New album from Edmonson County’s own ‘Mr Piano Man’
The kid from the old neighborhood makes good. Jeff Stice and I have something in common. We both went to Edmonson, KY, High School! But that’s where the similarity ends. Jeff is a Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inductee and multi-award winning pianist, and he is releasing his first project on Daywind Instrumental. The new project, aptly titled I’M GONNA KEEP ON, is a tribute to legendary songwriter and Gospel music icon Andrae Crouch.
Jeff Stice album ‘I’m Gonna Keep On”
Jeff is particularly delighted that his first Daywind release should feature the songs of Crouch, for whom he has great admiration. “It’s so apparent in the lyrics that he wrote, that Andrae Crouch had lived each word,” said Jeff. “He had the voice of experience!”
I’m Gonna Keep On releases nationwide through Daywind Instrumental/New Day Christian Distributors on Friday, June 2, 2017. It will also be on Jeff’s website and at http://www.lifeway.com the first week of June.
Multiple awards for Jeff Stice
Appropriately, Jeff Stice is known as “Mr Piano Man” and has achieved considerable success in the world of Gospel Music. During his twelve-year span with Triumphant Quartet Jeff was honored to receive a number of awards and recognitions. He was voted ‘Musician of the Year, in 2007 by the Southern Gospel Music Guild. He received the ‘Favorite Musician of the Year’ Award in 2009 and 2012 at The Southern Gospel Fanfare. In 2007, he was voted into the Edmonson County Music Hall of Fame in Brownsville, KY. In 2010 and 2011 he received Grammy and Dove Award nominations. In 2014 Jeff received an Absolutely Gospel Music Award (Ovation) for producing his last Triumphant project, and recently won a 2015 AGM Ovation for Musician of the Year.
Bluegrass superpickers combine new with traditional
Bluegrass fans are enjoying a rare treat: a new album from bluegrass supergroup Flashback. Titled FOXHOUNDS AND FIDDLES, the album is now available following an album release party in April.
Flashback
The band’s name, Flashback, is an apt one. The group features well-known bluegrass musicians and entertainers Phil Leadbetter, Don Rigsby, Richard Bennett and Curt Chapman, all from the original “Flashback” band that was formed as a 20-year reunion band for J.D. Crowe, which brought all original members together (including Crowe, who came out of retirement) for a 2015 tour in which they were known as The Flashback Band. Their band name comes from the title of the album they released with Crowe in 1995. After Crowe returned to his retirement, he was replaced by baritone Stuart Wyrick on banjo.
Since their early days playing Crowe, each of the original band members have gone on to become individually recognized stars in bluegrass circles as solo artists and members of other groups.
New single out now
The first single from the album is the title track, Foxhounds and Fiddles, written by Bennett and Rigsby. According to Leadbetter, the song is about the way things used to be for folks who grew up in the country.
The album is on Pinecastle Records and is available for purchase from their website as well as from iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. Read more about Flashback here.
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”
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.
Buddy Jewell Reloaded EP
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.
Texas native Zach Stone, dubbed Country Music’s “Fresh Face” of 2017, made the rounds at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) last week and was acknowledged by many as a captivating newcomer to the annual event. The Belmont graduate and former “Best of The Best” made introductions, shaking hands with radio personalities and conducting interviews throughout the course of the seminar.
Zach Stone performs at SOUTH for Spotlight 615
A featured artist at the Spotlight 615 Showcase, Zach performed before a packed house at SOUTH on Friday evening, February 27.
The former Team USA member destined to play Major League baseball turned down the “pitch” to pursue his music career. Since hitting Nashville just a few short years ago, the young, dynamic showman and road warrior has already canvased 32 states to stake his claim as a must-see entertainer.
Zach partnered with Music Row’s most accredited A-list songwriters to lay the groundwork for his sophomore EP, titled ASHES; the six-song recording project [produced by Rex Schnelle (Brooks & Dunn/Trace Adkins)] was released late last year and is available via all major digital retail outlets.
Here is the full text of a press release about a subject very close to my heart: animal welfare. I encourage you to support this great cause and listen to some fine music, too! – Preshias.
12-song compilation is a labor of love for rescue animals
Blue Night Records has announced the forthcoming release of a very special project. Some of acoustic music’s most respected and gifted artists have come together for the creation of Rescue Me! which is truly a “cause for paws.”
‘Rescue Me!’ Now available for pre-order
From its inception, the project has had one driving purpose: to support the furry creatures who so enhance our lives with love and loyalty. Now, at last, that purpose has materialized with energy and joy as a 12-track compilation album of tender tunes that honor our four-legged friends. Rescue Me! is a heartfelt collection of Americana music featuring songs that are thought-provoking, uplifting, engaging, and downright funny.
“We invite others to join us in raising awareness of and providing financial support to animal rescue organizations,” says Blue Night Records President, Steven Briggs, who co-produced the album with singer/songwriter Amy White.
All of the tracks on Rescue Me! were donated to the project by the songwriters and performers: Mary Ann Kennedy, Kathy Chiavola, Cindy Mangsen, Robin Flower, Libby McLaren, Annie Lalley, Heidi Muller, Mark Weems, Ashley Jo Farmer, Friction Farm (Aidan Quinn & Christine Stay), Effron White, Jamie Anderson, Amy White, and Joel Mabus. And with great joy, Blue Night Records has pledged to donate all of its profits from Rescue Me! sales and full CD downloads to animal welfare organizations.
Pre-orders now available
Pre-orders for Rescue Me! are available now here, and the formal release date is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, April 30, 2017.
KY Southern Rock icons still blazin’ after 50 years
My Kentucky buddies are at it again: a new album, that is, from my longtime friends, The Kentucky Headhunters. They’re back from the Rock n’ Roll Jungle, as they put it, with their latest project titled ‘On Safari.’
Kentucky Headhunters: ‘On Safari’
The album, set for a November 4 release premiered on Hillbilly Jim’s Haunted Hayride on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel over the Halloween weekend. That was appropriate, given an album cover that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a ‘Tales From the Crypt’ comic. But judging from the teasers you can hear as part of a 20+ minute EPK at the Headhunters’ website, the emphasis is on their unique blend of Southern rock and blues-tinged country.
A note on the website states that several life-changing events affected the band’s attitude as they recorded the new album. Band members Richard and Fred Young lost their father just three days before heading into the studio to record On Safari, causing the HeadHunters to let their guard down and pour even more emotion into the record, which they have dedicated to the memory of Richard and Fred’s father. Additionally, the band felt a new energy following their first-ever European tour and that energy is evident on tracks that nod at the importance of family and the Southern way of life.
The Kentucky Headhunters. Photo credit: Joe McNally
Almost fifty years into their music career, the Kentucky Headhunters are still breathing fire and fresh air into their infectious, hard-rocking, unique sound. See ‘em live by all means, but definitely give a listen to their 12th studio album, ‘On Safari.’
Wariner’s collaborators include Ricky Skaggs, Duane Eddy, Eric Johnson and more
My dear friend – and fellow Kentucky native – Steve Wariner has a great new album about to drop at the end of October. It really is a special project with a who’s who of guests and family members contributing their combined talent. Please give it a listen!
Steve Wariner releases “All Over The Map.” Photo: David McClister
For his 20th studio album, four-time GRAMMY Award winner Steve Wariner knew he had to do something really special. When All Over The Map began coming together, it became clear just what that would be.
The 12-track album evolved into a remarkable tribute to the Grand Ole Opry member’s influences, both living and deceased, in addition to a celebration of his lineage. While packed with acclaimed guest musicians, the set — to be released Oct. 28 on SelecTone Records — artfully showcases Wariner’s own musical talents. In addition to producing the album, he plays guitar, upright bass, drums and both pedal and lap steel, as well as singing on seven of the songs. (The other five are classic instrumentals.) Wariner also penned 10 of the tracks.
Tribute to Chet Atkins
A touching tribute to late mentor Chet Atkins, titled “CGP,” takes its name from the coveted title Atkins bestowed on Wariner: Certified Guitar Player. On the track, Wariner enlisted the talents of the only two other living musicians to have earned the same title from Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles. The album also includes “When I Still Mattered To You,” a song Wariner wrote with Merle Haggard on a cruise ship in 1996 but had never previously recorded.
Ricky Skaggs guests on “All Over The Map”
Close friend Ricky Skaggs, with whom Wariner won his first GRAMMY in 1992, is featured playing mandolin on “Down Sawmill Road.” Other celebrated musicians featured on the album include: Musicians’ Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Duane Eddy (“Nashville Spy-Line”), GRAMMY Award winner Eric Johnson (“Meanwhile Back In Austin”), Greg Martin of The Kentucky Headhunters (“Way It Goes”) and Jack Pearson (“Drop Top”).
Wariner family heritage
But it’s Wariner’s own family that provides the bulk of the inspiration for the album, which was 20 months in the making. Throughout the creation of the album, Steve relied heavily on his son Ross, who lives in New York, for advice and consultation on the technical production aspects of the album. He wrote the Western swing tune “Mr. Roy” as a tribute to his musician father, and “Down Sawmill Road” is named for the Kentucky road where his mother grew up. His GRAMMY-nominated son Ryan Wariner wrote and plays on the track “The Last Word.” Wariner reached back deep into his rich family history for the album’s closing instrumental track, “Augustine’s Dream,” inspired by his maternal four-times great grandfather who served in the Revolutionary War.
“Getting to play and record with these wonderfully creative people means the world to me. I am grateful to all! Some I’ve collaborated with before, others… well, it’s pure bucket list for me! This project is the perfect example of what keeps me going…what keeps me excited,” notes Wariner. “Traveling into territory I’ve never been to before. And there’s lots of that here on this album. It’s hard to describe the joy I feel making music with my sons…and family for that matter. Now I know how my father used to feel. I am so very proud of my musical roots and heritage. ”
You can watch a video of the creation of the album cover for “All Over the Map” here.
14 Number Ones; 30 Top Ten hits
In his storied career, Wariner has achieved 14 No. 1 songs and more than 30 Top 10 hits, including such classics as “Holes in the Floor of Heaven,” “Life’s Highway,” “The Weekend,” “I’m Already Taken,” “I Got Dreams,” “Small Town Girl,” “Two Teardrops,” “Some Fools Never Learn,” “Lynda” and more. An award-winning songwriter, Wariner has also composed hit songs for Clint Black (“Nothin’ But the Taillights”), Garth Brooks (“Longneck Bottle”), Bryan White (“One Small Miracle”) and Keith Urban (“Where the Blacktop Ends”), as well as artists such as Country Music Hall of Fame members Alabama, Kenny Rogers, The Statler Brothers, Conway Twitty and Don Williams; pop music icon Peter Tork (of The Monkees); R&B singer Ruben Studdard; bluegrass music’s Del McCoury Band and many more. Wariner is a member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. For more information, visit Steve’s website
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
Rascal Flatts’ Christmas album: The Greatest Gift of All
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
Dierks Bentley
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
Mark Chesnutt
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
Brady Seals
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.
Gordon Kennedy
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.
Reproduced below is the press release announcing the Waylon Jennings album for which I wrote the liner notes. It is a remarkable album of tracks long thought to have been lost forever. In addition to its historical significance, it’s a heck of a good album! I recommend you give it a listen. – Preshias Harris
COUNTRY REWIND RECORDS (NY) INTRODUCES THE LOST NASHVILLE SESSIONS FROM WAYLON JENNINGS
Gem Features 14 Never-Heard-Before Tracks, And One Bonus Track (Digital Only)
The Sixth In The Label Series — Due Mid-October 2016
The Lost Nashville Sessions (Waylon Jennings)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 13, 2016)—Country Rewind Records (a division of Hindsight Records, NY), will introduce one of its newest collections of country music’s hidden treasures—THE LOST NASHVILLE SESSIONS (Waylon Jennings). The project will be available October 21, 2016* via all major digital retail outlets.
An impressionable country music singer, who became a Grammy recipient early in his career (for “MacArthur Park”) and forged his name as an iconic figure in American music history, Waylon Jennings was a member of the “Outlaw Country” music movement and genre. He shared the billing with renowned, award-winning recording artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson. THE LOST NASHVILLE SESSIONS showcases Jennings’ stout talents as a young and promising recording artist (spotlighting the number one hit “Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line”) and highlights a piece of music history that may have easily been lost and forgotten.
The musical gem features 14 never-heard-before tracks originally recorded at Scotty Moore’s Music City Recorders (July 1970) as part of a U.S. military recruitment radio program. The 15-minute recorded shows hosted performances by, and banter with, popular country artists (Jennings, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty and Tammy Wynette to name a few). Created to encourage recruitment, the shows were distributed for “promotional-use only” on vinyl to 2,000 participating radio stations. Country Rewind Records President, Thomas Gramuglia, dusted off the masters from each and every recorded program with the idea to bring these performances to life via today’s contemporary and digital musical formats. (THE LOST NASHVILLE SESSIONS is just one of hundreds of recordings.)
Grammy award-winning musician and producer, Robby Turner (who is also the late country legend’s longtime steel guitarist and producer, and now plays with Chris Stapleton), added instrumentals and background vocals to the raw original tracks (including Waylon Jennings’ classics and his renditions of Chuck Berry’s “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” and Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down”).
With audio quality of the highest twenty-first century standard, the project has been described as “Delightful” (Robert K. Oermann/Music Row Magazine). The production sounds as if Waylon and A-list musicians recorded the project just yesterday. Jennings’ widow, Jessi Colter, and their son (Shooter Jennings) have given their permissions and blessings to release the project.
Music City Media will head up the press and social media campaign; Williams Promotions will oversee the radio promotion campaign. The project is being distributed by Select-O-Hits.
THE LOST NASHVILLE SESSIONS digital retail release date: October 21, 2016. iTunes pre-sale begins September 23, 2016; purchasers who take advantage of the iTunes pre-sale will be offered “Kentucky Woman” as the instant gratification track.
For more on THE LOST NASHVILLE SESSIONS and other Country Rewind Records productions, visit countryrewindrecords.com.
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.
