Country Aircheck recently released their 2009 Airplay Stats list and Randy Houser ranked No. 1 in the New Artist category. Houser also had two songs in the Top 100 of 2009 – “Boots On” ranked No. 17, while “Anything Goes” ranked No. 75. Also of note, “Boots On” reached Top 2 on Billboard and Mediabase charts and spent two weeks at No. 1 on Music Row charts.
Earning New Artist and Video of the Year nominations for the 43rd Annual CMA Awards, Houser, along with Good Morning America host, Robin Roberts, presented the Album of the Year award to Taylor Swift.
In fall of 2009, Houser co-headlind CMT on Tour 09: Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser, making stops in New York City, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and St. Louis, among 26 other markets. Tourmate Jamey Johnson is quoted as exclaiming: "I watched a blind man jump to his feet and drop his crutches the first time he heard Randy Houser sing." Los Angeles Times’ Randy Lewis also noted Houser as one of 2009’s “notable breakthroughs” in country music while CMT dubbed 2009 “ a whirlwind year” for the bright new country star.
Houser’s current single, “Whistlin’ Dixie,” debuted with 36 first-week stations on board and is No. 35 on Billboard/BDS and quickly ascending on the charts. The recording will appear on Houser’s sophomore album scheduled for release this spring. Most recently, CMT.com named him one of 2009’s Top 10 New Artists.
Yallwire Presents: EXCLUSIVE Live Footage & Interview of Randy Houser
Toby Keith, Will Smith, Wyclef Jean rapping at the Nobel Peace Prize Afterparty!!
Prior to his first show in his Las Vegas series at Wynn's Encore Theater on Friday, Garth Brooks shared with the Las Vegas Sun that he wasn't nervous until they asked him. He said, "Everybody has been telling me good luck, you know, and this and that, but I haven't been feeling it in my stomach, and I was worried. I thought, 'Am I cold or am I dead? What's up?'" Garth continued, "And when you said that, I don't know, something went right in here and out here and said, 'Oh, my God, I am here, and it's going to start.' Now, there is that feeling that you want, that you have to get over." Some performers are superstitions prior to starting a show, and Brooks shared that he was. He revealed, "There are little things. Some fans gave me some buckeyes that I have had forever. The next night after they gave me them, we were lucky enough to win a lot of American Music Awards."
Garth is done with shows until January 1 when he resumes his weekend duties. As for his weekends off, Brooks likes the schedule. He explained, "I can be in my underwear, eating chips and watching football."
Toby Keith talked to media at a press conference in Oslo, Norway last week before performing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Keith told the press that he wouldn't apologize for supporting U.S. war efforts. Toby stated that he supports American troops who "fight evil" and that he stands by President Barack Obama's decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. President Obama is this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Rascal Flatts has just announced the final leg of their "Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour," sponsored by JCPenney and Hershey's. The tour will re-start on January 15 and 16 in Uncasville, Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena and the band will perform 23 shows through March 13, wrapping in Oklahoma City at the Ford Center. Darius Rucker will continue as opening act. Here are the dates:
Dates: Cities: Venues:
January 15 & 16 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
January 21 Toledo, OH Lucas County Arena
January 22 State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center
January 23 Charleston, WV Charleston Civic Center
January 28 London, Ontario John Labatt Centre
January 29 Ottawa, Ontario Scotiabank Place
January 30 Hamilton. Ontario Copps Coliseum
February 4 Evansville, IN Roberts Stadium
February 5 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
February 6 Dayton, OH Nutter Center
February 18 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center
February 19 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
February 20 Moline, IL i wireless center
February 25 Sioux City, IA Tyson Event Center
February 26 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
February 27 Green Bay, WI Resch Center
March 4 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Center
March 5 Columbus, GA Columbus Civic Center
March 6 Orange Beach, AL The Amphitheater at the Wharf
March 11 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
March 12 Wichita Falls Kay Yeager Coliseum
March 13 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
The first leg of the "Rascal Flatts American Living Unstoppable Tour" sold 550 thousand tickets in 39 shows since it began in June. This total also includes the two sold-out stadium concerts at Chicago's Wrigley Field and Columbus' Crew Stadium. The band's 2009 tours have sold over a million concert tickets, bringing their four-year total to just over four million tickets sold.
When an artist records a Christmas album, you might think it would be difficult to find their own twist on holiday classics, but for Sugarland, they stuck to what they knew. Jennifer Nettles tells CMT, "We just do what we do." She continues, "We don't know how to do anything else, so it's pretty easy to keep that when you're just being yourself and we love to experiment and to explore, and to stretch in any way. Our fans have come to expect that, and anticipate that, and get excited about it – so it's fun!"
One thing they explored for their Gold And Green album was Jennifer's bilingual abilities, which are displayed on "Silent Night." Kristian Bush laughs, "It's difficult for me not to fall madly in love with her while she is singing in Spanish." He goes on, "I just love her accent. She is such a great linguist, and is not just fluent in Spanish, but graduated with a degree in Spanish. It's such a beautiful thing to hear [her] voice take on the roundness of that accent, and then to deliver it with the emotion of what 'Silent Night' is. It kind of makes my knees weak." A Spanish accent is a far cry from what Jennifer is usually recognized for: her Southern twang. She says, "I do think it's fun when you talk about it, because people always make comments about how Southern I am. Obviously, when I'm singing in Spanish, it sounds different, and some people [say], 'Well, wait a minute. What's real, and what's not?' But when you hear the Beatles, or when you hear the Rolling Stones, they're British, but they don't sing like they're in the musical, 'Oliver.' The way you sing is different from the way you speak sometimes... and sometimes it's not." Sugarland's Gold And Green is available now.
Randy Houser is beginning work on his sophomore album, due in the spring. Randy tells the Quad City Times, "This'll be a totally different record. It'll be more Randy Houser than the last one. I think fans will find a little more in this record. As a whole, this album will be a more true representation of me." Randy, who has seen most of the music business from the songwriter side and said he wasn't aware of the demands placed on a performer. He explains, "It's hard to realize how hard an artist works to succeed. In the songwriter world, you work too, but artists have a lot of work cut out for them. You can't get to bed 'til 4 in the morning because you're all keyed-up after a show and you're up at 8:30 (AM) making calls. There's very little downtime."
Recently, Bucky Covington, Sawyer Brown and Love And Theft teamed up to spread a little holiday cheer at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville. At Vanderbilt, the artists joined up for a guitar pull, performing their hits, as well as some holiday favorites. The kids helped out by playing toy instruments along with the guys and had the opportunity to visit with them after the impromptu show. Over at the Ronald McDonald House, Bucky, the members of Sawyer Brown and Love And Theft donned birthday hats as they served a special birthday lunch to one of the children undergoing treatment at Vanderbilt. On the menu was a build-your-own taco bar and brownies. And, to complete the special day, the artists sang "Happy Birthday," along with the whole House, making sure it was a celebration to remember. Bucky enjoyed the chance to bring some joy to those who are dealing with a difficult time. He said, "Seeing all of the children's faces light up was an early Christmas gift... All of these children are going through trying times and have long days. I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to give them a nice break in the day and bring a little holiday cheer."
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