19 July 2016

Kenny & Amanda Smith announce new album UNBOUND

Kenny and Amanda Smith have released the first single, ‘You Know That I Would’ from their forthcoming album,UNBOUND . The CD, the 7th release from the Smith’s and their band, is set for release on September 23, 2016. Winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s prestigious Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2003, the Kenny and Amanda Smith Band continues to combine gutsy, heartfelt vocals, brilliant instrumental talents and a powerful, contemporary sense of song choice and arrangement into one of the most compelling new sounds in bluegrass today. A creation of the intensely personal musical and romantic connection between Kenny and Amanda, the band shares a rare sense of intimacy and cohesion with each musician feeling an almost telepathic connection. Musicians call it being in the groove, and with Kenny leading the way on guitar, this band never has trouble finding the groove. UNBOUND features 13 remarkable cuts from some of today’s most prolific writers, including Ed Williams, Ronnie Bowman, Dennis K. Duff, Roger Helton, Barry Bales, Lisa Shaffer, Elli Rowe, Jason Burleson, Tim Stafford, Thomm Jutz, Kylie Sackley, Lacy Green, and Craig Market. The collection is a warm and winning musical journey. Originally from Nine Mile, Indiana, Kenny is a two-time IBMA Guitarist of the Year award winner, and his professional credits include six years with the popular Lonesome River Band and an exceptional solo CD, Studebaker, released on Sugar Hill Records in 1997. He is a member of the Band of Ruhks, the musical collaboration with Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby. Kenny is widely considered one of the most important and influential flatpicking-style guitarists of his generation. Winner of the 2014 IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award, Amanda grew up singing in church choirs and participating in talent contests at local fairs in her home town of Davisville, West Virginia. She started playing guitar in high school to accompany herself, and soon discovered bluegrass music through artists such as Rhonda Vincent and Alison Krauss. Amanda met Kenny at a Lonesome River Band concert, and the couple began dating and playing music together almost immediately. And now, UNBOUND continues the legacy with a collection that is at once intimate and personal, but also skilfully filled with instrumental and vocal mastery. The first single, ‘You Know That I Would’ is currently available to radio through Airplay Direct, or by request.

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Kenny Rogers announces his 35th annual and final Christmas & Hits tour

Since the release of Kenny Rogers’ first-ever Christmas album back in 1981 titled CHRISTMAS ,Rogers has embarked on an annual Christmas & Hits Tour where he performs holiday favorites and a large selection of hits at concerts across North America. Rogers announced late last year on NBC’s Today show that the world tour he is currently on would be his final time performing around the globe. So this year’s 35th edition of his annual Christmas & Hits tour, with special guest Linda Davis, will indeed be his last. After more than five decades of touring and entertaining the world, Rogers’ farewell tour, ‘The Gambler’s Last Deal’ is underway and expected to run into 2017 due to popular demand. “Christmas has always been a special time of year to me,” Rogers said. “The feeling I get performing on the Christmas tour is one of the things I’ll really miss about not being on the road. We will be sure to take extra time to cherish some moments on this last go around, and I hope as many people as possible will be able to join us in creating a new set of holiday memories.” For his upcoming Christmas & Hits tour dates, Rogers will perform holiday favorites, selections from his 2015 Christmas album ONCE AGAIN IT’S CHRISTMAS and of course his well-known hits at concerts across the U.S. The tour currently includes 16 dates. Making this final Christmas tour experience even more special, a very limited number of VIP ticket packages will be offered, allowing fans the opportunity to meet Rogers and receive one-of-a-kind memorabilia. Two types of VIP packages will be available for each show of the tour. ‘The Gambler’s Last Deal’ concerts feature an all-new show, including a reflective look back through Rogers’ storied 50-plus-year career. Enhanced with personal stories, vintage photos and video clips—including never-before-seen footage—the music-filled retrospective will touch on every part of Rogers’ career. Along with his long list of hits, Rogers is singing songs in concert that he hasn’t performed in years. The show is produced by veteran producer Kelly Junkermann. Rogers has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide. He has charted a record within each of the last seven decades. The first country artist to consistently sell out arenas, Rogers achieved pop superstardom as well — his 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 10’s rank him fourth-best of all time among men, trailing only Elton John, Neil Diamond, and Elvis Presley. Rogers has recorded 24 No. 1 hits, 12 No. 1 albums, 25 Top 10 country albums and is the RIAA’s eighth best-selling male solo artist of all time. The Country Music Hall of Fame member has received three GRAMMY® Awards, 11 People’s Choice Awards, 19 American Music Awards, eight Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards and six Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, among many other accolades.

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