Big Country Notes for JULY 5

TIM McGRAW AND FAITH HILL WILL AUCTION JEEP

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have a long history with Jeeps. They were taking a ride in one in State College, Pennsylvania when they made a commitment to each other. Now the couple is giving some other lucky person a chance for the same experience. Tim and Faith are auctioning off a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4x4 in a charity auction on eBay. The Jeep was generously donated by Faith and Tim’s Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation and the Jeep brand, which is tour sponsor for the “SoulIISoul 2007” tour. Bids are being taken on eBay at eBay.com/JeepSoul2Soul. Bidding closes at midnight on July 14th. Proceeds from the auction go to the Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation. The organization was founded by Tim and Faith as a commitment to adults and children deprived of basic humanitarian services or programs either as a result of a natural disaster or social status.
The winner will be recognized by Tim and Faith at the August 4th show in Las Vegas. He or she gets a trip for two to Las Vegas that includes round trip airfare, hotel and ground transportation, two tickets to the “Soul2Soul Tour 2007” concert and the opportunity to meet Tim and Faith backstage prior to their performance and other items.

BRAD PAISLEY’S TOUR SEES 42-PERCENT INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE OVER 2006

Brad Paisley has played to over 250-thousand fans in his first 23 shows this year. That’s a 42-percent increase for his “Hershey’s Presents Bonfires and Amplifies” tour over last year’s “Time Well Wasted” tour. Paisley is thrilled about his association with Hershey’s. He says, quote, “It’s the dream of every artist to find the right collaboration with a sponsorship package. I like it because it’s a tour sponsorship that is something that I heavily endorse.” Paisley adds, quote, “They are helping us reach people that we’ve never been able to reach before. And we have reinvested the money in our show which is definitely impressive to see.” Among the new tricks for the show this year is virtual fire on the big screens around the stage and a holographic Alison Krauss, who comes out, sits on a stool and sings with him. He says, quote, “The further back you are the more real she looks. I’ve had people think she was really there.”

FINAL HEARING DATE SET FOR SARA EVANS DIVORCE CASE

Sara Evans will finally get her day court. According to “The Tennessean,” a final hearing for the divorce of Evans and her husband, Craig Schelske, will take place December 12th. The couple will appear in a Williamson County courtroom for the three- or four-day hearing. Despite the fact that Evans and Schelske have been asked to use a mediator in the handling of the divorce they are no closer to settling, which is why the hearing has been set. Schelske is asking to have the couple's three children live with him in Oregon during the summer. A Williamson County judge will rule on that in the coming days. Sara filed for the divorce in October of 2006, while she was a competitor on “Dancing with the Stars.” She and Schelske exchanged various charges between the two of them in ensuing weeks, including verbal and emotional abuse from Evans. She left the competition to spend time with her children during the emotional weeks following her filing for divorce.

CHRIS CAGLE READYING NEW ALBUM

Chris Cagle has been in the studio working on his upcoming album for Capitol-Nashville. The singer will release the first single from the project, “What Kinda Gone,” later this month. Cagle describes the song as, quote, “an up-tempo, get-up-and-dance tune featuring lyrics that roll right off the tongue.” It’s one of seven songs Chris has recorded for the project. The singer says, quote, “It’s so good to come back to radio with a song that I know is format-friendly, sing-able, unique and comical in content…and I’m very proud of the production.” The disc reunites Cagle with producer Scott Hendricks, who was responsible for Chris’s first recording contract with Virgin Records in 2000.

CMA AND ABC OFFER COUNTRY FANS ONLINE EXPERIENCE

Martina McBride and Trace Adkins are making the country music community a little more interactive online. These and other artists will take country fans for some behind-the-scenes action from this year’s CMA Music Festival online at ABC.com. Fans will have the opportunity to have an interactive experience with some of their favorite artists at the festival, all hosted by former "Bachelor" participant Bob Guiney. Included in the footage are backstage interviews with Martina and Sugarland during the nightly stadium concerts at LP Field. Fans can also hang out with Terri Clark and Craig Morgan during the day shows at Riverfront Park. They can be right there with the enthusiastic fans who are in line for autographs from Trace at the Exhibit Hall. Additionally, viewers can visit with Bucky Covington and Billy Ray Cyrus on their tour buses. The exclusive videos featured on ABC.com debut Monday. The video vignettes will also be featured on the homepage of ABC.com.
The four-day festival was filmed for a two-hour, primetime network television special. "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airs July 23 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

JACK INGRAM MIGHT NEED ONSTAR

Jack Ingram is a physical fitness buff. Even on the road he tries to keep up with some kind of fitness regime by running five miles a day whenever he can. A recent incident in Spokane, Washington while on Brad Paisley’s “Bonfires & Amplifiers” tour may have him taking a second look at his running schedule. Jack says, quote, "I have one of the assistants from the venue drop me off five miles from the amphitheater and I usually memorize the route so I remember how to make it back.” That works if you’re concentrating on the route and not talking. In Spokane Jack was engrossed in conversation while being driven to his drop-off spot, so on his run back to the arena he made a wrong turn. He says, quote, “Keep in mind, I had no cell phone, no money, no ID...nothing! And I ran through a farm and had to jump over a bunch of barbed-wire before I found the venue about 30 minutes later!" Fans in Bossier City, Louisiana tonight or Houston, Texas tomorrow might keep an eye out for Ingram. He advises, quote, "If you see me running in your town, you may want to stop and ask me if I need directions!"

TAYLOR SWIFT VERIZON CAMPAIGN EXPANDS

Watch for Taylor Swift in a theatre near you soon. The singer hasn’t taken on a movie role – Verizon is using her tune “Our Song” in an upcoming Screenvision program that will play in movie theatres before the film begins. Swift is already involved with Verizon. Her image and artwork is being used on in-store Point-of-Sale materials and in a print campaign running in “Seventeen” magazine and other print outlets. Taylor is the only country artist being used in the theatre campaign, which runs in August on four-thousand movie theatres around the country.

SAXAPHONE PLAYER BOOTS RANDOLPH DIES LAST TUESDAY

Boots Randolph, the legendary saxophone player who was among Nashville’s elite musicians, died Tuesday. The musician had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage June 25th. Raldolph, who was 80, was taken to a hospital and remained in a coma until the end. A spokesperson for Randolph says the decision was made to take him off of his respirator Tuesday morning. The musician was often paired with pianist Floyd Cramer and guitarist Chet Atkins for concerts. The three, all of whom have passed on, were considered among Nashville’s top musicians. Boots had a major hit with his song “Yakety Sax” and was in major demand for recording sessions. He jokingly called himself the only “hillbilly saxophone player in the world.” Randolph played on songs by Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee and Johnny Cash. He also owned a nightclub in Nashvlle’s Printer’s Alley for many years. His most recent album, “A Whole New Ballgame,” which was an album of standards, was released last month.

QUICK BITES

John Rich of Big & Rich has been in the studio doing the final mixes on Randy Owen new album project, which he is producing. Owen told “Country Aircheck Monitor,” quote, “I’ve been real impressed with what he’s done so far.

Trace Adkins was a guest on CNN Headline News yesterday. He chatted with host Glenn Beck via satellite from Nashville. Beck is hosting a weeklong series for CNN Domestic titled, "We the People," focusing on real America and issues that really matter.

Dwight Yoakam has a new partnership with the Bicycle Music Co. The singer also has a new album -- "Dwight Sings Buck" – which will be released September 25th by New West Records.

Ty Herndon isn’t superstitious. He’s performing at the Nashville Palace next Friday, July 13th.