6/23/01 courtesy of
rdv11@hotmail.com from ptfap@yahoogroups.com
Arista Nashville and Pam Tillis
have parted ways after seven albums, two that have earned platinum and three more golds.
Sadly, this comes days after "Thunder
and Roses", one of the best
adult songs of the year, was released to radio. 1994's CMA Female Vocalist of the
Year will be 43 years old next month.
NASHVILLE (Entertainment News Wire) - Grand Ole Opry member Pam Tillis has split
with Arista Nashville after 12 years. She describes her tenure at the company as
"a wonderful and lengthy relationship," but says it's time "to try some new musical
directions." Tillis was
the Country Music Association's female vocalist of the year in 1994. At
Arista she had six No. 1 singles and sold over 5 million albums. Her last release
was "Thunder and Roses," issued on March 6. RCA Label Group chief Joe
Galante says he has respect for Tillis' "distinctive artistry, her wonderful
songwriting and vocal talents."
6/22/01 courtesy of "Abbey" abluvmus@earthlink.net from countryqueens@yahoogroups.com
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Underway
Sam Bush will lead a tribute to John Hartford at the 28th annual Telluride Bluegrass
Festival on Sunday (June 24). A mainstay of the festival in past years, Hartford died June
4 at 63 after a 21-year battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The Telluride Bluegrass
Festival got underway Thursday (June 21) in Telluride, Colo., with performances by Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Alison Brown and others. Alison Krauss & Union Station, Mary
Chapin Carpenter, Nickel Creek, Ricky Skaggs, Shawn Colvin, Bela Fleck & The
Flecktones, Blue Highway, Jerry Douglas and Tim O'Brien are slated to appear before the event wraps up Sunday night.
06/22/01
6/22/01 courtesy of "Abbey" abluvmus@earthlink.net from countryqueens@yahoogroups.com
Krauss' New Favorite
Due in August
Alison
Krauss & Union Station's next album, New Favorite, will be released Aug. 14 on Rounder Records. The first single is "The Lucky One," written by Robert Lee Castleman,
who penned the title track from Krauss' 1999 album, Forget About It. The music video for
"The Lucky One" was shot this week at a log cabin along the Little Bigby Creek
in Columbia, Tenn. It was directed by Rocky Schenck, who was at the helm of Krauss'
"Maybe" video. 06/21/01
6/22/01 courtesy of "Abbey" abluvmus@earthlink.net from countryqueens@yahoogroups.com
Womack, Jennings to Headline Chicago Country Music
Festival
Lee Ann Womack and
Waylon Jennings will headline a country festival that's part of one of the biggest urban
extravaganzas in the United States. Jennings, Womack, Jessica Andrews and Allison Moorer will be on one of two stages of the
Chicago Country Music Festival, which itself is part of Taste of Chicago. That's become a
10-day celebration every summer in Chicago's Grant Park. Although Taste of Chicago runs
from June 29-July 8, the Chicago Country Music Festival itself takes place on June 30 and
July 1. On June 30, the American Pride Cloggers, Special Consensus, the Hackberry
Ramblers, Robbie Fulks, Don Walser & the Pure Texas Band and Mandy Barnett perform on
the Taste Stage and Jennings, his wife Jessi Colter and Asleep at the Wheel play the
Petrillo Music Shell. On July 1, the Taste Stage features The Paul
Tyler Duo Band, K.C. Williams, Chase Daniels & Western Star, Anna Fermin, Kelly Hogan
& Sally Timms, The Juleps and Charlie Robison. Womack, Andrews and Moorer close the
country fest on the afternoon of July 1 at the Petrillo Music Shell. 06/21/01
6/22/01 courtesy of "Abbey" abluvmus@earthlink.net from countryqueens@yahoogroups.com
LILA McCANN MOVIN' ON UP
Remember The
Jeffersons who moved on up to a better part of town? Well, Lila McCann changed addresses
on the West Coast. She moved from her small pad in Santa Monica, California to a bigger
and better place in the more upscale community of Brentwood. Lila says she's not living in
the millionaire
mansions section of Brentwood, but she is enjoying her new digs. MEANWHILE,
Lila is looking forward to her new album COMPLETE set to be in stores next
Tuesday (6/26), that she says she worked hard to promote. "I went on an 11
week radio tour to meet people again at radio, I've worked hard on setting
up this album," she
says.
6/22/01 courtesy of "Abbey" abluvmus@earthlink.net from countryqueens@yahoogroups.com
CHELY WRIGHT'S
HOMETOWN HEROES
Chely Wright
launched her Coca-Cola Hometown Hero Tour yesterday in Paris, TN. The tour will allow fans
to see her up close and personal while sharing the experience with their entire hometown.
The promotion between Coca-Cola and 2800 WalMart stores began last year and encouraged
folks to purchase special 12-pack cans of Coca-Cola Classic at their area WalMart. If the
buyer found a specially marked Pop-Top can in their 12-pack, they were declared a winner
in that market. The prize? Twelve front row tickets to a Chely Wright concert in their
hometown and a chance to meet the star. The
remaining seats are given away by the sponsoring radio station as well as at specific,
predetermined WalMart locations. No tickets are for sale. Check our Country Calendar for
tour dates.
6/22/01 courtesy of "Abbey" abluvmus@earthlink.net from countryqueens@yahoogroups.com
SONS OF THE DESERT HELP RAISE MONEY FOR
CANCER VICTIM
Sons of the Desert spent last Saturday not only involved in
Fan Fair, but also volunteering to perform at the Nashville Nightlife Breakfast &
Dinner Theater 2nd Annual Breakfast Benefit. The benefit helped raise money for cancer
victim Karla Tackett. Karla is a 34-year old wife and mother fighting cancer for the
second time. This year's benefit netted $6000 and will be spent helping to pay for the
treatment Karla is receiving. Joining Sons of the Desert in this charity were artists
including Kitty Wells, Johnny
Wright, Susan Ashton and
others. There also was an auction with items donated by Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, The
Dixie Chicks, Hank Williams Jr. and many more. Sons of the Desert have a current record
titled, Change. Their current single, "What I Did Right," (written in honor of
World War II
Veterans) continues to have chart success.
6/20/01 courtesy of billboardemail@billboard.com
Fan Fair Draws
Record Crowd
More than 124,000 attended
last weekend's Fan Fair country music festival in Nashville, according the Country Music
Association (CMA). In the past, a sold-out festival topped out at 96,000. That was
surpassed this year thanks to the move from the Tennessee State Fairgrounds to a new venue
in Music City's downtown area. Last year's Fan Fair at the old site suffered a dip in
attendance, drawing approximately 80,000.
"The record attendance evidences that we've turned things around," said Ed
Benson, CMA executive director. "We've heard nothing but great comments from the
artists, who were all so very pleased with the new, world-class facilities."
Besides allowing more people to attend, the primary benefit of the move was more and
diversified music. There were three concert venues instead of one. The move also allowed
fans to be closer to downtown attractions such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and
Museum, as well as restaurants and nightclubs. Fans paid between $90 and $115 for a
four-day pass. Shuttles were available to help them negotiate downtown Nashville.
Alan Jackson and Sawyer Brown each played evening concerts at Adelphia Coliseum, while
edgier and independent artists like Sherrie Austin and John Evans played at two other
daytime stages. Fan Fair also included daylong autograph sessions, an awards show, a
celebrity softball game, a carnival, many private fan club events, nightclub performances,
and events at the Grand Ole Opry.
Tickets for the 2002 incarnation of Fan Fair -- set for June 13-16 -- are already on sale
via Ticketmaster and by calling 866-FAN-FAIR. For more information, visit the event's
official weekend's Web site . http://www.fanfair.com/ |
