We are just a week away from when the world converges on London for the start of the 2012 Olympics. The Olympics go back to about 778 BC. The Olympics have a few years on Country Music but there is a question about Little Jimmy Dickens. Apparently there is a photo of him in the first Triathlon.
I thought that it would be interesting to predict which Country Music artists would win specific events. Okay, interesting is a strong word, but you try to come up with 52 ideas for this column.
The original Olympics were held in honor of Zeus. We’re going to hold our version of the 2012 Olympics in honor of Scott Borchetta. Zeus too was the father of the sky and thunder. (As an aside…look up Zeus and tell me if he and Scott don’t go to the same barber.)
You know that NBC is providing Olympic coverage on every possible transmission form. Along with their TV networks, you will be able to view the events online and on your smartphone.
I reached out to CMT and GAC but they had no interest in our country version, so your humble reporter will be your only source for these games.
For the London Olympics countries staged time trials and preliminary events to choose the best athletes to represent their respective nations. In this version I chose the contestants and the winners. This way I could cut the two week competition to about 700 words on this page.
Okay, let’s get right to it. First a word from our sponsor: The 2012 Country Music Version of the London Olympics is brought to you by Country Radio everywhere. Tune one in today.
The US Basketball team has been in the news lately with the Dream Team verbally squaring off against this year’s team. No such controversy with our Gold Medal winning team of:
Blake Shelton
Hunter Hayes (every team needs a point guard)
Trace Adkins
Charles Kelley
Taylor Swift
Craig Morgan takes aim.
Shooting
Gold: Craig Morgan
Silver: Miranda Lambert
Bronze: Rodney Atkins
I was tempted to make a smart aleck remark here, but we have already established that these three people are armed and are good shots.
Gymnastics
Gold: Kellie Pickler
Silver: Carrie Underwood
Bronze: Sara Evans
This is going to be the most beautiful balance beam ever.
Weightlifting
Gold: Zac Brown
Silver: Toby Keith
Bronze: Lee Brice
This was very close. The order was decided on who I thought I might run into first. Plus these guys are all helping hold up their respective labels.
Judo
Gold: Kenny Chesney
Silver: Kimberly Perry
Bronze: Darn, I wish I hadn’t used Hunter Hayes earlier.
Fencing
Gold: Brad Paisley
Silver: Rodney Atkins
Bronze: John Rich
Okay here I cannot depend on your getting the connection of fencing and rapier wit so I am just going to point it out. Otherwise this makes no sense. And cut me a break on using Rodney twice after saying I wouldn’t with Hunter. This is a lot harder than it looks.
Diving
Gold: Taylor Swift
Silver: Dierks Bently
Bronze: Eddie London
This is kind of an inside joke for the Bronze. You would have to have been around Country Music for a long time. And chill out, Taylor and Dierks were not hurt badly.
Wrestling
Gold: Tim McGraw
Silver: Mike Curb
Bronze: The rest of us.
Swimming
Gold: Keith Urban
Silver: Jason Aldean
Bronze: Gary Allan
This one is strictly for the female fans. I am not sure if any of them can even swim.
And the most important of all of the events: the Decathlon. This takes strength, perseverance and the willingness to focus all of your energy on just these ten events. The most important ones for our contestants are DISCus throw, pole vault (the ability to jump others on the chart), the high jump (I will also accept the highest entry) and the marathon. This was a tough one but based on MY criteria:
Gold: George Strait
Silver: Tim McGraw
Bronze: Randy Owen
I hope that you enjoy the 2012 London Olympics. I hope that we hear the “Star Spangled Banner” after every event. Good luck to the USA team.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)
Radney Foster Marks 20th Anniversary of Acclaimed Album
/by MichelleFoster’s new Del Rio, TX Revisited: Unplugged and Lonesome reinvents his hallmark solo debut. “This time everyone was in the same room, with live takes with no fixes and no headphones,” says Steve Fishell, who produced the original Del Rio and played guitars on Revisited. “We have all new tempos and new grooves. Imagine the original version of Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’ compared to his 1992 live unplugged version and you’ll get the idea.”
Gloriously transformed high watermarks include “Don’t Say Goodbye,” “A Fine Line” and “Went For A Ride.” Elsewhere are timeless favorites (“Old Silver”) and new bonus additions (“Me and John R.”). The album was recorded with musicians Dixie Chick Martie McGuire (fiddle), Jon Randall Stewart (guitar), Glenn Fukunaga (doghouse bass), Michael Ramos (keyboard) and Fishell at Austin’s Cedar Creek Recording.
Radney Foster Tour Dates:
July 21 – Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, TN
July 28 – Texas Rangers Ball Park, Arlington, TX
August 1 – Waterloo Records, Austin, TX
August 2 – KNBT Free Concert Series, New Braunfels, TX
August 4 – Ring of Fire Ranch Rodeo, Boerne, TX
August 5 – Live Oak Music Hall, Fort Worth, TX
August 8 – Opry at the Opera House, Napa, CA
August 14 – Grimey’s New & Preloved Music, Nashville, TN
August 16 – Eddie’s Attic, Decatur, GA
August 18 – Franklin Theater, Franklin, TN
August 29 – Antone’s, Austin, TX
August 30 – Dosey Doe, The Woodlands, TX
August 31 – Cheatham Street Warehouse, San Marcos, TX
September 6 – Michael Hearn’s Big Barn Dance Music Festival, Taos, NM
September 27 – Main Street Crossing, Tomball, TX
October 4 – Leaside, Columbia, SC
October 25 – Mucky Duck, Houston, TX
November 1 – Natasha’s Bistro and Bar, Lexington, KY
November 16 – Mile High Station, Denver, CO
Johnny Cash Music Festival Set For TV Broadcast
/by Eric T. ParkerOn July 31, both the Johnny Cash Music Festival 2011 DVD and a special live CD will be available in stores and online. Proceeds from sales will benefit the Johnny Cash Childhood Home Project.
The special was shot at last year’s inaugural concert. The second annual event is scheduled for Oct. 5 at 7:00 pm on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with Willie Nelson, Dierks Bentley, the Civil Wars and Rosanne Cash.
Tickets range from $37.50, $75, and $150 (premium tickets include a meet-and-greet). Additional information and tickets are available here.
CD Track Listing
1. “Tennessee Flat Top Box” Rosanne Cash
2. “I Got Stripes” George Jones
3. “Sunday Morning Coming Down” Kris Kristofferson
4. “Daddy Sang Bass” Dailey & Vincent
5. “Wind Beneath My Wings” Gary Morris & Matt Morris
6. “Pickin’ Time” Rosanne Cash
7. “After All This Time” Rodney Crowell
8. “Same Old Me” George Jones
9. “Me And Bobby McGee” Kris Kristofferson
10. “No Memories Hanging ‘Round” Rosanne Cash & Rodney Crowell
11. “Hallelujah” Gary Morris & Matt Morris
12. “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder” Dailey & Vincent
13. “I Still Miss Someone” Rosanne Cash
Josh Abbott Signs with Warner/Chappell
/by Caitlin RantalaPicture (L-R): BJ Hill, Sr. Director, A&R, Warner/Chappell; Alicia Pruitt, Sr. Director, A&R, Warner/Chappell; Josh Abbott; Steve Markland, VP, A&R, Warner/Chappell; and Phil May, GM/VP, Warner/Chappell.
Warner/Chappell Music signed a worldwide co-publishing agreement with rising country songwriter Josh Abbott of the Josh Abbott Band. Abbott recently released his record Small Town Family Dream and also just signed a recording agreement with Warner Music Nashville. Abbott’s current single, “Touch,” is at No. 43 on the country charts this week, and was co-written by Abbott, Warner/Chappell songwriter Jay Clementi and Radney Foster.
Skaggs to Exhibit Photographs at Ryman Show
/by Caitlin RantalaPrior to the concert, the Ryman will host a special exhibit of Skaggs’s photography in the upper lobby area of the venue. An avid photographer, he recently hosted his third exhibit in Jonesborough, TN. Skaggs captures sweeping landscapes and the reality of small town America on his Nikon D3 using Nikkor lenses. Prints from the exhibit will be available for sale. Skaggs will be available to sign artwork and other merchandise for fans approximately fifteen minutes after the end of the concert.
Entry into the exhibit is included with the concert ticket price and will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $26.50 and are on sale through the Ryman box office, online at ryman.com, or by calling (615) 889-3060.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be preceded by 650 AM WSM’s “Pickin’ on the Plaza” featuring A Step Ahead from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. The free plaza show takes place just outside the main entrance near the statue of Captain Tom G. Ryman. Pucketts Grocery’s food truck, Trolley Parton, will also be on the plaza starting at 5:00 p.m.
CountryBreakout No. 1 Song
/by Sherod RobertsonThe hit written by Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne, has been described by Chesney as a song “about two people that are as broken as their relationship.” The song describes a couple that keep going back to each other because it’s familiar, and although the relationship has run its course, sometimes it’s easier to reconnect than move on. The sultry lyrics include:
I turn the tv off, to turn it on again
Staring at the blades of the fan as it spins around
Counting every crack, the clock is wide awake
Talking to myself, anything to make a sound
(Chorus)
I told you I wouldn’t call, I told you I wouldn’t care
But baby climbing the walls gets me nowhere
I don’t think that I can take this bed getting any colder
Come over, come over, come over, come over, come over
You can say we’re done the way you always do
It’s easier to lie to me than to yourself
Forget about your friends
You know they’re gonna say
We’re bad for each other
But we ain’t good for anyone else
Pollstar‘s mid year tour rankings list Chesney, who is on the Brothers of the Sun tour with Tim McGraw, as country music’s top grossing touring act. In other Chesney news, he will be saluted with the Crystal Milestone Award at the ACM Honors Sept. 24 at the Ryman Auditorium.
World Famous Headliners Debut Music Via Big Yellow Dog
/by Eric T. ParkerThe group is a collaboration between hit songwriters and musicians Big Al Anderson (“All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” “Big Deal,” “Unbelievable,” “The Cowboy in Me”); Shawn Camp (“River of Love,” “Would You Go With Me,” “How Long Gone,” “Two Pina Coladas”); Pat McLaughlin (“Lynda,” “Tell Me About It,” “Songs About Rain”); Michael Rhodes on bass (John Fogerty, JJ Cale, Joss Stone, Bob Seger), and drummer Greg Morrow (Joe Cocker, Johnny Cash, Dixie Chicks).
The band’s team includes Al Moss handling radio promotions, Paul Lohr’s New Frontier for booking, Tamara Saviano overseeing publicity, and John Paul heading marketing and label initiatives at Big Yellow Dog.
Upcoming dates
Aug. 19 – 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN
Aug. 21 – In-store at Grimey’s New & Pre Loved Music, Nashville, TN
Oct (TBD) Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, San Francisco, CA
For more information click here.
Weekly Chart Report (07/20/2012)
/by Sherod RobertsonCurb Records’ Rachel Holder stopped by WKSF/99.9 Kiss Country to bring Music Director Brian Hatfield some Little Debbie snacks from her hometown Chattanooga, TN and share her Top 15 single “In Your Arms.”
SPIN ZONE
Kenny Chesney‘s “Come Over” sprints to the top of the charts in Olympic fashion this week, just ten weeks after release. Keith Urban‘s “For You” edges up one spot to No. 2, followed by Blake Shelton‘s “Over” at No. 3. Gloriana‘s “Kissed You Good Night” comes in at No. 4 while Little Big Town‘s “Pontoon” continues paddling upstream entering the Top 5 with 236 additional spins.
Rounding out the Top 10 are singles from veterans and newcomers including Love and Theft‘s “Angel Eyes” with a 173 gain spin increase, Lady Antebellum‘s “Wanted You More,” Thomas Rhett‘s “Something To Do With My Hands,” Jana Kramer‘s “Why Ya Wanna” and Zac Brown Band‘s “The Wind” gaining 301 additional spins in its seventh week on the chart. ZBB has had a big week which included its latest album offering Uncaged topping country and all genre sales charts with debut scans of 234k units.
Tim McGraw‘s “Truck Yeah” jumps from No. 32 to No. 24 and has received the chart’s largest increase in spins in all three weeks since release, adding 546 spins this week. Eric Church‘s “Creepin'” climbs from No. 57 to No. 38 gaining 354 spins. Jason Aldean‘s “Take A Little Ride” lands the highest chart debut at No. 57 with 413 spins. Other debuts include Craig Morgan‘s “Corn Star” at No. 71, Miss Willie Brown‘s “You’re All That Matters To Me” at No. 73, Brandon Holland‘s “Man In The Moon” at No. 76, Aaron Watson‘s “Raise Your Bottle” at No. 78, Tommy Steele‘s “My Side Of The Street” at No. 79 and Chris Cagle‘s “Let There Be Cowgirls” at No. 80.
Frozen Reports: KDOL, WCJW, WTRS, WUCZ, WAKG, WXMM, WPPL, WCMS, WJMQ, WQNZ, WTCM
Upcoming Singles
July 23
Tyler Barham feat. Casey Walker/Meet Me In Montana/YN Records
Cloverdayle/Like We Were Kids Again/New Voice
Sarah Jarosz/Annabelle Lee/Sugar Hill
Brian Milson/Too Damn Young/Permian-Quarterback
Jaida Dreyer/Confessions/Streamsound
Sara Evans/Anywhere/RCA
Rich O’Toole/Red Wine On Your Lipstick/Triple Crown
Doug Briney/It’s All Country/DB Songs
July 30
Jason Cassidy/Ride of Your Life/A-Blake
Jordan Anderson/Key to My Heart/Go Time
Joey+Rory/When I’m Gone/Sugar Hill
Randy Rogers Band/One More Sad Song/MCA
Brantley Gilbert/Kick It In The Sticks/Valory
Jason Aldean/Take A Little Ride/Broken Bow
D. Vincent Williams/Down By The River/BPG
• • • •
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Jason Aldean/Take A Little Ride/Broken Bow – 57
Craig Morgan/Corn Star/Black River – 71
Miss Willie Brown/You’re All That Matters To Me/Octone-A&M-Rodeowave – 73
Brandon Holland/Man In The Moon – 76
Aaron Watson/Raise Your Bottle/HTK Records – 78
Tommy Steele/My Side Of The Street – 79
Chris Cagle/Let There Be Cowgirls/Bigger Picture Group – 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Tim McGraw/Truck Yeah/Big Machine – 546
Jason Aldean/Take A Little Ride/Broken Bow – 413
Eric Church/Creepin’/EMI Nashville – 354
Zac Brown Band/The Wind/Southern Ground-Atlantic – 301
Carrie Underwood/Blown Away/19-Arista Nashville – 294
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Jason Aldean/Take A Little Ride/Broken Bow – 30
Eric Church/Creepin’/EMI Nashville – 29
Tim McGraw/Truck Yeah/Big Machine – 21
Kip Moore/Beer Money/MCA – 19
Carrie Underwood/Blown Away/19-Arista Nashville – 10
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Britt & Blaire/Young Summer/Mt. Juliet Records – 168
Kelly Parkes/All Cried Out – 166
Dave Russell/Where The Money Goes/Cupit – 164
Bobby Dean/Me and George Strait/Lamon – 163
Stephanie Grace/Hey There – 162
Heidi Newfield stopped in Meridian, MS to visit with WOKK’s Scott Stevens.
Toby Keith continues to sell out venues on his Live in Overdrive tour, including a recent show in Washington, DC. Pictured with (L-R): SDU’s Macy Morgenthaler, WMZQ's morning show personality Boxer, and WMZQ’s Promotions & Marketing Director Kim Sauer.
Hudson Moore with KSTV's Brad Heitman (R) and Vision Entertainment's Seth Necessary to promote his single "Fireworks," which debuted at No. 48 on the Texas Music Chart last week.
Charlie Cook On Air: Country Olympics Edition
/by contributorI thought that it would be interesting to predict which Country Music artists would win specific events. Okay, interesting is a strong word, but you try to come up with 52 ideas for this column.
The original Olympics were held in honor of Zeus. We’re going to hold our version of the 2012 Olympics in honor of Scott Borchetta. Zeus too was the father of the sky and thunder. (As an aside…look up Zeus and tell me if he and Scott don’t go to the same barber.)
You know that NBC is providing Olympic coverage on every possible transmission form. Along with their TV networks, you will be able to view the events online and on your smartphone.
I reached out to CMT and GAC but they had no interest in our country version, so your humble reporter will be your only source for these games.
For the London Olympics countries staged time trials and preliminary events to choose the best athletes to represent their respective nations. In this version I chose the contestants and the winners. This way I could cut the two week competition to about 700 words on this page.
Okay, let’s get right to it. First a word from our sponsor: The 2012 Country Music Version of the London Olympics is brought to you by Country Radio everywhere. Tune one in today.
The US Basketball team has been in the news lately with the Dream Team verbally squaring off against this year’s team. No such controversy with our Gold Medal winning team of:
Blake Shelton
Hunter Hayes (every team needs a point guard)
Trace Adkins
Charles Kelley
Taylor Swift
Craig Morgan takes aim.
Shooting
Gold: Craig Morgan
Silver: Miranda Lambert
Bronze: Rodney Atkins
I was tempted to make a smart aleck remark here, but we have already established that these three people are armed and are good shots.
Gymnastics
Gold: Kellie Pickler
Silver: Carrie Underwood
Bronze: Sara Evans
This is going to be the most beautiful balance beam ever.
Weightlifting
Gold: Zac Brown
Silver: Toby Keith
Bronze: Lee Brice
This was very close. The order was decided on who I thought I might run into first. Plus these guys are all helping hold up their respective labels.
Judo
Gold: Kenny Chesney
Silver: Kimberly Perry
Bronze: Darn, I wish I hadn’t used Hunter Hayes earlier.
Fencing
Gold: Brad Paisley
Silver: Rodney Atkins
Bronze: John Rich
Okay here I cannot depend on your getting the connection of fencing and rapier wit so I am just going to point it out. Otherwise this makes no sense. And cut me a break on using Rodney twice after saying I wouldn’t with Hunter. This is a lot harder than it looks.
Diving
Gold: Taylor Swift
Silver: Dierks Bently
Bronze: Eddie London
This is kind of an inside joke for the Bronze. You would have to have been around Country Music for a long time. And chill out, Taylor and Dierks were not hurt badly.
Wrestling
Gold: Tim McGraw
Silver: Mike Curb
Bronze: The rest of us.
Swimming
Gold: Keith Urban
Silver: Jason Aldean
Bronze: Gary Allan
This one is strictly for the female fans. I am not sure if any of them can even swim.
And the most important of all of the events: the Decathlon. This takes strength, perseverance and the willingness to focus all of your energy on just these ten events. The most important ones for our contestants are DISCus throw, pole vault (the ability to jump others on the chart), the high jump (I will also accept the highest entry) and the marathon. This was a tough one but based on MY criteria:
Gold: George Strait
Silver: Tim McGraw
Bronze: Randy Owen
I hope that you enjoy the 2012 London Olympics. I hope that we hear the “Star Spangled Banner” after every event. Good luck to the USA team.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)
Country Spotlighted in “Stars & Legends” PBS Concert Special
/by Eric T. ParkerPictured (L-R): Martina McBride, Carole King, Jennifer Hudson. Photo: Ethan Miller
Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, Carole King, Jennifer Hudson, John Fogerty, Mavis Staples, and Pat Monahan are on the line up for a PBS Special titled From Dust To Dreams: Opening Night at The Smith Center For The Performing Arts. The Las Vegas event hosted by Neil Patrick Harris will air on PBS Fri., Sept. 21 at 9 pm ET/PT.
Never-before-seen duet and collaborations include Monahan and McBride singing “A Song for You,” and Staples and King performing “You’ve Got a Friend.” Powerhouse trio Hudson, McBride and King also sing “Natural Woman,” and Nelson and Haggard perform a rendition of “Pancho & Lefty.” Harris is slated to showcase Haggard’s “Ramblin’ Fever.”
“We set out to celebrate the best of the American creative spirit whether it was classical, Broadway, rock, dance or soul on the occasion of the opening of a world class performing arts center,” comments Emmy winning director and producer Michael Stevens. “It’s not every day that you get the chance to see such a range of artists all at the peak of their respective talents.”
Produced by George Stevens Jr., the program is part of the ongoing “PBS Arts” initiative, highlighting the performing and visual arts.
Watch clips of the show below:
The Roys Announce New Project
/by Eric T. ParkerThe new project features the first single “Still Standing,” currently at radio and available at AirplayDirect.com.
To promote the release, Lee and Elaine have created a series of brief videos for Bluegrass Today which will introduce the songs from the album each week.
The siblings contributed songwriting talents to all seven tracks. Fans can reserve an autographed copy at a discounted price here.
Track Listing for New Day Dawning
“New Day Dawning” (Lee Roy, Elaine Roy, Steve Dean)
“Daddy To Me” (Lee Roy, Brandon Rickman)
“Still Standing” (Lee Roy, Elaine Roy)
“Windin’ Roads” (Lee Roy, Mark Houser, Jay Brunswick)
“Grandpa’s Barn” (Lee Roy, Larry Alderman)
“Living Scrapbook” (Elaine Roy, Steve Dean)
“Fast As We Roll” (Lee Roy, Brian White, Jenee Fleenor)