ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – The home of the Dallas Cowboys will be the home to the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The 50th Annual edition of the awards event is set for Sunday night at AT&T Stadium. In the running for Entertainer of the Year are Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line. Lady Antebellum is up for vocal group of the year – competing against Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band. Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan will co-host the event, which will air on CBS.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Tim McGraw is defending his decision to headline a Connecticut concert to benefit a Sandy Hook group, responding to critics who call it a “gun control fundraiser.”
Gun rights advocates took to Facebook and Twitter, calling the country singer a hypocrite for appearing in the event that will benefit Sandy Hook Promise, which seeks to protect children from gun violence.
Opening act Billy Currington withdrew and said on his Facebook page he’s “never been one to take on controversial issues.”
McGraw said in a statement to The Washington Post Thursday he supports gun ownership, but it requires education and safety. He said the concert is intended to help the community.
McGraw will perform at the XFINITY Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 17.
In December 2012, 20 first-graders and six educators were fatally shot in Newtown.
We are giving away the Chicken Soup for the Soul book “Be The Best You Can Be.”
Listen to Theresa Trapp April 13- 17 for chances to call 785-628-2995 to win. Random callers will win a copy of the book instantly. No age requirement to win.
Winners will need to pick up their book at the KZ Country Studio, 2300 Hall, Hays, KS within 30 days of winning.
Remember, one win per person per contest in 30 days.
Winner 4/13/15: Maria Rohr!
Winner 4/14/15: Peggy Klaus!
Winner 4/15/15: Kim Zeman!
Winner 4/16/15: Judy Arnold!
Winner 4/17/15: Monty Brown!
Self-esteem, tolerance, good values – these are gifts that will last children a lifetime and help them become successful adults. These stories, great for kids to discuss with parents and teachers, help them be the best they can be.
This collection shows kids positive role models to follow in its stories about making good choices, having confidence, and doing the right thing. Parents and grandparents will enjoy discussing the stories with children, making it a family event. Great for teachers to share with students, too.
This book harnesses the power of storytelling to inspire and teach kids, while also entertaining them. Key issues such as bullying, tolerance, and values are addressed in stories selected from Chicken Soup for the Soul’s vast library and represent the best on these topics from the company’s 22-year history.
This book is a joint project of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Boniuk Foundation, which are working together to promote tolerance, respect, and compassion, inspiring young people and adults to embrace their differences, reject stereotypes, and make good choices. It’s part of a larger effort that includes additional books for teens, college students, parents, and grandparents, as well as a family television show every Saturday morning starting in October.
NASHVILLE (AP) – Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard will team up for a new album. Nelson says they called the album “Django and Jimmie” because the title track is about two of their influences, jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and country legend Jimmie Rogers. Nelson and Haggard also pay tribute to each other. Nelson sings Haggard’s song “Somewhere Between,” and Haggard sings Nelson’s song “Family Bible.” The album comes out June 2.
NASHVILLE (AP) – Eric Church is getting into the furniture business. Church has partnered with Pulaski Furniture to create a line called Highway to Home. Church actually has some experience in this area. His dad worked in the industry, and Church himself got his first job in a furniture plant. The furniture line will include sets for bedrooms, dining rooms and living areas, in a variety of styles. The furniture will be unveiled to retailers at the end of this year and will be for sale to the public next year.
UNDATED (AP) – The key to getting drummer Bill Ward working with Black Sabbath again: Ozzy Osbourne has to make nice.
Ward writes on his website Osbourne has said false things about him, and because Osbourne has said them publicly, he wants Osbourne to amend his words publicly.
Ward says he doesn’t want an apology through a representative or for Osbourne to say something like, “Oh, that’s all over now.”
Ward and Black Sabbath had a falling-out in 2012 over what Ward called an unsignable contract.
Ward says he still wants a contract he can approve.
In the meantime, the Bill Ward Band is preparing to release an album called “Accountable Beasts.”
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) – Jon Bon Jovi is opening up a one-stop facility to help families on the New Jersey shore get food and health care.
The B.E.A.T. Center — which stands for Bringing Everyone All Together — will be in Toms River, New Jersey.
It will allow people to get food stamps, health services, meals for at-risk children and seniors and job training in the food industry.
The center will also house the second location of the JBJ Soul Kitchen, a restaurant that allows diners to pay through donation or by doing volunteer work.
NASHVILLE (AP) – Tim McGraw will give all the proceeds from his July 17 concert in Hartford, Connecticut, to prevent another Sandy Hook tragedy. McGraw will perform as a benefit for Sandy Hook Promise, an organization founded after the Sandy Hook shootings in 2012 that aims protect children from gun violence. A friend of McGraw’s fiddle player lost a child in the shootings. Billy Currington and Chase Bryant will open the show.
Tom Petty’s back catalog, both solo and with The Heartbreakers, is being remastered in high-resolution digital audio and most of the revamped albums are now available for purchase now at HDTracks.com.
The project was overseen by Ryan Ulyate, who co-produced Petty’s 2014 albumHypnotic Eye, and the remasters were approved by Tom himself.
In a new video posted on Petty’s official YouTube channel, the singer/songwriter discusses the benefits of listening to his music in high-res.
“Many people haven’t discovered it yet and maybe…you don’t understand it, but you will understand it when you listen to it,” he maintains in the clip. “It’s many, many times the resolution of an MP3 or a CD…If you turn it on, it’s gonna change everything for you musically.”
Petty also points out, “You’ll actually hear what we hear in the studio sitting behind the console, which would make me very happy. I think an MP3 is five percent of what I’m hearing here in the studio, so while I’m kicking my ass trying to give you the highest fidelity there is, I hate for you to miss out on that.”
In addition, Tom notes that the high-resolution versions of the albums are mastered at a lower volume, so you should turn the volume up when listening to them.
He explains that, in contrast, albums mixed for MP3s and CDs are “so loud that it’s very hard to get the frequencies in the middle of the record, all these beautiful sounds.”
Most of the new high-res editions of Petty’s album were created using the original first-generation master tapes.
Here’s a list of all of the high-res Petty albums now available at HDTracks.com:
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1976) You’re Gonna Get It (1978) Hard Promises (1981) Long After Dark (1982) Southern Accents (1985) Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (1985) Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) (1987) Full Moon Fever (1989) Into the Great Wide Open (1991) The Last DJ (2002) Highway Companion (2006) Mojo (2010)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) – The sons of John Mellencamp have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery charges.
The Bloomington Herald-Times reports 19-year-old Speck Mellencamp will spend four days in jail and 20-year-old Hud Mellencamp will serve 50 hours of community service.
They were charged with punching and kicking a 19-year-old man in Bloomington that they believed hit Speck Mellencamp in July 2013.
UPDATE: Due to an unfortunate event, Mark Selby will no longer be able to play in Wilson on April 17. He has rescheduled the show for this fall instead. Those who have already purchased tickets will be contacted by
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Mark Selby
Kansas’ own Mark Selby will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at Wilson High School, performing his Grammy Award-winning songs.
Advanced ticket purchases are $15 each and $20 the night of the concert.
Meet-and-greet VIP tickets are $50, and will give concert goers a chance to meet with Selby, a Fort Hays State University graduate, at 5 p.m. VIP guests receive a glass of wine, a signed poster, as well as preferential seating at the front of the gymnasium for the concert. There is a 50-guest limit for the meet-and-greet.
All proceeds will benefit music programs at Wilson schools.
Tickets can be purchased at the following locations:
•The Midland Railroad Hotel; Wilson
•Any branch of the Wilson State Bank; Wilson, Russell, Hoisington and Beverly
•Any Cerv’s locations: Hays, Hoisington and Great Bend
•Klema Apple Market in Russell
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A gifted musical artist and hit songwriter, Mark Selby’s career is one of unusual depth and diversity. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Selby has written career-defining songs for artists in multiple genres and frequently contributes signature guitar work to ‘Music City’ recording sessions. As a solo artist he’s earned critical acclaim and a devoted international following, carving out an earthy, gritty sound steeped in blues and rootsy rock. His latest album, Blue Highway, was released in 2013 on ZYX/PepperCake. A boxed-set retrospective of Selby’s work was released by ZYX in 2014.
A native of Oklahoma, Selby earned a degree in guitar and music composition at Fort Hays University in Kansas, then developed a loyal following across the central U.S. as a solo acoustic performer and bandleader. He landed a publishing contract soon after moving to Nashville in the 1990’s, writing songs for major artists like Wynona Judd, Trisha Yearwood, Lee Roy Parnell and the Dixie Chicks, who scored a Grammy-winning number one hit with “There’s Your Trouble,” written by Selby and his wife and frequent collaborator Tia Sillers. Selby may be best known for a string of #1 Mainstream Rock singles co-written with blues-rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd, including “Blue On Black,” which topped the chart for a record-setting 17 straight weeks and was named Billboard Magazine’s Rock Track of the Year.
In 2000, Selby signed with Vanguard Records as a solo artist. He produced his debut, More Storms Comin’, with Brent Maher, setting the template for Selby recordings to come: passionate songwriting, soulful vocals and plenty of searing, toneful guitar work. The album launched the rock radio hit “She’s Like Mercury” and was followed by the critically-acclaimed 2003 release, Dirt, which Rolling Stone called an “exceptional sophomore CD,” and Vintage Guitar summed up as “11 of the best tracks of rock and roll we’ll hear this year.” American Songwriter proclaimed Selby “in the same league as Bruce Springsteen, with meaty words, a compelling voice, and tracks that have more groove than a vintage vinyl record.”
Selby released a solo acoustic album, Mark Otis Selby…and the Horse He Rode In On (2006) for the German ZYX/Pepper Cake label, and returned with his band for Nine Pound Hammer (2008). ZYX also released a live concert CD and DVD entitled One Night in Bonn (2010), recorded at the legendary German television concert series Rockpalast. 2010 also saw the release of Selby-Mills-LeMaire , featuring Selby with fellow hit songwriters Clay Mills and Sonny LeMaire.
Touring regularly over the past decade, Mark Selby has performed with everyone from Jeff Beck to B.B. King, Collective Soul, Lynrd Skynrd and many others. Recent songwriting credits include releases by David Nail, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Canadian superstar Johnny Reid, who Selby also records and tours with as guitarist and music director.
2015 is shaping up to be an eventful year for The Rolling Stones. Not only is the band embarking on a new North American tour next month, guitarist Keith Richards says he may be releasing a new solo album before the end of the year.
The 71-year-old rock legend tells Rolling Stone that the project is done and he’s now trying to decide exactly when he’s going to release it.
“The Stones have been working so much lately that I’ve been holding off until we could find a reasonable time,” he explains. “I think it’s September, but I don’t know for sure.”
Richards says he co-produced the album with drummer Steve Jordan, who also worked with Keith on his first two solo efforts — 1988’s Talk Is Cheap and 1992’s Main Offender. A couple of other longtime collaborators, guitarist Waddy Wachtel and Stones backing vocalist Bernard Fowler, also contributed to the new album.
Richards tells Rolling Stone that there’s a good chance he’ll support the album with some solo tour dates, while noting that he’s more focused on the Stones tour at the moment.
“[U]sually if I put a record out, I do some road work,” he points out. “So, it’s possible.”
Meanwhile, Richards reveals that The Rolling Stones have been “talking about doing some recording after this tour,” although they have no concrete plans yet.
“We just threw out the idea,” Keith notes, adding, “I’d like to get the boys back in the studio again, yeah. Anything can happen.”
Richards also tells Rolling Stone that, despite his advancing age, he doesn’t think about retirement. In fact, he says he’s still interested what The Stones can accomplish during the band’s remaining years.
“I’d like to see just how far they can evolve,” he maintains. “I have no demands or particular visions for them, but you’re just part of this thing and I want to see how far it will go.”
The Rolling Stones’ ZIP Code Tour of North America gets under way on May 24 in San Diego.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – The home of the Dallas Cowboys will be the home to the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The 50th Annual edition of the awards event is set for Sunday night at AT&T Stadium. In the running for Entertainer of the Year are Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line. Lady Antebellum is up for vocal group of the year – competing against Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band. Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan will co-host the event, which will air on CBS.
