Country music singer, songwriter and actor Mac Davis died Sept. 29 He was 78. Davis penned many of Elvis Presley’s biggest hits, including “A Little Less Conversation” and “Don’t Cry Daddy.” He was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas.
Chris Stapleton has released “Cold,” the second song from his upcoming new album, Starting Over, due out November 13 on Mercury Records Nashville. Pre-order/pre-save at http://strm.to/CSStartingOverAlbumPR Written by Stapleton along with producer Dave Cobb and longtime bandmembers, J.T. Cure and Derek Mixon, “Cold” follows the album’s title track which was released earlier and is already receiving widespread acclaim.
Starting Over was completed in late February only days before the shutdown began. Across its fourteen tracks are songs that examine life’s simplest joys and most serious struggles. Alongside eleven written by Stapleton with both longtime friends and new collaborators are three carefully chosen covers: John Fogerty’s “Joy Of My Life” and Guy Clark’s “Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends.”
Watch the official music video for “Cold” directed and filmed by Becky Fluke at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3svABDnmio.
Hard to believe, but Shenandoah hasn’t released an album of all-new music since 1994. The sonic legacy of Shenandoah – led by frontman Marty Raybon and co-founding member Mike McGuire – has captivated fans, galvanized the country music industry and influenced legions of artists.
The Grammy, ACM and CMA winning band will change that 26-year hiatus Nov. 13, 2020 with Every Road via Foundry Records, which includes Shenandoah star power collaborations with Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Ashley McBryde, Dierks Bentley, Lady A, Zac Brown Band, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson and Brad Paisley.
The first single off the new album, “I’d Take Another One of Those,” featuring Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band is available at http://smarturl.it/ShenandoahZBB. Pre-order Every Road at http://smarturl.it/ShenandoahEveryRoad. Every Road will be the band’s 10th studio album after notching 13 No. 1 hits and charting 26 singles on Billboard country charts throughout their career.
The Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 95th Anniversary on October 3 with a lot of country stars but not a lot of audience members. Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Lorrie Morgan and Terri Clark will perform for a limited in-venue audience at the kick-off of the Grand Ole Opry’s month-long 95th anniversary celebration. The 500 guests will be those fans who previously held tickets for each night’s show.
Health precautions include socially-distanced seating, mandatory masks for all guests and staff and enhanced cleaning practices. The show continues its one-hour livestream on Circle All Access YouTube, Twitter and Facebook as well as Circle TV, SiriusXM and WSM-AM/Nashville. Ticket info and show updates at https://www.opry.com/.
Carrie Underwood will perform songs from her first full-length Christmas album My Gift, backed by a live orchestra and choir, during a Christmas special for HBO Max. The special, being shot this fall, will air during the Holiday season with exact air-dates to be announced. Carrie’s performance is a combination of traditional favorites celebrating the spiritual nature of the holiday, as well as new original material from the album, which will also be released on vinyl October 30th.
My Gift is now available on CD and digital, and on vinyl Oct. 30.
Dolly Parton is the subject of a deluxe, first-ever DVD collection highlighting her spectacular career. From her start out of Nashville in the ’60s to her Hollywood debut and beyond, Dolly has done it all…and in 6-inch heels!
Now, the incredible highlights of Dolly’s remarkable career are together in a one-of-a-kind 19-DVD set from Time Life: Dolly – The Ultimate Collection. From her early appearances in the ‘60s through her own star-studded variety shows in the ‘70s and ‘80s, to concerts, interviews, TV appearances and blockbuster collaborations with her closest friends, she’s still going strong and lookin’ spectacular!
“What a delightful trip down memory lane….just the hair styles and outfits alone are worth a look and I’m surprised there are still any rhinestones left in this world! I hope you enjoy these moments as much as I did,” said Dolly.
The DVD set is available now exclusively at TimeLife.com/DollyParton.
Dolly Parton is shepherding in the holiday season as she releases the second track from her upcoming A Holly Dolly Christmas album, available everywhere on October 2nd. For her latest release, Dolly is taking on one of her childhood favorites, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” as only she can.
“I have always loved ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ because it’s a song I heard growing up,” says Dolly. “I wanted to do something for the kids and I think it’s a real cute little song. I have a child-like spirit and I love everything about Christmas!” The song follows “Mary Did You Know?”, Dolly’s first release from her holiday album.
For A Holly Dolly Christmas, Dolly collaborated with some of her dearest friends on the 12-track collection including Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael Buble, Willie Nelson, and a special duet with her brother, Randy Parton. A Holly Dolly Christmas is available now worldwide for digital pre-add/pre-save/pre-order, exclusive pre-order bundles, and physical pre-order at https://shop.dollyparton.com/.
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“I Know Country” Q&A from www.IKnowCountry.com
QUESTION: In September 2005, who had a hit with “Who You’d Be Today,” a song in which the narrator describes how much he misses a person who has passed away?
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Fans of country superstar Reba McEntire have a special treat. Reba’s 30th Anniversary Edition of her iconic album, Rumor Has It, is available now. Originally released in 1990, Rumor Has It features four top 10 hits including the album title track, “You Lie,” “Fallin’ Out of Love” and Reba’s signature hit, “Fancy.”
In addition, the anniversary edition vinyl includes a bonus track, a live acoustic version of “Fancy” recorded at The Ryman Auditorium, while the CD and digital versions features that bonus track as well as a new dance remix of “Fancy.”
Busy Reba also has a new podcast, “Living & Learning with Reba McEntire,” exclusively on Spotify. More details at https://www.reba.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/reba/
This week in Country Music
Sept 27, 1950 “I’m Moving On” by Hank Snow was No. 1 on the Billboard Country Songs chart. But it wasn’t moving from the top spot for 21 weeks. It was Snow’s first No. 1 hit.
Sept 29, 1969 Merle Haggard’s “Okie From Muskogee” was released on Capitol Records, following his release from San Quentin.
Sept 29, 1999 Garth Brooks released Greatest Hits, also titled Garth Brooks in… The Life of Chris Gaines. The Chris Gaines character was going to be the subject of a movie titled The Lamb but the project was scrapped due to the album’s poor performance.
Oct 1, 2017 A mass shooting during Jason Aldean’s performance at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival killed 58 people and injured more than 850.
Oct 2, 1954 Elvis Presley appeared at The Grand Ole Opry – his only appearance and he was not made to feel welcome. Two weeks later he signed a deal with Opry competitor, Louisiana Hayride, for 52 weeks, moving his career into budding stardom.
This week’s country music birthdays
Sept 28 Karen Fairchild (Little Big Town), 1969
Sept 29 Gene Autry (born Orvon Grover Autry), 1907 (died Oct 2, 1998, aged 91)
Jerry Lee Lewis, 1935
Danick Dupelle (Emerson Drive), 1973
Sept 30 Marty Stuart, 1958
Eddie Montgomery, 1963
Oct 1 Ross Copperman (songwriter, producer), 1982
Oct 2 Chris LeDoux, 1948
Greg Jennings (Restless Heart), 1954
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“I Know Country” Q&A ANSWER: Kenny Chesney. The song was written by Aimee Mayo and Bill Luther and was from Kenny’s album The Road and the Radio. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Songs chart.
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This week’s Billboard Country Airplay Top 5
- (2) “One of Them Girls” Lee Brice
- (1) “Lovin’ on You” Luke Combs
- (3) “Cool Again” Kane Brown
- (4) “Got What I Got” Jason Aldean
- (5) “Some Girls” Jameson Rodgers
Preshias Harris is a music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Visit www.collegeofsongology.com for more details. Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
Harris also the author of “I Know Country” with 366 daily country music questions and answers. You can buy and instantly download your e-book copy at www.IKnowCountry.com.
