47th Annual ACM Awards

Watching the Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday, April 1, 2012 may have seemed like a bit of an April Fool's joke to some.

For one, there are actually 35 awards handed out, from awards to radio stations, and air personalities, to Entertainer of the Year. However, of these 35 awards, how many actually made it on to the three hour broadcast Sunday evening? Nine, yes, that's a single digit, nine; less then a third of the awards presented actually were broadcast on the air.

The rest of the broadcast was made up of performances, between artists at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and others at the "Fan Jam" at Mandalay Bay.

Granted, performances are definitely a large part of what draws viewers to these type of shows. I guess it's just me that feels, if it's an *awards* show, the awards should actually be what's featured the most.

Also, I won't deny that I love all genres of music, and I'm as big a KISS fan as anyone; but seriously, what was the point of them being at the ACM Awards? Had there been some legitimate reason given, (other than they're KISS), maybe I'd understand; there wasn't though, so I'm still left wondering. It was cool, but still...

Hosting duties were once again handled by Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton. Both did an excellent job as hosts, despite some of the lame jokes they were given to say.

Two performances that were hyped quite a bit were by Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts.

Toby's live performance of "Red Solo Cup" was touted as having "Las Vegas entertainers", joining the singer singing the song. While Toby wandered through the audience at the MGM Grand, singing his hit, the only entertainers I saw were Carrot Top, Wayne Newton, a show girl and towards the end of the song, the Warren Brothers.

Except for Wayne Newton, where were the "Las Vegas" entertainers? It's not like there aren't plenty of them! And as Earthquake Jake pointed out on KUPL this morning, it would have been really cool if Garth had been part of the performance; after all, he does perform in Vegas now.

Rascal Flatts' performance of their new single, "Banjo" was to feature comedian and grammy winner, Steve Martin, performing with the band. Well, Steve was there, and he played the banjo; but that was it. He stayed in the background, barely moved at all, and basically just blended in with the other musicians.

I would think, if you're going to plug Steve Martin as a guest performer, he'd have been given a bigger role. Especially since another banjo player with the band had a featured solo spot. Why wasn't Martin given that spot?

Both of these presentations were very lackluster in producing what had been promised.

On the other hand, one really cool presentation was when Martina McBride and Train's Pat Monahan sang "Marry Me" while a couple was actually being married on stage behind them. Not a way I'd want to be married, but for a Vegas wedding, it was pretty nice.

As far as the actual awards are concerned, for me, there were a couple nice surprises, along with some of the obvious winners for the night.

Though they were surprised with the award the night before the show, I was happy to hear that Thompson Square had won for "Vocal Duo of the Year".

Another pleasant surprise was the Eli Young Band winning, "Song of the Year", for "Crazy Girl". Love the song, and the band!

The 2012 ACM Awards actually added a new award to their list, the first new addition since the 1960's; "Songwriter of the Year".

Sounds prestigious, for sure, and you would think, being a new award, it would have been on the broadcast part of the show; not the case.

Not only was the award not broadcast, it was relegated to one of the awards that the winner is notified ahead of time, so they can be in Las Vegas, or not, if they didn't win.

Of this year's inaugural nominees: Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip, Dallas Davidson, (the three are known collectively as "The Peach Pickers"), Luke Laird, and David Lee Murphy; Dallas Davidson walked away with the award.

One thing I did notice this year also was that, except for Thompson Square getting a brief mention for winning "Duo of the Year", the off camera awards weren't announced during the show.

In the past, though they're given out before the broadcast, artists, producers, radio stations, air personalities, etc., were all at least mentioned during the broadcast as having won.

Over all, the show was mostly entertaining. It had it's good moments, and it's not so good ones; and things I'd like to have seen done differently, for sure.

For those who missed the show Sunday evening, here's the complete list of winners, including those that weren't aired during the three hour broadcast:

Vocal Event of the Year: “Don’t You Wanna Stay” by Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean

Video of the Year: “Red Solo Cup” by Toby Keith

Songwriter of the Year: Dallas Davidson

Song of the Year: “Crazy Girl” by the Eli Young Band

Single Record of the Year: “Don’t You Wanna Stay” by Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean

Album of the Year: “Four the Record” by Miranda Lambert

New Artist of the Year: (American Idol winner) Scotty McCreery

Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum

Vocal Duo of the Year: Thompson Square

Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert

Male Vocalist of the Year: Blake Shelton

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift


Small Market Radio On-Air Personality of the Year: Bill Barrett, Tim Fox, and Tracy Berry from KKNU-FM in Eugene, OR

Medium Market Radio On-Air Personality of the Year: Roger, Tom, and Melissa on WPCV-FM in Lakeland, FL

Large Market Radio On-Air Personality of the Year: Big Dave and Chelsie from WUBE-FM in Cincinnati, OH

Major Market Radio On-Air Personality of the Year: Kelly Ford and Rider from KYGO-FM in Denver, CO

National Radio On-Air Personality of the Year: Lon Helton for the CMT Country Countdown USA

Small Market Radio Station of the Year: WUSY-FM in Chattanooga, TN

Medium Market Radio Station of the Year: KATM-FM in Stockton, CA

Large Market Radio Station of the Year: WQDR-FM in Raleigh, NC

Major Market Radio Station of the Year: WQYK-FM in St. Petersburg, FL

Specialty Instrumentalist of the Year: Aubrey Haynie

Steel Guitar Player of the Year: Paul Franklin

Piano and Keyboard Player of the Year: John Hobbs

Guitar Player of the Year: Kenny Greenberg

Fiddle Player of the Year: Stuart Duncan

Percussionist and Drummer of the Year: Shannon Forrest

Bass Player of the Year: Michael Rhodes

Audio Engineer of the Year: Justin Niebank

Producer of the Year: Frank Liddell

Promoter of the Year: Brian O’Connell from Live Nation

Talent Buyer of the Year: Jimmy Jay from Jayson Productions Inc.

Venue of the Year: Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

Nightclub of the Year: Billy Bobb’s Texas in Ft. Worth, TX

Casino of the Year: Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV

A Love Story With A Twist

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

Today is Valentine's Day, the day associated with lovers. It's the day those in love are supposed to show that special person in their life how much they mean to them. It's designated as a day for couples to celebrate.

To me, it should be more than that. For instance, what about those who have a true love, though aren't with the person, and may not have even met them in person?

I know, it sounds strange, but it really isn't. It's true; it exists; and it's the very touching story of a man named Chuck B. Kelley.

In 1976, Chuck's sister, Kelley, was born. Kelley had cerebal palsy and never grew larger than a newborn baby.

Kelley was the light of Chuck's life, with a smile that brightened the darkest of days. He'd take her with him everywhere he could, and loved looking after his little sister.

Four and a half years later, in 1980, while Chuck was babysitting Kelley, she passed away. Having been so close to Kelley, Chuck was of course devastated.

Doctors said that Kelley's brain had just stopped functioning; Chuck blamed himself though, thinking he should have been more aware of what was happening with his sister.

For the first week after Kelley's death, Chuck would stay in his room, listening to the radio, crying himself to sleep. It was one of the lowest points in Chuck's life, and he seriously thought about ending it all. He even went so far as planning how he'd do it; until one evening a song came on the radio that would change his life. The song was, "You Lifted Me Up (To Heaven)", by REBA McEntire.

Chuck heard the lyrics, and felt the song was a sign his sister was looking down from heaven; letting him know everything would be alright.

The next day Chuck rushed out to purchase the song at the local Sears store. The clerk asked Chuck if he'd like the single, or the album; and he decided on the album.

When the clerk handed him the album, Chuck about fainted. The face staring back at him from the album cover had the same smile as his beloved sister, Kelley. At that instant Reba had a fan for life.

Though Reba's first top 10 single got Chuck through that dark time in his life; it was still two years before he could bring himself to visit Kelley's grave.

On that day, in 1982, he heard Reba's "Can't Even Get The Blues", and knew he was strong enough, and the time was right for him to go to Kelley's gravesite. The song also went on to be Reba's first #1 hit.

From that time on, it seems that Reba has always managed to have a song on the radio at just the right time; for whatever situation Chuck has had to go through in his life. She's lifted him up when he's down, and kept the good times going when he's up; and of course has always been a reminder to him of Kelley.

And yet, in the 31 years Chuck has been a true to the bone, die-hard Reba McEntire fan, he'd never had the chance to meet the woman; or let her know how much she means to him. That is, until six months ago today.

On August 14, 2011, Reba was the headlining act at the Astoria Bicentennial Celebration in Astoria, Oregon. Of course Chuck was going to be at the show, held outdoors at Camp Rilea; and lo and behold, he was able to get a meet and greet pass for his idol!

Chuck had a beautiful bouquet of roses made up to present to Reba, as well as a letter letting her know how much she's helped him through the years; and how he became a fan.

When the time came, the meeting with Reba was everything Chuck had dreamed it would be, and more. The 31 years it took before he actually met her were well worth the wait. It's also something Chuck will never forget, and will cherish the rest of his life.

And there you have it. While most celebrate Valentine's Day as couples, Chuck's story is proof that true love comes in many forms, and can last a lifetime.

The Magic of Music

“Disclaimer: This blog post has been written for entry into the MusiCares® Music Blogger contest.”


The magic of music is universal. No matter the language, the basic core of any song is the melody the words are set to.

Instrumental songs paint pictures with sound. Music filled with loud, booming crescendos, may stir images of large waves hitting rocks in the ocean; or perhaps thunder rumbling through the sky. Cymbals clashed together may be interpreted as the flash of a lightning bolt.

The quiet, staccato sound of an instrument may sound like the pitter pat of rain, either just before, or after a storm.


While music does an excellent job spurring one’s imagination, lyrics enhance the experience even more. Adding words to a melody make the picture being painted more complete. Each line contributes to the story the words and melody are telling. Whether the tale is sad, happy, indifferent, or something completely unique, songwriters have the magic to condense entire stories into, on average, a 3 to 4 minute amount of time, accompanied by music.

Music also has magical healing qualities. Not just soft, soothing music, any music, in any genre can help a person when they need it most. What may be jarring and unnerving to one person, may be just what another is seeking for solace. As different as each person in this world is, there’s always some type of music for everyone.

For one person I know, Reba McEntire is his comfort in time of need, and his energy when times are good. Over the past 30 years, no matter the situation, it seems Reba has a song that has helped him in whatever way was needed. He credits Reba for him being alive today, as there have been times he’s thought of ending it all; then would hear a song by Reba, and know he couldn’t do it.

Others have told me the magic of music probably doesn’t apply to the deaf; not true. My brother was born deaf, though it never stopped him from enjoying music. True, he doesn’t hear lyrics, however, he can feel the rhythm of the music being played. I remember him liking Tom Jones as a child, because he liked the rhythm Jones’ songs had.

My parents took us to see Glen Campbell once, and my brother enjoyed it as much as the rest of us. He could feel the music and energy vibrating through the floor of the venue.

In college music helped my brother study. He would put on headphones, and blast Pat Benatar while doing homework. One of his classmates asked why he used headphones, since he’s deaf. My brother’s response was others around him weren’t; he was being polite by using headphones.

Music has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I heard country music by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, and a host of others, via the radio and records.

As I got older, my tastes changed and expanded to encompass almost all genres of music. Rock, pop, big band, rockabilly, country, you name it I probably have at least one song in my collection that fits the bill. From those songs, I have my own favorites for when I’m happy, or needing comfort. I’m very thankful for that.

For those in the music industry however, it isn't all magic. For everything these people give the rest of the world with music, they still have reality to deal with on a daily basis. Unlike others, most people in the music business don't have medical or dental insurance. If they, or someone in their family becomes ill, or has a toothache, it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical and dental fees.

This is where MusiCares® steps in to help. Since 1989 MusiCares® has been available to those in the music industry who need help with health expenses. MusiCares® can't do it alone however, they need donations to do the work they do.

If every music lover in this world donated even $1, it would help MusiCares® keep doing the wonderful job they do helping those in need in the music business.

I can’t imagine life without music. There’s nothing else like it that allows anyone, anywhere in the world to express feelings in so many ways. It truly is magical. Let's hope MusiCares® is always around to help keep the magic alive.

“MusiCares® helps and supports the people who dedicate their lives to making the music I blog about. Please join the Be A Part of the Heart MusiCares® mosaic at https://beapartoftheheart.com/ and be entered for a chance to win a trip the 2012 GRAMMYS®!”

Vince Gill Is Back!

Vince Gill is one of those artists with a voice that's instantly recognizable.

In the 80's and 90's Gill racked up a string of hits, like "Pocket Full of Gold", "One More Last Chance", and a duet with Reba McEntire, "The Heart Won't Lie".

Then, as usually happens, Vince's time in the limelight kind of faded; though he's continued his career over the years. He's put out albums and songs, and done other projects the entire time.

A few years ago, Vince had another hit, "Next Big Thing", that was pretty cool also.

Now Gill is back with a new song on radio, "Threaten Me With Heaven". The first time I heard the song on KUPL overnights, I knew it was Vince Gill; his voice is still as clear and distinctive as it's ever been. And the song is classic Vince Gill. I remember thinking people always say things go full circle, and this song is proof of that.

For now, there's isn't an "official" video for "Threaten Me With Heaven", though I did find a live version to share here.