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Home > Atlanta Music Scene > Archives > 2008 > December > 01
Monday, December 1, 2008
12/2: Zac Brown Band goes No. 1 with “Chicken Fried”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The song’s been around awhile. Here is Zac Brown performing “Chicken Fried” on January 17, 2007 at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta. And the band’s dedicated fans were already singing along.
Atlanta-based Zac Brown Band has pulled off something fellow Georgia natives Alan Jackson and Sugarland couldn’t do: go No. 1 with their first single.
The exuberant ode to Southern life “Chicken Fried” hit number one just in time for Thanksgiving, knocking out Taylor Swift’s crossover hit “Love Story” and staying ahead of Tim McGraw’s pesky “Let It Go.” The song is poised to stay No. 1 for a second week as well. It’s relatively rare for a new artist to go No. 1. The only other one this year is Darius Rucker, who actually had many a hit on the pop chart with Hootie & The Blowfish back in the 1990s.
I called Wyatt Durrette, the songwriting partner for Brown who first came up with the skeleton of the song, to get his reaction.
“We’re really thankful,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a few more under our belt. We’re honored and blessed. We have a lot to be thankful for.”
He said the band found out after on November 22 after a concert in Nashville at Exit In before 600 to 700 fans. The label people were there, and Durrette said he and the band celebrated with well-earned glasses of champagne.
The song has an interesting history because Zac Brown and Durrette originally licensed the song in 2006 to fellow Atlanta band the Lost Trailers. The song was about to be released to radio and had already begun getting airplay on some radio stations. But Brown changed his mind, according to this account.
RCA VP of legal and business affairs Katherine Woods wrote a letter to country radio noting: “In pursuit of his own recording career, the writer decided that he wanted to hang on to this song and make it a hit for himself,” Woods wrote in the letter. “In spite of a diligent effort, we have been unable to reach a resolution of this issue and have no choice but to select another single.”
And there ya go. Brown kept it for himself and indeed made it a hit himself to boot! (I do need to get a hold of the Lost Trailers and get their reaction!)
The band’s first major-label release “Foundation,” out November 18, debuted at No. 17 on the Top 200 chart and No. 3 on the country chart. The next single will likely be the sweet ballad “Whatever It Is.”
Oh, by the way, another Georgia native Trisha Yearwood did go No. 1 with her first single, “She’s In Love With the Boy.”
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Elton John and Billy Joel Face 2 Face In Atlanta - Again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tickets go on sale this Saturday for the return of piano men Elton John and Billy Joel’s “Face 2 Face” tour, at Philips Arena March 14.
As many of you know, it will be a homecoming of sorts for John, a part-time Atlantan. But Live Nation president Peter Conlon said at this morning’s unusual press conference that Joel has a hometown connection as well.
According to Conlon, a then-unknown Joel called Conlon’s partner Alex Cooley and asked if he could play at a festival the promoter was having in Puerto Rico. Cooley said come on down. Joel played a set of Joe Cocker tunes (hours before Cocker himself was supposed to hit the stage, mind you). And when Joel walked off legendary record exec Clive Davis gave him his card and said, “Call Me Monday.”
So Joel, Conlon said, has always credited Cooley with the launch of his career.
Now here Joel and John are with 350 million albums sold worldwide — Philips Arena president Bob Williams said at the press conference — back with a tour first put on here in 1994 at the Georgia Dome. (A sell-out. The shot above of is from their 2001 local stop).
Tickets this time around will range from $55.50 to $181 at Live Nation and Ticketmaster outlets. (Believe it or not, these price points are virtually the same as they were the last time they were in town in 2002 when tix ranged from $47 to $177. Conlon said artists are very cognizant now of the economy, even in a situation like this where a sellout is virtually guaranteed.) Plan to go? Seen the “Face 2 Face” tour before? And if so, let us know if it’s worth it.
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Who’s Your Hometown Grammy Pick?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is “Live Your Life” by Atlanta rapper-actor T.I. and Rihanna feeling like the record of the year? (See a YouTube clip of them performing it at the Key Club in Los Angeles BELOW)
Think local Christian rockers — and three-time Grammy winners — Third Day should be on the list again? (See a YouTube clip of the official music video for “Call My Name” BELOW)
Surely after the success of “Love On The Inside” our country duo Sugarland will get a nod — and maybe its first win as a group — right? (See a YouTube clip of their performance of “All I Wanna Do” at the ACMs - where they won song and single of the year - BELOW)
Well we’ll all find out if those three acts will at least be in consideration Wednesday evening when (as we previously reported here) the nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards will be announced live from Los Angeles; and for the first time, in prime time, at 9 p.m. on CBS.
But we want to get the prognosticating going earlier. So tell us what Atlanta recording artists you think merited the music industry’s highest honor this past year?
