SCOTCOUNTRY MUSIC NEWS

The Mississippi Country Music Trail will honour the late Chris LeDoux with a marker in Biloxi.
The Biloxi native won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bareback title in 1976 and sold more than 5 million albums over his career. He died in 2005 at the age of 56.
LeDoux played guitar and wrote songs while traveling for the rodeo and by 1989 had made 22 self-produced albums for a loyal but limited fan base. Things changed that year when Garth Brooks referenced a "worn-out tape of Chris LeDoux" in his hit "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)."
The reference energized LeDoux's music career, leading to a contract with Capitol Records in 1991 and a 1992 Grammy-nominated Top 10 duet with Brooks called, "Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy."

George Strait has announced plans for his final two-year tour, but he will continue to record and is not ruling out special performances after The Cowboy Rides Away tour ends in 2014.
"It's been a hard decision for me to make, but as far as the touring goes, I've decided that I'm not going to tour anymore after these next two years," Strait said. "And don't think I'm retiring, because I'm not. I'm still going to make records. ... I'm gonna write.
And after two years, when I've quit touring, if a special event happens to come up somewhere that I want to do, by all means, I'm gonna do it. So I'm not saying that after the tour is over, it's going to be the last time I'm ever going to be onstage singing with my band. I hope I still have a lot of those left in me. But as far as a structured tour goes, after the last date in 2014, that's gonna be it for the touring."
Strait, who celebrated his 60th birthday in May, plans to begin work on a new album in Nashville in October.

As a tribute to country legend, Gene Watson, in honour of his 50 years in the country music business, the state of Texas declared September 25th to be GENE WATSON DAY.  Furthermore, Watson’s hometown of Paris, Texas named a street in his honour. Early on the 25th, workers with the city of Paris placed three signs proclaiming the main thoroughfare of the Red River Valley Fairgrounds as “Gene Watson Boulevard.” The street sign was officially given to Gene Watson by the Paris mayor, Dr. AJ Hashmi at the start of Gene’s annual Red River Valley Fair performance.  Asked what the day meant to him, Watson replied, “Growing up on a dirt road on the outskirts of Paris, Texas, it never in my wildest dreams occurred to me that one day I’d have a street named for me in my own hometown. .”

BBC Alba's coverage of the Northern Nashville Caithness Country Music Festival begins Tuesday night, at the later than originally scheduled time of 10.10pm (due to football coverage) . Anne Lundon presents the programme, which features Lisa McHugh & Moe Bandy, and other acts performing at the festival back at Easter.
The programme is repeated next Sunday @ 9pm, and the series will run for the next 4 weeks at 9pm Tuesday & Sunday.

The All New Redwing is playing this month at the regular acoustic night at The Meeting Place in Stonelaw Church.in Rutherglen. This month's event is being held on Friday 21st  as the bluegrass group are playing at Moniaive Bluegrass Festival on the 28th - 30th Sept.
They will be featuring, on banjo Phil Sakerski who will also join New Redwing at Moniaive..

The Queen of Country comes to the Las Vegas casinos as Dolly Parton brings her chart-topping hits to both video slot and five-reel spinning reel games. Dolly Parton® Video Slots, along with Two Doors Down and Nine to Five Spinning Reels, feature interactive juke-box-style song selections, big bonus action and front-row concert experiences all with Dolly cheering the player along.

British Columbian born Dean Brody was the only multiple winner on the televised Canadian Country Music Awards show, held this year in Saslatoon, taking home the honours of best male artist and album of the year.
It was the second year in a row he won the CCMA for best album – last year he won for Trail in Life, this year forDirt.
As he accepted the best album trophy, he spoke about how tough it had been to make that album and thanked fans for embracing it.
The rest of the hardware was distributed among a who’s who of Canadian country music’s biggest stars, including Johnny Reid who took Fans’ Choice, Carolyn Dawn Johnson who is best female artist and Hey Romeo who claimed best group for the second year in a row.
It was the fourth year running that Lanarkshire born Johnny Reid took the fan-voted Fans’ Choice Award.
Young Canadian talent was also on display. Ottawa singer Kira Isabella, just 19, won the Rising Star Award, marking her as one to watch in future years. Fellow Ontarian Jason Blaine won song of the year for his They Don't Make 'Em That Way Anymore, which celebrates old-fashioned values with lyrics like "He still combs his hair like Elvis, Pays cash for everything and he'll only drive a Chevy.
The Stellas , also from Ontario, were overlooked in the Rising Star category, but took the best video honour for In This House.
As well as the top Canadian talent on display, Americans Taylor Swift ,Eric Church, Miranda Lambert & The Pistol Annie’s  performed
 the ceremony.
CCMA winners
• Fans' Choice: Johnny Reid
• Male artist: Dean Brody
• Female artist: Carolyn Dawn Johnson
• Best group: Hey Romeo
• Rising Star: Kira Isabella
• Best video: The Stellas,In This House
• Best song: Jason Blaine, They Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore
• Best album: Dean Brody, Dirt

Vince Gill gets a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame

Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift are nominated for entertainer of the year at the 46th annual CMA Awards.
Eric Church grabbed five nominations to lead the pack at this year's awards show. He's up for male vocalist, album of the year (Chief) and single, song and music video of the year for "Springsteen."
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert scored four nominations each, including song of the year for co-writing her hit, "Over You." Shelton is also nominated for male vocalist and single of the year ("God Gave Me You"). Lambert is also up for female vocalist, album of the year (Four the Record) and music video ("Over You").
Others with nominations in multiple categories include Aldean, Chesney, Swift, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town, but two categories will likely be the subject of much discussion among fans.
And pop singer Kelly Clarkson received a Country nomination in the female vocalist category, a field that includes Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood. Clarkson was nominated for musical event of the year in 2007 for her collaboration with Reba McEntire on "Because of You" and won the musical event and single of the year prizes in 2011 for her work with Aldean on "Don't You Wanna Stay."
The 46th annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs Nov. 1

THE BALLINGER FAMILY BAND from Middle Tennessee are appearing at Stonelaw Church in Rutherglen on  Thursday, 4th October 2012

Tickets - £10

Unfortunately Will Banister's concert in Invergordon Social Club on 25th Sept has had to be cancelled due to the poor response. The Texan singer was the big talking point at the Wembley Festival earlier this year. He will be back in the Spring.

Dunbarton's Brian Hughes confessedto being "chuffed, and totally surprised to have won Song Of The Year" at last weekend's  British Country Music Awards in London, for "Damascus Road".
The full list of winners are :


Entertainer of the Year: Henry Smith Band
People's Choice: Thrillbillies
Band of the Year: C'est La Vie
Female Vocalist: Nancy Ann Lee
Male Vocalist: Gary Perkins
Solo Act of the Year: Darren Busby
Duo of the Year: Spur
Line Dance Act of the Year: Glenn Rogers
Musician of the Year: Derek Thurlby
Horizon Act of the Year: Travellin Rose
Event of the Year: Americana International
International Act of the Year: Toby Keith
International Album: Clancy's Tavern (Toby Keith)
International Song of the Year: We Owned The Night (Lady Antebellum)
UK Song: Damascus Road (Brian Hughes)
UK Album: Nashville Sessions Vol 1 (Pete Kennedy)
Irish Act of the Year: Big Tom
Hot Disc of the Year: Life Is For The Living (Gary Curtis)
Americana Music Artist of the Year: My Darling Clementine

British Country Music Hall of Fame inductees.: Jon Derek,Bob Harris & Tony Byworth

Singer-songwriter Joe South, who penned several iconic pop-country crossover hits including “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden,” died at his home in Flowery Branch, Ga., Wednesday morning (Sept 5). He was 72.
“Rose Garden,” as recorded by Lynn Anderson in 1970 and most recently by Martina McBride on her Timeless album, was also covered by Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell, k.d. lang and many others. South himself recorded it in 1969, and versions by Dobie Gray and R&B trio the Three Degrees also predated the hit by Anderson.
Among other hits South wrote are 1969′s “Games People Play” and “Walk a Mile in My Shoes,” a year later. Both reached No. 12 for him on the pop chart (the latter was also covered by Elvis Presley). Other oft-recorded songs of South’s include “I Knew You When,” “Down in the Boondocks” and “Hush,” a 1968 Top 10 pop hit for rock band Deep Purple.
Born Joe Souter in Atlanta, Ga., on Feb. 28, 1940, as a child he was obsessed with technology and developed his own radio station with a transmission area of a mile.
He became a session guitarist in both Nashville and Muscle Shoals, Ala., backing such artists as Eddy Arnold, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Marty Robbins. South also backed Bob Dylan on the superstar’s legendary 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde.
Joe South was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1979 and is also enshrined in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Glasgow duo Raintown, who are Paul Bain and Claire McArthur, have topped off an exciting weekend by scooping 2 awards at this years ‘Scottish New Music Awards.’ The pair won ‘Folk/Traditional Recording of the Year’ and the big one, ‘Record of the Year.’
Paul said’ ‘we are really proud to have won the awards, but the overwhelming feeling is one a gratitude to the fans who have supported us.’
Raintown’s weekend adventure had kicked off with a sizzling performance in front of a packed crowd at Glasgow’s, Oran-Mor. The chemistry between Bain and McArthur captivated the audiences and supported by a rocking band left everyone shouting for more.
The couple have promised more live dates in the near future and have plans to record their new album in Nashville.
You can check Raintown out at www.raintownmusic.com.