Mar
16
Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
Tomorrow is a good day to be wearin’ the green and countin’ your lucky stars. Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day, a celebration of the luck of the Irish. And if you need a few country songs to make the day run smoothly, good luck’s gonna shine, as Keith Urban would say. We’ve got country’s “Lucky 13” titles, which run the whole gamut from the best of times to the worst.
Montgomery Gentry, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Alison Krauss are among the country stars who’ve used their music to embrace supposedly random fortune — good luck, bad luck, no luck at all. Luck’s been a central theme in songs about love, songs day-to-day living and even Jerry Reed’s “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” — a classic about a game of craps.
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Mar
15
Eric Church photo by Jim Wright, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
Eric Church released his debut album, Sinners Like Me, in 2006 to nearly unanimous critical praise. The disc launched three singles into country music’s Top 20, but Eric wasn’t quite able to find his way into the Top 10.
That changed late last year when Eric reached that hallowed chart ground with “Love Your Love The Most.” The song is a ballad, unlike many of Eric’s rough-around-the-edges tracks, but it’s still just a bit left of center. And he figures it’s a testament to staying with the artistic program.
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Mar
12
Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
This morning, tickets went on sale for the 2010 Country Throwdown Tour, sponsored by GAC. The tour kicks off May 14 at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, Fla. and goes through June 20 in Mountain View, Calif. at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
The tour features Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Eric Church, Emily West, Eli Young Band, Heidi Newfield, The Lost Trailers, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses and Jonathan Singleton and the Grove.
In addition to the artists above on the main stage, there will be a Bluebird Cafe Stage Continue Reading
Mar
11
Carrie Underwood photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
If she was blowing out candles on her birthday cake on Wednesday, Carrie Underwood likely didn’t bother to count out the 27 wicks that should have decorated the dessert.
She’s piled up some impressive numbers in the music business: 11 straight chart-topping singles, 11 million albums sold, 1.2 million tickets sold on her last concert tour. But she’s a bit nonplussed by all the music-business arithmetic.
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Feb
3
Miranda Lambert photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
Like it or not, Valentine’s Day is almost here. We gave you our list of the Top 20 Country Love Songs – but life isn’t always moonlight and roses, is it? So after we dried our eyes and pulled ourselves together, we came up with a list of our favorite anti-love songs. Are you breaking up with your boyfriend/girlfriend? Your spouse? Your job? Did you find out your sweetheart’s been less than faithful? Whatever the heartbreak occasion, there’s usually a country song that’s a perfect fit.
By no means is this a definitive list, so please, tell us what other songs you’d add! Put your suggestions in the comments section below.
Top 20 Country Breakup Songs (in no particular order):
• “Lonely And Gone” – Montgomery Gentry
• “I’m Moving On” – Rascal Flatts
• “White Liar” – Miranda Lambert
• “I Will Always Love You” – Dolly Parton
• “The Most Beautiful Girl” – Charlie Rich
• “There Is No Arizona” – Jamie O’Neal
• “Today My World Slipped Away” – Vern Gosdin/George Strait
• “Whiskey Lullaby” – Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss
• “Kiss This” – Aaron Tippin
• “Take This Job & Shove It” – Johnny Paycheck
• “Before He Cheats” – Carrie Underwood
• “Consider Me Gone” – Reba McEntire
• “Blame It On Your Heart” – Patty Loveless
• “Unwound” – George Strait
• “You’ll Think Of Me” – Keith Urban
• “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” – Glen Campbell
• “Cheatin’” – Sara Evans
• “Goodbye Says It All” – BlackHawk
• “Should’ve Said No” – Taylor Swift
• “Brokenheartsville” – Joe Nichols
Jan
25
Sarah Buxton photo courtesy of Lyric Street Music.
One of the most infectious singles of the last year came with Sarah Buxton’s “Outside My Window,” which is bubbling and bopping at No. 23 on the most recent Country Aircheck singles list.
Just as engaging is her video, shot with a digital camera on a whim with co-writers Victoria Shaw, Mark Hudson and Gary Burr for only about $80. Her record company didn’t even know she was shooting it, but its goofy, happy-go-lucky attitude and panorama of colors made it easy for Lyric Street to get it into circulation.
The video has, however, made it more difficult for the competition.
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Dec
24
Kenny Chesney photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
#8 on GAC’s Top Stories of 2009 | View all »
In the midst of a depressin’ recession, it’s a huge gamble to put on a stadium concert, and very few acts are willing to roll the dice on the up-front expenses for that kind of a gig. Of those that do, it seems nearly all of them were country acts in 2009 — and usually that act was Kenny Chesney.
Kenny played a dozen stadiums during his Sun City Carnival Tour, joined for most of the schedule by Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum. Kenny created a party atmosphere, often bringing up hometown athletes — including members of the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots, for example — to connect with the city. By the time Sun City ground to a halt in Indianapolis in September, the Zac Brown Band had replaced Lady A and Kenny had topped every other act in any genre as the top touring artist, according to USA Today.
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Dec
23
Miranda Lambert photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.
Christmas time’s a-comin’, to quote a song made famous by the late Bill Monroe. In fact, the big day is almost here. And just as country fans will be celebrating the holidays, so will the genre’s most familiar artists, including Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Alan Jackson, Montgomery Gentry and Brad Paisley.
Whether it’s decorating trees, hiding presents, singing carols or watching ‘A Christmas Story,’ the stars’ plans for December — and their memories of holidays past — are probably a lot like yours.
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Nov
9
Sugarland photo by Kate Powers, courtesy of UMG Nashville.
It’s a pretty good thing to be a member of Sugarland these days. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush have won the Country Music Association’s Vocal Duo of the Year honor two times in a row, picked up a Grammy award and last week had their Twice The Speed Of Life album certified triple platinum.
Despite all those obvious indicators of their success, it was something that tied back to Kristian’s childhood that convinced him they’d turned a corner with their music careers.
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Nov
3
Montgomery Gentry photo courtesy of Sony Nashville.
Country Throwdown 2010, a multi-act outdoor tour produced by the same company that created rock’s annual Vans Warped Tour, has enlisted Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town and Jack Ingram among the initial acts for a five-week, GAC-sponsored series of concerts next spring. Specific markets and the entire lineup have yet to be revealed, though the Throwdown will feature 21 total acts on an itinerary from May 13-June 20.
“When Eddie [Montgomery] and I were approached about doing the Country Throwdown Tour we immediately said yes,” Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry said. “We loved the idea of it being like a big festival, a big party. I mean, that’s what Montgomery Gentry is all about. We’re keeping the ticket prices low because we know it’s hard out there. Fans are going to get a lot of entertainment for their money. This tour is going to be a great experience for us, the other artists and especially the fans.”
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