Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country artist. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts; the song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party. Wilson followed this album one year with All Jacked Up, the title track of which became the highest-debuting single for a female country artist upon its 2005 release. A third album, One of the Boys, was released in 2007. Overall, Wilson has charted 13 singles on the Billboard country charts, of which five have reached Top Ten: the Number One "Redneck Woman", as well as "Here for the Party", "When I Think About Cheatin'", "Homewrecker", "All Jacked Up"; the album Here for the Party was certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA for sales of five million copies, while All Jacked Up was certified platinum. She has sold over 8 million records worldwide. Wilson recorded Here for the Party within the year, her first single, "Redneck Woman", was released in early 2004 and reached the top of the Hot Country Songs charts and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This song was the first Number One country hit by a female in two years. The success of "Redneck Woman" prompted an earlier-than-planned release for Here for the Party, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Internet album sales charts. She performed as a support artist for Montgomery Gentry, she released the title track to her debut album as the second single. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard country chart. Two other songs were released as singles, both reached the top 10. Released in markets outside the U. S. the album hit the top 50 of the Australian charts. Here for the Party was certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. On September 27, 2005, Wilson released her second album, All Jacked Up, which peaked at No. 1 on both the Top 200 and Country album charts and sold 1 million copies. The title track debuted at No. 21 on the Hot Country Songs charts, setting a record for the highest debut made by a female artist. This record was broken in late 2007 by Carrie Underwood's "So Small".
Despite its high debut, however, "All Jacked Up" peaked at No. 8 on Hot Country Songs after only eight chart weeks. It was used, at one time, by ESPN as the opening theme for its baseball coverage. Three more singles were released from All Jacked Up: "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today", "Politically Uncorrect" and "California Girls", none of which reached Top 20 on the country charts; these latter two singles were issued on Columbia Records, due to the closure of Epic Records's Nashville division. Wilson's "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today" was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, Best Country Song. In 2006, Wilson contributed a well-received cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Coming Down" on the tribute CD The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson. On May 15, 2007, Wilson released One of the Boys; the album debuted at No. 5 at No. 1 on the Country album chart. After 10 weeks, it exited the Billboard Top 200. "Come to Bed" and the title track, the first two singles released, both peaked in the 30s on the country charts, while the third and final single failed to reach the Top 40.
On July 14, 2008, Wilson released a new single, "Don't Do Me No Good". This song was intended to be the lead-off single to a fourth studio album, but it failed to reach the Top 40 and the album was delayed, it was followed in 2009 by two more singles, "The Earrings Song" and "If I Could Do It All Again," neither of which entered the charts. Wilson issued a press release on July 28, 2009, stating that she would be parting with Sony Music Nashville. Wilson launched Redneck Records, her own record label. "Work Hard, Play Harder" was released to radio on October 26, 2009 as the first single from the label and her fourth studio album, I Got Your Country Right Here, was released on March 30, 2010. Her former label, Columbia Nashville, released her first Greatest Hits album on January 19, 2010, to finish off her recording contract. Wilson released an album of original songs titled Right on Time on April 2, 2013, it was led by the single "Still Rollin'". A collection of rock covers titled Under the Covers was released on June 4, 2013.
Wilson released her first Christmas album, Christmas in My Heart, on October 8, 2013. While a country singer first and foremost, Gretchen Wilson has attracted favorable attention for her rendition of classic rock songs by Heart – a group which she sees as "one of the biggest influences on my musical career", she has appeared several times on the same stage as lead singer Ann Wilson and guitarist Nancy Wilson, once describing the experience as "beyond a dream come true". She has sung "Straight On", "Crazy on You", – most notably – "Barracuda", which she performed with Alice in Chains and Nancy Wilson on guitar at the 2007 VH1 Rock Honors, she performed, with Randy Bachman, the classic Who track "Who Are You" on the album Who Are You – An All Star Tribute To The Who. She performed on Buckcherry's single "The Feeling Never Dies", released January 29, 2016. Gretchen Wilson sang the National Anthem to a national audience at the Republican National Convention on September 3, 2008 describing this as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience at a "historic moment."
Wilson and her band al
Faith Hill
Audrey Faith McGraw, known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and record producer. She is one of the most successful country artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill is married to American singer Tim McGraw. Hill's first two albums, Take Me as I Am and It Matters to Me, were major successes and placed a combined three number ones on Billboard's country charts, she achieved mainstream and crossover success with her next two albums and Breathe. Faith spawned her first international success in early 1998, "This Kiss", while Breathe became one of the best-selling country albums of all time, led by the huge crossover success of the songs "Breathe" and "The Way You Love Me", it earned Hill three Grammy Awards. In 2001, she recorded "There You'll Be" for the Pearl Harbor soundtrack and it became an international success and her best-selling single in Europe. Hill's next two albums and Fireflies, were both commercial successes. Hill has won five Grammy Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, six American Music Awards, several other awards.
Her Soul2Soul II Tour 2006 with McGraw became the highest-grossing country tour of all time. In 2001, she was named one of the "30 Most Powerful Women in America" by Ladies Home Journal. In 2009, Billboard named her as the No. 1 Adult Contemporary artist of the 2000s decade and as the 39th best artist. From 2007 to 2012, Hill was the voice of NBC Sunday Night Football's intro song. In 2019, Hill will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hill was born in Ridgeland, north of Jackson, Mississippi, she was adopted as an infant, named Audrey Faith Perry. She was raised in the nearby town of Star, 20 miles outside of Jackson, her adoptive parents and Ted Perry, raised her with their two biological sons in a devout Christian environment. Hill's vocal talent was apparent early, she had her first public performance, at a 4-H luncheon, when she was seven. In 1976, a few days before her 9th birthday, she attended a concert by Elvis Presley at the State Fair Coliseum, in Jackson, which impressed her deeply.
By the time she was a teenager, Hill was a regular performer at area churches those not in her own Baptist denomination. At 17, Hill formed a band, she graduated from McLaurin Attendance Center in 1986, attended college at Hinds Junior College in Raymond, Mississippi. At times, she sang for prisoners at the Hinds County Jail, her song of choice being "Amazing Grace". At age 19 she quit school to pursue her dream of being a country singer. In her early days in Nashville, Hill auditioned to be a backup singer for Reba McEntire, but failed to secure the job. After a stint selling T-shirts, Hill became a secretary at a music publishing firm. Hill landed a job at a local McDonald's restaurant franchise, which she disliked intensely. "Fries, cash register – I did it all, I hated it," she has said. In 1988, she married music publishing executive Daniel Hill. A co-worker heard Hill singing to herself one day, soon the head of her music publishing company was encouraging her to become a demo singer for the firm.
She supplemented this work by singing backup vocals for songwriter Gary Burr, who performed his new songs at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. During one of those performances, Martha Sharp, an executive from Warner Bros. Records was in the audience, impressed with Hill's voice, began the process of signing her to a recording contract. Shortly after the release of her album, Hill's marriage fell apart, she and Daniel Hill divorced in 1994. Hill's debut album was Take Me as I Am. Hill became the first female country singer in 30 years to hold Billboard's number one position for four consecutive weeks when "Wild One" managed the feat in 1994, her version of "Piece of My Heart" went to the top of the country charts in 1994. The album sold a total of 3 million copies. Other singles from the album include "Take Me as I Am"; the recording of Faith's second album was delayed by surgery to repair a ruptured blood vessel on her vocal cords. It Matters to Me appeared in 1995 and was another success, with the title track becoming her third number-one country single.
Several other top 10 singles followed, more than 3 million copies of the album were sold. The fifth single from the album, was written by Alan Jackson. Other singles from the album include "You Can't Lose Me", "Someone Else's Dream", "Let's Go to Vegas". During this period, Hill appeared on the acclaimed PBS music program Austin City Limits. In spring 1996, Hill began the Spontaneous Combustion Tour with country singer Tim McGraw. At that time, Hill had become engaged to her former producer, Scott Hendricks, McGraw had broken an engagement. McGraw and Hill were attracted to each other and began an affair. After discovering that Hill was pregnant with their first child, the couple married on October 6, 1996; the couple have three daughters together: Maggie Elizabeth and Audrey Caroline. Since their marriage, Hill and McGraw have endeavored never to be apart for more than three consecutive days. After the release of It Matters to Me, Hill took a three-year break from recording to give
Black Label Society
Black Label Society is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1998 by Zakk Wylde. To date, the band has released ten studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, one EP, three video albums. In the early 1990s, Wylde had formed his own solo band Pride & Glory, playing a mixture of bluesy southern rock with heavy metal. However, they disbanded in December 1994 after having released only one album. Wylde subsequently recorded Book of Shadows. In May 1998, after limited commercial success with Book of Shadows and drummer Phil Ondich recorded what became Black Label Society's debut album Sonic Brew, it was decided, rather than the album being another solo album for Wylde, that they would form a long term band. It was known from the start that Nick Catanese would be retained as the second guitarist in the band. John DeServio, who worked with Wylde as a temporary replacement in Pride & Glory, joined as the band's bassist for the album's tour. Sonic Brew was released in Japan on October 28, 1998.
Due to delays in signing with a record label, the album was not released in the rest of the world until May 4, 1999. The band's second album Stronger Than Death followed in 2000, with DeServio being replaced by Steve Gibb. Craig Nunenmacher replaced Ondich in July 2000, with his debut recording with the band being the live album Alcohol Fueled Brewtality Live +5; this was followed by 1919 Eternal,which was dedicated to Wylde's father and was released in 2002. Steve Gibb was temporarily replaced by Mike Inez during the Ozzfest 2001 tour, Robert Trujillo took over bass duties for the band the next year. In 2003, Trujillo joined Metallica, leaving the bass position in Black Label Society open, which left room for Inez to rejoin the band for a short two-week tour, supporting the band's album The Blessed Hellride. James LoMenzo joined the band in 2004 after the release of Hangover Music Vol. VI, the band's last release for Spitfire Records. On the first four studio albums, Wylde played every instrument, except for the drums, including vocals, guitars and bass guitar.
In 2005, after the band signed with Artemis Records, the album Mafia was released. In October, LoMenzo was replaced by the band's original bassist, John DeServio. In 2006, the band left Artemis Records and signed to Roadrunner Records, releasing the album Shot to Hell. In June 2007, Black Label Society parted ways with Roadrunner Records; as of July 2007, members of Black Label Society DeServio and Catanese both signaled the start of new bands as Zakk Wylde toured with Ozzy Osbourne. DeServio's band, Cycle of Pain, has been shopping to major labels and is believed to have inked a deal. Catanese's band, Speed X, includes Mike Stone from Queensrÿche and is recording. However, according to DeServio at a guitar clinic/autograph signing in Huntington, NY, Black Label Society was set to begin recording a new album in the fall of 2008, though this never happened. Drummer Craig Nunenmacher left the band in February 2010, was replaced by Will Hunt. Hunt’s first live performance with the band would be on July 24, 2010 at the first edition of the High Voltage Festival in London.
On August 10, 2010, Order Of their 8th studio album, was released. It reached number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2011 the band toured in support of their new album; the Black Label Berzerkus tour started in Portland, with Children of Bodom and Clutch sharing the main support slot and 2cents opening. In March 2011, Will Hunt left the band to record with Evanescence, Danzig drummer Johnny Kelly filled in for him for the rest of the tour, however in May 2011, Mike Froedge of doubleDrive and Catanese's band Speed X joined the band. Black Label Society released The Song Remains Not the Same, on May 3 via Entertainment One Music; the offering features unplugged versions of material from their latest album, Order of the Black, as well as additional material recorded during the Order of the Black sessions. The Song Remains Not the Same was conceived and compiled by Zakk Wylde and the title is a nod to one of Wylde's favorite bands, Led Zeppelin. On September 14, 2011, in a hand-written letter, Zakk Wylde thanked Mike Froedge for his time behind the drums with the band, introduced Breaking Benjamin's Chad Szeliga as the band's new drummer.
An interview with ESPN revealed an acoustic DVD entitled "Unblackened" was in the works for 2012. The album was recorded during the Unblackened show, at Club Nokia on March 6, 2013; the album was scheduled to be released on September 2013, as announced by Zakk. On May 3, 2013, it was announced that Black Label Society would be included in the year's installment of Gigantour, along with Megadeth, David Draiman's new band Device, former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbot's band Hellyeah, Jason Newsted's own band Newsted, upstart band Death Division In August 2013, after Unblackened single's released through iTunes, Zakk stated that he would begin writing a new studio album, it would be scheduled for a 2014 release. On October 28, they debuted a new music video: a cover of Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine", it was reported on December 2013 that Nick Catanese had amicably parted from the band. On January 1, 2014, Wylde announced via Facebook that Lizzy Borden guitarist Dario Lorina would be replacing Nick Catanese as rhythm guitarist.
Lorina made his live debut with the band on April 16th in Seattle. On January 13, it was announced that Black Label Society will be playing the main stage of Download Festival on the Friday at
For the Kids (EP)
For the Kids is the second Extended Play by American country music artist John Rich, one half of the duo Big & Rich. Rich contributed to the writing of three of the six total tracks; the EP was released on May 17, 2011, coinciding with the release of John Rich's other EP, Rich Rocks. Reprise Records released both For the Kids and Rich Rocks; the songs "She's a Butterfly" and "Rescue Me" were recorded by Rich for his 2001 solo album Rescue Me. Steve Brewster - drums Dennis Burnside - keyboards Shannon Forrest - drums Larry Franklin - fiddle, mandolin Owen Hale - drums Mike Johnson - steel guitar Doug Kahan - bass guitar Brent Mason - electric guitar Greg Morrow - drums Duncan Mullins - bass guitar Matt Pierson - bass guitar John Rich - acoustic guitar, lead vocals, background vocals Jeff Roach - keyboards Mike Rojas - keyboards Adam Shoenfeld - electric guitar Joe Spivey - fiddle Bobby Terry - acoustic guitar Ilya Toshinsky - acoustic guitar Sharon Vaughn - background vocals Glenn Worf - bass guitar Jonathan Yudkin - strings
Record producer
A record producer or music producer oversees and manages the sound recording and production of a band or performer's music, which may range from recording one song to recording a lengthy concept album. A producer has varying roles during the recording process, they may gather musical ideas for the project, collaborate with the artists to select cover tunes or original songs by the artist/group, work with artists and help them to improve their songs, lyrics or arrangements. A producer may also: Select session musicians to play rhythm section accompaniment parts or solos Co-write Propose changes to the song arrangements Coach the singers and musicians in the studioThe producer supervises the entire process from preproduction, through to the sound recording and mixing stages, and, in some cases, all the way to the audio mastering stage; the producer may perform these roles themselves, or help select the engineer, provide suggestions to the engineer. The producer may pay session musicians and engineers and ensure that the entire project is completed within the record label's budget.
A record producer or music producer has a broad role in overseeing and managing the recording and production of a band or performer's music. A producer has many roles that may include, but are not limited to, gathering ideas for the project, composing the music for the project, selecting songs or session musicians, proposing changes to the song arrangements, coaching the artist and musicians in the studio, controlling the recording sessions, supervising the entire process through audio mixing and, in some cases, to the audio mastering stage. Producers often take on a wider entrepreneurial role, with responsibility for the budget, schedules and negotiations. Writer Chris Deville explains it, "Sometimes a producer functions like a creative consultant — someone who helps a band achieve a certain aesthetic, or who comes up with the perfect violin part to complement the vocal melody, or who insists that a chorus should be a bridge. Other times a producer will build a complete piece of music from the ground up and present the finished product to a vocalist, like Metro Boomin supplying Future with readymade beats or Jack Antonoff letting Taylor Swift add lyrics and melody to an otherwise-finished “Out Of The Woods.”The artist of an album may not be a record producer or music producer for his/her album.
While both contribute creatively, the official credit of "record producer" may depend on the record contract. Christina Aguilera, for example, did not receive record producer credits until many albums into her career. In the 2010s, the producer role is sometimes divided among up to three different individuals: executive producer, vocal producer and music producer. An executive producer oversees project finances, a vocal producers oversees the vocal production, a music producer oversees the creative process of recording and mixings; the music producer is often a competent arranger, musician or songwriter who can bring fresh ideas to a project. As well as making any songwriting and arrangement adjustments, the producer selects and/or collaborates with the mixing engineer, who takes the raw recorded tracks and edits and modifies them with hardware and software tools to create a stereo or surround sound "mix" of all the individual voices sounds and instruments, in turn given further adjustment by a mastering engineer for the various distribution media.
The producer oversees the recording engineer who concentrates on the technical aspects of recording. Noted producer Phil Ek described his role as "the person who creatively guides or directs the process of making a record", like a director would a movie. Indeed, in Bollywood music, the designation is music director; the music producer's job is to create and mold a piece of music. The scope of responsibility may be one or two songs or an artist's entire album – in which case the producer will develop an overall vision for the album and how the various songs may interrelate. At the beginning of record industry, the producer role was technically limited to record, in one shot, artists performing live; the immediate predecessors to record producers were the artists and repertoire executives of the late 1920s and 1930s who oversaw the "pop" product and led session orchestras. That was the case of Ben Selvin at Columbia Records, Nathaniel Shilkret at Victor Records and Bob Haring at Brunswick Records.
By the end of the 1930s, the first professional recording studios not owned by the major companies were established separating the roles of A&R man and producer, although it wouldn't be until the late 1940s when the term "producer" became used in the industry. The role of producers changed progressively over the 1960s due to technology; the development of multitrack recording caused a major change in the recording process. Before multitracking, all the elements of a song had to be performed simultaneously. All of these singers and musicians had to be assembled in a large studio where the performance was recorded. With multitrack recording, the "bed tracks" (rhythm section accompaniment parts such as the bassline and rhythm guitar could be recorded first, the vocals and solos could be added using as many "takes" as necessary, it was no longer necessary to get all the players in the studio at the same time. A pop band could record their backing tracks one week, a horn section could be brought in a week to add horn shots and punches, a string section could be brought in a week after that.
Multitrack recording had another pro
Redneck Woman
"Redneck Woman" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Gretchen Wilson. Wilson wrote this song with John Rich, it was released in March 2004 as the lead-off single to her multi-platinum debut album Here for the Party. The song is Wilson's only number-one single on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, it reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the song found modest success in Australia and the United Kingdom, reaching number 50 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, number 45 on the Irish Singles Chart, number 42 on the UK Singles Chart; the song, considered Wilson's signature song earned a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2005. In June 2014, Rolling Stone ranked the song number 97 on the "100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time"; the song spent five weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs charts. In doing so, it became the first number-one hit on that chart for a female solo act since "Blessed" by Martina McBride in April 2002, the first for Epic Records Nashville since "It Must Be Love" in December 1998.
On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the song reached number 22, becoming Wilson's highest-charting single on that chart. Outside the United States, "Redneck Woman" proved to be a moderate success in three countries: Australia and the United Kingdom. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number 50 on the chart dated July 25, 2004, but fell out of the top 50 the next week. In Ireland, it made its only appearance in the top 50 at number 45 on August 26, 2004. On the UK Singles Chart, the single debuted at number 42—its peak—on August 29, 2004 dropped to number 68 the following week before exiting the top 100 the week after. In the video, directed by David Hogan, Wilson is depicted performing in a western-style club with a live band, cage girls dancing in the background, patrons in the crowd that are drinking beer. Scenes of Wilson driving a 1973-87 General Motors pickup truck and a four-wheeler through the mud with two men are interspersed throughout the video; the music video includes the following guest stars: Big and Rich, Tanya Tucker, Hank Williams, Jr. and Kid Rock, all of whom are name-dropped in the song.
The music video was ranked #11 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos in 2008. In late 2004, Wilson recorded a re-written version, titled "Redbird Fever" to commemorate the St. Louis Cardinals' entering the World Series. "Redbird Fever" spent one week at number 60 on the US Billboard Country Singles Chart dated for the week ending November 13, 2004. In the third episode of the TV series Smash, Katharine McPhee performed the song in a karaoke bar. A contestant on the reality show Killer Karaoke sang the song while being dunked into a tank of snakes; the song appears on the games Karaoke Revolution Country and “Country Dance”. American parody artist Cledus T. Judd released a parody of "Redneck Woman" titled "Paycheck Woman" on his 2004 album Bipolar and Proud
Horse of a Different Color (Big & Rich album)
Horse of a Different Color is the debut studio album by the American country music duo Big & Rich. It was released in 2004 on Warner Bros. Records and it contains the hit singles "Wild West Show", "Save a Horse", "Holy Water", "Big Time"; these reached No. 21, No. 11, No. 15, No. 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The album was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of three million copies. Horse of a Different Color features several guest musicians members of the MuzikMafia, the collaborative singer-songwriter group that Big & Rich founded. Country rap artist Cowboy Troy is featured on the lead-off track "Rollin'", makes an uncredited guest appearance at the end of "Kick My Ass". Gretchen Wilson provides background vocals on "Saved", Jon Nicholson on "Love Train"; the only guest musician, not a MuzikMafia member is Martina McBride, who provides backing vocals on the final track, "Live This Life". Big Kenny and John Rich, who comprise the duo, co-wrote all the tracks on the album, co-produced it with Paul Worley.
Four singles were released from this album. Lead-off single "Wild West Show" peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard country charts in early 2004. Following it was "Save a Horse", which peaked at No. 11 and was certified platinum by the RIAA as a single. The third single release, the No. 15 "Holy Water", was inspired by Big Kenny's and John Rich's sisters, both victims of domestic abuse. "Big Time" was the final single, reaching No. 20 in mid-2005. As listed in liner notes. Big & RichBig Kenny - vocals John Rich - vocals, acoustic guitarAdditional musiciansBrian Barnett - drums, tambourine Steve Brewster - drums, shaker Dennis Burnside - keyboards Cowboy Troy - "multilingual'hick-hop' rap", vocals Owen Hale - drums Mike Johnson - steel guitar Wayne Killius - drums, peanut can, tambourine Martina McBride - background vocals Duncan Mullins - bass guitar Jon Nicholson - background vocals Matt Pierson - bass guitar Michael Rojas - keyboards Adam Shoenfeld - electric guitar Nicole Summers - flute Justin Tocket - bass guitar Gretchen Wilson - background vocals Paul Worley - "yeehaw juice" Jonathan Yudkin - fiddle, strings, string composer, string arrangements, harp TechnicalRichard Dodd - mastering Big Kenny - production Bart Pursley - recording, mixing John Rich - production Paul Worley - production
