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10 songs for Mother’s Day

Carrie Underwood and her mom.

Us here at Keepin’ it Country want to wish all the moms out there a happy Mother’s Day! Just in case you’re looking for a playlist of songs to help celebrate the weekend with your Mom, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite country songs about moms. Take a listen to our list below and let us know what YOUR picks are for mother’s day.

MAMA’S SONG – CARRIE UNDERWOOD

A personal song written by Carrie herself to her mom is our first pick for our Mother’s Day playlist. The music video features Carrie and her real life mom, as pictured to the side of this post, on her wedding day as she tells her mom that she doesn’t need to worry about her daughter, because she learned from her. “Mama’s Song” was the fourth single from Carrie’s “Play On” album, which was co-written by Carrie with Luke Laird, Kara DioGuardi, and Marti Frederikson. BONUS: The video also features Carrie’s real-life husband, Mike Fisher.

 

Check out the rest of our picks below: 

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Trinity Bradshaw

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Trinity Bradshaw is a budding artist you ought to pay attention to. This country singer-songwriter is making a name for herself here in Canada with several notable accomplishments under her belt. The 21-year-old native of Summerside, Prince Edward Island was named 90.3 Amp Radio’s Amp Radio Rock Star earlier this year, a competition that saw her and others being judged by top music execs. She was also declared the winner of Sugar Crisp’s The First 15, a Canadian national songwriting competition, in 2011.

 

2013 is proving to be an exciting year for the young artist. Trinity is set to play at some major festivals, including Musexpo in California, the Calgary Stampede and Big Valley Jamboree. Moreover, her self-titled debut EP will be released tomorrow (May 7th) and we’re certain that it will be just the beginning of what is to come from this Canadian talent.

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Donny Parenteau

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Donny Parenteau is a talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In the past ten years, he has racked up over 100 nominations at various award shows across Canada. He has also made several appearances on stage as an instrumentalist with country icons Neal McCoy, Merle Haggard, Faith Hill, Shania Twain and more. In his spare time, Donny is involved in an ample amount of charity and humanitarian work.

With a nomination for Sunday’s 2013 JUNO Awards in the Aboriginal Artist of the Year category, Donny is definitely an artist Canadian fans ought to pay attention to. We had the chance to speak with Donny and gain a better understanding of the man behind the music. He offers insight into his lyrical inspiration and his passion for public speaking in this EXCLUSIVE interview.

Blog Rodeo: Everyone Loves Country Music

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It may be hard to believe, but once upon a time, you had to trek down to a record store if you wanted to purchase new music. You’d have to buy a full album and you could only listen to the radio stations that were broadcast in your area. There was no iTunes, no iHeartradio, no Spotify. Heck, there wasn’t even a Napster. Additionally, there were no camera phones, no gossip blogs, no reality television and certainly no Twitter. It’s crazy to imagine a world without all of these things, but once upon a time, it existed.

In that world, it would be nearly impossible for a kid from New York to be exposed to country music. While the mainstream scene was full of Backstreet Boys & Britneys, cowboy hats and boots would’ve seemed out of place. That “country western” music had no place on MTV, no one cared who Shania Twain was dating, and “Amazed” by Lonestar was the most country of  country music we’d ever hear.

Fast forward less than fifteen years, and New York now has a country radio station, Taylor Swift‘s rotating boyfriends are national news & it’s no longer unusual for a country concert to sell out Madison Square Garden. Anyone anywhere in the world can go on iTunes to download that oddly catchy “merry go round song” they heard a snip of, and then they can pop on over to Spotify and stream the whole album. The world has evolved through technology, and likewise, so has country music’s role in the mainstream.

Exclusive Interview: Introducing Tiffany Houghton

Tiffany Houghton.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with country up and comer, Tiffany Houghton, while she was visiting New York. Upon meeting the Texan talent, she apologized profusely for her “messy” hotel room and excitedly told me about her adventures in the big apple.

Although she may be only nineteen, and technically, a Nashville newbie, Tiffany Houghton has always been driven by her love for music. When I asked Tiffany how she got into performing, without skipping a beat, she responded “Oh, I was born. I’ve always loved music. They say that I could sing before I could talk. I’ve always loved to perform,” She tells us. “I’d get on our kitchen counter and sing to the family. But I really got professionally into music when I was 10 and moved to NY, and did some Broadway and musicals and some acting.”

Exclusive Interview: New Artist Apryl Evans

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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!

Faith Hill & Tim McGraw Debut Soul2Soul in Vegas

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Marking the first time they have performed together in six years in the U.S., superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill dazzled audiences with the kick off of “Soul2Soul” at The Venetian Theater this past weekend.  Their smash filled set inside the intimate venue invites the audience to get up close and personal with McGraw and Hill as never seen before.  In between solo hits like McGraw’s “Real Good Man” and Hill’s “Breathe” as well as their current singles “One Of Those Nights” and “American Heart” the powerhouse husband and wife duo deliver crowd favorites  “It’s Your Love” and “Like We Never Loved At All” along with surprising covers and interactive moments with the audience.  The 10 weekend limited engagement runs through April.

They aren’t the only country stars taking over Vegas the last two weeks – Canadian country superstar Shania Twain kicked off her “Still The One” dates at Cesar’s Palace this month. Which show would you travel to see?

Shania Twain Hits Vegas Stage

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Canadian country queen Shania Twain is finally back performing for fans – with a two-year Vegas residency that she kicked off  last week. The 90-minute show is the new headlining act at Cesar’s Palace on the Strip, where she performs all of her biggest hits. It’s already started off on December 1st with great reviews from fans and critics alike – so here’s hoping we’ll get a new tour from Shania!

She shared with reporters last week:

“The show is very fun for me. I was a bit worried that we were staying in the same place. Was I going to lose that edge? But I’ve never had a show this exciting before.”

It’s the first time she’s taken the stage in eight years. There’s still plenty of tickets left for future dates of her “Still The One” shows at Cesar’s Palace through Ticketmaster.com. What do you think about country stars moving to Vegas? Who do you think would have a great show?

A Look Back at AMAs Fashion

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This Sunday marks the 40th Anniversary of the American Music Awards, and when we think of decades past, we think of one thing — crazy fashion choices! So, in anticipation of this year’s big show, we decided to do a little fashion policing of our own (sorry Joan), because though the awards are really about the music, the thing that seems to get the most lasting buzz is the red carpet do’s and don’t's!  Below are our staff’s picks for country music’s fashionistas and fashion faux pas in AMA history!

 

Lionel Richie Receives First-Ever CMA Nomination

Lionel Richie.

It’s almost hard to believe that a musical icon like Lionel Richie can still be receiving “firsts” in the industry today. He’s been nominated for his first-ever Country Music Association (CMA) Award for his duet with Darius Rucker with “Stuck On You” for Musical Event of the Year.

Lionel shares:

“I am thrilled to receive my first nomination from the CMA.  I am so grateful to the country music community for embracing this project and making me feel so at home. To share this nomination with my friend Darius Rucker makes it even more special. I have a CMA nomination and a friend for life. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Darius is just as excited as Lionel is over the nomination:

“I was so honored to have sung with Lionel and am overjoyed with this nomination.”

“Stuck On You” appears on Lionel’s platinum-certified Tuskegee. Tuskegee is the best-selling country album of 2012 and the first country album in more than a year to spend two consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200.  Richie has garnered album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10 hits, five Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a host of other awards.

The album features duets of 13 of his timeless hits with Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Shania Twain.