"COUNTRY’S FAMILY REUNION" TRIBUTE SERIES PAYS HOMAGE TO THE LATE JIM ED BROWN, LITTLE JIMMY DICKENS, GRANDPA JONES AND BILLY WALKER

"Country's Family Reunion" 7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise January 31 to February 7 Officially Sold Out!

2015 was a year of great loss amidst the country music community with the passing of “Pop A Top” hit-maker Jim Ed Brown in June, and Opry legend Little Jimmy Dickens, just a day after New Year’s Day. In 2016, hit music performance show “Country’s Family Reunion,” hosted by Whisperin’ Bill Anderson, pays homage to both legends in its commemorative Tribute Series. Episodes will also honor the extraordinary careers of “Hee Haw” star and renowned country/Gospel performer Grandpa Jones and “Charlie’s Shoes” singer, Billy Walker. Tune in to RFD-TV in January for the upcoming new episodes in the Tribute Series. Check your local listings for the RFD-TV network here.

The annual “Country’s Family Reunion” Cruise to the Western Caribbean is officially sold out. The 7-night cruise includes stops in Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico will kick off this month on January 31 and end February 7. Aboard the ship to perform and meet-and-greet with fans will be country star John Conlee, T. Graham Brown, Moe Bandy, EXILE, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills, Gene Watson, Johnny Lee, and many others.

“Country’s Family Reunion” episodes air on Fridays and Saturdays in January. The renowned television series was developed in 1996 by long-time disc jockey Larry Black, founder of Gabriel Communications. Its purpose was to bring America’s favorite country, bluegrass and Gospel artists together in one room to reunite and share their favorite memories about their music careers. While on the show, they also share exclusive, intimate performances while the cameras role. The result has been pure magic, documenting history in a way unlike any other program.

Upcoming “Country’s Family Reunion” airdates:

January 8, 9 – “Tribute Series – Jim Ed Brown”
January 15, 16 – “Tribute Series – Little Jimmy Dickens”
January 22, 23 – “Tribute Series – Grandpa Jones”
January 29, 30 – “Tribute Series – Billy Walker”

Air times are 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET on Fridays, and 11 p.m. CT / 12 a.m. ET on Saturdays. Scheduled line-ups are subject to change.

Purchase the entire “Country’s Family Reunion” Tribute Series which honors the legacy of other artists, both living and deceased, including Bill Anderson, Roy Clark, Blake Shelton, Vince Gill, Charley Pride, The Whites, Ricky Skaggs and many more by visiting cfrvideos.com or clicking here.

COUNTRY'S FAMILY REUNION HONORS LEGACIES OF COUNTRY MUSIC GREATS ON ALL-NEW "TRIBUTE" SERIES

Series Premiere Honoring the Late Jim Ed Brown Airs Friday, September 25

 Taken from over 17 years of tapings, the popular Country's Family Reunion television series, airing nationally on RFD-TV, celebrates the lives and legacies of country music greats in their all-new "Tribute" series. Through their own songs and stories from the legendary artists' various appearances on the show, Country's Family Reunion brings a can't-miss series and soon-to-be-released DVD box set of episodes that can be purchased and cherished as historical timepieces.

This Friday, September 25, tune in for the anticipated premiere episode honoring the late Jim Ed Brown.

For four decades, Jim Ed Brown left an indelible mark on country music. During a seven-year run, his group, The Browns, charted numerous times, including the mega-hit “The Three Bells,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop and Country charts, No. 10 on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues chart, and was featured in the final season of The Sopranos (2007). The Arkansas native enjoyed his first solo hit in 1965 and his signature song, “Pop A Top,” ruled the charts two years later. He and Helen Cornelius won CMA honors in 1976 for Duo of the Year, and the two enjoyed a string of hits throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s that included “I Don't Want To Have To Marry You” and "Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye." Brown has hosted four network television shows and a radio program, and served as a spokesperson for Dollar General Corporation and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Though he passed away on June 11, 2015, music will forever be impacted by his down-to-earth brand of family entertainment. Jim Ed and The Browns will both be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 25.

Other forthcoming Country's Family Reunion "Tribute" episodes include:

October 2 – Tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens (Episode 2)
October 9 – Tribute to Grandpa Jones (Episode 3)
October 16 – Tribute to Billy Walker (Episode 4)
October 23 – Tribute to Vince Gill and Blake Shelton (Episode 5)
October 30 – Tribute to Charley Pride and Crystal Gayle (Episode 6)

*Line-ups are subject to change

Air times for Country's Family Reunion are Fridays at 8 p.m. EDT, Saturdays and Sundays at 12 a.m. EDT.

For more information on the Country's Family Reunion "Tribute" series or to check when you'll be able to purchase your own personal copies of any of the new episodes, please visit www.cfrvideos.com.

Country's Family Reunion is produced by Gabriel Communications.

#CMAFEST2015 - *EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS* - THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM: HISTORY IN THE MAKING

The Rotunda

Photo credit: Jason Evans Photography / Lovin Lyrics Music Promotions

The week of the CMA Music Festival is always a busy week for the city of Nashville as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame. This year's inductees included The Oak Ridge Boys, the late Jim Ed Brown and The Browns and guitarist Grady Martin. Jim Ed Brown was scheduled to appear at this year's festival, however a relapse of  lung cancer would claim the life of this revered and much loved larger than life artist and instead, the Hall of Fame would mourn his passing and celebrate his life and esteemed career.

On Friday, June 12,  I had the pleasure to be able to photograph and view the many different exhibits and events the Hall of Fame had offer during this amazing week of country music. This country music history would be viewed by thousands of fans coming from every corner of the world during the week. Much to my surprise, I unexpectly began the day by being a part of a  private Luke Bryan fan club party, which was held in the CMA Theater, an 800 seat capacity venue for live performances and special events. As the lights dimmed, the stage lights came on and Luke's band took their places to cheers from the crowd as Luke peeked his head out toward the crowd as a teaser before he taking his place on stage. The set list for this special private fan club party which was also being filmed, included: "I See You", a new song entitled "Fast", "Play It Again", "Kick the Dust Up", and "I Don't Want This Night To End". The fans were ecstatic to see their favorite artist in such an up close and intimate setting in which only the Country Music Hall of Fame can provide.

The Country Music Hall of Fame provided fans with the opportunity to meet many of their favorite Hall of Fame members and country music superstars as part of CMA Fest. This year's artists included newcomer Jason Michael Carroll,  the band Lonestar, Hall of Fame members Charley Pride and Brenda Lee and the newest Hall inductees The Oak Ridge Boys. All fans had to do to be able to meet their favorite artist was to purchase their latest book or CD and they received a voucher for the autograph signing as well.

The Hall of Fame also expanded their activities onto the Fan Fair X Exhibit Hall's CMA Closeup stage, located in Music City Center. On this stage, The Oak Ridge Boys participated in an hour long interview with emcee Keith Bilbrey. The Oaks spoke of the new trends in country music in which artists are drinking on stage and would mention that they got their fame on the music and not by drinking and swearing onstage. The Oak Ridge Boys are some of the classiest guys in the business and it comes out in their interviews, performances and meet and greets. They are open about their faith and can belt out a gospel tune like no other. William Lee Golden spoke of himself and his family and went into great depth on the musical endeavors of his children. Richard Sterban, who is best known for his rafter rattling bass vocals talked with Bilbrey about his experiences with the group through the years. Joe Bonsall discussed many things, including his love for his cats and his newly penned book entitled "On the Road with The Oak Ridge Boys: 40 Years of Untold Stories & Adventure" and Duane Allen spoke of his fondest memories as a member of the legendary group and also brought focus to the legacy of Jim Ed Brown while being joined in by the rest of the Oak Ridge Boys on their memories of the great Country Music Hall of Famer. Jim Ed Brown sadly lost his long fight with cancer and passed away the day before the interview.

When touring the hall of fame, fans will encounter various exhibits that run at different times of the year. Some of the exhibits that I encountered while touring the hall of fame included Luke Bryan's "Dirt Road Diary" exhibit, Kenny Rogers' "Through The Years" exhibit, "Dylan, Cash and The Nashville Cats: A New Music City" exhibit, Alan Jackson's "25 Years of Keepin' It Country" exhibit, "Sing Me Back Home: Folk Roots to the Present" exhibit, Ronnie Milsap's "A Legend in My Time" exhibit and many displays of country music historical artifacts. Other items of interest on display included an automobile which was owned by Webb Pierce, the Hee Haw television show's cornfield set with Hee Haw memorabilia and outfits, many star owned and personally played instruments and worn outfits and even the black Trans Am driven by Burt Reynolds in "Smokey and the Bandit".
To view what exhibits you would be able to experience on your tour of the Hall of Fame, please visit http://countrymusichalloffame.org/Exhibits/exhibits-list-page .

If you are an avid country music/history fan, you will want to reserve a minimum  of 3-4 hours to enjoy everything the Hall of Fame has to offer. One can easily spend an entire day to take in all of the sights, sounds and history of the business. The Hall of Fame is country music history from the beginning and it will continue to provide a look into the future of the business through out the years to come.

Contributor / Photographer: Jason Evans
Follow Jason on Twitter at @J_EvansPhotos

COLLIN RAYE, MARK WILLS AND OTHERS LEND SUPPORT TO HONORONE CAMPAIGN

HonorOne provides assistance to military families,  lifts the spirits of the those injured in the line of duty and supports U.S. workers with disabilities

 

Nashville, Tenn. (March 21, 2013) - Country Music stars Collin Raye, Mark Wills, Jim Ed Brown, Jan Howard, Eddy Raven and David Ball provided their support to the newly launched HonorOne Campaign by recording public service announcements and detailing their personal experiences with the military.

 The PSAs recorded by the artists, challenge ALL 300 million Americans to make a pledge of $10 to the organization which assists service men and women and their families. For each $10 spent at www.HonorOne.org, the supporter will receive a God Bless the USA Reminder Coin. Additionally, the supporter will be part of a patriotic shadow box gift to a wounded veteran. Each gift is handmade in the United States by a disabled worker. 100% of the profits are donated to the best military charities, including those that provide vital family and post-traumatic stress disorder counseling for soldiers returning from the battlefield. For more information, or to support the HonorOneCampaign, please visit www.honorone.org.

“We are thrilled that these artists and celebrities have added their voices to our cause,” said Lane Ostrow, founder of the HonorOne Campaign. “It is our hope that their patriotism and stories will inspire others. We are excited to be able to have an impact on so many with just $10. We hope that since the HonorOne Campaign only costs $10 to participate, everyone who wants to help, will be able to.”

For more information on the HonorOne $10 Campaign or other military gift packages, please visit www.honorone.org or www.productsforgood.com.

Watch the videos:
Collin Raye http://youtu.be/2H1sxxmLabQ
Mark Wills http://youtu.be/oq0cClqX3Jo
Jim Ed Brown http://youtu.be/F_aNmoqefcg
Jan Howard http://youtu.be/dRPzNXAnjBA
Eddy Raven http://youtu.be/q7HxQWk_xL4
David Ball http://youtu.be/VryJC-ySCA0

RONNIE MILSAP, STONEWALL JACKSON, BOBBY LEWIS AND JIM ED BROWN SET TO HOST ERNEST TUBB MIDNITE JAMBOREE IN MARCH

There will a special live two-hour presentation of the Heart of Texas Country Music Association

Anniversary Celebration

Nashville, TN (February 26, 2011) – Traditional country music fans have the opportunity to enjoy a very talented line-up this March at the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree, which broadcasts LIVE from the landmark Texas Troubadour Theatre (2416 Music Valley Drive, Nashville) every Saturday night beginning at midnight. March’s hosts will include Ronnie Milsap, Stonewall Jackson, Bobby Lewis and Jim Ed Brown. AM-650 WSM listeners will also have the opportunity to enjoy a two-hour special broadcast of the Heart of Texas Country Music Association Anniversary Celebration. Admission to these shows is FREE and many artists typically stick around after the show to sign autographs in the lobby. For visitors and natives of Nashville alike, an evening at the Midnite Jamboree provides up-close and intimate performances by legendary artists, as well a glimpse into the history of country music with onsite exhibits and exclusive memorabilia, including Ernest Tubb’s 1964 tour bus. For more information on the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree, visit etrecordshop.com.

“I am honored by the artists, friends, and special performances taking part in the Saturday night broadcasts this month,” says Ernest Tubb Record Shop owner David McCormick.

Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree March hosts: **

March 3 Ronnie Milsap
March 10 Stonewall Jackson
March 17 Bobby Lewis
March 24 Jim Ed Brown
March 31 Heart of Texas Country Music Association
Anniversary Celebration
2-Hour Special Broadcast from Brady, TX
Guests: To Be Announced


** Line-up is subject to change without notice

Founded by the legendary Ernest Tubb, The Ernest Tubb Record Shops have been fulfilling country music fans’ needs for over 64 years. As part of that tradition, the second longest-running radio show in history, Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree, continues to broadcast weekly on AM-650 WSM on Saturday nights at 12 A.M. (Midnight) livefrom the Texas Troubadour Theatre on Music Valley Drive in Nashville, Tennessee.