Keepin' it Country Media & Radio » Dave Barnes

Blake Shelton is double platinum

Lydia Picknell — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:29:12 +0000

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”

Nicole Piering — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 03:14:52 +0000

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!”

To get you in the holiday spirit, here’s Dave’s version of the track!

Read our exclusive interview with Dave Barnes here.

Exclusive: Interview with Dave Barnes

Nicole Piering — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:51:24 +0000

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.

KIC: For our readers who are ‘meeting’ you for the first time, how would you describe your sound?

DB: It’s a little bit ADD. ha! A little all over the place – blue eyed soul, pop, bits of country!

KIC: Where were you the first time you heard yourself on the radio? How did you react? And be honest, do you still turn it up and sing along if you hear one of your songs?

DB: That’s a good question! I think I was pulling into my house, honestly, and yes, I JAMMED in the garage!!!

KIC: People may not know that you recorded “God Gave Me You” before Blake Shelton. How did he end up recording it?

DB: He heard it on the radio driving home really late one night and really affected him, from what I’m told. I think he and Miranda were in a place in their relationship that GGMY really spoke to. He then came back to his producer and played him the song and they recorded it for his album, and the rest, as they say, is history!

KIC: When you heard Blake’s cut of the song, did you immediately know it would be a hit?

DB: I wish I knew what hits sound like, but I do know that it sounded huge!

KIC: What is your writing process like? What inspires you?

DB: Typically, other music inspires me. I hear an album or a song and I’m usually off to the races!

KIC: What artists would be your top pick to record one of your songs?

DB: Whew – that’s a good question. Bonnie Raitt, David Nail – LOVE his voice and style, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, for a few!

KIC: Is there one moment that you would say is the highlight of your career so far?

DB: There are so many! Getting to open for Bonnie Raitt, writing with Lamont Dozier, being nominated for a Grammy and CMA!

KIC: What has been your most embarrassing on stage moment?

DB: Having to stop a song because i burped in the middle of a lyric.

KIC: If you could only pick one of your songs to define you as an artist, which would you pick?

DB: Grace’s Amazing Hands

KIC: Your most recent album is called “Stories to Tell” and has a bit of a different vibe than some of your previous offerings. What do you feel is the story this album is telling?

DB: That there are so many stories we each have to tell. SO many. Each one like a song on an album, different, sad, fun, slow, fast, but strung together because they are all our stories

KIC: What can we expect from Dave in 2013?

DB: Playing shows and writing songs, hopefully!!

Lightning round:
All-time Favorite Country Song: Walkaway Joe

Coke or Pepsi: Pepsi

World Series or Super Bowl: World Cup

Guilty Pleasure: 80′s R&B

Writing or Performing: Both

Dream Duet Partner: Bonnie Raitt or Stevie Wonder

Favorite Candy: Sour Patch Kids

NY or LA: LA!

We’d like to thank Dave for taking the time to do this interview! For more info, you can check out his website at www.davebarnes.com, follow him on Twitter @davebarnesmusic, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/davebarnesmusic and YouTube at The Official Dave Barnes Channel.

Since he listed it as his defining song, his Dave’s “Grace’s Amazing Hands”:

What Country (and Non-Country) Songs Kelly Clarkson Should Cover Next

Nicole Piering — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 15:56:05 +0000

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.

2. Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts - Kelly has a bit of a history with Rascal Flatts and has both covered “I’m Movin’ On” and performed “What Hurts the Most” with the band. However, we’d love to hear her softer side on this ballad because we’re pretty sure she’d hit it out of the park.

3. Kerosene by Miranda Lambert - It’s no secret that Kelly and Miranda are like totally BFFs. And although we’ve heard Kelly cover the Pistol Annies and sing “Gunpowder and Lead” with Miranda, she’s mentioned that she’s been a Miranda fan since day one of “Kerosene.” We think she’d rock this.

4. Back to December by Taylor Swift - Now don’t get us wrong here, we love us some Taylor, but Kelly has the extra vocal prowess to really take this song up a notch. Plus, she had an album called My December so this cover would be only fitting.

5. Until You by Billy Currington/Dave Barnes - We’re categorizing this one as country because of the Billy Currington version, but really, the slowed down acoustic Dave Barnes version is the one we want to hear. Immediately. It’s sweet and lovey-dovey, without being too saccharine. Plus, KC has mentioned a penchant for “happier songs” since she’s found herself a man, so this is the perfect choice.

Since we’ve got a few faves that aren’t country, here are a few other tracks we’re dying for Miss Clarkson to tackle. We won’t go into too much detail here, but we’ve been a fan of “Feels Like Home” since it’s days on the “Dawson’s Creek” soundtrack and it’s a song that KC would more than slay. We’d also like to hear “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz and “Sigh No More” by Mumford & Sons. Frankly, I could go on and on, but basically, we’d enjoy it if Kelly covered every song, ever, in the universe.

Want to make a request for an upcoming show? Tweet the song to @kelly_clarkson and @jasonhalbert with the city, your name, the song and #kcrequests.

What song do you want to hear Kelly cover? Let us know in the comments!

Blake Shelton Reacts To Grammy Nominations

Lydia Picknell — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:20:46 +0000

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

Jessica Z — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:37:53 +0000

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.

‘God Gave Me You’ is such an inspiring song that a lot of people can relate to. How did this song come about for you?
I had the song title first. Then the music was from another idea I had a year before. I remembered the song idea and it happened that the lyric fit well!

What do you think of Blake Shelton’s version and how do you feel about him having recorded it and released it as a single?
Love it. It’s such an honor. I started to write songs because I wanted other people to sing them. I never thought I would be a singer, so it’s full circle.

You are pretty involved with the Mocha Club. What is it about that organization that made you want to get involved?
I love that my career can be about something other than me. It can be about giving and helping people survive and prosper. Such an empowering thing.

I’ve seen and heard songs that you’ve done with Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum. Your voices blend well together. What is she like to work with?
Amazing. We’ve been friends for a few years and she has really become a little sister in a lot of ways. She’s sooooo talented. It’s an honor to get to play and write with her.

You’re currently on the road and playing shows all over the place, is there a particular city or venue that you love playing?
I always love playing Nashville, LA, and New York. Such fun crazy energy at those cities.

What is one thing about you that fans might be surprised to know?
I didn’t start singing until I was almost through college. Never thought I would be a singer. Never wanted to be, honestly! But here I am -HA!

Who or what inspired you to get into the music business?
I love music. I’m such a fan. The fact that I get to work in an industry I am already so obsessed with is amazing. It’s such a fascinating combination of creativity and business and I love that.

If you weren’t in music, what would you be doing?
Maybe acting or trying my hand at comedy. But probably bothering people with songs I wish they would cut. Ha!

Is there any future projects you can tell us about? Any surprises for your fans in the future?

No real surprises. Just finished my new album with John Fields out in L.A. It’s much more of a pop record than anything I’ve ever done. Really excited about that. Other than that, playing shows and trying to convince people that I know what I’m doing. Ha!