Kenny Chesney Taking A Breather; New Lady Antebellum Video; Keen’s Rose-Colored Vinyl
- With all of his endeavors at full-throttle, Kenny Chesney confessed in an interview with EW.com’s Whitney Pastorek that he’s been running on empty for the past couple of years. In order to refuel, he’ll be sitting out the summer of 2010.
- Country Haiku has a series of haikus inspired by the Kanye West/Taylor Swift controversy: The Real Reason For Teardrops, Nation of Teenage Girls, and Beyonce’s Haiku.
- John Gerome sheds a little light on the musical kinship between Ricky Skaggs and his father:
As a young man, Hobert Skaggs sang and played guitar in a duo with his brother on mandolin. After his brother died in World War II, Hobert vowed that if any of his kids showed an aptitude for music, he’d buy them an instrument.
Ricky — the second youngest of four children — displayed that talent. “He bought me a mandolin and showed me three chords,” Skaggs said.
They were G, C and D — the basis for dozens of country, bluegrass and folk tunes — and by the time his dad returned home from a welding job in Lima, Ohio, two weeks later, 3-year-old Ricky was playing and singing his little heart out.
Hobert Skaggs was so excited that he went out and bought himself a new guitar (he’d lent his old one to a family friend and drifted away from music).
“Not only did that start my musical journey, but it kick-started and encouraged a newfound inspiration for him as well,” Skaggs recalled. “He had a reason to play music again.”
- Watch Dierks Bentley perform “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes” for AOL Music’s Sessions.
- Country California’s C.M. Wilcox ranked Brad Paisley’s discography and invites you to do the same.
- On Sept. 25, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will open an exhibit exploring Colonel Tom Parker, the man behind the careers of Eddy Arnold, Elvis Presley, and others.
- Peter Mongillo recounts the circumstances that led to the Band of Heathens for Austin360.
- Preview several tracks from the forthcoming Nitty Gritty Dirt Band release, Speed of Life. (via Cybergrass)
- The Nashville Songwriters Association International will honor Toby Keith with the title songwriter/artist of the decade and Craig Wiseman as songwriter of the decade on Oct. 18.
- Be sure to tune into our Twitter to follow Pierce Greenberg’s live updates from the Americana Music Festival.
- The Gobblers Knob’s Kelly Dearmore cites recent releases from Seth James and Amanda Shires as examples of Texans going to Nashville and creating albums that don’t suck.
- Lady Antebellum debuted its new music video for “Need You Now” on YouTube.
- Trace Adkins is soliciting fans’ help to rebuild Bethlehem United Methodist Church, which was featured in his video for “Muddy Water.” The church was destroyed by a fire on July 15. (via That Nashville Sound)
- Ray Price remembers Hank Williams in an interview with Deborah Evans Price:
“I can’t explain why on all those shows, everywhere he went, he was telling everybody to watch out for a young guy named Ray Price — ‘He’s going to be No. 1,’” Price recalled, with a smile. “He took me and introduced me to some people on the Grand Ole Opry. He just helped me in general. I didn’t know anything about the business. I was young and just out of college. The way I got a contract was I sang a song for a publisher. The next thing I knew, I had a contract, signed to Bullet Records in Nashville. It was a brand new world for me when I came here, and he helped me get started with it.”
Price also discloses that he has plans to work on a project with Willie Nelson, Billy Bob Thornton, Leon Russell, and Bob Dylan and to record a gosepl album, which he’ll release on his own label, Priceless Records.
- If you pre-order Robert Earl Keen’s new album The Rose Hotel on vinyl, you’ll receive an exclusive, autographed rose-colored (ie: red) edition of the record along with the CD. Only 750 exist.
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September 16, 2009 at 10:25 am Permalink
I think Kenny Chesney should take 5 years off just to make sure he is really, really rested.
September 16, 2009 at 10:26 am Permalink
Toby Keith the songwriter of the decade? I don’t fall into the camp that he is the anti-Christ and he has quite a few songs I am fan of. I liked “She never cried in front of me” off the last album. But its hard to compare his work with say, Todd Snider who I think may be the best songwriter not in Nashville but the country.
September 16, 2009 at 10:41 am Permalink
I’m a bit confused as to why they’re naming Toby Keith songwriter/artist of the decade in September and then giving the same honor to Craig Wiseman in October. How many songwriters/artists of the decade are there at one time?
September 16, 2009 at 10:46 am Permalink
Toby Keith is songwriter/artist and Craig Wiseman is just songwriter.
September 16, 2009 at 10:49 am Permalink
OK, thanks. Guess I read it too quickly the first time around.
September 16, 2009 at 11:14 am Permalink
Ricky Skaggs is interviewed by Suzanne Alexander on this week’s edition of GAC’s “On The Streets” and it well worth catching. All I can say is “Hey Ricky, get a haircut!” (lol)
Emily West was on the Opry last night an announced her next radio single will be the power ballad “Blue Sky” and that Keith Urban will be playing guitar on the cut. (I don’t know if Keith was on the original recording or if they will re-record it? Hmm..) The single release won’t happen until next February and I just don’t see a ballad like that doing well on pop-rock country radio. Emily confessed she wrote the song as emotional therapy while her parents were getting divorced.
Finally a mention of Amanda Shires at The 9513(!) and it comes from Kelly no less. I’d say some sort of “blog karma” is at work here…(lol)
September 16, 2009 at 11:15 am Permalink
Take as long as you want Kenny! I’m not complaining! It’s all about Taylor now, so you won’t be missed!
September 16, 2009 at 12:29 pm Permalink
Ol’ Tobster is not a good songwriter. Not to open an old can of worms but is “put a boot up your ass” really a good lyric? What about “I Wanna Talk About Me” Ick!
September 16, 2009 at 12:41 pm Permalink
I Wanna Talk About Me was actually written by Bobby Braddock, who IS a good song writer, but was apparently suffering from a brain infection that week.
September 16, 2009 at 1:08 pm Permalink
I Wanna Talk About Me is one of the few Toby songs I turn up and sing along with because it’s just so darn fun and sing-along-able. (I’d say Bobby knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote it!)
September 16, 2009 at 2:43 pm Permalink
Does this mean Kenny won’t play at BamaJam music festival next June? He had already signed on to headline the festival.
September 16, 2009 at 3:06 pm Permalink
Maybe Kenny will have a countryfied revelation while on break.
While it’s not this decade, Toby did solely write:
“Shoulda Been a Cowboy”
“Who’s That Man”
“Country Comes to Town”
“You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This”
“Stays in Mexico”
all great tunes
September 16, 2009 at 4:30 pm Permalink
I’m sure he’ll do a few festivals. Much different deal than putting on a tour of your own.
September 16, 2009 at 4:54 pm Permalink
as of january 1, 2010 i’ll try hard not to blink.
September 16, 2009 at 7:44 pm Permalink
Rick’s Random Tidbits: Here’s a quote from Timbo McGraw I lifted from the CMT.com blog:
“McGraw told the newspaper, “I tend to lean toward the dark side” and “I’d rather hear something that makes me hurt inside than makes me laugh.” So now I understand why Tim is a democrat and such a big Obama supporter! It all makes sense now…(lol)
September 16, 2009 at 8:03 pm Permalink
Rick,
I did not know Tim was a big Obama supporter.
September 16, 2009 at 8:28 pm Permalink
Leeann, since Timbo would like to run for Governor of Tennessee in the near future as a Democrat, I’d just guess it comes with the territory…(lol)
Its too bad Tim wasn’t at those MTV Awards the other night. He could have grabbed Kanye and thrown him off the stage when he interrupted Taylor Swift!
September 16, 2009 at 8:41 pm Permalink
If “leaning toward the dark side” makes someone a Democrat, Dick Cheney must be the most far-out tree-hugging hippie that ever there was.
September 16, 2009 at 9:22 pm Permalink
Chris, I guess our Red State vs. Blue State mentalities are mutually exclusive and completely incompatible! (lol)
Here’s something that’s more inclusive! How about for one of those Friday 9513 discussion topics we select “Country Songs That Make You Think of Specific People” whether they be celebrities, politicians, historical figures, etc. Here is my proposed list of songs that immediately makes me think of BOTH the current AND former President in equal measures and at the same time! Here We Go:
Hank Penny – “You’re Bound To Like Like a Monkey When You Grow Old” (or even right now for that matter)
Tommy Collins – “All The Monkey’s Ain’t In The Zoo” (no, sadly they seem to wind up in the White House these days)
Big Maybelle / Little David Wilkins / David Allan Coe – “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show” (no, but they sure can screw up a country fast!)
See, I’m an equal opportunity basher! (lol)
September 16, 2009 at 10:26 pm Permalink
I don’t like Obama any more than Rick does, but do we really have to have all these gratuitous references to him here all the time? Can’t this just be a refuge from politics and the news and be a place to discuss music? Enough is enough already.
September 16, 2009 at 10:30 pm Permalink
You used your opinion on policits as a precursor to telling people they shouldn’t share their opinions on politics… you sneaky devil you!
September 16, 2009 at 10:35 pm Permalink
You used your opinion on policits as a precursor to telling people they shouldn’t share their opinions on politics… you sneaky devil you!
My point was that when the political references start to annoy people who are on the same side of the political spectrum, it really is time to stop.
September 17, 2009 at 9:18 am Permalink
agreed. the constant insults and bashing have become almost unbearable (and predictable). if this is how people will continue to behave (name-calling, race-baiting), then count me out.
i don’t care if someone is a right-winger or a left-winger or a middle-of-the-road person. common courtesy and civil behavior would be nice.
can we not act like our mamas and daddies raised us right? for God’s sake. enough is enough.
September 17, 2009 at 9:55 am Permalink
I dunno, seems like there are slightly different implications in calling the previous president a “monkey” and using the same term to describe the current one. Just a notion.
September 17, 2009 at 10:07 am Permalink
maybe while kenny’s taking his break he’ll learn how to sing real country music for a change.
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