The Super Bowl and Nashville Music Just Naturally Go Together
December 22nd, 2011
Super Bowl fans attending the SB in February can get a good dose of Nashville’s Country Music, AND a generous dash of Nashville Pop/Rock.
According to MusicRow.com, Music City will be well-represented at festivities surrounding the Feb. 5 Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
Numerous free concerts will take place at the Super Bowl Village from Jan. 27-Feb. 4. The line-up features Darius Rucker and Dierks Bentley from the country set, and Will Hoge, Six Pence None The Richer and Here Come The Mummies from Nashville’s pop/rock scene.
Billboard Cranks up More Country Music Coverage
December 21st, 2011
It’s a two-pronged effort: both a new blog and a print magazine, which they refer to as a mini magazine. Billboard is making a major stab at coddling up to Country Music — specifically Nashville Music. The blog is available now, the mag expected December 27
It’s all for good reason, as Country grows while some other genre are having a tough time.
Billboard’s new blog is titled (615), after the Nashville area code. The mini-mag will look like Billboard Magazine, just smaller…which is a good idea, since the main pub is far too large to be placed on the average newsstand, except on the bottom rack. Eye-level good. Foot-level bad.
The first edition will have a special hook attached: a CD featuring some of Country’s top artists. One thing we’d change if we had our druthers is the bit about only being available in Target Stores and at Target online. Oops, one other drawback: The ding dong thing is priced at five bucks — $4.99 to be exact. But what’s the difference?
Still, it’s a great salute to Country Music. And for that we salute Billboard.
Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Up for Oscar Nominations
December 20th, 2011
Here’s something Country Music Fans can root for in the Oscar Nominations:
Songs written by Zac Brown and Brad Paisley are among a pool of potential Oscar nominees for Best Original Song.Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Drew Pearson and Anne Preven penned “Where the River Goes” for the Footloose soundtrack. Brown also recorded the song for the project.
Paisley teamed with British pop star Robbie Williams to write and record “Collision of Worlds” for the Cars 2 soundtrack.
Pistol Annies Take Country Music by Storm, But What’s With Miranda Lambert?
December 9th, 2011
It’s rare…even unheard of when a top recording artist takes on an entirely different persona as part of a trio/band. But Miranda Lambert has done it, and successfully.
Music Row.com says the Pistol Annies have been causing a buzz and making registers ring. The band’s digital-only album was released in late August and debut sales were a remarkable 42,000 units. At the same time, the trio’s most famous member, fiery Miranda Lambert, has also been lighting torches. Lambert recently debuted Four The Record which hit the charts at No. 1 selling more than double any of her previous debut albums. Pistol Annies includes Ashley Monroe, managed by John Grady and unofficially signed to a solo deal at Warner Bros., plus Angaleena Presley, managed by Scott Kernahan.
Roy Orbison’s Widow, Barbara, Dies
December 7th, 2011
Talk about spooky! Roy Orbison’s widow Barbara Orbison died yesterday, Dec. 6–on the same date Roy passed away 23 years ago! Reports say she had been fighting pancreatic cancer since last May.
The family lived in the Nashville area for many years, and the publishing company spawned by Roy’s music is located in Nashville. It had been run by Barbara since Roy’s death. The firm is still very active, winning the 2010 BMI Song of the Year award for Taylor Swift’s “You Belong To Me,” co-written by Swift and Liz Rose.
Orbison will be buried next to her husband in Los Angeles. She is survived by their three children, Wesley Orbison, Roy Kelton Orbison Jr and Alexander Orbison.