Kings of Leon, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts and Reba McEntire nominated for AMAs
Kings of Leon
The American Music Awards nominations were announced today, and country-pop star Taylor Swift gained a leading six nominations.
The late Michael Jackson earned five nominations, while rapper Eminem is nominated for five AMAs.
Swift, Jackson, Eminem, Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon are competing for the top award, artist of the year.
Kings of Leon, who have Oklahoma ties, earned two other nominations, for favorite pop/rock band, duo or group and favorite alternative rock artist.
Rascal Flatts, which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher, is nominated for two AMAs, for favorite country band, duo or group and favorite country album for ”Unstoppable.”
Oklahoma natives Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood will compete with Swift for the favorite female country artist title.
The AMAs will air Nov. 22 on ABC. For more information, go to www.ABC.com.
See the full list of nominees after the break.
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
Wednesday Video Spotlight: New videos from Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert
Oklahoma country stars Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert all debuted their new music videos on CMT and CMT.com during the cable network’s big weekend of premieres.
These powerhouse women will face off again at the 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards Nov. 11 on ABC: All three are nominated for the female vocalist of the year award.
McEntire, who was raised in Chockie, designs a fabulous gown and helps a couple through their problems in the video to “Consider Me Gone,” the second single from her album “Keep on Loving You.”
Checotah native Underwood shows off some sizzling fashions and a few sharp dance moves in her video for “Cowboy Casanova.” The rollicking lead-off single to her upcoming third album “Play On,” “Cowboy Casanova” already is a big hit for the Oklahoma native.
Underwood talked to CMT.com about filming the sexy video against the backdrop of New Orleans:
“Usually we cram everything into one day because, goodness knows, what else I have to do – I’m off flying somewhere else doing something crazy,” she told CMT.com. “But it wasn’t all about me this time. We had dancers. We had a lot of people going on. It was just a lot of fun. You know, changing into one fabulous outfit after another and just going out and having a lot of fun with it. The energy was really good, and it made the day fly by.”
“Play On” is due out Nov. 3.
Tishomingo resident Lambert reveals her fiance’s cheating at their wedding and then drops a bombshell of her own in the video for “White Liar.” The song is the second single off her new album “Revolution,” which has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, according to a news release.
The video features fellow country star Jamey Johnson as the preacher at the dramatic wedding.
It was announced today that Lambert will join Brad Paisley’s extended “American Saturday Night” tour next year. The tour will come to Oklahoma City’s Ford Center Jan. 8.
For more Miranda news, check out my feature on the singer-songwriter Monday here on the blog.
-BAM
Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn among first round of CMA Awards performers
Carrie Underwood (Associated Press photo)
The first round of performers for the the 43rd Annual CMA Awards were announced today, and Oklahoma nominees Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn (which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn) will perform at the awards show.
Other nominees who will perform include Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
Underwood, the reigning Female Vocalist for three consecutive years (2006-2008), has two nominations including Female Vocalist and Musical Event for “I Told You So” with Randy Travis. Should Underwood win the Female Vocalist category again this year, she would tie Martina McBride and McEntire as the top winners in the category with four wins each.
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Paisley and Underwood, will air live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on Nov. 11 on ABC.
Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn (AP photo)
McEntire has two nominations, including Female Vocalist (which she won four consecutive years during 1984-1987) and Musical Event with Brooks & Dunn for “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.”
Brooks & Dunn are nominated this year for Vocal Duo (which they have won a record 14 times) and Musical Event with McEntire for “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.” Dunn and Kix Brooks have announced that they are breaking up their musical partnership next year.
Chesney, the reigning Entertainer of the Year (with four total wins in this category), has three nominations, including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; and Musical Event with Mac McAnally for “Down the Road.”
Paisley, the reigning Male Vocalist (2007 and 2008), is this year’s top-nominated artist with seven nominations, including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for American Saturday Night; Single and Song for “Then” (which he co-wrote with Chris DuBois and Ashley Gorley); and Musical Event and Music Video for “Start a Band” with Urban.
Rucker, who released his debut solo Country album in 2008, received his first two CMA nominations this year for New Artist and Male Vocalist.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Strait received four nominations including Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Music Video for “Troubadour” and Musical Event for “Everything But Quits” with Lee Ann Womack (a category they won in 2005 with “Good News, Bad News”). With 79 career nominations, Strait is now tied with Alan Jackson as the most nominated artist in CMA Awards history.
Sugarland, the reigning Vocal Duo (2007 and 2008), has two nominations including Vocal Duo and Album for Love on the Inside. Sugarland members Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles could each receive a second trophy for producing Love on the Inside with Byron Gallimore.
Swift, who won the Horizon Award in 2007, received four nominations this year with Entertainer; Female; Album for Fearless; and Music Video for “Love Story.” She could receive a second trophy for producing Fearless with Nathan Chapman. At age 19, Swift is the youngest artist ever to be nominated for Entertainer. Prior to this nomination, Wynonna was the youngest at age 22 when The Judds were first nominated in that category in 1986. Swift is also the first solo female artist to be nominated for Entertainer since 2000 when Faith Hill was nominated. The last solo female artist to win the category was Shania Twain in 1999.
Urban received five nominations this year, with Entertainer (which he won in 2005); Male Vocalist (which he won three consecutive years in 2004-2006); Album for Defying Gravity; and Musical Event and Music Video for “Start a Band” with Paisley. Urban could receive a second trophy for producing Defying Gravity with Dann Huff.
Tickets for the 2009 CMA Awards can be purchased by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com; calling (800) 745-3000; or in person at the Sommet Center box office, 501 Broadway (corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, in Nashville). Ticket prices begin at $110 for Upper Level. All ticket prices include sales tax but exclude applicable service/handling fees.
-BAM
CMT to premiere new videos from Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert and more over weekend
Reba McEntire
A “Big New Music Weekend” is planned for Friday-Sunday at CMT and CMT.com.
The cable network and its Web site are planning exclusive premieres this weekend of nine new music videos, including ones from Oklahoma stars Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert.
Here are the new videos that will be premiering on the channel this weekend:
Billy Currington – “That’s the Way Country Boys Roll”
Carrie Underwood – “Cowboy Casanova”
Keith Urban – “Hit the Ground Runnin’”
Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews - “I’m Alive”
Michelle Branch – “Sooner or Later”
Miranda Lambert – “White Liar”
Reba McEntire – “Consider Me Gone”
Sugarland – “Keep You”
Tim McGraw – “Southern Voice”
- BAM
BAM Column: Miranda Lambert, Flaming Lips, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith releasing fall CDs
Miranda Lambert
From Tuesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Fall offers must-have new music
For Oklahoma music fans, fall holds the promise of fantastic new offerings.
The year has already seen the release of big-time albums from Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Samantha Crain, Rodney Carrington and St. Vincent, all artists with state ties. Even the late Woody Guthrie had a four-disc box set, “My Dusty Road,” released last month.
But even more major records from Okies are still to come this autumn, starting today.
If the title is any indication, firebrand Miranda Lambert will keep on rebelling against the country music establishment with her third album, “Revolution,” which drops today. The Tishomingo singer-songwriter already has notched one stunning brokenhearted ballad, “Dead Flowers,” from the new record.
Toby Keith
Norman star Toby Keith has raised eyebrows and raced up the charts with “American Ride,” the title track of his new album, due out Oct. 6. Last week, the single reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Songs chart. Riding the momentum of the politically charged video, the song has become his most buzz-worthy track since the 2001 hit “Courtesy of the Red, White And Blue.”
Also on Oct. 6, country band Rascal Flatts, which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher, will offer new bonus content on a limited edition re-release of its “Greatest Hits Vol. 1.”
Flaming Lips
Oklahoma City-based psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips will deliver something new on Oct. 13: their first-ever double-album, “Embryonic.” The Lips performed “Convinced of the Hex” recently on “The Colbert Report” and debuted last week the video for “I Can Be a Frog.” If these tracks are any indication, we can expect many surreal delights from the Lips’ latest project.
Carrie Underwood
And recent Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee Carrie Underwood is sure to delight her legion fans with the Nov. 3 release of her hotly anticipated third album “Play On.” The Checotah native put out the first single, “Cowboy Casanova,” as a digital track last week, and it took only 24 hours for the sassy cautionary tale to crack iTunes’ top five list.
The fall is still young, so we may see more Oklahoma artists adding to the list of autumn’s must-have albums. Hopefully, state music lovers have been saving their pennies.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Oklahoma music videos
It’s been a big week on the Oklahoma music scene, with multiple state artists releasing albums or music videos or appearing on TV this week. Here’s the rundown in this week’s Wednesday Video Spotlight:
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist St. Vincent (AKA Tulsa native Annie Clark) released the music video for “Marrow,” from her album “Actor,” this week:
Also, “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer announced on her Web site that St. Vincent and the indie band Bon Iver would collaborate on a song on the soundtrack for the hotly anticipated sequel “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”
Oklahoma City based psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips also released a new video this week. “I Can Be a Frog,” from the upcoming double-album “Embryonic,” features animals noises from Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Just watch it, it will make sense, for the Lips at least:
The Flaming Lips "I Can Be A Frog"
“Embryonic” is due out Oct. 13.
Tulsa-based Christian rock band Pillar released its new album, “Confessions,” on Tuesday. Check out this YouTube video of the band performing the song “Call to Action” from the album:
Also on Tuesday (well, early this morning technically), country music superstar Reba McEntire appeared on “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” See her chat with Ferguson and performance of “Consider Me Gone” in these YouTube videos. (The first is worth watching not only to get a gander at Reba’s awesome boots, but also to hear Craig call the Oklahoma native the “ShamWow of country music.”)
Also, the music video to “Consider Me Gone” will premiere Oct. 2-4 on CMT and CMT.com, according to Reba.com.
And Oklahoma-Texas red dirt band Cross Canadian Ragweed posted on its Facebook today this YouTube video of the group performing “51 Pieces,” from the new album “Happiness and All the Other Things,” at last week’s Americana Conference in Nashville, Tenn. (And surely I’m not the only Ragweed fan still trying to get used to frontman Cody Canada’s new short hair, right?)
On Friday, I’ll have a feature with interviews from Canada and drummer Randy Ragsdale about Saturday’s big Sixth Annual Cross Canadian Ragweed Family Jam at Oklahoma City’s Zoo Amphitheatre. So be sure to look for that.
-BAM
Reba McEntire to perform on “Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson” tonight
Oklahoma country music superstar Reba McEntire will appear and perform on “The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson” tonight. The show airs just after midnight on CBS (KWTV-9 in Oklahoma City).
The TV appearance is just the latest for the hard-working McEntire, who is promoting her new hit album “Keep on Loving You.”
According to Reba.com, on the singer’s visit to Ferguson’s studio, she also taped a comedy segment featuring the host’s new book, “American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot,” which hit stores today. The airdate for this segment has not been announced, according to McEntire’s Web site.
-BAM
New label, album puts Reba McEntire back on top of charts
The Associated Press talked to Oklahoma country music superstar Reba McEntire about her return to the top of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
McEntire recently released her first solo album in six years, “Keep on Loving You,” on her new label, Valory Music Co. She worked with the label’s president and CEO, Scott Borchetta, when he was a top executive at McEntire’s old label, MCA Nashville, in the 1990s.
Borchetta also famously launched Taylor Swift’s career through Valory’s sister label, Big Machine Records.
“I’d love to sing with Taylor,” McEntire told the AP. “She’s a wonderful gal, and as young as she is, she’s got a wonderful head on her shoulders with business sense. She’s a great writer, a great performer. Boy, the sky’s the limit for Taylor.”
The Oklahoma native knows about career heights: She has sold more than 55 million albums and earned 33 No. 1 hits throughout her career.
McEntire, 54, co-wrote the song, “She’s Turning 50 Today,” for her new album, basing the lyrics on a tough experience from her past.
“We changed a little bit, especially on the second verse, because I wanted it to be more personal. I did have a divorce in 1987 when I left Oklahoma and came to Nashville. So, I wanted it to be a little bit more persona,” she told the AP.
McEntire is nominated for two Country Music Association Awards this year: female vocalist of the year and musical event of the year for her performance with Brooks & Dunn (which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn) on the hit “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.”
After spending eight years working on other projects, including appearing on Broadway as the lead in the musical “Annie Get Your Gun” and starring in the TV sitcom “Reba,” McEntire said she is focusing on music right now.
To read more about what McEntire had to say to the AP, click here.
-BAM
Brad Paisley and Keith Urban’s “Start a Band” added to musical event nominees for CMA Awards
Brad Paisley and Keith Urban perform “Start a Band.” (Associated Press photo)
The Country Music Association has added a sixth candidate to the list of nominees for CMA musical event of the year – and given superstars Brad Paisley and Keith Urban each another CMA Awards nomination.
After to the CMA Awards nomination announcements Wednesday on “Good Morning America,” CMT’s “Insider Special Edition: 2009 CMA Awards Nominations,” it was discovered that Paisley and Urban were inadvertently omitted from the list of final nominees for musical event for their hit duet “Start a Band.”
The omission occurred when transferring information from the online ballot to the list of final nominees, according to a CMA news release.
“We take the integrity of the CMA Awards balloting very seriously,” said Tammy Genovese, CMA chief executive officer, in the release. “And when an oversight like this occurs we commit ourselves to a thorough review, thoughtful and immediate correction, and complete disclosure and accountability to the artists and our industry.
“I can assure CMA’s valued constituents that we have examined every detail of the ballot for other discrepancies and all other categories were correct as announced.”
“Start A Band” will be added to the list of nominees for the final ballot and all previously announced nominees will remain on the list. Other nominees include Checotah native Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis for their collaboration on “I Told You So” and Oklahoma native Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn, which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, for the duet “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.”
“All of the nominees for musical event of the year are deserving and in the interest of fairness will remain on the ballot for the final vote by our membership,” Genovese said in the release.
“We sincerely regret the omission of these two deserving artists from the list of nominees and apologize to Brad and Keith, and their representatives, for any confusion,” she added.
The additional nomination gives Paisley a total of seven nominations – the most of any artist nominated for the 2009 CMA Awards.
Urban’s nomination count jumps from four to five. Zac Brown, Jamey Johnson, George Strait, and Taylor Swift each received four CMA Awards nominations.
Paisley was also nominated for entertainer; male vocalist; album for “American Saturday Night,” which was produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois; single and song for “Then” (DuBois and Ashley Gorley are also nominated as songwriters); and music video for “Start A Band” with Urban, which was directed by Jim Shea.
Urban’s other nominations include entertainer; male vocalist; music video for “Start A Band” with Paisley; and album of the year for “Defying Gravity.” Urban is eligible to win a second trophy in the album category for producing “Defying Gravity” with Dann Huff.
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 11 on ABC.
Paisley, the reigning CMA male vocalist of the year, and Underwood, the reigning CMA female vocalist, return to host the awards show.
Winners will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Online voting for the CMA Awards is administrated by Election Services Corporation, according to the release.
Here is the updated list of final nominees for musical event of the year (Award goes to each artist):
“Cowgirls Don’t Cry”
Brooks & Dunn featuring Reba McEntire
Arista Nashville
“Down the Road”
Kenny Chesney (with Mac McAnally)
Blue Chair Records, LLC & BNA Records
“Everything But Quits”
Lee Ann Womack (duet with George Strait)
MCA Nashville
“I Told You So”
Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis
19 Recordings/Arista Nashville
“Old Enough”
The Raconteurs featuring Ricky Skaggs and
Ashley Monroe
Third Man Records/Warner Bros. Records
“Start A Band”
Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)
Arista Nashville
-BAM
