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by Scott
Stem
Wow! Spring is almost here!
I don’t know about you, but I’m sure ready
for some warmth!
Speaking of warm, makes me think of Summer. And
naturally when I think
of Summer, I think of Fan Fair!
The first group of artists participating in
this year’s Fan Fair ––
"The World’s Biggest Country Music Festival" –– was
announced recently.
The event is held June 5-8, 2003, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Kellie Coffey,
Diamond Rio, Sara Evans,
Lonestar, and Martina McBride are among the first performers named for
the
nightly shows at The Coliseum, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.
Trace Adkins, Alabama, Chris Cagle, Terri
Clark, Andy Griggs, Jennifer
Hanson, Patty Loveless, Brad Martin, John Michael Montgomery, Montgomery
Gentry, Neal McCoy, Jo Dee Messina, Joe Nichols, Sawyer Brown, Marty
Stuart,
Pam Tillis, Keith Urban and Phil Vassar are among the many other artists
who
will be participating in Fan Fair as well. Check out www.FanFair.com
or call
1-866-FAN-FAIR for tickets and more information. It’s a four day
festival of
music and more just waiting for you to check it out.
Interesting fact about Fan Fair -- it’s
become a great place for artists
to meet their future spouses. Shania Twain met her future husband
Mutt Lange
at Fan Fair. Dixie Chick Emily Robison had her first date with
future
husband Charlie Robison soon after meeting at Fan Fair. And Kevin
Sharp met
his wife at the event as well. Wonder what love connections will be made
this
year?
Those Dixie Chicks are everywhere these days.
They recently performed
the national anthem at the Super Bowl. A few weeks later, they
were the
musical guests on "Saturday Night Live." Now, this
talented trio has
released their first concert DVD, "An Evening With The Dixie
Chicks." A
full tour is in the works as well!
Tim McGraw begins his highly anticipated tour
on March 3rd in Houston,
Texas. McGraw will perform in Indianapolis on March 20th at the
Conseco
Fieldhouse; in Cincinnati on March 24th at the U.S. Bank Arena; and in
Chicago on April 10th at the United Center. This promises to be
one of the
major tour experiences of the year, so log on to: www.Ticketmaster.com
for
ticket information and additional tour dates!
ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2003...
Blake Shelton, whose latest album
"Dreamer" debuted in February with
over 70,000 sales in its first week. The album contains the hit
ballad, "The
Baby," but don’t let that fool you; it’s a fun, rowdy album!
Jennifer Hanson’s self-titled debut album,
featuring the hit "Beautiful
Goodbye," is another album to check out. If you’re a fan of
Deana Carter,
Sheryl Crow, or Carolyn Dawn Johnson, you’ll enjoy Jennifer Hanson.
Also, keep your eyes out for the upcoming
self-titled album from Chris
Cagle, due out April 1. Building on the success of his last album,
Cagle’s
new album should take him to the next level this year, winning him
thousands
of new Cagle-heads wherever he performs.
Joe Nichols’ album "Man With A
Memory" (featuring the hits "The
Impossible" and "Brokenheartsville") has received a lot
of attention lately
due to its nomination for a Grammy Award for "Country Album of the
Year".
Nichols recently became the first artist to have a bra thrown at him on
stage
of the Grand Ole Opry. Will he be crowned the new Tom Jones? Only
time’ll
tell.
Shania Twain continues to make the rounds
supporting her new album "Up!"
She recently performed at the Super Bowl during half-time.
Last month she
was the cover feature on Rolling Stone Magazine. What’s next?
Look for her
to perform on the CMT "Flameworthy Awards" in April on
(naturally) CMT.
Terri Clark returned to her roots. Before
she signed her record deal,
Clark was a regular performer at the legendary Tootsie’s honky-tonk on
Lower
Broad in Nashville. A few weeks ago, Clark came back to perform at
the club.
Even though it snowed all day and night, fans packed the house and
lined up
outside the windows on the street so they could watch Terri perform
"I Just
Wanna Be Mad" and other songs from her new album, "Pain To
Kill."
And if that’s not enough, Brooks & Dunn,
Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina
, Brad Paisley and Wynonna are among the artists planning new albums in
2003.
Looks like it will be another great year for Country Music.
Until next time…
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