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Billy Currington Announces Free Benefit For Hurricane Dorian Victims

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Billy Currington is the latest country star doing what he can to help those in the Bahamas who were affected by Hurricane Dorian.

The singer announced he’ll be performing a free benefit show on Sunset Pier in Key West Florida on Saturday to benefit the victims, with proceeds and donations going to Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas, where Billy shot the video for “People Are Crazy.”

“After seeing the impact Hurricane Dorian had on the Bahamas, I feel I gotta do something.,” he shared on social media. “I saw that my friend Paul Menta is heading up fundraising efforts with Key West Cares and putting on a show at the Key West Theatre. I want to be a part of what they’re doing so headed down to play a few songs at the theater this Saturday night Sept 14, 7 pm. “

He then added, “Also I feel like we can raise even more money at the full band after party at the Sunset Pier starting round sunset… can’t wait to hang and see people gather up for the love of the Bahamas.”

 

 

This day in 2003: Johnny Cash passes away at 71.

Posted on by Bob Ballard

This day in 2003, the famed “The Man in Black” Johnny Cash, who became a towering figure in American music with such hits as “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line” and “A Boy Named Sue,” died at the age of 71. In a statement issued by Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Cash’s longtime manager and friend, Lou Robin, said, “Johnny died due to complications from diabetes, which resulted in respiratory failure.”

He noted that Cash died at the hospital at 1 am ET and added, “I hope that friends and fans of Johnny will pray for the Cash family to find comfort during this very difficult time.” The stunning news came as Cash had been released from the hospital the previous Wednesday after a two-week stay for treatment of an unspecified stomach ailment. Some reports circulated that he had been suffering from pancreatitis. The illness caused him to miss the MTV Music awards, where he had been nominated in seven categories and won the trophy for Best Cinematography. In his later years, Cash had battled a disease of the nervous system, autonomic neuropathy, and pneumonia. His beloved wife, June, had passed four months earlier.

 

 

Dierks Bentley & Darius Rucker To Headline Hurricane Dorian Benefit

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker are set to headline a September 16th concert at the Ryman Auditorium, which will raise funds for those affected by Hurricane Dorian, which destroyed the Bahamas earlier this month.

“SIP Hope 4 Hope Town,” hosted by songwriter Patrick Davis, will also feature Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Devin Dawson, LoCash, Sugarland’s Kristian Bush, James Otto, Hootie & the Blowfish’s Mark Bryan, and more.

Davis puts on the annual “Songwriters in Paradise” concert in Hope Town on the Abaco Islands, which was destroyed by the hurricane. Proceeds from the concert will go to a GoFundMe page he has already started for the island, which has so far raised more than $380,000.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now.

Source: Rolling Stone

This day in 1984: Barbara Mandrell in serious car crash

Posted on by Bob Ballard

This day in 1984: Barbara Mandrell and two of her children were seriously injured in a car crash that killed the other driver. She spent a long time recuperating and firmly believed that seat belts saved their lives.

Mandrell suffered a leg fracture, a concussion and cuts, and underwent surgery at Baptist Hospital in Nashville.

Her 14-year-old son, Matthew Dudney, was admitted to Hendersonville Hospital with cuts, and daughter, Jaime Dudney, 8, was treated and released.

The driver of the other car, Mark White, 19, of Lebanon, was killed in the collision, which occurred at 6:30 P.M. when his car crossed the center line of U.S. 31.

Jason Aldean Announces New Album, “9”

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Jason Aldean fans won’t have to wait too long for a new album. The singer announced that his next record, “9,” will drop November 22nd.

“Early on I always thought if we ever got to make nine albums, I’m going to call it ‘9.’ It was my baseball number growing up, and it’s just kind of always been my lucky number,” Jason shares. “I remember cutting the first album and thinking ‘that’s forever away,’ and now here we are. I don’t know, it’s really special we made it this far – so, it’s more for me than anybody else – but, it means a lot.”

Jason also released a brand new single from the record, “We Back,” and fans who pre-order the record will get access to three more tunes, “Blame It On You,” “I Don’t Drink Anymore” and “Keep It Small Town.”

This day in 1983: Kix Brooks debuts on the country charts

Posted on by Bob Ballard

This day in 1983, unknown singer/songwriter Kix Brooks debuted on the country charts with the song “Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down.” The song was a failure – it only reached #73. Eight years later, Kix was #1 with his new partner Ronnie Dunn, and their first single, “Brand New Man.”

The Oak Ridge Boys would later cover the song on their “Voices” album in 1999.

Listen to Kix Brooks’ “Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down” HERE.

Taylor Swift Donates $10K To Teen Fan Battling Cancer

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Taylor Swift is once again showing her fans how much they mean to her. The singer recently opened her own wallet to donate $10,000 to a 16-year-old fan battling cancer.

According to fan Trinity Foster’s GoFundMe page, which was created in February, she was diagnosed with stage 4 osteosarcoma, sharing, “The chemo is really hard for me and my insurance doesn’t cover everything that I need, we have tried to get other insurances like ten care but were told we did not apply.”

Well, Taylor helped make her financial burden a little easier. “Trinity, I saw photos of your album release party that you did in your hospital room and wanted to say thank you for being so kind and supportive!,” Taylor wrote on the GoFundMe page. “I hope I can give you a hug in person soon, but in the meantime I wanted to send you this and all my love. Your friend, Taylor.”

Before Taylor’s donation, Trinity’s page had raised $4,000.

 

 

This day in 1956: Elvis Presley appears on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Posted on by Bob Ballard

This day in 1956: Elvis Presley made his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” He sang four songs, including “Love Me Tender” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” shot only from the waist up (because of his naughty hip movements). Charles Laughton was hosting in place of Sullivan, who was recuperating from an auto accident.

Ed Sullivan, never a fan of controversy, had already refused an offer to hire Elvis for $5,000. Even as he professed to the press that Elvis was ‘not his cup of tea’, Ed Sullivan had already begun negotiations with Elvis’ agent, Colonel Tom Parker. His hesitation cost him heavily, however. He would end up agreeing to shell out $50,000 for three appearances, an unprecedented sum.

The September 9th show reached 82.6 percent of the TV audience.

Ronnie Dunn Teasing Covers Album

Posted on by Bob Ballard

Ronnie Dunn is getting ready to release a covers album. The singer took to social media to tease his next project, “Re-Dunn,” which will have him covering 24 classic tunes.

Ronnie just tweeted what appears to be the cover of the album, revealing some tracks that will appear on it, including Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” Buck Owen’s “Together Again,” Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and more.

So far there’s no word on when it will be released, but he captioned the photo, “how many more before lift off?” and then later posted another with the caption, “The wait is almost over !!”

This won’t be the first time Ronnie has revisited classic tunes. Back in April he and partner Kix Brooks released “Reboot,” which featured them reworking classic Brooks & Dunn hits with other artists.

 

 

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