Tracy Lawrence Made History At CMA Awards With Win
- Trisha Yearwood hates the fact that ticket scalpers are getting a hold of some of the $31 tickets to Garth Brooks’ shows and selling them for astronomical prices. Witness the prices on eBay.
- Country music is keeping Jessica Simpson busy these days. She attended the BMI Awards to see her buddy Willie Nelson canonized, made sure she was seen at the CMAs (almost directly behind King George), and was on hand for the taping of Hank Williams Jr’s tribute show. Simpson aside, Buddy Guy, Gretchen Wilson, Brad Paisley, and Alan Jackson shower Williams with kudos–not the granola bar, either. Jackson says:
“Everybody thinks Hank’s just a big party man who writes all the drinking songs,” he said. “But tunes like ‘Old Habits,’ things he wrote about his life — if you’re in some of the harder times, those are really great, meaty songs.”
- The Nashville Songwriters Association International promised not to change a thing about The Bluebird Cafe, they do however, hope to use their “marketing department to expand the profit-making abilities.”
- The Eagles new album, Long Road Out Of Eden, which is supposed to be available exclusively at Wal-Mart and through the band’s website, is turning up at retailers from Mom & Pops to Virgin, reports Rolling Stone. Apparently, demand for the album has been so high that retailers are physically importing it from Wal-Mart and raising the price.
- Try your hand at the Funny Country Song Titles Quiz. The Joe Nichols one almost threw me off since one of the words in the title is wrong. I ended up with a mere 17/20. (via City Girl, Country Girl)
- Take Country Back republished their 12 step program for… taking country back. Many of the listed steps are reasons I like writing here, although I don’t follow them all religiously. The trap that usually snares me is “instead of talking about what’s wrong with country music — share with others what’s right about it…”
- Lyle Lovett vs. Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, and Carrie Underwood in the battle of music and broadcast industries.
- Big Rock Candy Mountain salutes Hank Thompson, one member of the Holy Trinity of Hanks.
- The Stagecoach Music Festival doesn’t sound too shabby. They’ve managed to combine contemporary country music mega-superstars with torchbearers of traditional music, like: Ralph Stanley, Riders In the Sky, and Wylie & The Wild West, and will feature The Judds in their first show since 2000. Good stuff.
- Tracy Lawrence’s win at the CMAs for “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” marked the first time a country artist with his own record label has taken home a CMA award for a song from the label’s debut release.
- That Kris Kristofferson guy sure knows how to write a speech.
Comparing Willie to Stephen Foster, Kristofferson went on to say “His voice and his guitar are a part of his body and soul. … Like Muhammad Ali and Johnny Cash, he’s become more than the art form that made him famous. … I’m still in awe of his artistry. … I love you, Willie. I always have, I always will.”
- Tom Roland revealed the story behind the classic guitar solo on “Pancho & Lefty”.
- Twang Nation posted videos of two fantastic performances from the AMA conference. The first is Mike Farris’ nod to the late Porter Wagoner on an acoustical rendition of “Green, Green Grass of Home”. Lyle Lovett keeps the magic alive with “If I Had A Boat”. Thanks, Baron.
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November 9, 2007 at 3:02 pm Permalink
I just wish we had been able to see Tracy Lawrence accept his award, after soo many years in this business and not be able to accept your award on national TV – that just sucks…..but I am very happy that he did win because it just proves that he is still amazing after all of these years.
November 9, 2007 at 3:16 pm Permalink
You’re right, Lanibug. It would have been nice to see Tracy Lawrence accept his award. MattC mentioned that they interviewed him on the Nashville affiliate right after the show. I did a quick search on YouTube, but came up empty handed.
I got 18/20 on the quiz. I took it earlier, so I don’t remember which ones threw me.
November 9, 2007 at 4:36 pm Permalink
14/20 for me.
I’m convinced Tracy won the award because of Kenny Chesney. Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, and Carrie Underwood were the only ones to walk away with multiple honors Wednesday night, and they are all on the same label. It’s no coincidence. I hate to take something so grand away from Tracy Lawrence, but the voters gave that award to Kenny, not Tracy. They might as well just call them the Joe Galante awards.
November 9, 2007 at 11:47 pm Permalink
Re: the Lyle Lovett article. Honestly, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney played the right card by giving a shout out to country radio…that’s seriously all they play around here. Well, at least anytime I can stomach turning on my local country station these days..
November 10, 2007 at 5:55 am Permalink
Tracy Lawrence is probably the best male vocalist not over 45 years old operating on the planet today. He should have been nominated for single of the year with his superior solo version of the song. The vocal event award is kind of a bogus category anyway but I’m glad to see Tracy win something from the CMA
November 13, 2007 at 7:00 am Permalink
Brad S. I usually agree with a lot of things that you say but I am going to have to disagree with you…Tracy did not win the award because of Kenny and Tim he won it with the HELP of his long time friends. If you read articles from Kenny and Tim they say that recording that song was something that they had wanted to do for a long time and it was something that they enyoed doing with their friend.
I have to agree Tracy is one of my favorite male vocalists, I have been listening to him for so long and there is not a song in his catalog that I do not enjoy…
I can barely stomach local country radio as well because they play the same songs over and over and usually the only time I listen is on my drive into work so I can listen to traffic and then the rest of time I am either listening to Sirius or XM, much better selection of music and I get to hear the new music – or I am playing my ipod….
November 19, 2007 at 9:02 am Permalink
If you can not give Tracy Lawerence the hard earned credit due than just be plesant and not say anything. He has keeped “Country Music” true. As others,this generation of radio country is pain to my ears. There is a reason why music has a vast option of preference. Only country knows country. Mixing usually brings seperation . Country is “Family”. Congrads Tracey
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