Chris Stapleton receives three ACM Award nominations

This morning, the Academy of Country Music announced the nominees for the ACM Awards.  Interestingly, Sturgill Simpson, who was awarded a Grammy for Best Country Album was left out of any of the nominees.  However, fellow Kentuckian, reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton is nominated in three categories. Once again, Stapleton is nominated in both the Male Vocalist of the Year category, and the Song of the Year category with “Tennessee Whiskey.”  Also, Stapleton received a nod in the Video of the Year category for “Fire Away.”.  Below is the complete list of nominees for the 2017 ACM Awards.  Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will return to host for the second consecutive year. The ACM Awards® are produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 2 (live 8:00-11:00 PM) on the CBS Television Network.

I was there when...

Remember in the movie “O, Brother Where Art Thou?” when the guys saw the women at the river?  One of them exclaimed “I seen them first!”  These days, there are so many music acts that we each have had that moment of seeing them before their career took off.  Here are a few of my personal favorite memories over the years.

Academy of Country Music announces ACM Award nominees

Dierks Bentley announced the ACM Award nominees this morning live on CBS This Morning.  The ACM Awards will be held on April 3rd, live from Las Vegas, at 8:00 PM on CBS.  Dierks Bentley will be hosting with Luke Bryan.  Here is the list of the nominees:

Country Dancing with Sturgill Simpson, Chris Janson, and Charlie Starr

Who would win the ultimate country music singer dancing competition - Sturgill Simpson, Chris Janson, or Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke?  You have got to watch all three videos to see that not only can they sing and play the guitar, they can flat out dance like no one is watching.  Having seen all three perform, they are all very entertaining to see live in concert.

Sturgill Simpson showing off a few moves in his Coachella performance of "Listening to the Rain."

Chris Janson performing Waylon Jennings hit "Ain't Living Long Like This" on the Opry.

Blackberry Smoke performing "Up In Smoke"

Froggy Field party a hit among country music fans

Rhett Akins - by Jessica Blankenship

For the third consecutive year, Frankfort's Froggy 104.9 FM radio station provided quality music entertainment to fans with their Froggy Field Party. This year's event was held at the Kentucky Renaissance Festival grounds in Eminence, Kentucky. It was the perfect day of music and fun for the entire family.

Two stages featured over 9 hours of music from local and national acts. On the local stage, music fans were entertained by Joey Clark, Allen Lane, and the Robby Cox Band. On the main stage, fans were treated by the music of Relic, Cloigheann, Six Miles South, The Roys, Chris Janson, and Rhett Akins.

Relic and Cloigheann showcased their own style of bluegrass music. Both blended the sounds of bluegrass and classic country to make a unique organic sound to their sets. One of the highlights was hearing George Jones classic hit, "Bartender's Blues" sung in the style of bluegrass with also an accompaniment of the flute.

The brother sister duo, The Roys, played over an hour long set filled with their own hit songs such as "Coal Mining Man" and "My Kind of Beautiful." Elaine Roy shined with her vocal abilities on covering "Those Memories."

Six Miles South got the crowd dancing with their mix of originals and cover tunes. In their second year at the Field Party, they have grown as musicians with their stage show. Lead singer Jamie Tingle sang straight from the heart and made sure everyone in the crowd had a good time.

Chris Janson is no stranger to bringing the honky tonk to the forefront. Having played the world's most famous honky tonk, Tootsie's, Janson knew how to get the crowd in a party mode. Audience members brought their own form of entertainment with several joining in to buckdance on stage with Chris during "Til A Woman Comes Along." His energetic set had fans begging for more. He gave it his all while singing his own songs like "Take It to The Bank" to covering one of the coolest renditions of "Folsom Prison Blues," complete with jamming with the harmonica.

Headliner Rhett Akins showcased his songwriting abilities by taking fans on a trip down memory lane. From "That Ain't My Truck" to "Down South" that are on his albums to "Bait a Hook" that Justin Moore has released, Akins brought along the party songs. One of the real treats was getting to hear Rhett sing "Honey Bee," which Blake Shelton recently took to number one on the Billboard Country Single Charts. The song is also nominated for CMA Single of the Year and Video of the Year.

Country music with honesty filled the Saturday night air in the small town of Eminence, Kentucky. Country boys and country girls showed the performers they were there for a good time and that is definitely what they received.

Chris Janson mixes his love of music with the outdoors

Chris Janson - by Jessica Blankenship

If there was a manual written on how to be a honky tonk performer, there would be a chapter on Chris Janson. This past weekend, he performed at the Froggy Field Party in Eminence, Kentucky, showcasing his honest country music talent.

Just a few years ago during an outing with a few friends, he got his chance to perform at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville. Just by luck, he received an offer of a lifetime at the age of 18.

"I ended up playing without taking breaks. To do it legally, you can play but you cannot step foot off that stage. Basically you could play and jump out in the street and not touch the floor. I became friends with the doormen who could easily hoist me up there. I didn't drink, so it didn't matter. I learned a big time work ethic," according to Janson.

He would go on to play at Tootsies for a year. "It's literally about who is the best at the moment. It's about being at the right place and the right time. You play strictly for tips and nothing more," Janson would explain. "There's a whole class of us that know that you have no clue what roughing it is and struggling is until you've had to live off the tips in a jar and try to pay bills out of the tip jar. I wouldn't have trade it for anything in the world. It taught me how to work and survive."

Soon Chris Janson would be signed to BNA/Sony. However, after releasing a single and video, there was a shakeup with the record label. In the end, the same team behind Chris's career would leave the company. There was a period of uncertainty of what would happen with his own career.

According to Chris, "I actually asked out of my record deal. No one canned me or fired me, I asked out. It just wasn't right anymore. The whole regime that signed me wasn't there after 4 months of being there. It didn't feel right. However, there were no hard feelings. I'm just thankful I'm gone and I wasn't put on a shelf and can still work."

One thing he does love is being in the outdoors. That love of the outdoors, as well as a knack for songwriting lead to working with the Outdoor Channel. "Music has opened up so many doors for me," Chris said. "I got a connection with Mossy Oak and wrote their theme song. I've written quite a bit of music, the score, and lyrics for several shows. You can't beat making a living combining the two things I love - hunting and music."

These days, Chris, along with wife Kelly, have a lot to live for. They recently celebrated the birth of their newborn baby girl, Georgia. Kelly Janson is also a reporter for the hit country music news series, Inside Music Row. Having someone who understands the music business has helped make their marriage and business matters work.

Be sure to check out Chris Janson online and download his music. His shows will leave you begging for more with the talent of bringing his heart and soul to those in attendance.