Label: RCA Nashville
Current Album: Easy Does It
Current Single & Video: “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You”
Current Producer: Jimmy Ritchey
Hometown: Vero Beach, Florida
Birthdate: August 28
Management: Morris Management Group
Booking: Dale Morris & Associates
Recent Hits: “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You,” “Startin’ with Me,” “Something About a Woman,” “Yee Haw”
Awards: Jake is the recently crowned ACM Top New Male Vocalist and has been an ACM, CMA, and Grammy nominee.
Interesting Facts: Jake co-wrote eight of the songs on Easy Does It, and he’s been a writer on each of his first four hits.
Touring & Special Appearances: Since the release of his debut album, Jake has toured with Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, and more. He recently made his second appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Musical Influences: Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams, Jr.
Website(s): www.jakeowen.net; www.myspace.com/jakeowen
Jake Owen’s major label life kicked off back in 2006 with a rowdy “Yee Haw,” the leadoff single from his RCA debut, Startin’ With Me. That song hit the Top 10 and earned the Florida native his first ACM nomination for Top New Male Vocalist. His participation in the multi-artist single, “Life In A Northern Town” helped to kick the singer/songwriter’s career into high gear and led to his first CMA and Grammy nominations in 2008. That momentum continued with “Don’t Think I Don’t Love You,” the hit single and video and leadoff track from his sophomore release, Easy Does It. The album’s title sums up Owen’s reaction to what might have been a sophomore curse.
“My main goal with this album was to make music that’s not overdone or over thought,” Owen said. “I just went in the studio and sang. I’d sing the song from start to finish a couple of times and then leave because there was no doubt in my mind that I’d done the best I could do. Whether it’s perfect or not, it’s who I am.”
Throughout Easy Does It, Owen does indeed sound more relaxed and confident as an artist. “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” is the perfect example of how the personal experiences inspire his lyrics. Partly inspired by his father’s devotion to his mother over the years, the song is just the first of several songs written specifically about romantic relationships. Though some of the love songs on Easy Does It, such as “Eight Second Ride,” veer toward the rowdy side, Owen has his own set of standards when it comes to addressing the fairer sex.
“It’s really important for me when I’m writing songs that speak to women that I speak to them in a way of respect,” Owen says. “I try to write in a way where a guy listening would say, ‘Man, I’d say that to a girl.’ Conway Twitty did that. He sang songs to women all the time, but it was a very masculine way of saying it. It wasn’t soft. I don’t think any of my love songs on this record are soft.”
As he works to refine his own musical identity in the studio, Owen gives a lot of credit to his producer, Jimmy Ritchey. Their working relationship provides the perfect environment for Owen to experiment with his emerging sound. As a result, Easy Does It offers a freewheeling and creative brand of country music that goes well beyond the standard country radio fare. Whether it’s the haunting bagpipe passage that closes the album on “Nothin’ Grows in Shadows” or the expansive musical build-up that leads in to the opening track, “Tell Me,” every song on Easy Does It contains echoes of Owen’s musical heroes while allowing him to forge his own musical path.
“I’m not doing this for the money,” he says. “It’s about believing in what you do, and doing it because you love it. Making music is what I love to do.”
Ms. Wilson Goes to Washington
/by LB CantrellWilson had the financial resources to pick up where she left off at the age of 15, but the majority are dependent on federally funded public education programs. Because those programs are so underfunded, 80,000 adults were waitlisted for federally funded programs last year. Wilson will testify in a hearing before the Subcommittee on Higher Education about her experiences in earning her G.E.D., urging Tennessee legislators to support adult education on the state and national level. She will testify alongside Dollar General President and adult literacy advocate David Beré, to help rally support and awareness for the cause. “I truly believe that we can be better parents and better Americans if we make adult education more accessible,” Wilson said.
It is Wilson’s hope that by sharing her success story, she will be able to help those parents in similar situations to get the resources to gain the education they need to be their child’s first and most important teacher. To learn more about adult education, click here.
On The Cover—Jake Owen
/by LB CantrellCurrent Album: Easy Does It
Current Single & Video: “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You”
Current Producer: Jimmy Ritchey
Hometown: Vero Beach, Florida
Birthdate: August 28
Management: Morris Management Group
Booking: Dale Morris & Associates
Recent Hits: “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You,” “Startin’ with Me,” “Something About a Woman,” “Yee Haw”
Awards: Jake is the recently crowned ACM Top New Male Vocalist and has been an ACM, CMA, and Grammy nominee.
Interesting Facts: Jake co-wrote eight of the songs on Easy Does It, and he’s been a writer on each of his first four hits.
Touring & Special Appearances: Since the release of his debut album, Jake has toured with Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, and more. He recently made his second appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Musical Influences: Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams, Jr.
Website(s): www.jakeowen.net; www.myspace.com/jakeowen
Jake Owen’s major label life kicked off back in 2006 with a rowdy “Yee Haw,” the leadoff single from his RCA debut, Startin’ With Me. That song hit the Top 10 and earned the Florida native his first ACM nomination for Top New Male Vocalist. His participation in the multi-artist single, “Life In A Northern Town” helped to kick the singer/songwriter’s career into high gear and led to his first CMA and Grammy nominations in 2008. That momentum continued with “Don’t Think I Don’t Love You,” the hit single and video and leadoff track from his sophomore release, Easy Does It. The album’s title sums up Owen’s reaction to what might have been a sophomore curse.
“My main goal with this album was to make music that’s not overdone or over thought,” Owen said. “I just went in the studio and sang. I’d sing the song from start to finish a couple of times and then leave because there was no doubt in my mind that I’d done the best I could do. Whether it’s perfect or not, it’s who I am.”
Throughout Easy Does It, Owen does indeed sound more relaxed and confident as an artist. “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” is the perfect example of how the personal experiences inspire his lyrics. Partly inspired by his father’s devotion to his mother over the years, the song is just the first of several songs written specifically about romantic relationships. Though some of the love songs on Easy Does It, such as “Eight Second Ride,” veer toward the rowdy side, Owen has his own set of standards when it comes to addressing the fairer sex.
“It’s really important for me when I’m writing songs that speak to women that I speak to them in a way of respect,” Owen says. “I try to write in a way where a guy listening would say, ‘Man, I’d say that to a girl.’ Conway Twitty did that. He sang songs to women all the time, but it was a very masculine way of saying it. It wasn’t soft. I don’t think any of my love songs on this record are soft.”
As he works to refine his own musical identity in the studio, Owen gives a lot of credit to his producer, Jimmy Ritchey. Their working relationship provides the perfect environment for Owen to experiment with his emerging sound. As a result, Easy Does It offers a freewheeling and creative brand of country music that goes well beyond the standard country radio fare. Whether it’s the haunting bagpipe passage that closes the album on “Nothin’ Grows in Shadows” or the expansive musical build-up that leads in to the opening track, “Tell Me,” every song on Easy Does It contains echoes of Owen’s musical heroes while allowing him to forge his own musical path.
“I’m not doing this for the money,” he says. “It’s about believing in what you do, and doing it because you love it. Making music is what I love to do.”
Swift Goes Back To High School
/by bossrossTaylor Swift recently performed for the students at Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia outside of Washington, DC. The students won a contest sponsored by Swift tour sponsor Verizon Wireless, out-texting every other high school in the country to get the singer to perform at their school. Needless to say, the kids went berserk when Swift hit the stage. This video from the website of the Washington Post provides a glimpse of the power of Swift’s music and her celebrity and just how well the singer/songwriter handles all of the attention. Click below to get a taste of Taylor-mania.
DISClaimer (4/24/09)
/by Robert K OermannThe presence of legends such as The Lewis Family and The Easter Brothers, plus the ultra-popular Chris Tomlin, cannot dim the shining stars of Mary Mary and Music City’s own Mandisa. To the last-named we offer a Disc of the Day award.
We hope your Gospel Music Week is a dandy celebration.
MARY MARY/God In Me
Writer: Warryn Campbell/Erica Campbell/Tina Campbell; Producer: Warryn Campbell; Publisher: EMI April/Wet Ink Red/That’s Plum/It’s Tea Tyme, ASCAP; Columbia (track)
—I love this R&B duo. These ladies have been locked in the top-10 on both the CCM and Gospel charts for two months with their The Sound CD. This new single features the team being joined by hip hopper Kierra “Kiki” Sheard, who has her own solo hit, “Praise Him Now.” The beats and raps here are the equals of anything on the mainstream charts. “God in Me” is the follow up to Mary Mary’s more melodic hit “Get Up.” One clever audio devise is a deep radio voice announcing, “You’re listening to The Sound” in between the album’s tracks.
CHRIS TOMLIN/I Will Rise
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Sixsteps/Sparrow/EMI CMG (track)
—Tomlin won at last night’s (4/23) Dove Awards for his contributions to Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song and Special Event Album, and his Hello Love album is selling like hotcakes. Currently No. 2 on the CCM chart, it is bound to pick up even more steam as this new, yearning ballad gets more and more spins. The sweet tenor vocal is backed by a chiming piano and billowing strings.
MANDISA/My Deliverer
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Sparrow/EMI CMG
—This Nashville resident and Fisk graduate rose to fame on American Idol in 2006. A year later, the Christian community threw its arms open wide for her debut album, True Beauty. Last year, she issued a sterling Christmas collection. Freedom was issued last month, and this is its jubilant, sunshiny debut single. The uptempo bopper is presently chugging its way up the charts toward the top 10, and deservedly so. She sings her face off, and the track rocks. This is the sound of stardom.
JEFF & SHERI EASTER, LEWIS FAMILY & EASTER BROTHERS/They’re Holding Up The Ladder
Writer: Russell Easter/James Easter/Edd Easter; Producer: Jeff & Sheri Easter; Publisher: EBEA, BMI; Daywind (track) (www.jeffandsherieaster.com)
—My introduction to bluegrass gospel was the wildly entertaining Lewis Family, and this song was/is my favorite of theirs. I didn’t know it was an Easter Brothers song until just now. So here’s the deal: Jeff Easter is the son of James Easter, and his wife Sheri is the daughter of Polly Lewis. We Are Family is an album that celebrates and combines the clans. I grinned from ear-to-ear at its sublimely country sound.
CHRISTY SUTHERLAND/You Can Get There from Here
Writer: Kyle Matthews/Christy Sutherland; Producer: Christy Sutherland; Publisher: Universal/Cumberland Belle/Mattmoosic/Country Drive, ASCAP/BMI; CS (track) (www.christysutherland.net)
—Christy was previously noted on Music Row as a country artist for Sony and Giant. Since her marriage to Matt Dudney, she has charted a new course. With Matt managing, she has been making inroads as a Christian artist with a 2008 Christmas project and two self-produced EPs, You Call Me Yours and You Can Get There from Here. On the title tune to the last-named, she sings soulfully of surviving adversity, picking yourself up after a fall and looking to brighter days. Considering her musical history, I have to think this is more than a little autobiographical. The piano work, guitar playing and other instrumental work here is sterling, but it’s her strong, true singing voice that commands your attention. For those of you needing a nudge, Matt is the son of Ken Dudney and Barbara Mandrell, both of whom are duly thanked in the liner notes.
DISClaimer (4/22/09)
/by Robert K OermannWhat better time to survey what’s newsy and happening in this Nashville-based genre? As you might expect, many of CCM’s hottest acts have current products in the marketplace.
You can’t escape the sheer sonic charisma of the new album by Israel Houghton. It is easily the Disc of the Day.
ISRAEL HOUGHTON/Just Wanna Say
Writer: Israel Houghton/Aaron Lindsey/Tommy Sims; Producer: Tommy Sims, Aaron Lindsey & Israel Houghton; Publisher: Integrity’s Praise/Sound of the New Breed/Warner-Tamerlane/Aaron Lindsey/Chi-Legacy, BMI/ASCAP; Integrity/Columbia (track)
—Perched at No. 1 on the Christian album chart this week is the solo debut from this lead singer of Israel & The New Breed. Titled The Power of One, it features this soulfully rocking single with an unmistakably hooky chorus and a track packed with percussion, shouted interjections, static sounds and claps. This is an ultra contemporary sound, co-produced by Nashville’s own Tommy Sims. On the album’s ballads, Israel’s soft tenor is a thing of shimmering beauty.
RONNIE MILSAP/How Great Thou Art
Writer: Stuart K. Hine; Producer: Rob Galbraith & Ronnie Milsap; Publisher: Manna, ASCAP; Star Song (track) (www.ronniemilsap.com)
—Country superstar Milsap has a new double CD called Then Sings My Soul that collects 24 gospel standards. The title is, of course, drawn from the lyrics of this chestnut. His reading of it is straightforward, with simple guitar-piano-percussion accompaniment, plus a chorale led by Bergen White. Other faves on the album include “Farther Along,” “I’ll Fly Away,” “Amazing Grace,” “In the Garden,” “Peace in the Valley,” “Rock of Ages,” “Precious Memories” and “It Is No Secret,” plus the soul songs “People Get Ready” and “Stand By Me” and a reworking of the star’s hit “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life.”
MERCYME/Only Temporary
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; INO (track)
—MercyMe is currently on the Christian charts with its long-running album All That Is Within Me. But released earlier this month is a CD/DVD titled 10 that celebrates this tuneful pop/rock band’s first decade in the business. In addition to its hits, it includes this dynamite new audio track that wooshes straight into your brain and sticks there. The band is super tight, and the melody is undeniable. The DVD disc includes live performances and concept videos of all of the group’s best songs. A great value and highly recommended.
VOTA/Hard To Believe
Writer: Bryan Olesen/Case Maranville/Scott Rutz; Producer: Nathan Dantzler; Publisher: Magnificent/Integrity Media/MyDeas/Melodoso/S Acre, ASCAP; INO (track) (www.votaband.com)
—This rock trio issued its self-titled debut disc last fall, and this propulsive, electro-magnetic track is its first single. Think British new wave or classic Wham! and you’ll have the general idea.
CODY SCHULER & PINE MOUNTAIN RAILROAD/My Eyes Shall Be On Canaan’s Land
Writer: Cody Schuler; Producer: Cody Schuler & Pine Mountain Railroad; Publisher: Pine Mountain Railroad, BMI; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.codyschuler.com)
—This bluegrass ensemble was nominated for a Dove Award in the country category. The lead-off song on its Pickin,’ Praisin’ & Singin’ CD tells you why. The fiddle and banjo scamper along, the high lead tenor voice soars and the call-and-response quartet harmonies on the choruses are absolutely inspiring.
BIGWish Gala to Feature Rascal Flatts
/by LB CantrellScott Siman Comments on McGraw Exit
/by LB CantrellMac McAnally Donates Single Royaties
/by LB Cantrell“The Writer’s Share” Goes To Cancer Research
/by LB CantrellCountry Star Vern Gosdin Dies at 74
/by LB CantrellIndustry Comments on the death of Vern Gosdin:
George Strait: “We will all miss Vern. He was one hell of a country singer and helped me out a lot on my very first tour. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Rory Feek (of country duo Joey & Rory: “Joey and I were so saddened to hear this morning that Vern Gosdin passed away. He truly was one of the greatest country voices of all time, and his songs like “Chiseled In Stone” set the bar for all of us and showed us what a great song is. We had the opportunity to meet Vern last year while we were on the CMT reality show “Can You Duet”…and we’re so thankful that we did. We had to live at Opryland Hotel for about 6 weeks while the show was taping and one morning we walked across the street to Cracker Barrel to have some breakfast. We saw a man walk by our table that looked like Vern. Both Joey and I were/are huge fans, so when he sat down, we walked over and said, ‘Excuse me…but are you Vern Gosdin?’ He looked up and with a big smile answered, ‘No, I’m Charlie Pride… pull up a chair, and sit for awhile.’ We spent the next hour just visiting with him and hearing stories about some of our favorite songs that he’d recorded over the years. He was so funny, inspirational and full of life. We were just honored to meet him and get to spend some time with one of our heroes….especially because at the time we were right in the middle of taping a TV show where we were doing all we could to lift up traditional country music and songs.”
Jack Ingram: “You can’t go into a bar room that plays real country music without hearing Vern Gosdin. ‘Chiseled In Stone’ is as sad a country song as ‘He Stopped Lovin’ Her Today,’ and ‘Set’Em Up, Joe’ is a call to anyone who’s ever had a reason to be in a bar like that to begin with…Vern Gosdin’s voice was truth… the hardcore country kind… and any time I heard him on jukebox, my car radio or my old tape of Chiseled in Stone, I knew there was a lot about life and loss and love left to learn.”