Georges Jones Among 2008 Kennedy Center Honorees
- George Jones joins Barbra Streisand, Morgan Freeman, Twyla Tharp, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey as the 2008 class of Kennedy Center Honorees–the nation’s highest arts award.
“I am completely overwhelmed,” Jones said in a statement. “I can’t believe that I have been included in the same company as previous winners that are country music legends: Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roy Acuff and Willie Nelson. Since I was a young man, I have done just what I love, and that is sing country music, and I never dreamed something this special would happen to me. I am completely humbled and will be proud to accept the award.”
- Kenny Chesney leads the list of nominations for this year’s CMA Awards, but is closely followed by Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and George Strait.
- Fed up with high gas prices, Aaron Tippin‘ wrote a new song titled “Drill Here, Drill Now” to promote the search for energy solutions on American soil. He debuted the song on The Sean Hannity Show with American Solutions General Chairman Newt Gingrich. (listen to a sample)
- Daily Trivia: This day in 1955, Justin Tubb, the son of legendary country singer Ernest Tubb, became the youngest member of the Opry cast at three weeks past his twentieth birthday.
- The Texas Commission on the Arts is seeking nominations for the 2009 and 2010 State Musician. You have to be a Texas citizen to nominate and the nominees must have at least two nationally available records or 20 years experience teaching music. (via This Is Texas Music)
- Meanwhile, Austin Music Source’s Michael Corcoran wonders why the four honorees preceding last year’s Shelly King are country musicians aligned with Austin–Dale Watson (2007), Billy Joe Shaver (2006), Johnny Gimble (2005) and Ray Benson (2004). He asks all “true Texas music fans” to make the honor mean more and send in “real” suggestions.
- MySpace Adds: Emily West added the new song “Can’t Turn Down” to her MySpace profile and Danielle Peck added “LIVE” to her’s.
- Jessica Simpson’s built-in mic stand.
- In other Jessica Simpson news, she talked to Craig Shelburne about her strategy for winning over audiences:
How do you win them over? Is there a strategy?
There’s not really a strategy. I just sing. I’ve been doing that a lot more, like I’m back in vocal lessons and really staying focused. I make sure I get a lot of sleep and drink a lot of water. You know, you have to physically prepare yourself for a live performance, as well. But emotionally, I’m there and I’m in my music, and the music that I’m singing is straight from my heart, and I can’t wait for everybody to hear it. So it’s more of excitement that I experience before I get out there. I’m excited because I know that I can win them over. I’m confident, but I’m not overly confident to where I think they already adore me. If anything, I’m like, “I hope they liked it.” - Last on the Simpson platter is news that she made it safely through her first song on Good Morning America yesterday, but she had to re-start her second song on live TV after she couldn’t hear anything in her ear monitors.
- Shout! Factory and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will follow their releases of Tammy Wynette’s and Marty Robbins’ Legendary Performances DVDs with one from Merle Haggard, featuring “Mama Tried,” “The Bottle Let Me Down,” “Swinging Doors,” and “Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)” alongside appearances from Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. It’s due out on Nov. 11. (via press release)
- Word has it that the video game SingStar will come in a special country flavor exclusively for the PlayStation 2 on October 28th. The video game will allow fans to sing along to 30 hit videos from artists like Brad Paisley, Gretchen Wilson, Alan Jackson Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Faith Hill and more.
- After reading a number of interviews with a certain artist, no matter who that artist is, they all start to sound the same. I guess there’s only so many things you can talk about before the artist begins to build up an arsenal of prefabricated responses, but David Scarlett was able to get past those generic questions with Jamey Johnson and in turn got an interesting and personal interview for Country Weekly.
Are you somebody who prays now?
I’m not one of those who prays to hear myself pray. I think you’re constantly talkin’ to God. I think you’re constantly lookin’ for your way. And, yeah, God’s the first thing I think of when I see somethin’ beautiful–whether it’s a mountain range or a stream or a snow-cap up in Oregon. Hell, whether it’s a woman in a bar. That’s the first thing you think of, “Wow. Good job, God.” [he chuckles] - Watch the new video for Joe Pug’s “Hymn 101″ from his excellent Nation of Heat EP that was released earlier this year. (via Taproot Radio)
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September 10, 2008 at 12:43 pm Permalink
Wanted to thank you for the mention today, I love when I know others are reading, it makes my day!
September 10, 2008 at 12:47 pm Permalink
Hey everyone, tonight is the live finals of “the Next GAC Star” (at 9 PM Eastern Time) and I can guarantee it will be worth watching by anyone who endured this season of Nashville Star. There are some really talented finalists and it should be a good competition. Votes made during the program will determine the winner! Go Lane Turner! (lol)
As for Jessica Simpson, I expect her to be covered to the point of nausea at CMT but this is The 9513! On the other hand, she does make a good verbal punching bag……
September 10, 2008 at 1:43 pm Permalink
@Shannon – No problem. I don’t subscribe to any of the gossip sites, so I depend on your blog to let me know when they post about any country artists.
@Rick – The roundups, in part, reflect what’s getting talked about. If Jessica Simpson is being discussed ad nauseum then some of it’s going to spill over into the roundups. I will say that a lot of it doesn’t make it here, though.
September 10, 2008 at 5:34 pm Permalink
Brody, I was just using that as a means to poke fun at Jessica. I cannot believe the P.R. effort that Jessica, her management agency, and her label have been making to force her upon the country music community. Its been a harder sell than you’ll likely encounter at a corner used car lot. The more she gets hyped the more I wish she would just go away. Jessica will appeal to fans of “airhead country” who can directly relate to her, but “real” country fans will spot her for the carpetbagger she really is…..
PS – You guys do a fine job of selecting interesting and relevant articles for your country news round-ups each weekday, and that means sifting through a lot of chaff to find a bit of wheat here and there. It’s nice you guys make the effort!
September 10, 2008 at 5:49 pm Permalink
Oh right, the round up is how I spent $25 plus shipping and handling the other day. Thanks to you too then, Brody.:) Between you and Brady, I’m gonna have to get a second job just to support my music habbit.
September 10, 2008 at 11:45 pm Permalink
I think from this point on we should refer to Jessica as “she who must not be named.”
September 11, 2008 at 12:19 am Permalink
Rick’s Random Tidbits: AARRGGHH! Lane Turner made it to the final two contestants of “The Next GAC Star” and then got beat out by a generic country bar cover band named “One Night Rodeo”! The contestant who was the most radio ready was J.C. Andersen and the best true country talent was Lane Turner, so of course the voters pick the bar band. DOH! There are already so many male harmony bands out there right now and it took The Lost Trailers a thumping Montgomery Gentry style song with Brett Beavers producing to make it up the charts. “One Night Rodeo” will be lucky to get its 15 minutes of fame out of this one. It will be more like a one night stand….
The saddest part was that the phone voting system was totally inadequate and I doubt very few phone votes got through as I tried for 30 minutes and got nothing but an “all the circuits are busy” message! The internet and text message votes went through fine, but the phone votes were a disaster and that ssnafu may have cost Lane Turner the win as he would appeal to the older viewers who would be most likely to phone in their votes.
Best comment on GAC Star: Songwriter / Judge Victoria Shaw made a comment about how impressed she was with the level of talent of the finalists as compared to “other recent country talent quest shows”. I wonder what she was referring to? (lol)
September 11, 2008 at 4:45 am Permalink
- “I can’t believe that I have been included in the same company as previous winners that are country music legends: Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roy Acuff and Willie Nelson.”
Yeah, does that sound like GJ to you? I mean, can’t Publicist XYZ do a better job of putting the statement into his own voice?
- What part of drilling will not cut our gas prices don’t people understand?
September 11, 2008 at 11:41 am Permalink
@Rick – Thanks, man.
@Leeann – I hear that. Lately, I’ve had to stop myself from making as many impulse purchases, even when they were as good as the 5 for $25 Pat Green deal.
September 13, 2008 at 8:53 am Permalink
It is to the Kennedy Center’s eternal shame that they never got around to honoring Eddy Arnold before his death.
September 15, 2008 at 3:23 pm Permalink
@ Jim re: drilling…good point, man. People seem to be glossing over that whatever offshore American drilling gets done, it cut but 2 or 3 percent off of oil imports and won’t even take effect for at least 4 or 5 years.
That aside, I can’t wait to see GJ and Daltrey on the same stage =)
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