All posts tagged "Jo Dee Messina"

Phil Vassar photo by Jim Wright, courtesy of Universal South.

Phil Vassar has done several different kinds of writing in his career. He’s penned plenty of his own material; written hits for Jo Dee Messina, Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw; and even authored “Live For Today,” a theme for NBC’s “The Today Show” that got Phil an Emmy nomination.

Now he’s trying something completely new: writing music for a Broadway play. Barry Weissler, who’s won Tony Awards for his work on Annie Get Your Gun and Chicago, asked Phil to write the music for a theatrical production of Waitress, an independent 2007 movie about a small-town server in the midst of a life crisis.

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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

Jo Dee Messina photo courtesy of jodeemessina.com.

Behind on your holiday shopping already? You probably won’t get much sympathy from Jo Dee Messina. Despite the fact that she spent large chunks of November away from home on tour, she’s already got the decorations up at her house — and she’s been tending to a sick husband as she enjoys her first Christmas as a mom.

If that’s not enough, she’s packing even more into the first week of December as she does the season up big-time. Jo Dee’s part of a new round of talent announced for Wednesday’s annual NBC special “Christmas In Rockefeller Center,” which puts her in the company of Rod Stewart, Rob Thomas, Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin, Michael Buble and Alicia Keys.

And topping off the week, Jo Dee’s got a pair of fundraising concerts on tap Saturday at the Brentwood United Methodist Church in Middle Tennessee. The shows are officially free, though she’s asking for donations, with all proceeds from the door — and from merchandise sales — earmarked for Harvest Hands, a community organization dedicated to an impoverished neighborhood in Nashville. She’s a firm believer in the program, particularly because its director is passionately involved 24/7.

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Jason Aldean photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records.

If you got the bucks, you can load up the truck with lots of country music memorabilia. Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood and Montgomery Gentry are among a slew of artists who’ve contributed autographed merchandise to Women Rock For The Cure, a Nashville-based agency that raises money for breast cancer research and awareness.

Jason, Carrie and Montgomery Gentry each put their names on instruments with starting bids that range from $200-$500 at http://myworld.ebay.com/womenrockforthecure. Another guitar bearing signatures from the Oct. 2 Opry Goes Pink night has a $500 minimum. Artists who inked the PRS model include Lorrie Morgan, Terri Clark, Jo Dee Messina, Bill Anderson, Mindy Smith, Connie Smith, Little Jimmy Dickens, The Whites and Caitlin Lynn.

But that’s just a start. Continue Reading

Shania Twain photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Oct. 2, 2009 — The Winter Olympics take place in Vancouver next year, and in the big run-up to the event, Shania Twain will carry the Olympic torch when it arrives in her hometown on New Year’s Day.

Shania has agreed to take the torch for 300 meters in Timmins, Ontario, Sun Media reported. She’ll use the flame to light a cauldron on stage at a ceremony in a local park that evening.

Her participation is “an immense honor,” she said in a statement. “It is certain to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Continue Reading

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

Oct. 1, 2009 — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and GAC contributes to the cause with a re-airing Saturday of Ultimate Garth: The Ultimate Hits.

 The one-hour special features Garth’s observations about the music and videos that appeared on his Ultimate Hits compilation, which was issued in a special pink edition that raised money for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Ultimate Garth will also offer information on the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Ultimate Garth airs at 4 p.m. ET Saturday. Other country acts taking part in events on behalf of breast cancer include: Continue Reading

Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry; Robin Roberts photo courtesy of ABC.

The Grand Ole Opry is joining the fight against breast cancer this Friday, Oct. 2 with “Opry Goes Pink” — and it’s getting help from ABC’s “Good Morning America” co-anchor, Robin Roberts.

Robin, herself a breast cancer survivor, will be on hand as a special guest announcer for a portion of the night’s first show, introducing acts as well as the Greater Nashville Affiliate Susan G. Komen for the Cure® 2009 Honorary Survivor of the Year Tracie Shelby to the crowd. On each of the night’s shows, Opry superstar Carrie Underwood will take the stage to “flip the switch,” turning the Opry’s signature barn backdrop pink in support of the groups Women Rock for the Cure and Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. The shows will also include performances from Carrie, Terri Clark, Jo Dee Messina, Lorrie Morgan, Mindy Smith, and others as well as special activities recognizing breast cancer survivors and the continuing fight against the disease. Continue Reading