I do not even know where to start with this one. I’ve been following a great singer on Twitter for a while now, have visited her MySpace page, and listened to her music, but I’ve never written about her. Her name is Ashley Ray. Her music is country. Without a doubt – her music is country.

The songs she sings could have been done by any of the greatest country singers you can think of – and I’m going back a while here. I’m talking about people like Loretta, Dottie and Tammy. Ashley sings that kind of country. And she sings it well. I am sure, you will never hear any of Ashley’s music on pop radio stations. And I think that’s a good thing.

I got a short e-mail letting me know that Ashley will be releasing a new digital single on Nov. 17 to digital retailers. The track, “Dirt Cheap,” features Ashley singing with Mike Eli, from Eli Young Band. You can listen to the song on Ashley’s MySpace page.

Now, you all know how great that band is, and how much I like them. You’d have to, especially if you read the review of their show that I put up last August. (In you missed it, you can read it here – we have lots of show pictures, too).

Ashley grew up outside Lawrence, Kan., on a farm so remote the options for getting in trouble were pretty limited. “I couldn’t sneak out,” she laughs. “My parents would hear me drive away. i was in the country.” So when the elementary school sent home a notice about guitar lessons, it seemed like a decent diversion from back-roads life, and Ashley showed up at her first lesson with a “$50 cheap guitar from a pawn shop,” determined to learn. “I honestly don’t know what made me want to di it,” she said. “No one else in my family plays an instrument. But my mom tells me I used to sit by the stereo when I was 3, and put my head up against the speaker. Music was always on in our house. I was everything.”

That paragraph is the first one in this singer’s bio. She’s come a very long way from the farm in Kansas to the the city streets of Nashville, and after having shared a stage with Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Cross Canadian Ragweed, in addition to a 40-city tour with Eric Church, I’d say we definitely have a lot to look forward to coming from Ashley Ray.

Ashley said she writes because she “wants to get it out.” And, she added, “If I were really wanting to make money and live in a big ol’ fancy house, I would have gone to medical school or something, But music is what I have to do. It’s air to me. There’s no backup plan.”

Everyone who has been reading Country’s Chatter for a long time knows that I am a huge supporter of The American Cancer Society. And, Ashley also supports cancer research with her work with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Ashley was involved in a in the Walk for a Cure this past October in Nashville. Her team name is A Ray of Hope. Her mom is a cancer survivor. Here’s a video of her explaining a little about the Walk for a Cure, and why she walks.

Remember her digital single on Nov. 17, and check her MySpace page for a schedule of shows. She’s mostly in Texas and Colorado right now, but I have a feeling it won’t be long until we’re seeing her all over the place! Let me know what you guys think of this great new artist.

I better run – talk to you all a little later!
Country

Before Wynonna starts her 3rd Annual Classic Christmas Tour on Nov. 28, in Hershey, Pa., she is making time in her very busy schedule to bring happiness to countless children in Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky, when she joins other volunteers on the Santa Train this year.

I don’t know how many people who live away from the Appalachian Mountains know about our famous Santa Train.  This will be the 67th year the Santa Train has visited area children with holiday treats. Every year, the weekend before Thanksgiving, this train travels along the CSX Rail lines, and tons of gifts are tossed out to the waiting hands of children in Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky.

This adventure is sponsored by the Kingsport Tennessee Area Chamber of Commerce, CSX Transportation, Inc., and Food City. It takes a lot of sponsors, a lot of volunteers, and a lot of hard work to bring toys and candy to children who might otherwise not have a Christmas at all.

On Nov. 21, the Santa Train will make its 67th annual run. Each year they have a celebrity guest on board. This year, that guest will be Wynonna. A statement says the Ashland, Ky., native is celebrating the release of her recent album, “Sing Chapter 1,” and the anniversary of her 25th year on the music business.

Allison Krauss, Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, Travis Tritt and Naomi Judd have all ridden on the train in recent years. This year, Wynonna will get to enjoy her opportunity to hand out gifts along the 110 mile route. An estimated 15 tons of toys, including six pallets donated by the Children’s Miracle Network, will be distributed to thousands of residents who live along side the railroad route.

When her Classic Christmas Tour kicks off the next week, it will take Wynonna to Pennsylvania, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Texas, Mississippi, Nevada and several other states, ending in Las Vegas on Dec. 20, 2009. You can find her whole shoe schedule here.

Wynonna may be starting her 3rd Annual Classic Christmas Tour on Nov. 28, in Hershey, Pa., but I’m sure for the people of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky, her tour starts right here in our area, when Wynonna boards the Santa Train to bring smiles to thousands of little faces.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Santa Train, and all the work that goes into making this annual trip possible, here is a video that pretty much tells the story. This is from last year’s event, where Kathy Mattea was the celebrity guest on the Santa Train.

This year, I will also be riding the Santa Train. I’m very excited to be part of this wonderful event, and look forward to the train ride, the people I will see along the route, and of course, bringing back an article and photos to share with all of you.

You guys have a great Tuesday. I’ve got to get ready for work.
Later!
Country

We all know the Country Music Association Awards show will be telecast on Wednesday night. I think everyone has been anxiously awaiting that telecast. We will no sooner have that behind us, when we can turn on the TV again, and watch the American Music Awards on Nov. 22.

Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are among the artists scheduled to perform at this year’s AMA show. And, of course there are some categories for our country artists to pick up an award or two.

Here is the list of country artists nominated for an American Music Award this year.

Favorite Country Artist – Maile
Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban

Favorite Country Artist – Female
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band

Favorite Country Album
Unstoppable, Rascal Flatts
Fearless, Taylor Swift
Foundation, Zac Brown Band

Taylor Swift has also been nominated for Artist of the Year, Pop/Rock Female Favorite; Pop/Rock Favorite Album; and Adult Contemporary Favorite Artist. I like Taylor, I always have. But, she’s definitely not traditional country. When you have been a country music fan for as long as I have, you start to miss not having real country music on the radio much anymore.

Whenever I see something like that (nominations in country, pop, contemporary, rock), I have to agree with George Jones, who recently (when talking about Taylor and Carrie), said “they’ve stolen our identity.” George said recently that these new artists need to “find their own title, because they definitely are not traditional country music.” You can read all about that in an article over at The Boot.

Time to start a new work week. I hope everyone is well rested and ready to go. I plan on answering mail tonight, so hope to get you all answered then. Talk to you soon!
Country

Everyone ready for what has got to be the best tour ever? In case you haven’t already heard — that best tour ever will start on Jan. 22, 2010, when 17-time CMA Entertainer of the Year George Strait and one of country music’s most talented ladies, Reba McEntire, open their 19-city tour at 1st Mariner in Baltimore, Md.

The tour announcement on George’s web site says – With 57 number one hits, 33 multi-platinum albums and countless sold-out shows year after year, Strait who holds the record for the most CMA wins and a record 17 CMA Entertainer of the Year nominations, is known for giving fans exactly what they want and expect. This year will be no exception.  “I can’t wait to get back out there and perform some of my new favorites from Twang along with hits the fans already love,” says Strait. “And with my friend Reba, we will make it a really spectacular night.”

George and Reba were last on the same stage when they did the concert at the opening of the new Callas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas. that show sold out in less than an hour. That’s a pretty good indication that if we want tickets to see these two during their 2010 tour, we better hit the ticket line early.

Jan. 23, the will be in Greensboro, N.C., at the Coliseum. On Jan. 29, we get them in Knoxville! That show will be at Thompson-Boliing Arena. They  head on up to Charlottesville, Va., for a show at JPJ Arena on Jan. 30, and then out to Phoenix, Ariz., on Feb. 6, where they will be playing US Airways. Las Vegas gets them on Feb. 6, at the MGM Grand, and Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. will have the pair on Feb. 18.

The rest of the tour looks like this: Feb. 189, Wichita, Kan., Intrust Bank Arena: Feb. 20, Tulsa, Okla., BOK Arena; Feb. 25, Atlanta, Ga., Phillips Arena; Feb. 26, Amway Arena in Orlando, Fla.; March 4, FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.; March 5, New Orleans, La., at the New Orleans Arena; March 6, Verizon Wireless Center, Little Rock, Ariz.; March 26, The Rose Garden, Portland, Ore.; March 26, Tacomadome, Tacoma, Wash.; April 8, Omaha, Neb., Quest Center; April 9, Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.; and April 10, Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

Here’s Reba, and just one of her many, many great songs for you all this morning. It’s “Strange.”

I better my Sunday started – what a beautiful day we have in store. It’s November, and we’re going into the 70’s this afternoon. Sounds like the perfect day for a drive in the country. I’ll talk to you all real soon!
Country

On Aug. 8, I put up a post about Kellie Pickler filming an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, where she helped build a house for the Terpenning family. All I knew at the time I wrote it was that the show would air this fall … and tomorrow night is the night. Sunday night, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC, you will be able to see Kellie hop on the bus with Ty Pennington and the crew, and demonstrate her construction skills.

Kellie is one of this season’s Celebrity Volunteers, and she went to Beavercreek, Ohio, to tell James Terpenning, a wheelchair sports champion, that he had his family would be getting a new home in just a week. James, who is a mentor to disabled Iraqi War veterans, works as a computer specialist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and is known at work and throughout his community as an inspirational role model, who always helps others but never asks for help for himself.

I love this show. They find the most fantastic people to help. In the case of James, a press releases tell us he was rippled by polio during infancy and abandoned by his American G.I. father in Vietnam.  James nevertheless considers himself one of the luckiest people in the world. He was supposed to be airlifted out of Vietnam on a military plane that crashed, killing all the children and aid workers aboard. Instead, he had safe passage, leading to a new life in America as an adopted son in an Ohio family.

While growing up, James competed in wheelchair sports and later represented the U.S. at the Paralympics, where he earned both gold and silver medals. He continues to serve his country in civilian technical support for the Air Force and by helping disabled veterans. James also is a frequent speaker at schools, educating children and teens about living with special

For this episode, Kellie will be working with the design team leader Ty Pennington and designers Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders and Didiayer Snyder.

Of course, Kellie will sing for the family – and for all of us, when the family gets to see their new house at the end of the show.

Kellie took her 9 year old brother, Eric, along to help work on the house. Here’s a promo, from TV Grapevine, that tells you more about the family, and about tomorrow night’s show that I can.

Hope you enjoy the show! This pretty much tells the world where I’ll be sitting tomorrow night at 8 p.m., with bowl of popcorn in hand and a dozen ice cubes floating around in a huge glass of Diet Pepsi. I’ll talk to you all later! Write when have time!
Later,
Country

I got a press release yesterday about one of my favorite new country artists … Randy Houser. Randy will world premiere the video for his new single, “Whistlin’ Dixie,” directly prior to CMT’s Top 20 Countdown Friday, November 6, at 11 AM. The video will be featured in Hot Shot rotation all weekend on CMT and heavy rotation on CMT Pure beginning Monday, November 9. Directed by Revolution Pictures’ Chris Hicky, the video will also debut on CMT.com and CMT Mobile on November 6 at 7 AM EST. See the video here.

Randy, who has been nominated for both New Artist and Video of the Year (“Boots On”) for the 43rd Annual CMA Awards, is currently co-headlining CMT On Tour 09: Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser.

What does Randy think about awards shows? According to an interview he did with the L.A. Times, he’s ok with not winning. “I feel like my chances are definitely between slim and none,” he told the L.A. Times. “Of course awards would be nice and all that, but I don’t think that’s going to become the measure of what our value is.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’m sure people like Toby Keith are more than happy to pack arenas full of ticket-buying fans who love them, and signing autographs on CD’s these fans purchased, without giving a thought to how many awards they do or do not have.

You always hear people saying “it’s an honor just to be nominated.” And in Randy’s case, it couldn’t be more true. He’s up against Taylor Swift, Billy Currington, George Strait, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban for Video of the Year. Now, that is one powerhouse-packed field! And for New Artist, his competition includes Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band, Jake Owen and his pal and tour-mate, Jamey Johnson.

According to the article in the L.A. Times, Randy is more excited about the influx of new energy into country music. "You know how you can look across a plain and see a storm coming from eight miles away? I think there’s a big old storm coming in Nashville," said Houser, who’s working on a sophomore album that’s due in the spring. "It seems like they’re definitely trying to keep as much pop stuff out there as they can by signing up all these young kiddie bands. But it really seems like people are ready for real music again."

I’ve been talking about Randy for about a year and a half now. I think he has an awesome voice, and having seen him in concert a few times, I can also tell you he’s a really great performer. But, I’ll have to admit that while “Whistlin’ Dixie” is not one of my favorite Randy songs, I’m still looking forward to seeing the video later today. In the mean time – here’s a clip from the CMT Tour thing that Randy and Jamey are doing. It’s great – just like Randy is.

I will talk to you all soon. Remember I’m on Twitter and Facebook, too. Write when you have a chance. I always enjoy your mail!
More later!
Country

Everybody ready to start making their plans for Country Concert 2010? This fantastic event is held each year in Fort Loramie, Ohio. It used to be a four-day festival, but according to their web site “Due to overwhelming popular demand, Country Concert will be switching to a 3 Day event for 2010 – Thursday, Friday and Saturday.”

I suppose that makes sense. Four days is a long time to be away, especially for those of us who have to work, take time off, and have a few days to make the round-trip drive to the festival. And with a festival like this, it really doesn’t matter if they’re talking about three days or four … it’s still going to be great!

The festival will run July 8, 9 and 10, 2010 – Tickets go on sale on Nov. 23, 2009, and renewals for previous attendees were mailed out on Sept. 28. The only artist they have up on their web page so far is Keith Urban, who will be doing the show on Saturday night. I think that’s a big enough name to grab a lot of attention. I’m sure by the time tickets go on sale, we’ll have a lot more names added to the list of entertainers. Last summer’s four-day event had 22 artists! Visit the web site, and you can see pictures and videos form last year’s festival.

Again this year, there will be camping, and the campers are allowed to stay until 2 p.m. on Sunday. the three-day tickets this year are priced the same as last year’s 3-day tickets. They will have the same number of artists, and there is also a new 2-day ticket available this year.

If you didn’t get there in 2009, here’s just a little bit of what you missed. With eight months to get your vacation plans made, you just might be able to fit Country Concert 2010 on your schedule this year.

Time for me to get out of here for the day. I need to get to the office. You guys have a great Thursday. I’ll talk to you soon. Remember I’m on Twitter and Facebook, too – so be sure to follow Country’s Chatter there.
Later!
Country

A few days ago I put up a review of Brantley Gilbert’s “A Modern Day Prodigal Son,” and Matt Stillwell’s “Shine” CDs. And today, we have them to give away! If you somehow missed that review, you can click here to find out more about these CDs.

You may not be real familiar with Brantley, but I know all of our country music fans are going to enjoy this CD. This is not a CD that I reviewed and stuck away in a box somewhere. It’s one that I’ve listened to several times already, and I know I’ll listen to it a whole lot more.

Matt Stillwell probably needs no introduction. I don’t think anyone who listens to country music or watches videos on CMT or GAC could have made it through the summer without hearing “Shine.”  He’s been one of my favorite new artists since I first heard that song.

We will have three winners, and each one will receive both of the CD’s mentioned above … “Shine” and “A Modern Day Prodigal Son.” You all know what to do! Just fill out the entry form below, and wait for the winners to be drawn on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, at 1 p.m. (EST).

There you have it! A new contest, with three lucky winners, and two great prizes for each of them! Get your entries in soon!
Later!
Country

Yesterday I got a new CD to review. It was released on Oct. 27, and it’s Joe Nichols “Old Things New” CD. Normally when I get these things, I put them in the CD player, listen to all the songs, and then put it back in and write about the songs – in order – as I listen to them again. Not this time.

This time, I listened to the whole CD, and I listened to it a few more times, and I still wasn’t ready to stop listening long enough to write a review. All I kept thinking was “now I know why Joe got picked to play the George Strait role in the Broadway production of Pure Country.” Because that is what Joe is. The kid is pure country.

I think we’re all familiar with Joe’s music. Songs like “Believers” and “It’s me I’m Worried About,” both on this CD. Whatever Joe sings, comes out sounding very real, and very believable. I really like that Joe’s music reminds me of how country used to sound. I just don’t think that about a lot of the new country music we hear today.

From the upbeat “Gimmie That Girl,” through the slower songs like “This Bed’s Too Big,” and “An Old Friend of Mine,” I don’t believe any country music fans are going to find anything on this CD they don’t really like. At least not in the first 10 tracks. (I’ll explain that in a second).

The songs on this CD are “Gimme That Girl,” "It’s Me I’m Worried About,” “Old Things New,” “Man, Woman,” “Believers,” “Cheaper Than a Shrink,” “The Shape I’m In,” “This Bed’s Too Big,” “We All Go Home,” and “An Old Friend of Mine.”

Joe got some help from some of our country’s best writers on  his CD. Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson penned “Cheaper Thank a Shrink,” and Bill, Buddy and Paul Overstreet wrote “Old Things New.”

The bonus track “Let’s Get Drunk and Fight”, was recorded live in Erie, Pa., and you can just tell that Joe is having a great time. The second bonus track, “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” featuring Colt Ford, is just a little bit too “un-country” for me. But as I’ve said every time I’ve talked about Colt – there are about a billion people out there who love his music. I just don’t happen to be one of them – even though I think Colt is a pretty cool guy, and I’m looking forward to seeing him in Johnson City, Tenn., on Nov. 20.

For the most part, I found Joe’s album to be classic country. He brings to mind the music of Joe Diffie, and of course George Strait. I can’t always pick a favorite song when I listen to a new CD, but I can with this one. It has to be “Old Things New”. I could change my mind in a minute or two, but I don’t think I will. It’s a great song. It’s pretty much how I like my country music. It’s not my very favorite of all time though – where Joe’s music is concerned, I think my very favorite of his will always be “If Nobody Believed in You.”

Be sure to visit Joe’s web site. there’s some music, a show schedule, and a lot of information Joe’s fans will enjoy.

Here’s Joe talking about Pure Country on Broadway.

I better get going here. Have to go to work. I’ll talk to you guys later … and be on the lookout for a great new contest, coming up very soon! I should be able to answer mail tonight, so be on the lookout for an e-mail, too.
Later!
Country

I don’t know why I never say much about The Carter Twins. Josh and Zach have been around for a while now, and I love  love “Heart Like Memphis,” which was the debut single for these guys. And that song, according to a press release I received yesterday, was one of country music’s most downloaded tracks in 2009. Today, the Carter Twins are releasing a four-song EP featuring that hit, and three new tracks on Meteor 17. The Carter Twins have also recorded “Let It Snow” for A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 7, which will benefit Special Olympics. The video for that track will debut Thanksgiving weekend.

Here’s what a press release had to say about the Carter Twins new EP — Produced by one of Nashville’s most successful hit-makers Frank Rogers (Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker) and executive produced by Spencer Proffer and Jeff Yapp, CARTER TWINS – EP will be available digitally on a wide range of the net’s hottest outlets including iTunes, Worldwide, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, Napster, elsewhere. The three new songs, “Wish I would’ve Kissed Her”, “Photo booth”, and “So What” were co-written by the twins, Zach and Josh Carter, and some of Nashville’s hottest writers such as Charles Kelly and Dave Haywood from Lady Antebellum, Tia Sillers ("I Hope You Can Dance") and Liz Rose (co-writer on many Taylor Swift hits).

The Carter Twins have a huge web and Twitter following, and have appeared on seventeen.com, fanlala.com and more. When the Carters were asked to pick a track to record for A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 7 benefitting Special Olympics, they decided on Let It Snow, because of the seasonal but timeless nature of the lyrics. “We were so honored to be in the company of artists like Bono, Sheryl Crow and Alan Jackson who have contributed songs to the A Very Special Christmas series of albums,” said Zach. “Our challenge was to record give a new spin to a track that everyone knows,”reported Josh. Their version, produced by Rogers, is warm and modern, a perfect track for country and pop music fans, and a great Christmas song. The Carter Twins video for the track will debut next month.

Since making their Nashville debut last year, the Carter Twins have honed their performance and musical skills while touring across the U.S. and opening for Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and others. At 19, they have evolved into one of country music’s most promising acts and matured as songwriters of their own material. Look for them in the current Country People magazine and upcoming issues of Country Weekly. The Carter Twins are in Nashville working on an album of all new material for release next year.

Visit the Twins web site to find the links to their Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and CMT pages. You’ll find some videos on their MySpace page, too.

That will do it for this morning. Remember, you can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook now, too! Just use the links at the top of the blog. I’ll talk to you all later – thanks so much for al the e-mail!
Country