The Rhonda Vincent 2008 Bluegrass Cruise (Feb. 11-19) is officially SOLD OUT! Vincent and The Rage, The Grascals, and IIIrd Tyme Out are music artists scheduled for on-board performances. Her new album, Good Thing Going, is due Jan. 8. Keith Urban has contributed harmony vocals on "The Water Is Wide," IIIrd Tyme Out's Russell Moore duets on "I Give All My Love to You." The album also features guest vocals by Jesse McReynolds, Bryan Sutton, Becky Issacs, Kathy Chiavola and James Stroud.
Willie Nelson's "Always on My Mind" and Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind" are among 70 songs and albums to be added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. The selections come from a variety of genres and artists and must be at least 25 years old to be inducted. Among the selections honored in 2008 are The Beatles' "Help!", the Eagles' "Hotel California" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird".
In the last year Rodney Carrington has become a published author (book titled Coming Clean), released "King of the Mountains" his first album of new material in four years , put out a DVD "Rodney Carrington: Live at the Majestic," starred in the Trace Adkins video "I Got My Game On", and teamed up with Toby Keith for a big screen project titled "Beer For My Horses." The film stars Carrington and Keith (the two also wrote the film) as a couple of small-town deputies who venture into Mexico to rescue a kidnapped girl. Carrington describes it as a throwback to "Smokey and the Bandit" that he believes is "going to be as much fun shooting it as it was writing it."
Miranda Lambert and her parents, Rick & Beverly Lambert have entered the wine business with private label Red 55 Winery, named after Miranda's first pickup, a candy-apple-red 1955 Chevy. The Lamberts partnered with the family of Lou Viney Vineyards of Winnsboro, TX, to "bottle a wine worthy to put Miranda's name on." Wines currently available go by the names of Red 55, Electric Pink (for her pink guitar), Belle and Kerosene. In early 2008, look for Gunpowder & Lead Merlot and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Sweet White to be added to the line.
News Briefs: Reba McEntire's new album, Love Revival, is available exclusively at Hallmark Gold Crown stores through February. The 10-track album contains four new tracks, including a cover of Restless Heart's No. 1 hit, "I'll Still Be Loving You." ••• Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet and wife Rebecca welcomed their first child on Dec. 27 at Nashville's Baptist Hospital. Daughter Penelopi Jane weighed in at 6 lbs, 4 ozs. Little Big Town will join George Strait's tour when it kicks off on Jan. 10 in Austin, Texas. ••• Luke Ryan and his wife, Caroline, are expecting their first child in March. Ryan says they will name his tiny "fishing partner" Thomas Boyer Bryan. ••• JP Olson - a.k.a. Simply JP - will perform in Honolulu Mar. 16-19, then on to Australia and New Zealand (Mar 21-Apr 12). She will return to Nashville in time for the Gospel Music Association Convention on Apr. 23. ••• Martha Moore / So Much Moore Media celebrates
their 20th year in 2008.
Charley Pride will receive the Mississippi Arts Commission's lifetime achievement award during ceremonies Feb. 8 in Jackson. Pride is the only performer to be honored this year during the Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts.
GAC will tape a 90-minute special, How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites Live From The Grand Ole Opry, during a live performance at the Grand Ole Opry House on Jan. 20. Artists scheduled to participate in the live taping include Trace Adkins, Dierks Bentley, Charlie Daniels Band, Sara Evans, Loretta Lynn, Ronnie Milsap and Carrie Underwood. The special will air on Feb. 9. RCA will release a 12-song album How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites Live From The Grand Ole Opry on Feb. 4.
LifeNotes: Jack Earle, father of Steve Earle, died Dec. 28 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashvile with wife, Barbara, and all five of his children at his bedside. ••• David Kenneth "Ken" Ritter, a former four-term mayor of Beaumont, TX and well-respected music promoter/producer, died Dec. 30 of Lewi Body Disease, a neurological disorder. He was 79. He began his career in the music industry as a teen doing advance work for his uncle, Tex Ritter. Although never a performer, he was behind some of the biggest musical acts to come out of Southeast Texas including J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Tracy Byrd. He co-produced The Big Bopper classic "Chantilly Lace" and worked with Johnny and Edgar Winter early in their music careers. He promoted one of Hank Williams Sr.'s final concerts in Beaumont and worked closely with legendary Nashville music producer Jack Clements. Aside from music and politics, Ritter was a sales executive for Proctor and Gamble for more than 30 years.
A federal judge has cleared the way for Stonewall Jackson to pursue earlier claims of age-discrimination against the Grand Ole Opry. Jackson, who joined the Opry in 1956 and had a string of hit records in the ’50s and ’60s, including the No. 1 single “Waterloo,” filed a $20 million lawsuit earlier this year against Gaylord Entertainment and Opry General Manager Pete Fisher. claiming breach of contract, retaliation and age discrimination.
Belmont University will present a special one-night only concert tribute to Elvis’ legacy in Music City at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Feb. 12. Performers will include Pat Boone, David Briggs, Mac Davis, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Wanda Jackson, Ray Walker of the Jordanaires, Ronnie McDowell, TG Sheppard, BJ Thomas and more. Proceeds benefit the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster locations and the Curb Event Center Box Office at Belmont.
George Jones has enjoyed a six decade recording career, second only to Eddy Arnold as the most charted country artist of all time. In 1962 he signed a deal with United Artists Records, commencing a 30 month recording career that created 16 chart singles and consolidated his status as one of country music’s top attractions. Now Bear Family has collected all Jones’ UA recordings and released them in a 5 cd box set. The collection - 150 titles - includes six previously unreleased songs. The accompanying LP size book provides a good overview of this period of Jones' career, spotlighting various recording sessions and songs; photographs, insights into his rowdy lifestyle and comments from Melba Montgomery, Buck Owens and more.
Trace Adkins and Capitol Nashville teamed with Xbox 360 for the gaming console’s first Country artist promotional tie-in. A national promotion will run on 160 Clear Channel radio stations and at major retailers. The radio promotion begins Jan. 14 with a first place prize pack which includes a trip to Get Your Game On With Trace Adkins with airfare, hotel, concert tickets, backstage passes, and a gaming session with Adkins, as well as an autographed Adkins-skinned Xbox 360. The retail promotion coincided with the Dec. 4 release date for Adkins' American Man, Greatest Hits Volume II CD.
News Briefs: Tim McGraw's new Curb album, Let It Go, is due Mar. 27. This is McGraw's first collection of all-new material in nearly three years. ••• Shooter Jennings will perform two songs on CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Jan. 10. Also, in support of his third studio album, The Wolf, Jennings appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman (Jan. 2) and will appear later this month on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. ••• John Michael Montgomery is co-producing his new album with Byron Gallimore. This will be Montgomery's first release on his own Stringtown Records label. ••• Charlie Daniels will be inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry on Jan. 19 at the Ryman Auditorium. ••• Asleep at the Wheel will swing with the Symphony of Southeast Texas for the "Symphony Pops Concert" in Beaumont, TX on Jan. 19.
Rissi Palmer will perform during the NFL playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars on
Jan. 5. Prior to the 8:00 p.m. (ET) kick-off at Heinz Field, Palmer will perform "God Bless America" as part of a special tribute to the troops and will entertain fans with a halftime performance, including her hit single, "Country Girl." She will join Sawyer Brown on select dates throughout their 2008 Winter Bash Tour.
Alan Jackson's next Arista Nashville album, Good Time, will be released Mar. 4. The album reunites him with longtime producer Keith Stegall, who produced or co-produced all but one of Jackson’s previous albums. The self-penned first single, “Small Town Southern Man”, has consistently been among the most-added new songs at country radio since its release and garnered a two-page spotlight in a recent People magazine special country issue. Good Time again turns the spotlight to Jackson's skills as a songwriter, as well as a vocalist. The man who wrote 21 of his 31 #1 singles is the sole writer on all of the songs on Good Time, marking the first Jackson album to be written entirely by him.
EVENTS Calender 2008:
• Jan. 23-27 - Country In The Rockies, Steamboat Springs, CO
• Mar. 5-7 - Country Radio Seminar (CRS), Nashville, TN
• Mar. 7-16 - SXSW 2008, Austin, TX
• Mar. 13-16 - Festival Of The West, Phoenix, AZ
• Apr. 24-27 - MerleFest, Wilkesboro, NC
• May. 3-4 - Stagecoach Festival, Indio, CA
• Jun. 5-8 -CMA Music Festival, Nashville, TN
• Jun. 26-29 - Roots United '08, Austin, TX
• Jul. 25-27- Craponne Country Music Festival, France
• Sept. 12-14 - Country Night Gstaad, Switzerland
• Oct. 16 - Inspirational Country Music Awards, Nashville, TN
