New Artist Spotlight: Bobby Pinson - July 12, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
Raised in a string of small Texas panhandle towns, Bobby Pinson is the son of a high school football coach and an elementary school teacher. Collectively the towns were "50 miles past the middle of nowhere in the land of wind and dirt. Where football was life, Dad was boss and Christ was King," Pinson said. Poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein fascinated Pinson as a child. This led him to competition in the Texas Universal Interscholastic League (UIL), which sponsors storytelling and writing contests. Pinson recalled that when he was a third grader they'd read a story, and then... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Forty5 South - July 19, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
Forty5 South is more than an arbitrary band name; it is the road that tied the band together.
The band's namesake, Highway 45 South, runs through the members' collective hometown of Jackson, Tenn. On that rural highway sat the little sports bar, Jimmy D's. During an open mic night , band founder and lead vocalist Ashley Bowers decided to start a Country band, and recruited drummer Jonathan King, bassist Seth Gordon, guitarist and mandolin player Phillip Lemmings and guitarist Justin Tapley. Bowers chose members who had both Country and rock influences. He was looking for a unique sound. We don't... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Danni O'Neill - July 6, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
Danni O'Neill brings a unique combination of international influences to her music. Born in Coventry, England and raised in Toronto, Canada, O'Neill spent two years studying child psychology in Halifax before she pursued a music career. She returned to England and won placement at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts. Only 30 of 500 who auditioned were accepted to the fine arts facility, which was started by Paul McCartney. After graduation, O'Neill left London for Music City. One of her new Nashville friends asked O'Neill to sing on song demos. This led to work with producer Garth Fundis... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Hot Apple Pie - June 28, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
The ingredients for Hot Apple Pie are Keith Horne, a Virginia-bred flat picking guitar champion/bass player; Trey Landry, a Cajun drummer/accordionist Texan; Mark "Sparky" Matejka, a guitarist with a degree in jazz; and Brady Seals, a proven singer-songwriter. The foursome decided on the name "because it means so many things," Seals said. "It means home. It means comfort. It means Country. It means rock 'n' roll. And it is so American." The group began with Seals, formerly of the hit band Little Texas. "I wanted something that's fresh and new, a little edgy and yet mainstream," Seals... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Hanna-McEuen - May 31, 2005
By Tamara Saviano
It's only right that Jaime Hanna and Jonathan McEuen are together as a duo. The guys are first cousins and sons of identical twin sisters, Rae and Kae. Strong bonds were formed between the cousins while they were growing up together. Oh yeah, and their fathers Jeff Hanna and John McEuen have been playing music together for nearly 40 years as founding members of the legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. While their vocals are equally effective no matter who is singing lead, the voices of Hanna-McEuen transcend melody lines and harmonies. Both are accomplished guitarists whose work is featured.... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Joey Daniels - May 24, 2005
By Amanda Eckard
"If it's good music, I'm going to listen to it," said newcomer Joey Daniels who grew up listening to everything from Country to pop, R&B and rock. "I might sit down one day and write a pop song and the next day a Country song. Limiting a writer is like giving an artist a palette of paint but telling them all they can use is blue and red for the rest of their lives. It would be really boring. I see music the same way. I have chosen to do Country because I love it, but when I'm sitting around the house I'm going to continue to paint with all of the colors." Daniels' parents and grandparents inspired and supported her.... Read full story
Tim Nichols: Life after "Live Like You Were Dying" - July 26, 2005
By j. poet
After 20 years as a professional songwriter, Tim Nichols experienced a career watershed moment with "Live Like You Were Dying." The song, co-written with Craig Wiseman, and the first single and title track from the Tim McGraw album, set a record of 10 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Radio and Records chart. It won CMA Song and Single of the Year, a GRAMMY for Best Country Song and a nomination for the overall Best Song award. An inspirational gift book based on the song's lyrics shot to the top of the New York Times special gift book bestseller list. So what's life like after "Dying?" "It's... Read full story
The Jordanaires Step to the Forefront With 'Believe' - July 12, 2005
By Rob Patterson
You can't hear Country Music - or the last 50 years of pop music - without hearing The Jordanaires. Since joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1949 and then starting to sing with Elvis Presley in 1956, the quartet has, by their best reckoning, sung with some 2,500 artists on about 30,000 songs. They've appeared on more Top 10 hits than any vocal group in music history, and the cumulative sales tally of albums they've sung on exceeds 2.6 billion. After more than a half-century of making music, The Jordanaires are still pushing forward. Their new release Believe on Madacy Records is a 26-song collection of... Read full story
Billy Joe Walker,Jr.: Versatility in Action - July 19, 2005
By j. poet
Billy Joe Walker, Jr. is one of the most prolific talents in Nashville. His musicianship keeps him in demand as a session player, even as he approaches superstar status as a producer. It would be easier to list the people Walker hasn't played with than to present a complete resume. He's done sessions with The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Dixie Chicks, Randy Travis and hundreds of others. He's got "Takin' Up Space," written with Bobby Pinson, on the new Van Zant album, Get Right With The Man. He wrote Eddie Rabbit's No. 1 song "I Wanna Dance With You" and has more than 100 cuts to his... Read full story
Blake Shelton: Taps the Conway Twitty Songbook for a Hit - June 21, 2005
By Lorie Hollabaugh
Three albums into his career, Warner Bros. Nashville artist Blake Shelton has already topped the charts three times, twice with songs that tug at the heartstrings ("Austin" and "The Baby") and a comical change of pace with "Some Beach." His bid for No. 4 starts with "Goodbye Time," a soulful gem from the catalog of the late great Conway Twitty and written by James Dean Hicks and Roger Murrah. The song broke into the Top 10 on the R&R Country Airplay Chart and is No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart. Shelton heard the song on a television show about Twitty's life. He knew... Read full story
Countdown To 2005 CMA Music Festival - June 6, 2005
By Scott Stem
CMA Music Festival is the place for music lovers this week beginning at 9:30 AM Thursday morning when the first ever CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade begins at Broadway and Sixth Avenue South and culminates at the Greased Lightning® Daytime Stages at Riverfront Park with the Festival's lead off performance by Montgomery Gentry at 10 AM. The celebration doesn't stop, with concerts and activities happening throughout the four days, until the closing fireworks Sunday night at The Coliseum. CMA Music Festival is "Country Music's Biggest Party(tm)" with more than 400 Country Music.... Read full story
For Tom T. Hall, the Grass Is Bluer on the Other Side of Retirement - May 31, 2005
By Wendy Newcomer
Eight years ago, after 34 years of entertaining, legendary singer/songwriter Tom T. Hall retired. Yet each day he's still up at 5:30 AM, writing songs, listening to bluegrass music, painting, drawing and sometimes recording bands in the studio at his Fox Hollow farm 20 miles from Downtown Nashville. This is retirement? "I'm just retired from the big-time music business," clarified the man known worldwide as "The Storyteller." Hall has written Country classics including "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine," "I Love,"... Read full story
Jerry Reed: Fighting Father Time With Music - June 28, 2005
By Edward Morris
Jerry Reed will be the first to admit that he's no longer the hot-wired, nimble-fingered hipster he was back in the glory days of "When You're Hot, You're Hot" and "Smokey and the Bandit." But he's not shopping for rocking chairs yet, either. Reed has fun with this tug-of-war between youth and age on his new album, Jerry Reed Live! Still. It's his first album since Pickin' in 1999 and his first all-live album. Reed and his band recorded Jerry Reed Live! Still last year in Parsons, Kan. The r2k Records album was co-produced by Reed and Chet Hinesley (Doug Stone, Tony Joe White) and only two... Read full story
Dierks Bentley: Restless and on the Move - June 14, 2005
By Bobby Reed
For Dierks Bentley, "Lot of Leavin' Left To Do" is more than the title of a hit single he co-wrote. It's an apt description of his lifestyle. "I take pride in the fact that my band and I probably play more shows than anyone else in town," Bentley said. "We do 220 to 240 shows a year." Bentley has been on tour almost constantly since August 2003, when Capitol Records Nashville released his self-titled, major-label, Platinum debut. He has headlined and shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the business, opening for Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith and George Strait. Bentley can handle any.. Read full story
Tantowi Yahya: The Voice of Indonesian Country Music - July 6, 2005
By j. poet
Tantowi Yahya is Indonesia's most popular Country Music singer. His first two albums, Country Breeze and Southern Dreams, featuring American Country songs sung in English and Bahasa (also known as modern Indonesian) went double Platinum. His third collection, Country Manado, is already Gold and features traditional songs from North Sulawesi, played American Country style. Yahya, who goes by the nickname Tanto, is involved in many show business and cultural enterprises in Indonesia. The 44-year-old is Managing Director of P. T. Ciptadya Prestasi, a company that runs a record label and... Read full story
CMA Close Up News Service
© 2005 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc
Bill Gubbins; Country Weekly's New Editor-in-Chief - May 24, 2005
By Bobby Reed
Bill Gubbins recently became the captain of a very big ship. Earlier this year, the Ohio native took over as Editor-in-Chief of Country Weekly, which proudly proclaims itself "The World's No. 1 Selling Country Entertainment Magazine." Gubbins previously worked for a variety of publications including Creem, Moviegoer, SportsPage and he helped with the launch and wrote a regular feature for ESPN The Magazine. A former employee of Channel One and iPIX Corporation, Gubbins has a diverse background that includes work in television, film and Web-based technology. CMA Close Up: As the new... Read full story
