Name	Cowboy Casanova
Cover	CowboyCasanova.jpg
Border	yes
Artist	Carrie Underwood
From album	Play On
Released	(see release history)
Format	CD single, music download
Genre	Country, country rock
Producer	Mark Bright
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)Gold (CRIA)
Last single	"Home Sweet Home" (2009)
This single	"Cowboy Casanova"(2009)
Next single	"Temporary Home" (2009)
Misc

"Cowboy Casanova" is a country song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Mike Elizondo, Brett James and co-written by Underwood herself. It was released on September 14, 2009 by Arista Nashville as the lead single from her third studio album, Play On.

The song received positive reviews from critics and became the fastest climbing country single of 2009. It also became Underwood's eighth number one country single in the United States. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 1, 2010. The song gave Underwood the title of solo female artist with most top ten country hits in the 2000s, which is tied with Reba McEntire.

Background

After the end of her "Carnival Ride Tour", in February 2009, Underwood began writing songs for her new album Play On. She collaborated with a number of producers which included Brett James, one of the three co-writers of her hit single "Jesus, Take the Wheel", and Mike Elizondo, who had collaborated with Eminem and Dr. Dre. Elizondo came up with the main melody of the song, to which James and Underwood set the lyrics. "We're not trashing this guy, we're just warning these other girls about him." It was officially made available for download on September 14, 2009.

Composition

"Cowboy Casanova" is a moderately paced country song. It incorporates elements of rock-inspired guitar riffs in the introduction and verses, and also the violin and banjo-esque qualities which travel into the refrain. The song is composed in D minor, set in common time with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. Underwood's vocals span from A₃ to D₅. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock also gave a favorable review, saying, "Although the song borrows familiar melodic themes, the production is sparkling; Carrie sings the verses with rapid-fire precision and the hook is just infectious. This may very well be my favorite Carrie Underwood single yet." The 9513 critic Jim Malec gave it a thumbs-down in his review, describing Underwood's voice as "lucid" and "commanding" in comparison to her vocal performances on Carnival Ride, but calling the song's subject matter "dead weight." Kevin Coyne of Country Universe said that on “Cowboy Casanova”, Underwood makes a strong attempt but doesn’t quite pull it off. We’re left with just a decent single that doesn’t feel quite country enough or quite pop enough to make it a keeper, therefore giving her a grade of B-.

Commercial reception

"Cowboy Casanova" was released on September 14, 2009 for digital download. The song logged a first week sales of 110,236 copies in downloads. The song also made Underwood the only solo country artist in 2009 to debut a digital single above the 100,000. The song also became the fastest climbing single in Underwood's career and also the fastest-climbing single of 2009 in the country music genre. Additionally, the song gave Underwood the most Top 10 hits on the country chart this decade - ten top ten singles followed by Faith Hill and Martina McBride each with nine.

Music video

The music video was filmed on September 2, 2009, in New Orleans, Louisiana. It premiered during CMT's Big New Music Weekend on October 2, 2009.

The video was directed by Theresa Wingert and it features Underwood and an entourage of attractive female dancers all wearing flapper party gowns. She warns the video's audience, as well as her entourage, about smooth-talking attractive men and their true intentions. An attractive man sporting a fancy outfit that consists of an overcoat and a fedora gazes at the scene with interest. The man, a well representation of the song's topic, seemingly has designs on Underwood and as the video progresses the dancers become dressed in revealing clothing, consisting of garters and corsets. Eventually Underwood, along with her empowered entourage, have a showdown with the man in a back-alley and defiantly spurn his advances, leading him to give up and walk away. The video also became Underwood's first choreographed video.

Awards and nominations

45th Academy of Country Music Awards

|- | align="center"|2010|| align="center"|"Cowboy Casanova" ||align="center"| Song of the Year ||

CMT Music Awards

|- | align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Cowboy Casanova" ||align="center"| Video of the Year || |- | align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Cowboy Casanova" ||align="center"| Female Music Video of the Year || |- | align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Cowboy Casanova" ||align="center"| Music Video of the Year ||

2010 CMA Triple-Play Awards

|- | align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Cowboy Casanova" ||align="center"| Triple-Play Songwriter (along with "Temporary Home", "Undo It") ||

Chart performance

"Cowboy Casanova" debuted at #26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of September 19, 2009. "Cowboy Casanova" was also marked as Underwood's fastest climbing song in the chart, climbing to #11 only one week after its official release and reaching #1 in only ten weeks. The song only took ten weeks to rise to the peak position. The song made its debut on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at #96, making a jump to #11 in its second week. The song became Underwood's eighth number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of November 21, 2009, and her sixth top twenty Hot 100 chart.

Charts

{| class ="wikitable sortable" ! Chart (2009) ! Peakposition |- |- |- |- |- |}

Certifications

Chart Procession and succession

References

Category:2009 singles Category:Carrie Underwood songs Category:Songs written by Brett James Category:Songs written by Carrie Underwood Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles Category:Singles certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America Category:Songs written by Mike Elizondo

Bradley Reed Sorenson (born February 5, 1986, in Peachtree City, Georgia) is an American NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #32 Dollar General Chevrolet Impala for Turner Motorsports in the Nationwide Series.

Early career

Sorenson's career started at age six when he began racing quarter-midgets. He won the national championship in 1997. He moved up to Legends cars the following year, winning 13 out of 25 races, southeastern championships and breaking track records in the process. In 1999 he won 30 out of the 50 races in which he competed. He raced in Legends for the next two years and won 84 events.

In 2002, Sorenson began racing in the American Speed Association (ASA), finishing in the top-ten seven out of his eight starts. He became a full-time driver in 2003 and won the highly coveted ASA Pat Schauer Memorial Rookies of the Year award at age 17. He caught his big break by signing a driver development contract with Chip Ganassi Racing, in addition to graduating from Woodward Academy.

NASCAR

In 2004, he won his first ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway, in the #77 Sherwin Williams Dodge. He finished in the top-five in all three of his ARCA starts Sorenson also ran in 5 NASCAR Busch Series events for Chip Ganassi Racing, and had 3 top ten finishes, and a top 5, which was a 4th place finish at Homestead.

2005

Sorenson was named the full-time driver of the #41 Discount Tire Company Dodge Intrepid for Ganassi for 2005 NASCAR Busch Series, competing for Rookie of the Year. He won his first Busch Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, winning by more than 14 seconds after starting on the pole and leading 197 out of 225 laps. After the 15th race (Federated Auto Parts 300) he was leading the points race by 51 points. Sorenson picked up another win at Gateway. He ended the season 4th in points and finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year race to Carl Edwards.

Towards the end of the season, he was signed to move up to NEXTEL Cup to drive the #41 Target car full-time. He made his NEXTEL Cup debut in the 2005 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, racing as #39, but was involved in a crash and finished 41st. After a failed attempt to qualify for the Dickies 500, he ran in the Ford 400 for Phoenix Racing, where he finished the race in 28th.

2006-2008

car after his car hit the wall.]]

2006 brought on Sorenson's first season as a Nextel Cup regular, along with running a full time driver in the Busch Series. His best finish in the 2006 Nextel Cup season was a 5th place effort at Michigan International Speedway, and he ended the season with five top-ten finishes. He finished 24th in the 2006 points Nextel Cup standings and was fourth in the 2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year contest with 198 points finishing behind Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr., and Clint Bowyer. He managed to finish 10th place in the Busch Series standings with 14 Top 10s and 5 Top 5s in the car that he drove the year before.

car after an accident]]

Sorenson broke his 61-race winless streak in the Busch Series at Gateway International Speedway by leading 95 laps and avoiding late race cautions to win the Busch Gateway 250 in Madison, Illinois. In Cup, he had a career best finish of 4th at the Coca-Cola 600, and later a third-place finish at his hometrack at Atlanta. Sorenson got his first career pole at the Allstate 400. Sorenson became the youngest pole winner ever at Indianpolis Motor Speedway; at 21 years, 173 days old. He broke a record that stood for 72 years. It was previously held by Rex Mays, who won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 in 1935 at 22 years of age. Sorenson ended up leading 16 laps, and finishing in the 5th place, behind race winner, Tony Stewart. At the end of the 2007 season, he placed 22nd in the final standings, improving 2 spots from 2006.

Sorenson started the 2008 season off with a 5th place finish in the Daytona 500. This was the peak of his performances for the season. He got another top ten finish with some late race strategy in a rain shortened New Hampshire race. He was temporarily replaced by Scott Pruett at Infineon Raceway in an attempt to gain points in the owner standings. Sorenson ran a limited 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series competing in the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway in the Fitz Motorsports #22 Artic Ice car. He got involved in a mid-race wreck that ended his day. He also competed in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway to defend his win from 2007 in the #40 Fastenal Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge. He was involved in a mid-race wreck that ended his chance at defending his title.

On August 26, 2008, it was announced that the 2008 season was to be Sorenson's last season with Ganassi, after signing a multi year contract with Gillett Evernham Motorsports to start the 2009 season. He ended the year 32nd in points.

2009

On January 8, 2009 Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings announced in principle to form a new NASCAR Sprint Cup team that will be co-owned by Richard Petty, Petty Holdings (owned by majority shareholder Boston Ventures), and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The new car number will be #43 and will be driven by Sorenson. It was announced on January 19, 2009 that with the merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings the newly formed team will be known as Richard Petty Motorsports. Through Sorenson's 2009 season, he has struggled at many of the intermediate and road courses, and has excelled at flat tracks like Phoenix International Raceway and Martinsville. On September 10, 2009, Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing announced that they plan to merge in 2010, with this merger Sorenson is left without a team after the 2009 season. There has been no announcements on who Sorenson will be racing for in 2010. Sorenson raced with no driver's salary for part of the 2009 season so he could keep his crew members employed.

2010

Sorenson pilots the #32 Toyota Camry Braun Racing in a part time schedule consisting of 23 Nationwide races for 2010. He was to share the ride with Brian Vickers, but after Vickers was diagnosed with blood clots in May and cannot race, Sorenson is to take over for the rest of Vickers' planned Nationwide starts.

In mid-January, Braun Racing announced that Reed will drive a part time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. After failing to qualify for the Daytona 500, the team announced they will attempt the Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta, but decided to rather attempt the Samsung Mobile 500 in Texas, where Reed qualified 43rd and finished 39th. On June 16, Sorenson was hired by Red Bull Racing Team as substitute driver for car #83 and driver Brian Vickers. At the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona Sorenson drove the #83 car to an eighth place finish. It was the first top 10 for the team since Vickers was sidelined.

References

External links

ReedSorensonOnline.com, Reed Sorenson Official site

Racing-Reference.info, Career statistics

Category:1986 births Category:American racecar drivers Category:American Speed Association drivers Category:American sportspeople of Danish descent Category:Living people Category:NASCAR drivers Category:People from Fayette County, Georgia

Name	David Letterman
Caption	Speaking at the opening of the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute (September 2009)
Pseudonym	Earl Hofert
Birth name	David Michael Letterman
Birth date	April 12, 1947
Birth place	Indianapolis, Indiana
Notable work	Host of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC)Host of Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Signature	David Letterman Autograph.svg

}} David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Only Letterman's friend and mentor Johnny Carson has had a longer late-night hosting career. was a florist; his mother Dorothy Letterman (née Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays. He has an older sister Janice and a younger sister Gretchen.

Letterman lived on the north side of Indianapolis (Broad Ripple area), not far from Speedway, IN, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers. In 2000, he told an interviewer for Esquire that, while growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. Harry Joseph Letterman survived a heart attack at age 36, when David was a young boy. The fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up. The elder Letterman died of a second heart attack at age 57.

Letterman attended his hometown's Broad Ripple High School at the same time as Marilyn Tucker Quayle (wife of the former Vice President) who lived nearby, and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas supermarket. According to the Ball State Daily News, he originally had wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades weren't good enough, so he decided to attend Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and he graduated from what was then the Department of Radio and Television, in 1969. A self-described average student, Letterman endowed a scholarship for what he called "C students" at Ball State.

Though he registered for the draft and passed his physical after graduating from College, he avoided military service in Vietnam due to receiving a draft lottery number of 352 (out of 365).

Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station which now is part of Indiana public radio. He was fired for treating classical music with irreverence.

Letterman credits Paul Dixon—host of the Paul Dixon Show, a Cincinnati-based talk show also shown in Indianapolis while Letterman was growing up—for inspiring his choice of career: :"I was just out of college [in 1969], and I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then all the sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And I thought: That's really what I want to do!"

Weatherman

Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM), and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as a local anchor and weatherman. He received some recognition for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams." (To this day he occasionally gives out canned hams on his show). He would also occasionally report the weather and the day's very high and low temps for fictitious cities ("Eight inches of snow in Bingree and surrounding areas."). He also starred in a local kiddie show, made wisecracks as host of a late night TV show called "Freeze-Dried Movies" (he once acted out a scene from "Godzilla" using plastic dinosaurs), and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called "Clover Power," in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.

In 1971, Letterman appeared as a pit road reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500.

Move to Los Angeles

In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, California, with hope of becoming a comedy writer. He started off by writing material for comedian Jimmie Walker. He also began performing stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, a famed comedy club and proving ground for young comics.

Letterman appeared in the summer of 1977 on the short-lived Starland Vocal Band Show. He has since joked about how fortunate he was that nobody would ever see his performance on the program (due to its low ratings).

Letterman had a stint as a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show, Mary; a guest appearance on Mork & Mindy (as a parody of EST leader Werner Erhard); and appearances on game shows such as The $20,000 Pyramid, The Gong Show, Password Plus and Liar's Club. He also hosted a 1977 pilot for a game show entitled The Riddlers that was never picked up. His dry, sarcastic humor caught the attention of scouts for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Letterman was soon a regular guest on the show. Letterman became a favorite of Carson's and was a regular guest host for the show beginning in 1978. Letterman personally credits Carson as the person who influenced his career the most.

NBC

Morning show

On June 23, 1980, Letterman was given his own morning comedy show on NBC, The David Letterman Show. It was originally 90 minutes long, but was shortened to 60 minutes in August. The show was a critical success, winning two Emmy Awards, but was a ratings disappointment and was canceled in October 1980.

Late Night with David Letterman

NBC kept Letterman under contract to try him in a different time slot. Late Night with David Letterman debuted February 1, 1982; the first guest on the first show was Bill Murray. The show ran weeknights at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. It was seen as being edgy and unpredictable, and soon developed a cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an interviewer was borne out in verbal sparring matches with Cher (who even called him an asshole on the show), Shirley MacLaine, Charles Grodin, and Madonna. The show also featured inventive comedy segments and running characters, in a style heavily influenced by the 1950s and '60s programs of Steve Allen. Although Ernie Kovacs is often cited as an influence on the show, Letterman has denied this. In the final months of his first stint as host of The Tonight Show, Leno beat Letterman in the ratings by a 1.3 million viewer margin (5.2 million to 3.9 million), and Nightline and The Late Show were virtually tied. Once O'Brien took over Tonight, however, Letterman closed the gap in the ratings. O'Brien initially drove the median age of Tonight Show viewers from 55 to 45, with most older viewers opting to watch The Late Show instead.

Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning twelve times in his first 20 years in late night television. From 1993–2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation's Favorite TV Personality twelve times. Leno was higher than Letterman on that poll three times during the same period, in 1998, 2007, and 2008.

Hosting the Academy Awards

On March 27, 1995, Letterman acted as the host for the 67th Academy Awards ceremony. Critics blasted Letterman for what they deemed a poor hosting of the Oscars, noting that his irreverent style undermined the traditional importance and glamor of the event. In a joke about their unusual names (inspired by a similar joke by Woody Allen), he started off by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey, and then the both of them to Keanu Reeves: "Uma...Oprah! Oprah...Uma! Oprah, Uma...Keanu!" This and many of his other jokes fell flat. Although Letterman attracted the highest ratings to the annual telecast since 1983, many felt that the bad publicity garnered by Letterman's hosting caused a decline in the Late Show's ratings.

Letterman recycled the apparent debacle into a long-running gag. On his first show after the Oscars, he joked, "Looking back, I had no idea that thing was being televised." He lampooned his stint in the following year, during Billy Crystal's opening Oscar skit, which also parodied the plane-crashing scenes from that year's chief nominated film, The English Patient.

For years afterward, Letterman recounted his horrible hosting at the Oscars, although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences still holds Letterman in high regard and it has been rumored they have asked him to host the Oscars again. On September 7, 2010, he made an appearance on the premier of the 14th season of The View, and confirmed the rumors.

Heart surgery hiatus

On January 14, 2000, a routine check-up revealed that an artery in Letterman's heart was severely constricted. He was rushed to emergency surgery for a quintuple bypass.

During the initial weeks of his recovery, reruns of the Late Show were shown and introduced by friends of Letterman including Drew Barrymore, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and physician Louis Aronne, who frequently appears on the show. In a show of emotion, Letterman was nearly in tears as he thanked the health care team with the words "These are the people who saved my life!" The episode earned an Emmy nomination. For a number of episodes, Letterman continued to crack jokes about his bypass, including saying, "Bypass surgery: it's when doctors surgically create new blood flow to your heart. A bypass is what happened to me when I didn't get The Tonight Show! It's a whole different thing." In a later running gag he lobbied his home state of Indiana to rename the freeway circling Indianapolis (I-465) "The David Letterman Bypass." He also featured a montage of faux news coverage of his bypass surgery, which included a clip of Dave's heart for sale on the Home Shopping Network. Letterman became friends with his doctors and nurses. In 2008, a Rolling Stone interview stated "he hosted a doctor and nurse who'd helped perform the emergency quintuple-bypass heart surgery that saved his life in 2000. 'These are people who were complete strangers when they opened my chest,' he says. 'And now, eight years later, they're among my best friends.' "

Additionally, Letterman invited the band Foo Fighters to play "Everlong", introducing them as "my favorite band, playing my favorite song." During a later Foo Fighters appearance, Letterman said that Foo Fighters had been in the middle of a South American tour which they canceled to come play on his comeback episode.

Letterman again handed over the reins of the show to several guest hosts (including Bill Cosby, Brad Garrett, Elvis Costello, John McEnroe, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Bonnie Hunt, Luke Wilson and bandleader Paul Shaffer) in February 2003, when he was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles. Later that year, Letterman made regular use of guest hosts—including Tom Arnold and Kelsey Grammer—for new shows broadcast on Fridays. In March 2007, Adam Sandler—who had been scheduled to be the lead guest—served as a guest host while Letterman was ill with a stomach virus.

Re-signing with CBS

In March 2002, as Letterman's contract with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for long-running news program Nightline with Ted Koppel. Letterman was interested as he believed he could never match Leno's ratings at CBS due to weaker lead-ins from the network's late local news programs, but was reluctant to replace Koppel. Letterman addressed his decision to re-sign on the air, stating that he was content at CBS and that he had great respect for Koppel.

On December 4, 2006, CBS revealed that David Letterman signed a new contract to host The Late Show with David Letterman through the fall of 2010. "I'm thrilled to be continuing on at CBS," said Letterman. "At my age you really don't want to have to learn a new commute." Letterman further joked about the subject by pulling up his right pants leg, revealing a tattoo, presumably temporary, of the ABC logo.

"Thirteen years ago, David Letterman put CBS late night on the map and in the process became one of the defining icons of our network," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. "His presence on our air is an ongoing source of pride, and the creativity and imagination that the Late Show puts forth every night is an ongoing display of the highest quality entertainment. We are truly honored that one of the most revered and talented entertainers of our time will continue to call CBS 'home.'"

According to a 2007 article in Forbes magazine, Letterman earned $40 million a year. A 2009 article in The New York Times, however, said his salary was estimated at $32 million per year.

In June 2009, Letterman and CBS reached agreement to extend his contract to host The Late Show until August 2012. His previous contract had been set to expire in 2010. thus allowing his show to come back on air on January 2, 2008. On his first episode since being off air, he surprised the viewing audience with his newly grown beard, which signified solidarity with the strike. His beard was shaved off during the show on January 7, 2008.

Letterman and Carson

NBC's decision to select Jay Leno and not Letterman to succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show was an embarrassment to Carson, who had all but promised the succession to Letterman. Letterman maintained a close relationship with Carson through his break with NBC. Three years after he left for CBS, HBO produced a made-for-television movie called The Late Shift, based on a book by New York Times reporter Bill Carter, chronicling the battle between Letterman and Leno for the coveted Tonight Show hosting spot. Letterman would mock the film for months afterward, specifically on how the actor playing him, John Michael Higgins, did not resemble him in the least. ("They took a guy who looked nothing like me and with make-up and special camera angles, turned him into a guy who looked nothing like me, with red hair.")

Carson later made a few cameo appearances as a guest on Letterman's show. Carson's final television appearance came May 13, 1994 on a Late Show episode taped in Los Angeles, when he made a surprise appearance during a 'Top 10 list' segment. The audience went wild as Letterman stood up and proudly invited Carson to sit at his desk. The applause was so protracted that Carson was unable to say anything, and he finally returned backstage as the applause continued (it was later explained that Carson had laryngitis, though Carson can be heard talking to Letterman during his appearance).

In early 2005, it was revealed that Carson still kept up with current events and late-night TV right up to his death that year, and that he occasionally sent jokes to Letterman, who used these jokes in his monologue; according to CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally (a onetime producer for both men), Carson got "a big kick out of it." Letterman would do a characteristic Johnny Carson golf swing after delivering one of Carson's jokes. In a tribute to Carson, all of the opening monologue jokes during the first show following Carson's death were written by Carson.

Lassally also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor." Letterman also frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including "Carnac the Magnificent" (with Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump the Band" and the "Week in Review."

Letterman and Oprah Winfrey

On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He shared pictures of his son and live-in girlfriend. The so-called feud between Letterman and Winfrey apparently ended in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on December 2, in an event Letterman jokingly referred to as "the Super Bowl of Love". Oprah had previously appeared on Letterman's show when he was hosting NBC's Late Night on May 2, 1989.

Winfrey and Letterman also appeared together in a Late Show promo that aired during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLI in February 2007, with the two sitting next to each other on the couch watching the game. Since the game was played between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis-born Letterman wears a Peyton Manning jersey, while Winfrey—who tapes her show in Chicago—is in a Brian Urlacher jersey. Three years later, during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, the two appeared again, this time with Winfrey sitting on a couch between Letterman and Jay Leno. The appearance was Letterman's idea: Leno flew to New York City in an NBC corporate jet, sneaking into the Ed Sullivan Theater during the Late Show's February 4 taping wearing a disguise, meeting Winfrey and Letterman at a living room set created in the theater's balcony where they taped their promo.

Other projects

Worldwide Pants

Letterman started his own production company—Worldwide Pants Incorporated—which produced his show and several others, including Everybody Loves Raymond , The Late Late Show, and several critically-acclaimed, but short-lived television series for Bonnie Hunt. Worldwide Pants also produced the dramedy program Ed, which aired on NBC from 2000–2004. It was Letterman's first association with NBC since he left the network in 1993. During Ed's run, the star, Tom Cavanagh, appeared as a guest on The Late Show several times.

In 2005, Worldwide Pants produced its first feature film, Strangers with Candy, which was a prequel to the Comedy Central TV series of the same title. In 2007, Worldwide Pants produced the ABC comedy series, Knights of Prosperity.

Worldwide Pants made significant news in December 2007 when it was announced that Letterman's company had independently negotiated its own contract with the Writers Guild of America, East, thus allowing Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and their writers to return to work, while the union continued its strike against production companies, networks and studios who had not reached an agreement.

Rahal Letterman Racing

Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series, and part-time in the Indy Racing League. It is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and Letterman himself, and is based in Hilliard, Ohio. The team won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 with driver Buddy Rice. Letterman was a pit reporter for ABC in the 1971 Indianapolis 500. The $21 million, David Letterman Communication and Media Building opened for the 2007 Fall semester. It features state-of-the-art recording equipment and facilities. Thousands of Ball State students, faculty, and local residents welcomed Letterman back to Indiana. Letterman's emotional speech touched on his struggles as a college student and his late father, and also included the "top ten good things about having your name on a building."

Letterman received the honor for his dedication to the university throughout his career as a comedian. Letterman finished with, "If reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible."

Letterman also received a Sagamore of the Wabash from Governor Mitch Daniels.

Record company

In late April 2010, several music industry websites reported that David Letterman started a record label named Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and signed his first artist, Runner Runner. Lucy Walsh announced on her myspace page that she has been signed by David Letterman and Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and is working on her album.

Appearances in other media

Letterman appeared in issue 239 of the Marvel comic book The Avengers, in which the title characters are guests on Late Night. A parody of Letterman, called "David Endocrine", is gassed to death along with his bandleader named "Paul" and their audience in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

Letterman provided vocals for the Warren Zevon song "Hit Somebody" from My Ride's Here, and provided the voice for Butt-head's father in the 1996 animated film, Beavis and Butt-head Do America. He also had a cameo in the feature film Cabin Boy, with Chris Elliott, who worked as a writer on Letterman's show. In this and other appearances, Letterman is listed in the credits as "Earl Hofert", the name of Letterman's maternal grandfather. He also appeared as himself in the Howard Stern biopic Private Parts as well as the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, in a few episodes of Garry Shandling's 1990s TV series The Larry Sanders Show and in "The Abstinence", a 1996 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. Letterman also appeared in the pilot episode of the short-lived 1986 series "Coach Toast".

Personal life

Marriages and long-term relationships

In 1969, Letterman married Michelle Cook; the marriage ended by divorce in 1977. He also had a long-term relationship with former head writer and producer on Late Night, Merrill Markoe. In fact, Markoe was the mind behind several Late Night staples, such as "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks".

Letterman has a son, Harry Joseph Letterman (born in 2003), with Regina Lasko. Harry is named after Letterman's father. In 2005, police discovered a plot to kidnap Harry Letterman and ransom him for $5 million. Kelly Frank, a house painter who had worked for Letterman, was charged in the conspiracy.

Letterman and Lasko, who had been together since 1986, wed during a quiet courthouse civil ceremony in Choteau, Montana, on March 19, 2009. Letterman announced the marriage during the taping of his March 23 show, shortly after congratulating Bruce Willis for getting married the previous week. Letterman told the audience he nearly missed the ceremony because his truck became stuck in mud two miles from their house. The family resides in North Salem, New York, on a estate.

Stalking incidents

Beginning in May 1988, Letterman was stalked by Margaret Mary Ray, a woman suffering from schizophrenia. Letterman occasionally referenced her in his show, although not by name. She committed suicide in 1998. Letterman publicly expressed sympathy upon her death.

Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs

On his October 1, 2009 show, Letterman announced that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt by someone threatening to reveal that he had had sex with several of his female employees. He confirmed the relationships.

Letterman stated that three weeks earlier (on September 9, 2009) someone had left a package in his car with material he said he would write into a screenplay and a book if Letterman did not pay him $2 million. Letterman said that he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's office, ultimately cooperating with them to conduct a sting operation involving giving the man a phony check. The extortionist, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer of the CBS true crime journalism series 48 Hours, was subsequently arrested after trying to deposit the check. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted grand larceny on October 2, 2009. Birkitt had until recently lived with Halderman, who is alleged to have copied Birkitt's personal diary and to have used it, along with private emails, in the blackmail package.

On October 3, 2009, a former CBS employee, Holly Hester, announced that she and Letterman had engaged in a year-long "secret" affair in the early 1990s while she was his intern and a student at New York University.

In the days following the initial announcement of the affairs and the arrest, several prominent women, including Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of NBC's Today Show, and NBC news anchor Ann Curry questioned whether Letterman's affairs with subordinates created an unfair working environment. A spokesman for Worldwide Pants said that the company's sexual harassment policy did not prohibit sexual relationships between managers and employees. According to business news reporter Eve Tahmincioglu, "CBS suppliers are supposed to follow the company's business conduct policies" and the CBS 2008 Business Conduct Statement states that "If a consenting romantic or sexual relationship between a supervisor and a direct or indirect subordinate should develop, CBS requires the supervisor to disclose this information to his or her Company's Human Resources Department..."

On October 5, 2009, Letterman devoted a segment of his show to a public apology to his wife and staff. Three days later, Worldwide Pants announced that Birkitt had been placed on a "paid leave of absence" from the Late Show. On October 15, CBS News announced that the company's Chief Investigative Correspondent, Armen Keteyian, had been assigned to conduct an "in-depth investigation" into Halderman's blackmail of Letterman.

On March 9, 2010, Halderman pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and served a 6-month jail sentence, followed by probation and community service.

Awards

In his capacities as either a writer, producer, performer, or as part of a writing team, David Letterman is among the most nominated people in Emmy Award history with 52 nominations, winning two Daytime Emmys and five Primetime Emmys since 1981. His nomination record is second only to producer Jac Venza, who holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for an individual (57). Letterman has been nominated every year since 1984, when he first appeared on late night television as the host of Late Night with David Letterman. Additionally, he has won four American Comedy Awards.

References

External links

David Letterman's Feb. 24, 1978 appearance on 90 Minutes Live

Official Late Show biography

1999 article on Letterman from Salon.com

Tape of Letterman announcing affairs/extortion attempt on Late Show

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American people of German descent Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Ball State University alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Indianapolis, Indiana television anchors Category:Indy Racing League owners Category:People from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:Weather presenters

Name	Christian Kane
Caption	Kane in Las Vegas, April 27, 2006
Birth date	June 27, 1974
Birth place	Dallas, Texas
Website	http://www.christiankane.com/

Christian Kane (born June 27, 1974) is an American actor and singer/songwriter of Native American descent. He currently stars as Eliot Spencer on the TNT series Leverage. He is best known for his roles in the television shows Angel and Into the West, and the movies Just Married and Secondhand Lions.

He is the lead singer of the country-southern rock band Kane; their album, The House Rules, was released on December 7, 2010. The first single from the album, also titled "The House Rules", debuted at number 54 on the Billboard Country Songs chart.

Early life

Kane was born in Dallas, Texas. He is of Native American descent and is a cousin of country singer Branden Hart. His parents participated in, and met at, the rodeo. The family moved around the South and Midwest, because his father was in the oil business, and finally settled in Norman, Oklahoma when Kane was in 8th grade. While growing up in Texas and Oklahoma Kane was a wrestler and played American Football (as a strong safety) . He studied Art History at the University of Oklahoma, but decided he wanted to be an actor and headed to Los Angeles before finishing the degree. In LA he worked at a talent management company where he delivered scripts in exchange for which they sent him on auditions.

Career

Acting

Kane landed his first acting role in 1997, as one of the leads in MGM's television series Fame L.A., in the series he played a country singer who moved to Los Angeles from Kansas. His television roles have included a recurring role in Joss Whedon’s Angel as the lawyer Lindsey MacDonald, the Jerry Bruckheimer produced series Close to Home on CBS, the TNT television film Crossfire Trail in which he appeared alongside Tom Selleck, and he played the role of Abe Wheeler in the Stephen Spielberg produced miniseries Into the West.

Kane’s appearances on the big screen include the 20th Century Fox film Just Married and New Line Cinema's Secondhand Lions, as the younger version of Robert Duvall's Hub McCann, he has a scar on his upper lip from an injury he received while filming the movie. He also appeared in Taxi, Life or Something Like It, the Peter Berg directed Friday Night Lights, and the Warner Bros. baseball film Summer Catch. In 2007 Kane was featured in the Carrie Underwood music video "So Small", playing the role of one of the three converging stories. In 2009 he appeared in the psychological thriller Hide, in which he played the lead role of Billy, and The Donner Party which is based on the true story of the Donner Party. In 2010 he starred in the romantic drama Not Since You.

Since late 2008 he appears on the TNT television series Leverage, which is now in its third season and has been renewed for a fourth. Kane does his own stunts and fights as Eliot Spencer, a retrieval specialist who teams up with four other specialists to undo the injustices perpetrated upon the helpless.

Music

In 1997 Christian Kane met Steve Carlson, who had taken over his old job. They started writing songs together and in 1998 they formed the Southern rock band Kane. They have toured the U.S. as well as England and Germany. The band has self-released two albums. Their debut, the self-titled Kane, in 2000 and in 2004 they released a recording of a live acoustic set called Live in London.

The band consists of Christian Kane (lead vocals, guitar), Steve Carlson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jason Southard (lead guitar), Will Amend (bass guitar), and Ryan Baker (drums) and is signed to independent record label Bigger Picture Group (Zac Brown Band, Big Kenny, The Harters). Their label debut is called The House Rules and was released on December 7, 2010. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart and number 25 on the Country Albums chart. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin and Jimmie Lee Sloas.

The first single from the album, also titled "The House Rules" debuted at number 54 on the Billboard Country Songs chart and was the 7th most added song on Mediabase Country stations on its official impact date. The video for the single was directed by Timothy Hutton and premiered on CMT's Big New Music Weekend on October 1, 2010.

Christian Kane is also signed to a songwriting deal with EMI Music Publishing, and writes much of his own material. Trace Adkins released a song written by Kane called "Happy Man" on his 2010 album Cowboy's Back in Town. Kane's co-writing efforts include songs written with Blair Daly, Brett James, David Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard, and Jerrod Niemann. "Thinking of You", a song he co-wrote with Blair Daly, featured in episode 306, "The Studio Job", of Leverage.

Filmography

Actor

Soundtrack

Discography

EPs

Albums

Self released

Singles

^ACurrent single.

Music videos

References

External links

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Texas Category:American country singers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Columbia Records artists Category:People from Dallas, Texas Category:People from Norman, Oklahoma Category:American people of Cherokee descent

Name	Brad Paisley
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Brad Douglas Paisley
Born	October 28, 1972
Origin	Glen Dale, West Virginia,United States
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin
Genre	Country
Occupation	Singer-songwriterGuitarist
Years active	1997–present
Label	Arista Nashville
Associated acts	David KershAlison KraussDolly PartonCarrie UnderwoodChely WrightDierks BentleyKeith UrbanDarius Rucker
Url	BradPaisley.com
Notable instruments	Bill Crook TelecastersFender Telecasters

Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer-songwriter and country guitarist. His style crosses between traditional country and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references.

Paisley was the 2008 CMA and ACM Male Vocalist of the Year winner. Starting with the release of his 1999 album Who Needs Pictures, Paisley has recorded seven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashville label, with all of his albums certified gold or higher by the RIAA. In addition, he has charted 25 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 15 of which have reached #1 with a record 10 consecutive singles reaching the top spot on the chart. On November 10, 2010, Brad Paisley won the Entertainer of the Year award at the 44th annual CMA Awards.

Biography

Early years

Paisley was born on October 28, 1972 in Wheeling, West Virginia to Douglas Edward "Doug" Paisley, who worked for the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and Sandra Jean "Sandy" (née Jarvis) Paisley, a teacher. He was raised in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He has stated that his love of country music stems from his maternal grandfather, Warren Jarvis, who gave Paisley his first guitar, a Sears Danelectro Silvertone at 8-years-old and taught him how to play. At age 10, he performed for the first time in public by singing in his church. He later recalled that, "Pretty soon, I was performing at every Christmas party and Mother's Day event. The neat thing about a small town is that when you want to be an artist, by golly, they'll make you one".

Paisley graduated from John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, West Virginia in 1991, studied for 2 years at West Liberty University (WV) and later was awarded a full-paid ASCAP scholarship to Belmont University, in Nashville, Tennessee (from 1993 to 1995). He interned at ASCAP, Atlantic Records, and the Fitzgerald-Hartley management firm. While in college, he met Frank Rogers, a fellow student who went on to serve as his producer. Paisley also met Kelley Lovelace, who became his songwriting partner. He also met Chris DuBois in college, and he too would write songs for him.

1999–2001: Who Needs Pictures

His debut as a singer was with the label Arista Nashville, with the song "Who Needs Pictures" (released February 22, 1999). In May of that same year, he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. We Danced also was a hit for Paisley off the debut album, reaching #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. By February 2001, the album was certified platinum.

In 2000, Paisley's mainstream notoriety received a huge boost when he was exposed to his first national non-country music oriented audience on the TLC special, "Route 66: Main Street America." Producer, Todd Baker, tapped the young musician to appear on this show when he was a relative unknown outside the world of country music. It featured Paisley and band doing rare live and acoustic versions of Route 66. The international and home video versions of this program end with a full, un-cut acoustic rendition of the piece, which was performed live on Rainbow Bridge in Riverton, KS. The show accurately predicted that Paisley would become a legendary musician, and also featured blues artist, Buddy Guy.

Later in 2000, Paisley won the Country Music Association's (CMA) Horizon Award and the Academy of Country Music's best new male vocalist trophy. He received his first Grammy Award nomination a year later for Best New Artist. On February 17, 2001, Paisley was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry

2001–2003: Part II

In 2002, he won the CMA Music Video of the Year for "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)." Several celebrities made notable guest appearances in the video, including Little Jimmy Dickens, Kimberly Williams, Dan Patrick, and Jerry Springer. His three other singles off the Part II album, "I Wish You'd Stay", "Wrapped Around", and "Two People Fell in Love", all charted in the top 10. The album stayed in the charts for more than 70 weeks and was certified platinum in August 2002. To support his album, he toured the country as the opening act for Lonestar.

2003–2005: Mud on the Tires

Paisley released his third album, Mud on the Tires (2003), following Who Needs Pictures and Part II. The album features the hit song "Celebrity", the video of which parodies reality shows such as Fear Factor, American Idol, The Bachelorette and According to Jim, and included such celebrities as Jason Alexander, James Belushi, Little Jimmy Dickens, Trista Rehn and William Shatner. (Paisley later contributed to Shatner's album Has Been.) The album's title track, "Mud on the Tires", reached Billboard #1 in 2004.

In addition, the third track from Mud on the Tires, "Whiskey Lullaby", a duet with Alison Krauss reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, and #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for Whiskey Lullaby also won several awards and was rated #2 on the 100 Greatest Music Videos by CMT in 2008. The album would be certified double platinum. "Online" featured the Brentwood High School marching band playing toward the end of the song. Throttleneck would also reach number one, which would get Paisley his first Grammy.

The fifth single from 5th Gear actually came from a reissued version of the album – a new recording of "Waitin' on a Woman", a track cut from Time Well Wasted. The reissued version received unsolicited airplay in late 2006, and features less prominent string guitar and violin parts and a more "muted" musical tone. For the chart week of September 20, 2008, the song became Paisley's twelfth number-one single and his eighth straight number-one hit, making him the artist with the most consecutive Number One country hits since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990.

In July 2006, producer Todd Baker tapped Brad for a television appearance as an animated character in The Wonder Pets, Daddy Armadillo. The yet-to-be-broadcast episode features Brad's wife, Kimberly Williams, as Mama Armadillo.

Paisley toured April 26, 2007 through February 24, 2008 in support of 5th Gear on the Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour. The tour visited 94 cities over a 10 month period and played for over 1,000,000 fans. The tour was so successful that it was extended past its original end date to February 2008. Some of the opening acts who appeared during the tour were Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, Jack Ingram, Rodney Atkins and Chuck Wicks.

Paisley was nominated for three 2008 Grammy Awards related to 5th Gear: Best Country Album (for 5th Gear), Best Country Collaboration (for "Oh Love" with Carrie Underwood), and Best Country Instrumental (for "Throttleneck"). On February 10, 2008, he won his first Grammy award for Best Country Instrumental for "Throttleneck".

In March 2008, Brad Paisley announced his next tour, "The Paisley Party," a 42-date tour sponsored by Hershey's. The tour kicked off on June 11, 2008, in Albuquerque, New Mexico with Chuck Wicks, Julianne Hough and Jewel as the opening acts. Brad Paisley and Keith Urban released to country radio their first duet together on September 8, 2008, "Start a Band." It was the first and only single from Play, and it went on to become Paisley's thirteenth number one hit and his ninth in a row. The album also features collaborations with James Burton, Little Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, John Jorgensen, B.B. King, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Buck Owens, Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner. Paisley and Urban both received Entertainer of the Year nominations from the CMA on September 10, 2008. On November 12, 2008 Brad Paisley won Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for "Waitin' on a Woman" during the CMA's.

2009–2010: American Saturday Night

Brad Paisley announced on January 26, 2009 his new tour named "American Saturday Night." Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne will be opening in the majority of the shows. Brad Paisley's newest album, American Saturday Night was released on June 30, 2009. The album's lead off single, "Then" was released in March 2009 and performed for the first time on American Idol on March 18. It went on to become Paisley's 14th number one single and his tenth in a row.

On May 6, 2009, Paisley gave an exclusive performance to a small group of members from his fan club in Studio A of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN as he and his band taped an episode of CMT Invitation Only. The show gives fans a chance to see their favorite artists in a more intimate setting up close and personal. There was a Q & A session and interaction between Paisley and his fans. The show aired on Monday, August 3 at 9:00 p.m. on CMT.

On July 21, 2009, Paisley performed at the White House in celebration of country music. "Country Music at the White House " was streamed live on the White House web-site as well as a special on Great American Country.

On November 11, 2009, Paisley co-hosted the CMA Awards for the second straight year. He also performed Welcome to the Future, and won both Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for Start a Band with Keith Urban.

On March 1, 2010, Paisley was the first musical performance with "American Saturday Night" for the second tenure of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

On Friday March 5, 2010, Paisley slipped and fell performing his last song of the set, "Alcohol," at a concert at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina, on the final date of the American Saturday Night Tour. Fearing a broken rib, he was held overnight at an area hospital, but was released when a CT scan was negative.

On July 31, 2010 Brad performed alongside Carrie Underwood at the inaugural Greenbrier Classic PGA Tour Event in Lewisburg, W.Va. An estimated 60,000 people attended the out door event to watch Carrie and Brad perform in the pouring rain.

2010: Hits Alive

On August 4, 2010, it was announced on his official website that Paisley would release his first official greatest hits package, entitled Hits Alive. Released on November 2, 2010, Hits Alive is a double-disc collection, with one disc containing studio versions of Paisley's hit singles, while the companion disc features previously unreleased live versions of his songs.

Brad Paisley cohosted the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010, where he was also awarded the CMA's top award, Entertainer of the Year. During his acceptance speech, Paisley emotionally honored his grandfather, who inspired him to play the guitar.

2011: This Is Country Music

In December 2010, Paisley released "This Is Country Music" as the title track to his upcoming 2011 studio album, to be released April 19.

Tours

''Brooks & Dunn's Neon Circus & Wild West Show 2003

Mud & Suds Tour 2004 (w/ Sara Evans, Andy Griggs)

Two Hats & A Redhead Tour 2005 (w/ Reba McEntire, Terri Clark)

Time Well Wasted Tour 2006 (w/ Sara Evans, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen, Josh Turner, Billy Currington)

Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour 2007–2008 (w/ Taylor Swift, Jack Ingram, Kellie Pickler, Rodney Atkins, Chuck Wicks)

The Paisley Party Tour 2008 (w/ Chuck Wicks, Julianne Hough, Jewel)

The Paisley Party Tour 2009 (w/ Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Crystal Shawanda)

American Saturday Night Tour 2009 (w/ Dierks Bentley, Jimmy Wayne)

American Saturday Night Tour 2010 (w/ Miranda Lambert, Justin Moore)

The H2O Tour 2010 (w/ Darius Rucker, Justin Moore, Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia, Josh Thompson)

The H2O Frozen Over Tour 2011 (w/ Darius Rucker, Jerrod Niemann)

Band

Paisley records his studio albums, in most part, with the backing of his live band, The Drama Kings. Their first gig together was May 7, 1999. The only changes have been Randel Currie's addition on the steel guitar in 2000 and Jimmy Heffernan's departure in 2001. Also, Jody Harris worked as Paisley's guitar tech until officially becoming a bandmember for the American Saturday Night Tour. As of 2010, the lineup is:

Brad Paisley – Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar

Gary Hooker – Rhythm Guitar

Randle Currie – Steel Guitar

Kendal Marcy – Keyboards, Banjo, Mandolin

Justin Williamson – Fiddle, Mandolin

Kenny Lewis – Bass

Ben Sesar – Drums

Personal life

Paisley had seen Father of the Bride with a former girlfriend. They broke up, but when Father of the Bride Part II was released, he went to see the sequel alone. He said that he watched Kimberly Williams' performance and "thought, She seems like a great girl — smart and funny and all those things that are so hard to find." Their second son, Jasper Warren (named after his grandfather who bought Brad his first guitar), was born on April 17, 2009.

Paisley is a member of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, and a Noble of the AAONMS, also known as Shriners. He was accompanied by his father, Doug Paisley (32º), for the ceremony on October 28, 2006. He also invited former Browns Quarterback Brady Quinn to a concert at the Blossom Music Center, in 2008.

Paisley is also a fan of West Virginia University athletics and the Boston Red Sox. He can even be seen occasionally on stage playing a custom guitar with the WVU logo and school colors or in a Red Sox shirt.

In fall of 2009, it was announced in Variety that Paisley would enter the world of scripted television as an executive producer of a new hour-long drama series for The CW network called, appropriately, Nashville. The plot was written and created by Neal Dodson and Matt Bomer (an actor on the USA Network series, White Collar). The creator of the series One Tree Hill, Mark Schwahn will direct the pilot and oversee the series. Star Trek and Heroes actor Zachary Quinto is also an executive producer on the series, along with Dodson, Bomer, and Corey Moosa.

As of July 2010, the series is not on the CW's fall schedule or mid-season schedule for 2010–2011 and the status of the project is unknown.

For equipment, he currently uses custom Bill Crook and Fender Telecasters, along with Dr. Z Amplifiers.

Discography

Albums

1999: Who Needs Pictures

2001: Part II

2003: Mud on the Tires

2005: Time Well Wasted

2006: Brad Paisley Christmas

2007: 5th Gear

2008: Play

2009: American Saturday Night

2010: Hits Alive

2011: This Is Country Music

Awards

Brad Paisley has won the following awards:

Academy of Country Music

* 1999 – Top New Male Vocalist of the Year

* 2004 – Vocal Event of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")

* 2004 – Video of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")

* 2005 – Album of the Year ("Time Well Wasted")

* 2005 – Vocal Event of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")

* 2005 – Video of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")

* 2007 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year

* 2008 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year

* 2008 – Video of the Year ("Online")

* 2009 – Video of the Year ("Waitin' on a Woman")

* 2009 – Vocal Event of the Year ("Start a Band")

* 2009 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year

* 2010 – Top Male Vocalist of the Year

Country Music Association Awards

* 2000 – Horizon Award

* 2001 – Vocal Event of the Year ("Too Country")

* 2002 – Music Video of the Year ("I'm Gonna Miss Her")

* 2004 – Musical Event of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")

* 2004 – Music Video of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")

* 2006 – Album of the Year (Time Well Wasted)

* 2006 – Musical Event of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")

* 2007 – Music Video of the Year ("Online" – director Jason Alexander)

* 2007 – Male Vocalist of the Year

* 2008 – Music Video of the Year ("Waitin' on a Woman")

* 2008 – Male Vocalist of the Year

* 2009 – Male Vocalist of the Year

* 2009 – Musical Event of the Year ("Start A Band" with Keith Urban)

* 2010 – Entertainer of the Year

Grammy Awards

* 2008 – Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Throttleneck")

* 2009 – Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Cluster Pluck")

* 2009 – Best Male Country Vocal Performance ("Letter to Me")

Country Weekly Presents the TNN Music Awards

* 2000 – The Discovery Award

* 2000 – Song of the Year ("He Didn't Have to Be")

* 2000 – CMT Music Video of the Year ("He Didn't Have to Be")

Flameworthy Awards/CMT Music Awards

* 2002 – Concept Video of the Year ("I'm Gonna Miss Her")

* 2005 – Collaborative Video of the Year ("Whiskey Lullaby")

* 2006 – Most Inspiring Video of the Year ("When I Get Where I'm Going")

* 2008 – Comedy Video of the Year ("Online")

* 2009 – CMT Performance of the Year ("Country Boy")

* 2009 – Collaborative Video of the Year ("Start a Band")

* 2009 – Male Video of the Year ("Waitin' On a Woman")

American Music Awards

* 2008 – Favorite Country Male Artist

* 2010 – Favorite Country Male Artist

American Country Awards

* 2010 – Artist of the Year - Male

Orville H. Gibson Guitar Award

* 2002 – Best Country Guitarist (Male)

Nashville Songwriters Association International Award

* 2002 – Songwriter/Artist of the Year

* 2005 – Songwriter/Artist of the Year

ASCAP Country Music Award

* 2004 – Songwriter/Artist of the Year

References

External links

Official Website

Brad Paisley's UK Website

Category:1972 births Category:American country guitarists Category:American country singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:Arista Records artists Category:Belmont University alumni Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Living people Category:People from Marshall County, West Virginia Category:Musicians from West Virginia