Blake & Miranda's big musical announcement

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert took to YouTube today to make a big musical announcement, and here is their big news: 

You thought they were going to announce that they were recording a duet didn't you?  Yeah, me too.  Neal is a friend of Blake & Miranda's and even sang at their wedding a few months ago.  If you're new to country music, he has a bunch of really good songs that are worth checking out.  Look for:  Wink, No Doubt About It, For A Change, They're Playin' Our, and The Shake.  Neal is awesome on stage too.  Can't wait to hear his new project which should be out in early 2012.

George Strait has had so many great moments in his life and his career, but it will probably be tough to top what he'll experience in February.  He's going to be a Grandpa!!  George's son George "Bubba" Strait Jr and his wife Tamara are expecting their first child early next year.  George Sr and Jr have also turned into a great songwriting force.  The teamed up with Dean Dillon to write over half of the songs on George's new CD "Here For A Good Time", which will be released September 6th. 

Back in 1983, Waylon & Willie both performed at the US Festival in San Bernadino, California, and those performances will be released on DVD this fall.  "Willie Nelson - live at US Festival" will feature 24 of Willie's biggest hits including Whiskey River, Always On My Mind, On The Road Again, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, Crazy & many more.  "Waylon Jennings - live at US Festival" will feature 23 of Waylon's greatest hits like, I've Always Been Crazy, Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard, Luckenbach Texas, Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way, Lonesome On'ry & Mean and many more.  Look for both DVD's to be released on November 15th. 

The 2011 CMA nominees will be announced live on ABC's Good Morning America next week.  The Band Perry and Jake Owen will announce finalists in 5 CMA categories live on GMA at 7:30am.  Later that day, Jerrod Niemann and Thompson Square will announce the finalists in 7 more categories.  The CMA show will be November 9th on ABC, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.  WXBM will host the annual CMA Award Show Party at Sam's Fun City the night of the show and we will have more info on how to get tickets to our party as we get a little closer to November.

Couple other quick things:  First off, Bonfire Jam tickets are on sale NOW!!  Josh Turner will be the headliner of the show which will be Saturday, December 10th, after the Redneck Christmas Parade in Chumuckla and is brought to you by Pen Air, Burger King and Mediacom.  Get your tickets and info at http://www.bonfirejam.com/.  Also, congrats to Tiffany Turner for winning the 2011 Texaco Country Showdown at the Farmers Opry in Chumuckla!!  Next step for Tiffany is the State Finals and then possibly the Regional and National Finals!!  Go Tiffany!!  Thanks to all who took time to enter the '11 Showdown and thanks to the Sawmill Band for learning 17 new songs in just four days!!  True professionals.  If you couldn't make it up to the Farmers Opry for the showdown, be sure to check their schedule and head that way as soon as you can for dinner & a show.  http://www.farmersopry.com/ 

Have a great week and thanks for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!

Upcoming CD's

August 30th

Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Night"

September 6th

George Strait - "Here For A Good Time"

September 13th

Lady Antebellum - "Own The Night"

Terri Clark - "Roots & Wings"

October 11th

Martina McBride - "Eleven"
Lauren Alaina - "Wildflower"

October 4th

Scotty McCreery - "Clear As Day"

October 25th

Toby Keith - "Clancy's Tavern"

November 1st

Miranda Lambert - "Four The Record"

Artists with release dates TBA

Dierks Bentley

Alan Jackson

Upcoming Concerts

September 2nd

Clint Black - IP Biloxi

September 5th

Kid Rock - Wharf in Orange Beach

September 9th

Tracy Lawrence - Hard Rock Biloxi

September 23rd

Gary Allan - IP Biloxi

December

Josh Turner - Bonfire Jam

Dierks helps a fan and Sara's remake

After a concert last week, one of Dierks Bentley's fans talked Dierks into helping him propose to his girlfriend.  It all went down on Dierks' tour bus.  Check it out: 

This guy did way better with his marriage proposal than I did with mine!!  Kim's ring came in on a Friday afternoon, and I was going to take her out to dinner the next night and propose after dinner or whenever it seemed right, but that ring was burning a hole in my pocket and I couldn't wait another whole day to do it so I dropped to a knee when we got home that Friday evening and did it then.  Looking back, I wish I had stuck to the original plan.  These guys will have a great story to tell though!  Congrats to them and kudos to Dierks for helping them out!!!

I had a lady call me in the studio last week and ask who originally sang Sara Evans' current hit song "My Heart Can't Tell You No".  My reply to that was that I had no idea the song was a remake.  So I check it out on wikipedia and, sure enough, it's a cover of 1988 Rod Stewart song from his album "Out of Order".  As the old saying goes, you learn something new every day.  Here's a link to Sara's brand new video for her version of the song:  http://www.vevo.com/watch/sara-evans/my-heart-cant-tell-you-no/USRV51100011

We have a pretty full schedule this week at WXBM.  Marty & Lindsey Marie will be giving you a chance to win free tickets to see Zac Brown Band in Biloxi all week in the morning and we'll also be giving out free tickets to Bonfire Jam all week!!  Josh Turner will headline Bonfire Jam this year, and tickets won't be on sale until Monday the 29th, but we've got 'em for you for free all week on 102.7 WXBM!  Bonfire Jam will be Saturday, December 10th after the Chumuckla Redneck Christmas Parade and it's brought to you by Pen Air FCU, Burger King, Mediacom and Your Country 102.7 WXBM!!  For more info, visit http://www.bonfirejam.com/   Another big event that's coming up this week is the annual Texaco Country Showdown at the Farmers Opry in Chumuckla.  Congrats to the top 10 finalists:  Robert Wayne, Shelby Glass, Barry Lassiter, Travis Lambert, Tiffany Turner, Jessica Strength, Casey Kearney, Kerry Kaye, Holli Mosley and Madison Baird.  The contestants will have a closed-door practice this week and the local finals will be Saturday night at 7pm at the Farmers Opry.  Reserved seating is available this year, and the show sells out every year, so be sure to call 994-6000 or go to http://www.farmersopry.com/ to get your tickets, and be sure to show up early for some great dinner!  Kitchen opens at 4:30, and Marty & Lindsey Marie will get the show started right at 7 this Saturday night. 

That's it!  Have a great week and thank you very much for listening to Your Country 102.7 WXBM!!  We appreciate ya!!

Upcoming CD's

August 30th

Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Night"

September 6th

George Strait - "Here For A Good Time"

September 13th

Lady Antebellum - "Own The Night"

Terri Clark - "Roots & Wings"

October 11th

Martina McBride - "Eleven"
Lauren Alaina - "Wildflower"

October 4th

Scotty McCreery - "Clear As Day"

October 25th

Toby Keith - "Clancy's Tavern"

November 1st

Miranda Lambert - "Four The Record"

Artists with release dates TBA

Dierks Bentley

Alan Jackson

Upcoming Concerts

September 2nd

Clint Black - IP Biloxi

September 5th

Kid Rock - Wharf in Orange Beach

September 9th

Tracy Lawrence - Hard Rock Biloxi

September 23rd

Gary Allan - IP Biloxi

December

Josh Turner - Bonfire Jam

Jason Aldean: PUNKED!!!!

Jason Aldean has been PUNKED by Lady Antebellum and Colt Ford!!  They recently spoofed Jason's hit song "Dirt Road Anthem" with their own version of the song called "Country Club Anthem". 

I'm sure there will be no hard feelings though since Colt actually wrote the song with Brantley Gilbert, and he's good friends with Lady A.  All in good fun!  Can't wait to see if Jason fires back.  Speaking of Lady Antebellum, they are set to make their first appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live.  Actress Melissa McCarthy will host the Lady A episode on October 1st.  Haven't heard what songs they will sing, but I'll let you know if I find out.  As you probably know, Lady Antebellum will release a new CD on Tuesday, September 13th featuring their current single "Just A Kiss".

Alan Jackson will release a brand new CD this fall, and he's giving fans a chance to see him in concert for free!!!  Alan will perform a free show in the city that receives the most votes here:  http://eventful.com/performers/alan-jackson-/P0-001-000002983-7/competitions

Voting will be open through October 10th.  Alan's new song "Long Way To Go" will be featured on his new project which comes out this fall.

Check out Keith Urban's brand new video for "Long Hot Summer"!!

http://www.vevo.com/watch/keith-urban/long-hot-summer/USCN21000040

Got some new music news this week too.  Scott McCreery will release his debut CD "Clear As Day" on October 4th.  Scotty's Idol competition, Lauren Alaina, will release her first CD "Wildflower" a week later, on October 11th.  Martina McBride is also set to release her new project which features the songs "Teenage Daughters" and her current single "I'll Love You Through It".  Martina's new one will be called "Eleven" and will also be out October 11th.

 

Got a couple big things on the radar at WXBM.  First off, your NEW Hometown Morning Show with Marty & Lindsey Marie will officially begin on Monday, August 22nd!  Hope you are as excited as we are to get them on air together on a full time basis.  Should be fun!!  The other thing is the 2011 Texaco Country Showdown.  We are in the process of narrowing it down to the top 10 finalists for the '11 Showdown which will be Saturday, August 27th at the Farmer's Opry in Chumuckla and the show   will be hosted by Marty & Lindsey Marie.  The show sells out every year, so be sure to get your tickets in advance at:  http://www.farmersopry.com/ 

Upcoming CD's

August 16th

Eli Young Band - "Life At Best"

August 30th

Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Night"

September 6th

George Strait - "Here For A Good Time"

September 13th

Lady Antebellum - "Own The Night"

Terri Clark - "Roots & Wings"

October 11th

Martina McBride - "Eleven"
Lauren Alaina - "Wildflower"

October 4th

Scotty McCreery - "Clear As Day"

October 25th

Toby Keith - "Clancy's Tavern"

November 1st

Miranda Lambert - "Four The Record"

Artists with release dates TBA

Dierks Bentley

Alan Jackson

Upcoming Concerts

September 2nd

Clint Black - IP Biloxi

September 5th

Kid Rock - Wharf in Orange Beach

September 9th

Tracy Lawrence - Hard Rock Biloxi

September 23rd

Gary Allan - IP Biloxi

December

Josh Turner - Bonfire Jam

The ACA's are back!! Plus Lady A wedding plans and Keith's new cologne...

After watching the American Country Award show on Fox last December, I was hoping they would make it an annual event and it looks like that's the plan.  Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth will co-host the show this year which will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  If you didn't get to see the show last year, it featured quite a few performances from the the top country stars and a few different awards like best concert tour.  It's not a typical stuffy, formal award show.  It seemed to be a little more laid back and fun.  We should be getting more info on performers and nominees in the next month or so.  We'll keep you posted!!  Look for the 2011 ACA's December 5th on Fox.

Keith Urban is set to launch a new fragrance line called "Phoenix".  When asked to describe his signature cologne, Keith said "it's not too strong, but not too soft".  When I first read that I laughed because it's so vague, and then I tried to think of what I would say if someone asked me to describe what my favorite cologne smelled like......can't do it.  We'll have to trust Keith on this one.  He said he likes the name Phoenix because of his interest in mythology and symbolism.  He said he was adamant on NOT naming it after himself because when a guy is asked "what cologne are you wearing?" he thought it may be awkward for a guy to say "I'm wearing Keith Urban".  I agree.  Keith is taking pre-orders at his website right now:  http://www.keithurban.net/

Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum got engaged about a month ago in a recent interview she revealed a few details about her wedding plans.  She said "NO" to being photographed in her wedding dress before her wedding day, and she said "NO WAY" to the money dance at her reception.  She did say that she will keep a few wedding reception traditions alive with the bouquet toss and having her future husband remove her garter.  Haven't heard if they have revealed a wedding date or location.  Hillary is engaged to Chris Tyrell, who is the drummer for Eden's Edge, and they are out on the road opening up for Brad Paisley on his H2O summer tour.  In the mean time, Lady Antebellum is out touring and promoting their upcoming CD "Own The Night" which is due out on September 13th.

Wanted to send out a quick congratulations to Marty's new morning show partner Lindsey Marie!  Thanks to all of the 200+ who took time to try out during the Hometown Team Tryouts.  Lindsey is a local girl with a ton of personality.  She will join Marty on a full time basis later on this month on your NEW Hometown Mornin' Show on Your Country 102.7 WXBM! 

Have a great week!  Thanks for checking out the News & Notes this week and thanks for listening to WXBM!

Made In America

A couple weeks ago, when I heard that Toby Keith was going to release another "USA" song, I just rolled my eyes and sighed.  But, after listening to the song, I changed my mind and took a closer look at Toby's America-themed singles.  The reason I was skeptical is because Toby has already released three USA-themed songs in less than 10 years, and each of them has peaked at #1 on the country charts.  So I thought, "OK, he has released five songs since 'American Ride' in 2009 and none have even gone top 10, so it's time to break out another 'America' song".  To me, that's what it looks like from a distance.  I was worried that Toby was "type-casting" himself.  Upon further review, I changed my mind.  If he is putting himself in a corner as an artist, I honestly think that he just doesn't care.  I believe Toby is extremely patriotic and can't resist writing about what he (and the rest of us) love, and that's the good 'ol USA.  Also, if you look at his collection of USA-themed songs, they are all very different and unique songs, so it's not like he's recycling the same idea over & over.  Sorry I doubted you Toby.  I'll try not to be so quick judge from now on!!  By the way, Made In America is the first single from Toby's upcoming CD called "Clancy's Tavern" which is due out October 25th.  Check out the Made In America video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaAF_3WMJGM&ob=av2n

Trace Adkins has a new CD out tomorrow (August 2nd) called "Proud To Be Here". Trace will be making the rounds on TV to promote his new project including appearances the Late Show with David Letterman, Fox & Friends, Piers Morgan Tonight and Chelsea Lately.  Also, just saw Trace in the movie "The Lincoln Lawyer" today, and I really enjoyed the movie.  Trace has a small role (three scenes) as a motorcycle gang member, and he does a great job with his role.  Lincoln Lawyer is out on DVD now if you want to check it out.

Taylor Swift will have to clear some room in her trophy case for another big award.  The Teen Choice Awards announced that Taylor is the winner of this year's "Ultimate Choice" award, which is the shows top honor.  She is being recognized for her extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry on the show which will air this Sunday, August 7th on Fox.

Be sure to listen to Marty White this Friday at 6am to find out who his new partner is!  Thanks to all who took time to submit a video entry in the Hometown Team Tryouts, and thanks to each of the contestants who came in to audition with Marty over the last couple weeks.  Marty will also have a chance to win FREE tickets to see Dolly Parton all week on WXBM.  Dolly will be performing at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on October 10th.  Tickets will be on sale this Friday morning, but you can win 'em before you can buy 'em all week on your Hometown Morning Show with Marty White on Your Country 102.7 WXBM! 

Upcoming CD's

August 2nd

Trace Adkins - "Proud To Be Here"

August 9th

Luke Bryan - "Tailgates & Tanlines"

August 16th

Eli Young Band - "Life At Best"

August 30th

Jake Owen - "Barefoot Bluejean Night"

September 6th

George Strait - "Here For A Good Time"

September 13th

Lady Antebellum - "Own The Night"

Terri Clark - "Roots & Wings"

October 18th

Martina McBride - "Teenage Daughters"

October 25th

Toby Keith - "Clancy's Tavern"

November 1st

Miranda Lambert - "Four The Record"

Artists with release dates TBA 

Dierks Bentley

Alan Jackson

Toby Keith

Upcoming Concerts

August 6th

Ronnie Dunn - Wind Creek Atmore

August 12th

Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson - IP Biloxi

September 2nd

Clint Black - IP Biloxi

September 5th

Kid Rock - Wharf in Orange Beach

September 9th

Tracy Lawrence - Hard Rock Biloxi

September 23rd

Gary Allan - IP Biloxi

December

Josh Turner - Bonfire Jam