Playlist week of 26th July 2014

2014-07-26

26th July 2014 – BBC Playlist

Playlist week of 26th July 2014

Classics from Jim Reeves, Martina McBride & Dwight Yoakam and brand new music from Brian Collins (Back by popular demand) Reba McEntire & Ray Scott.

Ashley Robertson - Heatwave  NEW Single Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Reverbnation Page

James Robert Webb - Party In The Barn | Album:  NEW Single

Lorrie Morgan - Out Of Your Shoes | Album: Leave The Light (1989) CD

Bobbie Gentry - Ode To Billie Joe | Album: Ode To Billie Joe (1967) MP3 (July 27, 1944) BIRTHDAY   

Charlie Daniels Band - Quinn The Eskimo | Album: Off the Grid- Doin' It Dylan:
CD - Smart Choice Music (David Muse July 27, 1949) BIRTHDAY

The Shires - Nashville Skies MP3 - UK iTunes  (Single)

Jordan Mogey - So Doggone Lonesome | Album: (out Aug/ Sept) MP3 NEW Single

Rosanne Cash - Etta’s Tune | Album: The River & The Thread CD - MP3,

James House – Trainwreck | Album: Broken Glass Twisted Steel:
CD - MP3 - UK iTunes NEW Hotdisc #187 July Single Featured songwriter

Martina McBride - Broken Wing | Album: Evolution (1997) CD (July 29, 1966) BIRTHDAY Featured songwriter (written by Phil Barnhart, Sam Hogin and James House)

Jim Photoglo - What Do I Tell My Son | Album:Halls Of My Heart MP3 – UK iTunes 

Melonie Cannon - Tennessee Roads | Album: (2004) CD (written by Jim Photoglo with Matraca Berg)

Brian Collins - Enjoy The Ride | Album: Healing Highway (out later in 2014) sample at www.briancollins.us “it’s a lovely album” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Amy McCarley - Head Out Of Town | Album: Jet Engines (June 2014) MP3 – UK iTunes - Amazon.com

Jim Reeves - Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine | Album: The Great Jim Reeves Box Set 8CD (H&H Records) 170 tracks (including 92 overdubs). For more information visit www.jim-reeves.com/greatjimreeves , see the track listings here and order from www.jim-reeves.com  

Reba McEntire - Pray For Peace NEW Single

Ray Scott - Drinkin’ Beer | Album: TBA MP3 -  UK iTunes

Nu-Blu - Jesus & Jones MP3 – UK iTunes NEW Single

Neal McCoy & Trace Adkins - Roll On Mississippi | Album: Pride - A Tribute to Charley Pride (2010) CD - MP3 (July 30, 1958) BIRTHDAY

Kelsey Waldon - Getting There | Album: The Goldmine MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com  NEW

Diamond Rio - In A week Or Two | Album: Greatest Hits MP3 Featured songwriter (written by James House and Gary Burr) 
Dwight Yoakam - I Ain’t That Lonely Yet | Album: This Time (1993) CD Featured songwriter (written by James House and Kostas)

Valerie Smith - If Ever We Should Meet Again | Album: The Human Condition:
MP3 - UK iTunes NEW

George Ducas - White Lines & Road Signs | Album: 4340 CD – UK iTunes (August 1, 1966) BIRTHDAY

Jake Owen - What We Ain’t Got | Album: Days of Gold CD – UK iTunes NEW Single

New on The Show

Jim Photoglo

“What Do I Tell My Son” – “Pure singer-songwriter album, written with the great Gary Burr, almost poetry to music..really struck me” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Singer/Songwriter Folk/ Acoustic /Americana

Record label: ​Grifftone Records    Current Location: Nashville, TN

Influences: The behind-the-scenes writers of the Brill Building (Mann and Weil, King and Goffin) and Motown, to writer-artists like the Beatles, the Young Rascals and the Rolling Stones. Photoglo’s eclectic style fostered recordings by a variety of artists, including James Ingram and the Everly Brothers.

Jim Photoglo has musically spanned four decades as both a songwriter and artist, bringing his unique creative voice to the R&B, Pop and Country arenas.

He grew up in Los Angeles and began playing in bands as a teenager but never considered music as a “career” until he was in his early 20s. He took every kind of gig from playing in a funeral band to putting together a group to back John Belushi’s “Joe Cocker” imitation at a party for Paul McCartney.

His solo career took off when he was signed to the Twentieth Century Fox label in 1979, culminating in a pair of Pop hits: “We Were Meant To Be Lovers” in 1980 and “Fool in Love With You” in 1981. Photoglo hit the TV talk show circuit, toured the Orient twice, and opened for the Beach Boys on a national tour. By the time his third album was released, the financially- troubled Fox label was unable to properly launch the project, and once again Photoglo took to the road.

He spent the next 2 years singing back-up for Andy Gibb, and concentrating on song writing.

While enjoying this sabbatical from recording, his songs began to catch fire with the creative “powers-that-be” in post-”Urban Cowboy” Nashville. Before he knew it, he had cuts with Kenny Rogers, Marty Robbins, Gary Morris and Brenda Lee. Further encouraged by good friend Wendy Waldman, a fellow L.A. popster who’d recently relocated and was enjoying a few country hits of her own, Photoglo moved to Music City in 1984 to pursue a full-time career as a songwriter.

He took the occasional tour as a bassist for the likes of Carole King, Vince Gill and Dan Fogelberg, but his main focus was songwriting, successfully quadrupling his creative output over the next few years.

After recording two solo albums in 1993, his career took a bizarre turn. He and Russell Smith of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, Bernie Leadon of the Eagles and hit-songwriter Vince Melamed formed the band Run C&W. Taking classic soul songs of the 60s and 70s, they rearranged and performed them as bluegrass songs with comedic undertones.

Photoglo continued to perform regularly at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café and tour solo, combining songwriter workshops with concerts at colleges, coffee houses and clubs around the country. He released 3 more CDs on Grifftone Records – FLY STRAIGHT HOME in 2000, SPARKS IN THE RADIO (2005) which landed at #30 on the Folk DJ Best Albums of 2005 list, and IS IT ME? which hit #1 in June of 2009.  ( Full Bio)

HALLS OF MY HEART (Grifftone) released on July 1, 2014 is the 10 track album Jim Photoglo has been working toward his whole career. His first album in five years features the label’s namesake Griffin Photoglo on drums Historically a celebrated co-writer, Jim takes the reins penning the majority of the songs alone, delving deep into personal subjects delivered with universal truths. You’ll find Jim playing most of the instruments and singing all of the background vocals, melding his experiences playing guitar, bass and singing for such well regarded artists as Carole King, the late Dan Fogelberg, Vince Gill, the late Nicolette Larson, Wendy Waldman, as well as his own bands. 

Related Post: Photoglo Releases First Album in Five Years “Halls of my Heart” -  “I’ve written for a lot of other artists and co-written most of my own music in the past,” Photoglo says. “Since I wrote most of these songs alone, it was an opportunity for me to be extremely honest and explore some very personal experiences.” .......

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Amy McCarley

“Head Out Of Town” – “A very unique voice” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Genre: Americana, Folk, Country, Rock

Current Location: Huntsville, Alabama

liver of life. singer of song. tapper of toe.

Good things come to those who wait – and this summer, alt-country fans will be rewarded for their patience. On June 10, 2014 singer-songwriter Amy McCarley released JET ENGINES, the 10 track highly anticipated follow-up to her 2011 self-titled debut.

Blurb: Produced by Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives) and George Bradfute, Jet Engines is a sterling collection of original music anchored by McCarthy’s earthy alto as she leads listeners on a musical road trip that travels from the twangy traditional country featured on the toe-tapper “Here I Am” to the smoldering Americana of the title track.

McCarley, who was named a Northern Alabama Artist to Watch by The Huntsville Times in 2012, has already taken her home state by storm. With Jet Engines, she firmly establishes herself as a rising star on the national roots music scene.

No Depression Jet Engines (Album Review)...The alt-country scene is crowded these days, which is great for fans but tough for artists looking to stand out. Fortunately for Amy McCarley, the first thing that strikes a new listener is her distinctive voice. There are shades of genre luminaries in her Alabama drawl -- a little bit of Lucinda Williams slur, a touch of Dwight Yoakam-esque mountain twang. But comparisons are really only useful for reference purposes; McCarley's sound is all her own, and her latest album Jet Engines showcases an artist firmly grounded in Americana, yet well-poised to make an individual statement.....

>> Watch her perform the lead track from her new record, “Jet Engines”

Jet Engines Info Image - About the new record  - Lyrics

CONNECT with Amy McCarley:

Jordan Mogey

“So Doggone Lonesome” - Brand new name to me, Irish singer, big fan of Johnny Cash, Vern Gosdin,  vintage country and rockabilly..... I think he does a great version of this” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire 

Country & Western Singer

From Ballymoney, Co.Antrim

Location: Ballymoney, Cowtown

I'm a singer, guitar slinger and poet.

Musical influences include, Johnny Cash & Vern Gosdin.

As a music fan he is drawn to the lyrics and why he was drawn to country music good stories about ordinary people and the real things in life.

>> Listen to an interview with 20-year old Jordan Mogey broadcast on 'Monday Night Live' on Highland Radio with Packie Keeney which was broadcast on "Monday Night Live" 26th. May 2014.

Watch the video for “Is It Raining At Your House” published on Apr 15, 2014. Filmed by North Shore FIlms in Coleraine, song recorded by manager Clive Culbertson at No Sweat Studios, Coleraine.

This was featured on the Phil Mack International Country on May 26, 2014 shown on Showcase TV (Sky/ Freesat)

Jordan’s new single “So Doggone Lonesome” is now on radio. You’ve now  heard it on the BBC via  Marie Crichton’s Country Show!

CONNECT with Jordan Mogey:

Playlist week of 19th July 2014

2014-07-19

19th July 2014 – BBC Playlist

Playlist week of  19th July 2014

Brand new music from Steve Gulley, American Young and Radney Foster. Plus classics from Radney Foster, Kim Carnes, Alison Krauss and Marty Brown

Lucas Hoge - Flip Flops NEW Single

Steff Mahan - Missed You | Album: Where I’m Coming From (Oct 2013) MP3 – UK iTunes

Thrasher Shiver - All The King’s Horses | Album: Thrasher Shiver (1996) MP3 (Kelly Shiver July 19, 1963) BIRTHDAY

Steve Gulley - Stormy Waters | Album: Family, Friends and Fellowship CD – MP3

Eve Selis - Don’t You Feel Lonesome | Album: Family Tree (2012) CD – MP3 – UK iTunes

American Young - Wasn’t Gonna Drink Tonight | Album: American Young (EP; June 2014) MP3 - UK iTunes NEW Single

George Hamilton IV - Canadian Pacific | Album: Heritage & Legacy CD (July 19, 1937) BIRTHDAY

Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny - The Precious Jewel | Album: Beyond The Missouri Sky (1997) CD (Charlie Haden died July 11th, aged 76)

Otis Gibbs - The Darker Side of Me | Album: Souvenirs of a Misspent Youth:
 CD - MP3 - UK iTunes

Rachel Button - Coach E | Album: With Love (2010; EP) UK iTunes

M Callahan - Checkout Boy | Album: Trailer Park Paradise (EP; Nov 2013) MP3 - UK iTunes

Brigette Demeyer - Home Ground | Album: Savannah Road (May 2014) NEW:
CD - MP3 - UK iTunes

TG Sheppard & Kelly Lang - You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling | Album: Iconic Duets MP3 (T G Sheppard July 20, 1942) BIRTHDAY

Charlie Worsham - Mississippi In July | Album: Rubberband CD - UK iTunes

Kim Carnes - Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness | Album: (July 20, 1946) BIRTHDAY

Radney Foster - The Man You want | Album: Everything I Should Have Said:
 CD - MP3 - UK iTunes

Sonya Isaacs - Just Go | Album: Sonya Isaacs (2000) CD  (July 22, 1975) BIRTHDAY

Larry Gatlin - Delta Dirt | Album: The Best Of The Gatlins MP3

Hannah Aldridge - Black and White | Album: Razor Wire (May 2014) MP3 – UK iTunes  

Tim McGraw - I Like It I Love It | Album: Number One Hits CD

Alison Krauss - Endless Highway | Album: I've Got That Old Feeling CD (1990) (July 23, 1971) BIRTHDAY

David Frizzell - Where Are You Spending Your Nights These Days | Album: The Familys Fine, But This Ones All Mine / On My Own Again (2 on 1; Morello Records) CD

Kelsey Waldon - Town Clown | Album: The Goldmine MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com  NEW  

Pam Tillis - Spilled Perfume | Album: Sweetheart's Dance & All Of This Love (2 on 1) CD - MP3  (July 24, 1957) BIRTHDAY 

Marty Brown - It Must Be The Rain | Album: (July 25, 1965) BIRTHDAY

Skylar Elise - You’ll Never Understand | Album: Skylar Elise (EP; May 2013) MP3 - UK iTunes - Amazon.com NEW Single

Valerie Smith - Where I Used To Have a Heart | Album: The Human Condition (Aug 5, 2014) MP3 - UK iTunes NEW

New on The Show

Kelsey Waldon

“Town Clown” – “This is probably one of my favourites on here...It’s a wonderful track, a really good country sound” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Genre: Country Music!

tags: alt-country/ Americana/ country outlaw country/ singer-songwriter/ traditional

Hometown: Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky

Current Location: Nashville

A razor-sharp lyricist and a singular singer

Sounds Like: Tammy Wynette on a trip to Whiskeytown, as unafraid of heavy twang and spitfire pedal steel as coffeehouse confessionals. For Fans Of: Loretta Lynn, John Prine, Caitlin Rose.

Her music is best described as classic country/Americana and her debut album is full of pedal steel and gritty lyrics.

“(The album) is just basically about how it doesn’t take money to make you happy,” she says. “Burning a lot of bridges that you shouldn’t have burned, families get torn apart and money’s not everything.”

East Nashville crooner Kelsey Waldon is bringing back '70s era saloon rock on her new album The Goldmine. You can almost hear the bottles bursting over chain-link barriers, and smell the smoke of a thousand Marlboro Reds on this one.

Single "One Time Again" is introduced through a ridiculous pedal-steel solo, courtesy of Brett Resnick. It's so lyrical, you'll be humming this tune for the rest of forever.

This singer-songwriter and unofficial Queen of East Nashville (she moved there from Kentucky) released her debut album in June 24th 2014, entitled, THE GOLDMINE which was crowd-funded ($5000 goal reached on Indiegogo)

Why You Should Pay Attention: Waldon came to Nashville from Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky – a town that can count its residents on fingers and toes – to attend Belmont University, with a backpack full of Guy Clark records and denim to match. But the swiftest education came on the stages of local dive bars, where she found that people listened best when she sang honestly about the realities of her dirt-road upbringing. On her debut LP, The Goldmine, Waldon makes music like someone raised on both "White Lightnin'" and Wilco, tackling troubled pasts, cheatin' hearts and what happens when we don't all worship the same

American dreams. "My daddy's gone to rehab/I'm just trying not to do the same," she sings before a rollercoaster Telecaster riff.

Read more : Meet the most buzzworthy

                     

Critical Acclaim:

The Washington Post names "The Goldmine" one of this month's best in music! ...This Kentucky-raised rookie frequently sings in an endearing, old-school twang, but on the title track of her debut album, her voice glows like honky-tonk neon: “I don’t want the goldmine, I just want to be all right.” "I promise this is country’s coolest young voice." - Joe Heim, The Washington Post

Farce The Music.com - Kelsey Waldon is so country, she never has to mention it on the entirety of her new album, yet you know it from the first word she sings (the first note, in fact). Her voice is effortlessly twangy and personable and The Goldmine

proudly hails from a lineage of Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Lee Ann Womack and the like.

Billboard Feature - Kelsey Waldon says that while her style of country offers a more traditional slant, she can certainly identify with many of the lyrics on the radio these days.

Policymic: The 9 Real Country Music Stars of Our Generation - Somewhere between Folsom Prison and all those dirt roads with the girls in painted-on jeans in the moonlight, country music got taken over by bros. But there's a part of the country world most people haven't heard — a young part where some of the world's best songwriters are creating something that's respectful of their forefathers but still fresh. Here are nine young countryartists keeping country alive.

Watch Kelsey Waldon performing >> "One Time Again" and "Town Clown" at Music City Roots live from the Loveless Cafe on May 28, 2014.

CONNECT with Kelsey Waldon:

Rachel Button

“Coach E”  “Some really lovely tracks, a mix between jazz and country, her voice is very good even when she’s not singing straight country the vocal is really strong” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Genre: Pop/folk
Singer. Fiddle player. Songwriter. Vocal Coach.

Hometown: London

Influences: Nerina Pallot, Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby, John Mayer

I love writing and performing songs and its my job, perfect! :)

29-year old Singer/ Songwriter hailing from the West Midlands UK.

“As cute as a button indeed." - What's on Magazine.

“Absolutely Lovely” - BBC Introducing

“A rare find. All songs on Rachel’s EP are as strong as each other, fantastic” - Brooklands Radio

‘If Jenson can drive, this button can sing’

Rachel Button provides a sweet remedy to the stressful nature of our existence, bringing an idyllic, pure sound, captured on her debut EP WITH LOVE

Originally from Birmingham, Rachel moved to London in 2005 to further her musical career.

She has gigged extensively and supported artists such as Simon Fowler (Ocean Colour Scene) and Steve Knightley (Show of Hands), as well as recorded guest vocals for Ministry of Sound.

The EP expresses the world in Rachel’s own definitive style. Songs such as “Coach E” and ‘The Lost Daughter’ combine dreamy, ambient melodies with the energy of a country hoedown, demonstrating Rachel’s versatility as an artist. Recorded in 2010, ‘With Love’ was mixed by Phil Brown, who has previously worked with Bob Marley, Dido and Led Zeppelin.

Rachel Button has spent much of the last year working in the home of country music in the United States and in London.

Last year Rachel joined the lovely Canadian born singer-songwriter Ashley Robertson on her UK tour which started off in Hammersmith in London at The Regal Room (Read review) on Sept 6, 2013. Ashley invited Rachel and UK singer-songwriter Fiona Culley to join her on stage for the song "Heatwave", written by all three – See Flyer and >> Watch the Video.

It has now been self released by Ashley as a summery radio single on July 8, 2014 and is available on Amazon UK and UK iTunes

Button's at Buttons! The 29-year-old former Perryfields High School pupil performed at Buttons Cafe, in Oldbury within the community centre on July 20, 2014 for the first 'Live Lounge' event at the cafe. Headlining she performed songs inspired and written in Nashville with special guests, young artists Charlotte Fentem and Kierron Emery.

Watch Rachel singing >> “Coach E” Live at the Ram Jam Club on Oct 30, 2011

Watch Rachel perform >> “Coach E” with Ashley Robertson & Fiona Culley, Live at the Regal Room, Distiller's Hammersmith, London (Sept 6, 2013). 

Watch >> “Catch Him If You Can” performed by Barton Under Needwood native and former Lichfield beauty therapist Fiona Culley (currently based and recording in Nashville with Lady Antebellum's producer Paul Worley!) with Rachel (backing vox, fiddle) at the O2 Academy in Sheffield.

Watch her perform >> “War Of The Roses” written by Rachel, arranged by Steve Ling. Recorded Live from St Albans Church in Chiswick (Published on Jul 1, 2014)

Express And Star recent Newspaper Article - Image

CONNECT with Rachel Button:

Skylar Elise

“You’ll Never Understand” -  “A really lovely steel intro, in between traditional and contemporary” - Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Skylar Elise, the debut artist to sign with Sugar Money Records has released her powerful new single “You’ll Never Understand”, released July 7, 2014 it showcases her compelling vocals and distinctive sound.  Skylar’s latest release is accompanied by the music video, which is now available on various video outlets and >> YouTube.

Signing with American Idol Season 4 Runner-Up Bo Bice’s label came after Bice heard Skylar sing for the first time. Bice immediately knew he heard talent and soon became Skylar’s mentor.

The 15 year old, Fort Worth, Texas, native is an old soul who has been performing for a decade and has an uncanny ability to wring every drop of emotion from a song. “Everybody has gone through heartbreak, but no matter how hard people try to understand, they’ll never understand the pain you are going through unless they’ve actually gone through it themselves,” Skylar says discussing the vulnerable emotion behind her new music video.

Her first single, “Gypsy Soul,” was released in June 2013 from her self-titled EP that propelled her beyond her already extensive fan base

Skylar devotes part of each day to writing songs, but when she’s not singing or writing, Skylar admits she’s a tomboy and her hobbies reflect that. “I’m a country girl! I love to shoot my bow and arrow and I like swimming and skateboarding.”

CONNECT with Skylar Elise:

Playlist week of 12th July 2014

2014-07-12

12th July 2014 – BBC Playlist

Playlist week of 12th July 2014

Brand new music from Joni Harms, Rascal Flatts and Otis Gibbs, plus classics from The Louvin Brothers, Jim & Jesse & The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Garth Brooks - That Summer | Album: Ultimate Hits 2CD 

Victoria Shaw - The River | Album: Old Friends New Memories MP3 (July 13, 1962) BIRTHDAY

Dean Alexander - Live A Little NEW Single MP3

Hannah Aldridge – Lonesome  | Album: Razor Wire (May 2014) MP3 – UK iTunes

John Michael Montgomery – Sold | Album: Very Best Of CD

Faith Morley – Tonight | Album: Morning Star MP3

Otis Gibbs - Nancy Barnett | Album: Souvenirs of a Misspent Youth CD - MP3 - UK iTunes

Virginia Luthiers – Home  

Madeline Smith - Catchin’ Fireflies | Album: Madeline Smith (2013) CD – MP3 - UK iTunes NEW Hotdisc #187 July Single
George Ducas - Ain’t That Crazy | Album: 4340 CD

Rhonda Vincent & Willie Nelson - Only Me | Album: Only Me CD - Amazon.com (Rhonda July 13, 1962) BIRTHDAY

Louise Mandrell - Some Of My Old Friends Are Old Songs | Album: Anthology MP3 (July 13, 1954) BIRTHDAY

Maggie Rose - Girl In Your Truck Song NEW Single 

Del Reeves - Looking At The World Through A Windshield (July 14, 1933; died January 1, 2007 (aged 74)) BIRTHDAY

Steff Mahan - Where I’m Coming From | Album: Where I’m Coming From (Oct 2013) MP3

Kenny Chesney & McAnally - Down The Road | Album: Lucky Old Son CD (Mac McAnally July 15, 1959) BIRTHDAY 

Linda Ronstadt & Ann Savoy - Can’t Get Over You | Album: Duets CD - MP3 - UK iTunes (Linda Ronstadt July 15, 1946) BIRTHDAY

Craig Morgan - We’ll Come Back Around | Album: Journey Livin’ Hits CD – MP3 Single (July 16, 1965) BIRTHDAY

Matt King - Memories, Fiddles & Songs | Album: Hard Country CD

The Hello Strangers – Ruined | Album: The Hello Strangers (May 2014) NEW MP3 - Amazon.com

Cowboy Copas - The Rainbow & The Rose (Lloyd Cowboy Copas July 15, 1913 died March 5, 1963 (aged 49))

Tanya Marie Harris - Second Hand Dreams  NEW Single MP3

Red Sovine - Old Rivers | Album: 20 All Time Greatest Hits MP3 (July 17, 1918; died April 4, 1980 (aged 61)) BIRTHDAY

Zoe Muth - Mama Needs A Margarita | Album: World Of Strangers CD  MP3 - Amazon.com 

Ricky Skaggs & Sharon White - Home Is Wherever You Are | Album: Comin' Home To Stay CD (Ricky Skaggs July 18, 1954) BIRTHDAY

Tania Kernaghan - Call Home | Single UK iTunes (July 18) BIRTHDAY

New on The Show

Hannah Aldridge

“Lonesome” - “I think if you like singer-songwriter music you’ll like this one... I think that’s just superb, the ballads are just beautiful” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Genre: Americana

Hometown: Muscle Shoals , AL

Americana is the perfect concoction of American roots music that comprises our musical ethos as we know it today. It is something so engrained in our history, folklore, tradition, and mythology that it is not as simple as just "becoming" Americana, but rather, it is something that you are born into. 

It's that old cast-iron Coca-Cola sign that's been in your neighbor's shed for 50 years, a banjo and a Fender telecaster playing together, a 1955 Chevy with a modern stereo. There are few artists that can truly encapsulate the essence and true range of Americana like Muscle Shoals artist Hannah Aldridge, whose musical pedigree

precedes her and speaks for itself.

Hannah Aldridge is the daughter of Alabama Music Hall of Famer Walt Aldridge, who is one of the most prolific songwriters of the modern musical era. Twice named by Billboard magazine as one of the Top Country Songwriters of the year, ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, and countless No1 and Top Ten hits recorded by the likes of Lou Reed, Reba McEntire, Travis Tritt, Earl Thomas Conley, Ricky Van Shelton, Ronnie Milsap, and Conway Twitty.

Besides being a seasoned staff songwriter for BAR Music with song placements in television shows like Hart of Dixie(CW) and recognition from American Songwriter as well as Relix Magazine, Hannah’s vocal talents rarely go unrecognized, something that lends itself to being true to the Americana methodology of not using excessive "talent-enhancing" techniques in the studio or live.

Hannah has toured all across the United States and Europe gaining a grassroots movement of fans that wait in silent adoration of the return of their “Americana Heir Apparent Princess of Muscle Shoals”.

Her album RAZOR WIRE has made its debut at No38 on the Americana Chart - Image

She has been touring the UK in June and July, played the Maverick Festival on 2 nights and will be announcing new UK Autumn dates.

Read this Live review - Hannah Aldridge Cuts It With More Than Razor Wire (King's Place Concert Hall, London on 23rd June)

CONNECT with Hannah:

Faith Morley

“Tonight” -  This one The Dixie Chicks wouldn’t sound out of place singing.. making her debut” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire  

Genre:  Singer Songwriter, Country, Christian

Hometown: Birmingham (Black Country), UK

Record label: Unsigned

Influences: Jesus, Natalie Grant, Raymond Froggatt, Shania Twain, Katie Melua

Faith Morley (HI Res Photo) is a Christian singer/songwriter of contemporary country music. At the very centre of Faith’s music is her love and passion for God, which comes across into her stage presence and warm vocals. 

Her music is a unique mixture of country, rock and pop and her first exciting album features established musicians such as Roy Adams (Roy Wood Band & Climax Blues Band), Johnny Caswell (Steve Gibbons Band), Stuart Neal (Knoxville Highway), and John Potter (formerly – Toy Hearts).

Even as a sixteen year-old Faith scooped first place out of 100 entries in Music Quest 2002 competition. This led onto further performances with Beacon radio and airtime on radio Wolf in Wolverhampton. Over 20 performances followed throughout the Midlands including a Summer XS Festival, to 25,000 people, on the bill that featured Clair Sweeney, Darius, Hear Say and So Solid Crew’s Romeo. The Wolverhampton Express & Star wrote, “Around 25,000 people sang Happy Birthday to a Walsall girl who performed at a massive firework extravaganza. Faith sang two of her own songs and impressed the audience. They belted out Happy birthday to her in return” (Live Festival photo)

She approached former Dark Star rock-vocalist Rik Staines and together they began to write a collection of faith-filled inspirational songs. These songs would become her 10 track debut album, entitled MORNING STAR which was released June 10, 2014.

CONNECT with Faith:

Madeline Smith

“Catchin’ Fireflies” – “I do very much like the song, definitely keeps in with our summer songs...What a great song, co-written with the wonderful Karen Staley...what a great track, really did like that...she’s just what we are all about on a Saturday evening”  -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Madeline Smith, raised in New Jersey, has a southern family background and grew up on country music.  At age 15, Madeline found her voice, put together a band, and started performing as a cover band.  She also started picking up the guitar and soon immersed herself in songwriting.  

At age 16, she began working with Kent Wells in Nashville to produce her debut album.  Madeline wrote or co-wrote all the songs and released the album in the summer of 2013.  She immediately took off as an artist and soon opened for Lauren Alaina and Darius Rucker.

In September, 2013, Madeline released and promoted her single “State of Mind” to Europe via the Hotdisc HD177 promotional Rush Released disc. It entered the Hotdisc Top 40 at No.22 and climbed and peaked at No.16.

She performed two of her originals and was a presenter (image) at the British Country Music Awards on November 24, 2013. Madeline performs primarily in NJ, NY, and PA with 2014 performances scheduled in Nashville, Illinois, and Utah. Madeline also frequents Nashville for recording, song writing, and performances and will be living in Nashville as of September 2014.

Lee Williams the promoter and CMA International Broadcaster of the Year for 2013 is currently promoting Madeline’s new single  “Catchin' Fireflies” (co-written with Karen Staley) on Hotdisc #187 for the lovely Somerset native. It entered at No.27, both singles come from her self titled 10 track album released 12th July 2013 available on UK iTunes

Other standout album tracks include  "Stay", "Can't Stop Loving You",  and "Left My Heart in Tennessee"

In the November/ December 2013 issue of Maverick Magazine Alan Cackett the then long-time editor and Wesley Rose Award Winner awarded her album 4 STARS, saying: “This girl is 16 years old – what poise, pizzazz and personality. Everything it takes to be a singing sensation….. An impressive debut from a young lady with a bright future”

CONNECT with Madeline:

Tanya Marie Harris

“Second Hand Dreams” - Really like her voice, be great to hear her sing a ballad” -  Marie Crichton BBC Radio Shropshire

Hometown: London, Ontario

Current Location:  Cambridge, Ontario

Tanya Marie Harris admits to being somewhat of a late bloomer as far as Country Music goes. "Growing up, we listened to a lot of Rock more than anything. My mom never listened to Country – unless it was Patsy Cline," she recalled of her formative years in Ontario Canada. However, a trip into the Southern United States changed all of that.

Still Harris says she was influenced by a wide variety of music. "I loved Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, and Martina McBride. I am also a big fan of Chely Wright’s music, but also listened to a lot of Alanis Morissette and Amanda Marshall.

Arrow Entertainment in association with Breakout Artist Tanya Marie Harris (TMH) released new single “Second Hand Dreams” to Country Radio on June 23, 2014 which was published on iTunes on May 31, 2013. This is a follow up radio release to her debut video of Second Hand Dreams which already has an impressive 1.8 million video plays for this Toronto Canada native and Nashville Country Recording Artist. “Second Hand Dreams”, written by TMH and David Norris, tells the story of a Dad who worked hard and did all that he could just to provide and make ends meet for his Daughter, while teaching her about family values and the roots of where she came from. The song is about a Daughter showing her appreciation for the sacrifices her Dad had to make so that she could live her dreams. Second Hand Dreams features the powerful vocals and raw emotion that Tanya Marie Harris brings when she records and performs music we all can believe in and connect with.

In the Fall of 2013, Tanya signed with Arrow Entertainment for ongoing artist management, booking, and placement. Together, they set a plan in place to release several of her new singles to Country Radio. Due to the high demand in US and Canadian markets for her music, extensive Tour dates are ongoing and more have been added for this emerging star who has become a force for women in Country music.

Watch the official video for “Second Hand Dreams” (1.8 million YouTube hits) Free Download on her Reverbnation Page

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