Country Music People October 2016 | Page 3

12 COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE- OCTOBER 2016

Douglas McPherson talks Elvis, Willie, Waylon and Miley with a singer who‘ s seen both sides of fame.

as we near the 25th anniversary of that mega-smash, it’ s apt that his new disc should find the singer and actor taking stock of his life. The release features a mix of classic covers, duets and new material that together explore his past influences and who he is as a man and artist today.

The song Thin Line introduces many of the themes that the album goes on to explore and it’ s not surprising that Elvis gets a name check, nor that the album revisits Hey Elvis, a song written by Bryan Adams( who appears as a guest on the track) and Gretchen Peters, that Cyrus first featured as a bonus track on his album Southern Rain at the turn of the millennium.

Elvis is a big part of Cyrus’ life at the moment. This summer saw him star as an Elvis impersonator turned preacher in US comedy series, Still The King. Cyrus co-wrote the show, which was successful enough to warrant a second season next year. So, was he always a big Presley fan? Let’ s just say he feels a connection...

“ You can’ t be from the south and not be influenced by Elvis,” Cyrus reflects.“ I’ m from eastern Kentucky and Elvis was everywhere and influenced everybody. But I have to say it really was later in life for me, in 1992, when I started seeing some of the headlines that read,‘ Is this man the next Elvis?’ that I started to realise there were some similarities between his life and mine.”

Before you start thinking Billy Ray is on an ego trip, comparing himself with the King, we better make clear that he’ s not equating his artistry or influence with Presley’ s, but noting the punishing

18 COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE- OCTOBER 2016

Music Row George Strait and Alan Jackson

( 1999)

Town I’ m not sure they can

Phillip ever really be forgiven

Claypool for having made light of

( 1995) the message in the song

The whole circus / but we all know that they relationship analogy works absolutely must agree with Home perfectly and is so moving. every word. The version Mark Chesnutt It’ s a genius piece of song by writer Larry Cordle( 1990) writing and Claypool’ s almost eclipses the Strait The song that started it( who wrote it) version is and Jackson cut. Cordle all for Mark Chesnutt and far, far better than the embraced the feelings nailed his colours firmly Travis Tritt version. The of country fans with his to the mast as possibly song of the past 30 years wonderful crafted take on the finest singer of a real and one of the greatest the changes in country country song this side of ever. music. Totally prophetic. 1986.

Me Love Gene Watson

( 2009) Watson highlights his ability to pick a song with this John Wiggins and Harley Allen song. Incredible writing. Ken Mellons also recorded an equally good version.

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54 COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE- OCTOBER 2016

Dwight Yoakam( 1993) With its insistent honky Josh Turner tonk piano and a delivery( 2012) that epitomises everything Way more country than Dwight, this Kostaspenned song is the best any major label release in

you’ d expect to find on

thing that Yoakam ever the modern era. Superb recorded. Still the greatest stone country by a singer song he ever cut, his who we suspect would greatest performance and like to make more records a perfect record. like this.

Toby Keith Matches Living

Nothing Wrong

( 2003)

Lane Turner Jamey Johnson( Just Ain’ t An anthem in every sense( 2009)

( 2008)

Nothing Right) of the word. So good it If you don’ t think this Johnson is one of the Vern Gosdin inspired Toby’ s own chain is one of the greatest best songwriters to( 1989) of eateries. Impossible country songs you’ ve ever emerge in recent years Absolutely nobody can rip not to sing along to, and heard you don’ t deserve and his masterful tale of your heart out quite like impossible not to like. to have ears. The kind of hard times steamrollers Vern. On this masterpiece story you’ d only get in a the listener with grit and he rips it out, jumps on it country song told with flair attitude. As likely to appeal and throws it in the waste and written with aplomb. to Harley riders as it is Kia disposal unit before setting drivers. fire to it and scattering the ashes.

With his Cash-like baritone and his self-released Homemade Hits Shawn Fenner has proved himself one of the most interesting honky tonkers on the block this year. He speaks to Duncan Warwick.

58 COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE- OCTOBER 2016

McPherson digs into the hot duo’ s new album with lead singer, Tyler Hubbard.

other artists make their bow with a hit as big as Cruise? Exactly none, actually, because the smash of 2012 was the highest-selling country song ever, and the only one to be certified Diamond for selling 10 million copies during a record 27 weeks at the top of the charts.

Cruise was no fluke, however. More number ones have followed, including Dirt and This Is How We Roll, alongside a slew of top ten songs. And while the chances of FGL- or anyone else- repeating the success of Cruise must be slim, the dynamic duo have just scored the second biggest hit of their career with H. O. L. Y. The piano-led ballad marked a romantic new sound for the bro country party boys and at time of writing in early September, the million-plus seller was enjoying its 17th consecutive week at the top of the country charts.

As if that was not a great enough achievement, the pair have also just premiered an outstanding video for follow-up single May We All.

FGL have a history of making good videos, including the flick for hometown anthem Round Here which cleverly used a split screen to show Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard walking down streets, working at blue collar jobs and sitting in diners, apparently side by side while in fact showing Brian( or‘ BK’ as his partner in rhyme calls him) in his hometown of Ormond Beach, Florida, and Tyler in Monroe, Georgia, where he grew up.

The video for May We All, however, takes things to a new level. Threeminute movie is a Nashville term for a story-telling song. But the clip for May We All is more literally a three-minute movie, with a cinematic look and as much drama and emotion squeezed into its running time as the average TV miniseries.

Tyler and Brian play a pair of cocky young dirt track racing drivers- a kind of

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Philip Claypool

OCTOBER 2016- COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE 27

hey always say that you should write about what you know, and if what you happen to know is less than domestic bliss it can certainly get the creative juices flowing. When Shawn Fenner sings,“‘ You picked the wrong night to pick a fight” on his recent album Homemade Hits it could only have been written from personal experience.“ Wrong Night is 100 % true, I can say that,” says the Virginiabased honky tonker who so impressed with his recent debut.

“ That song is 100 % true. I had recently got married to my first wife, I went out one night- I was invited by my boss who was Welsh by the way- and I went out drinking and I had a really good time. I played open mic and a lot of people liked what I was doing … so I came home, I was really in a good mood, you know, I had really had a lot of accolade, and as soon as I walked in the door she started arguing with me. I was like,‘ I’ ll send you down the road.’ We argued about it and the next morning I went to work and that first line popped into my head,‘ You picked the wrong night to pick a fight.’ And that song wrote itself- within 30 minutes I had written the lines and pretty much nothing has really changed from it since then.”

OCTOBER 2016- COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE 55

Spencer Leigh shines a light on Billy Bragg and Joe Henry

bout 15 years ago I went into Bound For Glory”. I hope not, I thought HMV and looked through their – I’ m only going to London for an new Americana section and I interview, but it was a good omen and an was surprised when I saw Billy Bragg as example as to how the title of Woody’ s a featured artist. Should an Englishman book has passed into the vernacular. be alongside Guy Clark, John Prine and Lucinda Williams? Nowadays, several Spencer Leigh: How do you know each Brits are regarded as Americana, despite other? its name, but I am sure that Billy Bragg Joe Henry: We’ ve known each other for was the first and it came down to the fact over 25 years. I had been aware of Bill as that he had made an album of Woody an artist and been an admirer but when I Guthrie material with Wilco, Mermaid was first married, my wife was a publicist Avenue. for Warners in New York and was doing

He has maintained his passion international press for Elektra. I was for Woody Guthrie, and Woody and meeting her at the end of her working Leadbelly are the prime inspirations for day to go out to dinner and I walked into Shine A Light, a superb album of songs her office and there was Billy. CDs were about the‘ railroad’( as the Americans a fairly new phenomenon and she had call it). He is partnered by Joe Henry and procured for him the entire Van Morrison I reviewed the album in August’ s CMP. catalogue and we sat and talked about I gave the album four stars and I would Astral Weeks. have nudged it to five if I had seen the BillyBragg: Those were happy days – packaging beforehand. The CD booklet go to the record company and get free is full of information and colourful records! illustrations, totally in keeping with its Did you ever try to sound like Van historic feel.

Morrison.

I’ ve met Billy a few times but I had Billy: Sadly, no. In my dreams. not seen Joe Henry before. I regarded But you’ re singing much better these him as a T Bone Burnett figure. Sure, days. he has his own career and releases solo Billy: I am! albums but much of his time, he is Have you had some lessons? working with other artists, writing songs Billy: No, I think I started from a very and producing albums. He is Madonna’ s low starting point( laughs). My voice brother-in-law and his songs include her has dropped in the last ten years, that’ s 2000 hit, Don’ t Tell Me. His production the weird thing, and Joe who produced credits include Solomon Burke, Elvis my last album in 2012 noticed this and Costello, Loudon Wainwright, Rodney encouraged me to tune my guitar down Crowell, Hugh Laurie and Bonnie Raitt. a whole tone. So when we made this He produced Billy Bragg’ s previous album, I have tended to take the low parts album, Tooth & Nail, in 2013. One of the and Joe has taken the middling parts and tracks, Handyman Blues, can be seen on I am getting into this. I’ m quite into my YouTube with Billy and a host of familiar new voice. I am singing lower and with comedians looking lost in B & Q. a slight American accent because it is As I boarded a train in Liverpool, a Americana. I have got a bit more control long banner proclaimed,“ Virgin Trains – over my voice too.

OCTOBER 2016- COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE 59

contents

October 2016 cmp

Features

12 Florida Georgia Line

Still the hottest duo around. FGL’ s Tyler Hubbard speaks to Douglas McPherson.

18 Billy Ray Cyrus

Douglas McPherson discusses Outlaw with the Achy Breaky singer.

25 50 from 30

Duncan Warwick lists the 50 best songs since the dawn of New Country 30 years ago.

54 Shawn Fenner

Duncan Warwick talks to the honky tonker with the impressive baritone.

58 Billy Bragg & Joe Henry

It’ s all about trains for the duo. Spencer Leigh meets them.

Reviews 34 CD Reviews Regulars

4 News 8 Tour Guide 11 This Month In Country Music 17 The David Allan Page 23 Nashville Skinny 53 Americana Roundup 64 Write to Reply

Charts

64 Americana & UK Country Charts 65 Billboard Country Charts

Courtesy of Billboard Inc.

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE

Digging Deeper

Douglas

Walking the Line

BILLY RAY

CYRUS

“ It’ s a thin line, between Elvis and Jesus”.

o sings Billy Ray Cyrus on the title track of his new album, Thin Line. Cyrus should know a thing or two about lines,

Shaving almost single-handedly kicked off the worldwide line dance craze with his debut single in 1992, Achy Breaky Heart. And

1

Circus Leaving

6

Still They Call

2

Murder On

7

I Love This Bar

3

Too Cold At

8

Little Book Of

4

This Time

9

High Cost Of

5

Cold Shoulder

10

There Ain’ t

SHAWN FENNER Pure Country to the core

Billy Bragg & Joe Henry

lorida Georgia Line have the Midas

Ftouch at the moment. Then again, maybe they always have. How many

T

A

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TRAINS OF THOUGHT

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