DAVE'S DIARY - 9 APRIL 2018 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 18 - SERIES 34
RHONDA VINCENT HEADLINES NU COUNTRY TV
Grammy winning Missouri bluegrass queen Rhonda Vincent and her band The Rage headline Nu Country TV on Saturday April 14 at 9 pm on Channel 31/ Digital 44.
Virginia bluegrass aces The Infamous Stringdusters , who shared a Grammy this year with Rhonda, also appear in Behind Bars.
North Carolina nouveau outlaw Luke Combs made his Australian debut tour last month and returns to the show hosted by Mid Pacific Bob Olson and repeated Monday at 3 pm.
Texan traveller Lee Ann Womack appears on the program filmed and edited by Laith Graham.
Novocastrian singer-songwriter Matt Scullion and Newcastle truck driver's daughter Natalie Henry also appear on this week's show.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/
RHONDA AND THE RAGE CROSS KENTUCKY BORDERLINE
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Prolific bluegrass ace Rhonda Vincent and The Rage return with their historic 2004 hit Kentucky Borderline that has been revived on their new DVD.
The seven time Grammy nominee shared her first victory this year at the age of 55 with the Infamous Stringdusters who debut this week on Behind Bars .
Vincent has released 18 albums and two duet discs with the late Daryle Singletary and veteran Texan honky tonk hero Gene Watson since debuting at five in her family gospel group - Sally Mountain Show.
Singletary and Shotgun Willie Nelson, 84, also guest on Rhonda's two-disc set Only Me.
Rhonda recorded with her brother Darrin and Jamie Dailey as Dailey & Vincent on the title track of her 14th album Taken.
She featured on Nu Country with vocal and video cameos by singing actor Dolly Parton in Heartbreaker's Alibi from 12th album All American Bluegrass Girl .
The banjo-playing mother of two harmonized on three songs on Georgian superstar Alan Jackson's 18th album Freight Train including hit It's Just That Way.
It's one of three Top 5 hits co-written by expat Port Douglas singer-songwriter and Starmaker winner Kylie Sackley.
CLICK HERE for a Rhonda Vincent feature from the Diary on April 20, 2004.
INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS BEHIND BARS
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Virginia band Infamous Stringdusters , who tied with Rhonda Vincent & The Rage for 2018 bluegrass Grammy, debut in Behind Bars .
They provided the soundtrack for young love near mountains, surf and pool invasions
Gravity is on their eighth album Laws of Gravity.
The band emerged in 2007 with Fork in the Road on Sugar Hill Records .
Current members are Andy Hall (Dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (double bass).
They won three awards at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards Ceremony in October 2007 - Emerging Artist, Album of Year for Fork in the Road (in a tie with J.D. Crowe & the New South's album Lefty's Old Guitar ), and Song of the Year for the title cut.
Further info - http://www.thestringdusters.com/
LUKE COMBS ONE NUMBER AWAY
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North Carolina nouveau outlaw Luke Combs returns to Nu Country with his latest hit video.
Luke, just 28, performed One Number Away from his debut album This One's For You .
He played Melbourne Forum last month with Darius Rucker after they performed CMC Rocks Queensland in March.
Combs grew up in his home state's musical mecca Asheville.
His original chart topper Hurricane inspired debut album This One's For You after three indie EPS.
He also appeared on Nu Country with Hurricane, When It Rains It Pours and live version of strident social comment Can I Get An Outlaw .
Combs praised mentors including late Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings in his parody of faux modern country stars.
Luke toured here to promote his album that includes Hurricane, One Number Away, When It Rains It Pours, I Got a Way With You and the title track.
Further info - http://www.lukecombs.com/
LEE ANN WOMACK TEXAS RETURN
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Texan Lee Ann Womack tells why she returned to her home state to record her 9th album The Lonely, Lonesome & The Gone.
Her husband Frank Liddell produced it at Sugar Hill studio in his home town Houston where artists diverse as George Jones, Willie Nelson, Lightnin' Hopkins and Beyoncé made milestone recordings
The first single All The Trouble - reflection on a broken relationship alone in an almost empty apartment - has also been released.
Lee Ann wrote six of the 14 tracks - three with frequent co-writers Adam Wright and Waylon Payne.
“I wanted All the Trouble to sound like East Texas,” she says of the single written with Wright and Payne.
“I wanted it to sound like church music I grew up on, mixed with George Jones, mixed with songs I would make up in my head as a young girl. I wanted all of that on this record and it all came together on All the Trouble.
“When I was a little girl and heard people singing about sin and redemption in church. I hadn't experienced those things, but I could feel what they were singing about. But I soon learned I'd rather hear George Jones or Willie Nelson sing gospel, because I want to hear a real sinner sing those songs. They don't seem so I've got all the answers, but more ‘I'm looking for answers.' Really, we're all looking for answers.”
Womack, daughter of a small town Texan DJ, won a Grammy with Willie Nelson for their 2002 duet, Mendocino County Line.
In 2010 during her solo recording hiatus she sang Liars Lie on Tim McGraw-Gwyneth Paltrow Country Strong movie soundtrack.
Lee Ann played a sheriff - Chief Deputy Claire Wades in a small East Texas town in another movie Noble Things.
Womack credits her writers for her success in CMA and Americana awards.
“When you get songwriters like Julie Miller, Hayes Carll, Adam Wright, Mando Saenz and Mindy Smith, Neil Young, Bruce Robeson, Brent Cobb, Brennan Leigh and Kenny Price, who wrote Tomorrow Night in Baltimore for Roger Miller, it's not letting those writers down,” Womack says.
Ironically, Lee Ann competed for a CMA award with fellow Texan Miranda Lambert who shares husband Frank as producer.
It's a far cry from Belmont University in Nashville when she met and wed singer-songwriter Jason Sellers in 1990.
They divorced in 1996 - five years after having a daughter Aubrie Lee, also a singer.
Womack gave birth to second daughter, Annalise Liddell, in January 1999 after marrying Liddell
Lee Ann appeared on Nu Country with Chances Are from eighth album The Way I'm Living .
The Grammy nominated song was penned by fellow Texan Hayes Carll who toured Australia with Hunter Valley singer Kirsty Lee Akers.
She played the 2015 Americana Festival with Sam Outlaw, Whitey Morgan and Melbourne band Raised By Eagles.
The six time CMA winner scored her first CMA award 15 years ago for I Hope You Dance .
That same year George Strait and Alan Jackson's version of Larry Cordle-Larry Shell penned satiric Murder on Music Row , featuring her harmonies, won Song of the Year.
CLICK HERE for a Lee Ann CD review in The Diary on March 28, 2005.
MATT SCULLION FAVOURITE DISTRACTION
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Ulladulla raised singer-songwriter Matt Scullion filmed his latest video for Favourite Distraction in his latter day hometown Newcastle. The prolific hit writer's message is clear - don't be distracted by love when you fire up a BBQ. Favourite Distraction is on second album I'm Just A Song that followed debut disc Put It Down To Experience. Scullion was born at Ulladulla on the NSW south coast and started his first band Phantasy when he was 16. Matt moved to Sydney at 19, played in numerous bands and enrolled in an audio engineering course in the art of studio recording. He moved to Tamworth after a 12 year stint in Darwin touring the outback with bands Dark Horse and Bronwyn Bishop's Love Children. Scullion spent over 15 years travelling between Nashville and Newcastle, honing his craft. |
He recently returned from a six year writing stint in Nashville and also appeared in Paul Hogan movie Charlie & Boots.
Scullion has penned 16 #1 country songs and recorded with Ian Moss, Lee Kernaghan, Sara Storer, Brian Cadd, Adam Harvey, Travis Collins, Amber Lawrence, Drew McAlister, Rick Price, Richard Clapton, Wolfe Brothers, Jayne Denham and many more.
Scullion and his new band Lost Moments performed at Tamworth in January and won his first Golden Guitar for writing Our Backyard with Amber Lawrence and Travis Collins.
Further info - www.mattscullion.com
TRUCKIE'S DAUGHTER NATALIE
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Fellow Newcastle singer-songwriter Natalie Henry debuts on Nu Country with her evocative debut single If We Said Goodbye. It was produced by Bill Chambers with the message “you can raise your babies equally as well, apart.” She describes it as a powerful exploration of what happens to a family when they walk down a path of separation. Her song echoes her own life - she was the product of a broken home, with numerous stepbrothers, sisters and mothers. Natalie was raised on country music in her dad's prime mover truck but didn't start her singing career until she was 34. |
She also recorded Lachlan Bryan produced album Cold Love with husband Brock - son of a cop - as the Wayward Henrys.
They met as high school sweethearts.
Further info - https://business.facebook.com/natalie.v.henry/?ref=py_c
HOW TO KEEP NU COUNTRY ON AIR
We need your support as we celebrate Nu Country TV's 34th series with Australian record companies and artists teaming to ensure our survival.
We have Blake Shelton's 12th CD If I'm Honest from Karen Black and Tony Midolo at Warner Music.
We also have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing membership.
They include Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for full details.