Country Bites News snippets
November 10 – November 16, 2014
SOURCES / LINKS shown in RED
UK & IRISH
News
On the BBC Radio 2 Playlist
for the week commencing 15th November 2014 Dolly Parton with “Blue Smoke” was added to the “A” playlist as Garth Brooks with “People Loving People” remained on “C” List
(first added 26th October 2014).
OUT: Sheryl Crow with “Callin' Me When I'm Lonely” was
withdrawn from the “C” list (first added 18th October 2014)
And there will be new free
postcards and pencils!
Where: The Cavendish Arms, 128
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Near to Vauxhall and
Stockwell tubes, off Lansdowne Way Doors
open 6.30 Music 7.30-8.30
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Would you like Ashton Lane to gig in Your Living Room?
Details
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Sandi
Thom (Thom-A-Thon Full Band Silver Package) played The Half Moon in Putney,
London (93 Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London, SW15 1EU) on Thurs 20th Nov
2014, 20:00 with Carolynne Poole (from
X Factor 2012) supporting
Nigel
Nesbitt the bass player from the now defunct The Hayley Oliver Band spilled that they have found “a very
talented female singer/songwriter with a beautiful voice, great lyric's and a
talented piano player as well” as well as being “beautiful”. There will be a
song slated to be released on the promotional Hotdisc and a video possibly before
Christmas. The band (name unknown) are currently working on the new material
with her and a 4 track EP is being finished. Nigel believes “this young lady
will make a BIG impact on the British Country Scene, she is modern country,
writes really catchy songs” it seems the Band are back as promised !!!
Scotsman.com Dougie MacLean: BBC sidelining folk music …..Dougie MacLean, who
was given the honour of closing the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer,
has branded BBC Scotland “useless” and accused it of deliberately shunning
anything “overtly Scottish”. Maclean, 60, said opportunities for performers to
appear on BBC Scotland TV or radio programmes were being held back by a
“certain cringe factor” within the organisation about showcasing home-grown
talent. He said many young musicians now had to rely on Gaelic channel BBC Alba
for exposure as BBC Scotland had “dumped” Scottish music there and tried to
“bury” the few remaining shows in its late-night schedules.
Darius
Rucker has taken his True Believers Tour overseas, where he’s making
(or made) stops in Berlin, Munich, London,
Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin (where the trek wraps November 23rd). He loves
playing in Europe, mainly due to their historic buildings, he shares: “We’ve got a lot of shows in
Germany and in England. I love going over to Europe because the cultures are so
different. From here, you go state to state, and there’s differences in accents
and everything, and the cultures are a little different. But when you’re in
Europe, you go from country to country, just like you go from state to state,
and there’s different languages and totally different cultures, and I love
being a part of that. The thing I really love to do is I love to go around and
see old churches and museums and stuff, because we think if something was built
in the 1800s, we think it’s old. Then you go over there and something was built
in 39 B.C. [laughs], and it’s still up. I think that’s pretty cool.”
UK COUNTRY
ALBUM RELEASES
For a full listing of 2014 Country/Alt/ Americana albums
and future releases PLEASE check out our Country Music Store Page
(6 Oct 2014) Luke
Daniels - What's Here What's Gone (self release)
(21 Oct 2014) Jacob
Martin Band - Look at What You Started
6 Tracks/ Time: 19:54 MP3
(27 Oct 2014) The
Living Sisters - Harmony Is Real: Songs For A Happy Holiday
12 Tracks / Time: 35:51 CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(28 Oct 2014) Home
Free - Full Of Cheer (Import)
10 Tracks CD - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(4 Nov 2014) The Claire Lynch Band - Holiday! (Thrill Hill Records)
10 Tracks/ Time: 37:30 MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(17 Nov 2014) Nell
Robinson - The Rose Of No-Man's Land (Compass)
CD
- MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Nell Robinson is a singer/songwriter who has been
described variously as "a modern-day Patsy Cline" and one of the
"freshest voices in roots music." Her crystalline vocals have been
compared to early Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Hazel Dickens. On her new
album, THE ROSE OF NO-MAN'S LAND, Nell reaches into her family's deep military
history to create musical vignettes of her ancestors' experiences.
(17 Nov 2014) Trisha
Yearwood - Prizefighter: Hit After Hit
CD
- Smart Choice Music - Amazon.com 16 tracks (5 NEW tracks 2 of which are covers
+ re-recorded hits), the twelfth studio album from the Country great and her
first in seven years.
(17 Nov 2014) Reba
McEntire - Just A Little Love / My Kind Of Country (Hux Records) (2 On 1
CD) 20 tracks CD - Smart Choice Music
(17 Nov 2014) Sara
Evans - At Christmas
Sara Evans keeps it in the family with her brand new
and first-ever holiday album. The multiplatinum-selling singer welcomed two
very special guests on her latest project — her daughters Olivia, 12, and
Audrey, 10. The cuties popped into the studio to provide backup vocals on the
track, "The Twelve Days of Christmas". It also features classics like “Have Yourself a
Merry Little Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “I’ll Be Home for
Christmas,” and “Silent Night,” to name a few.
(17 Nov 2014) The
Henningsens - Our Family Christmas (Arista Nashville)
10 Tracks/ Time: 32:49 MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(17 Nov 2014) Kenny Chesney - Christmas in Blue Chair Bay (Single) (Blue Chair Records, BNA Records) Time: 4:28 MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(17 Nov 2014) Jerrod
Niemann - Holly Jolly Christmas (Single)
MP3 -
UK iTunes - Amazon.com
(18 Nov 2014) The
Roys - Bluegrass Kinda Christmas (Rural Rhythm Records)
10 Tracks/ Time: 30:09 CD - MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
UK CHART NEWS
Official UK Top
100 Singles Chart (Week
Ending November 22, 2014)
Avicii spent three weeks atop the chart for in July/August 2013 with "Wake Me Up" and now debuts at No.1
with the version credited to Gareth
Malone's All Star Choir, and benefitting the BBC's Children In Need
charity. It sold 120,312 copies.
13 unlucky for Tay!: Thanks to the
new promotional video for Taylor Swift's “Blank Space” it had an immediate
effect on the track, which catapulted 109-11
(23,045 sales) pushing ahead of her last hit “Shake It Off”, which dipped 5-12 (22,143 sales; 13-week total 569,891)
bringing to an end its 12 week run in the Top 10, the longest of any Swift
song.
Official UK Top
100 Album Chart (Week
Ending November 22, 2014)
Taylor Swift with her POP album 1989 fell 3-6 (26,038 sales; 3-week total 145,577) after it opened atop
the UK chart with sales of 90,336 copies. Her previous album RED fell 66-88 its 88th week on the top 100.
Garth Brooks registered his
eighth chart album with a debut at No.23
(7,608 sales) with MAN AGAINST MACHINE (RCA)
Dolly Parton with BLUE
SMOKE/THE BEST OF (Masterworks) climbed 30-24 in her 23rd
week (6,000 estimated sales, 23-week total 237,400) helped by her recent BBC 4 documentary.
Lady Antebellum with 747
(Decca) fell off the Top 100 from their previous week position of No.90.
Of Note
British progressive rock group Pink
Floyd topped the album charts for the first time
in nearly 20 years on Sunday with "The Endless River". The
newly-released album, which the band says will be their last, became the third
fastest-selling by a single group or artist this year after shifting 139,351 copies during the last week. A
tribute to the band's keyboardist Rick Wright who died in 2008, it is their
sixth British number one album and their first since "Pulse" in 1995.
There were low opening sales for Cheryl
Fernandez-Versini despite lots of promotion and her high profile exposure on
X Factor.
Cheryl's fourth album, which bears that title, fell well short of all
its predecessors, despite the fact that it is the first of the former Girls
Aloud star's solo albums to generate two #1 singles. ONLY HUMAN debut at No.7 selling just 21,839
copies last week.
Official UK
Country Album Chart (Week
Ending November 22, 2014)
Garth Brooks with MAN AGAINST MACHINE made a deut at No.1
Lady Antebellum with 747 slipped 1-2 in their sixth week.
Kacey Musgraves with SAME TRAILER DIFFERENT PARK held at
No.3 in its 83nd week.
Tim McGraw with SUNDOWN HEAVEN TOWN (Big Machine)
lifted 6-4 in his 8th chart frame
The UK’s
Ward Thomas with FROM WHERE
WE STAND (WTW Music) held at No.5 in their 17th week.
C2C2015 festival artists Florida Georgia Line fell 2-10 with ANYTHING GOES in their 2nd week.
Lee Ann Womack with THE WAY
I'M LIVIN' (Sugar Hill) fell 9-14
in her 8th chart frame.
On the Hotdisc Chart (November 16, 2014 Chart)
Ray Price’s duet feat. Martina McBride “An Affair To Remember” remained at No.1
for a third successive week atop the chart in its 6th chart frame having been
in the top 2 the whole time.
While a song written by Ray, "Pride," slipped 2-4 by British
singers Ian
Highland and Frank Jennings (sixth
week at No.1 slot on the British & Irish Chart)
As the latest tracks from the Hotdisc #191 November 2014 promotional disc began to impact the chart saw the
highest new Last week’s Hotdisc Hotshot Debut from Merle Haggard with “That’ll Be The Day” (Buddy Holly/Norman Petty/ Jerry Allison)
climbed one place 3-2.
Toby Keith improved 7-3 with new radio single “Drunken Americans”
11-year old Megan Adams with her first solo single with an adaption of “Travellin’ Soldier” made a 8-5 hop (No.2 on the British & Irish Chart)
Brian Collins with “Enjoy The Ride” held firm at
No.6.
James Carothers with his self penned “New Country Singers” moved up 2 places 9-7.
US act David Starr entered the Top 10 with a 13-8 junp
with self penned single “Feel Like
Coming Home”
Outside the Top 10
USA duo Beau + Luci with their self composed “Mosaic” climbed 5 slots (16-11) as the
flames flicker with last single “Fire” which dropped 17-24 (having reached a
No.10 peak)
Michael Lusk with “My
Best Friend” rose 14-12 as Jo De Messina with “He’s Messed Up!!!” rose five rungs (18-13) and Canada’s Gordon Jensen
with his self penned title cut “Miranda
In The Moonlight” lifted 20-14.
British regular Tony Clarke
really is looking to “Raise The Bar”
as his single advanced 19-15 (No.3
British & Irish Chart).
Norway artist Karin Wright
with “Like A Fading Rose” made a six
place leap 24-18.
US singer-songwriter Madeline Smith
with “Stay” rounds out the Top 20
with a five place shift 25-20.
Outside the Top 20
Southbourne Dorset and
local high street busker Owen Moore with fun ditty “Two Cats” clawed up a purr-fect 4 rungs (26-22).
Aussie act David Hilgenfeldt
Project with self penned “Memphis
Buzz” headed north climbing seven
(30-23)
UK iTunes Top 1500 Country Songs (published November 15,
2014)
Something has sparked
interest in Heartland’s
music who head the chart with single “I Loved Her First”
Taylor Swift posts 11 tracks in the Top 30 with “I Knew You Were Trouble” the highest at #3.
1. Heartland - I Loved Her First
2. Heartland - I Loved Her First
3. Taylor Swift - I
Knew You Were Trouble
4. Taylor Swift - Love Story
5. Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers - Islands In the
Stream
UK iTunes Top 1500 Country Albums (published November 15,
2014)
Dolly Parton with her two album set Blue Smoke/ The Best Of heads the chart.
The UK’s The Shires with their newly released live The
Green Note EP are at #2
With interest in Taylor Swift’s new POP album 1989 and her back
catalog priced down in the shops she charts 5 album sets in the top 22 with
previous album RED at #3. The news Best of compilation for Zac Brown appears at #7 with C2C
2015 headliners Lady
Antebellum falling back at #13 with 747 (Deluxe) and at #453 on the overall
UK Top 1500 ITunes Album chart. Fellow C2C 2015 act Florida Georgia Line with new album ANYTHING GOES fared worse at No.27
1. Dolly Parton -
Blue Smoke - The Best Of
2. The Shires - The Green Note EP
3. Taylor Swift
- Red
7. Zac Brown Band Greatest
Hits So Far...
13. Lady Antebellum 747 (Deluxe) (#453 overall overall
UK iTunes Album chart)
27. Florida Georgia Line - Anything Goes (Deluxe
Version) (#796 overall UK iTunes Album chart)
AUSSIE NEWS
Country music’s golden girl Kasey Chambers and acclaimed singer/songwriter Luke O’Shea head up the list of finalists for Australia’s longest
running music awards – The Golden Guitars - which will be presented in
Tamworth on 24 January 2015.
Industry icon John
Williamson, who is no stranger to the finalist and winners lists, is a
finalist in an impressive five categories, which include Male Artist of the
Year and Album of the Year. A song he wrote and recorded about Tamworth,
Australia’s Country Music Capital, is among his finalists nominations.
The finalists for the Country Music Awards of
Australia (The Golden Guitars) were announced at an Awards event at the Museum
of Contemporary Art in Sydney, on November 16th hosted by multi Golden Guitar
winner Catherine Britt and Morgan Evans (See Facebook Gallery Photos ) .
At the pre award announcement two Golden Guitar Awards
were presented at the event:
Top Selling International
Album of the Year which
went to Dolly Parton for Blue Smoke
The Sanity Top Selling
Australian Album of the Year
which was won by The McClymonts for HERE’S TO YOU & I.
The nonimees for Sanity Top Selling Australian Album
of the Year were:
My Side Of the Street (Adam Brand; Producer: Craig Portiels)
Family Life (Adam Harvey; Producer: Graham Thompson)
If I Want To (Jasmine Rae; Producer: Luke Wooten)
Harder to Tame (McAlister Kemp; Producer: Jeremy Stover)
Here's To You & I (The McClymonts; Producer: Lindsay Rimes) WINNER
The complete list of finalists for the 2015 Country
Music Awards of Australia (The Golden Guitars) is at tcmf.com.au
Congratulations to Melinda Schneider and Beccy
Cole as their album "Great Women Of Country" tops the ARIA
Country Albums Chart published Nov 17, 2014 ariacharts.com.au
CANADIAN NEWS
Kenny Butterill album Troubadour Tales (track-by-track) cashboxcanada.ca
NEWS
Country Aircheck's
Insider Artist News
November 11, 2014: Garth Brooks
(Garth Gets A Sign), Country artists reach out (Military Men), Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean (Please Come to Boston), Lady Antebellum (Take Me Downtown/ New Year's Rockin' Eve) Garth Brooks (ABC-TV's Good Morning
America)
November 14, 2014: Garth Brooks
(Social Study), Blake Shelton (Sure
Be Cool If You Did), Carrie Underwood
(Right In Time), Luke Bryan (Award
Games)
November 18, 2014: Rascal Flatts
(Las Vegas/The Winning Band); Garth
Brooks (Two Of A Kind), Brad Paisley
(State Of The Nation), Tanya Tucker
(Tucker's Treasures), 20th Annual ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards
- Brandi Carlile, the band and the Seattle
Symphony will be celebrating
Thanksgiving weekend together at Benaroya Hall on November 28, 29 and 30 Ring
in the new year with Brandi and the band at the Varsity Theatre in
Minneapolis on December 30 & 31!
- Blake Shelton was part of the 2014 class of
inductees into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame on Thursday night (Nov
13)
- Universal Music Group (UMG) NASHVILLE has signed
singer/songwriter Clare Dunn. Earlier
this year, Dunn was featured on the cover of USA TODAY in an article about
SIRIUSXM's "Fresh Female Voices". She has also spent the last
year opening for acts such as Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Dierks
Bentley, and Luke Bryan
- Big Machine Records has added Seth Alley to its roster. The Sparta, Tenn., native is working
with Spalding Entertainment, and has been previewing his music at radio
stations across the country. He releases his four song, self-titled EP on
iTunes today (Nov. 17). Alley co-wrote each track on the EP, along with
songwriters including Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, and Frank Maroney.
- Maddie & Tae wrote “Girl In A Country Song” on St.
Patrick’s Day, signed their record deal while recording it – and yet, just
two weeks before Thanksgiving – the duo’s debut single is Top 5 at Country
radio and certified GOLD by the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000 digital
downloads.
AWARDS
Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, The
Roys and Carrie Underwood were
all winners at the 2014 Inspirational Country Music Awards, held Nov. 13
at Cornerstone Nashville in Madison, Tenn. Underwood won Mainstream Country
Female Artist of the Year, while Jackson took home Mainstream Country Male
Artist of the Year.
Lady A won the award for Mainstream Song of the Year,
for ‘Compass,’ and the Roys won Inspirational Bluegrass Artist of the Year. See
a complete winners list here.
The Country Radio Broadcasters have announced Lady Antebellum as the recipient of the CRS 2015 Artist Humanitarian Award,
to be presented during the opening ceremonies of Country Radio Seminar on Feb.
25, 2014.
Garth Brooks was honored with the ASCAP Centennial Award -- a new
honor created to mark the performing rights organization's 100th anniversary.
Garth was recognized alongside the night's other honorees, including one of his
heroes -- Billy Joel. Joan Baez, Stevie Wonder and musical theater legend
Stephen Sondheim also received the Centennial Award Monday night.
TOURS
Nov 12: Garth
Brooks is returning to Boston for the first time in more than 17 years.
Garth and Trisha Yearwood will play three shows at Boston's TD Garden January
22, 23 and 24, 2015. Tickets for these shows go on sale Friday, November 21
through Ticketmaster.com.
Garth also released his new album, Man Against
Machine, this week. He's also joined Twitter @garthbrooks , Facebook and
Instagram under his own name, Garth Brooks.
Jason Aldean's Burn
It Down tour is up for Major Tour of the Year at the 26th Annual Pollstar
Awards. The ceremony will take place Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Nashville's
Ryman Auditorium. Jason is nominated in that category against
heavyweights including Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake and
Jay Z and Beyoncé.Brantley Gilbert and Kacey Musgraves also scored nods in the
Best New Tour Artist category. The Pollstar Awards honor artists and power
players in the touring industry.
TV
Nov 13: "Nashville" Recap: I'm Coming Home to You
Trisha Yearwood is set to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on
December 3 in support of her new album, PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit. She'll co-host
The Rachael Ray Show on December 8 and perform on CBS's The Talk on December
19.
MUSIC NEWS
The 30th anniversary of the 1984 holiday charity
classic “Do
They Know It’s Christmas?” is here, and the charitable folks at Band
Aid decided to celebrate with an anti-Ebola edition. It’s a virtual who’s-who
of big names in British and Irish music -- One Direction, Sam Smith, Ellie
Goulding, with Bono back three decades later -- but one obvious U.K. person is
nowhere to be found. Project organizer Bob Geldof -- who co-wrote the original
back in 1984 -- said Adele ignored his pleas to appear on the
song, accruing to a Guardian report. Billboard reached out to Adele's team for
comment on this report. The singer was included in early reports amongst other confirmed
collaborators. However, The Guardian says Adele’s team maintains she should
have never been included on the list, and that she chose to support the
cause “with a donation.”
Geldof told The Sun, “Some people just don’t want to
do it… Adele is doing nothing, she’s not answering the phone… she’s not
writing. She’s not recording.
She doesn’t want to be bothered by anyone. She won’t
pick up the phone to her manager. She’s bringing up a family, you know.”
Back on Oct. 9, Adele’s U.K. label XL Recordings noted
that the singer’s highly anticipated third studio album will not be arriving in
2014.
Bob Geldof was kicked off a TV appearance (18.11.2014) for swearing twice.
The former Boomtown Rats frontman was being
interviewed live on Sky News when he said "b******s" twice in
response to questions about tax-dodging musicians. When newsreader Jayne Secker
brought up the issue of Band Aid's legacy and the hypocrisy of certain
celebrities taking part in the single due to their history of tax avoidance, the
63-year-old organiser retorted, "I think you're talking b******s.
Billboard Man Against Machine: Garth Brooks Calls YouTube 'the Devil' …..We knew Garth Brooks had
friends in low places, but this is ridiculous. Speaking with Access Hollywood,
the country music legend took the "devil," also known as the
"nice people" at YouTube, to task for what he calls an unfair
compensation model for artists. Brooks told Billy Bush that the video giant
"claims they pay people but they're not paying anything either. People get
millions and millions of views and they don't get squat, trust me."
Brooks added that despite having reservations with the
Google-owned company, he doesn't think he'll pull a Prince any time soon.
"You can do it but you can't get out of it," he said of removing his
videos. "I had a sweet meeting with them, they were all fired up they were
all like 12… so young. I said, 'how do you get out?' Silence, you don't. Thanks
for our wonderful, uh, somebody judging on this one on the government. But
yeah, it's totally backward now."
Bush broached the digital music topic with a question
about Taylor Swift's exodus from Spotify, which Brooks wholeheartedly endorsed.
"When music starts standing up for itself, it's gonna get a lot
better," he said. "Guys, there's some big friends in music we need to
stand up to. I mean, if iTunes is gonna tell you how to sell your stuff and
it's only gonna go this way, don't forget who's creating the music." Brooks
recently launched his own iTunes-like retailer, called Ghost Tunes, on the
occasion of his first new album in 13 years, the fittingly titled Man Against
Machine.
SINGLE / ALBUM
NEWS
Barry Walsh keyboard player and husband of Gretchen
Peters has a new 12 track New Age/Contemporary/ Instrumental album out. For his
third album, SILENCIO,
Walsh spent two years looking for the space between the notes composingd and
arranging this work with that goal in mind. Recorded at his home on a Yamaha
C-7 grand piano, touches of accordion, glockenspiel, guitar and bass were
added. Available on CD BABY
Kenny Chesney is helping fans put a little bit of the
island life in their holiday season with his new single, "Christmas in Blue
Chair Bay." The song is described as "slightly
Calypso" and "wholly acoustic."
Kenny hopes the track can help fans relax a little bit
with their friends and families this season. He says, "I do know that my
family really loves Christmas -- and I was in the mood, especially with the
time I’ve been spending in Barbados with my rum, to try and distill how slow
and sweet the holidays in the islands are when we can get there.” Of course,
Kenny's referring to his Blue Chair Bay rum, which has also turned out to be a
big seller for Kenny. "Christmas in Blue Chair Bay" is now at country
radio
PRESS RELEASES
- The Roys bring the
holidays home with their newest CD, BLUEGRASS KINDA CHRISTMAS (Rural Rhythm
Records), available in stores November 18.
- Trinity River Band releases New Christmas Album – “On A Morning
Like This” first released Digitally (Oct 9, 2014)
- Jim Ed Brown, a Country paragon, celebrates his 51st anniversary as a
member of the Grand Ole Opry with a new CD, IN STYLE AGAIN (first solo
studio album in almost three decades), due in stores on January 20, 2015.
The disc's first single, "When The Sun Says Hello To The
Mountain," features Jim Ed and sister Bonnie Brown, and is available
to Country radio today.
- Cover Art
- On Nov
11, 2014, country singer Jeff Bates
honored his idol when he released his
tribute to the late Conway Twitty, titled Me And Conway.
- Kenny Rogers, will return
Down Under in January and February for his Farewell Down Under Tour,
which will include his final concerts in Australia and New Zealand ever.
- The
Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore
the career of superstar Tanya
Tucker with the exhibition Tanya Tucker: Strong Enough to Bend,
opening November 14, 2014, and running through May 2015.
- Rising
Country group Sweetwater Rain garnered nominations for both Country
Song of the Year and Mainstream Country Duo or Group of the Year for the
2014 ICM Faith, Family & Country™ Awards (held on November 13, 2014 at
Cornerstone Nashville). The Curb recording group is also slated to perform
on the show their nominated song, >> “Pray For Me,” that went No. 1 on the Power Source
music charts in February of 2014.
- Newton & Thomas proudly announced the new single release, “Great
American Heroes,” that recently made its radio debut on
Nashville’s WSM Radio 650 AM Coffee, Country and Cody show
- Jason Aldean on the heels of a No.1 album debut,
is releasing “Just Gettin’ Started” as
the latest single off his sixth studio album OLD BOOTS, NEW DIRT. The
track officially went for adds with 70 stations already on board. Aldean
now marks 10 Million in Career album sales.
- Native Run webisode Series premiered
On Taste Of Country and will join Sam Hunt on “LIPSTICK GRAFFITI TOUR”
dates in 2015.
- Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc. (BLA) continues to substantiate
its knack to seek and sign superb talent to attract audiences of all
genres. Owner/CEO Donna Lee announced the agency’s most recent
additions to the BLA roster: Kristen
Kelly, country group Lower 40 and the extraordinary Bluegrass
performers Ralph Stanley II and
Judge Talford.
- CMA Songwriters
Series
wraps its milestone 10th anniversary
year with strongest season yet 2014 not only marked the 10th anniversary
of the CMA Songwriters Series, but also marked new heights in the growth
of the popular series.
- Luke Bryan, Big & Rich, Brett
Eldredge, Dustin Lynch
& More to join Headliner Blake Shelton for
Country Thunder 2015 (Florence, Ariz., April 9-12, 2015.)!
- The Roys win 4th Consecutive Inspirational Country
Music's Bluegrass Artist of the Year Award
- Brian Collins to debut
on SiriusXM The Highway’s “On The Horizon”
- Bucky Covington joined
the Las Vegas line-up of country performances during Wrangler's annual National Finals Rodeo
for a special one-night engagement in the iconic Plaza Hotel and Casino
showroom Saturday, December 13, 2014
- Chris Young caps New
York City run with sold-out headlining show at Best Buy Theater
- The Kicker
Country Stampede 2015 line-up just got “A Little Bit Stronger” with the addition of Country superstar
Sara Evans, chart-topper Jerrod
Niemann, Country music’s fastest rising star Thomas Rhett, one of Rolling
Stone’s ‘10 New Artists You Need to Know’ Old Dominion, Country rock band
Blackjack Billy and British Country singer/songwriter Sasha McVeigh.
- Jason Crabb joined Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw,
Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Amy Grant, Dolly Parton and More on New
2-CD Collection: Top 25 Country Songs of Faith
- Hit
Songwriter, top vocalist & veteran musician Cody Shuler releases his first Solo Album.
- Kenny Chesney announces new Holiday single "Christmas In
Blue Chair Bay". Released on Nov 17, 2014 (Amazon.com) and produced with Buddy
Cannon, this is Chesney’s first Christmas music since 2003’s
nearly-Platinum All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan.
- Whistling,
hand claps, funk-strumming guitar, and a boppin’ bass line lay the sonic
stage for Natalie Brown’s
luminous vocals on “Wish Upon a Star”, the first track of the self-released EP
“This Christmas“ (UK iTunes).
- Seventeen
year-old Emily Vance is keeping
it real and sharing her heart on her debut EP Finding My
Way – comprised of four infectious tracks that showcase her
emotional power as a vocalist and her development as a songwriter. All the
songs were cowritten with the teen's mentor and manager Nina Baldridge who
discovered Emily at The Gwinnett School of Music at the age of 14.
ARTICLES
- Billboard Ghost Tunes, Garth
Brooks' iTunes Alternative, Launches in Full
- Billboard Bandcamp, the e-commerce platform that makes it
easy for bands to sell their music directly to fans, is now poised to
offer a new feature: personalized subscription services. Ahead of an
announcement at this week's SF MusicTech Summit conference, Bandcamp CEO
Ethan Diamond told the Guardian that artists will be able to set their own
price for the service, with music reaching premium subscribers first
- Billboard Country Stars on Taylor
Going Pop: 'Taylor
Swift Can Do What Taylor Swift Wants to Do'
- Shania Twain reigns for the third consecutive year
as Country Weekly’s most Beautiful Woman,
as voted by the readers.
- American Songwriter First Aid Kit Live: Presented by Martin Guitar
- music.einnews Darius Rucker realises his childhood country dreams (by
Rob Adams Folk & Jazz critic Herald Scotland) ...Darius Rucker had two
childhood dreams. He wanted to make a country record and he wanted to sing
on stage at the Grand Ole Opry like the people he listened to on the radio
every Saturday night....Darius Rucker plays the 02 ABC, Glasgow, on
November 22.
REVIEWS
For The Country Record Dustin Lynch - Hell of A Night (Single Review)
For The Country Record Justin Moore
‘This Kind of Town’ – Single Review
INTERVIEWS
- Billboard 5 Part Interview: Maddie & Tae on the Real-Life
Mean Girl That Inspired 'Sierra'
- For The Country Record
(By Andy Macbride) The Shires on The ‘Homegrown’ Tour, Nashville
And Country Music In The UK
- Focusonthe615 Ray Scott Talks About His New Album And Being “The Other White
Meat” In Country Music....Ray Scott, who I would describe as humble and
authentic to the core, just released his new 11-track album produced by
Dave Brainard from deciBel Nashville.
Production began just over a year ago on this project as he
compiled the songs together and started recording. With his deep baritone
voice, Scott is reminiscent of such musical greats as Johnny Cash and
Waylon Jennings
- Jessica
Campbell had an interview with The Huffington Post talking about her
music career and her new album III released Oct 7, 2014."We spent
three whole weeks, 10-hour days, working on these six songs," said Campbell, who successfully
conducted a 20-day Kickstarter campaign to cover the remaining expenses. She's
a sweet Carolina native with a voice as luscious and refreshing as a glass
of iced tea on a sweltering summer day. But don't let that sunny
disposition and alluring Southern accent fool you.When Jessica Campbell
gets down to music, she means business. And the rest of us should be all
ears. JessicaCampbell-III-CoverCampbell, whose breezy third album, III,
has Roman numerals written all over it, is an exhilarating breath of
pop-purified air in a world polluted by Auto-Tune, electronica and other
slick-trick gadgetry.....
MAGAZINES
LISTEN
Song Premiere: Gretchen
Peters, >> “When
All You Got Is A Hammer”
The Song: “When All You Got Is A Hammer,” a track off
Peters’ upcoming album Blackbirds, out February 10. Songwriter Says: “There’s a saying among
people who work with vets who suffer from PTSD – ‘don’t leave them behind –
they’re not home yet.’ We ask so much of these men and women, and then too
often forget about them when they come home. If you don’t give someone the
tools for coping emotionally with something as horrific as war, you’re
basically consigning them to prison. The challenge of writing a
character-driven song like this is to try to get inside the character’s head
and speak authentically with his voice, not your own. I was so gratified and
humbled when, after playing the song live, a veteran of the 1st Iraq war came
up to me and told me “you got it right.””
SPOTIFY COUNTRY
News:
Billboard Jason Aldean, who pulled his new album, Old Boots, New
Dirt, from Spotify. As seen on the Country Airplay chart Aldean's
single "Burnin' It Down" had an audience of 36.9 million last week, according to Nielsen BDS (good for #7 on
Country Airplay chart). Since it received 5,764 radio plays, the average
audience size for each spin was 6,395. Now, keep in mind that "Burnin'
It Down" has been on the chart for 16 weeks (it was previously at #5), so
its aggregate audience is much larger than 36.9 million. Streaming royalties
might seem low, but that's because a streaming audience isn't all that big. To
put a one-week audience of 36.9 million into perspective, consider that
Aldean's entire album set a Spotify record for first-week streams by a country
album with "more than 3 million," according to the AP. Put another
way, a single song's radio audience was more than 12 times greater than the
full album's Spotify audience.
Billboard.com The Good and the Bad of
Spotify Founder Daniel
Ek's Streaming Defense…..The Taylor Swift vs. Spotify saga continued Wednesday
(Nov. 12) with revelations about royalties the singer generated at the
streaming company. Scott Borchetta, head of Swift's record label, Big Machine,
told Time magazine that Swift's catalog earned $496,044 to be exact. Swift has
employed a windowing tactic in the past, holding back new albums from streaming
services to goose album sales. Although Spotify has argued against this
practice, Swift doesn't appear to have been harmed….
Rollingstone Spotify Loses Streaming
Rights to New Albums by Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore
Days after Taylor Swift pulled her entire catalog from
Spotify's archives, more country stars are following her lead. Jason Aldean was
the first in line, choosing to quietly remove his most recent album — the
record-breaking Old Boots, New Dirt, which was streamed more than 3 million
times during its first week — rather than his full discography. Now, two new
artists have also decided to shake it off: Justin Moore and Brantley Gilbert.
Like Swift, Moore and Gilbert are both signed to Big Machine Label Group, a
company that's always been wary of streaming services like Spotify. When Gilbert's
Just As I Am hit stores in mid-May, Big Machine kept it away from Spotify for
60 days. Although it's impossible to measure the effectiveness of that move,
Just As I Am wound up selling more than 500,000 copies during those first two
months….Read more
Spotify and Uber
have announced a partnership pairing on-demand
rides with on-demand music to deliver the ultimate personalized soundtrack for
your ride. Starting Friday (Nov. 21),
Spotify Premium users will have the ability to connect their account via the
Uber app, request a ride, and when you get matched with a Spotify-enabled Uber,
select the music, and your tunes of choice will be playing when your Uber
arrives. The partnership is rolling out in 10 launch cities including
Nashville, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco,
Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney and Toronto, and will continue to spread globally
over the coming weeks. To kick off the launch, Spotify and Uber are giving fans
a chance to connect with artists including Jake Owen
WATCH
Tim McGraw’s live performance of ‘Shotgun Rider,’ directed by Bennett Miller,
from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
New music video from Taylor Swift "Blank Space" on http://vevo.ly/ztMBny
The BEST Moments from Taylor's 'Blank Space' Video Read
more at bigtop40.com
Cledus T. Judd featuring Colt Ford "Luke Bryan" – UK iTunes
Luke Bryan is the latest Country Super Star to join an
elite list of those parodied by singer/songwriter, Cledus T. Judd. The
hilarious new song, “Luke Bryan,” is a comical portrayal of one of country’s
hottest stars was released on Thursday 6th November on iTunes a day ater the
CMA Awards. “This is one of the few
songs I’ve written where we couldn’t stop laughing out loud while we wrote it,”
Cledus says. "I don’t think I’ve done that since “Did I Shave My Back For
This?” Every line makes you laugh."
Known for his clever parodies of some of Country
music’s biggest stars, with the release of “Luke Bryan,” Cledus T. Judd is at
it again starting a new phase of his remarkable career. Often called the “Weird
Al” Yankovic of Country, Cledus’ quick-witted parody about superstar Luke Bryan
has fans laughing.
Music video for Nancy
Laberge's first single, "Holy
Moly Christmas" from her Trilogy Records debut album,
Write From The Heart (released Sep 14, 2014). – UK iTunes
Katie Armiger has teamed up with Yahoo! for the premiere of her new video, “One Night
Between Friends” Watch on
The companion video for her new single, “One Night
Between Friends,” was shot in Los Angeles and directed by Justin Baldoni.
Baldoni, one of the stars of the new CW show, “Jane the Virgin,” also helmed the video for Katie’s breakout
single “Safe,” which shot to No. 1 on the Top 20 Country Countdown Chart.
COUNTRY FASHION
Carrie Underwood was wearing an Alice + Olivia Carth puff shoulder
flare coat - Image
Where: The
Concert For Valor, Washington DC
COUNTRY GOSSIP
- Trisha Yearwood’s spilled one of her hubby’s
secrets: Garth Brooks loves tortellini and no matter what dish
she makes he always wants her to add tortellini to it.
- Toby Keith was offered $325,000 to do one show in Vegas at
The Axis in Planet Hollywood but didn't follow through and declined.
- Drinking
On A Whiskey Row: Dierks Bentley’s
restaurant
in Scottsdale, Arizona; Whiskey Row will expand next year to two new
locations; one in Tempe, Arizona and one in Chicago. Whiskey Row has a 360
degree stage, a 24 foot TV, several iPhone and USB charging stations and
all beer (OF COURSE) is self-serve!
- Luke Bryan got death threats after posting a photo of a deer
he killed bow hunting in Illinois. No word if he’s taking these threats
seriously or not.
- Dierks Bentley got his pilots license in 1997 and he
flies himself to most of his shows in a small plane and says, “you
basically get an extra 12 hours with family which is a long time when
you've got three kids.” Dierks calls his plane ‘The Time Machine’ because
it buys him more family time.
- The
winner of People's
annual Sexiest Man Alive content was announced last night with country
crooner Blake Shelton managed
to earn a spot on the list.The magazine writes: "After all the jokes
he made to 2013's Sexiest Man Alive Adam Levine, it seems fitting that
Shelton, 38, has a spot on this year's A-list, so his Voice pal can get
back at him. (We'll be watching.)"
TWEETS
Dierks Bentley hit the recording studio with bluegrass
legend Ralph Stanley this week. He posted a photograph of the session on Twitter with the caption, "Still
processing. got to sing a ralph stanley song with...ralph stanley! look him up
kids. #firstgenerationbluegrass.
PHOTO
Frography (by Flex) Darius Rucker @ O2 Empire, London - 18 Nov 14 Facebook Gallery
The Shires - Homegrown Tour - London Facebook Gallery
Miranda Lambert Interview with Bob Harris - Facebook Gallery
BIRTHDAYS
November 17: Gene Clark
(1941), Gordon Lightfoot (1938), Laura Lynch (ex Dixie Chicks) (1958) Reid Perry (The Band Perry)
November 18: Jessi Alexander 1972)
November 19: Billy
Currington (1973)
November 20: Sarah
Jory (1969), Joe Walsh (Eagles)
(1947), Jim Brickman (1961), Dierks Bentley (1975), Josh Turner (1977)
November 21: Jean
Shepard (1933), Teresa McCarter
& Lisa (McCarter Sisters) (1966), Kelsi
Osborne (SheDaisy) (1974)
November 22: John
Jennings (1953)
November 23: Shel Silverstein (1932)
November 23: Shel Silverstein (1932)
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