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Marty Stuart To Release Double Album ‘Saturday Night & Sunday Morning’ 9.30, ‘American Ballads’ Photo Book 7.4

Five time GRAMMY-winner Marty Stuart will release a double record ‘Saturday Night & Sunday Morning’ on September 30 (Superlatone). Conceived as two albums, the first disc ‘Saturday Night / Rough Around the Edges’ captures the energy of a raucous, hard-hitting night of country music while the gospel-laden and harmony-rich second disc ‘Sunday Morning / Cathedral,’ the follow-up to 2005’s ‘Souls’ Chapel,’ channels the fervent and solemn spirit of a Southern Sunday morning.

Listen to “Rough Around the Edges” on Billboard – http://bit.ly/1okafdU

Produced by Stuart and featuring his longtime band the Fabulous Superlatives — including guitarist Kenny Vaughan, bassist Paul Martin and drummer Harry Stinson — ‘Saturday Night & Sunday Morning’ features more than a dozen original compositions ranging from Stuart’s signature hillbilly rock to ballads and hymns (tracklist below). The set also features Marty’s takes on traditional songs such as Hank Williams’ “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome,” the Stalter Brothers’ “Firing Line,” and George Jones’ “Old Old House.” The Staple Singers join Stuart to open ‘Sunday Morning’ with a stunning, lush rendition of their 1956 hit “Uncloudy Day.” Stuart recorded the song with Pops Staples’ telecaster and described the Staples singing on the track as “haunting,” like “ghosts singing in a cotton field.”

Talking about ‘Saturday Night & Sunday Morning,’ Stuart says, “A few years ago, I rededicated myself to traditional country music. We [Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives] spent some time in RCA Studios in Nashville, where so much of modern country was created, and we worked to imitate that style of production and songwriting.”

The album’s first single and subtitle of ‘Saturday Morning,’ “Rough Around The Edges,” is autobiographical. Quoting the opening stanza Stuart says, “I woke up this morning, with miles of life behind me, my friends worry, because they don’t know where to find me. Once again, I beg forgiveness for another lost night in my soul, some bad got a hold on me and it just won’t let me go — that was my life from 1987 to about ten years ago [laughs], it was a hard-living honky-tonk musician lifestyle.”

The new album arrives on the heels of ‘American Ballads: The photographs of Marty Stuart,’ a brand new exhibit of Stuart’s photography at Nashville’s Frist Center for The Visual Arts. The exhibit features more than 60 photos from three bodies of Stuart’s work, documenting the people and places he has encountered on tour over the past four decades – “The Masters” of country music, the “Blue Line Hotshots” on America’s backroads, and the Lakota people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and other locations in South Dakota’s “Badlands.” The collection will be published as a hardcover book of the same title through the Vanderbilt University Press on July 4.

The Frist exhibit is the first of four museum programs Marty will participate in this year. On June 29, he will perform a concert as part of a week long festival at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Stuart and The Fabulous Superlatives will perform October 3 at The Sheldon in St. Louis, MO to open a three month exhibit of Marty’s photography and collection called “The Art of Country Music — Photographs and Memorabilia.” Lastly, Marty and The Fabulous Superlatives will perform alongside Steve Miller on October 6th at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art in conjunction with the exhibition Early American Guitars: The Instruments of C.F. Martin.

Marty Stuart and & his Fabulous Superlatives continue to tour in 2014, with dates scheduled across the United States and Canada this summer (full tour dates here). Stuart will once again host his Late Night Jam at The Ryman on June 4th to kick off this year’s CMA Music Festival, guests include Sam Moore, Travis Tritt and Connie Smith and many more.

Saturday Night & Sunday Morning Tracklist:

‘Saturday Night’
1. Jailhouse
2. I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome
3. Geraldine
4. Rough Around The Edges
5. When It Comes To Loving You
6. Sad House Big Party
7. Talkin’ To The Wall
8. Lifes Ups And Downs
9. Look At That Girl
10. Old, Old House
11. Streamline

‘Sunday Morning’
1. Uncloudy Day (featuring The Staple Singers)
2. Boogie Woogie
3. Long Walk To Heaven
4. That Gospel Music
5. The Gospel Way
6. Mercy Number 1
7. Firing Line
8. God Will Make A Way
9. Good News
10. Angels Rock Me To Sleep
11. Cathedral
12. Heaven

About Marty Stuart:
Marty Stuart is a five time GRAMMY-winner, platinum recording artist, Grand Ole Opry star, country music archivist, Southern culture historian, photographer, musician, songwriter, TV show host, charismatic force of nature, and country music fan. Since starting out singing gospel as a child, Stuart, 54, has spent over four decades celebrating American roots music with a missionary’s zeal. His teenage years on tour with bluegrass legend Lester Flatt in the ’70s were followed by six years in Johnny Cash’s band during the ’80s and a chart-topping tenure as a solo artist in the ’90s.

Marty Stuart on the web:
Official Website – www.martystuart.net
Facebook – www.facebook.com/martystuarthq
Twitter – www.twitter.com/martystuarthq
YouTube – www.youtube.com/themartystuartshow

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“Tracy Lawrence Street Party” Adds Dee Jay Silver To Lineup, Free Concert Event Offers Fans The Ultimate CMT Music Awards After Party Destination

Tracy LawrenceAs CMA Fest week begins, Tracy Lawrence will be celebrating in a big way this year with the inaugural “Tracy Lawrence Street Party” on June 4 in Nashville. The social music event will take over the Losers Bar & Grill parking lot for the free open to the public concert starting at 6:00pm. The “Tracy Lawrence Street Party” is set to give fans the ultimate CMT Music Awards after party destination featuring some of Country music’s favorite entertainers including the “Pickup Man” himself Joe Diffie.

Country music’s favorite DJ remix artist Dee Jay Silver has been added to the lineup to perform his famous remixes. Silver has entertained millions on tour with superstars Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, and host of the syndicated radio show The Country Club with Dee Jay Silver.

The “Tracy Lawrence Street Party” sponsored by The Orchard, WME, Suntrust Bank, Energems, and Losers is set to include special guest artists during the show including a finale performance by Tracy Lawrence.

Lawrence’s latest single “LIE” is currently in the top 15 on the country charts. Billboard praised the song “LIE” as one of the best-written cuts of his career, with only “Time Marches On” surpassing it.
Tracy Lawrence

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Play #CountryBingo NOW And Register To Win HERE!

INSTRUCTIONS: To play #CountryBingo just Tweet with #CountryBingo including a picture from any 5 boxes on the #CountryBingo card below that you find. Don’t have to be 5 across, just any 5 boxes will do! Play along, have fun, the key is to participate, and register to win just below this card! You MUST register to have a chance to win. ENJOY! Continue Reading →

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Where In The World Will FOCUS on the 615 Be This Week?!? Updates!

We have got one crazy busy week about to begin, ya’ll! Stay with us, because it’s going to be a whirlwind of fun activities! Continue Reading →

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MIRANDA LAMBERT LAUNCHES PLATINUM WITH WEEK OF TV APPEARANCES

Miranda Lambert will unveil her long anticipated new RCA Records Nashville album, Platinum, next week with a wave of television appearances. On Sunday, June 1, CBS’ Sunday Morning will air a comprehensive profile on Miranda from her hometown of Tishomingo, OK. Monday, June 2, she will perform her top 5 single “Automatic” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and she will rise early on Tuesday, June 3, for an appearance on Good Morning America.

 

 

On Wednesday, June 4, “Somethin’ Bad” is coming to the CMT Music Awards when Miranda and Carrie Underwood perform their new duet, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Country Digital Songs chart this week. Miranda leads the pack with six nominations at this year’s CMT Awards. On Friday, June 6, Miranda returns to The View where she will be lead guest and perform “Automatic.” Miranda wraps up the week Friday night in Nashville at LP Field with a performance at the CMA Music Festival.

 

 

“I’m so excited to finally be releasingPlatinum, and I can’t wait for everyone to have the opportunity to hear it,” said Miranda of theJune 3 album which contains 16 tracks. “I feel I have a responsibility as a female artist, songwriter and musician to keep reinventing myself and stay fresh. I didn’t know exactly what that was going to be but I didn’t want a concrete plan that we were locked into. So I actually felt pretty vulnerable writing this album and picking songs, and I think you can hear that on the record.”

 

 

Platinum will be available June 3 or preorder now at http://smarturl.it/mlplatinum and receive “Somethin’ Bad” and Miranda’s hit single, “Automatic,” now.

 

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My Predictions For The 2014 CMT Music Awards

CMT Music AwardsWell, I’ll just go ahead and toss out my predictions of who I think is going to win at the upcoming CMT Music Awards this Wednesday in Nashville.  Now, if I only end up getting 1 of them right, don’t hold it against me, ok?!? This is just for the fun of it.   Since I will be right there ON the Red Carpet in the thick of things, I might as well make a prediction or two or three, right?!? Continue Reading →

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Sweetwater Rain Makes Generous Contribution To ACM Lifting Lives®

Sweetwater RainRising Country music trio Sweetwater Rain recently presented ACM Lifting Lives® with a generous $10,000 donation – the second $10,000 donation the band has given to the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music in the past year.  ACM Lifting Lives President, Lori Badgett, accepted the gift on behalf of the charity.

“ACM Lifting Lives brings the power and impact of music to people who need it through amazing programs,” said Sweetwater Rain’s lead singer, Danny Rivera. “We are so happy to be able to help in their efforts.”

Following their Top 50 Billboard hit “Starshine,” Sweetwater Rain is currently promoting their sophomore Country single “Tailspin” to radio. This catchy, up-tempo song is already receiving rave reviews from Country radio and media alike:

“The rockin’ tune samples Rascal Flatts and a little bit of that Hunter Hayes charm, but is neatly wrapped in the trio’s own groovy style. This new radio-friendly pop-leaning tune is sure to get Music Row’s undivided attention.”– Jason Scott, Reporter at Nashville Gab

“Tailspin” is now available on iTunes HERE along with all other respected online retailers.

About Sweetwater Rain
Curb recording group Sweetwater Rain is made-up of lead vocalist and guitarist Danny Rivera, lead guitarist and vocalist Fred Stallcup, and Thomas Hewlett, who completes the trio on bass guitar and vocals. Together they have opened for celebrated music artists such as ZZ Top, Kenny Chesney, The Band Perry, Little Big Town and most recently were on the fall 2013 leg of the Rascal Flatts Live & Loud Tour. Sweetwater Rain made their national television debut on GAC’s Great American Playlist in promotion of their debut single, “Starshine” in the fall of 2013. For more information on the rising country music group and to stay up to date with tour dates, visit www.SweetwaterRain.com.

About ACM Lifting Lives
ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music.  Each year, ACM Lifting Lives provides funding to music-related therapy and education programs, including the organization’s flagship ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp, a partnership since 2010 with Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities in Nashville, TN. ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp is a week-long residential program open to individuals with Williams syndrome, talented in music from around the nation, and has a dual purpose of studying Williams syndrome while providing music enrichment through performance and education. Other Lifting Lives giving includes serving members of the country music community who face unexpected financial hardship through the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, and partnering with music artists to improve lives. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.

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Kenny Chesney Joins Stones, Springsteen, U2 and More In Top Ten Live Acts from 1990-2014

Billboard released their list of the Top Live Acts of the past quarter century (1990-2014), and only one country artist made the Top 10: Kenny Chesney.  Topped by the Rolling Stones, U2 and Bruce Springsteen, the songwriter from Luttrell, Tennessee arrived at #9 on the list – in spite of taking 2010 and 2014 off the road – with 12,681,629 tickets sold.

 

“You look at a list like this… with so many iconic rock acts, people like Madonna, or Elton John, and you think, ‘Man…’.” says the 4-time Country Music Association and 4 consecutive Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year. “When you get on the bus for the first time, you’re just hoping people will come. You never expect to be in this kind of company, unless you’re buying a ticket.”
Lots of people bought tickets for Chesney’s high energy shows. Since becoming a full-fledged headliner in 2002, playing a homecoming show at Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium, then into NFL Stadiums in decidedly uncountry Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington, DC in 2005, his tours have become rites of summer for over a million people each tour and a breaking ground for many of today’s biggest headliners.

“Knowing people work hard, have stress whether its their family or their job or their friends, you strive to create a place where they can forget all that for a few hours,” Chesney offers, “They’ll come out, and they come back with their friends. Just like when you sing songs that speak to how they really live, they listen. They listen and they hang onto those songs like it’s their life – because it is.”

 

Though taking 2014 off to focus on the follow-up to 2013’s deeply personal Life On A Rock, Chesney is anxious to get back out there.  As he says, “The fans feed me as much as I feed them… And that’s why I wanted to step back, really think about this record and give them something as hardcore as they are! These songs are gonna rock live; but more importantly, they say a whole lot about how the fans live. I can’t wait to play’em onstage.”
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BRANTLEY GILBERT’S JUST AS I AM BECOMES ONE OF THE YEAR’S BIGGEST MUSIC DEBUTS

Brantley Gilbert believes his albums are the chapters of his life and each continues the story where the last left off. With his third studio album JUST AS I AM (The Valory Music Co.), Brantley adds “best seller” to his growing list of accolades upon selling over 211,000 copies in the first week, owning the Billboard Country Albums chart with a #1 debut and becoming the second highest Country debut this year. Brantley’s first new music in over four years also scored a spot at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 chart, just behind Coldplay.

 

JUST AS I AM has received much critical acclaim from top critics at high-profile media outlets:

 

New York Times: “Mr. Gilbert is a unique sort of brute. In a country era where hardness isn’t valorized in the least, he’s unapologetically rough, singing with the tenderness of a chain saw. And on this strong album — his third in a row — he betrays no shame about his creatine-fueled version of country music…”

 

Associated Press: “Everybody in Nashville has been predicting Brantley Gilbert will be the next big thing in country music for a couple of years now. His new album, the long-awaited “Just as I Am,” is engineered to make that little bit of soothsaying a reality.”

 

To launch the highly-anticipated record, Brantley combined his passions – music, motorcycles and military – partnering with Harley-Davidson and Folds of Honor for a six-day trek from Athens, GA, to Arlington, VA. To help honor some of our nation’s heroes, names of fallen soldiers adorned a tour bus that also made the journey. Brantley started the celebration with a sold-out concert at the Georgia Theatre, a venue the Georgia native had always dreamed of selling out, and did early in his career. The Georgia native made stops along the way to perform acoustic sets and sign autographs at various Best Buy, Harley-Davidson and Walmart retail locations. The ride culminated on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery where Brantley had the honor of laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Folds of Honor scholarship recipient Sarah White. See highlights from the week here.

 

The album’s lead single, “Bottoms Up,” previously scored the #1 spot on both Country radio charts and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales exceeding 1 million digital downloads.

 

Featuring labelmates Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett, Brantley’s next single “Small Town Throwdown” was the “most added” at Country radio last week with nearly 80 stations on.

 

JUST AS I AM follows Brantley’s previous Platinum-certified album HALFWAY TO HEAVEN.

 

Fans can catch Brantley at select festivals this summer. To see full performance dates, visit BrantleyGilbert.com.

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SOLID Announces Partnership With MDA

SOLID yard saleThe Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) announced today that a portion of the proceeds for the group’s annual CMA Fest Yard Sale & Auction will benefit the local Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) chapter. The event will be held on June 7th, beginning at 8am at the Bridgestone Arena. Nine-year-old Aiden Atkins, MDA Local Goodwill Ambassador, and other local MDA families will be attending to greet customers and represent MDA.

 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with SOLID on one of their biggest events of the year,” said Amanda Spiehler, Executive Director of MDA in Central Tennessee. “The proceeds shared with MDA for this event will go directly to provide services for families in the Nashville area.”

 
SOLID’s Yard Sale & Auction is open to the public and includes autographed merchandise, tickets, guitars and meet & greet opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else.

 

About SOLID

 
Founded in 1997 by music industry professionals, the Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The members of SOLID are developing music business professionals dedicated to improving the future of the music industry by strengthening its professional relationships and educating its future executives while serving the community. Members participate in ongoing leadership activities including community volunteerism, educational events, university outreach programs, and networking functions that serve to strengthen their role within the music industry and Nashville community.

 
For more information on SOLID, visit www.solidnashville.com. Like SOLID on Facebook at www.facebook.com/solidnashville and follow @SOLIDnashville on Twitter.

 

About MDA

 
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the world’s leading nonprofit health agency dedicated to finding treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neuromuscular diseases. It does so by funding worldwide research; by providing comprehensive health care services and support to MDA families nationwide; and by rallying communities to fight back through advocacy, fundraising and local engagement. Visit mda.org and follow us at facebook.com/MDAnational and @MDAnews.

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