1.
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
2.
Sharon, Kansas
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Sharon is a city in Barber County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 158, Sharon is a Hebrew name meaning plain. Sharon is located at 37°15′00″N 98°25′07″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.29 square miles, all land. As of the census of 2010, there were 158 people,77 households, the population density was 544.8 inhabitants per square mile. There were 98 housing units at a density of 337.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 90. 5% White,0. 6% African American,3. 2% Native American,0. 6% Asian, and 5. 1% from two or more races. 36. 4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14. 3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age in the city was 49.8 years. 16. 5% of residents were under the age of 18,6. 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24,18. 4% were from 25 to 44,34. 2% were from 45 to 64, and 24. 1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51. 3% male and 48. 7% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 210 people,91 households, and 54 families residing in the city. The population density was 713.4 people per square mile, there were 100 housing units at an average density of 339.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 95. 24% White,2. 38% Native American,0. 48% Asian,0. 48% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 0. 48% of the population. 35. 2% of all households were made up of individuals and 24. 2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was out with 26. 2% under the age of 18,3. 8% from 18 to 24,20. 0% from 25 to 44,27. 6% from 45 to 64. The median age was 45 years, for every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males, the median income for a household in the city was $37,188, and the median income for a family was $43,056. Males had an income of $30,500 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,759, none of the families and 4. 0% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 5. 6% of those over 64
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.
Country pop
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Country pop is a subgenre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the Country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. It is a continuation of efforts that began in the late 1950s originally known as Nashville sound. By the mid-1970s, many artists were transitioning to the pop-country sound which led to some records charting high on mainstream top 40 as well as country Billboard charts. According to Bill Ivey, this genre originated in Nashville, Tennessee. He believes that the Nashville Sound often produced records that sounded more pop than country, after the removal of the fiddle, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and Eddy Arnold were among the most popular artists during this time. This was intended to have country singers gain more success in pop music, the first male artists to come out of this new genre were Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold, who both grew to have widespread acceptance among both country and pop music listeners. Both Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold had major influence on their RCA labelmate Elvis Presley, apparent not only in secular songs, the first female country singer to emerge from this new genre was Patsy Cline in the early 1960s. The example she created was followed by female country artists, such as Lynn Anderson, Crystal Gayle and Shania Twain. Country pop found its first widespread acceptance during the 1970s and it started when pop music singers, like Glen Campbell, John Denver, Olivia Newton-John and Anne Murray, began having hits on the country charts. Songs like Campbells Rhinestone Cowboy were among the biggest crossover hits in country music history and these pop-oriented singers thought that they could gain higher record sales and a larger audience if they crossed over into the country world. One of the artists who did this was Olivia Newton-John, who emerged from Australia in the mid-1970s, a group of artists, troubled by this trend, formed the Association of Country Entertainers in 1974. The debate raged into 1975, and reached its apex at that years Country Music Association Awards when reigning Entertainer of the Year Charlie Rich presented the award to his successor, as he read Denvers name, Rich set fire to the envelope with a cigarette lighter. The action was taken in some quarters as a protest against the pop style in country music. However, the ACE would only last two years, its two biggest backers, firm traditionalists George Jones and Tammy Wynette, faced a bitter divorce. In 1979 Barbara Mandrell had her highest crossover hit with her number 1 song I Dont Want to Be Right It charted number 31 on the Billboard Top 40, several of her other hits charted well on the adult contemporary charts and the Bubbling under 100 charts. Mandrell also did countrypolitan style music on her Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters show and she had R & B artists, pop artists and country artists featured every week. It was the last successful musical variety show on TV and she is also known for her Blue-Eyed Soul sound. She was given the nickname The Princess of Steel, for her ability at the steel guitar and she was one of country musics most successful crossover artists during the 1970s and 1980s
5.
RCA Records
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RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc. It is one of SMEs three flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records and Epic Records. The label has released multiple genres of music, including pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, blues, jazz, the companys name is derived from the initials of the labels former parent company, the Radio Corporation of America. It is the second oldest recording company in US history, after sister label Columbia Records, RCAs Canadian unit is Sonys oldest label in Canada. It was one of only two Canadian record companies to survive the Great Depression, kelly, Enrique Iglesias, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Kesha, Miley Cyrus, Giorgio Moroder, Jennifer Hudson, DAngelo, Pink, Tinashe, G-Eazy, Pitbull, Zayn and Wizkid. In 1929, the Radio Corporation of America purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company, then the worlds largest manufacturer of phonographs and phonograph records. The company then became RCA Victor but retained use of the Victor Records name on their labels until the beginning of 1946 when the labels were finally switched over to RCA Victor. With Victor, RCA acquired New World rights to the famous Nipper His Masters Voice trademark, in Shanghai, China, in 1931, RCA Victors British affiliate the Gramophone Company merged with the Columbia Graphophone Company to form EMI. This gave RCA head David Sarnoff a seat on the EMI board, in September 1931, RCA Victor introduced the first 33⅓ rpm records sold to the public, calling them Program Transcriptions. In the depths of the Great Depression, the format was a commercial failure, during the early part of the depression, RCA made a number of attempts to produce a successful cheap label to compete with the dime store labels. The first was the short-lived Timely Tunes label in 1931 sold at Montgomery Ward, in 1932, Bluebird Records was created as a sub-label of RCA Victor. It was originally an 8-inch record with a blue label. In 1933, RCA reintroduced Bluebird and Electradisk as a standard 10-inch label, another cheap label, Sunrise, was produced. The same musical couplings were issued on all three labels and Bluebird Records still survives eight decades after Electradisk and Sunrise were discontinued, RCA also produced records for Montgomery Ward label during the 1930s. Besides manufacturing records for themselves, RCA Victor operated RCA Custom which was the leading record manufacturer for independent record labels, RCA Custom also pressed record compilations for The Readers Digest Association. RCA sold its interest in EMI in 1935, but EMI continued to distribute RCA recordings in the UK, RCA also manufactured and distributed HMV classical recordings on the RCA and HMV labels in North America. During World War II, ties between RCA and its Japanese affiliate JVC were severed, the Japanese record company is today called Victor Entertainment and is still a JVC subsidiary. From 1942 to 1944, RCA Victor was seriously impacted by the American Federation of Musicians recording ban, virtually all union musicians could not make recordings during that period
6.
Faith Hill
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Faith Hill is an American singer, actress and record producer. She is one of the most successful artists of all time. Hill is married to American singer Tim McGraw, with whom she has recorded several duets, Hills first two albums, Take Me as I Am and It Matters to Me, were major successes and placed a combined three number ones on Billboards country charts. She then achieved mainstream and crossover success with her two albums, Faith and Breathe. It had massive sales worldwide and earned Hill three Grammy Awards, in 2001, she recorded There Youll Be for the Pearl Harbor soundtrack and it became an international hit and her best-selling single in Europe. Hill has won five Grammy Awards,15 Academy of Country Music Awards, six American Music Awards and 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 2000 decade and also as the 39th best artist. From 2007 to 2012, Hill was the voice of NBC Sunday Night Footballs intro song, Hill was born in Ridgeland, Mississippi, north of Jackson, Mississippi. She was adopted as an infant, and named Audrey Faith Perry and she was raised in the nearby town of Star,20 miles outside of Jackson. Her adoptive parents, Edna and Ted Perry, raised her with their two sons in a devout Christian environment. Hills vocal talent was apparent early, and she had her first public performance, at a 4-H luncheon, 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 performer at area churches. At 17, Hill formed a band played in local rodeos. She graduated from McLaurin Attendance Center in 1986, and briefly attended college at Hinds Junior College in Raymond, 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 move to Nashville and 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 publishing firm. Additionally, Hill also landed a job at a local McDonalds restaurant franchise, fries, burgers, 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, and soon the head of her music publishing company was encouraging her to become a demo singer for the firm
7.
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
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Carolyn Dawn Johnson is a Canadian Juno Award winning country music singer-songwriter. Johnson co-wrote Chely Wrights 1999 single, Single White Female, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in September 1999, Johnson was signed, in 2000, to record label Arista Nashville. In 2001, Johnson released her debut album Room with a View, the albums first single Georgia reached No.4 on the RPM Canadian Country Singles Chart for the week of November 6,2000. Complicated was a Top Ten hit on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and her next single was also a Top Ten hit in the U. S. After a three-year hiatus, Johnson returned with the single Let Me Introduce Myself and it was the lead single from her fourth album, Love Rules, released in 2010. Carolyn Dawn Johnson was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta to John Johnson, a farmer and operator of a business, and Loretta Johnson. Johnson was raised on a farm in Deadwood, Alberta with two brothers, late older brother Derwin, who died due to an illness on Christmas Eve in 1998. Johnson was passionate about music from an age and even asked her mother how anyone could live without it. She sang at a church and started playing the piano at the age of five, learning from her pastors wife, the family later moved to Westlock, Alberta and Johnson attended RF Staples High School there. During her high school years, she learned to play the clarinet, flute and she kept up her piano lessons largely in part due to Thiessan sending books and encouraging letters to her. Her high school teachers were not as encouraging and caused her to turn away from music for a while and turn to science, a period in her life which she called a stain in her heart. During her college years, she frequently sat-in with local bands at night, in 1994, Johnson headed to Nashville after calling her mother and saying, Im going big. Im going for the big picture, in Nashville, Johnson attended songwriting workshops and writers night events. In 1997, Johnson moved permanently to Nashville after obtaining a visa and later that year. Johnsons breakthrough as a songwriter came in 1999 when Single White Female and this song became Johnsons first number one hit as a songwriter. Another one of her songs, Downtime, recorded by Messina, in 2000, Johnson was named Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year by MusicRow Magazine. In 1999, Johnson started her career as a solo artist and her success as a songwriter led her to a record deal with the Arista Nashville record label. Paul Worley, a producer with whom Johnson was working, was working with Martina McBride at that time
8.
Soprano
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A soprano is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The sopranos vocal range is from approximately middle C =261 Hz to high A =880 Hz in choral music, in four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody. The soprano voice type is divided into the coloratura, soubrette, lyric, spinto. The lyric soprano is the most common female singing voice, the word soprano comes from the Italian word sopra, as the soprano is the highest pitch human voice, often given to the leading female roles in operas. The term soprano is also based on the Latin word superius which, like soprano, the word superius was especially used in choral and other multi-part vocal music between the 13th and 16th centuries. The soprano has the highest vocal range of all voice types, a soprano and a mezzo-soprano have a similar range, but their tessituras will lie in different parts of that range. The low extreme for sopranos is roughly A3 or B♭3, within opera, the lowest demanded note for sopranos is F3. Often low notes in higher voices will project less, lack timbre, however, rarely is a soprano simply unable to sing a low note in a song within a soprano role. The high extreme, at a minimum, for non-coloratura sopranos is soprano C, a couple of roles have optional E♭6s, as well. In the coloratura repertoire several roles call for E♭6 on up to F6, in rare cases, some coloratura roles go as high as G6 or G♯6, such as Mozarts concert aria Popoli di Tessaglia. Or the title role of Jules Massenets opera Esclarmonde, while not necessarily within the tessitura, a good soprano will be able to sing her top notes full-throated, with timbre and dynamic control. In opera, the tessitura, vocal weight, and timbre of voices, a singers tessitura is where the voice has the best timbre, easy volume, and most comfort. Within the soprano voice type category are five generally recognized subcategories, coloratura soprano, soubrette, lyric soprano, spinto soprano, the coloratura soprano may be a lyric coloratura or a dramatic coloratura. The lyric coloratura soprano is a very agile light voice with a high upper extension capable of fast vocal coloratura, Light coloraturas have a range of approximately middle C to high F with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing somewhat higher or lower. Dramatic coloraturas have a range of approximately low B to high F with some coloratura sopranos being able to sing higher or lower. In classical music and opera, a soubrette soprano refers to both a type and a particular type of opera role. A soubrette voice is light with a bright, sweet timbre, a tessitura in the mid-range, the soubrette voice is not a weak voice, for it must carry over an orchestra without a microphone like all voices in opera. The voice, however, has a lighter weight than other soprano voices with a brighter timbre
9.
Shania Twain
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Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Twain has sold over 85 million records, making her the female artist in the history of country music. Her success garnered her several titles including the Queen of Country Pop. Twains second album, 1995s The Woman in Me, brought her widespread success selling 20 million copies worldwide, spawning hits such as Any Man of Mine and earning her a Grammy Award. Twains third album, Come On Over, became the studio album of all time by a female act in any genre. Come On Over produced several singles, including Youre Still the One, From This Moment On, I Feel Like a Woman. and earned Twain four Grammy Awards. Twain has received five Grammy Awards,27 BMI Songwriter awards, stars on Canadas Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and she is the only female artist in history to have three consecutive albums certified Diamond by the RIAA. Altogether, Twain is ranked as the 10th best-selling artist of the Nielsen SoundScan era, in 2004, Twain retired from performing and retreated to her home in Switzerland. In her 2011 autobiography, she cited a weakening singing voice as the reason for not performing publicly, when both her singing and speaking were affected, Twain consulted the Vanderbilt Dayani Center in Nashville. Specialists discovered lesions on her vocal cords and diagnosed her with dysphonia, in 2012, Twain returned to the concert stage in her critically acclaimed show Still the One, exclusively at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. In 2015, Twain returned to the road for what she has billed as her farewell tour, Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards in Windsor, Ontario on August 28,1965, to Sharon and Clarence Edwards. Her parents divorced when she was two and her mother moved to Timmins, Ontario with Eilleen and her sisters Jill. Sharon married Jerry Twain, an Ojibwa from the nearby Mattagami First Nation, Jerry adopted the girls, legally changing their last name to Twain. When Mark was still a toddler, the Twains adopted Jerrys baby nephew, Darryl and she also has Irish, French, and English ancestry. Through a maternal great-grandmother, she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier and her maternal grandmother, Eileen Pearce, emigrated from Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. Twain had a childhood in Timmins. Her parents earned little money and food was scarce in their household. Twain did not confide her situation to school authorities, fearing they might break up the family, in the remote, rugged community, she learned to hunt and to chop wood
10.
Recording Industry Association of America
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The Recording Industry Association of America is a continental North and South American trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says create, the RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D. C. The RIAA was formed in 1952 and its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations. Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve, the format of the record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3 rpm,45 rpm. Since 2001, the RIAA has spent $2 to $6 million each year on lobbying in the United States, the RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum albums and singles in the United States. Cary Sherman has been the RIAAs chairman and CEO since 2011, Sherman joined the RIAA as its general counsel in 1997 and became president of the board of directors in 2001, serving in that position until being made chairman and CEO. Mitch Glazier has been the RIAAs senior executive vice president since 2011 and he served as executive vice president for public policy and industry relations from 2000 to 2011. The past RIAA chairman and CEO is Mitch Bainwol, who served from 2003 to 2011 and he left in 2011 to become president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The board of directors consists of 26 members of the board, the RIAA operates an award program for albums that sell a large number of copies. The program originally began in 1958, with a Gold Award for singles, the criterion was changed in 1975 to the number of copies sold, with albums selling 500,000 copies awarded the Gold Award. In 1976, a Platinum Award was added for one million sales, the awards are open to both RIAA members and non-members. Since 2000, the RIAA also operates a program for Latin music sales. Currently, a Disco De Oro is awarded for 30,000 units, the RIAA defines Latin music as a type of release with 51% or more of its content recorded in Spanish. In 2006, digital ringtones were added to branch of certification. In the same year, the RIAA introduced the Latin Digital Award for digital recordings in Spanish and this release format includes DVD and VHS releases, and certain live albums and compilation albums. The certification criteria is different from other styles. Gold,50,000 Platinum,100,000 Multi-Platinum,200,000 copies The RIAA opposes unauthorized sharing of its music, studies conducted since the association began its campaign against peer-to-peer file-sharing have concluded that losses incurred per download range from negligible to moderate. The association has commenced high-profile lawsuits against file sharing service providers and it has also commenced a series of lawsuits against individuals suspected of file sharing, notably college students and parents of file sharing children
11.
Music recording sales certification
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Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies. The threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory, almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after precious materials. The number of sales or shipments required for these awards depends upon the population of the territory in which the recording is released, typically, they are awarded only to international releases and are awarded individually for each country in which the album is sold. Different sales levels, some perhaps 10 times lower than others, the original gold record awards were presented to artists by their own record companies to publicize their sales achievements. The first of these was awarded by RCA Victor to Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in February 1942, another example of a company award is the gold record awarded to Elvis Presley in 1956 for one million units sold of his single Dont Be Cruel. The first gold record for an LP was awarded by RCA Victor to Harry Belafonte in 1957 for the album Calypso and these sales were restricted to U. S. -based record companies and did not include exports to other countries. For albums in 1968, this would mean shipping approximately 250,000 units, the platinum certification was introduced in 1976 for the sale of one million units, album or single, with the gold certification redefined to mean sales of 500,000 units, album or single. No album was certified platinum prior to this year, for instance, the recording by Van Cliburn of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto from 1958 would eventually be awarded a platinum citation, but this would not happen until two decades after its release. In 1999, the certification was introduced for sales of ten million units. On 14 March 1958, the RIAA certified its first gold record, soundtrack was certified as the first gold album four months later. In 1976, RIAA introduced the platinum certification, first awarded to Johnnie Taylors single, Disco Lady, as music sales increased with the introduction of compact discs, the RIAA created the Multi-Platinum award in 1984. Diamond awards, honoring those artists whose sales of singles or albums reached 10,000,000 copies, were introduced in 1999 and this became much less common once the majority of retail sales became paid digital downloads and digital streaming. In most countries certifications no longer apply solely to physical media, in June 2006, the RIAA also certified the ringtone downloads of songs. Streaming from on-demand services such as Rhapsody and Spotify has been included into existing digital certification in the U. S since 2013, in the U. S. and Germany video streaming services like YouTube, VEVO, and Yahoo. Music also began to be counted towards the certification, in both cases using the formula of 100 streams being equivalent to one download, other countries, such as Denmark and Spain, maintain separate awards for digital download singles and streaming. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry was founded in 1996, and grants the IFPI Platinum Europe Award for album sales over one million within Europe, multi-platinum Europe Awards are presented for sales in subsequent multiples of one million. Eligibility is unaffected by time, and is not restricted to European-based artists, IMPALA sales awards were launched in 2005 as the first sales awards recognising that success on a pan-European basis begins well before sales reach one million. The award levels are Silver, Double Silver, Gold, Double Gold, Diamond, Platinum, below are certification thresholds for the United States and United Kingdom
12.
Country Music Association
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The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre, however the CMA may be best known to most country music fans for its annual Country Music Association Awards broadcast live on network television each fall. Initially, CMAs Board of Directors included nine directors and five officers, wesley Rose, president of Acuff-Rose Publishing, Inc. served as CMAs first chairman of the board. Broadcasting entrepreneur and executive Connie B. Gay was the founding president, originally there were nine individual membership categories. The current 15 categories represent all facets of the music industry, CMA membership is composed of those persons or organizations that are involved in Country Music, directly and substantially. The first CMA Awards ceremony was held in 1967 in Nashville, sonny James and Bobbie Gentry hosted the event, which was not televised. The winner of the first Entertainer of the Year award was singer Eddy Arnold, male Vocalist of the Year went to Jack Greene and Female Vocalist of the Year to Loretta Lynn. In 1968, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans hosted the awards, the first live telecast of the show was in 1969. The CMA also gives a CMA Broadcast Award to country-formatted radio stations each year, Broadcast Awards are segmented based on market size, major market, large market, medium market and small market. A single station cannot win the award in consecutive years, in honor of the associations 50th anniversary, MCA Nashville released a song called Forever Country
13.
Reba McEntire
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Reba Nell McEntire is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She began her career in the industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band, on local radio shows with her siblings. While a sophomore in college, she performed the National Anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City and caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall who brought her to Nashville and she signed a contract with Mercury Records a year later in 1975. She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five studio albums under the label until 1983. The album brought her success, bringing her a series of successful albums. She has sometimes referred to as The Queen of Country. And she is one of the artists of all time. In the early 1990s, McEntire branched into film starting with 1990s Tremors, Reba Nell McEntire was born March 28,1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma, to Jacqueline and Clark Vincent McEntire. She was named for her maternal grandmother Reba Estelle Smith, Reba Smith was the daughter of Byron Williams B. W. Her father, and her grandfather, John Wesley McEntire, were both champion steer ropers and her father was a World Champion Steer Roper three times, John McEntire was the son of Clark Stephen McEntire and Helen Florida McEntire. Her mother had wanted to be a country-music artist but eventually decided to become a schoolteacher. Reba reportedly taught herself how to play the guitar, Reba played guitar in the group and wrote all the songs. The group sang at rodeos and recorded The Ballad of John McEntire together, released on the indie label Boss, the song pressed one thousand copies. In 1974, McEntire attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University planning to be a school teacher. While not attending school, she continued to sing locally. That same year she was hired to perform the anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City. Country artist Red Steagall, who was performing that day, was impressed by her vocal ability and agreed to help her launch a country-music career in Nashville. After recording a tape, she signed a recording contract with Mercury Records in 1975
14.
Academy of Country Music
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The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among those involved in the founding was Eddie Miller and Tommy Wiggins and they wanted to promote country music in the western 13 states with the support of artist based on the West Coast. Artist such as Johnny Bond, Glen Campbell, Merle Haggard, Roger Miller, the ball finally started rolling in 1965 when a board of directors was formed to govern the Academy. The Country & Western Music Academy was founded in 1964, the Academy sought to promote country/western music in the western states, this was in contrast to the Country Music Association, based in Nashville, Tennessee. Being based in the West, its membership was largely composed of those country performers based there. This is evidenced by the awards shows being dominated by Bakersfield artists Buck and Bonnie Owens. At the first ceremony held in 1966, honoring the industry and this ceremony was the first awards ceremony in country music. Winners from the first ceremony included Kay Adams, Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens, fran Boyd, the first paid employee, created the signature “hat” trophy which is still around today. During this time, they expanded the efforts by sponsoring “Country Music Caravan” in Los Angeles, the awards are “dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. ”Every year, the ceremony is televised live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Typically, the ACM Awards are presented in April or May, the most prestigious awards are for Artist of the Decade and Entertainer of the Year. There are a number of awards to recognize male and female vocalists, albums, videos, songs. The awards are presented in April or May and recognize achievement for the previous year. Country Music Association Country Music Hall of Fame Grand Ole Opry Official website Official Broadcast
15.
Grammy Award
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A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of awards that have a more popular interest. It shares recognition of the industry as that of the other performance awards such as the Emmy Awards, the Tony Awards. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4,1959, to honor, following the 2011 ceremony, The Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 59th Grammy Awards, honoring the best achievements from October 2015 to September 2016, was held on February 12,2017, the Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. The music executives decided to rectify this by creating a given by their industry similar to the Oscars. This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts, after it was decided to create such an award, there was still a question of what to call it, one working title was the Eddie, to honor the inventor of the phonograph, Thomas Edison. They finally settled on using the name of the invention of Emile Berliner, the gramophone, for the awards, the number of awards given grew and fluctuated over the years with categories added and removed, at one time reaching over 100. The second Grammy Awards, also held in 1959, was the first ceremony to be televised, the gold-plated trophies, each depicting a gilded gramophone, are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped, changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage, Billings developed a zinc alloy named grammium, which is trademarked. The trophies with the name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements. By February 2009,7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded, the General Field are four awards which are not restricted by genre. Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a full album if other than the performer. Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a single song if other than the performer. Song of the Year is awarded to the writer/composer of a single song, Best New Artist is awarded to a promising breakthrough performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording that establishes the public identity of that artist. The only two artists to win all four of these awards are Christopher Cross, who won all four in 1980, and Adele, who won the Best New Artist award in 2009 and the other three in 2012 and 2017. Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other such as artwork. Special awards are given for longer-lasting contributions to the music industry, the many other Grammy trophies are presented in a pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony earlier in the afternoon before the Grammy Awards telecast
16.
Linda Ronstadt
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Linda Maria Ronstadt is an American popular music singer. She has also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe award and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. On July 28,2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts, in total, she has released over 30 studio albums and 15 compilation or greatest hits albums. Ronstadt charted 38 Billboard Hot 100 singles, with 21 reaching the top 40,10 in the top 10 and this success did not translate to the UK, with only her single Blue Bayou reaching the UK Top 40. Her duet with Aaron Neville, Dont Know Much, peaked at number 2 in December 1989, in addition, she has charted 36 albums,10 top-10 albums and three number 1 albums on the Billboard Pop Album Chart. Her autobiography, Simple Dreams, A Musical Memoir, was published in September 2013 and it debuted in the Top 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list. She has lent her voice to over 120 albums and has more than 100 million records. Christopher Loudon, of Jazz Times, wrote in 2004 that Ronstadt is blessed with arguably the most sterling set of pipes of her generation, after completing her last live concert in late 2009, Ronstadt retired in 2011. She was diagnosed as having Parkinsons disease in December 2012, which left her unable to sing. Linda Maria Ronstadt was born in 1946 in Tucson, Arizona, daughter to Gilbert Ronstadt, a prosperous merchant who ran the F. Ronstadt Co. and Ruth Mary Ronstadt. Ronstadt was raised on the familys 10-acre ranch with her siblings Peter, Michael J. the family was featured in Family Circle magazine in 1953. Lindas father came from a pioneering Arizona ranching family and was of German, English, the familys influence on and contributions to Arizonas history, including wagon making, commerce, pharmacies, and music, are chronicled in the library of the University of Arizona. Her mother Ruth Mary, of German, English, and Dutch ancestry, was raised in Flint and she was a daughter of Lloyd Groff Copeman, a prolific inventor and holder of many patents. Copeman, with nearly 700 patents to his name, invented a form of the toaster, many refrigerator devices, the grease gun, the first electric stove. His flexible rubber ice cube tray earned him millions of dollars in royalties, later, as a solo artist, she released Hand Sown. Home Grown in 1969, which has described as the first alternative country record by a female recording artist. With the release of chart-topping albums such as Heart Like a Wheel, Simple Dreams and she set records as one of the top-grossing concert artists of the decade. Referred to as the First Lady of Rock and the Queen of Rock and her rock-and-roll image was as famous as her music, she appeared six times on the cover of Rolling Stone and on the covers of Newsweek and Time
17.
Juice Newton
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Judy Kay Juice Newton is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has several Gold and Platinum records to her credit, including Juice, Quiet Lies, Newton was born on February 18,1952, in Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States, and graduated from First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her mother encouraged her interest in music, giving her a guitar during her school years. After graduating from school, Newton attended Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. She then formed a band with guitarist and songwriter Otha Young. In the early 1970s, Newton, Otha Young and Tom Kealey formed a band that would eventually be called Juice Newton & Silver Spur that was signed to RCA Records. The group released two albums for RCA in 1975 and 1976, and scored only one charting single with Love Is a Word. The band was dropped by RCA then joined Capitol Records in 1977, in late 1977, Newton went solo and continued to record for Capitol, although Silver Spur would remain the name of her backup band until 1982. That year, Newton provided backing vocals for Bob Welchs platinum solo debut album on three tracks, including his hit Ebony Eyes, later in 1977, Its a Heartache became Newtons first solo record and a major hit in Mexico, where it was eventually certified Gold. In 1978, Newton released the song in the United States, also in 1978, The Carpenters version of the Newton/Young-penned song Sweet, Sweet Smile reached the Top 10 on both the Country and Adult Contemporary charts, and #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Newtons solo debut album, Well Kept Secret, was released later in 1978 and stands as Newtons most rock-oriented record, neither the record nor its sole single Hey Baby charted, though Capitol Records proceeded to renew Newtons contract. Capitols investment in Newton began to pay off in 1979, when Newton had her first Top-40 Country hit with Lets Keep It That Way. Later that year, the album Take Heart featured five modestly charting singles, Until Tonight, Any Way That You Want Me, You Fill My Life, Lay Back In The Arms of Someone, and Sunshine. The latter became Newtons second top-40 single on the charts in 1980, with You Fill My Life reaching No.41. Both of Newtons initial solo efforts performed with modest success but failed to have lasting impacts on the album charts, in 1981, Newtons third solo album, simply titled Juice, was released. A fourth single, Ride Em Cowboy, was lifted from Juice in 1984 to support Newtons first Greatest Hits album, Newtons video for Angel of the Morning was the first country-music video to air on MTV and the 40th video to air on the channel. Newton was the female solo artist to be featured on MTV its first air date, after videos by Pat Benatar. Juice sold more than a million copies in the United States, Angel of the Morning and The Sweetest Thing each reached No.1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, where Newton would chart regularly for the next several years
18.
Connie Smith
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Connie Smith is an American country music artist. Active since 1964, Smith is widely considered to be one of the genres best female vocalists and she has earned 11 Grammy award nominations,20 top ten Billboard country singles, and 31 charting albums, three of which have hit number one. On October 21,2012, Smith became the 12th solo female vocalist, Smith, has an estimated net worth of $18 million. Artists such as Parton, George Jones, and Chely Wright have cited Smith as either one of the best vocalists in the industry or their favorite female artist. Eddie Stubbs of Nashville radio station WSM and the Grand Ole Opry has dubbed Smith The Rolls-Royce of Country Singers, with this being said, Smith has stated on numerous occasions that country legend Loretta Lynn is her favourite country singer ever. Connie Smith was born Constance June Meador on August 14,1941 to Wilma and Hobart Meador in Elkhart and her parents were originally from West Virginia, and when Smith was five months old, the family returned there. They would later move to Dungannon, Ohio and her father was abusive when she was a child, which would eventually cause her to suffer a mental breakdown when she was a teenager. When she was seven, her mother divorced her father and married Tom Clark, Clark brought 8 children to the new marriage, Meador brought five, including Smith. The couple would eventually have two children together, which in total added up to fifteen children. As a child, Smith was surrounded by music and her stepfather played mandolin, while her brother played fiddle, and her other brother played guitar. On Saturday nights Smith would listen to the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast, while she was a teenager, she was injured in a lawnmower accident, which nearly cut her leg off. While in the hospital recovering, she was given a guitar, following the recovery, she began to perform in various local talent contests. In 1959, Smith graduated from Salem-Liberty High School as the class salutatorian, in August 1963, she entered a talent contest at the Frontier Ranch country music park near Columbus, Ohio. Performing Jean Shepards I Thought of You, Smith won the talent contest and that day at the park, country artist Bill Anderson heard Smith perform and was impressed by her voice. In January 1964, Smith ran into Anderson again at a music package concert. After performing on the program, Smith returned to Nashville that May to record demos by Anderson that he planned on pitching to other country artists, Andersons manager Hubert Long brought the demo recording to RCA Victor Records, where producer Chet Atkins heard it. Also impressed by her vocals, Atkins offered Smith a recording contract, because Chet Atkins found himself too busy with other artists, Bob Ferguson acted as Smiths producer on her first sessions and would continue to work as her producer until her departure from RCA. Smiths first session took place on July 16,1964, where she recorded four songs, One of the four songs recorded during the session entitled Once a Day was chosen to be Smiths debut single
19.
Patsy Cline
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Patsy Cline was an American country music singer. Part of the late 1950s/early 1960s Nashville sound, Cline successfully crossed over to pop music and was one of the most influential, successful and she died at the age of 30 in a multiple-fatality crash of the private plane of her manager, Randy Hughes. Cline was known for her tone, emotionally expressive and bold contralto voice. Along with Kitty Wells, she helped pave the way for women as performers in the genre. Books, movies, documentaries, articles and stage plays document her life, millions of her records have sold since her death. She won awards and accolades, causing many to view her as an icon at the level of Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, in 1973, ten years after her death, she became the first female solo artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1999, she was voted number 11 on VH1s special, The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll, by members, according to her 1973 Country Music Hall of Fame plaque, Her heritage of timeless recordings is testimony to her artistic capacity. She was born Virginia Patterson Hensley on September 8,1932, in Winchester, Virginia and she was the eldest child of seamstress Hilda Virginia and blacksmith Samuel Lawrence Hensley. She soon had a brother and sister, Samuel Jr. They were known in the family as Ginny, John, the family moved often before finally settling in Winchester, Virginia, when Patsy was eight. Sam Hensley deserted his family in 1947, but the home was reportedly happy nonetheless. Cline was introduced to music at an age, singing in church with her mother. She liked stars such as Kay Starr, Jo Stafford, Hank Williams, Judy Garland, self-taught, she could not read music. When Patsy was thirteen, she was hospitalized with a throat infection, the fever affected my throat and when I recovered I had this booming voice like Kate Smith. After watching performers through the window at the radio station, she asked WINC disc jockey. Her performance in 1947 was well received, and she was asked back and this led to appearances at local nightclubs, wearing fringed Western outfits her mother made from Patsys designs. Cline performed in variety and talent shows in the Winchester and Tri-State areas, along with this and increasing local radio appearances on local radio, she gained a large following. In 1954 Jimmy Dean, already a young star, heard of her
20.
Wichita, Kansas
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Wichita is the largest city in the state of Kansas and the 48th-largest city in the United States. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County, as of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 382,368, as of 2014, it was estimated to have increased to 389,965. In 2015, the population of the Wichita metropolitan area was 644,610. The city began as a trading post on the Chisholm Trail in the 1860s and it subsequently became a key destination for cattle drives traveling north from Texas to access railroads, earning it the nickname Cowtown. In the 1920s and 1930s, businessmen and aeronautical engineers established a number of aircraft manufacturing companies in Wichita including Beechcraft, Cessna. The city transformed into a hub of U. S. aircraft production, in 1937, the city of Wichita established their official flag. As an industrial hub and the largest city in the state, Wichita is a center of culture, media. It hosts several museums, theatres, parks, and entertainment venues. Several universities are located in the city including Wichita State University, the citys daily newspaper, The Wichita Eagle, has the highest circulation of any newspaper in Kansas, and the Wichita broadcast television market includes the western two-thirds of the state. Wichita is also home to the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center and Kansass largest airport, archaeological evidence indicates human habitation near the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers, the site of present-day Wichita, as early as 3000 B. C. In 1541, a Spanish expedition led by explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado found the area populated by the Quivira, or Wichita, conflict with the Osage in the 1750s drove the Wichita further south. Prior to American settlement of the region, the site was located in the territory of the Kiowa, the Wichita returned in 1864 due to the American Civil War and established a settlement on the banks of the Little Arkansas. During this period, trader Jesse Chisholm established a trading post at the site, after the war, the Wichita permanently relocated south to Indian Territory. In 1868, trader James R. Mead established another trading post at the site, and surveyor Darius Munger built a house for use as a hotel, community center, Business opportunities attracted area hunters and traders, and a new settlement began to form. That summer, Mead and others organized the Wichita Town Company, in 1870, Munger and German immigrant William Dutch Bill Greiffenstein filed plats laying out the citys first streets. Wichita formally incorporated as a city on July 21,1870, Wichitas position on the Chisholm Trail made it a destination for cattle drives traveling north from Texas to access railroads which led to markets in eastern U. S. cities. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway reached the city in 1872, as a result, Wichita became a railhead for the cattle drives, earning it the nickname Cowtown. Across the Arkansas River, the town of Delano became an entertainment destination for cattlemen thanks to its saloons, brothels
21.
Garth Brooks
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Troyal Garth Brooks is an American country singer and songwriter. His integration of rock and roll elements into the genre has earned him immense popularity in the United States. Brooks has had success in the country single and album charts, with multi-platinum recordings and record-breaking live performances. He is also one of the worlds best-selling artists of all time, since 1989, Brooks has released 21 records in all, which include,12 studio albums,1 live album,3 compilation albums,3 Christmas albums and 4 box sets, along with 77 singles. He won several awards in his career, including 2 Grammy Awards,17 American Music Awards, troubled by conflicts between career and family, Brooks retired from recording and performing from 2001 until 2009. During this time, he sold millions of albums through a distribution deal with Walmart. In 2005, Brooks started a comeback, giving select performances. In 2009, he began Garth at Wynn, a periodic weekend residency show at Las Vegas Encore Theatre from December 2009 to January 2014, following the conclusion of the residency, Brooks announced his signing with Sony Music Nashville in July 2014. In September 2014, he began his tour, The Garth Brooks World Tour, with wife. His most recent album, Gunslinger, was released in November 2016, Brooks was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 21,2012. Troyal Garth Brooks was born on February 7,1962, in Tulsa and this was the second marriage for each of his parents, giving Brooks four older half-siblings. The couple had two children together, Kelly and Garth, at their home in Yukon, Oklahoma, the family hosted weekly talent nights. All of the children were required to participate, either by singing or doing skits, Brooks learned to play both the guitar and banjo. As a child, Brooks often sang in casual family settings, in high school, he played football and baseball and ran track and field. He received a scholarship to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Brooks graduated in 1984 with a degree in advertising and his roommate, Ty England, later played guitar in his road band until going solo in 1995. In 1985, Brooks began his music career, singing and playing guitar in Oklahoma clubs and bars. Through his elder siblings, Brooks was exposed to a range of music
22.
Charlie Daniels
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Charles Edward Charlie Daniels is an American multi-instrumentalist, actor, lyricist, and singer, known for his contributions to country, bluegrass, and Southern rock music. He is perhaps best known for his number one country hit The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Daniels has been active as a singer and musician since the 1950s. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 24,2008, Daniels was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016. He is also known for the role of himself in Yakety Yak, Take it Back, in 1964, Daniels co-wrote It Hurts Me with Joy Byers. He worked as a Nashville session musician, often for producer Bob Johnston, Daniels recorded his first solo album, Charlie Daniels, in 1971. He produced the 1969 album by The Youngbloods, Elephant Mountain and his first hit, the novelty song Uneasy Rider, was from his 1973 third album, Honey in the Rock, and reached No.9 on the Billboard Hot 100. During this period, Daniels played fiddle on many of The Marshall Tucker Bands early albums, A New Life, Where We All Belong, Searchin For a Rainbow, Long Hard Ride and Carolina Dreams. Daniels can be heard on the portion of the Where We All Belong album. The same year, he organized the first in a series of Volunteer Jam concerts based in or around Nashville, Tennessee, except for a three-year gap in the late 1980s, these jams have continued ever since. In 1975, he had a top 30 hit as leader of the Charlie Daniels Band with the Southern rock self-identification anthem The Souths Gonna Do It Again, Long Haired Country Boy was a minor hit in that year. Daniels played fiddle on Hank Williams, Jr. s 1975 album Hank Williams, Jr. Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1979 for The Devil Went Down to Georgia, which reached No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1979. The following year, Devil became a crossover success on rock radio stations after its inclusion on the soundtrack for the hit movie Urban Cowboy. The song still receives airplay on U. S. classic rock. A hard rock/heavy metal cover version of the song was included in the video game Guitar Hero III, Daniels has openly stated his opposition to the metal cover and the devil winning occasionally in the game. Subsequent Daniels pop hits included In America, The Legend of Wooley Swamp, in 1980, Daniels participated in the country music concept album, The Legend of Jesse James. In the late 1980s and 1990s, several of Daniels albums and singles were hits on the Country charts, Daniels released several Gospel and Christian records. In 1999, he made a guest vocal appearance on his song All Night Long with Montgomery Gentry for their album, Tattoos and Scars. Daniels distinctive speaking voice was used in Frank Wildhorns 1999 musical and he is featured in the Prologue and In Great Deeds
23.
The Time Has Come (Martina McBride album)
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The Time Has Come is the debut album by Martina McBride released in 1992. The album rose to the #49 position on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and it includes the singles The Time Has Come, Cheap Whiskey, and Thats Me, all of which charted on the Billboard country charts. The Time Has Come was the highest-peaking of the three, reaching #23, when You Are Old was later recorded by Gretchen Peters on her 1996 album The Secret of Life. None of the songs from this album appeared on any compilation albums, although her title track will appear on The Essential Martina McBride compilation album in October 2012
24.
Honky-tonk
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A honky-tonk is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. Bars of this kind are common in the South and Southwest United States, many eminent country music artists, such as Jimmie Rodgers, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, and Merle Haggard, began their careers as amateur musicians in honky-tonks. The modern-day, honk-tonk atmosphere has continued, with likes of Dwight Yoakam, the origin of the term honky-tonk is disputed, originally referring to bawdy variety shows in areas of the old West and to the actual theaters showing them. This honky-tonk music was an important influence on the piano style. Before World War II, the industry began to refer to hillbilly music being played from Texas. In the 1950s, honky-tonk entered its age, with the popularity of Webb Pierce, Hank Locklin, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Faron Young, George Jones. The origin of the term honky-tonk is unknown, the Tonk brothers, William and Max, established the Tonk Bros. An early source purporting to explain the derivation of the term was an article published in 1900 by the New York Sun, the article, however, reads more like a humorous urban legend or fable, so its veracity is questionable. Some honky-tonks offered dancing to music played by pianists or small bands, katrina Hazzard-Gordon wrote that the honky-tonk was the first urban manifestation of the jook, and that the name itself became synonymous with a style of music. Related to the blues in tonal structure, honky-tonk has a tempo that is slightly stepped up. It is rhythmically suited for many African-American dance, as Chris Smith and Charles McCarron wrote in their 1916 hit song Down in Honky Tonk Town, Its underneath the ground, where all the fun is found. Although the derivation of the term is unknown, honky tonk originally referred to bawdy variety shows in the West, the earliest mention of them in print refers to them as variety theaters and describe the entertainment as variety shows. The theaters often had a gambling house and always a bar. In recollections long after the closed, writers such as Wyatt Earp. Abbott referred to honky-tonks in the cowtowns of Kansas, Nebraska and their recollections contain lurid accounts of the women and violence accompanying the shows. As late as 1913, Col. Edwin Emerson, a former Rough Rider commander, the Rough Riders were recruited from the ranches of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Indian Territories, so the term was still in popular use during the Spanish–American War. The honky-tonk sound has a rhythm section playing a two-beat rhythm with a crisp backbeat. Steel guitar and fiddle are the dominant instruments, honky-tonk music influenced the boogie-woogie piano style, as indicated by Jelly Roll Mortons 1938 record Honky Tonk Music and Meade Lux Lewiss hit Honky Tonk Train Blues
25.
The Way That I Am
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The Way That I Am is the second album by American country music singer Martina McBride, released in 1993 on RCA Nashville. It was certified Platinum on May 15,1995 by the Recording Industry Association of America, McBrides version was a number 2 on the Hot Country Songs charts. Also released from album were Life #9 at number 6, Independence Day at number 12, Heart Trouble at number 21. Although never released as a single, Strangers was reprised on McBrides Greatest Hits album in 2001, the Compact Cassette version of this album omits the final track, Ashes
26.
My Baby Loves Me (Just the Way That I Am)
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My Baby Loves Me is a song written by American singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters. The song was first recorded by Canadian country music singer Patricia Conroy on her 1992 album and her version was released in May 1992 as the first single from her album and peaked at number 8 on the RPM Top Country Tracks chart. Martina McBride covered the song in 1993 under the title of My Baby Loves Me and her rendition was released in July 1993 as the first single from her 1993 album The Way That I Am and went reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for one week, mcBrides version includes slide guitar and six-string bass riffs from Paul Worley, who criticized his own performance on them and said that they somehow never got erased. A music video was filmed for this version of the song and it was directed by Steven Goldmann
27.
Life Number 9
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Life #9 is a song written by Kostas and Tony Perez, and recorded by American country music artist Martina McBride. It was released in January 1994 as the single from her album The Way That I Am. The song was her single release overall, and peaked at number 6 on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song finds the female narrator confronting her unfaithful lover and she tells him that he is livin on life #9 and about to run out of chances with her. A music video was released for the song, directed by Steven Goldmann
28.
Independence Day (Martina McBride song)
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Independence Day is a song written by Gretchen Peters, and performed by American country music singer Martina McBride. It was released in April 1994 as the single from her album The Way That I Am. The song peaked at number 12 on Hot Country Songs, Peters later recorded it herself on her 1996 album The Secret of Life. It was first offered to Reba McEntire, who turned it down, in 2003, it ranked 50th in CMTs 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music. The following year, it ranked #2 in CMTs 100 Greatest Videos in Country Music, in 2014, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #77 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs. The song has sold 550,000 copies in the US as of July 2015, songwriter Gretchen Peters received the Country Music Associations Song of the Year award in 1995 for Independence Day. The song is sung from the point of view of a daughter who recounts her mothers response to domestic abuse, McBride has said the mother does not die in the fire, as she has now gained her independence from an abusive relationship. In the official video, the girl is at the 4th of July parade when she sees two clowns pretending to hit one another and the sight hits too close to home. Suddenly, she no longer sees the parade as fun and returns home. The home is immolated by the time she gets back and she is shown towards the end of the video crying in the seat of a police cruiser as she is being taken away to the county childrens home. The music video was filmed by the American director team Deaton-Flanigen Productions, consisting of William Deaton III, the lyrics have a double meaning in that the woman in the story is finally gaining her freedom from her abusive husband. Thus, it is her Independence Day, the title also refers to the fact that the events noted in the song happened on the United States Independence Day, or July 4. Beginning shortly after September 11,2001 attack on the World Trade Center, the song is about domestic violence, not patriotic values, according to the writer of the song, Gretchen Peters, who does not agree with Hannitys use of the song. Let the whole world know that today is a day of reckoning, let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong, roll the stone away, let the guilty pay, its Independence Day. In 2002, singer Taylor Horn covered the song for her debut album taylor-made at the age of nine, in 2003, 1980s pop superstar Pat Benatar performed the song in a duet with McBride on the CMT television series Crossroads. On American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Lil Rounds, and Tristan McIntosh have each performed the song on the show, Underwood also released the song as a B-side track with her single of Inside Your Heaven. In 2011, Little Big Town performed Independence Day as a tribute to McBride, who was being honoured as part of ACMs Girls Night Out - Superstar Women of Country show
29.
Gretchen Peters
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Gretchen Peters is an American singer and songwriter. She was born in New York and raised in Boulder, Colorado, in addition, Peters has released seven studio albums of her own. The title track of her 1996 debut album The Secret of Life was later recorded by Faith Hill in 1999, Peters was inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on October 5,2014. Official Web Site Gretchen Peters at the Internet Movie Database
30.
Wild Angels (Martina McBride album)
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Wild Angels is a 1995 album and third album by Martina McBride. The album produced the singles Safe in the Arms of Love, Wild Angels, Swingin Doors, Phones Are Ringin All Over Town, Wild Angels was McBrides first Number One on the Hot Country Songs charts. In the U. S. the album was certified Gold on February 23,1996, also included is a cover of Two More Bottles of Wine, which was previously a #1 hit for Emmylou Harris in 1978. Wrights version of the song was a Top 10 hit in Canada, a Great Disguise would later be recorded by Pam Tillis on her 1998 album Every Time. This was Martinas last album to have a country sound before developing a more crossover-friendly country-pop sound
31.
Wild Angels (Martina McBride song)
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Wild Angels is a song written by Matraca Berg, Gary Harrison and Harry Stinson, and performed by American country music artist Martina McBride. It was released in November 1995 as the single and title track from McBrides album of the same name. The song reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, the song is about a female who looks at her relationship and concludes that there must be wild angels watching over her and her lover to keep them together. McBrides daughter, Delaney, who was a baby at the time, according to her Greatest Hits album, McBride had a difficult time recording Delaney. She also praised the production of Paul Worley and Ed Seay, notably Lonnie Wilsons drum fills, Worley described the dual electric guitar tracks, with Dan Dugmore on the right channel and Dann Huff on the left, as amazing. The music video was directed by Thom Oliphant and premiered in late 1995
32.
Still Holding On
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Still Holding On is a song recorded by American country music artists Clint Black and Martina McBride, written by Black along with Matraca Berg and Marty Stuart. It was released in June 1997 as the first single from Blacks album Nothin but the Taillights and McBrides album Evolution. Black told Billboard that Joe Galante, then the chairman of RCA Records, suggested that he record a duet, because of her busy schedule, McBride cut the duet vocals with Black in one day. The song received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in 1998, Black plays favor in the film, and Lisa Hartman Black is cast as Ponder Favor, Jacks wife. Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Blacks and McBrides voices blend beautifully, and she goes on to call the song the clearest possible definition of a hit. On the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in the United States and it spent twenty weeks on that chart, peaking at number 11. In Canada, the song debuted at number 83 on the RPM Country Tracks charts on the week of June 16, in addition, it peaked at number 50 on the same publications Adult Contemporary chart
33.
Clint Black
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Clint Patrick Black is an American singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Blacks debut album Killin Time produced five straight number one singles on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, although his momentum gradually slowed throughout the 1990s, Black consistently charted hit songs into the 2000s. He has had more than 30 singles on the US Billboard country charts, twenty-two of which have reached number one, in addition to having released twelve studio albums, in 2003, Black founded his own record label, Equity Music Group. Black has also ventured into acting, having made a appearance in the 1994 film Maverick, as well as a starring role in 1998s Still Holding On. Clint Patrick Black was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, the youngest of four born to G. A. and Ann Black. The family moved back to Texas, where G. A, Black had been raised, before Clint was one year old. He was raised in Katy, Texas, Music was always present in the house. Black taught himself to play harmonica before he was 13, and his father remarked that it was at that age that the parents first noticed that he had a great voice. By 15, Black had learned to play guitar, as a teenager Black joined his elder brothers, Mark, Kevin and Brian, in their small band. On Saturday afternoons, the family would host backyard barbecues and invite the neighborhood to listen to the boys sing, some weekends would attract up to 70 people. Black eventually dropped out of school to play with his brothers. Black was initially drawn to a variety of musical genres, for six years, Black supported himself as a construction worker, bait cutter, and fishing guide, while singing at various lounges as a solo singer and guitarist. In 1987, at one of the gigs he met another guitarist, the two men connected musically and began a song writing partnership that would last decades. In the late 1980s, Black delivered a demo of their collaboration Nobodys Home to record promoter Sammy Alfano, within two days of that delivery, Black was invited to a meeting with Bill Ham, who managed ZZ Top. Black soon signed with RCA at that time considered one of the most aggressive labels in country music and his first album, Killin Time, was released in 1989. Each song on the album was penned at least in part by Black, four of them were attributed solely to him, in a departure from most other country albums, Black used his road band instead of session musicians to record Killin Time. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard Country Albums chart and he made his debut in 1989 with the single, A Better Man, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in early June. This marked the first time in 14 years that a single by a male artist had peaked at the top of the chart
