NASHVILLE (AP) – Reba McEntire is getting into the cosmetics business. McEntire writes on Facebook she has teamed with Brett Freedman Beauty for a line of makeup called Reba Beauty. The first product is a lipstick called Reba Deluxstick. It will be sold through McEntire’s website and through Amazon beginning April 7.
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UNDATED (AP) – Tim McGraw will be the narrator for a TV documentary about basketball star Shaquille O’Neal and LSU coach Dale Brown. “Shaq and Dale” will air on the SEC Network on April 13.
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NEW YORK (AP) – Willie Nelson is ready to spill the dirt on the ups and downs of his life. His autobiography will be called “It’s A Long Story: My Life” and it comes out May 5. He will cover growing up in the Great Depression, the meanings behind his songs and stories about friends like Kris Kristofferson, Ray Charles, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.
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NASHVILLE (AP) – Wade Hayes has turned his doctor’s advice into a song to help others. Hayes has released a song called “Go Live Your Life.” Hayes had colon cancer and he says the day he found out he was all clear, his doctor told him to go live his life. Proceeds from the song’s sale will go to the non-profit group Colon Cancer Alliance Blue Note Fund.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – His music stands as a soundtrack of what was being played on Country Radio in the 1990s, and two decades later, John Berry is breathing new life into his heartfelt lyrics with the release of Songs and Stories, a program style book in which the veteran performer talks about the meaning of some of his favorite songs – from his own pen, as well as others.
The book begins with “Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye,” which the South Carolina native shares a story about a conversation he had with another friend who sought John’s marital advice- fortunately the couple is still together. 2015 marks twenty years since the release of the single, which peaked at No. 1 on the Radio & Records Country Singles chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Other Berry radio staples included in the book include “If I Had Any Pride Left At All” and “Your Love Amazes Me,” which earned the soulful singer his first chart-topper in 1994.
But, Songs and Stories is about much more than just simply hit records. Take, for example, “Salvation,” a song that was included on his 1999 Lyric Street album Wildest Dreams, and actually became a favorite of many truck drivers going to and from their destinations at night. There’s his touching story of “O Holy Night,” and the effect it has had on his family – as well as “Annie’s Song,” the epic 70s ballad from John Denver that served as such an inspiration to Berry. He also talks about leaving the backstage area following a Denver show much too early – which still stands as one of his biggest regrets.
Also included in the collection are rare photos of John, wife Robin, and their family, as well as his father Jim and mother Marie, who both figure prominently into his thoughts on “Forty Again.”
Songs and Stories will be available via the singer’s web site, www.JohnBerry.com
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STOCKHOLM (AP) – Emmylou Harris is one of the winners of the Polar Music Prize. The award jury says Harris’ voice “follows the contours of the American landscape, from the highest peaks to the endless prairie.” Harris says she is “both surprised and honored at the news of this most prestigious award.” The prize comes with cash: $120,000. Harris will receive her prize in Stockholm on June 9. Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie is also a winner of the prize.
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NASHVILLE (AP) – The man who wrote “One Piece At A Time” for Johnny Cash and “I’ll Leave This World Loving You” for Ricky Van Shelton has died. The Nashville Tennessean reports songwriter Wayne Kemp passed away Monday at a hospital in Lafayette, Tennessee, at the age of 73. A cause of death was not given. Kemp also wrote “Love Bug” for George Jones, “The Fireman” for George Strait and “I’m The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised” for Johnny Paycheck.
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NASHVILLE (AP) – A friend once asked John Berry his advice about marriage and the result was Berry’s first hit, “Standing on the Edge of Goodbye.” Berry tells the stories behind his songs in a new book, “Songs and Stories.” It also includes songs that aren’t technically his. Berry tells what the song “O Holy Night” means to his family and how “Annie’s Song” by John Denver reminds him of the time he left the backstage area at Denver’s concert too early and lived to regret it. The book is for sale at www.JohnBerry.com .
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ENCINO, Calif. (AP) – Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Florida Georgia Line are among the acts who will participate in a CBS concert special, “ACM Presents: Superstar Duets!” Others on the bill include Clint Black, Patty Loveless, Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker, Dwight Yoakam, Ronnie Milsap, Eli Young Band, Alabama, Sam Hunt and Luke Bryan. The special will tape during the ACM Party For A Cause Festival in Arlington, Texas, on April 17 and 18. The festival will benefit the Academy of Country Music’s charitable arm. The special will air May 15.
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NEW YORK (AP) – Shania Twain is going to launch her first tour in 11 years, and it will be her last. Twain will begin her “Rock This Country” tour June 5 in Seattle. She tells “Good Morning America” it will be a farewell tour because while she enjoyed her two years performing in Las Vegas, she’s ready to hang it up. She says she wants to go out with a bang. Twain says it will be a different show than the Vegas one. Canadian musician and actor Wes Mack will open for the Seattle date and all the Canadian dates, while Gavin DeGraw will open on the American dates.
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NASHVILLE (AP) – Glen Campbell’s two oldest children want someone besides his wife to make medical and financial decisions for him. Debby Campbell-Cloyd and Travis Campbell are asking a judge to appoint conservators and a guardian to protect Campbell’s interests. They say in a petition filed in Nashville in January that Campbell’s wife, Kim, is keeping their father secluded from the rest of the family and won’t let them help with his care. The petition was filed under seal but a copy was sent to The Associated Press. Kim Campbell’s attorney refused to comment because of the seal. Glen Campbell is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease and lives at a long-term care facility.
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NASHVILLE (AP) – Loretta Lynn and B.B. King will be honored by the state of Tennessee. Lynn and King are among those who have won the Distinguished Artist Award given by the Tennessee Arts Commission. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis has won an Arts Leadership Award. Governor Bill Haslam will present the awards March 17 in Nashville.
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NASHVILLE (AP) – The Grand Ole Opry House is now a landmark. It’s earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. The current theater has hosted the Opry since March 16, 1974. It’s the sixth spot to host the Opry, but the only one built specifically for it. The Opry will host a nine-month celebration of its 90th anniversary beginning March 24.
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