DAVE'S DIARY - 11/12/07 - PREVIEW EPISODE 2 - SERIES 9

GRETCHEN & MERLE HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV

Redneck woman Gretchen Wilson and legendary outlaw Merle Haggard headline Nu Country TV this Saturday - December 15 at 8 p m on C 31. The duo performs a parody of society's tepid tastemakers in their humorous vintage hit Politically Uncorrect. Viewers can play spot the celebrity in the rollicking video from Wilson's second CD All Jacked Up. Haggard and Wilson performed at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne in different decades. Merle, now 70, and his Strangers played in the Governor's back paddock in 1996 and Gretchen was the country oasis in the Tsunami rock benefit concert there in 2005.

Ironically, Daddy Cool - featuring Nu Country TV Christmas party headliner Leslie Avril's drummer Gary Young - closed the show for Gretchen.

Gretchen and Merle are joined in this week's show by fellow stone country singers Becky Hobbs, who makes her first Australian tour in January with Kacey Jones, and Josh Turner.

We also feature Suzie Dickinson, one of our Christmas Party headliners, Brooks & Dunn tour support act Morgan Evans and Harcourt hombre Peter Denahy.

Gretchen's CD sales have soared way beyond seven million with release of her third album One Of The Boys.

She also released her riveting autobiography I'll Tell You What A Redneck Woman Is and behind the scenes DVD Undressed in 2006.

CLICK HERE for a feature on Gretchen in the Diary on January 3, 2005.
Haggard's latest album The Bluegrass Sessions hasn't been released here - but double CD Last of the Breed with octogenarian Ray Price and Willie Nelson, 74 is available.
CLICK HERE for our review from the Diary.
CLICK HERE for a Merle Haggard feature from the Diary on November 26, 2006.

BECKY HOBBS DEBUT

Oklahoma legend Becky Hobbs makes her Nu Country TV debut with her classic honky tonk song Are There Any More Like You? The video, from the Hobbs vintage compilation Best of The Beckaroo Part 1, is a salute to the history of the genre. Becky is belatedly makes her debut Australian tour in January with internationally acclaimed comedienne, singer-songwriter and producer Kacey Jones. Becky and Kacey sing for their supper on the famed Tamworth Country Music Train that leaves Geelong and Southern Cross stations at dawn on January 19. They also perform at select venues at the Tamworth Country Music festival before gigs in Victoria. We plan to host and film one of those concerts for Nu Country TV. CLICK HERE for a Becky Hobbs Feature Story

JOSH TURNER

There's no mistaking the stone country music of Grammy nominated country star Josh Turner. His road band is called the Tonkin' Honkies and he performs a video of one of his many hits Would You Go With Me on this week's show. Turner, just 30, hails from Hanna, South Carolina, and has helped fertilise the roots of country music since breaking in 2003 with Long Black Train hit. He followed with Your Man and Would You Go With Me - both songs spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. Firecracker, the upbeat single from his third album, Everything Is Fine, has already climbed to #5 on the country chart.

Everything Is Fine features a duet with R&B singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton on Nowhere Fast and with Garth Brooks' singing spouse Trisha Yearwood on Another Try.

One of the album's highlights is his remake of One Woman Man - a hit for Johnny Horton in 1956 and for George Jones in 1989.

CLICK HERE for a review of Turner's debut disc Long Black Train in the Diary.

HARCOURT BOY BEHIND THE BAR

Peter Denahy was once best known as a musician for hire on the national scene - he played fiddle, accordion and guitar in the late Slim Dusty's Travelling Country Band from 1998. But, now three albums along the outback trail, the boy from a small farm at Harcourt near Bendigo, is also in demand as a humorist singer-songwriter. Peter explains the plight of nocturnal hotel workers his video for his single The Bloke Behind The Bar. Denahy is promoting new album Picture In A Frame that includes collaboration with former Nu Country DJ and TV show host Paul Hicks on Old Pine Tree. While touring with Slim in 2000 he released his debut disc Petrol Head Fly - he also launched a self-titled disc in 2006. Further info - www.peterdenahy.com

MORGAN EVANS BIG SKIES

Newcastle novitiate Morgan Evans has blazed a hot trail since wining the Telstra Road To Tamworth quest. The former singer for rock band Solver has landed a prestige support role with Steve Forde on the debut Sydney and Melbourne concerts by Nashville superstars Brooks & Dunn. This week he performs Myles Conti directed video of Big Skies - his debut single that has made the finals of Tamworth Golden Guitar Awards video section. Morgan, 22, has been touring with fellow Golden Guitar finalist Adam Harvey and wrote Big Skies with Mark Wells. The track was recorded at Fun House in Nashville and was co-produced by expatriate Australian - former Saltbush pedal guitarist Mark Moffatt - and multi-instrumentalist Rod McCormack.

Evans performed several Global Music showcases in Nashville earlier this year and wrote with seasoned songsmiths including Little River Band co-founder Beeb Birtles.
Further info - www.myspace.com/morgev

SUZIE DICKINSON

Suzie Dickinson has made a huge impact on the thriving Australian country scene since working the Spurs honky tonk circuit in the eighties. The popular singer performed with expatriate Kiwi singer P. C Caulton & The Pick-Ups and fronted the Cisco Kids. This week she performs the Lee Roy Preston classic My Baby Thinks He's A Train - also a hit for Asleep At The Wheel and Rosanne Cash.

Suzie, a popular artist at Nu Country gigs, returns with her hot trio featuring Captain Matchbox legend Dave Flett.

Since then the in demand singing teacher, played with many bands including Banshee - an Irish and country folk group - formed with Roger Corbett of The Bushwackers.

The singer has also performed with Goanna and The Hummingbirds and is a member of the Disinfectors - a band formed by Victorian Health Services Commissioner Beth Wilson.

CLICK HERE for a feature on Suzie from The Diary on November 17, 2004.

YES, IT'S A FREE PARTY

Admission to our party, as always, is free to members, friends, Nu Country TV viewers and all country music lovers.

The Hotel Kew, replete with new beer garden, is located at 99 High Street, Kew Junction.
Table and meal bookings are available - Phone 98538960 - Fax 98531528
Email bookings - hotelkew@bigpond.net.au

We have special prizes including an Akubra hat and autographed CDS by Kacey Jones, Mike Brady, Lee and Tania Kernaghan, Troy Cassar-Daley, Adam Brand, Adam Harvey, Melinda Schneider, Catherine Britt and Arizona singer Billy Wyatt.

Guests can renew their membership or become new members at the lavish party.

Memberships help finance our return to C 31 for Series #9 of Nu Country TV early in December.

CLICK HERE for our membership page for further info.

TAMWORTH TRAIN SPONSOR

Nu Country has a new sponsor for Series #9 - The Tamworth Country Music Country Train that leaves Geelong and Southern Cross stations at dawn on January 19 for the NSW country music capital.

Headlining entertainment is Oklahoma raised stone country legend Becky Hobbs and Nashville comedienne, producer and singer-songwriter Kacey Jones.

We have new video clips by Becky and vintage footage of by Jones who hosted Nu Country TV from an Austin motel room during the Mickey Newbury festival in June of 2006.

Kacey recorded the Newbury tribute disc San Francisco Mabel Joy - the video clip, directed by New Mexico country star Stacy Dean Campbell, features singing actors Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Payne.

We'll reprise it in Series #9.

Kacey and Becky sing for their supper on the train - home for passengers during the Tamworth festival.

Nashville singer Julie Taylor performs on the train with local artists including Grant Luhrs, Connie Anderson, J R Williams, Ian Muir, Rick Bartlett, Hank Sasaki, June Harrison and Bec Hance.

Full details - www.tamworthcountrymusictrain.com.au

top / back to diary