Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Chris Young And Jessie James Added to IEBA Honors October 12 At Ryman Auditorium

The International Entertainment Buyers Association has added four rising stars of country and pop to the IEBA HONORS lineup. Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Chris Young and Jessie James will each perform at the October 12 event at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
 
 

 
"IEBA is committed to honoring our industry's past and future. These artists are on a path to become history-makers in their own right," states IEBA Executive Director, Tiffany Davis
 
As previously announced IEBA will honor industry legend Barbara "Mother" Hubbard and rock and roll icon Chubby Checker at the October 12 event. More honorees and special guests announced soon.
 
The annual IEBA Conference held October 11-13 in Nashville, Tenn. is filling fast and discounted hotel rooms are almost gone. Book your room at the Hilton Downtown Nashville by calling 615-620-2150. Register for the conference at www.ieba.org.
 
About Jamey Johnson 
He could be basking in his songwriting accolades, but Jamey Johnson remains a restlessly creative maverick. Jamey is the co-writer of the CMA and ACM 2007 Song of the Year "Give It Away," recorded by George Strait. Trace Adkins, George Jones and Joe Nichols have also recorded his songs. But instead of sitting at home counting his royalty checks, Jamey Johnson recorded more than 40 songs during the past year.
 "Writing is not enough for me," says this intense artist. "I did not come here to just be a writer. I live to play....I'm not here to take a stab at it. I am going to DO it."
Following a deep period of isolation and introspection, Jamey Johnson entered the recording studio in April 2007. He and his band blazed through dozens of songs. Within months, Jamey emerged with That Lonesome Song, a Gold-selling, critically acclaimed collection of extraordinary compositions that is equally noteworthy for its lyrical craftsmanship and its strikingly original sound.
 
"The album never stops," comments Jamey. "The whole album is one lonesome song, and that's why it's called That Lonesome Song. Every song is lonesome in its own way, even the funny ones.
 
Since its release in August 2008, the accolades have been piling up for That Lonesome Song. Jamey Johnson has played its songs for the national TV audiences of David Letterman and Jay Leno. Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, Esquire, The Los Angeles Times and American Songwriter are just a few of the major publications that have sung his record's praises.
In February, when "The High Cost of Living" was issued as his album's second single, Jamey was surprised to find himself nominated for five Academy of Country Music Awards. In April, he was stunned when he won the ACM's Song of the Year honor. This time, it wasn't for a song someone else sang. It was for "In Color."
www.jameyjohnson.com
About Randy Houser 
The passion, enthusiasm and conviction in Randy Houser's music is utterly irresistible.
One listen to his soul-drenched singing is enough to convince you that you are in the presence of a masterful performer. One scan of his deeply felt lyrics is all the proof you need to see that this is a major songwriting talent. And one meeting with this smiling, endearing, open-hearted personality is all it takes to make you believe he deserves to be a star.
That indefinable something, called charisma, is all over his exceptional debut CD. Whether plunging into sadness or leaping for joy in song, Randy Houser has what all great country artists have - believability.
The album is the capstone of an extraordinary run of good fortune for the singer-songwriter. Thanks to his riveting vocal prowess, Randy is receiving great response from both fans and radio programmers with his first single, the gripping, strikingly emotional ballad "Anything Goes."
As illustrated in his breakthrough single, Randy Houser is a breathtaking vocalist with fire and conviction at his core. The songs he has chosen by other Nashville writers for this album are superb showcases for the vocal side of his talent. In addition to "Anything Goes," they include the sensual "Strange" and the ultra-cool, groove-saturated "How Many Times," the latter featuring harmony vocals by superstar Vince Gill.
Signed by Windswept in late 2003, Randy and co-writers Jamey Johnson and Dallas Davidson were on the charts with "Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk" by early 2005. Since then, Randy's tunes have been picked up by John Michael Montgomery ("If You Ever Went Away"), Justin Moore ("Back That Thing Up"), George Canyon ("Coming From You") and other artists. Cliff loved Randy's own recordings of the tunes and urged producer Mark Wright to listen. Now Cliff and Mark have co-produced Randy Houser's outstanding disc debut.
"One day, awhile back, Mark (Wright) and I were talking about singers. He said, 'Man, the most soulful singers in history all grew up poor.'  This really rang true for me.  That's part of the reason I sound the way that I do."
www.randyhouser.com
 
About Chris Young
With an ear toward the past and an eye on the future, Chris Young is quickly distinguishing himself as a newcomer who honors country music's best traditions while adding a fresh new chapter to the genre's legacy. With his rich, warm baritone and penchant for writing relatable, slice-of-life songs, Young's sophomore project showcases a new traditionalist poised to take his place among his musical heroes.
 
One of those heroes, the legendary Willie Nelson, joins Young on his new album. The two duet on "Rose in Paradise", a cover of the hauntingly beautiful Waylon Jennings' classic. "I love Waylon and I love traditional music," says Young, who is touring with Martina McBride this year. "We sent Willie a copy and he came in to record it. I still can't believe I got to spend time in the studio with Willie Nelson!"
 
It's that combination of youthful enthusiasm and seasoned musicianship that have earned Young both the respect of his elders and the devotion of country fans. His self-titled RCA Records debut project made him country's best-selling new male artist of 2006 and earned him a nod in the Academy of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist category. Produced by James Stroud, Young's sophomore set builds on that momentum with a solid collection of songs that not only showcase his skills as a vocalist, but also provide a portrait of Young---the things he values and believes in.
 
Like his heroes Keith Whitley and Randy Travis before him, he doesn't see himself as the savior of country music, just a lucky guy living his dream. "I love playing music," he says. "There's no way I could do anything else."
www.chrisyoungcountry.com
 
About Jessie James
"I only want to be wanted by you," belts out 20-year-old Georgia stunner Jessica Rose James, better known as newly minted pop diva Jessie James, on "Wanted," the first single from her Mercury Records/Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ) debut album, and it's love at first listen.

 
A big talent in a petite, power-packed package, James has been ready for her close-up since she was the age of two, when the self-described, well-traveled "military brat," (with a little bit of Greek and Italian thrown in there), born under the fiery Aries sign in a field hospital in Italy, started singing into a toy microphone and tape recorder, a gift from her mom. By nine, she was composing her own songs on a plastic guitar (the first called "It's Gonna Be Alright"), performing as a youngster at events like the opening of Sea World and the Republican Convention, and working with a string of significant writers in  Nashville at 15.

After one of her song demos landed in the hands of Mercury President David Massey, she aced an audition with IDJ boss Antonio "L.A." Reid. "He got out from behind his desk, started dancing, hugged me and said, 'We're going to dinner...and welcome to the label!' 


 
"I've known this is what I was supposed to do since I was 10," adds Jessie, who cites her influences as LeAnn Rimes, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin and Bobbie Gentry. "I'm just anxious to get out there and let the world hear me. I'm just so excited. I've got a lot to say and I'm more than ready for this."


 
With a message of female empowerment and refusing to play the victim, Jessie's first single, "Wanted," which she co-wrote with American Idol judge and hit songwriter Kara DioGuardi as well as Mitch Allen and David Hodges, shows off her intensity in a full-throttle dance-rock scorcher that catches and won't let go.
 
On songs like the twangy "My Cowboy," co-written with Mercury Nashville artist Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser, first previewed by Perez Hilton on his popular website last year, and the sassy "Blue Jeans," with its hip-hop swagger and tribal percussion--featured on the soundtrack of the hit Touchstone film version of Sophie Kinsella's best-seller Confessions of a Shopaholic--Jessie shows she's not afraid to strut her sexuality, either. She points out that lyrics like "Gimme some like I never had" ("Wanted") and "Saddle up and take me for a little ride" ("My Cowboy") may be just what they say, suggesting the latter could well be about hopping on a horse.
 
Working with producers like Julian Bunetta (Hillary Duff, Sean Kingston), John Rich, and Mitch Allen, James' debut album shows off a variety of  musical styles and sounds, from the arena-rock belt of "Wanted," the mix of  banjo, fiddle and rock guitar in "My Cowboy" and the hip-hop beat and playful  schoolyard rhyming of "Blue Jeans" to the torch song ballad "Guilty" and the  stark, stripped-down, soulful blues intimacy of "Liar."
 
For Jessie James, music is her life, her passion, her lover. She won't even date, with her focus saved strictly for her career. She has no other choice. And now, she is fully prepared to see all those childhood dreams finally come true.
www.thisisjessiejames.com