Nashville Music Archives - Page 25 of 29

Kentucky Headhunters set U.K. Tour in Fall 2017

‘Southern rock royalty’ crossing the pond

The Kentucky Headhunters. Photo credit: Joe McNally

My good friends and FFA buds, the Kentucky Headhunters are gearing up to take their rowdy, high-energy live show across the pond, as they return to the U.K. for a string of performances this fall. If any of my British friends are reading this, take it from me: don’t miss the opportunity to see these guys who put on a great rockin’ show. Supporting the American band will be U.K. rockers Bad Touch, who will join the Headhunters on all 8 shows this October.

“We first met Bad Touch when they were chosen as our support act after my son John Fred Young’s band, Black Stone Cherry, convinced us to do our first-ever U.K. tour in 2016. In a mere week of touring, the Headhunter’s and Bad Touch became like a band of brothers,” said Richard Young of The Kentucky Headhunters. “There is a certain charm and charisma between the two bands that transcends to the fans of both bands, on stage and off. We’re proud to announce their return for this year’s October U.K. dates. Simply put, it wouldn’t be the same without them.”

On Safari

The Kentucky Headhunters have been crisscrossing North America fresh off the 2016 release of On Safari, the band’s 12th studio album. A Plowboy Records/Practice House Records joint venture, the album combines southern rock, blues, Americana and country sounds sure to captivate audiences overseas. Click here to purchase On Safari.

Hear the Headhunters on the Heartland Network

The week of May 29, tune into The Heartland Network as members of the band look back on some of their most stand-out career memories. The half-hour interview show airs all week on various affiliates, check local listings here.

The Headhunters have a packed tour schedule in the USA before heading to England. Check out the current tour schedule at their official website www.kentuckyheadhunters.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Inside Track on Music Row, May 2017

Entire May column now posted

My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest-running country music column in America. It appears in Nashville Music Guide and on websites around the world.

Here’s a brief teaser of the May 2017 edition. You can read the full column here. And while you’re there, you can read about my book “I Know Country!” with 366 day-by-day country music Q&As.

ALBUM NEWS: Lady Antebellum has revealed the cover art and track listing behind their sixth studio album HEART BREAK (Capitol Records Nashville), out June 9th. Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott had a new mission — setting aside time to put themselves in new surroundings, and concentrate on writing and exploring musical endeavors with no distractions. They rented a house in Florida, living and working under the same roof, and when the creative process proved successful, the trio set up a second retreat in southern California. Pre-orders are available now at ladyantebellum.com. The trio had a hand in writing eleven songs on HEART BREAK. “This record is really our story,” said Kelley. “They have a universal feel to them, but there’s a lot of our personal stories here.”

AMERICANA MUSIC NEWS: Chris Stapleton’s sophomore album FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1 is set for national release May 5, but the album’s first single is already at country radio. Titled “Broken Halos,” it is a co-write by Stapleton and former SteelDrivers bandmate Mike Henderson. Stapleton told Rolling Stone that, although he has written more songs with Henderson than with anyone else, none of their co-writes appeared on Stapleton’s Grammy-winning album, Traveller. “Broken Halos” has a redemptive message even if some angels have fallen. A second set, appropriately titled FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 2, is scheduled for release later this year. Stapleton is currently on his All-American Road Show Tour. Album pre-orders and tour dates at chrisstapleton.com

BENEFIT NEWS: Darius Rucker’s eighth annual “Darius and Friends” benefit concert, sponsored by State Water Heaters, will take place Monday, June 5 and will be held for the first time at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The event, which leads into CMA Music Festival week, has received an overwhelming response in past years, with sellouts year-after-year and more than $800,000 raised for St. Jude’ Children’s Research Hospital. The lineup for this year’s event will be announced in the coming weeks. “This concert is a real highlight for me every year,” Rucker said. “And I couldn’t do it without the support of my friends who turn out to perform, tell stories and make this a memorable night for the fans, who are here from around the world.” Tickets for “Darius and Friends” are now available via Ticketmaster.

Read the full column at my blog page at www.iknowcountry.com

Oaks ‘dive in’ to Hendersonville diner

Oakridge Boys on ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’

Classic American diner food and classic American country music. What a great combination! On Friday, May 5, the Food Network is airing one of their ‘classic’ episodes of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ from around seven years ago.

Host Guy Fieri takes viewers to ‘greasy spoon’ joints across the country in his popular TV show. This episode, titled ‘Sauced and Spiced,’ features none other than the Oak Ridge Boys at the Café Rakka in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The Oaks were joined by Ricky Skaggs. You can find this particular show – Season 10 Episode 12 – online here.

THINGS CHANGE: First studio album in five years from Hall of Famer Bobby Bare

82-year-old Hall of Famer still has what it takes

Album review by Preshias Harris

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. One thing that has stayed with us is the talent and artistry of one of country music’s living legends, Bobby Bare.

THINGS CHANGE is the title of the new album from Bare, a Country Music Hall of Famer who has chalked up close to sixty Top Forty hits starting back in 1962. And now here is, at age 82, out there still performing and promoting his new album.

Changes are no stranger to Bare. In 1959, he wrote a song, titled “The All American Boy,” for his friend Bill Parsons, and Bare cut a demo of the song for Parsons who went on to record it. However, the record label preferred Bare’s demo version and that was the one they released, taking the song to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. But nobody thought to change the information on the label, so every copy went out printed with the artist’s name as Bill Parsons, rather than Bobby Bare. Continue reading “THINGS CHANGE: First studio album in five years from Hall of Famer Bobby Bare”

“I hit that intro, and [Elvis’s] face lit up and here we went… I was toppin’ cotton, son.” – Jerry Reed, on playing guitar for Elvis’ version of ‘Guitar Man.’

The Country Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2017

Three all-time greats added to the prestigious roster at the CMHoF

Congratulations to the new inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. This year, three country music greats move into a very exclusive ‘club.’ Let’s hear it for Jerry Reed, Alan Jackson and Don Schlitz.

Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed (March 20, 1937 – September 01, 2006) achieved worldwide fame with unforgettable roles in movies such as “Gator,” “W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” series. However, before appearing in movies, he had begun a long and distinguished career in country music since arriving in Nashville in the early 1960s. As a songwriter, Reed was getting cuts on some of Nashville’s hottest acts, including Porter Wagoner. But it was his unique guitar style that made him an in-demand session player and brought him to the attention of Chet Atkins with whom he would later cut a Grammy-winning album, ‘Jerry and Me.’ Reed is one of only five recipients of Atkins’ coveted ‘Certified Guitar Player’ status, bestowed by Atkins only upon those that he believes have mastered the instrument.

Reed wrote and recorded “Guitar Man,” a song that charted for him in 1967. Elvis Presley loved the song and decided to cut his own version of it, insisting that Reed come into the RCA Studio to recreate his guitar sound. Presley went on to record several other Reed compositions, including “U.S. Male,” often with Reed playing guitar on the recordings.

Reed’s infectious sense of humor came across in his stage shows and on his records, including “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” “Amos Moses” and “East Bound and Down,” the latter having been featured on the soundtrack of the first “Bandit” movie. Here’s a link to a Wikipedia site about Jerry Reed.

Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is a well-deserved member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, in addition to enjoying an illustrious recording career. So far, he has chalked up twenty-six Billboard Number One Country songs and sold more than sixty million albums. Of the fifteen albums that topped Billboard’s Country Albums chart, nine have been certified ‘multi platinum’ by RIAA. Continue reading “The Country Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2017”

“Celebrate… Listen To The Music”

Tin Pan South 2017: the biggest yet

“Celebrate, Celebrate, Listen To The Music” was the theme in Music City where Nashville hosts Tin Pan South. It’s the world’s largest songwriter festival and 2017 marked its 25th anniversary! The festival invites more than 300 songwriters and this year they performed over 100 shows for the first time.

Dedicated to the songs and those that write them, Tin Pan South is a yearly event in Music City where fans get a unique, up-close-and-personal experience with the music they love. The music is a five day event, spread out across the city with showcases each night at various venues. Visitors get to enjoy intimate shows from world famous musical acts alongside up-and-coming artists from all across Nashville.

The stories behind the songs

What makes Tin Pan South unique is that the talented artists and songwriters that penned your favorite songs tell the stories behind those songs, and perform them in their original form. Nowhere else in the world can you hear so much original music in one place. With the immense creativity living and working in Music City, Nashville is the natural home to Tin Pan South. The music is inspired here, created here, recorded and performed here. Tin Pan South in Music City is the ultimate musical experience – in its most raw and original form.

Five nights of hit writers and their songs

Monday night was the festival’s kickoff party, hosted by Regions Bank who celebrated their ten year platinum sponsorship of Tin Pan South. Organizers of the 25th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival showed their deep gratitude to the following Platinum and Gold Corporate Partners: Regions Bank – Presenting Partner, Southwest Airlines – Official Airline Partner, News Channel 5 – Official Broadcast Partner, Jack Daniel’s – Official Club Show Partner, Vident Financial, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, Ford and Ole’ music group.

L to R: Casey Beathard, Tucker Beathard, Jonathan Singleton & Luke Cooombs. Photo: Catrina Engelby

Tuesday Night: We hit Whiskey Rhythm, first to watch “A Benefit for SOURCE” with Danielle Bradbery, Jaida Dreyer, Jo Smith and Lari White. What a talented round. Danielle showcased her new co-penned tunes that she has been working on. I cannot wait till she has a new project out. Then we boot scooted over to the Hard Rock Café to catch Father (Casey) and son (Newcomer) Tucker Beathard along with hit songwriter Jonathan Singleton and newcomer Luke Coombs. Continue reading ““Celebrate… Listen To The Music””

Watch out! Buddy Jewell is locked and RELOADED!

New EP released on April 2nd

It’s here at last: my dear friend Buddy Jewell’s latest EP, RELOADED (BAM/Pangea Records), is officially released as of April 02, 2017… and that just happens to be the date of Buddy’s birthday, too.

I love all the tracks, so it’s hard to pick a favorite, but there’s something special about “Just Enough To Get To Memphis,” about a guy panhandling and asking for $20.00 so he can (yeah, you guessed it!) get home to Memphis.

Then there’s the uptempo “Diesel Destiny” that rolls along like a Kenworth barreling down the Interstate, and the heartfelt ballad, “I Am Every Man,” and I can’t get enough of either track.

“I’m There,” new single from Buddy Jewell

The single picked from the project is “I’m There,” Buddy’s poignant take on a cause close to his heart: the men and women of the U.S. Military. It has all the markings of an instant classic and I believe it will strike a chord with everyone who has a family member who is serving (or who has served) in a branch of the Military. Buddy has included two versions of “I’m There,” one of which is acoustic.

Here’s a great idea: go to iTunes on April 2nd and download a copy of RELOADED for $4.99. It’ll be a gift to yourself and a birthday gift from you to Buddy, because if he can get a LOT of downloads on that day, the EP will make it onto the iTunes chart!

Go for it. You’ll be glad you did. And… Happy Birthday, Buddy! Listen to some track samples here and then click on the ‘Buy Album’ button or… go straight to iTunes now!

The first ‘Nashville Star’

Just a reminder… Buddy Jewell burst onto the country music scene after winning the inaugural season of the USA Network’s hit television series “Nashville Star.” After Buddy’s win, (beating out another contestant named Miranda Lambert!) Columbia Records released his self-titled debut album “Buddy Jewell” which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Album charts as well as #13 on the Top 100 Pop Album Charts. The album was certified Gold later that same year, selling over ½ million copies. Buddy’s first two singles, “Sweet Southern Comfort” and “Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song)” both landed in the top 5 on the singles chart. The new EP, RELOADED, contains some of Buddy’s best creative work to date.

April edition of ‘Inside Track on Music Row’

Latest column posted; here’s a ‘teaser’

My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest-running country music column in America. It appears in Nashville Music Guide and on websites around the world.

Here’s a brief teaser of the April 2017 edition. You can read the full column here. And while you’re there, you can read about my book “I Know Country!” with 366 day-by-day country music Q&As.

The 2017 CMHoF Brunch will feature The McCrary Sisters

COUNTRY MUSIC HoF NEWS: Easter brunch and music. What could be better! The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will hold its second annual Easter Brunch on Sunday, April 16, with two seatings at 9:00 am and 12 noon. You can enjoy family-style seating and a performance by great R&B Gospel group the McCrary Sisters, plus a special visit from the Easter Bunny. Advance ticket purchase required. Ticket prices are $65.00 for adults, $25.00 for ages 6-12, and the price includes both Museum admission and the brunch. Details and ticket info here.

LEGEND NEWS: Few artists have left a more indelible mark on America’s musical landscape than Charlie Daniels. In his official memoir, “Never Look at the Empty Seats” (W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson), fans will learn about his rise from a post-Depression era childhood to becoming a Grammy award winner and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee by focusing on the positives in life. Spanning a career of nearly 60 years, Charlie will share inside stories, reflections, rare personal photographs plus make available lessons learned and sage advice to those seeking a career in the music business. The book releases October 24 in hardcover, eBook and audiobook and is available for pre-order now. For available retailers and more info, go to CharlieDaniels.com.

VIDEO NEWS: My friends the The Kentucky Headhunters’ music video for “God Loves A Rolling Stone” can now be seen on TasteOfCountry.com. It is the first single from the Headhunters’ new album, ON SAFARI. “The video for ‘God Loves A Rolling Stone’ is a film for all of humanity. It depicts the struggles that many Americans have endured to keep our country’s spirit great and, in the end, shining. I wrote the song for those who are less fortunate, and the part that God plays in all our lives. In his eyes, we’re all the same. Enough said,” stated Richard Young of The Kentucky Headhunters. See kentuckyheadhunters.net.

Read the entire column (and previous columns) here.

‘SRO’ at YNOT Wednesday

Great audience reaction to songwriter show

THANK YOU Everyone who came out and packed the house to a standing room ONLY house at Whiskey Rhythm for our Lord & Thorn Music Publishing YNOT (Why not) Wednesday debut Showcase …

YNOT Wednesdays at Whiskey Rhythm Saloon

Gyth Rigdon, Elvie Shane, Russell Sutton, Grady James, Justin T. Dukes, Josh Sanders, Daniel Johnson, Daryl Price, Alex Maxwell, Bobby McLamb, Adley Stump, Catie Engelby, Marie Mattei, Chelsie Love, Kenny Olson (and Ashley) Courtney Bumbacher, Jackson Gardner, Frank Myers, Dave Gibson, Dave Pahanish, Tanya Sue, Lindsey Erin, Kimber Annie Engstrom, Lee Gibson and Kayla Nicole… I hope I didn’t leave anyone out!