Slick Rock Entertainment Magazine

Margaret Durante to be an online guest blogger

Ladies’ Home Journal has invited country singer-songwriter, Margaret Durante to be an online guest blogger at LHJ.com. In a series of guest blogs exclusively for their Ladies’ Lounge readers, MARGARET DURANTE’S NASHVILLE DIARIES will give readers an inside glimpse into the 23-year-old’s life as she experiences the highs and lows that come with living far away from home while getting a music career off the ground.

Margaret is set to write for Ladies Home Journal’s website throughout the summer. She first teamed up with the magazine during the 2011 CMA Music Festival in Nashville in June, where she participated in the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee’s volunteer event co-hosted by LHJ and CMT One Country. The publication’s website receives approximately nine million page views and close to a million unique visitors per month.

In coming weeks, Margaret will have plenty to blog about as her “Maybe Tonight” video has recently spent two weeks in the #1 slot on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown and she returns to the studio to put finishing touches on her full-length album, tentatively scheduled for release later this year.

Fans can read her introductory blog at http://bit.ly/oR7ih7 and be able to find subsequent installments at lhj.com/blogs/ladieslounge/.

ASHTON SHEPHERD CELEBRATES ALBUM RELEASE WITH A NEAR CAPACITY CROWD AT COTTON EYED JOE IN KNOXVILLE

Nashville’s rising singer/songwriter Ashton Shepherd is on the road this week hitting six cities in 5 days to celebrate the release of her new album Where Country Grows. She played in front of a near capacity crowd of almost 1,500 screaming fans at Cotton Eyed Joe in Knoxville Thursday night, Thursday, July 14. The show was sponsored by Knoxville’s WIVK.

“Ashton Shepherd’s show was close to capacity at Cotton Eyed Joe and was one of the best female shows we’ve had in a long time. She’s welcome back any time,” said Gingi Bakri, Owner, Cotton Eyed Joe.

“The girl from Alabama definitely has a lot of Tennessee fans,” claimed Mike Hammond, OM/WIVK. “Ashton rocked the Cotton Eyed Joe with almost 1,500 fans last night. It’s no wonder Rolling Stone magazine has her on their ‘Artists To Watch’ list. She’s been on our list for quite awhile.”

THE ROYS Hit A Home Run With “Coal Minin’ Man”

– Track Rockets Up Bluegrass Charts
The Roys hit a home run with “Coal Minin’ Man,” the first single from their Rural Rhythm Records debut CD, LONESOME WHISTLE. The track is rocketing up the Bluegrass charts:

#1 on Power Source’s Top 35 Bluegrass Chart
# 1 on HotDisc International Top 40 Chart
Top 5 on Bluegrass Music Profiles’ Top 30 Singles Chart
Top 10 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s National Bluegrass Survey 

Elaine + Lee Roy ( credit: Anthony Ladd)

LONESOME WHISTLE debuted at #7 on BILLBOARD’s Bluegrass Albums Chart, and the disc is drawing high praise:

Bluegrass Junction, Sirius XM Radio – “Traditional, yet fresh, bluegrass … strong songs … gorgeous harmonies … it doesn’t get any better than that.”

WAMU Radio – “The Roys are one of the best acts to arrive on the scene in recent years. Their hit single, ‘Coal Minin’ Man,’ is shooting toward the top of our chart.”

Bluegrass Radio Network – “Wow … This sounds like a home run.”

TheBluegrassSpecial.com – “The harmonies are captivating, the voices evocative (his reedy and a bit bluesy, hers bright with an appealing backwoods plaintiveness), the songs impressive and arresting, the playing impeccable.”

Country Music People – “Exhilarating modern bluegrass doesn’t get any better than the stunning new release from The Roys.”

GEORGE STRAIT’S NEWEST SINGLE “HERE FOR A GOOD TIME” AVAILABLE AT ALL DIGITAL RETAILERS TODAY – HIT SINGLE ALREADY SITTING AT NO. 20 ON THE CHARTS AFTER ONLY THREE WEEKS

George Strait’s newest hit single “Here For A Good Time,” which is already sitting at No. 20 on the Billboard country singles chart after only three weeks, is available now at all digital retailers. The single was his highest debut since his 2008 smash “I Saw God Today” and was the most added single at radio for two straight weeks.

Go to http://bit.ly/GStraitGoodTime to purchase “Here For A Good Time.”

“Here For A Good Time,” written by Strait, his son Bubba Strait and Dean Dillon, is the first single and title track to his upcoming album scheduled to be released this year.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history including Elvis (57 to date inclusive of all charts). He has sold nearly 69 million records and with 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums has the most RIAA platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Strait was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Strait’s last CD Twang debuted at #1 on The Billboard 200 chart and the Top Country Albums chart. This is the fourth time in Strait’s career that a new release has debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the 13th time debuting at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart.

Los Angeles, CA – OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network viewers will experience the world premiere of the first new single in six years from country/pop superstar Shania Twain during the finale episode of “Why Not? with Shania Twain” airing Sunday, June 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

“Today Is Your Day” will be exclusively available on iTunes immediately following the world premiere on OWN starting Sunday, June 12 at 11 p.m. ET/PT. Mercury Nashville will service the song to country radio stations after the show’s airing.

“Today Is Your Day” is the first song Twain has written solo in six years, and the creation process for the single was documented throughout the docu-series “Why Not? with Shania Twain” currently airing Sundays on OWN. Twain is seen as she works through the lyrics, meets with vocal doctors and a grief counselor and embarks on unexpected adventures throughout North America that test her courage and self-confidence in an effort to reclaim her life.

In an all new episode titled “Finding My Voice” airing this Sunday, June 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Twain has a one-on-one vocal training session with legendary vocal coach Eric Vetro before meeting with famed music producer David Foster to discuss producing her new single “Today is Your Day.”

Twain then reaches the end of her tour on Sunday, June 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT in the finale episode titled “Endless Love,” as she marries Frederic Thiebaud and shares never-before-seen wedding footage from the Bahamas. As Twain faces her final challenge, recording a duet of “Endless Love” with superstar Lionel Richie, she reflects on the journey that has brought her to this point in her life.

Shania Twain rose to fame in the early 1990s with her 1993 debut album Shania Twain (1993), and achieved worldwide success with her 1997 album Come On Over, which became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician, and the best-selling country album of all time. A five-time Grammy AwardÒ winner, Twain has also achieved major success as a songwriter, winning 27 BMI Songwriter awards. To date, she has released four studio albums as well as a greatest hits album and has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, including more than 50 million in the U.S., making her the top-selling female country artist of all time.

Shania’s first memoir, From This Moment On, was released in bookstores across the country on May 3rd and quickly climbed the New York Times best sellers list. The memoir was published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.

About OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK

A joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications, OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN debuted on January 1, 2011, in approximately 80 million homes on what was the Discovery Health Channel. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own and www.press.discovery.com/us/own.

“HERE FOR A GOOD TIME” Scores Second Highest Career Debut on The Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart On Its Official Add Date At Radio Most Added Song At Country Radio This Week

George Strait notches his second highest debut in his storied career on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart as “Here For A Good Time,” the first single from his upcoming MCA Nashville album, lands at No. 29 on its official add date at radio. It is the most added song at country radio this week with an impressive 80 adds. This is his highest debut since “I Saw God Today” debuted Top 20 in 2008.

“Here For A Good Time,” written by Strait, his son Bubba Strait and legendary songwriter Dean Dillon, is Strait’s 89th career single. The new album is scheduled for a fall release.

“I think this is the longest time, during my recording career, without anything new on the radio,” said Strait. “It’s good to be back and I want to thank country radio for their continued support. Have a great summer!”

With a career spanning more than 30 years, George Strait has the most number one singles of any artist in history including Elvis (57 to date inclusive of all charts). He has sold nearly 69 million records and with 33 different platinum or multi-platinum albums has the most RIAA platinum certifications in country music and the third in all genres, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Strait was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Strait’s last CD Twang debuted at #1 on The Billboard 200 chart and the Top Country Albums chart. This is the fourth time in Strait’s career that a new release has debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the 13th time debuting at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart.

XTREME MUZIK THE TOUR JAMS AT MOONDANCE

One week into one of the most exciting tours of the year, Xtreme Muzik The Tour packed the fans into the main stage of the Moondance Jammin’ Country Fest in Walker, Minnesota last weekend. The tour hits the Viaero Event Center in Kearney, NE on Friday and the Wells Fargo Theatre in Denver on Saturday this week.

The tour lands in Deadwood, South Dakota next Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9, 2011 for the grand opening of the Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center. Housed in the completely refurbished 1906 Homestake Mining Co. plant, where millions of dollars in gold ore was recovered in a century of operations, the Deadwood Mountain Grand represents one of the largest historic preservation projects in the U.S. The July 8 date is completely sold out, but a limited number of good seats remain for the following night.

Tickets and more information on the tour can be found at www.XtremeMuzik.com.

Pictured in the midst of the mayhem at the Moondance Jammin’ Country Fest are: (l. to r.) – Cowboy Troy, John Rich, Gretchen Wilson & Big Kenny