Country Music
- Fast Movers
- Moments at the Top
- Get ready for these
- ACM Show review
- Big Country Concerts this Summer
- Baseball Songs
- Country Loses A Voice in NYC
- Ringtones
- Rodney Atkins: The Chart Dominator
- Lonestar Loses Label
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Kenny Chesney storms up the chart, while Montgomery Gentry are the lucky men at the top.
Montgomery Gentry score their 3rd Billboard #1 song with "Lucky Man" this week, but it's the movers and shakers below them that is drawing attention.
Kenny Chesney new single "Never Wanted Nothing More" has blazed its way into the Top 10. Remember Tracy Lawrence's snail pace run to #1 from a couple of weeks ago? This song is exacted the opposite. In four weeks, it has gone from #37 to #17 to # 13 to #9.
Another big gainer is Big & Rich's "Lost in The Moment." The unique country duo looks like they will get their first number one song in a couple of weeks. Currently, the song is neck and neck with George Strait's "Wrapped" in the race to see who will replace Montgomery Gentry at the top.
For Big & Rich, this is their first Top 10 song. Despite their popularity, their success hadn't translated to the country singles charts until now.
Other songs to keep an eye on are the new releases by Toby Keith "Love Me If You Can," the very clever new one from Brad Paisley, "Online," and the dynamic country duo Brooks and Dunn's current single "Proud of the House We Built."
If your looking for some newcomer success, Luke Bryant is having a strong debut with "All My Friends Say," hovering at the bottom of the top twenty, and American Idol's Bucky Covington has a good shot at the top ten in a few weeks with his debut sinigle "A Different World."
Kenny Chesney new single "Never Wanted Nothing More" has blazed its way into the Top 10. Remember Tracy Lawrence's snail pace run to #1 from a couple of weeks ago? This song is exacted the opposite. In four weeks, it has gone from #37 to #17 to # 13 to #9.
Another big gainer is Big & Rich's "Lost in The Moment." The unique country duo looks like they will get their first number one song in a couple of weeks. Currently, the song is neck and neck with George Strait's "Wrapped" in the race to see who will replace Montgomery Gentry at the top.
For Big & Rich, this is their first Top 10 song. Despite their popularity, their success hadn't translated to the country singles charts until now.
Other songs to keep an eye on are the new releases by Toby Keith "Love Me If You Can," the very clever new one from Brad Paisley, "Online," and the dynamic country duo Brooks and Dunn's current single "Proud of the House We Built."
If your looking for some newcomer success, Luke Bryant is having a strong debut with "All My Friends Say," hovering at the bottom of the top twenty, and American Idol's Bucky Covington has a good shot at the top ten in a few weeks with his debut sinigle "A Different World."
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Canadian-based band Emerson Drive is about to score their first number one hit.
The big news around country radio has to be the rise of Emerson Drive's most recent single. Currently the song sits at #1 on Mediabase's daily airplay chart.
The song "Moments" is about a homeless man who stops a depressed young man from jumping off a bridge. Very moving and reminisent of Craig Morgan's top ten hit "Almost Home."
For the boys from Canada, this is their biggest hit since their second single "Fall into Me" which reached #3 on Billboard in 2002. In between were 4 singles that failed to reach the Top 15.
"Moments" joins Brad Paisley's "She's Everything" as the only true ballads to hit number 1 this year.
Here's a list of the number one country hits this year according to Billboard magazine.
Brad Paisley - She's Everything
Rodney Atkins - Watching You
George Strait - It Just Comes Natural
Trace Adkins - Ladies Love Country Boys
Kenny Chesney - Beer In Mexico
Tim McGraw - Last Dollar (Fly Away)
Carrie Underwood - Wasted
Rascal Flatts - Stand
Sugarland - Settlin'
Billy Currington - Good Directions
Emerson Drive - Moments
The song "Moments" is about a homeless man who stops a depressed young man from jumping off a bridge. Very moving and reminisent of Craig Morgan's top ten hit "Almost Home."
For the boys from Canada, this is their biggest hit since their second single "Fall into Me" which reached #3 on Billboard in 2002. In between were 4 singles that failed to reach the Top 15.
"Moments" joins Brad Paisley's "She's Everything" as the only true ballads to hit number 1 this year.
Here's a list of the number one country hits this year according to Billboard magazine.
Brad Paisley - She's Everything
Rodney Atkins - Watching You
George Strait - It Just Comes Natural
Trace Adkins - Ladies Love Country Boys
Kenny Chesney - Beer In Mexico
Tim McGraw - Last Dollar (Fly Away)
Carrie Underwood - Wasted
Rascal Flatts - Stand
Sugarland - Settlin'
Billy Currington - Good Directions
Emerson Drive - Moments
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Here's a heads up so you can plan out your summer country music shopping list.
It's the calm before the storm for country album sales.
In the next few months, a lot of highly anticipated albums will be released.
Here are the big ones and the dates you will see them on the store shelves.
Happy shopping!
May 29th
Jason Aldean - Relentless (lead single on radio now "Johnny Cash")
June 5th
Big & Rich - Between Raising Hell & Amazing Grace (lead single on radio now "Lost in the Moment")
June 12th
Toby Keith - Big Dog Daddy (lead single on radio now "High Maintenance Woman")
June 19th
Brad Paisley - Fifth Gear (lead single on radio now "Ticks")
source: www.allaccess.com
In the next few months, a lot of highly anticipated albums will be released.
Here are the big ones and the dates you will see them on the store shelves.
Happy shopping!
May 29th
Jason Aldean - Relentless (lead single on radio now "Johnny Cash")
June 5th
Big & Rich - Between Raising Hell & Amazing Grace (lead single on radio now "Lost in the Moment")
June 12th
Toby Keith - Big Dog Daddy (lead single on radio now "High Maintenance Woman")
June 19th
Brad Paisley - Fifth Gear (lead single on radio now "Ticks")
source: www.allaccess.com
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Lots of star-power, but few memorable moments at the ACM Awards show
When the lights went out on the 42nd ACM Awards show – here’s some of my immediate afterthoughts:
Tim McGraw saved the show – Up until then, it was very non-memorable, then Tim sang and the tears flowed and the memory banks filled up.
Shaina – why? – She showed up to make two introductions, not a problem if CBS didn’t promote her being there and made it seems like it was going to be a big deal.
No Alan or Dierks – how can two of the biggest hit makers in country music not be a part of the show?
Reba – she was OK, but she didn’t have much to work with, The jokes written for her were bad and there wasn’t a lot of moments to play off of.
Vocal performances – Mostly all sounded a bit odd, but that’s normal for an awards show. The best performances were Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, and Josh Turner.
Tim McGraw saved the show – Up until then, it was very non-memorable, then Tim sang and the tears flowed and the memory banks filled up.
Shaina – why? – She showed up to make two introductions, not a problem if CBS didn’t promote her being there and made it seems like it was going to be a big deal.
No Alan or Dierks – how can two of the biggest hit makers in country music not be a part of the show?
Reba – she was OK, but she didn’t have much to work with, The jokes written for her were bad and there wasn’t a lot of moments to play off of.
Vocal performances – Mostly all sounded a bit odd, but that’s normal for an awards show. The best performances were Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, and Josh Turner.
Big Country Concerts this Summer
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Summer concerts heat up and the biggest stars are involved.
This summer throughout North America there are some outstanding concerts planned. If you are lucky enough to be within traveling distance to any of these concerts, you might want to take advantage of it.
Here are the biggest country outdoor festivals being thrown during the first part of summer 2007:
Here are the biggest country outdoor festivals being thrown during the first part of summer 2007:
- 5/5/07 - 5/6/07 - Empire Polo Fields - Indio, CA - includes George Strait, Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, and many more - click here http://www.stagecoachfestival.com
- 6/7/07 - 6/10/07 - CMA Music Festival - Nashville, TN - check out schedule here http://www.cmafest.com/2007/entertainment/schedule_full.aspx?year=2007
- 6/9/07 - Heinz Field - Pittsburgh - Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Pat Green, Sara Evans, Sugarland
- 6/16/07 - Pizza Hut Park - Frisco, TX - Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Taylor Swift, Sara Evans, Sugarland
- 6/20/07 - 6/24/07 - Sunnyview Expo Center - OshKosh, WI - Alan Jackson, Joe Nichols, Tracy Lawrence, and more
- 6/21/07 - 6/24/07 - Country Jam USA - Grand Junction, CO - Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, and more
- 6/23/07 - Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia - Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Pat Green, Sara Evans, Sugarland
- 7/7/07 - Qwest Field Event Center - Seattle - Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Pat Green, Sara Evans, Sugarland
- 7//14/07 - Cleveland Browns Stadium - Cleveland - Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Pat Green, Sara Evans, Sugarland
- 7/18/07 - Country Thunder USA - Twin Lakes, WI - Reba McEntire, Steve Holy, Trace Adkins, Williams & Reed
- 7/22/07 - Country Thunder USA - Twin Lakes, WI - Kenny Chesney, Pat Green, Jake Owens, Heartland, Sugarland, Western Underground
- 7/28/07 - Gillete Stadium - Foxboro, MA - Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Pat Green, Sara Evans, Sugarland
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Baseball, apple pie, and country music - an american tradition.
Someone needs to sit down and write a song with baseball lyrics - quick! The great amount of exposure for the country music industry is at stake.
Last year, when Trace Akins released "Swing," it became a ballpark staple at many stadiums. Before that we had "The Cheap Seats" by Alabama and "The Greatest" by Kenny Rogers.
There are so many minor league franchises in rural towns that it's a natural fit.
Below are some of the baseball references in country songs -
"Watch the Yankees play ball" - Terri Clark, "I Wanna Do It All"
"Just Like the Dodgers Always Did" - Mark Chestnutt, "Too Cold At Home"
"Swingin' For the Bleachers in the Ninth Inning" - Michael Martin Murphy, "Still Taking Chances"
"When the Lights Go On At Wrigley Field" Statler Brothers, "Don't Wait On Me"
There's plenty more, write to me at countrymusic@suite101.com if you can think of any, or post it in the discussion forum.
Last year, when Trace Akins released "Swing," it became a ballpark staple at many stadiums. Before that we had "The Cheap Seats" by Alabama and "The Greatest" by Kenny Rogers.
There are so many minor league franchises in rural towns that it's a natural fit.
Below are some of the baseball references in country songs -
"Watch the Yankees play ball" - Terri Clark, "I Wanna Do It All"
"Just Like the Dodgers Always Did" - Mark Chestnutt, "Too Cold At Home"
"Swingin' For the Bleachers in the Ninth Inning" - Michael Martin Murphy, "Still Taking Chances"
"When the Lights Go On At Wrigley Field" Statler Brothers, "Don't Wait On Me"
There's plenty more, write to me at countrymusic@suite101.com if you can think of any, or post it in the discussion forum.
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Imus in the Morning helped introduce country acts to listeners in the big city.
New York City has been without a country music radio station for a number of years now, and now a popular radio program that would embrace country music is suddenly cancelled.
Obviously, there's no excuse for the comments that Don Imus made about the Rutger's womens basketball team on his nationally syndicated radio show, but the end result is one less country music advocate on the NYC airwaves.
Many listeners of Imus in the Morning got introduced to names such as Buddy Jewel, Big & Rich, and Montgomery Gentry by listening to his program. Don Imus is a country music lover and would make it a staple of his show.
It might seem like a trival aspect to the whole Imus saga, but in a market with absolutely no country music presence, losing this country music cheerleader will be noticable.
Obviously, there's no excuse for the comments that Don Imus made about the Rutger's womens basketball team on his nationally syndicated radio show, but the end result is one less country music advocate on the NYC airwaves.
Many listeners of Imus in the Morning got introduced to names such as Buddy Jewel, Big & Rich, and Montgomery Gentry by listening to his program. Don Imus is a country music lover and would make it a staple of his show.
It might seem like a trival aspect to the whole Imus saga, but in a market with absolutely no country music presence, losing this country music cheerleader will be noticable.
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Country music fans finally find the novelty of ringones.
A recent story from the Ashland City Times states the increasing growth of country music ringtones.
Here's a quote from the article, "country music ringtones are posting gains while national sales for all genres combined fall. Helping boost country numbers are more purchases by women and adult males,"
So what are the hot ringtones amongst country music fans? Trace Adkins "Honkytonk Bondonkadonk" and Big & Rick's "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy" lead the list.
Most attribute the upward trend to the late adaptation of country fans to this new technology, however the loyalty of country fans to their music also has a lot to do with it.
Here's a quote from the article, "country music ringtones are posting gains while national sales for all genres combined fall. Helping boost country numbers are more purchases by women and adult males,"
So what are the hot ringtones amongst country music fans? Trace Adkins "Honkytonk Bondonkadonk" and Big & Rick's "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy" lead the list.
Most attribute the upward trend to the late adaptation of country fans to this new technology, however the loyalty of country fans to their music also has a lot to do with it.
Rodney Atkins: The Chart Dominator
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Rodney Atkins is on the fast track to stardom
A virtually unknown name to country music fans just two years ago, singer Rodney Atkins has quickly ascending to the top of the country world.
Having a #1 song is one thing, but Rodney now has two blockbuster songs in a row, and will most likely capture the Billboard Hot Country chart song of the year for the second year in a row.
"If You're Going Through Hell" was the 2006 Billboard Country Song of the Year, and it will take a massive effort for a song to beat out "Watching You" for this year's top spot.
Both songs have great messages, and the key is that a lot of people can relate to it. Heck, all you need is to be a parent or a kid for "Watching You" to ring true, and everyone who has gone through a tough time can relate to "If You're Going Through Hell."
Let's not forget the great vocals Atkins puts into these songs. You can almost here his fustration when the "orange drink covers his lap."
Now, Rodney is scheduled to open for Brad Paisley this fall for what should be one heck of a show. And with his recent success, it won't be long, perform he's the one looking for opening acts.
Having a #1 song is one thing, but Rodney now has two blockbuster songs in a row, and will most likely capture the Billboard Hot Country chart song of the year for the second year in a row.
"If You're Going Through Hell" was the 2006 Billboard Country Song of the Year, and it will take a massive effort for a song to beat out "Watching You" for this year's top spot.
Both songs have great messages, and the key is that a lot of people can relate to it. Heck, all you need is to be a parent or a kid for "Watching You" to ring true, and everyone who has gone through a tough time can relate to "If You're Going Through Hell."
Let's not forget the great vocals Atkins puts into these songs. You can almost here his fustration when the "orange drink covers his lap."
Now, Rodney is scheduled to open for Brad Paisley this fall for what should be one heck of a show. And with his recent success, it won't be long, perform he's the one looking for opening acts.
Posted by
Chris Sanders
Mountains is last CD for Lonestar with long-time record label.
Lonestar, the country band behind the #1 hits "No News," "Come Cryin' to Me," "Amazed," "Smile," "What About Now," "Tell Her," "I'm Already There," "My Front Porch Looking In" and "Mr. Mom," is without a record deal.
It's unfortunate that the band's great career at BNA has to come to end with their underperforming current single "Nothing To Prove." However, the title couldn't be more appropiate, Lonestar had an amazing (no pun intended) run at BNA, and it shouldn't take long until they resurface with another Nashville company.
It's unfortunate that the band's great career at BNA has to come to end with their underperforming current single "Nothing To Prove." However, the title couldn't be more appropiate, Lonestar had an amazing (no pun intended) run at BNA, and it shouldn't take long until they resurface with another Nashville company.