Songwriters Hall to Induct Matraca Berg, Tom Shapiro & John Hiatt
- The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame plans to induct Matraca Berg, Tom Shapiro and John Hiatt during ceremonies on Oct. 26. Hiatt is being inducted in the songwriter-artist category while Berg and Shapiro will go in under the songwriter moniker.
- Sugar Hill Records announced that they’ve slashed most of the prices in their catalog to the economical price of $12, and for a limited of time, the titles in the Americana Master Series are available for $9.99.
- Fisher Stevenson is no longer with Big Machine Records, unfortunately there’s no reason given for the split.
- Lone Star Music’s Michael Devers has a fantastically long interview with Randy Rogers. Here’s a snippet about his current single, “In My Arms Instead”:
It was very honestly about the day, the day was one of those days in Nashville, people reading this interview might not know but it’s sometimes really gloomy and rainy and kinda cold, and it was just a nasty day in Nashville. It seems like I’ve been up to Nashville a whole bunch when it’s like that so you know you’re just stuck in the hotel and you’re looking around and it was just a gloomy atmosphere, plus I was stuck there, I didn’t wanna be there so we wrote, “In My Arms Instead” and the girl in the song is actually dead. I haven’t ever said that in any other interview or even the liner notes for the record, but we were just thinking about missing somebody you could actually never ever see again.
On the topic of co-writes, Rogers reveals that he wrote a couple of songs with Bruce Robison and Guy Clark, but neither made the album. However the band did record the songs and he says they may pop up somewhere (preferably in my music library).
- Music City TV has pictures of Tennessee Titans cheerleaders from their swimsuit calendar release party. Up in the mix, and making this relevant news for The 9513, is country singer Chris Young, who dates the cover girl.
- An unidentified employee at Universal Music Group released a video depicting Lee Ann Womack’s true colors.
- Everybody’s favorite Democrat, Toby Keith, talks to Billboard about his new album That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy, due out on Oct. 28. It’ll be Keith’s fifth album for his own label and the second one he’s produced on his own. On the topic of his sound, Keith explains:
“I’ve always wanted my music to sound like a good band. I never wanted it to sound like it was intricately produced. I never put a lot of time into my songs; I think there’s a beauty in the first blush of the rose, sometimes. It was a fun album to make.”
I’d hate for him to spend a lot of time on his songs, because you know, that’s like, the recipe for disaster.
- In case you missed it, the folks representing Randy Houser put together a page with video from his appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.
- Jeffrey Steele is the next honoree to be featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Poets and Prophets: Legendary Country Songwriters series. He’ll be interviewed and give a performance at the museum on Sept. 27.
- ESPN hit the filming of Hank Jr.’s sequence for Monday Night Football and asked him a few questions.
Don’t you and Brett [Favre] hang out?
My place and his aren’t too far apart, and we both like to hunt and fish. I remember talking to him at a sporting goods store right after a game. He said, “I’m getting a new scope! You can’t have too many guns or scopes” We kind of speak the same language. A lot of sports and music people hang together. - Owen Temple added a couple of freshly mastered tracks to his MySpace from an upcoming EP, Broken Heart Land, that he’ll be releasing in September. The two songs he added are the title track and “City of the King.” Good stuff. I’m particularly liking that title track.
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September 5, 2008 at 11:30 am Permalink
“I’d hate for him to spend a lot of time on his songs, because you know, that’s like, the recipe for disaster.”
Funny!
September 5, 2008 at 11:35 am Permalink
Matraca Berg is one of the most talented mainstream country songwriters ever and well deserves the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I’ve always considered John Hiatt “borderline country” but he is a great songwriter also. Kudos to both.
Fisher Stevenson was likely asked by Scott Borchetta to change his first name to “Cooter” to make him sound more country and refused…..
I’m sure glad that cheerleaders link had a country artist tie-in as otherwise it would just be sexist cheesecake! Although personally I do love “quality” sexist cheesecake…(lol)
PS – For you Emily West fans: (Fron “allaboutcoutry.com”)
“Luke Bryan & Emily West To Co-Host GAC Top 20 Countdown Beginning Tonight On GAC!
Luke Bryan and Emily West will co-host Great American Country’s Top 20 Countdown show this week. The premiere episode is tonight (9/5).
Luke and Emily had a blast counting down county music’s top videos. The label-mates even got a chance to catch-up and find out what each other has been up to.
Luke and Emily talk about their own video experiences as well as share stories about fellow country artists as they introduce each of their videos.” Go Emily!
September 5, 2008 at 11:42 am Permalink
When Toby says, “I never put a lot of time into my songs,” that comes off badly for him. But what he’s saying isn’t that different than what a lot of other song writers say.
I’ve often heard remarks like, “the song wrote itself,” or “the words just came to me” or “I was inspired on an airplane ride and just wrote down the lyrics on a napkin” and all sorts of other comments that make songwriting sound like an effortless process.
Its a bit hard to believe, on the one hand, but on the other, I can certainly see that “She’s A Hottie” didn’t take too long to write.
September 5, 2008 at 11:49 am Permalink
I bow to Matraca!
And that explains a lot about Toby’s music…
September 5, 2008 at 1:19 pm Permalink
Jim,
Everyone should bow to Matraca! ;)
September 5, 2008 at 3:51 pm Permalink
Congrats to Berg… GREAT promo work by Womack’s team…
…and I’ll never need an excuse for your posting links to cheerleaders. :)
September 5, 2008 at 4:02 pm Permalink
Matraca Berg was first nominated in ‘04 I believe. I’m glad her time has come.
Oh, Toby, how far you have fallen.
September 5, 2008 at 5:54 pm Permalink
Finally! I love the hellcat video. xD
“The last time she was here she ate George Strait’s birthday cake!”
September 5, 2008 at 6:09 pm Permalink
i dont know about xxxxx but i heard brady v is queer.
September 5, 2008 at 6:34 pm Permalink
I’m pleased to see Matraca Berg getting the recognition she deserves. It’s long overdue.
Great performance from Randy Houser on Letterman too. I saved that one on my DVR, but thanks for the link.
September 5, 2008 at 6:37 pm Permalink
WTF? “Steve”?
September 5, 2008 at 6:39 pm Permalink
… and let’s not forget Tom Shapiro either. Another first-class songwriter who deserves his day in the sun too. (from wikipedia I learned) In addition to producing albums for Dusty Springfield and Billy Dean, his songs have been recorded by nearly every artist on a major label at one time or another. Some of his most notables include ‘Wink’ by Neal McCoy, ‘No Place That Far’ for Sara Evans and the 2001 Billboard country song of the year – ‘Ain’t Nothin’ Bout You’ – recorded by Brooks & Dunn.
September 5, 2008 at 7:15 pm Permalink
I’ve always wanted my music to sound like a good band
And I want Russell Crowe to walk through my front door naked holding a suitcase full of money. Its nice to want things, ain’t it Toby.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MATRACA!
September 5, 2008 at 7:17 pm Permalink
Steve: We all know that Brady is a little strange and somewhat eccentric. WE don’t consider that an insult.
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