Search Results for "Ray Scott"

Taylor Swift performs “Forever & Always” at “The 43rd Annual CMA Awards,” on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: John Russell / CMA. Provided by Country Music Association.

Judging from the early online comments from GACTV.com readers, Taylor Swift’s four wins at the 43rd annual Country Music Association Awards will be accompanied by controversy. She won Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist, Album and Music Video, setting records as the first teen victor in each category and ending streaks of three-year reigns for Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood.

Taylor is not a traditional artist in any sense of the word — not in sound, not in age and not in the demographic she appeals to. So when her band and record company president, Scott Borchetta, gave her a group hug at the end of the evening, it was a physical manifestation of the embrace she got at the ballot box from the country business.

Continue Reading

Matt Stillwell photo courtesy of Aristo Media.

Written by Bob Doerschuk

© 2009 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

Matt Stillwell has figured it out. On his debut album, Shine, produced by Mickey Jack Cones and released by Still7 Records, he walks that line where the gritty and commercial sides of life intersect. These 10 tunes, half of them co-written by Stillwell, are suited equally for radio listening and dance-club partying. And this Sylva, N.C., native sings each one with a voice that sounds both young and experienced. Continue Reading

Ray Hadley, Presenter, Radio 2GB Sydney (l) and CMA Board member Rob Potts, CEO, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge (r) present CMA International Artist Achievement Awards to Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks and Dierks Bentley backstage at the Acer Arena in Sydney on May 6. Photo credit: Dean Turnball.

By Scott Stem

© 2009 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

On the final stop of their hugely successful Australian tour, duo Brooks & Dunn (Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn) and Dierks Bentley were both surprised with CMA International Artist Achievement Awards for their contributions to Country Music overseas.

CMA Board member Rob Potts, CEO, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, and Ray Hadley, Presenter, Radio 2GB Sydney, presented the Awards backstage at the Acer Arena in Sydney.

“Halfway around the world, it is easy to say, but it takes an amazing amount of coordination and commitment from so many people to pull it off – and ultimately, and most importantly, the support from the fans,” said Brooks. Continue Reading

Whitney Duncan photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville. Photo credit: Jeff Lipsky.

By Bob Doerschuk

© 2009 CMA Close Up® News Service; Country Music Association®, Inc.

When Whitney Duncan left her hometown of Scotts Hill, Tenn., she took little with her other than a soulful voice, equal parts rawhide and honey, and a determination to seek her musical fortune. It took her a while to find it in the form of Mark Bright, who was so impressed with her that he shared the news with his friend John Shanks. Just like that, the two Music Row veterans were onboard to advise, write with and produce their discovery.

Duncan was just 18 at the time, though she had begun chasing her dream years before. After singing at her kindergarten graduation, she never looked back Continue Reading