email : Webview : CA's Artist News (4/22)

This is an industry-only version of an email that Country stations in dozens of top markets deliver
to their loyal listener databases.

April 22, 2014

» Eric Goes High Octane:

Not every artist walks away bloody after performing with George Strait, but Eric Church does. Or at least he did after cutting the index finger on his left hand the night before his recent appearance on Strait's The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. "I didn’t go to the emergency room because I was worried the stitches would take me out of the show," Church tells Country Countdown USA host Lon Helton. "So my father-in-law gets kerosene, and I dip my finger in kerosene ... for about an hour. Then I super-glued it together [and] wrapped it. I am not missing this George Strait show, no matter what!" Church tried playing with the wrap during sound check, to no avail. "My jeans from that night got blood all over them," Church says. "I kept wiping my hand on my jeans. I thought it was kind of rock-and-roll, bleeding all over your guitar."

» Plane Ol' Picture:

Dierks Bentley has launched the "Drunk On A Plane" interactive photo booth to celebrate the release of his single of the same name. Fans can upload their pictures and customize them with various aviation and party themed stickers. Bentley will feature two of his favorites on his Facebook and Twitter pages each week. Check it out here.

» I'm Already There: Lonestar will headline the inaugural show – the Salute To America Concert – in the A Veterans Concert Series presented by Helping Hospitalized Veterans during Memorial Day weekend in Belton, TX. Admission is free, but tickets are required. The series will continue in Grand Junction, CO in June and Chicago in August, with additional dates and cities to be announced. The shows are designed to recognize veterans, active military and their families in cooperation with A Soldier's Wish, which raises funds for support. More here.

» Crib Note:

Congratulations to Lady Antebellum's Dave Haywood and wife Kelli, who are expecting their first child. Lady A announced the news on Twitter, where they said, "So excited for a new Baby A on the way in Sept! And it's a boy!" Tweet them your best wishes here.

» Chronicle:

Our sympathies are with the family and friends of Kevin Sharp, who passed away Saturday (4/19) in Fair Oaks, CA following complications related to past surgeries for digestive issues. While battling a rare form of bone cancer as a teenager, Sharp met award-winning producer David Foster with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The relationship led to a record deal on Asylum, which released Sharp's first album Measure Of A Man in 1996. Its debut single "Nobody Knows," a cover of the pop song made famous by the Tony Rich Project, helped the album sell more than 500,000 copies. Sharp later became a spokesperson for Make-A-Wish and a motivational speaker. The family requests that memorial donations be made to local chapters of Make-A-Wish here. Send condolences and share memories of Sharp with the family here. A memorial service is being planned in Nashville with details to come here.

Hit List

Craig Morgan's 8th Annual Charity Event will be held July 20 in Dickson, TN. It includes a celebrity off-road trail ride and outdoor concert and benefits the Dickson County Craig Morgan Foundation, which supports foster children. Tickets on sale May 9 here.
Billy Ray Cyrus will be featured in a new Skipstone Pictures/Risen Media independent film Like A Country Song premiering June 5 in Nashville and June 6 nationally. More here.
Tracy Lawrence, Joe Diffie, David Ball, Eric Heatherly, Lisa Matassa, Brother Trouble and Matt Gary are among participants in the third annual Christmas 4 Kids Celebrity Golf Tournament April 29 near Nashville. More here.
The Garden Spot Programs, 1950, featuring 24 previously unreleased live songs and radio jingles from Hank Williams, will be made available May 20 from Omnivore Records.

Birthdays

Tuesday (4/22): Glen Campbell, Kellie Coffey, Cleve Francis, Heath Wright (Riccochet).

On TV

Tuesday (4/22): Blake Shelton, The Voice (NBC).

Wednesday (4/23): Keith Urban, American Idol (FOX); Lyle Lovett, Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (CBS).

Thursday (4/24): Keith Urban, American Idol (FOX).

This Week's Album Releases

Rachele Lynae Rachele Lynae: Her debut album includes "Fishin' For Something," which she says she wrote about those guys who try to break into groups of girls dancing together at the bar; "Words In Red," which she calls a rockin' number about faith and the Bible; and a duet with Jamie O'Neal called "Two For One Special" about women who turn the tables on a cheating boyfriend.

Upcoming Album Releases

April 29 James House Broken Glass Twisted Steel

May 6 Hunter Hayes Storyline

May 6 Leah Turner Leah Turner EP

May 13 Dolly Parton Blue Smoke

May 13 Radney Foster Everything I Should Have Said

May 19 Brantley Gilbert Just As I Am

May 27 Jamie O'Neal Eternal

» Gone & Dunn It: That's Ronnie Dunn (l) operating the selfie-cam onstage with George Strait during the Tulsa stop of The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. Dunn joined Strait to perform "You Look So Good In Love" and "Amarillo By Morning." See a clip here.