LABOR DAY
 
WIKIPEDIA TELLS US, “The first big Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882, by the Central Labor Union of New York. It was first proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in May 1882.
Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day. Following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland reconciled with the labor movement. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike. The September date originally chosen by the CLU of New York and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers' Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, which it had been observed to commemorate.[4] All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.
 
 
 
REBA LOOKS FOR SONGS THAT MEAN SOMETHING
 
Reba has recorded hundreds of songs and has probably listened to thousands of demos to find those songs, so after all this time, what does it take to catch Reba’s ear?  “A song that touches my heart,” she says. “Because if a song touches my heart when I sing it, hopefully it will touch your heart when you hear it.”
 
Having been in the business for so long Reba knows there are only so many  subjects you can write a song about and so many chords and so many musical arrangements, but she still think it’s possible to write meaningful songs
with infectious melodies.  “A melody that when you’re off doing something else that melody is still in your mind and you’re thinking, ‘What did that go to?  Where did I hear this song?’  That’s a song that
will stay around for a while.  Those are the songs I’m looking for,” she says.  And in the case of her latest single, “Somebody’s Chelsea,” she took her own advice and co-wrote a song that both has a melody that sticks in your head along with a lyric that conveys emotion. [AUDIO]
 

 
 
TAYLOR SWIFT IS OBSESSED AND INSPIRED BY COOKBOOKS

Although  Taylor Swift doesn’t have much free time these days, when she does have down  time at home one of the things she loves to do is cook.  Baking has always been a passion, but Taylor says, “right now I'm obsessed with cooking, so I've been
getting all kinds of cookbooks.  Everybody knows, all of my friends know, that I love to cook, and so I have this entire bookshelf full of cookbooks in my place.”  And Taylor doesn’t discriminate when it comes to cookbooks.  If she can get an idea from it, she’ll read it. “I really love reading Barefoot Contessa cookbooks,” she says, “And you know when you go into the stores and there's [books like] ‘How To Make Great Sandwiches’ and you're [thinking], 'who buys those?'  I buy those! I'm see a book of ‘100 Ways to Make Cupcakes.’  I buy that.” More
than anything Taylor likes to use the cookbooks for inspiration as opposed to following the recipes to the letter.  She explains, “Basically anything that I can get from a cookbook and then improvise with, I'll get the basic
recipe from a cookbook and get the idea for it and then I'll just [think], 'oh, I wonder what would happen if I add this to it?'”  For now her kitchen experiments may have to wait while she World Tour 2011 through November 22nd and continues to promote her top 20 single, “Sparks Fly.”
 
 

NEW BEGININGS FOR MARTINA MCBRIDE

 After almost 20 years in the business,  Martina McBride would be lying if she said she didn’t wonder if she was still meant to keep making music, but thanks to some key changes in her management and a new record label, any of those thoughts were short lived.  She says, “You start doing this and you're in your 18th, 19th year of doing it and you start to wonder, 'well, hmmm, you know, what is in the future for me?'  Cause it's not gonna last forever.”  But the new energy that surrounds her has made all the difference in the world.  “The people that are around me now on management level and the record company are so positive and so passionate and have such great energy for my music and my career, and really encourage me to … Idon't know, that kind of belief and that kind of confidence in me just came at a really important time for me.” Not only did it give her a renewed energy, but Martina says, “When you have people that really believe in you, you start going, 'oh yeah, I mean I really do have a lot to say and  I want to do it in a way that my fans are gonna love and I'm gonna love.  And, wow!  I have people around me who love
it, too.  How amazing!”  You’ll be able to hear more of what Martina has to say when her new CD, ELEVEN, is released on October 11th, featuring her powerful new single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” which is already getting a huge response.
 

 
THE MANY SIDES OF TBP

 The Band Perry have released several songs off their debut album, which each have a unique message, ranging from calling out a liar to finding peace in a life cut short to finding lifetime love, but Kimberly, Neil and Reid say there definitely is a central message or theme that runs through the band. “We have different things for different folks all in our album, but I would say our overwhelming Band Perry theme is just sort of sticktuitiveness,” says Kimberly.  “11 years of blood, sweat and tears to lead you to this end will definitely give you a lot of life lessons and so half of this battle is just outlasting everybody else (laughs).”  
 
 
ASK JUSTIN MOORE WHAT’S COOKIN’ HE’LL KNOW, HE’S THE COOK
 
When Justin Moore isn’t out on the road, one of the things he enjoys doing is cooking.  One of the reasons he enjoys it is because he says, “It’s another way for me to be creative.”  That’s one reason why he doesn’t like to follow recipes exactly as they are written.  “I like to experiment,” he says.  “You know, I might have a recipe in front of me but I do what I think is best and I’ve been cooking for four or five years now, so I kinda know what works together and that kind of stuff… for me to stick right to the recipe is a little boring to me.”  Not to worry though, even though he enjoys spending time in the kitchen, he still knows how to “Bait A Hook” and skin a buck and all the other things he sings about in his current single, which is already approaching the top 30.
 
 
BILLY RAY CYRUS PERFORMED AT TELETHON
 
Last night Billy Ray Cyrus performed his song “19” on the will be performing “19” MDA Telethon
(check local listings)