DAVE'S DIARY - 25/4/2022 - PREVIEW OF EPISODE 9 - SERIES 51

BLAKE SHELTON HEADLINES NU COUNTRY TV

Oklahoma superstar and TV host Blake Shelton headlines Nu Country TV on Saturday April 30 at 9.30 pm.

Louisiana born rodeo queen Kylie Frey and sisters-in-song Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde return to the show repeated on Wednesday at 11.30 pm.

Boston bred bluegrass quintet Della Mae boomerang to Behind Bars on the program filmed and edited by our multi-talented lockdown producer-host Laith Graham.

Chinchilla melon farm born rodeo rider-DJ Larry Cann and Melbourne quartet Darlinghurst return this week.

Nu Country TV is a highlight of C 31 streaming list on Digital 44.

Further info - https://www.c31.org.au/

BLAKE DREAMS OF RESURRECTION

Thrice wed singer-songwriter, restaurateur and TV host Blake Shelton enjoys his out of life experience on return as he sings of resurrection as a country boy with a red neck.

Shelton is well qualified - he knocked over trees with single blows in his Come Back As A Country Boy video that follows his 14 th album Body Language.

Blake, 45 and major charity benefactor, may have a vast cast for this return.

Shelton was joined by the Pistol Annies on a feisty flashback to a rural romp with pick-up trucks and wildlife on a previous Nu Country show with Boys Round Here - originally on his 2013 album Based On A True Story.

The Pistol Annies features his former singing spouse - Texan troubadour Miranda Lambert - and released four albums between their solo discs.

Blake wed third wife - fellow singer Gwen Stefani on July 3, 2021 - and debuted their Nobody But You video on Nu Country last year.

Shelton opens his Ole Red diner-and music venue at Nashville airport this year.

The $4.5 million C Terminal project boasts 190 seats, concert acoustics and the largest stage in the airport.

Ole Red joins four sibling venues in Orlando , Florida , Tishomingo , Oklahoma , Nashville and Gatlinburg , Tennessee.

CLICK HERE for a Blake feature in The Diary on June 11, 2018.

KYLIE FREY SADDLES UP

Louisiana born rodeo queen Kylie Frey fires up her guitar and chases her beau on horseback in her Nu Country TV return.

Kylie, 27, had no trouble mounting her steed - she's a third generation rodeo rider.

Spur of The Moment is on her new EP Rodeo Queen.

Kylie and Mississippi man Randy Houser teamed on another Nu Country video for Horses In Heaven on stage at the National Rodeo Finals in Arlington, Texas.

Frey is well qualified - her late grandpa taught her to ride horses when she was just five years old.

"The odds of anyone having the same story of a grandpa teaching them how to ride horses is not very common. The song was so personal to me that I didn't think anyone would relate to it," Kylie revealed.

"My grandpa was a really important person in my life and, and I wouldn't have grown up in the rodeo if it wasn't for him. My grandpa would always say one day, you're going to sing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo. He would tell me that's how I was going to get my start because that's how Reba McEntire did it and that's how I was going to do it."

Further info - https://www.kyliefrey.com/

CARLY PEARCE AND ASHLEY MCBRYDE

Kentuckian Carly Pearce and Arkansas traveller Ashley McBryde return to Nu Country with a morality tale.

They sourced their video from what they found on a cheater's phone and dialed up a new song they wrote and recorded.

Never Wanted To Be That Girl is on Carly's third album 29 - Written In Stone.

Pearce celebrated her 34th birthday last week and Ashley, 38, is one of eight children of an Arkansas farmer and preacher.

Carly also fronted Nu Country with Dear Miss Loretta - her evocative homage to fellow Kentucky born belle Loretta Lynn who is still recording aged 89.

Loretta is older than singing Texan actor-songwriter Willie Nelson who turned 89 this week.

Pearce was inspired by duet partner Patty Loveless - another Kentucky coalminer's daughter and singer.

Carly wed Florida singer Michael Ray on October 6, 2019, on a Nashville farm but divorced him after eight months of marriage.

She hails from Taylor Hill, fronted bluegrass bands from age of 11, played prison concerts at 14 and moved to Dollywood at Pigeon Forge for a music residency at 16.

Carly fronted Nu Country with Lee Brice on I Hope You Are Happy Now, Hide The Wine and Every Little Thing and West Texan Josh Abbott with Wasn't That Drunk from Josh's fourth album Front Row Seat.

Ashley toured here in 2019 with fellow chart topper Luke Combs and played St Kilda Palais .

Her sixth album Never Will followed Girl Going Nowhere.

CLICK HERE for Ashley's concert review in The Diary on March 13, 2019.

Further info - https://www.carlypearce.com/home

DELLA MAE LIVE IN A DRY TOWN

Boston bred bluegrass quintet Della Mae scored international success after taking their name from the Big Spike Hammer song in 2009.

They return to Nu Country with their live version of Dry Town from fifth album Family Reunion.

The Grammy nominated IBMA Award winning quintet debuted on Nu Country with evocative Change video on their fourth album Headlight.

Della Mae , formed in 2009, includes fiddler-co-founder Kimber Ludiker, vocalist Celia Woodsmith, mandolinist Jenny Lynn Gardner and bassist Zoe Guigueno.

Headlight featured 12 Della Mae originals including collaborations with McCrary Sisters on three tracks.

Further info - https://www.dellamae.com/

LARRY CANN RURAL RODEO BENEFACTOR

Queensland rodeo rider and country music DJ Larry Cann debuts with pathos primed video Country Cries.

The Chinchilla melon farm born singer-songwriter and father of three is inspired by suffering of farmers in the bush and beyond.

Kingaroy singer-songwriter Larry's music supports Drought Angels rural relief charity foundation.

He wrote Country Cries after the suicide of a fellow rodeo rider-farmer near Bundaberg.

It's on his third album The Road, Family and Home .

"It was inspired by losing a dear friend a few years ago whom I always thought had a perfect family,” Cann revealed.

“Then earlier that year a chance meeting with a local councilor near where I live who had also dealt with the loss of a loved one taking their own life I sat down and one week to the day after that meeting I wrote Country Cries . Please if you're struggling talk to someone and let's change the end and let the country smile again instead of cry, reach out there is help!"

It's on his album produced by expat Australian Michael Flanders in Nashville and features Larry's joyous self-penned entrée Country Cool - one of four originals.

It also includes a revamped Some Kind Of Cowboy he penned with Allan Caswell and duet with James Blundell on their 30-year celebration of Blundell's 1992 hit This Road .

Larry's rodeo work as competitor-ring announcer takes him overseas and fuelled 15 years of radio programming and marketing.

Further info - https://www.n1m.com/larrycann

DARLINGHURST MAKING SENSE

Melbourne quartet Darlinghurst prove why they were one of the most popular artists at the seventh Out On The Weekend festival at Steamworks on the dock of the bay at Williamstown in December last year.

They perform their video for Stop Making Sense - one of seven songs on their self-titled debut album.

The band - Jason Resch, Pagan Newman, Cassie Leopold and Matt Darvidis - also delivered a strong message in previous video Where We Go.

Further info - https://www.darlinghurst-band.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 78, and son Shooter, 42.

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 that features Achy Breaky Heart.

Join Watling & Bates as members and win their 13 track CD Small Town Tale.

We have other CDS by major artists you can win by becoming a Nu Country TV member or renewing your membership.

They include Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Kip Moore and late larrikin legend A.P. Johnson.

CLICK HERE for our Membership Page for details.

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