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SMOKEY ROBINSON’S NEW CD NOW AT CRACKER BARREL
Exclusive CD Now and Then available now

 

LEBANON, Tenn.  (November 1, 2010) Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is pleased to let you know that R&B legend and American icon Smokey Robinson’s newest CD, Now and Then, is now available. The CD features 12 songs. Six are live versions of classics you probably already love, including “Going to a Go-Go,” “I Second That Emotion,” “The Tracks of My Tears,” and “The Tears of a Clown,” recorded in 2010 during various performances. The other six are from his 2009 CD, Time Flies When You’re Having Fun,including “Time Flies,” “Don’t Know Why,” and “Girlfriend.”  Now and Then serves up smooth ballads and some of the classic Motown hits that made Smokey Robinson one of the most beloved and influential figures in the history of popular music. It is available now, only at Cracker Barrel.

Now and Then is the first release by an R&B artist in the Cracker Barrel exclusive music program, best known for featuring country and bluegrass artists. While country music is and will continue to be an important part of the program, working with Smokey Robinson was an ideal opportunity to expand the exclusive music program, according to Senior Vice President of Marketing Chris Ciavarra. “Fifty years ago, Smokey Robinson helped create the 'Motown Sound' and changed pop music forever. Today, Smokey's music continues to have widespread appeal across generations of music lovers. Cracker Barrel has millions of guests who enjoy all kinds of music, so it's a great fit,” said Chris. “We're pleased to offer Now and Then and we think our guests are really going to enjoy it. Smokey sounds just as amazing now as he did then.”

Smokey Robinson has logged 37 Top 40 hits in his career and has received a number of significant awards, including a Grammy^® Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy^® for “Best R&B Performance, Male,” and the Soul Train Music Award for Career Achievement. He has been inducted into the Songwriter Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has also received the prestigious Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award from ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). Smokey Robinson has been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame both as a solo artist and with his group, The Miracles. He received a Kennedy Center honor in 2006 and is the sterling pen and satin voice behind such mega hits as “Shop Around,” “Tracks of My Tears,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Tears of a Clown,” “I Second That Emotion,” and “Going to a Go-Go,” among many others.

“I am glad to have my new CD, Now and Then, available exclusively at Cracker Barrel,” said Smokey.  “I think many of my fans are also Cracker Barrel fans, and having my CD available when they come in to have a meal will please them. With almost 600 locations and a website, I am confident that my fans will be able to get this CD easily, and that’s important these days when places that sell music are becoming rarer.”

Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program features numerous projects. In September of this year of this year, Cracker Barrel released the self-titled Rodney Atkins, which includes four #1 hits, and also released Mandy Barnett’s Winter Wonderland, which offers up all the authentic sounds of the  holiday traditions so many of us cherish. In July, the company released Craig Morgan’s That’s Why - Collector’s Edition, and in May the release of Wynonna’s Love Heals debuted at #7 on the Billboard Magazine Top Country Albums chart. February’s release of Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart, where it spent nine weeks in the top position and 19 weeks overall in one of the three top positions since its release on February 1st  Releases in 2009 included November’s Songs of Love and Heartache by Alan Jackson, September’s release of an exclusive new version of The Foundation by the Zac Brown Band, August’s George Jones’ release of A Collection Of My Best Recollection, May’s release of Montgomery Gentry’s For Our Heroes, which debuted at #5 on Billboard Magazine’s Top Country Albums chart, and March’s release of Dolly Parton’s Collector’s Edition of Backwoods Barbie,which debuted at #9 on that chart. Over the last few years, Cracker Barrel has released exclusive CDs with Bill Gaither, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs, Aaron Tippin, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Josh Turner, Amy Grant, Sara Evans, and Charlie Daniels.