Weirdest Questions on Wikipedia: George Jones

I Am What I Am (George Jones album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I habitually troll Wikipedia. Yesterday I was watching a documentary on Jim Jones the cult leader from Guyana (via California). It was an amazing show that showed how the cult members willingly and unwillingly drank the poisoned kool aid. Usually,when I’m interested in something, I wiki or google it. I’m annoyingly curious that way. As soon as I typed in Jim Jones a question popped up.

“Is the country singer George Jones Related to cult leader Jim Jones?”

It was like finding a pot of gold! There are some photos that show characteristic resemblances and of course they have the same last name! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any data linking the two.  So…Mr. George Jones, if you’re out there let us know!

 

 

 

Here is a photo of cult leader Jim Jones? Think they might be kin folk?

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dollywood Festival of Nations

Each year Dollywood host a unique event called The Festival of Nations. Artist come from countries like Zambia, Ireland, Ecuador, and China to perform music and other talent acts. 

The streets of the park are filled with international markets. Even food vendors cook up dishes from foreign lands like Germany and Jamaica. Aside from the shopping and street circus’s, there is traditional Dollywood entertainment that features breathtaking roller-coasters and the majestic views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Dollywood’s newest ride, The Wild Eagle, is the very first winged roller coaster in North America. It speeds over 60 mph and not only does it have massive drops, but the loops are on the edge of a cut out mountain, making it twice as hard to man-up. 

If you’re an adrenaline and heights junkie, check out the zip line. It features 5 treks with lengths up to nearly 1,000 feet. (This event does require an extra fee). 

Also, Check out the Friend’s of Dolly Fountain. The gorgeous fountain is adorned with stars that hold the names of celebrity Country and Gospel singers who’ve performed or visited the park. In the winter it’s drained and filled with a gigantic flickering Christmas Tree. 

Tim Tebow and Taylor Swift?

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday “page 6” of the New York Post reported that Taylor Swift and Tim Tebow were spotted on a date. The couple were actually amongst a group of friends while dinning. After dinner though, Tim was seen being quite the gentlemen by escorting Taylor to her car.

Does this mean Taylor and Tim are a couple? Almost everyone has an opinion about the possible blooming relationship. Both have a rare spotless reputation and both posses talent and success. If there were ever a Hollywood match made in heaven, this could be it.

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Honky Tonk Headliners: Love and Theft, The Lunabelles, and Joey+Rory

This week’s headliners aren’t single, they’re all part of at least a duo. Our first featured group is Love and Theft. Love and Theft has a huge following in the Honky Tonk world. This is the first year they’re being recognized by Nashville as legitimate rising stars. Love and Theft were nominated by the Academy of Country Music for ‘Duo of the Year’ . They also just released a new video to CMT and GAC this month. You can check out Love and Theft on vevo or youtube.

Lunabelles

The Lunbabelles are a group of sisters, Olivia, Dominique, and Gabriela Acerio. They’re very new to Country music and only have one single (BNA Records) called ‘A Place To Shine’. Despite being raised in New York they have a very traditional Country sound.
You can also listen to their music on vevo or youtube.

courtesy of US 101

Joey and Rory are a husband wife duo from Potsville, Tennessee. You may recognize them from the show “Can You Duet”. The duo won third place and a record deal in 2007. Rory is also an award winning songwriter, he wrote ‘A Little More Country Than That”, ” Some Beach” and many others. Check out their unique online store where they sell Vinyls of their 2nd album. http://www.joeyandrory.com

Related articles

• Single Review: Love and Theft – Angel Eyes (roughstock.com)
• Dylan’s Love and Theft (current.com)
• 47th ANNUAL ACM Noms (freshcutcountry.com)
• Honky Tonk Woman (cjreye.wordpress.com)
• Gavin DeGraw’s Nashville top five (cnn.com)

ACM Radio Winners

PRESS RELEASE:

ENCINO, CA (February 15, 2012) – Today the Academy of Country Music is announcing the full list of radio award winners that will not be televised due to time constraints during the live telecast of the 47th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS.

 

This is the second ACM National On-Air Personality of the Year Award win for Lon Helton, for CMT Country Countdown USA.  Helton, who also won this award in 2008, is the ultimate Nashville storyteller as artists sit down with him each week to share intimate stories about all things country music.  With a radio career dating back to 1971, with stops in Los Angeles, Chicago and Denver, Helton was rewarded in 2006 when he was inducted into the Country Radio DJ Hall of Fame.

 

Winners in radio categories will be invited to receive their awards at a private reception in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 31, the day prior to the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

 

For the fourth year in a row, ACM Awards producers plan to invite individual On-Air Personality of the Year winners (or one individual from the teams who win Personality of the Year categories) to participate in the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards telecast.

 

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR WINNERS (NOTE TIE IN MEDIUM MARKET):

NATIONAL               Lon Helton – CMT Country Countdown USA

MAJOR MARKET    Kelly Ford & Rider – KYGO-FM – Denver, CO

LARGE MARKET    Big Dave and Chelsie – WUBE-FM – Cincinnati, OH

MEDIUM MARKET Steve & Geoff in the Morning – KUZZ AM/FM – Bakersfield, CA (tie)

MEDIUM MARKET Roger, Tom & Melissa – WPCV-FM – Lakeland, FL (tie)

SMALL MARKET    Bill Barrett, Tim Fox and Tracy Berry – KKNU-FM – Eugene, OR

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR WINNERS:

MAJOR MARKET              WQYK-FM – Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL

LARGE MARKET                WQDR-FM – Raleigh, NC

MEDIUM MARKET             KATM-FM – Stockton, CA

SMALL MARKET                WUSY-FM – Chattanooga, TN

 

About the Academy of Country Music Awards

The 47th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry.  The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers.  Barry Adelman is producer, and Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.  For more information, please visit www.acmcountry.com.

This Week’s Honky-Tonk Headliners: Gibson, Nash, Prevost

Honky-Tonk Headliners is a weekly review of 3 up-and-coming Country Music Singers.  These artist may or may not actually hit the Honky-Tonks but they’re talented singers who haven’t quite made it big in Nashville. Today we’re going to look at Andy Gibson, Melody Nash and Codie Prevost.

Photo Credit:97.3 The Dawg

Andy Gibson is well on his way to success with his new hit single “Wanna Make You Love Me” and a recent debut on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. He also co-wrote “Don’t You Want To Stay“, the country ballet that Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson performed live at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards show this past Sunday.

Andy first got noticed in an unassuming place- a Mexican restaurant.  “I knew a lot of Spanish songs and got three different gigs in Mexican restaurants around town”. “ John Rich heard me at this place called Las Cazuelas. He liked my songs and signed me to write for his publishing company…”,Luckily he had learned Spanish back home in Las Vegas.

Keep up with Andy’s tour and new album on twitter at @andygibson or checkout his website at http://www.andygibson.com, and don’t forget to download his new single and leave a review on itunes.

From MelodyNash.com

Melody Nash is a Las Vegas Native but was born a country girl at heart. She used the entertainment Mecca to find and polish up her vocal skills. She currently lives in Nashville and is ‘doin her time’ creating a musical foundation and following her dream. Melody currently has 6 songs on itunes including: “What Could Be” and “Broken”.

Check out Melody’s music at her website http://www.mandynash.com, you can purchase it on itunes or at http://www.amazon.com

Our third Headliner isn’t necessarily a household name but he has an occult like following and a pile of Country Music awards-in Canada. Codie Prevost is an extremely talented and handsome country star with 3 SCMA Entertainer of the Year Awards. He was also nominated as the CCMA “Rising Star” for 2011.

Codie just released his latest album called “Get Loud”. If you think he’s not worthy of being a Country Music star because he’s Canadian, we have two words for you…Keith Urban. Nashville should take notice, Codie Prevost has talent and success. Head over to www.codieprevost.com to listen to one of his Canadian hits like “Honky Tonk Groupie”. Listeners find it hard to believe Codie’s not  from the South because of  his authentic and mature Country sound.

Grammy Night’s Big Winners

Taylor Swift 

Taylor Swift took home two trophies last night and an amazing “in your face” performance of her single “Mean”. Her song was unquestionably a crowd pleaser that ended with a full standing ovation.  While most of us knew Taylor would rack in the trophies (just as the rock world new Adele would) Taylor looked genuinely shocked at both the standing ovation by her peers and the titles “Solo Performance” and “Best Song”.

Before the show, Taylor was interviewed by Ryan Seacrest who asked questions like ” How do you prepare for the future and stay on pace when your fame is so big” , “Are you afraid of things falling apart because you rose to fame so quickly?” Taylor responded by saying shes neurotic about her work and planning for the future and she hopes she can evolve with her fans and continue doing what she love best.

Catch Taylor Swift tonight on Mtv at 7:54 for the world premier of her new song from The Hunger Games movie. If you miss it, it re-airs on CMT.

The Civil Wars will also appear on the soundtrack from The Hunger Games  performing with Taylor Swift. Haven’t heard of The Civil Wars? Their fame is rising just as quickly as The Band Perry. Last night the Civil wars won 2 Grammys, one for “Best Folk Album” and one for “Best Duo/Group”, locking out Country music ‘Greats’ like Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, and the new duo Thompson Square. The Civil Wars are currently touring the UK, but check out future tour dates @ http://www.thecivilwars.com. Click here to hear the Grammy Award winning song “Barton Hollow” .

Other big winners last night include Alison Krauss and Union Station (for Bluegrass Categories) and Lady Antebellum. Lady Antebellum was awarded for “Best Album of the Year” and attributed much of their success to their cross-over type image.

Photo of The Civil Wars

Image via Wikipedia

Carrie Underwood’s Red Carpet Style: Fashion Week

Carrie Underwood is known for her gorgeous style of classic lines and sparkles. This evening Carrie is up for nomination for “Best Country Solo Performance” for her song “Mama’s Song“. Be sure to tune in to the 54th Annual Grammy Awards show tonight (February 12th) to see what Carrie is wearing and represent Country Music. Take a look at our picks for Carrie Underwood Red Carpet outfits.

Halston Heritage silk evening dress
£590 – harveynichols.com

Cocktail party dress
$120 – pacificplex.com

Short sequin cocktail dress
$72 – romwe.com

Evening party dress
globalfashionreport.com

Lace dress
rarefashion.co.uk

Christian Louboutin high heel shoes
$1,075 – footcandyshoes.com

HARRIET WILDE floral heels
£450 – harrods.com

Colucci Diamonds 18k white gold jewelry
$28,000 – forzieri.com

Danielle stevens jewelry
$80 – daniellestevens.com

H M metal jewelry
£3.99 – hm.com

Noir jewelry
noirjewelry.com

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Blake Shelton’s Twitter Fame Skyrockets Past 1Million Followers

Image via Wikipedia

Blake Shelton is now behind only Dolly Parton in the number of followers a Country Star has on Twitter. Dolly tops the Country Music list with 1,537,076 followers while Blake follows her closely with 1,003,001. It seems Blake Shelton’s fame multiplied exponentially almost over night, with much thanks to the hit new show “The Voice”. “The Voice” debuted after the 2012 Superbowl with record ratings. Blake shares a position as judge for the blind talent show with Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and CeeLo Green.

Twitter users constantly blow up the hashtag #thevoice with comments like “I’m addicted” and “Best show ever”.  Tweets also comment on the personality and humor of Blake Shelton. Blake’s comedic responses to the other judges have started to create their own hashtag. Blake Shelton’s twitter fame has surpassed American legends like Hugh Hefner, Dr.Phil, and NFL star Drew Brees. He also has more followers than co-judge Christina Aguilera, a long time pop star.  “Twitter Counter” predicts that Blake will reach 1,204,630 followers in the next 15 days and reach 2million followers in just 74 days.

Check Blake Shelton out tonight on the 54th Annual Grammy Awards show. Blake is up for every eligible title- Best Solo Performance, Best Country Song and Best Country Album.

You can also see him on The Voice  Monday nights on NBC at 8/7 Central.

This Week’s Reviews: Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, and Kip Moore 15 STARS

Each week I review 3 artist from Country Music via itunes. I share my own opinion and some opinions of the public who post comments on their music. This week I chose 3 very different artist from 3 different stages of fame.

Our first artist/ group is The Zac Brown Band. I have to admit, in my unbiased opinion, I’m a little biased. I am a huge ZBB fan, but I promise I listened intently and still gave the band 5 stars for their new song “No Hurry”.

The Zac Brown Band has a magical way of taking their listeners beyond reality. Stress melts and emotions arise as we’re dropped to a place where life is simple and love is all that matters.

ZBB did not let me down with their new single. I was instantly in my happy place and amazed that ZBB can   stay true to their style while their lyrics never get old or replayed. And, as always, Zac’s strong smooth voice made “No Hurry” a hit in the making.

This week their album, You Get What You Give  is number 15 on the Billboard Country Charts. Check out ZBB’s new song “No Hurry” from their album at http://www.itunes.com or visit their website at http://www.zacbrownband.com

Miranda Lambert, the new Queen of Country Music, just released her single “Over You” from her album Four the Record. Four the Record is number 13 on itunes this week and number 11 on Billboard’s Country charts.

I really like “Over You”, in my opinion it should have debuted much higher than baggage claim. It has a classic country style, but Miranda turns it to gold with her unique and sweet twangy voice. I also gave Miranda a 5 star review on itunes.

Check out Miranda’s new single on http://www.itunes.com, her website at http://www.mirandalambert.com. Also keep an eye out for Miranda at the 54th Grammy Awards show this Sunday (February 12) where she will be presenting an award.

Finally, we move on to one of Country’s newest singers, Kip Moore, and his single “Somethin’ About a Truck”. Personally, I think this is a great song. It reminds me of an older Tim McGraw song and it should really pull in young listeners.

Although there were some nasty little comments about Kips new song on itunes, the average rating is a 4 1/2. And as a rebuttal to a few of those comments, I think Kip Moore sounds like a real Country star. I don’t really agree with people when they argue that Country music is turning pop or rock. I think Country music has many styles. I would classify Kip as a moderate Country Artist who can appeal to both traditional and evolving Country music. As for the rating? 5 Stars again (of course, how else can you get 15 STARS!)

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