Country music is alive and well north of the border. If there was any doubt about that, check out the dynamic Brett Kissel, whose boots carried him through the grass and mud of the family cattle ranch in northeastern Alberta, Canada, long before they took him onto a stage.
Amazingly, at the still-young age of thirty-two, he is already two decades into a music career, having released his first album, Keepin’ It Country, when he was twelve. Now he is gearing up for the release of his latest project, a four-part album set to drop in January 2023.
The new project will follow five albums released by Warner Music Canada, three of which (Started With a Song, Pick Me Up, We Were That Song) were certified Gold in Canada and included eight Gold and three Platinum singles. In 2020 Brett signed his first American record deal with Verge Records, the Nashville-based partner of ONErpm.
Fans both south and north of the border are getting a taste of what to expect from the new album with the release of the track “Watch It” (play / stream / download the track here).
“Watch It” follows the release earlier this year of the single “Ain’t The Same” featuring the American pop vocal group 98°.
Brett talked to me about the release of his new project in 2023 and the unique concept behind it.
Raises hundreds of thousands of dollars with celebrity friends
It was Craig Campbell‘s Celebrity Cornhole Challenge time in Nashville on Tuesday, June 5. The celebrities – and hundreds of fans – turned out at the City Winery to enjoy a warm, pre-CMA-Fest afternoon of fun for a good cause: to raise aware and funds for Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC). This is a cause very close to my own heart. My brother Shannon died from colorectal cancer at the age of 39 and his death could have been prevented simply by a colonoscopy.
Craig Campbell gets the Cornhole Challenge under way. Photo: Preshias Harris
In case you are not familiar with cornhole, it is a game in which small bags filled with dried corn or beans are tossed at a target consisting of an inclined wooden platform with a hole at one end. Points are scored when a contestant tosses his or her corn bag into the hole (3 points) or onto the board (1 point). The game was said to originate in Germany in the 14thcentury and was revived by settlers in Kentucky in the 19thcentury.
Craig’s new single: ‘See You Try’
The annual Celebrity Cornhole Challenge is organized by Craig Campbell who is recognized for his ‘new-school’ take on classic Country. On June 8, Craig released his first new collection in five years, an EP titled SEE YOU TRY (Broken Bow Records). The title song, ‘See You Try,’ is also Craig’s new single, written by Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line), Bart Butler, James McNair and Jordan Schmidt.
Craig was joined by LOCASH, Walker Hayes, Brett Kissel, Russell Dickerson, Jerrod Niemann, Brett Young, Lindsay Eli, Tegan Marie,Morgan Mills, Taylor Phillips, Dee Jay Silver, The Cadillac Three and other celebrities who tried their cornhole skill (or lack of it) to entertain the fans who cheered them on.
During a break in the action, I asked Craig, how did this event come about?
Craig Campbell
“Six years ago, I wanted an event that honored my dad,” said Craig. “He was 36 years old when he died of colon cancer, so I thought, what can I do to honor him? And to have fun and do something different, you know? A lot of people are having free concerts, golf tournaments, fishing tournaments. But no-one is having a cornhole tournament. So then, I thought it was a pretty cool play on the whole corn hole / colon, that sort of thing! So that’s how it all started. Now we’re at year number six and I feel it’s just getting bigger and better.”
Brett Kissel talks about Garth and Brad
Brett Kissel
As Brett Kissel took a break to grab a bottle of cold water, I asked him how it felt when he opened for Garth Brooks, the dream of every singer and songwriter.
“It was the best thing I’ve ever been able to do in my career,” he said. “I’ll tell you, every night that I got to step out on stage to perform and open the show, and then a few times when I got to be on stage and sing with Garth in front of his crowd, I’m telling you Preshias, that was exactly what Cloud Nine feels like! I believe that there are moments that are similar to what heaven could feel like, and that was like a heavenly moment.” Continue reading “Craig Campbell fights colorectal cancer with Cornhole Challenge”
