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Trace Adkins is Keepin’ it Country:
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Angie Johnson to perform at The Julep
Sony Music Nashville artist, Angie Johnson, whose debut EP, Sing For You, hits stores May 21, 2013, is scheduled to perform at the prestigious Julep Ball 2013 on Friday, May 3. This marks the second year in a row Angie has been invited to appear at the Kentucky Derby’s most high profile pre-party.
Over 1,200 people are expected to attend The Julep 2013 at The KFC Yum Center, which benefits the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. Celebrity guests include actors, athletes, politicians and more.
Currently a Tech Sergeant in the 571st Air National Guard Band, Angie gained international fame when a video of her performing a rousing rendition of Adele’s hit “Rolling in the Deep” was posted to YouTube. The clip, which can be viewed here, has received over 3.2 million views.
Her four-song Sing For You EP includes two songs she co-wrote. The heart-wrenching title track is a moving, true-to-life ballad that showcases Angie’s powerhouse vocals and emotional range. The collaboration, with SESAC Songwriter of the Year Catt Gravitt and renowned producer Josh Leo, was lyrically inspired by Angie’s numerous deployments, along with shared personal accounts of mental and physical pain, by her fellow troops on and off the battlefield.
Grammy Recap: Our Favorite Moments
The 55th Annual Grammy’s took place on Sunday, February 10th and our favorite country artists were well-represented with performances and more. It was impossible to pick a favorite moment, so we picked a few of the best…
Taylor Swift Brings in the Clowns: We’ve never been asked to open the Grammys (or much more than our own mail), but we’d assume it’s a big responsibility that comes with a ton of pressure. With her genre-bending, Alice-in-Wonderland-themed opener, Taylor Swift set the tone for a night of unforgettable performances with her hit about never, ever, ever, EVER getting back together. Although she nabbed a Grammy in the pre-telecast for her collaboration with the Civil Wars, it was her performance that had everyone buzzing. Most notably, there was that moment when she pulled her best Madonna, suddenly acquiring a British accent. Although much has been made about what that meant, we here at Keepin’ It Country have decided it could’ve only been aimed in one direction…
Interview: Doreen Taylor
When we first discovered Doreen Taylor and started to learn about her, we asked ourselves “Is there anything this girl can’t do?!” Then, after a bit more research and some one-on-one chats with Doreen, we received our answer: “NO!” While we would love to tell you that Doreen is a jack of all trades, we won’t go there (you will see why below!). Instead, we will introduce Doreen as a singer, songwriter, and actress with a magical musical past, an impressive academic background, and an incredibly bright future.
Without further ado, we present to you the amazing and talented Doreen Taylor!
Country Artists Make the Grammy Album Cut
Country superstar Grammy nominees Hunter Hayes and Taylor Swift were chosen to appear on the 2013 Grammy Nominees Album. The album, which will be released on January 22 by Capitol Records and Grammy Recordings, will feature Hunter’s “Wanted” and Taylor’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. Hunter is nominated for Best New Artist, while Taylor’s single is up for Record of the Year. Also featured on the album is country music’s stepchild, Kelly Clarkson, as well as Taylor’s current opening act, Ed Sheeran.
Exclusive Interview: New Artist Apryl Evans
It’s not everyday that you meet a mega-talented country singer from New Jersey. Yes, from the land of Snooki and the Situation, at least one person is keeping country music alive. She recorded her first EP “The Things You Left Behind” at Blackbird Studios, the home of Martina McBride and her voice and styling recall the likes of Martina & Sara Evans. We at Keepin’ It Country would like to introduce you to Apryl Evans. You may not know her name yet, but we promise you will.
KIC: For those readers who may be ‘meeting’ you for the first time in this blog, can you give us a little bit of a back story as to how you became a singer/songwriter?
AE: The story of how I ended up on this path actually starts way back when I was only nine years old and tried out to sing the part of Belle from Beauty and the Beast in a school concert, having no idea whether or not I even had a voice worth listening to. Well, needless to say, I ended up getting the part and my music teacher had no idea what kind of monster she had just created (laughs). For the longest time though, I just used my voice to sing at local concerts and high school/college events and what not, but that all changed the day I stumbled upon a songwriting group a few years ago and discovered that songwriting is such amazing therapy. Once that happened, I knew I needed to get my music recorded and share it with the world!
EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Cherie Oakley
Did you watch the first season of “The Voice”? Have you ever heard the Reba McEntire #1 hit song “Turn On the Radio”? Were you tuned in when Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill debuted their new song, “Don’t Rush,” on the 46th Annual CMA Awards? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, our latest interviewee should be no stranger to you!
She’s a little bit of Pop, a little bit of Country, and a whole lot of talent…Her name is Cherie Oakley and we were lucky enough to sit down with her and talk about songwriting, song recording, song performing, and some of the incredible artist encounters she has experienced in her musical career so far!
Sony Music Nashville Signs Angie Johnson
Congratulations to the team at Sony Music Nashville and former The Voice contestant Angie Johnson! It was announced today that she’s signed an exclusive recording contract with the Nashville major label. The Missouri Air National Guard became a YouTube superstar after a video of her performance of Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” became viral. It was that exact video that lead to Angie auditioning for NBC’s mega-hit reality show The Voice.
The St. Louis native spent six years in the Air Force and was honorably discharged after she joined the Air National Guard and moved to Nashville to pursue her dreams of becoming a country singer. Love & Theft‘s Josh Leo has signed on to produce her debut album for the label.
Check out the original viral video below from her performance in Afghanistan and wish Angie luck! We can’t wait to see what she has in store for Music City.
David Nail Cancels Show, On Vocal Rest
MCA Nashville’s David Nail was forced to cancel his show Friday night due to a doctor ordered vocal rest. He was scheduled to play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 19th but suffered a sudden case of laryngitis. After consulting with a medical professi0nal, he was told to cancel his show and go on immediate vocal rest.
David shared the bad news on Twitter before his show was supposed to happen:
“Voice in bad shape … Needing a miracle. Gonna go as long as I can tonight! Scary situation for any singer when the sound won’t come … Say a prayer for my chords!”
David was able to perform Saturday night in Chicago on October 20th. No future tour dates are expected to be affected by the vocal rest. His latest album “1979″ is available digitally right now, and features his hit cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You.”
Blake Shelton & Keith Urban Lead Third Shift Awards
Country music superstars, and The Voice coaches in their respective countries, Keith Urban and Blake Shelton are leading nominations in Blair Garner’s first annual After Midnite Third Shift Awards. As they get closer to the finish line, Keith is leading with nominations in “Fanatical Fans,” “Fantasy Duet,” “Pedal to the Metal,” and “Pin-Up Male” categories. Blake earned quite a few nods himself in “Artist Of The Year,” “Pop-A-Top,” and “Top Twit” awards.
Artists finding themselves up for two nominations in the fun award show include Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Chris Young. Other artists with nominations include Scotty McCreery, Rodney Atkins, Kip Moore, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Reba and Shania Twain.
The final round of voting will take place August 15th through to the 22nd and the winners will be announced on the radio program on August 29th. See the list of nominees below:
Lionel Richie Has Best Selling Country Album of 2012
It’s official! Lionel Richie‘s “Tuskegee” is the best-selling country album for the first half of 2012. The record has sold an approximate 912, 000 copies, which is more than any other release so far this year, by the year’s mid-point on July 1st. That’s the halfway point for Soundscan’s tracking year. Lionel is in second to Adele’s “21″ for all-genre best sellers. To date, Lionel’s now topped sales with more than 934,000 copies sold of his country duets project.
“Tuskegee” claimed the number one spot on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart for two consecutive weeks, and sat atop the Billboard Country Albums Chart for an impressive four weeks in a row. In only five weeks, “Tuskegee” was certified platinum for selling more than 1 million copies.
“What a year!” Richie says. “This album has taken me on an unforgettable journey filled with new friends, new jokes and new musical inspirations. I am overwhelmed and humbled by the success of Tuskegee and am thrilled by how it has been embraced by music lovers of all ages and backgrounds around the world.”
Lionel’s album was released back on March 26th and debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Country Albums chart. It was his best first-week sales that Soundscan has tracked since 1991. It’s become an immediate worldwide hit, debuting at number one on Canada’s Top Albums Chart, and reaching the top 20 albums charts in 10 different countries. It went top 10 in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Sweden. It was his first number one debut in Canada since Soundscan started tracking, and his first number one record in Canada since his 1983 release “Can’t Slow Down.”
The album features 13 duets of Lionel’s biggest hits with some of the brightest stars in country music. Artists featured on the record include Shania Twain, Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffett, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean and Billy Currington.
Lionel will be performing at Boots and Hearts Music Festival in Bowmanville, Ontario this August. We’ll be there, will you? Tickets are still available for this amazing country music festival, which runs August 9th through to the 12th at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. For more information, or to get your tickets before they sell out, visit bootsandhearts.com/.
