Saturday, May 15, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Dave Fisher, Lead Singer Of Country-Folk Group Highwaymen, Passes
Dave Fisher, the lead singer of the Highwaymen, the popular 1960s folk group whose hit song "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" soared to the top of the music charts, has died. He was 69.Fisher died Friday at his home in Rye, N.Y., of a bone marrow disease, his wife, Dr. Elaine K. Haagen, said Thursday.
Fisher was a freshman at Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1958 when he and four other fellow students formed the band. United Artists released Fisher's arrangement of the spiritual "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" while they were still in school. It soared to the top of the best-seller chart under the title "Michael," earning the group a gold record.
Other hits followed, including "Cotton Fields" and "The Gypsy Rover," as did appearances on Ed Sullivan's and Johnny Carson's shows.
The group began to frequently play the Gaslight Cafe in New York's Greenwich Village section and came into contact with such greats as Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Buffy Sainte Marie.
They disbanded in 1964 but came together again in 1987 for a concert for their 25th college reunion. Since then, they have performed 10-12 concerts a year, said Ken Greengrass, the group's longtime manager. The band last performed together in August in Massachusetts.
Fisher "was writing 99 percent of the music and doing the vocal arrangements" for the band, Greengrass said, in addition to being its lead singer. Fisher was only member of the band to make music his profession, working as a songwriter, arranger and producer for movies and television shows such as the "Fall Guy."
"The sound of the Highwaymen was Fisher," said Greengrass, who has managed Art Garfunkel and other artists. "His tenor made the group very recognizable."
Before Fisher died, the group had been discussing a number of projects, including a PBS special and a Woodstock-like show with other performing artists.
Band member Steve Butts, a retired university administrator who was the group's banjo player, said he and the other two surviving members were at Fisher's bedside the day before he died.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Americana Music Association Award Nominations Released
The Americana Music Association nominations were announced with several alt-country performers receiving nods. Texas songwriters Ray Wylie Hubbard and Ryan Bingham received three each and Patty Griffin, The Avett Brothers and Hayes Carll garnered two nominations.Nominees were:
Album of the year:
The List, by Rosanne Cash
A Friend of a Friend, by Dave Rawlings Machine
Downtown Church, by Patty Griffin
A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no c), by Ray Wylie Hubbard
Artist of the Year
Ryan Bingham
Patty Griffin
Levon Helm
Steve Earle
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Duo/Group of the Year
The Avett Brothers
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Band of Heathens
Dave Rawlings Machine
Instrumentalist of the Year
Buddy Miller
Dave Rawlings
Will Kimbrough
Sam Bush
New & Emerging Artist
Sarah Jarosz
Ryan Bingham
Hayes Carll
Corb Lund
Joe Pug
Song of the Year
"The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)" Written by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett-performed by Ryan Bingham
"Drunken Poets Dream" Written by Hayes Carll and Ray Wylie Hubbard performed by Ray Wylie Hubbard
"Ruby" Written by Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch-performed by Dave Rawlings Machine
"I and Love and You" Written and performed The Avett Brothers
The winners will be announced Sept. 9 at Ryman Auditorium during the 9th Annual Americana Music Association's Honors and Awards Show.
CD Review- Donna Ulisse- Holy Waters
The Background:Singer songwriter Donna Ulisse has spent the past few years establishing herself as not only one of the freshest songwriters in the bluegrass genre but also one of the most authentic vocalists. Her song "I'm Calling Heaven Down", off of her 2007 release of When I Look Back, was named Bluegrass Song of the Year in the 2009 Just Plain Folks Awards. In 2009 she released Walk This Mountain Down, another collection of original tunes which was a Top 30 charting Americana album. The title track stayed in the Bluegrass Unlimited charts for six months and the song "I Lied" was #1 on Sirius XM radio's Bluegrass Junction five times in 2009. With this third bluegrass release Ulisse is giving us 12 new original bluegrass gospel tunes and included the classic Carter Stanley song "Who Will Sing For Me." Some might call Holy Waters a pure gospel album while others might call it a more spiritual endeavor due to the inspirational nature of some of the songs. Ulisse calls it her own soul journey.
The Review:
Click HERE for my detailed review over at The 9513.
Track Highlights:
Caney Creek To Canaan Land
He Will
To My Soul I Do
Cover Me
Sounds Like:
Patty Loveless’s Mountain Soul Albums
The Verdict:
Four Stars Out Of Five
Marty Stuart Preps New Album For August Release
Marty Stuart is set to release a traditional country album Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions) on August 24, 2010. With his 14th studio album, Stuart steadily continues to lead the charge in preserving the roots, culture and history of traditional country music."What inspires me now, is traditional country music," says Stuart. "It's the music I most cherish, the culture in which I was raised. It's the bedrock upon which the empire of country music is built, the empowering force that provides this genre with lasting credibility. It's beyond trends and it's timeless. With all that being said, I found traditional country music to be on the verge of extinction. It's too precious to let slip away. I wanted to attempt to write a new chapter."
That new chapter is GHOST TRAIN (THE STUDIO B SESSIONS) which includes such unmitigated country staples as the male-female duet (the gorgeous, heartfelt "I Run to You," written and sung with Connie Smith), the chugging, bluesy—and spooky— fellow Mississippian Jimmie Rodgers-like train song "Ghost Train Four-Oh-Ten," steel guitar driven, hardcore heartbreak ballads such as "A World Without You," and "Drifting Apart," and a no-flinching directness is front and center in the premiere of "Hangman," a pointed, harrowing tale of an executioner's job and life that Stuart co-wrote with Johnny Cash just four days before the Man in Black passed away.
As the album title denotes, GHOST TRAIN (THE STUDIO B SESSIONS) was recorded in the legendary RCA Studio B in Nashville, where Stuart participated in his first-ever recording session at the age of 13 playing mandolin in Lester Flatt's band.
"Studio B has a profound pedigree; it's where so much of American music's legacy was forged, certainly country music's," says Stuart. "And sonically, this is a room that welcomes music. It seemed to me that in order to authentically stage a brand new traditional country music record we should bring it back to the scene of the crime."
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
An Interview With Jo Dee Messina Over At The 9513
Jo Dee Messina has charted nine Number One singles on the Billboard country music charts and been honored by the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music and nominated for a Grammy Award. She was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week Number One songs from the same album. To date, she has two Platinum and three Gold-certified albums by the RIAA.It's nearly unfathomable when her label, Curb Records, goes about releasing an EP without any radio promotion, advertising or marketing push whatsover. You see, I'm a retailer. A successful one. In one of my daily duties, I'm the head of a retailer merchandising association 1000 stores strong. Retailing might be the only thing I know better than music. If you're in business to sell something and be successful, you throw everything you have resource-wise to make sure that something sells.
As the commodity that seems lost on the shelf, Jo Dee Messina is justifiably frustrated and that edge came out loud and clear when I had the opportunity to interview her a couple weeks back for The 9513. Check out the interview HERE after checking out the snippet below.
"It feels that way from the inside looking out too. It does. But the hard-core fans get to get the music. It’s interesting. I’ve got to find a way to answer these questions. It’s really frustrating to wait this long and then they say, “We’ll release this record but we don’t have anything at radio.” We’re coming off of my last three records that have all debuted at number one. We’ve actively had a song at radio when the album’s come out. And then we have this release with nothing. It’s just interesting. I’m curious to see what happens."
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean Lead CMT Music Awards Nominees
Leading the way with three nominations each for the CMT Music Awards, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are top contenders according to the list of full nominees. Following closely behind are Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Steel Magnolia, Sugarland, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band with two nominations each.The 2010 CMT Music Awards will air live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on June 9 on CMT and CMT.com. Country music's biggest stars are slated to perform, including Keith, Lady Antebellum, Lambert, Underwood and Urban, with more to be announced.
Fans can vote online at CMT.com through June 8 to determine the winners. The final nominees for video of the year will be announced at the beginning of the live show, and fans can then vote at CMT.com and via text message throughout the live broadcast (ET/CT only) to determine the night's big winner.
Video of the Year
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.
• "American Ride" - Toby Keith
• "Cowboy Casanova" - Carrie Underwood
• "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum
• "Out Last Night" - Kenny Chesney
• "The Truth" - Jason Aldean
• "'Til Summer Comes Around" - Keith Urban
• "Toes" - Zac Brown Band
• "Welcome to the Future" - Brad Paisley
• "White Liar" - Miranda Lambert
• "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
Male Video of the Year
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
• "American Ride" - Toby Keith
• "People Are Crazy" - Billy Currington
• "Southern Voice" - Tim McGraw
• "The Truth" - Jason Aldean
• "'Til Summer Comes Around" - Keith Urban
Female Video of the Year
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
• "Consider Me Gone" - Reba McEntire
• "Cowboy Casanova" - Carrie Underwood
• "White Liar" - Miranda Lambert
• "You Belong With Me" - Taylor Swift
Group Video of the Year
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists
• "Here Comes Goodbye" - Rascal Flatts
• "How Far Do You Wanna Go?" - Gloriana
• "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum
• "Toes" - Zac Brown Band
Duo Video of the Year
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists
• "Indian Summer" - Brooks & Dunn
• "Keep On Lovin' You" - Steel Magnolia
• "Keep You" - Sugarland
• "Nightswimming/Joey" - Sugarland
USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year
Best video from an artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female, or group/duo)
• "A Little More Country Than That" - Easton Corbin
• "Do I" - Luke Bryan
• "Giddy On Up" - Laura Bell Bundy
• "Keep On Lovin' You" - Steel Magnolia
Collaborative Video of the Year
Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)
• "Best Days of Your Life" - Kellie Pickler featuring Taylor Swift
• "Heaven" from CMT Crossroads: Bryan Adams and Jason Aldean - Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams
• "Hillbilly Bone" - Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
• "I'm Alive" - Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
CMT Performance of the Year
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
• "Consider Me Gone" from Invitation Only: Reba - Reba McEntire
• "Lookin' for a Good Time" from the 2009 CMT Music Awards - Lady Antebellum
• "Southern Voice" from Invitation Only: Tim McGraw - Tim McGraw
• "Temporary Home" from Invitation Only: Carrie Underwood - Carrie Underwood
• "Then" from the 2009 CMT Music Awards - Brad Paisley
Video Director of the Year
Best video director of the year; awarded to the director for his or her body of work from the past year
• Deaton Flanigen (award eligible videos include: Jason Aldean's "The Truth" and Carrie Underwood's "Temporary Home")
• Chris Hicky (award eligible videos include: Miranda Lambert's "White Liar" and Justin Moore's "Small Town USA")
• Shaun Silva (award eligible videos include: Kenny Chesney's "Out Last Night" and Rascal Flatts' "Summer Nights")
• Roman White (award eligible videos include: Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" and Kellie Pickler's "Best Days of Your Life")
CD Reviews- The Grascals- The Famous Lefty Flynn's
The Background:The Famous Lefty Flynn's is the fourth album by one of America's most respected and celebrated bluegrass bands, The Grascals. The stirring vocals of the band's three lead singers, Terry Eldredge, Jamie Johnson, and Terry Smith, combined with the group's instrumental virtuosity, and unique song selection all play a part in the musical and critical heights the group has attained. Coming on the heels of their last album, SPBGMA's 2009 Album of the Year Keep On Walkin', the new album features a range of songs from a cover of the Monkees' lively "Last Train to Clarksville" to the imploring "Give Me Jesus," with stops along the way for intriguing story songs and some outstanding originals. Newest member Kristin Scott Benson, IBMA's 2008 Banjo Player of the Year, joins the band for what the band believes is their best album yet.
The Review:
Superb musicianship, two great covers and two story songs make up the highlights of this strong bluegrass album from one of the genre’s shining stars. The band first landed onto the bluegrass music scene in 2005—winning the International Bluegrass Music Association’s emerging artist award that year. The followed that up with two straight entertainer of the year nods. The two covers include a fun, interesting and animated cover of The Monkees’ 1966 hit “Last Train to Clarksville” as well as the Steve Earle cover, “My Old Friend the Blues.” That latter of those two reaches down emotively to the depressive depths that Earle was in when he originally wrote the song. But the highlights for this reviewer lie with the two story songs that split the album. On the first, “Satan and Grandma”, the Grascals sing of how Grandma, using her bible as a “sword and shield” single-handedly fought off Satan throughout her life. It’s a touching tribute to family blood and it’s good karma to put the evil dude in his place once in awhile musically. On the title track, “The Famous Lefty Flynn’s”, they’ve created a song that sounds like it was written by Marty Robbins in the 50’s about a jailed criminal who plans an escape and makes a run for the Mexican town of Tampico with the million dollars that the Famous Lefty Flynn stole over the course of his life. It’s a terrific tale backed by truly impressive instrumentation and will easily make the list of top songs of the year. Overall, this makes a fantastic bluegrass effort. If you’re a bluegrass lover, it’s a must for your collection. If you’re new to bluegrass, this would be a great place to start.
Track Highlights:
Last Train to Clarksville
The Famous Lefty Flynn’s
Satan and Grandma
My Old Friend the Blues
Sounds Like:
The Infamous Stringdusters & Ricky Skaggs
The Verdict:
Four Stars Out Of Five
Monday, May 10, 2010
New Music Video From Johnny Cash- "Ain't No Grave"
The Johnny Cash Project, an online global collective art project and visual testament to the life and career of Johnny Cash, "The Man In Black," celebrates its official launch, with over 5,000 frames submitted to the dynamic website.
The highly interactive website celebrates the February 2010 release of American VI: Ain’t No Grave, Johnny Cash’s final studio recording, produced by Rick Rubin. The Johnny Cash Project sets out to engage fans of the beloved musical icon from around the world in an unprecedented collaborative project: the creation of an ever-evolving music video for the title track of the album.
"Chris told me about this great art project he had in mind, but needed an iconic artist for it to work," said Rick Rubin. "His description of it sounded so new and unusual, that I was interested just to get to see it! While I think he had originally intended to work with a living artist, I suggested Johnny Cash; he thought about it and realized that Johnny's passing changed the meaning of the project for the better, and The Johnny Cash Project was born."
Up & Coming New Nashville- Kylie Morgan
Fourteen-year-old singer/songwriter, Kylie Morgan saw her dreams become reality earlier this year when she signed a recording contract with upstart Oklahoma-based LandRun Records, attended her first industry function in Nashville during the Country Radio Seminar, and met with several of Music Row’s top music publishing companies - all in preparation for the recording of her debut album.Hailing from Oklahoma, she was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the second of three children. She attended elementary school in Moore (home of Toby Keith), and is now a freshman in high school in Newcastle, Oklahoma.
By age seven, Morgan was training in gymnastics and would go on to win over 100 medals in the sport. Later, she began cheerleading and her squad won numerous State and National titles, as well as ‘All American Cheer’ awards.’ She also attended Artworks Academy and landed several lead and supporting roles in local theatrical plays where she discovered her love for singing and performing.
Morgan excels academically. Her achievements include the Principal’s Honor Roll, Citizenship Award, Reading Achievement, Newcastle's Top-Ten Achievement Award, Oklahoma Explore Scholars Award, and she has served as Class President.
Singing professionally since she was age 12, Morgan has since assembled a band; signed a record deal; recorded a Christmas CD; written songs for her official debut CD planned for release in early 2010; secured several high-profile sponsorship deals - AND climbed on a bus where she works hard on her studies to maintain a 4.25 grade average. All while fulfilling her busy performing, radio and television appearance schedule.
“At age 12, I received a guitar from my Papaw for Christmas,” Kylie recalls fondly. “I began taking guitar lessons and writing my own music. One day, my 8th grade English teacher gave us a journal topic to write about: ‘What's one of the hardest things you've ever had to do?’ One girl in the class said, ‘the hardest thing I ever had to do was watch my little sister battle cancer.’ That thought stuck with me for the rest of the day. I too have a little sister, and I couldn't imagine how difficult that must have been for my friend and her family. When I got home, I picked up my guitar and wrote "She's Our Miracle." Kylie did not know at the time that her guitar teacher worked with the American Cancer Society and DJ’d for “Relay for Life” events. Soon, Kylie was traveling the state of Oklahoma performing "She's Our Miracle" at numerous Relays. She has since recorded the song and it has been embraced by the American Cancer Society.
Presently, Kylie has just finished recording seven songs with her band for the CD, Christmas with Kylie Morgan, on Land Run Records, of which all proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society. And she is writing and reviewing songs for her debut CD, scheduled to be recorded in 2010. Kylie is really enjoying all of the early success that she is achieving, but is very firmly grounded in who - and what - she is. “I love music. It has always been a part of my life. I think you should pursue the things you love. And I want my fans to know that it is OK to just be yourself.”
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