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Tag Archives: Dave Barnes
Blake Shelton is double platinum
Congratulations to Warner Music Nashville’s Blake Shelton! His single “God Gave Me You” from his “Red River Blue” album is now certified as double platinum by the RIAA for selling more than two million digital copies since its release. The single, a cover of Christian singer Dave Barnes, was a personal song to Blake – who heard it on the radio after a fight with his now-wife Miranda Lambert. It was after hearing “God Gave Me You” on the radio that he admitted he reconciled with her.
Dave Barnes was inspired to write the song while on a trip in London, England, about his wife, Annie. The original version of the song charted very well on Billboard – hitting #21 on the Billboard US Adult Contemporary Charts, and #13 on Billboard Adult Christian Charts. Blake’s version was a number one Billboard hit on the Billboard US Country Charts. It was the second single from his “Red River Blue” album.
Congrats to Blake and Dave Barnes!
Tim McGraw Releases Christmas Single “Mary & Joseph”
When we heard that Tim McGraw was releasing a new Christmas single, we were thrilled. When we heard that Tim McGraw was releasing a cover of Dave Barnes‘s beautiful contemporary Christmas song, “Mary & Joseph,” we were ecstatic. The song is a slight foray outside of the traditional holiday formula, but it’s a beautiful and more modern telling of the classic Nativity story.
Dave Barnes has already written a #1 hit for Blake Shelton (“God Gave Me You”), and we suspect that this track of Tim will be heard at Christmastime for years to come. When we reached out to Dave, he was beyond thrilled with the new recording of his track. ”Tim McGraw is a legend. I’ve been listening to his albums since I was in high school, and still remember where I was when I heard ‘Don’t Take the Girl’ for the first time. ‘Just to See You Smile’ is one of my favorite songs of all time. To think that Tim recorded one of MY songs has been and will continue to blow my mind! What an honor!”
Exclusive: Interview with Dave Barnes
Whether you know it or not, we guarantee that you’re already a fan of Razor & Tie recording artist, Dave Barnes. He’s been nominated for a Grammy and a CMA Award, has released two EPs, six albums, including a fantastic Christmas CD, and is utterly hilarious. (Seriously, look up his crazy Youtube videos.) He’s also the man responsible for Blake Shelton‘s #1 Hit “God Gave Me You.”
We had the opportunity to interview Dave, and if you’re not a fan already, read on and let him win you over. We talk career highlights, “God Gave Me You,” dream collaborations and burping on stage.
What Country (and Non-Country) Songs Kelly Clarkson Should Cover Next
Kelly Clarkson has become a genre-defying queen of cover songs lately, throwing a new random offering into each of her live shows. While we love pretty much everything she does, we’re naturally more drawn to her country covers. Here are just a few suggestions that we’d love to hear from Kelly.
1. Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks - At a recent concert, Kelly tackled “Wide Open Spaces,” and although we totally dug it, “Not Ready to Make Nice” is the Chicks’ classic that we’re DYING to hear KC take on. It’s got that power and grit that we know Kelly would sound incredible with.
Blake Shelton Reacts To Grammy Nominations
Now that Blake Shelton has had some time to let his Grammy nominations sink in, he’s released a statement on how surprised he was to tie Jason Aldean for the most Grammy nominations for a country artist with three.
Blake is nominated for “Best Country Solo Performance” for the catchy “Honey Bee,” “Best Country Song” for his current single, the Dave Barnes write “God Gave Me You,” and “Best Country Album” for “Red River Blue” – which we predicted would earn the spot earlier this year.
“It’s one thing to be acknowledged by the GRAMMY voters for one of your songs, but to have two songs nominated, and the album that their both off of, is an emotional experience. I may never have something like this in my career again and I’m darn well going to enjoy it!”
The 54th annual Grammy awards will air live on CBS on February 12th. Watch Blake when he performs live at the American Country Awards on FOX on Monday.
Don’t forget to check out our interview with Dave Barnes from earlier in the year, where he discusses what he thinks of Blake’s version of his single.
Exclusive Interview: Dave Barnes
We had the chance to speak with Dave Barnes, a talented singer-songwriter who considers himself to be a songwriter first. His name has become popular with country music fans as the writer for Blake Shelton’s current single “God Gave Me You,” but he’s also friends with Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott.
We asked him his opinion on Blake’s version of his song, how he came up with “God Gave Me You,” his friendship with Hillary, and his involvement with the “Mocha Club.” See what the down-to-earth singer had to say by clicking the “read more” tag.
