The Oak Ridge Boys Photo Credit: Jarrett Gaza

The Oak Ridge Boys will release their new album, It’s Only Natural, through Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s exclusive music program on September 19. The album celebrates the 30th year of the band’s hit song “Elvira,” with a re-recording of the song as well as six other hits and five new songs.

“The heart of the CD was inspired by a collection of time-honored songs, but its soul comes from the collaboration we had on this project with talented producers Ron Chancey and Michael Sykes,” said Joe Bonsall.  “Ron originally produced ‘Elvira’ and all of our gold and platinum albums. This is Michael’s ninth project co-producing with Duane.”

“The Oak Ridge Boys’ authenticity and ability to connect with multi-generational audiences make them a perfect fit with our guests and our brand,” said Julie Craig, marketing manager for Cracker Barrel.  “We’re delighted to celebrate their 30 year anniversary of ‘Elvira’ and to offer our guests this special CD as part of our exclusive music program.  We’re also thrilled to know that in just a few days, they will become official members of the Grand Ole Opry.  What a wonderful and well-deserved honor!”

The band’s songs “Lucky Moon,” “No Matter How High,” “Gonna Take a Lot of River,” “Beyond Those Years” and “True Heart” will all be featured on the album. One of the new songs, “Sacrifice…for Me,” written by Joe Bonsall, is dedicated to America’s heroes. The project is the latest in Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program that includes releases most recently from Jason Michael Carroll, Kenny Rogers, The Grascals and many more.

GAC congratulates the Oaks on their new CD and upcoming induction into the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, August 6!

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Jason Michael Carroll’s new album, Numbers, has been released exclusively in Cracker Barrel stores. A former Cracker Barrel server, Jason Michael is the first artist to both work for the restaurant and release an album through its exclusive music program. The album is a compilation of 12 songs about everyday life and includes his hit “Alyssa Lies” as well as his current single, “Numbers.”

“Most numbers mean absolutely nothing,” Jason said. “But some of them, like the date you meet the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with, mean everything.”

“Jason Michael Carroll’s Cracker Barrel experience has come full circle,” said Julie Craig, Marketing Manager for Cracker Barrel.  “Numbers is about the connection between being at certain places at certain times in your life, and our special connection with Jason was born the day he started working in our Henderson store.  He’s already made history within the Cracker Barrel family and we hope when people hear this CD, he’ll be on his way to making some music history as well.”

Numbers is available both at Cracker Barrel stores and online at crackerbarrel.com. Jason Michael will also perform on the porches of Cracker Barrels this summer. Dates and times will be announced on crackerbarrel.com/music as they are confirmed.

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l-r: Josh Turner photo courtesy of UMG Nashville; Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville; Blake Shelton photo courtesy of WBR Nashville.

The Grand Ole Opry and Cracker Barrel have teamed up to release four new albums. The three-CD series Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection and the contemporary Our Kind of Country albums together feature more than 50 legendary and contemporary country music stars spanning six decades.

“The classic collection is truly ‘classic’ in every sense of the word,” said Julie Craig, marketing manager for Cracker Barrel.  “It’s as close to an Opry experience as you can get without actually being in the Opry House.  Listeners will enjoy high quality sound on every track, songs by historically renowned artists and enduring examples of some truly great performances. And Our Kind Of Country is an incredible showcase of the Opry’s current superstars and more recent additions—a dozen of the Opry’s best available on one CD for the first time.”

Trace Adkins, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Josh Turner, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride and more are featured on the Our Kind of Country album. All artists are Grand Ole Opry members and have collectively won every major award presented by the Country Music Association.

The Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection – Duets album features live versions of some of country music’s iconic duos from Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell and Steve Wariner, and Ricky Skaggs and Emmylou Harris among others. It also contains The Louvin Brothers’ “When I Stop Dreaming,” the only live Opry recording of the brothers known to exist.

Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kris Kristofferson, Bobby Bare, and George Jones are featured on the Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection – Outlaws album and Tammy Wynette, Patsy Cline, The Oak Ridge Boys, Garth Brooks and more are featured on the Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection – Classics album.

The CDs are sold separately and are available at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Grand Ole Opry retail locations as well as online at crackerbarrel.com and opry.com.

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Randy Travis' 2011 CD, available exclusively at Cracker Barrel.

Randy Travis has released his latest album, Randy Travis, exclusively at Cracker Barrel as part of the restaurant’s exclusive music program. The self-titled album includes hits “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “I Told You So,” and “1982” as well as six other classics and three previously unreleased tracks. Because both Randy and Cracker Barrel support our military, a portion of the proceeds from sales will go to Wounded Warrior Project.

“After touring quite a number of our country’s military bases and performing repeatedly for our troops, I can tell you that there is nothing as rewarding as doing these shows for our service men and women,” Randy said. “The love they have for this country is inspiring and I am glad that Cracker Barrel, where I myself like to eat, is supporting such a worthwhile project.”

“We offer up this newest CD in our exclusive music program in the hopes that Cracker Barrel guests will enjoy some old favorites and discover some new ones,” said Cracker Barrel’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Chris Ciavarra. “Randy Travis is very popular with our guests, and we like to believe that they will find this to be an exciting CD to add to their collections. We’re also pleased to be supporting Wounded Warrior Project by donating a portion of the proceeds from this CD to that organization.”

Randy’s album is the latest in a string of releases with Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program. Kenny Rogers, Craig Morgan, Jason Michael Carroll and The Grascals are just some of the artists who have albums available exclusively through Cracker Barrel. Randy Travis is available now.

Tracks on Randy Travis:
1.  Forever and Ever, Amen
2.  No Place Like Home
3.  1982
4.  Better Class of Losers
5.  I Told You So
6.  I’m Free – Previously Unreleased
7.  Forever Together
8.  It’s Just a Matter of Time
9.  She’s Okay and I’m Okay – Previously Unreleased
10.  Deeper Than the Holler
11.  Three Wooden Crosses
12.  This Song Doesn’t Rhyme – Previously Unreleased

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Kenny Rogers photo courtesy of Capitol Records.

Kenny Rogers will perform with Point of Grace on the 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards. They will perform “The Rock Of Love” from Kenny’s critically acclaimed gospel album, The Love Of God. The show will be taped April 20 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta and will air on Easter Sunday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET on GMC.

The Love Of God is Kenny’s first gospel album and features classic songs that have special meaning to him. Some of the tracks include “Amazing Grace,” “I’ll Fly Away (featuring The Whites),” “In The Sweet By And By (featuring Winfield’s Locket),” and “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” The album, available exclusively at Cracker Barrel, reached No. 7 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 2 on the Top Christian Albums chart.

Besides singing, Kenny is also a photographer. Cracker Barrel is selling an exclusive 18-month calendar of churches photographed by Kenny on his tour of America and Europe. He is also working on his autobiography, tentatively scheduled to be released in the fall. “I must admit, the older I get, the more interesting my life used to be,” Kenny said.  “I also realized that if I don’t do it now, I may forget it all.”

Kenny will embark on his first tour of South America next month with stops in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Punta del Este, Uruguay, Santiago, Chile, and Bogotá, Columbia.

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Jason Michael Carroll photo by David Bean, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Before Jason Michael Carroll had hit songs like “Alyssa Lies” and “Living Our Love Song,” he was serving biscuits and gravy at his local Cracker Barrel in Henderson, NC. Now, he’s partnering with his former employer to release his album Numbers as part of Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program. The album will include his new single, “Numbers,” which debuts at radio today.

“Numbers” is a song that got my attention the first time I heard it,” Jason Michael said. “It was written by Patrick Davis and Rodney Clausen and it’s about the way certain numbers, like dates and times, can represent some of life’s most significant moments.  Moments like your first date, meeting the love of your life and the day your child is born.  Those dates and times have real meaning in our lives.  I think everyone can identify with that concept.”

“The date that Jason Michael Carroll started working for Cracker Barrel is one of those significant numbers,” said Chris Ciavarra, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Cracker Barrel. “We had no idea when he became one of our new-hire Rising Stars that his music career was about to make him a star in the music industry, too. Adding his album to our music program is like welcoming family back home.”

“Numbers” will be available on iTunes April 5. The album will be available in Cracker Barrel stores July 25 and will feature 12 songs, including the hit “Alyssa Lies” as well as, “Numbers.”

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Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers perform at Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years at The MGM Grand at Foxwoods on April 10, 2010. Photo credit: Rahav Segev/ Retna Ltd.

For five decades, Kenny Rogers has been topping the country and pop charts. Tomorrow night, we’re honoring Kenny’s incredible achievements with Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years, premiering Tuesday, March 8 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern — only on GAC!

The show’s special guests include Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Wynonna, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, Alison Krauss, Lionel Richie, Sheena Easton, Smokey Robinson,  Chris Isaak and original members of the First Edition. They’re all singing songs from Kenny’s impressive catalogue of hits. But wait, there’s more! Kenny also performs his classics including  “The Gambler” and “Islands In The Stream.”

Browse our exclusive photo gallery from the concert »

In other Kenny news, today he released his first-ever inspirational CD, The Love Of God, available exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations.

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Kenny Rogers photo courtesy of Capitol Records.

Legend Kenny Rogers will become the first artist to release a second album through the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® exclusive music program when The Love of God hits stores March 7, 2011.  The CD is an inspirational collection of classic songs that Kenny remembers from his childhood, along with new recordings of contemporary songs.  Two of the classics feature other artists: The Whites and Winfield’s Locket.  Point of Grace is featured on one of the album’s contemporary recordings.  This CD will be available exclusively at all Cracker Barrel locations. 
 
Through the course of his career, Kenny’s recorded a wide range of music, from country to pop.  “The Love of God is the culmination of an idea I had been thinking about for years but never had the opportunity to bring to life,” he said.  “It’s been a musical awakening to me. To all of the wonderful musicians, vocalists, and songwriters who lent their amazing talents to this record, I want to thank you for making it so special.  It seems I have a personal relationship with every song on it. 

“For example, ‘In The Sweet By And By’ was my mom’s favorite song,” Kenny continues. ”When I was a kid, as I was leaving to go to school, I remember hearing her sing along with the radio.  Music is by far the best ‘memory creator’ I know, and that memory is very special to me.”
 
“We’re delighted to work with Kenny Rogers for a second time,” said Chris Ciavarra, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Cracker Barrel.  “It is particularly gratifying to be a part of a project about which Kenny cares so deeply and that will touch so many of our guests.”

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The Grascals & Friends album cover. Photo courtesy of Webster & Associates PR.

The Grascals’ latest album, The Grascals & Friends – Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin, has debuted atop the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart and landed on five other charts, including Country Heatseekers and the Billboard Top 200. The album, available exclusively at Cracker Barrel, has 13 country songs with The Grascals bringing their own bluegrass sounds to breathe new life into the tracks. Eight of their friends make guest appearances on the album, including Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels, and Dolly Parton.

One track, “I Am Strong,” was written by Grascals member Jamie Johnson and his wife, Susanne Mumpower-Johnson, along with Jenee Fleenor, following The Grascals’ visit to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® where they were inspired by the children being treated there. The song brings together vocals from all the artists who appear on the album and Cracker Barrel is donating a percentage of the proceeds to the hospital.

“This is just icing on the cake … like Cracker Barrel gravy on the biscuit!” said bass player Terry Smith. “The relationship has been so great thus far.  Hopefully the sales and great partnership will continue in kind.”
 
“This is something we’ve looked forward to for so long,” said mandolin player Danny Roberts. “It’s doing so well, so quickly. The added bonus of it benefiting St. Jude makes it all the better.”

The album is available in Cracker Barrel stores and online. The Grascals are also up for 10 of the 37th Annual SPBGMA Awards including Instrumental Group of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Bluegrass Band of the Year, and Entertaining Group of the Year.

Check out the “I Am Strong” video, featuring Dolly Parton, HERE!

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Craig Morgan photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Craig Morgan has a thing for chicken and dumplings, and he combines two of his favorite things — comfort food and country music — with the release of an expanded version of his current album. That’s Why: Collector’s Edition is available only through Cracker Barrel stores, beginning Monday.

The CD has already been upgraded once. He released it in 2008, then added “Bonfire” and “This Ain’t Nothin’” to 2009 editions of the disc. The album also features his hit “Love Remembers.”

The new Cracker Barrel collection totals 13 tracks, including two — “You” and “Evel Knievel” — that are previously unreleased.

“We have eaten in Cracker Barrel for many years, and we still do,” Craig says. “When we’re on the road, it’s one of my favorite places to eat because I know what I’m gonna get. It’s the closest thing to home cookin’ you can find on the road.”

Cracker Barrel’s country store sells plenty of music, and it’s particularly aligned with country. Some of its previous releases have featured Josh Turner, Alan Jackson, George Jones and the Zac Brown Band.

“I see other artists’ records [there], and I’m like, ‘Man, I want a record in Cracker Barrel,’” Craig says. “It only makes sense ’cause I am a country boy. I’m not a redneck, a cowboy, or a hillbilly. I’m a country boy, and country music and Cracker Barrel — one and the same… So now that it’s finally happening, I mean, I’m probably the most excited guy ever to have a Cracker Barrel album.”

The chain is currently running a Craig Morgan Country To The Core Sweepstakes that gives the winner a chance to have lunch with Craig at the Cracker Barrel store in Frederick, Md., and see his show when he plays there Sept. 25. The contest, which runs through Aug. 15, also includes airfare and lodging for the weekend in nearby Washington, D.C.

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