It’s been an interesting few weeks. Apologies for the show not being on air over these first few weeks of June but, unfortunately, my health took a bit of a wobble and I was unable to be in the studio. There’s no great mystery, it looks as if I have/had contracted Whooping Cough which is still around, but having completed some live shows over the last few days I’m pretty sure I’m ready to return to the old AC. Safe to say, music has been a great healer.
There’s a lot going on in country music as ever, and since we’ve been away the CMA Fest has been and gone in Nashville and more great new music keeps emerging.
On this week’s show we will play out a conversation and session with Lauren Alaina we recorded way back in March when she was in Scotland for Country2Country. Lauren was a real highlight of the festival and she took time out to come over to our Studio One at Pacific Quay and record some acoustic songs as well as an extended conversation. We talk about her collaborations with Lainey Wilson and that great favourite from last year on which she guested with Hardy, One Beer. We also talk about her old friend Kane Brown with whom she’s also collaborated. Like Kane, Lauren dabbled in the talent show circus of The Voice/Xfactor./America’s Got Talent TV franchises and like Kane and many others, she failed to win the show. However unlike so many winners this has not been an impediment to a very successful career.
Elsewhere on this week’s show we’ll have new songs from Lucius, Luke Combs, Nick Lowe and Ashley McBryde. We’ll dive into that newly re discovered Johnny Cash album and we’ll celebrate a baseball legend through the voice of Chuck Prophet.
Finally from me a big thanks you to anyone I’ve encountered…. about 25,000 of you over the last week in Hampton Court, Scarborough and Liverpool. These were magical summer evenings playing music and each audience was such a joy.
A few days before the show I really didn’t have a voice that could get me through but somehow, with a lot of medical help but mostly great care and love from my wife and bandmates, we managed to have three brilliant concerts. It meant so much to us all to be able to complete the shows and we have already rescheduled the Dubai show we had to cancel. I look forward to making more connections with you in Margate this coming weekend.
In the meantime, do join me if you can with my almost healed voice and some great records this Tuesday on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Sounds from 8 o’clock.
