CMT Blog: Joe Nichols

Does Mindy McCready have an appointment with Dr. Phil after all?

Jessica Simpson is adding her name to a new line of clothing.

After the bandleader at a musical variety theater in Utah suddenly required emergency surgery, audience member Collin Raye immediately volunteered to help them out.

Joe Nichols will be performing a free concert at Central Park. The Central Park in Warsaw, Ind., that is.

When it comes to underwriting the costs of touring, country music artists generally look to the alcohol and snack food industries for sponsorship. But maybe it’s time that somebody summoned the courage to seek sponsorship from a condom company. Especially in light of an Associated Press report about a significant increase in pregnancies around Grand Junction, Colo., following the Country Jam USA that took place there on June 26-29.

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Every week, I like to see who’s at the top of the country sales chart, even though it’s usually the same folks - Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, etc. But this week I decided to start from the bottom up. You might be as surprised as I am at these low sales by familiar names.

Let’s start with the hits compilations released late last year. Faith Hill’s The Hits isn’t even halfway to a half-million copies, so no gold album there. Back in 1999, Breathe sold more than seven million copies. Meanwhile, Trisha Yearwood’s Greatest Hits hasn’t cracked 90,000 copies yet. Songbook: A Collection of Hits, from 1997, sold more than four million copies. Both of these singers have released some amazing songs over the years, and they put on a good face for country music (even when that face is screaming out, “WHAT?!?!?) but I think they simply waited too long. Their careers have kind of cooled off in the last few years. Plus, in the digital age, if you already have the older albums on your computer or iPod, you can just add the new tracks for a few bucks.

I would imagine that Blake Shelton and Joe Nichols will release Greatest Hits albums in the next year or so, because their current albums simply aren’t moving. Shelton’s Pure B.S. is just under 265,000, after nearly a year on the chart. You can add about 11,000 copies to that total when you consider the additional sales of his Collector’s Edition, which certainly includes repeat buyers. Nichols is being outsold by Jason Michael Carroll and Bucky Covington, although they’re toward the bottom of the chart too.

And who’s at the top? Alan Jackson, with Good Time, showing that there is still a place for longevity on the country sales chart - but not as much as you might think.

Australia’s Herald Sun reports that Keith Urban is in the midst of a collaboration with another woman. Urban and pop sensation Nelly Furtado are recording a duet together.

If you’re going to be in New York City during Super Bowl XLII, and you like country music, consider joining Kix Brooks and some of Nashville’s hottest songwriters at one of the hottest eateries.

It seems rehab is the new spot for country artists to start starting over. Joe Nichols is the latest to leave an Arizona facility with a renewed commitment to country.

Is Darius Rucker, front man of frat-rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, finally ready to unveil his country sound? You’ll have to hit Nashville’s Bluebird on Friday night to hear for yourself.

Surfing the ‘Net today, here are some of the country-related stories we came up with:

• Joe Nichols explains why he was forced to cancel a series of radio interviews this week.
• The Village Voice in New York City has embraced Miranda Lambert and her Crazy Ex-Girlfriend album.
• Country music veteran Slim Whitman, 84, says reports of his death are greatly exaggerated.
• Songwriters Victoria Shaw, Marcus Hummon and former Lonestar member Richie McDonald plan appearance at New York jazz club.

I have a small stack of country Christmas CDs that I always pull out on Thanksgiving morning, and that’s pretty much what I listen to until I put up a new calendar. Luckily, those old-fashioned songs have moved into the digital age, making this the most wonderful time of the year for a holiday music mix. Do you hear what I hear? You can, if you track down this playlist:

“Christmas in Dixie,” Alabama
“A Holly Jolly Christmas,” Alan Jackson
“Shimmy Down the Chimney,” Alison Krauss
“Feliz Navidad,” Billy Joe Shaver
“Rockin’ Little Christmas,” Carlene Carter
 “Frosty the Snowman,” Dan Tyminski
“Silent Night,” Dolly Parton
“Light of the Stable,” Emmylou Harris
“Merry Christmas Strait to You,” George Strait
“Silver Bells,” Joe Nichols
“O Holy Night,” John Berry
“The First Noel,” Josh Turner
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” Kelly Willis
“My Holiday,” Mindy Smith
“O Come All Ye Faithful,” Patty Loveless
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Raul Malo
“O Christmas Tree,” Rhonda Vincent
“Christmas Time is Here,” Shawn Colvin
“Two-Step ‘Round the Christmas Tree,” Suzy Bogguss
“Making Plans,” Tim O’Brien
“The Christmas Song,” Trisha Yearwood
“All I Want for Christmas is You,” Vince Vance and the Valiants
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” Wynonna

I know you’ve heard these songs many times, many ways, but these are the renditions I prefer. In particular, Kelly Willis’ version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” has just the right twinge of sadness – but not as much as the original version. Next time you complain about Christmas, remember that opening line. May your day be merry and bright.

Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson has had an amazing career as a songwriter. He’s still picking up hits in the new century, having success in the last year with Joe Nichols’ “I’ll Wait for You” and George Strait’s “Give It Away,” which won song of the year from the Academy of Country Music in May.Most songwriters would be happy with any one of those cuts, but what’s truly remarkable is how long Bill’s been doing this: He wrote his first hit, “City Lights” from the roof of the Andrew Jackson Hotel in Commerce, Ga., 50 years ago — on Aug. 27, 1957. It became a hit the following year for Ray Price and again in 1975 for Mickey Gilley.

Over the five decades since Bill penned that song, he’s had nearly 80 country hits. Here’s a personal celebration of some of the best:

“A Lot of Things Different,” Kenny Chesney — Frank Sinatra tossed aside his regrets, saying he had “too few to mention.” Bill came up with a long list, and presented them as a really poignant ode to missed opportunities.

“Saginaw, Michigan,” Lefty Frizzell — A classic story song about a beleaguered groom who uses his father-in-law’s Achilles heel, greed, to turn the tables. Some 40 years later, rhyming Michigan and fisherman still feels inventive.

“Whiskey Lullaby,” Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss — “He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger.” The imagery is fierce, and the plaintive musical setting frames it all perfectly.

“The Tips of My Fingers,” Steve Wariner — The wordplay (”I had your love on the tips of my fingers/But I let it slip right through my hand”) is old-school country at its best. Bill and Steve, incidentally, would become good friends. They co-wrote Steve’s hit “Two Teardrops,” and Steve once got a ticket when he was driving alone and ended up in an HOV lane illegally while talking to Bill on the cell phone.

“My Life (Throw It Away If I Want To)” — You might not remember the song, but it’s an acerbic No. 1 single from 1969. He was inspired during an argument with his wife in the run-up to a divorce, and for a guy whose relationship songs have usually been about self-pity or self-inflicted pain, he lashes out quite well.

Happy anniversary, Bill Anderson.