Thursday 21 March 2019

Country Bites News snippets March 11, 2019 – March 17, 2019

UK News, UK Chart News, Album & Single Releases, Aussie & US News, Music News, Press Releases, TV, Interviews, Articles & Videos, Birthdays

BREAKING NEWS
Country News – March 20, 2019 with Shannon McCombs

This week, hear Brad Paisley tell the story behind his latest hit, “My Miracle.” George Strait and Blake Shelton are teaming up for a show. Plus, hear Rascal Flatts try to choose their favorite songs!



UK NEWS

On the BBC Radio 2 Playlist for the week commencing Saturday 16 March 2019
A Playlist
Keith Urban - Never Comin Down
C Playlist
Maren Morris - GIRL

(12 March 2019) Rising UK stars The Adelaides are the cover feature on the first Wolverhampton issue (March/Apr) of Select! They're the new glossy lifestyle replacing Wolverhampton Magazine to bring you the very best of the city and beyond. #celebrity #fashion #beauty #culture #food #travel
Cover Photo by Tim Thursfield Group Chief Photographer at Midland News Association, which produces Express & Star and Shropshire Star. Select (Website) replaces Wolverhampton Magazine as the new bi-monthly glossy for Wolverhampton and Dudley.

(18 March 2019) Holloway Road Announce May UK Tour Dates & 'Broke - Unplugged Part I' Acoustic Ep
The independent duo has shared new music as latest single 'Get The Girl' passes 85k+ streams in the first few weeks of release
Following the release of latest single 'Get The Girl' last month (listen here), international country/pop duo Holloway Road - Jack Cooper & Rob Gulston - have announced a set of UK tour dates this May, including shows in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, and their hometown of Southend-on-Sea:
Sat 11 May 2019 - The Stables, Milton Keynes (full band) Event
Tues 14 May 2019 - 13th Note, Glasgow (50-60 King Street, Glasgow, G1 5QT) (headline / acoustic) Event
Thurs 16 May 2019 - Gullivers, Manchester (109 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LW) £11.75 (headline / acoustic) Event
Fri 17 May 2019 - Santiago Bar, Leeds (1-3 Grand Arcade, City Centre LS1 6PG) £5.83 (writer's round) w/ Jade Helliwell Event
Sat 18 May 2019 - Peggy Sue's, Southend-on-Sea (1063A London Rd, Leigh-On-Sea, SS9 3JP) (headline / acoustic) Event
Weds 22 May 2019 - Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham (17 York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7SA) (writer's round) Event
Sat 8 June 2019 - Chaplins & The Cellar Bar, Bournemouth (Facebook | 529 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth BH1 4AG) FREE ENTRY doors 8pm
Tickets available for all shows from www.hollowayroadmusic.com

UK TOUR & GIG UPDATES

Ashton Lane (Sept-Oct), Amy Wadge (March), Bailey Tomkinson (Apr-Aug), Charlie Dore (Mar-Aug), Charles Esten (Oct), Clara Bond (April), Holloway Road (May), Kira Mac (March), LiveOnTheRoad Leeds (May), Lucy Kitt (Mar-June), Megan McKenna (May-June), Long Road Festival (Sept), Samantha Lloyd (Marc-May), Wolverhampton Country Songwriters Night (March)
 Link to Country Routes News Gig PageImage Map


UK CHART NEWS
Official UK Top 100 Singles Chart (Week Ending 21 March 2019)
15 March 2019 - 21 March 2019
In an unchanged top four, Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved spends a third straight week at the summit.
After 10 consecutive weeks of growth, its consumption was down 4.4% week-on-week to 62,336 (including 52,919 from sales-equivalent streams + 9,417 paid-for sales) 

Official UK Top 100 Albums Chart (Week Ending 21 March 2019)
15 March 2019 - 21 March 2019

Blowing in at #1 Psychodrama is Dave’s third album chart entry. Psychodrama’s total consumption of 26,390 units includes a contribution of 20,786 (78.76% of its total) from sales-equivalent streams and 5,604 in pure sales. While its streams are more than double any other title – and the second highest in chart history in percentage terms, trailing only the 81.60% contribution streaming made to Post Malone’s week atop the chart with Beerbongs And Bentleys last May - its paid-for sales of 5,604 were only the 11th highest of the week.

New to the Top 75: Maren Morris with GIRL made a debut at No.72 (1,503 sales). It's the second chart album for Texan country singer. It follows HERO which made a debut at No.65 (1,556 sales; chart week March 23, 2017). It then fell 65-89 (1,000 copies) before falling off the top 100

Official UK Country Album Top 20 (Week Ending 21 March 2019)
15 March 2019 - 21 March 2019
Maren Morris with GIRL made a debut at #1 (#131 UK iTunes)
Keith Urban with GRAFFITI U advanced 8-2 (12 weeks; #2 peak) (#372 UK iTunes)
Ward Thomas with RESTLESS MINDS fell 2-3 (5 weeks; #1 peak) (below #700 UK iTunes)
Wandering Hearts with WILD SILENCE fell 3-4 (50 weeks; #1 peak)
Yola with WALK THROUGH FIRE fell 1-5 (3 weeks; #1 peak) #695 iTunes
Ashley McBryde with GIRL GOING NOWHERE rose 7-6 (30 weeks; #3 peak) #112 UK iTunes
Townes Van Zandt with SKY BLUE made a debut at No.7
Carrie Underwood with CRY PRETTY fell 6-8 (26 weeks; #1 peak)
Long Ryders with PSYCHEDELIC COUNTRY SOUL fell 4-9 (3 weeks; #2 peak)
Florida Georgia Line with CAN'T SAY I AIN'T COUNTRY fell 5-10 (4 weeks; #2 peak)
Outside the Top 10
Chase Rice with LAMBS & LIONS made a debut at #11
Carly Pearce with EVERY LITTLE THING made a re-entry at #12 (6 weeks; #9 peak)
Luke Combs with THIS ONE'S FOR YOU fell 9-13 (41 weeks; #5 peak)
Catherine McGrath with TALK OF THIS TOWN fell 14-19 (33 weeks; #1 peak)

Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40 (Week Ending 21 March 2019)
15 March 2019 - 21 March 2019
Yola with WALK THROUGH FIRE rose 5-1, Patty Griffin with her self-titled album made a debut at No.5. Elles Bailey with ROAD I CALL HOME made a debut at No.24.

COUNTRY ALBUM RELEASES

(14 March 2019) Amanda Fama - Diner Talk (EP; Amanda Fama)
6 Tracks/ Time: 23:20 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
'Diner Talk' is country-pop album with a cosmic, singer-songwriter twist that tells stories about love, moving on and accepting change. 23-year-old singer/songwriter from South Jersey. She's been playing guitar, singing, and writing songs for about 11 years now, and hopes to pursue a career in performing her original music

(14 March 2019) Pamela McNeill - Solitary (SweetHeart Records)
14 Tracks/ Time: 52:25 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #174 US Country iTunes Album Chart

(15 March 2019) Hunter Thomas Mounce - Folks Like Me and You (Hunter Thomas Mounce)
11 Tracks/ Time: 39:10 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #17 UK Country iTunes Album Chart (#404 UK iTunes all-genres) | Debut #9 US Country iTunes Album Chart (#84 US iTunes all-genres)

(15 March 2019) Tom Russell - October in the Railroad Earth (Proper Records)
11 Tracks/ Time: 45:36 Americana Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #15 UK Country iTunes Album Chart (#330 UK iTunes all-genres) | Sun March 17: off the top 200

(15 March 2019) Lauren Jenkins - No Saint (Big Machine Label Group, LLC)
10 Tracks/ Time: 36:04 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #3 UK Country iTunes Album Chart (#111 UK iTunes all-genres) Sun March 17: off the top 200 | Debut #3 US Country iTunes Album Chart (#27 US iTunes all-genres) 

(15 March 2019) Over The Rhine – Love & Revelation (Great Speckled Dog) 
11 Tracks/ Time: 41:44 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #47 UK Country iTunes Album Chart (#1083 UK iTunes all-genres) | Debut #6 US Country iTunes Album Chart (#50 US iTunes all-genres)

(15 March 2019) Francis Rossi & Hannah Rickard - We Talk Too Much (earMUSIC) UK
12 Tracks/ Time: 40:33 Alternative Country Amazon UK - UK iTunes
Debut #1 UK Country iTunes Album Chart (#28 UK iTunes all-genres) | Sun March 17: #1 (#81 UK iTunes all-genres) | Mon Mar 18 #2 (#162 UK iTunes all-genres)

(15 March 2019) Dallas Smith - The Fall (EP; 604 Records Inc.)
6 Tracks/ Time: 19:31 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #14 UK Country iTunes Album Chart (#329 UK iTunes all-genres)

(15 March 2019) AJ Sanders - AJ Sanders (EP; AJ Sanders)
5 Tracks/ Time: 17:15 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #15 US Country iTunes Album Chart (#149 US iTunes all-genres)

(15 March 2019) Kyle Daniel - What's There to Say? (EP; )
5 Tracks/ Time: 15:26 Americana Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #24 US Country iTunes Album Chart (#264 US iTunes all-genres)

(15 March 2019) Jami Grooms - Just a Drunken Vessel (Cash River Records)
10 Tracks/ Time: 34:02 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #58 US Country iTunes Album Chart (#556 US iTunes all-genres)

(15 March 2019) Cross Atlantic - Beginnings (EP; Cross Atlantic Music)
5 Tracks/ Time: 15:29 Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com
Debut #192 US Country iTunes Album Chart

(15 March 2019) Kira Isabella - Sides (Creator Brand Label Co.) CAN
12 Tracks/ Time: 39:13 Amazon UK - UK iTunes

(15 March 2019) Rachel Wammack - Enough (EP; RCA Records Label Nashville)
5 Tracks/ Time: 18:18 Amazon UK - UK iTunes
Four carry forward re-released tracks + one new track
"Enough is for the people who encourage us in the moments when we need it the most" - Rachel Wammack

(15 March 2019) Morgan Colleen - Too Few & Far Between (EP; Victory Music Buzz)
5 Tracks/ Time: 16:54 Singer/Songwriter Amazon UK - UK iTunes

AUSSIE NEWS
Country Songs Top 40 Australian Airplay chart (dated March 16, 2019)
           
1. MY FAMILY AND ME - Destiny Band Oz Album: Changes
2 BETTER DAYS - Casey Barnes Album: The Good Life
3.  COUNTRY HEART - The Wolfe Brothers Album: Country Heart
4. KEITH - Kaylee Bell – Single
5. HONKY TONK BAR IN THE CITY - The Tony Q Band – Single
6. HOT HOT KISS - Christie Lamb – Single
7. OUTRAGEOUS - Amber Lawrence – Single
8. MERLE - Shelly Jones Band Album: - Highways
9 I WONDER WHAT YOU KISS LIKE - Natalie Pearson & Brook Chivell – Single
10 IT'S A COWBOY THING - Andersonlane Album: This Girl

NEWS
(13 March 2019) CMT Changes: An undisclosed number of CMT staffers have been laid off, including Nashville-based SVP/Business Strategy & Operations Suzanne Norman and New York-based SVP/Consumer Marketing & Creative Anthony Barton. Viacom MTV Group President Chris McCarthy said the changes "finalize the integration of CMT with a new, simplified structure" in a memo to remaining staff. He also said the network's focus on music and connection with Nashville will remain.

TV
(12 March 2019) In Case You Missed It: Columbia's Maren Morris performed "Girl" on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (March 11). Watch here:



MUSIC NEWS
(11 March 2019) Streaming Growth Continues
Streaming reached a new peak this year, potentially driven by smart speakers and a surge in podcasting, new data from Edison Research and Triton Digital shows.
According to The Infinite Dial 2019 study, Americans are spending more time listening to online audio (defined as listening to AM/FM radio stations online or streamed audio on the internet) than ever, with weekly listeners reporting an average of nearly 17 hours in the last week. Overall, the percentage of Americans who listen to online audio has doubled since 2012, surging from one-third of the population to two-thirds.
Where are they getting their audio fix? Pandora emerges as the leader — 30 percent of the population using audio brands chooses the streamer most often, the study finds, compared with 25 percent who pick Spotify and just 11 percent who go for Apple Music. Pandora also claimed the strongest brand awareness among streamers: 89 percent of the population is familiar with it, compared with 73 percent for Apple Music and 71 percent for Spotify.
The study also reflects YouTube’s growing footprint in the music streaming realm, as more than half of Americans report having used YouTube specifically for music in the last week. That number is now 70 percent among 12- to 34-year-olds.
Amid the streaming surge, podcasting has a grip on the majority of Americans, for the portion of the U.S. population aged 12 and up who have ever listened to a podcast exceeded 50 percent for the first time.
Roughly one-third of the population (or 90 million listeners) reported having listened to a podcast in the last month, up from around a quarter in the 2018 survey.

PRESS RELEASES
(12 March 2019) Jimmie Allen Set To Make Debut On Abc's "Good Morning America," Thursday, March 14
Singer/songwriter and Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group artist Jimmie Allen was slated to perform “21” off his debut album, Mercury Lane, on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Thursday, March 14. Allen’s first-time GMA performance follows a number of firsts for the year and 2019 has just begun! Those milestones include the release of his second single “Make Me Want To,” his first Academy of Country Music Award nomination for New Male Artist of the Year, a first-time performance at C2C Country to Country in London, a recently-announced performance spot on CMA Fest's Chevy Riverfront Stage this summer and the debut of a sizzling cover of the GRAMMY, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning smash hit “Shallow” (fellow country newcomer, Abby Anderson) | See BLOG  ).

(13 March 2019) Ole Red Gatlinburg Celebrates Grand Opening With Blake Shelton 
Raises Over $50,000 for Local High School’s Music Programs. Week-Long "Spring Blake" Festivities Continue Through March 17 with Contests, Giveaways and Performances from Former Contestants on NBC's "The Voice" (March 14: Lauren Duski; March 15: Pryor Baird; March 16: Red Marlow; March 17: Emily Ann Roberts)
Ryman Hospitality Properties (RHP) and Blake Shelton’s long-awaited restaurant and bar Ole Red Gatlinburg officially opened in downtown Gatlinburg. The third of RHP’s Shelton-inspired entertainment venues celebrated with a press conference and ribbon cutting moderated by 650 AM WSM’s Bill Cody featuring Shelton and RHP CEO Colin Reed.
 During the press conference a special guest from Gatlinburg-Pittman High School was invited on stage. Shelton and Reed presented the school with a check for $54,214 in support of the local community and music education. The funds were raised by Ole Red Gatlinburg auctioning tickets to Wednesday night (Mar 15) private Blake Shelton concert with guests the Swon Brothers.
Pictured L to R: 650 AM WSM's Bill Cody, Gatlinburg-Pittman High School Assistant Principal AJ Bennett, Blake Shelton, Ryman Hospitality Properties CEO Colin Reed | Photo Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

























(18 March 2019) George Strait In-The-Round At NRG Stadium Sets New Venue Attendance Record: 80,108
 As Strait Prepares for Release of 30th Studio Album, Honky Tonk Time Machine, the “King of Country” Performs to Record Crowd in Houston, Texas, Surpassing His Previous Attendance Record of 80,020 Set in 2013.
George Strait kicked off the night with one of his crossover No.1’s “Write This Down” before covering a setlist spanning his 30 studio albums. When Strait introduced the lead single “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” from Honky Tonk Time Machine, his new album due out March 29 on longtime label home MCA Nashville, the crowd erupted, singing along from the first verse.

ARTICLES
(14 March 2019) Maren Morris Is the Future of Country Music
On her new album, Girl, out now, Morris Morris answers that question by defying genre once again, her twang rising over layers of glossy pop, R&B and soul. In that versatility, Morris represents a new generation of women in country who are working to transcend the boundaries of their Nashville roots.... Read more at Time.com

INTERVIEWS
(11 March 2019) In Imogen Marshall’s Off The Record first episode of her C2C 2019 special, there are exclusive interviews with Ross Copperman ('Female' - Keith Urban, 'Get Along' - Kenny Chesney), Laura Veltz ('The Bones' - Maren Morris), along with press conferences with Brett Eldredge, Runaway June and Chase Rice.


Your Life In A Song published the C2C PRESS CONFERENCE with Cam facing the media, shortly before her stunning main stage set at C2C Country to Country! Check out more with Lady Antebellum, Dustin Lynch, Hunter Hayes, Brett Eldrege and Runaway June here.  



(11 March 2019) INTERVIEW Bailey Tomkinson: British Country is exploding everywhere right now. Not only was Country2Country bigger than ever this year, but there are now announcements of new Country specific radio stations and even more Country festivals popping up around the country. One of the most exciting talents to have appeared within the last 12 months is St Ives' Bailey Tomkinson. With her new single, 7 Minutes In Heaven, showcasing her folk-pop-country sensibilities, we decided to catch up with to find out more about this upcoming talent....Read More Music News.com

(18 March 2019) Kree Harrison Interview by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show recorded at CRS2019 in Nashville. Go Here

WATCH
(18 March 2019) After the release of her latest single, "Looking Back On You" on February 22nd, Avalon Kali has released the music video to accompany her new release. Female Music Nation exclusively premiered the video Thursday (March 14). You can watch the official music video for "Looking Back On You" here.
"It is not a typical break-up song”, Avalon says. “Even though there were hurt and heartbreak, there were no feelings of regret. I think at some point, we all have a relationship in our life that was full of growth, support, and love. But, in the end, something’s not quite right. Even though there is love there, it doesn’t necessarily mean that person is yours forever.  It’s a good feeling to look back on someone and the memories you shared together and only be filled with good thoughts.”

BIRTHDAYS
Birthdays in the week ahead
March 18: Charley Pride, Phillip Sweet (Little Big Town) (1974)
March 19: Crissie Rhodes (The Shires) (1988)
March 20: the late Jerry Reed - (March 20, 1937; died Sept 1, 2008 (aged 71)), Laura Aston (UK 20 March 1993)
March 23: George Fox (1960), Brett Eldredge (1986), Brett Young (1981), Sabrina Maria (UK)
March 24: Paul Bain (Raintown), Natalie Hemby (1977), Meghan O'Neil (1990), Mo Pitney (1993)

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