek Makes New Acoustic Album
Wed Sep 4,12:01 PM ET
By JIM PATTERSON, Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Poised for a commercial breakthrough, bluegrass-based trio Nickel Creek chose to record a quirky album likely to perplex as many listeners as it delights.
The young acoustic band sold more than a half-million of its critically acclaimed 2000 album, "Nickel Creek," with the help of Country Music Television, which constantly played Nickel Creek's music videos. But radio play on country stations — the thing that helps sells millions of albums — was spotty.
To fix that, some bands would hire a producer hip to what radio programmers want and record a batch of simple love songs from Nashville's songwriting industry. They would hire a drummer, de-emphasize the fiddle and mandolin, and make more videos featuring the band's looks. Then, they'd sit back and cash the checks.
Nickel Creek didn't do that on their new album, "This Side" (Sugar Hill Records).
"I think there was the thought that we were going to put out something very digestible for radio," said fiddle player Sara Watkins, 21. "Where's the fun in that? That's what everybody does. The minute you try and make any kind of music that's designed to sell, you've lost."
The group's progressive grass-roots sound is rounded out by Watkins' 25-year-old brother Sean (guitar) and mandolinist Chris Thile, 21, a former child prodigy. They all sing and write songs.
Their range of musical influences (classical, jazz, pop and bluegrass) shines on "This Side," an alternately exhilarating, somewhat precious, innovative album. Produced by bluegrass folk artist Alison Krauss, it's impossible to categorize.
Instead of drums, tape loops of acoustic instruments help set the rhythms. Fast-paced bluegrass picking is banished. The lyrics are personal, and sometimes elliptical. Pop song melodies that veer on psychedelia drift by, and jarring bursts of string sections quickly muscle in and out of the arrangements.
Sean Watkins said some Nashville executives counseled him to slow down the experimentation to find a niche to "bring the public along."
"They say that you kind of have to bring your own level down so people can understand you," he said. "If the industry was not so ... condescending toward the audience, maybe we wouldn't be listening to trash right now. Maybe we'd be listening to really great music like ... The Beatles or something. It's so depressing right now."
Nickel Creek began playing together more than a decade ago at a pizza joint near their San Diego homes. All developed into prizewinning bluegrass instrumentalists, and as a band won the Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Band Championship in 1994.
Though they put out a children's album, "Little Cowpoke," the band considers "Nickel Creek" its debut. The combination of killer musical chops, pop song sensibilities and youthful appeal earned the group sales of more than 600,000.
"Before, we didn't think that we had an audience except for people who would come to our shows at bluegrass festivals," Thile said. "Now all of a sudden I can see a big, giant, half-a-million people audience out there. That's really exciting. And, of course, it's a big responsibility, and there are expectations being placed on us."
Nickel Creek manager John Peets said he encouraged the band to forget those expectations while recording "This Side."
"They're growing up in the music world with ears open to everything," Peets said. "The best thing you can do is let that creativity blossom in the studio, and keep it insulated from the other factors that go on in the music business."
Peets said Nickel Creek is "not a broad-stroke band," so he approaches each market separately. He targets country stations in some cities, alternative rock or bluegrass stations in others.
The approach appears to work. "This Side" sold more than 50,000 in its first week (Aug. 13), and earned a No. 2 spot on the Billboard country album chart and No. 18 on the overall album chart.
"The beauty of this band is that all we've got to do is get them in front of a music-loving audience," Peets said. "It doesn't matter if they play with Ralph Stanley or Dave Matthews. They will win in both of those situations."
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W.Va. to Host Hank Williams Tribute
Wed Sep 4, 8:49 AM ET
By The Associated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. (AP) - A fan of Hank Williams Sr. has received permission from Fayette County commissioners to use the Memorial Building for a New Year's Eve tribute to the country music star.
Ralph Moore of Lineville, Ala., told commissioners in a letter that he wants to hold a concert in memory of Williams "to show the world we still love him."
The commissioners agreed last week that Moore could use the Memorial Building for a fee if he had liability insurance and paid for a custodian.
Williams was found dead in the back seat of his Cadillac when his driver pulled into a gas station in Oak Hill on New Year's Day 1953.
The 29-year-old singer, whose hits included "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry," was on his way to a concert in Canton, Ohio.
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Chicks Click in New 'Home'
Thu Sep 5, 3:47 AM ET
By Justin Oppelaar
NEW YORK (Variety) - The Dixie Chicks' new "Home" is at the top of the album charts, eclipsing even the most bullish sales predictions for their first release since settling their high-profile legal dustup with label Sony Music this summer.
The superstar country trio sold just under 780,000 copies of the release according to SoundScan data, defying the broader industry slump by marking their best first-week performance to date. "Home" also outsold the runner-up, Eminem ( news - web sites)'s multiplatinum "The Eminem Show" (Shady/Interscope) by a factor of four. Retailers had expected sales of the new album to drop into the 500,000 range.
But the debut numbers are only the beginning, argued Columbia Records chairman Don Ienner. He noted that the record won't be serviced to pop radio for another month, and the Chicks aren't going on tour to support it until April. The group has also taped a TV special for broadcast around Christmas to give the record a holiday-shopping boost.
"There's another two years left on this one," Ienner told Daily Variety. "We're happy we had a good week, but we're in this one for the long haul."
"Home" is the Chicks' first release on their very own joint-venture label with Columbia, Open Wide Records. The imprint came about as part of the group's settlement with Sony. The opposing sides traded suits earlier this year, with the label alleging breach-of-contract and the Chicks arguing that Sony had systematically underreported royalties.
The Chicks' last two albums, 1999's "Fly" and the 1998 release "Wide Open Spaces" have gone 10-times and 11-times platinum, respectively, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America.
The second-best debut of the week was "A Rush of Blood to the Head" (Capitol), the sophomore effort from Brit-rock act Coldplay, which opened in fifth place. "Rush" shifted nearly 141,000 discs, a substantial leg up from their debut, 2000's "Parachutes."
Just behind Coldplay in a debut-heavy week -- mainly to move releases away from the week of Sept. 11 -- was Philly-born R&B songstress Eve, who landed at sixth with "Eve-olution" (Interscope). The Ruff Ryders crew alumna sold 123,000 copies of her third disc, which includes guest spots from Alicia Keys, Truth Hurts and Jadakiss.
Other first-timers making the top 20 included "Undaground Legend" (Loud/Columbia) from gangsta rapper Lil' Flip at 12, "Diamond Princess" (Atlantic) from rap diva Trina at 14, and "Songs For the Deaf" (Interscope) from Queens of the Stone Age at 17.
A number of returning acts enjoyed a boost from kudos and/or performances on last week's MTV Video Music Awards. Leading the pack was second-place finisher Eminem, who took home four awards including video of the year and subsequently got a 2% bump.
Teenage rocker Avril Lavigne, who both performed and took home best new artist honors, took far better advantage of the publicity. Lavigne's debut "Let Go" (Arista) held fast in third place, but boosted sales by more than 16% to 150,000 records.
Singer Pink, who got two awards and performed her single "Just Like A Pill," saw sales of her 2001 release "Missundaztood" (Arista) rise 12% to 58,000.
And Australian rock act the Vines increased sales of "Highly Evolved" (Capitol) by a healthy 31% to 34,000 -- jumping seven places to 33 in the process -- after performing "Get Free." Their Battle of the Bands-style rivals on the show, the Hives, also got a bump: "Veni Vidi Vicious" (Warner Bros.) gained 14 spots to 90 as sales climbed by 38% to 15,000.
Even metal act P.O.D., which was nominated for six awards but shut out at the podium, reaped the benefits of VMA buzz. The group's latest effort "Satellite" (Atlantic) more than doubled sales in the latest frame to 30,000, and leapt 48 spots to No. 36.
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Dixie Chicks fly high again with No. 1 U.S. album
Wed Sep 4, 4:03 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Dixie Chicks are making themselves at home on the top rung of the U.S. pop album charts.
The female country trio scored their second consecutive No. 1 album Wednesday as their latest release, "Home," smashed sales records in its first week, the group's publicist said.
"Home" sold almost 780,000 units in the week ended Sept. 1, the highest tally in the history of the group's Columbia Records label, a unit of Sony Corp ( news - web sites).
Additionally, the figure is the highest recorded by any female group in the 10 years that the charts have been drawn from point-of-sale data compiled by tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan.
The Texas-based group comprises singer Natalie Maines, 27; fiddle player Martie Maguire, 32; and Maguire's sister, dobro and banjo player Emily Robison, 30.
"They're absolutely thrilled," Dixie Chicks manager Simon Renshaw told Reuters. "I made sure they were all sitting down before I told them."
The first-week sales also dwarf those of the group's previous album, "Fly," which debuted at No. 1 in September 1999 with 341,000 units. That album has since been certified for shipments in excess of 10 million units. With "Home," the Dixie Chicks become the only country group and the only female country group to have two No. 1 debuts on the album charts.
The trio's major-label debut, "Wide Open Spaces," peaked at No. 4 in February 1999, a year after its low-profile release, and it has since shipped more than 11 million units.
Renshaw said the opening tally for "Home" was a vindication of "some huge risks" the Dixie Chicks have taken in the past two years: they battled Columbia in a high-profile contract dispute, and made some creative and artistic changes with the new record.
"When you see how the public has responded to the record in terms of its sales and you see how the media have responded to the record in terms of the reviews, that to me is the biggest reward," Renshaw said.
"Home" marks the first release on the Dixie Chicks' own Columbia-based imprint, Open Wide Records, which was formed as part of a confidential contract dispute settlement with Columbia. The Dixie Chicks sought to quit the label last year claiming they were being ripped off, while Columbia countered that it was owed five more albums.
The first single from "Home," "Long Time Gone," peaked at No. 13 on the pop singles charts. The group has just released the follow-up single, "Landslide," a bluegrass-tinged version of the 1975 Fleetwood Mac ballad.
The previous week's album chart champion, Eminem ( news - web sites)'s "The Eminem Show," fell to No. 2, while Canadian teen pop star Avril Lavigne held steady at No. 3 with her debut "Let Go."
Acclaimed English rock band Coldplay debuted at No. 5 with its sophomore release, "A Rush of Blood to the Head." Reuters/Variety
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The Dixie Chicks' Nerves Are Calmed With Huge Album Success
09/05/2002
The Dixie Chicks have made another mark in the history books, as their Home album made its debut at Number One on both Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and the Billboard 200. The trio's sales of more than 700,000 copies of their latest album in its first week of release set the record for the greatest first-week sales for any female country artist and any country group in the history of Soundscan.
Before the album's release, the Chicks were a bit apprehensive about how fans would react to the change in sound of Home compared to their first two albums. Martie Maguire told LAUNCH, "I think I was a little bit nervous about just maybe losing the younger audience because it's not as in your face and stuff as our other records, but I think they'll, the ones that come with us, you know...I think a lot of them will and grow with us as we grow 'cause we can't stay the same."
The Chicks' brand-new single, "Landslide," sits at Number 24 this week on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in only its second week of release.
-- Nancy Brooks, Nashville
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Pam Tillis Tribute To Famous Father Sees Release
09/05/2002
Pam Tillis's album tribute to her father, Mel Tillis, was released Tuesday (September 3). It's All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis is something the singer says she has talked about doing for years and finally managed to work into her busy schedule. The album includes 13 songs written by Mel throughout the course of his career.
According to Tillis, her decision to pay tribute to one of her biggest musical heroes was a no-brainer. "A lot of artists have paid homage to their roots and cut some of their favorite old songs. With me, it just happened to be kind of built in," she says.
The project features guest appearances by Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Delbert McClinton, Marty Stuart, the Jordanaires and Tillis's famous father, to name a few. Tillis tells us how she rounded up such a stellar lineup. "They're all people that I love professionally, and some of 'em are really good friends, too. They love the idea of the project and they're like, 'Oh, yeah, yeah, gotta do that!' I mean, there were a lot of other people on my list, but we could only work it out to get so many," she says.
The first single from It's All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis is "Unmitigated Gall," which was written by Mel in 1966.
-- Margy Holland, Nashville
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The Dixie Chicks Find A 'Home' Atop The Album Chart
09/04/2002
The Dixie Chicks' third album, Home, debuts on top of the Billboard 200 this week after selling nearly 780,000 copies, marking the highest opening-week sales of any female group in the Soundscan era. Home also achieved the highest first-week sales of any album in Columbia Records history.
In addition, Home set the record for the greatest first-week sales for any female country artist and any country group, breaking the Dixie Chicks' own previously held record in both categories. The last Dixie Chicks album, Fly, debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200 in September of 1999 with first week sales of more than 341,000 copies. The Dixie Chicks are now the only country group and the only female group in the Soundscan era to have had two Number One debuts on the Billboard 200.
Meanwhile, Eminem's The Eminem Show is at Number Two, Avril Lavigne's Let Go is at Number Three, and Nelly's Nellyville is at Number Four. Coldplay scores the second highest debut of the week with its second album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, which lands at Number Five on sales of nearly 141,000 units.
Eve's Eve-olution bows at Number Six after selling some 123,000 copies. Bruce Springsteen's The Rising is at Number Seven, and James Taylor's October Road is at Number Eight. Rounding out the top are Clipse's debut album, Lord Willin', at Number Nine, and Now That's What I Call Music, Volume 10--featuring tracks from Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Lenny Kravitz, among others--at Number 10.
Other debuts this week include Lil' Flip's Undaground Legend at Number 12, Trina's Diamond Princess at Number 14, Queens Of The Stone Age's Songs For The Deaf at Number 17, BBMak's Into Your Head at Number 25, and Montgomery Gentry's My Town at Number 26.
-- Jason Gelman, New York
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The Dixie Chicks Reflect On 9/11
09/04/2002
As the country turns its attention to the one-year anniversary of the tragedies of September 11 next Wednesday (September 11), the Dixie Chicks remember that sad day. Martie Maguire shared with LAUNCH, "I'll never forget that day and definitely on the day of the anniversary, I don't wanna do anything else, I just wanna think about...meditate about what happened, because it's easy to get on with your life and try to be a positive-thinking person and not be overwhelmed with sadness and anger and all those emotions. But, I definitely want to give my mind time and my emotions time to really think about what has happened and feel it, not just move past it."
Maguire's sister and Chick mate, Emily Robison, reflects on that day with her focus toward the future and her unborn baby boy. She told LAUNCH, "I think of it more in terms of, you know, as we bring children into this world, more about what kind of world they're coming into, more than about me necessarily like, 'What is going on?' It's a little scary."
The Chicks will be spending September 11 at their respective homes in Texas.
-- Nancy Brooks, Nashville
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Tim McGraw Gears Up For A Busy November
09/04/2002
As Tim McGraw's latest single, "Unbroken," hits the Number One spot on Billboard's Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart this week, the singer is gearing up to film his first network (NBC) TV special in his hometown of Stuart, Louisiana on Saturday (September 7). The special will hit TV in November, just as McGraw's brand-new album hits the streets on November 26.
With millions of albums now sold worldwide, McGraw is very much a superstar, but the singer can still remember not so long ago when he was a struggling artist wishing for just one hit. He told LAUNCH, "I remember after the first record we were sitting on the bus with the band thinking, 'You know if we could just get a record in the top 30, then at least we could go out and play clubs every night and make a living at this for the next 10, 15 years 'til we get too old to do it.'"
McGraw will also be releasing a book he wrote about his life on the road and the making of his forthcoming album on November 26. At press time, the title for the book and the album is still pending.
The first single release from the new work will be a song called "Red Ragtop," which will hit radio later this month.
-- Nancy Brooks, Nashville
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OT: 101 NUMBER ONE HIT RECORDS, A TRUE & SAD STORY!
I have a decent collection of tunes and a good section of this collection is of the ‘oldies but goodies’. As with most of my collection, being a cheap skate I have a lot of the ‘Greatest Hits', 'Various Hits' & 'Compiled Collections'.
The greatest compiled hits collection of oldies that I have ever owned was a 4 CD set by "The Beautiful Music Company" (BMC) called the "101 NUMBER ONE HIT RECORDS".
A friend had asked to borrow some music for an oldies birthday party and so she borrowed 32 CD's from me, I made a list and asked her to make sure she checked the list to make sure it complete before returning from CA where the party was.
You Guessed It!!! My ex-friend came back with all but two CD's, that's right!!! She came back with only two of the 4 CD set that was my favorite set of course!
I am hoping that someone out on this board might have this set or perhaps know where I might acquire it again. I have looked all over and have not to this date had any luck. I miss them very much and would truly like to find them again. I have listed them here including the tracks on the two CD’s that I still have, you can see how good of a compiled set they it is/was.
101 NUMBER ONE HIT RECORDS by The Beautiful Music Company (BMC)
DISC ONE:
THE GREAT PRETENDER
RUNAWAY
LIGHTIN’ STRIKES
MAGGIE MAE
TOSSIN & TURNIN’
YOU’RE SOUL & INSPIRATION
IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE
DON’T BREAK THE HEART THAT LOVES YOU
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GAME
THIS DIAMOND RING
NA NA HEY HEY KISS HIM GOODBYE
MY BOYFRIENDS BACK
WILL YOU LOVE TOMORROW
PARTY DOLL
LITTLE STAR
KANAS CITY
HONEYCOMB
BLUE MOON
PEPERMINT TWIST
CANDYMAN
ALLEY OOP
LET’S STAY TOGETHER
TEQUILA
OH GIRL
SOLDIOR BOY
DISC TWO:
MONDAY, MONDAY
MY GUY
YAKETY YAK
REACH OUT, I’LL BE THERE
TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY
SHEILA
STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE
CATHY’S CLOWN
I GOT YOU BABE
CHERISH
GOOD LOVIN’
I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
DIANA
YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE
OUR DAY WILL COME
(SITTIN’) ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY
I CAN’T HEL MYSELF (SUGAR PIE HONEY BUNCH)
KNOCK THREE TIMES
TIGHTEN UP
WEDDING BELLS BLUES
STAY
WHY
SOMEDAY WE’LL BE TOGETHER
ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM
AT THE HOP
DOWNTOWN
Note: Sorry For The Multiple Posts! I have posted on all music threads here on IH.
Now I Only Loan What I Have Burned!!!
Onebgg
Yup! Elvis was a little bit COUNTRY!
And a little bit ROCK and ROLL! (and more!)
It's a Tribute To ELVIS PRESLEY Weekend!
All this weekend, right here on IHUB at the ROCK Board!
Stop by and enjoy the many songs of Elvis. Feel free to post any of your memories of Elvis or interesting links about him, serious or funny!
Don't miss out on all the fun! Join us now!.....
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[Suppressed Sound Link]
That's Great Original. Friends In Low Places (Garth Brooks) is perfect!
Thanks!
Colt
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David Lee Murphy
David Lee found the "Party Crowd" he was looking for in 1995, when his sing-along party anthem captured the imagination of the country crowd. With four hits now-- "Party Crowd," which Radio & Records magazine dubbed the “most played song of 1995”, the follow-up #1 smash Dust On the Bottle, his 1994 debut, Just Once, and now The Road You Leave Behind has cracked the Top 10 on the Crook & Chase Country Countdown -- David Lee has set himself apart from the crowd of new country singers. His upbeat, energetic attitude is built on a solid, serious songwriting foundation that makes his music memorable for what it says as well as for how it makes you feel.
David Lee arrived in Nashville in 1983. From the first day, he tried to win recognition as a songwriter. He moved from club to club, building his reputation. His first major artist cut was “Red Roses Won’t Work Now” by Reba McEntire in 1985. That was the first step in what he laughingly refers to as “the 10-year program” of paying dues and scratching out a living. David Lee’s goal was to perfect his songwriting art so that he could write songs for himself to record. By the fall of 1994, he was too strong to hold back, signing a deal with MCA.
His album, Out With A Bang, is filled with what he calls "Saturday - night - in - the - pickup - truck - with - the - windows - rolled - down - having - a - good - time - party music." Honky tonks and pickup trucks provide the backdrops, but the songs run much deeper than that. The man looking for the "Party Crowd," for example, is not really the happy guy the title might suggest. "Just Once" and "Out With A Bang" are more than come-on invitations; they make strong statements about living life to its fullest.
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MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY
THE HORSE LEGENDS ALBUM
"Riding horses and ranching have always been among the greatest pleasurable activities in my life, so I dedicated an entire album to the music of one of the world's most-remarkable creatures," states Michael Martin Murphey. "Throughout history the horse has been a serious force in shaping humankind. This is celebrated in thousands of years of legends, stories, ancient and modern art, poetry, films and songs. This is my tribute. I call it The Horse Legends."
Murphey -- writer, singer, instrumentalist, actor, filmmaker, cowboy/rancher and scholar in Western studies (adjunct professor at Utah State University) -- is today's leading cowboy music singer and representative of the culture of the American West. His legacy -- albums, concerts, WestFest outdoor festivals, film and television productions, Western books-on-tape, musical performances on horseback at rodeos, and environmentally-friendly ranching -- has made him the most honored champion of the American West today. Both an Academy of Country Music award winner and National Cowboy Hall of Fame four-time award winner, Murphey is the consummate Western entertainer.
"The idea behind the world throughout history, but because my orientation is to the Western United States, most of the songs are set here," explains Murphey. "I tried to cover many different situations with horses -- people moving West in the 1800s, special breeds, the relationship of children and ponies, the Native American vision, horse-racing both 150 years ago and today, the general popularity of riding quarter horses, and, of course, cowboys and their mounts album is to pay tribute to all types of horses from all over.
The Horse Legends on Warner Western contains Murphey's versions of four classic horse tunes -- Jimmie Driftwood's "Tennessee Stud" (featuring a duet with Johnny Cash), Dan Fogelberg's "Run For the Roses," Gordon Lightfoot's "The Pony Man" and Jeff Hawthorne Bullock's "Ponies." Murphey's own classic, the top pop hit "Wildfire," is included in a new, mostly acoustic version. The remaining five compositions also are Murphey originals including the crowd-pleasing concert favorites "Running Shadow" and "The Running Blood."
The Horse Legends is an album for the millions of people in the world who love horses, for both occasional and avid riders, for the person who stops his car alongside a field to watch a horse frolicking, for the fans who follow horse-racing, for anyone who read the book "Black Beauty" or watched the film "National Velvet," and for all of the cowboys keeping the Western spirit alive (on the range, in rodeos and even from urban areas). Old and new legends capture the spirit and importance of horses to our lives, now and throughout history. Michael Martin Murphey has created a monumental, magical album-length ode to humankind's close-knit relationship with the horse.
"For many millenniums people depended on horses, and horses were an integral part of our existence," Murphey explains. "Horses were our main transportation which meant they were essential for communication, exploration, trading, war, and the migration of large groups of people to new territories. Humans have always paid tribute to horses. Cavemen painted horses on cave walls, the Pegasus was a part of Greek mythology, the tales of 'A Thousand and One Nights' and the Knights of the Round Table both included horses, and every great emperor or military hero tended to have a horse associated with him."
Murphey, who was born and raised in Texas, began riding horses on his grandfather's and uncle's ranches when he was six-years-old. From his cousin, who was a horse and cow veterinarian, Michael learned about a horse's quality based on physical characteristics. Michael did a lot of riding at the Sky Ranch in Lewisville, Texas, where he spent his summers as both a camper and then a counselor. On his families' ranches, he first heard cowboy songs sung by the ranch-hands and at the Sky Ranch Michael began singing cowboy-and-western tunes himself around the evening campfires. Several times his parents took him on vacation to the Rocky Mountains to go on trail rides. "When I was young, I fell in love with horses, the cowboy lifestyle and Western music, and it set the course for my whole life. My dream was to have a ranch and horses when I grew up."
He went to college at North Texas State ("where I majored in jam sessions") and UCLA, where his musical career continued as a member of the folk-rock group the Lewis and Clark Expedition, named after the pioneers of the West. In 1971, he moved back to Texas and sparked the burgeoning Austin music scene and the famed Outlaw movement that led to a revolutionary country-rock sound. The next year he released his debut solo album and had his first hit with the title track, "Geronimo's Cadillac," which quickly turned into an anthem for the Native American rights movement. "The photo of me on the cover was taken in Oklahoma just moments after I stepped down from riding a horse." Beginning with that first album and its follow-up (Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir), Western themes have always permeated Murphey's recordings.
Michael moved to Colorado in 1973. By the mid-Seventies, Murphey was established as a major hitmaker with the pop smash "Wildfire" and the follow-up hit "Carolina in the Pines" from the Gold Album Blue Sky - Night Thunder. His next album, Swans Against the Sun, had special guests like Willie Nelson and contained the tunes "Renegade" and "Wild West Show."
Within a few years, Murphey also validated his country music credentials with such hits as "Cherokee Fiddle" and "A Mansion on the Hill." His first Number One country song, "What's Forever For," came in 1982 and was followed by such memorable hits as "Still Taking Chances," "Will It Be Love by Morning," "Disenchanted," "What She Wants," "A Long Line of Love," "I'm Gonna Miss You, Girl," "From the Word Go," "Talkin' to the Wrong Man" and "Cowboy Logic." He has had 20 Top 10 pop and country hits.
Today's best-known and best-selling cowboy singer, Murphey has released more than two dozen albums during the past 25 years. His latest recordings make up a classic "Cowboy Songs" series of albums featuring both standards from the past and hot new cowboy music. The series began at the beginning of the Nineties with Cowboy Songs which was followed by Cowboy Christmas: Cowboy Songs II, Cowboy Songs III: Rhymes of the Renegades, Sagebrush Symphony, and now The Horse Legends. Murphey also has begun a series of spoken-word recordings featuring him reading classic, non-fiction of the West accompanied by his musical scores.
In 1978, Murphey became a rancher in Taos, Red River and Jal, New Mexico, where he started a horse and cattle operation, the Rocking 3M Brand Ranching Company. "When it's time to round up the cattle every year, you have to get up on a horse and go out and find them. Everyone in the county there helps out. The riding, the branding work, the chuck-wagon, campfires and ranch suppers are a time of reuniting with friends, reconnecting to nature and remembering our Western cultural heritage."
In the Eighties, his son entered the world of show horses giving Michael firsthand experience in this popular pastime. In 1986, when the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), one of the largest horse groups in the world, celebrated their Fiftieth Anniversary, Murphey was chosen to be a spokesperson for the organization. His commitment to the group during the following decade led to his being made a "Lifetime Member" in 1996, an honor awarded to only a half-dozen others in the previous 60 years. To help raise funds for the AQHA, Murphey allowed them to exclusively market The Horse Legends album (under the title America's Horses) for a year before releasing the music to the general public.
For the past decade, Murphey has been performing some of his concerts from horseback. After a year of training and rehearsing, he did his first horseback concert (using cordless microphones for his singing and his acoustic guitar) at the New Mexico State Fair in front of 15,000 people. Murphey also was one of the first entertainers to ever perform music in the main arena at the National Finals Rodeo. Some of his most memorable shows have been at the World Quarter Horse Show in Oklahoma City, the Houston Livestock Show in the Astrodome (two shows per day with 40,000 at each show), and the National Western Stock Show in Denver.
Murphey has used horses in many of his music videos ("Cowboy Logic," "Big Iron") and TV specials (a TNN show on a "Cattle Drive and Musical Trail Ride" in 1992 with Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Randy Travis and Holly Dunn; and a TNN special on Murphey's Colorado WestFest in 1995). Riding horses also played a part in Murphey's appearance on a nationally-syndicated television show when he had a guest-starring role (that he created) with "Lonesome Dove: The Series" in which he played a guitar-playing, singing cowboy and Pinkerton detective. In addition, he has narrated and scored documentaries such as "Great Ranches of the West" for PBS and "Cowboys of the Americas" which aired on The Disney Channel.
During the past decade, horses also have been part of Michael Martin Murphey's WestFest -- a celebration of the art, culture and music of the Old and New West. This traveling festival, a modern-day version of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show, not only features cowboys, Indians, mountain men, art and crafts exhibits, western food and great music, but also horseback trail rides and campfire concerts in close-by wilderness areas.
"When people see a horse running, it fires up their imagination," says Murphey. "A horse is a symbol of freedom. For the past two hundred years in America, we have used horses to herd cattle and that's how the cowboy was born. Now, of course, cowboys and horses are intrinsically linked, and are both a big part of the Western experience representing much of what is best about the culture of the West -- wide open spaces, personal freedom, hard work and a closeness to nature.
"I hope that when people listen to The Horse Legends album, they get a feeling for the scenery, spirit and lifestyle of the West, and the part that horses play in it. Each song is like a short story about a particular horse or type of horse. These are some of their many legends. Getting out in open country while riding a horse is one of my favorite things in life. Music is another. With this album, I was fortunate enough to be able to use one thing I love to celebrate another."
(Previous Bio Information Follows)
On Cowboy Songs III - Rhymes of the Renegades, Michael Martin Murphey puts on his black hat, pulls up his bandanna, takes aim and blows a few big holes in the Hollywood myth about Old West outlaws and gunfighters.
In a follow-up to his acclaimed Cowboy Songs I and Cowboy Songs II - Cowboy Christmas albums, Murphey moves away from songs about working cowboys and ranchers to focus on the lives of infamous Western outlaws. By blending traditional folk ballads with original songs, he gallops beyond the fictional fables and sticks a spur in the old legends, he examines the true tales of these celebrated men and women and delves into the culture, social climate and political forces that shaped their lives.
“When I did the first two albums, I was determined not to deal with guns and robberies and stage coaches and Indian fights, because those are the clichés of the Old West,” Murphey explains. “But as I was doing my research, I found out that the real stories behind these famous outlaws are absolutely more fantastic than the myths that have been created.”
Eventually, Murphey discovered that the old, traditional ballads tended to stick closer to the truth than the superficial stories passed along in movies, books and magazines.
“I finally came to the conclusion that I wanted to create an album that put people like Frank and Jesse James, Billy the Kid and Belle Starr in the right context,” Murphey explains. “Hollywood made up this image of a cowboy with a six shooter strapped to his hip. The truth is, there were plenty of working ranchers and cowboys who never owned a gun. The movies and the dime-store novels distorted the lives of real people to create mythological legends. They took out the human quality. The old ballads, I discovered, better represent the character of these people than most of the films. They come closer to telling the real story, and they include the element of tragedy that was part of all these outlaws’ lives. I thought that needed to be brought out.”
The result, Cowboy Songs III- Rhymes of the Renegades, is the third in a series of albums spotlighting traditional Western music, continuing a project that the veteran Southwestern artist calls “my most deeply heartfelt work.” A ranch owner in Taos, New Mexico, since 1978, Murphey calls his cowboy trilogy “the music of my people, my land, my culture and my own life.”
The album features many beloved American folk music standards, including “Birmingham Jail,” “Streets of Laredo,” “Prisoner’s Song,” “Strawberry Roan,” “Ghost Riders” and such outlaw classics as “Billy the Kid,” Jesse James,” “Cole Younger” and “Sam Bass.” (Almost all of the outlaw songs were written in the 1800’s with a few exceptions like “Belle Starr”.)
An album of Western outlaw music wouldn’t be complete without a song by the late Marty Robbins, and Cowboy Songs III - Rhymes of the Renegades allowed Murphey the opportunity to realize a dream of a lifetime.
In researching the song possibilities of the Robbins’ catalog, Murphey discovered that Robbins was among the first artists in Nashville and in country music to utilize multi-track recording. While Cowboy Songs III - Rhymes of the Renegades does include Murphey’s own revamped version of Robbins’ classic “El Paso,” it also presented the chance to record a duet with his idol on Robbins’ famous gunfighter ballad, “Big Iron” (a 1960 country hit).
“That was probably the greatest honor I’ve been afforded in my life,” Murphey says of the hi-tech duet. “To be able to sing a duet, albeit posthumously, with my hero Marty Robbins. I think he was the greatest country singer and one of the greatest pop singers ever. He came from Arizona, and he brought with him to Nashville what is essentially a Southern City, at a time when most people were encouraging him not to do it.”
On the original songs, in Cowboy Songs III - Rhymes of the Renegades, Murphey blends a couple of other fact-based outlaw stories (his own 7-minute epic “Belle Starr” and Hal Ketchum’s wistful “Frank James’ Farewell”) with several other songs that confer a more general feel for the Old West lifestyle.
“The traditional songs are very old-fashioned in their phraseology, and they’re poetic and so linear in how they tell a story,” Murphey says. “I thought the contemporary stuff should offer more of a psychological view.” These range from the wise advice an old bandito gives a lovestruck young man on “Roses and Thorns” to the boot-scootin’ fun-lovin-romp of “The West is Gonna Get Wilder” to the poignantly pensive “Queen of Heartaches.” In all, Cowboys Songs III - Rhymes of the Renegades is a powerful continuation of the series that Murphey began when he issued the critically acclaimed, and commercially successful Cowboy Songs in 1990. That album was the culmination of three years of research on the Old West. For Murphey, the experience turned to music and history of the American Frontier into primary focus of his creative life.
His activities are multi-dimensional. His highly popular Westfest events spotlight the music, art and culture of both the Old and New West; he is chairman of the National Indian Education Association; he is on the board of annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering; he is a part of the Holistic Resource Management Institute, which encourages environmentally sound ranching; he has received the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Governor’s Award for his role as a spokesman for agriculture; and his two previous cowboy albums have received the Heritage Award of the Cowboy Hall of Fame. “Researching the West has totally changed my life,” Murphey says. “I would encourage everyone that, if they ever got a chance to look into their roots of their history, do it. You’ll walk away with a changed view of the society you live in today.”
Murphey, throughout his career, has displayed his affinity for the Old and New West. He first began entertaining while sitting around a campfire at the Sky Ranch in Lewisville, Texas, where he performed old cowboy songs. While attending UCLA , he was a member of the folk-rock group the Lewis and Clark Expedition, named after the pioneers of the West.
In 1971, he moved back to Texas and joined the burgeoning Austin Music scene, which engendered the famed Outlaw movement that revolutionized country music and impacted rock music throughout the 1970’s. Murphey’s first hit, 1972’s “Geronimo’s Cadillac,” quickly turned into an anthem for the Indian rights movement and made his a central figure in the Austin scene.
It was three years and three albums later that Murphey established himself as a major hitmaker with the Top 10 smash “Wildfire” and the follow-up hit, “Carolina in the Pines.” Within years, he also validated his country credentials with such hits as “Cherokee Fiddle” and “A Mansion on the Hill.”
His first Number One country song, “What’s Forever For,” came in 1982 and has been followed by such memorable hits as “Still Taking Chances,” “Disenchanted,” “Will it be Love by Morning,” “What She Wants,” “A Long Line of Love,” “I’m Gonna Miss You Girl,” “Never Givin Up,” “Talkin’ to the Wrong Man,” “From the Word Go” and “Cowboy Logic.”
However, Murphey has always been determined to reach those listeners who yearn to reach beyond the current hits and find music that taps into a deeper part of the soul. “I think the sales of my cowboy albums prove there is a hunger out there for history and roots and analysis of who we are and what we are all about,” he says. “These albums didn’t make it because of hit records on the radio. There are hundreds of thousands of people out there who seek out music that strikes them on a deep level. Those are the people who I want to connect with.”
PERSONAL:
Born March 14, 1945, in Dallas, Texas
Education North Texas State University, studying Humanities UCLA, BA in Creative Writing
Family Life Long-married to the lovely Mary Maciukus, once a Wilhelmina model.
Home They reside in Taos, New Mexico with their children.
Attributes 5’9” tall
155 pounds
Blonde hair
Blue eyes
Hobbies likes to ride horses, snowshoe, run, or read.
Current Proj working on his first book for publication.
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Anne Murray
For almost as long as there has been a viable music industry in Canada, there has been Anne Murray. She was arguably the country's first popular musical artist whose fame transcended the country's national borders.
Her tremendous success paved the way for future female Canadian performers like k.d. lang, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and Alanis Morissette. But Anne Murray is far more than just a Canadian icon. For people around the world, Anne's unique voice and signature songs have been woven into the soundtracks of our lives - in our homes, our places of work, even at our weddings. Fans around the world have embraced her as an internationally acclaimed performer of the highest calibre, a claim validated by an impressive list of recognitions and awards.
Morna Anne Murray was born on June 20, 1945 in the small coal-mining town of Springhill, Nova Scotia. Her father, James Carson Murray, was a physician and her mother Marion, was a registered nurse who chose to focus her life on raising her family.
Anne learned her characteristic determination and perseverance from them, and growing up surrounded by five brothers - David, Daniel, Harold, Stewart and Bruce!
"I often think that perhaps the reason I became a successful singer was that as a kid I could never do anything as well as my brothers. I wanted to do something better than they did." Like most teenagers, Anne loved music. It was the age of rock 'n roll, and she'd sing along with favorites like Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin and Connie Francis. But unlike most others her own age, Anne's exposure to music extended far beyond rock to a wide variety of other music styles, including the classics, country, gospel, folk, even her parents', Patti Page, Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney albums. She loved them all. .
Anne studied piano for six years, and at 15 began taking classical voice lessons. Every Saturday morning for two years, Anne would get on a bus and ride for two hours to her lesson. Then she'd visit with her grandparents until it was time to take the two-hour trip back home. Her mother recalls "I think it was grade 11, at her graduation that she sang 'Ava Maria'. Anne noticed people were crying in the audience. That's when she knew that her voice must be good." After finishing high school, Anne spent a year at Mt. Saint Vincent, a Catholic women's college in Halifax, then entered the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton to study Physical Education. Her studies didn't diminish her passion for music, and in her second year at university, her friends managed to convince her to audition for Singalong Jubilee, a popular Canadian summer television show shot in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Anne didn't get the job, since there were already enough altos in the cast, but she did make an impression.
Two years later co-host and associate producer Bill Langstroth tracked her down and asked her to appear on the show. She did, and at the end of the summer, began teaching high school phys- ed in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. But her first year of teaching also became her last when she was offered a spot on a television show called "Let's Go".
She decided to give show business a "try". Anne soon became a popular fixture on Singalong Jubilee, and even recorded an album with the cast from the show. The show's musical director, Brian Ahern, convinced Anne to record her first solo album in 1968. WHAT ABOUT ME was produced by Ahern and released on tiny Arc Records - one of Canada's first record labels. A year later Anne signed with Capitol Records, and in the fall of 1969 released THIS IS MY WAY, her first album on the Capitol label. It was this album that produced her first breakthrough hit single, "Snowbird", and the first time in history that an American gold record was awarded to a solo Canadian female.
Did you know?
- Anne's favorite song is Please Come To Boston by Dave Loggins.
When Anne was a young teenager, she was a member of 'The Louis Prima and Keely Smith Fan Club'
Anne has sold more than 40 million albums world-wide
John Lennon told Anne, at a Grammy Awards ceremony, he regarded her version of You Won't See Me as the best cover of a Beatles song.
Anne's Father delivered 4,500 babies over 40 years!
Anne thinks the best record ever made is Good Vibrations by the the Beach Boys.
Anne has been the recipent of 31 Juno Awards!
Shoes are one of Anne's passions.
Anne's favorite singers are Dusty Springfield and Harry Nilsson.
Anne's golf handicap is 17.
Anne was Elvis Presley's favorite female singer.
ANNE MURRAY'S WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD made its world-wide television premiere Sunday, February 27, 1999.
NEWS FLASH - What A Wonderful World reached platinum sales level in Canada in December 1999. Anne and Dawn Langstroth were presented with platinum album awards by EMI Music Canada's President, Deane Cameron, at a special Christmas luncheon on December 23 in Toronto.
Anne's 31st studio album 'What A Wonderful World' was released in Canada on July 15, 1999 and in the U.S. on October 19. Produced by Tommy West (Croonin') and Anne, the two cd/cassette album features 26 songs of inspiration such as 'Lean On Me', 'Amazing Grace', 'Put A Little Love In Your Heart', 'How Great Thou Art' and a special duet with her daughter, Dawn Langstroth on 'Let There Be Love'. Anne and Tommy perform their second vocal duet (the first was True Love on Croonin') on Just A Closer Walk With Thee/Take My Hand Lord Jesus.
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Lorrie Morgan
To Get To You
Greatest Hits Collection
She sings of tears and dreams, of heartbreaks and hope never defeated. She knows all about fame, beauty, life and their oppositions.
Lorrie Morgan's to get to you - GREATEST HITS COLLECTION on BNA Records, is no sentimental journey. To profess an understanding of emotions that one has never experienced would be acting. But when Lorrie sings, she gives shape to a truth that can only be brought to life through circumstance.
With Lorrie Morgan, it's what lies beneath the surface that resonates with a luster all its own. She's given the world such considerable music that assembling a compilation of previously released treasures along with a few fresh tracks is no small task.
Lorrie's persona takes tradition and makes it accessible, fiery, and intimate. Her version of "Another Lonely Song," originally recorded by her idol Tammy Wynette and produced by the same Billy Sherrill/Norro Wilson collaboration, is a timely reminder of her wide ranging ability to make any song her own.
"I always wanted to cut a record with Norro Wilson because he makes the kind of records that made me fall in love with country music. When he asked Billy Sherrill to be a part of the session, it was truly one of the highlights of my recording career. The musicians on the date were the same ones that I had admired for years. Recording this song was a dream come true for me."
Other new treasures include the heartfelt isolation of "To Get To You" and "If I Cry" which both stand as a stark contradiction to the guilt free spirit of "Whoop-de-do," the latter being a track brimming with irony. Leave it to Lorrie to turn the table within the span of three verses and a chorus.
Whether she's reaching out for salvation, as in her stunning live rendition of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel," or allowing you to see through her eyes ("One Of Those Nights Tonight"), Lorrie takes her listeners to a personal place. "Every song I sing reflects a part of my life. The joy, the sorrow, the will to survive, it's all there in the lyrics and music." As a mother who is able to balance a career and the responsibilities of family life, she never forsakes the honesty that enders her to millions of fans. The energy of her concert performances defy the fact that she is an established superstar who, if she wanted, could coast on her reputation. Every time Lorrie Morgan steps on-stage, her passion, dedication and focus bring audiences to their feet.
Notes music writer Jay MacDonald of Country Weekly, "Supremely poised, fiercely adventurous, with a woman's strength, and a child's sense of wonder, Lorrie Morgan continues to walk her own path." And in a recent issue of Billboard, "while still very much her own woman, Lorrie Morgan is as close as any contemporary country female singer to approaching the masterful tough-but-with-a-teardrop voice of the late Tammy Wynette."
With a reverence for history and an eye on the future, Lorrie Morgan's career continues to grow. "I'm in a great place right now an I look forward to bringing my music to many more people for the rest of my life."
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John Michael Montgomery
Home To You
Fan Club:
John Michael Montgomery Fan Club
P.O. Box 227
Springfield, KY 40069
Birthdate: January 20th
Married: January 8, 1996
As hard as it may be to believe when you see John Michael Montgomery on stage in the spotlight, singing any one of his many hit songs, the truth is that he's just a regular guy. Sure, he has the talent, drive, and charisma that has enabled him to sell millions of albums and play hundreds of sold-out concerts. But for all his success, John Michael is really no different than he was when Atlantic Records discovered him singing in the Austin CitySaloon in Lexington, Kentucky back in 1991.
"Pretty much what you see is what you get with me," he explains. "I'm too boring to make any headlines in the Enquirer. My life is simple. I don't get in trouble. I have good morals and values. I consider myself a good family man, and I love to make good country music. There's not a lot of surprises in my life."
In fact, the biggest surprise in his life was probably his immediate success on the release of his first album, Life's A Dance, in 1992. "1 didn't expect my first single 'Life's A Dance,' to go to number four," he recalls. "And then my very second single went to number one for four weeks. I was expected to be on a prop plane, and found myself on a jet," he recalls.
But even after scoring 14 number one singles, selling over 14 million albums and receiving numerous industry and fan-voted awards, including the Country Music Association's prestigious Horizon Award in 1994, John Michael remains the good ole Kentucky boy who grew up playing guitar and singing in his parent's country music band. "1 always wanted to just get on stage and sing and make music, and entertain people," he says. "Everybody who does that would like to be able to make hit records and be on radio. But music still provided me a way of life even when I was in the nightclubs."
"Of course, if you get successful at it and become a country music star, life gets even better. But my number one goal is still to make music, and get on stage and see those crowds pile in there to see me sing. I try not to get wrapped up in the hype and the money and all that stuff. It's easy to be consumed by that. But I try to stay focused on the music, and the people out there who are buying my records and coming to my concerts."
John Michael's focus on great songs that are sure to satisfy his fans is refined even further on his seventh album, Home To You, which finds him working with legendary Nashville producer Garth Fundis. "I've always wanted him to produce an album for me, but he always had other obligations. I've listened to his productions for years, because he did a lot of Don Williams' records in the '70s, and Keith Whitley's in the '80s, and I always thought his productions were absolutely fabulous."
The result of the union is an album rich with both John Michael's heartwarming romantic balladry and his crowd-pleasing, rocking country rave-ups. "1 take pride in finding good songs for myself. And Garth's a really good song person too. So between the two of us, we came up with some great songs for the album. Our tastes were pretty close in the kind of songs we liked."
As always, John Michael offers a collection of songs that capture the ear of his fans by succinctly expressing real-life emotions and experiences. He does it by keeping himself grounded in the same sort of shoes his listeners live in every day. "When I listen to songs, I try to get in my pick-up truck and drive around. The general public doesn't get to listen to a song on big nice speakers the first time through," he notes. "The first time they hear these songs is usually on the radio in their cars."
"So I try to put myself in that situation. When I'm driving my truck and put a tape in, that song has one chance over those truck speakers to make me like it. It's kind of an instinctive thing. A song has to touch me as soon as it comes on, and grab me and pull me into it. If that happens, there's a good chance it's gonna be one of the songs I'm probably gonna cut."
"I just try to do songs that fans can relate to," he explains. "This country is built on blue-collar, hard-working folks. It's what this country stands on."
One big reason why John Michael has been so successful at capturing the imagination of everyday folks is that, for the most part, he lives his life much like the rest of us do. "I only do 60 70 dates a year in the summer, and then have the winter months to do my albums, and spend time with my family, and go hunting and fishing, and do all the things I like to do when I'm not working."
"Those six months that I'm not on the road, I'm not a country music star. I'm just a regular guy. You'll see me at Kroger, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and Winn-Dixie. You'll see me at the barber shop downtown. I especially like to go grocery shopping."
Unlike so many other country stars who make Nashville home, John Michael still lives outside of Lexington, where he was raised, spending quality time with his wife Crystal, daughter Madison Caroline, and recently-born son Walker Carl. It's a life that keeps his feet on the solid ground of reality. "I like it around here, and I grew up around here, and I know every little crack in the road and fence row," he notes. "I drive by some places, and I remember helping tear the fences down and putting 'em up. I get to reminisce a lot about back when I was young, and I was building swimming pools and cutting tobacco, all kinds of stuff. A lot of times I'll just get in my vehicle and drive around and see some of the places that haven't changed. They're the same way as when I was a kid."
"I'm a very grounded person, very level headed. I'm not the kind of person who wants to be a superstar," explains John Michael. "I don't have that kind of personality. I like making records and staying in the Top 40, and having my core of fans I've built up over the last few years who come to my shows. All I wanted to do was what I needed to become an established artist."
By keeping the home fires burning brightly, John Michael stays in touch not only with his working-class roots, but also those of his fans. And it's also a way of life that enables him to appreciate even further how lucky he is to have scaled the pinnacle of country music success. "There's times that I'll go for days, and I'll forget what I do for a living," he says with a chuckle. "I'm over in the garage messing with my remote-control airplanes, or out on the golf course, or I'm in the woods hunting, and then all of the sudden, I'll just stop and go, wow -all those things that I can do, and the things I have are because of everything that's happened to me. And when I'm back in the house, and I'm eating dinner with my wife and kids, I think about how that's really what It's all about. So I wake up every day just humbled that I have life so good," he concludes. "I work very hard to try to keep my life balanced and level, and make it the same way for my family. I never forget where I came from, and what I have will never go unappreciated."
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Montgomery Gentry
My Town
"There'll be a day, no matter who you are,
where you'll wonder if you can get through it - if you can make it 'til the next day. Knowing someone else has been there and survived it, you're able to see somebody else did it. I've been there a bunch -- and it was a buncha songs that got me through it,
whether it was rocking or Merle Haggard. Ole Keith Whitley, he got me through plenty,
And that's what you want your music to do."
- Eddie Montgomery
Montgomery Gentry have no illusions about who they - or their fans - are. It's split-rail basic music made for people working 60 hour weeks, needing that 10-20 hours of overtime to make ends meet. They're people who work hard, love hard, party hard and if life is hard, refuse to buckle under. It's that commitment to surviving that's helped the Lexington, Kentucky-based duo sell well over a million copies of their Tattoos & Scars debut and 500,000 of their follow-up Carrying On.
"There's heavy stuff in this world, man," allows Troy Gentry of the burning eyes and piercing tenor. "Me and Eddie, we're lucky. You think about what other people have gone through and maybe what some record we've made has meant to them, and it makes you realize what this music is really all about. It's not Eddie's and my music, it's theirs - and that's the way it should be."
My Town, Montgomery Gentry's eagerly anticipated third Columbia release, reflects this expanding vision of their music. With a producer switch to organic roots-master Blake Chancey - the man who helmed the Dixie Chicks full-bore rockin' acoustic attack - Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry honed their sense of sound into something broader, more focused on lives being lived and more expansive in terms of the sonicscape.
"Our sound isn't very polished and it's not really put together," admits gruff-voiced Eddie Montgomery. "When you see us live, you're seeing a bunch of friends who grew up together, listening to the same records and the same dream - and we found a way to keep going towards it.
"Figure we were kids who grew up listening to people who mastered their craft and didn't ever really worry about labels…because that's not what moves you! I just know that what we listened to, it sounded very country to me… it was very, very in-your-face country, which is why we liked it. You listen to Skynyrd or the Allmans, it's just as country as Hank Sr. in its intensity, what they were singing about."
It's hard to explain music that stands up for itself, that defends the honor of the everyday, that champions people just trying to get by. It tends, by nature, to be big, sweeping, marked by lyrics that offer dignity to the overlooked busting his butt for the scraps of the American dream.
With a muscular, guitar-driven attack, Eddie and Troy have forged a sound that's as potent as 130 proof, as driving as the last hundred miles, as powerful as those emotions that defy mere words. Listen to the ravaged loser trying to claw his way back to nothing in "Free Fall," confessing "I'm digging a hole for my dignity;" the desolate jilted man trying to outrun the memories in "Speed," explaining his need for a muscle car because "it's the kind that makes you feel stronger than you are;" or the shattered soul of "Lonesome," coping with the mocking beat of his heart in the wake of a cold divorce, and know this is music for the moments when there's nothing to say.
"Those songs remind me of mistakes I've made, or people close to me have," explains Montgomery resignedly. "Those are the things you have to live with, and they hang on, because there's nothing so loud as the sound of your heart breaking when it's your fault. And you know - as much as I love the rockin' stuff we do, there's a part of me that really loves that hardcore country."
Listen to "Break My Heart Again," the rumination on sabotaging love and happiness from a ne'er do well who wonders, "how can a lonely man, hold love right there in his hand and let it go?" and understand that the best country music is based on the inherent conflicts of the human soul. But even as the song pumps along, asking all the obvious questions in that deep dark baritone, it's obvious that this is a conflicted species - and getting by is a whole lot better than most will admit.
"You know what I like about us?" asks Gentry, when faced with the prospect of defining their place in the modern musical panorama. "We lived in the honky tonks… We lived there, saw life happen, watched stuff going down that sometimes broke your heart or made you laugh. But when you're out there, you learn not only to deal with it, but to understand it…and that's something - IF you're paying attention you can share with other people trying to get through whatever.
"We're real," Gentry continues. "We do what we do. We are what we know. People understand that. They respect that about us - and the people that like this music, they know we care about them. Whether it's a song like 'My Town,' which is saying that there's a lot to be said for where you come from and staying attached, or 'Scarecrow,' which is all about escaping and being what you dream, those songs give them something to hang onto and believe in their lives."
Certainly "My Town" celebrates the small town, big dreams, ultimate truth reality as well as any song to come out of Nashville. Pitting Montgomery's deep seriousness as he embraces the details against Gentry's arcing tenor railing against father knows best, but home supercedes, it is a classic MG moment. It is the same rage against the status quo, but feel the freedom in knowing that fires the rabble-rousing, music-as-refuge-and-revival of "Hell, Yeah."
"Our audience is definitely working class," says Montgomery. "Whether they own their own business, work in factories or on farms, hospitals, schools or wherever… maybe future workers who're still going to school… these are people who know about needing to make that car payment, figure out the rent and the groceries.
"Everybody needs a release. But these folks really need it, deserve it. And music's better than anything you can drink or smoke or snort or whatever…If we can do that, make people forget or get down, then we've done our job.
"T-Roy and I want them to look at us as people who will fight for their rights, aren't afraid to stand up for 'em. We won't give up on what we believe in, but we're gonna help 'em blow it out, too 'cause that's just as important. I might just out and light up a cigarette and have a drink… I'm not saying it's for everybody, but it's how we do it - and we're okay with however you wanna do it. If we can all get together, have some fun, then everything else'll be okay."
To that end, the 2000 CMA Duo of the Year - the only act to ever put a cramp in Brooks & Dunn's winning ways - fire both the bawdy jukejoint boogie of "Why Do I Feel Like Running?," featuring NRBQ vet Al Anderson on the rogue's remorse number that grinds like a girl working a pole in 4" stilettos, and the barrelhouse piano-driven laughter-inducing "Bad For Good," which shuns the straight and narrow for the good-timing world of neon, thick smoke and cold, cold beer.
Even as the pair who has stood up for family farmers ("Daddy Won't Sell The Farm"), vets of all persuasions ("Didn't I") and bikers ("Hillbilly Shoes") broaden their scope, they've also enlisted a whole other caliber of musicians. Among the featured players on My Town are Allman Brothers/Rolling Stones vet Chuck Leavell, John Mellencamp/Joe Ely/Storyville alum David Grissom, Southern California steel wizard Dan Dugmore and B-3 smoker Johnny Neel.
Indeed, Neel's naughty thriller "Good Clean Fun" closes My Town. Reprising Gregg Allman's classic come-on, Gentry winks and offers, "That just reminds me of growing up and heading out on the weekends… Friday night, getting ready, knowing you're after a little trouble, a pretty girl, a good time. Back then, there were no hang-ups, no commitments, just, well, a lotta good clean fun."
While Gentry flexes some nubile vocal chops on "Good Clean Fun," he's not afraid to go deep on "Lie Before You Leave," a sinewy song that evokes the best of vintage Santana - even as he recognizes it as the album's greatest departure. "We've done songs about the aftermath or the wreckage of relationships, but the guy's always in agony or alone. He never tells her - and this is actually begging her to give him something to cling to in the misery. Which is what most guys won't do."
Guys are something Montgomery Gentry know about. "The thing about guys - but I think women get this even more than we do," Gentry continues, "is they respond to hard lyrics. Whether it's partying or a day that didn't go so well, give it to 'em straight. It's not always the fanciest, but it's how it is - and people know the difference," says Gentry. "You need down to appreciate up… so we try not to pull punches."
"I've seen a lot of stuff in my life," Montgomery, of the long coat, broad hat and whirling micstand picks up. "If you keep an open mind, pay attention, keep your eyes and ears open, you can learn a lot about life and people. Then you can bring it back into the music - and just keep expanding the circle.
"We have fans come up every night - whether it was someone telling us 'Cold On (Comin' On)' or 'Lonely & Gone' got 'em through a hard time, or they partied all weekend to 'All Night Long' - we get to be part of people's lives. My Dad always said, 'use the music to make folk's lives better,' so there you go."
Indeed, the pensive "For The Money" embraces that philosophy outright. With the recognition that ultimately "you gotta satisfy your soul," the song uses that truth to validate the decision to chase music. "Look, me and Eddie'd be doing this even if it were some little bar in Lexington," says Gentry. "We were shocked a label wanted us 'cause we were so set in our ways, but they also knew we were what we were."
"This is worse than any drug," Montgomery concludes. "You can give up a woman or partyin' or whatever, but that scratch to make music. It gets in your veins - and it ain't coming out. And the more you do it, the more you connect with the people, with the friends we've made through these songs, well, the deeper the addiction gets.
"We may not have all the answers. We may not change the face of music. But you know what? We're gonna stay on the road; we're gonna play for the folks who wanna listen - and we're gonna be here for their highs and their lows and their in-betweens."
But why listen to them? One and a half million fans have stood up and been counted - and the media has agreed in kind. The Village Voice opined, "they work a hybrid variation on the demented wildass abandon of Hank Jr. and the compulsively regretful hell-raisin' of Waylon," while Goldmine declared the pair offers "proud Southern manifestos with a take-me-as-I-am attitude. MG excel in outlaw brand country." Entertainment Weekly raved, "their music is so contagiously hooky and hellbound, you'll think Waylon was wrong: This outlaw bit ain't never getting out of hand!" And USA Today recognized their antecedents thusly, "before they're done, they'll get to Lynryd Skynyrd, the Allmans and Hank Williams, Jr. and do justice to them all." www.sonynashville.com www.montgomerygentry.com
Montgomery Gentry:
Eddie Montgomery, Lead & background vocals, guitar
Troy Gentry, Lead & background vocals, guitar
Debut Single:
February, 1999
Debut Album:
Spring/Early Summer 1999
Hometowns:
Eddie Montgomery/Lancaster, Kentucky
Troy Gentry/Lexington, Kentucky
First Professional Appearances:
Eddie Montgomery - Around five years old, Eddie began performing with his parents' band "Harold Montgomery & Kentucky River Express". When Eddie reached his teens he joined his dad's band full-time and replaced his mom, Carol, as the group's drummer.
Troy Gentry - As a teenager Troy began doing guest vocals with area bands and eventually landed a gig with a local Lexington, KY group. Due to his outstanding talent, Troy won the 1994 Jim Beam National Talent Search in Nashville, which led to opening slots for Patty Loveless, John Michael Montgomery, Tracy Byrd and Eddie Rabbitt.
Personal Data - Eddie Montgomery
Birthday: September 30
Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, motorcycle riding, sports, horseback riding
Early influences: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams, Jr., Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard
Personal Data- Troy Gentry
Birthday: April 5
Hobbies: Outdoor sports, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, motorcycle riding
Early influences: George Jones, Randy Travis, Hank Williams, Jr., Merle Haggard
Was an avid country radio listener as a youngster and loved listening to George Jones on his dad's eight track.
Graduate of Lexington Community College and also attended University of Kentucky majoring in marketing and business management.
Owns horses which he boards at Eddie's farm.
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Jo Dee Messina
Passionate about her music and tired of trying to support herself by competing in talent contests, Jo Dee Messina decided to take a chance. When introduced to an executive from Curb Records at Fan Fair a few years ago she jokingly said, "What you guys really need over there is a redhead." Just as he was about to reply, another Nashville icon, producer James Stroud walked up and began to explain how he had just listened to Jo Dee's demo tape and thought she was a promising new talent. The timing could not have been more perfect. As fate would have it, that same executive later signed her to the Curb Recording contract that results in her current self-titled debut, co-produced by Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore. This album reflects the charisma, enthusiasm and commitment that Jo Dee Messina projects. It chronicles the tales of a young woman in search of freedom, passion, love and adventure.
The first single, "Heads Carolina, Tails California" written by Tim Nichols and Mark Sanders, is an uptempo, infectious bid to get out of town fast and go searching for the good life. Taking a chance on a dream is not an unfamiliar tune to Jo Dee who, at age nineteen, left her small New England town to come to Nashville. An inveterate adventurer, Jo Dee started singing in country bars at fourteen. By the time she was sixteen, she was performing every weekend with The Jo Dee Messina Band- "real original" she laughs. The band featured her brother on drums and sister on bass guitar. Although studious, Jo Dee recalls being called on the carpet numerous times by her high school principal for falling asleep in class after a late night gig. "We were an entirely country band," she says, owing to the fact as a child she fell in love with the likes of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Hank Jr., Patsy Cline and in particular, the music of The Judds. She's never considered singing any other genre. "I have always sung country. I relate a lot more to "Leavin' On Your Mind" than to "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." My music is very country, but it's definitely a new breed of country."
It took Jo Dee and her producers a year of listening to more than one thousand songs to pick ten for the album. She took home a milk crate full of tapes nightly. "I wanted depth. I wanted songs that would mean something to other people and to me; songs that people have lived. We believed in a song 110% before we recorded it." The songs on this new album reflect Jo Dee's heartfelt desire to communicate to people with her music. A gifted songwriter herself, Jo Dee drew on her own experience of walking away from a dead-end relationship when co-writing the song, "Wing and a Prayer" with Walt Aldridge. "He'd Never Seen Julie Cry," an achingly beautiful ballad about a man who unexpectedly finds himself madly in love, is also a Jo Dee favorite, "I mean, who hasn't lived that one?" The album mixes a wide spectrum of upbeat tunes like "You're Not In Kansas Anymore" and the sassy "You Wanna Make Something of It?" with other songs like "If We Don't Let It Go," "Walk to the Light" and "Didn't Have to Leave You to Love You," about the many aspects of love and life. Jo Dee delivers every song with a gutsy, confident muscularity rare in a younger singer. She is quick to credit all the writers on the album for taking a chance on her as a new artist.
Jo Dee also gratefully acknowledges her predecessors. "Wynonna, Dolly and Reba all made my music possible. I'm their biggest fan. I can't believe how supportive they are of other women." When a Nashville radio station tried out the new single and asked for listener feedback, Jo Dee was nervous. "I mean, I want everyone to like me." She called some friends for support, and within moments, a woman's voice on the phone said, "Honey, I think your song is great, you just hold your head up high and know that you give your heart and soul." It was Reba! "After I talked to her, I felt like I could handle whatever came my way..." Now poised on the brink of her much dreamed of success, this resolute singer runs two or three miles a day and works extensively to keep in shape for her energetic stage performances-adamant to do whatever it takes to get and keep the edge in a competitive race. "I'm giving my heart, soul and life to my music. For years and years I've dreamed about this-about 'livin' the life. Now, I feel my life's really begun."
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Ronnie Milsap
When it comes to musical innovation, Ronnie Milsap has been one of the leaders on the contemporary music scene for nearly the past three decades.
His illustrious career began at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, NC, where he first discovered his love and talent for music. He first achieved success in the 1960's with a top 5 R&B record entitled, "Never Had It So Good", worked with the likes of Dionne Warwick and Petula Clark and played keyboards of several of Elvis Presley's hits, including "Kentucky Rain." It was in the 1970's however when Ronnie began to experience success in the Country Music genre.
From the mid 70's to the late 80's, Ronnie made an incredible impact within the Country community. He has been awarded 8 CMA awards (including a "hat trick" in 1977 where he walked away with Entertainer, Male Vocalist, and Album of the Year), 4 ACM awards, and 6 Grammy awards. His talent was not limited to the Country music charts however. He has over 40 #1 hits not only on the Country charts, but on the Pop charts as well, paving the way for future Country acts to achieve the same cross-over success. This chart success has translated into numerous gold and platinum albums.
Ronnie's talents are not limited to the keyboard and microphone however. He is a master at producing as well. He now produces most of his work on his state-of-the-art 64 track home studio that he is constantly modifying an updating.
Currently, Ronnie is working on a new album that will be released on Warner Bros. Records at the end of the year (1998). And while he is not in the studio, he is still bringing his magic to fans around the country. Often cited as on e of Country Music's most entertaining live shows, Ronnie's live performance is not one to be missed. A true performer, the music is still coming and getting better than ever.
(Previous Bio Information Follows)
Too restless and innovative to rest on his laurels as one of the great country music entertainers of all time, Ronnie Milsap is preparing a new Warner Bros. album that will showcase his musical and personal evolution in the 1990's. This musical process has been a journey of selfdiscovery for Milsap, combining his 30 years of experience with what excites him today.
One of the most versatile and talented performers in country music, Milsap's trademark countrysoul voice has earned him 40 #1 hits, six Grammy Awards, and the industry's highest recognition, the coveted CMA Entertainer of the Year. A classically trained pianist who has mastered such instruments as guitar, violin, clarinet, and cello, Milsap has been one of the few country performers to venture beyond the parameters of country music and find mass success in the pop arena.
His smooth voice has been a mainstay on both pop and country radio for three decades with such hits as "Day Dreams About Night Things," (There's) No Gettin'Over Me," "I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World," "Smoky Mountain Rain," and "Any Day Now." His live shows, known for their spontaneity and diversity, are among the most.popular in country today.
"I'm looking for the music that would say what I'm trying to do right now," says Milsap. "I've got to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what that is."
"I hope basically to rediscover my own identity," he says. "There's a blessing and a curse of being able to do everything. I grew up in the Smoky Mountains and have a background in country, bluegrass, and gospel, and then I went to school and studied classical music for 10 years. I played jazz and R&B gigs and was an R&B singer early on. All of that makes it hard to figure out and redefine what your identity is."
Milsap quickly discovered the downside of success is that it left little time for creative exploration. For 20 years, Milsap found himself on the demanding treadmill of recording and touring, with little time off the road for reflection or recharging. "It seemed like there was never a break from that," he says. "it went on endlessly. I kept wondering how this thing was eventually going to stop. You need to figure out why you wanted to do this to begin with. Most of us that do this love music so much."
Not content to merely release album after album to meet contractual obligations, Milsap took a break from recording, even turning down offers from labels wanting to add the legend's name to their rosters. Milsap is passionately committed to create music that's both relevant and vibrant and meets the musical standards that he has set for himself.
"There's a big fuss about seasoned artists not being played on radio," he says. "I don't really believe that. What I believe is that you've got to make the record that demands to be fit into today's format. You can't rely on the name of anybody, whether it's Johnny Cash or Charley Pride. It's not the name; it's the record."
Born with congenital cataracts that left him blind, Milsap was raised by his paternal grandparents in Robbinsville, NC. His first musical exposure was to the gospel music played at revival tent meetings and the bluegrass sounds coming from local musicians. Beginning at age five, he attended North Carolina's State School for the Blind, where he first learned how to play the violin, piano, and guitar. But privately he listened to a myriad of genres, from R&B and country to rock and Southern soul. In fact, he was once kicked out of class when he was caught listening to Jerry Lee Lewis instead of practicing Bach.
Milsap was a promising prelaw student, but he turned down a scholarship to Emory University Law School to focus on his music full time. He began his professional career in 1965 with Scepter Records, an R&B label, and hit the Top 5 with "Never Had It So Good." He then moved to Memphis and played in numerous sessions and concerts, backing such acts as J.J. Cale, Petula Clark, and Dionne Warwick. A highlight of this era was Milsap's unforgettable keyboard work on Elvis Presley's "Kentucky Rain."
He moved to Nashville in 1972 and his career skyrocketed 6 months later when he signed with RCA Records. He celebrated his first No. 1, "Pure Love" one year later. That was followed by 39 other charttoppers celebrated from the seventies until the nineties, including "Daydreams About Night Things", the millionselling "It Was Almost Like A Song", and "What A Difference You've Made In My Life". Milsap is a threetime CMA male vocalist of the year winner, and a fourtime CMA Album of the Year recipient. The Academy of Country Music named him Best Male Vocalist in 1983 and he won Song of the Year in 1986 for uLost In The Fifties Tonight". He is the recipient of the only gold Braille album ever awarded.
RONNIE MILSAP DISCOGRAPHY
Year Title
1973 WHERE MY HEART IS RCA
1974 PURE LOVE RCA
1973 LEGEND IN MY TIME RCA
1975 NIGHT THINGS RCA
1976 20/20 VISION RCA
1976 RONNIE MILSAP LIVE RCA
1977 IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG RCA
1978 ONLY ONE LOVE IN MY LIFE RCA
1979 IMAGES RCA
1980 MILSAP MAGIC RCA
1980 GREATEST HITS, VOL ONE RCA
1981 OUT WHERE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS ARE GLOWING RCA
1981 THERE'S NO GETTIN'OVER ME RCA
1982 INSIDE RCA
1983 KEYED UP RCA
1984 ONE MORE TRY FOR LOVE RCA
1985 GREATEST HITS VOL. TWO RCA
1986 RONNIE MILSAPCOLLECTOR'S'SERIES RCA
1986 LOST IN THE FIFTIES TONIGHT ** RCA
1986 CHRISTMAS WITH RONNIE MILSAP RCA
1987 HEART AND SOUL RCA
1989 STRANGER THIGS HAVE HAPPENED RCA
1991 BACK TO THE GRINDSTONE RCA
1992 GREATEST HFIFS, VOL THREE RCA
1993 TRUE BELIEVER LIBERTY
SINGLES:
1973 1 Hate You/ (All Together Now), Let's Fall Apart
1973 That Girl Who Waits On Tables/ You're Driving Me Out Of Your Mind
1974 Pure Love/ Love The Second Time Around
1974 Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends/ Streets Of Gold
1974 I'd Be A Legend In My Time/ The Biggest Lie
1975 Too Late To Worry, Too Blue To Cry/ Country Cookin'
1975 just In Case/ Daydreams About Night Things
1976 I'm A Stand By My Woman Man/ Lovers, Friends, And Strangers
1976 What Goes On When The Sun Goes Down/ Love Takes A Long Time To Die
1976 Let My Love Be Your Pillow/Busy Makin' Plans
1977 It Was Almost Like A Song/ It Don't Hurt To Dream
1977 What A Difference You've Made In My Life/ Selfish
1978 Only One Love In My Life/ Back On My Mind Again
1978 Let's Take The Long Way Around The World/ I'm Not Trying To Forget
1978 Back On My Mind Again/Santa Barbara
1979 Nobody Likes Sad Songs/ just Because It Feels Good
1979 In No Time At All/ Get It Up
1980 Why Don't You Spend The Night/Heads I Go, Hearts I Stay
1980 My Heart/ Silent Nigth (After The Fight)
1980 Misery Loves Company/ Cowboys And Clowns
1980 Smokey Mountain Rain/Crystal Fallin' Rain
1981 Am I Losing You/ He'll Have To Go
1981 There's No Gettin' Over Me/ I Live My Whole Life At Night
1981 1 Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World/ It Happens Every Time
1982 Any Day Now/ It's just A Room
1982 He Got You/ I Love New Orleans Music
1982 Inside/Carolina Dreams
1983 Stranger In My HOuse/ Is It Over
1983 Don't You Know How Much I Love You/ Feeling Change
1983 Show Her/ Watch Out For The Other Guy
1983 It's Christmas/ We're Here To Love
1984 Still Losing You/I'll Take Care Of You
1984 She Loves My Car/ Prisoner Of The Highway
1985 She Keeps The Home Fires Burning/ Is It Over
1985 Lost In The Fifties Tonight
1986 Happy, Happy Birthday Baby/ I'll Take Care Of You
1986 In Love/ Old Fashioned Girl Like you
1986 How Do I Turn You On? / Don't Take It Tonight
1986 Only One Night Of The Year/ It's just Not Christmas
1987 Snap Your Fingers/ This Time Last Year
1987 Make No Mistake, She's Mine (Duet w/ Kenny Rogers)
1987 I'll Be Home For Christmas 1988 Old Folks (Duet w/ Mike Reid)
1988 Button Off My Shirt
1989 Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurtin' Me)
1989 Houston Solution
1989 Woman In Love
1990 Stranger Things Have Happened
1991 Are You Lovin' Me Like I'm Lovin' You
1991 Since I Don't Have You
1991 Turn That Radio On
1992 All Is Fair In Love And War
1992 L.A. To The Moon
1993 True Believer
1993 I'm Playing For You
AWARDS
1974 GRAMMY Best Country Male Vocal Performance
1974 BILLBOARD Best New Male Artist
1974 CMA Male Vocalist of the Year
1975 CMA Album of the Year
1976 GRAMMY Best Country Male Vocal Performance
1976 CMA Male Vocalist of the Year
1976 BILLBOARD Male Singles Artist of the year
1976 BILLBOARD Overall Singles Artist of the Year
1976 BILLBOARD Bill Williams Memorial Award Artist of the Year
1977 CMA Entertainer of the Year
1977 CMA Male Vocalist of the Year
1977 CMA Album of the Year
1978 CMA Album of the Year
1979 CASHBOX Singles Artist of the Year
1979 CASHBOX Most Artistic Achievment Award
1980 BILLBOARD Male Singles Artist of the Year
1980 CASHBOX Male Singles Artist of the Year
1981 BILLBOARD "Breakthrough" Award Outstanding Achievment
1981 CASHBOX Male Vocalist Award/ Singles
1982 GRAMMY Best Country Male Vocal Performance
1983 ACM Best Male Vocalist
1984 GRAMMY Country Song of the Year
1986 GRAMMY Best Country Male Vocal Performance
1986 CMA Album of the Year
1986 ACM Best Song of the Year
1986 ACM Best Album of the Year
1987 GRAMMY Best Country Male Vocal Performance
1988 GRAMMY Best Country Duet Performance (w/ Kenny Rogers)
1988 ACM Instrumentalist of the Year
Previous Bio Information Follows
In 1974, Record World tapped Ronnie Milsap as it’s "Most Promising Male Artist and Music City News called him "Most Promising Artist of the Year." Consider the promise kept. Forty #1 hits, six Grammy awards and a slew of other awards and honors are evidence of Milsap’s popularity and artistry. This North Carolina native has made an incredible impact on country music, and the ten newly-recorded songs on Ronnie Sings His Best Hits For Capitol Records shows why.
Blind since birth, due to congenital cataracts, Milsap discovered a connection to music while attending the North Carolina State School for the Blind. The bluegrass music of Flatt and Scruggs, the plaintive wails of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell and the cadence of classical masters Bach and Mozart all spoke to him. He learned to play piano, guitar, clarinet, violin and cello, and developed his innate talents as a vocalist.
Milsap began performing professionally in the 1960’s, and scored a top-five rhythm and blues hit, "Never Had It So Good" on New York’s legendary Scepter label. In 1968, his talents caught the ear of Elvis Presley, who brought the young musician in on keyboards for a number of recordings, including the hit, "Kentucky Rain." Milsap became musically rooted to Memphis and Nashville, and by 1970 was already building a sturdy country music career.
"It Was Almost Like A Song," became a million-selling single in 1976, spearheading the Country/Pop crossover movement of the late 70s and early 80s. "I’m a Stand By My Woman Man" won a Grammy that same year, and "Stranger In My House" won one in 1983. Milsap has won virtually every award a performer could hope for: the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award and Male Vocalist of the Year (‘74,’76, ’77); CMA’s Album of the Year (‘76, ‘77, ‘78, and ‘86); the Academy of Country Music voted Milsap Best Male Vocalist in 1983 and he won Song of the Year in 1986 for "Lost In The Fifties Tonight." He’s also the recipient of the only gold Braille album ever awarded.
Ronnie Sings His Best Hits For Capitol Records includes those songs, plus "Daydreams About Night Things," "Pure Love," "Smoky Mountain Rain," "There’s No Gettin’ Over Me" and more.
Today, Milsap can be seen regularly at The Ronnie Milsap Theater in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, delighting fans as always with his hit songs and entertaining stage show.
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ROGER MILLER
In many ways, Roger Miller was pure country. He had a cornpone sense of humor. His vocal twang was as thick as a Tennessee thicket. His music was always simple and straightforward. But in the 160s, Miller created a body of songs that transcended their country roots and became vastly popular in the cultural mainstream.
Miller was born on January 2, 1936, in Fort Worth, Texas. He was raised mostly in the small town of Erick, Oklahoma, where it is said that he gave his first performance at age five at his uncle's one-room schoolhouse. Bur from the star, Miller seemed to know that there was more to life than the proverbial sticks. "I grew up not wanting to pull cotton or milk cows," he old writer Vernell Hackett of American Song-writer magazine in 1988. "I wanted to write songs and be in the music business. There was something magic about the music business."
He spent a year as a ranch hand and, later, served three years with the U.S. Army in Korea. But after he was discharged, he made his way to Nashville to ply his songwriting trade. That trade didn't materialize right away. He spend a year as a bellhop at Nashville's Andrew Jackson Hotel. But by the bid- ;50s, Miller had begun making a name for himself in the music business. At the time he wrote about 150 songs that were recorded by the likes of George Jones, Ernest Tubb, and others. In 1958, miller finally hit it big when his song "Invitation to the Blues" became a hit for Ray Price. By 1960 he had a contract of his own with RCA. He had modest hits at the start of the decade with songs like "You Don't Want My Love" and "When Two Worlds Collide."
But in 1964, Miller began a run on the charts that would make him one of the biggest country artists of the decade. The first hit, "Dang Me," was a lively bit of hokum pulled straight out of country vaudeville. Bit also had a lithe pop sensibility that appealed to the mainstream record-buying public.
As the 1960s progressed, Miller hit the charts again and again with that same winning combination of wry wit and immediately hummable, hook laden melodies. "Kansas City Star," "Chug-a-lug," "Buffalo Herd," and a host of others had the whole country singing and smiling along. "I don't know what makes a good songwriter," Miller said at one point, "except a good heart and a little intelligence." In his biting, tongue-in-cheek songs from the '60s, Miller displayed both.
While Miller recorded mostly his own songs he also recognized talent in others. He was one of the first artists to record a song written by the fledgling Kris Kristofferson. In, 1969, Miller's version of Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" hit number 12 on the country charts - preceding Janis Joplin's chart-topping version by a year.
Toward the end of the 1960s, however, Miller's career began to decline. While he continued to record, the hits stopped coming for the most part. And he increasingly spent time overseeing his hotel chain, named after one of his hits, King of the Road. He did make a comeback of sorts when he recorded the 1983 album Old Friends with Ray Price and Willie Nelson.
Miller, who had previously written songs for the film Waterhole 3 and a version of Robin Hood by Walt Disney, moved in a new direction in the middle 1980s when he agreed to write the score for the splashy 1985 Broadway musical Big River. Based on the writings of Mark Twain, Big River became a big hit and won seven Tony awards, including those for best musical and outstanding score. It would be the last great hurrah in Miller's career. He died of cancer on October 25, 1992.
TOP SONGS
Dang Me (Smash, '64)
Chug-A-Lug (Smash, '64)
King of the road (Smash, '65)
Engine #9, (Smash, '65)
Kansas City Star (Smash, '65)
England Swings (Smash, '65)
Husbands and Wives (Smash, '66)
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Dean Miller
"Country is not just music. It is not the way you dress. It is not the way you act. It is a culture --something you are or you aren't," says Dean Miller. "My standard line is that there are some people who are Irish, or German or Japanese. I'm Country. That's my heritage. That's who I am."
And that's what translates into his music. Listen to the debut album, Dean Miller and there is not an inch of uncertainty -- this is country music. Miller's voice and phrasing, the classic structure of the honky-tonkers, waltzes and shuffles, and the use of steel guitar and fiddle emphasize that. But it's not traditional country or retro country, because it looks forward rather than backward- stretching boundaries but not breaking them.
Miller can take that step because he is so deeply grounded in country music. His father is the late Roger Miller, one of the genre's best-known songwriters and performers. "He's my hero," says Dean, "plain and simple." That sentiment extends to the kind of music his father wrote. Dean grew up with an appreciation for a well-crafted country song, and saw the work involved in putting one together. For that reason, he rails against so many others in his generation who dismiss country music as "twang" and nothing else. "It is my mission in life to make people realize that country music has dignity and honor," he says.
Despite those feelings, Dean originally avoided pursuing a career in the field. He wrote songs, and performed at clubs, but he shied away from declaring music as his life's work. Still he knew he wanted to perform. His solution was to enter the acting field.
After graduating from high school in New Mexico, Miller studied acting in college, did plays, did a few commercials, scrounged for work in Los Angeles. All the while he played music on the side. He had been playing guitar and writing songs since he was just a kid, and as a teenager he made $60.00 a night singing in a restaurant, "while people were eating," he laughs. "It was dismal and depressing, but I sang my own songs and the money was great." In Los Angeles, he started going to a club called The Palomino, where you could sing with the band if you paid $4.
"More and more, acting seemed like work and music was so much fun. It completely took me over, so I didn't have much interest in acting anymore," Miller recalls. He decided to go to Nashville, but wanted to perfect his songwriting and performing skills. His dad, though supportive, thought the best way to learn about the music business was to get in and work at it. He thought it would be harmful rather than helpful to use his influence to make things easier for Dean. So the young Miller dug in and went through the same circuit, pounded on the same doors and made the same mistakes as any other struggling songwriter. "When I thought I was ready, I came to Nashville," says Dean. "I just loaded up my car and moved here. I thought I was really good, but looking back, I realize I was really terrible. I wasn't as ready as I thought I was. But I learned a lot, and I had to come here to do that."
Once in Nashville, Miller went through the usual rounds of club dates and showcases, and of finding a song publishing deal and a record deal. The publishing deal came first, but eventually his spirited songs and energetic performances caught the eye of Capitol Nashville.
An accomplished writer with more than 300 songs under his belt, Miller wrote all but one of the eleven songs on his debut album. Four of those songs ("Long Way Home," "Missing You," "If I Was Your Man" and "The Running Side of Me") were written with his good friend Stacy Dean Campbell, another New Mexico native with a talent for making music. "Long Way Home" (with Daniel Keyes Tashian as third co-writer) and "Missing You" both grapple with the emotions that come to the surface after a relationship has ended, whether it's missing the lover or missing the fact of being in love. "If I Was Your Man," is an offer of stability to a broken-hearted woman. "The Running Side of Me," which Miller refers to as the "esoteric" cut on the album, delves into the conflicting feelings of a man who fights the impulse to break away from a relationship. Unlike so many songs that romanticize the no-strings-attached approach to love, this song explains the urge to be free but sees it overwhelmed by the desire for commitment.
"I try first and foremost to remove myself to be objective," he says of choosing his material. "You listen out of the corner of your ear, while you're doing the dishes or reading a magazine. I listen without paying attention, and if a song reaches out and grabs you while you're doing something else, then that's probably a good song."
Miller worked closely with producer Gregg Brown, whose credits include albums by Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt and Chris LeDoux. "It was hard for me to pick a producer because I had produced myself on my demos before. I needed to work with someone who was willing to listen to me and to let me do my stuff," says Miller. "I've known Gregg for about five years and I always got along with him personally. When the opportunity to work with him as a producer came up I knew he was a great choice. His records tend to be really aggressive and that's what I wanted for this album. In the studio, I'd always tell him, 'Put more anger on this track.' It was a great balance, because I know exactly what I want, but don't always know how to do it technically. He knows how to accomplish those goals."
The result of their collaboration is Dean Miller, a collection of eleven songs that are bold, aggressive and wide-ranging. Miller brings a nostalgic tenderness to "Nowhere USA," a celebration of small-town life, inspired by his father's hometown. "That's an extremely personal song," Miller says. "I wrote it during the time when my dad was really sick. Every one of the images in the song comes from his hometown in western Oklahoma, which had a population of about 800 people." The classic weeper, "Dreams" literally came straight from the heart. Miller, having just gone through a painful break-up, sat down and wrote down everything he was thinking and feeling. He didn't allow himself to edit any of the words that tumbled out, and the song remains just as he wrote it that first time.
While he's not hesitant about drawing-lyrics from his own life, Miller also calls upon his imagination in writing songs. He didn't have to roll out of bed and pour a shot of booze to get into the spirit of "Wake Up And Smell The Whiskey" for example. The song, which he co-wrote with Brett James, came from a line one of them spouted while writing another song. They loved the phrase, built a story around it and had a song. "I Used To Know Her," a bitter lament from a man who's stunned that the woman in his life is leaving, also started with a catchy phrase, as did the shruggingly angry "My Heart's Broke Down," co-written with Sarah Majors. "Broke Down In Birmingham," is the one song on Dean Miller that the singer did not have a hand in writing. He heard it when a friend played a demo tape of a singer, asking Miller for his opinion. "He played the tape and I just said, 'what is that song?' Miller recalls. It made such an impression on him that he knew he wanted to include it on the album. Its searing tale of a traveling salesman who loses his wife because of the time he spends working fits in well with the other ten songs on the album.
Miller's songs reach for the feeling beyond the words, examining the complexities of love and life. "Singers are storytellers," he says. "You don't always have to be positive because the human experience is much broader than that. Think about Loretta Lynn's songs. They were about cheating, drinking and abuse. You heard anger in songs by Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and even Buck Owens, sometimes."
A serious songwriter with an innate flair for entertainment; a definitively country singer who approaches his music with rock's aggressiveness, a man who counts Loretta Lynn and Steve Earle as strong influences- Dean Miller displays all his strengths in his debut effort.
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The Mavericks
Super Colossal Smash Hits of the 90’s
Some bands embody a genre. Some bands embody a place. A few bands transcend both genre and place to embody an entire era. The Mavericks -- four guys with outlandish costumes and a penchant for speaking their minds (occasionally in foreign languages) -- may be the most unlikely band to come out of Nashville in the 1990s. But after ten years, four million records, three Academy of Country Music awards, two Country Music Association awards, and one Grammy, they are certainly the most important band to come out of Nashville this decade. The Mavericks' breakthrough mix of honky-tonk guitar licks from the Mississippi Delta, South Beach-influenced Latin energy, and occasional hors d'oeuvres from Rat Pack-era Las Vegas have made them the signature band for a new kind of Nashville sound: a countrypolitan mix of cowboy hats and red-velvet smoking gowns. Martini country: where all the music will make you dance -- swing, two-step, salsa, shag -- and all the drinks are on the house.
In honor of their 10-year anniversary, the band has cut four new songs and is revisiting some past favorites. The result is a 12-song collection, their fifth major-label release and first on Mercury, called Super Colossal Smash Hits of the ‘90s: The Best of the Mavericks.
"I feel better about the band today than I have in two or three years," says bass player Robert Reynolds, who along with singer-songwriter Raul Malo, and drummer Paul Deakin, formed the Mavericks in Miami, Florida in 1989. Guitarist Nick Kane joined them in 1993. "There's a peace that's formed as partners and as individuals," Reynolds says. "We made the 10-year mark and we're comfortable. We can make records the way we want, when we want. We've got a new team working with the group. There's an energy and a vigor we haven't had for years."
From the beginning the Mavericks challenged convention. Originally their music verged on proto rock-and- roll as they mixed roots icons like Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash into their own version of throwback country. The result was a critically acclaimed first album, From Hell to Paradise (MCA, 1992), which contained a spellbinding title cut about Malo's urban roots and their signature ballad, "This Broken Heart."
After moving to Nashville, they hooked up with Don Cook, one of the masterminds of the mainstream country sound of the 1990s, and produced What A Crying Shame, a more mature, occasionally mournful album that included the lanky "There Goes My Heart" and the haunting "I Should Have Been True." The album sold over one million copies. "It's a selfish thing," says Deakin, "but I've always said, ‘Self-indulgence in a positive way.' Pleasing ourselves first has always been our blueprint for success."
With more freedom, the Mavericks ventured further afield, adding elements of 1960s moody pop into their 1995 album, Music For All Occasions, which contains the Grammy winning single "Here Comes The Rain," and the band's biggest U.S. hit, "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down." A brass and horn section on the 1998 release, Trampoline, added another layer to their sound and produced the infectious "Dance The Night Away," which soared into the top 5 of the pop chart in England propelling that album to triple platinum in the U.K.
For their new material, the band has blended elements from various parts of their career. "I think what happened was we fell in love again with the roots stuff," says Reynolds. "Now we're merging the swing and the horns with Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson."
"Super Colossal" finds the Mavericks with something else they've rarely had: personal satisfaction. All four have married in the last ten years; Malo and Kane have had children. Says Deakin: "A little bit of personal contentment can go a long way in a band like us. We've always been about enjoying music. We still have the same passion, but I think being happy in your personal life gives you the confidence to go on.
And will they still be in existence ten years from now? "Who knows?" says Deakin. "I'll be happy to be on this side of the grass," says Reynolds. "I hope so," says Malo. "Why not?"
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KATHY MATTEA
Love Travels
You can never step into the same river twice because the river moves on. So said the ancient philosopher Heraclitus, and Kathy Mattea agrees. Why even try? Everything flows and life's elements are always in flux.
If Mattea's new album, Love Travels, has one consistent theme, it is to step into the river of life and let it carry you where it will. The risks are there, but the rewards are many--growth, movement, hope, grace, and the thrill of reaching for the highest star. It was advice that Mattea herself decided to follow during the making of this latest leg on her ever-evolving musical journey. While her last album, the gold-selling Walking Away A Winner, demonstrated a commercial sensibility, Mattea decided to take a risk and follow her intuitions. Consequently, the resulting album was shot straight from the heart.
Mattea and members of her band and road crew began to study the popular spiritual workbook, The Artists' Way while on tour. For the singer, it was an awakening. "After ten years of making records, I re-learned to marry my creativity and my spirituality," says the double Grammy-winner who was also twice named Female Vocalist of the Year by the CMA. "I realized all over again that those two things come from the same source. I know that if I come from that place, I find my niche. On this album, I let the songs lead me."
Co-produced by Mattea and Ben Wisch, who produced Mark Cohn's first two albums, the album draws from Mattea's early folk influences and includes Caribbean percussive styles, New Orleans funk, Memphis soul and a Celtic-influenced accordion and whistle. With the eclectic elements, the singer's throaty voice assumes a richer soulful quality, as she sings songs that take the listener through the mysterious landscape of life and love.
The title track is an uptempo tribute to the transcendent qualities of love, which travels across time and distance and always finds its mark. "Sending Me Angels," a gorgeous ballad, proclaims the old truism that we are never given more that we can stand, and spiritual help is always given. The Lionel Cartwright ballad "If That's What You Call Love," calls for a higher love, one that is deeper than the fickle grasping that often passes for romantic love. The song is accented by lovely, subtle, wail of pedal steel guitar. "All Roads To The River," by Janis Ian and Mattea's husband Jon Vezner, is about stepping into that river of life--surrendering to the undertow of life's mystery and complexity, and yes, even darkness.
But in the end, the message is love, love, love. At "The End Of The Line," after all the fighting and the conflicts, love is found. And love is the answer--the only answer. Don Henry's "Beautiful Fool," the last song on the album, is about Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Jesus, and the beauty of all those who preached a message of love to a resistant flock.
On "Patiently Waiting," penned by new traditionalist Gillian Welch, Mattea cuts loose with, a different message: "good things come to those who hit the road when they know what they want." She's all through with patiently waiting. "Anytime you can impart that message and encourage people to really live their lives, you should do it." she says. "I've always said that life is like a blank canvas and at the end, you don't want to have nothing on it." Also written by Gillian Welch and partner David Rawlings is "455 Rocket," an unabashed love song to a car. "You've gotta have some relief on a record like this. I mean, everything can't be about angels," Mattea declares. Though rooted in spirituality, the album still retains a plucky, earthy quality that core Mattea fans count on. Jim Lauderdale's "I'm On Your Side" continues in this vein--let 'em all talk, but don't let 'em spoil our fun. We'll turn around and talk about them, too.
On the Cheryl Wheeler ballad, "Further And Further Away," Mattea is joined by fellow former folk singer Suzy Bogguss. The song is about the loss of innocence when we realize that our parents are no longer the invincible heroes of our youth. "I cried when I heard that song," Mattea says, "I still have my parents with me, and so does my husband. So there is this sense of dread that creeps in as you get older and realize that they're not going to be around forever. The song is so emotional, and Suzy's voice has a reedy quality that cuts through everything."
"The Bridge," co-written by Tim Kimmel and Jim Pittman, opts for a simple soulful arrangement that underscores the song's theme of an impossible love. "On this song, on this album, we kept it sparse. We wanted more soul with less. Michael McDonald is singing on this and there's enough space to hear his voice. We made an effort to keep it rootsy. Almost every take on this record is a first, second or third take. We sacrificed arrangements at times because the performances from the musicians were so cool. It was all about being in the moment. It's scarier and it takes more faith to do it that way. What we got was looser and less arranged, but we got fearless playing."
Despite the album's eclecticism, its New York-based co-producer, and the presence of players like legendary drummer Jim Keltner, the music is, at the core, contemporary country. "I believe that music is music. Scottish and Celtic music are at the roots of modern country music. This album is very much me. It's part of my musical progression through the years. It's all about a musical journey.
In the end, the album stands as proof of Mattea's loyalty to her fans. "It's such a gift to be paid for being who you are as an artist. I'm so lucky to have a very loyal following of people who've stayed with me through all of my eclectic restlessness. They always want to see what I am going to do next. As I began to delve deeper into what I was feeling, I realized that I was going to alienate those people if I didn't make the record from a deeper place."
Simplicity, authenticity, are Mattea's guide posts in touring to support the album. She wants to simplify so that she can establish intimacy and connection with her fans. To her, that's what the music is all about. "I don't care if my audience is 500, 5,000 or 5 million. I just want my audience to be able to find me, and for us to experience it together."
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Mila Mason
The first time you hear Mila Mason talk about her life-long dream of becoming a country singer, you can almost see the little girl with big blond curls singing to an imaginary audience. Some may say it’s a dream that started fifty years before Mila was born with a grandmother who loved music and passed that dream on down to her daughter, Mila’s mother. Her mother took the dream one step further, working as a singer and touring all over the country, often taking the children along. Soon the dream was passed to the next generation when, at the age of six, the Kenner Company used Mila’s picture on the Kenner toy jukebox.
Bitten by the "bug," Mila persuaded her mother to take her to auditions. Mila reflects, "When I was 8, I remember being dropped off for a Bob Hope special. I sang a Carole King song ‘I Feel The Earth Move.’ I took tap-dancing, ballet classes, acting... anything. My mother supported me all the way! Since she was an entertainer herself, she just loved the whole business and was totally absorbed by it."
From time to time, Mila lived with her aunt and grandmother just outside of Dawson Springs, Kentucky. Mila proudly professes she even knows what "setting" and "spiking" tobacco means - "hard work, that’s what it means!" After high school, she moved to Nashville to sing and write songs.
One of Mila’s first mentors was Harlan Sanders, writer of the George Jones hit "If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will)." She got her foot in the door singing demos for Sanders and various other writers. "I pestered everyone in town about writing," she admits. "When you’re that young, you don’t know anything about being cool and laid back." Mila eventually scraped enough money together to record her own demo, which ultimately led to her opening a concert for George Jones.
When she was 19, love postponed her music dream. She married and though the marriage ended, it produced two lovely children, Kipp and Zel, who are the loves of her life.
For the next few years, Mila worked outside the music business, picking up jobs where she could find them. But Mila could not deny the dream in her heart - the ancestral one of becoming a country singer, the same dream that took roots two generations ago in Dawson Springs, KY.
Once again, Mila started knocking on doors and volunteering to sing demos for various publishers and song writers in hopes of being heard by someone at a record label. She also sang jingles - including one for Visa. Taking advantage of her early acting training, Mila appeared in several music videos. Her professional and personal achievements did not go unnoticed. In one of it’s promotions, Revlon proclaimed her "Tennessee’s Most Unforgettable Woman." But as so often happens in Nashville. Mila got her big break in a roundabout way. "I was working in a mall as a fragrance model. You know, stopping people and asking them, ‘Would you like to try a squirt of this?" Everybody there just hated that job and everyday, we’d all get the want ads and look for something else," she says. One of her friends and co-workers discovered that Mila was using her lunch breaks to drop off demos and pitch her songs. That friend turned out to be the sister-in-law of the daughter of producer Blake Mevis, whose credits include George Strait, Keith Whitley, Lorrie Morgan, and Vern Gosdin. Through this contact, Mila was able to give Mevis a copy of a song she had co-written with the legendary Kostas.
Mevis became an instant Mila convert, volunteering to produce a session for her. In March of 1995, Mevis and Vena Seibert of Lapis Management set-up a showcase for her at a local club. Two record labels expressed interest in signing Mila, but she and her manager continued to shop for the "right" deal. After playing golf with the Vice President of Atlantic Records, Bryan Switzer, Mevis gave Switzer a copy of the CD he had produced on Mila. The next morning, Switzer called Mevis and said, "I can’t get this CD out of my machine!" Mevis inquired, "Why, is there something wrong with it?" Switzer responded, "No, I love it so much, I just can’t get it out of my machine!" Switzer requested to see Mila perform. Mila’s team soon set-up a showcase exclusively for Atlantic Records executives. Within an hour after the showcase and over a glass of champagne, Switzer offered Mila a recording contract.
"Finding songs for this album has been a joy," Mila exclaims. "The only problem we’ve had has been narrowing them down to just 10 or 12 songs. But every step has been fun - the publishers have been so nice. It seemed like everyone in town was searching for songs for me. There were people pitching me songs that weren’t even from their publishing company and writers pitching songs they thought were ‘me’ that they didn’t even write! And of course, working with the people at Atlantic Records has just been unbelievable! Their support and enthusiasm has made this project a thrill!"
Just like Mila, we all have dreams. Some of them are persistent dreams that just won’t go away...Some of them are postponed dreams that have been put upon a shelf... some are reemerging dreams that come back time after time... and some of them are real dreams. And when they are, they come true. As you listen to Atlantic Records’ leading lady, Mila Mason, I think you’ll agree; Mila’s dream has come true - she IS a country singer.
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Barbara Mandrell
T he press has called her "A bundle of talent," "a glamorous, sexy star," and " a totally together lady." She calls herself "a hopeless ham and an occasional show-off." But no matter what descriptions surface, there’s one that will always fit Barbara Mandrell...she is a winner!
A show business veteran of 30 years, Mandrell continues to come out on top. Her list of awards keeps growing. Mandrell is the first artist ever to win the Country Music Association’s coveted "Entertainer of the Year" award for two consecutive years (1980 and 1981); the CMA also twice voted her "Female Vocalist of the Year," in 1979 and 1981; she has received nine People’s Choice Awards, including six consecutive honors as "Favorite Female Country Music Vocalist"(1980-86), and she has been given nine trophies from the Music City News’ fan-voted country awards, including the Living Legend Award presented to performers who have been in the business 25 years or more. She has also received the Tes Ritter Award presented by the prestigious International Fan Club Organization (IFCO).
On the heels of her enormously successful weekly television show, "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters," US magazine named Mandrell "Favorite Variety Star of the Year." And, in 1983, she won her first Grammy Award for "Best Inspirational Performance," in recognition of her gospel-flavored LP, He Set My Life To Music, which features family members and friends in the industry. She has completed a second gospel album Precious Memories, which is a two-record collection of both gospel and inspirational music. In her career, she has amassed some 60 major awards.
Mandrell has even become the subject of an entire museum in Nashville called "Barbara Mandrell Country." It is an intimate look into her family life and award-winning career, with each display and video planned and arranged personally by Barbara.
Mandrell, who has received three gold records, most recently released two new recordings on Direct Records. "Acoustic Attitude" is comprised of acoustic arrangements of her greatest hits, while "It Works For Me" includes all-new material.
She released her autobiography, Get to the Heart: My Story, on September 10, 1990 and within four days, it made the New York Times Bestseller List and remained there for six months. The book is an intensely personal and in-depth view of what was the very private life of Barbara Mandrell. Co-written with George Vecsey and published by Bantam Books, Barbara’s story was released in paperback September 9,1991.
It’s a one-in-a-million success story, but Barbara’s rise to the forefront as one of the industry’s "most instantly recognized female country faces" (The Chicago Tribune) didn’t happen overnight.
Mandrell’s Upbringing And Her Rise To Stardom
Mandrell was born December 25 in Houston, Texas, into a very musical family, and moved to Southern California at the age of seven. She was greatly influenced in her early years by her parents, Irby and Mary Mandrell. An avid musician and music teacher, Mary taught her curious daughter how to pick out notes on her accordion. Barbara was soon playing complicated pieces like "Gospel Boogie," and even learned to read music before she could read the English language. Performing came as naturally to her as her musical ability. As a pre-schooler, she made her first public appearance with her accordion in her uncle’s church, playing the only gospel song she knew. The excited five year old thought it was so much fun that she played through a second time.
Irby owned a music store and he made sure that Barbara had her pick of the best instruments. She chose to study the pedal steel and saxophone. At the age of 10, Barbara played on her first TV and radio show in Bakersfield, California with host Cousin Herb Henson.
When she was just 11, her father took Barbara from their home in California to a music trade show in Chicago, where she demonstrated various musical instruments.
Convention guests, including Chet Atkins and "Uncle" Joe Maphis, were impressed by the talented little girl, and Barbara was invited to join the "Joe Maphis Show" at the Showboat Hotel in Las Vegas. By now, she had mastered not only her mother’s accordion and the steel guitar, but the saxophone as well. The Joe Maphis musicianship/showmanship proved to be the single greatest influence in Barbara’s performing career.
Barbara soon became a regular on "Town Hall Party," a local television show based in Los Angeles. This was followed by her network debut on red Foley’s ABC-TV show "Five Star Jubilee" and a concert tour with the Johnny Cash Show, featuring Patsy Cline, George Jones, and June Carter.
After Barbara’s stint on the road, the family formed "The Mandrells," an act that grouped Barbara, Irby, and Mary. During their time together musically, the family toured the West Coast and 18 foreign countries including Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, entertaining the military community and various civic groups.
The Mandrells also hired Ken Dudney, a drummer, to join their act. He eventually traded in his drumsticks for another "tour of duty," this time with the United States Navy. Shortly after he received his wings as a navy pilot in 1967, Ken and Barbara were married. Ken was sent overseas, and Mandrell decided to retire from show business and become a housewife.
A veteran of hundreds of TV guests appearances, she made the transition to acting on the small screen when she starred in CBS television’s "Burning Rage," which aired on September 21,1984. Her first variety special aired in January 1985 and was called appropriately enough "Barbara Mandrell -- Something Special," for CBS television.
Mandrell was presented with an "Outstanding Mother Award" by the National Mother’s Day Committee in New York City. She feels her role as wife and mother is as important as her career, and is always available to her husband of 25 plus years, Ken Dudney, children; Matthew (5/8/70), Jaime (2/23/76) and Nathaniel Mandrell Dudney (9/6/85).
However, her retirement was short. One night when she and her father were visiting the Grand Ole Opry, Barbara whispered in Irby’s ear, "Daddy, I wasn’t cut out to be in the audience." Barbara Mandrell the entertainer, was born all over again.
Comeback Performance Attracts Record Deals
Within 48 hours of a nightclub appearance near the Grand Ole Opry, she received offers for recording contracts from six record companies. In 1969, she signed with CBS Records and emerged on the record charts with Otis Redding’s "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long," unveiling a "blue-eyed soul" style that garnered instant radio airplay. She recorded a collection of country hit singles, including her first No. 1 hit, the classic "Midnight Oil." Today, that record is regarded as a major breakthrough in female country music because of its drama and startling frankness. In that label, Standing Room Only, established her as a powerful ballad singer.
Another one of her first hits to reach the top of the country charts was the bubbly "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed." The record became a cross-over hit on the pop charts-- a forecast of the direction many of her recordings would take.
As the 70’s drew to close, Mandrell’s style gravitated to a "country" version of rhythm and blues, and she topped the charts with touch tunes like "Woman to Woman," "Married But Not to Each Other," "Years," and "If Loving You Was Wrong (I Don’t Want To Be Right)."
She recorded 18 hit albums for MCA Records before moving to Capitol Records in 1986 where she released 6 recordings.
Mandrell Tackles Television
By 1979, Mandrell won her first CMA "Female Vocalist of the Year" Award. It was also in that year that television producer Marty Krofft, certain of Mandrell’s draw as a multi-faceted star of a television series, convinced both NBC-TV and Mandrell of the potential for a weekly TV show.
"Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters" was a success both with critics and fans, exposed Mandrell to a new and broader audience, and introduced her sisters Louise and Irlene to the country. The show had two years (1980-1981, 1981-1982) of staying power in the Top-40 ratings and garnered consistent positive reviews. It was finally doctor’s orders that forced Mandrell to give up her weekly series. She had been working as much as 16 hours a day, and the constant strain on her voice was taking its toll.
In 1983, Mandrell performed to Las Vegas audiences in triumph when she introduced her "The Lady Is A Champ" stage extravaganza at the MGM Grand Hotel. She then brought her entire Las Vegas show home to Nashville for three sold-out performances at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, where it was taped for her first HBO cable TV special.
Mandrell’s Brush With Death and Her Deep Faith
On the evening of September 11, 1984, Barbara had a major brush with death when a young driver’s car drifted across the center line of a street in Hendersonville, Tennessee and crashed head-on with Barbara’s car. Both cars were demolished and the other driver was killed. Barbara suffered a severe concussion, a broken leg, broken right ankle, damaged right knee and various cuts and bruises. Her son, Matt and daughter Jaime also suffered injuries. Only minutes before the crash, for some fateful reason, Barbara had suggested that Matt, Jaime and she should buckle-up. Until that moment, Barbara confesses she had not been a seatbelt user.
The accident had brought her skyrocketing career to a abrupt halt. There were months and months of physical pain and mental anguish. Many painful hours were spent in physical therapy, but the long, hard road to recuperation was finally in sight. Barbara debuted her first live performance since the September 1984 accident at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles on February 28, 1986.
Now a confirmed seatbelt advocate, she has completed a national Public Service Announcement available on audio, video, and poster, strongly urging the public to "Please, buckle up. You may never get a second chance." It can definitely be said that Barbara’s brush with death influenced more people nationwide to start using seatbelts than any other person or campaign.
Blonde, blue-eyed and standing five-feet-two, Barbara Mandrell reflects her strong faith and drive in her positive outlook on life. "If there’s a decision to be made," she says, "I simply put it in God’s hands...and things just begin to fall into place."
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Tim McGraw - Set This Circus Down
As the release date of the much anticipated studio project Set This Circus Down moves closer, McGraw relishes in the glory of his recent- and first- Grammy win (Vocal Collaboration with Hill for "Let's Make Love"). The first glimpse of the album came with the performance of "Things Change" at last year's CMA Awards shows. The standing ovation performance was taped by various radio programmers, circulated through Napster, and ultimately charted.
The debut single, "Grown Men Don't Cry", penned by Tom Douglas and Steve Seskin, weaves a poignant tale of how a man should set his priorities and proves yet again what a strong sense for material McGraw possesses. It has become the fastest rising single in McGraw's career.
Those instincts also extend to the creation of the album artwork. McGraw thought-over the album cover in his mind and enlisted the help of an artist to draw his vision. The cover came to life as evolving sketches by the artist were presented to him until the vision became a tangible piece of art- thus the life of the CD cover- and ensuing 25 pages of the CD jacket were born. "I spent a lot of time reading the covers of albums when I was younger. That was as much fun as listening to them. I want to be able to share something special like that with my fans. We have put together the largest CD booklet possible for the album. Any larger and it wouldn't fit in the case!"
Greatest Hits- released November 21, 2000
The Greatest Hits package was launched to record buyers just before Christmas of 2000, selling two million copies in two months. It debuted at Number One on the country charts, selling 306,416 units, the highest sales debut of McGraw's career to date. The project contained 15 previously released singles, which spent eight consecutive weeks at Number One. The celebration of the tremendous sales launch was sweet but McGraw kept his focus on the album he had anticipated.
Circus Q&A
Tim McGraw would never allow a journalist to see a document of this kind. He is proud of what he's accomplished, but is uncomfortable with the accolades. He would never allow his fans to see a document like this. Of course he's appreciative of what he has received, but "feels guilty that his success cannot be shared with all". In a few words, Tim McGraw feels "like a bum with a pocket full of diamonds". And so, after numerous conversations we've taken it halfway. A bit of our feelings about Tim and the rest just Tim - the way that only Tim can be - straight forward, practical, honest and direct. Enjoy the show.
Tim McGraw is to many, a modern day country music Icon. He is the voice of a new generation of country fans that have embraced him as a leader, friend, producer, innovator and visionary. An undeniable live entertainer that has left his own indelible imprint on thousands of bars, clubs, amphitheaters and stadiums, McGraw to many, has taken the tradition of country music to the mainstream without compromise.
He has learned from experience, he has maintained his drive, he has kept himself personally and musically grounded and has matured into not just one of country music's best male vocalists, but into one of its greatest examples. He has sold nearly 25 million albums, had 21 Top 10 singles (17 #1's), won The County Music Association's Album of The Year Award twice, is a two-time Academy of Country Music Awards Male Vocalist of The Year and has landed an award from every award's show known to mankind. He has had 5 multi-platinum recordings and as his newest offering "Set This Circus Down" has already retained platinum status we find that the only way to have been able to tell you all of that, was to allow Tim McGraw to tell you all of this:
QUESTION: It seems like these days there is not a lot of road work that figures into the growth of a band.
ANSWER: I started playing clubs in 1987. So I've been on the road playing for 14 years. I think that's what has helped me to build my career and our fan base. We'd have fans going from club to club with us and we'd play to sold-out audiences. We did songs like "Indian Outlaw", which we've been playing since well before it was recorded and still do play it to this day. It's the ability to play these songs before they come out that gives the songs a boost in interest and familiarity. I think this concept helped launch our career more than anything and we still do it to this day.
QUESTION: Do you question the styles of today with bands who don't tour or who seem to be products of marketing or studio technology?
ANSWER: I don't hold anything against anybody like that. Even if they're groomed, trained or put together, they still want to be an artist. They're following their dream. They're trying to be successful and they want a career and you get these kids that are out there who may have just gotten a record deal and they're willing to do whatever it takes - whatever people tell them. They're only out there just trying to hit a lick.
QUESTION: Do you feel that you true to yourself as a musician?
ANSWER: Absolutely. I don't think that you can be successful as an artist if you're not being true to yourself. If you start doing things according to what the critics say or start changing what you do because of what people say then you're a puppet. What do they want you to be if you're not doing it the way you want to do it.
QUESTION: So then you're rebel or bad boy image. Is that just you or is that you just doing things the way that enables you to be true to yourself?
ANSWER: I wouldn't say bad boy. But I do try to do things the way that I want. My first album didn't work and perhaps that was because I listened to everybody else and didn't follow my heart. Now I stiffen my back and do everything I can to make my records the way my heart tells me.
QUESTION: How do you continue to dream after selling 25 million albums?
ANSWER: It's the music. You just dream about making music. I'm sure that there will come a time where the records aren't as good as they should be or when I'm just not feeling it anymore and I'll just back off and let somebody else do it for awhile.
QUESTION: "Set This Circus Down". How much of your life has been a circus?
ANSWER: I wish that I could have written the song because it really does sound autobiographical. Everyday you throw the tent up, put the lights up, do a show in a certain amount of time and then do it all over again in another place. We don't have any clowns, but we sure do have a bunch of weirdo's out there with us.
QUESTON: You mention that you wished you would've written the song. Is that what makes a good song for you - one that you can relate to?
ANSWER: I think that as a recording artist you have to find some way to relate to the song. It doesn't necessarily have to relate to you, but I do think at the least that you have to be able to step outside your skin and look at other situations in life.
QUESTION: You grew up listening to all sorts of music didn't you?
ANSWER: Between the ages of like three to six I spent a lot of time hauling cottonseed across Louisiana listening to 8-tracks of Charlie Pride, Merle Haggard and Charlie Rich. My mother was a big Tammy Wynette and Tanya Tucker fan, but she also listened to the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean. If you were lucky enough to own a record player you could listen to everything, but for me the radio turned us on to R&B, Blues and all sorts of music.
QUESTION: Why do you feel that the recording industry pigeonholes musical genres and is this part of the reason for the tension between the traditionalist and contemporary country musicians?
ANSWER: I think what people have to realize is that country music isn't just for people in the rural south and pop music isn't only for people in the big cities. Music is going to end up where it ends up. What's amazing to me is that pop music isn't really a genre. What pop music is to me are all different types of music that lean towards the middle. Nevertheless, there are R&B purists and rap purists that don't like the fact that they get played on pop radio. So I think it's that way in every kind of musical genre. For me I put blinders on when I go into the studio and I make what I like as an artist. To me that's what being an artist is all about. C'mon, nobody is going to say that they don't want their music played on a radio station. That's ridiculous. As an artist you should want to reach as many people as you can and the more people that want to play it the better.
QUESTION: What do you say to those people who say "Branford Marsalis, sell-out, Faith Hill, sell-out, Dixie Chicks, sell-outs, Tim McGraw, sell-out"?
ANSWER: I say that you're selling out if you do things that other people want you to do and not what you want to do.
QUESTION: You're not like a senior citizen, but you could certainly be considered a spokesperson for your industry given your statistics and longevity in the business. Do you feel any responsibility towards those around you in the business?
ANSWER: If I feel any responsibility it would be to lead by my actions - to set a good example for others. To me, setting a good example is encouraging people through your actions to be themselves - to make the kind of music that they want to make.
QUESTION: How do you keep up the energy and the desire to perform live?
ANSWER: Performing live is what I do. I don't think that anybody ever gets into this business or picks up a guitar or tries to learn a song thinking, "man, I just can't wait till I'm in this little room in this studio performing my music". Everybody's image is to be on the stage in front of thousands of people slinging sweat. It's an amazing feeling being out in front of that many people who know the words to your songs. It definitely helps when you forget them.
QUESTION: Tell me about the artwork. The concept, the layout is a departure for you isn't it?
ANSWER: You know you get tired of seeing your mug plastered on the top of everything. I wanted something that people could hold in their hand and look at like a book. I had this vision for the cover of the art, but we couldn't find a stock photo anywhere that was good. So we found an artist and I conveyed what I was thinking. It took awhile and a lot of hard work from a lot of people to do that.
QUESTION: Some might feel that marriage, children and age have taken away some of your edge. Do you think so?
ANSWER: Well I do a few more ballads then I used to and I do sing about different subjects now that I'm older. But I don't think the edge is gone at all in how I feel about how I approach my music. But I'll tell you that when the edge is gone then I'll know that it's time to go coach high school football or something.
QUESTION: Are you at peace with yourself?
ANSWER: I'm in a good place in my life. I've got a career that I love and a great family.
QUESTION: Are you appreciative of all that you have?
ANSWER: Absolutely. I mean I know the opposite because I didn't grow up with a lot of stuff. We really didn't grow up with anything. We got love, but I grew up in a very depressed area. There's not a day that goes by that I don't appreciate what I have. But probably the toughest thing about being successful is dealing with the guilt that you feel about why you have success and other people don't.
QUESTION: Without telling me about Faith or family or the kids. What are Tim McGraw's goals?
ANSWER: What I want to get out of my career, out of everything that I do, out of my life, out of myself is good music and good friends. I want to be somebody who can be counted on. When my kids grow up I want somebody to say well if there's a project or something that needs to be done and one of my kids says that they're going to do it, I want everybody to say well that's…that's a McGraw kid. I think your legacy is probably the biggest accomplishment that you can ever have. I hope that mine will ultimately be children that are established, well rounded and who one day will make a difference.
Industry Awards
2002
American Music Awards- Best Country Album- Set This Circus Down, Favorite Male Country Artist
Nominations: Grammy's-
Country Album Set This Circus Down
Male Country Vocal Performance- "Grown Men Don't Cry"
Vocal Collaboration- "Bring on The Rain" w/Jo Dee Messina
2001
American Music Awards- Favorite Male Country Artist
Grammy- Vocal Collaboration w/Faith Hill (Let's Make Love)
Radio & Records Country Radio Readers Poll- Best Male Vocalist
Blockbuster Award- Favorite Male Artist- Country
Playboy Magazine's Top Male Performer
Radio Music Awards- Country Artist of the Year Single of the year- "Grown Men"
Country Music Association: Entertainer of the Year
Billboard Awards- Country Artist, Male Country Artist, Country Albums Artist, Country Album- Greatest Hits, Country Single Artist
2000
Country Music Association- Male Vocalist
Father of the Year- National Fatherhood Initiative
Academy of Country Music Awards- Male Vocalist
American Songwriter Magazine- Favorite Artist of the Year
Radio & Records Country Radio Readers Poll- Best Male Vocalist & Album (A Place in the Sun)
Billboard Magazine's Male Artist of the Year
1999
Academy of Country Music Awards - Male Vocalist & Vocal Collaboration- ("Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me" w/Faith Hill)
American Songwriter Magazine - Favorite Artist of the Year
Country Music Association Awards- Male Vocalist & Album of The Year (A Place in The Sun)
Music City News/TNN Awards - Male Vocalist, Vocal Collaboration- ("Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me") & Song of the Year- ("Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me")
Radio & Records Country Radio Readers Poll - Best Male Vocalist, Best Album (Everywhere)
1998
Billboard Awards - Country Single of the Year ("Just To See You Smile")
Country Music Association Awards - Album of The Year (Everywhere)
Country Radio Music Awards - Best Male Artist
Academy of Country Music Awards - Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year & Top Vocal Event ("It's Your Love")
Radio & Records Country Radio Readers Poll - Best Album (Everywhere)
1997
Billboard Magazine Single of the Year ("It's Your Love")
Billboard Monitor Single of the Year ("It's Your Love")
Radio & Records Single of the Year ("It's Your Love")
Gavin Single of the Year ("It's Your Love")
Country Music Television - Male Artist of the Year
Country Music Television - Video of the Year ("It's Your Love")
Country Music Television - Top Video of All Time ("It's Your Love")
Playgirl Magazine Sexiest Men of the Year, Top Ten
Country Music Association Awards - Vocal Event ("It's Your Love")
1996
Country Music Association SRO Awards - Best Tour Package (Spontaneous Combustion Tour)
1995
Country Music Association SRO Awards - Best New Touring Artist
Country Dance Music Awards - Best Dance Album (Not A Moment Too Soon)
American Music Awards - Favorite New Country Artist
TNN/Music City News Awards - Male Star of Tomorrow
1994
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards - Favorite CD (Not A Moment Too Soon)
Country Music Television Awards - Male Video Artist of the Year
Academy of Country Music - Album of the Year (Not A Moment Too Soon)
Academy of Country Music - Top New Male Vocalist
American Jukebox Awards - Best New Artist
Country Radio Awards - Best New Artist
Billboard Awards - Top New Country Artist
Billboard Magazine- Top New Country Album (Not A Moment Too Soon)
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Reba McEntire
Twenty years of recording some of the finest country music there is, and Reba McEntire is still going strong. On this, her 26th recording, Reba continues to prove her staying power, once again asserting that while trendsin country come and go, true talent always stays. While fans and critics alike have long praised her vocal ability and knack for choosing just the right songs, it is her ability to bring fans of all types of music to this genre that has truly benefited country music. Reba has pushed the envelope and stepped outside the boundaries, while always remaining true to her country roots. Whether she is starring in a major film, television movie, or expanding her horizons - and at the same time country music’s - to European and Australian audiences, Reba is always Reba.
With So Good Together, the singer explores one of her favorite themes - relationships. But the approach is a little different than the norm. “When you listen to this CD, you’ll notice several different attitudes,” she says. “On this recording I worked with three different producers, where in the past I have only worked with one. Tony Brown and I have recorded songs since 1990 and David Malloy and I have also worked together in the past. But this was my first time to get to work with Keith Stegall.
"Working with these three talented men was exciting and made the song search completely different than any project I’ve done in the past. Each of them were at completely different places in their personal lives, which affected the type of songs they were passionate about," Reba says. "On past recordings, when it was just myself and one producer selecting songs, they tended to reflect our opinions and what we were going through at that time in our lives. I feel the song selection on this CD is very well balanced between sad songs, love songs and music that just makes you feel good."
Never satisfied to rest on past laurels, Reba is constantly raising the bar for herself. But that need to excel has been tempered with a certain satisfaction that comes with maturity. "When I was in my twenties, everything was a challenge to me. I was young and inexperienced in the music business. The only thing I knew for a fact was that I could sing. Everything else I had to learn, and sometimes the hard way. I’m thankful I had some very good and patient teachers. Now, I take everything at a little easier pace because I have learned the difference between things that have to be done immediately, and things that can simply wait. And that is just a matter of knowing what is important in life."
Reba’s "easier pace" would send most newcomers in the business to the nearest spa for a vacation. A non-stop "doer," Reba easily balances a more-than-full-time job with being a full-time loving mother. Her normal pace is full speed ahead. Any given month might find her touring, filming a movie and carpooling her son Shelby to Scouts or a hockey match. And she always makes time for the causes near and dear to her heart, such as First Book (she is the first national spokesperson for the non-profit organization).
Anyone who knows Reba knows she comes by this work ethic honestly. She comes from a family of hard workers and "110 percenters." It is the credo of her life, her mantra for daily existence. Work hard. Play hard. Growing up on a cattle ranch in Southeastern Oklahoma and in a family of rodeo champs taught her that. Riding a horse almost as soon as she could walk made her fearless. Falling off that horse, and getting right back on again taught her never to give up. Being told "girl singers" should just stand behind the microphone and do as they are instructed gave her the gumption to buck the system. And that pat on the back known as success gave her the stamina to push the envelope.
After 40-plus million records sold, a trophy shelf that buckles under the weight of so many awards, and fan clubs that stretch from Manchester, England to Melbourne, Australia, one might wonder why she keeps it up. As one journalist recently asked her, "Why not just sit back and enjoy all you have worked so hard to achieve?"
Her response: "Now why would I want to do that? I have a job that I love. I meet interesting people every day of my life. And I get to sing. What more could a person want out of life?"
DISCOGRAPHY
1978 Reba McEntire
1979 Out Of A Dream
1980 Feel The Fire
1981 Heart To Heart
1982 Unlimited
1983 Behind The Scenes
1984 Just A Little Love
1984 My Kind Of Country
1985 Have I Got A Deal For You
1986 Whoever’s In New England
1986 What Am I Gonna Do About You
1987 Reba McEntire’s Greatest Hits
1987 The Last One To Know
1987 Merry Christmas To You
1988 Reba
1989 Sweet Sixteen
1989 Reba Live!
1990 Rumor Has It
1991 For My Broken Heart
1992 It’s Your Call
1993 Greatest Hits Volume Two
1994 Read My Mind
1995 Starting Over
1996 What If It’s You
11/23/99 So Good Together
GOLD ALBUMS
Best of Reba McEntire
My Kind Of Country
Whoever’s In New England
What Am I Gonna Do About You
Reba McEntire’s Greatest Hits
Merry Christmas To You
The Last One To Know
Reba
Sweet Sixteen
Reba Live!
Rumor Has It
For My Broken Heart
It’s Your Call
Greatest Hits Volume Two
Read My Mind
PLATINUM ALBUMS
Whoever’s In New England
Reba’s Greatest Hits
Reba
Sweet Sixteen
Rumor Has It
For My Broken Heart
It’s Your Call
Greatest Hits Volume Two
Read My Mind
DOUBLE PLATINUM ALBUMS
Reba McEntire’s Greatest Hits
Rumor Has It
For My Broken Heart
It’s Your Call
Greatest Hits Volume Two
Read My Mind
TRIPLE PLATINUM ALBUMS
For My Broken Heart
Greatest Hits Volume One
It’s Your Call
Greatest Hits Volume Two
QUADRUPLE PLATINUM ALBUMS
Greatest Hits Volume Two
VIDEOS
Reba
For My Broken Heart
Reba In Concert
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RONNIE MCDOWELL
Now & Again: The Best of Ronnie McDowell
Ronnie McDowell is a one of a kind performer, an ever-growing multitude of talent and unquestionably one of country music's best loved entertainers. As one of Tennessee's favorite sons, he is truly a symphony of genuine, natural, creative talent; however, even the most descriptive words in the English language can't express the magic within McDowell and the way that he has touched legions of fans throughout his twenty year musical career.
Since the age of six, McDowell's ambition has been to make music. When his friends spent hours listening to songs on the radio, McDowell spent hours trying to emulate those very sounds. Like young, artistic entertainers usually do, McDowell sang and looked into his bedroom mirror with visions of taking music to -the stage. But, he soon discovered that he had serious inhibitions about performing in public. He just couldn't do it! At least, not until 1968, when McDowell was in the Navy aboard the U.S. S. Hancock, where his buddies provided him with plenty of "liquid courage." Finally, the boy from Portland, Tennessee took his first step onto a public stage.
The response was overwhelming for the boy who had previously hidden his talent from the outside world. The audience loved McDowell and, as a result, his singing career started sailing at one hundred knots per hour. He formed a band, the Remniscents, and entertained his fellow seamen during their Alaskan tour of duty.
When McDowell returned to Tennessee he began to make a living as a commercial sign painter, but his heart was still yearning to take his career in music to the next level. Opportunity found McDowell once again in the form of "Deep In The Heart Of Dixie," a McDowell-penned song recorded by Roy Druskey. McDowell still claims, "Hearing that song over the radio for the first time will always be one of the biggest thrills of my career."
However, it took another of McDowell's multi-tracked talents to make his self-penned songs become big hits, his own voice. And it took one of McDowell's long time musical idols, Elvis Presley, whose death ironically brought forth the song that would catapult him into national fame. Hours after Presley passed away, McDowell and Lee Morgan co-wrote "The King Is Gone." McDowell recorded it, and it became his first top five hit. Almost overnight, the song became a smash hit, selling several million copies while creating instant stardom for McDowell.
Throughout the 1980s McDowell continued to write hit songs for himself, including "I Love You, I Love You, I Love You," "World's Most Perfect Woman," "Watchin' Girls Go By," and "All Tied Up." In addition, McDowell also had hits penned by other writers including, "Wanderin' Eyes," "You Made A Wanted Man Out Of Me," "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation," and "Older Women."
McDowell continued his string of hits into the 1990s with "Unchained Melody." He taught country music fans to dance the cowboy hip-hop with his recording of "Yippy-Ti-Yi-Yo." He took his music to the Supreme Court, where he was the first artist to ever perform at the prestigious Jefferson Awards. McDowell also played a command performance for President Bush, was honored for his humanitarian efforts with a House Joint Resolution by the Tennessee General Assembly, and was invited to entertain homecoming troops of Operation Desert Shield. He was tapped by national advertising executives to record commercials for Chevrolet trucks, while also being selected as a regular guest performer on TNN's "Music City Tonight" show on a weekly basis.
McDowell is recognized as the creator of country's first animated video, which he put together for his single "American Music." Ever the multi-talented artist, McDowell is also a recognized sculptor, having created a life-sized statue of "The King." The correlation between Elvis Presley and Ronnie McDowell has continued to this day with McDowell's special recording, A Tribute To The King. Recorded by Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana, and the Jordanaires, the 20-track release contains several of Presley's most memorable tracks.
McDowell's current Intersound Country release, Now &Again: The Best Of Ronnie
McDowell, celebrates his 20 years in country music with newly-recorded versions of his most popular hits including "Older Women" and "In A New York Minute." He also showcases his incredible vocal ' talent by tackling the popular Titanic theme, "My Heart Will Go On," and a rich acoustic arrangement of the Bobby Darin hit, "Dream Lover."
Outside of the studio, McDowell continues to tour on a regular basis with a schedule that takes him all over the country. His loyal fan base extends across the map with fan clubs in more than twenty cities. His work has been admired by greats like D.J. Fontana, Scotty Moore, the Jordanaires, the Stamps, and dozens of other country and legendary acts. His artistry, class, and talent extend the boundaries and continues to entertain his fans. For Ronnie McDowell, it's the music and the smiles that make it all worthwhile.
Ronnie McDowell - Discography
Albums:
The King Is Gone Scorpion
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You Scorpion
Live at the Fox Scorpion
Tribute to the King Scorpion
Elvis (Soundtrack) Ahed
Rockin' You Easy, Lovin' You Slow Epic
Love So Many Ways Epic
Going Going Gone Epic
Good Time Lovin' Man Epic
Love To Bum Epic
Greatest Hits Epic
Personally Epic
Country Boy's Heart Epic
Willing Epic
I've Got A Friend In Higher Places RMcDE
In A New York Minute RMcDE
Gospel Favorites RMcDE
All Tied Up In Love MCA
Hit After Hit RMcDE
Older Women and Other Greatest Hits Epic
I'm Still Missing You Curb
American Music Curb
The Best of Ronnie McDowell Curb
Unchained Melody Curb
Your Precious Love Curb
"When A Man Loves A Woman Curb
Country Dances Curb
Greatest Hits Curb
Elvis: A Tribute To The King Intersound Country
Now & Again: The Best of Ronnie McDowell Intersound Country
Hit Singles:
"The King Is Gone" #3 "Personally" #4
"I Love You, I Love You, I Love You" #3 "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation" #1
"Here Comes The Reason" Top 10 "You Made A Wanted Man Out Of Me" #2
"World's Most Perfect Woman" Top 10 "1 Dream Of Women Like You" Top 10
"Wanderin' Eyes" #2 "1 Got A Million of 'Um" #2
"Older Women" #1 " In A New York Minute" #2
"Watchin' Girls Go By" #2 " Love Talks" #4
"I Just Cut Myself' Top 10 "All Tied Up In Love" #5
"Step Back" #7 "It's Only Make Believe" #5
Ronnie McDowell - Bio Bits
First network television appearance on "American Bandstand"
A guest on various television shows including TNN's "Nashville Now," "Crook & Chase," and "This Week In Country Music." He also appeared on "Entertainment Tonight" and CNN's "Showbiz Today"
A regular guest performer on TNN's "Music City Tonight" for 1 1/2 years
Featured in national publications such as TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, Country Song Roundup, Country America, Music City News, Country Weekly, and Modem Screen's Country Music
Invited to play a command performance for President George Bush in Ft. Bragg, NC in a special salute to the troops of Operation Desert Shield
A generous contributor to charitable organizations including Easter Seals and has established his own annual benefit festival in his hometown of Portland, TN helping to fund the city's D.A.R.E. program
Lent his voice to several movies about Elvis Presley, and was personally selected by Priscilla Presley to do the music for ABC's 1990 television series about the early year's of Elvis' career titled "Elvis."
Opened an art gallery in Portland, TN called "Prints on Main," displaying his own artwork and life-size sculpture of Elvis Presley
His 4-member band is called "The Rhythm Kings"
Previous Bio Information Follows
"Elvis would be proud and flattered at the dedication, devotion, and respect Ronnie has shown to his music. This release is certainly no exception."
- Sam Phillips
Ronnie McDowell is a one of a kind performer, an ever-growing multitude of talent, and unquestionably one of the world's most under rated entertainers. As one of Tennessee's favorite sons, he is truly a symphony of genuine, natural, creative talent; however, even the most descriptive words in the English language can't express the magic within Ronnie and the way that he has touched legions of fans throughout his twenty year professional career.
Since the age of six, Ronnie's ambition has been to make music. When his friends spent hours listening to songs on the radio, Ronnie spent hours trying to emulate those very sounds. Like young, artistic entertainers usually do, Ronnie sang and looked into his bedroom mirror with visions of taking music to the stage, but he soon discovered that he had a serious hang-up about performing in public. He just couldn't do it! At least, not until 1968, when he was in the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Hancock, where his buddies supplied him with plenty of "liquid courage." Finally, the boy from Portland, Tennessee took his first step onto a public stage.
The response was overwhelming for the boy who previously hid his talent from the outside world. The audience loved him and, as a result, Ronnie's singing career started sailing off at one hundred knots per hour! He formed a band, the Reminiscents, and entertained his fellow seamen during their Alaskan tour of duty.
Eventually, Ronnie returned to Tennessee and began to make a living as a commercial sign painter, but his heart was still yearning to take his career in music to the next level. Opportunity found Ronnie once again in the form of "Deep In The Heart Of Dixie," a McDowell-penned composition recorded by Roy Druskey. The now-successful McDowell still claims, "Hearing that song over the radio for the first time will always be one of the biggest thrills of my career."
However, it took another of Ronnie's multi-tracked talents to make his self-penned songs become big hits. Namely, his OWN voice. And it took one of Ronnie's long time musical idols, Elvis Presley, whose death ironically brought forth the song that would catapult him into national fame.
Merely hours after Elvis had passed away, Ronnie and the late Lee Morgan co-wrote "The King Is Gone." Ronnie recorded it and, as they say, the rest is history. Almost overnight, the song became a smash hit, selling several million copies while also creating instant stardom for Ronnie McDowell.
Continuing throughout the '80s, there were many other self-penned songs that Ronnie turned into hits for himself, including "I Love You, I Love You, I Love You," "World's Most Perfect Woman," "Watchin' Girls Go By," and "All Tied Up." On top of that, he also had numerous hits, which were authored by other writers including "Here Comes The Reason," "Wanderin' Eyes," "Step Back," "Personally," "You Made A Wanted Man Out Of Me," "It's Only Make Believe," "You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation," and "Older Women."
Ronnie has continued his string of hits into the '90s with "Unchained Melody." In addition, he taught the world to dance the cowboy hip-hop with his recording of "Yippy-Ti-Yi-Yo." He took his music to the supreme court, where he was the first artist to ever perform at the prestigious Jefferson Awards. He played a command performance for President Bush and was honored for his humanitarian efforts with a House Joint Resolution by the Tennessee General Assembly. He was invited to entertain homecoming troops of Operation Desert Shield. He was also tapped by national advertising executives to record commercials for Chevrolet Trucks.
Ronnie is also recognized as the creator of country music's first animated video, which he put together for his single "American Music." Ever the multi-talented artist, Ronnie is also a recognized sculptor, having created a life-sized statue of "the King." The correlation between Elvis and Ronnie has carried on to this day with A Tribute To The King. Recorded with Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana, and the Jordanaires, the 20 track release contains several of Elvis' most memorable tracks, including the first single/video, "Love Me Tender," and the newly-penned "Tupelo's Too Far."
With A Tribute To The King, Ronnie has come full circle. He is busy as ever with a whirlwind tour schedule taking him all around the country. Ronnie's loyal fan base extends across with the map with satellite fan clubs in over twenty cities. These fans will certainly be coming en masse to see him on August 16th for the annual Elvis Presley vigil at Graceland, where Ronnie will pay tribute on the 20th anniversary of Elvis' passing.
As the most accredited voice of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Ronnie has earned the respect of Priscilla Presley as one the few vocalists with whom she will work to preserve her late husband's legacy. Rock n' roll legends like Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana, both of whom helped to shape the history of music, have the utmost respect for Ronnie and continue to lend a hand inside and outside of the recording studio. These legendary figures recognize Ronnie's talent, but it is Ronnie who truly appreciates the chance to make his life long ambition a reality:
"Having idolized Elvis Presley from the time I was a small child, I never thought I would get the opportunity to record an album with legendary Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana and The Jordanaires. Dreams do come true!"
- Ronnie McDowell
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Mindy McCready - "Mindy McCready"
You don't just hear Mindy McCready's music - you feel it.
It's passionate. Soulful. Sensuous in every sense of the word.
In other words, it's Mindy. Knowing that her past songs have revealed only bits and pieces of her personality, Mindy wanted this, her fourth album, to be completely her own. She opens her soul in a way she's never done before by choosing songs that hit her in the gut and in the heart, and letting those feelings guide her performance.
"This whole record is 100% emotional," McCready says. "My singing is more relaxed than it's ever been because I'm enjoying myself as I get lost in the song. The audience knows when you're really singing about something that means something to you. Each one of these songs touched me on an emotional level."
Often, Mindy found herself drawn to songs dealing boldly with women's sensuality and passions. "It's such a prevalent part of being in love," she says. "It's relevant to everybody's life every single day. I try to be as honest as I possibly can through my music, and if I can sing about a woman's sexuality in an artistic manner, I know that the audience will respond."
Mindy takes that same honest approach to each song, no matter what the mood. You can hear the smile in "Baby You Get To Me," about the sheer delight that one person can feel from being around someone they love. "I Just Want Love," describes a hunger for contact, matched perfectly to a sultry Latin rhythm. It also indulges McCready's love for salsa dancing. "I love the Latin sound, and this is a song that I can move to onstage when I perform it," she says. "Loving Your Man," delves into the complexities of being the "other woman." Though McCready hasn't been in that situation herself, she was moved by the story. "Sometimes that does happen to people, and it's not the right thing - it will never be the right thing - but knowing that something is wrong doesn't mean that you can help feeling the way you do, or that you don't feel for the other woman in the equation."
"Don't Speak," implores a partner to forget words and concentrate on feelings. "Sacrifice," describes the ultimate love. "Scream" builds to a crescendo of emotional outburst - all the pent-up anger, frustration and regret that emerge from a broken relationship churn together into the volcanic eruption that is the chorus. "When I heard this song a flood of emotions came out," says McCready. "It made me decide that it's okay to scream in my head, but it also inspired me to take action when I need to."
In many ways this whole album is a culmination of lessons learned for McCready, and action taken in response. At a mere 24-years-old, she's overcome great obstacles to achieve her dream, and found that reaching her goal meant facing new obstacles.
Committed to music from the day she could speak, McCready began formal training in opera at age nine. She graduated from high school at age 16 and moved to Nashville at 18 to pursue a career in country music. She struck a deal with her mother: If she didn't succeed in a year, she would go to college.
McCready immediately found work as a demo singer. At age nineteen she signed with RCA. Her debut album, Ten Thousand Angels, contained the hits "Guys Do It All The Time," "A Girl's Gotta Do (What A Girl's Gotta Do), "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now" and the title song. It was certified double platinum and McCready skyrocketed into the public consciousness.
All of a sudden she became a celebrity, whose personal life got scrutinized closely and discussed at the water cooler. "I don't get to have a lot of private emotions," she says. "I wasn't prepared for that at the beginning, but learned very quickly that I had to lay myself on the line. You don't get a choice. You can do it and like it, or you can do it and be miserable. And the way to avoid being miserable is to do things you're proud of and say things that you're proud of."
That applied especially to her music. Amid all the chaos of her new fame, music remained her outlet. It had to be honest, and that meant it had to ring true with her deep inside. As she made her second album, she learned to speak up, even if that meant going against the consensus. For her third album, she found a simpatico producer in Billy Joe Walker, who encouraged her both musically and personally. "He and I just mesh musically," Mindy says. "We like the same songs. We like the same sound. We like the same players. It's a match made in heaven."
Walker sat in the producer's chair again for this album, and McCready worked closely with him on every aspect of the record. She took every drop of experience that she had and used it. She learned to stop thinking about it all so hard and to feel, and then to put those feelings into every part of her album.
"Whether it makes you smile, cry or call your mom, the power of music is the way that it affects you," Mindy says. "The songs on this album absolutely kill me. I love what they say, and that means that I love singing them."
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NEAL McCOY
Hubert Neal McGaughey, Jr., the son of Irish and Filipino parents, differed ever so slightly from his schoolmates back in Jacksonville, Texas, and the difference lay somewhere beyond his exotic good looks. When the rodeo would come to town, a summertime highlight, the other kids trailed along in the shadow of the cowboys. Little Neal was elsewhere; he had come to see the entertainers, the country music and television stars headlining the stage show and dance after the rodeo.
Neal McGaughey, Jr. liked every last one of those singers and pickers. He listened hard, and he imagined himself in their boots, and he imitated their licks. Even as a kid he was a singer, a baritone whose gift was nurtured and stretched in gospel quartets and east-Texas choral groups. At home he listened to big-band records, and he danced to disco. His first paying gig came with a rhythm-and-blues band.
Some years later, his own career on the backroads of country music begun, performing in clubs with cute names - his own name changed first to McGoy (the phonetic spelling of his Irish birthright) and finally to McCoy - Neal found himself singing whatever came to mind, as he paid long hard old dues in out-of-the-way places. Country music stars, as everyone knows, are "discovered," and Neal's big day of discovery came in 1981 at a talent show in a Dallas supper club. Six years of touring with Charley Pride later, he recorded his first album. The album went nowhere, slowly.
Problem was, the translation of McCoy in concert to McCoy in the studio was somehow not occurring. All due respect to the producers of Neal's earliest albums, the task may have been impossible. The McCoy stage show is random, erratic, unknown and unknowable in terms of its progression, much less its limits. Working with no set list, Neal's band takes the stage, lays down some chords over which Neal is free to see who's in the audience, say hello, investigate the territory, and set the direction for at least the first two or three tunes.
Then the man begins to demonstrate what those who know him and love him best have long suspected: he has no shame.
He will posture and cock at the first sight of a camera. He will talk to anybody, fan or band member or stagehand, at anytime. He laughs almost as much as he sings. And still the songs arrive, out of nowhere, from rodeo grounds and 1940s ballrooms and southern churches and Ricky Nelson's den as much as from the heart of the classic country experience, with its languid, lovely tales of good love gone bad.
If Neal McCoy in concert is a Texas cyclone equipped with Marshall amps, the new CD, the self-titled Neal McCoy is a baritone in a bottle. But there is no formula here, other than a logical, lyrical progression from the snap and twang, the sheer gorgeousness of the previous two platinum albums. No Doubt About It (1994) with its Billboard Top Ten of the Year status and You Gotta Love That (1995), the signature album that, with Barry Beckett producing again, solidified Neal's sound and established a radio-friendly course for exploration of his vocal style.
No one should be surprised that "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" is the first single off the new CD. An unmistakable message saunters through the grand 1960s chestnut, a message that echoes through nine of the ten songs here and indeed through all of Neal's music; love endures; if you let them, the good times will outweigh the bad; the best loves find friendship at their core; simple pleasures matter most.
The album is laced with young-country dance cuts. We can expect to hear "Betcha Can't Do That Again," "That Woman of Mine," and "I Ain't Complainin'," wherever twirls are slow and shuffles are rhythmic. In the lonesome hallways of the lovelorn. "If It Hadn't Been So Good" should win serious consideration as the saddest song of 1996, and the other hymn to good love gone south "Should've Happened That Way," ought to come in second.
On Neal McCoy the baritone is, as always, understand and subtle, effortless in its evocations of everyday stuff. A husband falls for his wife again, and vice versa. An old friend telephones for no particular reason. Some guy finds himself listening to mushy love songs. It's raining, and the roof leaks, but right now this good woman, this nice man are having themselves a dance.
This time round, Neal's voice has found counterpoint. On the road, the band is tight, intuitive, and fun-loving - musical accomplices to the mayhem of the live stage show. In the studio for Neal McCoy the band and the baritone flirt and soar, dip and sway like the two best dancers in the country. This album stacks guitars against Neal's signature vocal phrasings, and the results sound like a cowboy choir. Voice, lead, steel - they all came together in the last chorus of "Going, Going, Gone" as the guitars lead Neal into a glissando wherein "gone" becomes a word of four syllables.
Neal McCoy arrives with an intermission of sorts, a live version of two off-center favorites from the live shows, "Day-0, The Banana Boat Song" and a country-rap version of "The Theme from The Beverly Hillbillies." It's absurd, but it works.
No Neal McCoy album ends in anything but affirmation. The guitars are pumping for "She Can," and we've come full circle. "That Woman of Mine" is here again, and "she can make me smile when I want to cry. When my world gets crazy and I just can't cope, she throws her arms around me and gives me hope."
Sounds like Neal McCoy, all right, up there with his long arms spread, inviting an audience into a tribal hug, some eclectic bit of musical history churning in the background. In that smoky spotlight, as on this new CD, he seems for all the world like nothing so much as a happy little kid with a bull angel's voice way, way into a midsummer's rodeo night.
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Martina McBride
Emotion
Martina McBride has always been known for her incendiary delivery and impeccable sense of song. With Emotion, her 5th album for RCA Nashville, the slim keg of vocal dynamite raises the artistic stakes by creating her most diverse and challenging work ever.
Emotion, again co-produced by McBride and longtime collaborator Paul Worley, certainly ups the ante with a collection of songs that maintains McBride's strong woman take on modern living, but it's tempered with a newfound intimacy. McBride has forged a collection of songs that explore smaller relationships in deeper terms. This is an album about what people feel, and it starts with the most important connection of all: one-on-one.
"I don't know if I've ever been this moved by a collection of my own songs. The lyrics are so honest and true. Emotion is the perfect title because it really sums up what this album is about."
"I didn't set out to do something drastically different with this record, but I always want to grow as an artist, to reach and go beyond what I've already done. I don't ever set out to make a particular kind of album. This time I knew I wanted this album to be simpler. Evolution was very produced. It was a very big-sounding record. With Emotion we used a very small band to cut the tracks, so it's a simpler sound. We used the same studios; the same musicians that we always use, but musically, gave everyone room to breathe. Everyone played such amazing parts and played with such heart. So when we went in to overdub, virtually everything we tried to add just wouldn't stick. What the musicians played was so greatŠthere was nothing we could add to it that brought these songs to a better place, which was a unique experience for us because we usually add lots of layers to each song. So it ended up being an interesting creative experience for me and Paul."
For McBride, scaling back musically gave her the room to showcase her range, power and subtle interpretative skills. McBride transfixes the listener with all the colors and nuances of her voice.
McBride has had two years since the release of her double platinum CD Evolution. She's aware that with time comes experience, with experience an even larger palette of emotions and awareness to draw upon.
"I think one of the most important creative tools I have and the reason my records do sound different from each other is the time I take between albums. I come at each one from a different place. After all, I have two years of life I didn't have before: two years of living, of experience, of confidence, even another child! With security, you're able to open up more as an artist, to show more of yourself. I also think that when you have kids, it makes you more open and you get to a place where you can really share what's inside comfortably."
"It's a bit of a difficult thing to free yourself from what you perceive others' expectations to be. With Evolution being so successful, you wonder whether people will expect and want you to just do more of the same. But I've never been interested in making the same album over and over. And I guess I also realize that what people really expect is for me to do something different with each album. That knowledge gives me a lot of freedom - and that freedom really let us make this album be what it was supposed to be rather than what we thought it needed to be. I realized I had to stop analyzing it and just record songs that I really loved. Musically, the record just kind of made itself. It was a mystifying process and I'm still not sure I understand how it happened, but I love it."
"I don't know how people are going to respond to it. But that's the feeling you have before you release every album. Even though on the first listen I think people will hear a difference in this album, it you think about it you can draw comparisons to songs we've recorded in the past. And so I think that this album sounds equally fresh and familiarŠit sounds fresh, but it still has the personality and characteristics that make it country music. Country music has always been a melting pot with elements of rockabilly, bluegrass, rock and blues all incorporated at one time or another. But the lyrics have always reflected mainstream country values. And to me that's what has always been at the heart of country music."
The willingness to push, to reach, to sing great songs that mean something has always defined McBride's career and made her a standard setter in country music. She has transfixed country radio with the drama of "A Broken Wing," the award-winning "Independence Day" and captivating "Wild Angels." McBride has run an emotional cable straight into the hearts and lives of music fans. With Emotion, that strength takes on a new luster.
"It's funny, someone said that to me in the studio three-quarters of the way through this album and I had no idea what they were talking about," McBride laughs. "I don't really think about myself as a standard setter. I just do what I do. I try to find songs that are relatable. My music may change, but I think lyrically, I'm always looking for songs that feel right to meŠthat express something true, whatever that may be."
"It's funny, someone said that to me in the studio three-quarters of the way through this album and I had no idea what they were talking about," McBride laughs. "I don't really think about myself as a standard setter. I just do what I do. I try to find songs that are relatable. My music may change, but I think lyrically, I'm always looking for songs that feel right to meŠthat express something true, whatever that may be."
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Dixie Chick Natalie Maines Bashes Toby Keith's Patriotic Anthem
(8/7/02, 4 p.m. ET) -- ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings is apparently not the only celebrity to take issue with Toby Keith's chart-topping country hit, "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)." Now, the Dixie Chicks's lead singer, Natalie Maines, freely shares her dislike of the song.
"Don't get me started," Maines told the Los Angeles Daily News. "I hate it. It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant. It targets an entire culture--and not just the bad people who did bad things. You've got to have some tact. Anybody can write, 'We'll put a boot in your ass.' But a lot of people agree with it. The kinds of songs I prefer on the subject are like Bruce Springsteen's new songs."
Keith's spokesperson had "no comment" in response to Maine's quote. In the past, however, Keith has been quick to defend the song, because it was written in tribute to his late father, who served in the Korean war. "That's why I'm so defensive when somebody jumps on that song, you know," said Keith. "You get on that and you just turn into a commie heathen with me."
-- Margy Holland, Nashville
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Toby Keith: Hollywood Is Calling
(8/7/02, 7 a.m. ET) -- Toby Keith is on top of his game in country music right now as his album, Unleashed, sits on top of Billboard 200 chart this week in its debut. While music is his main gig, Keith could go down the Hollywood path any time he pleases.
He told LAUNCH, "I've got some people coming at me for some TV shows. I've got two or three of the majors asking us to... I can leave tomorrow and go start production on a sitcom. They're waiting. I've had two of the top five people in that industry fly in and say, 'You're in a great arena, we understand if you don't leave right now, but when you get ready to do heavier drugs, you call us."
At press time, Keith has no plans set in stone to begin work on a TV sitcom. The singer is booked throughout the rest of 2002 on his Unleashed tour, which plays Indianapolis on Thursday (August 8).
-- Nancy Brooks, Nashville
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Toby Keith: Hollywood Is Calling
(8/7/02, 7 a.m. ET) -- Toby Keith is on top of his game in country music right now as his album, Unleashed, sits on top of Billboard 200 chart this week in its debut. While music is his main gig, Keith could go down the Hollywood path any time he pleases.
He told LAUNCH, "I've got some people coming at me for some TV shows. I've got two or three of the majors asking us to... I can leave tomorrow and go start production on a sitcom. They're waiting. I've had two of the top five people in that industry fly in and say, 'You're in a great arena, we understand if you don't leave right now, but when you get ready to do heavier drugs, you call us."
At press time, Keith has no plans set in stone to begin work on a TV sitcom. The singer is booked throughout the rest of 2002 on his Unleashed tour, which plays Indianapolis on Thursday (August 8).
-- Nancy Brooks, Nashville
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Chris Thomas King, Of 'O Brother Where Art Thou,' Has The 'Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues'
(8/6/02, 3 p.m. ET)
-- Chris Thomas King, who was lauded with Grammy Awards in February for his contributions to the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack, will release his ninth album, Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues, on October 8 via his label 21st Century Blues Records.
King, who also portrayed Delta blues artist Tommy Johnson in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou, has long been known for fusing blues and hip-hop. On the new collection, he addresses the legendary "Crossroads" myth on "Mississippi KKKrossroads," blues's trek from Africa to America on "Welcome To Da Jungle," and his quest for post-9/11 serenity on "Gonna Take A Miracle."
"I see Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues as a defining album for both myself and for the blues genre," said King, who is the son of respected Louisiana blues man Tabby Thomas, "and a test for the blues genre to see whether it will more forward."
King, who does not feature any guests on Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues, released his debut album, The Beginning, in 1986. Other album credits include his 1990 Sire Records release, Cry Of The Prophets, 1995's 21st Century Blues...From Da' Hoo, and last year's The Legend Of Tommy Johnson, Act 1: Genesis 1900's.
King is also on the Down From The Mountain tour.
-- Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles
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Chesney Gets Special Surprise
Wed Aug 7,12:39 PM ET
NASHVILLE (AP) - Kenny Chesney's party last night in Nashville, honoring the success of his song "The Good Stuff," also included a secret surprise.
Chesney was presented with a big platinum ticket, commemorating more than one million tickets sold on his "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" tour. The tour, Chesney's first as a headliner, has grossed $17 million dollars, and stands as the only country tour on Billboard's Top Tours of this year.
Chesney has a few more dates at fairs and arenas to play, before he retires the "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" tour.
Chesney says he appreciates the honor of having so many people passionate about his music.
While he's not sure what to do with the giant platinum ticket, he says "It's pretty cool to have it."
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Chesney Gets Special Surprise
Wed Aug 7,12:39 PM ET
NASHVILLE (AP) - Kenny Chesney's party last night in Nashville, honoring the success of his song "The Good Stuff," also included a secret surprise.
Chesney was presented with a big platinum ticket, commemorating more than one million tickets sold on his "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" tour. The tour, Chesney's first as a headliner, has grossed $17 million dollars, and stands as the only country tour on Billboard's Top Tours of this year.
Chesney has a few more dates at fairs and arenas to play, before he retires the "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" tour.
Chesney says he appreciates the honor of having so many people passionate about his music.
While he's not sure what to do with the giant platinum ticket, he says "It's pretty cool to have it."
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Naomi Judd Pens Advice Column
Wed Aug 7, 1:00 PM ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Naomi Judd did a pretty good job raising her two famous daughters and now she is going to take her good advice to a more public arena.
Judd will begin writing an advice column called Ask Naomi for Country Weekly magazine, beginning with the issue on sale now.
Judd will respond to questions from readers, giving recommendations and passing on her life's lessons.
Mama Judd says she gets asked about how she managed to overcome the life-threatening Hepatitis C virus, how she raised daughters Wynonna and Ashley as a single mother and all sorts of other questions.
She says there's nothing special or different about her and she's not an expert in anything. But she says she's had some extraordinary opportunities and adventures that have taught her a great deal. Judd adds she's never been afraid to say exactly what she's thinking and has "never been short on opinions."
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MCA Nashville Label Chief Retiring
Thu Aug 8,12:50 AM ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) - Officials at MCA Nashville said on Wednesday that Bruce Hinton was resigning as chairman of the country music powerhouse after 19 years to spend more time with his family.
MCA Nashville, home to such acts as George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire and Wynonna, is a division of Universal Music Group.
Succeeding Hinton, who has been in the business since 1960, is Luke Lewis, chairman and CEO of Universal's Mercury Nashville and Lost Highway labels. He will now oversee all three labels. Lewis helped oversee the huge success of the Grammy-winning soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
MCA Nashville was named the No. 1 country label by the Billboard and R & R trade publications for 10 consecutive years starting in 1991.
Hinton, who will take the title chairman emeritus, started his career in 1960 with Warner Bros. Records in New York, relocated to Los Angeles, then joined Columbia Records as western promotion manager. Moving back to New York, he became CBS's Custom Label Group director, then returned to Los Angeles in 1967. In the early 1980s, he moved to Nashville as senior vice president of MCA Nashville.
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Country Stars Mauled over Mawkish 9/11 Tributes
Tue Aug 6, 2:04 PM ET
By Paul Majendie
EDINBURGH, Scotland (Reuters) - Country and Western diva Tina C wants to share her grief with the world over September 11 and what better way than a Twin Towers tribute album?
As she launches into a chorus of her hit song "Kleenex to the World," shame on anyone who suggests it is all a cheap publicity stunt to sell records and revive a flagging career.
That is the acerbic message from English drag queen Chris Green who decided with Tina, his larger-than-life, all-American patriotic girl, to push out the boundaries of taste at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival by taking a dig at grieving "celebrity saints" jumping on the 9/11 bandwagon.
Featuring songs from her charity album "9/11:24/7" Tina C has garnered plaudits from critics for a "fabulously politically incorrect show" and won a devoted following from fans in Edinburgh, an anarchic extravaganza billed as the world's largest arts festival.
Green, winding down after a show that was greeted with whoops of delight, told Reuters backstage: " The attacks were a huge thing in Nashville. There was a lot of product released and a lot of people who had their careers slightly augmented by 9/11 material.
"I wanted to raise the question 'how far do we go before we become uneasy? What is the role of a singer?'
"I really love country music and I think it has a wonderful emotive quality that nothing else has. But as I say in Kleenex to the World, you don't need to write songs about people dying on 9/11. We can work out that is sad.
"Maybe that is a cultural difference," he added. "That is me as an English person thinking that it is too mawkish, too sentimental."
Tina C certainly had a tough time, confessing to her audience that she suffered from "Grief Exclusion Syndrome" -- she was having plastic surgery at the time of the attacks and missed out on a string of telethon and charity appearances.
Green makes no apology for his satire. "I can't help thinking that perhaps some people were achieving Number Ones that they hadn't achieved for some time. That makes me sound cynical but they did."
Green, the latest in a long and rich tradition of British female impersonators, insists: "What I am not doing is making jokes about people dying. I am not making jokes about people stuck in an airplane about to crash. I'm sticking clearly to the megalomania of the big stars who respond to it and I think they are completely up for parody. They don't need protecting."
He plans to take his show on the road to Australia and then hopes to face the ultimate challenge for his material: "I would like to take it to the States. New York is the place to do it because there is that counter culture there.
"It is not an easy thing to do -- the aim is not to be insensitive but to challenge and to question."
As Tina C promises in her show-stopping hit belted out to an adoring Edinburgh audience: "I'll keep the songs coming even if they nuke us."
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Just Country: Watson so country he's 'alternative'
SA Express-News
08/02/2002
Dale Watson doesn't mess around when he plays country music.
His style is so country that many consider it alternative country, even though it's not that different than many of his heroes — Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and George Jones, to name a few.
"It's very odd," Watson said while waiting for a plane in Boston after a gig at the National Folk Festival.
"We play a lot of rock 'n' roll venues in the States. The country rooms I do play aren't country rooms at all. They're discotheques, really, with cowboy hats and boots. So I'm glad to play rock rooms and be considered alternative rock because country today isn't country."
Instead of a rock or country hall, on Wednesday, Dale Watson and His Lonestars will play a restaurant — at the County Line/KJ97 Live Music Series at 8 p.m., with admission just a donation to the San Antonio Food Bank.
But it's not his first show at a restaurant.
He's even recorded at one, "Live in London ... England" (Audium), released in June, in the cellar of The Borderline.
"It's very small but it always takes on the atmosphere and the passion of the people in it, and luckily that's exactly what we got on the record."
Also on the album are 21 cuts of unapologetically hard-core country, dished up with Watson's bold approach with steel and twang guitars and served with his inspired and muscular vocals.
It includes such "alt-country" covers as Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now," Cash's "I Got Stripes" and Haggard's "Mama's Hungry Eyes."
The seventh album in seven years from the prolific Austin songwriter includes 10 songs not recorded on U.S. CDs, including several that get across his attitude succinctly — "Nashville Rash" and "Country My Ass."
Watson, who has quite a following in Europe, returned from a short tour in France last week.
"In Europe, they know more about country music, even the roots of it, than a lot of Americans, oddly enough," he said. "It's kind of scary when you lose sight of your own roots and traditions and you have to be told by foreigners."
Life's a song
Like some others, Tracie Lynn laid low after Sept. 11. The Austin singer and songwriter took a step back to re-evaluate her life.
"But God sent me messages," she said. "My life's about singing."
To that end, she's gearing up more gigs across the state and the San Antonio area, including tonight at the Leon Springs Dance Hall, her first stop there in many years.
This week, she met with a banker to explore options for financing her third album, which she hopes to begin working on soon. It will follow "Girl Talk," her critically acclaimed 1999 independent release, which takes the best of traditional and contemporary country and blends it with Lynn's expressive vocals.
"It's taken so long because I want to make sure it gets the attention it needs," Lynn said. "I want to have the right songs and the right producer, and I'll probably try for Lloyd Maines again."
During the stretch between the second and third albums, Lynn has re-released her first, which had sold out.
"People kept asking for another album, and I didn't want to release 'Is Anybody Listening' again because — well, promise to remember this is my first album — because it kind of sucks."
That is her way of saying she has progressed as a songwriter and knows her work continues to improve. After all, no one has asked for money back.
"Looking back, it's pretty good for a first album," she said. "Some of these songs were the first songs I had written, back in 1990 or 1991. The songwriting's a little young."
But some have stood the test of time, such as "The Silence," a powerful breakup song about the saddest sound, and the bouncy cheater "I Know You're Lying (Cuz Your Lips Are Moving)."
"The next album is going to be called 'Leave a Trail,' after one of the songs," she said. "It's ready to go, and so am I."
Album for Mata
If there's a little extra bounce in the Western swing of Billy Mata & The Texas Tradition Saturday night at Leon Springs Dance Hall, there's a good reason.
Mata is excited about a new project — his third album.
All the contracts are not yet signed, but Mata is going to record an album of new songs from Clyde Pitts, who wrote the Ray Price hit "Sweetheart of the Year."
Tommy Allsup, the legendary producer and Grammy-winning Western swing artist with the Texas Playboys, will produce the album, Mata said.
"I'm really looking forward to this," said Mata, the Academy of Western Artists' Western swing male vocalist in 2000. "I've been hovering for a couple of years without a new product, and the expectations are high for this one.
"The kind of material and style definitely will be traditional like Western swing and Texas shuffles. There'll be no compromising stuff to try to please somebody in Nashville — make them come to us."
Quick picks
Hit by a flood on Independence Day, Luckenbach finally will celebrate its Fourth of July Picnic on Sunday. The free party begins at noon with Maggie Montgomery singing "The Star Spangled Banner" and follows with Beth Williams, Magnolia Thunderblossom and The Luckenbach Irregulars, Geronimo Treviño III, Jimmy Lee Jones and The Cosmic Dust Devils. Call (888) 311-8990 or visit www.luckenbachtexas.com.
Willie Nelson and Family are pitching in to help raise money for flood victims with a concert Monday at Gruene Hall. Doors open at 6 p.m. Ray Wylie Hubbard, Charlie Robison and Cory Morrow will open with a song swap from 7:45 to 9 p.m. The $100 ticket aids New Braunfels Rebounds, a disaster relief group formed after the flood of 1998. Call (830) 629-5077 or visit www.gruenehall.com.
Jody Jenkins and his father, Bobby, do a little hunting and singing on "The Chevy Sportsman With Alan Warren." The nationwide program airs at 6:30 a.m. Sunday on KENS and on a variety of cable channels through Sunday.
"We went on a hunt on a ranch near Junction," Jody Jenkins said. "It spotlights the outdoors, good friends and a father-son type of thing."
Just released to radio across the Southwest is Jenkins' "Falling in Love With You," a country shuffle off his latest album, "Under a Texas Moon."
Houston Marchman & The Contraband will be bringing what he calls "grunge country" to Gruene Hall tonight.
"I like to rock on certain songs — you know, break strings," said Marchman, who lives in Bastrop. "But then there's certain songs you want to fingerpick."
Marchman kicks off his shows fast before slowing down with some more acoustic, songwriter stuff, but it all pulls from that Texas melting pot of country, rock, Tejano, Cajun and more.
"In our genre, that's been the history," he said. "The Germans brought the accordion to Tejano or conjunto, so it's just a big melding here with Cajun, swing, folk, and it all kind of comes together to me."
Next up at Gruene Hall is the roots country/rockabilly of Two Tons of Steel on Saturday. They're continuing their popular Two Ton Tuesdays through August.
If you're looking for a ticket to the Pat Green show at the River Road Ice House on Saturday night, you're going to have to look hard — it's sold out.
John M. Greenberg of Kings- land, who plays a blend of country/folk/rock/Latin and whatever along with thoughtful lyrics, doesn't play this area much, but he'll be at Armadillo on the Creek in Comfort from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Greenberg, or Johnny Gringo as he is known to fans and friends, founded an acoustic group called The Panhandlers in the mid-1990s and went on his own a couple of years later. The Armadillo, the old Comfort Turn Verein Bowling Alley, also serves up food and drink along with Texas Music every Sunday at the corner of Sixth and Water streets. For more information, call (830) 995-4888 or visit www.pickinontheporch.com.
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Country songwriter beats the odds
By John Goodspeed
SA Express-News
There's a line in Deryl Dodd's "One Ride in Vegas" that just about sums him up.
It's a song about the grind and tough licks of a determined rodeo contestant, but it could be about a country music artist — or anyone with a dream.
"The best line is, 'It's taken more than he thought he could give it/But he's holding on,'" Dodd said. "I've definitely had times when I thought I would throw in the towel, but something keeps me hanging on.
"Stubbornness and passion. It's a blessing and a curse."
It's also what saw him through a two-year battle with viral encephalitis, which robbed him of his motor skills — even his voice.
Like the cowboy in the song, Dodd beat the odds.
After a four-year recording hiatus, Dodd is back to his honky-tonk ways with his third album, "Pearl Snaps," which will provide a lot of the material he plans to sing at 8 tonight at the County Line/KJ97 Live Music Series at the restaurant on Interstate 10 West.
"It's just great to be back," Dodd said.
Texas Music radio stations agree. The song "Pearl Snaps" took the No. 1 spot on the Texas Music Chart this summer, and his label, Sony's Lucky Dog Records, will release the second single, "Honky Tonk Champagne," nationwide on Monday.
Critical acclaim greeted the album, with Dodd writing 10 of its 13 songs. Wanting to reintroduce Dodd, Lucky Dog included his hits from the mid-1990s — "One Ride in Vegas," "A Bitter End," an autobiographical song about his divorce, and "That's How I Got to Memphis," an old Tom T. Hall gem.
The third time's the charm for Dodd, who says "Pearl Snaps" is more representative of him and his music than the first two.
"I grew up listening to what was called country. That's what I talk and walk and think. Country is about people singing about their lives," said Dodd, 38, who describes his music as sounding modern but rich in tradition and unapologetically honky-tonk, unlike much of today's mainstream county music.
Both fiddlers, Dodd's grandfather and father were peanut farmers on a small farm near Comanche, west of Waco. His father and five uncles grew up before television was widespread. Music was their entertainment.
"They learned from rock and country on the radio, but they were emulating the roots stuff," he said. "I grew up with that, and it shaped me musically."
Later, Dodd discovered his grandfather's brother, Harris Dodd, wrote songs and played steel guitar with Western swing pioneers Cliff Bruner and Moon Mullican.
"I talked with Cliff Bruner before he passed away, and he said Harris was one of his dear friends," Dodd said. Bruner sent him a CD set recorded with his great-uncle in the 1930s and '40s.
"That meant a lot to me," Dodd said. "I feel very validated to be out there singing."
Born in Comanche, Dodd moved with his family to Dallas when he was 13. He learned anything with strings and began playing Dallas and Waco clubs while a student at Baylor University. Half a year after moving to Nashville in 1991, Dodd was playing guitar for the fledgling singer Martina McBride and a record deal soon followed.
Just after the release of his second album in 1998, he got tired — so tired he couldn't raise his arms above his head. He also was losing control of the pitch in his voice. Months later, he finally was diagnosed with viral encephalitis, a potentially fatal disease that attacks the central nervous system.
With the ironically titled "A Bitter End" climbing the charts, Dodd's dreams came crashing down. Barely able to move, his speech slurred, he spent six months in bed.
"At times I felt very isolated, bitter, angry, sad and afraid," he said. "I thought life would never be the same. I thought I'd never do this again, which upset my whole emotional foundation."
As he slowly recovered, he found inspiration in bicyclist Lance Armstrong's battle with cancer.
"I learned there are always good things with the bad," he said.
When he sang, his range was not there. His fingers could not race across the guitar frets.
"It made me focus on the things I could do, and now I'm more focused than ever," he said. "It may sound strange, but while I'm more concentrated, I'm more relaxed and comfortable.
"Plus, it took away a lot of the petty things I was concerned about."
Last year, Dodd got back on the horse, putting his band back together, touring through Texas and recording the new album.
"Blake Chancey, my producer, and others now say I'm better than I used to be," Dodd said.
Fans have not forgotten, either.
"I opened for Willie Nelson in Manassas, Va. I wanted to see if I was remembered outside of Texas, and they were cheering and holding up copies of 'Pearl Snaps.'"
Now he is eager to see how the new single, "Honky Tonk Champagne," is received on radio stations around the country.
No matter what happens, though, Dodd plans to keep writing songs from his experiences and making music steeped in country traditions.
"I've come to a real peace and contentment of where I'm at," he said. "And when you see me on the stage, that's not an act, that's really me. All the people I've admired are that way — you can't separate the person from the music."
Or the dream.
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