Blake Shelton Immortalized in Wax For Madame Tussauds Nashville Attraction

Blake Shelton Immortalized in Wax For Madame Tussauds Nashville Attraction

Posted on March 2, 2017

Famous pop star girlfriend and No. 1 hits aside, Blake Shelton is now immortalized in wax. The Today Show teamed up with Madame Tussauds on Monday (Feb. 27) to help reveal Blake’s first-ever wax figure.

Blake will be a part of the Madam Tussaud’s Nashville attraction when it opens it’s doors in April. The Voice coach will be donning his signature blue jeans, button down shirt, a pair of cowboy boots— that Blake donated himself—and a custom-made Takamine P5DC WB guitar, modeled after his own guitar.

In the attraction, you’ll find Blake hanging out in a backstage area, on a brown leather couch so fans can cozy on up to the superstar and grab a photo.

Each Madame Tussauds figure involves teams of professional artists and sculptors who spend months on extensive research and take more than 300 measurements to recreate world-famous icons.

Additional figures hitting the stage at Madame Tussauds Nashville include Beyoncé, Billie Holiday, Blake Shelton, Bob Dylan, Carrie Underwood, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Katy Perry, Keith Urban, Kenny Rogers, Little Jimmy Dickens, Louis Armstrong, Miley Cyrus, Minnie Pearl, Rayna Jaymes & Deacon Claybourne, Rihanna, Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift.

Madame Tussaud’s Nashville is slated to open its newest location in Nashville on April 14.

Photos courtesy of Reed Public Relations

In Honor of Texas Independence Day, Listen to Willie Nelson Recite William Barret Travis’ “Victory or Death” Letter

In Honor of Texas Independence Day, Listen to Willie Nelson Recite William Barret Travis’ “Victory or Death” Letter

Posted on March 2, 2017

Today (March 2) is Texas Independence Day.

On March 2, 1836, Texas officially declared its independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas. In honor of the historic day, listen to Willie Nelson recite William Barret Travis’ “Victory or Death” letter, which Willie recorded on his 1968 album, Texas in My Soul.

William Barret Travis, a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army, died at the Battle of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Ten days before his death, he penned the “Victory or Death” letter—an open letter that requested supplies and reinforcements while remaining steadfast in his resolve to lead his men against Mexican forces. The letter helped solidify William Barret Travis—and his Alamo compatriots Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie—as Texas heroes.

“Victory or Death” Letter

February 24, 1836

To the People of Texas and All the Americans in the World:

Fellow citizens and compatriots—I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism and everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country. VICTORY or DEATH.

William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt.

P.S. The Lord is on our side. When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn. We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.

Travis

Listen to Willie’s recording of the “Victory or Death” letter.

Watch High-Haired Chris Lane Hit the High Notes in Performance of “For Her” on “Conan”

Watch High-Haired Chris Lane Hit the High Notes in Performance of “For Her” on “Conan”

Posted on March 2, 2017

Chris Lane made a trip to the West Coast to perform his current single, “For Her,” on Conan.

The tune, which was written by Kelly Archer, Sarah Buxton and Matt Dragstem, is the second single from Chris’ studio album, Girl Problems. Currently, “For Her” is No. 39 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Watch high-haired Chris hit the high notes with his sweet falsetto.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Take Manhattan For the Premiere of “The Shack”

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Take Manhattan For the Premiere of “The Shack”

Posted on March 1, 2017

New York City’s Museum of Modern Art was getting countrified Tuesday night (Feb.28) when Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Dan+Shay, Lori McKenna and songwriter Shane McAnally hit the red carpet for the world premiere of “The Shack.”

The movie, based on the New York Times best-selling book of the same name, stars Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer and Tim McGraw and will open in theaters nationwide on Friday, March 3.

But it’s the film’s soundtrack, released on Feb. 24, that features songs by country’s elite, including Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who co-penned “Keep Your Eyes On Me,” with Lori McKenna and Shane McAnally, Dierks Bentley (“Days of Dark”), Lady Antebellum (“Lay Our Flowers Down”), Brett Eldredge (“Phone Call to God”), Dan + Shay (“When I Pray for You”) and more.

The stars dined on French food during the Lionsgate Hosts the World Premiere of The Shack after party held at Gabriel Kreuther restaurant, located opposite Bryant Park in New York City.

Check out the trailer for The Shack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL0yUbSS5Eg

Photos by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Randy Travis is Making a Comeback Four Years After Suffering a Massive Stroke

Randy Travis is Making a Comeback Four Years After Suffering a Massive Stroke

Posted on March 1, 2017
LAS VEGAS – APRIL 18: Musician Randy Travis arrives for the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 18, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

 

After suffering a massive stroke in 2013 and being in a coma for several days, doctors thought Randy Travis’s life was over. However, his wife knew he wasn’t ready to give up. READ MORE.

After More Than 90 Years, the Grand Ole Opry Is Still the Best Show in Town

After More Than 90 Years, the Grand Ole Opry Is Still the Best Show in Town

Posted on March 1, 2017

No, this isn’t a paid advertisement by the Grand Ole Opry. It’s just an acknowledgment of how fortunate Nashville is to have an entity like the Opry, which entertains house crowds and radio listeners four nights a week. After more than 90 years, the Opry is still going strong, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted, which is why I’m a little embarrassed I hadn’t been to an Opry show in more than a year, until last night (Feb. 28).

On a nondescript Tuesday night in February, there was only one show in the world—that I know of—that featured legendary acts (Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, John Conlee), Top 40 radio stars (Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson), an award-winning bluegrass troupe (Flatt Lonesome) and groundbreaking icons (Deana Carter, Travis Tritt).

Yep, I’m talking about the Grand Ole Opry, where in one sitting I heard “All the Gold in California,” “You’re the One,” “Cowboys and Angels,” “Strawberry Wine,” “Backside of 30,” “Buy Me a Boat” and “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive,” not to mention close to 20 more songs.

From 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the Opry was 150 minutes of well-oiled machinery, with more than a handful of impromptu/exciting/entertaining moments, including:

  • Larry Gatlin dancing with multiple ladies—and one man—in the audience while performing “Houston.”
  • Chris Janson making his 183rd Opry appearance and earning a standing ovation for “Holdin’ Her.”
  • Deana Carter debuting a new song, “Live a Little Everyday.”
  • Dustin Lynch celebrating the five-year anniversary of his Opry debut with the song that kicked-started his career, “Cowboys and Angels.”
  • John Conlee filling in at the last minute for an under-the-weather Whisperin’ Bill Anderson.
  • Flatt Lonesome playing their 2016 International Bluegrass Music Song of the Year, “You’re the One,” a tune written by Dwight Yoakam.
  • Travis Tritt celebrating his 25-year anniversary of becoming an Opry member with a 30-minute set that included a plaque presentation and Travis telling the crowd that being an Opry member is “the biggest honor of my life.”

The Opry is worth the price of admission, and I won’t be waiting another year to return.

Check out the photo gallery from last night’s show by photog Chris Hollo.

Watch a few video clips of Travis, Deana, Chris and Dustin in action from last night.

All photos by Chris Hollo/2017 Grand Ole Opry

Chuck Wicks Has Fractured Skull and Vertebrae After Car Wreck—But His Outlook Is Promising & Hopes to Be Released From Hospital Today

Chuck Wicks Has Fractured Skull and Vertebrae After Car Wreck—But His Outlook Is Promising & Hopes to Be Released From Hospital Today

Posted on March 1, 2017

The co-hosts of NASH morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck—Ty Bentli, Chuck Wicks and Kelly Ford—and the show’s producer, Glenn Johnson, were involved in a serious single-car accident Monday night (Feb. 27) while traveling from Columbus, Miss., to New Orleans, where they were scheduled to be grand marshals in the Mardi Gras parade on Feb. 28.

Ty, Kelly and Glenn were released from the hospital on Feb. 27 with minor injuries.

Chuck remains in a Mississippi hospital, where he posted a lengthy Facebook update today (March 1).

Here are some bullet points from Chuck’s post, with the entire excerpt below.

  • Chuck suffered a fractured skull and a cervical vertebrae fracture in his C2 region.
  • No paralysis was suffered or is expected long-term.
  • Chuck is expected to be in a neck brace for three months.
  • Chuck thanked everyone who reached out to him with well-wishes.
  • Chuck likes morphine.

First… Thank you to all of you who have reached out with your concerns messages text/calls prayers.. you name it.. Thank you!! It’s been a scary couple days to say the least. We Ty, Kelly & Chuck and our producer Glenn were traveling to Mardi Gras to be Grand Marshall in one of the parades. While driving through a bad rain storm our car struck a puddle and hydroplaned, causing it to roll twice into a ditch full of water. Talk about Slow Motion.. it was if the world literally stopped.
When the vehicle did finally stop I immediately heard Ty say is everyone ok… is everyone ok. Then for some random reason I just starting checking my teeth and body and checking where everyone was. At this moment it was safe to say I was in shock. I won’t speak for Ty Kelly or Glenn.. but I’m pretty sure they were too.. we all crawl out of the vehicle which is completely totaled at this point. No other vehicles were involved. I remember seeing so many cars just ride by wondering why they weren’t stopping. Eventually one did.. the one turned into 2..3….4.. and so on. Police, Firetrucks, and Ambulances arrive. Throughout the entire process I remember my neck just getting stiffer and stiffer and between the shock of everything and being soaken wet from rolling through the water filled ditch I couldn’t stop shaking. I told the paramedic I had neck and head pain and they immediately put me on the backboard/Stretcher. As my head got stiffer through the ride and I knew everyone else was ok I started to panic a bit.. and honestly I was scared.
They stretcher me into the emergency room cut off my wet clothes and just start sticking me with IV’s. I found cuts on me I didn’t even knew I had because the adrenaline wouldn’t let me feel them. They set me up for immediate CAT Scan and MRI.
When the Doctor looked at my results and said I was lucky to be walking and talking then I knew something wasn’t right. So here’s the Deal…

I fractured my Skull and I also have a cervical vertebrae fracture in my C2 region.
What does this mean? It means I’m lucky I’m alive and not paralyzed.
Good news. I’m not. I will however be wearing a Neck Brace for about three months with a lot of discomfort for awhile.
I’m hoping I get released today but it has been nice being jacked up on Morphine. Cause when I’m not. It’s pretty painful. I also have watch a lot of cartoons from my hospital room.
Listen… bottom line. It’s gonna take some time to recover. This isn’t a I’ll feel better in a week type of deal. But I’m extremely lucky. And I’m so glad that Ty Kelly and Glenn are ok. So be safe out there. Don’t take anything for granted.

Again.. thank you to everyone who has called me. Texted me. or reached out via Social media.
And if you haven’t you’re on my shit list. 😉

You can reach out to
[email protected] for anything further.

 

Despite Some Low Points in Their Career, LOCASH’s “Wild Stallions” Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Despite Some Low Points in Their Career, LOCASH’s “Wild Stallions” Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Posted on March 1, 2017

Together for more than a decade, LOCASH’s Preston Brust and Chris Lucas are finally enjoying the fruits of their labor. After failing to garner any serious radio success with their first six singles, the duo finally struck pay dirt with their 2016 album, The Fighters. The album’s lead single, “I Love This Life,” hit the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and their follow-up single, “I Know Somebody,” reached the No. 1 spot.

“We were talking about that the other day—having some drinks and celebrating, just us two,” Chris tells Nash Country Daily. “I was like, ‘I don’t think we could have handled it 10 years ago.’ I don’t know if we could have because . . .

“We were wild stallions,” Preston interjects.

With their wild days behind them, Chris and Preston have grown to become respected family men. Preston, who is married to wife Kristen, is the father of Love Lily, 1, while Chris, who is married to Kaitlyn, is the father of Caden, 6, and Remi, 10 months, and Kaitlyn is currently pregnant with their third child.

With their families growing, much like their radio success, Preston and Chris recently released the album’s third single, “A Ring on Every Finger,” which was written by Thomas Rhett, Josh Kear and Jesse Frasure.

“We were wild! We really were,” continues Chris. “Like Mötley Crüe, except no drugs. We don’t do drugs. We’ve never actually done a drug in our lives. Where we’re at as young men, as young dads, we’re very humbled that it took this long. I don’t think I would change it for the world. There’s nothing I would change because of our families. The way it rolled out—it’s the most amazing feeling that we can give ourselves. We weren’t crazy 10 years ago to think we had something. We just never gave up.”

“I just feel like we’re the same guys,” adds Preston. “We continue to work hard—we’re doing over 200 shows a year, just like we were. Nothing’s changed. But everyone is like, ‘Are you guys busier now? Is it crazy?’ And I’m like, ‘We just get a couple phone calls saying some great things are happening, but we continue to do what we’ve always done.'”

What they’ve always done is make good music that you can catch as LOCASH crisscrosses the country, headlining Live Nation’s Ones to Watch Tour with Michael Tyler and Ryan Follese. The duo is also nominated for New Vocal Duo/Group of the Year at the ACM Awards on April 2.

Check out LOCASH’s new single, “Ring on Every Finger.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMDDdj_M0js

Photo by Jake Harsh/Webster PR

Watch Dan+Shay’s “Today” Show Performance of “When I Pray for You” From Upcoming Movie, “The Shack”

Watch Dan+Shay’s “Today” Show Performance of “When I Pray for You” From Upcoming Movie, “The Shack”

Posted on March 1, 2017

Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of Dan+Shay stopped by the Today show (March 1) to perform their new song, “When I Pray for You,” which is featured on the The Shack soundtrack.

“Dan and I got to screen this movie, The Shack, and it was incredible,” says Shay, when asked about the inspiration behind the song. “We flew out to L.A. and got to check out the movie, and it was one of those times in our lives where a lot of things were changing—Dan had just recently got engaged and I was about to have my kid. So we watched the movie and sat down to write this with a couple other fathers. And it was just this moment where we were kinda all able to put our stories together. So it was an amazing thing.”

The Shack opens nationwide on March 3, and the soundtracks features songs from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Brett Eldredge and more.

Watch Dan+Shay’s performance below.

Blake Shelton Celebrates His 23rd No. 1 Single—He Knows He’s Got a Hit When Fans “Start Making Their Own Merch Up”

Blake Shelton Celebrates His 23rd No. 1 Single—He Knows He’s Got a Hit When Fans “Start Making Their Own Merch Up”

Posted on March 1, 2017

In front of an industry-only crowd at Nashville’s Sutler Saloon last night (Feb. 28), Blake Shelton celebrated the No. 1 chart success of his single, “A Guy With a Girl,” with songwriters Bryan Simpson and Ashley Gorley.

After spending the early part of the evening smiling for lots and lots of photos with attendees, Blake addressed the crowd to thank his songwriters and his team for his 23rd No. 1 song.

“Thank you guys for a great song,” said Blake. “And go write me another one, for God’s sake. Quit sitting around.”

Blake also remarked on the unique success of “A Guy With a Girl.”

“Gwen [Stefani] actually came out onstage and performed with me last weekend. And somebody threw . . . there’s a picture of this somewhere . . . somebody threw a t-shirt up on the stage that said, ‘She’s a girl with a guy’ and it had a picture of me on it! So you know that a song is getting big whenever they start making their own merch up.”

The t-shirt is a mash-up of Gwen’s “Just a Girl” from her No Doubt days and Blake’s “A Guy With a Girl.”

Check out a photo of the fan-made merch below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRFIbVyhet5/?taken-by=susantfor.stefani

photo by Jason Simanek

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