News ~ September 2003

CMA Names Awards Show Performers
Dolly Parton and Norah Jones will sing a duet of "The Grass Is Blue" on this year's CMA Awards in November. Jones sings the song on the upcoming Dolly Parton tribute CD, which will be released on October 14th. Patty Loveless will also perform during the CMA awards ceremony. Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett will open the show with "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere." 9/30/03

CMA Names Broadcast Award Winners
The 2003 CMA Broadcast Award Winners have been announced. The winners:

• CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year
  • National - Bob Kingsley - "American Country Countdown"
  • Major Market - Skip Mahaffey with Les, Rita and Braden - WQYK/Tampa, Florida (Les McDowell, Rita Ciccarello, Braden Gunn)
  • Large Market - The Jeff Roper Morning Show with Carrie Ann and Richie Rich Palmer - WSOC/Charlotte, North Carolina (Carrie Ann Boggess)
  • Medium Market - The Cornbread Morning Show with Pat James - KFDI/Wichita, Kansas
  • Small Market - George and Tammy - WAXX/Eau Claire, Wisconsin (George House, Tammy Phillips)
• CMA Radio Station of the Year
  • Major Market - KNIX/Phoenix, Arizona
  • Large Market - WKDF/Nashville, Tennessee
  • Medium Market - KFDI/Wichita, Kansas
  • Small Market - WUSY/Chattanooga, Tennessee

The rest of the CMA winners will be announced at the CMA Awards in November. 9/29/03

Rosalie Allen and Roy Horton Pass Away
Country songstress Rosalie Allen passed away on September 24, 2003, in Van Nuys, California. She was 79. Ms. Allen scored four top ten hits, two with country pioneer Elton Britt. Her version of "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" was the only one ever to reach the top 5 on the Billboard chart; Patsy Montana's version existed before the chart was begun. Country Music Hall of Fame member Roy Horton also passed away last week. He died September 23rd after a lengthy illness. Horton began as a song-plugger and eventually headed the country music division of Peer-Southern Publishing. He was also a founding member of the Country Music Association and a past president of the Country Music Foundation. Mr. Horton was 88. 9/29/03

The Nashville Jam
The North Tennessee Steel Guitar Association (NTSGA) will present the Nashville Jam on Saturday, October 4th at the American Legion on Elm Hill Pike in Nashville. The event will include performances by a number of steel guitar players extraordinaire including John Hughey, Russ Hicks, Weldon Myrick, Don Helms, and Jay Dee Maness. Admission is $10.00 for members of the NTSGA and $15.00 for non-members. Children 12 years and younger will get in free. For more details, visit the NTSGA web site. 9/26/03

TV Tunes Weekend at WSM-AM
Fall is here, and your favorite television shows are finally swapping endless repeats for new episodes for the fall season. 650 WSM-AM will get in on the action with TV Tunes Weekend. WSM's radio personalities will spin TV theme songs like those from "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Rawhide," and "Dukes of Hazzard" all weekend long. If you can't get WSM on your AM radio dial, tune in on Sirius Satellite Radio stream 132, or listen online at WSMAM.com. 9/26/03

Lawrence Signs with Dreamworks
Dreamworks Records has confirmed that country neo-traditionalist Tracy Lawrence has signed a recording contract with the label. His first single at the label is "Paint Me a Birmingham," a track from his new album, Strong, which is scheduled to be released March 16, 2004. Lawrence recorded a number of albums for Atlantic Records in the 1990's and has sold over 10 million albums. 9/26/03

George Jones & Hank Jr. to Perform at Winston Cup Extreme Tribute Party
George Jones and Hank Williams, Jr., are just two artists scheduled to entertain at the Winston Cup Extreme Tribute Party on Tuesday, October 7th at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event will recognize R.J. Reynolds' contributions to motorsports and will serve as a thanks for Winston's 33-year sponsorship of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Net proceeds from the event will be donated to the Speedway Children's Charities and will be used for children-related causes in various communities. Tickets can be purchased at 1-800-455-3267. The event will air on ESPN in December. 9/26/03

Opry® Celebrates Bill Monroe
The Grand Ole Opry® will celebrate the music of Bill Monroe on October 11th during the radio show's 78th birthday bash weekend. Artists who will participate in the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Celebration include Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, IIIrd Tyme Out, Dale Ann Bradley & Coon Creek, and the Stevens Sisters. Tickets can be purchased at (615) 871-OPRY or online at Opry.com. 9/25/03

Station Inn Documentary Debuts
A documentary on the Station Inn was debuted on Tuesday, September 23rd at the Nashville club. The documentary, titled The Station Inn: True Life Bluegrass, features Sam Bush, Alison Krauss, Del McCoury, Ricky Skaggs, and Ralph Stanley. The documentary will also be screened next week at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) convention in Kentucky. The IBMA will also present the bluegrass club with a distinguished achievement award during its awards show on October 2nd. 9/24/03

Date Set for Cash Memorial
The date for the Johnny Cash memorial has been set for Wednesday, November 12th. The event will be held at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. Tickets will be distributed, but they are free. More details will be announced in the future. The event will mark the two-month anniversary of the Man in Black's passing. 9/24/03

GAC to Air CCMA Awards
The Great American Country (GAC) network will televise the Christian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards on November 6th at 7:00 P.M. Central. The show will be held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and will include appearances by former Shenandoah star Marty Raybon, "Cowboys Don't Cry" singer Daron Norwood, and gospel legend Dottie Rambo. "Nashville Star" winner Buddy Jewell will co-host the show. 9/23/03

Carter Family Tribute Delayed
For obvious reasons, the death of Johnny Cash has delayed the Carter Family tribute album. Emmylou Harris was set to record her cut for the tribute on September 15th, but found herself singing at the Man in Black's funeral instead. Fortunately, Cash and his late wife June Carter Cash had already cut their tracks prior to their deaths. Janette and Joe Carter, Marty Stuart, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, Ricky Skaggs, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have also finished their cuts on the CD. Dualtone hopes to release the CD next summer. 9/23/03

Jackson & Buffett Duet Still at #1
Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett's "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" is now in its eighth week at #1. Over 40 years have passed since a country duet spent 8 weeks or more atop the charts. The last one to do so was Carl and Pearl Butler's classic "Don't Let Me Cross Over." In related news, fan favorite Alan Jackson will perform at the American Music Awards on November 16th on ABC. 9/23/03

Americana Award Winners
The Americana Music Association (AMA) Awards were held Friday, September 19th, in Nashville. Johnny Cash won the awards for album of the year (American IV: The Man Comes Around), song of the year ("Hurt"), and artist of the year. John Carter Cash accepted the Man in Black's awards. Gram Parsons' daughter Polly accepted the President's Award on Gram's behalf. Scotty Moore accepted the lifetime achievement award for Sam Phillips, who passed away in late July. Levon Helm won the lifetime achievement award for a performer, while the lifetime achievement award for a songwriter was bestowed upon John Prine. Kris Kristofferson was awarded the Spirit of Americana free speech award. Jerry Douglas was named instrumentalist of the year. 9/22/03

Dierks Tops the Singles Chart
Dierks Bentley has topped the country singles chart with "What Was I Thinkin'." He becomes the first artist in two years to have a chart topper with his debut single. In related news, Dierks' web site reports that he may be touring with George Strait in January and February of 2003. For the remainder of August, he will be touring with Texas artists Jason Boland, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Pat Green. 9/22/03

Sheb Wooley Passes Away
Sheb Wooley has passed away. Wooley, who had a monster hit with "Purple People Eater," died Tuesday, September 16, 2003, at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville. He was 82 and had been suffering from leukemia for several years. Wooley's funeral will be held September 22nd at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, the same place where Johnny Cash's funeral was held earlier this week. This funeral will be open to the public and will begin at noon. 9/16/03

Jackson Nominated for AMA
Alan Jackson is the only neo-traditionalist who is nominated for a country music award at the 31st Annual American Music Awards (AMA's). Jackson is nominated for Favorite Male Artist. The awards show will be broadcast November 16, 2003, at 7:00 P.M. on ABC. 9/16/03

Songwriters Hall Nominees
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced this year's nominees. There are two categories this year: songwriters and songwriter-artists. Contending in the former category are Jim Anglin ("Ashes of Love"), Rodney Crowell ("Song for the Life"), Larry Henley ("Wind Beneath My Wings"), John Hiatt ("Angel Eyes"), Dennis Morgan ("I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"), Roger Murrah ("Don't Rock the Jukebox"), Paul Overstreet ("Forever and Ever, Amen"), Mike Reid ("Forever's as Far as I'll Go"), Tom Schuyler ("16th Avenue"), and Even Stevens ("Drivin' My Life Away"). Nominees for the second category are Guy Clark, Freddie Hart, Alabama's Randy Owen, and Jerry Reed. Two songwriters from the first list of nominees will be inducted into the Hall. One songwriter-artist from the second list will be inducted. Finally, the Nashville Songwriters Foundation board has selected another songwriter for induction whose name is not listed here. The winners will be announced November 2nd in Nashville. 9/16/03

Paycheck Tribute Completed
According to CMT.com, Robbie Fulks has confirmed that the Johnny Paycheck tribute he produced is now finished and should be released before summer next year. The tribute CD contains cuts by Johnny Bush, Larry Cordle, Jim Lauderdale, Buck Owens, Hank III, and Billy Yates. Paycheck passed away in February of this year. 9/16/03

Statues at the Crystal Palace
According to Doug Davis at Country Music Classics, Buck Owens has commissioned Bill Rains to create life-size statues of country music legends Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Bob Wills to go outside his Crystal Palace. Statues currently in the new sculpture garden include Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Owens himself. The Crystal Palace is located in Bakersfield, California. 9/15/03

Cash Retrospective
According to Country Music Classics, Johnny Cash will get a special screening exhibition at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York and Los Angeles. The Man in Black is the subject of a career retrospective series that will run in 4 parts October 3, 2003, through January 25, 2004. The title? "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." 9/15/03

Tribute to Waylon
According to Country Music Classics, the Red River Tribute will honor legend Waylon Jennings on September 19th-20th in New Braunfels, Texas. Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon's widow Jessi Colter, and Waylon and Jessi's son Shooter will participate in the tribute. The proceeds from the event will benefit diabetes research. Jennings passed away in February 2002. 9/15/03

Cash Funeral Private
Johnny Cash's funeral on Monday, September 15th, will be private. A public memorial service is being planned, but has not yet been announced. Flowers may be sent to Hendersonville Funeral Home, 353 Johnny Cash Parkway, Hendersonville, Tennessee 37075. Donations in Mr. Cash's name can be sent to SOS Children Villages USA, 1317 F Street NW #550, Washington D. C. 20004. 9/14/03

Man in Black Passes Away
According to officials at Nashville's Baptist Hospital, Johnny Cash passed away in the wee hours of the morning of September 12th. "Johnny Cash died due to complications from diabetes, which resulted in respiratory failure," said Cash's manager, Lou Robin, in a press release. The Man in Black was 71 years old. He had been released from Baptist Hospital earlier this week after being treated for a stomach ailment. The TTCB staff expresses our deepest condolences to the Cash family. 9/11/03

Austin City Limits Music Festival
The 2nd Annual Austin City Limits Music Festival will be held September 19th-21st at Zilker Park in--you guessed it--Austin, Texas. This year's festival is scheduled to include Dwight Yoakam, Nickel Creek, and Rosanne Cash. For more information, visit the festival's web site. 9/10/03

Cash Released from Hospital
Johnny Cash was released from Nashville's Baptist Hospital Tuesday afternoon after being treated there for three weeks for an undisclosed stomach ailment. According to the Tennessean, the Man in Black intends to fly to California within the next week to resume work on his upcoming album. He also hopes to attend the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards in November. He was the recipient of the MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography in a Video last month. 9/9/03

MerleFest 2004
Vince Gill, Jeannie Kendall, Patty Loveless, Nickel Creek, and Earl Scruggs will perform at MerleFest 2004. The popular festival is scheduled for April 29-May 2, 2004, at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. For more information, visit the festival's official web site. 9/8/03

RIAA Files Lawsuits
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed lawsuits against 261 file sharers who have illegally downloaded approximately 1,000 songs each. The association has also announced an amnesty program in which the RIAA will not seek legal action against those copyright infringers not named in subpoenas and lawsuits. Participants in this program must delete all illegally downloaded songs from their computers, destroy all copies in their possession, and promise not to illegally trade music in the future. For more information on the amnesty program, visit the MusicUnited.org web site. 9/8/03

Tillman Tribute
In late October, Heart of Texas Records will release Floyd Tillman: The Influence, a tribute to the late Country Music Hall of Fame member. According to CMT.com, the album contains the following 14 songs:

• "Slippin' Around," Dolly Parton
• "Let's Make Memories," Leona Williams
• "This Cold War With You," Merle Haggard
• "I Love You So Much It Hurts," Connie Smith
• "I'll Take What I Can Get," Hank Thompson
• "It Makes No Difference Now," Mel Tillis
• "I'll Keep On Loving You," Darrell McCall
• "It Just Tears Me Up," Lawton Williams, Big Bill Lister
• "Just As Long As I Have You," Frankie Miller
• "Each Night at Nine," Willie Nelson
• "I'm Still in Love With Every Girl," Justin Trevino
• "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin," George Jones
• "They Took the Stars Out of Heaven," Johnny Bush
• "Gotta Have My Baby Back," Ray Price

Mr. Tillman passed away on August 22nd. 9/8/03

Louvin Excited About Tour
Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Louvin is currently on tour with Cake, Cheap Trick, the Detroit Cobras, and the Hackensaw Boys. Mr. Louvin excitedly reports that he is receiving standing ovations at the concert dates. The Unlimited Sunshine Tour continues through September 21st. For tour dates, see CharlieLouvinBros.com. 9/6/03

Pinson and Stoneman Pass Away
The country music world has lost quite a few of its members in the past few weeks, and this week is no exception. Country music scholar Bob Pinson, 69, passed away on Thursday, September 4th, from leukemia. Mr. Pinson was a researcher and reference librarian for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He donated his collection of over 15,000 core country music recordings to the museum in 1971, and two years later, he joined the museum staff. He became responsible for caring for and enlarging that collection, which eventually grew to roughly 200,000 discs. Pinson is survived by his wife Gladys. Also this week, Grace Stoneman, one of the 23 children of Ernest V. "Pop" and Hattie Stoneman, passed away. She was 83. 9/6/03

Farm Aid on the Internet
Farm Aid will be broadcast on the Internet on Sunday, September 7th. Online viewers are encouraged to donate $20, which will go to America's family farmers. The concert begins at 4:00 P.M. ET at the Germain Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio. Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris will perform at the benefit. For more information, visit the Farm Aid web site. 9/6/03

Darryl's Tennessee River Run
Darryl Worley's 2nd Annual Tennessee River Run will be held at the Pickwick Landing State Park Resort just outside Savannah, Tennessee, next weekend. The event will include a celebrity golf tournament, a celebrity fishing tournament, a 5k run, a concert, and an arts and crafts fair. The proceeds go to charity. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Darryl's web site. 9/5/03

Hank Discussed at the Hall
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will host a panel discussion on the life and music of Hank Williams, Sr., on Saturday, September 20, 2003, beginning at 3:00 P.M. Panelists include Williams biographer Colin Escott and steel guitarist Don Helms. The discussion will be held in the Ford Theater. The event is free to Americana Music Association (AMA) Conference attendees, but if you're not there for the conference, admission is $5.00 or free with admission to the museum. Williams would have been 80 years old on September 17th. 9/4/03

"Grand Ole Opry® Live" Moves to GAC
Soon after WSM-AM announced that the Opry® would no longer be televised on CMT, USAToday.com posted that the show would be picked up by Great American Country (GAC). Beginning October 4th, the legendary show will be broadcast on CMT's competitor. Unfortunately, the GAC network will air only 26 live shows the first year, but that number will increase in later years. The show will repeat five times each week on GAC, whereas CMT currently repeats the show once on Saturday night and again on Sunday morning. GAC's first episode on October 4th will be tribute to Patsy Cline. An interesting tidbit: USAToday.com reports that "Grand Ole Opry® Live" draws 1.5 million to 2 million viewers each week, making it CMT's highest-rated weekly series. 9/3/03

No More Opry® Live on CMT
If you were listening to the Eddie Stubbs show on Wednesday night, September 3rd, you heard that "Grand Ole Opry® Live" will no longer be carried on the CMT network after September. The last televised show will be on CMT September 27th. Please remember that the live radio show is just that--a radio show. You can still tune in and listen to all of the Opry® segments at http://wsmam.com. 9/3/03

Jimmy Dean Gets Diploma
Jimmy Dean was set to graduate from Plainview High School in 1946, but he dropped out to support his mother. Today, the Plainview Independent School District presented Dean with his diploma. According to one report, Dean said his Grammy and gold records "pale in comparison" to his new diploma. Dean is the voice behind a number of classic country songs, including the country standard "Big John." 9/2/03

Anderson Out of Hospital
According to CMT.com, John Anderson has been released from a Charleston hospital after having an angioplasty and a stent placed in his heart over the weekend. He is expected to make a full recovery from his recent heart attack and will likely return to the road in a week or so. 9/2/03

Jett Williams Honored
On Sunday, August 31st, Jett Williams was honored by the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA) when she was inducted into its Old-Time Country Music Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place at the 28th Annual National Old-Time Country and Bluegrass Music Festival in Missouri Valley, Iowa. Previous inductees into the NTCMA Hall of Fame include Johnny Cash and Jimmie Rodgers. 9/1/03

Carter Stanley's Daughter Records Tribute
According to CMT.com, Carter Stanley's daughter Jeannie is currently recording a tribute to her late father. Jeannie will be backed on the CD by her uncle Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys. 9/1/03

Library Celebrates Acuff's B-Day
The Nashville Public Library will celebrate what would have been Roy Acuff's 100th birthday with a discussion of his life and works on September 7th. The event will be held 2:30-4:00 P.M. and is open to the public. Eddie Stubbs, Charles Wolfe, and Kyle Cantrell will speak at the event. 9/1/03

John Anderson Has Heart Attack
According to the Tennessean, neo-traditionalist John Anderson had a heart attack in a Charleston, West Virginia, hotel on Saturday, August 30th. He is currently recuperating from surgery at the Charleston Area Medical Center. A stent was placed in the singer's heart during the surgery. Anderson, who was to perform Saturday night at the Charleston Sternwheel Regatta, has reportedly tried to leave the hospital twice because he has never missed a show until this weekend. Anderson was still in the hospital on Sunday evening. 9/1/03