Last month Jeff Fisher, the coach of the Tennessee Titans, showed up at a fundraiser wearing a Peyton Manning jersey, in honor of Tony Dungee, who was part of the fundraiser.  A lot of Titans fans were upset by the display, but later that night they auctioned off the jersey for the charity and Martina McBride was the person who bought it for over $1000.  There’s no word on what Martina plans to do with the jersey, but the Titans are taking on the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday and according to Nashville’s News 2, Martina reportedly did an interview with ESPN that will air this weekend, so the jersey could make an appearance during her interview.

The nominees have been announced for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards. The award ceremony will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 31, 2010. The ceremony will air on CBS that evening from 8-11:30 p.m.

Below is a list of nominees for some of the categories.

Record of the Year
Beyonce – “Halo”
The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”

Album of the Year
Beyonce – I Am…Sasha Fierce
The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
Lady Gaga – The Fame
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
Taylor Swift – Fearless

Song of the Year
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”

Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Adele – “Hometown Glory”
Beyonce – “Halo”
Katy Perry – “Hot N Cold”
Pink – “Sober”
Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me”

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
John Legend – “This Time”
Maxwell – “Love You”
Jason Mraz – “Make It Mine”
Seal – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”
Stevie Wonder – “All About the Love Again”

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
Bon Jovi – “We Weren’t Born to Follow”
The Fray – “Never Say Never”
Daryl Hall & John Oates – “Sara Smile”
MGMT – “Kids”

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Rosanne Cash & Bruce Springsteen – “Sea Of Heartbreak”
Ciara & Justin Timberlake – “Love Sex Magic”
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat – “Lucky”
Willie Nelson & Norah Jones – “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
Taylor Swift & Colbie Caillat – “Breathe”

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Herb Alpert – “Besame Mucho”
Bela Fleck – “Throw Down Your Heart”
Imogen Heap – “The Fire”
Maxwell – “Phoenix Rise”
Marcus Miller – “Funk Joint”

Best Pop Instrumental Album
Chris Botti – In Boston
Hiroshima – Legacy
Booker T. Jones – Potato Hole
The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman – Modern Art
Spyro Gyra – Down The Wire

Bets Pop Vocal Album
The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.
Colbie Caillat – Breakthrough
Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted
The Fray – The Fray
Pink – Funhouse

Best Dance Recording
The Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
David Guetta & Kelly Rowland – “When Love Takes Over”
Lady Gaga – “Poker Face”
Madonna – “Celebration”
Britney Spears – “Womanizer”

Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Crystal Method – Divided By Night
David Guetta – One Love
Lady Gaga – The Fame
LMFAO – Party Rock
Pet Shop Boys – Yes

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Tony Bennett – A Swingin’ Christmas
Michael Buble – Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden
Harry Connick, Jr. – Your Songs
Liza Minnelli – Liza’s At the Palace
Willie Nelson – American Classic

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Bob Dylan – “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’”
John Fogerty – “Change in the Weather”
Prince – “Dreamer”
Bruce Springsteen – “Working on a Dream”
Neil Young – “Fork in the Road”

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood – “Can’t Find My Way Home”
Coldplay – “Life in Technicolor II”
Green Day – “21 Guns”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
U2 – “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”

Best Hard Rock Performance
AC/DC – “War Machine”
Alice In Chains – “Check My Brain”
Linkin Park – “What I’ve Done”
Metallica – “The Unforgiven III”
Nickelback – “Burn It to the Ground”

Best Metal Performance
Judas Priest – “Dissident Aggressor”
Lamb Of God – “Set To Fail”
Megadeth – “Head Crusher”
Ministry – “Senor Peligro”
Slayer – “Hate Worldwide”

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Jeff Beck – “A Day in the Life”
Booker T. Jones – “Warped Sister”
Brad Paisley – “Playing With Fire”
Brian Setzer Orchestra – “Mr. Surfer Goes Jazzin’”
Steve Vai – “Now We Run”

Best Rock Song
Pearl Jam – “The Fixer”
U2 – “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”
Green Day – “21 Guns”
Kings Of Leon – “Use Somebody”
Bruce Springsteen – “Working on a Dream”

Best Rock Album
AC/DC – Black Ice
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood – Live From Madison Square Garden
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
U2 – No Line on the Horizon

Best Alternative Music Album
David Byrne & Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Death Cab for Cutie – The Open Door
Depeche Mode – Sounds of the Universe
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Melanie Fiona – “It Kills Me”
Lalah Hathaway – “That Was Then”
Ledisi – “Goin’ Thru Changes”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Lions, Tigers & Bears”

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Anthony Hamilton – “The Point of it All”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Musiq Soulchild – “Sobeautiful”
Pleasure P – “Under”
Charlie Wilson – “There Goes My Baby”

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – “Blame It”
India.Arie & Musiq Soulchild – “Chocolate High”
Musiq Soulchild & Mary J. Blige – “Ifuleave”
Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters – “Higher Ground”
Calvin Richardson & Ann Nesby – “Love Has Finally Come at Last”

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Beyonce – “At Last”
Anthony Hamilton – “Soul Music”
Boney James & Quinn – “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”
Ann Nesby – “Sow Love”
Calvin Richardson – “Woman Gotta Have It”

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
The Foreign Exchange – “Daykeeper”
Robert Glasper & Bilal – “All Matter”
India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore – “Pearls”
Eric Roberson, Ben O’Neill & Michelle Thompson – “A Tale of Two”

Best R&B Song
Jamie Foxx & T-Pain – “Blame It”
Jazmine Sullivan – “Lions, Tigers & Bears”
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings”
Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Pleasure P – “Under”

Best R&B Album
Anthony Hamilton – The Point of it All
India.Arie – Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics
Ledisi – Turn Me Loose
Maxwell – Blacksummers’ Night
Charlie Wilson – Uncle Charlie

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Beyonce – I Am…Sasha Fierce
Jamie Foxx – Intuition
Pleasure P – The Introduction of Marcus Cooper
Trey Songz – Ready
T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz

Best Rap Solo Performance
Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
Eminem – “Beautiful”
Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite”
Mos Def – “Casa Bey”

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Beastie Boys & Nas – “Too Many Rappers”
Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent – “Crack A Bottle”
Fabolous & Jay-Z – “Money Goes, Honey Stay”
Kid Cudi, Kanye West & Common – “Make Her Say”
Kanye West & Young Jeezy – “Amazing”

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Beyonce & Kanye West – “Ego”
Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo – “Knock You Down”
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”
The Lonely Island & T-Pain – “I’m On a Boat”
T.I. & Justin Timberlake – “Dead And Gone”

Best Rap Song
Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
Kid Cudi – “Day ‘N’ Nite”
T.I. & Justin Timberlake – “Dead And Gone”
Jay-Z – “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – “Run This Town”

Best Rap Album
Common – Universal Mind Control
Eminem – Relapse
Flo Rida – R.O.O.T.S.
Mos Def – The Ecstatic
Q-Tip – The Renaissance

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Miranda Lambert – “Dead Flowers”
Martina McBride – “I Just Call You Mine”
Taylor Swift – “White Horse”
Carrie Underwood – “Just A Dream”
Lee Ann Womack – “Solitary Thinkin’”

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Trace Adkins – “All I Ask For Anymore”
Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
Jamey Johnson – “High Cost of Living”
George Strait – “Living For the Night”
Keith Urban – “Sweet Thing”

Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals
Brooks & Dunn – “Cowgirls Don’t Cry”
Zac Brown Band – “Chicken Fried”
Lady Antebellum – “I Run to You”
Rascal Flatts – “Here Comes Goodbye”
Sugarland – “It Happens”

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
Dierks Bentley & Patty Griffin – “Beautiful World”
Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally – “Down The Road”
Brad Paisley & Keith Urban – “Start A Band”
Carrie Underwood & Randy Travis – “I Told You So”
Lee Ann Womack & George Strait – “Everything But Quits”

Best Country Instrumental Performance
Alison Brown – “Under the (Five) Wire”
The Greencards – “The Crystal Merchant”
Sarah Jarosz – “Mansinneedof”
Steve Wariner – “Producer’s Medley”

Best Country Song
Trace Adkins – “All I Ask For Anymore”
Jamey Johnson – “High Cost of Living”
Lady Antebellum – “I Run to You”
Billy Currington – “People Are Crazy”
Taylor Swift – “White Horse”

Best Country Album
Zac Brown Band – The Foundation
George Strait – Twang
Taylor Swift – Fearless
Keith Urban – Defying Gravity
Lee Ann Womack – Call Me Crazy

What do You Wish For?

My favorite vocal artist is Martina McBride. I came across another video of hers today that I think is appropriate for this time of year and I wanted to share it with you!

For These Times (click on this link for the video to open in another window)

It is the season of wishes. My children have many, especially my daughter.

My wish:

1. That I can become the person I want to be: a wonderful wife and mother, healthy & happy with whatever life brings, able to forgive my enemies,  a true friend and the best example of what is great in mankind

Most days, I wake up and by the end of the day, I believe that I have moved closer to that goal. Some days, not so much.

But, the important thing is, I wake up each day. And each day, I try, try again.

What do you wish for?

for the second week of the Christmas sale I’d love to show you these earrings…

Introducing, the Blue Marquis earrings

These gorgeous earrings are owned by Reba McEntire and Martina McBride!

And for this week only…. they are $20 off!  *Only on  KV BIJOU’s website

Materials:  sterling silver and freshwater shell.

Kelsey

Growing up in the home town of Buck Owens…Mr. Country Music…I knew LOTS of country songs, as of late I don’t frequent the country tracks although I hear little miss Taylor Swift is tearing it up. Anyway, the Country Music Awards recently had an awards show which means another great red carpet to judge. There is something about the CMA’s that is a little bit messier than other red carpets. I don’t know why, but its like the country music scene is the red headed step child of the fashion world…they just never get it. THIS is why I had so many BAD things to post. Not too many winners but I did have two standouts….away we go.

Jessica Harp

This girl is obviously thinking she is in the Miss America pageant with just bright colors and all that beading!! YIKES!! With all that going on, PLUS all that crazy hair she definitely could have toned it down…a LOT.

Diana Degarmo

Where to even begin with this one??? The gold lame trim, the awful shoe/sandal/booties?? How about the Peptol Bismo color of the dress? Then you add in the half up Bump-it style hair and you are on the road to disaster. I also have a serious problem with girls wearing hot pink on a red carpet….it just hurts my eyes.

Patricia Heaton

I know you have to hand it to Patricia Heaton for being so honest about getting work done in an industry that can turn against you so quickly, however, this all out slap in the face with a fake boob is outrageous!! This cleavage bearing, thigh-high mini screams I’M TRYING TOO HARD. She does look great for her age but you can still spot some signals that tell you shes too old for this outfit…not the wrinkly skin above the knees and veiny look of her legs. Oh sigh Patricia…quit being a cougar and clean up your act, at your age, skirts should NOT be thigh high!

Martina McBride

Big hair and even BIGGER dress. Although this is a nice attempt at pulling off the Grecian inspired look, the combination of the super tight top and elaborate draping over her thighs is really not flattering. Not to mention the shiny fabric and overwhelming volume in awful areas…yuk.

Awww poor Leann Rimes…you think your soo perfect because you left your husband for a hot lover…hmmm? Well let me tell you something you little sloot….your not perfect!! nice try. I see your devil in disguise turns up on the runway as well! Wearing a flowing white “virginal” dress paired with harsh black nails and vampy eyes. homewrecker.

Ok now on to the red-carpet super stars of this evening. First off is country musics favorite couple and mine as well… Time and Faith….they do no wrong.

Faith looks effortlessly chic. This steel gray Grecian dress combined with lots of layered necklaces is an easy go to and looks fabulous every time. Since her dress is so well fitted and very simple she really stepped it up with lots of jewels and huge statement earrings….not to mention a girls best accessory, her hot hubby. Tim is also effortlessly country-chic. Normally I would hate on a leather-esque cow-boy hat…but somehow he is pulling it off.

A lot of people spent the weekend watching a lot of football in HD, and as far as Martina McBride is concerned, that’s about the only thing HDTV is good for.  Over the weekend she sent out a tweet that said, “Okay. I’m just gonna say it. HDTV sucks. I’m so tired of everything looking like a home movie. How did we get talked into this?”  She continued in a second tweet saying, “When I watch tv,I want 2 B taken out of reality. Nothing has any filmic quality at all anymore. Sitcoms, videos,etc. all look cheap & weird.”  She does make one exception.  In a third tweet she said, “But it is good for sports. There should just be ‘Sports HDTV’. The rest of it….noooooo.”

Baladas fortes e cheias de motivação é a primeira coisa que vem a cabeça quando se fala em uma das cantoras mais respeitadas do country, Martina McBride. E com seu álbum de 2009, Shine, não foi diferente.

Apesar de mudar alguns de seus produtores, e fazer uma produção diferente da presente no bem sucedido Waking Up Laughing de 2007, Shine mantém todas as caracteristicas da carreira de Martina, em frases como “Se você tem amor, não precisa de dinheiro“, “Eu ficarei bem, aprenderei a amar outro, as vezes, adeus é a coisa mais dificil de dizer” e “È um jogo perdido que estou jogando, fingindo um sorriso, você continua me esperando, meu coração ainda quebrado” presente nas baladas What Do i Have To Do, Walk Away e Love Don´t Coast a Dime, que relembram vários outros hits da carreira de Martina.

O álbum, que conta com a participação de Dan Huff e dos Irmãos Warren na produção e composição alcançou o topo das paradas Country nos EUA, e o primeiro single Ride, é uma música animada, que fala basicamente em aproveitar a vida ao máximo entrou para o Top 15 dos EUA na posição 11. Martina recentemente saiu em turnê com a Shine All Nigh Tour, que conta com a participação de Trace Adkins, para promover o álbum.

Faixas:

1 – “Wrong Baby Wrong Baby Wrong” ##
2 – “I Just Call You Mine” #
3 – “Sunny Side Up” #
4 – “Walk Away” #
5 – “I’m Trying”
6 – “What Do I Have to Do” ##
7 – “Don’t Cost a Dime” #
8 – “Ride” #
9 – “You’re Not Leaving Me”
10  -”Wild Rebel Rose” #
11 – “Lies” #

Destaques  #

Singles:  Ride, I Just Call You Mine (até o momento)

______________________________________________________________

Vote no álbum de Janeiro!

Pessoal, mais alguns vídeos da turnê de Martina McBride e Trace Adkins:

Montagem com alguns shows da Martina na turnê:

Trace falando o quanto gosta das musicas da Martina, e canta This One is For The Girls:

Trace live “Your Gona Miss This”. Má qualidade, mas é um dos únicos vídeos deles cantando na turnê.

Pessoal, hoje começa um novo especial no CMB. Vídeos antigos, classicos, das lendas do country, reunidos aqui. Para começar, temos 7 dos maiores nomes na história da música country em 2 vídeos. Confira:

1 – Os participantes desse vídeo dispensam apresentações. Falam por si só. As 3 maiores lendas vivas do country, JUNTOS em um Medley de seus clássicos!

Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton e Kenny Rogers no especial televisivo “Kenny, Dolly, & Willie: Something Inside So Strong“  em 1989:

2 – Nesse segundo vídeo, 4 das maiores cantoras country de todos os tempos, no especial “Reba Starting Over” de 1995.

Martina McBride, Linda Davis, Trisha Yearwood e Reba McEntire cantando On My Own:

De volta aqui pra falar um pouco mais sobre a premiação mais importante do mundo da música. Nessa 2ª parte vou falar um pouco dos diversos fields, dando mais destaque para os artistas do que para as categorias em si. O Grammy tem muitas categorias e fica meio impossível falar de cada uma sem ser chato e monótono, so here we go!

Começando com o field mais importante, pelo menos pra mim: Pop! Esse ano mais diversificado que nunca, pois ultimamente todo mundo submete seus trabalhos aqui, de Miley Cyrus à Kanye West. E nem tudo que é submetido é o que eu realmente acho que é pop, como por exemplo Amy Winehouse que ganhou 2 Grammys em 2007 nesse field. Come on! Ela é R&B! Esse ano parece estar sendo dominado pelas mulheres, eu vejo duas delas fazendo a dobradinha de Melhor Performance Vocal Pop Feminina e Melhor Álbum Vocal Pop, são elas Kelly Clarkson e Diane Birch com as faixas “Already Gone” e “Nothing But A Miracle” e os álbuns All I Ever Wanted e Bible Belt, respectivamente. Taylor Swift deve marcar presença aqui, visto que a moça submeteu o hit “You Belong With Me” aqui, fechando a categoria das performances eu vejo Miley Cyrus com “The Climb” e Beyoncé com “Halo”. E nos álbuns P!nk, Lily Allen e The Black Eyed Peas devem fechar a categoria. A categoria de Melhor Performance Pop de Grupo ou Duo deve ser a mais diversificada de todas, com a presença pra lá de confirmada dos Peas com o hit do ano “I Gotta Feeling”, um Dance/R&B e aí temos The All-American Rejects com “Gives You Hell”, The Fray com “Never Say Never” e 3OH!3 com “Don’t Trust Me”, os dois primeiros tem uma pegada mais rock e o último é uma mistura de Hip Hop com música eletrônica, e completando a categoria as The Pussycat Dolls com “I Hate This Part”.

Eu gosto de rock, mas não entendo nada e nem conheço tantos representantes do meio. Minhas previsões nesse field são na maioria chutes, mas tem umas indicações que são meio óbvias. Kings Of Leon vem forte com o “Use Somebody” e eu torço por uma vitória consecutiva deles na categoria de Mehor Performance Rock de Grupo ou Duo. Mas dominando as indicados do field eu vejo três nomes: U2, Green Day e Bruce Springsteen. Os três são indicados “obrigatórios” e sempre que fazem algo novo, marcam presença aqui. Marcando presença devem estar também Bob Dylan, Nickleback, The Killers e AC/DC.

Chegamos ao field mais dispustado do ano: o R&B. É muita gente boa com chance de indicação e acredito que essas serão uma surpresa. Quem vai dominar o field? Não é novidade para ninguém, a rainha dos palcos Beyoncé! Ela não vem pra brincadeira não, a moça se submeteu em todas as categorias possíveis e imagináveis. O máximo de indicações que ela pode conseguir aqui são 5 e eu aposto nas 5 indicações, são elas: Melhor Performance Vocal R&B Feminina por “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”, Melhor Performance Tradicional por “At Last”, Melhor Performance Urban/Alternativa por “Scared Of Lonely”, Melhor Canção R&B por “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” e Melhor Álbum de R&B Contemporâneo pelo I Am… Sasha Fierce. Quem deve fazer a festa aqui é a rainha Whitney Houston e o seu comeback, que deve lhe garantir 3 indicações. O comeback do Maxwell deve conseguí-lo o mesmo número de indicações que Whitney. Completando o field: Chrisette Michele, Keyshia Cole, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, Solange (sim, a irmã da Beyoncé), Jamie Foxx, Raphael Saadiq e muitos outros.

No field Country o nome a ser batido é Taylor Swift. Mesmo não tendo submetido seu hit, a moça vem com uma de suas melhores música: “White Horse”, podendo concorrer à Melhor Canção Country e Melhor Performance Vocal Country Feminina e o álbum mais vendido do ano nos EUA, Fearless. Quem vem forte na categoria é a queridinha do Grammy (pelo menos nas categorias Country) Carrie Underwood, a moça deve faturar mais um Grammy pela colaboração com Randy Travis em “I Told You So”, além de conseguir mais duas indicações com “Just A Dream”, uma de suas melhores músicas. Quem vem forte, ainda mais depois do CMA, é o Lady Antebellum com um dos melhores singles do ano “I Run To You”. Brad Paisley e Keith Urban vêm forte entre os homens, principalmente por causa do dueto “Start A Band” dos dois, que vai bater de frente com o dueto de Carrie e Randy. Entre os indicados também teremos: Martina McBride (torcendo por “I Just Call You Mine”), Reba McIntire, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney e Rascal Flatts.

Por hoje é só, no próximo, e último, post sobre os Grammys eu pretendo falar sobre o que eu gostarie que tivesse indicado, descartando as listas de submissões. Até lá!

See you guys!

Trace Adkins and Martina McBride will kick off their Shine All Night Tour tonight in Moline, IL.  Trace says the tour came about because, “My manager asked me how I’d feel about touring with Martina… [I thought] She sings great, she looks good, let’s go! You know, I mean, what do you want from me?”  And Martina is excited because she says, “It’s gonna be a party!”  The tour will run through March of 2010.

Pessoal, aqui vai mais alguns vídeos das preprarações da Shine All Nght Tour, nova turnê da Martina McBride com Trace Adkins…

“3 Dias”

“2 Dias”

A turnê se iniciará hoje, dia 20/11 em Moline, Illinois (EUA)

E aew povo, nesse Top 5 das 5 mais ouvidas no CMB temos Dierks Bentley no topo com Every Mile a Memory, no segundo lugar, Martina McBride com seu clássico Independence Day, seguida por David Nail com Red Light. Desenterramos On The Road Again, hino do rei Willie Nelson e na quinta posição Toby Keith com Every Dog Has its Day.

1 – Every Mile a Memory - Dierks Bentley

2 – Independence Day – Martina McBride

3 – Red Light – David Nail

4 – On The Road Again - Willie Nelson

5 – Every Dog  Has its Day – Toby Keith

The international men’s magazine Maxim has come out with its list of the hottest women in country music, as voted on by the readers of Maxim and Maxim.com.  In no particular order, some of the women who made the list include Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Gretchen Wilson, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Karen and Kimberly of Little Big Town, Faith Hill, Martina McBride and Miranda Lambert.  You can see the complete list by clicking here.  (This is not a nude publication, but it is risqué, so use caution if you decide to click the link.  Some of the photos on the site may be a little provocative if you’re at work or the kids are around.)

Rodney Hall (left) with Wilson Pickett (right)

Reaching its half-century mark, the FAME Music Group with offices in Nashville and Muscle Shoals, Alabama remains a family-owned company whose survival as a studio and as an independent publisher–rests heavily on the shoulders of Rodney Hall, president/co-owner of FAME Publishing, House of FAME, and Muscle Shoals Records.Hall, who is also the studio’s manager/engineer, has spent years at the complex supervising demos to masters of such artists as Alabama, Marie Osmond, Clarence Carter, Jason Isbell, Drive-By-Truckers, Bettye Lavette, Russell Smith and others.He also oversees the catalogs of FAME Publishing (BMI), and House of FAME (ASCAP).

FAME—its name derived from the acronym for Florence Alabama Music Enterprises—was founded in 1959 by Rodney’s father Rick, along with Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford. Its in-house writers, Hall, Sherrill, and Dan Penn soon wrote songs that were covered by such artists as Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee, and Tommy Roe before Hall assumed sole ownership of the firm.A native of Freedom Hills in Franklin County, Alabama, Rick Hall rose from a humble background to come to the Shoals’ region in the late 1950s. By 1960, he had moved FAME across the Tennessee River to Muscle Shoals.In 1961, Hall produced Arthur Alexander’s breathtaking “You Better Move On” at an old abandoned tobacco and candy warehouse. Issued by Dot Records, the single reached #24 on Billboard’s pop chart. “You Better Move On” was later covered by the Rolling Stones, the Hollies, George Jones & Johnny Paycheck, and Mink DeVille. Alexander’s follow-up hit “Anna” was later covered by the Beatles.

The first song recorded at FAME’s Avalon Avenue studio location, and the first release on the FAME label (after sitting on the shelf for three years), was Jimmy Hughes’ signature hit, “Steal Away.” It reached #17 on Billboard’s R&B and pop charts in 1964.The FAME label roster would grow to include Clarence Carter, Dan Penn, Arthur Conley, Mac Davis, Paul Anka, and Candi Staton.World renowned for creating “The Muscle Shoals Sound”–along with such powerhouse studio players as Norbert Putnam, Spooner Oldham, Jerry Carrigan, Earl “Peanut” Montgomery, Terry Thompson, David Briggs, Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, Eddie Hinton, David Hood, Jimmy Johnson and others–Hall has attracted and worked with an astonishing number of great acts to his FAME studio.

Lynard Skynard’s “Sweet Alabama” famously paid tribute to the region’s musicians“Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers And they’ve been known to pick a song or two,Lord they get me off so much,they pick me up when I’m feeling blue, now how about you”?Among those who have made the trek to the FAME studio are Aretha Franklin (her sole session there yielded her breakthrough“I Never Loved A Man”that the band Aersosmith released 4 years ago on their album”Honkin on Bobo”,an unfinished version of “Do Right Woman Do Right Man”,Wilson Pickett,Etta James,Otis Redding,Joe Tex,the Staple Singers,the Tams,the Osmonds,Tom Jones,as well as such country acts as the Gatlin Brothers,Jerry Reed,T.G. Sheppard,Shenandoah and many others.It was Hall who,after catching guitarist Duane Allman playing a session with his band Hour Glass,hired him to play on Pickett’s 1969 album,“Hey Jude” (1969). Allman was then quickly hired on as a full-time session player.While at FAME only less than a year,Allman was featured on releases by Clarence Carter,King Curtis,Otis Rush,Ronnie Hawkins,Percy Sledge,Johnny Jenkins,Boz Scaggs,and jazz flautist Herbie Mann.

Along the way,Hall’s publishing companies FAME Publishing and Rick Hall Music signed writers like Walt Aldridge and Tommy Brasfield who scored country hits with Ronnie Milsap,Earl Thomas Conley,Alabama,and Ricky Van Shelton.After selling the publishing rights to songs in the FAME Publishing and Rick Hall Music catalogs to EMI Music Publishing in 1989,Hall began to rebuild his publishing interests with his three sons,Rodney,Mark,and Rick Jr.FAME Publishing and Rick Hall Music continued to have hits throughout the ’90s.Writers,including Walt Aldridge,Gary Baker,Mark Narmore,Brad Crisler,Bruce Miller,Tony Colton,and Mark Hall had songs recorded by John Michael Montgomery,Pam Tillis,Blackhawk,Tim McGraw,Reba McEntire,All 4 One and Shenandoah.In 1996,Mark Hall co wrote “I Like It I Love It” which reached #1 on the Billboard country charts.In 1999,Rick Hall sold chunks of FAME Publishing,and Rick Hall Music to Los Angeles-based publisher Music and Media.Rodney and Mark Hall then bought the unrecorded songs,and assets of the two publishing companies from their father Rick,and renamed Rick Hall Music as House of FAME.Afterwards,FAME began to replenish its writing staff with a batch of new young writers.Today,it’s roster includes James LeBlanc and his son Dylan,Jason Isbell,Gary Nichols,former“Nashville Star”winner Angela Hacker,and members of the Mobile,Alabama band,Ugly Stick.In the past decade,FAME has had songs recorded by the Dixie Chicks,Tim McGraw,Leann Rimes,Reba McEntire,Rascal Flatts,George Strait,Jason Aldean,Joe Diffie,Martina McBride,Travis Tritt,Sara Evans,Aaron Tippin,Billy Ray Cyrus,Alabama,John Michael Montgomery,Chris Ledoux, Rebecca Lynn Howard,Kenny Chesney,Gary Allan,and Bo Bice.In 2001,Rodney Hall established the subsidiary label, Muscle Shoals Records which has released albums by Russell Smith,James LeBlanc,and the Muscle Shoals band the Decoys.

There are currently many up and coming rising stars & inspiring songwriters based out of Muscle Shoals,Alabama & surrounding areas that are paving their way into the Music Industry.Some which are making not only local headlines but National headlines and I would’nt be surprised at all if a few of them becomes the next history hit makers from Muscle Shoals Alabama.While reading this article,Soundbitenew’s conducted a quick search on the area and let’s just say we’ve been more than inspired. We’ve been knocked off of our feet with information that’s not in this article. So we will be bringing you more stories and hopefully a few of our own candid interviews from other Muscle Shoals artist very soon.One duo group specifically called ”State Line Mob” has already agreed for an article,so they can tell their side of the legacy and talk about their music that seems to keep growing called “The Muscle shoals Sound”!

 This concludes part 1 of this article. Part 2 below this article will include an candid one on one up to date interview with Rodney Hall of Fame Recording Studio and Fame Music Group.You don’t want to miss reading it!

Credits: The ENCORE Digital Weekly Magazine  , revised by Soundbitenews                                                                             taken from the original article posted by Larry LeBlanc

We hope you enjoyed part 1 of the Fame Music Group article as much as we did.So now we begin with part 2 of the artcicle,Rodney Hall of Fame Music group speaks out,in this very recent candid interview.

As a company, you have a strong brand name.

Absolutely. We really have two brand names, FAME and we have Muscle Shoals. We’ve come to the conclusion that the Muscle Shoals brand is probably bigger than the FAME brand. Just because it is a bit more famous. Lynyrd Skynard didn’t say “FAME’s got the Swampers.” (in “Sweet Home Alabama.”) They said “Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers”.

How did you come to work at the studio?

When I was younger, I would come in and do odd jobs. After I graduated, I got a masters from (University of) Alabama in business, and I went to work in Huntsville (Alabama) selling computers for a corporate computer company. We sold to NASA, and The Boeing Company. The 486 computer had just come out, and it was screaming (selling well). It’s a funny story today, but I sold a 486 computer to NASA for $20,000. It had a gigabyte of hard drive, 4 Megs of RAM on the video card and, maybe, 12 or 16 Megs on the RAM. Now, you couldn’t even give that away.

I’m surprised with your business degree that your dad didn’t seek you out to work in the family business. At that point, he was busy producing country acts like Shenandoah and T.G. Sheppard.

When I got out of college, the last thing I wanted to do was go to work for my family.

Well, it’s often hard for someone to work for their father.

Especially, if he’s mine.

Those stories of your dad being pugnacious are true?

He’s definitely one of a kind. He’s got his own way of doing things. That’s the way he wants it done. Of course, a lot of that (attitude) has changed over the years.

How did you jump from selling computers back to Muscle Shoals in 1990?

I was doing well selling computers, but I wasn’t very happy doing it. I was sitting an hour away (in Huntsville) thinking, “My family has a world famous business, and that is what I want to do, if I can just put up with the whole family business thing.” One day, I just said, “I’m going to try it.” (The music business) is what my passion is. Even though I was making good money selling computers, it was not what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

Did you then have to establish ground rules of conduct with you dad?

I’m doing that now (laughing). At the time, my brother Mark was in Nashville, and he was pitching songs for us. We needed someone to come back here and take the reins. Mark didn’t want to move back to Muscle Shoals. So, I went ahead and made the plunge.

You didn’t sit down with your dad and say, “I will come if…..”?

Well, we had some of those conversations. At that time, he wasn’t in every day. He was kind of doing his own thing. He had just sold the publishing catalog to EMI, and we were rebuilding the catalog. So, it was a good time to get into it. He produced Alabama in 2000, and he did some things that never came out. He did some things with Marie Osmond on Curb that never came out. He did Vern Gosdin, Billy Joe Royal and other things. The real big act that he was working with was Shenandoah.

Muscle Shoals had once seriously challenged Memphis’ claim to be the capital of southern soul. But the glory days had gone by the time you returned.

Oh, the glory days were definitely gone. And I knew that. I knew that it was going to be up to me to rebuild (the business), and keep it going. I looked around, and everybody in Muscle Shoals was 10 or 15 years older than me, at best. Some were even older than that. There weren’t many up-and-coming talents around at that point. I think a lot of that was the fact that (our company) had gotten so big. It was a little different back in those days. It was a closed door situation. It wasn’t like you could walk over here and play someone a song.

Nashville, two hours away, had become the draw for young songwriters and musicians throughout the south.

Absolutely.

Muscle Shoals isn’t Nashville.

Leaving (Nashville), I can’t wait to see the city limits sign in my rear-view mirror. They’ll chase their tail there (trying to come up with hits). It’s “Oh, we have to write a song for Taylor Swift.” By the time, the writers get the song written, demoed, and get it to her, she’s gone onto something else.I think the thing about Muscle Shoals is that we don’t put boundaries on people like Nashville does. A song has to have this or has to have that there. We just do what we like, and what we feel. We don’t worry about whether it’s country or rock and roll or whatever. We just make music that we like.

Memphis is the blues center; Nashville is a country center; but Muscle Shoals is part of the triangle with both soul and country.

We say that it’s “The crossroads of country rock and soul.” There’s a little bit of all of that mixed in whatever we do. No matter what we are doing, whether we are doing country or whatever, we feel that there is a thread of soul there.

George Jones recently said that new country stars have stolen country’s music’s identity. He said they should find their own genre name.

I know what George was talking about, but I think that it is also just evolution. You go look at who was considered pop in the ‘50s and ‘60s, artists like the Lettermen and Dion. All that was pop then, but what they call pop now doesn’t resemble that.I think there’s a market for a music that is not country, but has some country feel to it. Everybody throws (such acts) into the Americana (format) which is never going to work until they go to a singles’ driven market because you can’t get any kind of grip at radio or anywhere else. There’s nobody playing the same songs.

It’s a shame that Delbert McClinton, Lucinda Williams or Roseanne Cash aren’t heard more on mainstream radio when their music is so popular with a segment of the population.

It’s the same thing with soul music. People love Wilson Pickett. They love that kind of music but nobody’s making it because there’s no way to make money on it anymore.

Have you heard Rod Stewart’s “Soulbook” album? It’s quite good.

I bet it is. He’s a singing fool. Always has been. I was a huge Rod Stewart fan with “Maggie May” and all of that. I hated his “American Songbook” series. But, he sold a bunch of them.

What’s happening with the FAME label?

We will probably be doing more records, but they will likely be on Muscle Shoals Records, and not on FAME. Digital is the way to go now. If you press up any CDs, a thousand is the most you need to press, most likely, unless you are going to get into Wal-Mart, which you are not.

The radio promotion game is too expensive to play.

We tried that on the James LeBlanc record. You spend $75,000 promoting one single. You can’t do it.

Your dad sold off the catalogs of FAME Publishing and Rick Hall Music to EMI in 1989, but he didn’t sell the studio.

No. The publishing side he sold to EMI in ’89, and then we rebuilt the catalog and sold it to Billy Meshel (CEO & owner, Music & Media International) in 1999. Dad never sold the studio. I don’t know of another studio that has been owned by the same owner for 50 years and is still in business.

Look at the recording studios that closed their doors during that period, like The Record Plant.

I know. Over the past 10 years, studio owners have been gnashing their teeth, and going under. We’ve had that (tight economic) situation for 25 years. We are used to it. We branched out long ago. We still do a lot of studio work. We just hired Tom Swift, who used to work at The Record Plant, as chief engineer. We long ago realized that we had to use the studio as a tool to build our publishing and production companies up rather than trying to make a living on the studio. That’s just not a possibility anymore.

[Tom “Swifty” Swift has won two Grammy Awards and worked with Eric Clapton, Don Henley, AC/DC, Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, B.B. King, and Tania Maria. He has also worked on several soundtracks including "The Color Of Money,” "Postcards from the Edge,” and "Let's Spend the Night Together-Rolling Stones."]

Today, it’s tough to own a studio when so many producers have home studios with Pro Tools, and labels are hardly signing anymore.I know. It’s a scary time. However, we are in the process of revamping everything here, including upgrading our Pro Tools to HD. We have to hire some new people. We think that when the business is down that is the time to take advantage of opportunities. There’s a lot of talented people out there who are looking for gigs.

Over the years, have you collected much obsolete studio equipment?

I’ve got a roomful of stuff–ADATs, and DATs (recorders). We probably have every piece of studio equipment that has come along over the past 30 years. Even something like a Rhodes (electric) piano, every keyboard in the world today has a Rhodes’ sound on it, usually as good as the Rhodes. The only two things I have found that a synthesizer can’t emulate is a (Hammond) B-3 organ, and a Wurlitzer.

How many people work for the company?

On the studio side, we have three. On the publishing side, there’s five, including Steve Williams in Nashville. He was A&R head at Arista Records (Nashville) for years. We have 10 writers.

Do you have any access to the former FAME catalogs held by EMI Music?

No. I once went to them, and pitched the idea of letting us work the catalog and give us a piece of anything we got cut. They told me that they don’t do that kind of stuff. So (the publishing) sits there. It makes me sick to my stomach.

What was sold to Music & Media International in 1999?

That was the catalog that was built afterwards (1989-1999). We didn’t sell the entire catalog. We just sold what (songs that) had been recorded.

You then rebuilt the roster?

Exactly. With all new people that we signed. We basically gave them an opportunity.Very little in the way of advances. None of them had ever had a cut before or even a hold before they came here. Now, they are all doing well.

How many copyrights does the company have?

It’s a good size catalog with about 3,000 songs. The thing is that what we did in 1999 was that we sold only the songs that had generated income. So, we kept the catalogs on a lot of big writers that we had over the past 20 years.

How active are you in the day-to-day of the company’s publishing?

I am very active daily.I work with the writers.I work with the guys in Nashville.I pitch songs.I sign writers.So I am very,very active in it.I also produce and engineer (in the studio) some. But everything has changed so much that it is hard to keep up (with the technology).It is insane trying to keep up with Pro Tools, and all of the updates (on equipment).

Who are your writers?

We have James LeBlanc and his son Dylan. He’s 19-years-old, and he’s going to be a superstar. We’ve got Jason Isbell who was one of the Drive-By-Truckers for several years (2001-2007). Now, he’ a solo act (with accompanying band, The 400 Unit] who was up for Americana Music Album of the year (for “Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit”) this year. We’ve got Gary Nichols, who is a writer/artist with a James Otto cut out now (“Your Good Thing Has Gone Bad”), another cut on Bo Bice (“Ain’t Gonna Die”) and a few others. We have Angela Hacker, who won (USA Network talent show) “Nashville Star” two years ago.We’ve got Ugly Stick, which is a funk hip hop kind of a band. We also have two or three up and comers that are on their way.

You’ve recently have had some good covers.

Yeah, we had two hits this past year with James LeBlanc and Matt Warren scoring two cuts (“Learning How to Bend” and Yesterday’s Rain”) on Gary Allan’s “Living Hard” CD; and James LeBlanc and John Paul White wrote the title cut of Jason Aldean’s CD (“Relentless”). We’ve got three cuts on the Rascal Flatts’ CD (“Feels Like Today”).

Most of the songwriters you’ve worked with in the past decade, other than Canadians Victoria Banks and Bruce Miller, seem to be local writers.

Some are; some aren’t. It is probably about half and half. The LeBlancs are from Shreveport (Louisiana); Jason Isbell, Gary Nichols, and Angela Hacker are locals; and Ugly Stick are from Mobile (Alabama). For the most part, we are drawing from within the region.We had Tony Colton writing for us for awhile. He’s from the U.K. He was in Heads, Hands & Feet.They had that song “Country Boy” (by group members Colton, Albert Lee, and Ray Smith) that was not really a country song when they did it, but Ricky Skaggs covered it. Tony came over here (to the U.S.) to accept the Song of the Year Award, and never left. (Canadian) Bruce Miller had a cut (“Once You’ve Loved Somebody” with Thom McHugh) on the first Dixie Chicks’ album (“Wide Open Spaces”) that sold 15 million copies, and he had a hit single on Reba McEntire with “Fear of Being Alone” (co-written with Walt Aldridge).

At what age did you begin coming into the studio?

I was coming up here when I was a kid all of the time. Just hanging out, and playing in the baffles. We had these great baffles that were about 12 feet high. Some of them had windows, and some had doors. You could put them together and make little club houses. I was hanging out here but, at that point in time, my dad didn’t want us up here too much. There were some strange people hanging around here, like Duane Allman and other long-haired people.Probably,I was about 12 when I really started hanging around up here.I would come up here in the summer, and stuff records in envelopes and help the secretary ship them out.

You never were in the original studio?

No. It was torn down. I don’t remember seeing that building standing. Wilson Dam Highway was still standing when I was kid. Every time we would drive up my dad would say, “There’s my first studio.”

Were you aware by high school of what you dad was doing and how well known he was in the music business?

In high school? Oh, yeah, I knew. It’s a little different here probably than other places. In the ‘70s here, it was still a very small town, and we had very few hotels. A Holiday Inn and a Howard Johnson’s (hotel). So most of the (people) coming to the studio would stay at our house. I was hanging out, and listening to my dad talk to (Atlantic Records co-head) Jerry Wexler and talking to all of these guys who would come from all over the world. I had a pretty good grasp of what was going on by the time I was in my teens, simply because I got to spend a lot of time with him.I was 8 or 9 when the Osmonds came here. So that was big.

[In 1970, Curb Records’ head Mike Curb brought his new young act, the Osmonds to FAME where they recorded a string of hits including “One Bad Apple,” “Yo-Yo,” and “Down By The Lazy River.” Donny Osmond also recorded several solo albums at FAME.]

The Osmonds were regulars on Andy Williams TV show in the ‘60s. By the time they started to record at FAME, they were very popular.That was the only time we had to have a security guard at the studio. They were the Backstreet Boys of the ‘70s. I remember that Donny came over to our house once when they were taking a break. Him and my brother got on bikes and rode around the block. By the time they got back, there were girls chasing Donny. He was only 12 or 13. it was early on (in their careers).

The Osmonds have been here off and on for their entire careers. The brothers came here in the late ‘80s, and did a country record. It was kind of funny because you’d be out in the yard playing football with them, and it was funny to hear them arguing a little bit, “Dang you, Wayne.”

Marie Osmond recorded at FAME as well.

Well, I’ve known Marie pretty much my whole life. She recorded here when she was about 16. She did the album “This Is The Way That I Feel” here (in 1976). It didn’t do very well. It was when she was trying to go pop a little bit more. She’s a sweetheart. All of the Osmonds are. They are exactly what you see.

Working at the studio was a summer job for you and your brothers?

When it was raining, it was. When it wasn’t raining, our summer job was working on the ranch taking care of cattle, bush hogging (cutting pastures with a large mower attached to a tractor), mowing, and hauling hay. The ranch was about 15 minutes south from the studio.

When you are only young, 15 minutes by car anywhere is another world.

We moved out there when I was 12. it was hard. All of the sudden, I went from living right in the middle of town, literally three minutes from the studio, with all of my friends to a really isolated area. We had 1,500 acres, and we were right in the middle of it.

It was a working farm?

Oh yeah. It was a working cattle ranch. We raised our own food. The whole bit. My dad wanted us to be raised the way he was raised. He grew up very poor. His dad was a sharecropper, and a saw miller. He was a vagabond kind of guy who went from place to place, wherever he could figure out a way he could raise his kids and make some money.

You have two brothers?

Mark is in the music industry, and Rick is an attorney. I am the youngest. Mark is co-owner of our company, and he’s also a songwriter. He co-wrote a big Tim McGraw hit “I Like It, I Love It” in the ‘90s.

You being the youngest, everything fell on you?

Pretty much. They all left (home). I was still out there on the farm bush hogging and hauling hay as they went off to college having fun. But, it was a good experience for me. (Working on the farm) is something that I can never replace. I can do a lot of things that my friends can’t do. Like raising my own garden, and changing a tractor tire. We didn’t do a lot with the horses (we had). We ended up getting rid of them because we never rode ‘em. We were too much into sports to do that kind of stuff.

Were you any good in sports?

Yeah, I was a good baseball player.

What music did you listen to growing up? Were you a fan of R&B, rock, or country?

I was a little bit fan of all of it. I liked rock. I liked R&B and I even liked some dance stuff. I listened to a lot of country in my teen years. Mostly Randy Travis, Alabama, Clint Black, Hank Williams Jr. and, more importantly, demos of our great songwriters like Walt Aldridge, Robert Byrne, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Tommy Brasfield, and George Jackson.

You didn’t listen to any music that made your dad crazy?

He wasn’t crazy about my Kiss collection. He figured if you had to put make-up on, you didn’t have talent. He wasn’t crazy about Judas Priest either. I was really into the Eagles, and Toto. The Doobie Brothers were my number one band when I was growing up, from the time of “Black Water” (in 1974). I went back and bought their older albums. I was a fan all of the way through until Michael McDonald left.

Did you listen much to the records your dad recorded?

I listened to a lot of his records because I got ‘em free. But I loved them too. I have my favorites that he did. My favorites are (Wilson) Pickett “Land of a Thousand Dances,” “Mustang Sally,” “Funky Broadway,” and “Hey Jude.” That (Duane Allman) guitar solo on “Hey Jude” still gives me chills. And, I liked “Fancy” by Bobby Gentry.

It was the Wild West in the music business in the ‘60s. Producers and production companies had to beg labels to pay them.

Oh yeah, I’ve got hand-written letters here from my dad begging Vee-Jay to pay him for some Jimmy Hughes releases. It was right as Vee-Jay going under. He couldn’t get them to pay. The good news is that they gave him back the masters instead of paying him.

Your dad worked with various labels. including Chess Records. Etta James recorded “Tell Mama” at FAME in 1967 with your dad as producer.

Absolutely. She recorded “Tell Mama,” “I’d Rather Go Blind,” and “Security” here. That “Tell Mama” album was done here. There are some good stories around that. Leonard Chess came down with some friends.. My dad says they all went to the Howard Johnson’s and played cards all day while (the musicians) were cutting the session. From what dad says, he had to pretty much make Etta sing “Tell Mama.” She didn’t want to sing it. It ended up being one of her biggest hits. Later on, she thanked him.

[“Tell Mama” was written by Clarence Carter and published by FAME Publishing.]

FAME wasn’t always credited for the outside production done there. Stax recordings by the Staple Singers, and Otis Redding, for instance.

You go to the Stax Museum today in Memphis, and you’d think everything was recorded over there. A bunch of their big records were cut here with our rhythm section, including (The Staple Singers’) “I’ll Take You There,” and Let’s Do It Again.”Looking back at the quantity of material that came out of Muscle Shoals, not just at this studio, but the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Wishbone Studio (where Hank Williams Jr., the Commodores, Roy Orbison, Waylon Jennings, Charlie Daniels, Thelma Houston, the Temptations recorded) and all of them, it is pretty astonishing, especially with the technology at the time. Man, I’m still running across records from here all of the time. I didn’t know until this past year that Laura Lee’s “Dirty Man” (released by Chess Records in 1967) was cut here. It really is phenomenal the amount of material, and hit material that came out of here.

With the former FAME studio guys leaving, and opening up Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, it was pretty competitive for awhile.

Oh yeah. They had a good run for about 10 years. They did some Rod Stewart stuff. The Rolling Stones recorded there.

The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was in Sheffield, Alabama.

Yeah, that’s always been (an issue) between all of the (studio) guys. At 65 or 70, they are still arguing, “How could the guys from Muscle Shoals be the Muscle Shoals Rhythm section if they were in Sheffield?” And Jerry Carrigan, Norbert Putnam and all of the early guys will argue, “We were the first Muscle Shoals rhythm section.”

Do Muscle Shoals’ city officials appreciate the music legacy there?

No. It’s amazing. They have no clue. They don’t get it at all. There have been some big power players from the state (government) come in and point out to them, “Hey, you’ve got this music thing that you could tie tourism to.” And, the city is starting to look at that. The Alabama Hall of Fame is here, and the W.C. Handy home is in Florence.

Will you be celebrating being in business for a half-century?

This is our 50th year in business, going back to the drug store with the publishing. In 2011, it will be our 50th year since “You Better Move On” which was the first hit. That’s when we are going to celebrate. We want to put together some shows, and have some major artists come in, and sit in with the rhythm section. That’s something, we will be working on for the next couple of years.

Larry LeBlanc who conducted this interview was the Canadian bureau chief of Billboard from 1991-2007 and Canadian editor of Record World from 1970-89. He was also a co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record. He has been quoted on music industry issues in hundreds of publications including Time, Forbes, the London Times and the New York Times.

Soundbitenews looks forward to bringing you our own Exclusive one on one interviews with some of the best new talent from the Muscle Shoals,Alabama. The rich history of this area & the new rising talent has inspired us so much,that we hope to inspire you next. The duo group State Line Mob has agreed for an soundbitenews interview. Hold on to your seats.It’s gonna be a ride,literally.           Yee hawww!

Credits: The ENCORE Digital Weekly Magazine , revised by soundbitenews taken from the original article posted by Larry LeBlanc. 

After a long rewarding week of CMA awards being hoped for and given, here is a little something I wrote (using The Night Before Christmas for inspiration).  Hope you enjoy!

Hosts of the evening: Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood

(Click “read more” to view the poem)

The 43rd annual CMA Awards came to town
The limos drove circles, the blocks they went round.
The dresses were picked for the evening with care
In hopes that paparazzi would do more than just stare.

The nominees were nestled all snug in theirs seats
While visions of thank yous danced in their speech.
With Carrie in dress number one and Brad in his hat
They all settled in for an evening of music and laughs.

When up on the stage there arose a young Taylor
Singing about hearts, dressed up in leather
Then away to the hosts the cameras did dash
While Carrie’s sequins and fringe were a smash.

The jokes and songs at the start of the show
Eased the nerves of the nominees waiting below.
When what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But Kid Rock to announce single of the year.

With Lady Antebellum running and Zac Brown feeling sick
Jamey wasn’t color blind and Billy could swallow a brick
More rapid than eagles the name quickly came
The crowd smiled then as they heard Lady’s name.

Now red dress, now new hair, Carrie’s makeup needs fixin
Darius sang alright and the fans gave a listen.
Kellie’s red hair matched Jake Owens’ jacket
But song of the year brought on quite a racket.

People are crazy and they like their chicken fried
Then I told you so made one woman cry
James thanked his wife and we heard from Lee Thomas Miller
Jamey was surprised he even got invited for singing In Color.

When Miranda sang, she called him White Liar,
Dave Matthews and Kenny sounded like a choir.
Tim was southern and Vince sang with Daughtry,
Reba sang out and showed us true country.

Carrie dressed in fishnet, from her head to her foot,
When she told Cowboy Casanova she’d give him the boot.
A bundle of awards flew out with a snap,
While Little Jimmy Dickens offered up a good laugh.

Darius won new artist, his dimples how merry!
While Zac comforted Jake, and Randy smiled to Jamey.
Rascall Flatts were ready to unwrap the bow
But Lady Antebellum got best group and stole the show.

Brooks waves farewell to Dunn and we hold tight our teeth
As Sugarland wins best duo and waved so long to defeat.
It wasn’t A Saturday Night that won on the telly,
Fearless won album since she is no nervous Nellie.

“I told you so,” said Lee Ann when the crowd went crazy,
Cowgirls do cry when they lose to Brad Paisley.
His fingers were crossed and his little boots were on
But Love Story won best video and Houser’s hopes of winning were gone.

Reba had won this before, so relaxed she was,
As Miranda crossed her fingers and sent prayers up above.
Female vocalist of the year was a tough category Lord knows,
But Carrie and Martina clapped loudly as Taylor arose.

It was time for best male vocalist and we cut to King George,
Kenny, Brad, Keith and Darius knew the verdict for sure.
Brad was all smiles with his humble cowboy hat hung low,
As he accepted his award it was on with the show.

Tim and Faith approached the mic, and Garth watched to see,
If Kenny would win entertainer, the new victor he would be.
Taylor’s heart raced, it couldn’t be true,
Just three years on the scene, Taylor… It’s YOU!

The night soon was over, and the crowd gave a whistle
And away they all flew to drink up, party and mingle.
But the winners exclaimed, as they drove out of site
“Thank you to all, and to all a good night!”

The Grand Ole Opry is teaming up with MySpace for the first ever live stream of tomorrow night’s show.  Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Rodney Atkins and Jake Owen will all be performing and you’ll be able to watch the show live on your computer Saturday night from 8 – 9pm central.  To watch the show or for more information, visit myspace.com/grandoleopry.

Last night, the 2009 CMA Awards debuted on television. It was a memorable and incredible night for many country music stars. Outstanding performances were made by country stars including Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, The Eagles, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Dave Matthews, Zack Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Sugarland, Keith Urban, and The Wailers. My  favoritePerformer that evening was Taylor Swift. Taylor sung two songs that evening Fifteen and Forever and Always; named female vocalist of the year! I watched the entire award show and I was very pleased and agreed with the awards that were given.

The night has come and gone and the 43rd Annual CMA Awards went off without a hitch.  This week the readers of the Nashville Music Buzz have been voting all week and making their opinions known.  How did our votes compare to the actual?  (the bullet percentages show what we here at the blog thought)

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift

• Taylor Swift 29%

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Brad Paisley

• Brad Paisley 29%

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift

• Carrie Underwood 38%

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Fearless
Taylor Swift
Produced by Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift
Big Machine Records

• Fearless – Taylor Swift; Nathan Chapman and Taylor Swift 43%

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

Sugarland

• Sugarland 43%

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Darius Rucker

• Zac Brown Band 45%

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Lady Antebellum

• Lady Antebellum 57%

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

(award goes to artist and producer)
“I Run To You”
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley
Capitol Records Nashville

• “Chicken Fried” – Zac Brown Band; Keith Stegall 33%
• “People Are Crazy” – Billy Currington; Carson Chamberlin and Billy Currington 33%

SONG OF THE YEAR

(award goes to songwriter(s))
“In Color”
Jamey Johnson/Lee Thomas Miller/James Otto

• “In Color” Songwriters: Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto 24%
• “Then” Songwriters: Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois and Ashley Gorley 24%

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

(award goes to each artist)
“Start A Band”
Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)
Arista Nashville

• “I Told You So” – Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis 40%

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

(award goes to artist and director)
“Love Story”
Taylor Swift
Directed by Trey Fanjoy

• “Boots On” – Randy Houser; Director: Eric Welch 40%
• “Love Story” – Taylor Swift Director: Trey Fanjoy 40%

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

Mac McAnally – Guitar

• Mac McAnally – guitar 39%

We predicted 6 accurately, 2 tied predictions, and 4 upsets (as far as our voters are concerned).  What are your friends saying today?  Are people being really for or against any winner?  Please leave your comments below.  The discussion that continues now in the fall out leads to greater discovery as to why people like certain kinds of music, performances, personalities, and actions.  Here are a few poles to make the discussion a little easier.