Ashley Wineland, a young storyteller born and raised in Glendale, Arizona, has just opened the show with the fifth song included in her 2012 album “Family Business”, called No Prince Charming, which debuted at #2 on iTunes in the category of “Best New Country Music.” Ashley’s debut CD featured her original compositions, but it wasn’t until recently that this Official CMT Artist started leaving an impression on everyone she’s professionally come across. In 2017, she published her sophomore piece of work, “Simple Life”, which was airplayed worldwide, bringing about some praise and several hits, such as this No Prince Charming that we’ve just listened to, recycled from her first piece of work, which talks about good and evil in cowboy behavior. Ashley always mentions her father paving her way to share her talent in music. In an interview held some days ago, she recognizes that great support from her parents. In fact, so much so that in her upcoming album to be released in 2021, named “I’m gonna ride”, she has included a song called “Daddy’s Creed”, released last November 1st, which I clearly see as a homage to the effort her parents made to support her dream of becoming a singer. With this feeling in mind, we asked Ashley how much of what is happening to her regarding her professional career she can actually owe to her parents’ teaching.
Let’s listen to that rendition to her parents. “Daddy’s Creed”.
We’ve just listened to the song which gave name to her 2017 national tour “She’s Gone”. With each concert more and more fans, who in fact call themselves “Winelanders”, have proliferated by the thousands. Tremendous vocals, relatable demeanor, and excellent sound have left an unforgettable impression with audiences, hence her colossal presence on social media. Ashley also donates her time to animal welfare organizations, and helps to raise money to help the veterans. Apart from that, Ashley’s future 2021 album called “I’m gonna ride”, revolves around the idea of empowermentexploring the highs and lows of trying to find your own path. We asked her how it felt when she thought that her album could influence positively on the life of many “Winelanders”?
Ashley first made a splash in the Southwestern music scene with the release of her patriotic song, “Red, White & Blue,” song honoring the men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces, the videoclip of which raised some money which was donated to various charities supporting veterans. Still nowadays she she keeps volunteering for numerous charities — lending her voice and her time and talent to support them for a good cause. Such is the impact of her good deeds that her social media following has reached the impressive mark of 200 thousand fans. Having seen the evolution of how singers reached their fans, we asked Ashley how difficult it was to connect with people, fans.
Let’s listen to another song, this time “Family Business”, included in her debut album from 2012, the video of which quickly amassed almost a million views on Facebook.
A favorite on the festival circuit, Ashley has appeared with some recognizable names in country music, including John Michael Montgomery, the Grammy Award-winning band Diamond Rio and country music superstar Josh Turner. As we did years in the past with other artists, we asked her about her influences as she looks forward to having her music reach a larger audience and continuing to write music and taking the next exciting steps in her journey.
It is true that nobody knows what the future holds for her, but after years of hard work, dedication to her craft, and an up, close, personal connection to her fans have found Ashley in demand at top venues and festivals and a frequent guest on television and radio alike, only stopped by Covid-19. With such a future projection within reach, we finally asked Ashley how she sees herself in 5 years from now.
The new voice of the Professional Bull Riders is Chevel Shepherd, the extraordinary voice of a sixteen year old country singer who won season 15 of the NBC music competition “The Voice” in the fall of 2018. Yes, you heard correctly: sixteen years old. The PBR announced last year that Chevel, alongside with Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry and Black Stone Cherry would collaborate releasing its new anthem: “Be Cowboy”, written by Wynn Varble and David Frazier. The new soundtrack to the sport’s inclusive campaign encourages everyone to “be badder, be braver and be bolder” in unleashing their inner cowboy. This theme will replace Steven Tyler’s PBR anthem “Hold On (Won’t Let Go).” The sport refreshes its TV openings and theme song every few years.
In the two years since winning The Voice, Chevel Shepherd has worked hard on her music career, even in the midst of a pandemic. The young singer, coached by Kelly Clarkson throughout the show, stunned audiences with her powerful vocals and a style clearly influenced by her love of traditional country music. In an interview early 2019 she confessed she was going to release some music independently. Two of those new songs soon became available: the reflective “Everybody’s Got A Story,” penned by Kacey Musgraves (an old friend of this show), Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark, and the second song is the extraordinarily witty “Mama Got the Chair,” which explores the other side of “The Chair,” George Strait’s 1985 No. 1 hit. These are the first of several releases leading up to Shepherd’s debut EP released in late 2019.
Let’s listen to these two fantastic songs: Everybody’s got a Story, written by Kacey Musgraves, and Mama Got the Chair, which from now is one of my all-time favorites.
Extraordinary performance. It can get any better than that. Pure mellow country music as traditional as it can get. Shepherd soon began touring, opening shows for Clarkson (her mentor in The Voice), Little Big Town, Brothers Osborne, among others. She was invited to sing “God Bless America” at the 2019 Indianapolis 500. She also recorded an EP in Nashville and this year, since the pandemic hit, has been releasing some of the singles. Let’s listen to her honoring America listening to her performance of “God Bless America”, and “Southern Boy”, released in May this very 2020.
A few months ago, she decided to record a Christmas album. The album, A Good Ol Country Christmas, features 12 tracks ranging from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” to “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” to “Mary, Did You Know?” and more. She recorded the album in Durango, Colorado with members of her band, and guest musicians, Gary Cook (mandolin and acoustic guitar) and Matt Palmer (fiddle/twin fiddles). She not only sings, she co-produced it with Scott “Scooter” Smith.
Let’s listen to “Country Christmas” and “Let it Snow”, two lovely classics country-style perfect for this time of the year.
What an extraordinary discovery we’ve made with this artist. I’ve already asked formally for an interview, let’s see if we are lucky enough to get ten minutes of her time. In the meantime, hoping to get a positive response, let’s say a proper goodbye to her hoping to get more extraordinary music listening to two more country style Christmas carols the way country music should aaaaaalways be played. Two more classics: Santa Claus is Coming To Town, and Winter Wonderland.
I was in the little store that the Opry has in the main street downtown Nashville, quite close to the Ernest Tubb Record Store and just a stonethrow away from where the Ryman Auditorium lays. After a two-hour wait I was able to approach him, taller than I expected, and he signed my record, which now I jellously store in my vynil records collection. He was really really nice to me, and when he heard that I was coming all the way from Barcelona Spain, he rushed to tell me he had a house in Mallorca. Charley Pride, who died last week a month after his performance in the CMA Awards 2020 held on November 12, was one of the last living legends, and the most important black country musicians. We’ve listened from him the song “Is anybody goin’ to San Antone”, a number 1 hit released in February 1970 as the first single from the album Charley Pride's 10th album. The song was Pride's third number one in a row on the country charts. The single spent two weeks at number one and a total of 16 weeks on the country chart.
Charley was country to the core, a member of the Grand Ole Opry and inducted into the Country music Hall of Fame. He died in Dallas on December 12 due to complications with Covid-19, which according to especulations he got during his performance in the CMA Awards last November 12, but that seems unlikely due to the fact that he was hospitalized late in november. He was 86 years old. The CMA Awards’ performance happens to be the last in his career, a career spanning 68 years active, from 1952 until this very november. He was the first country artists to be black who performed at the Opry, and a role model for others.
Rest in peace.
We’ll say goodbye to him and to the show, listening to two more of his classics: In 1971, Pride released what would become his biggest hit, "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'", a million-selling crossover single which made him win the Country Music Association's entertainer of the year award, as well as its top male vocalist award in 1971 and 1972. It became Pride's signature tune, and besides being a five-week country number one in late 1971 and early 1972, the song was also his only pop top-40 hit, hitting number 21, and reaching the top 10 of the Adult Contemporary charts, as well.
And the second song, “All I have to offer you (is me)”, Charley Pride's first No. 1 song, released in June 1969, reaching the top of the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart that August.
So, “Kiss and Angel Good Morning”, and “All I have to offer you (is me)”. Charley Pride.
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