DAVE'S DIARY - 19/9/2023 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 3 - SERIES 57
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL HEADLINE NU COUNTRY TV
Texan western swing kings Asleep At The Wheel and Brennen Leigh headline Nu Country TV at 6.30 pm on Saturday September 23 on the eve of their Australian tour.
Cherokee Indian goldminer's daughter Lauren Reno and Maltese country singer Marty Rivers debut on the show repeated Tuesday at 1 am.
Perth born singer-songwriter Anita Spring and expat Oregonian guitar slinger Cletis Carr return to the program edited by our loyal producer Laith Graham.
Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.
Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/
BRENNEN LEIGH JOINS ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
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North Dakota born fiddler Brennen Leigh returns to Nu Country with western swing kings Asleep At The Wheel.
Brennen, now 39, joins Ray Benson's combo in their video for In Texas With A Band from her seventh album Obsessed With The West.
She also performs with Asleep At The Wheel on their Australian tour that debuts at Out On The Weekend festival on the dock of the bay at Steamworks in Williamston on Saturday October 14.
Brennen revealed she left her hometown in 1999 in previous videos Don't You Know I'm From Here and North Dakota Cowboy from her sixth album Prairie Love Letter.
She wrote all songs on the concept album produced by Robbie Fulks.
Brennen moved to Austin , Texas , and released 2009 solo album The Box and Before The World Was Made with singer-songwriter Noel McKay in 2013.
She also cut a Lefty Frizzell tribute disc after her songs were recorded by Grammy winning Texan Lee Ann Womack.
Leigh collaborated with Jim Lauderdale, John Scott Sherrill and David Olney and was twice voted Texas Music Awards Best Female Vocalist.
The mandolinist fronts country bluegrass band High Plains Jamboree with frequent writing and touring partner-guitarist McKay, bassist Simon Flory, and fiddler Beth Chrisman.
Leigh wrote songs with Sunny Sweeney including animated videos for But You Like Country Music and Staying's Worse Than Leaving for Sweeney's second album Concrete in 2011.
She now lives in Nashville where she plays Lower Broadway at Layla's, Robert's Western World and historic Station Inn.
Further info - https://www.brennenleigh.net/
THE WHEEL ROLLS BACK TO TULSA
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Western Swing kings Asleep At The Wheel return to our show with their historic video for Take Me Back To Tulsa - their tribute to Bob Wills and the roots of western swing.
The Wheel band began in 1970 in Paw, Paw, West Virginia , and have won nine Grammys and released 42 albums.
They are joined on their tour by co-founder and expat pedal steel ace Lucky Oceans who has long called Fremantle home.
Oceans, born Reuben Gosfield, met Christine Haddow - a young Australian photographer on The Boston Globe.
They wed in 1979 and moved to Fremantle where Oceans released solo albums Lucky Steels the Wheel in 1982 and Secret Steel in 2005 and discs with his Australian bands including Dude Ranch and the Zydecats .
Lucky also hosted ABC-TV-radio show The Planet.
The Wheel also performed on Nu Country TV in 2019 with fellow Texan legend Willie Nelson at his movie town Luck with its own chapel, saloon and Opry house.
Fiddler/vocalist Katie Shore went on a musical mission with help from Willie's Reserve - his line of marijuana - to spread love in Luck.
But hard luck struck Shore when she found the dispensary closed.
But Benson came to the rescue with Willie's herb superb and she won a poker game with a jack of hearts as they perform a humorous cinematic collage in their video for Jack I'm Mellow from their 34th album New Routes.
CLICK HERE for a Willie & The Wheel feature in the Diary on July 4, 2009.
LAUREN RENO GOLD RUSH DEBUT BEHIND BARS
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Nevada Cherokee Indian gold miner's daughter Lauren Reno digs up other minerals - whiskey and love - on her Behind Bars debut on our show.
She performs her video for Bottle's Worth a Dime from her new album Gold Rush she describes as “an old Western story that picks up notes from 90s country and outlaw country.”
“My goal with this album is to just touch people like the music that has touched me,” Reno added. “The reason why I do this and I put this out there - you know, it's a vulnerable place to be in - but it's like, my story that I wrote about could be the one thing that one person needs to hear.”
Reno released her debut EP S easons under her maiden name Lauren Dimock in 2015
Lauren and musician husband Ben Reno run Nashville hit-making Majestic Ape Studios.
Further info - https://laurenrenomusic.com/
MALTESE RIVERS FLOW FOR MARTY
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Maltese singer-songwriter Marty Rivers opens our show with his melancholic message video - Don't Ever Say Goodbye from his aptly titled fourth album Maltese Falcon.
Marty, now aged 52, debuted at 13 in his hometown talent quest with Conway Twitty classic It's Only Make Believe.
His independent chart-topping hits include Why Don't You, Sweet Lorena, February of '59 and If Only These Walls Could Talk.
Marty's three Maltese Falcon singles Don't Ever Say Goodbye, I'm Available and Lucky Me also topped independent music charts.
Further info - https://www.martyrivers.com/
ANITA SPRING PLAYS WITH FIRE
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Perth born singer-songwriter Anita Spring and latter day Gold Coast guitarist Anita Spring debuts on our show after appearing in the Olivia Newton John tribute show Forever Olivia.
Anita moved from Perth to Sydney with her musician parents after she debuted aged just two in her mum's 13 thirteen-piece big band with Five Little Ducks.
She later appeared in stage musicals and expanded her songwriting in overseas trips including Muscle Shoals in Alabama.
She wrote her new single Playing With Fire in Nashville.
Further info - https://www.anitaspring.com/
CLETIS CARR RETURNS IN FAST LANE
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Oregonian escapee Cletis Carr and former Nu Country FM disc jockey Cletis Carr goes into bat for our heroes on farms and front-line protectors in his new video for Hard Working People.
Cletis debuted on Nu Country TV with his live Trouble And Me video on Laneway Music from his 13th album.
Carr made his name here with Paul Norton in bands including Hillbilly Moon and Big Whiskey.
This time he wants to follow his 12 solo albums on a new disc with Dingoes ace Chris Stockley.
Carr was a frequent guest DJ on Nu Country FM at Beer Can Hill, Northcote, during the station's halcyon era before it burned down on June 26, 2000.
Cletis hung his hat in Australia for 30 years before making his 12th album Sedalia Blues with producer Alex Kellar at the Dryve-in Studio in the Blue Mountains.
Further info - https://www.cletis.com/
WIN WAYLON, GEORGE JONES AND MERLE HAGGARD
Help us celebrate being Nu Country TV members and win albums by late Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Highwaymen by becoming a Nu Country member or renewing your membership.
George, Waylon, Merle and Willie Nelson were among country historian Barbara Dowling's favourite Texans.
The Waylon, Highwaymen , Merle and George discs were donated by Barbara who died at 77 in December, 2020.
She co-hosted Long In The Saddle in our Nu Country FM era and was pioneer Australian and Victorian country music awards judge.
Barbara was admired for rising above losing her sight as a young woman and her country passion with annual trips to Waylon's birthplace in Littlefield, West Texas.
Waylon died at 64 on February 13, 2002, and is survived by singing spouse Jessi, now 80, and son Shooter, 44.
WIN KEITH URBAN CDS ALSO
We have expatriate Australasian superstar Keith Urban's chart topping 12th album The Speed Of Now - Part 1.
Also BR5-49 CD Big Backyard Beat Show and Billy Ray Cyrus's historic 1992 album Some Gave All featuring Achy Breaky Heart.
We have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing memberships.
They include Brad Paisley, Eric Church, Kip Moore, Carrie Underwood and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.
CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for details.