Garth at the press conference.
Garth Brooks is planning a five year residency at the Wynn hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The one-man show will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights for 15 weeks per year. Brooks and casino magnate Steve Wynn revealed details today from a Vegas press conference. Concerts begin December 11, 2009.
“I told him he couldn’t afford me, I was wrong,” joked Brooks during the announcement this afternoon from the Wynn. As part of the deal, Wynn had to buy Brooks a plane to get him to and from his Oklahoma home quickly.
Tickets will be priced at $125 for all levels, with the first five weekends set to go on sale Sat., Oct. 24 at 8 AM/PT (details below). About 200 seats per show will be available exclusively to Wynn hotel guests.
Confirmed dates are December 11, 12, 13; January 1, 2, 3 and 22, 23, 24; and February 12, 13, 14 and 26, 27, 28. Concerts will be 8 PM, with an additional Saturday night show at 10:30 PM.
Though it is being billed as one-man show, Brooks is promising surprise guests.
The late entertainer Danny Gans most recently occupied the Wynn Encore theater, before he passed away. “This room is for special moments of entertainment,” said Wynn, reiterating that he plans to maintain only superstar level acts in the theater when it is not in use by Brooks.
Brooks’ charity partner is Teammates For Kids and some proceeds will benefit them.
Brooks revealed this morning that he is officially ending his retirement. Following much speculation, he shared the news at a press conference in Nashville and then took the press with him to Las Vegas for another event.
It has been almost 11 years since Brooks did a full-scale tour. The 47-year-0ld reiterated today that he will not be touring or recording until his youngest daughter, 13, graduates from high school in about five years.
With more than 128 million albums sold, Brooks is the best selling solo artist in U.S. history. He is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark. In the midst of one of the most successful careers in music history, Garth retired in 2001, delivered his last record for Capitol Records and moved back to Oklahoma to raise his children.
With a $5 service charge and a $13 tax, the total ticket price is $143. Tickets may be booked by calling 702.770.7469 or online at www.wynnlasvegas.com/boxoffice.
Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn at the Las Vegas press conference.
Skaggs, Morgan Among ICM Award Winners
/by Sarah SkatesAlso on hand to perform were Jason Crabb, Randy Houser, Adam Gregory, Carter Twins, Halfway to Hazard, Cherryholmes, Katalyst, Jordyn Shellhart, CrossCountry the Band, James Payne, Del Way, Tommy Brandt, Dennis Agajanian, Greg McDougal and Amanda Fessant.
Wayne Elsey, CEO & Founder of charity Soles4Souls, went barefoot as he presented an award to raise awareness for the more than 300 million children worldwide who do not have shoes.
Voted on by the CCMA membership, the 2009 ICM Awards will be aired on TCT Networks, The Worship Network, and more channels, which reach a combined 500 million people throughout the world.
Complete list of winners:
Entertainer of the Year CrossCountry the Band
Male Vocalist Tommy Brandt
Female Vocalist Sandra Dee
Vocal Duo The Roys
Vocal Group Point of Grace
Mainstream Inspirational Country Song “Up To Him,” Tracy Lawrence
Mainstream Country Artist Ricky Skaggs
Christian Country Song “Good Ole Boys,” James Payne & Del Way
Songwriter Russ Murphy
Video “God Must Really Love Me, Craig Morgan, Director, Eric Welch
New Artist Steve Richard
Musician Dennis Agajanian
Comedy Act Barry McGee
Radio Personality Leon Joplin
Radio Station WCWV, Summersville, WV
Living Legend Award Ken Holloway
Inspirational Bluegrass Artist The Isaacs
Youth In Music Award Matthew Wacaster
Music Evangelist of the Year Russ Murphy
Faith, Family, & Country Movie Fireproof, Provident Films
Television Network TCT Network
Point of Grace
NBC Debuts Artists in Residence Partnership
/by Sarah SkatesAs part of the program, Bon Jovi has confirmed appearances on the special “Bon Jovi Month” on the Today show in November during which they will appear live on the program on all four Wednesdays that month, capped off with a special concert performance on the plaza on Wed., Nov. 25. Additionally, Bon Jovi will appear on several NBC Entertainment programs and be the featured guest on Bravo’s Inside the Actors’ Studio.
Jon Bon Jovi will be the subject of a USA Character Showcase, which will highlight him as both an artist and philanthropist in an on-air and on-line campaign. He will be a featured panelist at a USA Network and Tom Brokaw-sponsored “Characters Unite National Town Hall,” about overcoming social injustices, in Washington, D.C. Jon will also be featured on NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Williams, as well as in the company’s award-winning public service campaign The More You Know with spots running on NBCU’s cable and broadcast networks. The band’s music will also be heavily integrated throughout NBC’s network and cable programming.
Nashville Scene: Johnny Jones, 1936-2009
/by contributorA vital piece of Nashville’s R&B history fell silent Wednesday, Oct. 14 with the death of legendary blues guitarist Johnny Jones. Read more.
It’s Official: Garth Set For Wynn Residency
/by Sarah SkatesGarth at the press conference.
Garth Brooks is planning a five year residency at the Wynn hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The one-man show will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights for 15 weeks per year. Brooks and casino magnate Steve Wynn revealed details today from a Vegas press conference. Concerts begin December 11, 2009.
“I told him he couldn’t afford me, I was wrong,” joked Brooks during the announcement this afternoon from the Wynn. As part of the deal, Wynn had to buy Brooks a plane to get him to and from his Oklahoma home quickly.
Tickets will be priced at $125 for all levels, with the first five weekends set to go on sale Sat., Oct. 24 at 8 AM/PT (details below). About 200 seats per show will be available exclusively to Wynn hotel guests.
Confirmed dates are December 11, 12, 13; January 1, 2, 3 and 22, 23, 24; and February 12, 13, 14 and 26, 27, 28. Concerts will be 8 PM, with an additional Saturday night show at 10:30 PM.
Though it is being billed as one-man show, Brooks is promising surprise guests.
The late entertainer Danny Gans most recently occupied the Wynn Encore theater, before he passed away. “This room is for special moments of entertainment,” said Wynn, reiterating that he plans to maintain only superstar level acts in the theater when it is not in use by Brooks.
Brooks’ charity partner is Teammates For Kids and some proceeds will benefit them.
Brooks revealed this morning that he is officially ending his retirement. Following much speculation, he shared the news at a press conference in Nashville and then took the press with him to Las Vegas for another event.
It has been almost 11 years since Brooks did a full-scale tour. The 47-year-0ld reiterated today that he will not be touring or recording until his youngest daughter, 13, graduates from high school in about five years.
With more than 128 million albums sold, Brooks is the best selling solo artist in U.S. history. He is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark. In the midst of one of the most successful careers in music history, Garth retired in 2001, delivered his last record for Capitol Records and moved back to Oklahoma to raise his children.
With a $5 service charge and a $13 tax, the total ticket price is $143. Tickets may be booked by calling 702.770.7469 or online at www.wynnlasvegas.com/boxoffice.
Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn at the Las Vegas press conference.
ZBB, Friends To Save Georgia Theater
/by Sarah Skates“The Zac Brown Band are showing their incredible generosity and their love for the Athens music scene by hosting this benefit,” says Wilmot Greene, Georgia Theatre owner. “The presence of the Theatre in Athens has allowed bands to find an important early audience that helps to bring bigger success later. That’s a big part of the tradition of the Theatre and is an important aspect of why it needs to be rebuilt. This concert will be a huge help.”
Presented by Outback Concerts, tickets will cost $100 and are available via Ticketmaster.
NSAI Song Contest Deadline Nears
/by Sarah SkatesThe Grand Prize Winner will receive a mentoring session with The Valory Music Co. recording artist Jewel. Additional prizes include a single-song professional demo, tickets to the 2011 CMT Music Awards, a private tour of CMT studios, a performance at the legendary Bluebird Café, meetings with major music publishers and a one-year membership to NSAI, just to name a few.
Nashville pro writers, publishers and industry professionals will narrow down the finalists over three rounds of judging and select the Grand Prize Winner, 10 Runners-Up and 10 Honorable Mentions. Then the Top 10 will be posted on www.nsai.cmt.com for fan voting for the CMT Listeners’ Choice Winner, running January 20 through February 26, 2010.
All genres of music are encouraged. The entry fees are $35.00 (NSAI members) and $45.00 (non-members) per song. Proceeds benefit the NSAI Legislative Fund to protect the rights of songwriters. For a full list of prizes and how to enter, visit www.nsai.cmt.com.
New Hank Williams Recordings, Hank III At The Hall
/by Sarah SkatesHank Williams III treated both devoted fans and Museum visitors to a special interview and performance on Saturday (10/10) at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. During the program, which was held in conjunction with the Museum’s major exhibition Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy, Williams spoke about his family’s musical legacy and performed his own brand of country music, punk rock and heavy metal with a full band.
Pictured (L-R) Exhibit co-curator Carolyn Tate, Daniel Mason (banjo), Williams, Shawn McWilliams (drums), Zach Shedd (bass), Adam McOwen (fiddle), Andy Gibson (steel guitar, dobro) and exhibit co-curator Michael McCall. Photo by Donn Jones
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A set of previously unreleased recordings that Hank Williams made for the Mother’s Best radio show in 1951 will be issued as a 3-CD box set called Revealed: Unreleased Recordings on Nov. 3 via Time Life. In addition to 50 tracks not heard since they originally aired, the collection includes extremely rare in-studio conversations with Williams, and each disc contains a complete show exactly as it was heard over fifty years ago. Of particular importance is “Cold, Cold, Heart” captured on one of the program’s earliest surviving shows, making it the first public performance ever of the song.
The recordings offer new insight into William’s life and music, revealing a previously guarded personality. It showcases his humor as he jokes with his band and the emcee, and his love of music as he talks about his favorite songs.
McGraw, More Added To CMA Awards
/by Sarah SkatesT
im McGraw will perform at the CMA Awards for the first time since 2005 when the event lands at the Sommet Center on Wed., Nov. 11.
The star-packed lineup continues to grow dramatically with the addition of McGraw, a special Vince Gill/Daughtry duet, and Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, and Zac Brown Band.
“The 43rd Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live Nov. 11 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Paisley, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Underwood, and Keith Urban.
McGraw last performed on the CMA Awards stage in 2005, when he joined wife Faith Hill on “Like We Never Loved At All.” His last solo performance on the CMA Awards was in 2004, when he opened the show with “How Bad Do You Want It?”
Free Downloads, New Music And More
/by Sarah SkatesPictured (l-r): Fitzgerald Hartley’s Bill Simmons; Clear Channel Los Angeles’ John Ivey; Arista Nashville’s Lesly Tyson; Paisley; Sony Music Nashville’s Skip Bishop; and KKGO’s Tonya Campos and Charlie Cook.
Brad Paisley played the Los Angeles area recently as the headliner at KKGO’s Go Fest 2009, and some of his Nashville team members were on hand for support (see above). Paisley’s “Welcome to the Future,” is at No. 3 on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart and is the second smash from his acclaimed American Saturday Night album.
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Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser kicked-off their co-headlining CMT On Tour 2009 outing last week in New York City. It includes dates in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and 27 other cities across the nation this fall. Houser’s new single, “Whistlin’ Dixie,” has premiered on CMT.com and will impact radio Nov. 2. It will appear on his upcoming album scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2010. Houser also visited the Victory Junction camp in Randleman, NC recently to perform for the chronically ill children there.
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Blake Shelton teamed up with longtime friend Trace Adkins for his new single, “Hillbilly Bone,” and fans can stream it exclusively for two weeks at www.blakeshelton.com. The single, written by Luke Laird and Craig Wiseman, is from Shelton’s forthcoming CD release and will impact radio Nov. 2
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Nichols has also partnered with TheHopeLine to create a website to help people struggling with addiction. Anoldfriendofmine.com is named for his new song about substance abuse, which appears on his upcoming CD release.
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Eric Church will perform his new single “Hell On The Heart” during his debut appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! tomorrow night (10/16) airing at 12:50ET/11:05 CT. “Hell On The Heart” is the follow-up single to Church’s Top 10 hit “Love Your Love The Most,” from his sophomore release Carolina. Despite a broken foot, Church is on his nearly sold-out Young & Wild(er) Tour through the end of this year.
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Love and Theft are giving away seven free downloads via iTunes and AOL’s The Boot. There’s one music video, two songs, three interviews, plus a video documentary. Included is “Don’t Wake Me,” a live version of their single, “Runaway,” three video interviews and one video that tells the story behind the band.
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The Oak Ridge Boys are set to perform new Jamey Johnson-penned single “Mama’s Table” on CBS’ The Early Show and Fox News Channel’s Huckabee this Sat., Oct. 17.
Swift To Host “SNL”
/by MichelleSwift is also scheduled to appear on Dancing With The Stars Oct. 27, and The Ellen Degeneres Show Oct. 29. Yesterday (10/14) she performed on Oprah.