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Mark Wayne Glasmire’s Favorite Christmas Memory

Mark Wayne Glasmire“I moved to Texas, from Nashville, in 2005 after having gone through a long and difficult divorce.  I left behind virtually everything I had worked for over the previous 25 years.  It was a difficult time for me, one of the loneliest of my life. For the first few years I wouldn’t even decorate for Christmas.  It was easier to cope with memories of the season, by not really going all out.   I had a girl friend so I would help her decorate her home and enjoyed doing that, but when I would come back to my apartment it was always just plain like any other day of the year.   It took a while but I eventually got back on my feet financially.  After a few years I managed to buy a new home.  I moved in March of that year but had no intentions of changing “new” holiday routine of keeping it plain and simple.  That December I was traveling several days a week so outside of buying gifts, it was easy to just forget about the holiday and dressing up the house.  Christmas was only a few days away and one night I came home after having been out of town for several days.  As I drove up I noticed a light on inside.  When I walked in there was the most beautiful Christmas tree I had ever seen.  My girl friend had come into my house, while I was gone, bought a tree, set it up and decorated it so that it would be there to welcome me home.  It wasn’t very big or very colorful or covered with fancy ornaments but its beauty was overwhelming.  It was an amazing moment for me and I don’t think I have ever felt loved as much as I did that day.   I just sat there crying like a baby.  It was by far, one of the best Christmas’s of my life.”Mark Wayne Glasmire

About Mark Wayne Glasmire

Mark Wayne Glasmire  is happier than he’s ever been.  His new, seven-song EP, GOING HOME, is due out this Fall, and the project has already given the resident of Arlington, Texas a #1 European single (“I Like You”). “I’m in a really good place right now,” says the personable singer/songwriter.  “I’m spending a lot more time on my music – a luxury I’ve never had before.”  For Glasmire, the extra hours spent advancing his career are exciting and invigorating. “I really believe that music is my life’s purpose, and I feel that GOING HOME shows that more than anything I’ve done before,” he explains.

Mark’s last CD, the critically-acclaimed LIFE GOES ON (2009) gave him several hits:  “You Opened My Eyes” held the #1 spot on the International Country HotDisc Chart for a total of four weeks and performed well on the national U.S. Music Row Chart, while “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” was a favorite at country radio around the globe.  “LIFE GOES ON was a good album,” Mark says.  “But I think this new EP is even better.”

GOING HOME showcases this artist in top form:  the songs are well-written and Mark’s vocals are stellar.  His crisp, clear tenor rises effortlessly, hitting the high notes with confidence and energy, while he artfully addresses the more tender ballads with emotive ease.  Co-produced by Glasmire and John Albani (Steve Azar, Monty Holmes, Randy Boudreaux), the EP features A-list Nashville pickers, along with Mark’s signature guitar work.  “It was truly a labor of love,” Mark says.  “There’s a certainty and commitment that I think come across in the music.”

The title track, a poignant ode to “home” and the comfort that can only be found there, was inspired by a conversation Mark had with a good friend who was retiring after a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps. The wide-open chorus gives Mark’s powerful voice a chance to shine, and the lyrics are those of a writer at the peak of his talent.  “We were talking about where he’d been and where he was headed,” Mark comments.  “His story really moved me.”

“I Like You” is a lighthearted song á la Jimmy Buffett.  It immediately brings to mind swaying palm trees, warm breezes and sunny days.  “It’s a simple song,” Glasmire concedes with a grin.  “But people like to feel good – and this song always leaves them smiling.”

Mark lets his personal opinions show on the driving “Last Of A Dying Breed.”  He calls it his “soap box” song, and explains that he was raised “differently” than many young folks today.  “Accountability was important to my Dad,” Glasmire notes.  “And he made sure that I knew the importance of a good work ethic, honesty and compassion.”

The sweet simplicity of “The Last Goodbye” (co-written with Craig Holland) offers a unique, hooky twist and an addictive, slow-building melody.  The track offers a counter-point for the harder-driving “She’s Got It All,” which Glasmire co-wrote with Tom Guardino.  The song showcases Mark’s country/rock side, offering a Brooks & Dunn feel, a popping electric guitar lick, a razor-sharp harmonica riff and a lyric that tells the tale of a girl in red Dingo’s and a faded blue-denim coat; a truck-stop meeting, and a love affair.

The more serious “The Moment” is one of Mark’s favorite compositions. The road not taken and things left unsaid are pondered here.  “I close every show with this song,” Mark explains.  “Athletes always talk about ‘being in the moment’,” he adds.  “I know what they mean because I experience that whenever I step on the stage. You can’t explain this to someone who’s never felt it, but that doesn’t make it any less real.” 

Track seven is the bonus, “Now I Believe.”  Co-written with Lucas P. Gravell, the song offers listeners what may be Glasmire’s best vocal performances to date, with a lush chorus and uplifting lyrics sweetening the deal. The track reached the #15 spot on the International Country HotDisc chart last year.

“I’m excited about this whole project in a way that’s hard to convey,” Mark observes.  “This is my moment, and I’m giving my heart and soul to it.”

Raised in a strict, faith-filled home, commitment and hard work are tenets that Glasmire understands.  His first 14 years were filled with church activities.  “My mom sang in the choir, and the church was really our whole social life,” he adds.  In the steel town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Mark’s blue-collar world revolved around a piano-playing dad who worked up to three jobs at a time to provide for his family.

His parents gave Mark  his first guitar for Christmas the year that he turned 10, and it was a pivotal moment in his young life.  “That was the moment that I knew music was what I wanted to do.”  Although his high school years were filled with athletics and work – not music, Mark returned to his guitar, and his dream, as soon as he was able.  College saw him singing in coffee houses while earning a Business Administration degree. He also learned one of show biz’s hardest lessons:  You don’t make much money until you reach the “big leagues.”

For years, Glasmire worked a “real job” and put music on the back burner.  But he always strove to improve; he studied the business end of things, wrote constantly and sang every chance he got.  Mark gained experience in New York City’s folk scene and at Nashville’s storied writer’s nights (Bluebird Cafe, Exit-In, Wildhorse Saloon). He lived in Music City for several years before he moved to Arlington, Texas.

“I was a little disillusioned,” Mark confesses, after several years in Nashville without a major-label deal in hand. “But I kept after it.”  Glasmire became a popular fixture in the Texas market, opening for Guy Clark, Dierks Bentley and other top-tier acts.  With the release of LIFE GOES ON, Mark secured a place in the spotlight; he enjoyed several hits, and won several songwriting competitions.  His awards include First Place Honors in: B. W. Stevenson Memorial Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX, Dallas Songwriters Association Int’l Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX and GINA/LAWIM Songwriting Competition – Los Angeles, CA. Mark took the Grand Prize in the County Song division of the 2010 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (held at Merlefest).

Now he hopes that GOING HOME will help to further nurture the dream.  “Hey, I don’t need to be a household name to make a living with my music,” Mark stated on a recent blistering-hot Texas day.  “But  I’m going on several major radio promo tours, I have a new video, and I’m putting everything I can into this project to take things to the next level.”  For Mark Wayne Glasmire the time is now, the vehicle is GOING HOME, and it should drive him to the top – where he deserves to be.

Mark Wayne Glasmire writes and sings with a depth of understanding that only a dashing, well-traveled troubadour can. It is obvious that he’s lived life to the fullest – and taken notes along the way. His newest CD, LIFE GOES ON, is a 12-song disc that includes 10 originals and two outside tunes. Mark’s lyrics run the gamut from heartache and jubilation; despair and love, disappointment and hope. His voice is a full-bodied, yet crisp tenor reminiscent at times of an early John Denver or a modern-day Collin Raye, but it is distinct and different – and immediately identifiable. Intriguing and hypnotic melody lines recapture the halcyon days of James Taylor and Pure Prairie League; gentle country ballads are interspersed with mid-tempo odes, but each song carries its own original message. “Most of what I write comes from my own life experience,” Mark says from his Arlington, Texas home. “Occasionally, I’ll take inspiration from a friend’s situation, but mostly my songs reflect what I’m going through.”

Whether the topic is a new romance (as reflected in the lyrics of “You Opened My Eyes”), or the eternal hope that shines in “Shelter From The Storm,” each song is embodied with a whimsical (and often intricate) melody that perfectly supports the song’s message.

On “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright,” the disc’s first single release, Glasmire takes on the current negative job and housing markets and gives us hope, reminding us that love and faith will see us through even the hardest times. “I wrote it about a childhood friend of mine who fell on hard times during the first job ‘crisis’ back in the 90s,” Mark says. “It was rough for awhile, but he never quit believing. Now he’s the senior vice president at a huge company.”

Faith was instilled in Mark at an early age and his first 14 years were filled with church activities. “My mom sang in the choir, and the church was really our whole social life,” he adds. In the steel town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Mark grew up with a piano-playing dad who worked up to three jobs at a time to provide for his family. “Dad had a construction company that did a lot of infrastructure work for the city,” Glasmire notes. “I worked for him during summers in high school and on into college and after.” The company excavated for major projects such as sewer lines; water mains; sidewalks; curbs and more. It was often feast or famine, but his dad never quit. “He passed away in 2007, and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him,” says Mark, who wrote the CD’s “Missing You” in memory of his father.

His parents gave him his first guitar for Christmas the year that Mark turned 10. “I’d heard The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show,” Mark says. “That was the moment that I knew music was what I wanted to do.” A few lessons later, Glasmire set down the guitar, but remained enthralled by the music of the day. His range of influences encompasses the “greats” of that time period, and includes: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jim Croce and Harry Chapin.

His high school years were filled with athletics and work – not musicianship, so it wasn’t until college that he picked up the guitar again. “I’d sit in the dorm’s bathroom and play,” he says with a laugh. “The acoustics were amazing!” Long lines would form just to hear him play, and once his girlfriend convinced him to step out onto a “real” stage, life as he knew it was over. “I was so hooked,” Mark says. “My shyness just evaporated. I loved it.” Glasmire finished college with a degree in Business Administration – about as far from music as he could get. But he’d already learned one of the hardest lessons in show biz: It doesn’t pay much until you reach the “big leagues.” Mark wanted to have a chance at music, and he knew he’d have to support himself until his “break” came along. No big deal to this son of a blue-collar working man.

During the 80s, Mark commuted back and forth from Bethlehem to New York City, landing gigs at such prestigious venues as Folk City, The Speakeasy and The Bottom Line. It was during this hyper-creative period that he self-produced and recorded his first CD, SAD SONGS. Glasmire worked construction by day, but at night he chased the dream – sharing the stage with many well-known acts, such as Tom Paxton, Arlo Guthrie, Tracy Chapman, Suzan Vega and Gordon Lightfoot. He also recorded an EP, THE SUN, THE MOON and THE SEASONS, with three friends, and recalls those years as “eye-opening times.”

His experiences in New York helped hone his writing and performing skills, and by 1995, Mark was ready for a move to Nashville. “It’s a great town,” Glasmire states. “But it’s hard to break through.” Glasmire recorded his second CD shortly after moving to Music City, a solo outing called ALL OF MY HEART. The disc was well-received, garnering airplay in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, but a major deal remained just out of reach. He got close, however, landing an audition for Asylum Records. “I’d formed a trio called Borderline by that time,” Mark recalls. “Basically, they loved us – right up until they didn’t. We were ‘too old’ and missing a ‘marketable image.’ It was a setback emotionally when they didn’t offer us a deal.” Ah — but LIFE GOES ON.

So, with his confidence shaken “just a bit,” Mark took a job as Construction Manager for a large, company that required him to travel constantly. “I made it clear to them that music was still my first love, and I spent a lot of time commuting between Nashville and Dallas.” He performed at various Nashville writers’ nights, including The Bluebird Cafe, Exit-In, Wildhorse Saloon and 3rd & Lindsley as his “day job” allowed. But the strain of work and travel took a toll on his marriage, and Mark and his wife eventually divorced. Nashville radio stations were just beginning to play his songs, but he was on the move, headed to a new home in Dallas – and leaving his heart in Music City.

Glasmire might have left Nashville – but he didn’t leave the music behind. He recorded his third CD, SCRAPBOOK, in 2006, and began entering – and winning songwriting competitions. His awards include First Place Honors in: B. W. Stevenson Memorial Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX, Dallas Songwriters Association Int’l Songwriting Competition – Dallas, TX and GINA/LAWIM Songwriting Competition – Los Angeles, CA.

A mutual friend introduced Glasmire to John Albani (Steve Azar, Monty Holmes, Randy Boudreaux) and suddenly things just “clicked.” “It was magical. He’s amazing to work with, and is so talented,” Mark says of his co-producer on LIFE GOES ON. “John has a way of pulling out the best in me.” Their collaboration is already bringing Glasmire accolades, and he’s recently shared the stage with Guy Clark and Dierks Bentley. “I know this is my best project to date,” says Mark. “And I really believe that this is my moment. I hope my fans agree.”

Glasmire may have taken the road less traveled to reach this point in his career, and there have been more than a few obstacles in his path, but LIFE GOES ON.

 

 

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A Closer Look @ TOY: Episode 1 And Welcome Matt Williams To The Site

TOYTOY–This newly-formed pop/rock band kicks butt and if I described them any other way, I wouldn’t be doing them justice!

I would describe their music as dark, edgy, rock, dance, and electronic all rolled into one. They’ve got a sound all their own led by the pure, soaring, ethereal vocals of Alana Grace (reminiscent of Amy Lee of Evanescence) and backed by 3/4 of the members of After Midnight Project, who are high energy, charismatic and skilled musicians. The blending of the 4 members that form TOY creates a sound that is truly unique, high energy, and one that is best experienced live for the full effect!

Focus on the 615 recently caught up with TOY, who are based out of Los Angeles, for a show at Mercy Lounge for the BMI “Jingle Ball”.  See what they have to say and hear some clips from the show in the video below.  Come back next week to hear more!

Also, I can’t think of a better time to introduce Matt Williams to our Focus on the 615 readers/viewers! Matt has just joined Focus on the 615 as marketing director, but will also be an on-air interviewer, as well as, a contributing writer here.  I’m excited to have Matt on-board with us! He brings enthusiasm, professionalism, and a fresh perspective to the site.  I only see great things coming as a result of the addition of Matt to Focus on the 615!  You’ll see him interviewing TOY in the video below!

Find out all about them right here in this exclusive interview with Focus on the 615!

Related article: http://focusonthe615.com/2011/12/12/album-review-toys-self-titled-debut-release-toy/

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“O Holy Night” — By Sarah Darling

Sarah DarlingSarah Darling‘s one of our favorites here on Focus on the 615! Be sure to check out this new, beautiful rendition of the Christmas classic “O Holy Night” by Sarah!

You can, also, purchase this song at iTunes right here.

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Janie Fricke’s Favorite Christmas Memory

Janie Fricke“My favorite memories are the snowy Christmas eve church services Mom and Dad took us to – – when we drove back to the farm, we’d wait in the car, to be sure Santa had left the toys ( cookies on plate ) and then went in to open gifts.  The perfect presents were always there, no matter how small or big !”  — Janie Fricke

About Janie Fricke

“All I ever wanted to do was sing.” Janie Fricke  has gone from Indiana farm girl to internationally acclaimed recording artist throughout her career. She was born in South Whitley, Indiana, and raised on a 400-acre farm where her father taught her how to play guitar. From county fairs to corporate trade shows, live concerts, in recording studios, or before millions on television, Fricke’s individual sound and performance personality has captivated audiences around the world.

Fricke began her career singing in a “little church up the road” where her mother played piano. She sang at local coffeehouses, high school events, as well as her way through college where she obtained her degree from Indiana University in elementary education. Fricke then chose a musical career, working in Memphis, Dallas and Los Angeles. There, as one of the marketing industry’s most successful jingle singers, her voice became known to millions as the voice for such advertising giants as United Airlines, Coca-Cola, 7-Up, and Red Lobster. Her voice led her to singing sessions for Country artists such as Loretta Lynn, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Barbara Mandrell, Mel Tillis, Johnny Duncan and others. She has also been given the privilege to sing on albums for Charlie Rich and Elvis Presley, after their deaths. It was a line in Johnny Duncan’s single Stranger that ultimately gained the most attention for Fricke. When it hit the top of the charts in 1977, fans wanted to know who sang the line, “Shut out the light and lead me…” The music industry took notice as her voice was heard on duets with Merle Haggard, Moe Bandy and others, leading her to her first major recording contract.

Fricke soon began to dominate the country charts with smash hits such as Don’t Worry ‘ Bout Me Baby, He’s a Heartache and You’re Heart’s Not In It. It was only a matter of time before she started winning awards. Included among them are: Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year, Music City News Female Vocalist of the Year, “Billboard” Top Country Female Vocalist, “Cash Box’ Top Country Female Vocalist, Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year, British-based Country Music Round Up Most Popular International Female Solo Act, and she was chosen to the Country Music Hall of Fame Walkway of Stars. Twice she has been nominated for the coveted (Grammy Award, once for her It ain’t Easy Being Easy In her recording career, Janie has released 23 albums and 36 hit singles.

When she relaxes she spends time with her Husband Jeff and her animals. She attends church near her home, remembering from childhood the importance of her confirmation. Thankful for her blessings, Janie feels these values have helped her become the woman she is today. From an Indiana farm girl to an internationally acclaimed recording artist, she has never lost the pure heart and love of music that launched her career. And today, Janie Fricke sings on..

 

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Craig Campbell’s Favorite Christmas Memory

Craig Campbell

“The first Christmas after my wife and I started dating, we had only been dating for a few months, she decided to go back to Colorado (where she is from) and I went home to Georgia. Soon after, we decided that was the last time we were gonna spend Christmas apart!! We spent the entire two weeks on the phone :)” — Craig Campbell

About Craig Campbell

The voice is straight-forward and powerful. The songs are down-to-earth portraits of real people from the American heartland. The sound is traditional, unapologetic country.

Craig Campbell is a proud reminder of one of country’s strongest creative periods, building on the early-‘90s legacy established by some of the genre’s most successful figures: Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Clint Black and Travis Tritt.

The Georgia-bred Campbell was introduced with a five-song EP that landed in the Top 20 on iTunes. His self-titled debut album expands on the central themes of his life—family, friends, purpose and self-determination—with a bundle of self-written songs, all delivered with the force and conviction of someone who’s lived every sentiment in every word.

“I have to believe every one of my songs,” Campbell says matter-of-factly.

It’s a simple premise learned through years of touring at the club level, writing songs in Nashville and playing the bars on Lower Broadway in Music City. Campbell honed his craft in bands backing Luke Bryan and Tracy Byrd, on stages where he covered Alabama and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and at an annual hometown talent contest where he won twice and eventually became the leader of the house band for other contestants.

Campbell’s abilities stood out, as Nashville decision-makers discovered. In fact, he became the subject of a moderate competition. He received an offer from one of Nashville’s major labels, but he was more intrigued by interest from songwriter-producer Keith Stegall—known for his work with Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band. Introduced to Stegall through radio promotion executive Michael Powers, Campbell turned down the other offer to wait while Stegall and several other industry veterans developed Bigger Picture Group, an innovative artist-development company.

Once Bigger Picture was in place, Campbell headed into the studio to work on his first project, founded on his big, commanding voice and centrist-country songwriting. “When I Get It” puts a defiant spin on a tough economy, “I Bought It” revolves around sweet revenge and “My Little Cowboy” incorporates a multi-generational storyline and a Haggard-esque instrumental hook into a Southern-rock framework. “Fish” puts a bawdy spin on romance, but—in sensitive-daddy fashion, does so in a manner that’s safe for the kids to hear.

“Family Man,” set up by a sonic comma in its first reference—“It’s family, man”—brought Campbell quickly onto the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Still, the singer and his associates plan to go way past one single or album.

“The one word Keith has used a lot with me is iconic,” Campbell notes. “He says, ‘We don’t want to do a one-song project, we’re gonna shoot for 20 years.’”

Campbell’s assault on a two-decade career was in development for years before he made the conscious decision to pursue it. He was born and raised in Lyons, Ga., a town of about 4,000 people half-way between Macon and Savannah, a geographical hot spot that’s produced such peers as Jason Aldean, Billy Currington and Lady Antebellum.

Campbell grew up one of five children in a blended family. His parents divorced when he was extremely young, leaving his oldest sister—11 years his elder—to tend to the siblings while his mom worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table. He saw his biological father every other weekend until his dad died, when Craig was 11 years old, leaving little impact on his son’s memory.

“The older I get,” Campbell says, “the more I realize didn’t know him.”

The man Campbell called dad married his mom when Craig was six. He provided structure, a sense of right and wrong, and a daily model of what an adult man could be.

“In all honesty,” Craig says, “my life began when my mama married my stepdad.”

The family studiously attended the Baptist church—twice on Sundays and again on Wednesday nights—which became an important training ground for Craig’s musical education. He played piano for the congregation from age 10 until he turned 18, and Campbell learned harmony from listening to his mom sing from the hymn book.

“I’d stand beside her and try to mimic what she was doing,” he recalls. “In a Baptist church, you have to learn how to sing harmony because the song was not always in your key, so you gotta find somewhere to go with it.”

The house was filled with the sound of gospel groups—the Cathedrals, the Inspirations, the Kingsmen, the McKameys—and the from-the-gut approach of those acts resonates in Campbell’s delivery today.

But he gravitated even more to country music, magnetized by the quality of performers during one of the genre’s golden radio eras. He’s drawn comparisons to Alan Jackson—understandable since they’re both Georgian singers with a similar range and accent. But it was Travis Tritt, embodied with a fierce vocal style similarly informed by gospel singers, who most influenced Campbell.

He put that influence to work at age 15 when his sister Lynn, nine years his senior, pushed him to enter the Jimmy Dean/True Value Country Showdown. She served as an unpaid manager and A&R person, enrolling him in the competition, helping him decide on his stagewear and picking out two then-current songs that would show off his skills well: Tritt’s “Foolish Pride” and John Michael Montgomery’s “Be My Baby Tonight.” Campbell finished first among the 22 contestants at Kerrigan’s bar, got his picture in the local paper—The Vidalia Advance—and was instantly hooked on performing.

“I wanted to be on stage for sure,” Campbell recalls. “The crowd response is what drove it. Nothin’ better than to hear somebody applaud.”

It gave him a vocational direction, though his sense of purpose was tested just months later when Lynn died from injuries in a car accident.

“It was rough,” he reflects. “We were pretty good buddies, you know, and she had a 6-year-old little girl, too, which was the worst part about it. I don’t think I cried up until we told her daughter her mommy wasn’t comin’ home.”

It took months for Craig to regain his footing emotionally—with the encouragement Lynn had planted in his psyche, he used music as a grounding mechanism. And he continued to enroll in the Showdown. He won one more year, and—after a two-year stint as a corrections officer in the Georgia State prison system—he put together Out Of The Blue, the house band at Kerrigan’s.

With assistance from the club owner, he made some connections with a couple of booking agents and the band started touring small venues five and six nights a week with the travel extending as far as Wyoming and Elko, Nevada. The band once drove itself the entire 1,800-mile trip from Florida to North Dakota, stopping only to change drivers or fill the tank. It was a grueling schedule, but it also gave Campbell first-hand knowledge of how to fill out a setlist and win over an audience.

“You can go anywhere and play Lynyrd Skynyrd, you can go anywhere and play Hank Williams Jr.,” he shrugs. “There’s certain songs—‘Friends In Low Places,’ ‘Dixieland Delight,’ ‘Sweet Home Alabama,’ ‘Margaritaville,’ ‘Brown Eyed Girl’—it don’t matter where you are. You’ll get a response.”

In 2002, one of his friends called from Nashville. The friend was getting divorced and wanted to know if Campbell would move up and share an apartment.

“Shoot, yeah,” Craig responded. “If you can get me a job, I’m there.”

In short order, Campbell had an interview for a maintenance position at the Belle Valley Apartments in the Bellevue neighborhood. Within a week, he’d moved all his belongings to Tennessee, where he was within reaching distance of a music career.

Campbell wasted no time. He ingrained himself in the club scene and picked up a gig when he met another musician at Douglas Corner, the same venue where Trisha Yearwood had once secured her first recording deal. When Campbell told the musician that he played piano, he got an offer to fill in on a Saturday night at The Stage, one of the largest clubs on historic Lower Broadway. Not only did Campbell accept the job, he aced it.

“Halfway through the gig, he asked me do I want the gig fulltime?” Campbell remembers. “I said, ‘Absolutely.’ So I started working five and six nights a week then. On top of my job. I was bankin’!”

He quickly became ingrained in the Nashville music community, meeting fellow Georgian Luke Bryan. Bryan, in turn, introduced Campbell to songwriter Jon Mabe (“The Climb”), who brought Craig in to sing on a demo session for his wife, songwriter Connie Harrington (“Girls Lie Too”). That led to a ton of work as Campbell became one of the in-demand singers on Nashville’s underground demo circuit.

Bryan, who hadn’t yet signed with Capitol Records, also advised Campbell to write his own songs. If he could sing and write, he’d be more valuable. And he’d have an identity of his own.

“At first it was a job,” Campbell admits. “I wasn’t used to it, but then I started writing songs that I thought were kind of cool and I’d play ‘em live and people would applaud, and then it started getting to where people were requestin’ ‘em. It takes on a completely different meaning whenever you can stand up and say, ‘Here’s a song I wrote.’ As opposed to, ‘Here’s a song I like.’”

In the middle of it all, Campbell started seeing a singer, Mindy Ellis, he’d known even before he moved to Nashville. There’d always been chemistry between them, but she was already seeing someone else. Months after she broke off a relationship, he got a call from Mindy while waiting at the Country Music Hall of Fame to audition for Nashville Star. She wanted to hang out; he couldn’t leave.

“She said, ‘Well, I have a van that has a TV and a VCR. I’ll just come to you and we’ll watch a movie.’ So she came down and we plugged in Face/Off, with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, and we watched it. We’ve been together ever since.”

He started playing piano in her band, and that led to another valuable gig: One of her friends got him a job for 15 months touring with Tracy Byrd’s band, giving Campbell his first opportunity to play mid-sized venues.

During his tenure with Byrd, Campbell married Mindy and started a family, which now includes two daughters, Preslee and Kinni.

He eventually scored a weekly performance slot at The Stage, where his band consisted of musicians who also played with Big & Rich, Chris Young, Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie. One of the bartenders, Kim Trosdahl, talked Campbell up to her significant other, Bigger Picture Group’s Michael Powers, who was won over by the singer’s obvious skills.

Powers brought Keith Stegall down to the club in August 2008, and from there, it was simply a waiting game before Bigger Picture had everything in place to get Campbell recorded and bring him to a wider audience.

The company introduced him with the 2010 single “Family Man,” a song that incorporates the centerpiece of his life, the source of his emotional strength and the reason he wakes up in the morning.

Now his debut album blends Campbell’s masculine, no-nonsense vocal style with solid, salt-of-the-earth songs about America’s working class and a classic sense of wordplay. It’s a timeless sound, one that links him directly to Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson, who likewise built their style on such predecessors as George Jones and Hank Williams Jr.

“It’s traditional, back-to-basics, true country music,” Campbell says. “It’s what I am. I can’t be anything else.”

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The Roys’ Favorite Christmas Memory

The Roys“Some of my favorite Christmas memories are the ones we spent in Coal Branch, New Brunswick, Canada with my Mom’s side of the family, The LeBlancs.  My Grandma LeBlanc played the fiddle and my uncles would play guitar and sing and my aunts would sing along too.  (my Mom’s brothers and sisters)  There was always a house full of people as the neighbors would always end up at my Grandparents house cause they knew music was being made.  Along with good food and good company it was perfect.  Through the years, as Lee and I began singing together and learned to play instruments we also joined in as we got older.  Everytime Christmas rolls around my mind always goes back to those wonderful years of memories.  It always takes me right back to those days.” — Elaine of The Roys

About The Roys

The Roys

Christmas family Get-together in Canada

Bluegrass music is a unique art form that is as much about feel and instinct as it is technique. Blending proficiency and passion into a musically intoxicating package, The Roys make their debut with LONESOME WHISTLE, a spirited set that showcases the siblings’ stellar vocals, taut musicianship and enviable songwriting skills. “My first real love is bluegrass music,” says Lee. “When I was nine-years-old, I played in my first band and it was a bluegrass band. Ricky Skaggs has always been my hero, and even back in the early days of the Skaggs and Rice records; that’s really where I cut my teeth. As a matter of fact, we were listening to some old stuff we had done and it was amazing to hear Keith Whitley in my voice back then when I was a kid because I was really into those guys.”

With their reverence for legends such as Bill Monroe as well as contemporary torch bearers like Ricky Skaggs, The Roys have crafted a debut set that combines the best of bluegrass music’s traditions with the promise of its future. In recording the album, Lee and his sister Elaine, enlisted Skaggs’ famed band, Kentucky Thunder, and added Steve Brewster on Drums/Percussion and the amazing Randy Kohrs, and even recorded in Skaggs Place Studios. “Being with Ricky’s band was inspiring because those guys are awesome,” Elaine enthuses. “It really makes you want to do better because all of them are amazing musicians as well as amazing people. They love the music and they really put their hearts and souls into it. That’s why we really loved working with those guys.” “They are literally the masters of their craft,” adds Lee. “Randy Kohrs is playing dobro and Justin Moses is playing the banjo. Those guys live and breathe their instrument. It’s like an extension of their body.” Lee and Elaine are equally effusive in their praise when talking about bassist Mark Fain, guitarist Cody Kilby and fiddler Andy Leftwich, who co-produced the project with The Roys. Were they at all nervous stepping in to Skaggs’ studio to record their bluegrass debut? “Absolutely,” Elaine confesses. “The first day we walked in there and I started seeing all the pictures of Bill Monroe and Ricky Skaggs and seeing Ricky’s Grammys and all his awards everywhere, I was thinking ‘Oh my gosh! He is really the King of Bluegrass right now and we’re in his studio!’ It was very, very intimidating, but once we got in there and met with the guys and they were excited to be there, we put all that to bed. We thought ‘We’re here to sing and make music. It’s in God’s hands. It’s not even in our hands, so we’re just going to let it happen.’ Once we let it go, the magic happened.”

Recording LONESOME WHISTLE was the culmination of a dream that began for The Roys during childhood. Elaine and Lee were born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and the family later relocated to a small town called Coal Branch in New Brunswick, Canada. Music was always present in their household. “Traditional country music and bluegrass is what we grew up on. That’s all we listened to,” says Elaine. “My grandma played the fiddle. She would play Acadian tunes and my aunts and uncles would sing as well as played multiple instruments. It was very traditional roots music. We fell in love with that and our harmonies seemed to fit that style of music. That’s really what we truly love.” “At five or six-years-old, I became addicted to music and I just couldn’t get enough of the fiddle,” says Lee. “For me, the fiddle growing up was really THE instrument because it was what my grandma played.”

The Roys

Picture of Grandma Suzanne

Elaine learned guitar and Lee picked up drums, bass and mandolin. By the time he was nine, he was performing publicly with a local bluegrass band, singing high tenor and playing mandolin. Elaine began singing at age five, and her first paid gig was at age 10. “I performed at a fair located a couple towns over from where we lived,” she recalls. “One of the people that we knew there knew that I sang and wanted me to sing with them. We worked out five or six songs and I got up there and did my little thing. I remember that as if it was yesterday.” The siblings continued to hone their skills and became sought after entertainers on the New England circuit before moving to Nashville and launching their own label, Pedestal Records. Since then The Roys have opened for George Jones, The Oak Ridge Boys and Chris Young, among others and have enjoyed such high profile national TV gigs as performing on Jerry Lewis’ annual Labor Day Telethon to benefit Muscular Dystrophy. The duo has performed their amazing version of the National Anthem for the Red Sox at Fenway Park, for President Bush at Andrews Air Force Base and at the Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Truck Series. Even as their career has taken off, Lee and Elaine have found time to dedicate to helping those less fortunate. They took part in Montgomery Gentry’s annual Harley Ride in conjunction with the Academy of Country Music Awards and Little Big Town’s annual Ride for a Cure, benefiting the T.J. Martell Foundation. This past August, The Roys traveled to Bogota, Columbia with Compassion International where they spent four days in the impoverished country. Now, Elaine and Lee are each sponsoring a child, as well as serving as CI spokesmen. Faith, music and family are the cornerstones of The Roys’ life and they all intersect on LONESOME WHISTLE. The album showcases Elaine’s beautiful, emotion-laden voice and Lee’s effervescent tenor. The project also shines a spotlight on the duo’s songwriting abilities. They wrote the title track in two short hours while on the road in Maine one night. “The story is about a couple whose lives revolve around a train. The train carries him off to war, she sits and waits for the train to bring him back home – and in the end, the train does bring him home on his last ride,” explains Lee.

The highlights on the album are numerous, among them “Coal Minin’ Man,” a tribute to the life of the miner, and the high energy “Give A Ride To The Devil,” which offers up the sage wisdom that if you “give a ride to the devil, someday he’s gonna want to drive.” “Trailblazer” is Elaine’s nod to one of her heroes. “I have always been a Dolly Parton fan,” she says. “This song reminds me of her and all the women in the world chasing their dreams. I got the idea while sitting in traffic one day behind a Trailblazer SUV. So later that day in a writing session, we wrote this woman’s anthem. It’s one of my favorites on the album.” The Roys are excited about making their debut in the bluegrass music community they have listened to and loved for so long. These days they are getting validation from musicians they respect and are excited about their future. Andy Leftwich told us, “You are bluegrass vocalists. You are made for this format, it is who you are. This record is going to be huge because you guys are just so new and refreshing to the bluegrass community. You are going to be a household name!” Leftwich knows great bluegrass music and with one listen to LONESOME WHISTLE, it’s a sure bet others will agree and it won’t be long before everyone is singing the same tune.

 

 

 

 

 

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Madonna Nash’s Favorite Christmas Memory

“I have so many great memories of Christmas!  Not only from my childhood, but also of the new memories made with my own two kids.  One that will always be dear to me is not only a memory, but now a tradition.  As I’m sure many of us do, in my home growing up, my brother, sister and I had a favorite Christmas Movie.  That movie was and still is “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas”.  I can remember the anticipation and excitement that grew as we would gather around the television, with the fireplace to our right and the smell of cookies in the kitchen to our left.  It wasn’t just that we loved the characters in the movie (anything Jim Henson was a hit in our house), but I think it was the music that we looked forward to the most! 

Madonna with family at Christmas

Don’t get me wrong, the story is great, but the music moved us more than anything!  It still does!  I believe we loved it so much because there is a little bit of Emmet Otter in the three of us, and our Momma sang just like Alice Otter (Ma Otter).  One song in particular “Our World” always gets me a little choked up.  As soon as Ma Otter starts to sing “We’re closer now than ever before, there’s love in our world and we’re showing it more”, I know that that’s  exactly what the movie is doing, bringing my siblings and I closer together than ever before, right at that very moment.  So to this day when Christmas comes around, we still gather around the television, my brother sister and I, to watch  “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas”.” 

About Madonna Nash

Madonna Nash, winner of the 2010 Female Country Artist of the Year at the Carolina Music Awards, has been singing for as long as she can remember.

“As a child, I used to do shows in my backyard for all the other neighborhood kids,” said the Wilmington, NC native. “And I started writing songs when I was a teenager”.

Nash comes from a very musical family. Her father toured the country playing guitar, and her mother was an honors graduate in music from E.C.U. Nash’s great great uncle was Connie B. Gay, founding president of the Country Music Association.“My songs are definitely country, but when you listen to them, you’ll find hints of rock, pop, and blues, too. It’s just good, fun music,” she said.

She’s performed with numerous popular acts such as Gretchen Wilson, Phil Vassar, Josh Thompson, Sarah Buxton, Jason Michael Carroll, Cravin’ Melon, Gloriana, Lee Brice, Danny Gokey, Edwin McCain, and more.

Madonna Nash’s self-titled debut album was recorded in Nashville, TN using a Grammy-winning team of studio engineers and musicians who have worked with such superstars as Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, and Kellie Pickler. Working with producers Dave Demay and Charles Fulp (producer of multiple Top 20 BILLOARD singles), Madonna Nash recorded 13 songs for the CD, all of which she wrote/co-wrote.

The new album is available on iTunes and Amazon.com, and it is already receiving rave reviews (6 out of 7 stars in the Nashville Music Guide). Madonna Nash’s debut single “Dirty Little Secret” is a winner of the prestigious DISCOVERY award in MusicRow magazine, and the video for this single, which can be seen at www.youtube.com/madonnanash, is equally impressive.

“Things are finally starting to fall into place for me. I know this is the right time, and I am right where I need to be,” said a confident and glowing Madonna Nash.

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Margaret Durante’s Favorite Christmas Memory

 

Margaret Durante

“I remember when I got to sing “The Christmas Song” in my first grade Christmas recital and loving being on the stage and singing for friends and family.  I still smile every time I hear that song during the holidays.” —  Margaret Durante

Margaret with Santa

About Margaret Durante

With the release of her four-song digital-only “Maybe Tonight EP,” much of the music world is getting its first glimpse of one of country music’s most exciting young voices, Margaret Durante. The title track from the EP is a contagiously upbeat look at new love at its flirty and romantic best. It is also her new single and a great introduction to Margaret, whose world-class pipes and dynamic stage presence have been wowing audiences since she was a young girl.The EP, culled from her forthcoming debut album, is a compelling collection of songs that showcase the sheer talent Margaret brings to the table as a vocalist and as a songwriter who can hold her own in a room with Nashville’s best. From the title-track and the moody and melodic “Paper Chains”, both of which were co-written by Margaret, to the pain-drenched “Better” and “Whiskey And A Gun,” a jaw-droppingly tough look at revenge from one woman’s point of view, it’s a collection that highlights the power and intimacy of her vocal performances and the connection she has always made with her audiences.

“I really want listeners to feel like they are my confidantes,” Margaret says. “I want them to feel like they have someone to commiserate and celebrate with when they hear my songs.”

The project is for Margaret the culmination of three years of work honing the crafts she has nurtured since childhood. Collaborating with a group that includes co-writer and co-producer Stephony Smith and legendary producer/label head James Stroud made the excitement of making her first record all the more thrilling.

“I knew I had material that I loved and believed in and I couldn’t wait to share those songs with other people,” says Margaret. “Then, when James and Stephony wanted to be involved to the extent they were, that sweetened the deal even more.”

The digital-only EP, on Stroud’s new Emrose Records imprint, caps a journey that began in a household steeped in music, from Frank Sinatra to Bonnie Raitt and Mary Chapin Carpenter. At 16, Margaret began touring with a band, gaining invaluable performing experience up and down the East Coast. She enrolled at Clemson, but soon left the school and friends she loved to pursue her dreams in the town she knew was the place to truly sharpen her skills — Nashville. There she met publishing and A&R executive Laura Stroud, who recognized Margaret’s raw talents as a singer, writer and performer. The two soon began working together, leading to introductions to the city’s great songwriters and guiding her towards a record deal.

Though Margaret’s heart and soul are firmly rooted in country music, she also recently enjoyed national exposure when she provided lead vocals for her friends at Hot Rush Productions on two songs featured in recent episodes of Disney’s hot new tween series, Shake It Up. One of the songs, “Watch Me,” was used as the theme song during the season’s premiere episode, seen by 6.2 million viewers as well as another half million from fan-posted videos on YouTube. Margaret was also recently hailed by Nashville Lifestyles Magazine as the “Fresh Face to Watch in 2011.”

As she continues work on her debut album, scheduled for fall release, Margaret is living out the dream that took root in the music-infused home she grew up in.

“There’s such a power to music,” she says. “It’s one of the reasons I live in this town. Although the level of brilliance and commitment that exists here can be almost intimidating, I just let it inspire me. It makes my appreciation for the magic of music evolve and grow every day.”

And in Margaret Durante, country audiences everywhere are about to find their own connection to that magic.

Related article:

http://focusonthe615.com/2011/07/01/margaret-durante-becomes-first-independent-label-artist-ever-to-debut-at-1-on-gac/

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Tootsie’s Celebrates Its 51st Birthday In Style

Tootsie's

Kid Rock joins John Stone and band on stage

The famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge celebrated its 51st birthday on Wednesday, November 23rd with a star-studded birthday bash all day out in the streets of downtown Nashville with a large stage on the corner of 5th & Broadway.

Crowds of music fans were treated all day long starting just after noon to live full-band shows just outside the doors of this famous honky tonk by such acts as The Roys, The McClymonts, and The Kentucky Headhunters,who were introduced to the stage by Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens.  It didn’t end there, though.  Then fans were treated to an after-party following Kid Rock’s concert at the Ryman Auditorium where Tootsie’s headliner, John Stone and his band, continued to entertain crowds well past midnight.  This after-party even included a special drop-in performance by Kid Rock himself to the delight of the large crowd that had gathered.

Tootsie's

The McClymonts

I felt like a human popsickle after it was all said and done since I stayed out there enjoying all of the festivities all day then well past midnight.  It was worth it, though! It had turned unusually cold that day in Nashville, but I was probably a bit thin-skinned since I had just returned from a Caribbean cruise just a couple of days before.  I fair much better in warm tropical climates with a cool breeze blowing through my hair and sipping on a frozen rum concoction than I do in cold wet, climates where I actually BECOME the frozen “concoction”! lol  Ok, enough about that! I guess you know where my head is at today! Yes, dreaming about being back on that ship! Obviously, so much so that I had forgotten to bring my jacket to keep me warm and had to buy a hoodie from the Tootsie’s souvenir shop just to keep warm during the event.  Thank goodness for that hoodie! Anyway…

Tootsie's

The Roys

About Tootsie’s

Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge opened its doors 51 years ago next to the legendary “mother church” of country music, the Ryman AuditoriumMom’s was the original name of this famous honky tonk before Tootsie Bess bought the establishment in 1960.  Tootsie credits a painter with naming the location when she walked up one day to find the outside of it painted orchid.  So, the name was born after the owner, the color, and it was also her favorite flower.

Since the doors opened at Tootsie’s 51 years ago, countless country legends have walked through its doors.   Many of its famous patrons slipped out the back door of the Ryman Auditorium across the alley into the back door of Tootsie’s to enjoy a beer or two and enjoy some music.  Legends like Patsy Cline, Kris Kristofferson, Faron Young, Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall, Hank Cochran, Mel Tillis, Roger Miller, Webb Pierce, Waylon Jennings….just to name a few.  Careers have been launched for people like Terri Clark, Joanna Smith, and Glen Templeton, songs have been inspired about it like “The Wettest Shoulders in Town” and “What’s Tootsies Gonna Do When They Tear the Ryman Down?”, movies have been filmed there like ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’, and countless singers/songwriters have taken to its stages in hopes to be seen by the right people who could make their dreams come true.

Tootsie's

The Kentucky Headhunters

Tootsie’s is a Nashville institution and landmark that will no doubt continue for, at least, 51 more years to come.  I have no doubt.  As long as the Ryman stands, those doors should continue to lead through the back alley to Tootsie’s and the many other honky tonks that line the streets of Broadway where many country music fans from around the world continue to visit in hopes that they might possibly get a glimpse of their favorite country star who decides they just might drop in for a beer or two and hear a little live music, too.  And, that’s definitely not so far-fetched! You never know WHO just might enter through that back door late at night after the Ryman has closed its doors for the evening.

Happy birthday, Tootsie’s, and here’s to another 50 or so more years of making great memories!

 

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Album Review: Joe Nichols ‘It’s All Good’–Indeed, Yes, It Is

Joe NicholsTraditionalist Joe Nichols has got to have one of the most pure country voices out there in the country genre today.  I could sit here and listen to him sing all day.  He’s definitely one of the best male vocalists out there.  Love that deep baritone voice of his!

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