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O&O are continuing their rise in country music by releasing a live session video for their latest single Rolling On, which you can see below. The track is the duo’s latest single from their recent EP, ‘Truth Comes Out’ and caps off what has been an incredibly busy year for Orian Peled and Obadiah Jones. In 2018, O&O have performed at C2C, Buckle and Boots, Black Deer and the London Roots festival, while the ‘Truth Comes Out’ EP was released back in September. On 4 December, O&O performed at Old Street Records in Shoreditch, London as part of the recent Maverick Networking Event, with many in the audience praising the group’s ability to captivate the room.

Rising American country music artist Jessica Lynn has given her fans a taste of what’s to come in 2019 by releasing a Christmas track in the form of Santa You Can Skip Our House. You can watch the video below. https://youtu.be/WmuscAbvIEg Declared as “Shania’s successor”, Lynn is gearing up for a very eventful 2019 with a worldwide tour pencilled in and with new music set to be released, which will follow up her two EPs. Lynn has made a big impression on the country music world with her single Crazy Idea peaking at #48 in the USA Country Charts, and big things are expected of the Brooklyn born artist in the near future.  

When you live in Nashville, there is a certain pride that comes with residing in the cradle of music civilisation.  In Don Cusic’s new book “Nashville Sound – An Illustrated Timeline”, you learn the history of this city and see the people and places to reinforce those stories! I personally know Cusic as a Professor at Belmont University in Nashville, plus he has penned books on Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold and Hank Williams.  In his spare time, Don composed hit songs for Ray Stevens, Jim Ed Brown and Bobby Bare. This hardbound book might be considered a coffee table book, but only in weight and size.  It’s stories and Nashville insider information make it much more and provide the background of why the city is really known as ‘Music City U.S.A.’ Besides enjoying the historical images and guitar photos, I also came away with a more profound knowledge and appreciation than I had before. In the first few pages, we learn of the American historical figure Davey Crockett who was a fiddle player, a Tennessee Congressman and someone who fought at the battle of the Alamo. The Fisk Jubilee Singers help put Nashville on the map as they toured the country to raise funds supporting Fisk University in the late 1800s.  WSM Radio, one of the most famous country music stations in the world and still broadcasting today, launched in 1925 thanks to National Life and Accident Insurance Company. We learn details on luminaries of the Grand Ole Opry such as Roy Acuff and Bill Monroe joining in 1938 and ’39.  Chet Atkins quit the Opry back in 1946 after being taken off Red Foley’s radio show.  Of course, in later years Atkins helped define Nashville music as a record executive himself! Who can speak of or visit the Music City without mentioning Ernest Tubb Record Shop, which originally opened in 1947?  Pat Boone got his start as a part-time radio DJ at WSIX while still singing songs and winning talent contests.  The First Disc Jockey Convention was held in Nashville in 1952 to showcse the DJs who had become Stars. Elvis Presley made the shift from Memphis, TN to Nashville in 1956 thanks to a new deal with RCA Records in town.  Buddy Holly followed suit by recording there 15 days later.  Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, still a popular destination on Broadway, has a two-page spread in the book since it was and is a place that singers/songwriters’ hangout with a backdoor facing the Ryman Auditorium. Brenda Lee, a country star that still performs on the Opry, is mentioned for her string of hits with famed producer Owen Bradley.  Someone who symbolised Western Music for many years and hosted the Opry, Porter Wagoner, launched his television show from 1960-64.  Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Charlie Pride also have places in Cusic’s book. Glen Campbell was a well-known session musician and songwriter in town that eventually became a radio and TV star.  What Don Cusic has done so well with this book “Nashville Sound – An Illustrated Timeline” is connect the dots with the artists, record labels and producers through each decade. If you’re a fan of Country Music or Nashville this book won’t disappoint it may provide some ideas for your next visit to Music City U.S.A. also? Eric Dahl

Morgan Evans has released the first in a brand new series of videos titled the Highway 1 Sessions by putting an acoustic spin on Young Again. You can watch the footage here. Evans, who has just released his debut album ‘Things That We Drink To’, performed the song under the marquee of a historic theatre in a coastal town for the session, which came about when Evans and a few of his friends went to the shoreline with his guitar on one of his days off. The video very much catches Evans in his element and provides fans with a different take on the song, while also displaying a fun and spontaneous side to the artist. At present, Evans is on tour with Chris Young for the ‘Losing Sleep World Tour’, but when that comes to an end this weekend, Evans is set to support both Old Dominion and Dan + Shay in 2019.

Adam Wurtzel and Ryan Grubb, the collaborative masterminds behind top country music programmes ‘The Pickup’ and ‘The Nashouse’, have partnered with CountryLine, the world’s first digital country music destination, to launch exclusive country music content across the platform in the form of NashLine. CMA Media Achievement Award nominee, Adam Wurtzel, has been interviewing top country artists since he first moved to Nashville in 2012. He met producer Ryan Grubb when Grubb came on board The Pickup, a 5-minute bi-weekly series that focused on classic country artists. Wurtzel and Grubb’s partnership has continued onto various other projects, leading to their most exciting one yet – NashLine, exclusive country content for the CountryLine app, straight from Nashville, the home of country. NashLine will be a series of 3-5 minute interviews and country chat made available exclusively via the app. With NashLine shows so far featuring interviews with Raelynn, Brantley Gilbert and Michael Ray and many more in the pipeline, the show is a must watch for country fans worldwide. Founded by entrepreneur, actress and avid country music fan, Nathalie Cox, alongside award-winning media and tech entrepreneur Simon Walker, who co-developed BBC iPlayer, CountryLine fuses digital technology and country music. The platform delivering on-demand performances, interviews, news, views and TV shows, and has high profile investors by the likes of Sir Elton John, Eric Nicoli (former Chairman, EMI) and Ed Richards (former CEO, Ofcom), as well as a variety of listings, bookings, mobile payments, loyalty and member benefits. A CountryLine subscription costs £2.99 per month or £29.99 for a year.

Elles Bailey will be taking to the stage at the December 2018 Corn on the Cob music night in Hertford, England, which marks the night being in operation for a whole year. Held on the second Thursday of every month, Corn on the Cob is ran by Steve Young and looks to promote upcoming Americana and country music artists in the UK. The night starts off with a Songwriters Circle, which features three acts and three songs in-the-round, before an acoustic solo/duo act will perform a stripped back and intimate set under the name of Up Close and Personal. The first of the full band line ups then take to the stage under Live and Kicking, before The Grande Finale sees the headliners perform a full set. The special December event will be held on the 13th at The Hertford Corn Exchange and will have Beth Keeping, Tasha Robertson and Danny McMahon in the Songwriters Circle, while Mark Sullivan is the Up Close and Personal pick. Bailey – who will release her second album ‘Road I Call Home’ on March 8 – will then perform for an hour as the Live and Kicking artist, while Young + The Real Time Players will round off proceedings as the night’s Grande Finale. Maverick gave Young’s most recent album ‘A Little North of Nowhere’ a 4* review, claiming that “you can hear the sentiment and soul that’s gone into producing this fine set of songs.” Tickets are available here.