Tim McGraw Is Going On A Book Tour

Posted on April 19, 2019April 19, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Tim McGraw is hitting the road but not to perform. The singer has teamed with Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Jon Meacham on a new book about music that defined America, and now the pair is going out on a book tour together.

“Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music that Made a Nation” is set to hit shelves on June 11^th, with the pair launching a seven-city tour on June 10^th in New York City.

According to a press release, the tour will “give an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at what went into creating the book, and their friendship as they combine their individual perspectives as writer and artist to create a unique view of the role music has played in uniting and shaping our nation.”

Check out the tour dates below. Tickets for the tour go on sale today.

June 10: New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
June 11: Charleston, SC – Gaillard Center
June 12: Washington, DC – The Anthem
June 21: Waco, TX – Magnolia Market
June 22: Atlanta, GA – Coca Cola Roxy
June 23: Charlotte, NC – Belk Theatre
June 24: Raleigh, NC – Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

This day in 2000: Shania’s “Come On Over” wakes boy from coma

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Today in 2000, the British paper, “The Weekly News,”reported that Shania was responsible for helping a 14-year-old boy come out of a coma. In October 1999, the child was struck by a car and left in a coma. The boy’s mother said that doctors told her to expect the worst for her son. Then, a few weeks into the boy’s treatment, his family brought him a personal stereo and a copy of Shania’s “Come On Over” album. Reportedly, every time the hospital staff switched off the CD for any reason, there were immediate changes in his vital signs. Slowly, he started to come out of his coma and in late December, his mother heard the precious words, “I want my mum!” A few weeks later, the boy’s family was given the best news of all – that he could come home permanently. At last check, the family said that everything is improving and that “Come On Over” is still his favorite album.

Rodney Crowell Announces New Guest-Filled Record

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Rodney Crowell has just announced a new record. The singer has enlisted some A-list friends for his upcoming release, “Texas,” which is set to drop August 15^th.

The album will feature 11 tracks, and special guests like Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Ronnie Dunn, Billy F Gibbons, Randy Rogers, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Steve Earle, and Ringo Starr.

“For the last few years, I’d been writing Texas-centric songs and revisiting some of my tunes from as far back as the mid-seventies,” Rodney explains. “Last year, I started referring to the collection of songs as the ‘TEXAS’ album.”

Rodney says he initially planned to just record with Earle and Gibbons, but things then started to grow. “Interestingly it all started with Ringo Starr who, through a mutual friend, let me know he was keen to record a track,” he says. “Before I knew it, Lee Ann Womack, Ronnie Dunn, Willie Nelson, Randy Rogers, Lyle Lovett and Vince Gill had climbed on board. … Man, was it a fun record to make.”

Check out the trackilst below:

“Flatland Hillbillies” (featuring Lee Ann Womack & Randy Rogers)
“Caw Caw Blues” (featuring Vince Gill)
“56 Fury” (featuring Billy F Gibbons)
“Deep In the Heart of Uncertain Texas” (featuring Ronnie Dunn, Willie Nelson & Lee Ann Womack)
“You’re Only Happy When You’re Miserable” (featuring Ringo Starr)
“I’ll Show Me”
“What You Gonna Do Now” (featuring Lyle Lovett)
“The Border”
“Treetop Slim & Billy Lowgrass”
“Brown & Root, Brown & Root” (featuring Steve Earle)
“Texas Drought Part 1”

This Day in 1961: Marty Robbins wins a Grammy

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1961, at the GRAMMYs, Marty Robbins won Best Country & Western Performance for “El Paso.”

First released on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959, It was released as a single the following month, and became a major hit on both the country and pop music charts, reaching number one in both at the start of 1960. It is widely considered a genre classic for its gripping narrative which ends in the death of its protagonist, its shift from past to present tense, haunting harmonies by vocalists Bobby Sykes and Jim Glaser (of the Glaser Brothers) and the eloquent and varied Spanish guitar accompaniment by Grady Martin that lends the recording a distinctive Tex-Mex feel. The name of the character Feleena was based upon a schoolmate of Robbins in the fifth grade; Fidelina Martinez.

Earl Thomas Conley Passes Away at 77

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Country singer Earl Thomas Conley passed away yesterday in Nashville at the age of 77. According to his brother Fred Conley, Earl has been in hospice care for several months, and was battling a condition similar to dementia.

Conley was best known for such 80s songs as “Holding Her and Loving You,” “Angel in Disguise” and the Emmylou Harris duet “We Believe in Happy Endings,” three of his 18 number ones. His first Top Ten hit as an artist was the track “Silent Treatment,” while 1981’s “Fire And Smoke” was his first number one.

Several artists took to social media to pay tribute to Conley, including Blake Shelton who shared, “My heart is absolutely destroyed today… Earl was my all time favorite singer, hero and my friend. Prayers to his family. We will all miss you deeply my brother. Now go rest….”

Toby Keith wrote: “An all time great. Earl Thomas Conley passed away today. Huge influence on me. Loved him. Prayers to his family.”

This day in 1997: Tracy Lawrence draws 6,000 fans to a Texas Wal-Mart

Posted on April 11, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1997, Tracy Lawrence’s appearance at the Wal-Mart in North Richland Hills, Texas was billed by some as the “largest outdoor in-store appearance in the history of mankind.” The event drew an estimated 6,000 screaming fans, who showed up to hear him perform and see him autograph his album, “The Coast Is Clear.”Later, Tracy took the stage and performed five songs, including “Stars Over Texas,” “Time Marches On” and “Better Man Better Off.” The audience got so rowdy that they actually stormed the stage, bowling over security officers to get Tracy’s autograph.

Brett Eldredge set for 4th of July concert in Nashville

Posted on April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Brett Eldredge will be celebrating the Fourth of July on stage in Nashville. The singer will headline “Let Freedom Sing,” Nashville’s Independence Day celebration on Lower Broadway, with Mac McAnally and Jessy Wilson also on the bill.

CMT will air a 90-minute live special centered around the show, which will feature performances by Brett, along with fireworks and more.

Source: Music Row

This day in 2007, former Johnny Cash home burns to the ground

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Bob Ballard

This day in 2007, the former home of Johnny Cash and June Carter burned to the ground in Hendersonville, Tennessee, while workers were restoring it for new owner Barry Gibb. Watching helplessly were next-door neighbors Marty Stuart and his wife Connie Smith, as well as Tommy Cash, T.G. Sheppard and some of the Oak Ridge Boys.

Barry Gibb sold the property June Carter and Johnny Cash called home for over 40 years in 2014 for $2 million. Both Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash died in 2003.

Barry Gibb purchased the home in 2006 and planned to write songs there. He paid $2.3 million for the seven-bedroom home built in 1968.

His plans to renovate and restore the home to its original grandeur were almost complete in April 2007 when a spark from a preservative caught fire and destroyed the mostly wooden structure.

Lady Antebellum to release new music

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Lady Antebellum fans can look forward to some new music soon. While on the red carpet at the ACM Awards the band told “Billboard” that their new single, “What If I Never Get Over You,” should be out in a little over a month.

“I think the fans who have been with us from the very beginning, it will feel fresh but familiar,” Hillary Scott shares, noting the tune has, “that kind of male and female perspective of longing and a heartbreak message.”

She adds, “I think everybody will be able to listen to it and put their own story into it.”

Source: Billboard

This day in 1998, Country legend Tammy Wynette is laid to rest.

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Bob Ballard

Today in 1998, Tammy Wynette’s funeral was held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Stars including Wynonna, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton, Lorrie Morgan and the Oak Ridge Boys all performed musical tributes. Before that very public service, there was a private service earlier in the day attended by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill and George Jones.

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