Exclusively at Cracker Barrel?
By Deborah Evans Price, Senior Music Editor, GospelMusicChannel.com
You’ve got to love Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurants. Not only does the nationwide chain serve up good country cookin’ and interesting merchandise, it’s also become a great place to pick up unique CDs by some of your favorite artists. Ricky Skaggs is the latest artist to ink a deal with Cracker Barrel for an exclusive CD release, joining the ranks of Charlie Daniels, Amy Grant, Josh Turner, and Kenny Rogers, among others.
The High Notes features Skaggs serving up bluegrass covers of his best-loved country hits. The 12-song collection includes “Somebody’s Praying,” “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could,” “Country Boy,” and “Honey (Open That Door).”
“They came to me about a year ago and wanted to do a bluegrass record,” Skaggs tells GospelMusicChannel.com. “We’ve had our own label since 1997, Skaggs Family Records, but we’ve been wanting to do something with Cracker Barrel for a long time and it just felt like the right time. The fact that they’ve got almost 600 locations out there is like having 600 record stores.”
Skaggs started his career in bluegrass music before becoming a mainstream country star in the ‘80s, winning eight Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. He’s recorded 12 No. 1 hits and won 13 GRAMMYs. Since returning to his bluegrass roots, he and his band Kentucky Thunder have become one of the hottest acts in the bluegrass arena and his Skaggs Family Records is home to such acts as The Whites, Cherryholmes, and Cadillac Sky.
A devout Christian who hosts a Monday night Bible study in his home with wife, Sharon White, Ricky was recently a top winner at the Inspirational Christian Music Awards. He was named musician of the year and he and The Whites shared ICM honors in the Mainstream Country Artist of the Year and Inspirational Bluegrass Artist categories.
Working on his latest project was a sentimental journey. “It was definitely like walking down memory lane,” Skaggs says. “Hearing the twin fiddles kick off with ‘I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could’ and ‘Crying My Heart Out Over You’ I thought, ‘Man, I remember when I cut those originally!’ It really brought back a lot of memories, especially with my kids being so young when I cut some of these songs. Luke is 19 now, so he wasn’t even born when I recorded some of these. It was just very sentimental. These songs are very close to me.”
There’s always been a strong connection between country and Christian music and the latest country act to record a project that shares their faith is Diamond Rio. The veteran band has been in the studio with longtime producer Mike Clute working on a new album for Word Records. Stay tuned for more information as one of my favorite sources promises to leak me new music very soon.
For those of you waiting to hear how Greater Vision was going to sound with new tenor Jacob Kitson, well, the wait is over. Daywind has issued Not Alone, and as a longtime Greater Vision fan, I’ve got to say it’s one of their best projects ever. Kitson joins Greater Vision veterans Gerald Wolfe and Rodney Griffin to deliver a terrific set of songs, many penned by Rodney (who I must confess is one of my favorite songwriters in any genre of music). Also, in terms of writing, if you haven’t checked out Gerald’s blog – Just the Way It Is – on the Greater Vision website (greatervisionmusic.com) I’d recommend doing so. It’s a good read.
The trio has been busy on the road, promoting the new release and for those of you who like to plan far in advance, tickets go on sale Nov. 3 for the Freedom Celebration in Washington D.C. July 3–4, 2009. Legacy V, Dennis Swanberg, and the Pfeifers are also slated for the event, which takes places at the Hyatt Regency in Reston, Va.
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas already and southern gospel fans won’t want to miss “A Classic Canaan Christmas.” The good folks at Canaan Records dug into their vaults and are sharing gems from The Rex Nelon Singers, The Florida Boys, The Lewis Family, The Happy Goodmans, The Inspirations and others.
Canaan kicked off the holiday season early when they started promoting the record during the National Quartet Convention in September. The label’s booth sported Christmas decorations and fans were invited to participate in a trivia quiz by naming artists featured on “A Classic Canaan Christmas.” Ironically – even though he wasn’t eligible – Singing News Magazine’s Les Butler was the only individual to get all ten artists correctly matched to their Christmas song. Way to go Les! NQC attendees received limited edition Canaan Christmas ornaments signed by members of the Hoppers, Mike & Kelly Bowling and the Mike LeFevre Quartet. If you didn’t make the trip to Louisville, you still have a chance to get an ornament as they will be featured in a store special on Canaan’s website in November.
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About the Writer
Deborah Evans Price has covered Christian/Gospel music for Billboard magazine since 1994. She also contributes regularly to Country Weekly, CMA Close Up, Devo’Zine, Christian Single, HomeLife, BMI Music World, and other publications.
A Nashville resident since 1983, Deborah has held editorial posts at Radio & Records, Country News, American Songwriter and Billboard. Amy Grant, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Charlie Daniels, 3 Doors Down, Third Day, Don Henley, Bon Jovi, Chris Rice, Sandra Bullock, Mercy Me, Alan Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Steven Curtis Chapman are among her many interviews. Additionally, she's a sought-after music industry analyst who has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, TNN, The Today Show, and ABC PrimeTime Live, among other outlets.
Deborah is a member of the Gospel Music Association's board of directors and a graduate of Leadership Music. She resides south of Nashville with her husband, Gary, and 18-year-old son Trey.
