MAVERICK News Update – March 18, 2008 AND NOW FOR THE NEWS…
Eddy Arnold’s wife dies in Williamson hospital
Sally Gayhart Arnold, the woman who gave meaning to husband Eddy Arnold’s love songs, died Tuesday in a Williamson County hospital. She was 87.
For more than 66 years, the couple had one of the greatest romances in the history of country music. The news of Mrs. Arnold’s death came late Tuesday afternoon as her country music legend husband, now 89, remained in a Davidson County hospital after undergoing hip replacement surgery last week.
Married on Nov. 28, 1941, the couple’s relationship to friends and family epitomised commitment, devotion and teamwork.
“I can tell you one thing, that she was willing to share him with the whole world because she knew how much he loved her,” said country singer Jim Ed Brown, a close friend.
“I know that she just loved him and wanted him to have everything. He is a hard worker. He is a great gentleman, and she was a loving, caring wife. Sally was behind him in everything he wanted to do.”
Described as two peas in a pod, they both enjoyed a good laugh and a great bargain.
The two met in Louisville, Ky., where Mr. Arnold was playing with Pee Wee King, said Don Cusic, author of Eddy Arnold: I’ll Hold You In My Heart. “I think she might have asked for his autograph after a show,” he said. Arnold, who is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, has sold more than 85 million records and had hits such as “Make the World Go Away” and “Bouquet of Roses.”
“She helped him a lot in his career,” Cusic said. “He told me more than once that if it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have had the career he had. She supported him and took care of the books a lot. It was a real partnership.”
The day after the couple married, he departed to join the Camel Caravan Tour. The bride was kept company in her new home by her mother-in-law.
While Mr. Arnold toured, Mrs. Arnold ran the show at home, where she raised their son and daughter. She also donated her time to help local charities, including the Fannie Battle Day Home. “She kept him grounded,” Cusic said. “Stars can lose perspective so easily, but he was always down to earth, and she was a major reason for it.
The Arnolds’ last few days were spent apart as they underwent treatment at different hospitals in different counties. In the end, after all of the success, money and fame, the only thing that mattered was being with each other.

Carrie Underwood invited to join the Grand Ole Opry
Carrie Underwood will become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry after she was invited Saturday to join the long-running country music show.
Randy Travis extended the invitation as Underwood finished “I Told You So,” a Travis song that Underwood recorded on her latest album.
Her official induction will be May 10.
The former “American Idol” winner sold 7 million copies of her debut album SOME HEARTS and shot to super-stardom almost overnight with hits including “Before He Cheats” and “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”
Her follow-up album, CARNIVAL RIDE came out last fall and has produced two No. 1s: “So Small” and her current single “All-American Girl.”
Underwood said backstage that the invitation was a complete surprise. “I felt like I just won something amazing all over again,” she said. “The Opry has meant so much to me growing up, seeing people perform and wanting to do that.”
Underwood, 25, becomes the latest young hit-maker to become an Opry member in recent years, joining Brad Paisley, Josh Turner and Dierks Bentley.
“Carrie has a heartfelt connection to what the Opry stands for,” General Manager Pete Fisher said. “She shares the values we espouse at the Opry.”Miranda Lambert Recovering From The Flu
Miranda Lambert says she’s been fighting the flu for several weeks and finally “lost the battle.” She had to cancel her performance at the Austin, Texas, rodeo this past Saturday. She writes on her Web site that she tried to pull through, but had to pull out, saying “when there’s no voice there’s no show.” She says she plans on being fully recovered by this weekend and promises to make it up to her Texas fans real soon. Jack Ingram filled in for Lambert. Meantime, Lambert is on birth watch. She says her miniature horse Annie is just a few weeks from having her first foal. Lambert says she’s taking a couple of weeks off at the end of this month to make sure she’s there for the big day.

Trent Tomlinson Is A Dad
Trent Tomlinson has been sitting on some happy news. He’s a dad. He tells Country Weekly that he and his wife Jessica are the proud parents of a baby girl named Harleigh. She was born in mid-January. He says she was born five weeks premature and had to stay in the hospital for a week, but is now home, healthy and putting on weight.

Julio Iglesias Jr. Says He Has No Idea What His Future Holds, But Is Excited About The Prospects
He won CMT’s “Gone Country” reality show, so what’s next for Julio Iglesias Junior? Well, he’s spending a lot of time in Nashville. He says he’s not sure where his win will take him, but he says he really hopes country radio likes his debut single, “The Way I Want You.” It’s expected to begin airing this week. Iglesias says “The whole experience was amazing, especially trying to lasso horses and clean out horse stalls at Gretchen Wilson’s house.”

Cma Music Festival Daytime Line-up Announced
More acts have been added to the line-up for the CMA Music Festival in Nashville. Signed on to play during the daytime concerts are Lonestar, Emerson Drive, Aaron Tippin, Darryl Worley and the Oak Ridge Boys. The festival runs from Thursday, June 5th through Sunday, June 8th. Other artists scheduled to perform on the daytime stage include Lorrie Morgan, Eric Church, Keith Anderson, Neal McCoy and Mel Tillis. Performers already announced for the nightly concerts include Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood and Rodney Atkins.

Shania Twain Opens Hiker Track On Controversial New Zealand Farm
Shania Twain has opened a hiking trail on her 61-thousand-acre farm in New Zealand. The sale of the land was reportedly contingent on maintaining public access to the property. Residents had expressed fear that wealthy foreigners were snapping up and sealing off the country’s prime real estate. At Thursday’s trail opening Twain said she was “very proud,” and called the trail “lovely.” Twain says she has not yet hiked the three-day track crossing her land, but adds, “I will.” Twain’s property is located 500 miles south-west of the capital, Wellington.

Blake Shelton Joins Michael Buble On Stage
Blake Shelton finally met the man behind his current single “Home.” Singer Michael Buble wrote and originally sang the song. This week the two men shared a stage in Nashville. Buble spontaneously invited Shelton to come on stage and sing at his Nashville concert Wednesday. The invite was unplanned and unrehearsed. The pair sat on stools and traded lines of the song. Shelton says “it was an awesome experience.” And he was impressed with Buble, who he called “a great guy” and “really funny.”

Guitarist Barry “Byrd” Burton Dead At 61
Guitarist Barry “Byrd” Burton of the Amazing Rhythm Aces died Monday March 10 at a Nashville hospital after a long battle with leukaemia. He was 61. He toured with Dolly Parton, Brooks and Dunn and Dan Fogelberg.
 

Songwriter and author Willy Vlautin recovering after fall from horse

Last weekend Richmond Fontaine’s Willy Vlautin was thrown from his horse in Scappose and sustained a broken arm in the serious fall.

He has gone through surgery and doing much better now. Willy’s first request when returning from the hospital was to go out to the horse race tracks.

Willy will be coming over to the UK for acoustic shows in April. He will be joined by his pedal steel and trumpet player Paul Brainard playing music from the entire Richmond Fontaine catalogue as well as songs from his new solo CD NORTHLINE.

The doctors are happy with his recovery and it is believed he will be able to play guitar by the time his forthcoming UK shows start.

Some of the shows will be with Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express (and with any luck Willy and Paul will be joining Chuck on stage as well).

Outlaws Return
Outlaws are forging ahead. The group’s founding members, Henry Paul and Monte Yoho, say they’ll continue performing after the death of band mate Hughie Thomasson in September. Two new players have joined the group. The group also hopes to release a new album later this year. The band’s hits include “Green Grass and High Tides,” “There Goes Another Love Song,” “Hurry Sundown,” ” Riders in the Sky” and “You Are The Show.”Statler Brothers Coming Out With New Book On The Band’s Career
Don and Harold Reid of the Statler Brothers are out with a book about the band’s 40-year career. “The Statler Brothers: Random Memories” includes stories behind the songs they wrote and funny and touching stories about all the people they’ve met along the way. It also has 48 pages of pictures. The book had previously been available on their Web site.

Brooks & Dunn pen novel
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have written their first novel, The Adventures of Slim & Howdy. The book will hit stands May 12.
Slim and Howdy are the long-standing alter egos of Ronnie and Kix who first appeared in the liner notes of their debut album.
The musicians (the fictional characters, not the real duo) embark on a truck-driven adventure on the road to musical stardom that includes a crooked card shark and a jealous boyfriend.
Brooks & Dunn wrote the book with author Bill Fitzhugh.

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