*Does not include Specialty Dining
This country music festival on a cruise ship will bring you all the best performances, opportunities to get up close and personal with musical guests plus the very best dining and service all included in the cost of your stateroom. Your reservation includes: A 5-night cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise International’s Radiance Class, Brilliance of the Seas ® cruise ship, beautiful and comfortable accommodations, all meals, all musical performances including a nightly show in the Main Theater, nightly performances around the ship in other locations, GOSPEL SHOW with many of your favorite artists, artist hosted events such as songwriter workshops, line dancing, and more.
Cruise from Tampa, FL and kick off the morning with a café con leche in the historic Cuban-Spanish neighborhood of Ybor City. Then take the TECO Line Streetcar into the Channel District where you can explore the Florida Aquarium or the SS American Victory, a World War II era ship turned museum.
Past meets present in Costa Maya. Cruise to Costa Maya and find ancient Maya ruins and mysterious jungles just begging to be explored, as well as private beach clubs and trendy restaurants— all in one place. It’s 250 square miles of paradise packed with entertainment and history, all just 30 miles south of Cancun. The Great Maya Reef just off the coast is the second largest in the world— it’s a must-snorkel spot. Or you can kick back at the port village of Mahahual with an ice-cold michelada— a spicy beer cocktail— in hand. For a culture fix, head to the Kohunlick ruins to see the famous Temple of the Masks.
With its lively tropical reefs, crystal-clear waters and ancient ruins, Cozumel is ripe for one-of-a-kind adventures. Cruise to Cozumel and head to Chankanaab National Park, where you can snorkel among the colorful reefs and schools of tropical fish that give this island its premier diving status. Or travel back in time on an adventure through the towering Maya ruins of Tulum. When you’re done exploring, unwind with a beachside massage at Playa Mia. From culture savoring to soaking up sunshine, you’ll find a world of adventure waiting for you in Cozumel.
| Date | Port | Arrive | Depart |
| 11/09/20 | Tampa, Florida | - | 4:00 PM |
| 11/10/20 | At Sea | - | - |
| 11/11/20 | Costa Maya, Mexico | 8:00 AM | 6:00 PM |
| 11/12/20 | Cozumel, Mexico | 8:00 AM | 6:00 PM |
| 11/13/20 | At Sea | - | - |
| 11/14/20 | Tampa, Florida | 7:00 AM | - |
Follow in the footsteps of ancient Maya civilizations as you roam the ruins at Cozumel. And for every discovery you make onshore, you’ll find countless thrills to keep you immersed in the journey onboard Brilliance of the Seas®.
When you’re not busy strolling basking in the sunshine on a secluded beach in the Caribbean, keep the adventure going strong with endless thrills onboard. Score some deck-defying views while scaling the rock-climbing wall or show off your putting prowess in a round of mini-golf. And make sure to bring your A-game if you venture into the arcade.
Starting at
$1,199.00*
Per Person
*Taxes, fees & port expenses are an additional $259 per person. Prices are per person in (USD)
Starting at
$1,399.00*
Per Person
*Taxes, fees & port expenses are an additional $259 per person. Prices are per person in (USD)
Starting at
$1,599.00*
Per Person
*Taxes, fees & port expenses are an additional $259 per person. Prices are per person in (USD)
Starting at
$1,999.00*
Per Person
*Taxes, fees & port expenses are an additional $259 per person. Prices are per person in (USD)
Flying Dutchmen Travel - 320 College Ave, Suite 340, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 | 707-546-1212 | 800-248-7471 | info@countrycruising.com © COUNTRYCRUISING.COM All Rights Reserved
Please note: Staterooms/Suites may vary in size and configuration from that pictured.
Enjoy your vacation in the perfect space. (Up to 4 guests)
Please note: Staterooms/Suites may vary in size and configuration from that pictured.
Enjoy your vacation in the perfect space. ( Up to 1 guest )
Enjoy your vacation in the perfect space. (Up to 4 guests)
Have a spectacular view for a memorable vacation. (Up to 2 guests)
Have a spectacular view in an immense space with family. (Up to 6 people)
Please note: Staterooms/Suites may vary in size and configuration from that pictured.
Please note: Staterooms/Suites may vary in size and configuration from that pictured.
Experience a spectacular view for a memorable vacation. (Up to 4 guests)
Please note: Staterooms/Suites may vary in size and configuration from that pictured.
Immerse yourself in a gorgeous view for a memorable vacation.(Up to 5 guests)
An incredible intimate suite with a great view. (Up to 4 guests)
2 Bedroom - Indulge in a comfortable suite and enjoy the extra perks. (Up to 8 guests)
1 Bedroom - Enjoy the ultimate suite for a perfect vacation with family and friends. (Up to 5 guests)
1 Bedroom - Enjoy the ultimate suite for a perfect vacation. (Up to 4 guests)
2 Bedroom - Enjoy the ultimate suite for a perfect vacation with family and friends. (Up to 8 guests)
Cruise from Tampa, FL and kick off the morning with a café con leche in the historic Cuban-Spanish neighborhood of Ybor City. Then take the TECO Line Streetcar into the Channel District where you can explore the Florida Aquarium or the SS American Victory, a World War II era ship turned museum.
Stroll along the Tampa Riverwalk and see where it leads you. You might explore interactive exhibits at the Tampa Bay History Center, or go stand-up paddleboarding from the Sail Pavilion. Tampa Museum of Art’s collections range from ancient to modern— and the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park is home to splash fountains, a playground and skyline views.
A short 30-minute drive west of downtown lands you along the Gulf of Mexico coast, which is fringed by a string of sugary beaches. Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach both offer an upbeat seaside atmosphere, while Caladesi Island State Park and Fort DeSoto Park provide serene shoreline settings.
Enter the Florida Aquarium to encounter over 20,000 species of aquatic plants and animals. Cruise to Tampa and see river otters on the Florida Wetlands Trail and ring-tailed lemurs on the Journey to Madagascar. Then say hello to goliath grouper, stingrays, reef fishes, sea turtles and sharks in the Bays & Beaches habitat.
Tampa’s food scene stems from a fusion of Cuban, Spanish, Italian and Floribbean influences. Local raw bars serve up fresh shrimp, oysters, scallops and grouper from the Gulf of Mexico. The Cuban sandwich— piled with Genoa salami— is a city signature. For a taste of authentic Florida Cracker cuisine, try sofkee porridge, pilau (rice cakes) or fried alligator tail during your next Tampa cruise.
Pick up tropical apparel and Florida-inspired souvenirs at the outdoor Channelside Bay Plaza, right at the port. Head to Hyde Park Village for upscale boutique stores, and stop in local sportswear outfitter Salt Pines. Nothing beats Ybor City when it comes to quirky vintage stores and hand-rolled cigars.
Past meets present in Costa Maya. Cruise to Costa Maya and find ancient Maya ruins and mysterious jungles just begging to be explored, as well as private beach clubs and trendy restaurants— all in one place. It’s 250 square miles of paradise packed with entertainment and history, all just 30 miles south of Cancun. The Great Maya Reef just off the coast is the second largest in the world— it’s a must-snorkel spot. Or you can kick back at the port village of Mahahual with an ice-cold michelada— a spicy beer cocktail— in hand. For a culture fix, head to the Kohunlick ruins to see the famous Temple of the Masks.
Take a dip in the sparkling blue waters of Cenote Azul, an open freshwater cenote known for prime snorkeling and swimming.
Venture into the jungle for a taste of ancient Maya history at the Kohunlich and Chacchoben ruins— each well over a thousand years old.
Grab some snorkeling gear and explore the colorful underwater world of Banco Chinchorro, the largest coral atoll in the northern hemisphere.
For casual fare, stick to Mahahual. For upscale options, like fresh seafood and Maya-inspired dishes, opt for Costa Maya’s resorts and boutique hotels. Definitely try cochinita pibil, a traditional dish of slow-roasted pork, and Agua de Jamaica— a sweetened hibiscus flower iced tea that’s a Mexican favorite.
Within the port village, you’ll find shops and stalls selling everything from silver, leather and fragrances, to pottery, liquor and crafts.
With its lively tropical reefs, crystal-clear waters and ancient ruins, Cozumel is ripe for one-of-a-kind adventures. Cruise to Cozumel and head to Chankanaab National Park, where you can snorkel among the colorful reefs and schools of tropical fish that give this island its premier diving status. Or travel back in time on an adventure through the towering Maya ruins of Tulum. When you’re done exploring, unwind with a beachside massage at Playa Mia. From culture savoring to soaking up sunshine, you’ll find a world of adventure waiting for you in Cozumel.
Get up close and personal with Maya history at San Gervasio, the largest ancient Maya site on Cozumel, which dates back to as early as A.D. 300.
At Chankanaab National Park, you’ll find everything from snorkeling and scuba to swimming with dolphins.
Reconnect with nature while wandering the endless mangroves, beaches and reefs in Punta Sur National Park during your Cozumel cruise.
Cozumel’s cuisine is dominated by Mexican, American and international cuisine. Fresh seafood is always a good choice, and so is the cochinita pibil— a slow-roasted, highly seasoned pork dish. Cool off with a michelada, made with beer and freshly squeezed lime juice over ice in a salt-rimmed glass. Or keep it traditional with Mexico’s signature spirit, tequila.
For great deals and guaranteed stores, walk along the waterfront on Avenue Rafael E. Melgar, a mile-long strip in San Miguel. And be sure to check out the Chile Tequila Factory for a sampling of Mexico’s favorite spirit.
A Nashville icon for more than two decades, Trace Adkins has made his mark on the country-music industry. 11 million albums sold. Time-honored hit singles. Momentous, fiery and always memorable live performances. GRAMMY nominations. CMT and ACM awards. Nearly 200 million plays on YouTube. Hell, even a slew of movie and TV roles have come the Grand Ole Opry member’s way. But ask Adkins what’s left to prove in his career and the small-town Louisiana native says it’s simple: the itch remains. To create. To collaborate. To continually feel the excitement that comes after whipping up a new song out of thin air and laying it down to tape. It’s what, after all these years, he says he still craves. “It’s an adrenaline rush and I love it,” says Adkins, who is back in the studio working on a new project. “There’s nothing else like that,” the Louisiana naive offers. “That is still my favorite thing to do in this business. Go into the studio with just some lyrics and a melody and then let the finest musicians in the world help take it and turn it into something magical. It liberates me. I just dig it!”
Working with some of Nashville’s most respected songwriters, Adkins continues to find ways to connect with his fans through music while recording what he describes as autobiographical songs throughout his career. “Over the years people have asked me ‘How could we get to know you?’ Well, if you really wanted to know who Trace Adkins is go back and listen to the album cuts on the records I’ve done over my career. Those are the songs that reflect where I was in my head at the time I made that record.”
It’s an interesting change of perspective for Adkins, however, when he hits the road for a slew of his now legendary live gigs. Where the studio offers him unique insight into his current state of mind, onstage, when revisiting his classic songs like “You’re Gonna Miss This” or “Every Light in the House” nearly every evening, he says he’s taken back, if only for a brief while, to earlier moments in his life.
“It’s hard to describe, I gotta be honest,” he says of being overcome with emotion and reflection when trotting out some of his time-tested cuts for adoring audiences. “I’ve gotten to the point now where I’ll be onstage singing ‘Every Light In The House Is On’ and I look down at the crowd and realize that person right there wasn’t even alive when I recorded that song.” He laughs. “To watch their face go, Oh, that’s a cool hook, it’s like ‘Oh my god, that’s the first time that person ever heard that song!’”
Adkins says he’s profoundly touched that he serves as an inspiration to a younger generation of country artists, much in the way he revered icons like Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard when first moving to Nashville. “I dig it. I want to be in that position,” he says of taking the reigns as an elder statesman of the genre. “I want to be looked at that way. I want those guys to think and know they can walk up to me and ask me anything and know that I’m here for them and I’ll help them however I can. I relish that position.
With one million followers on Spotify and over one billion spins on Pandora (10 million spins per month), the longstanding country icon has yet to lose any of his trademark passion and killer instinct for his craft. The 57-year-old is as fired up as ever to be back on the road this year, taking his music to the fans once again. “I get a kick out of it. I still enjoy the camaraderie, the band of brothers, your crew and your band. I’m an old jock. I like team sports,” he says of a continued passion for touring. “I like it when the new guy is closing for me and we turn it up a notch or two and just absolutely kick his ass. You go out and put a boot in somebody’s ass!”
Ask Adkins where he goes from here and he’ll say it’s quite simple: keep doing what he knows and loves. Performing. Creating. Inspiring. He adores it. And, he adds, he knows so many of his lifelong fans, and new ones to boot, do too. “I’m gonna go out there and find those people,” he says with a laugh of the coming months. “I’m gonna bring a band and turn it up real loud! And we’re gonna have a good time!”
A chart-topping songwriter and Grammy-nominated frontman, David Nail has spent a decade leaving his unique mark on modern country music. He reaches a new creative peak with 2018's Only This and Nothing More, a record that matches his longtime melodic chops — as heard on Number One hits like "Whatever She's Got" and "Let It Rain" — with atmospheric rock & roll guitars, lush keyboards, drum loops, and rule-breaking arrangements. This is the sound of David Nail turning a new page, kicking off the newest chapter in a book that continues to unfold.
It's also the most collaborative album of his career. Billed not as a solo album, but as a project by David Nail and the Well Ravens, Only This and Nothing More finds its frontman leaving behind the familiar comfort of his longtime record label and, instead, uncovering new ground with help from two longtime partners. Those collaborators are multi-instrumentalist Andrew Petroff and producer Jason Hall.
Years before the three musicians teamed up to create Only This and Nothing More, they toured the country together as road warriors, with Petroff playing bass in Nail's band and Hall serving as the group's monitor engineer. It was a bonding experience, filled with sold-out shows, bus rides from town to town, and creative sparks. The sparks fly once again with Only This and Nothing More, whose songs straddle the boundary between country storytelling, indie rock instrumentation, pop hooks, and the southern twang of Nail's voice.
"In the beginning, there were no expectations," says Nail, who recorded the project in Hall's home studio in south Nashville. "We'd build new songs out of guitar grooves, drum loops, or bass licks. We'd record our parts on the spot. It was very spontaneous. One of our only rules was, we weren't going to chase anything specific. It needed to happen naturally."
Gradually, a distinctive sound took shape. Inspired not only by his country roots, but also the guitar-heavy stomp of Oasis, the reverb-heavy wash of Ryan Adams, the rhythmic punch of the Black Keys, and the anthemic swell of Kings of Leon, Nail and the Well Ravens co-wrote a collection of songs that placed a contemporary spin on older sounds. Over the course of three different recording sessions, they both created and captured tracks like "Cheatin' on Me" (a waltzing ballad that's retro and modern, like a digital remix of a 1950s sock-hop hit), "Over" (a gritty nod to the British Invasion bands of the 1990s), "Heavy" (which updates the sounds of '80s pop/rock for the current decade), and "The Gun" (the album's most haunting number, rooted in a fictional story about family violence). Fueled by adrenaline and coffee, all three collaborators shared the workload equally, with Andrew Petroff handling much of the instrumental duties — including the electric guitar, whose spacey textures helped inspire the album's overall tone, as well as bass, drums, synthesizers, and digital loops — and Nail providing the lyrical and melodic ideas.
"It was great to watch David explore these new sounds without having to worry about the boundaries and limitations of multiple different people telling him what to do," says Hall, who pushed the singer's melodies in a string of spontaneous, in-the-moment takes. "He was open to anything. He was free."
"There were no rules during the songwriting and recording," adds Petroff. "We just aimed for whatever felt right in the moment. Every day, we'd start from zero. We'd jam together over a drum loop or a weird synth sound or a guitar effect, and that would inspire David to come up with new melodies. We'd follow the spirit of the song, wherever it led."
The result is David Nail's most sonically adventurous work to date, as well as his first release as an independent artist. With one foot planted in the organic sound of his country past and the other pointing toward newer territory, he shows off the full range of his abilities. He's a country crooner one moment, an indie rocker the next, and a diversely compelling frontman throughout.
Most importantly, he's an artist following his muse, making music without rules or regulations. David Nail and the Well Ravens spread their wings with Only This and Nothing More, and the result — with its soundscapes, digital elements, guitar fuzz, and lush wall of sound — is the soundtrack to Nail taking flight.
The line between gossip and psychotherapy is sometimes mighty thin.
There Goes the Neighborhood, the debut album by Jenny Tolman, casts the clever newcomer – hailed by Sound Opinions as a “storyteller par excellence” – as a member of a highclass, white trash welcoming committee, an observant woman who sees other people on her own fictitious block through a humorous, surface-scraping veneer.
Tolman conveys her songs with “the sass of Nikki Lane mixed with the clever wordplay of Brandy Clark,” according to Rolling Stone, making a scintillating statement about the complexities of modern femininity by exploring her own womanhood through a make-believe town.
Music provides the ideal vehicle for Tolman to examine a sometimes-painful world with a blast of sardonic humor as she continues to distance herself from very difficult teen years and fully embrace her bold, brazen adult viewpoint.
“We live in a society where you’re told not to feel things,” she says. “But that’s literally what you survive off of: your feelings and your instincts.”
That Tolman would turn to music to find her way makes complete sense. She grew up in Nashville, the daughter of a talent buyer who started in music as a member of a barbershop quartet, the Indian River Boys. Interacting as a concert professional with the likes of Garth Brooks, Vince Gill and The Oak Ridge Boys, the Tolmans established a safe home environment while treating stardom as if it were run of the mill.
But safety turned to danger as she reached dating age. She endured a rocky, threatening relationship as a teen – the kind that leads to courtroom drama and restraining orders. She became extremely withdrawn but found with her first efforts at writing hat music helped her process the confusion and agony.
“Those songs were very sad and very self-therapeutic,” she recalls. “But that was a crazy time in my life. I had anxiety problems and felt so lonely and so isolated from everything that seemed ‘normal’ and that I believed I ‘should be doing.’ That was a chapter of being young and not understanding what was going on around me.”
She developed quickly, and the songs progressed. The darkness in the songs evolved into hope, and that positivity helped her take pride in her hard-won individuality, much like the women she already admired in music, including Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton and Alicia Keys.
“I would always try to fit in with everybody, but I didn’t,” Tolman remembers. “Now it’s so clear – I don’t want to be like anybody else. I just want to be like me, because if I’m like everybody else, then I’m nobody.”
She started playing open-mic nights and guitar pulls in Nashville, timidly at first, but music professionals invariably recognized her singular creative talent. That included songwriters such as Mark D. Sanders (“I Hope You Dance”), Rory Bourke (“You Look So Good In Love”) and Marty Dodson (“Must Be Doin’ Something Right”), plus producer Dave Brainard (Brandy Clark, Jerrod Niemann), who was enamored with the sultry-but-vulnerable quality in her voice.
Tolman and Brainard began writing regularly, and he helped her connect with the wry influences in her arsenal, including Roger Miller, Bobby Bare and Shel Silverstein. As their writing relationship continued, the dramatic, weighty attitudes of some of her earlier songs soon evolved into witty, slice-of-life writing, often using gossipy observation to demonstrate how relationships with others can provide insight about one’s relationship with themselves.
A chunk of those songs coalesced into There Goes the Neighborhood, taking a sort of Desperate Housewives approach while portraying a series of women who are at once lovable and neurotic. Building the album as a cast of characters allowed Tolman to inject pieces of her own personality into each storyline without making it entirely autobiographical. She casts the other women’s eccentricities with a stark humor, then takes a deep dive into the dark corners of her own self-doubt.
The album vacillates from the “coupon-clipper with a push-up bra” who flirts with the butcher in “Work It” to the woman battling cruel inner voices in “Love You Too.” Particularly revealing is “So Pretty,” a song that explores a bout with jealousy. It comes from Tolman’s own heart, though the real story is reshaped to depict a woman who discovers that her hatred for a perceived rival is unfounded.
“I had entered into a relationship where my boyfriend was still good friends with his ex, and I was very threatened by that at first,” Tolman recalls. “I wished she wasn’t so pretty and so sweet. I wanted her to be a monster, but she wasn’t. So ‘So Pretty’ was inspired by that, but ended up being written from a little bit different point of view.”
That’s serious stuff, but it’s balanced throughout There Goes the Neighborhood. It includes several interstitial skits that literally advertise her artful humor, plus edgy statements (“Ain’t Mary Jane”), picturesque amusements (“High Class White Trash,” “Work It”) and songs of unbridled commitment (“Till My Tank Is Empty,” “Used To My Cooking”).
“There’s a huge thread of self-perception and body image and being pretty and being feminine, and a whole take on all of society’s pressures,” she says of the songs. “That, to me in my life, is the most prevalent issue right now: women empowerment and women disempowerment at the same time.”
In the end, There Goes the Neighborhood is a sort of Gladys Kravitz take on relationships, a snoopy, busy-body approach to figuring out how other people work. But in the process of looking at those other characters, Tolman’s own relationship with herself begins to make sense. Her darker, brooding period has given way to a lighter, funny Jenny Tolman who embraces a glass-half-full approach to life.
Port Show Appearance
From his Dove Award winning gospel albums to his genre-defining Southern rock anthems and his CMA Award-winning country hits, few artists have left a more indelible mark on America’s musical landscape than Charlie Daniels. An outspoken patriot, beloved mentor to young artists and still a road warrior at age 81, Charlie has parlayed his passion for music into a multi-platinum career and a platform to support the military, underprivileged children and others in need.
Raised among the longleaf pines of North Carolina, Charlie began his career playing bluegrass music with the Misty Mountain Boys. After moving to Nashville in 1967, he began making a name for himself as a songwriter, session musician and producer. Elvis Presley recorded a tune Charlie co-wrote titled “It Hurts Me,” which was released on the flip side of “Kissin’ Cousins.” He played on such landmark albums as Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and tried his hand at producing the Youngbloods’ Elephant Mountain and Ride the Wind.
His own unique voice as an artist emerged as Charlie recorded his self-titled solo album in 1970 for Capitol Records. Two years later he formed the Charlie Daniels Band and the group scored its first hit with the top ten “Uneasy Rider.” Since then the CDB has populated radio with such memorable hits as “Long Haired Country Boy,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” “In America,” “The Legend of Wooley Swamp” and of course, his signature song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1979 as well as single of the year at the Country Music Association Awards.
The CDB performed 100+ concert dates in 2017, including performances on the Grand Ole Opry and will perform another full concert schedule in 2018.
“I love what I do,” says Charlie of his 60-plus years in the music business. “I look forward to entertaining people. When show time gets here, I’m ready to go, ready to go play for them. It’s a labor of love. I just thank God I make a living at what I enjoy doing.”
Whether performing in the hit 80s movie Urban Cowboy, singing on Easter Sunday at his local church or leading an all-star cast at one of his famed Volunteer Jams, Charlie just exudes joy whenever he steps on stage and he’s always been quick to provide a platform for other artists to shine. In 1974 he invited some friends to join him at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium for an all-star concert he dubbed The Volunteer Jam. The event continued for years and was broadcast in the U.S. and internationally. Over the years, the Jam featured a diverse line up that included Willie Nelson, Ted Nugent, Roy Acuff, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Crystal Gayle, James Brown, Emmylou Harris, Amy Grant, George Thorogood, Kris Kristofferson, Little Richard, Tammy Wynette, Alabama, Oak Ridge Boys, B. B. King and the Allman Brothers.
As diverse as his live shows have always been, his discography has also reflected Charlie’s love of multiple genres. In 1994 he released his first Christian album, The Door, on Sparrow Records. The album won the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Award for Best Country Album and “Two Out of Three” was named video of the year by the Christian Country Music Association. In 1997, Sony Wonder released Charlie’s first children’s album, “By The Light of The Moon: Campfire Songs and Cowboy Tunes’.
An astute businessman as well as talented musician, Charlie launched Blue Hat Records in 1997 with his longtime personal manager David Corlew. The label released such memorable albums as Blues Hat, Tailgate Party, Road Dogs, Fiddle Fire: 25 Years of the Charlie Daniels Band and his first bluegrass album 2005’s Songs From the Longleaf Pines and 2007’s album Deuces, featuring duets with Brad Paisley, Gretchen Wilson, Bonnie Bramlett, Travis Tritt, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Brenda Lee and Darius Rucker.
Over the course of his career, Charlie has received numerous accolades, including his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame and becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was presented the Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music and was honored as a BMI Icon in recognition of his songwriting. He also received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame.
Any conversation with the legendary artist, however, rarely includes any of his accomplishments. He’d rather shine the spotlight on the many causes that are close to his heart. He’s always been a staunch supporter of the military, and for several years headlined a special concert at David Lipscomb University benefiting the Yellow Ribbon Program which provided scholarships for veterans. Among those who have supported Charlie Daniels for an evening of great music include Luke Bryan, Kellie Pickler, Clint Black, Jason Aldean, Chris Young, Rascal Flatts, Lee Greenwood, Darryl Worley, the Grascals, and actor Gary Sinise.
Charlie also lends his time and talent to numerous other charitable organizations, including the Jason Foundation Golf Classic, an organization that targets teen suicide prevention, and the Galilean Children’s Home in Liberty, KY, which provides a home for abused and neglected children. “I’ve been affiliated with them for a long, long time and it’s just a great place,” Charlie says of the home founded by Jerry and Sandy Tucker. “They take in babies whose mothers are going to prison. They give kids a good stable Christian home and love them. It’s just a wonderful place.”
For many years, Charlie has been the host for The Charlie Daniels Celebrity Golf Classic & Angelus Concert in Hudson, FL, a benefit for The Angelus, a full-time residential facility and day school program for the severely handicapped. He has been a member of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Professional Advisory Board and has been a longtime supporter of the T. J. Martell Foundation and its numerous events aiding cancer research. He was the headliner for many years for the Christmas 4 Kids concert at the Ryman Auditorium, a fundraiser that provided a happy holiday for needy children.
Charlie says of using his celebrity status to aid worthy causes, “I have a very unique opportunity because of being in the music community, you try to give back to some extent. I do feel like people should. We should all do as much as we can.”
In 2014, Charlie Daniels with David Corlew founded The Journey Home Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, whose mission is to help the Veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
For Charlie’s birthday in 2016, 3 Doors Down, Luke Bryan, Kid Rock, Chris Stapleton, Travis Tritt, Larry the Cable Guy and more joined him to celebrate the milestone at his 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam on November 30 at Bridgestone Arena. A portion of the proceeds from the sold out concert were donated to the The Journey Home Project.
Charlie’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, gave him a bookend to his memoir, Never Look At The Empty Seats, an autobiography that was released Oct .24, 2017. The book includes stories about his life, his career, experiences along the way and a wee bit of advice to those who would like to pursue a career in music. Daniels legendary musical career of over 60 years, won him a Grammy Award, earned inductions into the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, and sold over 20 million records.
Memories, Memoirs & Miles - Songs Of A Lifetime-Charlie Daniels current cd that was released Oct. 20th, 2017, chronicles the musical journey of the Country Music Hall of Fame member through the years. In his book, an autobiography / memoir of his life, Charlie writes about his earliest musical influences starting with Bluegrass, then came his days of playing the clubs and honing his craft, entertaining! He then moved to Nashville where he was introduced to session work, playing on three Bob Dylan albums, Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning. Then came the CDB years, through Southern Rock and Country, Gospel and Patriotic hits. This album is perfect for listening along while reading his book, “Never Look At The Empty Seats” in which Charlie presents a life lesson for all of us regardless of profession:
“Walk on stage with a positive attitude. Your troubles are your own and are not included in the ticket price. Some nights you have more to give than others, but put it all out there every show. You’re concerned with the people who showed up, not the ones who didn’t. So always give them a show, and never look at the empty seats!”
- Charlie Daniels latest studio album, Beau Weevils - Songs in the Key of E
The new ten-track album was released Oct. 26th and features lead vocals, guitar and fiddle by Daniels, James Stroud on drums and percussion, Billy Crain on guitar, and Charlie Hayward on bass.
"Beau Weevils - Songs in the Key of E is the culmination of a long held desire of James Stroud and myself to do a project together," says Daniels. "We had worked together, with James in the capacity of producer, which had resulted in some of our most successful albums for The Charlie Daniels Band, but James is one of the finest and most soulful drummers in the business and I figured we could get together, musician to musician, and come up with something special. We just needed a vehicle in the form of songs that would fit the bill."
Daniels describes the new recordings as "Downhome, Swampy Rock meets Funk with a little taste of 'Delta' type of style."
Charlie Daniels, beloved American icon, author, and patriot, has penned a new book that shares his signature wit and powerful lessons that he’s learned from traveling and playing all around the world. Let’s All Make the Day Count: The Every Day Wisdom of Charlie Daniels (Thomas Nelson, Nov. 6, 2018) is an entertaining and impactful book for those who have enjoyed his daily “let’s all make the day count” tweets and want to hear more personal stories from his life.
“I have leaned heavily on my personal journey and the times I’ve knocked my head against various walls through the years while learning life’s lessons,” Daniels said. “I’ve excerpted segments of my highest and lowest times, my most devastating defeats and most rewarding victories, and how I’ve come to truly value making the day count, every single day.”
Let’s All Make the Day Count includes 100 readings that cover such topics as starting again after loss; standing your ground; how to be successful; how to show people you care; choosing your words carefully; and many more. Daniels accompanies every story with a Bible verse and a short takeaway.
Daniels also released a companion CD of the same name on Nov. 2, available exclusively at Walmart stores, released by Blue Hat Records, distributed by BFD.
The CDB will perform 100+ concert dates in 2019 with no signs of slowing down.
Whether you’ve heard her hosting SiriusXM’s Y2Kountry, hosting a festival or performing for her fans, Danielle has established herself as a multifaceted talent in the music industry.
An accomplished recording artist and performer, Danielle knows of which she speaks, having travelled that path on the way to completing How Freedom Feels, her third studio album, soon to be released. No stranger to country fans, she's enjoyed chart success with songs including "I Don't," "Findin' A Good Man" and "Isn't That Everything," and has cultivated a loyal fan base on the road, performing hundreds of shows both as a headliner and in support of country music's biggest names. But while music has driven her life since childhood, it's only recently that she's centered it in a deeply personal place.
"When I first came to town I had been writing songs by myself and performing them on the road," she explains of early years with her Ohio-based band. "When I got to Nashville the big thing was co-writing, so I had to learn how to write with someone else. I felt like I always had to have 10 ideas and was always writing toward the catchy song, the clever turn of phrase, something I thought radio would want. It wasn't so much about what was inside of me, where I was at or what I believed. A lot of the songs I wrote back then are great, but I've learned to let go of some of that and write from a more personal perspective."
Not only has her writing style evolved into the current artist she is today, but she has utilized her talents in other areas. When she’s not performing shows, you can hear her every weekday from 4-8pm ET as the host of SiriusXM’s Y2Kountry Channel 61, where she gets to play some of her favorite music by her friends, but also gets to share some of the good stories from years of touring with fellow Y2K artists. Additionally, she has hosted several Y2Kountry Specials featuring artists such as Sara Evans, Rodney Atkins, Randy Houser and Gretchen Wilson. When not broadcasting to all of North America, you may find her hosting your local/regional music festival, corporate function or charity event. Be on the lookout to where she will pop up next.
Mark Wills has captivated fans and listeners for over two decades. He achieved his first top-charting success at the young age of 23 and has maintained a longevity in the music business that many artists can only dream of. His mission is to create country music filled with depth and meaningful substance to create lasting memories through the words.
Mark has released a total of seven albums including a patriotic album in 2001, Looking for America. As an avid supporter of the US Military, he has more than a dozen trips to entertain our troops in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Korea and Italy, among others.
Mark now resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Kelly and his two daughters. In his spare time, when he’s not writing, recording, or touring, Mark enjoys hunting in the great outdoors and spending time with his girls. Mark is a dedicated parent, philanthropist, outdoorsman and jokester; but, more than anything else, he is an an artist and songwriter who helped to create the foundation for what country music is today!
“I worked my ass off on Music Row. Tryin’ to get on the radio Like Alan said, ‘those wheels turn slow’ And I had to tell ‘em all where to go When they tried to make me a pop star I got me a honky tonk heart” Ray Scott, “Honky Tonk Heart”
Those words say it all.
With a distinctivesouthern voice as traditional as the signature black cowboy hat he wears, Ray Scott garnered attention from“The Row”in the days before modern condos took over historic houses. Warner Brothers released his debut album, My Kind of Music, to critical acclaim and a top 40 single in 2005. But typical music business politics combined with a deafening change in the country radio market did not work in Ray’s favor. Or did it?
What followed from the label split two years later was the birth of the digital format and a “Rayincarnation” of sorts. Never one to quit on his calling, his own self-awareness fully emerged, and a new busload of fans joined him for the ride. For those seeking more than girls, beer cans and moonlight by the lake, Ray’s heartfelt vocals and down to earth lyrics resonated. Independent releases Crazy Like Me (2008) and Rayality (2011) not only gave him a physical product on the roadbut garnered a high number of digital sales and support from Sirius XM. “Drinkin Beer” and “Ain’t Always Thirsty” received SiriusXM airplay. And so did one of his most well-known singles, “Those Jeans” from the Rayalityalbum, produced by Dave Brainard (Jerrod Neimann, Brandy Clark).
Then came his 5th studio album in 2017—Guitar for Sale, produced by Michael Hughes.
“I appreciate that he's the most stubbornly genuine artist that I know - a guy who refuses to compromise or follow any other inspiration other than his own feelings and experiences. He doesn't give a damn about what anybody else is doing, he just wants to find and execute his vision, “says Michael.
So then, it’s no surprise that the two friends paired up again forHonky Tonk Heart, the new EP out March 1. With catchy electric and steel guitar licks from the get-go, you’re in for a boot steppin’, whiskey drinkin’, feel good time. But don’t mistake the two smoky bar tunes (Honky Tonk Heart, Trainwreck) for fluff pieces because Ray is anything but. If he sings it, it’s because he’s been thru it, he believes it, or he currently lives it (or sometimes all three). His rip roarin’ honesty is just as strong in the ballads as it is in the uptempos. Ray’s vulnerability resonates with the most heartbroken, yet hopeful of souls in “It Is What It Is” and “Leave this Town.” The EP comes full circle, ending on a sweet love note with “Thank You Baby.”
“’Honky Tonk Heart’—the song—is my life, and it’s an ode to all the troubadours like me runnin’ up and down the highways doin’ what we do for the love of real country music, ‘cause it’s what we bleed. My new Honky Tonk Heart EP is the first glimpse into a new era of creativity that kicked in just after the release of Guitar For Sale. I’ve been crankin’ out one new song after the other in the last couple of years. I can’t wait to lay ‘em on ya. There’s a lot more to come. To quote one of the new titles, I ain’t ‘Nowhere Near Done’. . . . see ya’ll out there soon!” ---Ray
She’s had five #1 singles, sold millions of records, won the Academy of Country Music’s Top Female Vocalist Award and claimed a Country Music Association trophy for her signature song, “Born To Fly.” It’s tough to imagine many accomplishments Sara Evans hasn’t already checked off her bucket list.
And yet, with the release of her eighth studio album, Words demonstrates that she’s still willing to leap into the unknown, taking greater control of her career and calling the shots in a way that’s unusual in country music – particularly unusual for a woman in the genre.
Words is the first project on Evans’ own label: Born To Fly Records, appropriately named after that CMA-winning signature song, which celebrated risk and adventure. Much is familiar about Words. Evans’ voice is warm and strong, the songs are authentic and memorable, and the actual words themselves resonate with the realities of everyday life.
But the album was an eye-opening experience for Evans as a creative force. As the head of her own small, flexible company, she was able to take a streamlined approach to building it. Instead of subjecting the music to multiple departments, each with their own view of one part of her career, Evans approached it with an instinctual, gut-level focus on making a project that represents the 2017 version of Sara Evans.
“The only thing I had on my mind with this album is just Grammy-level songs and the coolest music that I can find,” she says. “I didn’t really go about it in any other way. I wasn’t catering to any part of the business. There was never a thought in my head of ‘Will this work on country radio?’ So what has happened with the music is that it is still very much Sara Evans music. It’s just a little bit deeper than I’ve gone in the past.”
There’s an irony there – part of the reason that Sara Evans is one of country’s iconic modern singers is that her music has worked so well on country radio, at concert halls and amphitheaters, and in fans’ personal playlists. And the music she’s made to date is authentically her. But where Born To Fly narrowed the crowd of voices around her, Words is distinctively Sara Evans. For a woman who always tackled the music her own way, the new album is 100% her own.
It’s a big reason that the album is titled Words. The songs generate a number of words – flexible, commanding, sassy, daring, loving, hopeful, resilient – that all embody parts of Evans’ inimitable persona.
“Songs are a combination of words and melodies, and it’s the words that matter most to me,” she says. “When we go into these pitch meetings, people always ask, ‘What are you looking for? Are you OK with doing something that’s a little more pop?’ I always tell them, ‘Just play me great lyrics.’ That’s what I’m looking for.”
Evans co-wrote three of the album’s 14 songs, instinctively picking material along the way that matches her world view. Thirteen additional females racked up writing credits on the project, including Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, Pistol Annies’ Ashley Monroe, The Isaacs’ Sonya Isaacs, Hillary Lindsey (“Blue Ain’t Your Color”), Caitlyn Smith (“Wasting All These Tears”), Heather Morgan (“Beat Of The Music”) and Liz Hengber (“For My Broken Heart”).
“A Little Bit Stronger,” Evans’ pensive, heartbreak anthem that spent two weeks at #1 represents a look at the journey thus far, one that’s kept her firmly in the forefront of country music for a solid 20 years. Born and raised in Boonville, Missouri, Sara grew up listening – like much of her audience – to a mix of country, pop and rock on the radio. She began singing with the family band when she was five and made her first attempts at recording as a teenager, committing to a creative path with her move to Nashville in 1991.
Smitten with country’s legacy, her version of Buck Owens’ “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail” won the approval of songwriter Harlan Howard – a Country Music Hall of Fame member who authored Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces” and The Judds’ “Why Not Me” – and of George Jones, who personally invited her to open for him at the historic Ryman Auditorium on the strength of her first album.
That project – Three Chords and the Truth,produced by Dwight Yoakam’s then-guitarist, Pete Anderson – arrived in 1997 to critical acclaim. It accurately represented a key piece of Evans’ musical personality, yet it missed other elements that were likewise influential.
“If I could go back and whisper in my ear, I probably would have advised myself to go a little bit broader with the music and not make such a hillbilly record,” she says. “I was in this mindset that I was gonna be a female version of Dwight Yoakam. That’s a part of who I am, but it’s not all of who I am. I also grew up listening to Stevie Nicks and Phil Collins and so I wish I would have rounded myself out a little more on that first project.”
She clearly learned from the experience. Her resume now includes 14 Top 20 country hits, ranging from her reassuring first #1 – “No Place That Far,” featuring background vocals by Vince Gill – to the neo-traditional “Suds In The Bucket” to the elegant, spiky pop feel of “Slow Me Down.”
But Evans has been expansive in other parts of her public life, too. She’s co-authored a trio of books for Thomas Nelson; advocated on behalf of the Red Cross; became an active contributor to the community in Birmingham, Alabama, where she’s lived with husband Jay Barker for nearly a decade; and established a lifestyle blog — A Real Fine Place —that captures her flare for fashion, beauty and cooking. That blog also demonstrates that she understands, and lives, the solid, practical American work ethic that’s alive and well in her fan base.
“Kim Kardashian will post, ‘Oh my gosh, you guys, look at this new Dolce Gabbana thing that I got,’ but everything is so high-end,” Evans says. “My fans are in middle America – you know, country music listeners, small town, exactly what I come from – and so I’m like, ‘Well, I totally found this incredible belt in Target and I put it with this nice shirt.’ Mine is completely relatable. I feel like the All-American girl-next-door that you could be a friend and go have coffee with.”
Evans is such a sign post for women in country that when the producers of the Nashville TV series wanted to ensure its realism, they sought out Evans as a consultant to help them understand firsthand the dynamics of operating as a touring country singer and a mom, specifically informing Connie Britton’s character, Rayna Jaymes. With the formation of Born To Fly Records, Evans now has a life-meets-art moment, with her real life embodying the label-owner role that Jaymes took on with the fictional Highway 65 Records. Not that Evans has any intention of copying the on-screen character.
“I’m not trying to be Rayna Jaymes and I certainly don’t want to die in a car wreck,” Evans says with a laugh.
What Evans does want to do is represent the full panorama of her artistic vision. By handpicking the team around her and making self-expression the priority of her work, she’s found songs that continue to connect her to the emotional core of her audience, and to adhere to that Born To Fly embrace of risk and adventure.
“I don’t use that word a lot, resilient, but I would say that’s the best way to define me as a person,” Evans says. “I feel so blessed, but at the same time, there’s blood, sweat and tears in every single thing that I’ve gotten in this life. I have gone out and just really, really sold it, and I’m still doing that to this day.”
Doing it her way. As a mom. As a record company entrepreneur. And, mostly, as a distinct artist still excited about her unique journey.
Neal McCoy has released fifteen studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio. In 1993, Neal McCoy broke through with the back-to-back number 1 singles No Doubt About It and Wink from his platinum-certified album No Doubt About It. His commercial success continue into the late 1990s with two more platinum albums and a gold album, as well as six more Top Ten hits. A seventh Top Ten hit, the number 10 Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On, came in 2005 from his self-released That’s Life.
Music of Your Life, a big band jazz and country amalgam with Les Brown, Jr. recorded for a public television special, appeared in 2011, with a new studio album, XII, finally arriving in 2012. In 2013 he released Pride: A Tribute to Charley Pride, Neal’s long time friend and mentor. 2015 brought the Big Band Standards CD You Don’t Know Me. Neal has been on 15 USO Tours around the world and continues to say it’s one of the achievements he’s most proud of. He is also the recipient of multiple Humanitarian awards from The Academy of Country Music, The Country Radio Broadcasters and The Masonic Grand Lodge. In 2016 Neal has again made a move to continue his patriotic values by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance “Live” on his Facebook page every morning. He’s reached millions of viewers all over the country and around the world. Neal still maintains a very busy touring schedule all through the year. Make sure to catch a show when he’s near because as Neal says “No two shows are the same!”
Proudly hailing from the musically rich foothills of Cleveland County (Shelby, NC), Dirty Grass Soul has been entertaining audiences across the Carolinas and beyond since their formation in 2011. With a sound that draws much influence from traditional music of the North Carolina foothills, Dirty Grass Soul manages to bring a new, refreshed, and re-energized sound to their music that falls somewhere between country, bluegrass, and southern rock & roll reminiscent of acts like The Charlie Daniels Band and The Marshall Tucker Band. Rather than simply relying on heavy guitar leads, Dirty Grass Soul offers instrumentation that mixes in a heavy dose of fiddle, pedal steel guitar, and banjo in addition to the guitar. DGS is lead by founding members Kevin Dedmon (Fiddle, Vocals, Guitar) and Lance Watson (Bass, Mandolin). They are joined by Tommy Smith (Electric Guitar),Dedmon's brother Kris Dedmon (Banjo), Glenn Miller (Pedal Steel Guitar), and Jared Miller (Vocals & Percussion).
After touring the Carolina's behind their self-released debut album "The Long Way", as well as shows with the likes of many of premier national bands under their belt, Dirty Grass Soul has earned a reputation as one of the southeast's emerging Southern Rock/Alt. Country bands. Following up their 2016 release of The Long Way, DGS is slated to release their newest project "New Day of Work" August 23, 2018!
Whether it is the hint of bluegrass, outlaw country, or rock & roll you hear in each song, their sound is uniquely Dirty Grass Soul. From Dedmon's down home/working class lyrics to the blazing instrumental breaks, Dirty Grass Soul is sure to offer a little something for everyone. Be sure to visit www.DGSoul.com & follow or “like” Dirty Grass Soul on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates about the happenings of the band.
Allie Colleen, a Belmont University graduate from Owasso, Oklahoma performs with a style that is truly her own and she is no stranger to the music industry. Her passion for singing and songwriting since a young age has garnered her a reputation of being a notable songwriter with an iconic-sounding, impeccably strong voice that accents her Americana sound. The room never fails to silence as Allie Colleen begins to sing about the layers of love and heart-break that have shaped her, including some of her newest songs with witty lyrics and a personal connection to the song unlike most today. Allie’s work ethics come through as strong and showcase her deep values as she works along-side industry professionals. Her willingness to perform at venues in and around Nashville, along with national exposure opportunities, have honed her music skills. Allie’s passionate drive and innovative vision set her apart from her peers, have resulted in her music and videos going viral and capturing the attention of well-known radio show host Bobby Bones. One of her original songs, Close Enough, gained more than 750k views onYouTube and her organic social media following has continued to increase. Her debut single, “Work In Progress” defines the life that’s shaped her with personal lyrics and transparency in both the vocals and delivery. “Work in Progress” is a sweet sentiment regarding her introduction to the MusicIndustry co-written with hit songwriter Marcus Hummon and well known studio producer Greg Bieck. Her current single “Along the Way” is available on all digital platforms.
Born and raised in Red Bluff, California, Chad Bushnell has been playing the guitar and singing since the age of 4. His father played lead guitar and sang in a country band when he was a young boy and he knew right then that’s what he wanted to do in life. Much of his family is involved in music including his great grandmother who plays piano and his aunt and uncle who play the guitar and sing.
Chad grew up singing the national anthem at numerous rodeos, football games and other events. His parents have been the biggest supporters of his music and he thanks his little sister for keeping him grounded. He thanks God for all he has done for him. As he’s gotten older, he has been able to do a lot of things. He has performed at many fairs, political events, fundraisers, casinos, bars, church functions and convention centers. He has opened for big names in the industry including Scotty McCreery, Lee Brice, Tracy Lawrence, Neil McCoy, Billy Currington, Mark Wills, Josh Gracin, Mark Chesnutt, Jerrod Neimann, Tyler Farr, and has been back to Nashville to meet with Teddy Gentry from the Alabama Band. He has a new album out called “Tennessee” that was recorded at Studio 19 in Nashville, Tennessee. He also has a 2 song EP out called “What They Ain’t Tellin’ Us” that was recorded at Hag Studios and features Ben Haggard on lead guitar and backing vocals. They are both available at all of his shows and most online music stores. He was a Top 3 finalist in the American Country Star contest in Nashville and won the Horizon award. He won the Best of the North State Band award in Northern California for 2015 and 2016. He currently works as a horseshoer and competes in rodeo as a team roper and steer wrestler. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with his girlfriend, friends and family. He is a graduate of Chico State University with a degree in Business Administration. His biggest influences are Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Alabama, George Strait, Alan Jackson and many others.
Chad gives a special thanks to his fans and everyone who supports his music.
Authentic and Original, on and off the stage. Jesse's heartfelt vocals and instinctive guitar playing have gained him local successes and allow him to perform throughout Florida as a Full-Time musician. Jesse Byers blends his modern style and sound with the legendary old souls of country heroes, both past and present. Recently traveling to Nashville, TN to record his Debut Album, "My Time", be on the look out for new music, tour dates, and much more... Tune in!
The Petersens are an award-winning bluegrass family in its ninth season of shows in Branson, MO. The band includes American Idol top 48 finalist Ellen Petersen on banjo and vocals. The Petersens perform year-round at Branson, but also enjoy giving concerts throughout the Midwest. For the past five years, the band has booked international tours in Ireland, Canada, and Finland. For authentic music, clean comedy, and family values, you won’t find anyone better than The Petersens.
Shelly Fairchild isn’t new to the industry – but she’s far from old news. And of her latest release Buffalo she wants everyone to know: “This is the most honest record I’ve ever made.”
So it is. A staple in the Nashville music community, Fairchild hit the scene to much acclaim with her debut album Ride. The project introduced the young artist’s soulful, gospel-tinged brand of alternative country and spawned a Top 40 hit with “You Don’t Lie Here Anymore.” She toured with some of the biggest names in the format, including Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban and Tim McGraw, and began to dig her roots in the industry. She again found success in her second release, Ruby’s Money, which came steeped in a thick groove with elements of funk – but it’s Buffalo that marks a milestone in her life and career.
“I’m sincerely grateful for both the good and bad things that have happened in my life. Everyone that I’ve met and worked with over the 20 years that I’ve lived in Nashville has made me who I am, and I will always carry that in my soul,” says Fairchild.
The Jackson, Miss. native started the project in May 2014, launching a PledgeMusic campaign in the hopes that she would find support of her endeavor – and after reaching her goal in just two days, she realized she had. Though fully funded and buoyed by the faith of her friends, family and fans, Fairchild found herself at a creative standstill.
“When I first started this process I met with a lot of publishers in town,” she recalls. “I was in such a writer’s block that I thought I’d just cut outside songs. I took meetings and heard so many great songs – and honestly, I went in my first session and cut several of the songs that had been pitched to me. But at the end of that recording day I just thought, ‘That doesn’t feel like me.’”
The next two years saw Fairchild working through the impasse with some of her most inspirational industry co-writers. “House on Fire,” an aching ballad reflecting on the weight of one’s past, was the first song that she remembers finishing and feeling confident that it deserved a spot on her record. Co-written by Fairchild along with Lisa Carver and Travis Meadows, the track features subtle but classic country instrumentation and the soft harmonies of the Fairground Saints.
From there the singer/songwriter continued to pen songs that she felt carried an important message toeither herself or the world around her. Initially concerned that the results wouldn’t be cohesive on an album, her co-producers Jeremy Lister and Carey Ott encouraged her to see how they fit together. Guided by Lister and Ott, Fairchild eventually decided to cut eight of her co-written tracks for the record. One of the most sincere is her gospel-infused call for change, “Why Can’t We Carry Each Other?”
“My co-writer Kevin Scott Rhoads and I discussed the state of the heart and how people’s souls are wrapped up in such negative things so often – and what’s the point of that?” she asks earnestly. “Because we’re all just trying to get to the next place. And whether or not you believe in heaven or anything, we’re trying to get to a better place. And if we’re all trying to get there, why can’t we just help each other?”
The duo teamed up once again to write “Unholy Spirit,” a piano-backed lamentation of a relationship marred by addiction. A subject not often addressed in country music, she wanted to express “what it is like to worship something that is completely killing you.” Though she tackled some serious topics in her writing, Fairchild also felt uplifted by her own work and that of others.
One of the most standout tracks on Buffalo, the blues-ridden up-tempo tune “Mississippi Turnpike,” came in the wake of a breakup. Her co-producer Carey Ott sent Fairchild the song, written by himself and Tim Lee Jones, as she was driving home to her family and she knew immediately that was just the song she needed. Upon recording the song with Ott, Fairchild heard that it was missing one key element: Lucie Silvas.
“I love singers,” she smiles. “I love great singers. I love to have camaraderie and deep friendships with great singers and musicians. I feel like our community here is so rich and some of my favorite voices are my friends. I was able to reach out to artists like Lucie and Wendy Moten and ask if they cared to sing on my project.”
Not only does the record emphasize its diversity by featuring guest vocalists, but it also highlights a wide array of musical styles and influences.
“There are a lot of different elements to the music,” agrees Fairchild. “How do you describe some of the best bands that you know? They ended up on pop radio or on country radio, but are they really that kind of act? I like having a lot of differences and having them come out. It feels like that kind of music lasts longer, because it feels real.”
With such diversity in vocalists, genres of music, subject matter and even writers, it’s little wonder that the seasoned artist was worried about the cohesiveness of the project. It was the overarching theme of the buffalo however, that brought them all together.
“I feel like the last five or so years, I’ve kind of been trudging through a lot of muddy water,” she admits. “The journey has felt so murky and muddy that I thought I might just want to call the album that – Muddy Water – but it seemed too cliché. So my manager and I were researching what might exist around that idea, and that’s when we found Buffalo.”
In many Native American cultures, the buffalo symbolizes gratitude and abundance. Fairchild, who has Choctaw ancestry, connected with the idea that though buffalo carry a lot on their shoulders, their horns are always pointing up to the sky.
“There’s always this hope that the weight will be lifted,” she says. “I felt like, as we were reading about it, it seemed so crazy that we would call it Buffalo. It had nothing to do with any of the songs – but it had so much to do with where I had landed at that point in my life.”
A longtime hidden gem in the trove of Nashville musicians, Fairchild continues to keep her head and her heart pointing up to the sky. Between singing background vocals for the likes of Jason Aldean and Martina McBride, touring across the country and continuously working on future projects, it is clear she is just getting started.
“At times I’ve gotten down about my own path, but when I look at it – it’s not full of detours or dead ends,” she said. “It’s a wide path, and it’s full of a lot of amazing things.”
"THE REAL STUFF IS GONNA BE THE GOOD STUFF"
Born and raised outside of Columbus, Georgia, Ricky Gunn grew up like many southern boys, spending his time fishing, hunting, chasing girls and speeding down dirt roads. During visits to his grandfather's house, he also discovered a love of country music, especially the old-school songwriting of Hank Williams, Conway Twitty and Waylon Jennings. Those artists told stories. They cast moods. They packed a punch. Later, when his grandfather gave him an acoustic guitar and taught him three basic chords, the teenaged Gunn transformed himself into a songwriter virtually overnight, finishing his first tune by the end of the week.
Years later, Gunn is still writing songs. King of this Town, his full-length debut album, mixes those old-school country influences with modern-day firepower, creating a sound that twangs and rocks in equal measure. Filled with pedal steel guitar riffs and the sound of Gunn's award-winning voice (which won back-to-back trophies from the Georgia Music Awards in 2011 and 2012), it's a biographical record about Gunn's life. He's a family man, a blue-collar worker and a proud southerner, making his songs — which spin stores of growing up, falling in love and building a family — familiar to anyone who works hard during the week to support the people they love.
At the end of the day, Gunn is just like the audiences he plays for: he works hard, enjoys a good time and supports the loved ones who've supported him. Lately, the amount of supporters has started to swell, thanks to Gunn's combination of throwback styles and contemporary sounds.
“I know it sounds selfish but I’ve always wanted to leave a legacy.”
Clark Hill speaks clearly, his eyes locked on yours. He’s tall, with an athletic build. His hair, once a curly tumble, is clipped short. He answers questions with a crisp but respectful “Yes, sir.” At age 31, he stands at the crossroads of youth and experience, each enhancing the other. Without even trying he projects a sense of who he is and why he’s here.
“Up until just a few years ago, I hadn’t really found myself. I was a young parent with two kids and a wife. I excelled at every job I got but every day I walked out of my house feeling like I wasn’t doing anything with my life. But even then I knew what it meant to leave your mark on the world. I knew I wouldn’t be here today without my parents. We weren’t a wealthy family but they helped me in every way. My dad worked for 25 years in a prison; he hated it but he did it so we could live comfortably.”
He glances downward but just for a second. “So I kept searching for something I could achieve, some mark I could leave. That would be the greatest thing I could do for my kids.”
In some ways, Clark will acknowledge, things had come to him too easily. Growing up in northern Florida, on the land his grandparents once called home, he worked on the family farm, planting and harvesting corn, black-eyed peas, maybe some okra and tomato plants. In school he earned high grades almost without trying. Following the footsteps his dad had made as a college football star, Clark played linebacker and then tight end on his high school team, always as a starter, never experiencing a losing season. Shortly before graduating he passed his exam as an EMT fireman; after earning his diploma, he went to work.
“Basically, I was a paramedic except I couldn’t push meds,” he explains. “I could run an IV, pull a line, do advance cardiac. And I was 18 years old.”
Clark showed his musical gift early too. As far back as second grade, he performed in talent shows and dressed as Elvis. (“I dyed my hair and everything,” he confesses, chuckling.) In church he sang with the children’s choir and later was appointed to lead the praise band on Wednesday night services. For several years just before Christmas he performed at Disney World with the high school chorus.
“It was funny because my main interests were football and weight lifting,” he says. “I mean, I enjoyed music — I was a huge Vince Gill fan and I loved Johnny Cash and Hank Jr. But I never thought that music would have anything to do with my future.”
That would change. One fateful day, at a moment of difficulty in his marriage, he went to have a wisdom tooth removed. First, the anesthesia wore off in the middle of surgery. Right after that, the dentist accidentally broke Clark’s jaw. He went home, hoping to just weather the pain alone. By the way, it was his birthday too.
After a while his brother-in-law showed up and insisted that Hill come along as he headed out to play a gig with his cover band. Never mind that Clark hadn’t touched a guitar for several years. “Just watch my hands,” he was told. “If you sound bad, we’ll turn you off. Enjoy yourself.”
He did. Clark began sitting in frequently, getting his guitar chops back, singing backup and even taking the lead on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” and a few other tunes. He began writing as well, beginning with “Papa’s Song,” an appreciation of his late grandfather. Eventually, the band’s lead singer invited him to play it as a solo acoustic performance during intermission.
“Long story short, people liked it,” Clark says. “Almost that quick, man, they became fans and started coming to shows just to watch my acoustic set an hour and a half into the show. I noticed that people were listening to me. They paid attention to the stories I wrote into my songs, they wanted to know more. Right then, I felt I’d found what I’d been looking for.”
It didn’t take long for Clark to pack up and head with his father and brother-in-law to Nashville. CMA Music Fest 2012 was in full swing as they arrived. “It was a horrible time to pound on doors,” he remembers, laughing. “But I’m not kidding; we went into every building on Music Row and dropped off my homemade business cards. I came in with nothing but my passion, like, ‘Hey, man, let’s do this!’”
When not visiting empty offices, Clark caught every performance he could at the Festival. “I stood in the back and dreamed about what I would do if I was the one on that stage,” he says. “Pretty quickly I realized this was something I could do. I wanted that stage. I wanted the crowds. I wanted to keep asking myself how I could get more creative.”
Making friends quickly, Clark got to know Craig Morgan, who introduced him to his drummer Mike Rogers. They hit it off and agreed to work together on a full-length album, with Rogers serving as producer. Creatively, they clicked from the start. “We agreed that this would be about me finding my natural sound without forcing anything,” Clark says. “Mikey grew up in the outskirts of Myrtle Beach, so we both came from the same small-town, family-oriented place.”
They emerged from the studio with an album Clark calls People Like Me. It’s a varied package, with tracks that rock hard like they do it in the South (“Stage Song”), honor the love of his life (“Swerve”), celebrate (the reggae-flavored “Don’t You Worry Bout’ Me”) and mourn (“I Hate That Car”) a romantic breakup, testify with dignity and deep emotion (“How Great Thou Art”) and proudly proclaim the small-town virtues that define who Clark is, musically and personally (“Those Were The Days”).
“The album touches on every element of who I am,” Clark affirms. It’s that simple. It’s that profound.
And it’s a first big step toward that legacy that Clark is already building, song by song, show by show. His real journey begins now, with People Like Me.
The rich, reedy tones and all-American, blue-collar themes in his #1 hits “I Miss My Friend,” “Awful, Beautiful Life” and “Have You Forgotten?” are reminders of the down-to-Earth, Haggard-like Darryl Worley you always knew.
The island vibes and blue-eyed soul in new songs “It’s Good To Be Me,” “Lay It On Me” and “Lonely Alone” suggest there’s another, almost-funky, version of Worley that’s been kept under wraps.
The alternate sides are both on display in Second Wind: Latest and Greatest, a project that mixes the traditional-country history he established in Nashville with the ragged soul that’s deep in the bones of Muscle Shoals, a musical Alabama hotbed where Worley got his start. The area hosted hit sessions for Aretha Franklin, Bob Seger, Wilson Pickett and The Rolling Stones, and the sweaty swagger of the region’s recording studios was a perfect fit for Worley as he recorded an album that re-establishes him in country culture.
“It’s like we stumbled onto something in an attempt to stumble onto something,” Worley says. “We were just kind of feeling our way around in the dark.”
Produced by guitarist Billy Lawson (Sammy Kershaw, Mo Pitney), Second Wind was built with a relaxed atmosphere. Little attention was paid to the clock by Worley and his longtime band, who helped bring the hits forward to their 2017 sound while pumping some ultra-human attitude into the new stuff as well.
Born and raised in southern Tennessee by a Methodist minister and a church-choir mom he describes as a “prayer warrior,” Worley started his musical career at the FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals, under the tutelage of producer/publisher Rick Hall (Mac Davis, Jerry Reed), where he remained for a solid five years. He played clubs almost nightly, honing his stage craft at the same time he was woodshedding his songwriting skills, and as Worley gained confidence, he found his way to Nashville. There, he secured a recording deal in 1999 on the basis of some demo recordings that showcased his authoritative vocals and his understanding of the hard-working country audience.
“I'm a traditionalist,” he proclaims. “I came to Nashville because of mentors and heroes like Merle Haggard and George Jones. I'm sure people hear that until they’re blue in the face, but to me, it’s very true.”
Coming in early 2019 is Darryl’s Greatest Hits album, Second Wind: Latest and Greatest, which will include 7 favorites and 6 brand new songs.
Country radio morning show host, Mike Brooks, brings with him over thirty years of broadcasting expertise in both radio and television. His world centers around his love for country music. Not only does he host a country music radio show, but he is also the lead vocalist and co-owner of the Konnection band, a North Carolina regional variety band. In the past, Mike hosted a popular syndicated country music video television show. He has had the pleasure of being the emcee for many local, regional, and national events and looks forward to being back as your emcee for Country Cruising 2020.
An award-winning, Nashville Recording Artist, with more than 20 albums to his credit, this gifted guitarist, turned singer-songwriter has been entertaining crowds since age 6.
After years as a guitarist in several touring bands, Johnny struck out on his his own in 2018 with a batch of songs, and a plane ticket bound for Nashville. He and producer Smith Curry (Taylor Swift/Kid Rock) would then assemble some of music city's finest session musicians to play on Johnny's debut album. His first single "Outlaw", was met enthusiastically by country music fans, and radio stations around the globe, with the song becoming Johnny's most successful to date, scoring a 7 out of 10 from NSAI, and as the runner-up for best Country Song at the World Songwriters Awards.
Johnny has shared the stage with Eli Young Band, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, & Pam Tillis (to name a few), has performed at the Winter Olympics, on network television including NBC Today show, along with a multitude of festivals including Watershed, HWY 30, Warped Tour, & Country Crossings.
"With a big love for both traditional and 90s country, Johnny writes engaging songs from the heart that resonate with listeners, while his energetic live show lets you know he did own some rocknroll records growing up."
The Frontmen features three singers who were THE voices of three of the Top Country bands of the 90’s: Richie McDonald of Lonestar, Larry Stewart of Restless Heart and Tim Rushlow, formerly of Little Texas.
From their rave review performances around the globe for our troops, to casinos, fairs and corporate events, to their globally televised performance on the steps of the hallowed Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, The Frontmen are making their mark on the Country music scene.
Stewart, Rushlow and McDonald have collectively sold over 30 million records and had over 30 major hits between them. They have a chemistry and brotherhood seldom matched and they have logged the travel miles to prove it, wowing audiences around the globe with their brand of highly successful intimate unplugged shows.
Powerhouse hits performed by the Frontmen of Country include Restless Heart classics, “The Bluest Eyes in Texas,” “That Rock Won’t Roll,” “I’ll Still Be Loving You” and “Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right). Lonestar smashes such as “Amazed,” “Smile,” and “I’m Already There,” plus Little Texas hits including “God Blessed Texas,” “Amy’s Back in Austin,” and “What Might Have Been.” These songs and many others included in their shows are the soundtrack of a generation.
With their combined amazing vocal and instrumental talents, The Frontmen deliver a high energy show packed with fan-favorites from their three award-winning and critically-acclaimed bands, and also songs from some of the artists who have influenced them. The Frontmen deliver a truly one-of-a-kind concert experience.
Their stage is a place where they take you on a magical journey to the stories behind the songs. A place where the listener’s heart meets the singers’ hearts who made the songs famous, with an emotional impact that leaves audiences spellbound. The Frontmen deliver a show that is powerful, engaging, and authentic.
Nashville Recording Artist JB Aaron was born in Niagara Falls, NY. He served 18 years as a volunteer firefighter and medical technician with Niagara Active Hose Fire Department.
JB has been singing and performing basically his whole life. He inherited the voice of his mother, who had the voice of an angel. Unfortunately, in 2013 she passed away from cancer and at every performance you can see he is singing to her.
In 2004 JB recorded his first EP at Kitty Wells studio, Junction Records. In 2014 he recorded his 2nd EP with hit songwriter Greg Crowe and engineered by Grammy nominee Jim Lightman.
Also in 2014 JB proudly placed 2nd in the televised, nationwide competition called the Country Showdown, hosted by LeAnn Rhimes. JB triumphed over thousands of talented performers. This led to JB achieving his life long dream of performing on the Original Grand Ole Opry stage at the Ryman auditorium.
JB has performed the National Anthem for several NFL games throughout the years.
He has shared the stage with artists such as, Tanya Tucker, Darryl Worley, Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, Kid Rock, Big N Rich, Phil Vassar, Wade Hayes, Jeff Carson, Brian McComas, Cadillac 3, Frankie Ballard, Terri Clark, LoCash and many more.
In his free timehe takes great pride in volunteering for organizations such as the Make A Wish Foundation, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and more.
He is also a huge supporter of the Military and our Veterans.
In 2019 JB released 2 new singles, which are Breathe and Boots. Breathe was written by Craig J Martin who wrote Tim McGraws very 1st #1 hit Don't Take The Girl.
Boots is a brand new military song written for them and our Veterans. The song was written by Sgt Major Green Beret, Bobby Peace and his friend Joe Hash.
JB is a proud member of the CMA (Country Music Association) and loves everything about country music and the Fans!!
2 Quotes:
*There ain't nothing in the world today, that me and the Lord can't handle tomorrow! (Roy Acuff)
*Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. (Johnny Cash - Psalm 19:14)
Aaron Goodvin’s new Warner Music Canada / Reviver Records release — V — is available now. The Canadian Country Music Association Award winner already has three Top 10 hits under his belt as an artist, along with his first #1 in Canada, “You Are.” Aaron also boasts an impressive songwriting track record, with songs recorded by country music stars like Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi, and Cole Swindell, and is currently touring the U.S. promoting the single “Bars & Churches.”
“We’re very proud to have Aaron as part of the Reviver family,” said Reviver CEO David Ross. “He’s an incredibly talented artist whose music we have been fans of for quite some time. He’s a natural performer and so his success in such a short period of time comes as no surprise. We’re looking forward to being a part of Aaron’s musical future.”
After appearing as a writer on Luke Bryan’s multi-platinum selling album, Crash My Party, Aaron’s star power continued to rise. His self-titled Warner Music Canada debut featured three Top 10 singles including the smash hit “Lonely Drum.” The track has the honorable distinction of being the only Canadian country single released in the past two years to be certified Platinum. In both 2017 and 2018, Aaron was nominated for CCMA awards, winning the 2018 Songwriter of the Year award for “Lonely Drum.”
Country Music has been all that David Adam Byrnes has ever
known. One of his earliest memories is attending a George
Strait concert and really hearing a George Strait song for the
first time. From that day forward, he would always take his
cowboy hat to school; earning him the nickname of “George
Strait” amongst his peers. In fact, Byrnes spent his final night
of high school, on the stage opening up for the legendary
Hank Williams, Jr.
After high school graduation, Byrnes packed his bags and
headed to Nashville, TN. “I got there and to be honest with
you, I was a little cocky,” he says with a laugh. “But I quickly
learned the road to stardom was going to have a few more
miles on it than I had planned”.
After many nights in Broadway Honky Tonks, Byrnes signed a
publishing/artist development deal and found himself writing
with songwriters such as: Josh Thompson, Chris Young and
Billy Montana. In 2011, after building enough material Byrnes’
released his 1st album “Premium Country”. The debut single
from the record “Sweet Distraction” reached Top 20 on The
Music Row Country Breakout Chart and Top 65 on Billboard
Country Airplay.
Byrnes has had traveled the country and opened for artists
like: Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, Cody Johnson, Aaron
Watson, Joe Nichols, Josh Abbott Band and many others.
With a recent #1 on The Texas Chart with “Beer Bucket List”
produced by Texas Troubadour Trent Wilmon, David Adam
Byrnes is bringing traditional country music back one song at
a time all while becoming a force on The Texas Music Scene.
