December 2013

Tickets are now on sale for the Diamond Anniversary of Sidmouth FolkWeek August 1st – 8th, 2014. The festival’s Diamond Anniversary celebrations promise a dazzling week of music, dance and song, tapping a rich seam of vintage talent that has contributed to the festival’s success. FolkWeek means so many different things to different people, so organisers have planned special events in each part of the festival – gems from the archives as well as stars of the future – including a special retrospective concert at The Ham Marquee with legendary traditional singers The Copper Family at the helm, some familiar faces in the Diamond Geezers shows and an English Folk Dance & Song Society-curated series, Folk Rising Plus showcasing the best in rising talent.

Pat Higdon, Founder of Patrick Joseph Music, a joint venture with SONGS Music Publishing, announced a renewal of a long term publishing agreement with Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member, Matraca Berg. The music industry veteran and revered songwriter have been working in a publishing capacity together for over 25 years. “At PJM/SONGS, nothing is more important than our relationships with our songwriters,” said Higdon. “For the majority of my career as a publisher, I have had the pleasure of working alongside Matraca who I consider to be one of the most talented and successful writers in contemporary country music. I am so pleased we were able to sign her to the company so that she and I can continue our great run together.” Berg wrote her first number one record at 18, Faking Love, sung by T.G. Shepard and Karen Brooks. Since then, she has penned 10 more Number One Country singles, including Strawberry Wine, which was named CMA Song of the year in 1997. Her songs have garnered three GRAMMY Award nominations. Matraca has become one of the most respected songwriters in Nashville and her songs have been sung by artists including Reba McEntire, Patty Loveless, Kenny Chesney, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, The Dixie Chicks, Randy Travis, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Clint Black, Deana Carter, and many more.

Grammy Award-winning harmonica master (and just-announced 2014 Grammy nominee) James Cotton received a total of five nominations (tied for most among all artists), including Album Of The Year for 2013’s COTTON MOUTH MAN and Song Of The Year for He Was There from the same album. On Tuesday, December 10, The Blues Foundation announced the nominees for the 2014 Blues Music Awards, the blues world’s highest honours. The 35th Annual Blues Music Awards will be presented in Memphis on May 8th, 2014 at the Cook Convention Centre. James Cotton was nominated for: Album Of The Year – COTTON MOUTH MAN Instrumentalist Of The Year – Harmonica Song Of The Year – He Was There (by James Cotton, Tom Hambridge & Richard Fleming) Traditional Blues Album Of The Year – COTTON MOUTH MAN Traditional Blues Male Artist Of The Year

Garth Brooks, American country singer and top-selling recording artist of the last 20 years, has announced that he will return to touring after more than a decade off the road. Brooks, 51, has said he would play a world tour next year largely because his three daughters are now older. “It sure feels good to get to throw your hat back in the ring,” Brooks told Good Morning America The singer has not yet given details on when the tour would start and in which cities he would perform. Brooks retired from recording new music and touring in 2001 after eight studio albums, saying at the time he would leave music until his youngest daughter turned 18. He has sold over 125 million albums and is best known for hits such as “The Thunder Rolls” and “Unanswered Prayers” from the early 1990s. Brooks has played the occasional show and benefit concert during his retirement but never toured. In 2009, he began performing concerts in Las Vegas. Brooks released a box set “Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences” on November 28, which debuted at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard album chart last week. www.garthbrooks.com

Kenny & Dolly received their third joint Grammy nomination on Friday night, December 6th for You Can’t Make Old Friends for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. The song is featured on Rogers’ latest Warner Bros.album of the same name. Kenny & Dolly as a duo were previously nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1984 for Islands In The Stream, and then again in 1986 for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for Real Love. Kenny Rogers, the newest member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and recent recipient of the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s CMA Awards had this to say about the nomination: “I’m excited and very flattered about this opportunity and am convinced I should work with Dolly more often if we’re getting these kinds of results.” Country Music Hall of Fame member Dolly Parton added: “I was so excited and proud to hear that the Grammys have nominated Kenny and I for Best Country Duo/Group Performance on You Can’t Make Old Friends. I am also very proud to hear that Jolene made the Grammy’s Hall of Fame. Thank you everyone!”

The American Roots nominees have been announced for for the 56th Grammy Awards. The nominees are: Best American Roots Song 1. Build Me Up From Bones Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz) 2. Invisible Steve Earle, songwriter (Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses)) 3. Keep Your Dirty Lights On Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott, songwriters (Tim O’Brien And Darrell Scott) 4. Love Has Come For You Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, songwriters (Steve Martin & Edie Brickell) 5. Shrimp Po-Boy, Dressed Allen Toussaint, songwriter (Allen Toussaint) Best Americana Album 1. OLD YELLOW MOON Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell 2. LOVE HAS COME FOR YOU Steve Martin & Edie Brickell 3. BUDDY AND JIM Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale 4. ONE TRUE VINE Mavis Staples 5. SONGBOOK Allen Toussaint Best Bluegrass Album 1. IT’S JUST A ROAD The Boxcars 2. BROTHERS OF THE HIGHWAY Dailey & Vincent 3. THIS WORLD OFT CAN BE Della Mae 4. THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH James King 5. THE STREETS OF BALTIMORE Del McCoury Band Best Blues Album 1. REMEMBERING LITTLE WALTER Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia & James Harman 2. COTTON MOUTH MAN James Cotton 3. GET UP! Ben Harper With Charlie Musselwhite 4. SEESAW Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa 5. DOWN IN LOUISIANA Bobby Rush Best Folk Album 1. MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF YOU Guy Clark 2. SWEETHEART OF THE SUN The Greencards 3. BUILD ME UP FROM BONES Sarah Jarosz 4. THE ASH & CLAY The Milk Carton Kids 5. THEY ALL PLAYED FOR US: ARHOOLIE RECORDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (Various Artists) Chris Strachwitz, producer www.grammy.com

DECEMBERSONGS is the ongoing, seasonal music ‘love child’ of Amy Speace, and the Nashville transplanted, Baltimore born, songbird is joined on this 2103 recording by recent visitors to these shores Rod Picott, and husband/wife duo Doug Williams and Telisha Williams. Produced by Neilson Hubbard, the six-song disc features three cover songs and one original from each of the contributors. Classic favourites in the former category are the seventy-year old, disc opener I’ll Be Home For Christmas a hit for Bing Crosby, Willie Nelson’s Pretty Paper and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – first performed by Judy Garland in the MGM musical MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944). Rod penned the sly, (slow) gin themed Dad’s Drunk Again On Christmas, Amy collaborated with Robby Hecht on the love ballad Fall For Me Christmas, and finally from The Wild Ponies, Doug and Telisha, there’s the melancholic I Won’t Be Home For Christmas. Therein the narrator recalls her father’s passing, packing precious possessions, and the For Sale sign planted outside the family home. In support of the release the quartet are undertaking a Stateside tour – principally the East Coast and Midwest – during December. Dates are listed at: www.amyspeace.com DECEMBERSONGS is available now as a download, or a CD housed in a LP style card case. More information can be found at www.decembersongs.bandcamp.com

Taylor Swift continued her recent whirlwind success by taking four trophies at this week’s American Music Awards. As well as being awarded ‘Favourite Female Pop/Rock Artist’, ‘Favourite Female Country Artist’ and ‘Favourite Country Album’ for RED, Taylor also picked up the night’s main award, for Artist of the Year. On receiving her fourth award, Taylor said: “This validates that if you voted for this, that we are heartbroken in the same way and we fall in love the same way and we’re happy in the same way, and if you listen to this, we’re on the same page … we’re pretty much in it together.” Elsewhere, there were wins for Luke Bryan – Favourite Male Country Artist and Lady Antebellum – Favourite Country Band/Duo.