Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Dolly Parton Offers Complimentary Song Download As Promotion For Upcoming TV Special
Dolly Parton is giving away- compliments of The Hallmark Channel - a live recording of "Celebrate the Dreamer (in You)" that she recorded during an upcoming television special called Dolly Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood on July 3rd at 8/7 central. You can listen to the song in the video below and then you can download your copy for free by right mouse clicking on the link below and then choosing save.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Gregg Allman of Allman Brothers Band Undergoes Successful Liver Transplant
As part of his continued recovery from Hepatitis C, Gregg Allman recently underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. Gregg has been on the waiting list for the transplant and is looking forward to a speedy recovery.“I feel pretty good, considering everything that’s happened,” says Gregg, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band in 1969. “Everybody involved here, my doctors and nurses in the hospital and all the Allman Brothers fans, they’ve just all been great.” The surgery took place this morning (June 23) after Gregg was notified that an appropriate liver had been donated. “All I can really say is ‘thanks,’” the singer says with gratitude.
The transplant comes as a result of the artist’s previous battle with Hepatitis C, a liver disease. In late 2007, Gregg began a series of treatments for his Hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led to doctors recommending a transplant. “I changed my ways years ago,” he says, “but we can’t turn back time. Every day is a gift, and I can’t wait to get back on the road making music with my friends.”
Updates on Gregg’s recovery will be posted regularly on http://www.greggallman.com/ and http://www.allmanbrothersband.com/
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Kenny Chesney Releases Details On New Album- Hemingway's Whiskey
Kenny Chesney will release his first studio album in 3 years this fall when Hemingway’s Whiskey will hit store shelves.“I knew I wanted the record to be something more, something that took what I do in my special projects and weaved it into what I do for the mainstream,” Chesney says. “It takes a lot of energy and mental space to be on the road… and I kind of felt like – especially coming off of this second Greatest Hits - this next record should be something that set the stage for the next phase of my music, the same way No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems opened up the music I’ve made for the past 8 years… I came to town to write songs, to make records, to create something that spoke about how I lived, and the people who I knew who were just like me and my friends lived. I’d like to think we’ve captured that, just like I’d like to think that we’ve all come to realize that life is a little more complicated than maybe we thought. It’s still fun. It’s still intense. It’s still about friends and dreams and all kinds of things, but there’s something more, too.”
When it came to choosing the title cut, the choice was easy for Chesney. “When I heard the song, I knew it was the perfect title for the record,” Chesney says. “I was sitting in my truck and a friend had given me Guy’s [Clark] album, which had just come out – and it’s a song that talks about living life to its fullest, being a man about your responsibilities and not compromising. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to cut it… and call the album that… because it says everything about the way you live your life, and what life can be if you refuse to buy into limits, which – as someone who’s read all his books – is everything Hemingway’s novels revolved around.”
Hemingway’s Whiskey will be released on September 28.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
George Hamilton IV, Doc Watson & Andy Griffith Amongst North Carolina Music Hall Of Fame Inductees
The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2010. The class of inductees are to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Kannapolis in October The Hall Of Fame opened at the North Carolina Research Campus in 2009, after an arrangement between country music producer Mike Curb and Dole Food Company owner David Murduck. The museum is in the old Kannapolis police station.
The Performing Artists of the 2010 class are:
Maurice Williams, Recording artist, Charlotte
Andy Griffith, Gospel recording artist, Mount Airy/Wilmington
Donna Fargo, Country recording artist, Mount Airy
Arthur Smith, Country composer, performer, producer, Charlotte
George Hamilton IV, Country recording artist, Winston-Salem
Doc Watson, Country/Bluegrass vocalist, musician, Deep Gap/North Wilkesboro
Curly Seckler, Bluegrass vocalist and musician, China Grove
Dr. Billy Taylor, jazz pianist, composer, Greenville
Shirley Caesar, Gospel recording artist, Durham
Lynyrd Skynyrd Releases New CD/DVD Today
Lynyrd Skynyrd will release Live From Freedom Hall today as both a CD/DVD set and as a stand-alone DVD. Live From Freedom Hall not only captures the band in its most natural state – on stage- but is also one of the last concerts to be recorded with longtime members Billy Powell and Ean Evans, both of whom passed away last year. The release is a tribute to and a celebration of Skynyrd.The track listing for Live From Freedom Hall is as follows:
“Travelin’ Man”
“Workin'”
“What's Your Name?”
“That Smell”
“Simple Man”
“Down South Jukin’”
“The Needle and the Spoon”
“Ballad Of Curtis Loew”
“Gimme Back My Bullets”
“Tuesday’s Gone”
“Red White and Blue”
“Gimme Three Steps”
“Call Me The Breeze”
“Sweet Home Alabama”
“Free Bird”
Monday, June 21, 2010
New Country Music Hall Of Fame Exhibit Spotlights Farm Aid Beginning June 25th
In honor of the 25th anniversary of Farm Aid, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will bow the photographic exhibition A Song for America: Twenty-five Years of Farm Aid, on June 25. The exhibit, which documents many of Farm Aid's defining moments, will be presented in the Museum's West Gallery and will run through December 31, 2010.Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young organized the first Farm Aid concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms in the United States and to help keep farm families on their land. The inaugural show took place September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, and featured top performers from country, blues, rock and pop music. Farm Aid has since become an annual event and a non-profit organization working year-round on behalf of family farmers. This year's concert, Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America, will take place in the fall and will be announced shortly.
"Country music is at the heart of Farm Aid and Nashville has given from its heart to support family farmers," said Farm Aid executive director Carolyn Mugar. "We are honored to be represented at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and thankful for the support of the country music industry for twenty-five years."
A Song for America: Twenty-five Years of Farm Aid features photographs by noted photographers Paul Natkin, Charles Riedel and Ebet Roberts.In addition to Farm Aid board members Nelson, Mellencamp,Young and Dave Matthews, other artists featured in the exhibit include Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, David Crosby, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Martina McBride, Graham Nash, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Joe Shaver, Ringo Starr, Stephen Stills, Keith Urban, Lucinda Williams, Gretchen Wilson and more.
Up & Coming New Nashville- Stealing Angels
Country music is about to get a long-term visitation from three heavenly artists – Caroline Cutbirth, Jennifer Wayne, and Tayla Lynn – collectively known as Stealing Angels. In case any of their last names sound familiar…they should. These young women are descended from American icons, including country great Loretta Lynn, film legend John Wayne and American folk hero Daniel Boone. But it will be their music, not their background that promises to make their names as well known as their famous families. Stealing Angels is already making a name for itself thanks to ABC’s Robin Roberts who featured the group in her TV special on country music aired nationally on ABC back in November. In a segment called “What’s In A Name,” Roberts poses the question if talent is genetic using examples including Johnny and Rosanne Cash, Vince and Jenny Gill and, of course, Stealing Angels and their famous relatives. The band is currently in the studio in Nashville with award winning producer Paul Worley (Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride) working on their debut CD, set for release later in 2010. Stealing Angels found each other in the music city when Texas-native Caroline Cutbirth moved to Nashville in 2006 to follow her dream of breaking into music. Says Caroline, “I’ve always wanted to be a singer...always! I didn't know anything about the music industry but I knew I need to go somewhere where I could learn and perform. Something kept pushing me to Nashville. So without a clue, I packed it all up and moved there, just like that. It was scary at first, but it seemed to me that if I wanted to be a part of music, I needed to be in the Music City.” In Nashville, Caroline met California-born Jennifer Wayne, who had also moved to pursue a solo singing career. Born into the Hollywood mix, Jennifer had always dreamed of singing country music. A nationally ranked tennis player from childhood, Jennifer’s young life changed when after one of her grandfather’s best friends, Merv Griffin, heard her sing and opened a record label just for her. As a result, she moved to Nashville begin recording. Sadly, Merv passed away soon after her arrival and the label was dissolved. So Jennifer, like Caroline, found herself doing the music circuit, performing, writing and trying to be heard by record executives and A&R people. Although their musical genres were polar opposites (Caroline sang pop and Jennifer, country), they both began to write music together. In 2007, the two young singers were approached by a reality show producer looking to create a show called, “All in the Genes.” The premise of the show was to focus on the ups and downs of two women from famous families. As the granddaughter of John Wayne and a descendant of Daniel Boone, Jennifer and Caroline were perfect for the project. The producer then decided that a third cast member was needed. After much searching, she found Tayla Lynn, granddaughter of Loretta Lynn, and also a solo singer. Tennessee born and bred, Tayla was crawling around Loretta’s bus before she could walk. “I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t in the wings in some town somewhere watchin’ my “me-maw” and my daddy on stage. I’ve never wanted anything other than to be a singer and a performer,” says Tayla. Tayla, Caroline and Jennifer immediately hit it off and soon became inseparable. Although the three eventually realized that travelling down the reality show road wasn’t for them, they continued to grow closer as friends, supporting each other through the difficulties of trying to break solo careers. Not surprisingly, the local music scene soon began seeing the girls as a trio since they were playing (as solo artists) on many of the same bills, and eventually even began to help each other out by singing harmonies to each other’s songs. They also continued writing together. It was around Christmastime 2008, when the idea really sank in that their music was stronger as a group, far more so than three solo artists. And although their singing styles still differed – ranging from pop to country and alot in between – there was no denying the music they created together meshed in a way that was unmistakably beautiful and unforgettable. They, of course, credit many mutual music influences they began to create, including Lee Ann Womack, Dixie Chicks, old country, 80’s punk, Patty Griffin, among others.
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