DAVE'S DIARY - 9/11/2015 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 11 - SERIES 28
OCTOGENARIAN WILLIE NELSON AND RAY BENSON HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Veteran Texan singing actor Willie Nelson and Ray Benson headline Nu Country TV this Saturday November 14 at 10.30 pm on Channel 31/Digital 44.
Oklahoma TV host and movie star Reba McEntire also returns to the show repeated Monday 5.30 am and 2.30 pm, Wednesday 7.30 am and Thursday 3 am.
And Kansas singer-songwriter Jerrod Niemann chooses a different coloured bandana to Willie in his return to the program filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Kiwi singer Jody Direen debuts on the eve of her appearance at CMC Rocks Queensland at Ipswich and McArthur sheep country stockman Ian Burns appears as a boundary rider.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Just follow this link on your computer or mobile phone
http://www.c31.org.au/program/view/program/nu-country-tv
WILLIE AND RAY AIN'T LOOKING FOR TROUBLE
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Shotgun Willie Nelson, 82, takes a trip with young Ray Benson, now 64, through their evocative back pages in their video for It Ain't You.
Benson and Nelson also joined forces on their Willie & The Wheel album in 2009.
Ray credits Bob Dylan's guitarist Larry Campbell for a new guitar lick in Ain't Looking For Trouble.
Both songs are on Benson's second solo album A Little Piece, produced by Lloyd Maines.
It followed Beyond Time in 2003 .
The Asleep At The Wheel co-founder, born in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , has a music Roadhouse near Austin airport and popular TV show Texas Music Scene - sibling to Austin City Limits.
Benson has released 30 albums with Asleep At The Wheel in their 45 year career.
In 1991 Ray directed the music and co-starred in the Wild Texas Wind movie with Dolly Parton and also produced the L iar's Moon movie soundtrack.
Shortly after Wheel co-founder and pedal steel guitarist Lucky Oceans moved to Fremantle they appeared in 1980 movie Roadie , with Roy Orbison, Alvin Crow, Hank Williams Jr, Joe Ely, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Merle Kilgore, Hamilton Camp, Meat Loaf, Blondie , Alice Cooper and Art Carney.
Although Ray hasn't surpassed Willie in movies he appeared in Kinky Friedman novels.
His band has won nine Grammys and he also produced three tribute discs and stage show to Bob Wills.
Ray's latest Bob Wills Is Still The King honours Bob - who died of pneumonia at 70 on May 13, 1975 - and his famed Texas Playboys .
Benson also produced Dale Watson, Suzy Bogguss, Aaron Watson, James Hand and Carolyn Wonderland albums and singles for Willie, Aaron Neville, Brad Paisley, Pam Tillis, Trace Adkins, Merle Haggard, and Vince Gill.
CLICK HERE for an Asleep At The Wheel feature and Ray Benson interview in the Diary on July 4, 2009.
CLICK HERE to win a Willie CD on our membership page.
REBA REBOUNDS FROM DIVORCE
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Singing Oklahoma born actress Reba McEntire, now 60, proved there is life after divorce - the second time - after 26 years.
She performs the video for Going Out Like That is from her 30th album Love Somebody.
Reba performed with Texan Kenny Rogers at Rod Laver Arena in 1998 - in 1999 she returned as headliner with Troy Cassar-Daley at the St Kilda Palais.
She has earned more than 55 million album sales and 63 Top 10 hits in her 40-year career.
Fellow Australian tourist - Texan singer Red Steagall - discovered Reba at a rodeo in the seventies before his Victorian tour that included the Cross Keys Hotel in Essendon.
Reba hosted her TV show, aired on Australian TV from 2001-7, and starred in 2001 Broadway hit show Annie Get Your Gun.
She appeared in movies diverse as Tremors, The Gambler Returns, The Man From Left Field, Secret Of Giving , One Night At McCool's and Buffalo Girls.
McEntire was also the voice of Betsy The Cow in 2006 animated movie Charlotte's Web , starring Beau Bridges and Dakota Fanning, filmed at diverse locations in Bacchus Marsh, Greendale and Heidelberg West football oval.
Click here for a Reba feature in the Diary on December 9, 2003.
JERODD NIEMANN CHASES GYPSY IN BLUE BANDANA
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Kansas born singer Jerrod Niemann performs Blue Bandana from his sequel to sixth album High Noon.
Niemann's video character chases freedom as earnestly as the girl that he regrets not following.
In this world right, everybody seems to be focused in on bad news, all the things that we can't even imagine people are going through, Niemann, 36, revealed.
The least we can do as entertainers is take their minds to somewhere special and try to show them that not everything is bad news all the time.
Blue Bandana for me represents a lot more than a cloth on a hot chick. It sort of reminded me of so many cool places we've been and cool faces we got to meet. I never really recorded a song that said thank you to all the fans out there that withstand the heat all day and pay their hard-earned money to let us play our music, and that song just kind of hit home.
Blue Bandana references music festivals - including Coachella, Woodstock , Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Festival.
Willie Nelson is well known for bandanas but late peer Faron Young's The Yellow Bandana was a #4 hit in 1963 and Merle Haggard's Red Bandana was #4 in 1979.
Niemann's long-time girlfriend Morgan Petek didn't wear a blue bandana when they wed in a cliff-side ceremony in San Juan , Puerto Rico , in October, 2014.
Jerrod was raised in Liberal, Kansas and graduated South Plains College in Levelland , Texas , with an Associate of Arts degree.
Niemann began his music career singing and playing acoustic guitar in Texas clubs and bars such as the Stockyard Saloon and historic White Elephant Saloon in the Fort Worth Stockyards.
In 1999 he released indie debut album Long Hard Road .
CLICK HERE for a Niemann CD Review Feature in The Diary on April 6, 2014.
JODY DIREEN BREAKS OUT
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Jody Direen proves solitary grand pianos have multiple uses before burning out in her video for Together from her second album Breaks Out. Jody hails from Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand and performed Gympie Muster in August. She returns for CMC Rocks Queensland in March for the second year and recorded Breaks Out in Nashville. "You're surrounded by world-class musicians, you can walk into any bar and 99 per cent of the time the singer will blow your mind," Direen recalled of a night in a honky-tonk bar listening to a 30-year-old who was singing for tips. "She was better than Tina Turner. I realised how tough it was, because she should've been on the world stage. "I realised a lot of it isn't just about talent. Yes, you've got to have talent, but you've got to be able to write songs and good ones. And you've got to have a work ethic and you've got to have a business mind." |
Although Jody wants to perform internationally she's determined to stay based in New Zealand.
"There have been many times I've thought, I'll pack my bags and move to Nashville or Australia, she explained.
"For so long I've been put in this box and compared to old-school country, and I love old-school country, but that's not what I perform.
"I don't mean to sound like I'm making excuses but I love New Zealand and I would really like to make a new name from country music here and get it out of that box."
"If you continually choose your path based on what others say you can and can't do, you'll never break out. That's one of the reasons I've called this album Breaks Out . I feel like I'm paving the way for people to stick to their guns."
Further info - http://www.jodydireen.com/
IAN BURNS AS A BOUNDARY RIDER
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Sheep country singing stockman Ian Burns debuts with a song produced by expat Texan Doug Bruce at his Shoo - Fly studio at his Heathcote home.
Blue Mountains trucking troubadour Jayne Denham's husband Paul directed Burns video for The Boundary Rider from his EP Good Friends.
Burns rode faithful stock horse Maggie while his canine mate Boots joined the posse in famed McArthur sheep country in NSW.
Ian recorded seven original tracks including Your Soul , co-written with Garry Fleming.
Burns lives in the Macarthur district with his wife of 27 years and two children and started work on his new album due for release at the 2016 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Further info - kris@kriskatpublicity.com.au
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate the 28th series of Nu Country TV.
Australian record companies and artists have joined forces to ensure our survival.
We're pleased to announce Sony has given us the latest CD and DVD by Georgian star Jason Aldean on the eve of his debut Australian tour in March.
We also have Angels And Alcohol - the 20th album by fellow Georgian superstar Alan Jackson.
Also new CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing your membership.
They include singing actors Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw and Toby Keith, Voice judge Blake Shelton, Ashley Monroe, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Charley Pride and more.
We also have a Lady Antebellum DVD.