1.
Winter Haven, Florida
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Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 33,874 at the 2010 census, according to the U. S. Census Bureaus 2015 estimates, the city had a population of 37,689, making it the second most populated city in Polk County. It is a city of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Timucua and the Calusa were the earliest known inhabitants of the land that would become Winter Haven, both of these groups were deeply impacted, by war and disease, from the Spanish conquest of Florida in the early 1500s. The Timucua were particularly affected by the expedition of Hernando de Soto, by the 19th century, both these groups no longer existed. During the Seminole Wars, the Seminole leader, Chipco, several small skirmishes during the war were fought in and around Winter Haven. In 1819, after the signing of the Adams-Onís Treaty, the United States gained control of Florida, the first American or European settlers in the area were encouraged to settle here by the Armed Occupation Act of 1842. This act was created to increase the white population in the area as a way to weaken the Native Americans populations after the Second Seminole War. It created generous land grants and other incentives for settlers who were willing to defend themselves against the native populations, during the 1840s and 1850s, the United States government conducted the first surveys of the area. Henry Washington conducted the first survey of the area in 1843, in 1849, Dr. John Westcott completed an extensive survey of the area, including mapping many of the local lakes. The first maps of the area were published by the United States government in 1854, in 1883, Col. Henry Haines working for Henry Plant and the Plant System, successfully built the first railroad across Polk County, passing just north of Winter Haven. Lake Haines, in Winter Haven, was named after Col. Haines, the arrival of the railroad created the first real growth in area. The area was platted in 1884 and would first be known as Harris Corners and this name was in reference to F. A. K. Harris, who opened the first mercantile store in the area around this time, the name Winter Haven was later suggested, in reference to the areas pleasant climate. By the end of the century, the population grew to approximately 400 and in 1911, the Chain of Lakes canals were begun in 1915. The first Florida boom took place in the 1920s as towns sprang up all over the peninsula, floridas potential as a place to live and a place to visit was first realized in the 1920s, but the Great Depression slowed growth until after World War II. Winter Haven Hospital was founded in 1926 and has been in the city ever since, during this period, the population of Winter Haven began to grow substantially. Many beautiful single-family homes were built in Winter Haven at this time in the revival style
2.
Vero Beach, Florida
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Vero Beach is a city in, and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the U. S. Census Bureaus 2010 data, as of the 2010 census, there were 15,220 people,7,505 households, and 3,946 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 87. 5% White,4. 8% Black,0. 30% Native American,1. 8% Asian,0. 00% Pacific Islander,3. 7% from other races, and 1. 8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10. 7% of the population,19. 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older with 4. 8% being 85 years and older. The average household size was 2.01 and the family size was 2.65. The median age was 50.9 years, for every 100 females there were 92.8 males. The population consists of 51. 3% female and 48. 7% male, Vero Beach has a humid subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and warm, sunny, and dry winters. The average annual temperature is 72.7 °F, with a high temperature of 81.4 °F. On average Vero Beach is frost free, a neolithic skull was discovered in 1915. It has since been misplaced but appears to represent a culture from 11 to 14,000 years ago, in 1872 Captain Allen W. Estes officially established the first land patent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon. In 1893 Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway began operation through the area, Vero Beach became chartered as an official town in 1919. When Indian River County is formed in 1925, Vero Beach became the county seat, during the war year of 1942 the U. S. Navy selected 1,500 acres surrounding the Vero Beach Municipal Airport as the site of a Naval Air Station. In 1951 Barber Bridge was built from mainland to barrier islands and it was later demolished and replaced in 1995 with the Merrill P. In 1957 Piper Aircraft began research and development in Vero Beach, in 1961 Piper Aircraft moved administrative and manufacturing operations to Vero after completing building additions. In 1965 the A1A bridge over the Sebastian Inlet connected the two barrier islands, Vero Beach is home to general aviation manufacturer Piper Aircraft, which is the largest private employer in Indian River County. As of July 2015, Piper employed approximately 750 people, aside from Piper, the bulk of commercial activity in Vero Beach centers around tourism, the citrus industry and service activities. There are two shopping malls the Indian River Mall and the Fashion Outlet Mall just west of I-95 on State Road 60. There are small specialty shops along Ocean Drive on the barrier island, the Historic Downtown is a newly revitalized area of shopping, dining, antique stores and art galleries
3.
Country music
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Country music is a genre of United States popular music that originated in the southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the genre of United States, such as folk music. Blues modes have been used throughout its recorded history. The term country music is used today to many styles and subgenres. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of Europe and Africa along with them for nearly 300 years. Country music was introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon, Bristol, Tennessee, has been formally recognized by the U. S. Congress as the Birthplace of Country Music, based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930. Prior to these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a musical heritage. The first generation emerged in the early 1920s, with Atlantas music scene playing a role in launching countrys earliest recording artists. Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records in 1924, many hillbilly musicians, such as Cliff Carlisle, recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s. The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville, during the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Bob Wills was another musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a hot string band. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had played at Carnegie Hall. Gospel music remained a component of country music. It became known as honky tonk, and had its roots in Western swing and the music of Mexico. By the early 1950s a blend of Western swing, country boogie, rockabilly was most popular with country fans in the 1950s, and 1956 could be called the year of rockabilly in country music. Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres
4.
Startin' with Me
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Startin with Me is the debut album of country music artist Jake Owen, released in July 2006 on RCA Records Nashville. Singles released from the album include Yee Haw, the title track, Yee Haw, the first of these three, reached number 16, Startin with Me was the highest-peaking, at number 6, and Something About a Woman peaked at number 15. Owen wrote the song Ghosts for Kenny Chesney, although Chesney expressed interest in the song, he ultimately did not record it. Also included on album is You Can Thank Dixie, which Jake Owen recorded as a duet with former Alabama lead singer Randy Owen. Jake Owen re-recorded Eight Second Ride on his album, 2009s Easy Does It
5.
Billboard (magazine)
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Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events and it is also known for its music charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular singles and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows, Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegens interest in 1900 for $500, in the 1900s, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows. It also created a service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the industry as the jukebox, phonograph. Many topics it covered were spun-off into different magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment so that it could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard was passed down to his children and Hennegans children, until it was sold to investors in 1985. The first issue of Billboard was published in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 1,1894 by William Donaldson, initially, it covered the advertising and bill posting industry and was called Billboard Advertising. At the time, billboards, posters and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the means of advertising. Donaldson handled editorial and advertising, while Hennegan, who owned Hennegan Printing Co. managed magazine production, the first issues were just eight pages long. The paper had columns like The Bill Room Gossip and The Indefatigable, a department for agricultural fairs was established in 1896. The title was changed to The Billboard in 1897, after a brief departure over editorial differences, Donaldson purchased Hennegans interest in the business in 1900 for $500, to save it from bankruptcy. That May, Donaldson changed it from a monthly to a paper with a greater emphasis on breaking news. He improved editorial quality and opened new offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London and he also re-focused the magazine on outdoor entertainment like fairs, carnivals, circuses, vaudeville and burlesque shows. A section devoted to circuses was introduced in 1900, followed by more prominent coverage of events in 1901. Billboard also covered topics including regulation, a lack of professionalism, economics and it had a stage gossip column covering the private lives of entertainers, a tent show section covering traveling shows and a sub-section called Freaks to order. According to The Seattle Times, Donaldson also published articles attacking censorship, praising productions exhibiting good taste
6.
Yee Haw
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Yee Haw is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released in February 2006 as the single from his album Startin with Me. It reached a peak of #16 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, Owen wrote this song with Casey Beathard and Kendal Marvel. The song is a party anthem in which Owen highlights the various events at a party in a bar. Allmusic described the song as try so hard to establish Owens image as a bad-ass hellraiser that finally become comical. The music video was directed by Wes Edwards and premiered in early 2006, yee Haw debuted at number 60 on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of March 11,2006. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
7.
Startin' with Me (song)
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Startin with Me is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released in October 2006 as the single and title track from the album Startin with Me. The song reached a peak of number 6 on the U. S. country singles charts, in the chorus, the singer wishes that he had not done so much wrong, stating that he would change his life if he could. Owen wrote the song with Kendall Marvel and Jimmy Ritchey, the music video was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered in early 2007
8.
Easy Does It (Jake Owen album)
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Easy Does It is the second studio album by American country music singer Jake Owen. It was released on February 24,2009, by RCA Records Nashville and it includes the Top 10 hits Dont Think I Cant Love You and Eight Second Ride. As with his first album, Easy Does It is produced by Jimmy Ritchey and it has sold 120,000 copies as of November 2009. Owen co-wrote eight of the ten songs on the album, among the co-writes are the lead-off single Dont Think I Cant Love You, which became his highest-charting single with a peak of number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on April 21,2009. Eight Second Ride, the second single, is a re-recording of a song from Owens 2006 debut album Startin with Me. Tell Me was the third single. James Lowry- acoustic guitar Gordon Mote- keyboards Jake Owen- lead vocals Jimmy Ritchey- acoustic guitar, electric guitar John Wesley Ryles- background vocals Glenn Worf- bass guitar
9.
Don't Think I Can't Love You
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Dont Think I Cant Love You is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released in August 2008 as the single release of his career. Owen wrote the song with Kendal Marvel and Jimmy Ritchey, dont Think I Cant Love You was co-written by Jake Owen, along with his producer Jimmy Ritchey and Kendal Marvel. The song is a mid-tempo in triple meter, accompanied by electric guitar, in it, the male narrator explains that, although he does not have much money, he is still able to show love for the woman he is addressing. Allen Jacobs of Roughstock, a music review site, gave the song a favorable review. Although he said the lyrics have been said a bunch of times before and he also compared Owens strong, baritone voice to Alan Jackson and said, Owen sings the words passionately and has delivered a solid contemporary country single. Kevin J. Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B- rating, calling the song pleasant to the ears but added, a music video, directed by David McClister, was released for the song on November 6,2008. In the video, Owen is shown performing in a courtyard with his band, as couples are dancing in their apartments. Dont Think I Cant Love You peaked at number 2 on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in March 2009 and this song was Owens second to reach the top 10. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
10.
Eight Second Ride
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Eight Second Ride is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Jake Owen. It was released in June 2009 as the single of Owens career. Owen had previously recorded the song on his 2006 debut album Startin with Me, Owen wrote this song with Eric Durrance. The song received mixed reviews from critics who questioned the production, Eight Second Rule peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and number 70 on the Hot 100. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, Eight Second Ride is an up-tempo in the key of D Dorian in which the male narrator meets a female in a bar, then takes her out to his pickup truck. The title is a reference to the time limit in bull riding. Owen had previously recorded the song on his 2006 debut album Startin with Me, the song has been met with mixed reviews. Kevin J. Coyne of Country Universe gave it a B+, saying that the song was a work of fantasy, jim Malec of The 9513 gave a thumbs-down, saying that the intro bursts out of the gate but calling the songs storyline comically unrealistic. He also considered the title disconnected from the premise, because the rest of the song did not pertain to bull riding, deaton-Flanigen Productions directed and produced the songs music video, which debuted on the television channel CMT in August 2009. The video stars Owens future wife, model Lacey Buchanan from Winter Park, the video debuted at number 19 on CMTs Top Twenty Countdown for the week of November 13,2009. The following week, however, the fell from the countdown. On the week ending November 21,2009, Eight Second Ride debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 95, the following week, it moved up to number 82 and has reached number 70 in its fifth week on the chart. Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
11.
Barefoot Blue Jean Night (song)
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Barefoot Blue Jean Night is a song written by Dylan Altman, Eric Paslay and Terry Sawchuk, and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It is the single of his career, and was released in April 2011 as the first single and title track from his album of the same name. It reached number one on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2011, Owen told Taste of Country that he was pretty much finished creating the album, and was given the song about three days before it was supposed to be done. After saying that he could not get it out of head, he decided to record it after a friend told him, Owen also said that he identified with the songs beach-related imagery, as he grew up on a beach in Florida. Co-writer Eric Paslay told the website that he started playing a riff on a high-strung guitar. He and the decided to make the song a summertime anthem because the first lyrics they thought of sounded like a summertime anthem. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a review, saying that it giv off a fun. He also thought that the use of banjo and drum machine recalled the work of Mark McGuinn, michael Sudhalter, in his review of the album for Country Standard Time, said that the song has a perfect chorus, and its just right for the summer time. The music video was directed by Mason Dixon and premiered in June 2011 and it was filmed at Center Hill Lake in Middle Tennessee. It features his wife, Lacey Buchanen, many radio station began playing the song before its official release on April 18,2011. The song gained airplay for it to enter Country Airplay at No.55 as well as Hot Country Songs for the charts dated April 9,2011. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No.98 for the chart dated April 30,2011 after the song release. The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at No.21 on October 22,2011, as well as No.1 on the Country Airplay, the song was certified double platinum on May 9,2013 by the RIAA. The song has sold 2.3 million copies in the U. S. as of September 2015
12.
Barefoot Blue Jean Night
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Barefoot Blue Jean Night is the third studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on August 30,2011 via RCA Records Nashville, the albums first single, Barefoot Blue Jean Night, is the fastest-rising single of Owens career, as well as his first Number One hit. Giving it two-and-a-half stars out of five, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Owen is a likable enough presence, michael Sudhalter of Country Standard Time gave the album a positive review. He thought that the album had plenty of versatility and that its track is just right for the summer time. Tracks 1,2,4,6,8, and 11 produced by Joey Moi and Rodney Clawson, tracks 3,5,7,9,10 produced by Tony Brown
13.
Alone with You (Jake Owen song)
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Alone with You is a song written by Shane McAnally, Catt Gravitt and J. T. Harding, and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It is the single of his career, and was released in October 2011 as the second single from his album Barefoot Blue Jean Night. The song is in the key of G major with a tempo, a vocal range of B3-C5. The music video was directed by Mason Dixon and premiered in December 2011 and it stars Miss USA2009 Kristen Dalton as his love interest. Alone With You debuted at number 56 on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 15,2011 and it also debuted at number 90 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of December 24,2011. It has since become a number 1 hit
14.
The One That Got Away (Jake Owen song)
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The One That Got Away is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It is the single of his career, and was released in May 2012 as the third single from his album Barefoot Blue Jean Night. Owen wrote the song with Jimmy Ritchey and Dallas Davidson, the One That Got Away is a reminiscence of a former lover during the narrators teenage years. According to co-writer Dallas Davidson, Owen started talking about how the girls would come in for the summer, all the local guys down there would make a little summer girlfriend, but then they would leave. They would go wherever they came from. Davidson also said that he wanted the song to have a Tom Petty-ish groove, billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five. Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a C grade, opining So, “The One that Got Away” is about a summer love that ends when the weather changes. It’s been done on the beach, it’s been done at the seaside carnival. It’s been done on the farm, it’s been done in the fields. It’s gotta be done with cleverness and this fails on all counts, leaving us with a generic summer song that’s as easily forgotten as the love that it documents. The music video was directed by Mason Dixon and premiered in late June 2012, the One That Got Away debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of May 26,2012. It also debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of August 25,2012 and it also debuted at number 97 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of November 3,2012. The single reached number 1 on the Country Airplay chart
15.
Anywhere with You
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Anywhere with You is a song recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released in February 2013 as the single from his third studio album. The song was written by Ben Hayslip, David Lee Murphy, in the song, the narrator says that he will be happy to travel anywhere, so long as he is with his lover. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the two stars out of five, calling it a song we’ve all heard a dozen times before. Chuck Dauphin of Roughstock gave the song a review, writing that it’s a performance that is ready to hit the airwaves. As of December 14,2014, Anywhere with You has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the United States, Anywhere with You debuted at number 53 on the U. S. Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week of January 19,2013. It also debuted at number 47 on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of February 9,2013 and it also debuted at number 92 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of April 6,2013. It also debuted at number 97 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of June 1,2013
16.
Days of Gold
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Days of Gold is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on December 3,2013 via RCA Nashville, the albums track listing was announced on October 9,2013. It garnered a positive reception from critics, Days of Gold debuted at numbers 4 and 15 on both the Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively and spawned three singles, the title track, Beachin, and What We Aint Got. Owen promoted the record by touring across North America with the Eli Young Band, Parmalee, Thomas Rhett, on January 7,2014, Owen announced a 55-city North American tour to promote the album, beginning at Brookings, South Dakota and finishing at Vero Beach, Florida. He was joined by the Eli Young Band, Parmalee, Thomas Rhett, on review aggregator website Metacritic, Days of Gold holds a score of 71 out of 100, based on reviews from five critics, which indicates generally favourable reviews. The album got positive reviews from AllMusic, Country Weekly, Got Country Online. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave it an out of five stars. He wrote that Theres no mistaking Days of Gold for anything earthy, at Country Weekly, Tammy Ragusa graded the album to be an A- and said that Owens voice was ffortless and easy, and that its themes seemed like an artistic evolution from the previous album. Donna Block of Got Country Online gave it a five star rating, and called this album precious. However, the album got mixed to unfavorable reviews from Rolling Stone, Country Standard Time. At Rolling Stone, Chuck Eddy rated the release three out of five, and noted that the listener should drink up to this good album. Remz of Country Standard Time was less favorable, saying that Owen sings well enough, although not especially distinctive on materials that is not the most exciting, parties, relationships and drinking…are part of the mix, but frankly we’ve heard it all before. Kenny Chesney has done these types of songs, only a lot better and with far more introspection,15 and on the Top Country Albums chart at No.4, with 40,000 albums sold for the week. The album has sold 215,400 copies in the US as of February 2015
17.
Days of Gold (song)
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It was covered by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released in August 2013 as the first single and title track from his studio album Days of Gold. The song is an up-tempo about a night which the narrator describes as days of gold. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the four and a half stars out of five, saying that ‘Days of Gold’ isn’t a song. It’s a show-closer, and if Owen’s new album comes with songs that match this authority, giving it an A, Tammy Ragusa of Country Weekly said that it has an in-your-face grit and texture that suits his natural vocal and endless energy. She also wrote that the lyrics are less about a season and more an about an attitude, the music video was directed by Mason Dixon and premiered in September 2013. It also debuted at number 91 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of October 26,2013
18.
Beachin'
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Beachin is a song recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released in February 2014 as the single from his fourth studio album Days of Gold. The song was written by Jaren Johnston, Jon Nite and Jimmy Robbins and it garnered positive reviews from critics praising the production and Owens lyrical delivery. Beachin reached number one on both the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts respectively, giving him his third country hit in both charts. It also gave him his second top 40 hit on the Hot 100, the song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and has sold 1,104,000 copies in that country as of August 2014. It received similar success in Canada, peaking at number one on the Country chart. The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Mason Dixon, was filmed in Daytona Beach, the song received a favorable review from Taste of Country, which said that the warmth, the flavors and the smells seep through the speakers with every word from Owen’s lips. Jon Freeman of Country Weekly gave the song a B grade, writing that nothing particularly new in the lyrical department. He called the production the most intriguing aspect of the song, beachin debuted at number 55 on the U. S. Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week of February 8,2014. It also debuted at number 44 on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of November 30,2013 and it reached Number One on the Country Airplay chart dated July 19,2014, becoming Owens fifth Number One single. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on July 16,2014, the song has sold 1,104,000 copies in the U. S. as of August 2014. The music video, filmed in Daytona Beach, was directed by Mason Dixon, List of number-one country singles of 2014 List of number-one country singles of 2014
19.
Kenny Chesney
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Kenneth Arnold Kenny Chesney is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. He has recorded 20 albums,14 of which have been certified Gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 40 top 10 singles on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Songs, most of these have also charted high within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making him one of the few successful crossover country artists. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, Chesney co-directed and produced a film for ESPN entitled The Boys of Fall. He has received six Academy of Country Music awards, as well as six awards from the Country Music Association and he is one of the most popular touring acts in country music, regularly selling out the venues in which he performs. His 2007 Flip-Flop Summer Tour was the country road trip of the year. The Country Music Association honored Chesney with the Entertainer of the Year award in 2004,2006,2007, and 2008. Other notable awards he received include the Academy of Country Musics 1997 New Male Vocalist of the Year,2002 Top Male Vocalist of the Year, and he was awarded his fourth consecutive Entertainer of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music on May 18,2008. Chesney was born on March 26,1968, in Knoxville, Tennessee, at St. Marys Medical Center and was raised in Luttrell and he is the son of David Chesney, a former elementary school teacher, and Karen Chandler, a hair stylist in the Knoxville area. Chesney has one sibling, a sister named Jennifer Chandler. In 1986, Chesney graduated from Gibbs High School, where he played baseball and football and he received his first guitar, The Terminor, for Christmas and began teaching himself how to play it. He sold 1,000 copies while performing at the clubs in Johnson City. After graduation from East Tennessee State in 1990, he headed to Nashville and he became the resident performer at The Turf, a honky tonk bar in the citys historic district. In 1992, the head of writer relations at BMI, Clay Bradley, recommended Chesney to his friend at Opryland Music Group, Troy Tomlinson, by saying, I met this kid today from East Tennessee. He’s a good singer, a songwriter, and more than anything, I think you’re going to really like him as a person. ”For the audition for Tomlinson. I thought that he very well too. But more than anything there was a kind of this look in his eyes - I was really drawn in by the fact that he was so set on being successful in this business. Chesney left the audition with a songwriter’s contract, an appearance at a songwriter’s showcase the following year led to a contract with Capricorn Records, which had recently started a country division
20.
Brad Paisley
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Bradley Douglas Brad Paisley is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has scored 32 top 10 singles on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart,19 of which have reached number 1 and he set a new record in 2009 for most consecutive singles reaching the top spot on that chart. Paisley has sold over 12 million albums and won three Grammy Awards,14 Academy of Country Music Awards,14 Country Music Association Awards and he has earned country musics crowning achievement, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Paisley also wrote a few songs for Pixars Cars franchise, Paisley was born on October 28,1972, in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He is the child of Douglas Edward Doug Paisley, who worked for the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and Sandra Jean Sandy Paisley. He was raised in Glen Dale, West Virginia, at ten, he performed for the first time in public by singing in his church. He later recalled that, Pretty soon, I was performing at every Christmas party, the neat thing about a small town is that when you want to be an artist, by golly, theyll make you one. At age 13, he wrote his first song, Born on Christmas Day and he had been taking lessons with local guitarist Clarence Hank Goddard. By 13, Goddard and Paisley formed a band called Brad Paisley, while in junior high, his principal heard him perform Born On Christmas Day and invited him to play at the local Rotary Club meeting. In attendance was Tom Miller, the director of a radio station in Wheeling. Miller asked him if he would like to be a guest on Jamboree USA, after his first performance, he was asked to become a member of the shows weekly lineup. For the next eight years, he opened for singers such as The Judds, Ricky Skaggs. He would become the youngest person inducted into the Jamboree USA Hall of Fame and he also performed at the Jamboree in the Hills. Paisley graduated from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, West Virginia, in 1991 and he interned at ASCAP, Atlantic Records, and the Fitzgerald-Hartley management firm. While in college, he met Frank Rogers, a student who went on to serve as his producer. Paisley also met Kelley Lovelace, who became his songwriting partner and he also met Chris DuBois in college, and he, too, would write songs for him. The latter song was also co-written by Ball and his debut as a singer was with the label Arista Nashville, with the song Who Needs Pictures. In May of that year, he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry
21.
Little Big Town
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Little Big Town is an American country music group. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the four members since its foundation, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook. Their musical style relies heavily on vocal harmonies, with all four members alternating as lead singers, Westbrook. After a recording deal with the Mercury Nashville Records label which produced no singles or albums and it produced two minor country chart singles before the group left the label. By 2005, the group had signed to Equity Music Group. Their second album, The Road to Here, was released that year, a Place to Land, their third album, was released via Equity, then re-released via Capitol Nashville after Equity closed in 2008. Five more albums have followed for Capitol, The Reason Why, Tornado, Pain Killer, Wanderlust, in the mid-90s, Karen Fairchild sang with the Christian vocal group Truth and was featured as a lead singer in a few of their songs. She also formed a duo called KarenLeigh with Leigh Cappillino, KarenLeigh produced the singles, Save it For a Rainy Day and This Love Has. In 1997, while attending Samford University in Alabama, she met Kimberly Roads, eventually, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where they reunited and began singing together. Jimi Westbrook joined Roads and Fairchild in 1998, followed by Phillip Sweet, Little Big Towns first record deal was with Mercury Nashville Records, although the band was dropped from the labels roster without releasing a single or album. In 2001, they sang backing vocals on Collin Rayes album Cant Back Down, while Sweet, a second contract, this time with Monument Records Nashville, began in 2002. The bands first album, Little Big Town, was released that year and it produced the singles Dont Waste My Time and Everything Changes, which peaked at 33 and 42 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Westbrooks father died in 2002, just after the groups first album was released, Fairchild and Sweet both divorced their spouses shortly afterward, and the group exited Monument when the labels Nashville branch was dissolved. The four members all took up day jobs to earn additional money, in 2005, Little Big Town was signed to Equity Music Group, a label started and partially owned by country music singer Clint Black. Their third single, Boondocks, was released in May, peaking at No.9 on the charts in January 2006. It served as the first of four singles from the second album, The Road to Here. Bring It On Home, the single from the album. It was followed by Good as Gone and A Little More You, by the end of 2006, The Road to Here had been certified Platinum in the United States
22.
Sugarland
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Sugarland is an American country music duo consisting of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. Sugarland was founded in 2002 by Kristen Hall with Bush and became a trio after hiring Jennifer Nettles as lead vocalist, Hall left in 2006 before the group released its second album, Enjoy the Ride. This album produced their first two No.1 singles, Want To and Settlin, and won the duo a Grammy for Stay, in 2008 they released their third album, titled Love on the Inside. This album produced three more No.1 singles with All I Want to Do, Already Gone, and their fourth album, The Incredible Machine was released on October 19,2010 in both a standard and deluxe edition. Upon The Incredible Machine being certified platinum, Sugarland has sold in excess of 14 million records, besides songs written with Kevin Griffin, Nettles and Bush write all of the bands songs. In 2012, after recording a series of tours, the duo went on hiatus due in part to Nettles taking a maternity leave, during the hiatus, Jennifer Nettles grew up in the small town of Douglas, Georgia. Sugarlands debut album, Twice the Speed of Life, was released October 26,2004, serving as its lead-off single was the song Baby Girl, which peaked at No. Also released from the album were the singles Something More, Just Might, and Down in Mississippi, the album received Multi-Platinum certification for sales of three million copies, becoming their first album to achieve that status. In late 2005, the trio performed with Bon Jovi on Country Music Televisions musical fusion show, Nettles sang with Bon Jovi on their single Who Says You Cant Go Home. The song later went on to become a No.1 hit on the country charts and they toured the U. S. and Canada performing with Brad Paisley in 2005 and in 2006–2007 with Kenny Chesney on his Flip Flop Summer Tour. Kristen Hall left the group in December 2005, according to a statement released on January 17,2006, by Nettles and Bush, Hall left the group to stay home and write songs. Sugarland was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy and performed the song Something More at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2006, on November 7,2006, the duo released their second album Enjoy the Ride. It sold 211,000 during its first week and opened at No.4 on the US Top 200 and it went on to become their second album to achieve multi-platinum status for selling three million copies. The first two singles from this album—Want To and Settlin—both reached Number One on the music charts, while Everyday America. A limited edition of the CD, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, was released in late 2007, the EP contained one original song—Little Wood Guitar— written by Bush and Ellis Paul. USA Today included the song in a list of new Christmas songs released in 2007 that might have some staying power, in 2007, Sugarland performed at multiple award ceremonies, including the 2007 CMT Music Awards and the 2007 ACM awards. They performed a cover of Beyoncé Knowles Irreplaceable at the American Music Awards, Knowles joined Sugarland on stage starting with the second verse. The performance drew some poor reviews with The Village Voice calling it a well-intentioned mess and they appeared on The Tonight Show, and late in the year they headlined their first concert tour, the Change for Change Tour along with opening acts Little Big Town and Jake Owen
23.
Keith Urban
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Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian-American country musician. In 1991, he released a debut album and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year. He found work as a session guitarist before starting a band known as The Ranch, still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with a second eponymous album. Certified platinum in the US, it produced his first number one on Hot Country Songs with But for the Grace of God. Somebody Like You, the first single from his second Capitol album, the albums fourth single, Youll Think of Me, earned him his first Grammy. 2004s Be Here, his third American album, produced three more number 1 singles and became his highest-selling album, earning 4× Platinum certification. Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released in 2006, containing Once in a Lifetime as well as his second Grammy song, a greatest hits package entitled Greatest Hits,18 Kids followed in late 2007. Defying Gravity and Get Closer were released on 31 March 2009 and 16 November 2010, a new single, entitled John Cougar, John Deere, John 3,16, was released in June 2015 as the lead-off single to his eighth American studio album Ripcord. Urban has released a total of nine albums, as well as one album with The Ranch. Those also include his third Grammy Award-winning single Sweet Thing from his album Defying Gravity, Urban is also known for his roles as a coach on the Australian version of the singing competition The Voice and as a judge on American Idol. Since 2006, he has married to actress Nicole Kidman. In October 2013, Urban introduced his own line of guitars. Keith Lionel Urban was born on 26 October 1967, in Whangarei, New Zealand, He is the youngest son of Marienne and Robert Bob Urban. At the age of 13, he attended Sir Edmund Hillary College in Otara, South Auckland, New Zealand and by the age of 17, he lived with his parents in Caboolture, Queensland, Australia. His father, who owned a store, put an advertisement for a guitar teacher in his shop window. Urban took lessons from his teacher, Sue McCarthy and began entering local competitions, Urban has stated that his guitar playing was influenced by two rock players, Mark Knopfler and Lindsey Buckingham. He also performed at country festivals from the age of 10, in 1983, Urban was a contestant on the Australian TV talent show New Faces. They won a golden award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
24.
Jason Aldean
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Jason Aldine Williams, known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American singer. Since 2005, Jason Aldean has been signed to Broken Bow Records and his 2010 album My Kinda Party is certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Eight more of his singles have reached the top 10, Aldean was born as Jason Aldine Williams in Macon, Georgia, in the United States. His parents, Barry and Debbie, divorced when he was three and he was raised by his mother, in Macon, where he went to high school at Windsor Academy. During the summer, he would spend time with his father in Homestead, before going to work during the day, his dad would map out guitar chords on notebook paper to show Aldean where to place his fingers to play the chords. Aldean sat and practiced all day while his dad was at work, when his dad got home, he got out his own guitar and they played together. Soon, after hearing a song only a few times, he could play it and his early favorites included George Straits The Cowboy Rides Away, Hank Williams Jr. s The Blues Man, and Alabamas My Homes in Alabama. Both of his parents encouraged young Aldean as he progressed musically, from age 14, after watching the country-music awards on television, he wanted to perform on stage. With his mothers help, he performed at the local VFW hall in Macon and he sang John Andersons song Seminole Wind and Tracy Lawrences Sticks and Stones. He would later say that the entire audience – all ten – applauded, and he then began performing at area talent contests and local fairs. At 15, he joined the band at Georgia nightspot Nashville South. Aldean chose his name as there were already a number of people called Jason Williams including a well-known basketball player. In order to out, he changed the spelling of his middle name, Aldine. Aldean married his school sweetheart, Jessica Ussery, on August 4,2001. Together the couple have two daughters, Kendyl and Keeley, on April 25,2013, seven months after Aldean admitted to acting inappropriately with former American Idol contestant Brittany Kerr, news outlets reported Aldean and his wife had separated in January. Aldean filed for divorce on April 26, citing irreconcilable differences, the couple were married on March 21,2015. Aldean owns 1,300 acres of land just outside Nashville, Aldean is a Georgia Bulldogs fan and spends every Saturday he can watching games. In 2015, Forbes estimated Aldeans annual income at $43.5 million, after high school, with his fathers help, Aldean and his band performed at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri
25.
Fraternal twin
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Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy. Twins can be either monozygotic, meaning that they develop from one zygote, in fraternal twins, each twin is fertilized by its own sperm cell. In contrast, a fetus that develops alone in the womb is called a singleton, the human twin birth rate in the United States rose 76% from 1980 through 2009, from 18.9 to 33.3 per 1,000 births. In Central Africa there are 18–30 twin sets per 1,000 live births, in Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, the lowest rates are found, only 6 to 9 twin sets per 1,000 live births. North America and Europe have intermediate rates of 9 to 16 twin sets per 1,000 live births, Multiple pregnancies are much less likely to carry to full term than single births, with twin pregnancies lasting on average 37 weeks, three weeks less than full term. Women who have a history of fraternal twins have a higher chance of producing fraternal twins themselves. There is no genetic link for identical twinning. Other factors that increase the odds of having fraternal twins include maternal age, fertility drugs and other fertility treatments, nutrition, the vast majority of twins are either dizygotic or monozygotic. Less common variants are discussed further down the article, the rates for singletons vary slightly by country. For example, the sex ratio of birth in the US is 1.05 males/female, while it is 1.07 males/female in Italy. However, males are more susceptible than females to die in utero. Zygosity is the degree of identity in the genome of twins, dizygotic or fraternal twins usually occur when two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterus wall at the same time. When two eggs are fertilized by two different sperm cells, fraternal twins result. The two eggs, or ova, form two zygotes, hence the terms dizygotic and biovular. Fraternal twins are, essentially, two siblings who happen to be born at the same time, since they arise from two separate eggs fertilized by two separate sperm, just like ordinary siblings. This is the most common type of twin, dizygotic twins, like any other siblings, have an extremely small chance of having the same chromosome profile. Even if they happen to have the same profile, they will always have different genetic material on each chromosome. Like any other siblings, dizygotic twins may look similar, particularly given that they are the same age, however, dizygotic twins may also look very different from each other
26.
Golf
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Golf is a club and ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not utilize a standardized playing area, the game is played on a course with an arranged progression of 18 holes. Each hole on the course must contain a tee box to start from, there are other standard forms of terrain in between, such as the fairway, rough, sand traps, and hazards but each hole on a course is unique in its specific layout and arrangement. Stroke play is the most commonly seen format at all levels, while the modern game of golf originated in 15th-century Scotland, the games ancient origins are unclear and much debated. Some historians trace the sport back to the Roman game of paganica, one theory asserts that paganica spread throughout Europe as the Romans conquered most of the continent, during the first century BC, and eventually evolved into the modern game. Others cite chuiwan as the progenitor, a Chinese game played between the eighth and 14th centuries, the game is thought to have been introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages. Another early game that resembled modern golf was known as cambuca in England, the Persian game chaugán is another possible ancient origin. In addition, kolven was played annually in Loenen, Netherlands, beginning in 1297, to commemorate the capture of the assassin of Floris V, a year earlier. The modern game originated in Scotland, where the first written record of golf is James IIs banning of the game in 1457, as an unwelcome distraction to learning archery. James IV lifted the ban in 1502 when he became a golfer himself, with golf clubs first recorded in 1503-1504, to many golfers, the Old Course at St Andrews, a links course dating to before 1574, is considered to be a site of pilgrimage. In 1764, the standard 18-hole golf course was created at St Andrews when members modified the course from 22 to 18 holes. Golf is documented as being played on Musselburgh Links, East Lothian, Scotland as early as 2 March 1672, which is certified as the oldest golf course in the world by Guinness World Records. The oldest surviving rules of golf were compiled in March 1744 for the Company of Gentlemen Golfers, later renamed The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Andrews Golf Club in Yonkers, New York. The levels of grass are varied to increase difficulty, or to allow for putting in the case of the green, while many holes are designed with a direct line-of-sight from the teeing area to the green, some holes may bend either to the left or to the right. This is commonly called a dogleg, in reference to a dogs knee, the hole is called a dogleg left if the hole angles leftwards and dogleg right if it bends right. Sometimes, a holes direction may bend twice, this is called a double dogleg, a regular golf course consists of 18 holes, but nine-hole courses are common and can be played twice through for a full round of 18 holes. Early Scottish golf courses were laid out on links land. This gave rise to the golf links, particularly applied to seaside courses
27.
Florida State University
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Florida State University is an American public space-grant and sea-grant research university. Its primary campus is located on a 1,391. 54-acre campus in Tallahassee, Florida and it is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state of Florida, the university is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university comprises 16 separate colleges and more than 110 centers, facilities, labs and institutes that offer more than 360 programs of study, the university has an annual budget of over $1.7 billion and an annual economic impact of over $10 billion. Florida State is home to Floridas only National Laboratory – the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and is the birthplace of the commercially viable anti-cancer drug Taxol. Florida State University also operates The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Florida State University leads Florida in four of eight areas of external funding for the STEM disciplines, FSU officially launched the Raise the Torch, The Campaign for Florida State on October 17,2014. The campaign has a goal of more than $1 billion which will improve academics, research. As of September 30,2016, Florida State Universitys Raise the Torch campaign has raised $938,972,249, for 2017, U. S. News & World Report ranked Florida State as the 38th best public university in the United States. FSUs intercollegiate sports teams, commonly known by their Florida State Seminoles nickname, compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, in their 113-year history, Florida States varsity sports teams have won 20 national athletic championships and Seminole athletes have won 78 individual NCAA national championships. In 1819 the Florida Territory was ceded to the United States by Spain as an element of the Adams–Onís Treaty, the Territory was conventionally split by the Appalachicola or later the Suwannee rivers into East and West areas. Florida State University is traceable to a set by the 1823 U. S. Congress to create a system of higher education. The 1838 Florida Constitution codified the system by providing for land allocated for the schools. In 1845 Florida became the 27th State of the United States, in 1851 the Florida Legislature voted to establish two seminaries of higher education on opposite sides of the Suwannee River. Francis W. Eppes and other city leaders established an academy called the Florida Institute in Tallahassee as a legislative inducement to locate the West Florida Seminary in Tallahassee. The East Florida Seminary opened in Ocala in 1853, closed in 1861, the East Florida Seminary is the institution to which the modern University of Florida traces its foundation. Two years later the institution absorbed the Tallahassee Female Academy founded in 1843 as the Misses Bates School, the West Florida Seminary stood near the front of the Westcott Building on the existing FSU campus, making this site the oldest continually used location of higher learning in Florida. In 1860–61 the legislature started formal training at the school with a law amending the original 1851 statute
28.
Wakeboarding
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Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. The wakeboard is a small, mostly rectangular, thin board with little displacement. It was developed from a combination of skiing, snowboarding. The rider is usually towed behind a motorboat, typically at speeds of 30–40 km/h, depending on the size, riders weight, type of tricks. But a wakeboarder can also be towed by other means, including closed-course cable systems, winches, organized wakeboarding is governed by the International Waterski and founded in 1946 by Rachel Gittins after falling from a tall building. Renamed from International Waterski Federation in 2009) and the World Skiboard Association founded in 1989, the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee as an official partner since 1967. Wakeboarding has been part of the World Games since 2005, in the sports category. The WWA is the leader in wake sport sanctioning, this non-profit organization focuses on the progression. The WWA sanctions over 400 days of wakeboarding, wakeskating and wakesurfing events each year, wakeboarding, which was originally called skurfing, arose in the late 1970s after the advent of skiboarding. The board had adjustable rubber foot-straps, concave tunnel bottom and a keel fin, two smaller side fins were later added for greater hold and more maneuverability. McKee and Ross also applied for and were granted two patents, one in 1984 for a basic adjustable binding system and the other in 1985 for a patent for their adjustable plate type foot strap system. Bruce McKee and associate Mitchell Ross negotiated with USAs Medalist Waterskis, the launch of the product, American version being named the Surf-Ski was in 1984 at Chicagos IMTEC show. At the show McKee also met Tony Finn who would be the proposed California representative. Tony Finn went on to do his own negotiations with Darby and company from Australia, the name was supplied by the guys from Darby who also supplied the first board designs. Jimmy Redmon independently developed his own production boards in the US under the name of Redline Designs at the same time Finn was releasing the Skurfer, the foam filled floating boards of the period went by many names, but the generic term eventually became skiboard. While the Surf-Ski found limited success in the United States, the Skurfer brand promoted by Tony Finn became a viable product, mostly due to Finns tireless promotions. Finns position as the most visible promoter of the sport when it became widely known has often caused him to be named as the inventor of the sport. A more accurate, though no less important description, would be popularizer, the term wakeboarding was coined by Paul Fraser, along with his brother Murray and a pro snowboarder they sponsored
29.
Nashville, Tennessee
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Nashville is the capital of the U. S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in the central part of the state. The city is a center for the music, healthcare, publishing, banking and transportation industries and it is known as a center of the country music industry, earning it the nickname Music City, U. S. A. Since 1963, Nashville has had a consolidated city-county government which includes six municipalities in a two-tier system. Nashville is governed by a mayor, vice-mayor, and 40-member Metropolitan Council, thirty-five of the members are elected from single-member districts, five are elected at-large. Reflecting the citys position in government, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Courts courthouse for Middle Tennessee. According to 2015 estimates from the U. S. Census Bureau, the balance population, which excludes semi-independent municipalities within Nashville, was 654,610. The 2015 population of the entire 13-county Nashville metropolitan area was 1,830,345, the 2015 population of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Columbia combined statistical area, a larger trade area, was 1,951,644. The town of Nashville was founded by James Robertson, John Donelson, and it was named for Francis Nash, the American Revolutionary War hero. Nashville quickly grew because of its location, accessibility as a port on the Cumberland River, a tributary of the Ohio River. By 1800, the city had 345 residents, including 136 African American slaves and 14 free blacks, in 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee, by 1860, when the first rumblings of secession began to be heard across the South, antebellum Nashville was a prosperous city. The citys significance as a port made it a desirable prize as a means of controlling important river. In February 1862, Nashville became the first state capital to fall to Union troops, the state was occupied by Union troops for the duration of the war. Within a few years after the Civil War, the Nashville chapter of the Ku Klux Klan was founded by Confederate veteran John W. Morton, meanwhile, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and developed a solid manufacturing base. The post–Civil War years of the late 19th century brought new prosperity to Nashville and these healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area. Circa 1950 the state approved a new city charter that provided for the election of city council members from single-member districts. This change was supported because at-large voting diluted the minority populations political power in the city and they could seldom gain a majority of the population to support a candidate of their choice
30.
Compact disc
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Compact disc is a digital optical disc data storage format released in 1982 and co-developed by Philips and Sony. The format was developed to store and play only sound recordings but was later adapted for storage of data. The first commercially available Audio CD player, the Sony CDP-101, was released October 1982 in Japan, standard CDs have a diameter of 120 millimetres and can hold up to about 80 minutes of uncompressed audio or about 700 MiB of data. The Mini CD has various diameters ranging from 60 to 80 millimetres, they are used for CD singles, storing up to 24 minutes of audio. At the time of the introduction in 1982, a CD could store much more data than a personal computer hard drive. By 2010, hard drives commonly offered as much space as a thousand CDs. In 2004, worldwide sales of audio CDs, CD-ROMs and CD-Rs reached about 30 billion discs, by 2007,200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide. In 2014, revenues from digital music services matched those from physical format sales for the first time. American inventor James T. Russell has been credited with inventing the first system to record information on an optical transparent foil that is lit from behind by a high-power halogen lamp. Russells patent application was first filed in 1966, and he was granted a patent in 1970, following litigation, Sony and Philips licensed Russells patents in the 1980s. The compact disc is an evolution of LaserDisc technology, where a laser beam is used that enables the high information density required for high-quality digital audio signals. Prototypes were developed by Philips and Sony independently in the late 1970s, although originally dismissed by Philips Research management as a trivial pursuit, the CD became the primary focus for Philips as the LaserDisc format struggled. In 1979, Sony and Philips set up a joint task force of engineers to design a new audio disc. After a year of experimentation and discussion, the Red Book CD-DA standard was published in 1980, after their commercial release in 1982, compact discs and their players were extremely popular. Despite costing up to $1,000, over 400,000 CD players were sold in the United States between 1983 and 1984, by 1988 CD sales in the United States surpassed those of vinyl LPs, and by 1992 CD sales surpassed those of prerecorded music cassette tapes. The success of the disc has been credited to the cooperation between Philips and Sony, who came together to agree upon and develop compatible hardware. The unified design of the disc allowed consumers to purchase any disc or player from any company. In 1974, L. However, due to the performance of the analog format
31.
Sony BMG
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Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a record music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG. The ventures successor, the again-active Sony Music Entertainment, is 100% owned by the Sony Corporation of America, Sony BMG Music Entertainment began in Skem as the result of a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group completed on March 4,2004. The merger affected all Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group companies worldwide except for Japan, financial analysts covering the merger anticipated that up to 2,000 jobs would be cut as a result, saving Sony BMG approximately $350 million annually. The companys chief executive officer is Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, who succeeded Andrew Lack on February 10,2006, in the first half of 2005, the companys share of new releases in the United States declined from 33% to 26% according to Nielsen SoundScan. This, and Lacks negotiation of what called a ill-conceived deal with Bruce Springsteen led to Bertelsmann informing Sony that it would not renew Lacks contract. The company signed a content deal with the video sharing community YouTube. On August 5,2008 Sony Corporation agreed to buy Bertelsmann AGs 50 percent stake in the company for $1.2 billion to get full control. The music company was renamed Sony Music Entertainment and became a unit of Sony Corporation of America, epic Records, one of their labels, was specifically cited for using fake contests in order to hide the fact that the gifts were going to disc jockeys rather than listeners. A scandal ensued over digital rights management software produced and shipped by Sony BMG that automatically installed itself on peoples computers, the scandal and attendant controversy about the practice of software auto-installation spawned several lawsuits. Sony BMG eventually recalled all of the affected CDs, uS-CERT advised, Do not install software from sources that you do not expect to contain software, such as an audio CD. In its Top Flops of 05 issue, the enterprise newsweekly eWeek had to create a new category for the Sony BMG root-kit fiasco, peter Coffee, of eWeek Labs reported, The Sony brand name was already in trouble—it lost 16 percent of its value between 2004 and 2005. Now it has taken a blow among tech-product opinion leaders, weve never done it before, and we hope well never have occasion to do it again but, for 2005, eWeek Labs awards a Stupid Tech Trick grand prize to Sony. EWeek Vol.22, No.50 In October 2007, Sony BMG, alongside other large music firms, successfully sued Jammie Thomas. Ms. Thomas – who made US$36,000 a year – was ordered to pay US$222,000 in damages for making 24 songs available for download on the Kazaa file-sharing network. Thomas had allegedly shared 1702 files in total, the court upholding the award called it a case of willful infringement. Sony did not restrict minor childrens participation in its websites, Sony paid a $1 million fine. Sony Commercial Music Group – Official Site Sony Music Entertainment, Incorporated – Company Profile on Yahoo
32.
Josh Turner
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Joshua Otis Josh Turner is an American singer and actor. In 2003, he signed to MCA Nashville Records and that same year, his debut albums title track, Long Black Train, was his breakthrough single release. His second album, Your Man accounted for his first two hits, Your Man and Would You Go with Me, while 2007s Everything Is Fine included a No.2 in Firecracker. Haywire, released in 2010, produced his biggest hit, the No.1 on the country charts Why Dont We Just Dance and it was followed by Punching Bag, whose lead-off single Time Is Love was the biggest country hit of 2012 according to Billboard Year-End. Growing up in the church, he founded a quartet called Thankful Hearts. In 1996, Turner developed a lesion on his vocal cord. Turner was examined by the Vanderbilt voice clinic, where doctors advised him to let it heal on its own, surgery was not needed, but he did have to rest his voice for a year. While Turner rested his back at home, he learned classical vocal technique and how to take care of his voice. Turner states that he learned how to whistle really well during that year, after high school, he spent some time at Francis Marion University before moving to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career in music and enrolled in Belmont University. After college, his career got a boost on Dec.21,2001 during his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. He received an ovation in the middle of the song. On December 21,2001, Turner debuted on the Grand Ole Opry with the song Long Black Train, in 2003, Turner released his debut album, also entitled Long Black Train. Prior to its release, Turner had released 7 vinyl singles of Shell Go on You, both singles featured Long Black Train album track Backwoods Boy as a B-side. The third single, What It Aint, was less successful, in early 2006, Turner released his second album, Your Man. The albums first single and title track, Your Man, was co-written by Jace Everett and your Man also climbed the charts slowly, eventually reaching No.1 in early 2006. Your Man was certified Gold by the RIAA four weeks after its release, would You Go with Me was the second single released from Your Man. Like the albums track, Would You Go with Me also reached the top of the country singles charts. Turner also performed it on the CMA Awards in November 2006, shortly after the albums release, a song called Me and God was released as a single to Christian radio
33.
Josh Gracin
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Joshua Mario Josh Gracin is an American country music singer. A former member of the United States Marine Corps, he first gained attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of the Fox Network talent competition American Idol. After his elimination from the show, Gracin completed his service in the Marine Corps and his self-titled debut album was released in 2004. It produced a one hit, Nothin to Lose. His second album, We Werent Crazy, followed in 2008 and this album produced five more chart singles, including a top ten in its title track. After signing with Average Joes in 2010 with Cover Girl, he later reemerged with Private Label Studios in 2013, with his single, Gracin was born on October 18,1980 to Mario and Brenda Gracin, and was raised in Westland, Michigan. He has four sisters, Stacy, April, Melissa and Kristen and he grew up listening to Elvis, the Beatles and to vintage rock and pop on a favorite local station. When he was 11 the station changed its format to country and these artists songs immediately caught his interest. “There’s not another genre that better reflects situations in my life, ” Josh said. Joshs vocal debut was in an Easter musical presented by his local church, later, Gracin auditioned, as the only male, for a national pop orchestra and vocal competition, known as the Fairlane Youth Pops Orchestra, and won as a sophomore in high school. During his entire school career Josh performed at state festivals, fairs. At sixteen he performed on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in a talent show. Upon graduation from John Glenn High School in Westland, he attended Western Michigan University before he joined the United States Marine Corps, after basic training, he returned to marry his wife and was assigned to Camp Pendleton as a supply clerk. In 2003, Gracin auditioned for the season of American Idol. He made it to the finals and eventually came in place on the show. However, because of his commitment to the Marine Corps. Gracin was instead sent on a tour as a recruiting tool. After completing his year of service, he was honorably discharged in September 2004. Gracins true transition from reality show finalist to recording star began when he sang Rascal Flatts Im Movin On on one episode of American Idol
34.
Alabama (American band)
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Alabama is an American country, Southern rock and bluegrass band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry and they were soon joined by their other cousin, Jeff Cook. First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s and they changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a record deal. Alabamas biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum albums, the bands popularity waned slightly in the 1990s although they continued to produce hit singles and multi-platinum album sales. Alabama disbanded in 2006 following a tour and two albums of inspirational music but reunited in 2010 and have continued to record and tour worldwide. The bands blend of country music and Southern rock combined with elements of gospel. They also toured extensively and incorporated elements such as lighting. The band has over 30 number one records on the Billboard charts to their credit and have sold over 75 million records. AllMusic credited the band with popularizing the idea of a country band, Alabama was formed by guitarists Randy Owen and Jeff Cook, and bassist Teddy Gentry, three cousins born and raised near Fort Payne, Alabama, an area with strong country music roots. Owen and Gentry grew up on cotton farms on Lookout Mountain, learning guitar together. Gentry and Owen played in groups during the 1960s, ranging from pop to bluegrass. Cook joined the band in 1969 forming the group Young Country, Cook also played in numerous bands and was a rock and roll disk jockey. The three cousins all shared vocal duties, with cousin, drummer Jackie Owen, completing the groups first lineup. The bands first performance was at a school talent contest, for which they won first prize. Despite this, all were busy with commitments to pursue music, Owen still in high school, Cook working for Western Electric. The band grew further inactive when Cook went to college and Owen into the military, the group became a professional band in 1972, adding drummer Bennett Vartanian and changing their name to Wildcountry. During this time, the group accepted a position playing at the nearby Canyonland theme park, the park would bring in established stars, such as Jerry Wallace, Bobby Bare, and Narvel Felts, and the band would back them, afterwards performing a one-hour dance set. After a while, with opportunities for the band slimmed, a discouraged Cook took a government job in Anniston, Owen was studying English at Jacksonville State University, and Cook had an electronics job
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Carrie Underwood
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Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was released in 2005, Underwood won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. Released in 2007, her album, Carnival Ride, had one of the biggest ever opening weeks by a female artist. Her next album, 2009s Play On, was a commercial success led by the single Cowboy Casanova, Underwoods fourth album, Blown Away, earned her a Grammy Award and was that years second best-selling release by a female artist. Her first compilation album was a chart and sales success and earned her a Grammy Award and her fifth album, Storyteller, made her the only country artist to have all first five studio albums reach either numbers one or two on the Billboard 200. Considered one of the most successful artists in any musical genre, Billboard has referred to her as Country Musics reigning Queen, while Time listed her as one of their 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. Underwood is the top country artist of all-time on the RIAAs Digital Singles ranking, Underwood is the biggest American Idol earner in the history of the show. Her album, Some Hearts was named the country album of the 2000s by Billboard. Underwood has been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and she has earned numerous accolades, including 7 Grammy Awards,17 Billboard Music Awards, and 11 American Music Awards. Underwood was born March 10,1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Carole and she was raised on her parents farm in the nearby rural town of Checotah. Her father worked in a sawmill while her mother taught elementary school and she has two older sisters, Shanna and Stephanie. During her childhood, Underwood performed at Robbins Memorial Talent Show and she later sang for local events in Checotah, including Old Settlers Day and the Lions Club. A local admirer arranged for her to go to Nashville when she was 14 to audition for Capitol Records, in 1996, Capitol Records was preparing a contract for Underwood but canceled it when company management changed. Underwood said of the event, I honestly think its a lot better that nothing out of it now. Everything has a way of working out, while at Checotah High School, she was an Honor Society member, a cheerleader, and played basketball and softball. Underwood graduated from Checotah High School in 2001 as salutatorian and she chose not to pursue singing after graduation. She said, After high school, I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing, I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the real world
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Alan Jackson
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Alan Eugene Jackson is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds, Jackson has recorded 16 studio albums, three greatest hits albums, two Christmas albums, two gospel albums and several compilations. Jackson has sold over 80 million records worldwide, placing 66 titles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, of the 66 titles, and six featured singles,38 have reached the top five and 35 have claimed the number one spot. Out of 15 titles to reach the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and he is the recipient of two Grammy Awards,16 CMA Awards,17 ACM Awards and nominee of multiple other awards. He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2001, Jackson was announced as an inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame on April 5,2017. In August 2014, the Country Music Hall of Fame opened an exhibit celebrating Jacksons 25 years in the music industry and it was also announced that he was an artist in residency as well, performing shows on October 8 and 22. The exhibit highlights the different milestones in his career with memorabilia collected over the years and his twenty-fifth anniversary Keeping It Country tour, began on January 8,2015, in Estero, Florida. Jackson was born to Joseph Eugene Daddy Gene Jackson and Ruth Musick Mama Ruth Jackson in Newnan, Georgia and he, his father, mother, and sisters lived in a small home built around his grandfathers old toolshed. The family is primarily of English descent, at one point, his bed was in the hallway for lack of room. His mother lived in the home until she died on January 7,2017, Jackson sang in church as a child. His first job, at 12, was in a shoe store and he wrote his first song in 1983. As a youth, Jackson listened primarily to gospel music, otherwise he was not a major music fan. Then a friend introduced him to the music of Gene Watson, John Anderson and he started a band after high school. At the age of 27, Jackson and his wife of six years, Denise, moved from Newnan to Nashville, in Tennessee, Jackson got his first job in The Nashville Networks mailroom. Denise Jackson connected him with Glen Campbell, who helped jumpstart his career, by 1989, he became the first signed to the newly formed Arista Nashville branch of Arista Records. Arista released Jacksons debut single, Blue Blooded Woman, in late 1989, although the song failed to reach top 40 on Hot Country Songs, he reached number three by early 1990 with Here in the Real World. This song served as the track to his debut album, Here in the Real World. Dont Rock the Jukebox was the title of Jacksons second album, released in 1991, it included four number-one singles, the title track, Someday, Dallas and Loves Got a Hold on You, and the number three Midnight in Montgomery
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Brooks & Dunn
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Brooks & Dunn is an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois, before the foundation, both members were solo recording artists. However, they began hitting the charts together in 1991, signed to Arista Nashville in 1991, the duo has recorded ten studio albums, one Christmas album, and three compilation albums for the label. They also have released fifty singles, of which twenty went to No.1 on the Hot Country Songs charts and nineteen more reached top ten. Two of these songs, My Maria and Aint Nothing Bout You, were the top country songs of 1996 and 2001, respectively. The latter is also the duos longest-lasting number one, at six weeks, several of their songs have also reached the Billboard Hot 100, with the number 25 peaks of Aint Nothing bout You and Red Dirt Road being their highest there. Brooks & Dunn also won the Country Music Association Vocal Duo of the Year award every year between 1992 and 2006, except for 2000. Two of their songs won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Hard Workin Man in 1994 and My Maria in 1996. Brooks & Dunn has collaborated with artists, including Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Mac Powell, Billy Gibbons. After announcing their retirement in August 2009, they performed their concert on September 2,2010 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Both Brooks and Dunn have continued to record for Arista Nashville as solo artists, Dunn released a self-titled album in 2011, which included the Top 10 country hit Bleed Red, while Brooks released New to This Town in September 2012. The duo reunited in 2015 for a series of concerts with McEntire in Las Vegas, leon Eric Kix Brooks III was born May 12,1955 in Shreveport, Louisiana and before moving to Nashville in 1979, he played at various venues in Maine. He was also a neighbor of country singer Johnny Horton, Brooks also released several singles through the independent Avion label, charting at number 73 on Hot Country Songs in 1983 with Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down. In 1989, he released a studio album through Capitol Records. This album included Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down and the number 87 single Sacred Ground, which McBride & the Ride covered and took to number two on the country charts in 1992. Brooks and Pam Tillis co-wrote and sang on Tomorrows World, a multi-artist single released on Warner Bros. Records in 1990 in honor of Earth Day, Brooks also produced and co-wrote Backbone Job, a Keith Whitley outtake that appeared on his compilation Kentucky Bluebird. Ronnie Gene Dunn was born June 1,1953 in Coleman and he played bass guitar in local bands during high school and he briefly studied theology at Hardin-Simmons University with the intention of becoming a Baptist preacher. Dunn was kicked out of the school because he played in bars, between 1983 and 1984, he recorded for the Churchill label, taking both Its Written All Over Your Face and She Put the Sad in All His Songs to number 59 on the country charts
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Life in a Northern Town
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Life in a Northern Town is a song by English group the Dream Academy. The song is the single from their self-titled debut studio album The Dream Academy. The single reached number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1986 and it is their highest-peaking chart single in the United States, the UK, and Ireland. The Dream Academy released the version in 1985 as the first single from their self-titled album. It was a Top Ten pop hit for them, peaking at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the lyrics include references to English singer-songwriter Nick Drake, who suffered from depression and insomnia throughout his life and often reflected those topics in his lyrics. Gilbert Gabriel, a member of the Dream Academy and co-writer of the song, has said that the inspiration for the tune came from his experience at Dartington College of Arts. Drake died of an antidepressant overdose in 1974 at the age of 26 and he was best known for sombre pieces composed on his favourite instrument, the guitar, and The Dream Academy intended the song as a tribute to Drake. The song, which took a year to record, also includes elements of music, an African-esque chant. It is in the key of E major with a chord pattern of E-Amaj7-E. Two different music videos were made for the song, the first was made in 1984 and filmed in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, England. It was directed by Tim Pope, the second was filmed in 1985 and was directed by Leslie Libman and Larry Williams. The video featured footage from one of their first TV appearances,7 Single Life in a Northern Town -4,17 Test Tape No.3 -5,0112 Single Life in a Northern Town -5,19 Test Tape No. A live performance from 2007 was made into a video by Becky Fluke for the network Country Music Television. It also peaked at 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 based on downloads and this performance was included on the Deluxe Fan Edition of Sugarlands 2008 album Love on the Inside and on Capitol Records late 2008 re-release of Little Big Towns 2007 album A Place to Land. In 2014, Chris Collingwood, lead singer of Fountains of Wayne, released a version of the song on the multi-artist compilation album Here Comes The Reign Again. Philip Price and Flora Reed of the rock band Winterpills provide backing vocals on this version. Dario G also sampled the African style chant in Sunchyme, released in September 1997 as the lead single from the album, Sunmachine, the song reached the top 5 position in many European music charts. It also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the United States following its release there in May 1998
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The Dream Academy
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The Dream Academy were an English band consisting of singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most noted for their 1985 hit single Life in a Northern Town, Laird-Clowes and Gabriel met each other in the late 1970s whilst the former was in a band called The Act. At first, Laird-Clowes and Gabriel called themselves the Politics of Paradise, Laird-Clowes met Kate St John at a party, and asked her to join. The trio settled on the name The Dream Academy and shopped their demos for nearly two years and their work was rejected by every record label before finally landing a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1985. Along the way, they made some connections with Adam Peters and Pink Floyds David Gilmour. Gilmour would go on to produce and/or play on two of their albums and co-write one Dream Academy song, Twelve-Eight Angel. Their first single, Life in a Northern Town was a success and sizeable hit in the U. S. charting at No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also made number 15 in the UK Singles Chart, the single was dedicated to the English singer-songwriter Nick Drake. It was their only chart success. Reportedly, their record label initially did not want to release this single and they thought it needed more drums but Laird-Clowes and Gabriel were staunch in their opinion that it was perfect. They commented on its sound, and feeling of a winter snowstorm created almost unintentionally by the amount of overdubbing onto the original recording. The song also was initially called Morning Lasted All Day but was changed when Paul Simon commented to Laird-Clowes that it was not a good title, the Dream Academys eponymous debut album also reached a wide audience in the U. S. Their two subsequent albums did not match the initial success, during the same year, Gabriel and St John decided to leave the group to pursue solo musical interests and projects. Laird-Clowes ultimately decided that he would not go further under the Dream Academy name, shortly thereafter, he began to work with David Gilmour on lyrics for Pink Floyds The Division Bell, before recording his solo album under the name Trashmonk. Lately, he has composed the music for and consulted on numerous film soundtracks, All three members of the band remain active recording musicians, each with his or her own career. Kate St John performed with Van Morrison for many years and more recently has been director for Marianne Faithfull. Gabriel has also had numerous projects since, such as, The Believers, The Excellent Staircase, Melt21, and The Daze. Also, a sample of Life In A Northern Town was the basis of Jakarandas Never Let You Go, released in 1998 as part of the soundtrack for Disneys The Parent Trap
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Music video
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A music video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys or marketing campaigns for food, although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by terms including illustrated song, filmed insert, promotional film, promotional clip, promotional video, song video. Music videos use a range of styles of contemporary videomaking techniques, including animation, live action filming, documentaries. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation, music, combining these styles and techniques has become more popular because of the variation it presents to the audience. Many music videos interpret images and scenes from the songs lyrics, other music videos may be without a set concept, being merely a filmed version of the songs live performance. Product placement is a technique in music videos, exemplified by the appearance of the Beats Pill in numerous hip hop videos. In 1894, sheet music publishers Edward B, marks and Joe Stern hired electrician George Thomas and various performers to promote sales of their song The Little Lost Child. Using a magic lantern, Thomas projected a series of images on a screen simultaneous to live performances. This would become a form of entertainment known as the illustrated song. In 1926, with the arrival of many musical short films were produced. Vitaphone shorts featured many bands, vocalists and dancers, early 1930s cartoons featured popular musicians performing their hit songs on-camera in live-action segments during the cartoons. The early animated films by Walt Disney, such as the Silly Symphonies shorts and especially Fantasia, the Warner Brothers cartoons, even today billed as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, were initially fashioned around specific songs from upcoming Warner Brothers musical films. Live action musical shorts, featuring such performers as Cab Calloway, were also distributed to theaters. Blues singer Bessie Smith appeared in a short film called St. Louis Blues featuring a dramatized performance of the hit song. Numerous other musicians appeared in short musical subjects during this period, soundies, produced and released from 1940 to 1947, were musical films that often included short dance sequences, similar to later music videos
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CMT (U.S. TV channel)
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Its name is an initialism for Country Music Television, which has since been de-emphasized. It was the first nationally available cable channel devoted to country music, programming on the channel originally focused on country music, including music videos, taped concerts and biographies of country music stars. CMTs current programming now consists of original reality programs and scripted series, off-network syndicated shows. As of February 2015, approximately 86,989,000 American households receive CMT, CMTV, an initialism of Country Music Television, was founded by Glenn D. Daniels, the owner of Video World Productions in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Daniels put together the group of Telestar Corporation and the Blinder Robinson & Company investment bank in a three-way split. Daniels also served as the director and the first president of the network. The network launched on March 5,1983, at 6,19 p. m. CT, beating its chief competitor, TNN, the first video clip to air on CMT was Faron Youngs 1971 hit Its Four in the Morning. The following summer, MTV filed an infringement lawsuit over the initials CMTV. In 1991, Opryland USA and its owner Gaylord Entertainment Company acquired CMT in a $34 million deal, the network was sold by a group led by radio station owner Robert Sillerman and record producer James Guercio. Opryland USA and owner Gaylord also owned CMTs competitor The Nashville Network, in October 1992, CMT launched its first international channel, CMT Europe, as part of the Sky Multichannels package. By 1998, Gaylord reported $10 million in losses from CMT Europe, Gaylord had planned to emulate the successful model created by E. by selling large programming blocks to other European channels, but these plans never occurred. All shows eventually were cancelled by 2001, in 1995, CMT dropped all videos by Canadian artists without U. S. record contracts in response to the network being replaced in Canada by Calgary, Alberta-based New Country Network. By March 1996, CMT had eventually returned the dropped videos to its playlist after reaching an agreement to acquire a 20% ownership of New Country Network, in 1997, both CMT and TNN were sold to Westinghouse, then-owner of CBS for a reported $1.5 billion. In 1999, Viacom acquired CBS, assuming ownership of CMT and TNN, Viacom also changed the format of CMT, modeling it after sister networks MTV and VH1 to include series and movies, in addition to music videos. Despite the decrease in music videos, CMT has experienced significant ratings gains since its acquisition by MTV Networks in 1999, by 2007, the channel was available in more than 83 million homes. As of 2009, the network now reaches 88 million homes, on April 4,2012, CMT announced its first cartoon series, Bounty Hunters, featuring the voices of Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall who also serve as executive producers. CMT also announced that it would air Trinity 911, a 10-episode workplace docu-comedy that follows the police force in a small Texas town, Trinity 911 was later renamed Big Texas Heat and removed from the schedule after airing four episodes. CMTs current programming consists of entertainment programming, movies and reality shows
