Singer-songwriter Zane Williams stopped by the MusicRow offices on Monday (Sept. 16) to perform songs from his album Overnight Success. The title track is a song he calls autobiographical. “It’s how to become an overnight success in the industry in 10 easy steps,” he said. A few of those steps include buying a second-hand amp, playing every day for nine or 10 years, eating fast food at every meal, firing the original band, buying a new van, burning out on music and coming back to it, and finally getting a shot at the “big time.” “I’ve lived every line in this song,” says Williams.
“I didn’t grow up listening to country music and didn’t grow up in a musical family,” says Williams. “It took me a while to figure out where I fit.” With his penchant for story songs, and his strong twangy vocals, it seems Country is a place his songs can call home. His songwriting has garnered plenty of awards and attention. He won the John Lennon Songwriting contest, and his song “The Big Picture” was the Grand Prize-winning entry in the 6th annual CMT/NSAI Song Contest. Williams is currently signed with BE Music & Entertainment for management, label representation and publishing. His songs have been recorded by Pat Green and Jason Michael Carroll (“Hurry Home”).
He performed “On A Good Day,” penned in the snowy mountains of Telluride, Colo. A couple hired him to perform at their wedding at their spacious log cabin in Telluride. A heavy snow fell during the event, leaving Williams unable to fly out to his next show. “I’m sitting there in this large log cabin with 25-foot bay windows and watching snow fall on the mountains, and I thought it would be a good setting for a song,” said Williams.
The song, along with “When You’ve Got A Woman” and “Overnight Success,” are on Williams’ album Overnight Success, produced by Williams and Tom Faulkner, who may be best known for helping create jingles for Motel 6 and Chilis’ babyback ribs. “He had so many great ideas on how to arrange things and different instrumental lines, that I brought him in to produce the album,” says Williams. Williams wrote every song on the project, which was recorded near his home in Dallas.
For more information on Zane Williams, visit zanewilliamsmusic.com.
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The Band Perry will have a busy week this week as they hit the West Coast for several events. They kicked off the week on Monday (Sept. 16) with an appearance on the newly-launched Arsenio Hall Show, and the trio is set to perform a special acoustic show at Heifer International’s Second Annual “Beyond Hunger: A Place At The Table” Gala Thursday (Sept. 19) in Beverly Hills. The event will honor actress Susan Sarandon for her commitment to the charity and efforts to combat world hunger, and proceeds will benefit the organization’s mission to end hunger and poverty across the globe.
The siblings will then travel to The Talk TV show on Friday (Sept. 20) to chat with the ladies and perform their latest single, “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.” The following day, the band makes their debut appearance at the IHeartRadio Music Festival in Vegas, where they’ll perform as part of the festival on the strip with artists including Avril Lavigne and Jason Derulo. The three are also hard at work wrapping up details on their upcoming We Are Pioneers headlining world tour, which kicks off Nov. 8.

Trace Adkins and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick have signed on to co-host the fourth annual American Country Awards, which will air live from Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Dec. 10 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.
This is Adkins’ fourth year serving as a host of the awards show. “I can’t wait to see if I have what it takes to keep up with this racing superstar,” said Adkins.
In addition to his hosting duties, Adkins will be joined by legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff and other guests for a special performance of “Carol of the Drum” (otherwise known as “Little Drummer Boy”). The song is featured on Adkins’ recently announced Celtic-infused Christmas album, The King’s Gift.
The American Country Awards offers fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite artists, albums, singles, videos and touring artists. Nominees, performers and presenters have yet to be announced for the fourth annual American Country Awards.

The Oak Ridge Boys are gearing up for the 24^th year of their annual Christmas tour this year as they celebrate 40 years in the business. The group will cross the country on dozens of dates on the Christmas Time’s A Comin’ Tour as they spread some Yuletide cheer and celebrate their four decades of recording, and they’ll perform plenty of the tracks from their 2012 holiday CD of the same name, Christmas Time’s A Comin, at every stop.
“Christmas is my favorite time of the year,” said Oak Ridge Boy Duane Allen. “The Oak Ridge Boys get to take our Christmas tour all over the USA, sharing joy, happiness, gifts, families getting together, and, of course, the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Our Christmas shows are the highlight of our year. Our 40th Anniversary tour dates are turning into celebrations everywhere we go. We have chosen a busy schedule so we can say ‘thank you’ to the many promoters, radio stations, fairs, festivals, and our wonderful fans who have all supported us for so many years. We hope everyone will come on out and celebrate with us.”
Christmas Time’s-A-Comin’ Tour Dates:
Nov. 5-7 – Branson, Mo.
Nov. 12-14 – Branson, Mo.
Nov. 16 – Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Nov. 19-21 – Branson, Mo.
Nov. 25 – Portsmouth, Ohio
Nov. 29 – Sioux Falls, S.D.
Nov. 30 – Des Moines, Iowa
Dec. 1 – Cheyenne, Wyo.
Dec. 2 – Salt Lake City, Utah
Dec. 3 – Cedar City, Utah
Dec. 5 – Billings, Mont.
Dec. 6 – Boise, Idaho
Dec. 7 – Kennewick, Wash.
Dec. 8 – Lewiston, Idaho
Dec. 9 – Spokane, Wash.
Dec. 10 – Eugene, Ore.
Dec. 11 – Redding, Calif.
Dec. 12 – Yountville, Calif.
Dec. 13 – Northridge, Calif.
Dec. 14 – Coachella, Calif.
Dec. 15 – Tucson, Ariz.
Dec. 16 – Amarillo, Texas
Dec. 17 – Topeka, Kan.
Dec. 18 – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Dec. 19 – Wabash, Ind.
Dec. 20 – Akron, Ohio
Dec. 21 – Toledo, Ohio
Dec. 22 – Green Bay, Wis.