2014

Acclaimed Nashville-based, Memphis-born singer-songwriter Drew Holcomb announces January-February 2015 UK & Ireland Tour, which opens at Celtic Connections on January 29, in support of the new Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors album MEDICINE (out January 26). For Nashville based, Memphis born Drew Holcomb, “music is medicine” and it seems only fitting that along with his band The Neighbors – wife Ellie (vocals, guitar), Nathan Dugger (guitar, keys) and Rick Brinsfield (bass) – the group will celebrate a decade long career with the release of their new full-length studio album Medicine on January 26 via his own imprint Magnolia Music. Recorded over eight days at Joe Pisapia’s Middletree Studios in East Nashville, the twelve song album was co-produced by Pisapia (Ben Folds, KD Lang, Guster, Josh Rouse) and the band and tackles issues of everyday life including loyalty, hardship, marriage, friendship, alienation and faith. Medicine is the follow-up to 2013’s full-length studio release Good Light – their most successful album to date. Drew Holcomb · January-February 2015 · UK & Ireland Tour Accompanied by Nathan Dugger Jan Thu 29: Glasgow, The Art Club, Celtic Connections 2015 Fri 30: Rathfriland, N. Ireland, The Brontë Centre Sat 31: Lisburn, N. Ireland, Island Arts Centre
 Feb Sun 1: Ballincollig, Ireland, The White Horse Tue 3: London, The Old Queen’s Head Wed 4: Brighton, The Prince Albert 
 Thu 5: Plymouth, The B-Bar 
Fri 6: Kirton-in-Lindsey, Town Hall Sat 7: Oxford, The Bullingdon Sun 8: Nottingham, The Maze

Nominations for the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards have been announced by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by The Academy’s voting members. “This year’s nominees are a reflection of the music community’s diversity and range of talent, and a testament to The Academy’s voting process,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “The Recording Academy is pleased to celebrate this talented crop of artists, nominated to receive music’s greatest honor for their contributions to their respective genres. The tone for Music’s Biggest Night has undoubtedly been set, and we look forward to producing one of the most exciting telecasts in GRAMMY history.” The nominations were revealed on a rolling basis throughout the day, starting with four categories on “CBS This Morning,” followed by a series of video announcements posted by a variety of artists and celebrities on Twitter. The day culminated with the unveiling of Album Of The Year nominations on the one-hour entertainment special “A Very GRAMMY Christmas,” which featured performances of holiday classics and current pop songs. The country artist nominations are as follows: Best New Artist:
 Brandy Clark Best Solo Country Artist Performance: Give Me Back My Hometown – Eric Church Invisible – Hunter Hayes Automatic – Miranda Lambert Something In The Water – Carrie Underwood Cop Car – Keith Urban Country Duo/Group Performance: Gentle On My Mind – Band Perry Somethin’ Bad – Miranda Lambert With Carrie Underwood; Day Drinking – Little Big Town Meanwhile Back At Mama’s – Tim McGraw Featuring Faith Hill Raise ‘Em Up – Keith Urban Featuring Eric Church.
 Best Country Song: American Kids – Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird & Shane McAnally, songwriters (Kenny Chesney) Automatic – Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby & Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) Give Me Back My Hometown – Eric Church & Luke Laird, songwriters (Eric Church) I’m Not Gonna Miss You – Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell) Meanwhile Back At Mama’s – Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston & Jeffrey Steele, songwriters (Tim McGraw Featuring Faith Hill) The Best Country Album: RISER – Dierks Bentley THE OUTSIDERS – Eric Church 12 STORIES – Brandy Clark PLATINUM – Miranda Lambert THE WAY I’M LIVIN’ – Lee Ann Womack This year’s GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 20,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2013 – Sept. 30, 2014). GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 17 to The Recording Academy’s voting members. Ballots are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 16, 2015, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 57th GRAMMY Awards broadcast. The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Feb. 8, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

The annual Rock The Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival takes place on April 11 and 12 next year at the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park in Florida. With Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band headlining, the other artists announced include Jake Owen, Little Big Town, Trace Adkins, David Nail, The Mavericks, Colt Ford, Chase Rice, Sam Hunt, Frankie Ballard, The Cadillac Three, Maddie & Tae and the Southern rock group Dirty Guv’nahs. The two day festival brings together artists from multiple genres to help raise awareness and funds in conjunction with Rock The Ocean Foundation, an organisation dedicated to supporting marine conservation initiatives. Tickets go on sale this Friday (December 5, 2014).

On Tuesday evening, Merle Haggard politely accepted the first-ever CMT Artist of a Lifetime Award in Nashville. His acceptance speech was brief stating “Anything I’d say would be short remarks, so thank you very much and God bless you.” He also commented that music will live forever. Plenty of others praised Haggard at the event including Billy Bob Thornton, who revealed that Haggard will be atop the CMT All-Time Top 40, an industry countdown of the most influential musicians of all time, across genres voted by country artists. Video testimonials were also given at the event by Vince Gill, Miranda Lambert, Joe Nichols, Keith Urban and many more. Thornton also introduced a musical tribute by Eric Church, Ashley Monroe and producer T Bone Burnett, who submitted a rousing rendition of “Workin’ Man Blues,” a No. 1 single for Haggard in 1969. At the end of the music, Thornton, an Oscar-winning screenwriter went off-script. “I’d just like to add something to what they’ve got here,” Thornton said to the audience, “which is that I wouldn’t only include Merle Haggard in the greatest songwriters of all time. But I would put him up there alongside people like Tennessee Williams and William Faulker, Erskine Caldwell and John Steinbeck because he is truly a storyteller. That’s something that has been lost over the years, and I’m glad to see that it is coming back a little bit. And Merle Haggard personifies the storyteller.”

Following rave reviews from his recent October 2014 UK tour dates, five-time Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum-selling blues rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd will return to the UK for a follow-up tour in April 2015, including a major headline concert at the London Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Wednesday 15th April. A 48-hour ticket pre-sale starts on Planet Rock from Wednesday 12th November at 9am, followed by general on-sale date of Friday 14th November where tickets can be booked online at The Gig Cartel or from the 24 hour box office – 0844 478 0898. The gigs will take place at: Salisbury City Hall, Friday April 10th Holmfirth Picturedrome, Saturday April 11th Glasgow O2 ABC, Sunday April 12th Aberdeen Lemon Tree, Monday April 13th London o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Wednesday April 15th Kenny Wayne will perform songs from his current album, GOIN’ HOME, which is an exploration into the music of Shepherd’s biggest influences, and features Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Robert Randolph, Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds), Pastor Brady Blade, Sr. and the Rebirth Brass Band. The album also includes songs originally recorded by some of Shepherd’s heroes including B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, Bo Diddley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Lee Dorsey.

The 48th annual CMA Awards aired live last night November 5 on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Known as country music’s biggest night, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood returned as hosts of the star-studded event for the seventh consecutive year. Nominees and winners of the CMA Awards were determined by their peers, more than 7,100 industry professional members of the Country Music Association. The winners are as follows: Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan Album of the Year Platinum, Miranda Lambert Produced by Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, and Glenn Worf Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton Song of the Year “Follow Your Arrow,” by Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally Single of the Year “Automatic,” Miranda Lambert Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town Vocal Duo of the Year Florida Georgia Line New Artist of the Year Brett Eldredge Music Event of the Year “We Were Us,” by Keith Urban featuring Miranda Lambert Music Video of the Year “Drunk on a Plane,” Dierks Bentley (directed by Wes Edwards) Musician of the Year Mac McAnally

Lighthouse is musical couple Mats & Linda Brandemark’s first joint endeavor. They have cultivated an American folk-rock blend and their celebrated self-titled debut album is now available to order on CD or LP, and to stream on Spotify or iTunes. Since its release earlier this year the 11 tracks on the album have been played internationally, reaching Europe, North America and Australia. The album has also been celebrated by music critics and bloggers around the world. The duo is currently booking gigs & tour for 2015 and writing new songs, following on from their current momentum. www.lighthousesweden.com

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the career of superstar Tanya Tucker with the exhibition Tanya Tucker: Strong Enough to Bend, which opens November 14, 2014, and runs through May 2015.
 
 Tanya Tucker’s talent blossomed early, despite being born into poverty in Texas and raised in ramshackle apartments and trailers in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. She began performing on local shows at age six, and within years was a regular on a Phoenix TV program. A Las Vegas agent sent a demo recording to Billy Sherrill, who quickly signed Tucker to Columbia Records. She was 13 years old.
 
 Two years into her singing career, Tucker appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine—a rare national media spotlight for a country star in 1974. To her parents, Beau and Juanita Tucker, such recognition signified that their teen daughter had crossover potential that could take her beyond the country audience.
 
On October 10, 1974—Tucker’s sixteenth birthday—she signed a $1.4 million contract with MCA Records, a deal brokered by her ambitious father. Her seven years on MCA yielded the nymber one hits “Lizzie and the Rainman.” “San Antonio Stroll,” and “Here’s Some Love.” In 1978, she recorded the rock-influenced album T.N.T. in Los Angeles. 
 
 In California, Tucker began dating singer Glen Campbell, twenty-two years her senior; their fiery, tabloid-filled relationship ended in acrimony. After a stint with Arista Records, Tucker signed with Capitol Records and reunited with producer Jerry Crutchfield, with whom she had worked at MCA.
 
Tucker’s 1986 album, Girl Like Me, featured four Top Ten hits, including the #1 “Just Another Love.” She enjoyed a long run of success on Capitol (and sister label Liberty), with a string of Top Ten hits through 1997, including three consecutive number ones, “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,” “If It Don’t Come Easy,” and “Strong Enough to Bend.”
 
 Tanya Tucker heard her name called as the 1991 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year while lying in a hospital bed, watching the awards show on TV. Earlier the same day, she had delivered her second child, Beau. 
 
 Her first child, daughter Presley, was born in July 1989—a year after Tucker had checked herself into the Betty Ford Center over issues with substance abuse. Her third child, Layla, arrived in 1999. 
 
 For Tucker, the CMA award came at a time when some radio stations refused to play her music while criticizing her choice to be a single mother. The CMA award, the first of her career, proved that the country music industry at large continued to support her. The national media cited Tucker’s win, and her eighteen Top Ten hits between 1988 and 1994, as signs that country music reflected the evolving roles of women in American society. 
 
 Tucker detailed her colorful life story in her 1997 autobiography, ‘Nickel Dreams: My Life’. The singer also starred in her own reality show, ‘Tuckerville’, on cable network TLC. “Every one of us has good and bad times in our lives,” Tucker wrote in Nickel Dreams. “In my case, they have been to extremes.”
 


Little Big Town‘s first-ever public performance together was at the Grand Old Opry in 1999, and fifteen years later, the group were formally inducted into the Opry family on Friday October 17. Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet, were invited to join the Opry by at the beginning of October. On the formal induction Little Big Town played a set opening their set ‘Bring It on Home,’ which they played back in their Opry debut. The band were inducted into the Opry by members Little Jimmy Dickens and Vince Gill, with Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher on hand to present the group with their Opry Member Award. “The word ‘family’ really means something out here. It really does,” Gill told the group. “You’ll make friends like I have with this man right here. You’ll be so be blessed by the friends you’ll make out here, and they’ll last your entire life. Welcome to the family, and remember to come here as often as you can.” Little Big Town were joined by Vince Gill on their final song ‘Why Me,’ made famous by Kris Kristofferson. The sold-out audience treated the performers to a standing ovation as Gill proudly said, “Welcome them home!” “It feels like home,” Sweet reflected later. “It’s family.” “This feels like the biggest moment of our lives and our career,” Schlapman said, and Fairchild added, “I’m so excited about sharing this moment with the band. We’ve been through the highest of highs together, and this is sure to be the highest. This is as good as it gets.” Little Big Town have been nomainated for Vocal Group of the Year in the upcoming 2014 CMA Awards, and they are the current reigning champs in the category. Their new album PAIN KILLER was released yesterday, October 21.

Nicky James & State of The Heart and Dexeter have been added to the already stellar line up that includes BBC Radio 2 favourites Ward Thomas and several BCMAwards nominees at Midwinterfest in Torquay in January. “The response has been fabulous,” says Kirstin Reynolds from NEO Music “the schedule for the weekend is pretty full on, the line up represents a really good cross section of the country music genre and we are really looking forward to it”. There is still some availability and all details can be found on the advert in this issue of Maverick. On history of the festival, Alan West, NEO Music has commented: “For many years between 1989 and 2004, in what seems like a previous life, I put on country music weekenders at Lyme Bay Holiday Village in Seaton, Devon. Lots of fun was undoubtedly had by all and even now, 12 years on, I get reminded very regularly of the many great memories people have of The Seaton Party!” Back in March, we had the pleasure of being a part of The Country2Country event at The O2 in London and I got to see, and enjoy very much, several of the acts from the UK performing with us. For the first time since The Lyme Bay Holiday Village was bought by a major supermarket chain, I fancied putting a weekend together again!!” It will be Midwinterfest at The Derwent Hotel, Torquay on the weekend of January 16-18, a weekend of concerts covering the country music spectrum in an intimate environment.