Danny Gokey begins his Best Days

Nashville, TN – 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville recording artist Danny Gokey powers his way into the chart record books this week, as his March 2 debut album, My Best Days, brought out the fans, with first-week sales of more than 65,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The accomplishment nets Gokey the best opening-week sales by a debut country male since 1992.

The soaring success of My Best Days includes a sizzling digital album tally in excess of 19,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan, earning Danny a #1 berth in chart history with the best first-week digital album sales ever recorded by a debut country act.

The album’s total sales also earn My Best Days this week’s highest chart entry by a debut artist, landing at #3 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and #4 on the all-genre Billboard 200.

After crossing the country with an event-packed release week filled with in-store appearances, concerts, radio visits, and television – including a Thursday return to American Idol to sing his hit, “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me” – Gokey will be in Nashville this weekend for a March 13 performance on the Grand Ole Opry.  Gokey made his Opry debut earlier this year and will play both Opry shows this Saturday, in addition to meeting fans at a CD signing from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM at The Opry Shop.

About Danny Gokey: Danny Gokey became a favorite of millions of fans nationwide as a finalist on Season Eight of American Idol, and on March 2, the Milwaukee native and 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville recording artist released his debut album, My Best Days.  Danny credits his late wife, Sophia, with the inspiration to pursue his musical dreams on Idol, and he continues to honor her with the charitable work of the Sophia’s Heart Foundation, founded in her memory.  For more information on all things Danny, visit him online at www.dannygokey.com.

Paisley

Brad Paisley capped off his American Saturday Night Tour in North Charleston, South Carolina last night with the usual pranks and surprises.  Unfortunately, for Brad, he suffered a painful surprise ending.

In the final moments of what was a near flawless show Paisley tripped and took a hard fall on the stage.   Some concert goers thought the fall – during his hit Alcohol – was planned but quckly saw Paisley’s look of pain (or anger? embarrassment?) on the HD Giant screens.    Paisley immediately wrapped up the show with a grimace and left the stage.    All post show meet and greets were cancelled with management telling fans he was headed to the hospital.

Later Brad took to his Twitter page to tell fans he was OK, thought he had broken ribs, and says there are MEET and GREETS in it for the first one to post the fall on You Tube.

Indeed one fan reported seeing an ambulance backstage by the busses immediately following the show.

Most fans agree the spill did not look too bad or serious from the crowd.

The rest of the show was sprinkled with the pranks that Paisley tour has become known for… funny photo shopped  photos popping up on the big screen and on stage surprises.

Justin Moore was surprised with very girly pictures of himself in a tu-tu and photo shopped on women’s bodies during his tough guy song “I Can Kick Your Ass.”    During “Hank It”  another pic of Justin and Hank Jr’s heads on toddler bodies flashed on the screen.

Later Paisley was greeted by Moore onstage wearing a cutoff Paisley t-shirt and a team of men in Speedos charged the stage during Paisley’s “Water.”

Haywood, Scott and Kelley

Lady Antebellum. Already hot is now even hotter…up for the most: seven Academy of Country Music Awards!

Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are next with six nominations, Taylor Swift has 5 and Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley got four in the announcements this week.

The Zac Brown Band and its frontman accepted four nominations and Brown added two individually.

Lady A snagged 5 nominations for the gravity-defying hit “Need You Now,” including individual record, song and video of the year, and is up for top Vocal Group and Album for its debut, “Lady Antebellum.”

Underwood, Chesney, Swift, Paisley, the Zac Brown Band, George Strait, Keith Urban and Toby Keith are nominated for Entertainer of the Year , the biggie given out at the April 18 awards in Las Vegas.

Underwood won EOTY last year and will be the only woman to get it twice in a row if she gets it this year. Ahhh…. but there’s another blonde in the mix that won the CMA back in November that may be a challenger especially since the Entertainer award is Fan voted. No one is bettter with the Fans than Taylor Swift.
The voted award is anyone’s game really as a smart fan club with some internet knowledge could “game” the system and No one would know because the Academy wants the web traffic.

It’s a point Chesney noted last year before he lost the crown.

Other notable Nominees…
Lambert netted her three nominations.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Kenny Chesney
• Toby Keith
• Brad Paisley
• George Strait
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Keith Urban
• Zac Brown Band

TOP MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• Darius Rucker
• George Strait
• Keith Urban

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Miranda Lambert
• Reba McEntire
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Lee Ann Womack

TOP VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Randy Rogers Band
• Rascal Flatts
• Zac Brown Band

TOP VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

• Brooks & Dunn
• Joey + Rory
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland

TOP NEW SOLO VOCALIST OF THE YEAR *

• Luke Bryan
• Jamey Johnson
• Chris Young

TOP NEW VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR *

• Bomshel
• Joey + Rory
• Steel Magnolia

TOP NEW VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR *

• Eli Young Band
• Gloriana
• The Lost Trailers

ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]

• American Saturday Night – Brad Paisley (Arista Nashville) Produced by: Chris DuBois, Frank Rogers
• Lady Antebellum – Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville) Produced by: Victoria Shaw, Paul Worley
• Play On – Carrie Underwood (19/Arista Nashville) Produced by: Mark Bright “Quitter” Produced by Max Martin & Shellback for Maratone Productions and Mark Bright
• Revolution – Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville) Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke
• The Foundation – Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground / Bigger Picture / Atlantic) Produced by: Keith Stegall, Zac Brown

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]

• Need You Now – Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville) Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley
• People Are Crazy – Billy Currington (Mercury) Produced by: Carson Chamberlain, Billy Currington
• Red Light – David Nail (MCA Nashville) Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke
• Toes – Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground / Bigger Picture / Atlantic) Produced by: Keith Stegall, Zac Brown
• White Liar – Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville) Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke

SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]

• Cowboy Casanova – Carrie Underwood Composers: Mike Elizondo, Brett James, Carrie Underwood Publishers: Brett James Cornelius Music (ASCAP), Carrie Okie Music (BMI), Rincon Ave Music (ASCAP), Stage Three Songs (ASCAP)

• Need You Now – Lady Antebellum Composers: Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott Publishers: EMI Foray Music (BMI), Darth Buddha (ASCAP), Dwhaywood Music (BMI), Hillary Dawn Publishing (SESAC), Radiobullets Publishing (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Year Of The Dog Music (ASCAP)

• People Are Crazy – Billy Currington Composers: Bobby Braddock, Troy Jones Publishers: Crozier Music Enterprises LLC (BMI), Mighty Nice Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Tiltawhirl Music (BMI)

• White Liar – Miranda Lambert Composers: Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert Publishers: Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Tiltawhirl Music (BMI)

• You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift Composers: Liz Rose, Taylor Swift Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Taylor Swift Music (BMI)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] (Off Camera Award)

• Boots On – Randy Houser Producer: Eric Welch Director: Eric Welch (Drake footage: Vickie Vaughn)

• Need You Now – Lady Antebellum Producer: Clarke Gallican Director: David McClister

• Welcome To The Future – Brad Paisley Producers: Mark Kalbfeld, Jim Shea, Peter Tilden Director: Jim Shea

• White Liar – Miranda Lambert Producer: Tameron Hedge Director: Chris Hicky

• You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift Producer: Randy Brewer Director: Roman White

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (Off Camera
Award)

• Hillbilly Bone – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins (Reprise Records / Warner Music Nashville) Producer: Scott Hendricks
• Honky Tonk Stomp – Brooks & Dunn featuring Billy Gibbons (Arista Nashville) Producer: Ronnie Dunn, Terry McBride
• I Told You So – Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis (19/Arista Nashville) Producer: Mark Bright
• I’m Alive – Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews (Blue Chair/BNA) Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
• Seeing Stars – Jack Ingram featuring Patty Griffin (Big Machine Records) Produced by: Jack Ingram, Jeremy Stover

Anthony Smith

Award winning singer-songwriter and critic’s favorite, Anthony Smith, is joining the ranks of artists like Big Kenny, Gretchen Wilson and Toby Keith by launching his own record label, Krankit Records, LLC.

With an established team of industry veterans to guide the label, Krankit Record’s first album release will be Smith’s Sunshine with the lead single and video “Love Is Love Is Love.”

“This is a special record and I want to put my own stamp on country music with its release. We are very proud of Krankit and what it stands for and feel strongly that this will be the first of many successes that the label enjoys,” Smith said.

Krankit Records, LLC is a joint venture with Artist Garage, LLC who distributes through Fontana which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Mike Regan will serve as the director of operations for the label while Larry Pareigis and Nine North are the radio promotions partners . Jules Wortman of Wortman Works Media and Marketing as well as Nicole Cochran of Nic of Time Communications will run public relations and media for the label.

“The first single, ‘Love Is Love Is Love’ is vintage Anthony Smith with creative lyrical content and his unique vocals that can be duplicated by no other,” says Larry Pareigis who is working the radio promotion. “I believe ‘Love is Love is Love’ has the unmistakable Anthony Smith sound and at the same time is the most commercial single he’s sent to Country radio,” said Pareigis. “Nine North is honored to be partnered in the launch of Anthony’s label Krankit Records.”

About Anthony Smith:
Anthony Smith has had over 200 songs recorded by other artists including “Run” and “Cowboys Like Us” by George Strait, “Kristofferson” by Tim McGraw, “Chrome” and “I’m Trying” by Trace Adkins and “Who Invented the Wheel” by Trisha Yearwood. This is Smith’s sophomore record, the first being That Ain’t Country for Mercury, which he calls a “songwriters record”. The eagerly anticipated follow-up, Sunshine is poised to be an extraordinary collection of music that in Smith’s words, “is not Nashville”.

Blake Shelton is slowly clawing his way onto the A List.  He’s started gaining real traction in the hit making department and has developed a long list of concert songs.  Plus with a few high profile TV stints he’s becoming a big name.

Just when he gets there it looks like they change the game.   His latest album isn’t really an album.  It’s a download collection of songs.  Packaged as a Six Pack and out 3/2/10.  It looks like the smaller packages of music are potentially more lucrative.   That’s surprising to most outside the music biz who don’t realize that the cost of printing physical disks and cases are not the big cost.  A substantial cost is publishing rights and royalties.

Expect to see more of this as the music biz shifts to an itunes-singles focused world.

Blake Shelton

In fact , Hillbilly Bone will drive a lotof the sales for Shelton’s SixPack, but there’s some other – mostly fun – stuff on the collection to make it worth your download.  From Can’t Afford To Love you to Kiss my Country Ass he continues to showcase his funny side.  In fact – after hearing several different versions of Kiss My Country Ass  – Shelton’s is the only one I’ve heard that really works.

You can see a preview and special performance via Walmart’s SOUNDCHECK – Click HERE

Overall Grade B+

Download – Everyone will be downloading the big hit HillbillyBone
Shop at the iTunes Music Store.

Kix and Ronnie took to a live stream on their website (and below) to make a special announcement Thursday.

The last stop on Brooks & Dunn’s Last Rodeo tour, their last concert ever, will be Aug. 10 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Announced at Thursday’s (2/25) Country Radio’s Sony/Nashville Luncheon, the show will benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s All For The Hall initiative. All tickets will be $25, go on sale Saturday (3/6) and will be available at livenation.com,

ticketmaster.com and brooks-dunn.com.

Keith Urban did a similar (notlast) show for the Hall in 2009 and webcast it live.

Live video by Ustream

Kenny Chesney On Tour

Doing a Greatest Hits – when you’ve had as many chart-toppersas Kenny Chesney – is never any easy thing.   But when you’re as musical and creative as the full-tilt songwriter/showman from Luttrell, Tennessee slowing down the creative process long enough to catch up can be harder.

So, with his well-documented love of college football yielding ESPN’s college football theme “This Is Our Moment” earlier this fall and the high-impact stadium concert experience “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D” screaming out for a song to tie the 5-stadium, 6 night  and a whole lotta, in-between footage together yielding the driving ”Ain’t Back Yet,” Chesney needed a way to get the music into his fans hands.

Always one to color outside the lines, the man who played to over a
million fans for the 8th consecutive summer, decided that given the
immediacy of this music, it made more sense to do the unusual – and put
the two songs on his currently available Greatest Hits II. Working with
the team at his label to find a creative way to make this happen, the
result offers a few options to get one’s hands on “Ain’t Back Yet” and
“This Is Our Moment.”

“Those two songs are so much a moment,” says the man who played the New
Orleans’ Saints Super Bowl Victory Bash in Miami Sunday night. “You want
them when the moment is still fresh… and I won’t have a record out til
next fall. So with all the options that are available in today’s world,
I kinda felt like there has to be a way to get this music to people, to
be creative with it. I went back to my record company and asked them to
help me figure this out.”

Available digitally on March 2, the songs are also being stripped onto
physical copies of Chesney’s Greatest Hits II and should be in the marketplace
around the same date. As with anything that is outside the mold, which
is much of the way Chesney dreams, details are being sorted out as they
go. But for the man who grew up on the songs of Tom Petty, Van Halen,
Jackson Browne and Alabama, the most exciting part of this is the
ability to accelerate the process.

“It’s the possibilities that have always thrilled me,” Chesney says.
“Not what’s been done, but what could be… It’s what made me leave
Luttrell all those years ago… say ‘Why not stadiums…’ and then last
summer, ‘Why not 3-D?’ If you keep asking and dreaming, you can do
amazing things. And, you know, that’s what these two songs are about,
too: the work, the will, the desire – and what’s possible.”

“Ain’t Back Yet” isn’t going for radio airplay until early March, but it’s
already country’s radio’s most downloaded song.   The theme from “Kenny
Chesney: Summer in 3-D” captures the drive it takes to get to being one
of the guy who’s sold over a million tickets each of the past 8 summers.

Gloriana - Grammy Nominated

Top new country group Gloriana will be featured on the AT&T Team USA Soundtrack for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The foursome recorded a brand new song, “The World Is Ours Tonight,” for the soundtrack which is available now for purchase on iTunes.  Shop at the iTunes Music Store.

The proceeds from the tracks purchased during the Olympic Games, which take place through February 28th, will benefit Team USA. Gloriana, Rascal Flatts, Mariah Carey, and 3 Doors Down also recorded exclusive music videos that will appear during broadcasts of the Olympic Games on NBC.

“To be able to team up with such amazing artists including Rascal Flatts and Sugarland on this soundtrack and support Team USA and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games is an opportunity we are so grateful for,” said Mike Gossin. “We hope it helps Team USA to win Olympic Gold across the board!”

Gloriana joins other well-known artists on the soundtrack including Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Mariah Carey, 3 Doors Down, and Train among others, to help support the men and women on Team USA competing at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. AT&T wireless customers can purchase songs, ringtones, and answertones through the MEdia Mall (AT&T App Center), and can access a link to these never-before-released tones by texting*USA to 2257 (standard text messaging rates apply). In addition, the music videos which will be featured during NBC’s Olympic Games coverage will be available via TV, PC and wireless device through AT&T U-verseSM TV, AT&T Fan Zone and wirelessly through AT&T Mobile Video.

Rounding out an extremely successful start to 2010, Gloriana has been nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Vocal Group of the Year. Fan voting for the three newcomer categories will begin at VoteACM.com on Friday, February 26th, and will close on Friday, March 12th. The 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 18th at 8:00pm EST on the CBS Television Network

For more information on Gloriana visit: www.gloriana.com.

Wy and Naomi Tour Again

Legendary country soul diva Wynonna Judd announced Saturday on The CBS Early Show, Saturday edition that she will reunite with her mother, Naomi Judd, for a final “The Judds” tour.   The tour has been rumored for a few months.

As part of CBS News’ broadcast plans leading up to Super Bowl XLIV, THE EARLY SHOW, Saturday edition broadcast from Lummus Park in South Beach. The broadcast, anchored by Chris Wragge and Erica Hill, featured a special live performance by Wynonna Judd.

Five-time GRAMMY winner Wynonna Judd first gained fame as part of one of the most successful musical duos of all time, The Judds. She also holds multiple gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA in excess of 30 million units sold for albums released throughout her illustrious 25-year career. In addition to her countless musical achievements, Wynonna became a New York Times best-selling author in 2005 with the release of her long-awaited autobiography, Coming Home to Myself, released in conjunction with her live CD and DVD, Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime.

Tour Dates to be announced soon.

Michael Rosen is the executive producer of THE EARLY SHOW, Saturday edition.