Brad Paisley

[Kim]

Brad Paisley Donating Royalties to Tornado Victims

By Kay West
May 04, 2011
people.com



Brad Paisley has always had a soft spot for Alabama – both the band and the state – and now he's coming to the aid of people in the south who have had their lives turned upside down by the devastating tornados there.

Paisley, 38, has decided to donate all artist royalties of digital singles sales in the U.S. from his current hit song, "Old Alabama," to tornado relief via the American Red Cross.

When the country star wrote the record, he had no idea how timely it would be. In fact, he meant it as a tribute to the iconic superstar country-rock band Alabama.

"When I first started playing music, if you didn't cover an Alabama song in your set, you might as well go home," he tells PEOPLE.

Now, Paisley is doing what he can to help the band's home state get back on its feet. On Tuesday night, the band performed "Old Alabama" at the Grand Ole Opry with Paisley as part of the commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Nashville flood.

Backstage, the singer and Alabama band member Randy Owen had an emotional conversation about the havoc that the tornados caused, and Paisley decided to help.

"We spent more than 12 hours in the basement," Owen told Paisley of trying to stay out of harm's way during the tornados. "We were so lucky, the tornados passed over top of us. But all around us, it's worse than a war zone."

"It's unrecognizable, everything is gone, entire towns are wiped out," adds Owen. "I've lived there my whole life, and I don't recognize it."

"Old Alabama" is the second single from Paisley's forthcoming album, This Is Country Music, to be released May 23.

[Mallrat]

Paisley grabs number one spot, so does Rascal Flatts

Monday, May 23, 2011 – Brad Paisley releases his ninth studio album, "This Is Country Music," today and learned that the album's second single, Old Alabama, hits number one on Billboard's country airplay chart.

Rascal Flatts also announced good news today. The trio's single, I Won't Let Go, made it to the top of the Mediabase Country Top 50 chart, making it their 13th career number 1 hit. The song, written by Steve Robson and Jason Sellers, is the second consecutive chart topper single from their current Big Machine Records album "Nothing Like This."

Paisley took over from Miranda Lambert's Heart Like Mine. Co-written by Paisley, Chris DuBois, Dave Turnbull and Randy Owen, Old Alabama features Alabama.

Before heading to New York this week to support his new album's release, Paisley stopped in Charlotte, N.C., over the weekend to world premiere the video for Old Alabama at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The video world premiered on multiple platforms, including SPEED, NASCAR.com and on the HD video board at the Charlotte Motor Speedway before the start of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Fans can watch the video now at vevo.ly/kgml7j.

Tomorrow Paisley, along with Alabama, will perform on ABC's "Good Morning America," and on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman." The next day, Paisley and Alabama will perform on "The View" on ABC.

This Is Country Music is a 15-track collection, with 12 co-written by Paisley, and produced by Frank Rogers. His first studio album since "American Saturday Night" (2009) includes guest performances by Carrie Underwood (the duet Remind Me), Don Henley (Love Her Like She's Leavin'), Blake Shelton (Don't Drink the Water), Marty Stuart, Sheryl Crow and Carl Jackson (Life's Railway to Heaven) and Clint Eastwood (the instrumental Eastwood).[/b][/color][/font]

[Mallrat]

Paisley defines "Country Music"

Monday, May 23, 2011 – Brad Paisley is out with his ninth album, "This is Country Music" today. Paisley's 15-song set includes the title track and Old Alabama, both hits. Carrie Underwood sings with Paisley on Remind Me. Don Henley helps out on Love Her Like She's Leavin.

Clint Eastwood, best known as a director, lends his musical talents on Eastwood as a whistler.

Frank Rogers, Paisley's long-time producer since his debut, "Who Needs Pictures?," produced the new album as well
[/b][/font][/color]

[Mallrat]

Paisley performs with Alabama

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 – Brad Paisley performed with Alabama this morning on Good Morning America. Paisley sang his new number one hit Old Alabama with the band.

Paisley's ninth disc,"This is Country Music," was out Monday. The disc also contains the title track hit as well as contributions from Carrie Underwood, Don Henley and Clint Eastwood.

The performance can be watched online.
[/b][/font][/color]

[Mallrat]

NASHVILLE SKYLINE: Brad Paisley and Other Good Non-Idol Music

05/26/11, 6:00 pm EDT

(NASHVILLE SKYLINE is a column by CMT/CMT.com Editorial Director Chet Flippo.)

I'm already seeing some evidence of a media backlash against country music, stemming from resentment of John Rich's victory on Celebrity Apprentice, from suspicious wonderment at Blake Shelton's unexpected success as a mentor on The Voice and resentment about the seeming domination of country music on American Idol this season.

I should clarify that by saying that this Idol domination is Idol's warped concept of country music, that is. I'm still expecting the show producers to artfully strew some hay bales and wagon wheels around the stage. Because that's what the regular TV audiences expect of the country hicks, I am reliably told by Left Coasters and Right Coasters. Interestingly, the Wikipedia entry for Idol points out that since the show began in 2002, seven of the 10 Idol winners, including its first five, have come from the South.

The fact that a great many people still rely on TV for their source of finding new music and seeing/hearing music in general is something I find perplexing. We may as well still be living in the 1950s, when Dick Clark's American Bandstand ruled TV for teens and was a launching pad for new young talent. There wasn't much else around. Now there are dozens of ways to access music. These days, TV music shows have become such a narrow tunnel for aspiring talent to navigate through, though, that it might as well as be called Mission: Impossible.

Idol, especially, has been an overwhelming influence in pop and country music. Overall, unfortunately, it has not had much of a lasting impact on either the country genre or country audience so far. It has not launched many lasting country stars. Carrie Underwood remains the only country music superstar to emerge from Idol. And that's after 10 seasons of the show. Do you really expect either Scotty McCreery or Lauren Alaina to repeat Carrie's success?

In a recent CMT.com interview, Brad Paisley addressed the issue of trying to break in as a new artist.

"How do you do it without winning some contest or impressing everyone on a reality show?" he said. "That's the fast track now, you know, to make people aware of who you are. Or being some Internet sensation. As far as that goes, there's still people doing it -- putting out one song after another, finding their way to the top -- but it's a harder road than when I started."

To his credit, Paisley continues to record actual, full albums -- not EPs or singles -- and he's unapologetic about it. As he told CMT.com, "I love the album as an art form. I hope it stays around. ... I think it will. The first thing somebody says to me when they hear the first single off of an album is, 'I like that. I can't wait to hear the rest of the record.' So even though people are buying singles, and they're selling fewer albums these days than they used to, somehow people want albums, I think."

And Paisley continues to pursue unconventional avenues on albums, such as including an instrumental -- in these days when most people surely have never heard of an instrumental track on an album. On his new CD, This Is Country Music, he enlists movie legend Clint Eastwood to whistle on an instrumental track for an imaginary western movie. The song is, appropriately, titled "Eastwood." That is not an Idol moment, but it's something that a fan of Eastwood's great spaghetti western movies will savor.

Another thing I like is the fact that Paisley still does gospel numbers. That's incredibly unhip, of course. But it's still loved by many country devotees. Including this one. On the new CD, he sings the classic song "Life's Railway to Heaven," accompanied by Marty Stuart, Sheryl Crow and Carl Jackson.

Good for him.

Other people I love these days are artists who fully realize that superstardom will never be remotely near their grasp, but they continue to write and sing their music, anyway. Because that's what they love.

There's no better example right now than Matraca Berg and her new CD, The Dreaming Fields. It's her first new recorded work in 14 years, and that gives you some idea of the frustration many singer-songwriters feel at seeking an outlet for their work.

I realize this is only the end of May, but I seriously think The Dreaming Fields has to be considered as a front-running nominee for album of the year. It is totally open, naked and vulnerable, but it is overwhelmingly accessible and inviting. It is country music the way you used to hear it. It is Matraca Berg laying her life and her heart and soul out there on the examining table for curious onlookers to probe and sift through and hold up to the light for a closer look.

She wrote her first No. 1 country song at age 18. "Faking Love" was a co-write with Bobby Braddock and was recorded by Karen Brooks and T.G. Sheppard. Then Berg began her recording country music career in the freshman class of the early 1990s with such classmates as Faith Hill, Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood, who had a hit with Berg's composition "Wrong Side of Memphis." She signed with RCA as a solo recording artist in 1990 but was not cut out to be a mainstream country radio artist. The great songwriter Harlan Howard flatly told her that after she later signed with another label that eventually closed.

As recounted in an interview with Jesse Kornbluth, she said, "When my record company went out of business, I sat at Harlan Howard's feet and drank. He put his hand on my head and said, 'Kid, you're not a country star. You need to make records like Lyle [Lovett] and Nanci [Griffith] -- don't try to do this stuff.'" So she has written many, many songs over the years, songs such as "Strawberry Wine," co-written with Gary Harrison, and she puts out a great album once every 14 years. Or so it seems. This one was worth waiting for.

As ever, on Fields, Berg writes in a very visual, cinematic style, and her singing has become more expressive as it has matured. "Your Husband's Cheating on Us" is a saucy delight. Songs such as "Oh Cumberland" and "South of Heaven" and "A Cold, Rainy Morning in London in June" sound like little self-contained movies. If you've never heard Berg, give her a listen. If you have any kind of discerning ears, you're in for a real treat.

And I want to tell everyone who is a fan of traditional country music or is a fan of Patsy Cline or is a fan of Mandy Barnett (or all three) to consider Barnett's new CD, Sweet Dreams, and her return to reprise her role as Patsy Cline. The musical Always ... Patsy Cline will be presented at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium from June 17 to July 24. If you're in Nashville then, I highly recommend it.

If you can make it there, you will not regret it. You will see an eerily accurate recreation of Patsy Cline and the evocation of an age of country music that is now forever gone.[/b][/font][/color]

[Mallrat]

Brad Paisley Boasts Both Top Album and Song

06/4/11, 7:00 pm EDT

Lift your hats and wave them high for Brad Paisley.

His CD, This Is Country Music, debuts this week at the top of Billboard's country albums chart with Nielsen SoundScan-certified sales of 152,598 copies, and his current single, "Old Alabama," holds on at No. 1 for the second week on the country songs chart.

Five other albums follow Paisley's in the new-arrivals line: American Idol Season 10: Scotty McCreery (No. 3), American Idol Season 10: Lauren Alaina (No. 9), Frankie Ballard's self-titled EP (No. 33), Carter's Chord's Wild Together EP (No. 48) and The Essential Rosanne Cash (No. 64).

Returning albums include Icon: Vince Gill (No. 54), Wynonna's Love Heals: A Tribute to Our Wounded Warriors (No. 61) and Icon: Johnny Cash (No. 63).

There are three new songs to sing about: McCreery's "I Love You This Big" (No. 32), Alaina's "Like My Mother Does" (No. 49) and Jason Jones' "Ferris Wheel" (No. 59).

Jerrod Niemann's "One More Drinkin' Song" re-enters at No. 58.

Completing the Top 5 albums cluster are Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party (No. 2, last week's No. 1), the Zac Brown Band's You Get What You Give (No. 4) and Rascal Flatts' Nothing Like This (No. 5).

The No. 2 through No. 5 songs, in that order, are Keith Urban's "Without You," Rascal Flatts' "I Won't Let Go," Taylor Swift's "Mean" and Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee."

For this week's Title Tales -- wherein we jam together two or more song titles from the current chart to arrive at new meanings -- consider these:

Joe Nichols + Lauren Alaina = "Take It Off Like My Mother Does"

Little Big Town + Scotty McCreery = "The Reason Why I Love You This Big"

Blake Shelton + Jason Jones + Kid Rock = "Honey Bee, Ferris Wheel Collide"

And you're thinking?[/b][/color][/font]

[Mallrat]

Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert Performing on The Voice

06/28/11, 5:30 pm EDT

Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert will be joining Blake Shelton this week on NBC's talent competition series, The Voice. Paisley and Shelton will perform "Don't Drink the Water," a track from Paisley's This Is Country Music album, on the episode airing Tuesday (June 28). Lambert, Shelton's wife, will perform a duet with contestant Dia Frampton on Wednesday's season finale when the winner will be announced. Frampton, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter from St. George, Utah, is a member of Shelton's team and one of four finalists on the show's first season.

[Mallrat]

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood Return as Hosts of CMA Awards

Posted Jul 11th 2011 12:50PM by Gayle Thompson

"We've got a good thing goin'" could be the slogan of the Country Music Association (CMA), which announced today that Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will return to host the 2011 CMA Awards, marking the duo's fourth year to serve as the evening's emcees.

"It's hard to believe this will be our fourth year to host the CMA Awards -- it's such an honor to be invited back," Brad notes. "I love working with Carrie, she's a class act and a complete balance to my non-class act. I'll try my best to not mess it up."

His partner couldn't agree more. "Hosting the CMA Awards the past three years has been an incredible experience -- I love it," Carrie adds. "I'm so honored to be asked back with my friend, Brad. The creative process of getting ready for the show is a blast, and I look forward to sharing Country Music's Biggest Night with all the fans!"

The pair's chemistry is undeniable, which is why the CMA is eager to have them return again. "We couldn't ask for better hosts than Carrie and Brad,", CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore explains. "They have the unique qualities of humor, talent, credibility, and natural rapport that makes them a hit with the fans and the industry audience. The CMA Awards are in great hands with Brad and Carrie at the podium."

The awards ceremony isn't the only time the two friends are collaborating this year. They can also be found together on Brad's new single, 'Remind Me.'

"We just get along great and sing great together," the country superstar explains. "She's probably pretty much my first choice to sing with when it comes to a duet with a woman like that. I mean, we just sort of share the same values and get along that well. I just don't think there's a better singer than her, so it's sort of selfish to be able to sing with her and perform."

Brad and Carrie may be returning for the fourth time, but they still have several more years to catch up to Vince Gill's record. The longest-running host of the CMA Awards, Vince took the stage every year from 1992 to 2003.

The 45th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on November 9, 2011 at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.

[grg_straitfan]

Brad Paisley performs at Shatner's World: We Just Live In It

On Monday, February 27, country music star Brad Paisley joined William Shatner on stage after Shatner's World: We Just Live In It for a reprise of the show's final number.

Directed by Scott Faris, the piece, which marks Shatner's first appearance on Broadway in 50 years, takes audiences on a journey through memorable moments in the actor's life and career.

Following the Broadway run, Shatner will take the show on a national tour.

[Kim]

Brad Paisley Sets Up Scholarship for Music Students at Belmont University


Nashville’s Belmont University can boast quite a number of now-famous alums in the country music world, including Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, LeAnn Womack, Trisha Yearwood, Julie Roberts and Sarah Buxton for starters. And since the university is the place where so many of these artists got a start in music, they don’t often forget to go back and thank their alma mater when that music career finally pays off.

Paisley, who graduated from Belmont in the class of 1995 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, recently set up the Brad Paisley Endowed Scholarship for current and future Belmont University students. The scholarship with go toward the education of a person in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business who seems worthy of the financial aid.

“I’ve often said that the best course of education for a young person wanting to pursue country music is to go to college at Belmont,” Paisley said in a statement on Belmont’s website. “I speak from experience. I wouldn’t be in any position to offer a scholarship if I had not gone to Belmont — this is the least I can do in appreciation.”

Paisley was recently added to the celebrity lineup for the 47th Annual ACM Awards, set to take place this Sunday night (April 1) during a live telecast from Las Vegas. The reigning award winner is up for four awards this year including Entertainer of the year and Male Vocalist of the Year, an award he’s been nominated for eight times and won five times — in a row — since 2006.

[Kim]

Brad Paisley Reveals New Album Title & a Hilarious “Side Project”



Brad Paisley photo by Jim Shea courtesy of Schmidt Relations.

Brad Paisley’s visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday night was full of reveals. Not only did he debut a “side project” he’s been working on, he also revealed his new album will be called Wheelhouse and hit stores April 9.

“It’s all about leaving your comfort zone,” Brad said. “It’s like, ‘What is my wheelhouse?’ You know, the baseball expression, sort of what is in your strike zone, your wheelhouse, where you’re comfortable. We really have tried to go out on a limb with this record and see how far we can stretch certain things.”

As far as his “side project,” Brad has been hard at work on the new theme song to TLC’s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo! Watch the hilarious spoof below to see Brad’s take on the show’s opening, highlighting some of the beauty queen’s best moments, including making ‘sketti’ and eating cheese puffs off the floor.

youtu.be/11Uq3iGESYM

[Kim]

Brad Paisley Taking Chris Young and Lee Brice on Tour?


If the just-announced lineup for the 2013 Baierl Subaru Country Megaticket event is any indicator of Brad Paisley‘s pending tour plans, it seems as though the ‘Southern Comfort Zone’ singer has enlisted Chris Young and Lee Brice as touring buddies for his upcoming headlining run.

The eight-day Megaticket event — spanning from May 18 through Sept. 28 — features the largest tours of 2013 from the biggest names in country music. Each evening features a comprehensive summer tour roster, except the Paisley date. The superstar has yet to announce his summer tour plans or possible opening acts.

Maybe Paisley, Young and Brice were corralled together as lone artists for the June 1 date, or more likely, the promoters for Megaticket jumped the gun with their announcement before Paisley could release his own.

In any case, we should expect to hear a tour announcement from Paisley soon. The singer has been hard at work preparing his 2013 new album ‘Wheelhouse,’ which is slated for an April 9 release.

Tickets for the 2013 Baierl Subaru Country Megaticket event at the First Niagara Pavilion in Pittsburgh, Penn. go on sale beginning Jan. 25 10AM ET at the event’s website.


2013 Baierl Subaru Country Megaticket Lineup:

May 18: Tim McGraw with Brantley Gilbert and Love and Theft
June 1: Brad Paisley with Chris Young and Lee Brice
June 15: Toby Keith with Kip Moore
Aug. 02: Blake Shelton with Easton Corbin and Jana Kramer
Aug. 16: Jason Aldean with Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett
Sept. 06: Rascal Flatts with the Band Perry
Sept. 13: Keith Urban with Little Big Town and Dustin Lynch
Sept. 28: Luke Bryan with Thompson Square and Florida Georgia Line

[Kim]

Brad Paisley 'Wheelhouse' Special Guests & Track List Revealed



Sony Music Nashville


LL Cool J, Charlie Daniels, Dierks Bentley, Hunter Hayes, Mat Kearney and British comedic legend Eric Idle join Brad Paisley on his upcoming album, Wheelhouse. Due April 9, the 17 track-collection marks the first time Brad has produced his own project and though he says it's one of the hardest things he's ever done, it's also been one of the most rewarding.

Brad's hard work is definitely paying off as the album's lead single, "Southern Comfort Zone" just topped the charts becoming his 21st No. 1 hit. Fans anxious to learn more about the singer-songwriter's eighth studio album can participate in an interactive reveal of the Wheelhouse and Wheelhouse (Deluxe Version) album covers here. The experience includes a fan mosaic, hidden icons that unlock special items, an exclusive making-of-the-album interview with Brad and information on how to enter a national sweepstakes.

Dierks, Hunter and Charlie while also including "Monty Python" alum Eric Idle for a bit of fun. Brad and longtime collaborator Kelley Lovelace co-wrote "Pressing on a Bruise" with Mat Kearney, who also lends his vocals to the tune.

Wheelhouse features 14 songs and three interstitials, which were all written or co-written by Brad. The deluxe version will feature four addition songs. F

Wheelhouse Track Listing:

1. "Bon Voyage"
2. "Southern Comfort Zone" [Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Kelley Lovelace]
3. "Beat This Summer" [Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Luke Laird]
4. "Outstanding In Our Field" (Featuring Dierks Bentley and Roger Miller with Hunter Hayes on guitar) [Brad Paisley/Mike Dean/Chris DuBois/Lee Thomas Miller/Roger Miller]
5. "Pressing On A Bruise" (Featuring Mat Kearney) [Brad Paisley/Mat Kearney/Kelley
Lovelace]
6. "I Can't Change The World" [Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Kelley Lovelace]
7. "—H—" [Brad Paisley/Justin Williamson/Randle Currie]
8. "Karate" (Featuring Charlie Daniels) [Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Kelley Lovelace]
9. "Death of a Married Man" (Featuring Eric Idle) [Brad Paisley]
10. "Harvey Bodine" [Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Kelley Lovelace]
11. "Tin Can On A String" [Brad Paisley/Ashley Gorley/Kelley Lovelace]
12. "Death Of A Single Man" [Brad Paisley/Kelley Lovelace/Lee Thomas Miller]
13. "The Mona Lisa" [Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois]
14. "Accidental Racist" (Featuring LL Cool J) [Brad Paisley/Lee Thomas Miller/LL
Cool J]
15. "Runaway Train" [Brad Paisley/Chris DuBois/Kelley Lovelace]
16. "Those Crazy Christians" [Brad Paisley/Kelley Lovelace]
17. "Officially Alive" [Brad Paisley]