The 11th season of The Voice is down to four finalists, including former country star Billy Gilman, who shot to stardom as an 11-year-old in 2000 by becoming the youngest artist to have a Top 40 single on the country chart.
During last night’s episode—Part I of the Season Finale on Dec. 12—Billy, 28, dug deep for an emotional solo performance of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” As Billy held back tears toward the end, he received a standing ovation from the audience, as well as three out of the four judges (only Blake Shelton remained seated).
“Everything this guy has been through was just poured out from his heart on that stage,” said Adam Levine, Billy coach. “How do you not feel like you just won The Voice just now?”
Part 2 of the Season Finale airs tonight (Dec. 13) on NBC at 8 p.m. ET with live results for the four remaining finalists: Billy Gilman (Team Adam Levine), Josh Gallagher (Team Adam Levine), We McDonald (Team Alicia Keys) and Sundance Head (Team Blake Shelton).
Watch Billy channel his inner Frank Sinatra during “My Way” below.
Don’t call it a comeback, John Anderson has been here for years.
But in 1991, John was in a bit of a creative drought. It had been eight years since his last No. 1 song, “Black Sheep,” topped the charts in 1983.
All of that changed with the release of “Straight Tequila Night” in 1991, the second single from his Seminole Wind album. The tune, which was written by Debbie Hupp and Kent Robbins, topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in March 1992. John was back, baby!
Over the next couple of years, John had a string of Top 5 hits, including “When It Comes to You” (No. 3), “Seminole Wind” (No. 2), “Money in the Bank” (No. 1), “I’ve Got It Made” (No. 3), “I Wish I Could Have Been There” (No. 4) and “Bend It Until It Breaks” (No. 3).
In honor of John’s 62nd birthday today (Dec. 13), let’s throw it back to the tune that re-energized his career in 1991, “Straight Tequila Night.”
Highway 30A stretches for 28.5 miles through the Florida Panhandle, hugging the Gulf of Mexico as it intersects picturesque beach communities like Sandestin, WaterColor, Seaside and Rosemary Beach. In January, the sugary white beaches and 60-plus-degree weather of 30A make it an ideal respite from the harsh winter temperatures in the majority of the country. And for three days, more than 170 singer/songwriters get added to the not-so-wintry mix during the 30A Songwriters Festival.
Fans enjoy Jackson Browne’s 30A performance at the Grand Boulevard in 2016.
For the eighth year, music lovers will pack more than 25 venues along the scenic highway from January 13–16 for intimate solo sessions, writers’ rounds and outdoor concerts on the Grand Boulevard. This year’s lineup includes Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member John Prine, Shawn Colvin, Parker Millsap, Cheap Trick, Dr. John & the Nite Trippers, Drivin N Cryin, John Fullbright, Shawn Mullins, Chely Wright and many more.
If the rowdy spring-break experience isn’t your cup of beer anymore, graduate to 30A this year for friendly songwriters’ sessions, artist Q&As, respectful listening rooms and outdoor shows where a picnic blanket and a nice bottle of wine are the norm. Tickets are on sale now.
Did Kenny Chesney buy a beachfront house in Malibu, California?
To quote Brandt from The Big Lebowski: “Well, Dude, we just don’t know.”
Here’s what we do know.
A two-bedroom, three-bath house in Malibu Cove Colony was purchased for $5.2 million in March. The 1,940-square-foot beachfront home was built in 1957 and has been renovated in the last decade. The home features an open-floor plan that includes a combined kitchen, dining and family area with bamboo floors throughout.
According to gossip blogger Yolanda’s Little Black Book, there is a trail that may lead back to Kenny, but that is unsubstantiated.
Kenny has not owned a home in Malibu since selling his Carbon Beach property in 2008 for $8.5 million after only owning it for a year.
Kenny owns a mansion in Franklin, Tenn., that he bought in 2009 for $9.25 million and is also believed to own property in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
If Kenny did buy a house in Malibu, let’s hope he gets a better reception than The Dude.
At least that’s Old Dominion’s story regarding their new No. 1 single, “Song for Another Time,” and they are sticking to it.
“Song for Another Time,” which is No. 1 on both this week’s Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart, was penned by Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi with frequent collaborator Matt Jenkins. The tune is the band’s third single from their 2015 debut album, Meat and Candy, but according to frontman Matthew, it was actually pitched to Kenny Chesney and not slated for their debut record.
“When we went back into the studio to record ‘Song for Another Time’ to ensure it made Meat and Candy,” said Matthew. “We had initially pitched that song to [Kenny] Chesney to record.”
“It was one of the first times I can remember an artist telling us we needed to save a song for ourselves, so thanks Kenny!” Trevor said. “It definitely added something that we felt was missing on our album, and so to have it hit No. 1 feels really good as we trusted our instincts and as it turns out, they were right.”
The guys from Old Dominion are back in the studio working on their upcoming album—tentatively scheduled for early 2017—with producer Shane McAnally.
On a 27-degree Saturday morning (Dec. 10), Dan + Shay decided to heat up Columbus, Ohio, by serving their fans hot chocolate as they waited in line for the duo’s concert later that night. The “19 You and Me” singers got the idea for the good deed as their bus pulled into town and they saw the freezing fans waiting in line at 8 a.m. for their show.
“What’s up y’all, we’re here in Columbus, Ohio, sold-out show at the Newport Music Hall,” Dan reports in the video. “It is absolutely freezing and we are bundled up like snowmen right now. But we have had fans waiting in line since the bus got here this morning at like 8 a.m., so we are going to do a little something for them.”
“That’s right,” adds Shay. “And that’s so early, first of all. I wasn’t even awake at 8 a.m. That’s insane and it’s so cold, so as a thank you we are going to run into Starbucks and we’re going to grab some hot chocolate to give to our wonderful fans that are out there waiting. Let’s do this.”
The duo delivered hot chocolate, chatted with fans and posed for photos with those brazen enough to wait in the cold. They even posted the video on their Facebook page, saying, “Woke up at 8 a.m. to fans waiting in line in Columbus. The least we could do say thanks is deliver hot chocolate!”
2016 has been a busy year for the duo as their single, “From the Ground Up,” reached the top spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Shay Mooney became engaged to his girlfriend, Hannah Billingsley, while also announcing that they are expecting their first child. Dan Smyers proposed to his girlfriend, Abby Law, in November. Can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for Dan + Shay.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s exhibit showcasing the evolution of Nashville music in the late 1960s and early ’70s—Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City—was scheduled to end its 21-month run on Dec. 31, 2016, but the Museum announced today (Dec. 12) that it is extending the exhibit for an addition year.
The exhibit focuses mainly on Bob Dylan and his decision to record his album Blonde on Blonde in Nashville in 1966. Working with Music Row’s acclaimed session players like Charlie McCoy, Wayne Moss and Kenny Buttrey, often referred to as the “Nashville Cats,” Dylan produced a masterpiece album that is considered among his finest. Dylan recorded two more albums in Nashville and later appeared on Johnny Cash’s network television show, The Johnny Cash Show, which was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium. Following Dylan’s lead, other artists like Neil Young, Paul McCartney and Leonard Cohen became inspired to come to Music City and record with the famed Nashville Cats.
“Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats has been one of the most popular exhibits in the museum’s history,” said Museum CEO Kyle Young. “This is a testament not only to the enduring legacies of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, but also to the technical prowess and creative genius of the Nashville Cats. Celebrating unsung session players has yielded one of the most compelling narratives we’ve ever told.”
The compelling and informative exhibit will now run through Dec. 31, 2017.
photo courtesy of Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
From: Staffordshire, England Lives: Nashville Age: 25 Singles: “Anywhere With You,” “Act Like A Lady” Twitter: @FionaCulley Website: fionaculley.com Influences: Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, AC/DC, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Alison Krauss, Dixie Chicks
INSIDE SCOOP
British born Fiona Culley, the middle of three children, got her love of country music from her dad. Raised in Staffordshire, England, “the country side, the middle of nowhere of England,” Fiona’s father enjoyed listening to strong country female voices—Alison Krauss, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood—that influenced his daughter’s choice of music.
After finding her way at boarding school, Fiona moved to the United States to begin her country music career. She recently recorded a duet with Grammy winner Darius Rucker called “Life on the Line,” which she co-wrote and is also the theme song from the movie on the same name starring John Travolta, Kate Bosworth and Sharon Stone. Her current singles, “Anywhere With You” and “Act Like a Lady,” can be found on iTunes and will be featured on her upcoming debut album.
NAUGHTY BY NATURE
“I went to boarding school at 7, because I was the naughty kid. We all went to boarding school, I just went a little earlier than the others because I needed to be reined in. I was the middle child and a little bit of trouble. That was my childhood, but it was the best. I feel like, in America, when you say you went to boarding school, they’re like, ‘What did you do?’ I was pretty lucky, because it meant that I got to do so much and to learn so much. I feel like if I hadn’t done that, I never would have moved to the other side of the world on my own. I just wouldn’t have known what to do. I feel like, at the time, my parents definitely knew what they were doing. They were like, ‘She needs to go and find her way.’ And I’m glad.”
THE NAME GAME
“I’ve only met a couple of Fionas in my whole life. Obviously here in America, the first thing people are like, ‘Fiona? Like Shrek?’ Or Fiona Apple. I’ll go for that one over Shrek, but yeah, that’s like the go-to. In England, no one ever puts those together. Fiona Culley is a relatively Irish name. Mum had Fiona for me, and Stephanie for my sister. She always had those names. We don’t have middle names. The girls in the family don’t have middle names. Only the boys. It’s like, ‘Well, that’s sexist, where’s mine?’ I used to make them up when I was younger. Annabella was one I used to give myself. One time I changed my name completely to Alexis. That was me. I used to live in this bizarre universe and name myself different things.”
PATH TO NASHVILLE
“About five years ago, I met my now management and they literally came and watched a show that I did in London at The Troubadour. They said, ‘You need to be in Nashville. We want to move you there for six months.’ That was now nearly five years ago. They said, ‘Would you want to go?’ I was like, ‘Well, yes, my bags are packed, let’s go,’ And then I’m like, ‘Hang on a minute, where is that again? Let me look on the map. Is it the desert?’ I felt the same way as everyone else [in England], which is funny now, because now when I go back to England and say I live in Nashville—because of the TV show which does so well over there—I could not live in a cooler city now. Back then, they would be like, ‘Oh, do you have to wear a cowboy hat? Are you in the desert?'”
THE HOOTIE CONNECTION
“I met Darius [Rucker] in London, the same time as I met my management. We met and he’s been supportive the whole time that I’ve been here. There was an opportunity for me to write songs for this movie [Life on the Line] and I wrote a couple of songs. Two of them are in the movie. When we got the theme song opportunity, it was the movie company idea for it to be a duet. I said to Darius, ‘Will you sing it with me? Can we do this together?’ I think my parents were right when they said, sometimes you don’t know unless you ask. Even if it sounds really crazy to ask someone like [Darius] if he’s going to sing with me. I was shocked, but he was like, ‘Yes, I’ll sing with you.’ He really is so calm and so polite. He works really hard. It’s very inspiring to be around somebody that is that successful, and has been that successful for so long.”
ACTING LIKE A LADY
“This song [“Act Like A Lady”] came to me—it was sent to me—and in the subject title, it said, ‘This is Fiona.’ I was like, ‘What? This is Fiona?’ Then I listened to it, and I’m like, ‘Wow, this is me.’ It’s like a lady thing, like a man—it’s like I’m ladylike and you can take me home to your mother, but, cross me and I’ll . . . you know . . . make the pain. Bring the pain. It’s also about just knowing yourself and never settling for anything other than what you want.”
HEART OF THE MATTER
“I feel like sound wise, it’s more when I put all the songs together. Like in a live show, I feel like it goes through a ton of different emotions. It goes from happy to super sad to uplifting to let’s lock myself in a room and drink red wine and cry and yell, mascara everywhere, you know. I’ve got a ton of those. It’s just my heart, basically. The songs are just my heart. The album is my heart—it should just be called My Heart on a Plate to Be Cut Up by Everyone.”
Kane Brown shot to stardom over the last year, in part because of his savvy social media posts that highlighted his singing skills as he covered popular songs from George Strait, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis and more.
After dropping his self-titled debut solo album on Dec. 2, Kane hasn’t forgotten his viral roots. In a YouTube post on Dec. 9, Kane covers Tim McGraw’s “Don’t Take the Girl,” a tune that climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 1994.
With his guitar player strumming in the bathtub, Kane showers some love on the double-platinum-selling single.
The show must go on. That’s the adage the Brothers Osborne adhere to.
The stage at the Fox Theatre after the ceiling collapsed.
Before their concert at the Fox Theatre in Hanford, Calif., on Saturday night (Dec. 10), the ceiling at the venue collapsed and left brothers TJ and John without a stage to perform on.
The quick-thinking CMA Vocal Duo of the Year decided to take matters into their own hands by ushering fans outside for an impromptu performance atop their tour bus. With fans gathered in the street and on the marquee rooftop behind them, the duo played for about 30 minutes with a set highlighting their critically acclaimed debut album Pawn Shop.
“When we thought about this, I totally forgot I’m afraid of heights,” said TJ with a laugh. “We just wanted to give the fans some entertainment and have as much fun as possible.”
Check out a clip of their rooftop performance below.
photos and video courtesy Universal Music Group Nashville
INSIDE SCOOP
