New Artist Spotlight: Carrie Underwood - January 24, 2006
By Gary Voorhies
"American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood grew up in Checotah, Okla., where her father worked at a paper mill and her mother taught school. The youngest of three girls, Underwood started singing at church at 3 years old. By seventh grade, the "little girl with the big voice," began to enter local talent shows. Underwood's early music influences varied. "I grew up listening to The Four Seasons and The Bee Gees, John Denver and The Beatles. I learned to love the music of the '80s through my sisters. And growing up in Oklahoma, it was hard not to know Country Music really well. I started... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Shawn King - December 20, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
Shawn King grew up in show business as the daughter of Karl Engemann, a record company executive, and a top Hollywood studio singer Jerri Engemann, who recorded with Elvis and Bob Dylan. A native of southern California, King began performing at age 3 as a child studio vocalist, and later sang back-up vocals for motion pictures, television and albums. In the 1980s, King frequently guest starred on prime-time television shows and co-hosted "The Spectacular World of Guinness Records" with David Frost. From 1990-1996, King hosted USA Network's weekly entertainment news show... Read full story
Yesterday and Today with Universal Music Group - January 31, 2006
By Tom Roland
Through its primary subsidiaries - MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville and the former DreamWorks Records Nashville - the Universal Music Group has a huge presence in the current makeup of Country Music. In a recent issue of Billboard, the company owned three of the top five titles on both the Country Singles and Country Albums charts. Though the name Universal has existed in the music and movie industries for years, its presence as a distribution umbrella remains relatively new. Universal was established in 1998 when the Seagram Company merged with PolyGram. That single move represented the consolidation of a huge mass of Country Music history. Decca Records, a once-significant imprint that accounts for a large chunk of Universal's back catalog, was the first major label to record Country artists in Nashville, holding Music City... Read full story
SONY BMG: One Word, Three Letters and a Whole Lot of History - January 24, 2006
By Tom Roland
The 2005 merger of two of the record industry's few major distributors united giant corporations based in Japan and Germany. In Nashville, it also brought two of the companies with the longest track records in Country Music literally under one roof. The staff at SONY's labels - Columbia, Epic and Monument - packed up its file cabinets and abandoned the conglomerate's historic home in the heart of Music Row to re-establish operations in the RCA Label Group building - now renamed SONY BMG Music Entertainment building - a few blocks over. In doing so, the companies merged two impressive legacies: nearly half the members of the Country Music Hall of Fame - 43 out of 95 - have ties to SONY BMG. Here's a brief primer on the company's illustrious background: SONY MUSIC - Japanese electronics firm SONY entered the Country Music business... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Jimmie Wilson - January 17, 2006
By Gary Voorhies
Jimmie Wilson is from the small town of Pine Knot, Ky., on the Tennessee border. He originally planned to go into medicine, as he has a particular interest in children's health issues. He opted instead to pursue music, but is very involved with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Children's Hospital of Jackson, Miss. Wilson has worked the county faircircuit extensively. He names Alan Jackson, Tracy Lawrence, Martina McBride and George Strait as influences. "What Else Could Go Right," Wilson's latest single written by Chris Waters, is a song that takes the typical "What else could go.... Read full story
Rhonda Vincent and the 'World of Bluegrass' - January 17, 2006
By Rick Kelly
Bluegrass music has undergone a startling transformation in the past two decades, from obscure niche music to big business, and from cloddish stereotypes to recognition as the training ground for some of the greatest musicians of our time. While the music echoes the ancient sounds of Appalachia, in truth it was born only 60 years ago, on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Bluegrass is a genre of music that confounds the preconceptions of the uninitiated who would pigeonhole it as a quaint folk music with little bearing on the modern listener. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Bluegrass... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Heather Lynn Williams - January 10, 2006
By Gary Voorhies
Born in Orlando, Fla., and raised in Augusta, Mo., Heather Lynn Williams had won more than 200 trophies in dance competitions by the time she was 10. At 12, she shifted her focus to singing, and traveled the eastern United States to participate in singing and karaoke contests. Williams, who cites Ray Charles, Patsy Cline, Celine Dion and Martina McBride as major musical influences, moved to Nashville in 2001 to work full time on her music career. She signed to Roundabout Records and in September 2005, the label released her first album, Collections, self-produced with Buzzy Orange. It... Read full story
A Can't-Miss Proposition for Country Music Hall of Fame Member George Jones -
January 10, 2006 - By Chris Neal
It's always painful - or at least annoying - for an artist to pass up a song, only to see it become a big hit for someone else. On his new album, Hits I Missed ... and One I Didn't, George Jones shares with fans 11 songs he wishes he'd recorded when he had the chance - and a new version of a classic of his own that he nearly didn't record, "He Stopped Loving Her Today." Seven-time CMA Awards winner Jones and producer Keith Stegall began work on Hits I Missed ... and One I Didn't late in 2004, then finished up over the summer of 2005. Stegall, who has worked with Jones on and off since 1999's critically... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Erika Jo - January 3, 2006
By Gary Voorhies
As the youngest contestant to compete in the USA Network television talent competition "Nashville Star," 18-year-old Erika Jo was a long shot to win - but on April 26, at the end of the telecast's third season, she did just that. She was awarded a prize package that included a recording contract with Universal South Records, an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and an all-around express ticket to Country fame. Mount Juliet, Tenn. native Erika Jo has been singing professionally with her father's band since childhood. That experience paid off as she won over the "Nashville Star" judges and viewers.. Read full story
Faith Hill Never Stopped Being a 'Mississippi Girl' - December 20, 2005
By Michael McCall
Faith Hill peppers her conversation with sudden bursts of uninhibited laughter and with phrases like "Bless your heart," "Oh my gosh," "God bless them," "Isn't that sweet?" and "Don't you just love her?" In other words, she sounds exactly like thousands of other 30-something women raised in religious families in small Southern towns. Like many others, she moved to the city, worked hard, found success and gave shape to her dreams. Yet she held onto a piece of her rural identity, not only in the way she talks, but in the way she lives. As the song says, "a Mississippi girl don't change her ways... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Brittany Wells - December 13, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
Brittany Wells has become accustomed to reaching her goals. Ranked nationally by the United States Tennis Association until she walked away at 14, Wells is also a former Miss Teen Texas America. Now, she has collaborated with producer/songwriter Wyatt Easterling on her debut album on Spindletop Records, Loving Every Minute of It, released last year. Wells, the daughter of a U.S. Air Force Fighter pilot, was named for Brittany, England, the city where she was born. Her family moved when she was a toddler to Wichita Falls, Texas. As a child, Wells enjoyed belting out songs for... Read full story
Aimee Mayo: A Family Tradition of Songwriting - December 13, 2005
By Wendy Newcomer
It would have been strange if songwriter Aimee Mayo hadn't gone into the family business.
She learned the craft from her father, Danny Mayo, who wrote classics including Alabama's "If I Had You," Tracy Byrd's "Keeper of the Stars" and "Feed Jake" by Pirates of the Mississippi. "I've been writing as long as I can remember," said Mayo. "The first song I ever wrote, I wrote with my dad when I was 8 or 9. It was called 'If Only I Could Hold You Again, I'd Never Let You Go.' We had been to the movies, and afterwards I told him I wanted to be a songwriter. He said, 'Well, what makes you think you can... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Eddie Bush - December 6, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
Eddie Bush was introduced to the guitar at age 4 in his hometown of Charleston, S.C. By 12, he had discovered Jimi Hendrix, Kiss and Eddie Van Halen. He formed his first band before entering junior high school and was playing club dates by the time he was 16. "Once I decided that music would be my career," Bush said, "I was completely dedicated to becoming a great guitar player." Guitar great Eric Johnson became a major influence. "I saw Eric play and was absolutely blown away," he said. A friendship grew between the two and before long, Johnson had invited Bush to open a series of shows... Read full story
Independents' Day: Surviving in a Major Label World - December 6, 2005
By Edward Morris
Necessity isn't the only mother of invention. Ambition sires a few discoveries, too. This is demonstrably apparent among Country artists who record for independent labels - often their own. Without the promotional resources major labels provide to ensure national distribution, major market airplay and relentless publicity, indies have to find other avenues and methods to sell albums and tickets. But, with digital technology lowering recording costs and the Internet providing a worldwide storefront, many such acts are thriving. CMA Close Up magazine and news service polled several indie artists to ask... Read full story
New Artist Spotlight: Shooter Jennings - November 29, 2005
By Gary Voorhies
Waylon Albright Jennings, nicknamed Shooter, was born to life on the road. The only child of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, he lived his first few years in a crib on his parents' tour bus. "I thought everybody's family was like mine," he said. "We'd check out of hotels and travel all night. I loved it. To this day I sleep better on the bus than anywhere else." Beginning at age 5, he learned drums, piano and guitar. By 14, Jennings was an avid guitar player. Then he discovered rock 'n' roll, and left at 18 to seek his fortune in Los Angeles. "I had to get out of Nashville because I didn't feel it was my place at the... Read full story
CMA Close Up News Service
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Roger Murrah is a Stellar Songwriter and Savvy Businessman - January 3, 2006
By Bobby Reed
Renowned songwriter Roger Murrah has had a momentous year. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, he scored yet another Top 10 hit and he celebrated 15 years as the President of Murrah Music Corporation, one of Nashville's most successful independent song publishers. Murrah has written or co-written hits that boosted the careers of dozens of acts including "A Bridge That Just Won't Burn" (Conway Twitty); "Don't Rock The Jukebox" (Alan Jackson); "We're In This Love Together" (Al Jarreau); "Rough And Rowdy Days" (Waylon Jennings); "Stranger Things Have Happened"... Read full story
