I discovered a few years back, Adam Craig with the band Telluride self debut EP and the song "Sing". In 2009, produced by Josh Leo (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), the follow up album was released, featuring the hits "Pensil Marks" & "Four Square Miles". Than dealing with two lawsuits involving their name, Telluride became Adam Craig Band. Adam is now back with new songs as a solo artist. If you like good country/rock/pop music, just consider his music is for you!
Amy Holland was honored with a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist after her debut self-titled album. The single, “How Do I Survive”, soared into the Top 20 on the Billboard charts and put Amy on the map. It was ten years prior that she came to Los Angeles as a teenager to exploit her singer-songwriter skills. Fortuitously, she met then piano accompanist Michael McDonald, who was later to become producer of the hit LP alongside Patrick Henderson, making her a household name – and a few years after that, his wife. And now she's back with a new studio album aptly entitled, Light on My Path, produced by award winning Fred Mollin (Dan Hill, Jimmy Webb, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Mathis, Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus). It highlights her fluid and melodic style which will please country, jazz, blues and pop fans alike. In addition to the up-tempo first single “Walkin’ on a Wire”, which grabs you on the first chorus, the album features several sure-to-be classic ballads including “Prove That by Me,” a duet with Michael McDonald. Friends who contributed background vocals on the CD are David Pack (Ambrosia), David Crosby, Joseph Williams (Toto) and son Dylan McDonald. Amy co-wrote “Impossible Love” and “Light on My Path” on this record.
On the heels of her recording success that brought her fame globally, came her second album, On Your Every Word, also on Capitol Records. Although caught in the corporate crossfires there at the time, it was re-released by EMI in 2005. Cuts from the album, “Turn Out the Night” and “She’s on Fire” were featured in Scarface, and on the soundtrack, broadening her audience even more.
For the next several years, she became a staple for music supervisors of films big and small, most notably Night of the Comet (“Learn to Love Again” a duet with Chris Farren), Teen Wolf (“Shooting for the Moon”), St. Elmo’s Fire (“For Just a Moment (Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire”) duet with Donny Gerrard) and many more, as well as for television shows including One Life to Live (“All I Know” duet with Michael McDonald).
She also contributed vocally to recording projects with artists including Kenny Loggins, Joni Mitchell, Tim Weisburg, Doobie Brother Patrick Simmons as well as Michael McDonald’s solo albums. Her songs were recorded by Judy Collins (“The Journey to Miracle River”), Tim Weisburg (“I’ll Never Give Up”) and others and “She’s on Fire” was recently sampled by Lil Wayne.
By this time, Amy and Michael were married and had two children. Amy planned on a short hiatus to be a full-time mom and wife. The happy couple bought a farm in Tennessee and planned to settle down a bit from the typical rock ‘n’ roll whirlwind of touring and recording. As fate would have it, her lifelong dream career was brought to a screeching halt by a long and difficult battle with breast cancer -- that she gratefully won!
In the interim, when she was in Maui at their vacation home and had no performances and nothing she had to do, she started collecting museum quality buttons, antique charms and old jewelry that she repurposed into one-of-a-kind pieces – each named after a song! They became so popular that she couldn’t keep up with the demand and, once she returned to California, put it on a back burner to begin writing and recording again.
Her third album, The Journey to Miracle River (2008, Chonin Records), reflects her renewed inspiration. Amy co-wrote all of the songs with friends Jon Vezner, John Goodwin, Michael McDonald and Bernie Chiaravalle and featured contributions from Vince Gill, Michael McDonald, Shannon Forrest, Stuart Duncan, Tim Akers and son Dylan McDonald, to name a few. Amy’s voice is also heard on “Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth” from the very rare collector's DVD "Peace" by Willie Nelson and Friends benefitting the National Veterans Foundation; also featured are Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Michael McDonald and Pat Simmons.
Amy came to music organically. She was born in Palisades, New York to very talented parents. Her mom was a star in the 1930s and ‘40s. Known as Esmereldy, she could best be described as Ray Stevens meets Minnie Pearl (without the hat). She played on her southern roots and performed her novelty songs with a thick Hillbilly twang. Some of her records were “Slap Her Down Again Paw,” “I Didn’t Know that the Gun Was Loaded,” and “I’m My Own Grandma.” She was a woman of many “firsts.” She was the first female DJ on WABC Radio in New York, was in “soundies” that played in movie theaters, which were the precursors to today’s music videos, and she was the voice of Possum Pearl in the Popeye cartoons. She was also a terrific musician with expertise on the ukulele and piano. Although she was offered a movie contract by MGM, she felt it best to quit show biz when she got married, “probably because she didn’t want to outshine dad,” according to Amy. But dad was certainly no slouch. He was an opera star on Broadway but needed something more stable when their first child was born. He became a mastering engineer at Mercury Records and was responsible for mastering hits like “Walk Away Renee” (Left Banke) and records for Dusty Springfield, Johnny Mathis, the Four Seasons and early Ray Stevens hits.
Growing up with such strong musical influences led her to know by the time she was twelve that music was what she wanted to do the rest of her life. Despite the bumps in the road before, during and between hits, Amy Holland is here to stay and her album Light on My Path allows her vocals and style to shine, proof that talent will always be in demand.
I'm pleased to share with you this short Interview with Bill Champlin & Peter Friestedt, shot in Pratteln, Switzerland, on may 9, 2016, during the CWF Tour in Europe. Enjoy!
Also, don't miss the 1 hour audio interview available on InsideMusicast!!
Tamara Champlin "Dreamin' Of Chagall" written by Tamara Champlin, Michael Caruso, Bill Champlin is available on itunes!
If you visit BGO records store on-line and like to visit our site... I am pretty sure you will find good music to buy at a good price!
Legendary country band, Shendandoah released their first-ever gospel project, Good News Travels Fast, today, on the Daywind Roots label.
The band’s signature sound, including Marty Raybon’s unmistakable vocals, seamlessly lend themselves to eleven songs of faith, redemption, and familiar southern Sundays. The title track also serves as the first single, and is at radio now.
When country music lovers talk about the greatest groups in the genre, Shenandoah is always at the forefront of any discussion. Fueled by Marty Raybon’s distinctive vocals and the band’s skilled musicianship, Shenandoah became well-know for delivering such hits as ‘Two Dozen Roses,’ ‘Church On Cumberland Road,’ and ‘Next To You, Next To Me,’ as well as such achingly beautiful classics as ‘I Want To Be Loved Like That,’ and the GRAMMY Award-winning duet with Alison Krauss, ‘Somewhere In The Vicinity Of The Heart.’
Today, that legacy continues as original members Raybon and Mike McGuire reunite to launch a new chapter in Shenandoah’s storied career. Though they’ve secured their place in country music history, Raybon and McGuire are not content to rest on their laurels and have never stopped looking for new hit songs. With a pile of outstanding songs waiting to be recorded, the group moves forward into the next chapter, determined to deliver the same top-tier music that is synonymous with Shenandoah. Having recorded a number of faith-based songs and hymns in the past, the decision to produce a full-length gospel album was a natural one.
The project includes new and original music, the majority of which was written by band members and friends at a recent writer’s retreat in their home base of Muscle Shoals, AL. In addition to Raybon & McGuire, gifted writers such as Jerry Salley (Chris Stapleton, Steeldrivers), Gerald Crabb (Crabb Family) and Tim Menzies ( ) lended their considerable talents to the project.
Message from Michael Tomlinson about his brand new cd: "Howdy my friends, It’s here! House of Sky my new 16-song, full band album. Some of the most beautiful and inspiring songs of my life are on this album and it was truly one of the most enjoyable recording experiences I’ve ever had. The arrangements we created and the songs themselves made my months in the studio a pleasure. In fact, I was sad to let go and finish, but of course it was time to share them with you and to release them into the world. So many people helped me..."
PJ Rautiainen has sent me a message to share with you new demo songs he just released. So here it is and sure you will like it!
Stefan Gunnarsson is a Swedish musician, known as team captain in the Swedish TV program Så ska det låta.
Gunnarsson is a multi-instrumentalist. He started as a drummer but also sought out guitar, bass, piano, trumpet and harmonica, and sings also. He has appeared on albums by, among others, Janne Schaffer, Raj Montana Band, Sandra Cross and David Carlson. Gunnarsson is a member of bands Enorma Groove and BLISS (a KISS-tribute band).
"Stefan tours actually with CWF (Peter Friestedt, Bill Champlin & Joseph Williams) and blew me away with his vocals and keyboard abilities. A great artist!" Arnaud
Created by Kris Wilkinson Hughes, My Girl The River was born out of a song. 'The Last Song' was the first song written for this americana, alt country, folk and roots project. Kris, hailing from Louisiana (and living in Jackson, MS and Nashville, TN) and English bassist Joe Hughes, have created a gorgeous collection of songs, showing a depth of range and storytelling that only some artists get to experience and some music lovers get to enjoy.
Along with some astonishingly gifted musicians (Jonathan Byrd, Will Kimbrough, Nick Pynn, Max Milligan, Kristin Wilkinson, Jacob Chano Lundby, John Garden and Tom Moth) they are very pleased to offer up their debut album 'This Ain't No Fairytale'. Described as 'stunning', it is mainly inspired by Kris' upbringing in the American deep south, bringing to life anecdotes, half-truths, white lies and fables. Ranging from alt country and folk to Americana and roots, it ticks every box. It was recorded in the front room of Kris and Joe's house in November 2015 and mixed by John Garden, produced by Kris, mastered by Mick Conley (Suzy Bogguss, Kathy Mattea, Marty Stuart), with art direction by James Marsh (Talk Talk).
Thanks to Peter Holmstedt at HEMIFRAN