Mindy McCready Hospitalized After Attempted Suicide
- Troubled country singer Mindy McCready was taken to a Nashville-area hospital for treatment and a psychological evaluation after she severed a tendon in her left arm during a suicide attempt.
- Rodney Hayden will be recording his first live album at The Wildcat Saloon in McCoy, TX this Saturday. He’ll perform songs from each of his four albums, a few choice covers and a handful of new songs. (On a related note, read Jim Malec’s review of Hayden’s recent album, 12 Ounce World.)
- Jefferey Steele is a highly decorated songwriter, but The Tennessean’s Peter Cooper notes that he’s apprehensive about complimenting himself:
“I’m searching,” he said. “There are pats on the back, but I’m not happy with anything. I listen to a song I wrote and think, ‘Ah, I skimped there,’ or ‘I sold out here,’ or ‘I could have had a better line here if I’d thought about it five minutes more.’ I get reminders when I hear Willie Nelson sing ‘Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground’ or Merle Haggard doing ‘Misery and Gin.’ And it’s not that I’m trying to outdo myself. I just want to get it right.”
- Speaking of Peter Cooper, his album Mission Door scored a spot in Juli Thanki’s list of “The Best Country Music of 2008″ alongside albums from Justin Townes Earle, Lee Ann Womack and Randy Travis.
- The Granada Theater in Dallas had to cancel tomorrow night’s pairing of Jesse Dayton and Billy Joe Shaver because Shaver is still recovering from minor surgery, although it’s not reported what the surgery was for.
- Merle Haggard also recently underwent surgery, but is apparently making a steady recovery and is ready to get back on stage. He’ll kickoff the new year with a pair of shows at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California.
- Lost Highway sent over a link for a free download of Hayes Carll’s “I’m Grateful For Christmas This Year” from Imus In the Morning.
- Everyone give a virtual high five to SW, yesterday’s winner in our continuing 12 Days of Christmas promotion. SW will take home our biggest prize pack yet–four cool country CDs.
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December 18, 2008 at 11:12 am Permalink
I actually like Steele, but when he says, “And it’s not that I’m trying to outdo myself. I just want to get it right.” how does he explain the Montgomery Gentry and RF stuff he’s written?
December 18, 2008 at 11:26 am Permalink
In Jeff’s defense, most of the MG and RF stuff doesnt sound on their records the way it did when Jeff wrote it and the way Jeff sings/plays it.
Yeah, he’s written a few pieces where I’ve wondered “what could he have been thinking?” but hasnt everyone? He does admit in the article that maybe he’s ’sold out’ on a few songs; and frankly if that is how I was feeding my family and sending my kids to college, I cant say I wouldnt do the same.
He’s written a lot of damn good songs, and he doesnt get to pick and choose which ones get recorded and / or released as singles. We all know the best ones (from any writer or artist) seldom make it to radio.
(Stepping gingerly down off of soapbox now)
December 18, 2008 at 11:36 am Permalink
Poor Mindy McCready.
I’m excited for the Rodney Hayden live album. Everyone really needs to check out 12 Ounce World.
December 18, 2008 at 11:55 am Permalink
My Christmas wish is for Mindy McCready to find happiness… and then obscurity.
I also thing Steele is a fine songwriter. He’s written a lot of fantastic songs. I can’t blame him if his less than fantastic stuff ends up being cut by less than fantastic artists who somehow manage to make piles of money with it.
December 18, 2008 at 11:57 am Permalink
Paula W – point well taken, and I think you’re right on the money, except to say that i still think the MG stuff sounds basically the same regardless of whether its just him performing it acoustically or MG with a full band….One thing you’ll rarely hear me say is that anyone is a “sell-out”. I am all for making a living and I’ll paraphrase something that Jack Ingram once said, “being cool didnt help pay the rent”…
December 18, 2008 at 12:20 pm Permalink
One only needs to hear “She Must Be So Happy” from Steele’s own album “Outlaw” to know what kind of writer he is.
December 18, 2008 at 12:33 pm Permalink
OK, OK, I started my very first comment with “I actually like Steele…”. I think he is tremendously talented and havent at any juncture questioned his talent (an acoustic version from him of “What Hurt’s the Most” almost amde me forget about the RF version). All I did was suggest that his MG cuts arent exactly up to “Angel Flying Too Close the Ground”. If anyone would like to disagree with that notion, then by all means…
December 18, 2008 at 12:38 pm Permalink
Steele would agree with that Kelly! He’s not saying the songs that MG have cut are profound or brilliant in any measure (though “20 Years Ago” is quite good, particularly when Jeffrey sings it).
December 18, 2008 at 12:50 pm Permalink
All I did was suggest that his MG cuts arent exactly up to “Angel Flying Too Close the Ground”. If anyone would like to disagree with that notion, then by all means…
No argument from me on that Kelly! :-)
Matt, OUTLAW is my favorite album of Jeff’s by far. From that album I particularly like “Twenty Years Ago” (both versions) “I Cant Stop You”, “Runnin’s What I’m Runnin’ From”, “Drive” and “She Must Be So Happy”.
From HELL ON WHEELS my fav is “I’m Not That Cruel”. Also on that album is “I’m Tryin’ To Find It” which I love and I thought Pat Green did a great job on it (and I’m anything but a Pat Green fan). “Helldorado” is a dang good story song too even if it does come in at 6:29!
December 18, 2008 at 1:19 pm Permalink
The Drew Davis Band cut a few Steele songs one of them being “I Can’t Stop You.”
December 18, 2008 at 2:45 pm Permalink
Winning is super! Thanks 9513!
December 18, 2008 at 3:18 pm Permalink
Yeah that’s too bad about Mindy McCready, in her mental state you think people would have watched over her a little better as this is the second time she has tried to commit suicide. Hopefully now she can stay in whatever type of place until she can get the help she needs.
December 18, 2008 at 3:33 pm Permalink
Bummer about McCready. Anytime “troubled” becomes a requisite part of a news story for a person, it’s bad times.
Jeffrey Steele says “I listen to a song I wrote and think, ‘Ah, I skimped there,’ or ‘I sold out here,’ or ‘I could have had a better line here if I’d thought about it five minutes more.’”
and I say “yeah dude, where have you been? All that stuff you’ve been doing is awful!”
He should try to be “reminded” more. I think he has the talent, he just needs to find the will to be good all the time. I mean, at this point in his career, he doesn’t need the money, right? I mean, he could probably get by on one #1 single a year at this point, and 15 top 30 singles that are actually good?
December 18, 2008 at 3:44 pm Permalink
Matt, I havent heard DDB’s version of “I Cant Stop You”. How’d they do with it? I dont think I’ve ever heard them at all now that I think about it, in spite of the fact that they were frequently at the same functions and on the same bill with Jeff a few times several years ago.
December 18, 2008 at 6:13 pm Permalink
Juli Thanki’s Top 10 list contains a fair number of artists I hadn’t really heard of before but at least now my radar is up. The fact I concur with her choices that I am familiar with adds a lot of credibility to the musical quality of the artists I’m unfamiliar with on her list. Good job Juli!
I’m not a big fan of Jeff Steele’s songwriting efforts and his own albums rock out way too much for me. An acquaintance sent me CD-R copies of Jeff’s albums and after a cursory listen through I tossed them all except for “Somethin’ In The Water”. Jeff seems like a really straight up guy and I respect his mainstream songwriting skills, its just not the kind of music that appeals to me. I do like his humility and find it refreshing coming from one of the “Hit Men Of Music Row”.
Its nice to see Hag will be back in action soon. Sure would be cool if he was a “surprise guest” at the Crystal Palace New Year’s Eve show featuring Dwight Yoakam. I went for a similar new year’s eve bash back on 12/31/2006 but the $ 110 admission ticket just wasn’t worth it.
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