Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” passes 3 million online views
Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” continues to overflow just a few weeks after the video debuted on the Internet.
Perhaps the most explosive song of the Oklahoma country music superstar’s career, and certainly the most successful album track, “Red Solo Cup” is getting louder and louder buzz.
The latest:
* Online views of the party-themed video have reached more than 3 million.
* The song has been the No. 1 country download for two consecutive weeks.
* Fox’s hit show “Glee” will feature the song in early December.
* The song is being used as a music bed in teasers for the new Tim Allen sitcom “Last Man Standing.”
* Despite not being a single, the track has been one of the most added at country radio, with 50 percent of the reporting panel playing it.
* Significant rotations in major markets including Detroit, Kansas City, Denver, Tampa and on Sirius XM, among many others.
* It is the No. 1 requested video on CMT.
* The Boston Herald hailed the “hilarious ode to the brew-holding ‘Red Solo Cup.’”
* NPR referenced it as “Every party’s most popular guest.”
Respected and influential radio consultant Rusty Walker recently told trade publication Country Aircheck, “Aside from Taylor Swift’s career, which was a different manifestation, this is the first viral thing that has come back to hit country square in the forehead.” And the song seems to have hit a lot of people in the sweet spot.
Fans at Keith’s “Locked & Loaded Tour” shows have recently refused to stop singing the song after Toby finishes his performance of it. In fact, the Norman has had to perform the song twice at several shows to satisfy the crowds. The standing-room-only audiences have recently helped Keith’s tour top Billboard’s weekly list of Hot Tours with more than $14.5 million in box office grosses reported from 24 venues, including totals from the final two months of the North American leg as well as the beginning of the European trek that kicked off on Oct. 30.
Still not officially a single, “Red Solo Cup” has helped fuel sales of Keith’s latest album “Clancy’s Tavern,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The Boston Herald called the collection a “terrific mainstream country effort” and notes that “album after album, Toby never lets his fans down.”
I’ll be bringing you some special Toby Keith giveaways on the BAM’s Blog Facebook – www.facebook.com/brandybammcdonnell – and my Twitter – @BAMOK – in the coming days!
-BAM
Voting closes today for 2nd American Country Awards
Kristin Chenoweth speaks at a press conference before her induction into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Thursday in Muskogee. (Photo by Adam Kemp, The Oklahoman)
Voting closes today in most categories for the second annual American Country Awards.
Fans can vote for their favorite American Country Awards nominees at www.theacas.com. Voting ends today in every category except for Artist of the Year. Voting in that category closes on Friday, Dec. 2.
The fan-voted awards show will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 on Fox. Broken Arrow native Kristin Chenoweth, who was inducted Thursday into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, will co-host the show with country star Trace Adkins, who hosted the inaugural show solo.
The ACAs are billed as the only country music awards show that “gives fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite artists not only in traditional categories but also in previously unrecognized areas of the business such as touring, encompassing the entire spectrum of country music and bestowing honors that no other awards show has.”
Artists with Oklahoma ties nominated for the 2011 ACAs include Thompson Square, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts and Toby Keith.
See the full list of nominees for the second annual American Country Awards after the break.
Toby Keith, Blake Shelton, Vince Gill dominate country charts
Blake Shelton
Oklahoma superstars are dominating the Billboard country music charts.
On the Top Country Songs chart, Blake Shelton’s “God Gave Me You” is the top song in the format for the third straight week.
As previously reported, Toby Keith’s new album “Clancy’s Tavern,” bowed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
And Vince Gill’s first CD in five years, “Guitar Slinger,” debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard country albums list.
Congratulations to these talented Okies!
-BAM
CD review: “The Wayman Tisdale Story Soundtrack”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Soundtrack
Wayman Tisdale “The Wayman Tisdale Story” (Rendezvous Music/Mack Avenue Records)
Basketball made him a star, but the late Wayman Tisdale considered music his first love.
Fans who only remember his All-American days at the University of Oklahoma or pro hoops career with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns will be able to hear Tisdale’s love for and skill as a bass guitarist on the soundtrack to “The Wayman Tisdale Story,” a new documentary about the multi-talented Tulsan.
The film features interviews with family members, Michael Jordan, Toby Keith and Tisdale, who died in 2009 at the age of 44 after a long battle with bone cancer. He also gets to tell his story through his music, which is appropriate since the son of a prominent Tulsa preacher started playing bass in church when he was just a youth.
The soundtrack showcases the breadth of Tisdale’s career as a contemporary jazz recording artist, featuring tracks from seven of his nine albums, along with Keith’s hit tribute to his pal, “Cryin’ for Me.”
The silky ballad “Gabrielle,” from Tisdale’s 1995 debut “Power Forward,” reveals the tough athlete’s softer side. He tunefully and fervently professes his faith with “Glory, Glory,” from his 2004 album “Hang Time,” and “It’s Alright,” from his 2003 gospel effort “Wayman Tisdale Presents 21 Days.” The previously unreleased instrumental “Slam Dunk” largely lives up to its name with its canny mix of groovy funk and smooth jazz.
But the soundtrack’s highlights are “Let’s Ride” and “The Introduction” from his 2010 posthumous album “The Fonk Record.” Featuring Tisdale performing as his brash and colorful alter-ego Tiz, the tracks are funk-tastic fun but a little sad, too, since he won’t get the chance to make a sequel.
“The Wayman Tisdale Story” will be released on CD/DVD and DVD Nov. 22, but not before a series of preview screenings, including several in his home state. The film will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Norman’s Sooner Theatre, where Tom Braxton will play a Tisdale tribute concert at 8 p.m.
The documentary also will be shown for free at 6 p.m. Sunday at Westmoore Community Church, 12609 S Western. It will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School and at 4 p.m. Nov. 13 at Oklahoma City’s Bishop McGuinness High School.
In addition, the film will be shown and Soultry Sound, saxophonist Jermaine Mondaine and Grammy Award-winning bassist Marcus Miller will perform at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee. Tisdale will be inducted into the hall of fame at 7 p.m. Nov. 10.
— BAM
Toby Keith’s “Clancy’s Tavern” debuts at No. 1 on Billboard country albums chart, Vince Gill’s “Guitar Slinger” bows at No. 4
Two of Oklahoma’s biggest country stars debuted new albums last week and scored big on the charts.
Toby Keith’s typically releases a new album each fall, and his latest, “Clancy’s Tavern,” bowed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. It also debuted at No. 5 on the cross-genre Billboard 200 chart, behind new albums from Coldplay and Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble’s new Christmas album and Adele’s juggernaut “21.”
The first-week success of “Clancy’s Tavern” has been fueled by his No. 1 smash “Made In America” and what may be country music’s biggest viral web event ever, his raucous ditty “Red Solo Cup.”
Though still not officially a single, “Red Solo Cup” has registered more than 2 million views of its hilarious party-time and celebrity-laden video, according to a news release. The song and video have both topped the iTunes country sales list and country radio stations nationwide have made the album track one of the most-added songs, sending it into the Top 40 without a concerted label promotion effort.
CMT.com has “Red Solo Cup” as its No. 1 video, joined by “Made In America” at No. 5, to give the Norman resident two of the outlet’s most-viewed clips. Media tastemakers from Wendy Williams to Stephen Colbert are buzzing about the song and video, and “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy reportedly wants to feature it on his hit TV show.
While the buzz builds stateside, the Clinton-born, Moore-bred star is in the midst of the European leg of his “Locked & Loaded Tour.” And even though the iconic Red Solo Cup isn’t really available in Europe, fans are showing up with them at shows. “Clancy’s Tavern” is No. 1 on the U.K.’s country iTunes chart, with prior albums “American Ride” and “Bullets in The Gun” both entering the top 20 this week. “That Don’t Make Me A Bad Guy” and “Shock’n Y’all” have entered the top 50.
Vince Gill, who was born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, released last week his first album in five years, with “Guitar Slinger” debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums list and No. 14 on the Billboard 200 chart.
“Guitar Slinger” is the follow-up to Gill’s 2006 Grammy-winning four-CD set “These Days.”
Gill has been busily promoting his new album with appearances on the “Today” show, “Imus in the Morning” and NPR’s Mountain Stage. He will be on CBS’ “The Early Show” on Saturday.
On Wednesday, he will join Brad Paisley and Keith Urban in performing a tribute to Glen Campbell on the 45th Annual CMA Awards, airing live on CBS.
In addition, Gill recently recorded a new episode of the acclaimed series “CMT Crossroads” with fellow music legend Sting. “CMT Crossroads: Sting and Vince Gill” will premiere at 9 p.m. Nov. 24 (it was originally scheduled for Nov. 25 but CMT announced earlier this week the premiere will move up a day).
-BAM
Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” may get “Glee” remake
Raise your crimson-hued plastic beverage receptacle in another toast to Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup”: The Oklahoma country music superstar’s viral-video smash may get the show-choir treatment from Fox’s hit TV show “Glee.”
Keith’s cover of the raucous party anthem recently made it into the writers’ room at “Glee,” and it be may be featured soon on the show, RollingStone.com reports. “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy revealed the coming country crossover Wednesday at a Los Angeles press event marking “Glee”‘s 300th musical performance.
Keith’s uproarious music video for “Red Solo Cup” passed 1 million views Monday evening, just two weeks after debuting online. The hilarious party song is included on Keith’s new album, “Clancy’s Tavern,” which was released Monday, too.
Though still not officially a single at radio, the song and its party-themed video have created a viral smash. Beyond the online views, “Red Solo Cup” is the No. 1 video at CMT, giving Keith two videos in the top five. The clip for his recent No. 1 single “Made in America” is the other.
In a recent phone interview, Keith told me that during the standing-room-only dates on his “Locked & Loaded Tour,” the crew started dressing up in giant red Solo cup costumes and doling out the mini versions of the cups to the frenzied crowd. Keith is taking his tour to Europe starting Sunday with a date in Edinburgh, Scotland.
During our chat, the Norman resident jokingly called “Red Solo Cup” “the most profound, intelligent thing I’ve ever done.”
The catchy ditty was written by Brett and Brad Warren and Brett and Jim Beavers, and Keith said it wasn’t pitched to him to record but just sent to him as an MP3.
“It was ‘listen to what I heard last night,’ one of them deals. I played it, I laughed out loud, and my first comment was, ‘That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. That is stupid; somebody wrote a song about red plastic cups,’” Keith said.
“And next morning, I wake up from just hearing it and I’m going, ‘Holy cow, I know that song inside and out. I cannot get it out of my head,’” he added. “It just gets stuck in your head like an infection.”
After the unedited version of the video, featuring cameos from late-night TV host Craig Ferguson, comics Carrot Top and Jeff Dunham, rockers Sammy Hagar and Ted Nugent, fellow country singers Joe Nichols and Eric Church, basketball legend Larry Bird and more, Keith said some radio stations started playing a mono – not stereo – version of the song after ripping the audio from the online video.
“We’re kind of sitting here in a holding pattern going, ‘I don’t want to release another single and have this thing stomp on it.’ So I’m just sitting here letting it fly and going, ‘Do your thing,’” he said with a chuckle. “There’s nothing else out there like it, and it’s just one of those crazy things that happens sometimes in music. … It’s just one of the craziest things we’ve ever done. And I’m having so much fun with. And if takes over, godspeed, and if doesn’t, I’ll come out with the real single.”
I’d say it’s catching on.
To read my new interview with Keith about his new album, click here; to read my review of “Clancy’s Tavern,” click here.
RollingStone.com reports that “Glee’s” 300th musical performance was a high-energy mash-up of “Rumour Has It” and “Someone Like You,” both from British songstress Adele’s smash album “21,” sung by Mercedes (Amber Riley), Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris). It will air on the show’s Nov. 15 episode.
While I’m thrilled “Red Solo Cup” is getting widespread exposure – it’s really catchy and I won’t be the only one walking around singing about plastic partyware since it’s getting so big – an ode to getting plastered out of cheap beer served out of even cheaper cups seems like an odd match for a show about a fictional high school chorus. Kind of inappropriate, don’t ya think?
-BAM
Toby Keith to perform on “The Colbert Report” tonight
Toby Keith (AP file)
Oklahoma country music star Toby Keith will appear tonight on “The Colbert Report,” which airs at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.
Keith will perform a song from and talk about his new album, “Clancy’s Tavern,” released Monday.
To read my new interview with Keith about his new album, click here; to read my review of “Clancy’s Tavern,” click here.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” passes 1 million views
Raise your iconic plastic partyware in tribute: Oklahoma country music star Toby Keith’s uproarious music video for “Red Solo Cup” passed 1 million views Monday evening, just two weeks after debuting online.
The raucous anthem is included on Keith’s new album, “Clancy’s Tavern,” which was released Monday.
Though still not officially a single at radio, the song and its party-themed video have created a viral tidal wave. Beyond the online views, “Red Solo Cup” is the No. 1 video at CMT, giving Keith two videos in the top five. The clip for his recent No. 1 single “Made in America” is the other.
In a recent phone interview, Keith told me that during the standing-room-only dates on his “Locked & Loaded Tour,” the crew has started dressing up in giant red Solo cup costumes and doling out the mini versions of the cups to the frenzied crowd.
During our chat, the Norman resident jokingly called “Red Solo Cup” “the most profound, intelligent thing I’ve ever done.”
The catchy ditty was written by Brett and Brad Warren and Brett and Jim Beavers, and Keith said it wasn’t pitched to him to record but just sent to him as an MP3.
“It was ‘listen to what I heard last night,’ one of them deals. I played it, I laughed out loud, and my first comment was, ‘That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. That is stupid; somebody wrote a song about red plastic cups,’” Keith said.
“And next morning, I wake up from just hearing it and I’m going, ‘Holy cow, I know that song inside and out. I cannot get it out of my head,’” he added. “It just gets stuck in your head like an infection.”
After the unedited version of the video, featuring cameos from late-night TV host Craig Ferguson, comics Carrot Top and Jeff Dunham, rockers Sammy Hagar and Ted Nugent, fellow country singers Joe Nichols and Eric Church, basketball legend Larry Bird and more, Keith said some radio stations started playing a mono – not stereo – version of the song after ripping the audio from the online video.
“We’re kind of sitting here in a holding pattern going, ‘I don’t want to release another single and have this thing stomp on it.’ So I’m just sitting here letting it fly and going, ‘Do your thing,’” he said with a chuckle. “There’s nothing else out there like it, and it’s just one of those crazy things that happens sometimes in music. … It’s just one of the craziest things we’ve ever done. And I’m having so much fun with. And if takes over, godspeed, and if doesn’t, I’ll come out with the real single.”
To read my new interview with Keith about his new album, click here; to read my review of “Clancy’s Tavern,” click here.
-BAM
Toby Keith featured on Country Weekly cover
Oklahoma country music star Toby Keith shares his thoughts on his new album, “Clancy’s Tavern,” which he calls his most personal to date, in the cover story of the Oct. 31 Country Weekly magazine, on sale now.
The album features his current hit, “Made in America,” but the Norman resident tells the magazine he feels that the album’s centerpiece is the title cut, which goes into detail about the supper club his grandmother owned in Arkansas.
He also talks about the star-studded video for another of the album’s tunes, “Red Solo Cup,” in the interview.
To read my new interview with Keith about the album, click here; to read my review of “Clancy’s Tavern,” click here.
-BAM
New releases for Oct. 25, 2011: Vince Gill, Toby Keith, “Captain America,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “House of Night”
I haven’t even stocked up on Halloween candy yet, but with all the high-profile new CDs, DVDs and books coming out, it’s undeniably getting closer to Christmas.
For music fans, several hotly anticipated new albums actually dropped Monday, including “Guitar Slinger,” the first album in five years from Oklahoma native and Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, and “Clancy’s Tavern,” the latest CD from Oklahoma country music superstar Toby Keith. To read my interview with Gill about his new album, click here; to read my review of “Guitar Slinger,” click here. To read my interview with Keith about his new album, click here; to read my review of “Clancy’s Tavern,” click here.
There are some great movies debuting today on DVD and Blu-ray, including the summer blockbuster “Captain America: The First Avenger” and a faithful return to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh.” To read my “Winnie the Pooh” movie review, click here.
On the bookshelf, Tulsa mother-daughter writing team P.C. and Kristin Cast are releasing today “Destined,” the latest in their young-adult paranormal series “House of Night.”
Here is a list of new CDs, DVDs and books due out this week, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
Vince Gill, “Guitar Slinger.”
Toby Keith, “Clancy’s Tavern.”
Coldplay, “Mylo Xyloto.”
Michael Bublé, “Christmas.”
Tom Waits, “Bad as Me.”
Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger.”
Brian Wilson, “In the Key of Disney.”
She & Him, “A Very She & Him Christmas.”
John Prine, “The Singing Mailman Delivers.”
DVDs
Atrocious
Attack the Block
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Volume 4 Thor’s Last Stand
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Volume 3 Iron Man Unleashed
Captain America: The First Avenger
Elektra Luxx
Faces in the Crowd
Father of Invention
Jurassic Park Trilogy
A Little Help
Pearl Jam Twenty
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Robot Chicken: Season 5
Shaolin
Tom & Jerry: Golden Collection Volume One
Winnie the Pooh
Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings
Books
Destined (House of Night) by P. C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin, Philip Gabriel
The Litigators by John Grisham
Giving 2.0: Transform Your Giving and Our World by Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck, Nicole Baart
-BAM
