TIM MCGRAW

Tim McGraw will be on Oprah on November 30th, 2009. Tim is part of Oprah's Holiday extravaganza and will be performing Happy Christmas (the war is over) with Alicia Keys.

"Southern Voice" is also featured in the end credits for "The Blind Side" which opens this Friday, November 20th.

Tim McGraw graces the upcoming cover of People magazine. Inside the issue, out Nov. 6, McGraw opens up about his love for his family and how wife Faith Hill motivates him. "Faith saved my life in a lot of ways," McGraw says. "I can go down a dark road sometimes, when you're not feeling good about yourself, and she pulls me out. My wife makes me a better man."

Tim McGraw's new CD "Southern Voice" is out now!

TIM MCGRAW ADDS SUMMERFEST TO UPCOMING TOUR

Tim McGraw is adding to his already busy summer itinerary. CMT.com reports that McGraw will perform at Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Summerfest this summer. McGraw will take the stage on June 24th, with Lady Antebellum and Love and Theft opening the show. Late last month, Tim McGraw announced the dates for his upcoming "Southern Voice" tour. The trek gets underway February 11th in Omaha, Nebraska and concludes August 15th in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Tim McGraw released his tenth studio album, "Southern Voice," on October 20th. The record sold 137-thousand copies in its first week, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Tim McGraw fans can also look forward to seeing the singer on the big screen later this month. He will be starring alongside Sandra Bullock in the upcoming film "The Blind Side," which arrives November 20th.

Here is a list of tour dates for Tim McGraw's Southern Voice Tour:

2/11 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Lady Antebellum/The Lost Trailers

2/12 Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center

2/13 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena

2/19 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Civic Center

2/20 Huntington, WV Big Sandy Superstore Arena

2/21 Reading, PA Sovereign Center Arena

2/25 Columbia, MO Mizzou Arena

2/26 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena

3/5 Texas TBD

3/6 Texas TBD

3/7 Texas TBD

3/25 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place

3/27 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome

3/28 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre

3/30 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre

4/8 Tulsa, OK BOK Center

4/9 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena

4/10 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

4/11 Orange Beach, AL Amphitheatre at the Wharf Lady Antebellum/Love And Theft

4/23 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena

4/24 Detroit, MI The Palace

5/6 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Arena

5/7 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre

5/8 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre

5/14 Birmingham, AL Verizon Wireless Music Center

5/15 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre

5/20 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena

5/21 Seattle, WA Tacoma Dome

5/22 Portland, OR Rose Garden

5/25 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center

5/28 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Pavilion

5/29 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

6/2 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion

6/3 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion

6/4 San Diego, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

6/5 San Bernardino, CA San Manuel Amphitheatre

6/11 Wichita, KS InTrust Bank Arena

6/12 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center

6/17 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center

6/19 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

6/24 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre

6/26 St Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

6/27 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center

7/8 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion

7/9 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center

7/10 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge

7/15 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

7/16 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre

7/17 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center

7/29 Boise, ID Idaho Center

7/30 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre

7/31 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green

8/5 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

8/6 Darien Center, NY Darien Lakes PAC

8/7 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre

8/13 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

8/14 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion

8/15 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

WYNONNA

Wynonna Judd will perform on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” next Tuesday, November 24th (check your local listings). Oprah teamed up with People magazine and together they held a private celebration yesterday on the Ft. Bragg military base to welcome home the 82nd Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade Combat Team returning from Iraq. As part of an action-packed hour of celebration, Wynonna and the Palmetto State Quartet gave a surprise welcome home performance, saluting the well-deserving troops and their families. It's a show you will definitely not want to miss!! And, don't miss your chance to read up on the latest Wynonna news.

Wy will be featured in the current issue of Country Weekly Magazine which appears on newsstands Monday, November 23rd. Wynonna discusses her upcoming plans for the holiday season including her 15-city 3rd annual A Classic Christmas concert tour that kicks off next Saturday, November 28th in Hershey, PA and her trip back home to Appalachia for the 67th annual Santa Train this Saturday, November 21st. For a full listing of tour dates, visit www.wynonna.com.

JO DEE MESSINA

OVER 140,000 FANS TUNED IN TO JO DEE MESSINA’S USTREAM.COM CHAT THIS PAST SATURDAY NIGHT DECEMBER 5 CHRISTMAS SHOW IN NASHVILLE TO BE STREAMED LIVE

This past Saturday night (11/14), over 140,000 fans tuned in to Ustream.com to chat with country star JO DEE MESSINA and see all the behind-the-scenes action at a stop on her “Music Room Series” tour in Southern California. Over the course of three hours, the 140,000 viewers were able to chat live with JO DEE, catch her and the band warming up, and tag along for the nightly fan meet and greet. As an added bonus, viewers got to walk with JO DEE and her band from the bus onto the stage and see portions of the show from a unique backstage perspective.

JO DEE MESSINA TO PERFORM BENEFIT CHRISTMAS CONCERT IN NASHVILLE ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT HARVEST HANDS

Multi-platinum country singer-songwriter JO DEE MESSINA has confirmed plans for a special holiday concert Saturday, December 5 in Nashville. The performance--complete with a local youth choir--will take place at Brentwood United Methodist Church with all proceeds from the event going to Harvest Hands Community Development Corporation (CDC), a non-profit, faith-based organization in South Nashville. Tickets to the show will be distributed in advance for free--including on JO DEE’s website, jodeemessina.com/tickets, at the Church and at Harvest Hands in downtown Nashville--with fans being asked to make a donation at the event.

JO DEE MESSINA HELPS HONOR FALLEN SOLDIERS

Country music star Jo Dee Messina was in Shiprock, NM for a concert on Jo Dee had a chance to be a part of a very special local event at Shiprock High School. Two fallen alumni, brothers Kenneth and Marshall Westbrook, who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan were honored during the event.

More at JoDeeMessina.com

LARRY GATLIN

Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers "Pilgrimage"

(Curb, 2009) (Produced by Larry Gatlin, John Carter Cash, Terry Choate & Doug Johnson)

Countrypolitan elder Larry Gatlin looks back on his career, and on the help that Johnny Cash, one of his early patrons, gave him, back in the day. Gatlin pays homage to the Cash family with a new song, "Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down)," and records several old songs such as "Sweet Becky Walker" that bring back memories of the old days. He also intersperses some spoken dialogue in among the songs, talking about Cash and their friendship, giving this album a very personal feel. Gatlin's an old-timer now, and his voice is much more rugged than it was in the 1970s, but when his brothers kick in with a chorus, buoying up the robustness and enthusiasm that Larry brings to this project. A nice treat for longtime fans.

TIM MCGRAW

LARRY GATLIN

Larry Gatlin ended up being wrong about the end.

“The bell curve started down for us,” Gatlin said, talking about his Gatlin Brothers trio, which scored dozens of country hits in the 1970s and ’80s. “About 17 years ago, I saw that the crowds were tapering off and the record company wanted the next thing. And when they stopped patting ‘my children’ on the head — my songs — it hurt my feelings. And I thought, ‘It’s over, and it’s time to leave.’ ”

Only it wasn’t over. The Gatlin Brothers retreated to Branson, Mo., and Larry Gatlin also worked on Broadway (and, subsequently, in touring theater) with the Will Rogers Follies.

But several things nagged at Gatlin. There was a feeling that he’d left things undone, that he was a songwriter who wasn’t sharing his art and a singer who’d put himself out to an early pasture.

The other things nagging at Gatlin were other writers: people like Leslie Satcher and Jon Randall, who told him he was still revered and respected in a Music City he thought had turned its back on him.

The end was not the end, and Gatlin and brothers Rudy and Steve are back with a new album called Pilgrimage.

“There are no lost years and there are no lost songs,” Larry Gatlin said. “They’re all part of the pilgrimage. It’s all for a reason and it’s all good. And now, it’s time to get back up there and tell the truth.

“I mean, Johnny Cash ain’t going to lie: ‘Because you’re mine, I walk the line.’ Kris Kristofferson ain’t going to lie: ‘See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans.’ And Larry Gatlin ain’t going to lie: ‘All the gold in California/ Is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills, in somebody else’s name.’ That’s the truth. And I’m going to tell ’em the truth, and my brothers and I are going to stand up on our hind legs and tell it by singing our West Texas butts off.”

Master mentors In the early 1970s, Gatlin was a young buck, learning at the feet of Cash and Kristofferson. Cash recorded Gatlin’s songs and wrote the highly complimentary liner notes to his 1973 debut album, The Pilgrim. Kristofferson helped get him a record deal with Monument Records and often brought him on stage during concerts.

“They mentored me and nurtured me,” Gatlin said. “John and Kris and Roger Miller and Mickey Newbury and Red Lane and Willie Nelson, they all helped so much in their own way. They wouldn’t let me get away with schlocky work. They taught me there’s a difference between a songwriter and a song craftsman, like the difference between a bricklayer and a brick mason. We’d get together and pick through songs, and if they loved a line or a verse, they’d laugh out loud. If they didn’t love it, they just kind of looked at me.”

At first on his own and later with his brothers, Gatlin wrote and sang himself into a commercial stratosphere. He wrote melodies that suited his pliant voice, and wrote lyrics sharp enough to impress his mentors.

Hits such as “All The Gold in California,” “Broken Lady,” “I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love” marked Gatlin as one of the most successful songwriters of the 1970s and ’80s. He wrote and sang more than 30 Top 40 country songs, but his habits left him restless, drunk or high even at times of great achievement.

“One thing that put me over the edge years ago, and one of the factors in my abuse of alcohol and drugs, was that I mistakenly got into the results department,” he said. “That’s not my department. Mine is the footwork department. Obviously, I hope this is a success and that it kicks off some big touring opportunities for me and the brothers. But my job is to create. Don’t worry about the blind mule; load the wagon.”

He’s back to wagon-loading now, though everything about the wagonyard looks different. The Cash compound, where Gatlin used to sing at guitar pulls, is gone, as is its patriarch. On Pilgrimage, Gatlin takes on that subject with “Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down).”

“I don’t know of anyone else who could sing this and not only get away with it . . . but more closely endear themselves to me,” writes Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, in the liner notes for Pilgrimage. “I know what he means. It is not a song about a man dying and a house burning, it is about a time passing, a certain quality of artist and entertainer just not being here.”

That song is one of several on Pilgrimage that directly addresses Gatlin’s plight as a songwriter and a recording artist. In spoken-word passages throughout the album, Gatlin seeks to explain himself, like a family member at the holidays who has returned home after years of absence. He also seeks to convey some lessons he learned from his favorite teachers.

“I’m not one who stands back and says ‘Things were better in our day,’ ” he said. “I root for the young ones. All I’m saying in here is, ‘Hey, kids, do it your way. Sing it out of your heart and your soul, but let’s not forget the people on whose broad shoulders we all stand.’ “I honor their memories. I cherish what they taught me, and I’m going to try to pass along what they left us.”

by Peter Cooper Tennessean

BOMSHEL

CURB RECORDS DUO BOMSHEL RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM ‘FIGHT LIKE A GIRL’

Curb Records lit the fuse to ignite Bomshel’s debut album release FIGHT LIKE A GIRL,a well-crafted collection of female-empowering themes and edgy undertones; not left without a tender touch.

Bomshel, comprised of Kristy O and Kelley Shepard, spent a lifetime and the last year and a half preparing for the release of Fight Like A Girl. This record is a product of countless hours around a kitchen table, fueled by gallons of coffee and taken from an immeasurable variety of lessons in life learned.

With a studio upstairs in their Nashville-based home, the two had a hand in virtually every aspect of this album start to finish; mixing, recording, co-writing on ten out of the eleven tracks. The exception being a rockin’ countrified version of No Doubt’s ‘Just A Girl,’ featuring a tantalizing yet familiar fiddle intro by Kristy O!

“Every song you hear it’s going to be us,” says Kelley. “You’ll hear our fun side and our sad side. We have some really traditional country on there and some really poppy stuff.” Including Bomshel’s current single “19 & Crazy,” co-written by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Josh Kear, offering an enchanting recollection of the final yet unforgettable phases of adolescence. In writing songs for their record, Kelley and Kristy were looking to share stories—things they’d lived or seen someone else live through. “It has to be something that we’re really organically going through or a conversation that we’ve had with a fan or friend,” says Kristy. Newsday was on the Bomshel trail early on stating, “It looks like Kelley Shepard and Kristy O. may be set to break through, Bomshel is the Avril Lavigne of the South.” Stephen Betts October 20th article on AOL’s The Boot penned the headline“Bomshel Explodes With a Double Dose of Girl Power.”

Country Weekly said, “Bomshel’s ‘Fight Like A Girl’ is powered by perfect-blend harmonies, infectious melodies and two absolutely remarkable voices. This is one crazy good album! “

Call it what you want, Bomshel’s first single and title track, “Fight Like A Girl” engaged country radio and forged a path for Kristy O and Kelley Shepard to blast through glass ceilings and re-define stereotypes placed upon women.

“We really wanted to gear it towards all women,” says Kelley of how they crafted ‘Fight Like A Girl.’ “With our moms, sisters and grandmas…We’ve always really admired their persistence through the tough times. I think women have an amazing ability to endure. It’s a positive thing to fight like a girl because girls are a lot stronger on the inside. We don’t want to put one meaning or even one gender on this song. We all have moms, sisters and grandmas. We want people take it however they want to take it. Whether it is a little girl or a family struggling with something they really can’t control.”

Roughstock.com gave an interesting insight and favorable forecast for Bomshel saying, “Fight Like a Girl is seemingly an appropriate title, consideringthat almost any female not named Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of getting to the top of the charts — indeed, Bomshel's chart history proves that even getting into the Top 40 is quite a task for a female act anymore, especially something as rare as a female duo. Bomshel has the goods, and with any luck, they could be the act that breaks through the glass ceiling that has seemingly been built in country music of late.”

The eleven tracks on Fight Like A Girl hit a common thread on the raw emotion that comes with being a woman and the daring vulnerability of being yourself.

“When you buy a Bomshel record, you are going to be bringing home a piece of the two of us,” Kristy O says. “All I can say is on this record I played as good as I could have possibly played. I sang as good as I could have possibly sung and Kelly sang as good as she could. It’s a scary experience to now be putting it out there because it’s definitely a piece of our soul.”

Bomshel Explodes With a Double Dose of Girl Power

Oct 20th 2009 by Stephen L. Betts

Kristy Osmunson and Kelley Shepard's first meeting, just prior to joining forces as Bomshel, was a memorable one. Even though they were both performing separately on the same stage at an event in Michigan (Kelley's home state), Kristy was immediately drawn to Kelley's powerhouse voice and just had to talk to her -- and talk they did!

"I called Kristy back and we talked to two o'clock in the morning just like best friends do," Kelley says. "I'd never really met somebody who became an instant friend like that. It's real funny because we are so different, complete opposites, night and day, but for some reason, it totally works." Now roommates in Nashville, Kelley and Kristy (who hails from Idaho) have released their first full-length album as Bomshel. With the exception of one track (a rip-roarin' cover of No Doubt's 'Just a Girl'), the duo had a hand in co-writing every track on 'Fight Like a Girl.' And those "complete opposites" shine through on the entire record.

"Every song you hear it's going to be us," says Kelley. "You'll hear our fun side and our sad side. We have some really traditional country on there and some really poppy stuff."

"When you buy a Bomshel record, you are going to be bringing home a piece of the two of us," adds Kristy. "All I can say is on this record I played as good as I could have possibly played. I sang as good as I could have possibly sung and Kelly sang as good as she could. It's a scary experience to now be putting it out there because it's definitely a piece of our soul."

Perhaps no other cut on the album embodies that spirit than the heart-tugging title track. The empowering theme inspired by Jenny, a friend of Kristy's who was, at 26 years old, diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time she was expecting a baby. While Jenny fought the cancer for years, she lost the battle just after her daughter Grace turned eight.

"[Jenny] said 'you guys inspire me' and I'm sitting there listening and thinking this is so backwards," says Kristy. "I was out running on the river and was really angry about the whole situation and the song title just came to me."

"I really wanted to gear it towards all women," says Kelley of the song they wrote with frequent collaborator Bob Regan. "With our moms, sisters and grandmas and I've always really admired their persistence through the tough times. I think women have an amazing ability to endure. It's a positive thing to fight like a girl because girls are a lot stronger on the inside. We don't want to put one meaning on this song. We want people to take it however they want to take it. Whether they are a little girl or a woman struggling with something they really can't control. We don't want it to just be the cancer song because everyone has their own story."

The duo recorded much of the album at a studio in the house they share. "I love that I can do my own vocals because I'm a real control freak about my vocals," Kelley admits. "The cool thing about it is our record sounds exactly how we wanted it to be."

Fight Like A Girl - Bomshel

By: Ten Pound Hammer

Wow, have I really been waiting three years for this?

I've been watching Bomshel's career since way back in 2006, when "It Was an Absolutely, Finger Lickin', Grits and Chicken, Country Music Love Song" first hit the air. I witnessed four great songs all fail to make the Top 40 on Billboard ("Ain't My Day to Care" got to #39 on Mediabase), followed by the sudden departure of original lead singer Buffy Lawson. While I'm a bit let down that songs such as "Country Music Love Song" and especially "Bomshel Stomp" will never see an album, at least Bomshel finally has an album out.

But is it worth the wait? Definitely.

The album continues in the sound that the early Buffy songs established: brash and ballsy, anchored with well-chosen and often female-empowering themes. The production is edgy and guitar-heavy, peppered with some hot fiddle licks (check out the wah-wah effect on "You" or the accelerando on "Just a Girl"). Kristy Osmunson and Kelley Shepard have a writer's credit on every song, using cleverly-chosen details, unusual hooks and interesting turns of phrase, generally avoiding common songwriting clichés, even if they do manage to rhyme "girl" and "world" in no fewer than three different songs. Even the weakly-written chorus to "Just This Way" is saved by the interesting details of the verses, such as her lover singing into a "wooden spoon microphone."

Kelley has a bold, twangy powerhouse of a voice that sometimes brings to mind a younger LeAnn Rimes. When Kelley belts out "Don't you worry your pretty little head about me, I'll be just fine," you have no doubt in the world that she will be fine without him around. Similarly, "Fight Like a Girl" may have a more commercial sound than some of the other songs on the album, but it aptly turns the title phrase from an insult to a truly motivational hook. This song, which brought the duo to the Billboard Top 40 for the first time, is an appropriate re-introduction to the rebooted Bomshel.

Lead-off track "19 and Crazy," also the third single, jumps out of the speakers. It's a smartly written lyric about two girls who wish that they could stay young and free, but ultimately realize that it isn't possible. It's that realization that adds a depth not usually present in similarly-themed songs. Similarly, "Arizona" may be a fairly typical song about leaving old memories behind, but it sparkles with unusual details, such as leaving a locket hanging on a Joshua tree. "Love Me for Me" is another empowering anthem, clearly outlining who the female narrator is. While such a song might ring hollow with some other voice singing it, but Kelley gives a highly engaging vocal performance that elevates it greatly. "Thank You" is dark and moody at first, but even it turns into a well-sung anthem about walking away from a broken relationship with her pride intact.

"Karma Is a Female Dog" is a cute variation on the "unusual euphemism" trick (think "Love You" by Jack Ingram), where she refers to her former lover as a "donkey hole" who ran off with a "garden tool." (I'll give you a hint: It's the no-good, white-trash variety.) Some of the rapid-fire lyrics may go over your head at first, but a couple more listens should be enough to catch all the lyrical tricks. Closing track "Fiddle" is laden with just that, a breakneck, minor-key bluegrass number about her man playing her like the title instrument. It's easily the countriest song on the album, but its twangy vocals and gutsy lyrics fit nicely with the theme.

Fight Like a Girl is seemingly an appropriate title, considering that almost any female not named Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of getting to the top of the charts — indeed, Bomshel's chart history proves that even getting into the Top 40 is quite a task for a female act anymore, especially something as rare as a female duo. Bomshel has the goods, and with any luck, they could be the act that breaks through the glass ceiling that has seemingly been built in country music of late. At the very least, Kelley and Kristy will fight like girls — the tough Bomshel girls they are, of course.

You can support Bomshel by purchasing this album at iTunes | Amazon.

RODNEY ATKINS

Photo/quotes from Rodney’s charity event recently in Cookeville will run on the “Hot Shots” page of Country Weekly in the Nov. 23 issue on sale Nov. 16.

TIM MCGRAW

Upcoming TV Appearances

Just a reminder, Tim will be a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show tomorrow (10/29) Taylor Swift will also be a guest!

11/9 – Primetime (ABC)

JO DEE MESSINA

JO DEE MESSINA TO PREMIERE "NIGHTCAP WITH JO DEE" TO ONLINE FAN CLUB

After-Show Party Follows Music Room Series Tour Concerts (Nashville, Tennessee...) -- October 21, 2009 -- Country star Jo Dee Messina kicks her fan involvement up another notch this weekend with the addition of her "Nightcap with Jo Dee" after-show parties following select dates on her popular Music Room Series Tour. A lucky group of meet-and-greet winners will be invited to attend the first night's festivities in the new Black Box at the Sunrise Theatre in Historic Downtown Ft. Pierce, Florida. The party will be broadcast live across the internet.

"The Ft. Pierce show at the Sunrise Theater is very special," said Messina, "and we wanted to get everyone involved to premiere the 'Nightcap with Jo Dee' at the Sunrise's new Black Box. It will be the perfect place to hang with everyone after the concert and be a part of our new Nightcap aftershow."

The Black Box is a multi-purpose space within the Sunrise Theatre complex. Measuring 55' x 44' in size, the space resembles a true SoHo loft. With a seating capacity of 210, The "Nightcap with Jo Dee" after show event will be one of the first events presented there.

In addition to hosting her fans in person, Jo Dee will be chatting with viewers online live via video. Fan club members can log onto www.JoDeeMessina.com sometime around 10:00 p.m. EST following her Ft Pierce concert, as well as subsequent concerts on her Music Room Series Tour where the technology is available, to take part in the Nightcap show. Tickets for Jo Dee's Music Room Series can be purchased at www.JoDeeMessina.com . Follow Jo Dee on Twitter (@jodeemessina) and her Say Now Mobile line: 615-866-1681 to get updates and chances to win tickets and "Nightcap with Jo Dee" after show access.

Star Converses With Fans Live on Phone

Throughout her career, country star Jo Dee Messina has been known as an accessible celebrity by her fans. She took that relationship to a new level this past weekend by giving out her cell phone number, 615-866-1681, and inviting her followers on TWITTER and SAYNOW to give her a call. On Friday night alone, Messina spent about an hour and a half chatting with her fans on the phone.

"I have always loved talking with fans," said Messina, "and Twitter and SayNow make it really easy to communicate. This is something I will do periodically, and it's another way of staying in touch with the fans. We had some interesting conversations Friday night. Some people didn't believe they were actually talking to me. It was cute."

Messina is embarking on the second leg of her unique Music Room Series Tour this weekend. Booked in intimate venues, the stage is set up like the music room in her home. She tours with just three of her musicians and performs stripped-down versions of her numerous #1 singles, favorite covers and songs she's written but not yet recorded. Each show is driven in large part by audience requests, and Jo Dee also answers audience questions during the concerts.

During this year's CMA Music Festival, Jo Dee hid tickets to her fan club party at various Nashville landmarks and then Twittered clues to their locations. She is implementing a similar contest in many of her tour markets, and tickets will be given away using Twitter.

Jo Dee will also be hosting live internet broadcasts following her performances, where the technology is available. During these broadcasts, she will be backstage with her SayNow and Twitter fans who win the opportunity to be a part of the "hang."

Information on Jo Dee's Twitter and SayNow accounts, ticket and concert details and more can be found at www.JoDeeMessina.com.

PLUMB

PLUMB REVEALS BEAUTIFUL HISTORY NOVEMBER 3

Acclaimed Curb recording artist and multi-format singer/songwriter Plumb returns with Beautiful History – A Hits Collection, releasing November 3. The double CD, 20-track set features new songs “Hang On” and “Beautiful History,” produced by long-time Plumb collaborator Matt Bronleewe, along with new recordings of such Plumb favorites as “God Shaped Hole,” “Stranded” and “Here With Me.” "Hang On" is the project's first single.

Beautiful History also includes a new mix of “Damaged” (Redemption Extended Version) along with two radio edits and an extended mix of Plumb’s mainstream crossover hit, “In My Arms.” In addition, the collection highlights such signature songs as “Real,” “Cut” and “I Can’t Do This,” among other selections.

“It was and it wasn’t intentional that both of the new songs on Beautiful History ended up being about hope,” said Plumb. “‘Hang On’ is about … hanging on. You keep breathing in and out, never knowing if it’s going to stop in three days or 30 years. But when redemption comes, it’ll seem like you just blinked your eyes. And ‘Beautiful History’ is about all the messes we’ve made and the sovereignty of God, who picks you up, brushes you off and says, ‘Begin again.’”

Beautiful History follows the 2007 release of the critically acclaimed Blink, which featured the multi-format hit single “In My Arms,” a song Plumb wrote following the birth of her first child. “In My Arms” went on to become a staple at mainstream AC radio; a #1 mainstream dance single; and a hit at Christian radio.

Since the release of her self-titled national debut in 1997, Plumb has released five critically acclaimed recordings. Through songs such as “Cut” and “Damaged,” Plumb has given voice to hope for listeners in the midst of some of life’s most difficult struggles. In addition to receiving airplay on mainstream radio, her songs have been heard in such films as “Bruce Almighty,” “Just Married” and “Drive Me Crazy” and television programs including “ER,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Felicity,” among others.

Beautiful History – A Hits Collection will be distributed by Word Distribution. For further information visit www.plumbinfo.com or www.curb.com.

RODNEY ATKINS

BCookeville Times These Are My People...This Is My Town By Lynette Judd

Baxter native Rodney Atkins & special guest Phil Vassar rocked TTU with a benefit at concert at TTU's Hooper-Eblen Center Oct.8.

The award-winning Country artist Rodney Atkins performed for his hometown crowd in this benefit concert for the Mustard Seed Ranch and TTU Athletics.

Thursday’s nights performance was not only a great musical performance but a way for Rodney to connect back with his hometown. From start to finish as Rodney took the stage to the filled Eblen Center he belted out his songs and talked a lot to the crowd there that night about many things that brought him to where he is today.

The set list Rodney song was It’s America, South, Middle, Simple Things, Man on a Tractor, (Love Songs). Best Things (TJo’s Song) Talking Dirty, Tell A Country Boy, Friends with Tractors, Waster Whiskey, 15 minutes, short portion of Apple Bottom Jeans, My Home Town, Much Too Young, Long Hair Country Boy, Cleaning This Gun, Watching You, ending with These Are My People.

Throughout the show Rodney shared many stories and gave thanks to so many who helped this night be the success that it was.

With a soft organ playing in the background Atkins said “Thank You" to all the incredible athletes here at Tennessee Tech for helping put this thing together tonight. "You all absolutely knocked yourselves out. From my family to yours thank you all for having us and thanks for coming out and being part of this. There’s nothing like seeing a community coming together for a great cause and having a good time." said Atkins.

He went on to say that they started this year in January out on the road. "We’ve kind of been out all year playing songs from the album I recorded out on the Thompson Ridge in Baxter, TN. An album called “If You're Going Thru Hell” and then we released another album back in March. An album called “It’s America”."

Rodney shared a funny thing with the crowd about his first interview promoting his new album “It’s America”. He sat down for interviews and the very first guy that talked to him said “Rodney I’ve listened to your albums before as well as Going Through Hell and I listened to the new album "It’s America" and my question for you is how come you never sing love songs?"

Rodney said "what are you talking about --"Its America" is a love song." Atkins said he kept thinking back and said to the interviewer "you know these are my people that’s a love song."

Rodney talked about the making of the new song on his album called "Talking Dirty."

He stated that song was a result of him and his wife hanging out one night and they were listening to songs trying to figure out what’s going to be on the album and his wife asked him why he hadn’t done a song about her. "I’m listening" Rodney responded, "cause that’s what us guys are supposed to say, not talk but just listen right? So she started talking, talking and talking and I don’t think I said another word all night. We stayed up real late and I wound up with this song that I wrote called “Talking Dirty.”

He then proceeded to sing that song.

Rodney asked if the crowd was having a good time? And with loud yells and applause the answer was obvious.

He went on to say he got asked a question earlier about how he got my first gig here in this town. "So actually the truth is the way I got my first gig was some friends and I were going to Tennessee Tech University. Some buddies of mine and my future wife went out to a place called the Blue Harper off Hwy 111. They had a karaoke there and they dared me to sing a song. No, No, I’m not going to do that I said. I finally got up and sang a song and the fellow out there asked me if I played guitar. Very little, I said. He offered me a gig on Friday and Saturday nights playing for tips and that was my first gig I ever had. So a big thank you to the gang at Blue Harper."

He then went on to sing the first song he sung there -- “Much Too Young,” a Garth Brooks song.

Rodney started talking about how he is teaching his boy Elijah to play guitar. He said "Elijah started learning to play some chords and the other day a pretty funny thing happened. I asked Elijah what do you want to learn for your first song? Elijah’s response was “I want to learn that song I heard you sing before about a little boy riding with his dad through town”. Rodney said that would be great, that’s your song." Rodney said he started playing that song and Elijah said "no not that one." Elijah said he wanted that other one and Rodney then realized what he was talking about. It was a Bruce Springsteen song “My Home Town”. Rodney performed a short version of that song following the story.

Rodney stated he gets a lot of requests to perform “Long Hair Country Boy” (a Charlie Daniels song), which he graciously performed.

Towards the end of his performance Rodney wanted to thank everyone involved for putting this event together, individuals, companies and donated equipment, etc. Thanked everyone for having him there and stated performing at Eblen Center was a dream come true for him.

Last but not least the bottom line thank you was to those who came out to the benefit. Atkins said "This was successful putting money back into this community and it’s everything in the world to me. The Mustard Seed Ranch is the greatest thing there is. God bless you guys and I dedicate this last song to everybody here tonight “These Are My People.”

Rodney then came back and performed two encore songs: "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Going Through Hell." It was a big thrill for Cookeville and Tennessee Tech to have Rodney who is so dedicated to the Mustard Seed Ranch and Tech come and perform for his home town folks.

The concert was presented to nearly sold-out crowds, who left with smiles on their faces. Said one attendee "I'm so glad I didn't miss this.

CLAY WALKER

BAMS BIKE TEAM TO RAISE MONEY FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Band Against MS, Inc., (BAMS) is proud to announce the expansion of their bike team, just in time for three upcoming rides in September and October of this year to raise money in the fight against multiple sclerosis. BAMS, founded by multi-platinum recording artist Clay Walker, created the bike team as an extension of the artists charity to participate inrides across the country and to raise awareness of the disease.

The BAMS bike team will start theirfall tour by participating in the Bike MS Ride 2009 presented by Point B in Mount Vernon, Wash., on September 1213, which regularly attracts more than 400 riders. Fifteen riders will participate and raise money in the annual ride on behalf of BAMS that benefits the National MS Societys Greater Washington Chapter. If you are interested in helping a rider participate in an upcoming ride log on to www.claywalker.com

CLAY SELECTED AS MEMBER OF 2009 HEALTHCARE HEROES

Clay Walker was honored today by the Nashville Business Journal in a special awards luncheon as a member of the Class of 2009 Healthcare Heroes in the Community Leader category. The luncheon took place at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville.

Walker was selected for the honor based on his work in the local and national multiple sclerosis communities through his nonprofit charity Band Against MS (BAMS). To date, BAMS has raised more than $2 million in an effort to fund important research that may one day lead to a cure for MS.

CLAY ON TOUR THROUGH END OF YEAR

Catch Clay in a town near you. Get your tickets now!

10.10 Thackerville, OK - Winstar Casino

10.23 Laredo, TX - Casablance Ballroom

10.24 Brownsville, TX - Winkstock

11.05 Chicago, IL - National MS Society

12.04 Las Vegas, NV - Golden Nugget

12.05 Las Vegas, NV - Golden Nugget (2nd Show)

LARRY GATLIN

Larry Gatlin Talks About His ‘Pilgrimage’

Seventeen years is a long time. Back in 1992, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers had decided to hang it up as a recording act. They released their farewell album, Adios, for Liberty Records, and their final single together, “Pretty Woman Have Mercy.” At the time, the singer admitted that there was some bitterness in his heart toward Music City. However, as another great Texan, Bob Wills, once sang, time changes everything. Gatlin, and his brothers Steve and Rudy, are back with The Pilgrimage, a new set out next week on Curb Records. Gatlin admitted that his mindset about the country music Mecca had changed, and he had too.

“When I left here,” he begins on a fall morning on Music Row, “I thought it was a love-hate relationship, and I characterized it that. You know what Mark Twain said about ‘It’s amazing how stupid my father was when I was 13, and how smart he had become by the time I was 30.’ I was sitting in a bathtub in Oklahoma City, and it dawned on me. We had talked about coming back to Nashville, and trying this, and Leslie Satcher was encouraging me. She told me there were young songwriters all over town who loved my songwriting. I said, ‘They don’t care anything about me.’ The ace tunesmith wasn’t about to give up that easily. “She said, ‘Larry, I write songs with them every day at Tree. I know what I’m talking about.’ I thought if you want to go back, and you want to make music with your brothers and Mike Curb’s giving you a record deal…If you want to go back, and make another run at this business again, you don’t want to go back mad at Nashville, thinking they ran you out of town…What’s that about? I had to look down in my own heart, and change that love-hate relationship to just a love relationship. Some great things happened to me in this town.”

Gatlin says philosophically “it was our time then, and when it was over…we left. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. It’s the way life is. One of these days, Tiger Woods isn’t going to win all the Golf tournaments. The Yankees have found out they’re not going to win every year. My beloved Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game in 14 years…It just doesn’t happen that way, so that’s part of my maturing — realizing that this town didn’t do anything to me…except good. We’re trying to get back in; they’ve opened their arms to us in a lot of ways.”

“Along the way one night, my son asked me, ‘What’s wrong with country music? It doesn’t sound right. It doesn’t sound the same.’ I said, ‘Hold it, son. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just different. Those young kids are doing it their way. We’re doing it our way. We’ve got to realize that the world is a different place, and will never be the same.

One of those ways is Curb Records offering the Gatlins a record deal, of which The Pilgrimage is the first release. The lead-off single is the interestingly-titled “Johnny Cash Is Dead and His House Burned Down.” If it sounds like there was a strategy plan from all concerned to bring the Gatlins back, think again.

“I would love to tell you that it was a big grand strategy — that we sat down with our record company, and our management and our business people and our producers — that we had this grand design, and we thought it out. But it just did not happen that way. It’s like that old saying that God laughs at man’s plans. Terry Choate asked me, ‘Why don’t you record some new music you’ve written, and let’s see what happens.’ Along the way, he introduces me to Leslie Satcher, and she and I wrote a couple of songs together, and she introduces me to Jon Randall (Stewart), and we wrote a song together.” With those pieces falling into place as far as getting Gatlin involved again in the creative community, the inspiration for the new single came from out of left field. “Along the way one night, my son asked me, ‘What’s wrong with country music? It doesn’t sound right. It doesn’t sound the same.’ I said, ‘Hold it, son. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just different. Those young kids are doing it their way. We’re doing it our way. We’ve got to realize that the world is a different place, and will never be the same. After all, Johnny Cash is dead and his house burned down! So, I wrote that song and got John Carter Cash involved, and then I wrote a song from an idea that Roger Miller gave me years ago.”

Cash’s involvement on the album turned out to be another case of the circle being unbroken. “We asked him to do the liner notes because his father had done the liner notes for The Pilgrimage (Gatlin’s first disc, released in 1974 on Monument Records). It kind of took on a new process. Johnny, in his liner notes, talked about “Sweet Becky Walker” and “Penny Annie,” two songs that he especially liked. We said ‘Hey, John Carter is a great record producer. Let’s do those songs over, and put them on this album. I was trying to think of a name for the album, and I thought ‘What do pilgrims do? They go on pilgrimages…they go on journeys…” So, that’s kinda what happened. There wasn’t any grand plan we sat around to do. I think it’s like that old deal about if you’ll bring the bucket, God will bring the well. I brought the bucket — my bucket is the songs I write, two brothers who are great singers and great guys, getting in the studio with great musicians, and it took on a life of its’ own.”

One difference that fans might note concerning The Pilgrimage is the fact that Gatlin collaborates as a songwriter with the aforementioned Satcher and Randall — something he hadn’t done much of in his career. “If I’ve learned anything in this business,” he told LimeWire Music Blog, “I hope I’ve learned to be more open. I never co-wrote songs before, almost never — a couple of songs with Barry Gibb years ago, but that was about it. I’m going to write the songs, and I still am going to do my part — but I’m open to others whose songwriting I respect. The good thing is having people that you trust and respect…so it’s worked out.” In the same vein, Gatlin had no problem turning over control of the video for “Johnny Cash.” “We had a lot of help on that from Eric Welch and all the guys who did that. I wouldn’t have known how to make that old Hatch Show poster come alive, but those people do, so it worked out.”

“We were running the song down, Randy Scruggs was playing his guitar, and John Carter grabbed Mother Maybelle’s 1934 Gibson and put it in his hands, and then he grabbed his mother’s autoharp, and that thing came alive.”

Of the new material on The Pilgrimage, the singer is excited about “Black Gold,” one of two tracks co-written with Satcher. The idea for the song came at a dinner at her house. “When I come to town, I try to make time to go out to her and David’s house — her mama cooks chicken fried steak, creamed gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and sweet tea. Leslie and I got to talking about the oil business, and about the oil field, and what it’s like. She asked me, ‘What did your daddy do.’ I told her, ‘He was a driller. He worked seven days a week, eight hours a week — no days off. If the rig was down, he didn’t get paid — that was a day he was looking for a job — no weekends, vacations, union, no insurance…nothing…just work.’ ” Gatlin didn’t think the conversation would lead much further. “We were talking about that over dinner, and I was helping her mama clean up the dishes, and I looked over and Leslie had her guitar, and she was over in the corner just wailing. She said, ‘Come over here, and tell me about the oil business,’ and we wrote this song.” Satcher had one more thing to ask. “She said, now I want to produce this on you…I know how they’re doing it…you go that other stuff you’re doing, and that’ll be fine, but I want one that sounds like the stuff they’re doing in Nashville now. I’ll be darned if it doesn’t. She did a great job.”

Another track off the album is “Handsome Young Gringo.” Gatlin confesses that he was inspired to write the song as he was thinking about one of his all-time favorite records. “One of my favorite songs of all time was “El Paso” by Marty Robbins. What a great record! It was perfect, from front to back. I really don’t know if I was thinking about that song or not, but I wrote it about 15 years ago when I moved back to Texas, and maybe I had heard it on the radio or something, and I envisioned that girl dancing in that bar. So from that, I did my take on it…It’s a different song, obviously, but it did have something to do with it. It’s another guy in the bar,” he jokes, “not the one who gets shot. I talked to the record people. Doug Johnson, the head of A&R at Curb said, ‘We love the Johnny Cash record, and Americans…that’s who,” but we need something a little edgy. So I sang it for him, and he said, ‘That’s it. Let’s record it.’ We did it, and he said take it to Mike. We recorded it, but I forgot to take it with me. So, I sang it to him, and he said he loved it. It was a case of different musicians, different sounds, different layerings, colors, fabrics of the album.”

Three of the tracks on The Pilgrimage, while new recordings, are not new songs at all. As previously mentioned, two songs from The Pilgrimage were re-recorded, with John Carter Cash as producer. One, “Sweet Becky Walker,” features Kris Kristofferson (who sang on the 1973 original) and Gatlin’s daughter, Kristin, on harmony. The other, “Penny Annie,” features quite a bit of country music history. “I told John Carter that I wanted to change it a little bit. I always envisioned that it was in North Carolina or West Virginia — kind of an Appalachian setting and we put a little tempo to it. We were running the song down, Randy Scruggs was playing his guitar, and John Carter grabbed Mother Maybelle’s 1934 Gibson and put it in his hands, and then he grabbed his mother’s autoharp, and that thing came alive.” A recording like that might not have taken place twenty-five years ago. “Again, that’s from being open to other people’s talents and abilities,” he admits.

He also goes back and revisits one of his biggest hits, 1979’s “I’ve Done Enough Dyin’ Today.” Though it only peaked at # 7, the song was a favorite of many, including Frank Sinatra. Joining Gatlin on duet vocals (only the second time he has ever performed a duet) on the track is Lari White. Sharing the spotlight was an easy task, he claims. “She’s a fabulous person with a great heart. She’s a great songwriter and a great entertainer. We just kind of met each other in New York. She was in Ring of Fire: The Musical, and I met her up there. I didn’t know her well, but I went by after the premiere that night, as they were having a press conference. I mouthed to her ‘I love your singing…you were great.’ ” She said, ‘I love your songwriting. You’re great.’ Every now and then, I’d be in New York and I’d see her there, as she was doing some other Broadway things. I asked her to be our special guest at the Friars Club, then at the Ryman for a benefit for the Vanderbilt Voice Center. I said, ‘Let’s do this thing. I think it would be a great duet.’ And it came off great. What a great singer she is. I’m glad she consented to do it.”

The album closes with the inspirational “Fill Me,” which Gatlin says came about from somewhere higher. “Years ago, Phil Johnson at Spring Hill Music called me, and said I want you to do a gospel album. I said, ‘I don’t have any songs. I don’t think that’s what I want to do right now.’ So I went out the next morning for my morning run, and much like what happened a few years ago when someone wanted me to write a book I didn’t want to write, I got this little voice that said, ‘I’ve been real good to you…You might ought to write that book and tell people about it, that same voice said, “I’ve been really good to you. You might ought to do that gospel album. I said, ‘Lord, I don’t have any songs. He said ‘You will,” and they started coming, and that’s one of those. I was at the Masters tournament in Augusta when I had the idea for that song. I don’t know why they come when they do, but I don’t question it, I just write them down.”

Hopefully, The Pilgrimage will influence Larry Gatlin to keep writing them for years to come.

WYNONNA

Last night Wynonna performed her latest single, "When I Fall in Love" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Backed by Max Weinburg and The Tonight Show band along with an 8-piece string section, she brought life into the timeless standard made famous by Nat King Cole.

If you missed the performance or would like to relive the magic, go here to watch her stellar performance (last segment of the show).

Don't forget to call your local AC radio station to request Wy's single today!! To find the station in your area, visit radio locator. To purchase your copy of Wy's latest single, visit iTunes today!

NATALIE GRANT

NATALIE GRANT HONORED FOR CAREER MILESTONES – Combined Sales Surpassing 1 Million Units More Than 500,000 Radio Spins

ORLANDO, Fla.—GMA’s reigning four-time Female Vocalist of the Year and Gold-selling Curb recording artist, Natalie Grant, was recently honored by Curb Records founder and president, Mike Curb, for career sales of more than 1 million units and radio airplay surpassing 500,000 spins (Nielsen BDS). The presentation was made following Grant’s performance for Christian radio broadcasters at Momentum ‘09 in Orlando.

Since the release of her self-titled debut in 1999, Grant’s recordings have included Stronger; Deeper Life; Worship With Natalie Grant & Friends; the Gold-selling Awaken; the Christmas collection Believe; and in 2008, Relentless. Her signature radio singles include “Held,” “In Better Hands,” “I Will Not Be Moved” and “Live For Today,” among others. She has also had multiple hits on mainstream AC radio.

Grant is currently featured on Jeremy Camp’s “Speaking Louder Than Before The Tour 2009.” For further information, visit www.nataliegrant.com.

JUST JINJER

JUST JINJER – “WHAT HE MEANS” Video

We were finally getting ready to shoot the music video to co-inside with the international release of the radio single.

We wanted to capture the "peace, love and tolerance" that we've developed within the band over the last years together, as opposed to a more literal interpretation of the song's message.

A week before we were scheduled to leave on our trip, up the coast of California from Los Angeles to film, we were invited to a bash at the Beverly Hills Hotel in honor of Nelson Mandela Day.

As we were leaving, a lady came up to us, stating that her and her husband HAD JUST BEEN IN South Africa filming a movie and HAD became fans of our music. They turned out to be Clint and Dina Eastwood and offered for us to come stay at their hotel and use the city of Carmel as the backdrop to the video.

We couldn't have wished for a better 'set'. The variety of scenery and helpful locals that the quaint town provided, made for an amazing long weekend.

Everything fell into place with almost Divine precision, which proves that when music is made honestly, people truly connect to it regardless of situation, location or background.

When we stopped off at various spots, we would either play along to a playback system or just jam out acoustically. Every time, locals and tourists alike would dance along or send their kids to come interact with us... The spirit of the song was, as it always seems to be, definitely present!

We hope this video gives a brief insight into our lives and our journey thus far.

KACI BATTAGLIA

WYNONNA

WYNONNA JUDD RETURNS TO HER ROOTS ON THE 67TH ANNUAL SANTA TRAIN

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Country music superstar Wynonna Judd will revisit her Appalachian childhood when she joins CSX, Food City and the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce as the special guest on the 2009 Santa Train.

Wynonna, a native of Ashland, Ky., is celebrating the release of her recent album, Sing: Chapter 1, and the anniversary of her 25th year in the music business. In celebration of the holiday season, Wynonna will launch her third annual ‘A Classic Christmas’ tour the weekend after Thanksgiving.

“Sharing the joy of the season with children who grew up just like I did is something that I am so privileged to have the opportunity to do,” Wynonna said. “Appalachia has always been close to my heart, and participating in the Santa Train is something very special to me.” The Santa Train will make 14 stops in the mountains of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee on Nov. 21, 2009. Wynonna, along with Santa Claus and volunteers from CSX, Food City and the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce, will deliver 15 tons of toys, including six pallets donated by the Children’s Miracle Network, to thousands of residents who live along the route. This year will commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Santa Train.

Wynonna also has previous ties to the Santa Train through her mother, Naomi Judd, who rode the train in 2005 and passed down some of her fond memories of that day to her daughter. “With more than 30 million records sold worldwide, we are honored to have Wynonna aboard this year’s Santa Train,” said Tori Kaplan, director of corporate citizenship and special events for CSX. “We know she will brighten everyone’s spirits in these tough economic times.”

Patty Loveless, Alison Krauss, Naomi Judd, Travis Tritt and Kathy Mattea are among the celebrity guests who have participated in the Santa Train in recent years. Several governors, U.S. senators, representatives, and other local, state and federal officials have also participated in this annual event.

“The Santa Train means so much to the city of Kingsport,” Miles Burdine, Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said. “Adding Wynonna to the list of prestigious celebrity guests only adds to the legacy of this special event.”

“Being able to be a part of this project is a privilege for Food City, and we are so pleased to share it with Wynonna this year,” said Ed Moore, Kingsport’s Food City manager. “We know that she will brighten the Christmas season for so many.”

For continuous updates about the Santa Train, please visit us on Facebook and Twitter. Find us on our Facebook fan page, The Santa Train, and on Twitter @TheSantaTrain.

ASHLEY GEARING

Class of 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame Induction

Ashley Gearing a CURB Music artist,writer and Belmont University Freshman, sings at the induction.

RODNEY ATKINS

Atkins a crowd-pleaser in opening concert

By PETER ROPER

You can't go wrong as a country singer belting out tunes about loving America, babies, tractors, guns, and kids selling lemonade. And during Friday night's concert at the Colorado State Fair, country star Rodney Atkins didn't take a wrong step anywhere.

From the moment the lights came up on his dual-ramp stage, Atkins was ready - posed at the top in a wide-legged straddle. His hit song, "It's America," got right down to business, to the delight of the crowd of 5,108 at the Budweiser Rodeo Arena.

"It's a high school prom, it's a Springstein song, it's a ride in a Chevrolet. . ." Atkins sang, his trademark ball cap curled dramatically around his eyes. The crowd on the arena dirt cheered its approval as Atkins worked one end of the stage and then another, his voice strong and clear.

Rodney Atkins has climbed the ladder of country stardom with a song list of tunes that are unabashedly patriotic, sentimental or honky-tonk funny, plus an easy charm he put on display for the Fair crowd.

"What's up, Pueblo?" he called out after the first two numbers and got a roar of greeting in return. "We just made ourselves right at home here all day long and we thank you. We love Colorado."

Could the guy be any nicer? None of the old rock’n’roll, tear-the-hotel-down lyrics for Atkins. He likes love songs. He said so.

"This interviewer asked me why I never wrote love songs," Atkins joked with the arena crowd Friday night. Then his named several of his best-known tunes - such as "It's America" and "Cleaning This Gun" - saying they were certainly love songs to his way of thinking. The cheers from the crowd said they understood completely.

Friday night's concert included hits from Atkins first albums as well as his newest material. They included "Simple Things" and "About the South." His back-up band was solid, full of the pedal-steel tones and strong electric leads that characterize country music today.

Early in the show Friday, Atkins called for his crew to turn up the arena lights so he could take a closer look at the happy crowd at his feet.

"Look at you all. You're beautiful," he called out.

No wonder they love him.

LARRY GATLIN & THE GATLIN BROTHERS

Check out the great reviews coming in for the Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers album "Pilgrimage"!

Larry Gatlin Gives Nashville Another Chance Posted Sep 3rd 2009 4:00PM by Pat Gallagher Comments [0] Print | Email More

Larry Gatlin and his brothers, Steve and Rudy, first began entertaining audiences in Texas churches in the 1950's at just two, four and six years old. In the early '70s, the brothers landed a deal with Monument Records with the help of their friend Kris Kristofferson. What followed was a string of Gatlin Brothers hits including the Grammy-winning 'Broken Lady,' and the No. 1 singles, 'I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love,' 'All the Gold in California' and 'Houston.'

By the early '90s, Larry decided it was time to get out of Nashville for a while. He tells The Boot what led to his decision to leave.

"Mark Twain said many years ago, 'It's amazing how stupid my father was when I was 13 and how he smart he'd become by the time I was 21,'" Larry says. "I'm going to fast forward that to: It's amazing how confused I was at 44, and how much wiser I am at 61. What I realize now is no matter what walk of life you're in, your life and your career are a bell curve. It starts down here at the bottom, and it goes up, and then you reach the top, and you're there for a while, and sooner or later that bell curve starts down the other side.

"When I was there in Nashville, I just thought it was going to last forever. And when it started down the other side of that bell curve, I just decided to take my ball and go home. So I left Nashville with some pretty bad feelings. I went home to Texas and decided to do some other things."

Those other things included appearing on Broadway in the 'Will Rogers Follies' and recording as a solo act. Larry confesses that while he was sitting in a bathtub full of hot water in Oklahoma City about a year ago, he had an epiphany.

"I had this revelation from God. And the revelation was, 'Hey, dummy! It's not their fault. Nashville was great to you. Nashville helped your dreams come true.'"

The singer-songwriter credits much of his early success to the support he received from fellow artists such as Dottie West and Johnny Cash. "Nashville afforded me a wonderful way of life. Some friends convinced me that I should come back. We should get another shot, that people in Nashville love our music and love my songwriting and love our harmony."

That "shot" is the unique -- and provocatively-titled -- single, 'Johnny Cash is Dead and His House Burned Down,' from the Gatlin Brothers' new album, 'Pilgrimage.'

"I'm really grateful for the years that we've had [away]," says Larry. "because it has given me time to mature, to grow up and to put the whole Nashville deal into perspective and to learn to appreciate what happened there."

Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers newest album, "Pilgrimage", is not just another tribute to Cash; rather, it's a detailed story of the long friendship Larry Gatlin had with Cash. The album's title comes from Cash's nickname for Gatlin-pilgrim. Cash's son, John Carter Cash, produced "Pilgrimage" for the Gatlin's CURB Records debut.

“The Pilgrim: I Never Had A Big Brother" is the introduction to "Sweet Becky Walker", and "Penny Ante", both Johnny Cash songs that meant a lot to Gatlin.

"The Pilgrim: My Own Personal Pilgrimage" contains the songs "Black Gold"; "come Back To Texas"; and "Handsome Young Gringo". Gatlin is from Texas and these songs reflect what getting back to ones roots mean to him. The Gatlins have some of the best harmony on the album on "Gringo".

"The Pilgrim: Country Music Will Never Be The Same" introduces "Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down)"; "I've Done Enough Dyin' Today"; and "He Bought Her Back". These clearly are songs about change, redemption, and the ability to come home again.

"Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down)" is an amazing song. It's a well crafted tribute by any standard, especially since it's played in Cash's musical style, but more so because of the sentiment. It was while Larry Gatlin was having dinner with his son Joshua Cash Gatlin (named after Johnny, obviously...), and discussing changes in the music business, that Gatlin said that phrase. He immediately flipped the restaurant table's place mat over and started writing. And now we have the result of that one, casual remark.

"The Pilgrim: Now It's Our Turn", prefaces "Nashville, Whadda Ya Say"; "Americans, That's Who"; and "Fill Me".

"Americans, That's Who" is probably the next top song on the album after "Johnny Cash Is Dead..." Granted, it's a patriotic song, but not in the cheesy, overwrought style of so many such tunes. The song catalogs a list of our country's achievements, and quite plainly says a lot that needs to be said, especially now with all the anti-American rhetoric coming from people within our own government. Thank you, Gatlins, for recording this. Let's pray radio makes a big deal out of it.

"Fill Me" is great Christian gospel. Lines such as "come Holy Spirit, and fill every vessel/I am but one vessel/here I am...fill me", pretty much let's you know where the Gatlin's stand. If this country music thing doesn't work out, I'm sure Bill Gaither could get 'em a gig.

"The Pilgrim: He Was There" introduces "If I Ever See Utah Again". The final two cuts, "The Pilgrim: Little Tin Cup" and "A Man Can't Live With A Broken Heart" round out the album. It's the rare artist who can influence an entire generation, and continue to influence subsequent generations after they're gone. Elvis and The Beatles come to mind instantly. Johnny Cash's influence as a singer, songwriter, and musician is safely secured, well beyond his contemporaries. The fact that he was also a friend and mentor to other artists such as Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers is evident in the entirety of "The Pilgrimage". And having someone truly call you "friend" is the most fitting tribute ever.

ARROWS AND MINNOWS Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers to Release New Album: Pilgrimage 8/25/2009 3:41:09 PM

by Caleb Regan, Assistant Editor Tags: country music, country western, classic country, Pilgrimage, new country release

Several times while listening to Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers’ newest CD, Pilgrimage, I got chills. Six times on the album, all track titles beginning with “The Pilgrim,” Mr. Gatlin (Larry, who’s backup singers are brothers Steve and Rudy) tells stories from friendships and time periods shared with the likes of Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie, Waylon and some of the musicians I look up to most.

I, too, have shared special moments with these cowboys, but it’s cool to hear about the interactions from one of the cowboys himself. Kristofferson and Kristen Kara, Larry Gatlin’s daughter, team up to sing backup on a newer version of “Sweet Becky Walker,” which was the eldest Gatlin brother’s first big hit.

The second bonus track on this disk, track 3, was in my top three for the album and might have been my favorite, “Penny Annie.” Along with “Sweet Becky Walker,” “Penny Annie” is from early in Gatlin’s career, and was written during the life and times of Johnny Cash.

From track 1 of Pilgrimage, Larry Gatlin speaks about some of Cash’s words in the liner notes of Gatlin’s first album, The Pilgrim.

“And now along comes this Pilgrim, Larry Gatlin. He’s kind of a proud banner bearer, and the banner ain’t his own. The Pilgrim has his heart for sale and soul in his songs, and the price is mighty cheap. He shared some of these songs with me, even on the day that he wrote them. I wish you could have looked down his throat with me the first time I heard him sing ‘Sweet Becky Walker’ and ‘Penny Annie.’ You would have seen soul and heard heart, and felt fine.”

After the first two songs – and like most music it’s an injustice to put a label on it, but it’s necessary to give those unfamiliar with the artist an idea – it’s a combination of country, folk and gospel, and what sticks out to me is Gatlin’s skill as a storyteller.

One particularly chilling track is “The Pilgrim: Little Tin Cup” in which Gatlin tells the story of his son’s birth, Joshua Cash Gatlin. So the story goes that Gatlin runs out of the delivery room and calls Johnny before anyone else, and Cash and June Carter were the first to show up. Johnny presented the son with a letter “he’d just written, and a little tin cup. The letter read, ‘If you’ll drink from the cup of Christ, you’ll never drink from the likes of this tin cup that I got from Folsom Prison.’”

That’s quite a story, although Gatlin’s telling of the story requires you to look past the dramatics of his voice that he uses to reenact the exchange (his boy “just discovered America”). But hey, if that’s how the exchange took place, I can’t blame him for this, it just makes the cynic wonder.

Pilgrimage reminds me of sitting around listening to the older country singers I mentioned above that my brother Josh and I both liked to listen to while sitting around in our college home, sharing beers and passing the evening with friends we’d never met.

I find this album a joy to listen to and a fresh peek back into my favorite country music time period. It’s produced, fittingly enough, by John Carter Cash.

Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers: The Pilgrimage About.com Rating – 5 out of 5 stars From Jan Duke, for About.com

The Bottom Line

After nearly two decades, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers return to Music City and if that's not enough their newest album celebrates their longtime friendship and respect with Johnny Cash and the Cash Family.

Pros- Must buy for any Johnny Cash friend or fan Full CD with A total of 19 tracks Great accumulation of life inside the inner circle of Johnny Cash

Cons- None- if you understand the relationship between the Pilgrim & JR

Country music legend Larry Gatlin comes back big with the Gatlin Brothers August 26, 11:39 PMManhattan Local Music Examiner Jim Bessman

It’s been 17 years since Larry Gatlin and brothers Steve and Rudy have been together in any noteworthy manner, though Larry, songwriter and singer of such classic 1970s and ’80s country music hits as “Broken Lady,” “All the Gold In California” and “Houston (Means I‘m One Day Closer To You),” notes that the trio (known variously as the Gatlins and Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers when not just solely as Larry Gatlin) has “never really been apart.”

“We saw our recording career going down,” Larry says. “We weren’t selling as many records or getting them played on the radio, and fewer people were showing up at our concerts and we were getting less money per show. It looked like the beginning of the end.”

So the brothers made a “collective decision,” Larry says, “after searching our hearts and souls.”

“I looked around Nashville and saw that my fellow entertainers kept hanging on and hanging on and hanging on after their time was really over and it was very sad,” he continues. “They had become has-beens. That didn’t mean they couldn’t still sing or entertain a crowd, but that their time in the spotlight as viable entertainers and concert draws with No. 1 records and radio play was over. And I decided that it was better to leave 10 years too early than five minutes too late and hang on like an old baseball player who’s lost a step and gets sent back down to the minors.”

So Larry chose to “leave with some dignity and on my terms,” he says. He and the brothers retired from the road, until six years ago, when they were offered plenty to perform together again. “That started us back a little,” he says, counting 50 to 60 “hit-and-miss hodgepodge” weekend and Branson, Missouri dates a year—“part-time at best, but quality shows that for the most part drew our money.”

Then five years ago Larry’s son Josh Gatlin, who had served on President Bush’s advance staff for five years, sensed the potential for a Gatlins comeback.

“He said, ‘Daddy, I’ve been the road manager for the world’s largest rock ‘n’ roll show and can handle your deal and we can do it right,’” Larry recalls.

Returning to his father’s Austin home base, Josh Gatlin examined his father's creative and business situation.

“I said, ‘You take care of the music and I’ll take care of everything else, and let’s see if I can help you out,’” says Josh. “He met with [young Nashville songwriters] Leslie Satcher and Jon Randall Stewart and co-wrote with them, and they both said, ‘Larry, there are young writers in Nashville who would chop off an arm if it meant they could sit in a room and write songs with you.’ And he got excited and started putting some music together to shop around.”

Then one day when Larry was in New York to perform at Carnegie Hall, he found himself standing in front of the renowned concert venue.

“I’d just done a 30-minute run in Central Park--one of my favorite places—and I was smoking a cigar,” Larry recalls. “I lifted my hands toward heaven and was thanking God for the blessings of my family and health and music—and to be able to sing in that incredible hall where every musician in the world wants to perform—and out of the blue my cell phone rang and it was my friend Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas. And he said, ‘Gatlin. What are you doing?’ And I said, ‘Governor, I’m in front of Carnegie Hall thanking God for my blessings.’ And he asked if I knew Mike Curb--that Mike wanted to talk to me.”

Former California lieutenant governor and longtime music business operator Curb heads Curb Records in Nashville, and wanted Gatlin’s participation on behalf of the University of Texas. But when they got together to discuss it, Larry brought up his new music.

“I said, ‘Mike, if I was 25 years old and you heard these 12 songs my brothers and I just recorded, you’d give me a record deal.’ And he said, ‘Gatlin, I don’t care how old you are. I love your songs and the brothers’ harmonies and want to hear everything you’ve ever written!’ So I said, ‘Put that in writing!’ And he did!”

The Pilgrimage comes out on Curb on Sept. 15. It’s the first Gatlin album on a major label since Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band’s aptly named Adios in 1991, and brings Larry’s career around “full circle,” he notes, in that his 1973 debut album was entitled The Pilgrim. And where that album had liner notes by Johnny Cash--who called Gatlin “Pilgrim”--The Pilgrimage has liner notes by Cash’s son John Carter Cash, who also produced the album's updated versions of two songs from The Pilgrim that his father singled out in his notes, “Penny Annie” and “Sweet Becky Walker.” (Cash’s Highwaymen cohort Kris Kristofferson sang harmony with his former wife Rita Coolidge on the original “Sweet Becky Walker”; Gatlin’s daughter Kristin, who was named in honor of Kristofferson, sings harmony on the new version.)

The album’s first single, “Johnny Cash is Dead And His House Burned Down,” is a tribute to his late friend and mentor and has garnered attention for its bold title and video. “Nashville’s opened its arms to us,” Larry concludes, “and the Gatlin boys are back in business!”

El Dorado News-Times The voice of South Arkansas

(RODERICK, AR) By Roderick Harrington Two veterans of the music industry have finished work on perhaps their most personal works to date. Both would be welcomed additions to your CD collections.

I mentioned some time ago that Larry Gatlin and his brothers Steve and Rudy were recording “Pilgrimage: A Storyteller’s Album,” which features the single, “Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down).” Music virtuoso Ricky Skaggs also has a new project out titled “Solo: Songs My Dad Loved.” Skaggs will release the CD on his own Skaggs Family Records, while the Gatlin project will be on Curb Records.

For Gatlin’s new CD, the singer/songwriter revisits his first recording, “The Pilgrim,” in the early 1970s. The late Johnny Cash wrote the liner notes. Much of the CD includes Gatlin’s stories about songs, about working with Cash, and how the Arkansas native was a dear friend until the day Cash died. Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, produced many of the remakes.

On the original “Pilgrim,” Kris Kristofferson and then-wife Rita Coolidge sang harmony on two of Cash’s favorite songs: “Sweet Becky Walker” and “Penny Annie.” For the remakes, Kristofferson was joined by Gatlin’s daughter on vocals.

Gatlin offers “Black Gold,” “Come Back To Texas” and “Handsome Young Gringo” as tributes to his upbringing in Texas. His dad worked in the oil fields.

The story behind “Johnny Cash Is Dead (And His House Burned Down)” is great. Gatlin’s son at dinner one night was complaining about the state of modern country music. His dad uttered, “Johnny Cash is dead and his house burned down.” As any good songwriter does, Gatlin immediately wrote it down on a napkin and later turned it into a song. A short time later he was offered a deal with Curb Records.

Gatlin and Lari White re-recorded “I’ve Done Enough Dying Today,” with more gentle lyrics than the original. Still, the song remains one of the saddest songs ever written: “Just existing makes dying look easy, but maybe tomorrow, I’ve done enough dying today.” And later, “Don’t think I’ll cry, just die laughing, but maybe tomorrow, I’ve done enough dying today.”

At their peak the Gatlins topped the charts with the likes of “Broken Lady,” “Love Is Just A Game,” “All The Gold,” “Houston,” “The Lady Takes The Cowboy Everytime,” “She Used To Be Somebody’s Baby” and “Night Time Magic.” On “Pilgrimage,” Gatlin discusses his decision to return to Nashville and record new material. The result is “Say, Nashville Whadda Ya Say,” a great number about returning to his “home away from home.” The harmony between Larry, Steve and Rudy is still perfect: they’ve been signing together for more than 50 years.

One of the best stories on “Pilgrimage” involves the late Roger Miller, whom Larry Gatlin visited in Sante Fe, N.M. some 30 years ago. He said Miller pulled out a shoebox filled with napkins, matchbooks and other items. On one was written, “Dang me, dang me, oughta take a rope and hang me,” while another had, “Trailers for sale or rent,” the opening line to “King of the Road.” Another napkin had written on it, “I’m still here because my tears feel right at home in Salt Lake City.” Without missing a beat, Gatlin added, “And if I keep on crying, I’ll have a salt lake on my own.” They never finished the song then, but Gatlin did 30 years later with “If I Ever See Utah Again.”

Gatlin also tells the story of how when his first child (Joshua Cash Gatlin) was born, the first person he called was Cash, who shared the news with his wife, June Carter Cash. They soon arrived at the hospital and Cash gave a tin cup to the baby. Cash included a note that read, “If you’ll drink from the cup of Christ, you’ll never drink from the likes of this tin cup, that I got from Folsom Prison.”

After both Johnny and June died, Gatlin wrote, “A Man Can’t Live With A Broken Heart (Too Long).” Of course Johnny died just months after his wife died.

The Gatlins will be at The Mansion in Branson, Mo., for various dates in September and October. Visit www.gatlinbrothers.com for details. “Pilgrimage” will be released on Sept. 15.

(Roderick Harrington is weekend editor at the News-Times.)

WYNONNA

WYNONNA GETS SCHOOLED: AT BELMONT UNIVERISTY

Wynonna Judd scheduled to participate in inaugural Belmont senior program Nashville, TN – Wynonna Judd will help launch the inaugural Professional-in-Residence series at Belmont University. The topic of this year’s residency will be the “Journey of the Creative Business Mind.” Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business set an objective for the new series to expose students to industry professionals to help ensure that their continued learning experience remains dynamic – reaching beyond typical classroom walls.

Along with Judd, her manager Kerry Hansen and long-time producer and musician Don Potter will contribute to the discussion Q&A panel series. The exclusive Professional-in-Residence Program provides a group of Belmont seniors an opportunity to engage with music industry professionals throughout the academic year in an intimate, conversational setting.

Wynonna’s participation in the 2009-10 Professional-in-Residence program marks the second significant mentoring contribution she has made to Curb College students. Earlier this year, students in Sarita Stewart’s Record Company Operations class had the privilege of working closely with Wynonna and Hansen, to oversee, promote and execute a concert and CD release party exclusively for Belmont students for her seventh studio album Sing:Chapter 1, the first of its kind for the university and Judd. “We are thrilled to have another opportunity to work with Wynonna and her team and appreciate her commitment to giving back through education,” commented CEMB Strategic Programs Director, Sarah Cates. “We strive to offer exceptional experiences like this one to our students, to help them grow both in and out of the classroom.”

Of her participation in the Professional in Residence program, Wynonna said, "I am looking forward to the opportunity to share my testimony with the next generation in hopes that my story will encourage them to follow their dreams." The three-part series will explore topics related to Wynonna’s personal journey in the entertainment industry as both an artist and a businesswoman. In Session 1, scheduled for September 10th, Wynonna will share her story and address the following topics: Challenges of the Creative Lifestyle: The Ups and Downs; Artistic Development: When is it ‘your’ time?; and What comes first - The Artist or the Career?

About Wynonna Wynonna Judd first gained fame as part of one of the most successful musical duos of all time, The Judds, selling over 20 million records. On top of that amazing feat, she also holds multiple gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA in excess of 10 million units sold for albums released throughout her solo career. In 2005, Wynonna became a New York Times best-selling author with the release of her long-awaited autobiography, Coming Home to Myself, released in conjunction with her live CD and DVD Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime; the latter of which having been certified Gold.

Wynonna recently released her seventh solo studio album, Sing: Chapter 1, an eclectic assortment of standards paying homage to all the different genres and songs that have formed the soundtrack to her life.

Visit www.wynonna.com to learn more! About Belmont University Belmont University, host of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate, is a fast-growing community of 5,000 students who come from every state and 29 countries. Committed to being a leader among teaching universities, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service. The university’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. With more than 75 areas of study, 12 master’s programs and three doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual's horizon. For more information visit www.belmont.edu

RODNEY ATKINS

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Country singer shows softer side Atkins will headline Round-Up concert By: Kathy Aney Sunday, September 06, 2009

Country singer Rodney Atkins is known for his fist-pumping feel-good songs, but inside him is a soft spot for kids who are going through hell.

Atkins, who sings in the Round-Up kick-off concert on Sept. 12, spotted one such kid as he sang at a concert in Madison, Wis., a couple of years ago.

Six-year-old Abby Niemuth, who watched from the first row with her parents, had no hair and wore a surgical mask.

"You could see her eyes just shining," Atkins said recently by phone to the East Oregonian. "I could see, under the mask, she was singing."

When Atkins invited her onstage, the little girl smiled and he helped her up. She nodded when he asked if she wanted to sing. Together, in front of 20,000 people, they sang "If You're Going Through Hell," a musical pep talk for people who face tough trials. After the concert, Atkins and Abby stayed in touch. The little girl attended other concerts and he sang to her on the telephone. Just before she died a year ago, Abby had been listening to Atkins' music.

"Her parents said I sang her into heaven," Atkins said.

Atkins' sensitivity to children in trouble may have arisen from his own heart-breaking beginnings as a sickly baby put up for adoption. Twice, adoptive parents returned the ailing infant to the Holston Methodist Home for Children in Greenville, Tenn., not able to deal with what Atkins called a stubborn respiratory staph infection.

Finally, Margaret and Allen Atkins adopted the little boy and nursed him to health.

These days, Atkins is spokesman for the National Adoption Council. Last month, the singer returned to Holston for a hero's welcome and the dedication of the new Rodney Atkins Youth Home on the Holston campus.

Holston's director referred to Atkins as "our poster boy for hope."

Atkins doesn't get too far away from his own children. He recorded vocals for his last two albums in tiny studio just off the kitchen at his home just outside of Nashville. The home studio cuts production costs and keeps him in the midst of the family circle.

"There are no engineers, just me," he said. "It's made me a better singer." His son, Elijah, appears in some of Atkins' videos, including a feature role in "Watching You" when he was 4. Viewers of "It's America" will notice Elijah, now 7, manning a lemonade stand. Also appearing are his parents and step-daughters Lindsey and Morgan.

Atkins, who learned to play guitar in high school, started writing songs shortly thereafter. He said he loves to sing about "things that are real."

"I'm drawn to songs about real life," he said. "A lot of being human is the struggle."

Atkins, who prefers a ball cap to a cowboy hat, takes the stage Sept. 12 in the Happy Canyon arena in the 2009 kick-off concert. Opening for Atkins is Reckless Kelly, a Texas band with Bend roots.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the concert starts at 7 p.m. Tickets run from $23 to $112, though the $112 tickets are sold out. Some limited-view tickets, which are close to the stage, but partially blocked and include dinner and drinks, are still available. For tickets, call the Round-Up ticket office at 276-2553 or 1-800-457-RODEO.

Country star Atkins shares his love songs with Alaskans

By MIKE DUNHAM September 6, 2009

The Alaska State Fair has hosted lots of well-known performers -- some long after their glory days (Jefferson Starship) and a smaller number before they became stars (LeAnn Rimes). But to have someone at the top of the business right now play in Alaska, that's rare.

So when Rodney Atkins stepped onto the Borealis Theatre stage on Saturday night and lit into "It's America," which charted number one on the country charts in May, the crowd -- which filled most of the seats and bleachers and spread onto the hill beyond -- was charged for something special.

The midnight sun shined in a warm, calm, clear sky displaying the early fall colors of the Matanuska Valley and the first dustings of snow on the Chugach Mountains in all their glory. When Atkins sang the first-stanza's punch line, "What a picture-perfect postcard this would make of America," he pointed at the 6000 foot summit of Pioneer Peak, drawing a extra surge of cheers from the local folks.

Early on he called Alaska, "The most beautiful state I've ever seen in my life." And on Saturday in Palmer it would have been hard to disagree with him. "It's an honor to play for you."

With his trademark baseball cap and neighbor boy grin, accompanied by a little Elvis hip action, he pumped out his tunes about the extraordinary dignity of ordinary people and the virtues of "Simple Things" and being happy with what you've got. His six-piece backup band was solid and displayed remarkable talent, but they left plenty of space for the main man.

For his part, Atkins showed his respect for the fans by keeping chit-chat to a minimum, letting the songs speak for themselves. The longest explanation he gave for anything was a response to an interviewer who asked why he never wrote any love songs.

They're all love songs, he countered.

When he sings of what he loves "About the South," "A Man on a Tractor (with a Dog in the Field)," the recreational "Best Things" that have "happened to men since women," how you can "Tell a Country Boy," recounts the cautionary speech of a father to his daughter's date in "Cleaning This Gun" or role-modeling for his son in "Watching You" -- "That's a love song," he stressed.

He also said his songs are "pretty much straight out of my life."

That life must include a few cloudy times judging by "Fifteen Minutes" and "Wasted Whiskey." (Although he clarified between verses, "Technically, the only wasted whiskey would be spilled whiskey.")

He added a couple of covers marking his journey from karaoke amateur to playing for tips to number one country star, Garth Brooks' "Much too Young" and Charlie Daniels' "Long Haired Country Boy." The show wrapped up with the crowd on its feet for his anthem "These Are My People."

The people weren't ready to let it rest with that, however. They called him back for a willing encore, his first chart-topper from 2006, "If You're Going through Hell," for which most seemed to know the lyrics.

There were few "Friends With Tractors" in the crowd, which was notably younger than for many country acts, teens and 20-somethings far outnumbered us greyhairs who know the difference between a John Deere and an Allis-Chalmers. But young and old alike craved a little close-up time with him.

So he stayed long after the show, shaking hands, posing for pictures, autographing almost anything handed to him. They queued up by the hundreds. The whole concert didn't last 90 minutes, but as the full moon rose over the Chugach, Atkins stuck around at least that long, connecting one-on-one with as many of his people as possible.

It was, indeed, a love song.

JUST JINJER

SELAH

SELAH CHRONICLES HOPE AMIDST SORROW WITH DEEPLY PERSONAL YOU DELIVER ME

NASHVILLE, Tenn.— You Deliver Me, the long-awaited seventh recording from Gold-selling Dove Award-winning Curb artist Selah, is slated to bow August 25. The group’s most personal recording to date, You Deliver Me was produced by Dove Award winners Bernie Herms, Jason Kyle, Todd Smith and Allan Hall. The album’s 15 cuts feature beloved hymns, favorite worship songs and newly-penned selections, all arranged and presented in the group’s signature style.

Selah’s first recording in more than three years, You Deliver Me follows a life-changing season for the group. Last year, founding member Todd Smith and his wife Angie learned that their unborn child would be unable to survive outside of the womb. Their fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline Smith, was born April 7, 2008, and lived for just over two hours. Though Selah’s music has long brought hope and comfort to many, it has now taken on a profound new personal meaning for the group. They are committed to further sharing God’s faithfulness and ultimate healing, as represented through the legacy of Audrey’s life.

“The album was almost finished when we found out about Audrey,” Todd Smith shares. “Angie really wanted to have a song we could play at Audrey’s memorial, a song that expresses the things we would have wanted to show or tell her. She and I sat down with Christa Wells and we wrote ‘I Will Carry You (Audrey’s Song).’ Even though there are so many things we are never going to experience with Audrey, God is making those things much more beautiful and greater in His care. Anytime we can tell Audrey’s story it gives her life weight and purpose, and to hope and believe that so many people will be ministered to through this song is really meaningful.”

Additional highlights of You Deliver Me include the title-cut; the stirring new ballad “Unredeemed”; “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us”; “The Lord’s Prayer (Deliver Us)”; “I Surrender All”; the African-influenced “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus”; and the Brooke Fraser-penned debut single, “Hosanna.”

“This is the most personal album we’ve ever made,” Smith continues. “Hope, comfort and encouragement have always been themes of our music. We don’t try to dwell on the pain, but we don’t ignore it either, so much of this new album is about things that are unredeemed in this life. For us it was losing Audrey, but everyone experiences things that just don’t make sense. I hope this music helps convey that God mends the broken. He is going to make things right and carry us through.”

Heralded for their trademark arrangements of hymns and classic songs of faith, Selah’s recordings have sold a combined total of more than 2.4 million units to date. Now comprised of Allan Hall, Amy Perry and Todd Smith, the group’s 12-year career has yielded an RIAA Gold-certified recording, six GMA Dove Awards, and a string of Christian radio hits.

For further information, visit www.selahonline.com.

HANK WILLIAMS JR

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