May
19
Emmylou Harris photo by Rocky Schenck, courtesy of Nonesuch Records.
Since the beginning of May, Nashville has been digging out from the devastating affects of an unexpected flood. The community has pulled together, and outsiders have been amazed at the extent of humanity and neighborly goodwill Music City has expressed.
The flood was an example of Mother Nature wreaking havoc on humanity. But people have been messing with Mother Nature, Emmylou Harris observes, in a way that is destroying another part of Tennessee. Emmylou wrote a guest editorial in Sunday’s edition of The Tennessean explaining why she and some of her fellow musicians — Kathy Mattea, Big Kenny and Dave Matthews, among them — are performing a Music Saves Mountains concert Wednesday at the Ryman Auditorium.
The concert calls attention to mountaintop removal, a form of mining in which explosives are used to blast the tops off of mountains so that coal companies can access strips of coal, which eventually gets converted into energy for everyone’s households. Mountaintop removal is employed in the hills of Kentucky, West Virginia and east Tennessee. It permanently destroys the landscape, and it pollutes the environment, including the drinking water for the local residents.
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May
19
Jerrod Niemann photo by Jeremy Cowart, courtesy of myspace.com/jerrodniemann.
Their first names — Jerrod and Jaron — sound a lot alike, they’ve both had previous success in the music industry, and they’re both in country’s Top 20 as artists for the first time in their careers. Now Jerrod Niemann and Jaron Lowenstein, a.k.a. Jaron And The Long Road To Love, have new albums coming this summer.
Jerrod’s “Lover, Lover” is at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and his 12-song album Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury is expected July 13. Jaron’s “Pray For You” is at No. 20, and his first solo album, Getting Dressed In The Dark, comes out June 22.
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Apr
13
Big Kenny photo courtesy of GLOTOWN/Love Everybody, LLC.
When Big Kenny performs at Arizona’s Country Thunder music festival on Saturday, the show will be something of a first for him. He’s played the annual event three times previously as a member of Big & Rich, but this will be his first time to appear there as a solo act.
It may not be the last. Kenny and John Rich have repeatedly said they will be working on their duet project again, but in an interview with The Arizona Daily Star, Big Kenny is now quoted as saying he’s not certain if the collaboration has a future.
“I’m not focused on that right now,” he told the paper.
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Mar
8
Alan Jackson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
This week is a significant milestone for Alan Jackson: It marks 20 years since “Here In The Real World” climbed into the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Since then he’s landed more than 50 titles in the Top 10, literally taking him from rags to riches.
Alan was one of the first artists to break through after Arista Records opened its country division, and he’s been with the label ever since, although it appears those days are numbered. What the future holds for him remains to be seen.
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Feb
11
Big Kenny photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.
You hear them every day on your radio or watch their videos on GAC. But country stars get involved in lots of things outside of country music.
Gretchen Wilson’s taking part in a big sports event, Kathy Mattea’s taking an environmental stance, Larry Gatlin and the Oak Ridge Boys are politicking and Big Kenny’s effort to find a lost friend came to a tragic ending.
Here’s what’s happening with some of your favorite stars outside the studio and away from the concert stage:
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Jan
29
Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
Nearly three weeks after a Jan. 12 earthquake destroyed large swatches of Haiti, the response from country music’s community is heartening. Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Pam Tillis, Big Kenny, Restless Heart and Toby Keith are just some of the artists who found ways to get involved.
They’ve donated their time, their voices and their money, and in one particular instance, one unintended result was a confirmation that the recording industry has crossed a barrier as it continues to evolve in the digital age. Taylor and Keith were both featured on the multi-network special Help For Haiti Now, which was immediately released as a digital-only album. It quickly sold more than 170,000 copies and came in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 all-genre albums chart. It marks the first time in history that the top album in the country could not be purchased in a physical format.
Here’s a summary of the ways country stars have reached out to help:
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Dec
10
Keith Urban photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
Country music festival, Country Thunder USA, will be back in 2010 with three big headliners — Keith Urban, Willie Nelson and Kid Rock.
The outdoor festival (sponsored by GAC) will be held at the Canyon Moon Ranch, in Florence, Arizona. A full 4-day general admission pass is $99.00 –and passes are now on sale. One day event tickets will also be available closer to the event. VIP and sponsorship packages are also available with added perks of hospitality tent access, preferred parking, and premium concert seating. Organizers encourage early bird tickets as the event is expected to sell-out.
The announced line-up includes: Continue Reading
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Dec
10
John Rich photo by Frank Ockenfels, courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.
In late 2008, John Rich took an active role in John McCain’s presidential push, authoring the campaign’s theme song “Raisin’ McCain,” playing numerous events during the Republican National Convention and performing with Hank Williams Jr. at McCain’s election-night soiree in Arizona.
John stayed with public issues, even after the votes were tallied. He performed “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” at a tea party in Atlanta, sang at a pro-coal Labor Day rally in West Virginia, played a November fundraiser for a Conservative Party candidate in Watertown, N.Y., and even hosted an event last weekend at his house for Republican Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp.
Tuesday, he hit the road again to campaign for a Republican candidate in Alabama.
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Nov
20
Joe Nichols recently visited troops on US military bases in Kuwait and Iraq. His trip was filmed for the GAC special, Joe Nichols: My Military Diary, premiering Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 at 10 p.m. Eastern.
Joe Nichols spent a week this summer singing for American troops in the Middle East, and the good vibes from that trip are getting coverage on GAC, in the special Joe Nichols: My Military Diary.
Joe made some new friends on his overseas visit, and he was particularly impressed by the dedication the service men and women demonstrate on a daily basis. Their lives are on the line every hour, and they’re forced to be away from home for months at a time during their tour of duty.
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Nov
10
Big Kenny photo courtesy of Glotown/Love Everybody/Bigger Picture Records.
If you buy Big Kenny‘s The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy, in stores today, you’ll truly be getting music that lives forever.
Kenny’s CD package (surrounding the disc) is made of 100% compostable materials embedded with a variety of the artist’s favorite perennial wild flowers. This means you can actually plant the casing and later, have a lovely bunch of flowers, courtesy of Big Kenny. Continue Reading
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