Mega Music Talent

Posts Tagged ‘country music’

Having conquered the R&B, jazz, rock – even opera industries – African Americans seem to hit a roadblock in regards to country music. Can we make a lasting impact? Do we have what it takes to do so?

In 1926, DeFord Bailey broke racial boundaries when he became the first African American to appear on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, the very representation of country music.

It would take some 40 years before another African American made such an impact. It was 1962 and Ray Charles, although primarily an R&B artist, released the groundbreaking album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” featuring the number one hit “I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You.” The tune made Charles a household name in country-lovin’ homes all across America. To emphasize its massive appeal, it is among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as well as the 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.

That same year the legendary Nat “King” Cole cut a tune called “Ramblin’ Rose,” which became the second country hit by an African American in the genre.

But it wasn’t until the mid-60s when a young Charley Pride caught the attention of record producer Chet Atkins that Black country singers were taken seriously. Marketing Pride simply as “Country” Charley Pride, Atkins had no photos distributed of the African American baritone. Rather, he would let the music speak for itself.

A country star was born. Before the predominantly-White country-music-lovin’ population knew what hit them, they’d bought his records, requested radio air play and made him one of the top artists for RCA Records ? second only to Elvis ? during Pride’s heyday in the early- to mid-70s. The strategy worked: to date, Pride has sold over 70 million records, is inducted in the Grand Ole Opry and today is arguably one of the best country singers of all time ? Black or White.

There have also been other “crossover” African American artists who have made an impact on country music, such as The Pointer Sisters (“Slow Hand”); and Lionel Ritchie (who collaborated with Kenny Rogers and is credited with such hits as Rogers’ “Lady” and “Through the Years,” among other country tunes).

And lesser known Black country singers have certainly put forth great effort. In the late 90′s, Trini Triggs made a few waves on the country music scene. At first glance it seemed as if the attractive cowboy was going to strike gold, but just a few short years later and his star has yet to reemerge. In fact, his Wikipedia page lists minimal information and his Web site simply states, “Coming soon.” But when?

Black Country Singers in the 21st century

What about Black country singers in the 21st century? Will the country music landscape continue to reflect a “Whites only” policy? It’s doubtful. While we’ve a long way to go regarding Black country singers ? there have been strides.

In the past several years, chart-topping African American artists from other music genres have segued into ‘country’ territory. One such surprising collaboration involves hip-hop artist Nelly who collaborated with top-country performer Tim McGraw on the catchy tune “Over and Over,” which received air play on both R&B and country stations throughout the U. S.

Cowboy Troy is also making a name for himself by blending country music with rock and hip-hop to form a unique sound all his own.

But the most popular of all Black country singers today is the multi-talented Darius Rucker, former lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish. Rucker, who decided to ‘go country’ just a few short years ago, has made a seamless transition from rock music to country music in a few short steps. In 2008, Rucker became the first African American since Charley Pride to reach Top 20 on the country charts with his “Learn to Live” album. And his single, Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” reached number one in September of that year, making him the only African American since Pride to reach that status.

With his appearance at the Grand Ole Opry and his album going platinum in 2009, Rucker is well on his way to country stardom.

African Americans are resilient and multi-talented. It is no longer of question of ‘whether’ we will prevail in country music but rather ‘when.’ As those before us (Pride, Charles, Cole and others) have indicated, we have what it takes to get there. And with today’s star on the rise (Rucker), Black country singers shall remain.

Author Bio: J Blair Brown is a writer for ; Regal Black Mens Magazine The publication focuses on ; African American Community News Politics Sports Health The magazine features a ; Local Online Classifieds & Job Classified Black Business Directory Visit to read about ; Black country singers

The Essential Charley Pride

Most artists have several songs that are associated with their name, and for Shania Twain these songs are evident. After all, few of us can hear the titles “(If You’re Not in It For Love) I’m Outa Here!,” “Come on Over,” “Don’t Be Stupid ( You Know I love You),” “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under,” and of course “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “Any Man of Mine,” without immediately thinking of Shania Twain. But not only is Shania Twain one of the most recognizable voices in country music, she also has a unique story.

Many female country artists share a similar story: girl is born somewhere in the Deep South, girl shows talent in singing as a child, girl meets guitar, girl falls in love with guitar, girl and guitar go to Nashville, girl and guitar get big break, girl becomes famous. But Shania Twain’s story is very far off the beaten path. And far means really, really far. The life of Shania Twain is a rags-to-riches story of a young woman who found herself in music from an early age and conquered all the odds to take her music as far as she could go.

Shania was actually born Eileen Twain in 1965, in the small town of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. As a child she showed incredible promise early on singing, writing music and playing her guitar. Her parents pushed her to perform, often getting her up in the middle of the night in order to take her somewhere and have her play. This set the stage for what would happen later in her life. When she was in her early twenties her parents died in a car crash, leaving her to take care of her younger siblings. So she managed to make a living with her voice, and in the process began the last few steps towards fame.

After a few years had passed Shania had her younger siblings set out on their own paths and she was able to launch what has now become one of the most celebrated careers in country music to date. Her self-titled debut album reached number 31 on Heatseekers and 67 on Top Country Albums in 1993, as a solid introduction to the world of music. It did a good job because in 1995 she launched The Woman IN Me and won her first Grammy award for Best Country Album. It was an incredible achievement for a second album, and showed that this was one artist who was going places.

Her second and third Grammy Awards were for the song “You’re Still the One,” which received Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. It is still one of the most heart-warming romantic country songs on the list. Shania etched in verse the hopes of every young woman when she sang the lyrics to the chorus:
(You’re still the one)
You’re still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You’re the one I want for life
(You’re still the one)
You’re still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You’re still the one I kiss good night

Next time you are looking for Shania Twain tickets, be sure to check out http://www.stubhub.com/shania-twain-tickets as a great place to get tickets. This is one artist who has managed to create some of the most exciting music of the world of country, and her songs are still growing in popularity today.

Author Bio: This article was written by Phoebe Wickliffe and sponsored by StubHub. StubHub sells Shania Twain tickets as well as many other kinds of concert tickets, sports tickets, theatrical performances and special events.

For many of us Saturday afternoons used to mean heading into town to browse around the shops and flick through the CD racks looking for some new music to invest in. However, now we can avoid the traffic and crowds and simply download music from the internet, whatever type of genre you prefer, classic rock, indie, alternative, gospel music or country music, you are guaranteed to find something to suit your taste.

If you are bored with listening to the same old songs constantly, then it is time to find something new and fresh. Some music websites charge a small fee for each song you want to download, whilst others offer them free. Just type in the genre, name of the band or particular song you are looking for and find it in an instant.

Downloading your preferred kind of music straight onto your iPod or mp3 player means you can carry it around with you wherever you go, listen to your favorite songs on the way to work, at the gym, whilst out jogging or shopping at the store. The great thing about mp3 players is that you can change the music over and over again, listen to music on your headphones, play it through the computer, or plug them into speakers and allow everyone to enjoy the music.

Buying a CD can be costly, especially if the album is a new release. You might get your CD home and then realize you only actually like a few of the songs on it, it makes a lot more sense to just download the songs you like and will listen to. Even if you have to pay a small charge for each song it is definitely a lot cheaper than buying CD’s.

Lots of artists these days give away previews of their latest album or song via the internet and it is quite simple to download these. Downloading music also has the added advantage that it doesn’t take up much space at all. When you consider how much space all those songs would take up in your house, the time it would take to dust stacks and stacks of CD’s and keep them in order, then it is going to add up to a lot of room and effort. Then total up the amount you spent on them and you are likely to be in for a big shock! Save your money and space, to download free music from the internet is a much more sensible option.

There are websites where it is possible to download free music, they are very easy to use and you can listen to the top artists or the latest songs before you download. With a digital music library of over 50,000 songs you are guaranteed to find something in your favourite genre. Just browse through the music categories, select the songs you want to download and click the button.

These sites are legal; royalties are paid to the artists so no-one loses out. Once you have downloaded the music it is yours to do with whatever you wish. You can share it with other people or delete it, the choice is yours, and it is all free. The preferred format to download music is mp3 as songs can be downloaded in minutes, they are good quality, and you can store a large amount of music on CD-R’s and load mp3 music files into iPods, MP3 players, or any other portable players.

Whether you like ballroom, dance, hip hop, jazz, country music or free karaoke then get downloading and listen to mp3 songs for free. There is no peer to peer sharing and it is all totally legal. Never again miss out on a new album released from your favourite band due to lack of funds, look online today for a website that allows you to free music downloads legally.

Author Bio: Michiel Van Kets provides article services for Rebecca Goldman who works for EZ Tracks, a legal music website where a visitor can download free music. Browse through the massive archive and find anything from country & gospel music to rap & reggae. The site also provides music lyrics, ringtones and a blog.

For many of us Saturday afternoons used to mean heading into town to browse around the shops and flick through the CD racks looking for some new music to invest in. However, now we can avoid the traffic and crowds and simply download music from the internet, whatever type of genre you prefer, classic rock, indie, alternative, gospel music or country music, you are guaranteed to find something to suit your taste.

If you are bored with listening to the same old songs constantly, then it is time to find something new and fresh. Some music websites charge a small fee for each song you want to download, whilst others offer them free. Just type in the genre, name of the band or particular song you are looking for and find it in an instant.

Downloading your preferred kind of music straight onto your iPod or mp3 player means you can carry it around with you wherever you go, listen to your favorite songs on the way to work, at the gym, whilst out jogging or shopping at the store. The great thing about mp3 players is that you can change the music over and over again, listen to music on your headphones, play it through the computer, or plug them into speakers and allow everyone to enjoy the music.

Buying a CD can be costly, especially if the album is a new release. You might get your CD home and then realize you only actually like a few of the songs on it, it makes a lot more sense to just download the songs you like and will listen to. Even if you have to pay a small charge for each song it is definitely a lot cheaper than buying CD’s.

Lots of artists these days give away previews of their latest album or song via the internet and it is quite simple to download these. Downloading music also has the added advantage that it doesn’t take up much space at all. When you consider how much space all those songs would take up in your house, the time it would take to dust stacks and stacks of CD’s and keep them in order, then it is going to add up to a lot of room and effort. Then total up the amount you spent on them and you are likely to be in for a big shock! Save your money and space, to download free music from the internet is a much more sensible option.

There are websites where it is possible to download free music, they are very easy to use and you can listen to the top artists or the latest songs before you download. With a digital music library of over 50,000 songs you are guaranteed to find something in your favourite genre. Just browse through the music categories, select the songs you want to download and click the button.

These sites are legal; royalties are paid to the artists so no-one loses out. Once you have downloaded the music it is yours to do with whatever you wish. You can share it with other people or delete it, the choice is yours, and it is all free. The preferred format to download music is mp3 as songs can be downloaded in minutes, they are good quality, and you can store a large amount of music on CD-R’s and load mp3 music files into iPods, MP3 players, or any other portable players.

Whether you like ballroom, dance, hip hop, jazz, country music or free karaoke then get downloading and listen to mp3 songs for free. There is no peer to peer sharing and it is all totally legal. Never again miss out on a new album released from your favourite band due to lack of funds, look online today for a website that allows you to free music downloads legally.

Author Bio: Michiel Van Kets provides article services for Rebecca Goldman who works for EZ Tracks, a legal music website where a visitor can download free music. Browse through the massive archive and find anything from country & gospel music to rap & reggae. The site also provides music lyrics, ringtones and a blog.