Grammy and Tony Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author and actor Leslie Odom, Jr.’s holiday album, The Christmas Album, is available for the first time on vinyl, in addition to CD and digital formats – listen HERE. The 10-track album features a collection of beloved traditional favorites together with newly penned, original tracks “Snow” and “Heaven & Earth.”

On The Christmas Album, Leslie reimagines timeless holiday hits including “Last Christmas,” “O Holy Night,” “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” and more. The album also features songs with special guests including his version of the Christmas classic, “Little Drummer Boy,” performed with the Mzansi Youth Choir, who offer a beautiful, youthful sound, providing a unique blend of energy, spirit, and devotion to South African music. It also features a new version of “Winter Song” featuring Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winner Cynthia Erivo.

Broadway star, singer, actress, and Leslie’s wife, Nicolette Robinson, joins him on a traditional Chanukah song, “Ma’oz Tzur,” which pays homage to their own diverse, extended family coming together around the holiday season. By including a few non-Christmas songs on the album, Leslie’s goal was to spread the message of inclusion, stressing how important it is to respect and celebrate our differences, now more than ever.

Of the album, Leslie shares, “Man lemme tell you…we sang our hearts on this album. We needed to. I believe you’ll hear it and feel it when you listen.” The Christmas Album marks Leslie’s second holiday album following Simply Christmas, which he re-released in winter 2017 as a deluxe edition in winter with new arrangements and new songs. The holiday album hit #1 on iTunes and Billboard Jazz Charts.

The Christmas Album follows Mr., Leslie’s third album and first of all-original material, released in November 2019.
LISTEN TO THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM HERE

Country, Rock, and Americana Singer/Songwriter and INXS Co-Founder Andrew Farriss Joins Prestigious APRA Billion Streams List

“Break My Heart” Available to Download and Stream on All Digital Platforms

Prolific country, rock, and Americana musician and INXS co-founder Andrew Farriss continues to make a major impact on the music industry, this time as a songwriter. Pop star Dua Lipa’s single “Break My Heart”, which is based on the 1987 INXS number one hit “Need You Tonight”, reached over 1 billion total streams across all platforms. This milestone has given Farriss a spot on the new APRA billion streams list, an innovative honor that recognizes Australian songwriters whose works have reached at least 1 billion combined streams across all digital platforms.

“As a songwriter, I feel very fortunate to be presented an award recognising my writing contribution towards a billion streams of ‘Break My Heart’ by Dua Lipa,” shares Farriss. “Thank you to everyone who has enabled and supported this.”

Farriss might primarily be credited for the inescapably catchy melody from “Need You Tonight”, but his lyrical influence is plain to see as well. Both hits center around the inescapable grip of love, a feeling that we can all relate to. Whether it’s 1987 or 2021, that burning passion never goes away.

This monumental achievement is just another example of Farriss’ talent for writing classic songs which stand the test of time. Songwriting is a gift that Farriss continues to use today, releasing his debut self-titled solo album earlier this year. His latest single, “Drifting”, is certainly even more impactful now. The song describes Farriss’ journey finding his place in a world that is constantly changing around him. By earning his spot on the APRA billion streams list, Andrew Farriss has proven that one thing will always remain the same: his songs will be with us every step of the way.

Listen/Stream/Buy “Drifting” HERE.

LISTEN TO PEAKS HERE

Today, award-winning actress/singer/songwriter Laura Dreyfuss releases her debut EP Peaks via BMG. Produced by Michel Heyaca, Peaks is the sound of the multi-talented artist’s love of storytelling channeled into five irresistible  pop songs with relatable themes of love, hope, and overcoming feelings of isolation tied to the pandemic.

Audiences have certainly seen Dreyfuss everywhere from the Tony® Award-winning Once and Broadway phenomenon Dear Evan Hansen to Glee, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and NETFLIX’s The Politician. Now with the release of Peaks they’ll finally get to know the singer, songwriter, and actress like never before. Taking the reins, she presents her most unfiltered vision yet through engaging electronic-inflected indie pop anthems rooted in candid lyricism and uplifted by dynamic vocals.

Including three previously released tracks and two new cuts, the Peaks EP reflects Dreyfuss’ evolution as an artist. “This EP really represents how I’ve found my voice as an artist and a person. So much has changed in my life in the last few years and these songs act like little journal entries throughout,” confides Dreyfuss.

The exhibit, which opens Dec. 3, examines the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s unprecedented career and enduring musical legacy

In 1957, a nineteen-year-old college student, Bill Anderson, sat atop a three-story hotel overlooking a few stoplights in the small town of Commerce, Georgia, and wrote “City Lights” on his guitar — singing to the starry night and envisioning a bustling metropolis:

“A bright array of city lights as far as I can see / The great white way shines through the night for lonely guys like me”

The song, which soared to the top of the country charts for singer Ray Price a year later, kicked off Anderson’s unprecedented career in country music spanning more than six decades, and it defined the depth and imagination of his songwriting that still resonates with audiences and artists today.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will explore Anderson’s life and musical legacy in the exhibition Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See, which opens Friday, Dec. 3, and runs through March 19, 2023. The exhibit will trace the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s story from childhood to his days in Georgia, where he excelled as a baseball pitcher and sportswriter while in high school and a disc jockey in college, through his contributions as one of the most decorated recording artists, songwriters and entertainers in history.

Known as “Whisperin’ Bill” for his soft-spoken and conversational singing style, Anderson has placed 80 records on the Billboard charts as a recording artist, with his singles reaching country’s Top Twenty more than 40 times. His original songs have been recorded by a wide array of artists, including James Brown, Elvis Costello, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Louvin Brothers, Dean Martin, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Connie Smith, George Strait and many more. As a songwriter, he’s placed songs on the country charts in seven consecutive decades.

Anderson, who also achieved popularity as an actor and game show host, remains a mainstay performer on the Grand Ole Opry today, recently celebrating his 60^th anniversary as a member on the historic radio show. More than 60 years after composing “City Lights” on that starry night in Georgia, Anderson is still flourishing as a contemporary songwriter in Nashville, collaborating in recent years with artists Kenny Chesney, Jamey Johnson, Brad Paisley and many others.

“Bill Anderson not only fortified and evolved country music, but his remarkable body of work establishes him as one of the most prolific and preeminent American artists and songsmiths across all genres,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “But it’s his natural curiosity, humanity and ability to forge true, emotional connections with audiences – both as a performer and songwriter – that constantly replenishes his relevance and endears him to so many today.”

Items featured in Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See include historic photographs, treasured keepsakes, instruments, manuscripts and more. Touchscreen interactives will also give visitors the opportunity to delve into Anderson’s songs and songwriting process through archival materials, performance clips and exclusive interview footage in which Anderson reveals the stories behind his songs.

“I grew up dreaming of the day they’d put my ball glove into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, never dreaming that one day it would end up in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville,” said Bill Anderson. “But now that old glove, along with some guitars, a few rhinestone suits and some scribbled song lyrics are on display in the Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See exhibit in Music City. When the museum does an exhibit, they really do it up right, and I’m honored to know that I am now a small part of their incredible legacy. I’m not sure I could have ever seen this far.”

Artifact highlights in the exhibit include:

• Anderson’s Rawlings leather glove used when he was a pitcher for Avondale High School’s baseball team, circa 1955.
• The Royal electric typewriter used in the 1960s by Anderson to type song lyrics and answer fan mail.
• Anderson’s 1958 Martin D-28 that he called his “second voice.” He used the guitar extensively on stage, in the studio, and to write songs, including “Still,” “The Tips of My Fingers,” “Po’ Folks” and “Once a Day.”
• Stage costumes worn by Anderson, including rhinestone-studded suits from the 1960s designed by S.A. Formann, a Buffalo, New York-based tailor, and Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors.
• Custom-made boots by L.M. Easterling Custom Boot Company, embellished with the initials “WBA”—for Whisperin’ Bill Anderson.
• A Manuel shirt, embellished with rhinestones and metallic embroidery, designed for Anderson in the 1990s.
• Anderson’s handwritten lyrics, with corrections, to “Give It Away.” Written with Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson in 2005, it yielded a #1 hit for George Strait.

In support of the exhibition’s opening, the museum will host an interview and performance with Anderson, as well as a Songwriter Session with his collaborators, on Saturday, Dec. 4, in the museum’s Ford Theater:

• Songwriter Session: Bill Anderson’s Co-Writers: Erin Enderlin, Buddy Cannon and Bobby Tomberlin – 11 a.m.

Anderson’s songwriting collaborators will share songs they co-wrote with him and the stories behind them in this special songwriter round.

• Interview and Performance: Bill Anderson – 2 p.m.

Anderson will sit down for a one-on-one interview with the museum’s Peter Cooper. The interview will be illustrated with archival photos, film and recordings related to the exhibit. Anderson will also perform briefly.

Tickets for both programs will be available on the museum’s website on Friday, Nov. 5, beginning at noon Central.

Musical beginnings
James William Anderson III was born on November 1, 1937, in Columbia, South Carolina. He was fascinated by music from the age of three and as a youngster spent hours listening to country music on the radio. In late 1945, when Anderson was eight, the family moved to Georgia, settling near Atlanta, in Decatur. He learned the guitar and wrote his first song by age 11.

In high school, he formed a band and the group took first place in his school’s talent show on the strength of one of his self-penned songs. But at the time, Anderson was as interested in writing and sports as he was in music. He was a baseball pitcher at Avondale High, while also writing stories about sports for Decatur’s DeKalb New Era newspaper. Anderson entered the University of Georgia in 1955, where he studied journalism and began working as a disc jockey at local radio stations.

After recording his own composition, “City Lights,” in 1957 for Texas-based TNT Records, the song eventually made its way to Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Price, who took his own version to the top of Billboard’s country charts in 1958. Anderson soon graduated college, signed to Decca Records, and began his long string of hit recordings with famed record producer and Country Music Hall of Fame member Owen Bradley in Nashville, Tennessee. Anderson wrote many of his hits himself – “The Tip of My Fingers,” “Walk Out Backwards,” “Po’ Folks,” “Mama Sang a Song,” “Still” and “Bright Lights and Country Music,” among many others.

Anderson also played a major role in launching Country Music Hall of Fame member Connie Smith’s career after hearing her perform at a talent show he was judging. He wrote her debut hit, “Once a Day,” and introduced her to RCA’s Nashville chief and Country Music Hall of Fame member Chet Atkins, who signed her to the label.

Television and duets
At the beginning of 1965, Anderson began hosting the syndicated TV program The Bill Anderson Show, a widely aired country music showcase. When popular singer Jan Howard joined The Bill Anderson Show in 1966, she and Anderson began recording successful duets together, including four Top Five country hits and four Decca albums between 1968 and 1972. Meanwhile, Anderson’s ease and ready wit on camera led to more television opportunities. He began appearing on Match Game, Tattletales, Password, Hollywood Squares, and other daytime game shows, and even hosted The Better Sex game show on ABC. He also acted in soap operas, including ABC’s One Life to Live.

A second career
After spending years in the limelight as a recording artist and entertainer, Anderson struggled with bouts of writer’s block and feelings of inadequacy in the 1980s. In the 1990s, however, he began co-writing with artists and songwriters, including Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill and Steve Wariner. His name turned up again on the country charts in 1995 with “Which Bridge to Cross (Which Bridge to Burn),” which was co-written with and recorded by Gill. A songwriting renaissance followed. Anderson rounded out the century with two more hits, “Wish You Were Here” by Mark Wills and the Grammy-nominated “Two Teardrops” by Wariner.

A slew of hits continued into the 2000s, including “Whiskey Lullaby,” a ballad Anderson co-wrote with singer-songwriter Jon Randall Stewart about alcoholism and suicide recorded by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss. In 2002, Anderson was also honored with Broadcast Music Inc.’s inaugural BMI Icon Award for the genre of country music. “Whiskey Lullaby” went on to sell two million copies and won the 2005 Country Music Association Song of the Year award. Its success was followed by 2006’s “Give It Away,” a #1 hit for George Strait that Anderson wrote with Jamey Johnson and Buddy Cannon. It won Song of the Year designations from both the CMA and the Academy of Country Music.

Still going strong
Today, Anderson remains an active force on Nashville’s Music Row. Of late, he has completed several solo albums, collaborated with Country Music Hall of Fame members Bobby Bare and Dolly Parton on new album tracks, and has even written songs via Zoom with Brad Paisley during the pandemic. He continues to serve as a performer and beloved ambassador for the Grand Ole Opry.

In addition to his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001, he’s been inducted into the National Songwriters Hall of Fame (2018) and several other halls of fame. In 2021, Connie Smith’s 1964 recording of his song “Once a Day,” was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, alongside works by Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Irving Berlin and other songwriting greats.

More information about this exhibit can be found at www.CountryMusicHallofFame.org.