It’s been another great year in country music…and as we get ready for 2009, we’re looking back at some of the highlights of 2008.
IN DECEMBER…
• Montgomery Gentry hit number-one with “Roll with Me,” from their Back When I Knew It All CD. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)
• Billboard named Kenny Chesney‘s Poets & Pirates tour the top-grossing country tour of 2008, and the number-six tour in all formats. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)
. Kellie Pickler will join Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest on December 31st, as Kellie will be the Times Square correspondent for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)
008 HIGHLIGHTS: December" width="16" height="14" /> Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry talks about how the duo’s number-one hit, “Roll with Me,” connected with him. (:30)
“When I first heard the demo, it had an old James Taylor kind of feel to it and vibe, and I got locked into the song and to the music. And then as I listened to it more, the first half of the song was reminding me of me, you know, gettin’ older, and havin’ a family, and raisin’ a kid. And the more I listened to the song, the more it grew on me and made me think about life, where I’m at in my stage of life and about havin’ the freedom to be able to do what I do for a living.”
008 HIGHLIGHTS: December" width="16" height="14" /> Kenny Chesney says he’s always thinking about the “fun factor” for his fans. (:53)
“I spend a lot of my off-time trying to figure out what we’re going to do different. Not necessarily do it bigger, because it’s right where we want it to be right now, but how we can make the experience more fun, and just turning up the fun factor. And even the moments leading up to when we go on stage, how do we turn the fun factor up even more. That’s what I think about a lot, that’s the challenge, because I want people to leave there and, you know, taking a part of summer with ’em. And those kids that are going back to school in a couple of months, I want those guys to get together and talk about our show. I want that to be a really positive experience for them. And you know, everyone’s got problems, and everyone’s got things on their mind, and I like the fact that maybe for a couple of hours we take them away from whatever is bothering them. And that’s why I consistently want to turn the fun factor up.”
008 HIGHLIGHTS: December" width="16" height="14" /> Kellie Pickler describes her New Year’s Eve plans. (:26)
“I’m very, very excited about 2009. You know, I’m actually bringing in the New Year with Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark on the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. I am so excited about being the correspondent — I’m gonna be on the streets of New York City, you know, interviewing people and fans, and it’s all about having a good time. I’ve never been to New York on New Year’s, so this is gonna be an incredible experience for me and a great way to bring in the New Year.”