Photo courtesy of Webster & Associates.

Between 1982 and 1986, Janie Fricke reeled off seven No. 1 singles as country music fans got to know her as more than a backing vocalist and in-demand duet partner (she also scored No. 1 hits with Charlie Rich and Merle Haggard in 1978 and 1985, respectively). Her run in the US alone through the 1980s consisted of 16 Top 10 singles with a brand of country/pop that paid homage to classic country.

Janie’s now honoring the pickin’ tradition while reworking 12 of her own hits on the new studio album, Country Side of Bluegrass. Backed by a group of seasoned players, including dobro player extraordinaire Randy Kohrs (Hal Ketchum; Hank Williams III) and fiddler Luke Bulla (Lyle Lovett; Jerry Douglas Band), Janie offers up stirring renditions of chart-toppers like “He’s A Heartache” and “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Baby” with a bluegrass twist.

Amidst standard bluegrass instrumentation, songs like the speedy “Do Me With Love” nail the elements of controlled chaos and precision found in the genre. Add in quintessential country double-meanings like, Words are cheap and ‘I love yous aren’t free/ So unless you mean it, well, don’t spend ‘em on me, and it’s clear that the combination can be entertaining and exciting. Hard-hitting classic country lyrics are all over the record, like on standout track “Tell Me A Lie,” where Janie’s voice pours out the emotion of a desperate woman while singing, Tell me a lie, tell me you’re not a married man, in her Indiana twang. Janie cranked up the tempo on the new version of “Tell Me A Lie,” a song that was originally done as a ballad.

Traditional country influence is heard throughout the record. On the steady-paced “Please Help Me, I’m Falling (In Love With You),” Janie’s voice rises and falls with aching honky tonk melodies as a fiddle yearns in the background. The slow dobro/acoustic guitar intro of the classic “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy” makes way for a smooth chorus full of textured harmonies as the song’s loneliness seeps through the speakers.

The album is indeed full of lonesome songs. One of the best is Continue Reading

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Josh Turner visits host Nan Kelley on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.

The Colon Cancer Alliance announces the 3rd Annual “Stars Go Blue” benefit concert for colon cancer at the Country Music Hall of Fame this Wednesday, March 16, 2011. The event benefits the Blue Note Fund, which provides financial support for colon cancer patients in need of financial assistance.

The theme of this year’s show is “Couples in Country Music.” GAC host Storme Warren and his wife, Allison, will host the benefit, which will feature multi-platinum MCA recording artist and Grand Ole Opry member Josh Turner and his wife and band member, Jennifer, along with Grammy winning singer Linda Davis and her husband singer/songwriter, Lang Scott. Continue Reading

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Josh Turner visits host Nan Kelley on the set of Top 20 Country Countdown.

The Colon Cancer Alliance announces the 3rd Annual “Stars Go Blue” benefit concert for colon cancer at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. The event benefits the Blue Note Fund, which provides financial support for colon cancer patients in need of financial assistance.

The theme of this year’s show is “Couples in Country Music” featuring multi-platinum MCA recording artist and Grand Ole Opry member Josh Turner and his wife and band member, Jennifer, along with Grammy winning singer Linda Davis and her husband singer/songwriter, Lang Scott. Also performing is “Stars Go Blue” creator and Grammy nominated producer/artist Charlie Kelley with his wife, GAC host Nan Kelley.

Tickets are $100.00 per person and include the intimate concert in the Ford Theater, a VIP cocktail reception, and auction after the concert. For tickets or more information, please visit www.thestarsgoblue.com. Amgen is silver sponsor for the event. Continue Reading

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Garth Brooks photo by Mark Tucker, courtesy of Pearl Records.

Some 20 years ago, Garth Brooks had the No. 1 country album in the nation with No Fences, which would go on to sell 17 million copies and win Album of the Year from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.

The opening song on that CD was “The Thunder Rolls,” which Garth performed Sunday for a select crowd of music-industry insiders when his co-writer, Pat Alger, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“I can’t imagine my career without this song,” Garth said.

Then he looked directly at Pat’s table and added, “I can’t imagine my career without you, Pat.”

Even harder to imagine is the actual writing session for “The Thunder Rolls.” When “the lightning flashes in her eyes” in the song’s lyrics, it could well be a reflection of Pat’s pent-up anger the day they composed it because — to hear Garth tell it — he’s not an easy guy to work with.

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Garth Brooks photo by Mark Tucker, courtesy of Pearl Records.

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame added four new people to its rolls Sunday night. They’re four people whose names are more likely to be in parentheses in an album’s liner notes than on a marquee. But without writers such as Paul Davis, Pat Alger, Steve Cropper and Stephen Foster to come up with the words and the melodies, many of the folks with a microphone in their hands would have nothing to sing.

And the artists know it. That’s why Tanya Tucker, Jimmy Wayne, T. Graham Brown and Garth Brooks were among the acts who took part in Sunday’s induction ceremony at the Nashville Renaissance Hotel.

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Keith Urban photo by Danny Clinch, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

A year ago, Keith Urban raised $500,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame when he threw an all-star All For The Hall concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

This year, he’s pitching in again, but it’s not the only thing going on in country music with hall of fame overtones. Hall of Famer Loretta Lynn will be celebrated with a tribute album, fellow Hall of Famer Merle Haggard will receive another rare honor, and five composers — including a former Beatle — are being added to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Here’s a rundown of the hall of fame-related events of note:

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Mandy Barnett photo courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/mandycarolbarnett.

If you’re in Nashville this week, get your ticket to the Grand Ole Opry’s “Country Classics” show on Thursday, October 8 at 7 p.m. (Central), hosted by GAC’s own Storme Warren.

As part of the Opry’s 84th Birthday Weekend, Thursday’s theme is ”songs that made the Grand Ole Opry famous.”

The lineup includes Mandy Barnett, Jack Greene, George Hamilton IV, Jan Howard, Hal Ketchum, Jim Lauderdale, the Del McCoury Band, the Opry Square Dancers, Jeannie Seely and Sunny Sweeney.

What can you expect at the show? You’ll hear Mandy singing the Ernest Tubb classic, “Walkin’ the Floor Over You,” Continue Reading

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