As people go about making their holiday plans this early week of December, it's time to reflect a little bit about the newcomers to country music this year. It seems to me that this year rivals that of the vaunted "class of 1989" that contained Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Clint Black, among some others. And while the big acts 20 years ago were solo artists, country music's biggest newcomers for 2009 were groups. Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band may have started out in 2008 but both acts exploded in 2009 with two chart-toppers this year while their fantastic debut albums scored platinum statuses and were handed a boatload of industry awards, along with garnering recent Grammy nominees.
The Zac Brown Band are so good live that they blew the roof off of the Sommet Center in Nashville during the CMA Awards broadcast ripping the Charlie Daniels Band's "Devil Went Down To Georgia" like it was a brand-new track. That performance, quite frankly, is the performance that cemented the band as the band that can finally take the 'biggest band in country music' mantle from Alabama. They're that good and I can't wait to hear what album number two holds in store. Lady Antebellum, for their part, topped last year's "Best New Artist" award from the CMA's by unexpectedly taking home the "Single of the Year" award for their delightful multi-week #1 hit "I Run To You." As if to become an even bigger band, the trio sent "Need You Now" to radio and it has now topped the charts for three weeks while also becoming one of the few country songs to top iTunes' all-genre download charts for more than a few hours. The song is just a 'monster' and that has made this year one to remember for Lady Antebellum.
Other groups that started out in 2009 and scored immediate success were Gloriana, Love and Theft, and Texas-based, 2008 starter Eli Young Band. All these groups scored success of varying degrees with Love and Theft hitting the Top 10 with their first single "Runaway," a place that the Eli Young Band managed to do with "Always The Love Songs" as well. Gloriana may not have scored the Top 10 hit but they DID get themselves onto Taylor Swift's tour and because of that they earned a boatload of fans who have helped Gloriana become one of the genre's best-selling debut artists along with stunning most of America (including me) by Beating out Lady Gaga for the American Music Awards "Best New Artist" award.
2009 also introduced some new solo or duo acts that are notable as well. For industry folks like me, Chris Young isn't a newcomer but he did score his first chart-topping hit with "Getting You Home (The Black Dress Song)" and has sold over 100,000 copies of his "Man I Want To Be" album and the man he's likely to be is a gigantic star given his talent for picking good songs, chiseled good looks and downright southern charm. Southern charm is something that Justin Moore possesses as well and he scored not only a #1 hit in "Small Town USA" but also has sold quite a few records of his self-titled debut album. David Nail also has been 'bumming' around Nashville for most of this decade and actually signed to MCA/Mercury Nashville twice in his career before scoring a Top 10 hit in "Red Light." Steel Magnolia has seen their profile rise in 2009 after scoring a win on the second season of Can You Duet. The duo ends this year with a buzzworthy single in "Keep On Loving You" and a debut album due in early 2010.
The only thing that 2009 didn't really produce was a shiny new female star outside of Sarah Buxton and her Top 30 hit "Outside My Window" and the female duo Bomshel who made the Top 20 with "Fight Like A Girl," and recently another Top 40 hit with "19 and Crazy." Hopefully, both artists will be allowed to get their singles higher up the charts along with some other female artists, but that is a topic for another day. While it's not a given that any of these artists will sustain long-term success it is still heartening for country music to see so many talented newcomers not only getting a chance but making the most out of them with their music. The strong crop of newcomers also gives country music hope that this talented wave of young artists will continue to keep country music thriving.
The Zac Brown Band are so good live that they blew the roof off of the Sommet Center in Nashville during the CMA Awards broadcast ripping the Charlie Daniels Band's "Devil Went Down To Georgia" like it was a brand-new track. That performance, quite frankly, is the performance that cemented the band as the band that can finally take the 'biggest band in country music' mantle from Alabama. They're that good and I can't wait to hear what album number two holds in store. Lady Antebellum, for their part, topped last year's "Best New Artist" award from the CMA's by unexpectedly taking home the "Single of the Year" award for their delightful multi-week #1 hit "I Run To You." As if to become an even bigger band, the trio sent "Need You Now" to radio and it has now topped the charts for three weeks while also becoming one of the few country songs to top iTunes' all-genre download charts for more than a few hours. The song is just a 'monster' and that has made this year one to remember for Lady Antebellum. Other groups that started out in 2009 and scored immediate success were Gloriana, Love and Theft, and Texas-based, 2008 starter Eli Young Band. All these groups scored success of varying degrees with Love and Theft hitting the Top 10 with their first single "Runaway," a place that the Eli Young Band managed to do with "Always The Love Songs" as well. Gloriana may not have scored the Top 10 hit but they DID get themselves onto Taylor Swift's tour and because of that they earned a boatload of fans who have helped Gloriana become one of the genre's best-selling debut artists along with stunning most of America (including me) by Beating out Lady Gaga for the American Music Awards "Best New Artist" award.
2009 also introduced some new solo or duo acts that are notable as well. For industry folks like me, Chris Young isn't a newcomer but he did score his first chart-topping hit with "Getting You Home (The Black Dress Song)" and has sold over 100,000 copies of his "Man I Want To Be" album and the man he's likely to be is a gigantic star given his talent for picking good songs, chiseled good looks and downright southern charm. Southern charm is something that Justin Moore possesses as well and he scored not only a #1 hit in "Small Town USA" but also has sold quite a few records of his self-titled debut album. David Nail also has been 'bumming' around Nashville for most of this decade and actually signed to MCA/Mercury Nashville twice in his career before scoring a Top 10 hit in "Red Light." Steel Magnolia has seen their profile rise in 2009 after scoring a win on the second season of Can You Duet. The duo ends this year with a buzzworthy single in "Keep On Loving You" and a debut album due in early 2010.
The only thing that 2009 didn't really produce was a shiny new female star outside of Sarah Buxton and her Top 30 hit "Outside My Window" and the female duo Bomshel who made the Top 20 with "Fight Like A Girl," and recently another Top 40 hit with "19 and Crazy." Hopefully, both artists will be allowed to get their singles higher up the charts along with some other female artists, but that is a topic for another day. While it's not a given that any of these artists will sustain long-term success it is still heartening for country music to see so many talented newcomers not only getting a chance but making the most out of them with their music. The strong crop of newcomers also gives country music hope that this talented wave of young artists will continue to keep country music thriving.
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