May Birthdays

Gentle Giant Touring Again !

Multiple Gold Guitar winner, Roll of Renown recipient and general all-round (no pun) good bloke Reg Poole O.A.M, is about to hit the road again, heading north into Queensland and New South Wales for a three week run. The first leg of the tour, will take Reg & Dot to Bouldercombe Qld for a Bush Ballad Festival organised by Poolie's old mate Keith

Jamieson. Bouldercombe is just west of Rockhampton and the weekend is the 22 & 23 of May. Other artists on the show include Jeff Brown, Diane Lindsay & Peter Simpson, Bec Hance, Daley Stephenson, Sharon Heaslip Col Edmonds as well as Jammo and Alisha, Caitlyn Jane & Poolie. Walk up artists will also strut their stuff and a great time is expected. 

Reg will turn south again to visit friends in Brisbane and then south again to meet up with Owen Blundell & Frankie Spencer for shows  at Wauchope Country Club on Friday 28 May, then onto Kyogle Bowls Club for Sat 29 and back into Qld at the Tanny Morel hall, not far from Warwick, for a Sun arvo 2pm show. The Oasis Hotel in Dalby Qld plays host to Reg & Owen on Thurs 3 June and then it’s onto Tenterfield Bowls Club for Friday 4 June, Boonah Bowls Club on Sat 5  and Springwood Bowls Club in Qld for a Sun arvo show on the 6 June.

Owen then Heads for home and Reg & Dot hope to catch up with Glenn Jones at The Outback Spectacular Show and also Terry Gordon on the Gold Coast, before Meeting up with Jammo & Alisha and Brownie again for a Bush Ballad Special at Murgon RSL club on Thurs 10 June. The next night Fri 11, Evelyn Bury and Reg will combine together for a show at the Station Hotel in Bundaberg.  An early morning start on the Sat sees Reg off to Gympie for the annual "Stampede” on the Sat & Sun 12 & 13 June. The Gympie Showgrounds will come “alive" to the sounds of Laura Downing, Jeff Brown , Craig Giles, Ian B McCloud, Jammo and Alisha and many others. A big crowd is expected so come along and enjoy the music.

Poolie then turns the Fairlane for Kyabram and some peace and quiet and some more "Quality" time with grandson Ryder, who by the way will have a little sister on the scene in August. uh oh another kid another song !!!!!

Reg

Queensland Country Music Award For Dean Perrett

At the recent Queensland Country Music Awards held in Charters Towers, Dean overcame a very strong field of finalist to be awarded the Bush Ballad/Heritage Award for his hit song “The Dust of Kalkadoon”.

This song has been a very successful song for Dean to date with a Golden Guitar nomination and a Heritage Award win at the Australian Independent Country Music Awards in Mildura. 

Dean says that the song has always been his favourite from the “A Thousand Campfires” album and it is always a buss to perform it on stage.  The song is another classic from the pen of Songwriter Ian Quinn.    

Suzanne

The Crawdads

Howdee Y'all,

I hope things are great in your world. We are still coming down from our little win in the Qld. Country Music Awards. Very cool...

Well the new website is up & running & even though there are still some things to fix it looks & functions great. You can buy the CD & T shirts online, print a gig guide & we will be adding lots of new content not too far down the track. Just go to www.thesmokincrawdads.com & let us know what you think.

 Also, Arana this weekend is on Friday the 14th NOT Saturday the 15th as advertised in our previous gig guide. My stuff up, sorry about that.

Well I'm out of here but before I go some words of wisdom... Never take a sleeping pill & a laxative on the same night....

Cheers Mick...

Doug McIntyre

Doug McIntyre 2010 Capital News ‘Male Rising Star’
Australian Independent Country Music Awards
dougmcintyrecountrymusic.com.au

Doug is pleased to be performing at the
Slim Dusty Memories Concert at Kempsey

Saturday 30 October 2010

Thanks For Your Continued Support Of Doug’s Australian Country !

Doug

Amber Joy Poulton Releases Her Second Single ‘Good Old Fashioned Days’

Following on from the success of her first single, Rising Star hitting the Australian Country Music Top 30 in February, Amber Joy Poulton releases her second single ‘Good Old Fashioned Days’ on Tuesday, 11th May, from her debut original album entitled Taking Goodbye.

Good Old Fashioned Days has already been awarded the South Australian APRA Best Traditional Country Song of the year at the SA Country Music Awards in 2009and was written straight from the heart.  Written for her father and his sadness at seeing the family farm falling apart, as the song says, with only, “the garden gate still standing, but overgrown”.

Amber Joy explains, “every time mum, dad and his sister drive out to see what’s left of the farm (Galga, SA) they come back full of sorrow and talk about what use to be.  Writing the song was my way of showing dad that I understand how hard that must be”. 

Did he like the song? “Like it?  The cheeky rat-bag changed the words and the title of the song and sent it back to me.  Worst part is, it was better after he changed it”. 

But who better to change the lyrics to his own childhood than her father, Steve Lush, brother of Australia’s favorite daughter, Julie Anthony.  Amber says, “Us kids missed out on the farm upbringing because there wasn’t enough money to keep another family on the farm, but I do think about it sometimes and wonder, and that’s how the inspiration for the song came about”

Honky Tonk Angels - The Story Of Loretta Lynn & Friends
Friday, 4th June 7pm
Stonyfell Winery
Dinner AND Show $55

Thanks so much for your support, always appreciated.

Amber Joy Poulton
Toyota Starmaker Top 10 Grand Finalist 2009

'Trucker Chicks' Hits Top 30!

Hi Everyone

Just a note to let you know, in case you missed it, that my brand new release

'Trucker Chicks' has hit the Country Tracks Top 30.

Thanks to everyone who have been playing it to get it there - I absolutely wrapped.

I would really appreciate your support to help it to continue to climb the Chart.

Keep It Country,
Keep It Truckin

JD

‘I Remember You’ - Nicki Gillis With Frank Ifield

Frank Ifield returned to the studio earlier this year to be part of the latest release for Australia’s award-winning entertainer Nicki Gillis: a contemporary version of Frank’s 1962 million selling hit “I Remember You”.

“I’ve always been a fan of classic tunes and enjoy singing nostalgic songs when not working on original material. While I hadn’t sung this

song in particular, I knew it was a classic and thought an update could be a nice inclusion on my forthcoming Collaboration 2 album with Bob Howe,” says Nicki.

Nicki’s version of the song was recorded and produced at Bob Howe’s Kenilworth Studios in Sydney.

“Bob was absolutely fantastic, he not only produced the song, he played all the instruments and as the song evolved we decided to retain as many of the signatures from Frank's version as possible. It was a logical progression to then ask Frank to get involved and allow us the use of his voice.”

Bob and Nicki trialled 13 different versions of the song that ranged from a big band swing rendition through to a Status Quo/Glam Rock sounding mix. Eventually the final recording was faithful to Frank's version but with a more contemporary feel.

The release of ‘I Remember You’ comes hot on the heels of Nicki’s #1 self-penned hit, ‘Be A Star’ that topped the UK Country Chart for four consecutive weeks. The hardcopy single, that can be purchased online at www.nickigillis.com , includes the accompanying Ross Wood produced video clip which was premiered at the 2010 MO Awards during Frank Ifield’s induction into the Mo’s Hall Of Fame. 

The single will be officially launched at Canterbury Country's 10th Birthday Celebrations at Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL on May 13th.

KrisKat

Jason Lee

Jason Lee’s newest single ‘A Memory’ is fast becoming a standout track for the Sydney based artist. Radio has picked it up well and truly.  Paired with a great film clip by producer Ross Wood, which charted yesterday in the Top 20, the clip also featured in the popular two-up segment, slotted twice in Tuesday’s programming over a three week period.

Released to radio in February on NfS138, it’s had national airplay across the country.  ‘A Memory’ entered the Mildura 3Hot FM Top 100 end of March, at 96, and this week comes in at 62.  Currently it’s at #10 on the Hot Country Radio Network Chart.

Hard at work, Jason’s been busy in the studio writing with Mike Carr and fiancé Lynda Barnes, riding on a crest of high motivation, recording the last of the material for the much anticipated album due out mid year. 

Production is at Simon Johnson’s studio, the newly named Hillbilly Hut.  A Memory is the first pre-release single on the new album.  The album launch has been pushed back, unable to complete the mastering before the end of June with Ted Howard at Rancom Studios in Botany, now expected to be completed by July 2 then sent for manufacture.

‘The album’s going really well. We now have 11 tracks ready and mastering will be finished in early July in time for the official debut album launch, now July 29 in Sydney’s west’ he says

‘It’s been pushed back to mid July for the launch now as we couldn't get into mastering before June 29.’

Smiling, he adds ‘The Davidson Brothers just finished playing on one of the tracks for the album....bloody hot stuff....’

When he’s not in the studio, Jason’s out at regular gigs, including ‘a really cool gig’ at The Music Bowl in Young on April 17 with Amber Lawrence & Travis Collins. 

He flies into Melbourne later this week, playing support to the hugely popular Sunny Cowgirls, at the second last gig on the schedule of their successful Victorian ‘Summer’ tour before they head interstate to the Northern Territory. Jason performs at Kinross Woolshed Thurgoona on Friday night 7 May.

A tour of his own is already in place, confirmed as commencing at the Longerenong BnS August 21, with more news and confirmed dates expected shortly

Album Launch
Fred Chubb Lounge Rooty Hill SYDNEY NSW
29 July 2010 7.30pm
Proposed second launch
Gympie Muster August 2010
Album produced & engineered by Simon Johnson at Hillbilly Hut, mixed and mastered by Ted Howard at Rancom Studios in Sydney
Trent Simonson - Drums/Percussion |  Simon Johnson - Bass Guitar  |  Glen Hannah - Acoustic/Electric Guitars  |  Kym Warner – Mandolin  |  Lynda Barnes - BV's  |  Mike Carr - BV's
Music video produced & directed by Ross Wood 171 Entertainment
A superb cinematic walk in the past; a sentimental portrayal of a father’s melodic bequest to his son, ‘A Memory’ was shot on location around Tamworth and Kentucky near Armidale in NSW in late January 2010.

Rhonda Sinclair

Legends Extravaganza
American Music Theatre-Lancaster, Pa
John Anderson-Lorrie Morgan-Mel Tillis

May 1st, 2010 will be a day I remember for a long time, because it was such a great day for country music fans.  They were treated to three of country music great artists with Lorrie Morgan, John Anderson, and the legendary Hall of Famer, Mel Tillis.  Three great bands and just a whole bunch of great people working together to bring the fans one of the best shows I have been associated with at The American Music Theatre in Lancaster, PA.  Two sold-shows and no doubt could have sold another day to see them perform-and perform they did.  There was not enough time for each of the artists to sing all of their hit songs, but what they did sing was awesome.  Congratulations to the AMT production staff, headed up by Alex King, for a job superbly done-over and above the call of duty.  And my kudo’s go out also to Jamie Carter-Mel Tillis, John Mills-John Anderson, and Jeff Hawkins-Lorrie Morgan, all production managers for their artists, for their professionalism in making this show the success that is was with the sounds and lights, working hand in hand with Alex King and his staff.   I don’t believe that The American Music Theatre has ever had a show this large, with three large bands, each using their own backline, but we got it done and it was awesome to watch the production managers, production staff, And The Musicians From Each Band, chip in and make changes within a 15 minute time span between each act.  You had to be there to witness and the watch these busy little bee’s doing their work to make sure that the fans got the very best show they each had to offer-And They Got Ur Dun!!

I will try and take you thru the show as it happened.  First of all I was thrilled to be the host, which was really an easy job for me, because I know all three artists and I know their work and have toured with them during my career days in country music.  To introduce my old friend John Anderson, and tell a couple of stories that his memory was in better shape than mine, was a true joy.  No lolly-gaggin around-John came onstage, put his guitar on, and from that moment through the next 40 minutes John did the major hits of his career, and how could he go wrong with songs like Swingin, Seminole Wind, Chunk of Coal, etc. I would have given a million dollars to have just one song, and John Anderson has more than the law allows.  What a starter for the audience, and they showed their approval to John at the end of Seminole Wind by the standing ovation given to one of country music’s great stylists of all time.  I could go on and on about John’s show, but I want to get this out to all of you.  BTW, John Anderson’s vocals were as strong as they were the day he recorded all of his music, and is still recording hit songs.  John and I had time to talk about old times and that was good to go back and have a good memory update.  BTW, most of the band members with John have been with him a long, long time and I renewed old war stories with Joe Spivey who plays guitar and fiddle for John.  Thanks John for giving your fans the exact same sound as the records were recorded.  You are a legend and getting better with each record.

The bands made their changes and it was time for me to introduce another great friend of mine who has been a friend for as many years as I have known her.  Her Dad, George Morgan was one of my dearest friends also.  The intro to Lorrie Morgan was so easy to do, because she is beautiful, talented, and one helluva entertainer with a super, super band, and just like John, she held the audience captive in the palm of her hand for 40 minutes, closing to a standing ovation with her hit song “Something In Red.”  Listening and watching her perform Watch Me, Five Minutes, What Part of No, etc., made me realize what country radio has done to harm our music, because Lorrie, John, and Mel are still singing so great, that they should still be on radio.  I especially noticed something that was special to me.  She had meet & greet passes for many of her fans, and when her show was completed, she made sure that all of fans that had passes were brought back stage for autographs, and just to talk with Lorrie and have their pictures taken with her.  Her Gal Friday, Debbie Ballentine, was there to assist her with whatever she needed, and I just felt that Lorrie knows how much the fans mean to her career and so she paid them tribute by the backstage passes.  As she exited the stage with a standing ovation, she gave me a hug and kiss.  Not bad, eh???  What a show.  Could it get any better???????

Another band change, and with Mel’s band, The Statesider’s, that is a larger task, because there are more musicians.  Mel’s band all helped in getting the instruments and microphones all in place and Jamie Carter their sound pro had the sound mixed like a recording, so he done his job, so that the band could do their job, and did they ever do their job, and as a band, they are the last of a dying breed-well dressed, super musicians, great entertainers in their own right, and when you work with one person for 15 years up to over 40 and are still going, you become friends and you build up a great relationship.  Mel Tillis has done that by keeping the Statesider’s together.  Introducing Mel was also easy, but with his legendary status of being a member of the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame all in the year 2007, and then all of the hits, the movies, the comedy, the name of Tillis that proves country music still lives on with great songs, and so many hits, 40 minutes goes by so quickly that you left feeling you missed so much, and you really have, because even though package shows are great, they take time away from the performer, but you would have had to been at The American Music Theatre on this particular night to watch Mel entertain this crowd at both shows.  From the moment I introduced his name “Ladies & Gentlemen, please make welcome one of country music’s greatest Legends, Mel Tillis,” the crowd was on their feet paying tribute to Mel and his music.  And to hear those fiddles and steel guitar walking through the green grass of country music and their golden voiced leader, it made you feel that you were held in time to the way it used to be, but you knew that you were listening to a piece of history, listening to Mel sing.  He said to me just before I went out to introduce him, “Marty, my band is the last of the great bands.”  I realized then that he was right, they all have been with him so long that they are a part of what I have called a dying breed.  And, then Mel started telling some of his jokes with of course the stutter that comes with Mel Tillis, and he had the crowd almost needing a short intermission to go to the bathroom because they laughed so hard.  He is a master showman and entertainer from the time he hits the stage until he leaves, and when he did leave, he left them begging for more with a long, long standing ovation, and as he left the stage he went from one side to the other shaking everyone’s hand, left the stage and took a few minutes rest, then went out to sign autographs for almost two hours on each show, just as Lorrie did.  From Heart Over Mind, Burning Memories, I Ain’t Never, Southern Rain, Coca Cola Cowboy, etc, etc., Mel could have stayed on stage for another hour.  Great Entertainers Are Not A Dime A Dozen Anymore, Because They Have Not Learned Their Trade, but should they had been at this show, Mel Tillis would have taught them a lesson that would make them think about how much they are missing by not being the complete entertainer.  Mel Tillis does not go out and use the same old paraphrase, “How y’all doin.”  He comes onstage as one of the greatest entertainers of all time, and his peers have given him that title also, and whatever you paid for your ticket, you will leave knowing you got more than you paid more than your money’s worth, because Mel Tillis is the entertainers entertainer.  What an awesome show.  Thanks to you Mel, and to Lorrie and to John for being exactly the way it was and still is, because each of you have kept it that way.

People could not wait to buy the merchandise of John, Lorrie, and Mel, because they cannot find it in stores anymore, and I promise you that each of these artists have some new and exciting projects on CD, so go to their websites and you will find out that your collections are missing some great music from each of these artists.  And they signed autographs and took pix until the last person was satisfied.  The fans made these stars, and fans helped build their fan base to what it is today.  I wonder how many of these younger stars can say they have fan bases like these great artists, and how many of them sign autographs, take pix, and take time with their fans.

So I hope that you have enjoyed reading my editorial on a show that made me want to steal one of their bands and go out there and sing with them.  Exciting and awesome entertainment by three country music greats, and made successful by both shows being sold out.  Professional people working together made this one of the most enjoyable days I have had in many years, and working with these three giants in our country music industry.  Thanks to all involved in this super, super, super show.

Marty Martel

Guys Girls Guitars & Bars Tour Opens With A Bang!

The Guys Girls Guitars & Bars Tour featuring Kirsty Lee Akers, Liam Brew, McAlister Kemp & newcomer Chelsea Basham got off to a great start last Saturday night at Rooty Hill RSL.
Playing to a packed house at Western Sydney’s home of country music the four acts served up a night of world class entertainment featuring a healthy mix of hits, a couple of new songs and even the occasional cover which had the crowd enthralled from the opening note and, on their feet dancing by the end of the night.

In attendance at the show was Cool Country 2KA’s Cameron Syrett who proclaimed the show to be “a powerhouse of entertainment! The interaction between the artists during the show made it fun for the audience and filled the auditorium with excitement.”

The Guys Girls Guitars & Bars Tour continues throughout May & June at the following venues:

KrisKat

The Jimmie Rodgers Stamp Became
A Reality Because of One Very Dedicated Man
By the Name of: Henry Young of Temple, Texas

by Everett Corbin

A few days ago in cleaning out my upstairs music room, I found a photo of a man by the name Henry Young, at one time a locomotive engineer on the railroad, dressed in similar garb as I have seen Jimmie Rodgers wear.

And so this brings me to most interesting story I would like to tell:

Mr. Young, of Temple, Texas, was a dedicated Jimmie Rodgers fan, and at one time had a radio program over a station there in Temple, playing exclusively Jimmie Rodgers recordings. Before I donated a huge amount of letters by the gentleman (to me) to the university here in Murfreesboro (MTSU), I believe I recall that he at one time lived on the West Coast, before relocating to Texas.

Nevertheless, he, like many other Jimmie Rodgers fans, did everything in their power to perpetutate the popularity of this most wonderful artist,  and he found that he could do much in this regards by playing his records--and, in this case, over local radio--in commenting on the "glory days" of Jimmie Rodgers and his music, which in essence "saved a people" during those trying, hard  days of that monumental depression of the 30s. In other words, the masses embraced Jimmie Rodgers as a man of the common
people through his music.

But Mr. Young went even further: He had an idea... ...he would work toward getting due recognition for the artist through perhaps a U. S. Postal Service stamp... ...and he did...though his efforts in this regards almost proved fruitless.

There had been one or more stamps proposed, but the one Mr. Young pushed for succeeded--perhaps while others failed--through the hard work of a man DETERMINED that the Jimmie Rodgers name would...

Always Be Remembered!

While Mr. Young loved his music, he also loved the motivation that this celebrated artist of renown had brought to country music in a day needing a  REAL hero.

And so the work began! But without pitfalls and delays, all recorded in letters which Mr. Young wrote to this writer, once editor of  MUSIC CITY NEWS (1966-67...and for some 10 years total, in various capacities from feature writer to associate editor to bluegrass editor.)

Also, a few days ago, I found an old newspaper,  The Donelson News Diary ( of which I was editor in Nashville), dated Feb. 15, 1978, in which a headline on the music page read:

Postmaster General Unveils Jimmie Rodgers Stamp

In that feature, coming from an unidentified source, but perhaps from the Country Music Association, many in the music industry were on hand for the unveiling of the stamp, and given credit for their part, but  NOT Mr. Young!

I had hoped through a chapter in my book:  Storm Over Nashville:  A Case Against Modern Country Music (1980) that I could give credit where credit was REALLY due:

Yes, Mr. Henry Young of Temple, Texas.

And so I salute Mr. Young with an indebted heart for making possible the Jimmie Rodgers stamp, a forerunner to the Hank Williams and Roy Acuff stamps--and now stamps on Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. While I don't have any details--the true collector would know--I perhaps also have a block of stamps with the likeness of Patsy Cline, Bob Wills, among others.

While I am more attuned to the music of Roy Acuff--my all-time country favourite--I still relish the recordings of Jimmie Rodgers, which, in my mind will live on and on and on, due to those simple songs of simplicity, which gravitated a people to  GREAT music!:

The  GREAT music of the immortal Jimmie Rodgers.

(Closing note: I mentioned music of simplicity, and so I must include my other favorites:
Hank Williams and Vernon Oxford. And, by the way, Vernon has recorded many of my songs, including 2 cds of my material, with some of these songs in video format at You Tube and other video sites.

If interested in further info on Vernon and his music, write:
Everett Corbin, Corbin Music, BMI, 5801 Halls Hill Pike, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37130, or Email at: ejcorbin@juno.com.)

Everett Corbin

Nathan and Trudi Announced As Finalists In The Junior Saddles Competition 2010 Heat 1 In Wagga Wagga.

The Junior Saddles Competition 2010 has started the journey around NSW searching for young country music artists. The first heat was held on May 2nd in Wagga Wagga, where 17 year olds, Nathan Lamont from Wagga Wagga & Trudi Summerfield from Young beat out the competition to secure their places in the Final.

Nathan performed two songs, ‘Bless The Broken Road’ (a Rascal Flatts song) and an original of his own, ‘Playing My Way’, which displayed his talents superbly. The aspiring singer songwriter is currently studying with the Talent Development Project in Sydney and will hopefully graduate next year.

Trudi performed two songs, ‘I Want My Tractor Back’ (by Lianna Rose, the 2009 Golden Saddle Awards winner) and an original of her own, ‘I Didn’t Mean To’, a quirky song about an ex-boyfriend, which suited her to a ‘T’.

Nathan & Trudi will join eight other Finalists from around NSW at the Junior Saddles Competition Final in Sydney on October 9th at Rooty Hill RSL.

The ultimate winner of The Junior Saddles Competition 2010 will win $1000, and will perform at the prestigious Golden Saddle Awards that night.

For more information and to register visit www.juniorsaddles.com.au

Junior Saddles

Country Music Superstar Tim McGraw Confirmed For North Queensland

Putting paid to rumours circulating for the past week, promoters Chugg Entertainment and Rob Potts today confirmed superstar Tim McGraw will rock North Queensland for subscription TV country music channel, CMC.

CMC Rocks North Queensland will be the North’s biggest ever country music event—a six-plus hour multi-lineup blockbuster to be held at Townsville’s Reid Park on Saturday September 25.

Tim McGraw will lead the charge on a lineup which includes Canadian Corb Lund and Aussies’ Steve Forde and Jasmine Rae with more to be announced.

Tickets for McGraw’s North Queensland show will go on sale the same day as McGraw’s Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney east coast concerts, Monday May 17, from www.ticketek.com.au.

Tim McGraw fanclub members can buy pre-sale tickets at www.mcgrawfan.com from Mon 10 May, 12pm > Wed 12 May, 5pm (AEST)

Tim McGraw fans with Visa Credit, Debit or Prepaid cards can gain access to pre-sale tickets through Visa Entertainment. Advance Tim McGraw tickets across all seating categories will be available from 9am on Wednesday 12th May until 5pm Friday 14th May or until tickets sell out at www.visaentertainment.com.au.

Executive Chairman of Chugg Entertainment, Michael Chugg—the man who brought Elton John to North Queensland, the region’s most successful concert in history, said, “Ever since Elton we’ve been looking for the next big concert we thought would work. “We believe, like Elton, we’re on the money with Tim. “North Queenslanders turned out in record numbers, showed us that the right concerts up North could work, really work.

“They gave the metro markets a run for their money and proved that if we brought the right artist, at the right time, they’d turn out in the tens of thousands.”

Waiting almost two decades, Australian fans—a big number of them in North Queensland according to record company, Sony Music, Chugg and Potts are chuffed McGraw agreed to headline CMC Rocks North Queensland.

“Tim gets taking it to the country music heartland,” said Rob Potts. “It’s why, working really hard with him and his people, we were able to schedule a Saturday night for North Queensland.

“We know, and Tim understands, fans in a radius way beyond that of Townsville will travel amazing distances, and hours, to see him.” CMC’s owner, XYZ Network’s General Manager, Shaun James, said, “To be able to launch CMC Rocks – great country music in iconic Australian locations – in North Queensland, on a Saturday night, with Tim McGraw, is a mind-blowing privilege, for us, and Tim’s fans.”

Tim McGraw is a 40-million unit selling artist. He’s topped the US charts with 31 #1 singles including the title track from his latest album, Southern Voice. He is married to Faith Hill. Tim McGraw was the most played artist on US radio for the first decade of the 21st Century and his song Something Like That the most played. He’s starred alongside the likes of Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughan and Gwyneth Paltrow in seven films, including the Academy Award nominated The Blind Side and the soon to be released Love Don’t Let Me Down.

He’s got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in September this star will be in Australia. Tim McGraw rocks North Queensland at Townsville’s Reid Park on Saturday September 25.

Outback Steakhouse is proud to continue their partnership with Tim McGraw’s 2010 Southern Voice North American Tour (http://www.timmcgraw.com/tour-dates.html), by supporting the record
breaking artist’s first ever tour in Australia. Through this ground breaking partnership Outback Steakhouse guests will earn chances to win concert tickets, VIP passes, special Outback Steakhouse food promotions and much more.

“Outback Steakhouse is thrilled to extend our partnership with Tim McGraw to cover the Australian leg of his 2010 Southern Voice Tour. We could not imagine a more perfect fit than aligning with Tim in the land that inspired everything that Outback Steakhouse is about,” said Steve Nilsen, vice president of Outback Steakhouse International.

Tickets On Sale: Monday 17th May www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849

Emma Smith

Tracy Killeen

Hi Everyone,

I’m so excited, it's not long now until my 2nd solo album, ‘Driver’s Seat’, is launched at the Rooty Hill RSL – toot toot!
 
I have been busy promoting the 1st single ‘Brave’, which is out now on radio, & debuted on the Top 30 Country Tracks Charts & is now #22 –

Yay!

I was also busy trying to score a Logie filming the video clip for ‘Brave’, which you can now see on CMC. Duncan Toombs did an incredible job; you’ll also be able to view it on my website & YouTube. Don’t forget to head to the Country Music Channel website (www.countrymusicchannel.com.au) to request it.
 
I’ve played some great gigs this past month; Royal Cricketers Arms Hotel Prospect, Antill Golf Club Picton, Mittagong RSL, The Rose Cottage Canberra, & to kick start May I appeared Main Stage at the Katherine Country Music Festival NT. I hadn't performed there since the ‘SweeneyKilleen’ duo days, so it was so much fun to head back to perform in such a beautiful part of Australia – though it was a little hot for this freckle faced redhead! Then it will be onto Cunnamulla this weekend to perform at ‘Music in the Mulga’, my first time there. I’m more nervous about the Celebrity Cook-off, than performing…I’m very good at re-heating, I wonder if a can of soup constitutes cooking, if so watch your back Col Finley, Nicki Gillis, Travis Sinclair, there might be a new chef at the Station…Bahahaaa!
 
Then….it’s my Official Album of ‘Driver’s Seat’ at Rooty Hill RSL NSW 8pm. I’ll have a very special guest, my good friend Sarah McMonagle, will kick off  the show with some of her songs from her brand new album ‘Tea on Tuesday’ – she is one talented singer/songwriter – watch this space. Then I will perform ALL the songs from my brand new album, plus some favourites from my previous album ‘Back There’. Everyone is welcome to come & I would love to see you there.
 
Hope to see you soon, & check out my website for more tour dates.
I am looking forward to getting out on the road & coming to a town near you.
 
Take care.
Love,
 
Tracy xx

Canterbury Country

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful support for the
Concert for Barbara which was a huge success!
It’s back to our FREE shows now and what a show
we have for our TENTH BIRTHDAY!!

Bring all your friends and we'll have big birthday fun...

 Canterbury Country
presents...
Thursday 13th May 2010
8pm in the Starlight Auditorium
Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club
'10th Birthday Show'
starring
Camille Te Nahu & Stuie French
Roland Storm
Keith Glass
plus a special musical appearance and book launch by Australia's own International star,
Diana Trask
Hosted by Bob Howe and Nicki Gillis
with the Hillbilly Heaven band

Admission is FREE!

Bob Howe

Country Music Hall Of Fame Reopens This Weekend

Gaylord Entertainment CEO Colin Reed, left, introduces U.S. Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, who attended a Grand Ole Opry show at War Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday. SHELLEY MAYS / THE TENNESSEAN

There were no padded wooden pews or big red curtains, no barn in the background and no hallowed circle in which to stand, but the show went on, just like always.

Due to the extensive flooding at the Grand Ole Opry House, Tuesday night's Opry moved to the War Memorial Auditorium downtown, marking the first time an Opry show had taken place in the venue in more than 60 years. Tuesday's show was also the first time since 1975 that an Opry had taken place anywhere other than the Opry House or Ryman Auditorium.

"I think it's a really special thing that the Opry and the musicians pulled together to make this happen," said country singer Chris Young, who played three songs over the course of the night. "I think the most special thing about tonight is it needed to happen. They didn't say, 'Oh, the Opry House is flooded, we're not going to do it.' We pulled together, and we're here to do it. That means a lot — as a region, it's what we do."

The evening kicked off with opening remarks from Steve Buchanan, president of the Grand Ole Opry Group.

"The Opry is a show," Buchanan told the crowd that filled about two thirds of the space. "No matter where the show is held, it takes the heart of country music with it. This is a historic occasion."

Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander dropped by to address the Opry attendees. Corker said he thought it was important for the Opry to continue its programs because Middle Tennesseans desperately need a return to normalcy. Alexander took a turn on the keyboard, performing a version of "Tennessee Waltz."

Other stars who lent their talents to Tuesday night's Opry — the first performance since floods ravaged downtown on Sunday — included Suzy Bogguss, Restless Heart, Marty Stuart, Jimmy C. Newman, Jack Greene and Jeannie Seely.

Seely was also one of many local residents to lose their homes in the flood. She was able to save her dog, but she did have to borrow a pair of shoes to wear on Tuesday night's show.

"It's so great to be here," Seely said from the stage. "Somebody said, 'I can't believe you're going to play theGrand Ole Opry tonight.' I said, 'Well, it's not like I can stay home and watch TV.' You can laugh about it or cry, and I don't want to cry."

The show ended with all of the evening's performers returning to the stage to sing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." The crowd sang along, and as the audience was leaving, there was a feeling of reverence and optimism among many of its members.

"I thought it was great,' said Becky Williamson, who drove about three hours from Maryville, Tenn., to see the show. "The timing made it so significant, and we're definitely coming back. We have tickets for Thursday night."

Cindy Watts

Musicians Hall Of Fame Future Uncertain, Instruments Damaged In Flood

Musical 'Holy Grails' May Be Beyond Repair

The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum's future is uncertain, and treasured instruments that were held in storage are damaged in flood.
Published By Peter Cooper On May 10, 2010

Click here to see Musicians Hall of Fame Founder Joe Chambers with a Jimi Hendrix guitar and others that were damaged at Soundcheck Nashville by flooding. (Samuel M. Simpkins/The Tennessean)

In masters’ hands, the instruments made culture-defining music. And until recently, they shone pristine, accented by gallery lighting and protected behind glass cases at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

Now, they are grime-caked, and heavy with water that remains in wood that cracks and splinters, or that sags like a cardboard box tossed into a swimming pool.

In February, Musicians Hall proprietor Joe Chambers was ordered to vacate his downtown building in 14 days, to make way for a new convention center, and so he gathered his treasures — most owned, some loaned — and drove them across the Cumberland, to a riverside rehearsal and storage space called Soundcheck Nashville, for safe keeping while he searched for another location.

But in May, the rains came and Soundcheck flooded, and Chambers couldn’t gather his jewels until they had been underwater for days. And now Pete Townshend’s guitar from The Who’s Quadrophenia tour, Jimi Hendrix’s 1966 Fender, the drums Kenny Buttrey used on Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” the bass Lightning Chance used for Hank Williams’ final recording sessions and hundreds of other fine things are irrevocably altered, their futures uncertain.

They are sad and dirty, collected together in a warehouse space where no music is heard, only the hum of dehumidifiers and the sighs and curses from Chambers. He spent most of the past decade realizing a dream of protecting and honoring the legacies of working musicians. Now his showplace is bulldozed, his favorite things are in ruin and he’s been making calls to his heroes, telling them what is lost, what is spared and what is in question.

Chambers is quick to say he’s lucky in some ways. Many of the instruments were insured, and he reminds that his losses are insignificant when compared to lost lives and destroyed homes. Still, smiles are infrequent this week for a man who has seen great ambitions and now a remarkable collection derailed by civic planning and destroyed by force of nature. And insurance can’t repair this thing.

“You don’t pick up the phone and go, ‘I’d like to order another of the Tommy Tedesco guitar that he played on the M*A*S*H theme,’ or, ‘I’d like another of the bass that Joe Osborne used on “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and all The Mamas & The Papas records: The one signed on the back by Karen Carpenter and Neil Young and Paul Simon,’” Chambers said. “And if we had been able to work out an agreement with the city, we would have been sitting high and dry. We wouldn’t have lost a guitar pick.”

The Metro Development and Housing Agency took over the old museum through eminent domain, and it closed to the public on Feb. 14 The settlement was something like $4 million less than Chambers said it would cost to rebuild a similar structure. When closing shop, Chambers returned instruments to some owners — Charlie Daniels was one — and moved much of the rest of the collection to Soundcheck to buy time and ponder a next move.

“I remember pulling into the parking lot there, and I saw this river and thought, ‘I don’t have a good feeling about this,’” he said. “But then I thought, ‘You’re just being paranoid,’ and Vince Gill had his guitars there, and John Fogerty, and of course I wasn’t thinking we’d have that much rain.”

A glance at Chambers’ collection offers wincing evidence of the damage that can be done by “that much rain.” Townshend tried to destroy his guitar in a 1974 concert, whacking it against the stage repeatedly. He broke the neck, but that kind of thing can be, and was, fixed. The Cumberland baptizing may provide more permanent damage: The snapped neck was a broken bone, the water is more like cancer.

“These instruments are the holy grails of the musicians,” said Country Music Hall of Famer Harold Bradley. “If they disappear, we’ll lost a tremendous amount of our history.”

For Chambers, who clearly adores the instruments and music-makers he sought to honor, lost history equates to heartache. His favorite pieces aren’t necessarily the most valuable, which makes him no different from Middle Tennesseans who saved family photographs from the flood but left behind expensive items.

In some moments, Chambers is as buoyed by the salvaging of a golf club that Chet Atkins used as a walking stick as he is dismayed at some of his lost guitars. And then he looks over at the sitar used by California session man Mike Deasy, with wood that must have popped like firecrackers, audible even underwater. He grows emotional each time he shifts attention to two basses once played by Nashville great Lightning Chance — the one he played on the Grand Ole Opry stage and the one that held the low end for Patsy Cline’s “Walking After Midnight” and thousands of other songs — wincing at the yawning wounds in the wood.

“This is priceless stuff, and it’s part of an untold story that was finally, thanks to Joe, in the process of being told,” said bass player and Nashville Musicians Association president Dave Pomeroy. “My fear is that this is going to kill the museum, and that would compound the losses we’ve already suffered. These instruments tell the story of the people who built this town, this music city, and we have to honor that and do everything we can to help that.”

Even the instruments that can be restored are now different, and lesser. Instruments are to be weathered by hand, not by water, and fixing water damage is usually like sanding and refinishing antique furniture. You wind up with something perhaps usable but less authentic. And it’ll be impossible to tell what is salvageable for months. Much of it looks worse each day, even as it slowly dries.

The binding from Charlie McCoy’s bass crumbled and stuck like glass in Chambers hand as he picked it up and mentioned its role in Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay.” The drums Gene Chrisman used on “Son Of A Preacher Man” are a wreck, as are the bass guitars Garry W. Tallent used on Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run” and “Born in the U.S.A.” Water pressure violently ripped the bridges from the bodies of Glen Campbell’s Ovation and Jerry Reed’s Fender. The M*A*S*H guitar couldn’t be repaired by a team of guitar builders and Hawkeye Pierce.

These are things, not people. But we as a culture have deemed art and song and museums to be things of some import, and so the loss of these things is also of significance.

“What does it do to the museum?” Chambers said. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what it does to me. I kind of said, ‘God, give me a sign. What should I do?’ And he gave me a big one.”

Marty Martel

Brisbane Community Music Assn. Inc
The Second “Music Harvest”

Where: “Assembly Hall” Wavell State High School,
(Entry Via Childers St Wavell Heights 4012...)

When: 26th June 2010 - Time: 10.00 Am – 6.00 Pm
How much?: $3 Adults & Gold Coin for
(Juniors/Students/Concession Cards)

What to bring???

Music:- Live Voice, Performance, Instrumental Act's, Choral,
Real Band (Any type/Style), etc etc. (backing allowed –
Midi/md/cd/mp3/Ipod), Sign in, walkup, have a go!!

http://www.myspace.com/BCMAINC
Email: BCMAQLD@bigpond.com
P.O. BOX 421 NUNDAH, QLD 4012

Brisbane Community Music Association

Mo Trowell & The Delivery - Sunday Showdown

Howdy All!

Call it country, call it blues, call it rock, call it whatever you like - we like to think that it’s just great music!

This ain’t no pop music disguised in cowboy boots - if you like it a little dark & dirty we have a place for you…

Sunday May 23rd - Lansdowne Hotel - FREE ENTRY : 5.30pm

See ya there Gunslingers!

Selling Fast, Get In Early To Avoid Disappointment.

Oz Country Music Festival
Be part of
Fiji’s First Country Music Festival

Featuring
John Williamson, Bill Chambers, Felicity Urquhart & Glen Hannah, Jonah’s Road, Ashleigh Dallas Band and more to be announced.

August 1st – 7th 2010
Cost from $2299.00 per person

Twin Share includes:
Return Airfares from Sydney
Return transfers, 7 nights at a 4 Star Resort in Fiji
All Meals, Country Music Festival Tickets
Nightly entertainment, Firewalking Show
Welcome cocktail party
Canapes every afternoon during happy hour
Free Scuba Lesson, Free Snorkel Hire and more.

For more details call Country Music Holidays 1300 799 987

Michelle Costigan & Jenny Haslem

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