New Artist Spotlight: Angie Johnson

By Bob Doerschuk © 2013 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. Apparently, it’s not enough for Missouri-born Angie Johnson to have served as an intelligence analyst in the United States Air Force; she also sang and toured with The Air Force Band. Then, following an initial attempt to find a break [...] Read More

New Artist Spotlight: Tate Stevens

By Bob Doerschuk © 2013 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. Tate Stevens’ triumph on Season 2 of The X Factor confirms that Country Music is stronger than ever. More important, it heralds the arrival of a performer whose music is in step with what America wants to hear. Read our [...] Read More

New Artist Spotlight: Kacey Musgraves

By Bob Doerschuk © 2013 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. One strength of country music is its ability to mirror real life. Rarer is the artist whose stories come to us not washed in neon but raised from a deeper, dreamier place. Kacey Musgraves is one such anomaly. Born in [...] Read More

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Dustin Lynch

By Bob Doerschuk © 2012 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. Lots of young artists come to Nashville to seek their musical fortunes. Dustin Lynch’s plans were more focused. He wanted to come to a specific part of Nashville — specifically, as close as he could get to the Bluebird Café [...] Read More

New Artist Spotlight: Marlee Scott

By Bob Doerschuk © 2012 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. An honor student in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, Marlee Scott enjoyed junior high school, loved riding horses and showed promise in music. But while her mother thought it fitting for her to study flute, Marlee had other plans: She wanted [...] Read More