TNS Video History- Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens- "Streets of Bakersfield"

New Music Videos From Toby Keith and Josh Gracin

Toby Keith ("Made In America") and Josh Gracin ("Can't Say Goodbye") both have new music videos out this week. "Can't Say Goodbye" by Josh Gracin was created in collaboration with Sears Heroes at Home. The song, based on the winning entry from the Sears "Portraits of Heroes" song contest, reflects a young war widow's story (Seana Arrechaga) and her commitment to keeping her husband's memory alive. All proceeds from the song will go to Heroes at Home and Rebuilding Together.

Martina McBride & The Warren Brothers Co-Write Cut On New Joss Stone Album

Soulful crooner Joss Stone drops her new album LP1 this week and included is a track that is co-written by Stone, Martina McBride and the Warren Brothers called "Karma." The album was produced by Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart and was recorded in Nashville at McBride's Blackbird Studio. You can check out and listen to the new track below:

Music Fog's Great Video of Ray Wylie Hubbard Singing "Drunken Poet's Dream"

I've mentioned it before on this site, but if you're a fan of great Americana live performances, check out MusicFog.com. They just posted this great video of Ray Wylie Hubbard & Rick Richards appearing on the Music Fog stage during their music marathon. This was recorded in Threadgill's Back Room in 2011 during SXSW® music week.

Johnny Reid & Dean Brody Lead CCMA Nominations

Dean Brody

Johnny Reid and Dean Brody lead the pack of nominees for the 2011 Canadian Country Music Awards, it was announced Wednesday.

Reid, who was born in Scotland before moving to Canada in his teens, garnered six nominations, including single of the year and album of the year. Dean Brody netted four CCMA nominations, including the fans’ choice award and album of the year.  Other nominated artists include Corb Lund, Terri Clark and George Canyon.

The CCMA awards will be broadcast live on CBC Sept. 12 from Hamilton. Below are a snapshot of most of the artist nominations. For a full list of nominees, click here.

FANS' CHOICE AWARD

Dean Brody
George Canyon
Terri Clark
Doc Walker
Johnny Reid

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

My Daughter's Father - Gord Bamford
That's How I Wanna Go Out - Deric Ruttan
Today I'm Gonna Try And Change The World - Johnny Reid
Trail In Life - Dean Brody
Watching You Walk Away - Shane Yellowbird

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

A Place Called Love - Johnny Reid
Better Be Home Soon - George Canyon
Love Rules - Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Sunday Afternoon - Aaron Lines
Trail In Life - Dean Brody 

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR
Put Some Alcohol On It (written by Gord Bamford/Roger Brown/Byron Hill; recorded by Gord Bamford)
That's How I Wanna Go Out (written by Lee Thomas Miller/Deric Ruttan; recorded by Deric Ruttan)
Today I'm Gonna Try And Change The World (written by Brent Maher/Johnny Reid; recorded by Johnny Reid)
Trail In Life (written by Dean Brody; recorded by Dean Brody)
Watching You Walk Away (written by Troy Kokol/Willie Mack/Kenny Sitter; recorded by Shane Yellowbird)

CMT VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Better Be Home Soon - George Canyon
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Doc Walker
My Daughter's Father - Gord Bamford
That's How I Wanna Go Out - Deric Ruttan
Today I'm Gonna Try And Change The World - Johnny Reid

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Victoria Banks
Terri Clark
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Tara Oram
Tenille

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Gord Bamford
Dean Brody
George Canyon
Johnny Reid
Deric Ruttan

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR

Doc Walker
Emerson Drive
The Heartbroken
Hey Romeo
High Valley

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Ridley Bent
Shane Chisholm
Kirsten Jones
Corb Lund
Jimmy Rankin

RISING STAR

Jaydee Bixby
Chad Brownlee
High Valley
Ladies Of The Canyon
Codie Prevost

Eric Church Chief Giveaway

That Nashville Sound is giving away a copy of Eric Church's brand new album, Chief. Simply click HERE to go to our Facebook page and post your favorite Eric Church song in the thread below the contest post to be entered. Our contest will expire August 1st at the end of the day where we'll pick a winner.

Church talked about the album with CMT's Craig Shelburne about one of the track, "Country Music Jesus":

That song is interesting because of a particular critic, who shall remain nameless for now, who wrote an article. I got pulled into the article, and I had no business being in the article, about the state of country music. It was comparing the new generation, this young movement, to Cash and Waylon, and saying that we're not getting it done. And that we needed a country music Jesus to come and save the format.

And I took offense to it. I'm not interested in making music that was made in 1974. I want to make music that is different and that's being made now. I feel like Cash did that. I feel like Waylon did that. I feel like Garth did that. Good or bad, it doesn't matter. They did their own thing, and they did it different. They expanded the format. I think that's what we're supposed to do. That's what we're here to do. I took offense to his comment, and that was my missile across the bow as a tongue-in-cheek way to respond to that.

Country Music News Round-Up- Songwriter Bill Morrissey Passes and Kenny Chesney Writes For ESPN

Ira Dean- Average Joe's Entertainment

• Folk singer/songwriter Bill Morrissey passed away in Georgia this last week.
• If only for the fantastic personal family recordings interspersed between every other song on her album, it’s worth picking up the new bluegrass album On The Brooklyn Road by Nell Robinson.  You can read my review on the album that I did for Engine 145 HERE.
• Lots of new music videos released in the last week- with Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood being the more recent with “Remind Me.” Other new videos include:
• Pistol Annies — “Hell On Heels”
• Ronnie Dunn — “Cost of Livin’”
• Billy Chernoff — “Circle of Grace”
• Billy Currington — “Love Done Gone”
• Steve Richard — “Love’s Gotta Go Somewhere”
• Steve Holy — “Love Don’t Run”
• Phil Vassar — “Let’s Get Together”
• Alan Jackson –- “Long Way To Go”
• Indian Rodeo —“If I Could Go Back”
• Brandon Rhyder with Radney Foster (Live) — “Lord I Hope This Day Is Good”
• Jack Ingram shared his foolproof way to break up fights at his shows this week on his Acoustic Motel series.
• With the Dixie Chicks’ Martie Maguire in attendance at her most recent concert, Taylor Swift covered the Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away.” Check out the video HERE.
• Kenny Chesney has written a new theme song for ESPN.
• After $1,500 went missing after his recent concert, Bucky Covington has been accused of grand theft.
• 3^rd Place American Idol finisher Haley Reinhart has signed a record deal.
• Mick Buck, Curator Director at the Country Music Hall of Fame blogs a bit about what will be going into the new Chet Atkins exhibit at the museum.
• Average Joe’s Entertainment added to its growing roster when it signed former Trick Pony member Ira Dean this week. His song “Beer or Gasoline” is currently at radio.

Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors

Dolly Parton's actual Coat of Many Colors with her original handwritten lyrics

I'm doing a little traveling across Tennessee at the moment and thought I'd share a little piece of my travels with my readers. The family and I were doing the theme park thing at Dollywood this last week and to pass some time when a thunderstorm interrupted the rollercoasters, took a detour into Dolly's Chasing Rainbows Museum. It was there when I saw the actual garment that prompted Dolly's famous song, "Coat of Many Colors." I for one, didn't know it still existed. 

When Dolly Parton was a child, her parents couldn't afford to buy her a coat for winter. Her mother was given a box of rags, and from it, she sewed together a coat for Dolly. As she did so, she told her daughter the story of Joseph from the Bible and his coat of many colors and how Abraham gave a coat of many colors to his favorite son, Joseph.Dolly later recorded that she couldn't wait to wear her coat of many colors, but when she did, her classmates at school made fun of her for being poor.

From the time she was a little girl growing up in Locust Ridge, Tennessee to a dirt-poor family with 12 children, Dolly has kept mementos and collected memorabilia from all aspects of her life. As her star has risen, so has her collection. Today, it fills a museum.
In addition to the glamour memorabilia-the Grammies, the gowns from all her movies, the scripts, posters, guitars, etc.-Dolly has also collected evidence of her humble beginnings. The medical bag belonging to the doctor who delivered her, Dr. Robert F. Thomas, is on display. Dr. Thomas was paid a sack of corn for his service by Dolly's parents, Lee and Avie Lee Parton. The sack of cornmeal is one of the few things you won't find in the museum.

Another prized possession from her childhood in the museum has its own glass case-the Coat of Many Colors. This coat made of rags holds not only a bittersweet memory for Dolly, but it also resulted in one of her most touching songs. In the background behind the case is a wall-sized photo of children pointing and laughing. Dolly later translated that experience into a hit song and a children's book of the same name.

To this day, Dolly writes songs nearly every day. Over the years, she wrote songs on whatever was at hand when inspiration struck-on the backs of envelopes, scraps of paper, receipts and even the top of a shoebox. Many of these are in the museum, including the lyrics to "Coat of Many Colors" and "Light of a Clear Blue Morning". The largest collection is in a case holding the lyrics to more than a dozen songs.

TNS Video History- Hal Ketchum- "Stay Forever"