■ REBA KICKS OFF ARENA TOUR WITH GEORGE STRAIT; RECALLS THEIR FIRST TOUR TOGETHER: Reba and George Strait kicked off their co-headlining arena tour with Lee Ann Womack this weekend in Baltimore. Many people may think this is the first time the superstars have toured together, but they actually shared the stage in the early 1980s, opening for Conway Twitty. We asked Reba what she remembers about that early tour together. “The first time George and I toured together was in the early 80s, opening the show for Conway Twitty,” notes Reba. “One weekend of the tour, I had flown into the city we were playing instead of riding the bus with the band and crew. I got a call from my tour manager and he said the bus had broken down and they were renting a school bus to get to the show. I asked them to be sure and get me an outfit out of my stateroom so I’d have something to wear at the concert that night. When we all met up at the show, they had gotten all the equipment, band gear, everything they needed to put on a show…except an outfit for me! I had to wear the same clothes I had flown in all day! George invited me to ride on his bus the next day. I sure enjoyed visiting with George and his group.” Needless to say, thankfully, Reba’s not having to worry about a bus breakdown this time around!
■ THIS YEAR MARKS JEWEL’S 15TH YEAR IN MUSIC BUSINESS: 2010 marks Jewel’s 15th year in the music business, after signing with Atlantic Records and launching her worldwide breakthrough smash “Who Will Save Your Soul?” in 1995. So much has changed in the music business since then, most notably the impact of digital media and commerce. Jewel was on the forefront of what has now become known as social networking and digital fan engagement in the late 1990s as the internet was just becoming mainstream. We asked Jewel why she feels it is still essential to stay engaged with her fans on such an intimate level. “There have definitely been a lot of changes in my business,” says Jewel, whose new single “Stay Here Forever” was one of this week’s Most Added songs at Country radio. “Between a lot of labels basically collapsing and the economy further hurting it, everyone is scrambling to figure out how to be a musician in the modern age. I personally feel excited! I think a direct relationship between the artist and the fans is the future. I also look forward to trying to release more music more frequently. The ability to record at my home in Texas has been a dream come true. It has given me the ability to record so many of my unreleased and unrecorded songs at my own pace, really focusing on making them great and not under a time crunch! Fans, artists and labels will forge their own way into the future…not only how we sell and buy, but how we experience music in the new age of the business. I am hopeful and excited for what comes next!”
■ JIMMY WAYNE’S NEW SINGLE ‘JUST KNOWING YOU LOVE ME’ FEATURES WHITNEY DUNCAN: Jimmy Wayne’s new single from his acclaimed album Sara Smile will be the track “Just Knowing You Love Me”, a song Jimmy co-wrote with Brett Beavers and Tony Martin. “I feel like my strengths are in song ideas. I write a lot,” notes the singer-songwriter, who is currently walking 1600 miles across America on his Meet Me Halfway campaign. “I’ve been keeping a journal since I was 12 or 13. I have lists and lists of song ideas. Brett Beavers had this melody. I went through my song list and said, ‘I have a title that fits that. It’s called ‘Just Knowing You Love Me.’’ I sang it, and it was the perfect marriage. It was amazing how well it fit. Brett and Tony Martin have both proven that they can write hit songs. It was Tony who said ‘Jimmy, this is a hit.’” The single edit of the song (shipping next week) will feature Whitney Duncan.
■ JUSTIN MOORE JOINS FRIENDS CHRIS YOUNG & RANDY HOUSER ON CRS NEW FACES SHOW: Justin Moore been selected to perform on the prestigious New Faces Show at Country Radio Seminar in February: the rising star will join Love & Theft, Gloriana, Chris Young and Randy Houser on stage. We asked Justin what it means to you to be voted onto the show by his friends at Country radio. “It means the world to me to get to play this show decided on by Country radio,” states Justin. “It is surreal to me that those folks have embraced my music as early on in my career as they have. I will spend my entire career trying to repay them for making my dreams come true.” Justin joins Chris Young and Randy Houser on the bill as rising stars credited with bringing a traditional sound back to the forefront of the format. “I've been friends with those guys for a while,” continues Justin. “We seem to share the same idea of what Country music is to us. Randy and Chris are both outstanding singers and songwriters, but, they are both even better individuals. I'm excited to play this show with friends.”
■ RANDOM NOTES: As we leaked here last week, beginning January 27, fans who purchase VALENTINE’S DAY movie tickets throughwww.fandango.com or www.movietickets.com will get a special free download of the original demo version of the Jewel’s single “Stay Here Forever” [from VALENTINE’S DAY Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] through iTunes. In conjunction with the soundtrack and movie launch, Jewel will perform “Stay Here Forever” on Lopez Tonight [airing 2/9] and on Live! With Regis and Kelly [airing week of 2/15]…As ABC Radio reported, Reba has launched her new line of fine gifts at Dillard's. It's called Studs & Stitches and falls under her Harmony for the Home collection. Some of the items included in Studs & Stitches are silver picture frames, a silver pitcher and candy dishes. Check it out atRebawear.com…On the opening weekend of George Strait & Reba’s co-headlining arena tour, Lee Ann Womack joined Reba on stage for a version of Reba’s 1993 smash “Does He Love You” and Comedian Melissa Peterman made a special appearance prior to Reba’s performance of her hit song and TV theme “I’m A Survivor”.
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