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Letter from Tracey K. Feb 9, 2016 Hi Friends, Wow!! Does time ever fly!! It's been 20 months since I've last posted an update. The Rockabilly Benefit we put together for Joyce Mann (Carl Mann's wife) went very well. We raised a lot of money for her medical bills and we even auctioned off an acoustic guitar signed by all of the performers. That guitar alone was auctioned off for $1,000.00!!! 2015 was not the best year. On Dec 30, 2014 my beloved little dog, Miss Kitty, passed away in my arms. She was 12-1/2 years old. She came down with a very aggressive form of cancer and it took her very quickly. Needless to say I was a total mess mentally and emotionally. Several of my friends and acquaintances passed away in 2015. A total of 18, most of them music biz people. I spent far too much time attending funerals last year. Out of all those who passed away, one was a dear friend... Grand Ole Opry Star, Jim Ed Brown. His cancer returned from supposedly being in remission, and it took him very quickly, in June. I miss him a great deal. On a brighter note, in May I took a 12-day holiday in Western Canada (BC and Alberta). Flew to Seattle, WA from Nashville, TN, then drove a 2100-mile road trip to visit family on Vancouver Island, Barriere, Kamloops, Prince George, BC... then drove to Calgary, Alberta through the beautiful mountain scenery of Jasper National Park and Banff National Park. I do miss the mountains very much, and I miss Calgary as well. While on that trip I was able to finally pick up my Elvis record collection (LPs, 45s, 78s) that I bought from my mother back in 2013, but wasn't able to get up there any sooner to bring them to Nashville. They're all home safe and sound now. :) A few days after I returned from Canada, on June 1st my pickup truck was rear-ended by a City Bus while I was stopped at a stop sign waiting to turn left. Having sustained several injuries I was transported to the hospital via Ambulance. I did several weeks of Physiotherapy, which helped, but I'll probably never be back at 100%. It's been over 8 months since the wreck and I still have ongoing problems because of the injuries. It put a screeching halt to my swing dancing. Anybody who knows me, knows I was a very active swing dancer. It killed me not being able to dance, so I basically stayed home and became a hermit for several months. Only very recently have I started venturing out again and trying to dance some, carefully testing out the right shoulder so as not to re-injure. I have to rebuild my strength and stamina again. I'm slowly working on it. I had to end up cancelling all my gigs in 2015 except for one in London, England at the O2 Arena on Aug 16, 2015. I was the opening act (rockabilly) for Gordon Hendricks, a world-renowned Elvis Tribute Artist. He put on a fantastic recreation of Elvis' iconic "Aloha From Hawaii" show from 1972 to a packed house, complete with a 20-piece band backing him. My backup band was a young rockabilly band called The Runawayz, from England. They were very talented and did me proud. In August 2015 the Bear Family 40th Anniversary Boxed Set edition was released containing TWO of my songs!! One was a song I wrote in 2011 and recorded (in 2014) especially for the project and is "Bear" themed. It's a rockabilly trucking song titled "Smokey Bear. It's a tongue-in-cheek song about the love/hate relationship of truckers and smokey bears (cops), and it's full of trucker lingo. (For those who don't know... I used to be an OTR long-haul truck driver... as in "18-wheeler.") My Dutch friend RJF Mensies helped me write the lyrics while I was in the Netherlands, right after I finished up my 2011 European tour. I'm slowly getting back into the groove and am starting to book some more gigs for 2016. So far I have a casino gig in North Dakota in March with three other gals. It's a Queens of Classic Country tribute show of Loretta, Dolly, Reba, Patsy. In April I'm playing a rockabilly festival just east of Jackson, MS with Jimmy Harrell's (of Alton & Jimmy) band backing me. I'll be going back to England this summer to be one of the headliners on the Americana International Festival in July, as well as a few more shows there, with the Salt Creek band backing me. I'm really looking forward to that. Today (Feb 9th, 2016) I have a new single being released to worldwide radio, "How Can I Face Tomorrow" on Hillcrest Music, a single-release service based out of Canada. The last time I released a single through them, I landed a #1 Hit on the European CMA Charts (now defunct). I think that's enough news for now. I'll try to make it not nearly as long next time. Until next time!! Tracey K
Letter from Tracey K. June 26, 2014 Hi Friends, Here's a quick update.... I've been extremely busy putting together a huge Rockabilly Benefit Show coming up on Sun, August 3rd (4pm-10pm) at the Nashville Palace. It's a benefit for the wife of Sun Records rockabilly legend, Carl "Mona Lisa" Mann. Joyce Mann has been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, which involves extensive and expensive medical treatment, including leading up to a bone marrow transplant. Several Rockabilly Legends will be appearing. Check out the Rockabilly Benefit Show page for more details. It's open to all ages, so bring the whole family. Tickets are now on sale! For those who can't attend, please consider making a Donation which will go towards her medical bills. The Donate link is on that Benefit page as well. On another note... appearances coming up...
Recently I have also become involved in a side business as a Vacation Promoter for a VIP Invitation-Only Private Travel Club. This comes in very handy for me with my extensive traveling I do relating to my music. If you're interested in how you too can travel at wholesale prices to 5-star resorts, where you're treated like royalty, for 2-to 3-star prices, contact me. It's a FUN thing to be involved in... "Making a Living.... LIVING!" Until next time! Tracey K
November 20, 2013 Hi Friends, I thought I'd stop in here and drop a quick line for a few little updates. Tonight I have the honor of being one of the performers for my dear friend Jerry Foster and Friends 78th Birthday show at the Commodore Grille, Holiday Inn, West End, Nashville. For those of you who don't know, Jerry is a hit songwriter who wrote such hits as "The Easy Part's Over", "The Day The World Stood Still" (Charley Pride), "39 & Holding" (Jerry Lee Lewis), "I'll Think Of Something" (Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Jr., Mark Chesnutt), and so many more. Since it's supposed to be a Writer's Night, I'll be performing a rockabilly trucking song I wrote, with Nathan Belt accompanying me on guitar. There will be a surprise special guest also performing who first hit it big when she was just a little girl back in the 1950s. She will be performing her famous hit, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." Other plans are in the works for some other shows and projects, which will be revealed at a later date. Until next time, Tracey K
June 30, 2013 Hi Friends, Time flies, as usual. I've been taking somewhat of a break from touring for the last several months (year and a half), which is why there haven't been many updates on the site. But I'm pleased to say that I just updated the calendar today, and there will be more shows to be added soon. Have some pending for later this year, and already have my first confirmed gig for next year. In a few days I'll be heading over to England again for a return engagement at the 33rd Annual Americana International Festival. This year my supporting band will be The Fret Tones, from Scotland. Always so wonderful to see all those wonderful folks across the Big Pond again. I'm sure England was my home in another life! haha! Except it scares the livin' daylights out of me how FAST they drive, on the opposite side of the road, in those multitudes of roundabouts! Those roundabouts going the opposite way are just so confusing.... it nearly short-circuits my brain because my natural instinct is to bear right... not bear left. Because of that, I prefer to ride in the back seat instead of front passenger seat (the left side)... which is like sitting in the driver's seat in non-British vehicles, without the steering wheel. Plans are also in the works for another European tour for 2014, hopefully with my Nashville band. Once dates are confirmed, they'll be posted on my Calendar as well as Facebook, Artist Data/SonicBids and Myspace... yes, Myspace still has a user-friendly Artist Itinerary. Until next time, Tracey K
November 11, 2011 Hi Friends, Time flies, as usual. First I want to say that it is with regret I announce the cancellation of the Eastern Caribbean Rockabilly Cruise slated for Feb 12-19th, due to slow sales. The economy isn't good enough yet for the rockabilly fans to be able to afford this extra, so I'm thinking of rescheduling it for possibly next year, depending on the economy. Completed my 2-month European tour (July and August). It was nice to avoid the insanely hot and humid summer here in Nashville... and it was pretty cold in Europe for the most part while I was there, although somehow I managed to get a nasty sunburn one day. Had a blast, met lots of wonderful people. Covered six countries starting in England, then Germany, Poland, Austria, Netherlands and Belgium. When I wasn't playing on the stage, I was travelling around Europe by train. That was an adventure, especially in Germany trying to read German words on the train display so I would know which stop to get off and which train to connect to! Crash course in German. I found it was easier to read it than to understand it verbally. Also found it was easiest to navigate in Holland (Netherlands) because there is more English in public places. The airport has English everywhere! :-) Wrote a rockabilly trucking song with a friend while in the Netherlands, which will go on a special project in the future. Been doing some other writing since I got back home too. In England, I had Chris Casello (lead guitar - Nashville, Lorne Rall (bass - Nashville), Andy Watson (drums - Wales) and Pete Hutton (rhythm guitar - England supporting me at the Americana Int'l Festival in Newark, England, organized by the fabulous Chris & Bev Jackson, and their family. They are such awesome people! Once I took the train to Germany the band East of Memphis, based out of Germany was the support and backup band for the remainder of the tour. The band included Uwe Pfennig (lead), Olaf Gross (standup bass), and Kitty Reed (drums) with Rene Voss (Netherlands) filling in for Kitty on a couple shows. After the first couple of shows I added my friend Shawn Harvey (who also fronts his own band, The B57's) on rhythm guitar who also traded off with Uwe on some lead licks. Special thanks go to Tracey Lawless, Michael & Barbara Kettling, Uwe and Heidi Pfennig, Shawn & Silke Harvey, Rene & Sylvia Voss, and Sandy Harris for their gracious hospitality while I stayed in Germany and England. Have been invited back to the Americana Int'l Festival in 2013. Working on planning a small Canadian tour for summer 2012. If you want me to play a show in your area in Ontario, please send me a venue name, with contact info, and also ask the venue to contact me as well, so we can make that happen. May be heading back to Belgium too for a few dates in late summer as well. As many of you know, I was a long-haul truck driver (big rig) for several years. Lately I've been doing some freelance driving again for some various companies. In mid-October I was included in a video shoot of Lindsay Lawlor, who did a trucking video for her single "Highway Angel." I'm the lady trucker in the cool black Peterbilt, with my little dog, wearing my black leather jacket. I was also on Marcia Campbell's All-Nighter Radio Show (trucking show) on WSM Radio (650 AM WSM Nashville, TN) on Oct 21st, 2011. We go back to 1999 and we had a BLAST! Featured some of my music, as well as of a few friends that I wanted to feature their music (Tony Martin, Richard Mensies, James Intveld). Been doing some occasional driving for the Beth Moore show (women's motivational speaker). She's a really sweet lady and beautiful inside and out. She's always flabbergasted to see me on the tour and "handling that big rig", she's so funny. I'm doing a few more shows in the Nashville area, which is highly unusual! First, on Tues, Nov 29th at The Rutledge on the Billy Block Show, I have the 9:30pm slot for about 30 minutes, so if you want to catch me singing in Nashville, now is your chance. Going to showcase my new album "Rockin' Little Angel." I call it my "better-late-than-never" CD Release show. :-) I was just way too busy preparing for the European tour this summer and organizing the Rockabilly Cruise I didn't have time to plan an earlier CD Release show. Then on Dec 3rd, I'm scheduled to perform at both Glenn Douglas Tubb's annual Christmas Show and Cappo's Annual Humane Society Benefit Christmas Show. Check my Calendar for details. Ok, that's it for now! Gotta get crackin' and get back to work! Until next time, Tracey K
June 14, 2011 Hi Friends, Well, another Fan Fair (CMA Music Fest) is behind us, and back to the grind. Did my annual show at Layla's Bluegrass Inn on Broadway. Nice crowd. Tried out some new rockabilly songs on them. I always like it when people get on the dance floor, we entertainers know the crowd is liking the music then. Every Fan Fair I have a houseguest (Margie) from Massachusetts who has stayed with me for the last 10 years or so. She has been coming to Fan Fair for the last 27 years and has made that 2-day drive (each way) each year!! She's addicted I'd say! LOL This year my schedule allowed for she and I to actually hang out and do some things together, which was a nice treat. Shortly after her arrival on the Sunday, we went out to the Foobar to see Kenny Vaughn and others. On Monday we went to the Zoo together... that was a first for me. A couple spiders bit my ankles and I had a couple nasty wounds. But it was wonderful to see the exotic animals. Took several pictures, which I will upload later to my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/tkhoustonmusic). Wander on over there if you would and "Like" it. On Tues evening we went to a private party with a jam session, those are always good. Then to Robert's Western World later that night to hear Harry Fontana and the Tennessee Tone Boys play their fun rockabilly show, as they do every Tues night. Attended the R.O.P.E. Show on Wed featuring some great duets this year, including Jim Ed Brown/Helen Cornelius, Bill Anderson/Jan Howard, Jack Greene/Jeannie Seeley. Jean Shepard was supposed to join her son Hawkshaw Hawkins, Jr,. but she had to cancel due to a health issue. But Hawk Jr. did a great job on his own, including singing one of his dad's famous songs, "Lonesome 7-7203." It was a nice little reunion for us too, as I hadn't seen him in probably around 10 years. Leona Williams, Bobby G. Rice and David Frizzell also appeared, great as always. Others in the crowd included Little David Wilkins, Milton Woolridge, Billy Henson, Jerry Overcast (photographer), Terri and David Church, sat with my "little brother" Troy Cook, Jr and his wife, Joslynn, and Jeannie C. Riley. Wonderful to meet her, we had a nice chat. On Thurs I had my show in the early afternoon, then attended a few other shows/parties later including Moore & Moore's Fanclub party at the Nashville Palace and Gene Watson/Rhonda Vincent's party at the Texas Troubadour Theatre (ET Record Shop). I've been invited to play Moore & Moore's party next year, on Thurs June 7th. So mark your calendars if you're coming to Nashville for Fan Fair next year! :-) On Saturday I braved the insane heat and humidity to help out my friend and fellow artist, Sage Keffer, with a fan meet & greet and a fan club lunch. Then hopped over to the Wildhorse Saloon to catch part of that show (mainly to stay in the coolness), before I braved the heat again at The Riverfront to see David Lee Murphy and Billy Ray Cyrus. It had been several years since I saw DLM do a full concert, with full band, and it had been a few years since I saw him period, even just doing songwriter things. We had a nice chat, got a good picture together, he still gives good hugs and he still looks hot! LOL Didn't get to catch all of Billy Ray's show and didn't get to chat with him later either. Another time. That night we went to the Midnight Jamboree with Mel Tillis hosting, he put on a superb show! Finally fell into bed around 4am. Sunday was a little slower, as I only attended one function, the Americana Carnival at Robert's Western World aired live on WSM Radio with Tony Doolin as host. This month's headliner was James Intveld. He always puts on a great show and this one was no exception. Afterward there was a new act on the stage, 8-10pm, Sarah Gayle Meech. She's a good singer and has a good stage presence, and sings REAL country music with a very good band she put together. I couldn't stay for her whole show but I sure plan on catching her show again before I head out to Europe in three weeks for a 2-month tour. My UK/European tour starts on July 6th and I'll be gone until August 29th. Check out the updated calendar on my website, my Facebook Events page and Myspace for the latest show dates. And last, but not least... The Rockabilly Cruise! www.rockabillycruise.com Hurry to check it out and book now to receive a $100 discount per person from our regular prices. Prices have gone up by $200/room but we've locked in prices until July 10th. Call today to lock in your price with only a $25 deposit per person. Eastern Caribbean, 7-nights, on Celebrity Cruises. My motto for them is: "Luxury without the price of luxury" and they liked it. The website link above has all the details. We've added a couple more acts and one more is pending. Currently confirmed to appear are: Rayburn Anthony (50s Sun Records pioneer); Andrej Rudolf (front man of the Lucky Cupids - Slovenia); Me (insert your own title here); The Chris Casello Trio, a great band in their own right and backing up all the artists; Johnny G & The Cash Kings (Johnny Cash Tribute Band). Check out the cruise webpage to hear some music from all these artists. Ok, that's it for now! Gotta get crackin' and get back to work! Until next time, Tracey K
May 13, 2011 Hi Friends, Today is my sister Melody's birthday. Happy Birthday Melody! It's also country singer's Lari White's birthday, they're exactly the same age. And it's also Johnny Wright's 97th birthday today. He is one-half of the famous duo Johnny & Jack from the 40s through 60s, and also he is the one responsible for giving Kitty Wells (his wife) her start in country music. Plus it's Friday the 13th. I just stayed inside and worked all day. With my luck lately it wouldn't have been a very good day if I had gone anywhere.... with all those superstitious people out there amongst us and causing accidents! LOL As usual, it's been a crazy few months! I've been doing a bit of truck driving (big rig) lately, which takes me away from home, plus on the side I'm also doing some Limo Driving... so if you need any freight hauled somewhere in a tractor-trailer or you need a Limo driver... or a tour bus driver, give me a holler! :-) In July I'll be performing in the UK for the first time, starting with the highly acclaimed Americana International Festival in Newark, England from July 7-10th. My show date is Sat, July 9th from 2-3pm on the Main Stage. I'll have Chris Casello (Mr. Guitar Extraordinaire) with me, as well as some band members of James Intveld's backing me on that show. Any of my friends and fans in England, please come by and see me, say Hi! Would love to see you! In addition to that, I'm in the process of trying to book several more dates on a UK/European tour for July & August, So if you know of any reputable venues I should contact, give me a shout with the information. :-) Have some show dates in Germany (with The Lucky Cupids) backing me up, in Zwingenberg and Ennis. Also some pending dates in Italy and Switzerland. Another big project I'm currently working on is organizing a Valentine's Rockabilly Cruise for Feb 12-19th, 2012. We'll have 7 glorious nights in the Eastern Caribbean! It's on Celebrity Cruise Lines, with ports of call in San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Philipsburg, St. Maarten (my favorite), along with private concerts, meet & greet session, special giveaways and many other special perks. We're hoping to get 50 couples to make it worthwhile to go. It's not just for couples, there will be plenty of singles on the cruise too. If you're travelling solo and need a roommate, and wish to room with another Solo traveller in the group, please contact me directly to be put on a list so we can assist you in finding a roommate for the Cruise and save yourself the Single Supplement fee. Make new Rockabilly friends! For the entertainment, so far we have confirmed to appear: 1) Rayburn Anthony - Sun Records rockabilly pioneer from Jackson, TN; 2) Andrej Rudolf - Velvet Voice of The Lucky Cupids from Slovenia, Europe; 3) and me. Some people call me "the rockabilly princess" and others call me "the rockin' little angel", so you can take your pick! haha! Other acts are pending and will be announced just as soon as they are confirmed. Check out my new website I just created for the Rockabilly Cruise. Please join us for the Rockabilly Cruise, it will be a blast in the sparkling Eastern Caribbean and the prices are quite reasonable for a 7-night cruise. There's a special going on right now until June 10 for discounted rates, and a reduced deposit fee of only $25.00 per person versus the usual $250.00 per person!! I will be playing my annual Fan Fair show again this year at Layla's Bluegrass Inn. Thurs, June 9th, 2011 at 12noon - 1:15pm. This will be the only time I will be performing during Fan Fair. I will NOT be signing at any booth this year, the Classic Country Booth that I had been signing at for the last few years wasn't approved for a booth again this year by the CMA. They have really altered their criteria to get a booth now. I quit having my own individual artist booth after 2004 due to the expense and loads of time it takes. My plans to attend the school reunion in B.C. prior to the UK/European tour have been scrapped. The organizer cancelled it. But that's OK with me because it frees up my time while preparing for the overseas tour. What a concept, spending the summer touring in Europe. I'm excited! :-) Oh yeah, how could I forget!! My latest album, Rockin' Little Angel, released in January is doing quite well for radio airplay. Please call your radio station and request some songs. You can check them out on my Music page on this site, or even my Facebook page. The songs getting airplay are: Gotta Lot Of Rhythm In My Soul; Stupid Cupid; Knockin' On The Backside of Your Heart; Cryin' Over You; Funnel of Love; and the latest one sent to radio is Just A Little Too Much. Saw that latter song on a tracking sheet today for the first time! Yeah! Thank you all who have been coming to the shows and buying my CDs. It means alot! Hopefully I'll be doing more shows this year in more places! And please keep calling and emailing your local radio stations and requesting my music! Until next time, Tracey K
February 7, 2011
Well Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Yes, I know I'm a little bit late! :-) Lots of things been going on for me, and I can't believe that it's already February! First, I wanted to announce that my rockabilly album, "Rockin' Little Angel" has FINALLY been released to radio a couple weeks ago. We're getting a few adds to radio stations across the country, including some Americana Chart Reporters. The current single is "Cryin' Over You" (with special guest James Intveld doing harmony vocals), but the Americana stations basically play whatever they want off the album, or what the listeners may request off the album, so if you don't mind, please call your local station and request a song from the album. :-) You can check out some of the songs on the General Store page. Second, I wanted to announce that I have recently signed on with a new agent to exclusively represent my Loretta Lynn tribute, "Hey Loretta, The Girl From Butcher Holler." Contact Wayne if you want to book the Hey Loretta show only. Otherwise, you can still contact me directly for booking my honky tonk country & rockabilly shows.
Exclusive Representation by:
Wayne Hunnicutt (813) 610-8180 In July we're slated to appear on the world-renowned Americana Festival in Newark, Nottingham, England on Saturday, July 9th, 2011 from 2:00-3:00pm. Then afterward we're heading to Germany and other parts of Europe. If you are interested in securing a European show booking while I'm there, please contact me ASAP. I will be appearing with a couple great European bands, The Lenne Rockers (Germany) and The Lucky Cupids (Slovenia). Plans are for me to be there through July and into August. Just prior to heading over to Europe, I'm hoping to attend a school reunion in British Columbia, in one of my old hometowns. Looking forward to seeing several of my old classmates from back then. :-) Was looking to do a small tour of B.C. at that time, but at this point it doesn't look like it's going to happen. In March we have a small tour planned in parts of Texas and New Mexico. Once dates are firmed up, I'll post them on the Calendar page, as well as my MySpace (link above). In May and September other plans are in the works to open for a couple big name country legends. Once the contracts are signed, then I'll post that information too. Been having some good shows lately, and meeting lots of nice folks along the way! Thank you all who have been coming to the shows and buying my CDs. It means alot! Hopefully I'll be doing more shows this year in more places! Until next time, Tracey K
September 6, 2010 Happy Labour Day weekend everyone! Hope you're enjoying this beautiful weather. This is my favourite time of year down here in Nashville because the insane heat and humidity are gone, they're beautiful days with bearable temperatures and low humidity. I like it when I can turn off the air conditioner and leave the windows open for fresh air, in both the house and the truck. This summer has been hectic for me. After Fan Fair I took a few days off and went to California, it was nice to escape the oppressive heat here. Then back to work. Up until Friday, August 13th, I had a day job as the Office Manager of an Entertainment Law Firm, but they decided to cease business on July 30th, and on July 31st the two remaining attorneys moved their individual offices out. I had the deplorable task of "closing up shop" getting rid of office furniture and equipment of two full floors worth of office space, plus preparing tons of files for archiving (that's a full time job in itself), plus handling all the administration duties for closing a business. I put in over 120 hours in those two weeks, packing up and doing a bunch of heavy lifting of boxes and furniture. Thank goodness THAT is behind me! I was exhausted for a week after that! For now I'm handling a few residual admin duties for the firm from home, but that will be coming to an end very soon. This week in Nashville is the Americana Music Association Conference & Festival. I was hoping to attend the conference, but that's not happening this year, but I will be attending the nightly shows. If you've never heard of the AMA Festival and love real country, rockabilly and roots music, you really need to check it out. There are over 100 different artists doing shows over 4 nights at several different venues throughout Nashville. Wristband passes for the 4-nights of shows cost $50. These are just the AMA-sanctioned shows, not even including the many different shows going on throughout town at all the other clubs. I'm looking forward to seeing Dale Watson, Wanda Jackson, Jason D. Williams, Charlie Louvin, Raul Malo, Susan Cowsill, Shawn Camp, Tony Joe White, Fairfield Four, and many others. I didn't get a showcase slot this year, so I'm not performing (unless I'm called for a last-minute fill-in slot), so I'll be enjoying attending the shows. For the lovers of roots music, the AMA Festival is even better than Fan Fair (now known as CMA Festival), because it sticks to roots-type music, not modern day country-pop stuff. Plus the cost is much less expensive and the shows are in more intimate settings allowing the fans to get up close, and meet the artists as well in a more casual setting. Until next time, Tracey K
June 15, 2010 Yikes! I can't believe it's been since September since I made my last update. This is crazy. Ok, updates... in October I went into the studio to start recording my new rockabilly album. The session players were killer! Singing with them in the studio created such a great energy in the room giving me more confidence and made me sing better than I expected! :-) Chris Casello on lead guitar and lap steel, Rodger Morris on piano, Steve Holland on drums, Joe Spivey on rhythm guitar and fiddle, Dave Roe on upright bass, John Heinrich on saxophone. Backup vocalists Darrell O'Donnell and Jennifer O'Brien (backup vocalist for Dolly Parton). Special guest artists include Marti Brom and James Intveld. James also played piano on one song. Teri Joyce (writer of Blue Tattoo) joined Marti and me in the studio and hung out with us. I recorded the album at Bayou Studios in Nashville, Tennessee in the big room, the analog studio with 2-inch tape. It was great! Such a warm sound. I produced the album with George Clinton as Associate Producer lending me a hand, and Jesse Poe as Engineer. We recorded, overdubbed, mixed... did everything on the analog tape, and then once it was all done we dumped it to digital only to put it to CD. This way we didn't lose any of that warmth in any part of the recording and mixing process. After some delays I finally have the finished product in my hand and it is now available. The album is called "Rockin' Little Angel." I should have it up on the site in a few days. It will be available through CDBaby, the usual online outlets (Amazon.com, iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.) shortly, plus directly through me if you want it signed. There are 14 songs on it, and the cost is $15.00. I need to update my General Store page, don't I? I have a bunch of different pictures and other stuff available. I went out to Southern California for the first time over the Christmas Holidays and New Year's. Did my rockabilly photoshoot out there the day after Christmas, the weather was much warmer there for an outdoor shoot than here in Nashville, where it was very cold! (Below freezing.) Tim Hunter was the photographer, and his team mate Heaven was the hair/makeup lady. They both did a fabulous job! That night after the photoshoot, some friends and I headed over to Joe's Great Bar in Burbank to catch James Intveld's show. It was great. He shocked me though and got me up to sing with him, that had never happened before so I was very nervous, I wasn't prepared mentally to get up onstage and sing. Yes, I have to prepare myself mentally and psych myself up in order to get on that stage without being shy and nervous. Went out to Los Angeles again in May and played the Rockabilly Showdown with The Lone Gunmen, the rockabilly band I use on the West Coast. Check them out! Other acts on the lineup included the Jackpot Club and The Palaminos. I absolutely fell in love with The Palaminos' music! They're not rockabilly but they're sure great honky tonk music! Check them out on Myspace. Just finished with Fan Fair 2010 last week. Appeared on the Reunion of Professional Entertainers (R.O.P.E.) show on Wed, June 9th. Other artists appearing included Crystal Gayle, Lorrie Morgan, Leona Williams, W.S. Holland Band, Little David Wilkins, David Frizzell, David Church, Tugboat Jerry, Jesse Lee Jones, John Conlee... who am I missing? Oh yeah, me with my special guest James Intveld. That reminds me, here's a nice review that Marty Martel (President of ROPE) wrote, that was truly humbling and overwhelming:
Then on Friday, June 11th I did a Fan Fair show at Layla's Bluegrass Inn in the afternoon. The place was packed. The Chris Casello Trio backed me up as I featured songs from my brand new rockabilly album and my latest country album (Just The Way I Am). They were awesome, as usual. Check them out! I've just been running insanely busy, taking care of all this stuff, recording a new album, getting it ready for release, trying to get show bookings, etc., so I'm going to take a little break for a few days (what's that???) heading out to California and get away from this insane heat in Nashville for a few days. Until next time, Tracey K
September 4, 2009 As usual, it's been super crazy busy and I haven't updated this News page in a timely fashion. I like being busy, but I don't like it this chaotic! I hope my schedule eases up a little. The Canadian tour in June/July 2009 with my tour-mate James Intveld went very well. We had shows in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, and played to some packed houses. It was very nice being back "home" and seeing lots of my family members. The benefit show in Nashville on April 1st for Ernie Ashworth & Ray Griff went off without a hitch and we raised lots of money for both of the beneficiaries. Except, unfortunately on March 2nd, Ernie Ashworth passed away unexpectedly, so his share of the proceeds went to Ernie's Estate. Several artists appeared: Crystal Gayle, Jesse McReynolds, Jim Ed Brown (we did a duet), Troy Cook Jr (we duetted too), Stu Phillips, Jack Greene, Lonzo & Oscar, James Intveld, Stonewall Jackson, and David Ball. April 1st was also Jim Ed Brown's 75th birthday! He's still singing great! Since I returned from the tour, I've been fairly busy with working with a rockabilly great, Carl Mann, and we've been doing some shows together. I played on the main stage at the International Rockabilly Festival in Jackson TN in August with Carl, then on subsequent weekends I've been doing some shows with him too. I'm trying to play "catch up" now that I'm back home from tour and not having to deal with tour preparations, so I'm only doing a few shows here and there the rest of this year. However, I'm working on some dates in Europe for next year. Hopefully that will pan out. Somehow or another I have to squeeze in the time to have a photo shoot done and start work on my new album project. This one is going to be a rockabilly project, and I'll have a surprise special guest doing a couple duets with me. I'm VERY excited about that!! :-) Until next time, Tracey K
Feb 19, 2009 Well... I sure have been super busy since I last posted a letter. Let me fill you in a little on what I've been doing! 1) Booking a Canadian summer tour. Tour stops include Shellbrook, Sask, Drayton Valley, Alberta, and Calgary, Alberta; James Intveld is my tour mate. Check out his music, it's really great! 2) Organizing a fundraiser Benefit/tribute show for Ray Griff (recovering from throat cancer) in Calgary, Alberta, Tues, June 30th, 2009 at the Stetson Saloon. Several Canadian artists are confirmed to appear, including Monika with a "K", Gene Gebo, Blaine McKenzie, Mary Resek, Toni Lynne, Doug Jones, Peter Pshyk, Shane Chisholm, plus three headliners from Nashville, myself, James Intveld and Grand Ole Opry Star, George Hamilton IV; 3) Putting together a dual Benefit show for Grand Ole Opry Star, Ernie Ashworth, and Ray Griff here in Nashville. Ernie lost his wife to cancer in Nov 2007 after a long battle with cancer, and he recently had triple bypass surgery. (Added: Mar 4, 2009: We just lost Ernie on March 2, 2009 due to a heart attack. He will be missed! The show is still proceeding.) Confirmed to appear are: Crystal Gayle, George Hamilton IV, Jim Ed Brown, Stonewall Jackson, Stu Phillips, Jesse McReynolds, James Intveld and David Ball. That's being held here in Nashville on Wed, April 1st, 2009 at The Texas Troubadour Theatre (Ernest Tubb Record Shop) on Music Valley Drive; 4) Putting together a new production called "Icons In Concert" which has many of the finest tribute acts and professional impersonators in the world. Check out the Icons In Concert myspace for details. See my Calendar page for details. Hope to see you at some of the shows! Until next time... Tracey K
Dec 8, 2008 Today marks a sad day in history. On this day in 1982 we lost Marty Robbins. I'll never forget that. I always loved Marty's music, but never got to meet him. I'll never forget when I heard the news that he passed away after his bypass surgery.... I cried. His hit on the charts around that time was "Some Mem'ries Just Won't Die"... boy, isn't that the truth? Also on this day in 1980 the world lost John Lennon. Several things going on with my music. As of Nov 24, 2008 my new album, Just The Way I Am, was in the "Top 5 Most Added" on the Americana Music charts here in Nashville. At the time of this writing it hasn't made it to the Top 40 on the chart yet, but with any luck and requests and nice Music Directors, hopefully I'll get lots of airplay! :-) The current single is "Just The Way I Am" although some Americana stations, Public Radio and Triple A stations play whatever they want off the album.... kinda sorta like what DJ's did in the old days. So start calling your radio stations to request whatever song you like off the album! :-) The new single reached #12 in September in Europe. Yeah! Thank you DJ's and listeners. :-) I'm working with a couple business partners in a new music venture, which will also involve booking other artists into shows. I believe we'll be starting out doing some shows in Ohio in the Spring. I'll keep you posted on that more as things evolve. I was recently contacted by the manager of a Conway Twitty tribute artist, Dave Parsons, asking if I'd be interested in joining forces and combining our respective Conway and Loretta tribute shows. After much discussion we decided to put a show together, so we're working on bookings for that show right now. The show is called, "Hey Loretta, Hello Darlin'" and we should start touring with that in the Spring. It's more of a Legends-type show instead of my usual "Hey Loretta, The Girl From Butcher Holler" tribute show, which is a story & song format. If you want to see this show brought to your area, contact me. I've had a few changes in my band since I last posted. I bid Manda Lou farewell and encouraged her to spread her wings with her own band and brand of music. She had her first two gigs on Thurs & Fri, Dec 4th & 5th, 2008. Nice to see the young 'uns spreading their wings. :-) My drummer, Keely, has basically quit the longer road gigs to go back to school, so I wish him luck with that, but it still means me having to find another drummer. I'm in the process of going through rockabilly songs for my next album project I'll be starting on next year. I used to sing rockabilly and country when I lived in Calgary, but since I moved to Nashville 13 years ago, I mainly focused on country, so I need to get my chops up on rockabilly again before I go into the studio for this project, which is why I added a rockabilly element to my regular show. Now I do country and rockabilly. :-) Going to Canada next summer to do some gigs. So far we have a couple shows in Shellbrook, SK confirmed for the Shellbrook 100 Year Homecoming which runs from June 27 through July 1st. Our show dates are Fri & Sat, June 26 & 27th. Other acts include Canadians Leah Durelle, Brian Sklar (& The Tex Pistols), me, and another act to be announced. So now I'm working on booking some other dates in other western Canadian cities while we're up there. :-) There are other things in the works right now, which will be announced at a later date. That's all I can think of for now! Until next time.... Tracey K
Aug 1, 2008 Well, I've been a busy little bee trying to get everything done! In mid-July my brand new album, "Just the Way I Am" became available. I haven't "officially" released it yet (ie., had a CD release party) because I've been busy working on the behind-the-scenes stuff that has kept me busy. I'm hoping to get that put up on my Music page soon. But in the meantime you can go to CDBaby and listen to clips there, as well as purchase it. We are working on some gig dates, so if you want us to come to your area, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate you.
I have just put a brand new band together, still doing the classic/traditional country, but I've also added a rockabilly element to it. We present classic country from the 50s/60s, fresh traditional country music, and rockabilly music from the 50s. I've asked Harry Fontana to join the band and lend his rockabilly talents to the group. He is a bundle of energy on stage and he wears me out just watching him! I can't help but dance when I hear his music. If you can sit still watching him perform, you must be deaf or dead ! LOL Both Tracey K. and Harry have recorded albums, and their own music is performed as well. We are available for "non-smoking" venues, including clubs, cabarets, casinos, theatres, house parties, etc. If you would like to hire the band for a private party or other venue, please feel free to contact us.
I'm still doing my "Hey Loretta" tribute show, but that's suitable for theatres, cabarets, casinos, etc.
Let me introduce my new band members to you:
BAND MEMBERS:
Tracey K. Houston - vocals Harry Fontana - guitar/vocals Chris Casello - guitar/steel Scott Icenogle - Upright Bass Keely Lane - Drums Manda Lou - Keyboard/Sax
If you are on Myspace, please add me as a friend, www.myspace.com/traceykhouston or by clicking HERE, and add a blurb in the friend request that you found me on Myspace through my website. :-)
Also, I'm just about to start a promotional campaign for my first single I'm going to release off my new album, and I need your help on that. Please visit my Myspace page and click on the "Listener Poll" blog to view the choices for singles. Then listen to the FIVE songs from the new album that are posted, and post a BLOG comment as to what your choice is. This will help me a great deal in deciding which songs the fans prefer and getting your opinion heard!! :-)
In early July I made a special trip up to Calgary, Alberta to spend time with my "Uncle" Ray Griff, who has throat cancer, as I reported in my last letter. I'm happy to report that he's been showing some progress. He has completed his radiation treatments and it's been a very rough road with excruciating pain for him. The feeding tube has been removed, he is finally starting to speak a bit (he had lost his voice), but he still cannot eat solid food yet. He still needs your prayers for his continued recovery, as he's getting better, but he's still not well. A benefit/fundraiser show in Calgary is in the works, of which I will be a part of, date TBA.
I guess that's it for now! Until next time, Tracey K
June 13, 2008 Fan Fair (CMA Music Fest) is behind us now for another year, whew! Had a great time, although I wore myself out completely. Did a couple shows during the week, plus two days of signing at the Classic Country Fan Fair booth. And.... I actually took time out to have fun and not be the Artist, so I attended some shows of other artists. On the Thurs after my afternoon show, I went to the Moore & Moore fanclub party with my buddy Rollie Stevens. Rollie performed on my afternoon show, and since he works with Lynn Anderson he wanted me to go to the Moore & Moore party since Lynn was supposed to be there and he wanted me to meet her. We cut out of the Moore & Moore party a little early and headed to the ROPE (Reunion of Professional Entertainers) Show, where Stonewall Jackson, Jim Glaser, Roni Stoneman and others were playing. I hadn't seen Stonewall in a long time so I wanted to see him again. After that we cut out and headed back downtown to Robert's on Broadway. A friend of mine, David Tanner, and his band were playing that night. He invited me up to sing a few songs, which I did.... some Merle Haggard and Tammy Wynette songs. It was fun jamming. Friday night I went to the show of James Intveld at The Basement. Now let me tell you something.... if you want to be entertained, this guy will do it! Awesome talent! Great voice, great choice of songs, great writer, very versatile. He does his own style of old country sounding songs and also rockabilly. All around a very nice guy. Saturday afternoon I took the day off from being an Artist and melted in the hot sun enjoying the entertainment at the Chevy Plaza.... Michael Peterson, Deborah Allen, Jedd Hughes, Trent Summar and James Intveld again. Sunday afternoon I was back in Artist mode and signing at the Fan Fair booth, along with Rollie Stevens, Todd Sullivan, and James Intveld. We all had fun meeting and visiting with the fans and each other. Mel Tillis' booth was right next to ours so we had a nice little chat and I had a good picture taken with him. I plan on putting some pictures up on this website soon, but until I get them up here, please check out my Myspace page for LOTS of pictures! www.myspace.com/traceykhouston Now I'm trying to play "catch up" now that Fan Fair is over. Working on getting some more bookings for the summer. I'm wanting to get back up to Calgary, Alberta (one of my old hometowns) and see my dear friend, "Uncle" Ray Griff, who is not in the best of health right now. Hoping to get up there this summer with or without a show booking. I've finished recording my latest album, "Just The Way I Am", we're just mixing and mastering it right now, and working on the graphics. It's VERY country... classic country... and bluegrass. :-) It should be ready for shipping by the end of this month. It is available for pre-sales. $14 USD including shipping. Just mail a USD money order or check to me and I'll send it out as soon as I get the CD from the pressing plant. If you wish to pay via credit card, you may pay via PayPal.
May 30, 2008 Well, it's that time of year again!!! Fan Fair (now known as the CMA Music Fest) is upon us!! I've been a really busy time of year for me, with preparing for finishing recording my new album, preparing for Fan Fair, getting the band all organized, doing all the pre-production stuff for the album, including the behind the scenes stuff of what pics to choose for the graphics, the theme, etc., etc. The recording of the final songs for the album went really well this past weekend (Memorial Day weekend). We are currently mixing and mastering it, and working on the graphics. Hopefully it'll be ready to ship by mid-June, or July 1st at the latest. I'm really busy this coming week for Fan Fair. Have a couple shows I'm doing, plus signing at the Classic Country Fan Fair booth (booth #800) a couple days. Shows: Tues, June 3rd, 8pm, Texas Troubadour Theatre (Ernest Tubb Record Shop), Music Valley Drive, Nashville, TN; Thurs, June 5th, 2-4pm; Layla's Bluegrass Inn, 418 Broadway, Nashville TN (next to Roberts). See my calendar for more information. Booth signings: Fri, June 6th, 1:30-3:30pm, with my friends Rollie Stevens and Lonzo & Oscar; Sun, June 8th, 12:00pm until whenever, with Rollie Stevens (he does a mean Marty Robbins tribute). Every day and evening this coming week is booked solid. Wow, I can just imagining how I'll be collapsing with exhaustion by next Sunday night! LOL
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Please look around Tracey K.'s web site... learn what she is currently doing... read her bio... listen to sound clips... view photos... sign her guestbook... join her internet fan club... shop for her merchandise. We hope that you enjoy your visit and will return here frequently.
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The Americana Music Association
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