May
12
Emmylou Harris photo by Rocky Schenck, courtesy of Nonesuch Records.
Dave Rawlings grabbed four nominations to lead the rootsy field as Emmylou Harris and Todd Snider announced the nominees for the Americana Awards & Honors Wednesday at the W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville.
Dave’s nominations came for music he recorded at the historic RCA Studio B with a band shaped out of members from Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Bright Eyes and Old Crow Medicine Show. The Machine’s A Friend Of A Friend is a finalist for Album of the Year, and “Ruby” — co-written with Dave’s frequent collaborator Gillian Welch — is in the running for Song of the Year. Dave is up for Instrumentalist and the Machine is a finalist for Duo Group.
Ray Wylie Hubbard rode his cleverly titled album A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C) to a trio of nominations. Ryan Bingham, whose “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart” has already won a Golden Globe and an Oscar award, picked up three as well.
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Mar
2
Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
No, they’re not leaving their “day jobs” as country artists, but Dierks Bentley, Pam Tillis and Jim Lauderdale will moonlight as deejays for Nashville’s legendary radio station, 650 AM WSM. On March 15 the station will kick off a series of new midday shows hosted by various award-winning artists.
The three weekly one-hour shows hosted by Dierks, Pam and Jim will air Monday – Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT. The shows can also be heard online at http://www.wsmonline.com/ or as podcasts via iTunes.
You’re not likely to hear a strict “Top 40″-type playlist on the shows — these will be songs that the artists want to play, so expect a nice mix of country, bluegrass and Americana music. There may also be in-studio guests and jam sessions. Continue Reading
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Jan
31
Zac Brown Band photo courtesy of Atlantic Records.
Four-time winner Taylor Swift might have been country music’s most-honored figure at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, but she was hardly the only person in the genre to have a big time. The Zac Brown Band took the Recording Academy’s Best New Artist trophy during the three-and-a-half hour show, and Steve Wariner, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis were among the acts singled out during a streamed pre-telecast ceremony, where the bulk of the 109 victors were announced.
“It’s such a honor to be on stage and to be sharin’ in this big amalgam of music,” Zac told the star-studded Staples Center crowd. “We’re so honored and blessed to be here. We’re looking forward to playing for y’all.”
Play they did. The band whipped through a medley of songs with guest keyboard player Leon Russell, on stage less than three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair the leakage of brain fluid. The set ended with a wicked-paced instrumental after the last verse and chorus of “Chicken Fried.”
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Jan
28
Willie Nelson photo by David McClister, courtesy of Lost Highway.
He’s done American pop standards, the blues, jazz and even reggae music. But Willie Nelson is keeping it simple with his next album, giving it a tell-tale title, Country Music.
Set for release April 20, he recorded the project with the acclaimed T Bone Burnett, who won a Golden Globe this month for his work on Crazy Heart and likewise produced the music to O Brother, Where Art Thou?. T Bone brought together some of Nashville’s best musicians — including guitarist Buddy Miller, mandolin player Ronnie McCoury and background vocalist Jim Lauderdale — to work with Willie, and they laid down a total of 23 tracks, ultimately picking 15 for the final draft.
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Dec
4
Dolly Parton photo courtesy of Dolly Parton Management.
The list is out, the tickets to Los Angeles are being bought, and the country stars in the running for 2010 Grammy Awards are all coming to grips with the reality that their work is being recognized by their peers among the year’s best.
Kenny Chesney’s duet with Mac McAnally, Dolly Parton’s Broadway cast album and Lady Antebellum’s pair of nominations have all spurred gratitude and joy. Tracy Lawrence scored his first-ever Grammy nomination, Jim Lauderdale is a bluegrass finalist — and also had a hand in a couple of other nominated projects: He wrote two songs on George Strait’s Twang album, and he was a member of Elvis Costello’s supporting band on Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. Keith Urban collected four nods, and Taylor Swift appeared eight times on the list.
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Oct
6
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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Sep
23
GAC's Bill Cody (r) chats with Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood on the red carpet at the second annual ACM Honors. Photo by Keri Braswell, GAC staff.
Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center was crawling with star power Tuesday night as the Academy of Country Music celebrated Randy Travis, Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton among others in its second annual ACM Honors.
Hosted by Lee Ann Womack, the event recognized a horde of winners of lifetime awards and musicians trophies with performances by Jamey Johnson, Joe Nichols, Blake Shelton and Steve Wariner, among others. Carrie Underwood sang Randy’s “I Told You So,” Continue Reading
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