Laura Bell Bundy’s major label debut gets an April release

By Patrick Luce Mar 10, 2010, 17:51 GMT

Country singer Laura Bell Bundy’s major label debut Achin’ And Shakin’ will arrive on April 13th on the Mercury Nashville label. Her first single from the album, “Giddy On Up” has continued to find success on the top radio markets.

Bundy’s music background includes a Tony-nominated performance on Broadway as Elle Woods for Legally Blonde: The Musical. The single has been described as “a breath of fresh air” and “nothing short of a new female anthem” amongst industry critics since the premiere of the music video (which was directed Shane Drake) by on January 18.

"Giddy On Up" debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at #60 for the chart week of February 20th and has received the support of several websites (including CMT.com) - which has aided “Giddy On Up” in reaching almost 1 million streams in a month. The song has also gone on to sell more than 30,000 digital singles

The track has also started taking the radio markets by storm with Bundy being added to more than 28 stations countrywide in just 3 weeks.

The song’s video is also in heavy rotation on CMT and other country music television networks.

Visit Laura Bell Bundy’s official website for more information on the singer and her new studio album.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/music/news/article_1540021.php/Laura-Bell-Bundy-s-major-label-debut-gets-an-April-release#ixzz0hndXW77f

Laura Bell Bundy’s Debut Album Release Date: April 13th

Posted by Big Papa
10-03-2010

Laura Bell Bundy and Mercury Nashville will be releasing “Achin’ and Shakin’” on April 13th. Bundy’s debut album will feature her lead single, “Giddy On Up”, which has garnered considerable acclaim since the video for the song premiered on January 18th. The single has moved steadily up the Billboard charts and is poised to crack the Top 40 in the next week or two.

With the support of massive websites such as CMT.com, Perezhilton.com, People.com, Usmagazine.com and Monstersandcritics.com “Giddy On Up” has received almost 1 million streams in a month and has sold over 30,000 digital singles. “Our gut said Laura Bell Bundy would be a big hit and it exceeded our expectations,” said Jay Frank, SVP Music Strategy, CMT. “#1 on CMT.com right out of the box and immediate sales from the first spin…she is a definite star in CMT’s future.”

Laura Lee Bundy is a crossover star from an unlikely genre. Bundy starred in the hit Broadway production of, “Legally Blonde”. The musical featured Laura as “Elle Woods”. From Broadway to Nashville, Bundy has taken industries and fans by storm. Keep an eye out for her album in April. Check out her video from “Giddy On Up” and see why she has received a lot of attention.

http://www.ourcountryroad.com/laura-bell-bundys-debut-album-release-date-april-13th/

Interview: Easton Corbin
By: Josefin O'Brien

Easton Corbin can list professional country/songwriter with the hit single “A Little More Country Than That” on his resume, but it wasn’t always that way. Growing up in rural Florida, he spent his days on the family farm dreaming of the day he would move to Nashville and reach success in the country music world. This rising star doesn’t have the free time he once did but when he’s not burning up the charts, he still loves to hunt and fish.

Q: How did you first get interested in hunting?
A: Coming from where I come from, the majority of people hunt. My dad and my grandpa weren’t too big on hunting but I think I first went with an uncle and a cousin, I was probably 9 or 10. We hunted deer.

Q: Do you still have time to plan hunting trips with your profession?
A: I don’t have any time any more! I think my most recent trip was with my father-in-law at Christmastime. It’s Florida, so we hunt deer. Bird hunting is also big. I love squirrel hunting too. But I really love to fish, that’s more down my line. I’ve done a lot of bass fishing, brim fish.

Q: What do you think about women coming along on hunting trips, one of your songs talks about you having to bait a girl’s fishing hook?
A: With my experience with my wife, when we were dating, I did more of the work and she got more of the fish! But there are women who really know how to fish, they’re better than I am—I know some women like that.
Down in Florida, there are gators and some of them will make noise, rippling water off their backs. My wife and I were fishing near some lily pads one time and when we heard the noise, my wife said, get me away from here! So we moved to the next row of lily pads but the gators started making the noise again and totally freaked her out. Those gators can get aggressive, you don’t want to go swimming in there.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to hunt?
A: Depends on what’s biting! I love to get out there on the river. I like to hunt when I get the chance but it’s easier to throw the boat in the water. The hunting season’s only about 3 months—that’s a lot of the reason we can’t hunt so much. The rest of the year, you fish.

Q: Tell us about your album, would it appeal to other hunting enthusiasts?
A: There are 11 songs on there, and as a record, it really sums up the type of music that I like listening to. These songs tell the story of who I am—they tap into the community I grew up in, how I was raised, who I am. With this record, these songs all have something I can relate to. I chose songs that were real to me and I think people can see that.

Q: Who are your country music heroes and influences?
A: Merle Haggard and George Jones.

Q: You say you are “unapologetically country” – what does that mean to you?
A: The music I love doing, that’s what I’ll always do—no matter how the tide changes, I’ll always be doing country music. It’s the only thing I know how to do. With my accent, I can’t do anything else!

Q: How different is your life now as a country star vs. how you grew up in Florida?
A: I’m a lot busier! I’ve got a career doing what I love. When I was living down there, I was always singing.

Q: Your dream of being a country singer came true—what advice would you give to people who’d like to follow their dreams?
A: Always be true to yourself. Be who you are. And if you do decide to come to Nashville, it’s not about how good you are, it’s about the connection you make—if you surround yourself with good people, you’ll be better off. Make sure people have your best interest at heart.

Easton Corbin’s self-titled album is in stores now.

http://huntingnet.com/articles/article_detail.aspx?articles_id=587

Laura Bell Bundy Is 'Achin' for Release of New Album

Laura Bell Bundy is a Tony Award-nominated actress who's moved from Broadway to get her country music career 'Giddy On Up' and going. Fans will get that catchy single and more when the album, 'Achin' and Shakin,' drops April 13.

'Giddy On Up,' an upbeat comeuppance directed toward a cheating lover, has already sold more than 30,000 singles and been streamed almost one million times in a month, according to Laura's label, Mercury Nashville.

The album itself is actually two concept discs with a single vision. 'Achin'' is a selection of slow and sultry country songs, while 'Shakin'' is filled with sassy, contemporary tunes. Think Loretta Lynn and Minnie Pearl meets Norah Jones and 'Sex and the City.' All of the tunes except one on 'Achin' and Shakin'' were penned by Laura.

"Two records, one woman is my motto," says the singer. "I have a crazy, wild, humorous, outspoken personality and then I have a depth that only opens up when I'm alone or with one other person, and that is captured with this album. I really couldn't do one without the other."

http://www.theboot.com/2010/03/09/laura-bell-bundy-new-album-2010/

JAMEY JOHNSON TO BE HONORED AT

ALABAMA MUSIC HALL OF FAME

Blind Boys of Alabama, Mac McAnally, Mac Davis to receive awards

TUSCUMBIA, Ala. – The Alabama Music Hall of Fame Board has announced the selection of seven people to be inducted during the 13th Induction Banquet and Awards Show to be held in the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala., Thursday, March 25, 2010.

David Johnson, executive director of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, said, “We are proud to be returning to Montgomery for this celebrated event honoring our state’s great music achievers and unmatched musical heritage. During this event, the audience will be entertained by some of the most successful and talented Alabamians in the music industry as well as witness seven achievers being awarded with our most prestigious honor – induction into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.”

The inductees and their categories are:

Performing artist/group category

The Blind Boys of Alabama and Eddie Levert, (the lead singer of the O’Jays.)

The Blind Boys of Alabama trace their heritage to 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind in Talladega. The Grammy-winning a capella vocalists continue to influence the music world. Just last fall, they released a duets album with several major acts including Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Bonnie Raitt and Solomon Burke and others. Clarence Fountain is the only original member still living, but he has retired from the road, while other members carry on the tradition. They went 58 years before winning their first Grammy, but then picked up the award every year between 2002 and 2005. They have been inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame.

Alabama’s Rising Star Award - Singer Jamey Johnson, of Enterprise.

Jamey Johnson, who was born in Enterprise and grew up in Montgomery, has been on a hot streak in recent years. He co-wrote the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music 2007 Song of the Year “Give It Away,” recorded by George Strait. The Grammy-nominated artist won the ACM’s and CMA's Song of the Year for his single “In Color.”

Jerry Wexler Award - Former Muscle Shoals recording artist Mac Davis, of Los Angeles, California.

Mac Davis is a songwriter who found success as a recording artist with Rick Hall as his producer at Fame in Muscle Shoals. Among their hits were “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On Me,” “Stop And Smell The Roses,” Texas In My Rear View Mirror" and "Hooked on Music.” In 1974, Davis was named the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year.

Arthur Alexander songwriter’s award - Singer/songwriter Mac McAnally, of Sheffield.

Mac McAnally, a Red Bay native who grew up in Belmont, Mississippi, has won numerous awards for his songwriting. He writes and tours with Jimmy Buffett, whom he also produces. He will know January 31 if he wins a Grammy Award for the best country collaboration with vocals for his duet with Kenny Chesney on “Down The Road.”

If the honky tonk nation gathered and rejoiced publicly every time an artist came along with a sound steeped in the past — which is rarer in the 21st century than a two-headed dog — the cheers would have been deafening when Easton Corbin's "A Little More Country Than That" first hit the airwaves. The Top Ten single, from Corbin's 2010 self-titled album, is as old school as it gets. Producer Carson Chamberlain's new penny polish and Corbin's traditional twang balance each other out nicely. Corbin's debut is jam-packed with the sounds of yesterday. From the opening cut, the chugging "Roll with It," to the disc-closing "Leavin' a Lonely Town," a jangly number with stinging steel and forlorn fiddle, Corbin delivers a stone solid country collection. The latter could be a lost song from Steve Earle's groundbreaking Guitar Town sessions. The album's standout track, the cleverly titled "I Can't Love You Back," is a hardcore power ballad that aims straight for the heart. Corbin turns out a hanky-worthy vocal performance. Corbin's traditionally tinted voice isn't his only asset; the Florida native co-wrote four of the album's songs, including the funny-bone slam "That'll Make You Wanna Drink." Fans of George Strait will notice Corbin sounds a lot like "King George," which when you think about it, isn't really a bad thing at all. Now let's have a big cheer from the honky tonk nation.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:k9fyxz8sldfe

EASTON CORBIN FIRST WEEK SALES MARKS HIGHEST
UNIVERSAL MUSIC NASHVILLE MALE ARTIST DEBUT IN SEVEN YEARS

OPRY DEBUT PERFORMANCE SLATED FOR MARCH 20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 10, 2010

NASHVILLE, TN – Mercury Nashville newcomer Easton Corbin’s self-titled debut album tallied sales exceeding 43k this past week, marking the highest debut of a Universal Music Nashville male artist spanning the last seven years.

“I am humbled and amazed at the thought of that many people going out and buying my record the first week,” said Corbin. “It just shows you how powerful country radio is when it comes to getting your music to the people. I am very appreciative of my label and all of their hard work.”

People magazine awarded the Florida native’s debut three out of four stars and claims he “sounds like the second coming of George Strait with his neo-traditional tunes”. Check it out for yourself when Easton makes his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry next Saturday, March 20, which can be heard live on Sirius XM, Nashville’s WSM 650 AM and on www.wsmonline.com.

Easton will also perform his chart-topping hit “A Little More Country Than That” Monday, March 15 at 8:45amCT on Nashville’s Fox “Tennessee Mornings”, which can be seen on WZTV channel 17. Upcoming radio tour stops include Boston; Springfield, MA; San Antonio; Phoenix; Columbia and Greenville, SC; Charlotte; Chicago and Wilmington, DE.

By MICHAEL McCALL, For The Associated Press

Gary Allan, "Get Off on the Pain" (MCA Nashville)

Many modern Nashville artists cop the macho swagger of the outlaw movement of country music's past, but few remember how artists like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson balanced self-aggrandizement with sensitive self-examination.

Gary Allan, to his credit, is tough enough to show a tender side. On his eighth studio album, "Get Off on the Pain," Allan not only rocks with bluster; he also opens his tortured soul and searches for redemption.

A tattooed surfer from California, Allan shows brains as well as brawn on the title cut and on the rampaging "That Ain't Gonna Fly," in which he admits he should know by now that his medicine of choice — whiskey and women — doesn't cure heartaches. But that doesn't keep him from indulging.

However, it's on the ballads where Allan truly flies. "Along the Way" and "She Gets Me" both find a rowdy rambler acknowledging how much his lover sacrifices to keep him. On the musically stripped-down "No Regrets," Allan attunes his gruff-but-powerful voice to convey a hard-earned strength that's come in the five years since his wife Angela's suicide, while admitting, "I still miss her every day." That's the kind of searing honesty too often missing from country radio today.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: Played like a hymn, complete with soulful waves of sustained organ notes, "When You Give Yourself Away" is about two selfless lovers who find glory in taking care of each other. Allan sings it with the caressing restraint of a classic R&B singer.

Gary Allan, Get Off on the Pain

* * * * HURTS SO GOOD

On the title track, Gary Allan sings that he doesn't "know why my life sounds like a heartbroke country song." So does his album. On an album that twangs like the guitars have motorcycle chains for strings, Allan sides with long shots, dark horses and lost causes more apt to revel in their misery than celebrate their good fortune. — Brian Mansfield

>Download:Today, That Ain't Gonna Fly,

Get Off on the Pain

Review: Gary Allan, "Get Off on the Pain" (MCA Nashville)

The Associated Press

March 9, 2010

Gary Allan, to his credit, is tough enough to show a tender side. On his eighth studio album, "Get Off on the Pain," Allan not only rocks with bluster; he also opens his tortured soul and searches for redemption.

A tattooed surfer from California, Allan shows brains as well as brawn on the title cut and on the rampaging "That Ain't Gonna Fly," in which he admits he should know by now that his medicine of choice whiskey and women doesn't cure heartaches. But that doesn't keep him from indulging.

However, it's on the ballads where Allan truly flies. "Along the Way" and "She Gets Me" both find a rowdy rambler acknowledging how much his lover sacrifices to keep him. On the musically stripped-down "No Regrets," Allan attunes his gruff-but-powerful voice to convey a hard-earned strength that's come in the five years since his wife Angela's suicide, while admitting, "I still miss her every day." That's the kind of searing honesty too often missing from country radio today.

Posted: March 9th, 2010
By: Alison Bonaguro

All the buzz about Easton Corbin (“A Little More Country Than That”) has been that he’s the new George Strait. And he really does sound a lot like Strait. His voice, the guitars and his songwriting all echo King George's style. But I just played this online shell game -- only with Corbin’s baseball caps -- and discovered there is way more to him. You just keep your eye on the caps and if you can click on the one he’s hiding under, you can unlock his songs. All 11 tracks, if you keep playing. And when you do, you’ll discover that not only does Corbin have the same kind of traditional country sound as his heroes like Keith Whitley and George Jones, but also some contemporary artists. I hear traces of Joe Nichols in “That’ll Make You Want to Drink” and Jimmy Buffett in “A Lot to Learn About Livin’.” Musical comparisons aside, though, Corbin’s his own man and his self-titled debut album is proof of that.

http://blog.cmt.com/2010-03-09/easton-corbin-hides-music-under-his-old-hats/

Make sure to CLICK HERE to see Coldwater Jane talk to Yallwire about their first CRS experience, their love of music and more.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 9, 2010

LAURA BELL BUNDY’S MERCURY NASHVILLE DEBUT ACHIN’ AND SHAKIN’
SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 13 RELEASE

“GIDDY ON UP” REACHES CLOSE TO A MILLION STREAMS
AND GETS ADDED IN TOP RADIO MARKETS

NASHVILLE TN – Laura Bell Bundy’s major label debut album Achin’ And Shakin’ is slated for release April 13 on Mercury Nashville. The infectious lead single “Giddy On Up” has been described as “a breath of fresh air” and “nothing short of a new female anthem” amongst industry critics since the premiere of the music video on January 18.

With the support of massive websites such as CMT.com, Perezhilton.com, People.com, Usmagazine.com and Monstersandcritics.com “Giddy On Up” has received almost 1 million streams in a month and has sold over 30,000 digital singles.

“Our gut said Laura Bell Bundy would be a big hit and it exceeded our expectations,” said Jay Frank, SVP Music Strategy, CMT. “#1 on CMT.com right out of the box and immediate sales from the first spin…she is a definite star in CMT’s future.”

In addition to the astounding web buzz, numerous radio markets have jumped on board and added Bundy’s single to total over 28 stations countrywide in just 3 weeks.

“Giddy On Up” is the number one requested song at KILT, in Houston,” said Jeff Garrison, PD KILT, VP of Country Programming, CBS.

Other top stations such as San Antonio’s KAJA, Houston’s KKBQ, San Jose’s KRTY, Minneapolis’s KEEY, Chicago’s WUSN, Portland’s KWJJ and KUPL, Denver’s KYGO and both Phoenix station’s KNIX and KMLE are in full support of the single some spinning it over 30 times a week.

March 08, 2010

Easton Corbin

Easton Corbin is making a pretty convincing case that he should be the new standard-bearer for old-school country. His debut full-length album, Easton Corbin, is decked out head to toe in warm traditional country tones. The production is refreshingly free of thundering drums and heavy distorted guitars, but flush with fiddle and steel guitar.

Easton Corbin is also loaded with good-natured, easygoing songs. Corbin and producer Carson Chamberlain (he's worked with Billy Currington, Mark Wills and others) selected a great batch of material for the album. They even wrote a few themselves (Chamberlain's "Let Alone You" and "That'll Make You Wanna Drink" are among the album's highlights). This is an extremely welcome first album by a promising young star.

http://blog.napster.com/napster/2010/03/easton-corbin.html

» awe.sm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 8, 2010

BILLY CURRINGTON GARNERS FIFTH #1 SINGLE WITH
“THAT’S HOW COUNTRY BOYS ROLL”,
MARKING THIRD CONSECUTIVE #1

PREVIOUS #1 “PEOPLE ARE CRAZY” EARNS
“SINGLE” & “SONG OF THE YEAR” ACM NOMS

NASHVILLE, TN – Multi platinum-selling Mercury Nashville recording artist Billy Currington garners his fifth #1 single with the rocking, country-to-the-core “That’s How Country Boys Roll”, written by Currington, Brett Jones and Dallas Davidson, and from his third album Little Bit Of Everything. This also marks Currington’s third consecutive #1 single and the first time he’s been a writer on a chart-topping song.

“This song would’ve never been written if Brett, Dallas and I had kept our promise to not work on a guy’s trip to Key West,” laughs Currington. “But we got the groove with the title and it just started flowing. Thank you to radio, Universal, the songwriters and the fans! I’m very blessed to have another #1 single.”

Mercury Nashville Vice President National Promotion Damon Moberly stated, “Thanks to our friends at country radio for helping us establish Billy Currington as one of the most consistent hit makers in our format.”

Currington’s previous #1 single “People Are Crazy” will vie for “Single of the Year” and “Song of the Year” at the Academy of Country Music awards ceremony scheduled for April 18 in Las Vegas.

Country Music Spotlight: Easton Corbin

Written on March 8, 2010
by Ron Kelly

In my relentless pursuit here at LHJ to showcase the most noteworthy talents in country music, I introduce you to Easton Corbin—a guy whose future is so bright that he (kinda) went from Nashville newcomer to industry legend in the blink of an eye. Let me explain.

Turns out that when Corbin’s debut single, “A Little More Country Than That,” hit airwaves late last year, Dierks Bentley heard the song while out on the road and Tweeted about how much he dug it. The catch here was that he credited the song to esteemed Country Music Hall of Famer George Strait (in a tale that’s now become a legend of its own). “My manager called me and told me about that,” Corbin explains about the Tweet mixup, which Dierks quickly corrected before redirecting his props to their rightful owner. “It’s a huge honor. I couldn’t be compared to anybody in my mind,” Corbin continues about all the buzz he’s gotten for having vocals and a style of music so positively compared to one of the genre’s most respected artists. Still, this humble Florida native refuses to let any of the hoopla go to his ball-capped head. “Like I say, there’ll never be another George Strait,” he notes. “I just sing songs like I sing them and record the songs I love.”

He also sings and records the songs that his wife, Briann, loves as well. And as far as his lady’s choice for her favorite cuts on the album? “Probably ‘This Far From Memphis,’ ” Easton says before catching himself. “Actually, her favorite is ‘Can’t Love You Back.’ ” Hmmm, it’s not lost on either of us that those are two of three songs that Corbin cowrote himself on the new CD. Not bad, huh? “No, that’s real good,” he says with a laugh. “It’d be bad if she didn’t like ’em!”

So you be the judge: Does this newcomer sound like King George, and does he have as successful career ahead of him? Are you savoring his smooth, traditional sound like I am? Check out his debut video, “A Little More Country Than That” after the jump and let us know.

You can also find out how Corbin and I matched up in our Who’s Really “A Little More Country” head-to-head cage match battle for country supremacy. Okay, not so much a battle at all as an exercise in futility for me, but I thank him for being a good sport and playing along and humoring me.

And now on to our Who’s Really “A Little More Country” competition. Let’s do this!!

CLICK HERE to read more.

Coldwater Jane Featured on Country Vibe Tv

Make sure to CLICK HERE to see sisters Brandon Jane and Leah Crutchfield get quizzed for “5 On The Vibe”.

Laura Bell Bundy Channels Her Inner Jerry Reed on New Song

Laura Bell Bundy made a big name for herself on Broadway before turning her sights fully on a country career, so it's no surprise that her debut album, 'Achin' And Shakin,'' includes some danceworthy tunes. One of those toe-tappers, 'Giddy On Up' -- the CD's first single, is a tongue-in-cheek, kissoff tune about a cheater. Laura explains that some of her musical influences reflected in the song are being misread.

"'Giddy On Up' is pretty witty," she tells Todayscountry.com. "It has all the elements. It has the old country feel, the old soul feel, I can dance to it. I had an idea for the video right when I wrote this song. I had this really great idea for the dance section where I'm rapping; I am very influenced by Jerry Reed, so that little rap section is my Jerry Reed section. The fiddles are going crazy and there's picking going on, and then the talking above it. Some people say that's rap, and I say, 'No, no, no, that's Jerry Reed!' I kept thinking what I wanted to do was clogging meets hip hop."

Laura says she wanted to bring a little bit of that old school feel back to country. "I feel country used to be more about entertaining and less about singing. Granted, there wasn't always a lot of dance, but there's comedy, and there's a commitment to entertainment like with Minnie Pearl. I love that old school feel, and feel it is necessary to bring it back, but how do you do it in a modern way that is appealing to people in these times? That Jerry Reed section I couldn't help but dance to it when I heard it. It automatically labeled itself as a dance break."

http://www.theboot.com/2010/03/05/laura-bell-bundy-giddy-on-up/

Easton released his self-titled debut album this past Tuesday, and it's a dream come true to him. CLICK HERE to hear him tell the story.

GARY ALLAN

(MCA)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

As far as country radio is concerned, Gary Allan is a bit player. In the role of scruffy, tattooed bad-boy with a sensitive side, Allan has strung together a modicum of mainstream success by channeling his sexy growl into unobjectionable vignettes like “Tough Little Boys” and “Man to Man.” Following in this tradition is “Today” (the lead single from his upcoming album and eighth overall), a typical contemporary country heartbreak ballad with an elementary narrative arc and a made-for-mass-consumption string arrangement that does its best to mimic Nashville’s slickest product.

Fortunately, Allan abides this rote commercialism only momentarily. Like the bulk of his catalogue, Get Off On the Pain is complex and extraordinarily personal, a contemplative and often dark collection that finds the singer confronting his demons and coming to terms with what seems like a lifetime of rough roads and bad choices.

These stories may or may not be fictions, but, in either case, Allan convincingly sells them as first-hand truths. Throughout the album, his gravelly voice sounds scarred and weathered, and when he sings about his various indiscretions on the confessional “I Think I’ve Had Enough,” he does so with a conviction that lends the tale a rare air of believability. Likewise, his delivery on the masterfully crafted (and masochistic) “Kiss Me When I’m Down” is emotionally devastating. “Come on over, drink my wine,” he begs to a lover whom he just can’t quit. “Waste my candles, waste my time/Tell me lies I won’t believe/Just don’t wake me when you leave.”

Such honesty is rare in today’s country music, as too is the willingness to deal with difficult issues from a distinctly adult perspective. While so many of his peers strive to uncover the silver lining in any particular situation, here Allan asserts that choices have consequences, fights leaves scars that aren’t always beautiful, and forgiveness is anything but guaranteed.

Even the album’s more up-tempo numbers have Allan following this thematic thread—the rollicking title track is both a celebration of against-the-grain living and a confession of the trials that ensue from that lifestyle, while “That Ain’t Gonna Fly” finds its narrator in what he knows is a futile attempt to drink away his pain.

To that end, Get Off On the Pain is eternally substantive. The topics of Allan’s music may not be terribly novel, but here he breathes a fresh layer of depth and realism into what might otherwise be well-worn stories.

Rounding out the collection is Allan’s first direct discussion of his wife’s suicide, “No Regrets.” Where Allan’s landmark 2005 album Tough All Over was very much a cathartic project that found him pouring his battered soul into his music, “No Regrets” offers a more cerebral take on life in tragedy’s aftermath. It’s a touching and honest tribute that, fittingly, is far from candy-coated or soft around the edges. He’s still a little broken, and he still goes to bed alone every night, but he wouldn’t change a minute of the life they shared together.

Few of us can possibly understand the pain of losing someone that way, but we can walk away from this song knowing that it’s the fortunate among us who will love, and be loved back, with no regrets.

Get Off On the Pain may not be the world’s most uplifting listening experience, but what it lacks in cheer it makes up in truth. For fans who appreciate outstanding country music that deals with real issues, that fact may just make the album’s title a perfectly appropriate statement.

Singing sisters

Lucedale duo lands on CMT with their new music video

Sisters Brandon Jane and Leah Crutchfield left Lucedale for Nashville a few years back, recently signed with Mercury Records, and now have a hot new video for their toe-tapping single, “Bring On the Love,” playing on CMT.

The colorful, bohemian-vibe video was shot in one day at several quirky locations, including southern California’s Salvation Mountain.

“It was the coolest, strangest day of our lives shooting our first video,” Brandon Jane, better known as “Brandi Woodard” in these parts, said in an interview for a “Making of the video” production. Brandon calls “Bring on the Love” a “sing it in the car with the windows rolled down kind of song.”

And while the sisters are kept busy these days with music business in Nashville and travel around the country, they haven’t forgotten home — good news for country music fans who will appreciate a chance to catch a couple stars on the rise.

The duo will be in Lucedale this weekend, performing at a benefit concert Friday night at the Jaycee building on the George County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $5, available at the gate. They will also be featured on “This Week’s Top Country” radio show on 106.9 Thursday from 3-5 pm.

http://www.sunherald.com/2010/03/02/1995584/singing-sisters.html

Nashville rising stars to perform at benefit in Lucedale

By Michael Dumas

March 04, 2010, 7:01AM

LUCEDALE, Miss. -- Two of Nashville's hottest acts will be coming home to Lucedale on Friday night, lending their voices and music to the cause of raising money for a family dealing with bone cancer.

The band Coldwater Jane and singer Brandon Green have traveled from Music City this week to perform with other local musicians at a benefit concert for Lucedale native Yulanda Cooley, who was recently diagnosed with the disease. Cooley and her husband Tommy are currently at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where she is undergoing treatment.

Sisters Brandon Jane, left, and Leah Crutchfield, who make up the band Coldwater Jane, will be performing at a benefit March 5, 2010 in Lucedale for their aunt, Yulanda Cooley, who was recently diagnosed with bone cancer.
For sisters Brandon Jane and Leah Crutchfield, who make up Coldwater Jane, their participation in the concert is a family matter. Both grew up in Lucedale and Cooley is their aunt.

"She is a wonderful, wonderful lady," Jane said during a phone interview on Wednesday. "She is such a blessing to our family, and she means so much to us."

The sisters have been busy in Nashville as of late, having just released their first single, "Bring on the Love," which they are currently promoting through their label, Mercury Records. The song is starting to appear on national charts, Jane said.

Local favorite Ronnie Davis will be playing guitar with Coldwater Jane on Friday, and Darwin and Dana Nelson -- known as Double Dee -- will be emceeing and performing at the concert.

Lucedale native Brandon Green will also perform at the event. Green found fame in 2009 when his duo, JB Rocket, competed in the CMT show "Can You Duet?" in Nashville, and was later awarded a recording contract with Big Machine Records.

Yulanda Cooley Benefit

When: March 5, 7 p.m.

Where: George County Fairgrounds, Lucedale

Tickets: $5. Concessions will also be for sale.

Info: For information, or to donate, call Emily Cooley at 251-243-1062 or Pam Henderson at 601-508-5490.

Every cent raised during Friday night's concert and silent auction will go toward Cooley's medical expenses, according to organizer Emily Cooley, Yulanda's sister-in-law. The silent auction is being handled by Stevie Eubanks and includes autographed sports and entertainment memorabilia, she said.

The money raised will go towards offsetting the Cooley's travel and medical expenses as Yulanda undergoes treatment at MD Anderson, Emily Cooley said.

For Jane and Crutchfield, having the benefit in their hometown made much more sense than anything they could have done in Nashville.

"There's nothing like coming home to Lucedale, they really do want to help each other," Jane said. "I don't know many families around here that haven't been touched by cancer.

"If we can raise some money for them, that's the least we can do."

Coldwater Jane can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. March 4 on radio show "This Week's Top Country" with Yvette Hillman on WRBE Radio 106.9 in Lucedale.

http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2010/03/nashville_rising_stars_to_perform_at_benefit_in_lucedale.html

Stars Get Their “Guilty Pleasures” On

Mark Wills, Steve Azar, as well as newcomers Laura Bell Bundy and Coldwater Jane revealed, and performed, some of their favorite non-country tunes at the "Guilty Pleasures" Show at Nashville club Cadillac Ranch, Feb. 26.

The show is one of the final events of Country Radio Seminar week in Nashville and showcases country stars performing their “Guilty Pleasures,” songs that they grew up loving but do not normally get a chance to play in their concerts.

The evening’s show-stopper highlight came with Laura Bell Bundy’s rousing rendition of “Proud Mary,” done in the version made famous by Ike & Tina Turner in 1971. Laura Bell, currently on the charts with “Giddy On Up,” was joined by two female dancers who had the sultry choreography down pat and drew the loudest cheers of the evening.

An additional crowd-pleaser was the duo of Burns & Poe (Keith Burns and Michelle Poe), who turned in an unexpected, but definitely spot-on, version of Australian rock band Men at Work’s “Down Under.” Mark did his take on the Bon Jovi classic, “Wanted Dead or Alive,” while Steve Azar took the stage for “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” and new female duo Coldwater Jane covered the Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight.” Bryan White showed off his soulful side as he strutted through Wilson Pickett’s “634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.).”

The Guilty Pleasures show was sponsored by Digital Rodeo.

http://www.countryweekly.com/guilty_pleasures_show/news/4581

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 04, 2010

NASHVILLE - Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and Kellie Pickler are the latest additions to the artist lineup for 2010 CMA Music Festival, which will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 10-13 in Nashville, Tenn.

Previously announced artists include Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band. All of the announced artists will perform during the Nightly Concerts at LP Field.

Currington has participated in the event four times since his Festival debut in 2004 as part of the Daytime Concerts at Riverfront Park. He last performed on the Nightly Concerts at LP Field in 2007. Currington has received three CMA Award nominations, including two in 2009 for Single and Music Video of the Year, both for "People Are Crazy."

Now in its 39th year, CMA Music Festival began as Fan Fair in 1972 as a unique celebration of the relationship between Country Music artists and their fans in the heart of Music City USA. More than 2,000 Country acts, from the legends and superstars to today's rising hit makers and hopefuls, have lent their time and talent to the event over the decades.

The artists participate for free, and in appreciation, CMA donates half the net proceeds of the Festival to support music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools through the Keep the Music Playing program. To date, $3.3 million has been donated to purchase musical instruments and supplies, providing thousands of Metro Nashville Public Schools students with the resources and opportunities they could not have afforded on their own, and giving many of them a strong reason to remain in school.

Nashville's signature music event features concerts, autograph signings, family activities, and more. This unparalleled celebration of America's music draws thousands of fans and media from all corners of the globe to Nashville. CMA Music Festival was dubbed the "crown jewel of Country Music festivals" by USA Today and winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association's 2004, 2006, and 2008 LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year.

CMAfest.com, the official website of CMA Music Festival, has been updated for 2010. In addition to up-to-the-minute information about tickets, schedules, and artist appearances, there are new features to enhance interactivity on the site including CMA's first venture into the blogging world. Fans will be able to comment on blog posts such as event history, tips, and personal experiences, as well as Top 10 lists to help attendees better plan their Festival experience. Fans will be able to submit their own Festival stories and photos. Accepted submissions may be featured on the CMAfest.com site. Fans can also sign up for the CMA Exclusive e-news while on the website. In addition, MySpace users may want to visit www.MySpace.com/cmamusicfestival, while Facebook users can check out http://www.facebook.com/CountryMusicAssociation.

Easton Corbin Cuts Back "A Little More"

March 15, 2010

Easton Corbin

Easton Corbin

At times on his country debut, this Florida native sounds like the second coming of George Strait with his neo-traditional tunes. (3 stars)

Easton Corbin - Easton Corbin

By: Matt Bjorke
Last Updated: March 2, 2010

For almost 30 years there has been one voice that has remained a constant on the country music charts and that man’s name is George Strait. He’s long passed the ‘age ceiling’ that is often the 50 year old mark and while he shows no signs of slowing down his commercial country music output, there is now another voice to take over ‘go –to –guy” status and that guy is not Brad Paisley or Blake Shelton or even Jason Aldean. It’s Easton Corbin. Not only does the newcomer have a similar vocal instrument as King George but he has an eerily similar ear for what does or doesn’t work for his vocal ability. On top of that, many of the songs on this self-titled debut album sure sound like radio hits to my ears.

The record kicks off with the Strait-like “Roll With It” and if you read the credits of the album you’ll find some familiar Strait favorites in co-writers David Lee, Johnny Park and Tony Lane. The song has ‘go-with-the-flow’ spirit that is easy to sing-a-long to. By the second time the chorus comes along, you will actually be singing along to the track. It’s just that kind of song. The lead single and current Top 10 hit, “A Little More Country Than That” finds Easton Corbin running down the many ways he’s more country than other things. While list songs and ‘I’m country” songs seemingly have been done to death as of late, somehow this single not only rings true to me as a listener but it’s one of the best singles currently on country radio and could very well give Easton Corbin a chart-topping single outta the chute.

Easton co-wrote four tracks on the album and of the four “The Way Love Looks” and “Leavin’ Lonely Town” stand out the most. While both songs don’t feel like outright Strait songs like the first two songs I mentioned do, both of these feel like singles nonetheless. “The Way Love Looks,” which could have been a Blaine Larsen or Joe Nichols track as well, is the strongest of this pair and could very well be the second single from Easton Corbin. It’s a charming little track, co-written with Easton’s producer Carson Chamberlain and Mark D. Sanders, it is a charming little track (clocking at sub 3 minutes) that finds Easton singing about the way a woman shines in everything she does around him. It’s a real, honest song about a real, honest life.

It's time to Giddy On Up and check out GAC on Sunday April 11th at 11pm EST to see the world premiere of GAC's Introducing: Laura Bell Bundy.

*All Times are Eastern Standard Time

On Track: Josh Turner

By Tim Ghianni on March 1st, 2010

Josh Turner anticipates the day his log cabin is finished on his 40-acre spread south of Nashville.

“It’s pretty secluded and private out here,” he says of the homestead he shares with wife, Jennifer, and their two boys, Hampton, three years old, and Colby, just seven months.

The compound is the fruit of a career ignited on December 21, 2001, when the then-unknown-singer brought the Grand Ole Opry crowd to its feet with his “Long Black Train” tale of redemption, showcasing his talents as a singer and as a songwriter. But the demands and joys of multi-platinum success and thriving family have made it difficult for Turner to find the right time and place to write, which is why he decided to have the 1,700-square-foot cabin built. “We’re calling it the Writer’s Cottage,” Turner says. “It’s going to be my lair, my little hole in the wall, where I can go in and write and think, and not have any TV or computers, or phones or whatever, where I can get distracted.”

Even without that cabin, the 32-year-old from Hannah, South Carolina, found time to write the title track and co-write four others on his new album Haywire, his fourth and, he believes, most energetic album. “Whether it would be an up-tempo, positive song, a love ballad, a story song or a gospel song, I feel a lot more energy in this record. I put a lot of passion in it and I think it really shows from song to song,” he says, of the album that kicks off with the hit “Why Don’t We Just Dance.”

He also stretched his most-acclaimed tool, the baritone voice that had Blender magazine calling him “a country Barry White.” “My vocals [on this album] have surpassed everything I’ve done so far. I made a conscious effort to step outside of the box, to stretch myself to do more, to do bigger and better vocals.”

While Haywire is filled with rollicking and romantic, radio-friendly tales of good times, it closes with “The Answer,” a nod to the convictions that sprang from his “Long Black Train” breakthrough.

During a writing session, he and Mark Narmore began with the phrase “‘Jesus is the Answer,” adding, “We just started playing around on the piano and the guitar and it started falling out. For us, it’s a message of hope for people who seem to be struggling with something, floundering around, wandering through life.”

Turner delights in delivering his spiritual songs when he takes the stage. “If I don’t get out there and give them some sort of hope or peace, or joy or comfort, through my music that is a God-given talent, then why should they spend their money and come out to a show, if they’ll feel just as empty leaving as when they came in?”

Fans know they also can count on him for fun, like the new album’s “Eye Candy,” whose heroine’s “kisses… ain’t nutritious, but they’re delicious,” or “Haywire,” with its “hotter than fire” girl teaching “the definition of love.” “I let Jennifer think that all of those songs are about her,” he says, with a laugh.

As a backup singer and pianist, Jennifer not only hears, but participates, as Turner’s songs of lust and the Lord mingle on set lists.

One benefit of success is that Turner’s got a tour bus just for his family: “We’re all out there seeing the world together.”

His hankering for solitude comes when he’s off the road and in need of time and space to write his next hit or inspirational song. That’s why he’s excited about the cabin, where he can enjoy the solo process of creating songs. “It’s just me. All the pressure is off. It’s really raw and there’s a lot of room for error. It’s kind of like a musical laboratory. You get to experiment with different rhythms, chords and melodies. You get to see songs being born in the musical delivery room and I get to cut the cord. I get to see my musical babies being born, and I get to see them grow up as they go into the studio and to the record, and to when people start buying them.”

Opening for royalty
Lee Ann Womack kicks things off in concert that includes George Strait, Reba.
by shea stewart

Excuse Lee Ann Womack if she gets a little awestruck sometimes. It happens to the best of us, even the best of us who have won two Grammys, been named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association and scored a No. 1 country hit with the crossover smash “I Hope You Dance.”

You see, Womack is the opener for a tour that includes the King of Country, Mr. George Strait, and, all apologies to Mrs. “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” Kitty Wells, the reigning Queen of Country, Reba McEntire, or, as she is known now, simply Reba.

“I have been a fan of both of theirs for years, and it’s really weird to think I get to go out there and open up for them,” said Womack by phone from Nashville during a weekday break from the mostly weekend tour. “Sometimes I’ll just sit there and watch and think, ‘You know? You done pretty well girl.’

“[The tour is] going great for all of us. We are having a great time on stage and off, and I think the fans are too. It’s a great package.”

The roots of the current tour, which kicked off in January and will visit North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena on Saturday, extend back to the late spring of 2009, when Strait and Reba co-headlined an event officially opening the new, billion-dollar Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Womack filled in for Julianne Hough, who was suffering from strep throat.

“I think it went well there, and I think that’s when George decided that he wanted to take it on the road,” Womack said.

But when asked if the tour came together after Strait’s people contacted her people, Womack laughs the gracious laugh of a Southerner, and notes, Strait’s “people are my people actually. We share a lot of the same people.”

It’s mostly true. The producer of Womack’s 2008 release Call Me Crazy and as-yet-to-be-titled summer 2010 release is none other than Tony Brown, a legendary Nashville producer who has worked with Strait on every one of the singer’s albums since 1992’s soundtrack to the Pure Country movie. Womack covered the Jim Lauderdale penned “The King of Broken Hearts” on Call Me Crazy, a tune that originally appeared on the soundtrack to Pure Country. The two have traded guest appearances on each other’s albums — Womack on “Good News, Bad News” from Strait’s Somewhere Down in Texas, and Strait on “Everything But Quits” from Call Me Crazy. And both Texans are signed to MCA Nashville Records.

But while Strait is known for his tastefully done, workingman’s country, Womack, minus a brief detour into pop country with 2000’s “I Hope You Dance,” is better known for her still smoldering torch songs and “coming-into-this-bar-to-hear-a-sad-song” anthems on her seven albums, starting with her self-titled debut in 1997. She’s an artist well-versed enough on the history of country music to realize, and, even better, appreciate the fact that it is more about cheating hearts, honky tonk angels and whiskey rivers, and less about the sugary pop overload of today’s country music with its microwaved classic rock guitar hooks.

Discussing her musical roots, it’s soon easy to spot the source of Womack’s treasuring of sad country songs: She cites George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s achingly sad ’70s tunes as an influence, songs she’d hear when cleaning the house with her mother on a Saturday or helping her father out at his disc jockey job at a Jacksonville, Texas, radio station.

“To be honest, I’m not sure what draws a young child to those kinds of lyrics,” Womack said. “I loved Tammy Wynette and George Jones, and when I heard them sing, it just made me feel something. I think I was intrigued by the fact that I didn’t just hear them sing, but I felt them sing. And I knew early on that there was another dimension to an artist like that.”

Since 1997, Womack has made an extremely successful career out of making listeners actually feel her words and music. Take 2004’s “I May Hate Myself in the Morning,” from There’s More Where That Came From, a weeping pedal steel and acoustic guitar sad waltz about a woman realizing the consequences of spending the night with a man from a snuffed-out relationship.

But when pressed, Womack can’t quite finger the root of her love of the sad ones.

“Maybe it’s sort of therapy,” she said. “When you sit down to write that is what comes out. So I’m not really sure why I’m drawn to that particular kind of thing. It’s not all that I do, but it is most of what I do.”

And it’s the classic women of country music, artists such as Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, Womack is often compared to when discussing her neo-traditional country music. Still, it’s less about those particular artists, and more about the emotions they spill out while singing that drew Womack to their music and why she sings straight from the heart, either beautifully vulnerable or heartbreakingly sad.

“It needs to make you feel something,” Said Womack of a good country song (or any song for that matter). “It doesn’t just need to be something that doesn’t turn people on or off. I think the best songs people either love or hate. They have some passion about them.” It’s tunes about drunken, late-night phone calls and extinguished love affairs that has helped the 43-year-old Jacksonville, Texas, native sell more than 6 million records and score two Grammys, including a Best Vocal Collaboration (Country) for her duet with Willie Nelson on “Mendocino County Line.”

Allotted 30 minutes on a star-studded bill Saturday night, Womack will power her way through a collection of her hits, both sad and joyful, including her current single “There Is a God.”

“I’m only up there for 30 minutes so I try to get as many in there as I can,” Womack said.

And although Womack won’t get a chance to join Strait for one of their duets (“George has so many No. 1 hits that his fans want to hear those so it’s hard to get to those things that weren’t even singles,” she said.), Womack will join Reba for the singer’s “Does He Love You.”

“As I’m walking up on stage, and I hear the intro to that song I just always think I cannot believe [it],” Womack said. “In fact, a couple of nights I’ve been kind of late getting onto stage because I’m standing there with my mouth open.”

Awed? A little. But then she’ll settle into a tune about a man whose face she won’t see in the early morning light, and she’ll be right at home.

Why go see George Strait?

Because George Strait is not called the King of Country for nothing. Strait started crank-ing out country hits back when the Commodore 64 was at the top of the computing-world food chain, starting with his first No. 1 country hit “Fool Hearted Memory” in 1982. His most recent No. 1 country hit? 2008’s “River of Love.” Backed by the Ace in the Hole Band (his backing band named after another No. 1 hit), Strait will run through the hits, and nothing but the hits during a nearly two-hour set of more than 20 tunes. Also of note, Strait has been playing “Arkansas Dave,” a tune written by his son Bubba Strait from his latest release, 2009’s Twang.

P.S. Strait also holds the all-time attendance record at Verizon Arena, playing to 18,004 fans when the arena was named Alltel Arena.

Why go see Reba? George Strait has 57 No. 1 country hits; Reba has 33 No. 1 country hits, from “Can’t Even Get the Blues” to “Consider Me Gone.” Expect an hour and a half of those hits from country music’s all-time biggest female hitmaker. And for the encore? There’s a little ditty written by Bobbie Gentry that Reba is known for about an 18-year-old girl living in a rundown shack on the outskirts of New Orleans who’s not going to let her mama down. And “Fancy” was her name.

Why go see Lee Ann Womack?

Read Story.

See The Show:

As of March 1, upper-level tickets were still available for the George Strait, Reba and Lee Ann Womack country extravaganza at Verizon Arena on Saturday. Tickets are on sale at the Verizon Arena Box Office for $81.25 and $91.25, or through all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com for $93.45 and $104.75. Doors open at 6 p.m. with Womack kicking the music off at 7 p.m. followed by Reba and then Strait.

Music City Syndicate
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Digital Rodeo Closes Out CRS 2010 with Second Annual “Guilty Pleasures” Show

The evening featured nearly two-dozen artists delivering versions of their favorite “Guilty Pleasures” cover songs. The show included performances by: Steve Azar, Bomshel, Laura Bell Bundy, Burns & Poe, Coldwater Jane, Due West, Chelsea Field, Adam Gregory, Andy Griggs, Mallary Hope, Buddy Jewell, Sammy Kershaw, LoCash Cowboys, Love & Theft, One Night Rodeo, Marty Raybon, Julie Roberts, Emily West, Bryan White and Mark Wills. AfterMidNite host and popular radio personality Blair Garner hosted the show, which ended with an all-star jam and Johnny Cash birthday tribute performance.

“This is the second year in a row that Digital Rodeo helped close out Country Radio Seminar with a great night of performances at Cadillac Ranch,” said DigitalRodeo.com Director of Marketing and Promotions John Pyne. “Those who got in got to see some of the best and brightest new artists in Country music like Emily West, Mallary Hope, Laura Bell Bundy, Chelsea Field and Love & Theft, plus a host of established fan favorites like Marty Raybon, Buddy Jewell, Mark Wills, Julie Roberts and Steve Azar. The band that our musical director, Scotty Huff, put together was phenomenal again this year and I know several of the artists commented on that, as well. We’re already thinking about the theme for CRS 2011.”

Added Digital Rodeo Director of Industry Relations Robert Reynolds, “We were thrilled at this year’s turnout and the energetic performances at our ‘Guilty Pleasures’ show. The crowd was really into it, and I think everyone would agree that Blair Garner was the perfect host for the event. The whole idea behind our show is for artists to cut loose and really have fun, and when you see electrifying performances like Laura Bell Bundy doing her choreographed dance routine to the Ike and Tina Turner version of ‘Proud Mary,’ it makes us particularly proud because we know the artists are having fun, the audience is having fun and it’s just a great way overall to wrap up Country Radio Seminar.”

Digital Rodeo was a prominent sponsor at this year’s CRS, outfitting Country Radio Seminar volunteers in the Convention Center with CRS 2010 / DigitalRodeo.com t-shirts during the three-day event.

http://musiccitysyndicate.blogspot.com/2010/03/digital-rodeo-closes-out-crs-2010-with.html

Easton Corbin Remembers His First Time

Easton Corbin admits he has wanted to be a country singer since he was a rug rat. "One of my earliest memories is from when I was three or four. I was sitting between my parents in the car and a song came on the radio. It was Mel McDaniel's 'Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On.' I began using the gearshift as my microphone."

Twenty-three years later, Easton is now using a real microphone on stage, making a good living as a musician. He talks to The Boot about hearing his first record on the radio for the first time.

"We were doing an appearance at a Gainesville, Fla., radio station. That was August or Sept. of '09. This is the first official time I can remember hearing ['A Little More Country Than That']. We had just got through doing a little radio show down there in Gainesville for 93.7, and it was just me -- it was kind of like a hometown gig ... I'm from Trenton, Fla., about 35 miles west. Gainesville is the big radio station, so they had me come in there and do something kind of like for the hometown crowd.

"We did an acoustic show. So after that was over, I was going to stay home for a few days with my folks. I got in the truck with my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law, and I mean, right after the gig, sure enough, my song came on. In fact, it was the minute they cranked up the truck to leave the venue parking lot, that's when it came on. Perfect timing. I felt great. I thought: 'I'm actually getting heard on the radio!' That's a dream come true! It was one of those moments when you sit back and say, 'Wow!'"

http://www.theboot.com/2010/03/02/easton-corbin-songs/

First-time nominees include rock stars Billy Gibbons and Dave Matthews, pop singer-turned-country hitmaker Darius Rucker and budding country acts Randy Houser, Bomshel, Gloriana, Steel Magnolia and David Nail. Nail’s “Red Light” received a single record nomination along with works from Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Billy Currington and the Zac Brown Band.

“I think the biggest thing for me is to see those other names beside me,” Nail said. “I don’t personally know the Zac Brown Band, but I know Lady A and Miranda and Billy all really well, and I have to be honest, the first thing I thought of was, ‘I don’t have a prayer in the world of winning.’ But at least I’ve got three other friends, and if one of them wins, I won’t be sad losing to them. They’ve all had the biggest years of their careers. It’s just an honor.”