Keith's Big Throwdown Tour Was Bigger Than Life
Singer/songwriter and country music superstar Toby Keith recently launched his 2004 "Big Throwdown" tour with a record-setting crowd in attendance, and his latest single has exploded onto the charts for the highest debut of his career.
A whopping 40,000-plus screaming fans were in attendance at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. outside Boston for the first show of Keith's highly-anticipated tour. Organizers say the July 24 crowd was the largest for an all country music show in North America this year. Keith followed with first weekend ticket sales of more than 21,000 for his Pittsburgh date, 20,000 in Washington and 18,700 in Philadelphia. More...
Sony Scene
BRAD COTTER:
Epic Records artist Brad Cotter heads to New York today for the first time since being named the 2004 "Nashville Star" and releasing his debut album, Patient Man. While there, Brad is scheduled to appear and/or perform live tomorrow on ESPN 2's "Cold Pizza," Fox News Channel at 10:45 am EST and CNN-fn's "The Biz" at 12:30 pm EST. Patient Man entered the Billboard Country Album chart in the top five with sales exceeding 30,000 units which established him as one of only three new country artists in 2004 to realize first week sales of this magnitude. Brad's second single, is "Can't Tell Me Nothing."
SHELLY FAIRCHILD:
Columbia Records newcomer Shelly Fairchild shot her first video with director Kristin Barlowe last week for her debut single, "You Don't Lie Here Anymore," in a small farm house in Watertown, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. Barlowe was also the still photographer for Shelly's first label photo shoot. Both the video and photos reflect Shelly's fun, sassy and steamy sides. The single goes for adds on August 27, but her unique radio tour kicks off August 16. Shelly's debut album Ride will hit store shelves on February 1.
BUDDY JEWELL:
The show must go on.....Buddy Jewell's sold-out concert in Maquoketa, Iowa, (7/28) was hit by a torrential downpour and had to be postponed. Buddy and his band waited, tried to perform again and, again, the heavy rains returned. Instead of cancelling the show, Buddy and his band took to the covered stands and proceeded to play a mini-set of five songs for the crowd. He moved from section to section playing the same songs for each group. The audience was delighted with the impromptu mini performances! More news on Patty Loveless, Montgomery Gentry, and other Sony stars
Katrina Elam Endures Buzzing Helicopters and Freezing Conditions to Shoot the Music Video for “No End In Sight”
Universal South recording artist, Katrina Elam is a fairly new face to the music scene but she recently got a taste of how glittery Hollywood stars like Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon must feel when overzealous paparazzi buzz overhead in helicopters to get just the right shot. Fortunately, it wasn’t a paparazzi helicopter flying so close to Katrina, but a professional video crew getting some breathtaking shots for her very first music video.
The two-day video shoot for “No End in Sight” took place along the Pacific coastline near San Francisco where CMA Award-winning director Peter Zavidil placed Katrina atop the craggy slate of the coastline cliffs. More...
George Strait to Release 50 Number Ones on October 5
On October 5, 2004, MCA Records will release George Strait’s 50 Number Ones, the definitive anthology for one of country music’s most enduring artists. George Strait has scored more #1’s than any other single artist in history and this 2-CD set celebrates that remarkable and record breaking career.
From his first #1, “Fool Hearted Memory,” in 1982 to his 2002 smash, “She’ll Leave You With A Smile,” 50 Number Ones chronicles the career of a performer so respected and beloved, his fans know him simply as “King George.” More...
ACM's 2004 Top New Artist Dierks Bentley Breaking Records At Midwest Fairs
Having already won the hearts of radio listeners and record buyers with hit singles and a gold-selling debut album, ACM's Top New Artist singer-songwriter Dierks Bentley has taken his show on the road with more than 200 tour dates to earn fans in person. Recent performances are drawing record crowds and garnering rave reviews.
Most recently, Bentley's show at the Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport, Iowa received high praise. Despite tremendous thunderstorms, Bentley went on with the show. "He's young enough not to scare and he proved, with his electrifying, one hour-delayed performance...that he's talented enough to embolden others," raved the Quad City Times. More...