Lee Ann Womack added to George Strait-Reba McEntire tour, coming to Tulsa in February
Lee Ann Womack
The “King of Country Music” George Strait has added award-wining and platinum-selling country artist Lee Ann Womack to his previously announced arena tour with Oklahoma superstar Reba McEntire. The tour kicks off in early 2010 and continues through late spring.
“’Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind’? ‘Whoever’s In New England’? ‘The Fireman’? ‘Little Rock’? ‘Wrapped’? ‘The Last To Know’? We’re talking classic country from the source,” says Womack in a news release. “I can’t imagine a better tour to be on than George Strait and Reba McEntire – and now I’m not imagining!”
Womack added jokingly, “I’m trying to figure out what to wear … ’cause you can’t out-starch George and you sure can’t out-spangle Reba!”
The tour, which is shaping up to be a huge one for country fans, is coming to Tulsa’s BOK Center on Feb. 20. No word yet from the venue on when tickets might go on sale. (Actually no word yet from the venue about this show at all.)
Womack has sold more than 6 million albums, won two Grammy’s, numerous other milestone awards, and received notoriety for her album “There’s More Where That Came From.” Released February of 2005 on CD and classic vinyl, the album swept CMA Award trophies fall of the same year for Album of the Year and Single of the Year (“I May Hate Myself In The Morning”). She is also recognized for No. 1 singles “The Fool,” “A Little Past Little Rock,” “I’ll Think Of A Reason Later” and the mega-smash “I Hope You Dance”.
Womack’s current album, “Call Me Crazy,” has garnered critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Billboard and The New York Times, to name a few. She was nominated for Top Female Vocalist at this year’s ACM Awards and the debut single “Last Call” was nominated for a Grammy earlier this year in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category. Womack was nominated for Musical Event of the Year with Strait for “Everything But Quits” at this year’s CMA Awards. Current single “There Is A God” is currently No. 43 on the charts.
George Strait
With a career spanning more than 25 years, Strait has the most No. 1 singles of any artist in history, including Elvis Presley, with 57 to date. He has sold more than 67 million records and with 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums has the most RIAA platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis .
Strait’s recent release, “Twang,” debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. This is the fourth time in Strait’s career that a new release has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the 13th time debuting at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. The current single and title track sits at No. 17 on Mediabase charts and No. 19 on Billboard charts.
His platinum-selling “Troubadour” was named Best Country Album at the 51st Grammy Awards and in April, Strait was the fifth artist ever to receive the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade honor. Strait has won 19 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the top title, Entertainer of the Year.
Strait, who holds the record for the most CMA wins and a record 17 CMA Entertainer of the Year nominations, is known for giving fans exactly what they want and expect at countless sold out shows across the country. This year will be no exception.
Reba McEntire
One of the most successful female recording artists in music history, McEntire has sold more 55 million albums worldwide, earned 33 No. 1 singles and was recently recognized as the biggest female hit-maker in country music history by Billboard, Mediabase and Country Aircheck. The Chockie native is the winner of 15 American Music Awards, 12 Academy of Country Music Awards, 9 People’s Choice Awards, 7 Country Music Awards and 2 Grammy Awards. Once again she is nominated for the American Music Awards’ Favorite Country Female and will appear on the AMAs, which will air at 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC.
McEntire’s new album, “Keep On Loving You,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart – her first solo studio album to do so. With 11 No. 1 albums, Reba holds the record as the female artist with the most No. 1 albums in the history of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The superstar also recently scored her third consecutive top 10 single of 2009, as her new song “Consider Me Gone” jumped into the top 10. It currently sits at No. 4 on the Billboard Country Singles chart and No. 5 on the Mediabase charts.
In November 2008, McEntire signed with The Valory Music Co. reuniting her with multimedia entertainer and industry leader Scott Borchetta, President & CEO of Big Machine Records and sister label The Valory Music Co.
It’s interesting to note that Strait, McEntire and Womack all were performers at the first event in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium back in June. Womack replaced Julianne Hough at the last minute after Hough became ill with strep throat. The other performer at that big stadium opening event was Oklahoma singer Blake Shelton. Wouldn’t it be great if Blake was added to this huge tour as well?
See the list of 2010 tour dates after the break.
Wednesday Video Spotlight No. 1: New Blake Shelton video
Oklahoma country star Blake Shelton teams up with Trace Adkins to charm the patrons of a fancy New York restaurant in the video to their playful duet “Hillbilly Bone.” Gotta love these guys; they’re having so much fun.
-BAM
George Strait, Reba McEntire bringing tour to Tulsa’s BOK Center in 2010
George Strait
Reba McEntire
“King of Country” George Strait is taking along Oklahoma country music star Reba McEntire on his 2010 tour, with a stop planned in February at Tulsa’s BOK Center.
The tour will kick off Jan. 22 in Baltimore, according to a news release from Strait’s publicist. The pair will Feb. 20 at the BOK Center; the sale date or ticket prices for the Oklahoma show have not yet been announced.
The country superstars performed together for the first time in many years for a sold-out crowd June 6 at the Cowboy’s Stadium inaugural event in Dallas. The show, which also featured Oklahoma star Blake Shelton and Lee Ann Womack, sold out in less than an hour. It was hailed by the Dallas Morning News as “an extravaganza” that “showcased Strait at the pinnacle of his musical game,” and Ft. Worth Star Telegram wrote “Reba McEntire’s performance was a breathtaking master’s class in effortless brilliance.”
With 57 No. 1 hits, 33 multi-platinum albums and countless sold-out shows year after year, Strait holds the record for the most Country Music Association wins and a record 17 CMA Entertainer of the Year nominations.
“I can’t wait to get back out there and perform some of my new favorites from Twang along with hits the fans already love,” Strait says in the release. “And with my friend Reba, we will make it a really spectacular night.”
Strait’s latest album, “Twang,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. This is the fourth time in Strait’s career that a new release has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and his 13th time debuting at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. It has become a critically acclaimed album and received rave reviews in USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, People, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, The Boston Globe, Billboard and many more.
Strait co-wrote three songs on “Twang,” including the debut single, “Living for the Night.” The current single and title track of the album sits at No. 22 on Billboard and Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart.
At last year’s CMA Awards, George became the artist with the most CMA Awards in history with an album of the year win for “Troubadour” and single of the year for “I Saw God Today.” This year, he has four CMA nominations - nods for entertainer of the year, male vocalist of the year, video of the year for “Troubadour” and vocal event of the year for “Everything But Quits” with Womack - going into the Nov. 11 awards show.
His platinum-selling “Troubadour” was named best country album at the 51st Grammy Awards in February, and Strait was the fifth artist ever to receive the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade honor in April. Strait also has won 19 Academy of Country Music Awards including entertainer of the year.
With a career spanning more than 25 years, Strait has the most No. 1 singles of any artist in history, including Elvis Presley, with 57 to date. He has sold more than 67 million records, and with 33 platinum or multi-platinum albums to his name, he has the most RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis .
One of the most successful female recording artists in history, McEntire, who grew up in Chockie, has sold more than 55 million albums worldwide, earned 33 No. 1 singles and was recently recognized as the biggest female hitmaker in country music history by Billboard, Mediabase and Country Aircheck.
The Oklahoma native is the winner of 15 American Music Awards, 12 ACM Awards, nine People’s Choice Awards, seven CMA Awards and two Grammy Awards.
McEntire’s new album, “Keep On Loving You,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart – her first solo studio album to do so. With 11 No. 1 albums, she holds the record as the female artist with the most No. 1 albums in the history of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
The superstar also recently scored her third consecutive Top 10 single of 2009, as her new song “Consider Me Gone” jumped into the Top 10 this week on both the Billboard country singles and the USA Today/Country Aircheck Chart powered by Mediabase) charts.
In November 2008, McEntire signed with The Valory Music Co. reuniting her with multimedia entertainer and industry leader Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of Big Machine Records and sister label The Valory Music Co.
For more information on the tour, go to www.georgestrait.com or www.rebamcentire.com.
See the full list of 2010 tour dates after the break.
Miranda Lambert talks her “Revolution,” plans 2010 Oklahoma City concert
A version of this story also appears in Monday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Miranda’s life spins, evolves
Singer has mellowed but still finds time for “Revolution”
Oklahoman Miranda Lambert has again set the country music world spinning with her new album, fittingly titled “Revolution.”
Not only did her third record debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart, “Revolution” has earned rave reviews from critics for rotating rabble-rousing revenge fantasies with tender love songs. For Lambert, 25, the album’s name represents her own evolution as a person as much as a rebellion against any musical establishment.
“The name kept coming up in conversations about the record and it just feels so exciting and so appropriate. I learned so much about myself making this record and I feel like listeners will really get to see all sides of me,” she said via e-mail between live shows and TV appearances.
The Tishomingo resident will bring her new songs and past hits to Oklahoma City’s Ford Center in January, when she joins superstar Brad Paisley on his extended “American Saturday Night” tour.
“The biggest thrill is always when I perform and the fans are singing along with the lyrics,” she said. “I can’t wait to take this music on the road. And it’s always an added bonus when the critics and my peers like it as well.”
With her previous two albums — 2005’s “Kerosene” and 2007’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” — the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter turned heads with fiery payback anthems like “Gunpowder & Lead.” But all her records have mixed touching love songs in with the more flammable material. She released the emotional ode “More Like Her” as the last single from her second album, which won the Academy of Country Music’s 2008 album of the year award.
She followed up with another heartbroken ballad, “Dead Flowers,” as the lead-off track for “Revolution.” The album’s second single, “White Liar,” again has her getting back at a cheating lover, though in a less overtly violent manner.
“On this record I pushed myself musically and lyrically and I am very happy with the result. My idol Merle Haggard and also Waylon (Jennings) have always had amazing cheating/drinking songs, but both of them write the best love songs as well,” she said. “This album covers the whole range and gives me the ability to showcase various influences and directions.”
Lambert wrote or co-wrote 12 of the 15 tracks on “Revolution,” and the covers include rowdy renditions of Julie Miller’s “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” and John Prine’s “That’s the Way That the World Goes ’Round.”
While some fans have complained about the new album’s softer tone, the Texas native points out that her life has changed significantly since her “Kerosene” days. Not only is she older, she has a committed romance with fellow country star and Oklahoma native Blake Shelton. She also has a “sanctuary” in her Tishomingo farm, where she did most of the writing for “Revolution.”
“I haven’t completely mellowed out, but I’m just in a happy place in my life. I’ve got a great career and truly love what I do, I have a great relationship, a farm with lots of animals that I love … and overall life is just good. I had to really dig deep and go to a sad place for songs like ‘Dead Flowers’ and I’m always up for a good revenge song like ‘Sin for a Sin’ no matter how happy I am! I like to say it’s preventative writing,” she said.
Lambert and Shelton, who lives on a neighboring spread, co-wrote three songs for her “Revolution”: the raging “Sin for a Sin,” the deceptively catchy “Me and Your Cigarettes” and the grown-up ballad “Love Song.” He also contributes some background howling on the country-rocker “Maintain the Pain.”
“If we ever set aside time to write together it just doesn’t seem to work. These songs came about in a very organic fashion — we just sit around the campfire and sing and play guitar. Blake is an amazing musician and together we have fun making music. We do have different styles of music, and we definitely have very different tastes in other people’s music, however we both love ‘old school,’” she said.
The couple got help on “Love Song” from Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of country band Lady Antebellum, with whom she bonded while she and the group toured with Kenny Chesney. She invited them to her farm for a writing session.
“It’s funny that I of all people have a song called ‘Love Song’ on my record,” she said. “I just thought it was a very relevant song. Love isn’t always a fairy tale every single day. Real love is being there for each other no matter what.”
After promoting the “Revolution” virtually nonstop, including playing the full album in a big show at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium, Lambert plans to take a couple weeks off this month before hitting the road again. Last week on Twitter she wrote that she was back in Oklahoma and “headed to the woods with my bow and my Beau.” It is deer-hunting season, after all.
Whatever makes your world go ’round.
In concert
Brad Paisley with special guests Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore
When: Jan. 8.
Where: Ford Center, 100 W Reno.
Information: www.bradpaisley.com.
-BAM
Brad Paisley, Oklahoma stars featured on People Country, Country Weekly covers
Brad Paisley (Associated Press photo)
Brad Paisley is being pictured on two magazine covers in two weeks.
The country star is featured in the “Country Stars & Their Families” issue of People Country, on newsstands today through Nov. 9. The feature is titled “What My Father Taught Me” and lists several things that Brad has learned from his father, Doug: Be dedicated, drive them anywhere (and don’t charge for gas!), do your best … and then do better, be of service and it comes back to family.
Along with five pages of text and exclusive photos of Brad, Doug and Huck, Brad’s 2-year-old son, the issue of People Country also will feature Oklahoma stars such as Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney.
The next issue of Country Weekly, on stands Monday, focuses on country artists “Getting Through Tough Times.” In it, Paisley remembers how he handled the death of his Aunt Rita in 2004 and how he came to record “When I Get Where I’m Going” from that experience.
Also featured on the cover, and presumably in the cover story, are Oklahoma stars Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton and Toby Keith.
-BAM
Martina McBride, Trace Adkins bringing Shine All Night Long Tour to Oklahoma City
Martina McBride
Trace Adkins (Associated Press photo)
Country music superstars Martina McBride and Trace Adkins are bringing their joint Shine All Night Long Tour to Oklahoma City.
The tour will stop Dec. 5 at the Ford Center. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
Ticket prices are set at $59.75, $49.75 and $34.75. They will be available at the Ford Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets including Homeland, Suncoast, and FYE stores, by phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.okfordcenter.com.
The Shine All Night Tour, also sponsored in part by Great American Country (GAC) network, kicks off Nov. 20 and covers 40 cities across the U.S. through the spring of 2010. Both McBride and Adkins will each perform full-length shows.
In a few select cities, Oklahoma country star Blake Shelton and The Lost Trailers will be joining McBride. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Oklahoma City show will feature Shelton or The Lost Trailers.
Still, the tour will bring together two shining stars, the hot mama with her big, soaring vocals and the tall drink of water with the rich baritone voice. The evening promises a constant stream of hits: Fans will be dancing in the aisles to “God-Fearin’ Women” and “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” fist-waving to the likes of “This One’s For the Girls” and “Songs About Me,” holding on tight with “I Just Call You Mine” and “All I Ask for Anymore” and remembering what matters most with “In My Daughter’s Eyes” and “You’re Gonna Miss This.”
Add heartbreak with “Every Light in the House” and “Concrete Angel,” a touch of vengeance with “Independence Day” and “Fightin’ Words” and this event covers the gamut of emotional release.
”I want fans to leave here knowing they got more than their money’s worth,” says McBride in a news release. “My goal is to have this on their list of memorable nights for years to come.”
“I think this tour is going to give people a lot more bang for their buck,” Adkins adds in the release. “And that’s important – especially in today’s economy.”
For more information, go to www.shineallnight.com.
-BAM
Miranda Lambert appears on the cover of Country Weekly magazine
Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma country music star Miranda Lambert appears on the cover of the Oct. 5 issue of Country Weekly magazine, on sale now.
Lambert, who lives in Tishomingo, released her third album, “Revolution,” today.
In the Country Weekly cover story, titled “Why I Wanted to Quit,” she talks about a decision she’s glad she didn’t make—dropping out of high school to pursue music.
“I don’t know if I would’ve dropped out. But my parents didn’t want me to . . . which is another reason I might have,” she told the magazine.
But a program at her high school allowed the Texas-bred singer-songwriter to work on her music and graduate early.
“[The program] was definitely a great thing and I’m so thankful for it,”she told Country Weekly. “I think [finishing high school] taught me a lot.”
Lambert also talks in the interview about her upcoming plans with boyfriend, fellow Tishomingo resident and country star Blake Shelton.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Blake Shelton on CMT’s Studio 330
Oklahoma country star recently performed some of his biggest hits and talked about his parents, moving back to Oklahoma, his first public performance and his bulldozer exploits as part of CMT’s Studio 330 Sessions series.
Shelton was born and raised in Ada and now lives about 40 miles from his hometown in Tishomingo. His girlfriend and fellow country star Miranda Lambert lives on a neighboring spread in Tishomingo.
Here are some Blake Shelton clips from the Studio 330 Sessions; more are available at CMT.com:
-BAM
Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert on Country Weekly cover
Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton (Associated Press photos)
Oklahoma country stars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert are featured on the cover of the Aug. 17 issue of Country Weekly magazine, out now.
The sweethearts and Tishomingo residents are part of the magazine’s special section “He Said, She Said: Why Do Male and Female Stars Answer the Same Questions Differently?”
For the section, the mag posed the same question to a male and female country star. For Shelton and Lambert the question is “How do you feel about the possibility of marriage?”
Oklahomans Toby Keith and Carrie Underwood also are included in the feature, answering the question “What are your goals?”
Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Trace Adkins, Dolly Parton and more also are included in the issue.
-BAM
Red dirt bands taking over at Pryor’s Country Fever 2009
Mike Eli of the Eli Young Band performs. (Associated Press photo)
A version of this story appears in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Edgy red dirt sound of blazing guitars replaces traditional Nashville vibe at Pryor event
PRYOR – For the seventh year, fevered country fans will flock four miles north of Pryor to hear their favorite bands and singers.
But the 2009 Country Fever Festival, starting Thursday on the Catch the Fever festival grounds, isn’t piping in star power from the traditional Nashville mainstream.
Instead, festival organizers are planning a rowdy and raucous reunion of popular players from the red dirt/Texas music scene.
This year’s lineup includes Cross Canadian Ragweed, Robert Earl Keen, Stoney LaRue, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jack Ingram and more. The event also will showcase similar up-and-coming artists and popular local bands such as Hosty Duo, Bart Crow and Shawna Russell.
Past Country Fever stars have included Trace Adkins, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn and Big & Rich.
“Last year, we did one day of red dirt on Friday, and it was our biggest attendance we’ve had. And then the e-mails started flooding in that said ‘Why don’t you guys just do this all the time, for the whole entire four days?’ So, we said, yeah, we’re gonna do it,” said Mark Nuessle, president and general manager of Fever Fest Music Festivals.
Making the change to an all-red dirt slate may be a gamble, but he thinks it’s a smart bet. Great American Country cable network is going to film a 30-minute segment on the festival, as opposed to a 10-minute piece last year, and GAC’s Storme Warren, who grew up in Tulsa, will serve as the event’s emcee.
“We were a little concerned about changing … and they said that’s the most requested music they have,” Nuessle said. “He said it’s the big buzz in Nashville right now. … He’s excited about us switching because everybody’s got the traditional Nashville and he’s said no one’s doing anything different like we’re doing.”
With the Texas music scene’s dedicated fan base, he’s expecting 25,000 festival-goers a day during the four-day fest. The 2008 event averaged 18,000 attendees a day.
“They’ve all played at different places, but not this many of them have all played at one place together … and not on a stage this huge and this kind of sound system,” he said.
Although fans from all over the country have bought tickets, most Country Fever attendees come from a 300-mile circle in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas – and most of the artists come from the same five-state area.
“It’s a little bit too much country for rock and a little bit too much rock for country … so it’s an even younger, fun crowd,” Nuessle said. “It’s all about the party. They come in here and it’s just like one huge family. I mean, it’s just amazing.”
Mike Eli, frontman of the Eli Young Band, said the tight-knit musicians on the red dirt scene live for festival season, when they can all play together.
“A lot of us have kind of grown up together in this scene. … We’ve all known each other for so long, it’s just like one big family reunion. A messy one, at that, lots of drinking,” Eli said with a laugh during a recent phone interview.
Randy Rogers
Randy Rogers likened the event to a “redneck family reunion” with blazing guitars.
“It’s not your granddad’s country music that’s for sure. There’s a little bit more of an edge to it,” Rogers said in a recent phone interview.
That edgy red dirt sound has been making waves in Nashville this year, with Eli Young and Randy Rogers bands earning Academy of Country Music Awards nominations and playing late-night TV shows. Rogers said he is proud of the community’s “one-for-all mentality” and enjoys playing together at festivals.
“Bands and artists … wish that they could have what we all have, which is touring and playing music and a fan base and more than just a song, one song, a hit song or whatever. We have kind of a body of work, we’ve all made a bunch of records, we’ve all been touring,” he said. “I think the cream eventually rises to the top and hard work pays off.”
He credited the red dirt/Texas music scene’s stalwart fans with helping the bands find success.
“Definitely the biggest part of it (the success) is the fans of the music. So we’re gonna continue to stay true to our music and stay true to our fans, the one’s that have got us here. And we’re gonna just keep on truckin’. It’s still an uphill climb, you know, and that’s part of the fun,” Rogers said.
Going on
Seventh annual Country Fever Music Festival
When: Thursday-Sunday.
Where: Catch the Fever festival grounds, four miles north of Pryor.
Tickets and information: (866) 310-2288 or www.feverfest.com.
Main stage schedule
Thursday
10:30 p.m. Robert Earl Keen
8:15 p.m. Wade Bowen
6:30 p.m. No Justice
5 p.m. Jackson Taylor
Friday
10:30 p.m. Stoney LaRue
8:15 p.m. Randy Rogers Band
6:30 p.m. Jack Ingram
4:45 p.m. Mike McClure
3 p.m. Billy Joe Shaver
1:30 p.m. Brandon Jenkins
Saturday
10:30 p.m. Cross Canadian Ragweed
8:15 p.m. Jason Boland & the Stragglers
6:30 p.m. Reckless Kelly
4:45 p.m. Red Dirt Rangers
3 p.m. Ray Wylie Hubbard
1:30 p.m. Aaron Watson
Sunday
9 p.m. Jerry Jeff Walker
6:45 p.m. Eli Young
4:45 p.m. Johnny Cooper
3 p.m. Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses
1:30 p.m. Brandon Rhyder
-BAM
