Monday report 6-29-09
THE ZAC BROWN BAND SCORES #2nd NUMBER ONE HITTHE ZAC BROWN BAND's "Whatever It Is"...show they have plenty of "it" as the song moves it on up a notch to notch their second #1 hit...while...DIERKS BENTLEY's "Sideways" moves up one notch closer and one under the top as it pushes upward to #2 this week...and...KENNY CHESNEY's "Out Last Night" moves out of the top spot, easing down to #3...with...LADY ANTEBELLUM...proving to be anti-gravity as they're "I Run To You" takes a two slot leap up, entering the Top 5 at #4...leaving...BILLY CURRINGTON's "People Are Crazy", also taking a crazy two space hurtle to round out the Top 5 at #5 this week.
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DIERKS BENTLEY #1 countryforever.comThis is one of those weeks when different people top the two major charts we have operating to measure the success of a country single or album. "Sideways" becomes Dierks’ SEVENTH #1 record and is likely to top both charts next week.
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PAISLEY LAUNCHES NEW ALBUM TODAY/
TO MAKE BIG SPLASH IN BIG APPLEBrad Paisley's new album American Saturday Night bows today and Brad will head to New York City to do some heavy promotion of the new collection.Brad will take his American Saturday Night to ABC’s Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series in Central Park and Live! With Regis and Kelly this Friday, July 3. The Good Morning America page of ABC’s website (http://abcnews.go.com/gma) will feature post-performance coverage of Paisley’s appearance, including an exclusive performance not included on the televised portion. This is Brad's eighth album.
SECOND SINGLE OUT WITH ALBUM...The album has already launched Paisley’s recent three-week #1 smash, “Then,” and yesterday radio stations across the country received the album’s second single, “Welcome to the Future.”ALSO, PAISLEY LAUNCHES RE-CREATED WEBSITE Coinciding with the release of American Saturday Night is a re-launch of Paisley’s website, www.bradpaisley.com, completely rebuilt, with enhanced navigation and features designed to deliver a more exciting experience and increased interactivity with fans. American Saturday Night marks the eighth album from the reigning three-time ACM and two-time CMA Male Vocalist winner. In all, Paisley’s albums have launched 14 #1 singles – and the last 10 in a row – with album sales in excess of 10 million units, including his 2x-Platinum 2005 ACM and CMA Album of the Year, Time Well Wasted. Click here for high-resolution album cover art for American Saturday Night.
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ANOTHER BIG THING FOR TAYLOR...countryforever.comJune 30th, Verizon, in conjunction with Rhapsody, will feature an exclusive track from Taylor Swift as recorded on her FEARLESS 2009 Tour using Verizon’s mobile recording studio. Taylor, with accompaniment from her band, The Agency, offer up their take on Tom Petty’s “American Girl”. The track will be available for full-song download, ringtone download, ringback download via Verizon, and it will also be available on Rhapsody. A video for the track, featuring exclusive footage captured on Taylor’s sold-out arena tour, accompanies the song on Verizon’s V-CAST platform and can be viewed beginning Tuesday 6/30 at www.vcastlive.com. Also, in tour news, Taylor has sold-out two additional markets on her first headlining trek—Atlanta’s Gwinnett Center last weekend and a two-night engagement at Chicago’s Allstate Arena this weekend!
CRAIG MORGAN BUILDING A BONFIRE ON THE CHARTS Craig Morgan has been heating up concert stages across the country this summer with his high-energy, hit-packed shows, high energy shows. Now he's got to tend the flame of a song that's been heating up audiences calle, "Bone Fire." “Bonfire” is a newly-written song Craig decided to test out in concert a couple of months ago, and the response to the song was intense and instantaneous. Craig soon added the song to his regular set list, and ultimately decided to give the fans what they want….he went into the studio and recorded the song.“I love writing and singing about the simplest pleasures of life’s little things, and the fans always react to that. I think that’s why ‘Bonfire’ has struck such a chord with everybody,” says Craig of his latest hit. “Whether you’re camping, at the beach or just cooking out, bonfires lots of times are the highlights of a summer party. We’re just bringing a little bit of that party to life in this song!”
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COUNTRY PAYS TRIBUTE TO FALLEN KING OF POPAlbright & O'Malley sent along this tribute to Michael Jackson put together by Steve Ringgold. Steve Ringgold,Director of Operations & Creative ServicesThe Big Time w/Whitney AllenThe Big Time Saturday Night(661) 294-6259 direct(661) 294-6253 fax(805) 501-2479 mobileAIM: SNRinggold This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Jaye Albright, Consulting Partner,Albright & O'Malley Country Consulting/RadioIQ7699 Fletcher Bay Rd NEBainbridge Island, WA 98110Voice: (206) 498-6261Mail to: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
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LUKE BRYAN VIDEO SET FOR AMAZON PREMIERE JUNE 29THLuke Bryan’s video for his current song “Do I" is premiering on Amazon Monday, June 29th. Fans will not only be able to see the new video, but they’ll also be able to buy the single and preorder Luke’s upcoming Capitol Nashville album Doin’ My Thing – which is being released October 6th. The Shaun Silvia-directed video takes place in a downtown Nashville loft and has Luke showing off his acting skills. “I can’t wait for my fans to see my new video,” says Bryan. “It’s different from anything I’ve done in the past but I think it really tells the story behind the song."Personal note: There's no better place to see Luke Bryan perform than live. If you haven't seen that yet, be sure to take advantage of the next opportunity to do so. Bryan is masterful, spontaneous and completely at home on stage interacting creatively with his great band and the audience while his, good ol' boy charm oozes from every pore of his body. The right album, series of hits and he'll become a marquee artist just like that.
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RODNEY CARRINGTON’S EL NIÑO LOCO STRONG DEBUT- VIDEO FEATURES TOBY KEITHToby, Tom Skerritt, Rodney on Beer For My Horses setComedian Rodney Carrington’s new all-music album, El Niño Loco, debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Comedy chart this week - his seventh album to debut within the Top Ten of that chart - as well as at #19 in the trade publication’s Country chart and #76 on their Top 200. The first video from El Niño Loco, “If I’m The Only One” – featured as an iTunes “Video of the Week” – highlights comedic performances from some familiar faces: actors Jennifer Aspen and Nick Searcy from Carrington’s popular ABC sitcom Rodney and superstar Toby Keith, one of El Niño Loco’s producers and co-writer on several of the album’s songs. About the popular video, Carrington said “Seeing and working with everyone from the Rodney show again was great – and of course working with Toby Keith is always a lot of fun.” “I always try to surround myself with talented people - to cover up the mistakes I make... that’s the secret of my success,” he added with a grin.
CHECK OUT THE GLORIANA VIDEO FOR "ALMOST MADE IT ALL"The video for "Almost Made It All," is a big-time video for the group's big-time sound that features, once again, their glorious Gloriana harmonies. Check it out. Shot on the road with the Taylor Swift tour...it features a cameo by Miss T, herself. REBA TO ROLL OUT ‘COWBOY’ DANCE MIX: Reba performed a new song, “I Want A Cowboy”, from her upcoming album Keep On Loving You, during her recent show at Dallas, Texas’ new Cowboys Stadium. Clearly the song was appropriate to debut at what is the new home of the Dallas Cowboys. And now, a special version of that song will be launched next week to hundreds of country dance clubs in anticipation of Reba’s August 18th album release. We asked the superstar what led her to record the song. “I’m a huge fan of Katrina Elam—I love her singing and I loved her album she had out a few years back,” notes Reba. “So I was listening to the album, and was talking to my producer Tony Brown, who had co-produced Katrina’s album a few years back, and asked him if there were any plans to do anything with the song ‘I Want A Cowboy’. Tony called Katrina and asked her if she had any plans for the song, and she said ‘No, I don’t think so—why?’. He told her I wanted to record it, and she thought that would be great. So we immediately went into the studio and cut it!”
JIMMY WAYNE LOVES VISITING THE BIG APPLEFresh from performing a CMA songwriter showcase in The Big Apple, Jimmy says what makes New York so special to him. “I travel all over America and NYC is one of my favorite places to visit because of the multicultural environment,” says the hitmaker. “I love the shock factor as well. You will see someone dancing on the street or the paparazzi chasing a celebrity. It's crazy. And now, with the CMA annual songwriter event, you can even see a country music writers in-the-round at Joe's Pub! How about that? The people are great. If you like something consistently different, you'll love New York City!”
JUSTIN BACKS THAT THING UP—TO THE FLOOR Justin Moore lives up to "the butt must go on," er, "the show must go on" when you bust your butt on stage as Justin did recently.“I busted my ass, ironically, during my song ‘Back That Thing Up’,” recalls the rising star. “All you can do in a moment like that is keep on going!” And speaking of keeping on going, things are moving quite fast for Justin lately, thanks to his breakthrough single “Small Town USA” which just cracked the Top 20. Justin can’t wait for his self-titled debut album to land in stores on August 11th. He tells his fans in his MySpace blog: “I’m really proud of the writing and production on this album. It will definitely give people a better idea of who I am after they hear it.” Fans who can’t wait until August, can get a sneak peek of five tracks from the album on the just-released digital EP ‘The You Asked For It EP’, available now at iTunes.ARTIST NEWSFLASH4th OF JULY THE ESSENCE OF INGRAM’S ‘CRAZY’: Come Independence Day, he’ll be sweating from the stage by the time fireworks explode, rather than doing what his hit song’s lyrics encourage, but that’s just fine by Jack Ingram. Jack, whose latest single “Barefoot And Crazy” is his fastest-climbing yet, headlines the Whitewater At The Horseshoe 4th of July event in New Braunfels, TX next weekend, and for Jack, it is a chance to bring his summer anthem to the ultimate party. “This song screams summertime while also providing a much-needed release for all the people who work hard all year long,” notes Jack. “We’ll be rocking hard as we celebrate our country’s freedom this weekend. And, you know to me, ‘Barefoot And Crazy’ is a song tailor-made for the 4th. It offers pure stress relief for the people that make this country move, giving everyone a break from the grind.” Throughout the summer Jack has felt immediate reaction from audiences to this song, a, “It’s pretty simple, really: the video is filled with real people letting loose and having a party, which is exactly what I see every night when I play it. We had a blast capturing it on film.” Jack’s new video will impact video networks in the coming weeks.
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KATE & KACEY’S PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE FROM 30-THOUSAND FEET Kate & Kacey continued their fast-paced radio tour this week, and for the twin sisters, they have grown accustomed to life from 30-thousand feet. “I did the math, and in the next 2 weeks we will be on an airplane every single day except for 2 of them,” exclaims Kacey on the duo’s MySpace blog. “Don't get me wrong, we both love our jobs, but sometimes we can't help but look back and think—‘WHERE has this year gone???’. From filming their new music video for “Dreaming Love”, performing as part of Yahoo! Music’s ‘THE NEW NOW’ series, performing at CMA Music Fest, making their mark at the CMT Music Awards, and continuing their marathon radio tour, it is no wonder the girls feel like time has flown by this year! But even given the hectic pace, Kate & Kacey never forget to remember the important things. “The only things I really miss right now are the moments and holidays that Kate and I don't get to spend with our loved ones,” says Kacey. “Take Father's Day for instance--we didn't get to go home and have a BBQ and hang out with the people we love. And, you know, that’s what we sacrifice in exchange for getting to pursue our dreams—which is an opportunity we wouldn’t trade for anything. It’s just, with the pace we are traveling, the time we have with family is all the more precious.”
CHESNEY'S SINGLE AT THE TOP THIS WEEK ONCE AGAINKENNY CHESNEY'S "Out Last Night" remains the number one song again this week...as...THE ZAC BROWN BAND's "Whatever It Is," leaps a couple to land at #2..with...DIERKS BENTLEY's "Sideways" heading upways a couple also to grab the #3 spot...while...BRAD PAISLEY'S "Then" slips two to 4th place....KEITH URBAN's sliding a couple also, to round out the Top 5 to #5 this week.
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KENNY CHESNEY TO HEADLINE NEW YORK STOP OF HARD ROCK’S 2009 AMBASSADORS OF ROCK TOUR IN TIMES SQUAREHard Rock International is bringing its worldwide Ambassadors of Rock Tour to New York! And, Kenny Chesney, will perform at Hard Rock Cafe New York in Times Square on Tuesday, September 15th, as part of Hard Rock’s 2009 Ambassadors of Rock Tour, a global concert series featuring top artists and bands.“Music that connects is music that rocks,” Chesney explained. “To me, the Hard Rock Ambassadors of Rock Tour is about the experience of music, of coming together, of how blinding it can be when it’s good… whether it’s Bruce Springsteen or Nine Inch Nails, Neil Young, the Killers or us. I’m honored to take part in this because that place where music and people come together to really let go, well, that’s what we’re all about.”
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JACK INGRAM LINE TO REMEMBERcountryforever.comJack Ingram closed the CMT Awards Kick-off party recently and, even though it was midnight, he delivered the perfect keep 'em there line, : “I know you don’t need written… permission… to have… a… good… time!”...He then proceeded to make sure they did with his concert staple, "Mustang Burn" and a lot more hot Ingram stuff. Ingram concluded, “You know, you hit that stage… and it doesn’t matter what time, how late, how long or whatever’s happened,...It’s summer… It’s hot… and people are ready. You don’t leave people in that kind of state alone.”
JAMEY JOHNSON WORKING ON THE NEXT ONE cf.comJamey Johnson has already done a lot of recording, for his next album with about 40 songs completed that he will choose from. He says he’s not in any hurry to get the second album out. Jamey tells Billboard, "Our days of going in and knocking an album out in one day are probably done. From now on we're probably going to keep going in and recording and keep material available. We'll go in and if we end up doing something special with that session then great, if not then, well, we did it. When we've got some cool stuff we can use, we'll take those and place 'em somewhere along the way. We're always looking for innovative ways to bring our songs to the people." Jamey says the next album will be a continuation of the story he started with his first album, “That Lonesome Song,” but it will be about more of the things he’s experienced and gone through since he wrote the first album.
REBA PAYS TRIBUTE TO HER FANS:
Reba’s debut album for Valory will be titled Keep On Loving You, and the album’s cover is revealed in Reba’s artist section below. Press reports have trickled out about Reba ‘stealing’ the song from Brooks & Dunn. This begged two questions, why she recorded it, and also, why she chose to title the album after that song? “When Tony Brown and I were in the studio recording, he had just finished some songs with Brooks & Dunn for their album,” recalls Reba. “I asked Tony to hear some of the songs, and so he played them for me, and told me that there’s one song that they aren’t going to put on the record, and it was the song ‘Keep On Loving You’. So I called up Ronnie and asked him what he planned to do with it and he said, ‘aw, I don’t know, maybe we’ll put it on the next record.’” Reba continues: “So I said ‘why don’t you let me record it, ‘cause I’m not through with my album yet’. He said ‘you’d record it?’ and I said ‘absolutely I would! I think it’s a great song and a monster hit!’
TAYLOR STUFF INCLUDES TYING A RECORDcf.comWhen Taylor Swift picked up her second Video of the Year award from CMT, she joined an elite club. The only other artists to own two Video of the Year Awards are Toby Keith and Keith Urban.ALSO, with the momentum of her huge tour and her two big wins at the CMT Awards, it's not surprising she picked up FOUR Teen Choice nominations last week as well, Choice Music – Female Artist; Choice Music – Love Song (for “Love Story”); Choice Tour – The Fearless 2009 Tour; and Choice Music – Album by a Female Artist (for “Fearless”). One other note, CMT CROSSROADS: TAYLOR SWIFT AND DEF LEPPARD, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Clubs, arrived in stores now, and includes interviews and eleven electrifying performances, three of which have never been seen before.
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FAITH SMELLING MONEY IN SMELLIN' GOOD countryforever.comFaith Hill is the latest country star to create her own fragrance. Faith unveiled her signature fragrance, “Faith Hill Parfums” on Thursday in New York. Faith’s scent is said to “contain notes of magnolia, peony and crisp pear.” She tells Women’s Wear Daily, “I’m pretty picky when it comes to fragrance — I don’t wear a lot of it, and I haven’t worn a lot in the past. I wanted to be able to create this scent, to be involved with the lab, choosing the notes, and everything.” The perfume will start at $17 for a 1-oz. bottle when it launches in October.
KELLIE PICKLER AN OK PERSON
OK Magazine thinks enough of Kellie Picker to give her a 6 page spred. In the feature you get Picklers feelings about life on the road and more. Pickler OKThe latest in a series of magazine features focusing on Nashville’s lovely country artists involves Kellie Pickler in a six page spread for OK Magazine. Billed as Southern Belle, Pickler dishes about life on the road and as a member of country music family.
LeANN RIMES SAYS SHE'S NOT SEEKING A DIVORCERumors have been swirling that LeAnn Rimes is seeking a divorce from her husband on the heels of a rumored affair with actor Eddie Cibrian, with whom she starred in the Lifetime movie, “Northern Lights.” Rimes has remained silent such rumors, but decided to take this one on, responding through a spokesperson she states, “Contrary to any tabloid rumor, LeAnn is not seeking a divorce.”
JIMMY’S COFFEE CUP COLLECTIONJimmy Wayne’s Twitter following is growing rapidly, and the hitmaker keeps the ‘tweets’ coming all day long! Avid fans are well aware of his coffee cup collection, as Jimmy shares photos of new ones all the time. We asked Jimmy how that collection came about, and where the most memorable mugs are from. “My coffee cup collection is growing by the week,” notes Jimmy. “I get mugs from fans every time I do a show. They love to see their mug show up on Twitter. I tweet every morning, telling them ‘good morning’ and I take a picture of my cup as if was having coffee together with them. They respond the same. It's very cool. I recently got a 1982 ET coffee mug. It's the coolest by far!” To follow Jimmy on Twitter go to www.twitter.com/jimmywayne.
WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T GO HOME? NOT JUSTIN MOORE Justin Moore is playing a homecoming show at The Village in Little Rock this week. We asked the rising star what will be going through his mind as he steps on-stage in front of the people who have supported him the longest—the people he penned “Small Town USA” about. “I love playin’ at home,” says Justin. “This will be a 1000-seat venue in Little Rock. It's cool that we can go sell that many tickets back home. It's unbelievable to go back home to play cause not only do they sing the songs we’ve had on the radio, they also sing every other song we play. It’s very emotional for me.” Justin’s breakthrough single, “Small Town USA” continues its climb in the Top 20 this week.
KATE & KACEY HAPPY TO BE ON THE OUTSIDE SINGING INKate & Kacey have been getting Kenny Chesney fans revved up for the superstar’s Sun City Carnival stadium stops with a midday performance on the CORONA Tailgate Experience stage outside the gates. And the twin sisters told us how exciting the experience has been. “You know, last year we were sitting in the stands watching Kenny’s stadium show,” recalls Kate. “So it is unfathomable to us that this year we are a part of it, in some small way. Kenny’s fans are so great--and we count ourselves among them—and to be able to welcome them to the event and then get to watch the show from the stands with them, makes for the ultimate day!”
ALAN JACKSON CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF HITSJackson Sings at 20 Years ShowYesterday in a downtown Nashville Club Alan Jackson received an enormous plaque commerating all of his hit music after being introduced by label-mate Kix Brooks. The Occasion was to celebrate Jackson's 20 years of continuous success and superstardom.
After receiving the plaque, Alan and his band put on a show featuring his biggest hits to a packed crowd that had lined up to be part of the event hours before.
JACK INGRAM RELEASES BIG DREAMS AND HIGH Jack Ingram returns to the studio with producer Jay Joyce to add a couple last minute tracks to Big Dreams & High Hopes, which is quickly becoming one of the=2 0most anticipated releases of the fall. Having already recorded with roots songwriting icon Radney Foster and mainstream powerhouse Jeremy Stover, as well as a “stirringly lovely duet” with singer/songwriter Patty Griffi n, the opportunity to work with the more rock-leaning Joyce spoke to a piece of Ingram that is as much a part of him as the #1 “Wherever You Are.
MONTGOMERY GENTRY BREAKS RECORDWith close to 15,000 copies sold of their Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® exclusive “For Our Heroes” CD, Montgomery Gentry continues to break records as their project’s second week numbers still exceed any prior release in Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program. Last week, it set a record for best selling opening day, best selling opening week, and best selling week of all of the CDs for Cracker Barrel. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each CD will be donated to support the Wounded Warrior Project.Following a whirlwind week with the CMA Music Festival which includes their fan part and a performance at LP Field on closing night, Montgomery Gentry’s newest single, “Long Line of Losers,” has shipped to country radio and goes for adds on 6/22. Their current album, Back When I Knew It All, has already yielded back-to-back Number 1 singles, in the title track and “Roll With Me,” and the Top 5 “One In Every Crowd.” MIRANDA LAMBERT'S REVOLUTION BEGINS SEPTEMBER 29 Miranda Lambert will unleash her third album, Revolution, on September 29. The rave reviews continue to pour in on her self-penned, debut single including a "Hot Download" review in the current issue of People Magazine that proclaims Miranda "gets to the heart of the matter on the break up ballad, 'Dead Flowers.'" On the new album Miranda said, "I think this record is truly the most artistic project I have ever done. I really put my entire being into the making of it. From the writing to the recording to finding the perfect mixture of things I wanted to say. The inspiration was easy to come by, because it's a compilation of everything I have ever listened to and fell in love with. It's not an album where you listen from song to song, it's a state of mind, a way of life. I hope people have as much fun getting to know me through listening as I did getting to know myself in recording it. And maybe it will do just as its title says....start a REVOLUTION."
TOBY KEITH
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