VERSE OF THE MONTH:
My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul. – Psalm 108:1
ACOUSTIC MUSIC NEWS:
The 19-city A Honky Tonk Christmas acoustic tour will kick off on November 18th hitting a good portion of the Midwest and wrapping up on December 19th.
Each 2-hour show will radiate that holiday season nostalgia with “in the round” performances reminiscent of a family gathering atmosphere.
A Honky Tonk Christmas acoustic tour features top shelf singer/songwriters including:
William Michael Morgan (#1 hit mainstream single “I Met A Girl”),
Curtis Grimes (Texas “Entertainer and Vocalist of the Year” with 13 #1 hit singles)
David Adam Byrnes (2021 Texas Country Music Awards “Male Vocalist of the Year Nominee” with 5 consecutive #1 hit singles in Texas).
Holly Tucker (semi-finalist from NBC’s The Voice) will join the guys on select Texas dates.
The tour will benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation through their local chapters.
The Honky Tonk Christmas EP will be released under FOUR17 and Brandyn Steen through Reviver Records alongside of the tour this fall.
Tickets for the shows can be purchased at each of the artist’s individual websites.
ALBUM NEWS:
It’s never too early to think about Christmas and Steve Wariner is already doing just that with his new Christmas album, Feels Like Christmas Time, set for release Oct 15.
The album is a mix of familiar Christmas classics and six original Holiday songs penned by Wariner.
The ‘classics’ – including “Silent Night,” “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” and “The First Noel” – get a fresh sound with new arrangements by Wariner.
A limited-edition white vinyl version of the album with a bunch of goodies including a signed poster, a playable vinyl postcard, a Christmas ornament and shirt are also available for pre-order now on www.SteveWariner.com.
Christmas songs hold a special place in Wariner’s heart as his birthday falls on Christmas Day.
AMERICANA NEWS:
The Americana Music Association celebrated distinguished members of its community Sept 22 and revealed the winners of the 20th Annual Americana Honors & Awards at the historic Ryman Auditorium.
A generation-bridging group of musical innovators garnered coveted awards, including:
Brandi Carlile (Artist of the Year)
Sturgill Simpson (Album of the Year)
the late John Prine (Song of the Year)
Black Pumas (Duo/Group of the Year)
Charley Crockett (Emerging Act of the Year)
Kristin Weber (Instrumentalist of the Year).
Following yet another milestone year with her #1 New York Times Bestselling memoir Broken Horses, Carlile took home her second Americana trophy for Artist of the Year. Simpson, celebrating a well-received “mixtape for the fans” as he called it, earned the Album of the Year Award for his first bluegrass project, Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 – The Butcher Shoppe Sessions. 2003 Americana Lifetime Achievement (Songwriting) honoree Prine secured Song of the Year with “I Remember Everything,” written by Pat McLaughlin and Prine, which is the last original song he recorded. See the full report at https://americanamusic.org.
ANNIVERSARY NEWS:
John Prine’s beloved self-titled debut album has just celebrated its 50th anniversary (purchase via https://store.johnprine.com/) originally released September 23, 1971.
In other Prine news, “You Got Gold: Celebrating the Life & Songs of John Prine” has been postponed and will now take place October 7-12, 2022. Ticketing and refund information is available at www.yougotgold.johnprine.com.
Of their decision to reschedule the event, the Prine family shares: Our sincerest wish was to gather safely this October to celebrate the life and music of our beloved John. Given the ongoing situation with Covid-19 Delta variant, in Nashville and beyond, we’ve made the very difficult decision to postpone “You Got Gold” until October 2022. This decision to reschedule was not made lightly. This event is extraordinary in the sheer number of artists, crews, and fans that are planning to travel and gather together. In light of how John died, we just could not reconcile pushing forward and adding any undue stress and anxiety during an already fraught season.
ARTIST NEWS:
Multi-Platinum entertainer Jason Aldean has learned a thing or two about the music he has made over the past 16 years, but as far as he’s come, Aldean always looks back home to Macon, Georgia. Both where he is from and how far he has taken his signature sound is reflected throughout his upcoming 10th studio album Macon, Georgia. I
n addition to the new project’s Top 5 smash debut single “If I Didn’t Love You” with Carrie Underwood, on Nov. 12 fans will have access to nine more new tracks and five live tracks. Over the course of the following months, Aldean will continue to deliver new songs leading into the full release of all 30 tracks – 20 new and at least one live hit off each of his previous albums – on April 22, 2022.
The full release will also be marked by a commemorative three-disc vinyl set. Fans can now pre-order the first 15 songs at https://jasonaldean.lnk.to/macon. More info about the project at https://www.jasonaldean.com and updates at https://www.facebook.com/jasonaldean/.
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