Tim McGraw May Or May Not Be Seriously Considering 2010 Gubernatorial Run
- The New Republic caused a stir yesterday by announcing that Tim McGraw was seriously considering a gubernatorial run in the state of Tennessee for 2010, but Music City TV‘s Brad Schmitt was told it ain’t gonna happen. If, or when, McGraw decides to throw his shiny, black cowboy hat into the gubernatorial political race he won’t be the first country star to have done so in Tennessee. Ok, maybe he will, but the original “King of Country Music,” Roy Acuff, also ran for governor (sans shiny, black cowboy hat), and despite his enormous popularity, he was handily defeated.
- Country Aircheck is reporting this afternoon that WhiteStar Entertainment, the label home of George Ducas and Jason Meadows is dissolving.
“Employees haven’t been paid and President/CEO JC Lestorti has been unreachable for some time. Calls to Lestorti’s Florida-based cabinet company had not been returned at press time.”
- Kristy Lee Cook and Arista/Nashville have called it quits for a second time.
- In celebration of their half-century existence, Warner Bros. Records released a 10-disc box set titled Revolutions In Sound: Warner Bros. Records — The First 50 Years. The set takes a multi-genre approach and is arranged chronologically. For example, you’ll find John Anderson’s “Swingin’” positioned between the Pretenders’ “Middle Of The Road” and Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.” Out of the 199 tracks, GAC culled a list of the 16 country and country-related recordings.
- Carlene Carter, Kathy Mattea and Emmylou Harris are just three of the women appearing on PopMatters’ list “The Best Records of 2008 by Women 45 Years Old and Over.” (via NoDepression.com)
- Music Tomes‘ C. Eric Banister published an interview with Chad Berry, author of The Hayloft Gang, a book that “draws together the work of several scholars to examine the place and importance of Chicago’s National Barn Dance.” Banister notes that the dance preceded the Grand Ole Opry and served as an influential exporter of country music in the 1930′s and 1940′s.
Why do you feel that the National Barn Dance is often relegated to a lower tier when country music history is discussed?
I think the “Nashville paradigm” is powerful. There are hundreds of millions of dollars behind it. Once it was established, after World War II, it simply became easy for many folks to believe that “country music” was born there. Our book and especially the film will check that paradigm.
- Country Universe‘s Dan Milliken analyzes Rolling Stone‘s country picks in its 2008 year-end lists and explains how they adhere to the magazine’s “excusable” models of years past. (Rolling Stone: Albums | Singles)
- I’ve listened to numerous albums over the year, but Craig Shelburne managed to name a couple I had missed in his list of, you guessed it, 10 indie albums you might have missed.
- Country California‘s C.M. Wilcox calls Dwight Yoakam “the definition of swagger and country cool onstage but an abstruse, rambling intellectual in conversation” and says Alison Krauss “sings with all the grace and elegance of an angel but talks like a bashful Midwestern housewife.” With those two examples in mind, he asks:
Which other country performers don’t sing like they speak? Whose conversational voice/style would be most surprising to a fan who had only ever heard them sing?
- Low ticket sales have forced event organizers to cancel the Trace Adkins and Lynyrd Skynyrd New Year’s Eve concert at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
- Check out the new country blog My Kind of Country, founded by JR Journey, Rainbow and Chris D., who you might recognize from the comments section and the forums. Journey explains what you can expect:
Here, you will find reviews, editorials, and discussions about the country music we love – our kind of country. The idea is simple: rather than write lots of negative reviews about the new music that’s coming out – because let’s face it, much of what comes out of Nashville and your country radio dial is crap – we are going to write about the music we love. The music that moves us, drives us, and makes us laugh and cry; the music that touches us.
- Billboard‘s list of top country albums is topped by an American institution of country music, or as they’re more commonly referred to, the Eagles. Working down the list, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Sugarland, George Strait and Kenny Chesney all make more than one appearance. As you can see, all is right in the world of country music.
- Watch the video premier of Little Big Town‘s “Good Lord Willing.”
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12 Comments
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December 11, 2008 at 11:51 am
It looks like Kristy Lee Cook’s 15 Minutes of Shame have expired…(lol) It used to be that major Nashville labels gave new artists 2 radio singles to prove their marketability, but it looks like that may be down to one these days.
As for artists who don’t speak like they sing and write, I’d have to say Kim Richey! Kim speaks like an Ohioan blue collar factory worker (less the swearing), which isn’t surprising considering her background.
“My Kind Of Country” sounds like a good blog concept. I enjoy reading the scathing reviews of pop-rock country schlock Top 40 singles and mainstream album releases here at The 9513, but I don’t listen to nor buy most of that stuff.
Off Topic: here’s a new release announcement from the Ernest Tubb Record Shop that all of us fans of quality vintage country music might find interesting:
“As we approach the holidays, it’s gettin’ chilly here in Nashville. It’s time to crank up the heater & turn up the music. And, the music that we’ve been playing non-stop here at ERNEST TUBB RECORD SHOPS is the new “DIM LIGHTS, THICK SMOKE AND HILLBILLY MUSIC 1945-1950″ series from Bear Family. Each of the 6 CDs, one for each year, contain 27 (or, in some cases, 28) of the greatest Country recordings of all time. It’s pretty rare that we recommend various artist CDs but these collections are so brilliantly compiled that they’re perfect for just about any Country music fan. Whether you’re a beginner just sorting out your Lefty’s from your Webb’s or you’re a hardcore collector looking for artists who had a hit or two but have been passed over for CD reissue until now, these CDs will fill the bill. Each disc includes a 72 page booklet full of info & photos. They’re $26.98 each. Check our web site or give us a call for the details.”
December 11, 2008 at 11:56 am
Shania Twain always suprises me when she speaks, that’s the only one that I can think of at the moment.
December 11, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Reason #1 why Tim McGraw is qualified to run for governor: He’s rich enough already that he wouldn’t need to sell a senate seat to take care of his family.
December 11, 2008 at 1:16 pm
South Austin Jugg Band is also calling it quits.
December 11, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Ha! That’s true, Sam G. Who knew Illinois politics were so corrupt … :)
Is the Billboard list a sales-ranked list? Sorry for my stupidity … just wondering. If so, it’s great to see Reba and George Strait still in there.
And thanks for the shout-out to the blog, guys! The9513 is essential reading for me, so just being a link on your page is an honor in itself …
December 11, 2008 at 1:40 pm
What J.R said. We are really honored to be mentioned here on the9513. Thank you so much guys!
December 11, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I don’t think Alison Krauss could sound LESS midwestern. I think it’s funny how all places with their own weird accent (New England, NY/NJ (ugh), the South all throw “midwestern” out for a voice they don’t think fits with theirs.
Having lived in the midwest, northwest and now the south… she sounds pretty “Southern” to me.
December 11, 2008 at 2:45 pm
@Rick – The Bear Family website notes that the set was put together by Colin Escott, and it sounds super interesting, but I can’t help but think that at 27 bucks a pop most fans aren’t going to be rushing out to purchase the whole series. If I hadn’t already sent my Christmas list out I would have added a coupe of discs to it.
@Sam G. – Zing!
@JR Journey – The index doesn’t mention anything about sales, but I don’t see how it could be based on anything else since some of the albums weren’t even released in 2008.
No problem on the shout out and I’m sure there will be more in the future.
December 11, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Stormy, I went to a concert mid-October that featured The Belleville Outfit and the South Austin Jug Band but didn’t hang around for the Jug Band’s set as I was felling really tired. I guess I blew that one……
December 11, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Ditto what Jr and Rainbow said. xD
It was only a matter of time until Kristy got the boot, she was bad…
December 11, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Lots of people knew that Illinois had a corrupt political scene…once Blag-o-vachiaich or whatever goes to jail, 4 of the past 8 Illinois govs will have done jail time.
December 12, 2008 at 6:54 am
LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN for top country album……
TAYLOR SWIFT for second, FEARLESS for 13th
CARNIVAL RIDE for third top country album, SOME HEARTS for 19th
Good god Some Hearts charted on year end for the third year….
On Billboard 200 —
TAYLOR SWIFT on 5th, CARNIVAL RIDE on 9th. CR was on 9th too last year.
Neither Taylor Swift nor Carrie Underwood is on top singles xD