Editor

Lighthouse is musical couple Mats & Linda Brandemark’s first joint endeavor. They have cultivated an American folk-rock blend and their celebrated self-titled debut album is now available to order on CD or LP, and to stream on Spotify or iTunes. Since its release earlier this year the 11 tracks on the album have been played internationally, reaching Europe, North America and Australia. The album has also been celebrated by music critics and bloggers around the world. The duo is currently booking gigs & tour for 2015 and writing new songs, following on from their current momentum. www.lighthousesweden.com

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will explore the career of superstar Tanya Tucker with the exhibition Tanya Tucker: Strong Enough to Bend, which opens November 14, 2014, and runs through May 2015.
 
 Tanya Tucker’s talent blossomed early, despite being born into poverty in Texas and raised in ramshackle apartments and trailers in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. She began performing on local shows at age six, and within years was a regular on a Phoenix TV program. A Las Vegas agent sent a demo recording to Billy Sherrill, who quickly signed Tucker to Columbia Records. She was 13 years old.
 
 Two years into her singing career, Tucker appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine—a rare national media spotlight for a country star in 1974. To her parents, Beau and Juanita Tucker, such recognition signified that their teen daughter had crossover potential that could take her beyond the country audience.
 
On October 10, 1974—Tucker’s sixteenth birthday—she signed a $1.4 million contract with MCA Records, a deal brokered by her ambitious father. Her seven years on MCA yielded the nymber one hits “Lizzie and the Rainman.” “San Antonio Stroll,” and “Here’s Some Love.” In 1978, she recorded the rock-influenced album T.N.T. in Los Angeles. 
 
 In California, Tucker began dating singer Glen Campbell, twenty-two years her senior; their fiery, tabloid-filled relationship ended in acrimony. After a stint with Arista Records, Tucker signed with Capitol Records and reunited with producer Jerry Crutchfield, with whom she had worked at MCA.
 
Tucker’s 1986 album, Girl Like Me, featured four Top Ten hits, including the #1 “Just Another Love.” She enjoyed a long run of success on Capitol (and sister label Liberty), with a string of Top Ten hits through 1997, including three consecutive number ones, “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,” “If It Don’t Come Easy,” and “Strong Enough to Bend.”
 
 Tanya Tucker heard her name called as the 1991 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year while lying in a hospital bed, watching the awards show on TV. Earlier the same day, she had delivered her second child, Beau. 
 
 Her first child, daughter Presley, was born in July 1989—a year after Tucker had checked herself into the Betty Ford Center over issues with substance abuse. Her third child, Layla, arrived in 1999. 
 
 For Tucker, the CMA award came at a time when some radio stations refused to play her music while criticizing her choice to be a single mother. The CMA award, the first of her career, proved that the country music industry at large continued to support her. The national media cited Tucker’s win, and her eighteen Top Ten hits between 1988 and 1994, as signs that country music reflected the evolving roles of women in American society. 
 
 Tucker detailed her colorful life story in her 1997 autobiography, ‘Nickel Dreams: My Life’. The singer also starred in her own reality show, ‘Tuckerville’, on cable network TLC. “Every one of us has good and bad times in our lives,” Tucker wrote in Nickel Dreams. “In my case, they have been to extremes.”
 


Little Big Town‘s first-ever public performance together was at the Grand Old Opry in 1999, and fifteen years later, the group were formally inducted into the Opry family on Friday October 17. Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet, were invited to join the Opry by at the beginning of October. On the formal induction Little Big Town played a set opening their set ‘Bring It on Home,’ which they played back in their Opry debut. The band were inducted into the Opry by members Little Jimmy Dickens and Vince Gill, with Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher on hand to present the group with their Opry Member Award. “The word ‘family’ really means something out here. It really does,” Gill told the group. “You’ll make friends like I have with this man right here. You’ll be so be blessed by the friends you’ll make out here, and they’ll last your entire life. Welcome to the family, and remember to come here as often as you can.” Little Big Town were joined by Vince Gill on their final song ‘Why Me,’ made famous by Kris Kristofferson. The sold-out audience treated the performers to a standing ovation as Gill proudly said, “Welcome them home!” “It feels like home,” Sweet reflected later. “It’s family.” “This feels like the biggest moment of our lives and our career,” Schlapman said, and Fairchild added, “I’m so excited about sharing this moment with the band. We’ve been through the highest of highs together, and this is sure to be the highest. This is as good as it gets.” Little Big Town have been nomainated for Vocal Group of the Year in the upcoming 2014 CMA Awards, and they are the current reigning champs in the category. Their new album PAIN KILLER was released yesterday, October 21.

Nicky James & State of The Heart and Dexeter have been added to the already stellar line up that includes BBC Radio 2 favourites Ward Thomas and several BCMAwards nominees at Midwinterfest in Torquay in January. “The response has been fabulous,” says Kirstin Reynolds from NEO Music “the schedule for the weekend is pretty full on, the line up represents a really good cross section of the country music genre and we are really looking forward to it”. There is still some availability and all details can be found on the advert in this issue of Maverick. On history of the festival, Alan West, NEO Music has commented: “For many years between 1989 and 2004, in what seems like a previous life, I put on country music weekenders at Lyme Bay Holiday Village in Seaton, Devon. Lots of fun was undoubtedly had by all and even now, 12 years on, I get reminded very regularly of the many great memories people have of The Seaton Party!” Back in March, we had the pleasure of being a part of The Country2Country event at The O2 in London and I got to see, and enjoy very much, several of the acts from the UK performing with us. For the first time since The Lyme Bay Holiday Village was bought by a major supermarket chain, I fancied putting a weekend together again!!” It will be Midwinterfest at The Derwent Hotel, Torquay on the weekend of January 16-18, a weekend of concerts covering the country music spectrum in an intimate environment.

The Atkinson is delighted to announce its second festival of Americana, this year organised in association with the Americana Music Organisation ( AMA-UK). Over three nights they will be welcoming some of North America’s finest contemporary musicians. Enjoy a weekend of American food specials and merchandise stalls. Their are also a number of stay for the weekend deals on offer with local Hotels. Friday 31 October Anais Mitchell & The Mastersons with support from Luke Tuchscherer www.luketuchscherer.co.uk
From 7.30pm | Tickets £12 Saturday 1 November Martha Wainwright & Carrie Rodrigues with Luke Jacobs From 7.30pm | Tickets £22 with support from Case Hardin- www.casehardin.com Sunday 2 November Mary Gauthier & Red Sky July
with support from Lewis & Leigh – www.lewisandleigh.com
From 7.30pm | Tickets £15

Americana folk trio Red Molly have announced their first ever tour of the UK and Ireland scheduled for October 2014 in support of their latest release THE RED ALBUM. Their edgiest CD to date, a wildly cool collection of songs produced by Ken Coomer (Wilco). The Americana/folk trio takes a distinctive shift towards darkness in the new indie collection, while maintaining their signature three-part harmony; gorgeous. The full tour schedule for their UK and Irish dates is as follows: Wednesday 8th: Rathfriland, Thursday 9th: Lisburn, Friday 10th: Clonmel, Co. Tipperary Saturday 11th: Ballincollig, Co. Cork Sunday 12th: Ratoath, Co. Meath Monday 13th: Ballybofey, Co. Donegal Wednesday 15th: Sligo, Co. Sligo Friday 17th: Menai Bridge, Anglesey Saturday 18th: Colwall, Malvern Sunday 19th: London Tuesday 21th: Birmingham Wednesday 22th: Milton Keynes Thursday 23th: Glasgow Friday 24th: Gateshead Saturday 25th: Cranleigh Sunday 26th: Nottingham

The country music favourite George Hamilton IV, who began performing as a teenager in the 1950s, had suffered a major heart attack at the weekend. George was inducted into Nashville’s Grand Old Opry in 1960 and continued to work until shortly before he was taken ill. In the later phase of his career, Hamilton, who was born in North Carolina, concentrated on gospel music and making recordings of inspiration recitations, a type of spiritual song. He also became a regular guest singer with evangelist Billy Graham on his many rallies around the world. Hamilton’s most recent album, made in 2010, was a gospel-influenced collection featuring a host of guest artists. George Hamilton IV died on Wednesday afternoon at St. Thomas hospital, where he was admitted over the weekend after suffering a heart attack. The 77-year-old began his career in the late ’50s, made it into the Opry in 1960 and was most recently seen greeting fans taking the backstage tour at the Opry. One of Hamilton’s biggest hits, Abilene, spent a month at No. 1 in 1961 and made him an international star. Hamilton’s nickname was the “International Ambassador of Country Music.” He is remembered by his Opry family as one of the kindest men to ever walk the Opry stage. Hamilton is survived by his wife Tinky and daughter Mary.

When Lee Ann Womack agreed to do a clip for “The Way I’m Livin’,” the title track and lead song from her new album, she knew one thing: “I did not want a literal, storyline video.” The Roger Pistole-directed clip is anything but… and it’s provocative enough CMT will world premiere it across its platforms on Wednesday, Sept. 10. “We joked about things you don’t hear at a Lee Ann Womack video shoot,” says the Grammy-winning vocalist of the unlikely video. “You know, like ‘The snakes just got here…’ Only for this clip, the snakes really did just arrive!” Considering the realm and reality in the world around us, Roger Pistole created a video where time has multiple layers, the characters are open to interpretation and Womack delivers a vocal performance that is equal parts confession, rumination and scalding immersion in the moment. In the end, the notion of just who the devil is will prompt discussion – with no clear cut answers. “I think getting people to talk about things, issues and what they believe is the best thing music can do,” Womack says. “And I love that this video takes that concept, and pushes it even farther. Life isn’t black and white; people’s reasons aren’t simple, nor are the reasons they fall. Roger got the exact thing I was trying to capture in the song – and man, did he find a great way to create a video that leaves you wondering, but also shows you a lot about the gray areas of life.” Shot in an abandoned house on a working cattle farm outside Nashville, ‘The Way I’m Livin” seems like another old house in a field video – until you get 30 seconds in. From there, it’s a powerful exploration of temptation, falling, fighting and, perhaps, salvation – all without one obvious cue. “The best things let you bring your own life to’em,” says the woman, whose The Way I’m Livin’ was singled out by The New York Times in their Fall Arts Preview. “I really want this album to open up what songs can contain, to make people think about their definitions of not just ‘what’s country?,’ but why do we need definitions.”