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COUNTRY NEWS (November 2007)
Passing of
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner, a Grand Ole Opry institution and member of the Country
Music Hall of Fame, died Sunday, October 28, at 8:25 p.m. at Alive
Hospice in Nashville. Porter was 80-years-old and had been hospitalized
since October 15. An Opry spokesperson announced on October 21 that
Wagoner had been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was released to hospice
care on Friday, October 26. Dolly Parton sang and prayed with Porter,
her former duet partner, during his last hours before his death.
CMA Award Winners
Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood each won two CMA Awards
earlier this month, including a third consecutive Entertainer of the
Year Award for Chesney. The 41st Annual CMA Awards were held Wednesday
night, November 7, in downtown Nashville. In addition to Chesney winning
the coveted Entertainer of the Year award, he also picked up his first
award in the Musical Event of the Year category, sharing the honor with
Tracy Lawrence and Tim McGraw for “Find Out Who Your Friends Are”
(Lawrence's single and first CMA award). Carrie Underwood won her second
consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year Award and also picked up the
Single of the Year trophy for her smash hit “Before He Cheats.”
Nominated seven times for Male Vocalist of the Year, Brad Paisley
finally won his first award in this category. Paisley's "Online" video
won Music Video of the Year. For a full list of winners, log onto
americanmusicchannel.com.
American Music Award Winners
Carrie Underwood picked up three honors when the American Music Awards
were handed out November 18 in Los Angeles. She won awards for favourite
country female artist and country album (Some Hearts), as well as the
all-genre text-in award. Tim McGraw was named favourite country male
artist and Rascal Flatts won favourite country band, duo or group.
People's Choice Award Nominations
Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts have earned two nominations each for the
People's Choice Awards. McGraw is up for favourite male singer, along
with John Mayer and Justin Timberlake. Rascal Flatts has been nominated
for favorite group, joining Daughtry and Maroon 5. Both Tim and Rascal
Flatts appear in the favourite country song category. "I Need You," (Tim
McGraw and Faith Hill), "Stand" (Rascal Flatts), and "Never Wanted
Anything More" (Kenny Chesney) are the contenders for favorite country
song. The fan voted awards will be presented on January 8 on CBS.
NSAI Purchases The Bluebird Cafe
The Nashville Songwriters Association International is purchasing the
infamous Bluebird Café in Nashville to use as a songwriters venue.
Founded 25 years ago by Amy Kurland, the club has hosted performances by
virtually every major songwriter in Nashville. It has also attracted
music publishers and record label executives in search of fresh talent,
including Capitol Records executives who signed Garth Brooks after
catching one of his Bluebird shows. The tiny venue was also the
inspiration for The Thing Called Love, a 1993 film starring River
Phoenix and Sandra Bullock, in which singer K.T. Oslin played the club
owner. Kris Kristofferson performed at the Bluebird Café on November 8
during a private event to officially announce the purchase details. NSAI
will take over ownership of the club on January 1. The NSAI is a trade
organization that promotes the songwriting profession, protects the
rights of songwriters, and educates aspiring talent.
Country Artists Join New NBC Series
Blake Shelton will join the cast of the new NBC series, Clash of the
Choirs, which will air December 17-20. Shelton will assemble a 20-person
choir in Oklahoma City and compete against other celebrities' hometown
choirs for a chance at winning a charitable prize to improve their
community. Viewers can vote for their favourite choir following
performances in New York City, with the winners announced on the final
show. Other participating celebrities include Michael Bolton, Patti
LaBelle, Nick Lachey and Kelly Rowland. And Trace Adkins has joined the
cast of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, which will premiere January
3 on NBC. The celebrities will each be trying to raise the most money
for charity in New York City, and the winner will present a $250,000
bonus check to the charity of their choice.
New 2008 Tours Announced
Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood will co-headline the Love, Pain & the
Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour in 2008. The 24-city tour will begin
January 31 in Uncasville, Connecticut. The tour gets its name from the
titles of two albums -- Urban's double-platinum Love, Pain & the Whole
Crazy Thing and Underwood's just-released platinum album, Carnival Ride.
Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson will be touring together in January and
February of 2008. The two singers teamed up for "Because of You," a hit
single from the Reba Duets album. They will be sharing a band and
performing each other's songs during their 2 Worlds 2 Voices tour. The
15-city tour kicks off January 17 in Dayton, Ohio, and concludes
February 16 in Kansas City, Missouri. LeAnn Rimes will be Kenny
Chesney's special guest next year on his Poets & Pirates tour. And
Little Big Town will open up for George Strait when he hits the road in
early 2008 for a series of arena concerts. The 19-city tour begins
January 10 in Austin, Texas, with dates currently scheduled through
March 7. Additional concert cities and dates are expected to be
announced soon.
Randy Owen To Release Solo Project
Alabama lead vocalist Randy Owen has enlisted Big & Rich's John Rich to
produce his first solo album. Randy has been writing with Muzik Mafia
members Shannon Lawson and James Otto for the album. Before going into
the studio, Owen performed several solo concert dates, include some as
an opening act for Gretchen Wilson, to decide if he would be comfortable
making an album without his Alabama bandmates. Owen is also expected to
tour to support the album, yet no label or release date has been
announced.
Lorrie Files For Divorce From Sammy
Lorrie Morgan has filed for divorce from her husband of six years, Sammy
Kershaw. Morgan and Kershaw were married September 29, 2001. She cited
irreconcilable differences in the filing and asked for enforcement of a
prenuptial agreement executed on September 6, 2001. They have been
separated since August. This was Morgan's fifth marriage, Kershaw's
fourth.
November Releases
Garth Brooks, Little Big Town and Taylor Swift released new albums
November 7. Brooks' The Ultimate Hits is a CD/DVD retrospective that
includes his latest hit single, "More Than a Memory." Little Big Town's
A Place to Land includes their current single, "I'm With the Band." And
Taylor Swift released a limited, deluxe edition of her self-titled debut
album. The CD/DVD set includes three new songs, a recording of her first
phone call with Tim McGraw and a behind-the-scenes home movie of her
life over the past year. George Strait released 22 More Hits on November
13, which contains 22 fan favourites and well known Strait hit singles
that despite not quite reaching number one at country radio made a
timeless impression on country music fans across the country. Keith
Urban's highly anticipated greatest hits album, Keith Urban Greatest
Hits: 18 Kids, was released November 20. Also released the same day was
a special edition of the CD, which in addition to the audio CD will
contain a DVD of 12 of his most popular music videos. And Cracker Barrel
released two new projects this month, sold exclusively through Cracker
Barrel stores and the company's Web site. Alabama's latest release,
Alabama: The Last Stand, was released on November 13. And Lonestar
released a new project, My Christmas List, on November 6. This is the
first project featuring the band's new lead singer, Cody Collins. |
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