Week of January 7, 2008
As the lead singer of the legendary group Alabama, Randy Owen would appear to have seen and done it all – 73 million albums sold, countless miles on the road touring, a warehouse full of awards and a coveted spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Yet this singer/songwriter/entertainer/rancher is embarking on a new path – a solo career with a new album in the works and a debut single, "Braid My Hair" set to hit the radio airwaves in two weeks.
"I'm as excited about this as I've ever been," said Owen. "Before I decided to do the solo thing, we put a band together and did some dates late last year to see if the fans were still out there. When I came back I was totally convinced we needed to do this."
The song is written by Chris Gray and Brent Wilson. Gray had been a teacher in a children's hospital, helping the kids keep up with their schoolwork while they were in treatment for cancer and other conditions. While there, he saw first hand the side effects of chemotherapy, and how the girls especially had wanted to be able to braid their hair again.
The songwriters, who had never had a song released as a single before, tracked down Randy's mother in hopes that she might be able to get the song to him. It worked, and when Randy first heard it, he realized how real the song was, having worked with St. Jude's children over the years. He knew he just had to record it.
All parties involved have graciously agreed to donate 100% of the publishing royalties to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The song is the first from his upcoming debut solo album, called One on One, and is produced by John Rich of Big & Rich fame. It will hit stores this spring on the newly-formed DMP Records. Randy will take his 10-piece band and hit the road later this month for a tour that will extend into the fall.
Below, you'll find Randy's tour dates, as per Pollstar.com
01/25/08 Elizabeth, IN Caesars Indiana
05/29/08 Winfield, KS Winfield Fairgrounds
06/14/08 Cypress Gardens, FL Cypress Gardens
07/10/08 Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre
07/11/08 Westbury, NY North Fork Theatre At Westbury
07/19/08 Lake Delton, WI Crystal Grand Music Theatre
08/30/08 Cherokee, NC Harrah's Cherokee Casino
09/18/08 Santa Ynez, CA Chumash Casino
09/20/08 West Wendover, NV Peppermill Concert Hall
09/23/08 Cerritos, CA Cerritos Center for the Perf. Arts
09/26/08 Palm Desert, CA McCallum Theatre
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