Trisha Yearwood’s mother dies in Georgia
Sampling the Home-Churned Ice Cream recipe at home in Georgia are, from left, Trisha Yearwood; her sister, Beth Yearwood Bernard; her mother, Gwen Yearwood; and niece, Ashley Bernard. This photo is featured in Trisha Yearwood's 2007 cookbook, "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen."
Oklahoma country music star and cookbook author Trisha Yearwood is mourning the death of her mother, Gwen Yearwood, at the age of 73.
Gwen Yearwood, who co-authored her daughter’s two best-selling cookbooks, died Saturday in morning in Tifton, Ga., after a long fight with cancer, according to the Associated Press.
“The family is deeply appreciative of the care and concern they’ve received throughout this journey,” they said in a statement to the AP.
According to the statement, Trisha Yearwood and her sister Beth were by their mother’s side when she died.
Gwen Yearwood, a teacher who lived in Monticello, Ga., most of her life, wrote two popular cookbooks with her daughters. “Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen: Recipes from My Family to Yours” was released in 2008 and “Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood: Stories and Recipes to Share with Family and Friends” was published in 2010.
Trisha Yearwood, a Grammy-winning singer, was among country music’s most popular acts before going into semi-retirement with her husband Garth Brooks on their spread in Owasso. She continues to be a popular draw when she performs and said recently she hopes soon to hit Broadway when her stepchildren are all in college, according to the AP.
The family statement asked that expressions of sympathy be directed to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which helps fund breast cancer research, in Gwen Yearwood’s name.
Our thoughts here at BAM’s Blog are with the Yearwood family.
-BAM
Ronnie Dunn, Thompson Square and more added to slate for ACM Honors
Ronnie Dunn (AP file)
Thompson Square
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and husband-and-wife duo Thompson Square, which includes Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson, have been added to the list of participants for the fifth annual ACM Honors program set for Sept. 19 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., reports CMT.com.
Presented by the Academy of Country Music, the event celebrates the special honorees and non-televised category winners from the 46th annual ACM Awards, which took place in April in Las Vegas. Joe Nichols will host the event.
Those being honored include special award recipients Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, both Oklahoma natives, John Dorris, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Taylor Swift and the film “Country Strong.” Hank Cochran will be honored posthumously. The event also will recognize winners of the MBI (musician, bandleader, instrumentalist) and industry categories. Brooks, who lives in Owasso, is not expected to attend, according to CMT.com.
Joining Dunn among the presenters are broadcaster Ralph Emery, Laura Bell Bundy and John Michael Montgomery. In addition to Thompson Square, the newly announced performers include Rodney Atkins, Randy Houser, Jerrod Niemann, Jack Ingram, Lee Ann Womack, the Isaacs, the Whites and songwriter Dean Dillon.
Check out the list of honorees after the break.
Garth Brooks to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Garth Brooks shows off his trophy after his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame June 16 in New York City. The Oklahoma country music superstar will be inducted in October into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Garth Brooks to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The Oklahoman will join fellow country music superstar Alan Jackson, along with songsmiths John Bettis, Thom Schuyler and Allen Shamblin, in the hall of fame, which will induct its 2011 class in October.
Oklahoma music megastar Garth Brooks will be inducted this fall into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation Monday (today) announced that Brooks and fellow country music superstar Alan Jackson will join the hall in the songwriter/artist category. Hit writers John Bettis, Thom Schuyler and Allen Shamblin will be inducted in the songwriter division.
The 41st anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Oct. 16 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. The hall of fame recognizes songwriters whose first significant works achieved commercial success or artistic recognition at least 20 years ago and who have “positively impacted and been closely associated with the Nashville music community and deemed to be outstanding and significant.”
“These five very talented individuals are among an era of powerhouse writers and artists who propelled country music to unparalleled heights beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and also made substantial contributions to popular and rock music,” said John Van Mol, chairman of the foundation, in the announcement. “We look forward to a fantastic evening of recognition for our inductees, and great entertainment for all who attend.”
The foundation’s board of directors increased the number of inductees this year to five from its traditional three. The five honorees were chosen from a field of 15 nominees, including Tulsa Sound pioneer J.J. Cale in the songwriter category and Amy Grant, wife of Oklahoma native and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, in the songwriter/artist category.
“Songwriters and songwriter/artists with ties to Nashville have made our city the songwriting capital of the world,” Van Mol said in the announcement. “This year’s inductees have greatly enhanced that reputation and are richly deserving of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame honors.”
In June, Brooks was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City. The Owasso resident co-wrote several of his chart-toppers, including “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “Unanswered Prayers,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “The River,” “That Summer,” “We Shall Be Free” and “Ain’t Going Down (’Til The Sun Comes Up).”
The Tulsa-born, Yukon-bred superstar also co-wrote Chris LeDoux’s hit “Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy” and a pair of his own duets with wife Trisha Yearwood, “Like We Never Had A Broken Heart” and “In Another’s Eyes.” He was ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1993 and 1994 and Nashville Songwriters Association International’s 1992 Songwriter/Artist of the Year.
A four-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year and Grand Ole Opry member, Brooks lived in Nashville from 1987 to 2005, when he moved back to his home state.
Brooks, 49, has been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history. An Oklahoma State University alumnus, he has sold more than 128 million albums and is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark.
Like Brooks, Jackson is part of country music’s fabled “Class of ’89,” a cluster of stars who released their debut albums in 1989. Jackson created hits from many of his self-penned songs, including “Chattahoochee” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”
Bettis, another 2011 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, wrote the pop/country crossover hits “Top of the World” (recorded by The Carpenters and Lynn Anderson) and “Slow Hand” (The Pointer Sisters and Conway Twitty). Shamblin’s credits include Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert’s career-altering smash “The House That Built Me” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Schuyler’s resume features the hits “Love Will Turn You Around” (Kenny Rogers) and “A Long Line of Love” (Michael Martin Murphey).
-BAM
Video: BAM’s Blog top 21 Oklahoma country songs
Ryan LaCroix, intrepid founder/owner/editor of OklahomaRock.com, has compiled a list of the top 100 Oklahoma country songs, and he is unveiling five songs from the list every weekday through Wednesday, Aug. 31, when the top five will be revealed.
To compile the list, LaCroix consulted with state experts such as disc jockeys, musicians and journalists; polled the public on Twitter and Facebook; and consulted chart rankings and non-Oklahoma-specific greatest country songs lists.
He was kind enough to consider me an expert and ask me to share my list of favorite Oklahoma country songs. I revealed my list over the past two Fridays in columns that you can read here and here. For your convenience, here is the top 21 list all together, with a video of my all-time favorite Okie country song:
1. “Oklahoma Breakdown,” recorded by Stoney LaRue, written by Mike Hosty.
I’m a red dirt girl at heart, and this foot-stomping tribute to making romance country-style never fails to make me smile. I could listen to it all day; truth be told, I probably have put it on a daylong loop at least once or twice.
2. “Friends in Low Places,” recorded by Garth Brooks, written by DeWayne Blackwell, Earl Bud Lee (with a third verse penned by Brooks).
Not only is “Friends in Low Places” one of the biggest country songs ever by THE biggest country artist ever, it’s one of the songs that brought me back to country music in the 1990s.
3. “Fancy,” recorded by Reba McEntire, written by Bobbie Gentry.
There’s a reason that Reba uses this as the encore for her shows and has for years. This Southern gothic tale of a white-trash girl determined to become a lady by any means necessary crackles with power, especially with the Chockie-bred belter’s mighty drawl behind it. Dress Reba in a floor-length spangled red gown and play the memorable video, and it’s an epic encore.
4. “If You See Me Getting Smaller,” written by Jimmy Webb, recorded by Waylon Jennings; also recorded by Webb with Willie Nelson.
Elk City native Jimmy Webb wrote a slew of great country hits in the 1960s and ’70s, but “If You See Me Getting Smaller” remains my favorite. I used to think it was because I prefer the vocal stylings of Waylon Jennings to those of Glen Campbell, who cut Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston.” But when I heard Webb’s 2010 retrospective album “Just Across the River,” I still preferred “If You See Me Getting Smaller” to the others. This wistful song simply speaks to me.
5. “Kerosene,” recorded by Miranda Lambert, written by Lambert and Steve Earle.
We learned later on that she was made of “Gunpowder & Lead” and got to hear her softer side while touring “The House That Built Me,” but this scorching revenge yarn established the future Tishomingo resident as country music hottest firebrand.
6. “Skyline Radio,” recorded Cody Canada & The Departed, written by Tom Skinner.
Since I so dig the red dirt, I couldn’t imagine this list without a contribution from Cross Canadian Ragweed or new iteration The Departed, and I considered Ragweed favorites like “Alabama” and “Sick and Tired.” But This track from The Departed’s Oklahoma songwriters tribute “This Is Indian Land” gives you the fine songwriting of Skinner with the appealing vocals of Canada. Just try not to smile when you hear it.
7. “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Larry Collins and Sandy Pinkard; recorded by David Frizzell and Shelly West; covered by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.
This ballad from the 1981 movie “Any Which Way You Can” is quite possibly the best country song with an Oklahoma reference in the title. which is saying something if you really think about it. When the future Mr. and Mrs. Shelton performed it on a TV special, their chemistry was apparent, and they gave the original version a run for its money.
8. “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” written and recorded by Vince Gill (with Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless).
It’s hard to overstate Vince Gill’s talents as a songwriter, singer and musician, and he’s certainly crafted a bumper crop of great songs. But this majestic ode to a lost loved one soars high above the rest.
9. “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” recorded by Mel McDaniel, written by Bob McDill.
Heaven help us, but this catchy number gets stuck between your ears tighter than those blue jeans. Nah, it can’t help it.
10. “How Do You Like Me Now?!” recorded by Toby Keith, written by Keith and Chuck Cannon.
Be honest, we’ve all wanted to smugly crow this question to at least one person who gave us short shrift, and Keith’s bravado and brashness are perfectly suited for such vicarious vengeance.
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.
12. “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” written and recorded by Roger Miller.
Yes, I know it’s one of those funny novelty songs that tended 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.)
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.
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 ballad, capturing the determination and resilience of young love.
15. “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,” recorded by Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, written by Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen.
Oklahoma City resident Conway Twitty did some of his best work with Kentucky native Loretta Lynn, and this Canjun-flavored duet has become a country classic.
16. “Brand New Man,” recorded by Brooks & Dunn, written by Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks and Don Cook.
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and Louisiana native Kix Brooks, who became the best-selling duo in country music history, made an auspicious chart-topping debut with this earnest, uptempo ballad.
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.
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.
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 signature hit “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” it’s one of those songs that’s become so iconic 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.
20. “Pt. 1/Never That Easy,” written and recorded by Green Corn Revival.
One could argue that the opening of the Weatherford-based band’s debut album “Say You’re a Sinner” isn’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.
21. “Thank God and Greyhound,” recorded by Roy Clark, written by Larry Kingston and Earl Nix.
I had to add one more to my list after my recent interview with the charming Clark. This hilarious hit perfectly matches the Country Music Hall of Famer and longtime Tulsa resident’s quick-witted sense of humor.
-BAM
OklahomaRock.com continues top 100 Oklahoma country songs countdown; BAM’s Blog reveals its top 10
Stoney LaRue
A version of this column appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To see Nos. 21-11 on my list of top 21 Oklahoma country songs, click here.
OklahomaRock.com counts down the top 100 country songs with state ties
BAM column: Website is revealing the list throughout the month of August.
From mainstream mega-stars and red dirt rebels to singing cowboys and sharp-penned songwriters, Oklahoma has birthed, bred or nurtured numerous influential country music makers.
Throughout August, OklahomaRock.com is counting down the top 100 songs from our fair state’s many and varied country artists.
“Hopefully, it’ll open up some people’s eyes to how rich our musical history is. People know about Reba and Vince and Garth, but they don’t necessarily know about some of the ‘smaller’ artists or ones that have been forgotten about,” said Ryan LaCroix, intrepid founder/owner/editor of OklahomaRock.com, who is releasing the top 100 countdown in conjunction with state magazine Oklahoma Today’s September/October issue, which will focus on country music.
“It’s more or less a showcase, and that’s kind of what OklahomaRock does. We try to showcase more of the up-and-coming artists, but we try to just keep a pulse of what’s going on in Oklahoma and with Oklahoma artists. And this will be a little bit of what’s going on now and a lot of what has gone on in the past that people might not know about,”
To compile the list, 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. Last week, I unveiled Nos. 11 to 21, and here is my top 10:
Toby Keith (AP file)
10. “How Do You Like Me Now?!” recorded by Toby Keith, written by Keith and Chuck Cannon.
Be honest, we’ve all wanted to smugly crow this question to at least one person who gave us short shrift, and Keith’s bravado and brashness are perfectly suited for such vicarious vengeance.
9. “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” recorded by Mel McDaniel, written by Bob McDill.
Heaven help us, but this catchy number gets stuck between your ears tighter than those blue jeans. Nah, it can’t help it.
8. “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” written and recorded by Vince Gill (with Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless).
It’s hard to overstate Gill’s talents as a songwriter, singer and musician, and he’s certainly crafted a bumper crop of great songs. But this majestic ode to a lost loved one soars high above the rest.
7. “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Larry Collins and Sandy Pinkard; recorded by David Frizzell and Shelly West; covered by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.
This ballad from the 1981 movie “Any Which Way You Can” is quite possibly the best country song with an Oklahoma reference in the title. which is saying something if you really think about it. When the future Mr. and Mrs. Shelton performed it on a TV special, their chemistry was apparent, and they gave the original version a run for its money.
6. “Skyline Radio,” recorded Cody Canada & The Departed, written by Tom Skinner.
Since I so dig the red dirt, I couldn’t imagine this list without a contribution from Cross Canadian Ragweed or new iteration The Departed, and I considered Ragweed favorites like “Alabama” and “Sick and Tired.” But This track from The Departed’s Oklahoma songwriters tribute “This Is Indian Land” gives you the fine songwriting of Skinner with the appealing vocals of Canada. Just try not to smile when you hear it.
5. “Kerosene,” recorded by Miranda Lambert, written by Lambert and Steve Earle.
Miranda Lambert (AP file)
We learned later on that she was made of “Gunpowder & Lead” and got to hear her softer side while touring “The House That Built Me,” but this scorching revenge yarn established the future Tishomingo resident as country music hottest firebrand.
4. “If You See Me Getting Smaller,” written by Jimmy Webb, recorded by Waylon Jennings, also recorded by Webb with Willie Nelson.
Elk City native Webb wrote a slew of great country hits in the 1960s and ’70s, but “If You See Me Getting Smaller” remains my favorite. I used to think it was because I prefer the vocal stylings of Jennings to those of Glen Campbell, who cut Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston.” But when I heard Webb’s 2010 retrospective album “Just Across the River,” I still preferred “If You See Me Getting Smaller.” to the others. The wistful song just speaks to me.
3. “Fancy,” recorded by Reba McEntire, written and originally recorded by Bobbie Gentry.
There’s a reason that Reba has used this song as the encore for her shows for years. This Southern gothic tale of a white-trash girl determined to become a lady by any means necessary crackles with power, especially with the Chockie-bred belter’s mighty drawl behind it. Dress Reba in a floor-length spangled red gown and play the memorable video, and it’s an epic encore.
2. “Friends in Low Places,” recorded by Garth Brooks, written by DeWayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee. (with a third verse penned by Brooks).
Not only is “Friends in Low Places” one of the biggest country songs ever by THE biggest country artist ever, it’s one of the songs that brought me back to country music in the 1990s
1. “Oklahoma Breakdown,” recorded by Stoney LaRue, written by Mike Hosty.
I’m a red dirt girl at heart, and this foot-stomping tribute to making romance country-style never fails to make me smile. I could listen to it all day; truth be told, I probably have put it on a daylong loop at least once or twice.
-BAM
Joe Nichols to host ACM Honors, Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire to receive awards
Joe Nichols
Country singer Joe Nichols will host the 5th Annual ACM Honors, an evening dedicated to recognizing the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, on Monday, Sept. 19 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tickets will be made available via Ticketmaster soon, on-sale details will be announced next week. For more information, go to www.acmcountry.com.
Garth Brooks (AP file)
This will be Nichols’ first time to host the event and the second time it will take place at the Ryman Auditorium, which will be recognized at the event as the reigning ACM Venue of the Year.
Those being honored include special award recipients Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, both Oklahoma natives, John Dorris, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Taylor Swift and the film “Country Strong.” Hank Cochran will be honored posthumously. The event also will recognize winners of the MBI (musician, bandleader, instrumentalist) and industry categories, which are not presented during the live telecast of the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Nichols is an ACM Award winner and one of country music’s most critically acclaimed artists. With four Grammy nominations and award wins from every major country awards show, he has racked up four No. 1 singles and eight top 10 singles, sold more than 2 million albums and recently had the second most-played song on country radio in 2010 with the three-week No. 1 smash “Gimmie That Girl.”
“Hosting the ACM Honors is definitely a high point in my career,” Nichols said in a news release. “To share the stage with such an incredible array of talent is a distinction I don’t take
Reba McEntire (AP file)
lightly, and I am honored that the Academy of Country Music asked me to host the event.”
The Academy of Country Music Special Awards are voted on by the ACM board of directors and are awarded during years that the board of directors feels there are clear and deserving candidates. Honorees include:
* Garth Brooks – Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award
* Hank Cochran (posthumously) – Poet’s Award
* John Dorris – Mae Boren Axton Award
* Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers – Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award
* Tom T. Hall – Poet’s Award
* Reba McEntire – Career Achievement Award
* Taylor Swift – Jim Reeves International Award
* “Country Strong” – Tex Ritter Award
See more honorees after the break.
Garth Brooks, J.J. Cale nominated for Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Garth Brooks (AP file)
J.J. Cale (AP file)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Garth Brooks, J.J. Cale nominated for Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Oklahoma natives Garth Brooks and J.J. Cale are among the 15 nominees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The 2011 nominees include five songwriter/artists, including Brooks, and 10 songwriters, including Cale.
“This is an amazing group of songwriters and songwriter/artists,” said John Van Mol, chairman of the Nashville (Tenn.) Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, which owns and administers the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, in Monday’s announcement. “Every one of them is extremely worthy of induction, and it is our honor to place each of their names in nomination.”
Brooks was inducted last week into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City. Among the Owasso resident’s many chart-topping hits are 10 that he co-wrote, including “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “Unanswered Prayers,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “The River,” “That Summer,” “We Shall Be Free” and “Ain’t Going Down (’Til The Sun Comes Up).”
The Tulsa-born, Yukon-bred superstar also co-wrote Chris LeDoux’s “Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy” and a pair of his own duets with wife Trisha Yearwood: “Like We Never Had A Broken Heart” and “In Another’s Eyes.” He was ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1993 and 1994 and Nashville Songwriters Association International’s 1992 Songwriter/Artist of the Year.
A four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and Grand Ole Opry member, Brooks lived in Nashville from 1987 to 2005, when he moved back to his home state.
He has been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history. Brooks has sold more than 128 million albums and is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark.
Amy Grant (“Baby Baby,” “Every Heartbeat,” “Tennessee Christmas”), wife of Oklahoma native and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, also is nominated in the songwriter/artist category.
Other nominees in the songwriter/artist category are Alan Jackson, Larry Gatlin and the late Townes Van Zandt.
Famed for his bluesy, rootsy, laidback style, Cale was born Dec. 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City but raised in Tulsa. He moved to Nashville in 1959 and found work as a guitarist with touring Grand Ole Opry troupes.
After stints in Los Angeles and Tulsa, Cale returned to Music City in 1970 to record his debut album. In 1972, he built his own studio in Nashville, where he continued to record and live part-time throughout the ’70s and early ’80s.
Both Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler have acknowledged the Tulsa Sound pioneer’s influence as a guitarist, with the former making international hits of Cale’s “After Midnight” and “Cocaine.” Over the years, Cale’s various albums have yielded “Crazy Mama” (a pop hit for him in 1972), “Call Me The Breeze” (turned into a rock standard by Lynyrd Skynyrd), “Clyde” (a top 10 country hit for Waylon Jennings in 1980), “Any Way The Wind Blows” (Brother Phelps in 1995) and “The Sensitive Kind” (Santana in 1981), as well as the oft-covered “I Got The Same Old Blues,” “Magnolia” and “Travelin’ Light.”
As an artist, Cale has released 16 albums since 1971, including the Grammy-winning collaboration with Clapton, “The Road to Escondido” (2006), followed by “Roll On” (2009).
The other nominees in the songwriter category are John Bettis (another 2011 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee), Allen Shamblin (who co-wrote Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert’s career-altering hit “The House That Built Me”), Robert Byrne, Jan Crutchfield, Mark James, Dan Penn, Gretchen Peters, Thom Schuyler and John Scott Sherrill.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame seeks to recognize songwriters whose first significant works achieved commercial success and/or artistic recognition at least 20 years ago and who have “positively impacted and been closely associated with the Nashville music community and deemed to be outstanding and significant.” This year’s inductees will be announced in the coming weeks before the 41st Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 16 in Nashville.
-BAM
Garth Brooks, J.J. Cale nominated for Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
Garth Brooks shows off his award at 2011 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction June 16 in New York City. (Photo provide)
J.J. Cale (AP file)
Oklahoma natives Garth Brooks and J.J. Cale are among the 15 nominees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The 2011 nominees include five songwriter/artists, including Brooks, and 10 songwriters, including Cale.
“This is an amazing group of songwriters and songwriter/artists,” said John Van Mol, chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, which owns and administers the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, in Monday’s announcement. “Every one of them is extremely worthy of induction, and it is our honor to place each of their names in nomination.”
Brooks was inducted last week into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City. Among the Owasso resident’s many chart-topping hits are 10 that he co-wrote, including “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “Unanswered Prayers,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “The River,” “That Summer,” “We Shall Be Free” and “Ain’t Going Down (’Til The Sun Comes Up).”
The Tulsa-born, Yukon-bred superstar also co-wrote Chris LeDoux’s “Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy” and a pair of his own duets with wife Trisha Yearwood: “Like We Never Had A Broken Heart” and “In Another’s Eyes.” He was ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1993 and 1994 and Nashville Songwriters Association International’s 1992 Songwriter/Artist of the Year.
A four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year and Grand Ole Opry member, Brooks lived in Nashville from 1987 to 2005, when he moved back to his home state.
He has been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as the top-selling solo artist in U.S. history. Brooks has sold more than 128 million albums and is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark.
Amy Grant (“Baby Baby,” “Every Heartbeat,” “Tennessee Christmas”), wife of Oklahoma native and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, also is nominated in the songwriter/artist category.
Other nominees in the songwriter/artist category are Alan Jackson, Larry Gatlin and the late Townes Van Zandt.
Famed for his bluesy, rootsy, laidback style, Cale was born Dec. 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City but raised in Tulsa. He moved to Nashville in 1959 and found work as a guitarist with touring Grand Ole Opry troupes.
After stints in Los Angeles and Tulsa, Cale returned to Music City in 1970 to record his debut album. In 1972, he built his own studio in Nashville, where he continued to record and live part-time throughout the ’70s and early ’80s.
Both Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler have acknowledged the Tulsa Sound pioneer’s influence as a guitarist, with the former making international hits of Cale’s “After Midnight” and “Cocaine.” Over the years, Cale’s various albums have yielded “Crazy Mama” (a pop hit for him in 1972), “Call Me The Breeze” (turned into a rock standard by Lynyrd Skynyrd), “Clyde” (a top 10 country hit for Waylon Jennings in 1980), “Any Way The Wind Blows” (Brother Phelps in 1995) and “The Sensitive Kind” (Santana in 1981), as well as the oft-covered “I Got The Same Old Blues,” “Magnolia” and “Travelin’ Light.”
As an artist, Cale has released 16 albums since 1971, including the Grammy-winning collaboration with Clapton, “The Road to Escondido” (2006), followed by “Roll On” (2009).
The other nominees in the songwriter category are John Bettis (another 2011 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee), Allen Shamblin (who co-wrote Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert’s career-altering hit “The House That Built Me”), Robert Byrne, Jan Crutchfield, Mark James, Dan Penn, Gretchen Peters, Thom Schuyler and John Scott Sherrill.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame seeks to recognize songwriters whose first significant works achieved commercial success and/or artistic recognition at least 20 years ago and who have “positively impacted and been closely associated with the Nashville music community and deemed to be outstanding and significant.” This year’s inductees will be announced in the coming weeks before the 41st Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 16 in Nashville.
-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
Photo gallery 2: 2011 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner
Oklahoma country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sign autographs for fans before the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner Thursday in New York. Brooks was inducted into the hall of fame. (Associated Press photos)
Oklahoma natives Garth Brooks and Leon Russell were among the honorees Thursday night at the 2011 Songwriters Hall of Fame 42nd Anniversary Induction and Awards Dinner in New York City.
Along with Brooks and Russell, John Bettis, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly and Allen Toussaint were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the star-studded musical gala. Honored with special awards were Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who were presented the Johnny Mercer Award; Drake, who received the Hal David Starlight Award; the legendary Chaka Khan who received the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award; Ervin Drake, who was presented the Towering Song Award for “It Was A Very Good Year;” and former hall of fame Chairman Emeritus Hal David, who received the first ever Visionary Leadership Award.
Here are some of the memorable moments from the event, from the Associated Press:
Garth Brooks and Billy Joel perform "Shameless."
Trisha Yearwood performs the medley: "A House Is Not A Home" / "Do You Know The Way To San Jose" / "(They Long To Be) Close To You" / "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" / "99 Miles From LA" / "What The World Needs Now" in honor of songwriter Hal David, who received first ever Visionary Leadership Award.
Oklahoma native Leon Russell performs "A Song for You" as he is inducted.
Dwight Yoakam performs "Superstar" in honor of Leon Russell.
Drake arrives with his mom, Sandi Graham, to whom he dedicated his award.
Inductee Allen Toussaint performs "Hello My Lover" and "What Do You Want the Girl to Do" with Boz Scaggs.
Boz Scaggs performs "Hercules" in honor of Allen Toussaint.
Billy Joel arrives at the event with his daughter, Alexa Ray Joel.
-BAM
