Chesney's beginnings in music are traced to Christmas in 1986 when he was gifted his first guitar and began teaching himself to play. Chesney's musical career took a slight side step as he decided to pursue a degree in advertising at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, where he was a member of the ETSU Bluegrass Program and the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. In 1989, Chesney recorded his first self-released demo album at the Classic Recording Studio in Bristol, Virginia. He managed to sell 1,000 copies while performing on the local scene in Johnson City and used the money from album sales to help buy a new guitar. After graduation, he headed to Nashville and performed at several local clubs. He became the resident performer at The Turf, a honky tonk bar in the city's historic district.
Chesney's first album, In My Wildest Dreams, was released on the independent Capricorn Records label in April 1994 which was a moderate to mediocre release in the US Country charts, however later that year Capricorn Records closed their country department and moved to Atlanta so Chesney's career had a slight false start. His first major chart success came in the form of 'Me And You' which broke the US country top 10 and spawned three hit singles. This was merely the beginning for Kenny, his following releases all managed to sell extremely well, 14 of his 15 releases are certified gold or higher to date. From 1998, when 'She's Got It All' topped the US country charts, Kenny went on to score another sixteen US Country number ones and made substantial chart positioning on the Billboard charts too, with the 2009 single 'Out Last Night' breaking the top twenty.
Chesney's most recent charity work includes working with the V Foundation, founded by North Carolina State Wolfpack basketball coach Jim Valvano to help to find a cure for cancer. He is one of the most consistently successful country performers in the States and has sold over thirty million albums to date.
Church grew up in the Granite Falls area of North Carolina and showed a keen interest in music as early as the age of four. One of Church’s first “paying gigs” was at this age. He remembers singing the song “Elvira” at a restaurant to a group of surrounding patrons who compensated his performance with loose change. It was not until Church was 13 that he began writing his own songs. At this time he wrote most of his music on a cheap electric guitar, which consistently fell out of tune. Church plugged along with his songwriting and guitar practicing and during his senior year of high school landed frequent gigs at local bars playing Jimmy Buffet covers and a few originals. Church formed the band “The Mountain Boys” with his brother and college roommate, but once he moved to Nashville, US he focused his attention on his solo career.
Like many other burgeoning country musicians, Church started his career in Nashville, US writing material for other artists. He helped write Terri Clarks single “The World Needs a Drink” and the Dean Miller song “Whiskey Wings”. Church attempted to break out on his own, but was met with hesitation amongst several producers and record labels. However when Church performed “Lightning” a song inspired by the movie “Green Mile”, Capitol Nashville signed him on their label. Church’s debut album was an instant success producing three single tracks that made it into the Country Charts top 30. Following this release Church scored opening spots on tours with Brad Paisley and Rascal Flats.
Church’s commercial success seemed to progressively grow with each album release. His second album “Carolina” contained 2 top 10 hits being “Love Your Love the Most” and “Hell on the Heart”. Church’s next album sent him into the stratosphere of stardom. His 2011 LP “Chief” entered number 1 on the top Country Albums as well as the Billboard 200. The album was also up for a Grammy in 2012.
Other than Church’s blatant Country influences such as superstars Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney and Outlaw influences like Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings, he is also a confessed fan of heavy metal bands such as Metallica and AC/DC. In the early stages of Church’s career he even received inspiration from his parents diverse taste in music ranging from Bluegrass to Motown.
The daughter of a piano teacher and trumpet player, Sheryl Crow’s childhood was always musical and creative. While music has always been a part of the singer’s life, Sheryl Crow took a roundabout way to begin her journey as a solo artist. While in college, Crow taught music lessons to various students and after graduation she began writing jingles for various companies including McDonalds and Toyota.
Moving away from advertising, Sheryl Crow began working as a backing singer and toured with artists such as Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Eventually Sheryl Crow’s song writing abilities were noticed and she was given the opportunity to write for artists such as Tina Turner and Celine Dion.
Sheryl Crow’s big solo breakthrough came in 1993 when she began playing with musician and songwriter Kevin Gilbert. The pair played with a group of other musicians and the collective played and promoted Sheryl’s songs. Eventually this turned into Sheryl Crow’s first album, “Tuesday Night Music Club”. The album took its time to pick up a following but the overnight success of the song “All I Wanna Do” catapulted the album to mainstream success after the track went to number two on the US Billboard chart.
This initial solo offering was so successful that it won Sheryl Crow three Grammy Awards and set the stage for her second Grammy Award winning album, “Sheryl Crow”. This second album, which was released in 1996, climbed to number six on the US Billboard charts and was eventually certified triple-platinum. Crow produced the album herself and the singles "If It Makes You Happy” and "Everyday Is a Winding Road" were both top ten hits for the singer.
Cheryl Crow’s subsequent six studio albums – “The Globe Sessions”, “C'mon, C'mon”, “Wildflower”, “Detours”, “100 Miles from Memphis” and “Feels Like Home” – were all top ten hits in the US and five of the six peaked within the top five spots. Her singles have found top 10 success all over the world and her global tours have attracted tens of thousands of fans.
Over the years Sheryl Crow has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Kid Rock, Michelle Branch, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks and Tony Bennett, amongst others. A true talent and hard worker, Sheryl Crow will certainly continue to release unforgettable tracks for years to come.
The Atlantic Ocean is a huge, huge expanse, but there’s many genres that seem to go down equally well on either side of it; from The Beatles to Nicki Minaj, artists have spent decades and decades now proving that geography can often count for little where taste in music is concerned. One style that never seems to have quite managed that same balance, though, is country, and Kenny Chesney is a fine example of that; in his homeland, he’s a megastar, with a slew of prestigious awards to his name and in excess of thirty million records sold. Over on this side of the pond, though, he’s nothing more than a cult figure. Not that it’s slowed him down, though; in September, he’ll release The Big Revival, his seventeenth record, and continue to tour North America as prodigiously as he has for the past two decades now in support of it. The nearest thing country really has to a modern-day pop star, U.S. audiences can expect to see Chesney and his band run through a set that spans his entire career, with the man himself interacting with the crowd throughout with his trademark cowboy hat firmly in place. As for UK dates, though, it might be best for fans not to hold their breath; Chesney, like so many of his country peers, seldom tours Britain, and frankly doesn’t need to; he’s a bona fide stadium filler back home.
Joeg_67
I absolutely adore Eric Church. I have the biggest crush on him ever. He has an amazing voice and he seems like a totally down to Earth kind of guy.
His music is awesome. His song "Springsteen" reminds me of being young and meeting my now husband. I love that he interacts with the crowd and seems to have just as good of a time as we do.
The venue was kind of hot, but with so many people it's not surprising. Everybody was singing along with him and dancing where the was room to do so. He makes it feel like you are at a family or friends house having a party, only instead of a radio or DJ you've got him.
His vocals are astounding and his band is also great. The speakers were not the best at the venue, but that's not his fault and it wasn't so bad that it took away for his performance. He has so much energy when he is performing, it pumps everybody in the crowd up to. He is the kind of artist that makes it plainly obvious that he loves what he does. Singing and making music is more than just a job for him. I cannot wait to see him again.
One of the signs that a musician has well and truly earned the title “artist” is when they’re able to take the sound that they’re famous for and explore every corner of it while still remaining true to their original sound. On a similar note, one might think they know Sheryl Crow. They might have her down as a bringer of middle of the road AOR, with about as much edge as a basketball - and maybe on record that’s true, it’s still a matter of opinion. In the live arena however, that “middle of the road AOR” takes on a life of its own. When presented with an audience, everything the Kennet, Missouri born, Nashville based singer and multi-instrumentalist becomes a master class in rootsy, southern fried rock'n'roll, with as much attitude as she has hooks to die for. Switching between guitar and bass while providing lead vocals and being the focal point of the show, Crow is a consummate performer. She’s confident enough to let the songs speak for themselves with energised, electrified takes on her expansive back catalogue of hits like "All I Wanna Do," "Leaving Las Vegas" or "Steve McQueen." However, space is made for more reflective moments of acoustic Americana captured on later albums like "100 Miles From Memphis." There is nothing quite like the feeling of taking a chance on an artist and having it pay off, so if you have a hankering for some southern rock with smooth pop song writing at its core, you can’t go wrong with some Sheryl Crow.
william-howard-2
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