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I have to admit that I'm a little bumfuzzled after talking with Alabama's Randy Owen this morning.
Broadway: Have you heard the Aldean song, "1994"? His new one...
Randy: No. I know it sounds odd, I don't have time to listen like I used to. The radio, I just love the radio. I still love the radio. I'm sitting here with all these papers about colleges, people who are in need, people who are (not starving) but close, then the farmers who are being told to do things that are going to put them out of business, medical situations, the St. Jude situation with kids. Listening to the radio, I may listen to it but it's not like that focus...I only can focus a little bit.
Cory: Do you think you would ever do something like Brad Paisley just did and collaborate with LL Cool J?
Randy: I don't know who that is. I know who Paisley is, but I don't know who that is.
After 40 years of making music, selling millions of records and performing for fans all over the world, country music's most famed group ALABAMA will embark on a brand new tour to celebrate their very first concert at The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Back to the Bowery Tour will launch in South Carolina and run throughout the year, making stops along the way in Alabama, Canada, Connecticut, Georgia, Miami, New York and more. Additional dates are expected to be announced soon. Tickets will go on sale in select markets beginning Friday, February 15. Pre-sale perks will be offered for fan club members and VIP tickets will also be available for each market. For more ticket information visit www.thealabamaband.com.
The Back to the Bowery tour marks the first time ALABAMA has announced an extensive run since 2002. To commemorate this special occasion, they have chosen to perform in smaller, more intimate rooms in an effort to create special up-close-and-personal memories for their fans.
"I'm so excited to celebrate 40 years since our first show at The Bowery," says ALABAMA frontman, Randy Owen. "We still love one another, have played music together all these years, and are blessed to still be around. Most importantly, we are ever grateful for the fans, many having been with us since we used to play for tips, so to be able to go back out and play for them will make this a very special year."
How long is too long to wait to sue for plagiarism?
One Australian singer-songwriter is hoping that 30 years isn't too long.
Seems Allan Caswell has a beef with the band Alabama and a very popular song of theirs. According to his lawsuit, back in the early 80s he wrote a song for an Australia soap opera called The Prisoner. Then just a few years ago, Caswell recognized the melody in Alabama's 1982 Christmas song Christmas in Dixie.
I guess maybe Alabama wasn't as big in Aussie land as they are/were here, eh?
When you watch the video above, you can definitely hear a similarity, but here's the kicker, Mr. Caswell isn't suing the Alabama, he's suing his own publisher, Sony ATV Music Publishing Australia, for not collecting royalties all these years.
Now here's another twist, Alabama is signed to another division of Sony Music, which means that if Sony were to sue, they'd be suing themselves. Since Sony can't sue themselves, Caswell is taking Sony to court for failing to collect royalties for the last 30 years.
"It's not a plagiarism lawsuit," Caswell toldThe Telegraph (via THR). "it's about getting my publishing company (Sony) to do their job."
In the end it does seem he has a case. According to papers, back in 2004, Sony had an expert examine both songs who determined that the songs, "shared a level of similarity that went beyond what he would consider to be a random occurrence of sheer coincidence."
So it seems this will probably never see the inside of a courtroom since it seems kind of open and shut, but it's definitely an interesting story.
The announcement of this event line-up is almost like waiting for the joys of the upcoming Holidays. For the past five years the Stagecoach Music Festival held in Indio, CA at the Empire Polo Field has hosted some big name acts such as Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Reba, & The Judds to name a few. So after the "BIG" line up news today, either announced on local radio stations or learning of it on the website, the phone lines, internet, (Twitter & Facebook) & of course texting were all jammed with people sharing the news and making plans. Some hotels were already sold out today, and some do not have many rooms left. So to say this event is popular is an understatement.
Stagecoach returns for their sixth year taking it from the traditonal two day event to three beginning April 27th through April 29th. With the stellar line up which includes names like: Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, Alabama , Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, and more the third day was a must to get it all in.
There are some new faces this year like Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Chris Isaak, The Band Perry and more, as well as some return guests like Jason Aldean and Sara Evans who start it off on Friday, Miranda Lambert takes over the stage on Saturday & Brad Paisley closing out the three day run on Sunday.
With access to three different stages there is music for everyone from bluegrass to good old honky tonking. As of today (10/20/11) here is the line up of all the artists: Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Alabama, Martina McBride, Kenny Rogers, Luke Bryan, The Mavericks, Sara Evans, The Band Perry, Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, Chris Isaak, Justin Moore, The Jayhawks, Eli Young Band, The JaneDear Girls, The Del McCoury Band, Brett Eldredge, Aaron Lewis, Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys, Uncle Monk, JD Crowe & The New South, Sara Watkins, Sunny Sweeney, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones, The Unforgiven, Greensky Bluegrass, Split Lip Rayfield, Elizabeth Cook, JD Souther, Old Man Markley.
Three-day weekend passes start at $149 for a limited time to the first 5,000 passes and layaway options are available. The festival also offers, camping and RV packages. For a complete breakdown of available ticketing and onsite camping/RV options, please visit the website. Children 10 and under will be admitted for free. Premium reserved-seating passes will run $749-$999. Like the old saying goes; "Be there or be square."
STAGECOACH is produced by Goldenvoice and The Messina Group.
Thousands of people have swarmed Music City for the 40th anniversary of the CMA Fest/Fan Fair. Fans packed into LP Field last night for a star studded line up.
Steve Wariner and Bill Anderson hosted the show on Thursday night. The first act up was Zac Brown Band. Brown said, “We’re very proud to be kicking things off.” Throughout their hour-long set, they sang hit after hit with special guests along the way. Hits included, “Toes,” “Free,” “Colder Weather” with Amos Lee and “As She’s Walking Away” with Alan Jackson.
Brown introduced newcomer Sonia Lee by telling the crowd they didn’t know who she was now, but they would.
Additionally, Randy Travis joined the Zac Brown Band for a duet of “Forever and Ever, Amen.” See tease of their performance below.
Brown closed his set with “Chicken Fried.” The Zac Brown Band pumped up the LP Field, preparing them to rock for the next 4 days at CMA Festival.
Easton Corbin followed the Zac Brown Band with a set including, “A Little More Country Than That, “Roll With It” among others as well as a song from his upcoming sophomore album. Corbin said, "We're more experienced out there this year, I think. Last year, was the first time I'd ever played a stadium. So, I think we're a little more seasoned this time."
Country music fans welcomed Sara Evans with open arms when she opened with “As If.” She sang her latest single, “A Little Bit Stronger,” and spoke about how the song has been touching fans across the country because anyone who is going through a rough time can relate to this song. Evans also sang her greatest hit, “Born to Fly,” “Real Fine Place to Start” and new single, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No.”
American Idol alum Casey James followed Evans with a 2-song acoustic set featuring “So Sweet” and “Drive.”
Performer of the night went to Jason Aldean. He is a force to be reckoned with in country music. He knows how to get the crowd pumped up, on their feet and ready to party. He opened with “Crazy Town” followed by “My Kinda Party” and “Big Green Tractor.”
The crowd went nuts for “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with the addition of Kelly Clarkson. Wow, that woman has a voice! The video below is just a tease. Sorry!
Aldean sang new single “Dirt Road Anthem,” “Johnny Cash” and “She’s Country.” Aldean ended by telling the crowd, “Bless y’all for a great year. We’ll see y’all on the road. Thank you very much.”
Ricky Skaggs, who has been around country music longer than Fan Fair sang a short acoustic set while the production crew was setting up for Brad Paisley.
Paisley closed the show with a 45-minute set with old favorites and songs off his new album including, “This is Country Music” “Old Alabama” with Alabama and “Working on a Tan.” Throughout the night during set changes, hosts Steve Wariner and Bill Anderson taught the crowd a dance to surprise Brad Paisley during “Working on a Tan.” So, when Paisley began performing the song, the crowd began to dance. It looked pretty awesome. I assume “Working on a Tan” will be his next single, with that song highlighted during “Country Music’s Night to Rock” on ABC later this summer.
Night 1 at LP Field was a success. Tonight’s concert features, in the following order, Ashton Shepherd, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum and Reba.
Lorrie Morgan, Randy Owen, and George Jones at Country Crossing launch
Government corruption. Illegal gambling. Big bribes. All things that aren't usually associated with clean-cut country music, but that may soon be changing.
But no worries, no country favorites are headed to the pokey anytime soon - at least not for the above charges.
As we speak, there's a government corruption trial that's just getting started at the Alabama Statehouse and several well-known country stars may just be called to testify.
George Jones, Lorrie Morgan, and Alabama lead singer Randy Owen were involved in the now defunct Country Crossing casino development in Dothan, Alabama and all were supporters of failed Alabama gambling legislation called "Sweet Home Alabama" and now those involvements have landed them all on the short list of possible federal witnesses.
The nine defendants in the case that began this week include VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor and four current and former state senators. Prosecutors accuse the group of swapping millions of dollars for votes on legislation that was designed to protect electronic bingo casinos from raids by former Gov. Bob Riley's gambling task force.
Attorneys say they may call country stars George Jones; Lorrie Morgan; and Randy Owen, lead singer for the group Alabama. All three supported gambling legislation called "Sweet Home Alabama" that's at the heart of the trial. Witnesses also may include Riley, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and other Southern lawmakers.
Though the case revolves around gambling, prosecutor Steve Feaga told potential jurors, "This case is not about whether gambling is good or bad for Alabama." He said it's about whether there was a conspiracy to provide millions of dollars to legislators in return for their votes.
Oooh, seedy. No word on when the three singers may get their call to duty, but attorneys are expected to finish up jury selection Wednesday and have opening statements Thursday.
Not too many people outside of Europe can say that they live in a castle, but now if you have a spare $3.9 million in the bank then you can live in one built and owned by Alabama's Jeff Cook.
Jeff's "Excalibur" took 16 months to build and he's been living in it since 1984. The 35-acre estate, 15,000-square-foot home is in Fort Payne, Alabama and features a 20-foot-wide rock fireplace, 23-foot-high ceilings, a game room, a balcony overlooking the living room, eight bedrooms and seven baths, a recording studio next door, and a pool in the courtyard complete with Alabama logo on the bottom of it.
Cook says about the name, "I couldn't think of anything else on that theme, Camelot was already taken."
Now feel free to drool over some pictures of the property from Al.com.
Alabama band member, Teddy Gentry, recently lost his mother, Bertha Jean Humphrey, 75, to pneumonia. Funeral services will be held tomorrow, April 9, in Fort Payne, Alabama.
Teddy Gentry and cousin, Randy Owen, originally started Alabama (under a different name) back in the '60s. Teddy plays guitar and is a background vocalist for the group. He's also produced albums for Emerson Drive and Collin Raye.
