They're Back with a Bang: The Mavericks Launch New Single

The media has been telling us that Lionel Richie is the biggest country star on earth right now.  But the last time I mentioned it and asked for your comments, most of you seemed to land somewhere between amused and appalled at the thought.  I get it.  When I was a kid, Dad played Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Patsy Cline ALL the time.  My grandmother yodeled.  My first concert was Johnny Cash at the WHO Theater in Des Moines in 1963.  I was only four years old but it still counts!

I'm what you call a country music purist for sure, and I haven't cared much for most contemporary country music for a long time.

Well, we just got some news from Universal that I am EXCITED about! (I think you will be too, Dwight, we seem to agree on music pretty regularly.) 

The Mavericks are back with all the buzz you'd expect from one of country music's most successful bands of the 90's.  With countless hits, gold and platinum albums, and numerous CMA, ACM, and Grammy awards, there is no arguing that they could rest on their laurels, but this week the band issued its comeback single "Born to be Blue" to overwhelming reaction.  On Tuesday, May 29 their new EP "Suited Up and Ready" will be released on iTunes. 

If you've never heard them before, check this out to whet your appetite.  This is a 2008 live video of one of their biggest hits, "All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down" originally released in 1996.

What do you think?  Are Lionel's days numbered?  I know I'll be keeping my eyes open for a Mavericks tour date near me. 

"Why My Mom Rocks" Winners

Ariat and RCC teamed up to honor those who hold the toughest and most important job in the world, those with the title of "Mom."  And now, here they are, the winners in the "Why My Mom Rocks" Mother's Day Contest.  Jessica's mom will be getting a complete Ariat outfit, while Julien and Brendon will be presenting their mother with a $100 RCC gift card, and Raigan's effort won her mom a $50 RCC Gift Card.

Jessica Dzienkowski

Not everyone can say their Mom is their best friend, but I know my three sisters and I can. Not only did she raise four beautiful, successful women, but she has stood by us through thick and thin, right or wrong. My Mom is the strongest person I know, she was in a serious fire accident a few years ago but her true strength and passion for life kept her alive. I remember seeing her in the hospital thinking that my world was crashing down, and how SHE comforted ME as she laid in her hospital bed fighting through the pain. She would do anything for "her girls" and she tells us that every day. There has never been a moment in my life that I have ever thought otherwise. This month not only is my family celebrating her for Mother’s Day, but we also just celebrated her 55th birthday! I want this to be the most special month for her, and I want her to feel like the most special mother that she is. I'm proud to say my mother is the most influential female in my life and always will be. She deserves the best this Mother’s Day, because she is the best mom any girl could ask for!

Julien & Brendon Bancroft-Connors

My Mom loves my brother and me more than anything in the whole wide world. She teaches us how to ride our horses, how to cook and how important family truly is. She always stands up for us when we need her but lets us make our own decisions and make our own mistakes. She lets us try new things, won't let us give up just because we are frustrated and tells us to never lose heart. She does everything to keep our lives balanced between country (which we all love) and city (where there is work). When our school here went south, she even changed her whole life around and became our teaching coach! She believes that fun should be a part of everyday but also that you have to work hard and do your best no matter what it is you choose to do ( from mucking stalls to learning at our lessons). My Mom is the kind of person who would help anyone who needed it in a heartbeat but she is cowgirl through and through and won't let people abuse that trust. Mostly, though my Mom is fun and loving. I can’t imagine a better role model or Mom. My Mom ROCKS!

Raigan NesSmith

My Mama...she's a mama of 3 and she's great for a lot of reasons. She's smart, beautiful, funny, and lots of fun. She is a GREAT cook. She helps me take care of my horse (feeding, watering, saddling, brushing) and helps me take care of my fair hogs. She makes sure all the animals have feed. She makes sure we all have clean clothes and a good supper. She is also our 4-H leader and keeps us all very busy. She loves to hunt and fish. She knows how to load, unload, and drive the boat. She is a Shooting Sports instructor. She is the Chairperson of the elementary School Advisory Council and the Chairperson of the local Friends of NRA committee. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and works for 2 separate attorneys. She is a Christian and is very sweet and loving. She is a very busy woman but somehow she manages it all. I love my Mama so much!!!!!!! (: (P.S. The pic I'm attaching is of me and her at a Miranda Lambert concert last year.)

RCC and Ariat Want to Send You to Nashville!

Ariat is a proud sponsor of top athletes including PBR professionals Adriano Moraes, Cord McCoy, Wiley Petersen, Chris Shivers, and Luke Snyder among others.  Now, Ariat and RCC Western Stores are teaming up to give one winner a chance to meet some of them behind the chutes at the PRB Jack Daniels’ Invitational in Nashville on September 7 & 8. 

If you’re that lucky winner, you will receive round trip airfare for two to Nashville, hotel accommodations for two nights, a behind-the-chutes tour, and two VIP tickets.  And to be sure that you’re looking your best, we’ll even throw in a $500.00 RCC/Ariat shopping spree!  You can enter in any of our stores or go to contests.rccwestern.com to fill out an entry form and see the official rules.

RCC Western Stores Now Shipping to the United Kingdom

RCC Western Stores is happy to announce that we are now shipping orders to the UK.  Starting today, customers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales can begin ordering from RCC and accept delivery of their merchandise at their front door.  This is in addition to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany.  This is the most recent step in our expansion and we will be announcing more such additions in the future. 

13 Reasons Nashville Loves Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart, Becomes His Highest-Charting Album in 26 Years

Country Duets Album Is a Worldwide Hit As It Debuts at No. 1 in Canada and in the Top Ten in the U.K., Denmark, Holland and Sweden

NASHVILLE, TN – Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart this week and is his highest-charting album since 1986. With sales of 198,892, it is also the best-selling debut by any country artist this year.

Tuskegee, a collection of 13 of his beloved international hits performed as duets with today’s country stars, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200, behind Madonna. This is his best sales week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, according to Billboard.  His last appearance in the Top Two was in October 1986, when Dancing on the Ceiling held the No. 1 spot for two weeks.

“I am ecstatic!” Richie says. “These songs are like my children, so I am overwhelmed that they are being embraced by several generations of music lovers. I am so grateful to all of my duet partners for bringing their own distinctive styles and personalities to this album and interpreting these songs in fresh new ways.

“I haven’t had this much fun in the studio since the Commodores. I will treasure the memories of working with these country stars for the rest of my life. I’ve made so many brand-new old friends from this album.

“I have loved my time in Nashville and can’t wait to spend more time there writing songs and collaborating in the studio. It inspires me creatively and being there just makes my heart feel good.”

Luke Lewis, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville,  says, “It is gratifying to see consumers react this way to a collection of timeless songs, great performances and an outstanding marketing effort by the UMG team.”

Tuskegee has become an immediate worldwide hit, debuting  at No. 1 on Canada’s Top Albums chart and reaching the Top 10 album charts in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Holland and Sweden. This is his first No. 1 album in Canada in the SoundScan era and his first No. 1 album in Canada since his sophomore solo album, Can’t Slow Down, in 1983.

“What makes this so special is that I am able to experience all of this with my children,” he says. “They are too young to know about the Commodores or anything that I did in the eighties. They just know me as the dad who drives them to school. I’m glad they finally get to see what I do for a living!

“It’s also special because I can share this with my Tuskegee family. Keep in mind that these were the folks who encouraged me when the rest of the world had never heard of Lionel Richie or the Commodores.  I discovered that I was a songwriter in Tuskegee, Alabama, and this is where I wrote all of these songs. The roots of my writing, my storytelling, are from the South.  I am thrilled that the city and the people that made me who I am today are being honored by the warm embrace this album has received.  How fortunate I have been to discover that you can go home again.”

Tuskegee has been an extremely satisfying full-circle moment for Richie, who has earned album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10s, five Grammys, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe, and a host of other awards.

His duet partners on Tuskegee are Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Shania Twain.  The deluxe edition of the album contains a DVD featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions with Richie and his duet partners.

CBS will air ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends-- In Concert on Friday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The show serves as a tribute to Richie’s influential career and features solo performances by Richie as well as duets with Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker and Blake Shelton. It also includes performances of his songs by Jason Aldean, Marc Anthony, Sara Evans, The Band Perry, Martina McBride, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum. 

He will be inducted into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame on June 4. He will join Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke as mentors on the new ABC summer show, Duets.

"Can He Rope It?" Win a Pair of Justin Boots!

Our friends at Justin Boots are having a lot of fun with this one! 

He's a professional trick ropin' cowboy, but can Anthony Lucia rope your challenge? 

Followers so far have seem him rope a calf backwards, rope two steers at once, rope an alligator, rope a paper airplane, and rope a basketball!  They are inviting you to submit your idea.  What do you want to challenge Anthony to rope?

http://bit.ly/kIsSLp

Check out these hilarious videos and enter to win a pair of Justin Boots!

RCC's Opry Mills Store Re-Opens Today

In May of 2010 a flood closed the Opry Mills Shopping Center in Nashville.  Now almost 23 months and $200 million later the mall, with its 140 retailers, re-opens today. 

There will be live entertainment all day and throughout the weekend, as well as hourly prize drawings throughout the mall.

RCC Western Stores has been gearing up for this for a long time as well. 

RCC Apparel Buyer Zeann Golliher said, “It is a beautiful store and we definitely, definitely have anything a western customer may need:  over 6000 square feet of cowboy boots, western apparel, a beautiful presentation of cowboy hats.  The town is excited for it, the people are excited for it.”

RCC Western Stores is excited for it, too!