The CMA Songwriters Series will bring some of Nashville’s legendary hit makers to New York City’s Joe’s Pub on Wednesday, May 11th. Bill Anderson, Dean Dillon, Steve Wariner and Craig Wiseman will join host Bob DiPiero in sharing the stories behind some of Country Music’s biggest hits.
“Songwriting is what lured me into Country Music in the first place,” said Anderson. “So, being able to do a little pickin’ in New York with some of my Nashville writer friends is going to be extra cool for this whisperin’ hillbilly!”
“I’m so excited to join the CMA Songwriters Series,” said Wariner. “They say that you’re known by the company you keep, and in this case I’ll be in the great company of my friends Bill Anderson, Dean Dillon, Craig Wiseman, and Bob DiPiero. It’s not every day that I get to hang out with all these guys together, so I’m looking forward to listening to them and sharing some of my own songs.”
Tickets for the May 11 CMA Songwriters Series at Joe’s Pub are $30 each and go on sale Wednesday, March. 30, at 2:00PM/ET. For information about Joe’s Pub or to order tickets, visit www.joespub.com or call (212) 967-7555 between the hours of 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM/ET. Joe’s Pub is located at 425 Lafayette St. in New York City.
Opry Member Steve Wariner invited new artist, country rocker J.D. Shelburne to join him at the Grand Ole Opry on February 19, 2011. J.D. Shelburne, a Talyorsville, Kentucky native opened for Steve Wariner in Louisville, Kentucky in July 2009. See upcoming tour dates for J.D. Shelburne at his myspace page: www.myspace.com/jdshelburne
J.D is also doing a new segment on Facebook each tuesday night and he needs your questions! Don’t be shy….click here to find out details.
Country Girl wants you to be a Tattle Tale! Have you been to a country concert lately? Run into a country artist while out on the town? We want to hear all about your country music news and entertainment. Email me at countrygirl@countrymusictattletale.com
“You Can’t Say Love Enough” is a charity single by female group MJ2 and their celebrity friends, with all net proceeds from sales going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The list of artists who donated their talents to the single is impressive: Andy Griggs, Bill Anderson, Buddy Jewell, Burns & Poe, Cowboy Troy, Dolly Parton, Heartland, Heidi Newfield, Larry Gatlin, Lee Greenwood, Mark Collie, Moe Bandy, Rio Grand, Rudy Gatlin, Steve Wariner, T.G. Sheppard, and Wayne Newton. In “You Can’t Say Love Enough,” the artists convey a positive message: say “I love you” today because tomorrow is not a guarantee.
While I don’t expect MJ2, a relatively unknown group, will be able to make “You Can’t Say Love Enough” a timeless classic like Michael Jackson’s charity ensemble single “We Are the World,” they do make a nice effort. It’s a meaningful song born out of love for a worthy charity. Purchasing “You Can’t Say Love Enough” by MJ2 and their celebrity friends is a simple way for us all to show love for the JDRF through a monetary gift.
Last night, Garth Brooks performed 2 sold-out back-to-back shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena…and over the next week, he’s got 7 more gigs…Yes, all sold out. The 9 shows raised over $3.5 MILLION for The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for flood relief.
Back-to-Back shows may, in theory, sound like a great way to raise money…However, I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume there was a meeting around 12:30 am with the Metro police and city officials to figure out a way for what happened last night to NOT happen on the other 2 doubled-show nights. Basically there was chaos in a massive crowd of nearly 30,000 people…half going in and half going out. Oh, and lets not forget the cars stuck in the middle of 5th avenue that were surrounded by people. Yes, it got a little scary…and I’m a little shocked that there wasn’t a stampede since people were fairly intoxicated and got quite pushy. My best advice to those of you catching future Garth Brooks shows over the next week…avoid the unbelievably expensive parking ($20 if you’re lucky), and park at the FREE parking at LP Field and enjoy a very toasty warm ride on the BEEP shuttle for $3.00 round trip. We did and it was GREAT!
Ok, onto the show… This was my first Garth Brooks show. Even though I wasn’t super stoked about it, I knew it was something I should see. All I have to say is WOW!!! The sparse stage gave a perfect view from nearly any seat in the house. We were in a 300 section nearly behind the stage and saw everything perfectly. Never having sat up in the “nose-bleeds,” I didn’t bring my camera since I figured I wouldn’t be able to see anyway…Now, I wish I had since I coulda gotten some GREAT shots. Oh well, I’m using Country Girl’s pictures so it’s all good.
Garth Brooks still has “it.” For a superstar who sold out 9 shows without blinking an eye, Garth is humble, thankful, and in awe of the love thrown his way. Except for maybe the screams of middle age women at a New Kids on the Block concert or the shrill pre-pubescent screeches of a Taylor Swift concert…NOTHING was as loud as the sing-a-long at last night’s Garth show. The arena put on a show for Garth as much as he put on a show for them. Every word was perfection, and Garth basked in the beauty of the sound he’s not heard in quite some time.
Entering by rising-up outta the stage, I’m not sure Garth stood still for the nearly 2 hours he performed. Only a few of his hits were left out of his massive set list. He performed “Rodeo,” “Two of Kind,” “We Shall Be Free,” “Unanswered Prayers” (insert chill-bumps here), “Beaches of Cheyenne,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “Long Neck Bottle,” “Callin Baton Rouge,” a very rowdy “Friends in Low Places,” and “That Summer.”
For a special treat, Garth invited Steve Wariner to come out and accompany him on a couple songs before inviting his wife, Trisha Yearwood, out to sing “In Another’s Eyes.” WOW!!! Chemistry and amazing. Trisha then sang “She’s In Love with the Boy.” I’ll be honest, I was hoping for “Walk Away Joe,” but oh well. They also sang a PHENOMENAL version of “More Than a Memory.” It was inspiring…
After the EXTREMELY loud crowd called the band and Garth back up to the stage for the encore, Garth ended the show with the high-energy “Ain’t Goin Down Til the Sun Comes Up.” …However, I’m sure Garth didn’t make it til sun-up…that show and the one after that had to have pooped the guy out. I predict that by show #9, Garth will actually need his belt to hold-up his pants.
Last night’s show was being filmed and broadcast overseas for the armed forces. We were all definitely proud to be Americans…and proud to be standing in the midst of the greatest entertainer to have ever lived.
You can see more pictures on our Flickr account here.
Steve Wariner, who celebrates his birthday on Christmas Day, is proud to be included in the PEOPLE Country Special “Free Holiday Music” feature in the current issue (December 2010), on stands now.
Each of PEOPLE’s Country Special issues contains a 2-page feature with photographs and information on 7-10 new tracks by different artists. Each track is available as a free download on iTunes ( www.people.com/free). The December issue’s playlist is dedicated to holiday music, and Steve’s contribution is “Deck the Halls” from hisGuitar Christmas album. The instrumental collection of Christmas standards arranged, recorded, and produced by Wariner was inspired by holiday gatherings hosted by his mentor and friend, Chet Atkins.
“Everyone would sing and play and remember those beautiful melodies from our childhood,” Steve recalls. “I wanted the album to convey the warmth and intimacy of those picking parties, so the listener will feel as if I’m sitting in their living room playing for them.”
Among the holiday standards included on the CD are “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “Winter Wonderland” and “The Christmas Song.” A GRAMMY®-winning guitarist, Wariner played several different guitars on the CD, matching certain guitars with particular songs and musical styles to create a broad landscape of aural textures and colors. Among the guitars he used are a handmade Hascal Haile classical guitar, the Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman model (1989), which had belonged to Chet, an Olympia dulcimer, a Tacoma Papoose, and Wariner’s own model Takamine acoustic guitar.
Wariner’s next project, a followup to his GRAMMY-winning My Tribute to Chet Aktins, is another instrumental collection, Guitar Laboratory, due in stores on February 8th.
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