COUNTRY WENT HOLLYWOOD THIS WEEKEND

Two major country stars invaded Los Angeles as headliners this weekend, FAITH HILL and KEITH URBAN.

Faith Hill was the featured guest artist of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday evening, Conductor, David  Campbell, told the audience that it has been an honor to arrange music for several Hill recordings before he opened the evening conducting the orchestral performances from the sound tracks from Hollywood Films like "Spiderman," to works by Giovani Rabici (ra-bee-see).

THEN FAITH ENTERED dressed in a long gown, making you think perhaps she was ready to sing a lot of great pop stuff, movie and show tunes, etc. But, no, because entering with Faith was her country band and backup singers...in turn, they were backed up by a 100 classically trained musicians playing violins, not fiddles, a row of acoustic basses, not electric bass, etc. It amounted to Country Diva, Faith Hill, delivering her greatest hits with the biggest sound you can imagine for songs like "Wild One," "Breathe," "Cry," "The Way You Love Me," "Let Me Let Go," plus, "There You'll Be," from the movie "Pearl Harbor," and more. The meld of a country diva and her country band and a world-class symphonic orchestra was a little like having barbecue ribs with escargot, but it worked.

Faith had the grace and presence of a country Queen, and the crowd loved it, including a couple that  flew all the way from Canada to be present for the show.

(Note: The last  time we saw Faith at The Bowl was a couple of years back when Tim McGraw rocked the venue with his full-blown country show, with Faith appearing briefly to sing along with their great duet hits. Tim was said to be present backstage, but did not appear on stage).

 SUNDAY NIGHT IT WAS KEITH URBAN'S TURN

Keith Urban rocked Staples Arena in Los Angeles so hard last year, they wanted him back again this year. SUGARLAND was scheduled to be the huge opening act for Keith, but, when Jennifer Nettles came down with a vocal ailment, country's hottest rising group, LADY ANTEBELLUM, was called in to pinch hit. And, hit they did...this group has been impressive from the beginning, scoring big hits with long shelf-life tunes and handling whatever big opportunity that comes their way, as they did last night in L.A.

cf.com

ALAN JACKSON HASN'T LOST CONTACT FROM WHERE HE COMES

Alan Jackson grew up in a converted tool shed and slept in a hallway because there wasn't enough room in the family home for him to have a bedroom. His music has always reflected his humble, but loving upbringing in small town, Georgia. And his latest is another anthem to growing up in  small-town, rural America. "I Still Like Bologna."

TAYLOR SWIFT'S SONGS IN HER HEAD

cf.com

NEW MUSIC FROM JAMEY JOHNSON A FREE DOWNLOAD TO FANS

The debut single from Jamey Johnson's forthcoming album is entitled "My Way To You." The song, co-written by Johnson and Charlie Midnight, was made available to radio stations across the country yesterday at 1:00PM/CT via PLAY MPE.
FOR HIS FANS, On August 3, "My Way To You" will be available as a FREE download at www.jameyjohnson.com<http://www.jameyjohnson.com/>. On August 11, the digital e-single will be available for download at iTunes and all other digital partners.

The follow-up album to Johnson's critically acclaimed That Lonesome Song will hit stores this fall and will also be released on vinyl.  "Man, that's how I listen to music. It's my favorite, number-one preference at home, to go put a vinyl record on my great grandmother's old record player.  Which reminds me, I need to get somebody to do some maintenance on it. It needs a new needle."

"STRANGE" CONTINUES AS REBA'S FASTEST RISER

Reba McEntire scored her second consecutive Top 10 single of 2009, with the fastest-climbing single of her career, “Strange”, ascending to #10 on Mediabase’s Country Top 50 chart, published in Country Aircheck and USA Today.  

JUSTIN MOORE NAMES BAND FROM ROOSTER MONICKER
 
Justin’s debut single, “Back That Thing Up” began with a rooster crowing, and that audio stamp led Justin to not only incorporate a rooster logo onto several merchandise items, but, he was determined to name his band in the same vein.  

“Double Barrel Ace is the name of my band,” proclaims Justin, whose single “Small Town USA” rolls into the Top 15 this week at Country radio.  “With our first single having a rooster on the beginning of the track, I thought a fighting cock would be a cool logo.  We put that logo on every piece of merch we have.  So, when we were trying to come up with a band name, we thought it would be cool if it had something to do with that.  We did some digging.  It turns out, a double barrel ace is what they call the meanest fighting rooster, so that's where it came from!”  Be sure to catch Justin and Double Barrel Ace on tour now—and don’t worry…we hear the band members are much more approachable than their name may imply!

 

VALORY OFFERS DIGITAL WIN-IT CAMPAIGNS WITH REBA, JUSTIN RELEASES: This summer, The Valory Music Co. and Big Machine Records will become the first label group offering country radio a digital win-it-before-you-can-buy-it campaign in conjunction with iTunes.  

Reba joins Valory’s Justin Moore and Big Machine’s Jack Ingram as the first artists taking part in this offering, bringing new excitement to the traditional album giveaways.  

JACK INGRAM MARATHON MAN

Jack Ingram, dubbed ‘The Marathon Man’ by PEOPLE in their recent ‘Hottest Country Guys’ special issue, is attempting to live up to that title—literally!  On August 25, 2009, the day his long-awaited new album Big Dreams & High Hopes is released, Jack will attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Record for ‘most consecutive radio interviews in a 24 hour period’.  The current record of 72 consecutive radio interviews is currently held by rock group Fall Out Boy conducted in Fall 2008.  Jack will begin a 24 hour series of radio interviews on Tuesday, August 25th at 8AM ET.  Radio stations from around the world are now being solicited to take part in this marathon feat.  Stations can sign up to speak with Jack by contacting McCoy & Associaties at 615-504-1268 or emailing them here.  More details are forthcoming.
 

SUMMER BRINGS BEST MEMORIES FOR KATE & KACEY

cf.com