Ward Thomas' new album CARTWHEELS
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2016
Under The Apple Tree Festival puts down new roots in London
Whispering Bob Harris is delighted to announce the first of his brand new Under The Apple Tree Roots Festivals to be held at the prestigious Cadogan Hall in London on Saturday 10 September. The one-day festival will be a beautiful, intimate event featuring many of Bob’s favourite artists, bringing together all of the things his career has been built on – authentic, wonderful music in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Already confirmed to appear on the main stage are Squeeze co-founder Chris Difford with guest Boo Hewardine, Scott Matthews, Welsh songstress Judith Owen and her band, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Martin Longstaff and The Lake Poets from Sunderland, and Nashville singer/songwriter Andrew Combs, who made a terrific impression at this year’s C2C festival. Up and coming acts also include BBC Introducing favourite Dan Bettridge and Lewis and Leigh, who combine their musical experiences from the Mississippi and Wales. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks. Alongside the main auditorium stage, there will also be the chance to catch acoustic performances on a second, more intimate stage located in the main promenade. Artists confirmed for this stage include Blair Dunlop whose track ‘Egoist’ from his latest album recently made the BBC Radio 2 playlist, Dexeter, Balsamo Deighton, Small Town Jones and Catherine McGrath. “We are really thrilled by this line-up” says Bob Harris “It is a perfect balance between exciting new talent and established stars, and with more artists to be added to the bill I think it’s a great way to start. We’re really honoured to launch this new series of one day festivals at Cadogan Hall, it is the ideal place to do so –beautiful music in a beautiful setting.” The Cadogan Hall festival is the first in a series of plans to host other Under The Apple Tree events both in London and around the country. “Our intention was always to allow UTAT to grow organically as a brand” explains creative director Miles Myerscough Harris ‘We are committed to creating events that work for artists and the audience. Our Festival In A Day is one step in that direction” Tickets are currently on sale priced £45.00. For more details about the artists appearing at Cadogan Hall more information and tickets visit www.undertheappletreefestival.com
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COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME® AND MUSEUM
Charlie Daniels to be featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Charlie Daniels: Million Mile Reflections Opens Sept. 23, 2016 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 27, 2016) – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will examine the life and career of 2016 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Daniels in the exhibition Charlie Daniels: Million Mile Reflections, opening Sept. 23, 2016, and running through March 2017. Featuring musical instruments, stage wear, manuscripts, awards, childhood mementos and previously unpublished photographs from Daniels’ personal collection, the exhibit will describe his significant impact on American entertainment and explore the new musical style and image he brought to country music. “I can’t even articulate how honored I am by this exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. I couldn’t think of a better name myself unless it would be Five Million Mile Reflections,” said Daniels. “Charlie Daniels forged a bracing new musical style out of bluegrass, blues, country, jazz and rock & roll. His sound quickly became popular on country, pop and rock radio stations,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “His musical journey has led him to the Country Music Hall of Fame, where he will be inducted in October. It is only appropriate that we celebrate his remarkable career with our latest exhibition.” Daniels began writing and playing music professionally in the 1950s. His first significant musical success, as co-writer of Elvis Presley’s hit “It Hurts Me,” came in 1964. Daniels moved to Nashville in 1967 at the urging of Columbia Records producer Bob Johnston, who hired him to play on albums by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Marty Robbins. Daniels also worked as a studio musician on Ringo Starr’s Nashville-recorded Beaucoups of Blues in 1970. That same year, Daniels released his first solo album, on Capitol Records. In 1972, fronting the newly formed Charlie Daniels Band (CDB), he signed to Kama Sutra Records and released the album Te John, Grease, & Wolfman. Daniels began the Volunteer Jam in 1974 as a Southern rock festival. Over the years—he hosted sixteen through 1996—the Volunteer Jam became known for its large, diverse musical lineup. The Volunteer Jam brand later was revived as short U.S. tours (1999–2004) and as a one-time concert (2015), both headlined by the CDB. The Volunteer Jam will return on Nov. 30, 2016, to celebrate Daniels 80th birthday. For more information about the exhibit, click here. Follow @countrymusichof on Twitter and join the conversation using #CharlieDanielsExhibit.
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Outlaw Music Festival
WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY, NEIL YOUNG + PROMISE OF THE REAL AND SHERYL CROW TO HEADLINE FIRST EVER OUTLAW MUSIC FESTIVAL SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 THE PAVILION AT MONTAGE MOUNTAIN, SCRANTON PA TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY JULY 29, 2016, 10AM ET AT TICKETMASTER.COM, 800-745-3000, ALL TICKETMASTERLOCATIONS & THE MONTAGE MOUNTAIN BOX OFFICE July 26, 2016, Scranton, PA – Willie Nelson & Blackbird Presents are proud to announce the first ever Outlaw Music Festival taking place Sunday, September 18, 2016 at Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA. This year’s festival will feature performances by Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Sheryl Crow, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Lee Ann Womack, and Brothers Osborne. Additional performers and special events will be announced in the coming weeks. Willie Nelson & Blackbird Presents are thrilled to bring the Outlaw Music Festivals’ top tier talent to The Pavilion at Montage Mountain. The picturesque setting and wide variety of festival attractions (including local cuisine, beer, and crafts by local artisans) will provide music fans in the region with an unforgettable festival experience. Overnight RV parking will open on Saturday, September 17 at 5PM. Festival day parking opens Sunday, September 18 at 10AM. Festival gates open at NOON and music performances begin at 1PM. Visit http://outlawmusicfest.com for more details. “We’re thrilled to be working with Geoff Gordon and the entire Live Nation team to bring this incredible musical experience to fans in Scranton and its surrounding communities,” says Keith Wortman, CEO of Blackbird Presents. OUTLAW MUSIC FESTIVAL LINE-UP: Willie Nelson & Family Neil Young + Promise of the Real Sheryl Crow Chris Robinson Brotherhood Lee Ann Womack Brothers Osborne FOR COMPLETE FESTIVAL DETAILS VISIT THE OFFICAL WEBSITE: http://outlawmusicfest.com #outlawmusicfest
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Carolynne Poole announces new single Take the Keys
With a family of country music fanatics it was almost inevitable that country music would be in her blood. At the age of just fourteen Carolynne joined and fronted Sundown, a five-piece Country band, going on to tour the country circuit in the UK. At eighteen she left her family home in Leeds, heading for London to pursue her career as a singer-songwriter. In 2000 she signed her first publishing contract with BMG and took the first step in her professional songwriting career. During the next couple of years she spent time in Sweden, writing and perfecting her country rock/pop sound. As well as collaborating with some great songwriters she continued performing and touring with various artists such as Tony Christie and The Charlatans. This allowed Carolynne to develop her own style of performance, which would eventually catch the eyes and ears of Gary Barlow when she later appeared on X Factor live finals. Gary described Carolynne as “supremely talented” with a voice that “just oozes Country”. After the X Factor, Carolynne knew she wanted to fulfil her dream as a songwriter and head to the heart and soul of country music; Nashville, Tennessee. During her five months spent in Arizona, Nashville and LA, she not only gigged her way around but had the opportunity to spend time in a Nashville studio with Grammy award-winning songwriter Jeff Silbar (Dolly Parton, Kenny Rodgers, Willie Nelson, Fleetwood Mac), who as well as penning songs for the country elite in Music City also wrote the award-winning hit ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ . Carolynne’s debut single I Love You But Shut Up was released in May 2015. The single attracted strong support from the mainstream and country media – with playlists and live sessions on BBC Radio 2, significant regional radio support, a TV appearance on C5’s The Wright Stuff – and publicity across national press and magazines, with the song peaking at #7 in the chart. Since then, Carolynne has been working on new material and playing live, including, to much acclaim, an appearance at London’s Country to Country (C2C) Festival at the O2 arena for the third consecutive year. Take the Keys will be released via iTunes & Spotify on 19th August 2016. Carolynne will be performing at Live at Zedel on September 27th & 28th 2016.
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Willie Nelson to release FOR THE GOOD TIMES: A TRIBUTE TO RAY PRICE on Septmber 16
Legacy Recordings, the catalogue division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Willie Nelson’s latest album, FOR THE GOOD TIMES: A TRIBUTE TO RAY PRICE, on 16th September. On his new album, Willie has teamed up with a pair of longtime friends – producer Fred Foster and conductor/arranger Bergen White – who, like Nelson, are American country music veterans with deep connections to the legendary Ray Price. Foster and White worked together to complete Ray Price’s final album, at Nashville’s Ocean Way Studios, where Willie Nelson has returned to create the magic of FOR THE GOOD TIMES: A TRIBUTE TO RAY PRICE. FOR THE GOOD TIMES: A TRIBUTE TO RAY PRICE celebrates the wide-reaching impact and influence of Ray Price on American pop and country music, from Price’s hallmark lush orchestral arrangements (presaging “countrypolitan“) to the patented “Ray Price Shuffle,“ the groundbreaking 4/4 walking bass line which transformed honky-tonk and country-western swing music in 1950s on hits like Crazy Arms. Providing musical backup for Willie on six of the album’s tracks – Invitation To The Blues, Heartaches By The Number, Crazy Arms, City Lights, I’ll Be There, and Don’t You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me – Willie is joined by The Time Jumpers, the Grammy-nominated Western Swing dream team comprised of Vince Gill (electric and acoustic guitar, harmony vocals), Andy Reiss (electric guitar), Larry Franklin (fiddle), Joe Spivey (fiddle), Kenny Sears (fiddle), Brad Albin (bass), Billy Thomas (drums), Jeff Taylor (piano and accordion), Paul Franklin (pedal steel) and Willie’s Family Band harmonica player Mickey Raphael. For the orchestral tracks on FOR THE GOOD TIMES: A TRIBUTE TO RAY PRICE, the Nashville String Machine, a full ensemble featuring violins, violas, cellos, string basses, sax, flute and oboe, accompanies Willie. The profound musical relationship between Willie Nelson and Ray Price goes back to 1960, when Nelson, an aspiring singer-songwriter, moved to Nashville to further his career. Willie’s composition, Night Life became Ray Price’s theme music, the song he’d use to open his shows. As Willie’s star rose in the country music firmament, he continued to collaborate with Price, releasing the albums SAN ANTONIO ROSE (1980),RUN THAT BY ME ONE MORE TIME (2003) and LAST OF THE BREED (2007), a trio album with Merle Haggard. Ray Price made an appearance, singing Cold War with You, on Willie’s 2012 Legacy album HEROES.
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Aubrie Sellers signs record deal with Warner music Nashville
Critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Aubrie Sellers has just signed with Warner Bros. / Warner Music Nashville. Taking 2016 by storm with her self-described garage country sound, Billboard touted Sellers as “one of the most-talked-about artists in Music City.” She was named a must-see act of CMA Fest by Rolling Stone, who noted that she blends “country with a little taste of Sixties garage-rock and electrifying flashes of cool confidence” and with her “heavy twang and fuzzy feedback… Sellers shows how sweet it sounds to break the rules.” Widely applauded for the grit and honesty of her music, The New York Times praised the “southern-rock muscle behind her gentle voice,” while NPR Music observed “[Sellers’ music is] plainly the work of an artist who’s determined to construct a riveting identity for herself.” “When you combine the purity of Aubrie’s voice, the gritty swagger of her delivery and her amazing and unique approach to songwriting, it’s no surprise that the competition to sign her to a major label was intense,” said Warner Music Nashville Chairman & CEO John Esposito. “We couldn’t be more thrilled that she chose to join our Warner Music Nashville family, and we are excited to join her already impressive musical journey.” “Aubrie’s vision for her artistry and her debut album was extraordinary, from the songs she wrote to the way she wanted them produced and performed,” added WMN VP A&R Cris Lacy. “That clarity is rare – and the hallmark of a true artist.” To officially celebrate her addition to the Warner Music Nashville family, Sellers will perform the latest installment of the Pickin’ on the Patio concert series on Wednesday, July 27. She has hit the road hard this summer, playing over a dozen dates in the last four weeks all across the nation. Sellers also made her Bonnaroo and CMA Fest debuts in June, making her one of only a few artists to tackle both events and earning her praise from outlets including Nashville Scene and fuse. She will continue on the road through October, stopping at festivals and playing shows with artists including Anderson East, David Nail and Chris Stapleton (full list below).
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John Scofield releases new studio album COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Like jazz, blues and country music developed from American frontiers before dispersing throughout the world. Influential jazz guitarist John Scofield has never made a secret of his country and folk roots that naturally lead him to George Jones, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams, and his new album COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, set for release on September 23rd on Impulse! Records, pays homage to these greats and many more. He is joined on the album by bassist Steve Swallow, pianist/organist Larry Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart, which was recorded at the Carriage House in Stamford with engineer Jay Newland and A&R man Brian Bacchus. With 40 years of professional recording underneath his belt, John Scofield is one of the most distinctive and versatile modern jazz guitarists; his capacity to play in fusion, funk, blues, bebop, country, drum-n-bass, avant-garde and pop settings while retaining his distinctive sound is peerless. In addition to leading numerous ensembles and recording more than 30 albums as a leader, Scofield has played with a pantheon of jazz greats including Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, George Duke, Joe Henderson, Billy Cobham and Herbie Hancock, among others. COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN is the follow-up to Scofield’s remarkable 2015 record PAST PRESENT also released on Impulse! Records that this year won him a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
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The Oak Ridge Boys Announce the Christmas Celebration Tour 2016
Every year, a man with a white beard goes city to city giving the gift of Christmas joy, and his name is… William Lee Golden (were you expecting someone else?). For 27 years now, Country Music Hall of Fame members The Oak Ridge Boys have been a part of their fans’ holiday seasons with their annual Christmas tour. This year, the award-winning group will play to packed houses across America during the 2016 Christmas Celebration tour, which will take the group to two-dozen cities in 16 states, from the East to West Coast, November 1 through December 22. A mixture of traditional and contemporary songs—including religious, romantic and fun holiday tunes—makes up the set list, which includes songs from the Oaks’ six bestselling Christmas CDs. A highlight of the evening is the much-loved ‘rocking chair’ segment where each boy rocks by the fireplace and shares personal thoughts about Christmas. Oaks’ lead singer, Duane Allen, says, “Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the positive things about the season…. the joy, happiness, giving, sharing, time with family, and gifts. The beautiful lights and decorations. Christmas music. Special food. And most of all the true meaning, which, of course, is celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. “Every year I look forward to taking our Christmas tour all over the USA. I hope everyone will come out this year and celebrate Christmas with The Oak Ridge Boys.” Known for their iconic and multi-platinum selling hit Elvira, along with other chart-toppers like Bobbie Sue,Thank God For Kids, and Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight. The Oak Ridge Boys have achieved a decorated career, winning five GRAMMY® Awards, and multiple CMA, ACM and Dove Awards for their cross-over brand of pop, country and gospel music that spans multiple generations. Made up of members Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban, whose unmistakable bass on the lyric “oom poppa, mow mow,” has become one of music’s most recognized sing-alongs on an international scale, The Oak Ridge Boys are members of the Grand Ole Opry and achieved arguably country music’s highest honor in October 2015 when they were inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame.
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Shakin' Stevens announces release of ECHOES OF OUR TIMES on September 16
Blues, roots, Americana and classic rock take centre stage on this surprising record. A labour of love, detailing stories from his intriguing family history, Shakin’ Stevens has created a remarkable musical tribute to his once mysterious past. Platinum-selling Shakin’ Stevens releases his 12th studio album ECHOES OF OUR TIMES on September 16th 2016. Known as an entertainer and performer, with 33 hit singles and 4 UK no. 1s to his name, this new record clearly marks Shakin’ Stevens out as an artist, songwriter and storyteller. ECHOES OF OUR TIMES grew from Shaky’s realisation that, like most of us, he knew so very little about the background of his family – the stories of his ancestors’ loves and lives lost, and their struggles to survive. Research revealed tales of poverty and strife in the Cornish copper mines, of bravery and loss in war, of philanthropic preachers and stoic Salvationists, of children suffering and of family secrets and feuds. These uncovered stories became the inspiration for many of the songs that make up this collection. Having touched on most styles of music during his career (including blues, rhythm & blues, country and Cajun), the new songs were in fact a big departure for Shaky. “I have never before written a song that is so personal. Some of the tracks directly relate to stories and situations about my family past, while others are more of a social comment relating to the world that my ancestors, and we, live in” he explains. The album gave Shaky the opportunity to experiment and use instruments that he has previously used on stage but never before on a recording. Each story set the scene for the music and dictated which instruments were used. Down in The Hole features harmonica, Dobro guitar and harmonium to capture the feel and provide the atmosphere – hence it has elements of folk, rock and swampy blues. Keeping the harmonica and adding banjo, flute and military snare, gave a sound that was reminiscent of the past, helping to paint a picture for the title track Echoes Of Our Times by joining folk rock with delta blues. The song Behind Those Secrets And Lies was no exception: every family has at least one secret, or more, somewhere, and by its very nature this song dictated the need for a very dark and mysterious feel. The cello and bottleneck guitar, coupled with the acoustic guitar figure, in a minor key, provides that haunting backdrop to guide the listener through the sadness of the lyrics. By contrast the anthemic rock of Last Man Alive, with its rousing mix of guitars, brass and piano – an infectious blend of instruments – provides a welcome lift to close the album. “I would say that, in retrospect, in finding the origins of my family I have gone back to the roots of my music.” Shakin’ Stevens, June 2016
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