The Country Show with Bob Harris

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Music: Country

The very best in Country music, celebrating the new alongside the defining legendary names

The very best in Country music, celebrating the new alongside the defining legendary names.

The Country Show with Bob Harris: Gretchen Peters in session!

Gretchen Peters

Gretchen Peters in session!

BBC Radio 2 - The Country Show with Bob Harris, Gretchen Peters in session!

Gretchen Peters  joins Bob from her home in Florida to play some songs from her new album "The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury"

Gretchen Peters - accompanied by musical partner and husband Barry Walsh -  joins Bob from her home in Florida to play some songs from her new album "The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury", which is out tomorrow.

She and Barry will also be telling us how they're coping with the lockdown over in the US, and there may be a word or two from the dog as well!

For two decades, Gretchen Peters has been one of Nashville’s most beloved and respected artists. “If Peters never delivers another tune as achingly beautiful as ‘On A Bus To St. Cloud,'” People Magazine wrote, “she has already earned herself a spot among country’s upper echelon of contemporary composers.” Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2014 by singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, who called her “both a songwriter and a poet (who) sings as beautifully as she writes,” and said her song “The Matador”, “moved me so greatly, I cried from the soles of my feet”, Peters has accumulated accolades as a songwriter for artists as diverse as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Bryan Adams and Faith Hill. Her song “Independence Day”, recorded by Martina McBride, won a CMA Song of the Year award in 1995. She has been nominated for 2 Grammys (“Independence Day/Martina McBride, “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am”/Patty Loveless), a Golden Globe (“Here I Am”/Bryan Adams), and numerous other awards. Her 2015 album, ‘Blackbirds’ was awarded International Album of the Year and Song of the Year by the UK Americana Association. In 2015, The Telegraph named her one of the greatest 60 female singer-songwriters of all time.

Mickey Newbury’s songs have been covered by hundreds upon hundreds of artists; over 1,000 covers have been documented. Mickey also recorded 25 albums over 35 years. Though he considered himself a songwriter first and singer second, his own albums are critically acclaimed and highly desired by a very passionate fan base the world over. His hits for other artists include "Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings" for Tom Jones, "Just Dropped In" , the first big hit for Kenny Rogers and - of course - "An American Trilogy" which became one of Elvis Presley's signature songs.

Many consider him to be the best of the best. Kris Kristofferson says, “God, I learned more about songwriting from Mickey than I did any other single human being. To me he was a songbird. He comes out with amazing words and music... I’m sure that I never would have written Bobby McGee, Sunday Morning Coming Down... if I had never known Mickey. He was my hero and still is.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when so many musicians are unable to tour, Radio 2's Country Show is asking artists to perform from their own front room, doing a little to keep the bond between artist and audience alive. First up was Carly Pearce, followed by Thomas Rhett and Mandy Barnett, with the likes of Steve Earle, Willie Jones, Kip Moore, Courtney Marie Andrews and Scotty McCreery to come.

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

Radio 2: Amazing music. Played by an amazing line-up. The home of great music, entertainment and documentaries

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Gretchen Peters in session!

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