Here are just a few ‘teasers’ from the October 2016 edition of my monthly column, ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ the longest-running country music column in America. You can read the entire column in the Blog section of my website www.iknowcountry.com
CHRISTMAS CD RELEASES
Chris Young is releasing “It Must Be Christmas” on RCA Records Nashville, and Loretta Lynn is releasing “White Christmas Blue” on the Legacy Recordings label. On a SPECIAL NOTE: Rascal Flatts will release THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL, their first-ever Christmas album, on Oct. 21. The much-anticipated 10-track collection was produced by Rascal Flatts and features moving and powerhouse performances that the trio is known for, while offering personal touches to some fan-favorite staples of the festive season. The album is available for pre-order at rascalflatts.com. The album opens with a rousing rendition of “Joy To The World and features a sentimental version of “Silent Night” opening with vocals from the children of all three band members, and Stevie Wonder’s “Someday At Christmas.”
NUMBER ONE NEWS
Hailed as “King of the Breakup Song,” Dierks Bentley notched his 15th career No. One with “Different for Girls” (featuring Elle King) on both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase radio charts. It is the second consecutive No. One hit off his critically acclaimed album BLACK (Capitol Records Nashville).“This is one of those ‘once-in-a-career’ songs, and I’m so glad we decided to take a risk and release it as a single,” said Bentley. “Being part of Elle’s first No. One country song is a really cool thing too.” Bentley’s ‘Somewhere On A Beach Tour’ was recently extended into the fall with arena dates scheduled through the end of October. More info and tour dates at dierks.com.
ROAD NEWS
Traditional country music fans can rejoice because, due to high demand, sold out shows and the success of his brand new album, Mark Chesnutt is extending his Tradition Lives Tour into next year. In celebration of his first album of all-new material in eight years, Tradition Lives, Chesnutt has hit the road to share songs from the new release, as well as his biggest hits, with concert-goers around the U.S. Tradition Lives is available on iTunes, Amazon and at MarkChesnutt.com. Here’s another item that will be featured in more detail in the November edition of my Inside Track on Music Row column: Chesnutt has been named the official spokesperson of the recently established Texas Country Music Association (TCMA). He is also spokesperson for the TCMA’s charity,Texas Country Cares. More about TCMA here.
SONGWRITER NEWS
Grammy-nominated hit singer/songwriter Brady Seals from Little Texas (God Blessed Texas, Kick a Little, My Love, What Might Have Been and Amy’s Back in Austin) and award-winning songwriter/producer Gordon Kennedy (Change The World by Eric Clapton) are kicking off a new weekly concert series, Music City Pickers LIVE! The opening night will be Thursday, November 3, 2016 with two shows (6-7:30pm CST and 8:30-10pm CST), followed by a special performance on Tuesday, November 8th and then two shows every Thursday evening starting in December.
This weekly singer/songwriter show will be held at The Factory at Franklin (230 Franklin Road/Franklin, TN) at The Little Brick Theater and will consist of hit writers, prominent artists and guitar pickers. Tickets are on sale now. Schedule for opening night (November 3, 2016) is as follows: 6-7:30pm: Brady Seals, Gordon Kennedy and Larry Stewart (Restless Heart) 8:30-10pm: Legendary mega-picker Ricky Skaggs, Brady Seals and Gordon Kennedy. Full details here.