Category Archives: Video
Garth Brooks among 2012 Hall of Fame inductees~
Country superstar Garth Brooks, singer Connie Smith and keyboard player Hargus “Pig” Robbins are the newest class of inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame. I covered the announcement Tuesday morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville for WKRN. The three will be honored with a ceremony later this year.
I had the chance to speak with all of the day’s honorees. You can watch my extended interviews by clicking here. I also talked with Kix Brooks, who announced this years noms and Trisha Yearwood who was on hand to support her hubby. Trisha said she and Garth are in talks of touring together in a couple of years.
Congrats to all three on reaching the top honor in Country music!
Music City loses 3 voices
Celebrating The Life of “SCOOBY” – Highway 2 mars from Ray Zate on Vimeo.
I don’t usually post “hard news” on here, but the recent losses to Nashville can’t go unlooked. In the past two weeks we have lost three local voices that contributed greatly to our city and the foundation we are built on as Music City. I knew some of them personally, others I never had the chance to meet face-to-face. With that said I will let the below links tell their story best. May you all rest in peace.
David Hall, Lightning 100.
Read More by clicking here.
Jayne Rogovin, Veteran Nashville Publicist. Read more by lcicking by clicking here.
Curtis “Scooby” Senior, Radio Host 101.1 The Beat. Read More by clicking here.
The talented Ray Zate put together the moving video of Scooby above.
Not Melissa Mansfield’s first time to follow Kenny Chesney: News 2 Exclusive
Reported By Andy Cordan & Stephanie Langston News 2
Woman charged after trespassing on Kenny Chesney’s property
FRANKLIN, Tenn.Authorities in Williamson County early Wednesday morning arrested a woman for trespassing on the property of country music star Kenny Chesney.
Deputies responded to Chesney’s home shortly after 2 a.m. to find Melissa Carol Mansfield in a bathroom near the pool area. She had reportedly been drinking wine and smoking cigarettes.
“She was found around the pool area, in a restroom,” Williamson County Sheriff’s Deputy Hugh Tharpe told Nashville’s News 2. “[The] corporal was looking around the perimeter and found her in a restroom. She had at least one, if not two bottles of wine with her.”
Chesney’s home is high atop a hill, surrounded by a fence with a private gate. There are signs that clearly say, “No Trespassing.”
The sheriff’s office was alerted to the trespassing after an alarm at the home sounded.
It’s believed Mansfield somehow got around the fence after traveling to Nashville from Knoxville via Greyhound bus.
Mansfield told deputies that she initially traveled to Knoxville to see Chesney’s parents from her home in Murrieta, California, near San Diego.
From Nashville she took a limo to Chesney’s Williamson County home about 25 miles south, according to deputies.
“She claimed to have a relationship with Mr. Chesney and they were dating but that was not confirmed at all,” Tharpe said. “The property manager said that Mr. Chesney was out of town and she didn’t have permission to be on the property.”
He continued, “She claims she had a relationship with the homeowner and he invited her there.”
Chesney’s publicist confirmed via email that Mansfield has no connection to Chesney. Chesney was not home at the time of the break-in.
Thursday’s Mansfield’s brother, Austin, called the news of his sister’s arrest “heartbreaking,” adding his family has tried to get Melissa the help she needs several times.
Over the phone, Austin Mansfield, who lives in Georgia, told Nashville’s News 2 drinking is a battle his sister has been fighting for “quite some time.” He said they put her in rehab for her drinking problem just two weeks ago.
Mansfield said his sister hasn’t worked in a while and Wednesday wasn’t the first time she tried to track down Chesney. He said she once followed the singer to the Virgin Islands.
Mansfield is charged with criminal trespassing and public intoxication and remained in the Williamson County jail on a $1,000 bond Thursday afternoon.
Rather than bail her out, Austin Mansfield told Nashville’s News 2 they instead would like to get her psychiatric help.
Mansfield is scheduled to appear in a Williamson County courtroom next Thursday, February 23.
If you can’t see the video above click HERE!
Johnny Cash Museum coming to Music City
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A new Johnny Cash Museum will open later this year on Third Avenue between Demonbreun Street and Broadway in downtown Nashville.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean joined members of the Cash family and museum founder Bill Miller Tuesday to unveil details of the facility.
Slated to open this summer, the museum will feature never before seen historical documents, letters, awards, costumes and instruments, uniting the acclaimed collection of Miller, longtime friend of the Cash’s and founder of the official Johnny Cash Web site, and pieces from Cash’s friends, colleagues and family members including his children and siblings.
“We intend on making this the best single celebrity museum anywhere in the world,” Miller told Nashville’s News 2.
John Carter Cash, Johnny’s son said the family is looking forward to adding to the collection.
“I’m excited for the world that they will be able to experience that connection in a different way, in a new way, in a way that hadn’t been possible before. I know my parents would be very excited to see that a Johnny Cash museum is happening and that it’s going to come about. It furthers their spirit and what they believe in and who they are as people.”
Phase I of the museum will consist of a museum store, permanent exhibits and a multipurpose venue for performances, special exhibits and other events.
Phase II will both ground and top floor expansions bringing the total square footage of the museum to 18,000 square feet.
Plans include an additional exhibit space, enlarged performance area, onsite food venue and more.
If you don’t see the video above click click HERE!
Keith Urban & Richard Marx celebrate #1
Friday night Keith Urban will be among the last performers to play on the current Ryman stage. I caught up with the country super star for Yallwire as he and Richard Marx celebrated the success of their number one song, “Long Hot Summer.” Keith and Richard talk about how this song was extra special to them because it represented a rekindling of their friendship. Check it out!
Music City studio helps Super Bowl halftime show become reality
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The Super Bowl halftime show is talked about just as much as the game itself and this Sunday, some of what viewers will see was created in Music City.
LMG Design Studio in Nashville has spent the last eight months working to make Madonna‘s performance dreams a reality.
Industry veteran Ken Gay heads up the local studio.
“Super Bowl, for me, is about eight months of my life played out in 12 minutes,” he said.
Gay has worked with artists like Cee Lo Green, Drake and Dolly Parton in the past year alone.
The studio on Broadway is designed to provide a hands-on environment for clients to brainstorm and discuss creative ideas with the latest live entertainment technology.
If you don’t see the video above click HERE
Ryman Auditorium stage to host final bow this week~
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s time for a new stage at Ryman Auditorium, a significant moment in the history of a building known for its significant moments.
Scuffed by the heels of “The King,” ”The Queen of Soul” and thousands of singers in cowboy boots, scarred by an uncountable stream of road cases and worn by six decades of music history, the Ryman’s oak floorboards have reached the end of a very long, very successful run.
“It’s an exciting time, I love it. I mean this place deserves the best of everything,” Ryman General Manager Sara Williams told Nashville’s News 2.
The current stage is just the second in the 120-year history of the “Mother Church” after the original was installed in 1901 for a performance of the Metropolitan Opera. It was laid down in 1951 and has lasted far longer than expected.
“We really do our best to preserve the integrity of this building for folks now and for folks down the road,” Williams explained.
The Ryman is still the building most associated with The Grand Ole Opry, though it moved to the Opry House in 1974, and has hosted a number of significant moments in American culture.
Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash stood together on those boards and changed music. Cultures clashed there too when the boo birds took on country rockers The Byrds. Today the Ryman is a much sought-after destination point for musicians of all genres and many shows take on a unique aura.
Keith Urban who is making his return from vocal surgery, will be among the last performers on the stage when the Opry plays its final winter date Friday at The Ryman.
Dierks Bentley will play the last standalone concert Thursday.
Ryman officials said they will retain an 18-inch lip of the blonde oak at the front of the stage, similar to the way the Ryman stage was commemorated in a circle of wood at the new Opry House.
The rest of the stage will be stored and replaced with a medium brown Brazilian teak that will be far more durable and camera friendly.
Work will begin February 4 and continue seven days a week through February 20, when The Band Perry will make its Ryman debut with a sold-out show.
Tours will continue throughout the work at a discounted rate, allowing members of the public to watch.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.
If you can’t see the video above click here HERE!
Tim McGraw releases final album with Curb Records
Tim McGraw‘s latest studio album, Emotional Traffic, hit store shelves Tuesday after being at the center of a recent court battle with Curb Records.
McGraw has been working with Curb for nearly 20 years, but this album is likely the last between the country music superstar and the record label.
I talked with some songwriters on the album for WKRN. Check out my story above. If you don’t see it click HERE!
Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, George Jones and more talk Grammys
Nashville Grammy nominated artists were recognized Tuesday night with a soiree at Loew’s Vanderbilt hotel downtown. Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and George Jones were among the stars I caught up with on the red carpet.
It’s a big deal. Winning a Grammy for an artist, I don’t think it gets any bigger than that,” said first time nominee Jason Aldean.
Country legend George Jones is scheduled to be honored with a lifetime achievement award.
“I feel very honored, especially at my age it’s good to be remembered by such a great organization,” Jones said.
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 12.
If you don’t see my video above click HERE!
