Ronnie Dunn honored by BMI for 60 million spins
Ronnie Dunn (AP file)
BMI honored country music singer-songwriter Ronnie Dunn, a former Tulsan, with multiple MillionAir awards at a reception Thursday in Nashville, Tenn.
Since arriving in Nashville back in 1988, Dunn has amassed a songwriting repertoire that has altogether garnered an astounding 60 million performances. These songs include standards he wrote exclusively like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Neon Moon,” and “She’s Not the Cheatin’ Kind,” as well as hits with big name co-writers such as “Red Dirt Road” (with his former Brooks & Dunn partner Kix Brooks), “That Ain’t No Way to Go” (Kix Brooks and Don Cook), “Believe” (Craig Wiseman), and many more.
Dunn’s friends, colleagues, and associates were all on hand to celebrate this career milestone as Dunn now rises to the top-tier of BMI troubadours with Merle Haggard, the Bee Gees, and Gamble & Huff.
MillionAirs are songs that have accumulated at least a million performances, according to RonnieDunn.com.
-BAM
OklahomaRock.com counting down state’s top 100 country songs in August
Checotah native Carrie Underwood performs " All-American Girl" during the 2008 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. (AP file)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To see the second part of my column in which I reveal my top 10 Oklahoma country songs, click here.
BAM column: State website counts down the top 100 Oklahoma country songs
OklahomaRock.com is unveiling the list throughout the month of August.
In 1922, fiddlers “Uncle Henry” Gilliland of Altus and Alexander “Eck” Robertson of Borger, Texas, traveled to New York City and recorded four duets for the Victor Talking Machine Co.
They played “Arkansas Traveler” and “Turkey in the Straw” and in the process made what has become widely regarded as the first country music record.
Oklahoma and country music have a long, broad and deep history, and Ryan LaCroix has spent the past several weeks delving into it.
The intrepid founder/owner/editor of OklahomaRock.com has compiled a list of the top 100 Oklahoma country songs. He unveiled the first entries — Nos. 100 to 96 — Thursday on his website. He will divulge five songs from the list every weekday through Wednesday, Aug. 31, when the top five will be revealed.
“I thought it would be kind of interesting to do another countdown. We don’t really focus on country music on my site too much, so I thought it would be neat to put a little more focus on that,” LaCroix said. “But it’s a tough process for sure.”
The sheer number of country greats with Oklahoma ties makes such list-building daunting. But LaCroix is experienced: For the 2007 centennial, he ranked the top 100 state musicians, and in 2010, he counted down the top 100 Oklahoma albums of the 2000s.
To determine the top 100 Oklahoma country songs, LaCroix consulted with state experts such as disc jockeys, musicians and journalists, including yours truly; polled the public on Twitter and Facebook; and consulted chart rankings and non-Oklahoma-specific greatest country songs lists.
At LaCroix’s request, I developed a list of my 21 favorite Oklahoma country songs. Here are Nos. 11 to 21; I’ll unveil my top 10 next week:
Roy Clark
21. “Thank God and Greyhound,” recorded by Roy Clark, written by Larry Kingston and Earl Nix.
I had to add one more to my top 20 list after my recent interview with the charming Clark. This hilarious hit perfectly matches the longtime Tulsa resident’s wily sense of humor.
20. “Pt. 1/Never That Easy,” written and recorded by Green Corn Revival.
One could argue that the opening tracks of the Weatherford band’s 2010 debut album “Say You’re a Sinner” aren’t really country. But I maintain that any musical number that so effectively invokes spaghetti Westerns and the plains of Custer County qualifies as country. (Hey, it’s at least as country as Kid Rock, and he not only gets played on CMT, he has twice hosted the CMT Music Awards. I rest my case.)
19. “Back in the Saddle Again,” recorded by Gene Autry, written by Autry and Ray Whitley.
“Back in the Saddle Again” is like “Happy Birthday to You” or “Home on the Range” in that we sort of assume that it always existed. Like Autry’s other venerable hit “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” it’s one of those tunes that’s become so iconic that it’s hard to comprehend that someone actually wrote it and initially recorded it. But the legendary singing cowboy did just that, and it became his signature song.
18. “John Deere Green,” recorded by Joe Diffie, written by Dennis Linde.
As a sophomore at Lindsay High School in 1993, this funny story song seemed so true to life, like something that could happen any day if one of my schoolmates got their hands on enough beer and tractor paint.
17. “New San Antonio Rose,” written and recorded by Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys.
You can’t have a decent Oklahoma country music list without some Western swing on it, and if you’re spotlighting Western swing, you might as well feature the King of Western Swing. This classic enchants no matter who is doing the singing, and the list of stars who have sung it is pretty impressive.
16. “Brand New Man,” recorded by Brooks & Dunn, written by Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks and Don Cook.
Former Tulsan Dunn and Louisiana native Brooks, who became the best-selling duo in country music history, made an auspicious 1991 chart-topping debut with this earnest, uptempo ballad.
15. “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,” recorded by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, written by Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen.
Oklahoma City resident Twitty did some of his best work with Kentucky native Lynn, and this Canjun-flavored duet has become a country classic.
14. “She’s in Love with the Boy,” recorded by Trisha Yearwood, written by Jon Ims.
The future Mrs. Garth Brooks broke out with this 1991 ballad that captures the resilience of young love.
13. “A Little Rain Will Do,” written and recorded by Greg Jacobs.
Maybe it’s just the weather getting to me, but this modern-day Dust Bowl anthem just rings true.
12. “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” written and recorded by Roger Miller.
Roger Miller
Yes, I know it’s one of those funny novelty songs that tend to overshadow the Erick-bred artist’s true songwriting ability. But I really loved it as a kid, and it actually boasts a deeper message than it may seem on a casual listen. (On an only somewhat related side note, I’m not sure who had the nutsy idea to cast Miller as the rooster in the 1973 Disney animated version of “Robin Hood,” but his narration and songs totally made that movie for me, even as a kid.)
11. “All-American Girl,” recorded by Carrie Underwood, written by Underwood, Ashley Gorley and Kelley Lovelace.
As an all-American daddy’s girl, I can’t resist this anthem, which highlights the big voice of Checotah’s sweetheart.
-BAM
Olivia Munn, Kristen Bell, Nick Cannon among the presenters for Aug. 18 Do Something Awards
Olivia Munn (AP photo)
VH1 has announced the lineup of presenters for the 2011 Do Something Awards, which will air at 8 p.m. Aug. 18 on the network.
Oklahoma City-bred and University of Oklahoma-educated TV star Olivia Munn is scheduled to be a presenter, along with Kristen Bell, Nick Cannon, Jon Cryer, Victoria Justice, Adam Lambert, Mario Lopez, Rose McGowan, Keke Palmer and Lauren Potter, according to the NewsOK Television Blog.
The ceremony, which honors and celebrates the nation’s best young world-changers, along with celebrities and their good works, will be hosted by “Glee’s” Jane Lynch. Winners will be decided by online votes cast on www.DoSomething.VH1.com.
Oklahoma natives and country music stars Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton have received a “Do Something Concert” award nomination for their two Durant charity concerts that raised $500,000 for Tushka tornado relief efforts.
Also nominated in the concert category is “Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert,” featuring former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, Hank Williams Jr., Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and many others.
NBC’s “The Voice,” featuring Shelton as one of its four coaches, with McEntire serving as a celebrity adviser in the show’s first season, is a nominee for the “Do Something Reality TV Show” award, too.
Adam Lambert is nominated in the “Do Something Music Artist” category, joining fellow nominees Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Nick Jonas, Linkin Park and The Black Eyed Peas. Other celebrity nominees in various categories include Prince William and Duchess Catherine, David Beckham, Scarlett Johansson, Russell Brand and Will Ferrell.
Demi Lovato, Foster the People and OneRepublic (featuring Tulsa-born frontman Ryan Tedder) with B.o.B. are set to perform on the awards show.
-BAM
Video: Ronnie Dunn’s “Cost of Livin’”
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn gets timely and topical with his new song and music video “Cost of Livin’.”
In keeping with the themes of the poignant, relevant ode to tough times, Dunn skips the usual music video and instead puts his song to a 4 1/2-minute mini-documentary about a west Tennessee tire plant preparing to close, leaving 1,900 people jobless.
Songwriter Phillip Coleman begins the video by introducing the tire plant and describing the effects its closing will have on the small town. Coleman was struggling himself before Dunn decided to cut the ballad.
The video features interviews with several employees, conveying the uncertain fears and guarded optimism workers have about their prospects moving forward. Each seems to understand that finding a new source of income will be difficult, but wallowing in self-pity won’t pay the bills.
Eventually, the clip moves from the tire plant to the townsfolk and the city streets. Dunn doesn’t play a roll in the narrative, just sits on a gas pump outside a vacant gas station singing. And really, the song and interviews say it all.
“Cost of Livin’” is from Dunn’s recently released self-titled solo album, his first record since Brooks & Dunn broke up last year.
-BAM
Carrie Underwood, Reba, Blake Shelton, Garth Brooks, Ronnie on Grand Ole Opry-Cracker Barrel compilation CDs
Carrie Underwood (AP file)
Music fans will be able to hear all kinds of country on the three-CD series “Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection,” plus a contemporary “Our Kind of Country” CD, all released today by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and the Grand Ole Opry.
“The Classic Collection” includes live performances recorded on the celebrated stage of the Grand Ole Opry spanning six decades from the mid-1950s to the 2000s.
A long list of country stars’ memorable performances at the Opry is captured on the Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection CDs: Duets, Outlaws, and Classic Hits.
“Our Kind of Country,” meanwhile, features studio recordings of some of today’s superstar Opry members’ biggest hits of the past 10 years. The CDs are sold separately for $11.99 and are available at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Grand Ole Opry retail locations as well as online at www.crackerbarrel.com and www.opry.com.
“The classic collection is truly ‘classic’ in every sense of the word,” said Julie Craig, marketing manager for Cracker Barrel, in a news release. “It’s as close to an Opry experience as you can get without actually being in the Opry House. Listeners will enjoy high quality sound on every track, songs by historically renowned artists and enduring examples of some truly great performances. And ‘Our Kind Of Country’ is an incredible showcase of the Opry’s current superstars and more recent additions—a dozen of the Opry’s best available on one CD for the first time.”
Artists on the “Our Kind of Country” CD are Oklahoma natives Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, along with Trace Adkins, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Diamond Rio, Terri Clark, Montgomery Gentry, and Dierks Bentley. The 12 tracks are studio recordings. Every artist is a Grand Ole Opry member, from McEntire (member since 1985) to Shelton (member since 2010). The artists included have collectively won every major award presented by the Country Music Association, including Entertainer of the Year (Jackson, Reba and Paisley).
“Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection – Duets” spotlights live versions of some of country music’s iconic duos (Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton) as well as artists for whom live versions of collaborative efforts are quite rare (Glen Campbell and Steve Wariner, Ricky Skaggs and Emmylou Harris). The Louvin Brothers’ “When I Stop Dreaming” is the only live Opry recording of the brothers known to exist. Other artists on the Duets CD are Johnny Cash and June Carter; George Jones and Tammy Wynette; Jack Greene and Jeannie Seely; Bobby Lord and Patsy Cline; Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs; Loretta Lynn and Ernest Tubb; Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius; and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and Rebecca Lynn Howard.
Artists on the “Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection – Outlaws” CD are Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kris Kristofferson, Bobby Bare, and George Jones. Together, those featured have collected hundreds of Top 40 country hits and innumerable industry awards.
Artists on “Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection – Classic Hits” CD include Tammy Wynette; Johnny Cash; Patsy Cline; George Jones; Loretta Lynn; The Oak Ridge Boys; Dolly Parton; Porter Wagoner; Ray Price; Marty Robbins; Jack Greene; and Owasso resident Garth Brooks.
Grand Ole Opry Classic Collection is the latest in Cracker Barrel’s popular exclusive music program.
-BAM
Ronnie Dunn takes solo debut to top of country album charts, covers Country Weekly magazine
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn has successfully emerged from behind the ampersand, taking his self-titled solo debut to the top of the Billboard country album chart and at No. 5 on the multi-genre Billboard 200 list.
On June 7, Dunn released his first album after 21 years as part of Brooks & Dunn, the top-selling duo in country music history.
Dunn appears talks about his new album, flying solo and how he sees himself in the cover story of the June 27 issue of Country Weekly magazine, on sale now.
The Tulsa-bred singer-songwriter admits that he has some anxiety about being accepted as a solo artist.
“I’ll always be nervous and hesitant,” he tells the magazine. “I mean, you’re judged by what your last song is and your last hit for the most part, and that’s what you kind of have to do, let the songs do the work.”
To read more about what Dunn has to say about the new phase of his career and his plans as a solo artist, click here to read his recent Q&A with CMT.com.
To read my review of “Ronnie Dunn,” click here.
-BAM
CD review: Ronnie Dunn “Ronnie Dunn”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Country
Ronnie Dunn “Ronnie Dunn” (Arista Nashville)
Ronnie Dunn emerges from behind the ampersand on his self-titled solo debut, and his smooth twang sounds fresher, freer yet unquestionably familiar.
For two decades, the former Tulsan was half of Brooks & Dunn, the top-selling duo in country music history. Since the Texas-born crooner was the primary voice for the superstar pairing, which split amicably last year, the absence of Kix Brooks isn’t particularly jarring. Fans clearly haven’t been too vexed: Dunn’s solo effort already has a top 10 hit with the passionate piano anthem “Bleed Red,” a resonant plea for forgiveness and understanding.
Dunn, who grew up and got his musical start in Tulsa, opens the album by separating himself emotionally if not sonically from his platinum-selling time in the duo with “Singer in a Cowboy Band,” a foot-stomping, fun-loving ode to road-dogging with a beat-up guitar from beer joints and arenas to rodeos and casinos across Texas and Oklahoma. The singer-songsmith, who wrote or co-wrote nine of the 12 tracks, keeps the Brooks & Dunn honky-tonk vibe going on the raucous electric boot-scooter “Let the Cowboy Rock” and the Tex-Mex road song “How Far to Waco.”
But Dunn’s previously underutilized talents as a balladeer rightly get most of the spotlight on his reintroduction. After all, when your singing partner looks a bit like the Marlboro Man, it’s kind of awkward to stack the playlist with too many love songs. As a soloist, though, Dunn can croon sweet nothings to his heart’s content, and he lets the ardor flow on “Once,” “Last Love I’m Trying” and “Your Kind of Love.”
He avoids temptation on “I Don’t Dance” and gives in on “I Can’t Help Myself,” and he copes with heartache on “I Just Get Lonely” and “Love Owes Me One.” But Dunn uses his well-honed voice most effectively on the timely story-song “Cost of Livin’,” about a laid-off veteran desperately seeking any job to make ends meet.
— BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Ronnie Dunn’s self-titled debut album
Ronnie Dunn, former Tulsan and former half of the superstar duo Brooks & Dunn, released his first album as a solo artist today. The self-titled album already has notched a top 10 single on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart with the passionate anthem “Bleed Red.”
Look for my review of “Ronnie Dunn” in the coming days. Until that time, check out these music videos and behind-the-scenes look of the album in this week’s spotlight.
-BAM
New releases for June 7, 2011: Ronnie Dunn, Shawna Russell, Randy Travis, “True Grit,” “Just Go With It,” “Pretty Little Liars,” new Theodore Boone
Ronnie Dunn, former Tulsan and former half of the superstar duo Brooks & Dunn, releases his first album as a solo artist today. The self-titled album already has notched a top 10 single on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart with the passionate anthem “Bleed Red.” Look for my review of “Ronnie Dunn” in the coming days.
Okemeh singer-songwriter Shawna Russell drops her self-titled sophomore album today. Russell first came on to the national and international music scene with the release of her debut album “Goddess” (Way Out West Records), in 2008, for which she co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs. The Country Music Association named her “Who New to Watch,” and three radio singles, “Goddess,” “Should’ve Been Born With Wheels” and “Fire In The Desert,” cemented her status as a contender, with action on the Billboard New and Active, Music Row and Texas Music Charts. Look for my interview with Shawna in the coming days.
Country stalwart Randy Travis marks 25 years as a recording artist with “Anniversary Celebration,” featuring duets with Oklahoma natives Kristin Chenoweth and Carrie Underwood (Travis and Underwood scored a hit duet with “I Told You So”; this time they collaborate on “Is It Still Over?”), along with fellow country stars Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner and more.
In DVDs, the Coen brothers’ masterful remake of “True Grit,” the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston comedy “Just Go With It” and the acclaimed recession drama “The Company Men,” starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones, are among the new films available for home viewing. Several summer TV series have released their previous seasons in anticipation for their new beginnings, including “White Collar,” “Burn Notice,” “Breaking Bad,” along with “Pretty Little Liars,” which features Oklahoma-born and bred actor Ryan Merriman.
In books, John Grisham is releasing the second book in his “Theodore Boone” series for young readers.
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Ronnie Dunn, “Ronnie Dunn.”
Shawna Russell, “Shawna Russell.”
Randy Travis, “Anniversary Celebration.”
Arctic Monkeys, “Suck It and See.”
Original Broadway Cast, “The Book of Mormon.”
Daniel Radcliffe, John Larroquette and more, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
Tedeschi Trucks Band, “Revelator.”
Depeche Mode, “Remixes 2: 81-11” (3CD Deluxe Edition).
Tech N9ne, “All 6′s And 7′s.”
DVDs
The Big C: The Complete First Season
Blue Crush 2
Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season
Burn Notice: Season Four
The Company Men
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Hawthorne: The Complete Second Season
Just Go With It
Pretty Little Liars: The Complete First Season
Rubber
Sanctum
Shadows and Lies
True Grit
White Collar: The Complete Second Season
Books
Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham
Hit List (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 20) by Laurell K. Hamilton
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson
The Simplicity Primer by Patrice Lewis
License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver by Rick Harrison, Tim Keown
Sister: A Novel by Rosamund Lupton
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
-BAM
Ronnie Dunn to perform today on “The View”
Ronnie Dunn (AP file)
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn will perform a song from his new self-titled album today on “The View.” The talk show airs at 10 a.m. weekdays on KOCO-5 in Oklahoma City.
Dunn, formerly of the superstar duo Brooks & Dunn, is releasing his first album as a solo artist today. The first single, “Bleed Red,” is currently No. 10 on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart.
-BAM
