Kenny Chesney Plans to Expand Personal Brand With A Line of Rum
- Chicago-based Constellation Spirits is expected to announce today that they’re developing a premium rum in partnership with Kenny Chesney, which will be out in the first quarter of 2010. The name is yet to be determined, but a spokesman for Constellation said it will not bear Chesney’s name. However, stage banners at his concerts would advertise it, and the product, according to the spokesman, could find its way into one of Chesney’s songs. (via ggcolumn)
- Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban are among the first round of performers announced for the 42nd Annual CMA Awards to be held on Nov. 12.
- Four years ago Galleywinter published editions of their popular 20 Questions feature with Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers Band. Both singers have new albums and Galleywinter took the opportunity to run second editions of 20 Questions. Wade Bowen discusses the shake-up in his personnel, the stories behind several songs, and the effect his family has had on his career while Randy Rogers elaborates on his own career changes, albeit with the same core guys, and branching out to include more co-writes.
- That Nashville Sound makes the argument for Kenny Rogers‘ inclusion in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- Texas music historian Gary Hartman tells the story of a singer who started out as a Jimmie Rodgers impersonator and a hillbilly singer. In 1931 he scored a hit with “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine,” which helped earn him the first gold album in Country music history.
- Joe Diffie, who made a splash as a country star in the ’90s, is heading back to his bluegrass roots. He’ll enter the studio this fall to record an album for Rounder Records with an expected release sometime in Spring of ‘09.
- Mightycountry’s Jordan Stacey recently rounded out his Trisha Yearwood and Gary Allan discographies and needs your help deciding which artist from his list of 20 should be next.
- The Boston Globe Correspondent A.J. Bauer comments on the increasing popularity of country music and the ways New England area bars and local acts are trying to capitalize on that popularity by mixing it with Top 40 and rock nights. The new scene, as Bauer describes it, is personified by one of the performers, Eric Holt, at a bar he was visiting while working on his story:
Eric Holt has no problem with the standards. The 30-year-old Brockton resident opened his two-song turn at the microphone with “Folsom Prison Blues” – though Johnny Cash’s words rang somewhat discordant with Holt’s baggy jeans, oversized T-shirt, and white baseball cap.
“This is me,” said Holt. “I have a couple of cowboy hats, but I’m working on the new thing.”
- Country Universe’s Kevin J. Coyne attempts an impossible-to-please-everyone list of “Ten Country Albums to Hear Before You Die.”
- Mark Erlewine is the man Willie Nelson sees when he needs the hole in his guitar, Trigger, reinforced so it doesn’t give out. Erlewine has been a guitar doctor of sorts for almost 40 years and has the stories to back it up, from the one about repairing a guitar that a man’s wife busted over his head to evaluating a $75,000 1958 Gibson Les Paul. Austin American-Statesman’s Ricardo Gándara traces some of his history. (via Still Is Still Moving)
- Mindy McCready is set to voluntarily turn herself over to authorities tomorrow to serve 60 days in jail for violating her probation.
- The first set of The Unreleased Recordings from Hank Williams‘ “Mother’s Best Flour” radio program are due out on Oct. 28. Time Life will release 143 recordings in various packages over the next three years including 40 songs Williams was never known to have performed and others he never recorded commercially.
- Hickory Wind’s Larry Karnowski and Americana Root’s Gregg Geil recap the 2008 Americana Music Conference on the Americana Roots Roundtable podcast.
- Lee Ann Womack is joining the “leaking,” or staggered song release, craze. Starting today, one song will be released each week until the album release on Oct. 21.
- Country, California’s John Maglite posted a review of the Jefferey J. Lange book, Smile When You Call Me a Hillbilly: Country Music’s Struggle for Respectability, 1939-1954.
- Hazel Smith reports that Alison Krauss and Robert Plant are planning to record a second album together and T Bone Burnett is again involved in the project. Smith also comments on the recent Reba-to-Big Machine rumors.
- If you’re a longtime fan of Jack Ingram but didn’t prefer his latest mainstream material, Craig Shelburne says hang in there six more months for his new album, you just might get what you’ve been waiting for.
- Winners have been chosen for our Randy Rogers Band Free Music Giveaway and they are Amazace, Trailer, Elizabeth M., John Maglite and Jordan Stacey. Congrats guys (and gal), I’ll be contacting you shortly to get your contact information.
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September 29, 2008 at 12:39 pm Permalink
Joe Diffie has often been referred to as a ’singer’s singer’ so it will be great to hear a bluegrass album from him.
September 29, 2008 at 1:32 pm Permalink
If Joe Diffe is a singer’s singer, then I apparently don’t know what a singer’s singer is. I would expect that his bluegrass album will be…interesting.
September 29, 2008 at 2:15 pm Permalink
I’ve never been a huge Diffe fan, but I don’t have any problems with his work. He’s had some relatively solid efforts. I enjoyed Pickup Man the first 100 times I heard it, and songs like Home, Ships Don’t Come In, and John Deere Green still hold up for me. I’m sure his bluegrass effort will have a nice track or two but overall be fairly forgettable.
And for the record, I can’t fathom what a singer’s singer is. Songwriter’s songwriter I understand…
September 29, 2008 at 2:29 pm Permalink
Matt C, what singer would you define as a singer’s singer? Just curious.
September 29, 2008 at 2:48 pm Permalink
May I be the first to propose:
The 9513’s first ever celebrity boxing match: Tanya Harding v. Mindy McCready — live on PayPerView!
September 29, 2008 at 2:51 pm Permalink
I always thought Joe Diffie was a very good singer who got lumbered down with weak material and too many novelty tunes. “Ships That Don’t Come In” was a great song, though. I’d almost forgotten about it until I saw it mentioned above.
September 29, 2008 at 3:07 pm Permalink
On the Kenny Chesney/rum topic, how does everyone feel about deliberate product placement in a song as a form of advertising?
September 29, 2008 at 3:17 pm Permalink
“On the Kenny Chesney/rum topic, how does everyone feel about deliberate product placement in a song as a form of advertising?”
It’s cheesy. And someone who’s reached Chesney’s level of commercial success shouldn’t have to do something like that.
September 29, 2008 at 3:17 pm Permalink
I hope someone answers, “I feel absolutely sick to my stomach about that, Brody.”
Aw, shucks.
I feel absolutely sick to my stomach about that, Brody.
September 29, 2008 at 3:38 pm Permalink
I’m not 1000% opposed to product placement in a song- depending on the type of song and the way it’s used.
For instance, a song about a guy’s love for his brand of truck or alcohol(and there are hundreds of them) usually doesn’t come across to me as blatant advertising. Also, if it’s a nationally-recognized, time-tested brand name, it doesn’t bother me much. I guess, if it doesn’t seem thrown in for the sake of advertising, it’s fine.
It does bug me though, when the radio plays branded versions of songs with, their call letters, nickname, or location thrown in. The latest form of this I heard was Montgomery’s Gentry’s “Lucky Man” and instead of “when the Bengals lost” it was “When the Seahawks lost.” It just struck me as odd and unnecessary.
September 29, 2008 at 3:40 pm Permalink
Wow I won the give away, thanks guys.
I’m curious ot know where those Lee Ann Womack tracks are I couldn’t find them?
As for the whole Joe Diffie thing, I think It’ll turn out alright. He has a voice that suits bluegrass so as long as he picks better material than he did before all should go well.
And The Kenny thing. Well now there’s another reason I won’t be buying his music.
September 29, 2008 at 3:54 pm Permalink
@Jim – Me too.
@Mike – I’m not opposed to it either until it’s done explicitly for the sake of advertising–which is what I believe any Chesney song pimping one of his, or one of his sponsors’ products would be. It’s like the name-checking songs, there’s nothing inherently wrong with it unless the name-check is obviously done for the sole purpose of pandering (ie: the John Rich penned, Jason Aldean performed “Johnny Cash”).
September 29, 2008 at 3:54 pm Permalink
I’m actually excited about the Diffie bluegrass album too. While his version of “Grandpa That I Know” isn’t necessarily strictly bluegrass, it gives me for hope for the album. He’s also done good work with Ralph Stanley. I think his voice will be well suited for it.
September 29, 2008 at 4:05 pm Permalink
With respect to the Womack album, by “leaking” do they mean that one song per week will be streamed on her website or that they will be available for download on iTunes?
September 29, 2008 at 4:09 pm Permalink
Holy cow, I won something… again. I’ll be sure to wear my swanky Willie braids while I listen to the Randy Rogers Band CD.
September 29, 2008 at 4:27 pm Permalink
I think Joe Diffie has a great voice when he picks the right song and isn’t trying to be funny. I started a top ten thread for him in the forum if anyone’s interested. I’m definitely interested in hearing him do bluegrass, and think it could be great, as long as the songs are right. He has just the voice for the high lonesome style.
September 29, 2008 at 4:35 pm Permalink
I really like Joe Diffie’s early stuff but lost interest when novelty songs became his radio staple. It makes sense for once successful mainstream country artists who are now on the shelf to go the bluegrass route where they can at least perform at festivals all over the country if they can pull it off.
Gene Autry’s spirit is still strongly present every April at his old “Melody Ranch” western film studio in Santa Clarita during their annual Cowboy Music and Poetry Festival. Many of Autry’s big hits (particularly “I’m Back In The Saddle Again”) get sung by various cowboy artists througout the weekend, but its usually Don Edwards that sings “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine”. Gene’s favorite horse “Champion” is buried somewhere on the premesis but the grave is not marked to discourage souvenir theives……
September 29, 2008 at 6:51 pm Permalink
If Kenny Chesney can only figure out how to get it imported from Cuba, I would buy his rum.
September 29, 2008 at 10:07 pm Permalink
@Jordan – You can listen to it here. It’s kind of disappointing that they’re not even “leaking” the full song.
October 2, 2008 at 11:45 am Permalink
How is Kenny singing about his own brand of rum different than mentioning Cruzan? It doesn’t bother me at all. I can’t say it will make me buy it, but it doesn’t bother me.
I agree with Mike. The “branded” thing is much more annoying, and stations in the PNW are exceptionally bad for it, although I understand MG re-recorded that song for every major NFL market.
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