Happy Birthday Wishes To Trisha Yearwood From That Nashville Sound

Trisha Yearwood, best known for her series of major hits throughout the 1990s decade and into the new millennium. She is a three-time Grammy award-winner, a two-time Country Music Association award-winner and a two-time Academy of Country Music award-winner. ThatNashvilleSound.com would like to wish Mrs. Garth Brooks a very happy 44th birthday this September 19th.

To celebrate, we thought we'd include a rare duet with Trisha and special guest Gavin DeGraw, "Walkaway Joe." Enjoy the video. Happy Birthday, Trisha. Click on the video below or click on http://www.thatnashvillesound.com/ to go to the website to see it there.

Up And Coming New Nashville- Kate and Kacey Coppola

Flashback. The year is 1998. Two beautiful blonde sisters named The Kinleys burst onto the country music scene with a beautiful harmony sound all of their own. Heather and Jennifer Kinley were named the Best New Duo by the Academy of Country Music and garnered more than 20 nominations from the Grammy's, the Country Music Association and the American Music Awards.

Fast Forward ten years later. Two beautiful blonde sisters named Kate and Kacey Coppola are doing it again with their own sound and a songwriting pedigree that already includes King George. King George Strait, that is. As gifted songwriters, Kate and Kacey penned the song “House With No Doors,” included on Strait's current hit album, Troubadour.

Big Machine recording artists, songwriters AND identical twins, Kate and Kacey Coppola are one of country music's fast emerging talents! Originally hailing from Denver, they are now proud Nashville residents. Kate and Kacey Coppola recently charmed TV audiences with both their powerful harmonies and sweet spunk on CMT’s Can You Duet? -- singing their way to the semi-finals. At 18, they picked up a guitar and started writing songs. Kate and Kacey's family harmony, honest lyrics, and classic voices drive their music which reflects their roots in the Rocky Mountains. The Coppolas signed a publishing deal with EMI Nashville in February of 2007. Since then they have been writing, recording, getting cuts, and performing with some of Country music's best!

Watch their brand new video “You’re Not My Judge” below or catch them perform the National Anthem live on ABC at the NASCAR Sprint Cut Series “Camping World RV 400 Presented by AAA,” on Sunday, September 21st. The live race coverage, from the Dover International Speedway, will kick off with the National Anthem at 2 pm ET/ 1 pm CT on ABC.

Lady Antebellum Takes On Michael McDonald

Lady Antebellum hosts Webisode Wednesdays on YouTube each week and this week has a hilarious take on lead singer Charles Kelley doing his best Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers impression. That Nashville Sound had a chance to see them live this last week and they're the real thing- amazing sound and an incredible spirit.

Listen Before You Can Buy- John Michael Montgomery's Time Flies

Born in Danville, Kentucky, John Michael Montgomery’s contribution to the country music format includes hits such as “I Swear,” “Be My Baby Tonight,” “I Can Love You Like That,” “Sold (the Grundy County Auction Incident)” and “Life’s A Dance,” among many others. He’s earned 15 number one singles, sold over 16 million albums, enjoyed cross-over success in the pop and R&B market, and received numerous industry and fan-voted awards, including CMA Awards, ACM Awards and American Music Awards.

In 2007, John Michael started his own record label, Stringtown Records, named after a small community in Mercer County, Kent., near his home. John Michael will release Time Flies on October 14, an album he produced with Byron Gallimore. His current single, “Forever,” is climbing the radio charts with an official add date of September 22.

The album can be heard in its entirety early before it's release at www.digitalrodeo.com/johnmichaelmontgomery.

The Top Tens- All-Time Best Johnny Cash Train Tunes

I’ve been listening a lot to Johnny Cash’s posthumous "American V: A Hundred Highways," a melancholy mix of covers, traditionals, and original compositions. His haunting voice is a shell of his normal baritone, but on no other CD I own does a voice- a frail one at that- reflect more of the person than on this one.

Johnny Cash was known by many rail fans as one of the few musicians who wrote & sang songs of the railroads & trains. He went as far in the 70's to produce a program called "riding the rails" which showed his love & understanding of trains

Track #3 on American V, "Like the 309," was the very last song Cash wrote. It is likely about his own death, though it is definitely about a train. It's one of the few tracks that moves with Cash's old locomotive-like thrum on this album.

“I hear the sound of a railroad train
The whistle blows and I'm gone again.
It will take me higher than a Georgia pine
Stand back children, it's a 309”

It got me thinking about all the great train songs that Cash recorded over his career. And it becomes ThatNashvilleSound.com’s second Top 10 list…

10. I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow
9. L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore
8. Legend of John Henry
7. Rock Island Line
6. Desperatos Waiting For A Train
5. City of New Orleans
4. Like the 309
3. Hey Porter
2. Orange Blossom Special
1. Folsom Prison Blues

TNS Photo Gallery Exclusive- Lady Antebellum

Already, Lady Antebellum has earned “Top New Group” honors at the 2008 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards. They’ve watched their first single they've written, “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” soar up the country radio charts, while its video and it's subsequent single "Lookin' For A Good Time" have become staples on CMT. On Sunday, September 14th, the trio came to Sacramento and performed an intimate set as a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish. It was a genuine thrill to sit in the audience and listen to the harmonies of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood. As their website says, their sound "is a unique blend that mingles classic country, 1960s R&B soulfulness and the heart-on-the-sleeve openness of 1970s singer-songwriters, all presented with a razor-sharp contemporary edge." This is a ThatNashvilleSound.com photo exclusive of Lady Antebellum:

TNS Interview Exclusive- One Flew South

Royal Reed, Chris Roberts and Eddie Bush have wings. There's absolutely no other explanation that their angelic harmonies and rapturous music could sound so beautiful. It truly is heavenly. Like all the great harmony bands before them- the Eagles, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Mamas and the Papas, Boys II Men and Beach Boys all come to mind- One Flew South simply lets the harmony of their voices stand on their own on their first Nashville-based release, Last Of The Good Guys.

The Nashville-based trio's vocal sound fit in perfectly with the progressive thinkers at Decca/Universal Records, in whose New York offices they auditioned. The result was instant signing—both to a recording contract and song publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. But One Flew South is no overnight success. Rather, the three vocalist-songwriters have been involved in show business for years prior to hitting upon a perfect combination--and actualizing a long-held notion of a band starring three superbly matched vocalists.

Chris Roberts was the first future member of the threesome to test the concept. The New Orleans native, who had moved to New York by way of Montana (he met Royal in New York where both had gravitated in pursuit of a music career), ended up in Nashville, where he was encouraged by legendary country music singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin--who had his own stellar career singing lead in a trio with his brothers. Hailing from El Paso, Royal Reed came from a musical family and played in a top circuit country/western band. After working as a studio and demo singer in Los Angeles, he wended his way to New York. Eddie Bush was a certified guitar hero back in his home state of South Carolina and throughout the Southeast. Doing a showcase in the hopes of doing a country album, he connected with Chris and then Royal. The rest, they say, is history.

That Nashville Sound had a chance to sit down in between tour spots with Eddie and Royal for a quick interview. This is what the Last Of The Good Guys had to say:

That Nashville Sound- Who were some of your influences?

Eddie Bush: I was heavily influenced by Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix,Prince, Eric Johnson, Rickie Lee Jones...so many!

Royal Reed: So many but I'll name my biggest...my grandfathers, both musicians, serious Western Swing and Blues. Willie Nelson, George Strait, Doobie Bros., the Mills Brothers, Jackson Browne, Eagles...and Marty Robbins

What's been some of the highlights of your career since being signed to Decca?

EB: For me, writing songs with J.D. Souther (I'm still pinching myself), being on the CBS Early Show, playing my hometown of Charleston, SC with OFS, playing onstage at The Ryman auditorium with The Gatlin Brothers, and meeting so many enthusiastic OFS supporters from around the country!

RR: The past 4 -5 concerts, to see people recognize our tunes and sing along with us. Loving us loving them!

What's been the biggest surprise since the release of your album?

EB: I think that we're discovering an audience that is eager to hear more true harmony groups. Little Big Town really made a splash singing harmony, and now we're trying to do the same. We get a really special reaction from people about our vocal blend. There are many important harmony oriented groups throughout country music history such as Alabama, Diamond Rio, The Statlers, our friends the Gatlin Brothers and I think we may be seeing a resurgence in the interest of this type of musical approach to country music.

RR: That no matter what level you are at in the music business, from garages, bars to the grand stages...it just one "catch 22" after another. Still we find a way!

What music is in your iPod right now?

EB: Keith Urban, Jimmy Webb, Rickie Lee Jones, Dan Fogelberg, The Beatles, J.D. Souther, The Beatles, and on, and on...

RR: Just completed a pet project with some old friends. We took the book of Mathew and wrote and arranged melodies and contemporary music around only the "Red Letters." It's being released on Velocity Records and is called, "The Red Letter Project." Was a real challenge but a lot of fun.

What's next for One Flew South?

EB: OFS is playing Farm Aid this coming weekend, and otherwise traveling around the U.S. supporting "My Kind Of Beautiful."

RR: Farm Aid 08 in Boston. Whoooo Hoooooo!!!

Certainly there's more music fans out there than ever that have fallen in love with One Flew South's unique sound. My wife and I found out that we have a little girl due in November and their song "She's A Gift" is my new daddy-theme song. I'll be singing her to sleep with it many a night. Thanks goes out to One Flew South for taking time out of their incredibly busy schedule to make a little time for this interview- we genuinely wish them the very best of luck.