THE BLUE CHIP RADIO REPORT
Country Music News, Charts, Show Prep, Sales Info
April 26, 1999
Bill Miller
Editor Publisher
The Blue Chip Song of the Week: "Nashville Casualty Life" by Lee Roy
Parnell. Writers: Kinky Friedman. Producers: Kacey Jones. Label: Kinkajou
Records. Parnell's best-ever vocal, fine guitar licks and a splendid
lyric.
From the excellent tribute album, "Pearls In The Snow (The Songs of Kinky
Friedman)", which jumped 9 slots to # 15 on Gavin's Americana chart this
week. BMG picks up distribution tomorrow.
Ray Stevens has prostate cancer. The singer/comedian is optimistic about
a
complete recovery. Doctors feel they caught the cancer in its early
stages.
His summer series in Nashville, The Ray Stevens Show, has been cancelled
as
a result of the illness.
Blackhawk's Van Stephenson told Country Weekly that his cancer treatments
have been successful and that he's healthy again.
Cledus T. Judd recently had a procedure to correct a defect in his heart.
To
celebrate, Cledus plans a parody of Chad Brock's "Ordinary Life" on his
next
album. The title will be "Coronary Life".
George Richey has asked he be dismissed from the lawsuit filed by four of
Tammy Wynette's daughters. The widower's logic is that he is not a
doctor,
so a medical malpractice lawsuit would be misdirected.
Jo Dee Messina won Act Of The Year at the Boston Music Awards show last
Thursday.
Has Barbra Streisand gone country?
New hubby James Brolin is said to be an avid country fan and has led
Barbra
to the light.
Here's some inside skinny.
You may remember when we reported that Streisand and Vince Gill did a
session together a few weeks ago on the west coast. The great one was so
pleased with the session that she looked for other country material.
The grapevine says Barbra fell in love with a song off an old George
Strait
album, "We Must Be Loving Right" (written by Clay Blaker Roger Brown),
and
called Tony Brown to L.A. to produce the tracks last month.
Those who have heard the final mix say there's some fine steel guitar
mixed
in with the orchestra.
It's expected to be on her fall album, along with the Vince Gill duet.
Welcome to our new subscribers, including Lynn Stewart from WIL/fm in St.
Louis; Gary Major, PD at WNAI/am in Louisville KY; Christophe von Goufein
from R.P.L. Radio in France; Janet Bozeman with Sony Music; Jeny Duke
with
The Music City News; and,
Freddy Fender.
They say her Denver CO fans were shocked to see Faith Hill with long,
brown
hair and a ponytail a few days ago. Quite a change.
Meanwhile, our Tattoo Police report that hubby Tim McGraw is sporting a
new
tattoo on one of his biceps. It says "Faith".
The old standard of 3 single-for-radio releases from an album seems to
have
fallen by the wayside. These days one can expect four or five releases.
For
superstars, six releases seems to be the trend.
The record companies lead the effort to get more gross dollar return out
of
each album investment. With the productive life of an artist becoming
shorter and shorter, the labels want to squeeze out every dollar of
profit
before leading the artist to pasture.
The upside is that smart producers and artists will be looking for more
top-flight songs (read "not co-written by the artist") since they may
have
to go six deep into an album for releases.
The downside is that the not-so-smart producers and artists won't go
looking
for 6 power songs. The result will be less competitive releases, less
chart
action, and a quicker contract termination from the label.
Dixie Chicks will be doing some of the stops on the Lilith Fair tour this
summer.
Fund raising problems have slowed plans for the Country Music Hall of
Fame's
new building in Nashville.
Shedaisy is composed of 3 sisters. They have performed in the past as The
Osborn Sisters and as The Violets.
Travis Tritt expects to be touched by a couple of angels in the coming
months. Tritt filmed an episode of the TV show "Touched By An Angel" in
Salt
Lake City last week. Closer to home, he and Theresa are expecting to
paint
the baby's room blue before he enters the world in June.
David Letterman's stage manager, the legendary Biff Henderson, has been
in
Nashville taping some stuff for a May episode of Late Night. BR5-49 will
be
one of the artists featured.
In a deft casting move, Jo Dee Messina is scheduled to play a musician on
this Friday's (4/30/99) episode of "Nash Bridges" on CBS.
By the way, when is someone going to do a radio parody of the show and
call
it "Nashville Bridges"?
Rumor has it that David Ball is about to re-enter our cosmic orb.
Garth Brooks has sold 4.4 million copies of "Garth Double Live",
according
to the New York Daily News.
John Michael Montgomery's new album, "Home To You", is due May 25th. It
marks the first time that JMM has worked with producer Garth Fundis.
Also due May 25th is Mary Chapin Carpenter's next release. "Party Doll
and
Other Favorites" is
