Chuck Mead

Grand Ole Opry

chuck — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:49:24 +0000

Hey Friends! I’ll be playing the Grand Ole Opry tonight on the 7:00 portion. Listen in on WSM 650 AM or wsmonline.com
CM

Good News/Bad News

chuck — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:35:19 +0000

To say it’s been an interesting May, would be an understatement. It started off promising enough – a nice trip to Europe to play a series of shows with my good friends The Hillbilly Boogiemen – a killer bluegrass outfit from the Netherlands. We had a couple of good festivals and quite a few club dates in Holland, Germany and Belgium lined up. I got over there and we played two excellent gigs (one big festival with old friends The Paladins and Jason & The Scorchers who let me sit in on Lost Highway) when I got a phone call from my wife telling me there was a waterfall in our basement at home. At first, we thought it was something we could handle after I got home in a couple of weeks but as the rains continued and waters began to rise, it became apparent that I’d have to cancel the rest of the tour and return home to deal with the massive flood. The promoters and agents were extremely understanding. I jumped a quick flight back to Nashville and prepared myself for the worst.
There is a place in Nashville called Soundcheck that is a storage space, rehearsal studio and repair shop. It’s a huge first class facility and I’ve had a storage space there for about 15 years as do many musicians around town. I never really thought about it much, but it’s right next to the Cumberland River.
You can see where I’m going with this.
There was five feet of river water in the building. I had a few soggy vintage amps and a couple of drenched guitars. Luckily, my good rare guitars were up on a shelf high and dry and the wet ones are repairable. Others weren’t so lucky. There was over a billion dollars worth of instruments, equipment and production lost in that mess. The people at Soundcheck were so great and organized and had amp and guitar triage set up. So many casualties. My amps are still at the doctors but I think they’ll come back thanks to the guys at Tour Supply. My Martin D-76, Fender Mustang (my first guitar), Dee Dee Ramone’s bass and one of my Echoplexes are drying and will be fine. I’m thankful for all that.
Back at the house, thanks to the 3 ½ feet of water in our basement, we have a new water heater, furnace and washer/dryer. It’s also clear of all the junk down there. I was planning on cleaning up down there this summer but I didn’t want to do it that way. I have some friends that didn’t fare that well. We’ve spent the last month cleaning up around here and helping other friends out west that had two floors of river water in their house. This doesn’t include my wife spending her time out at the Opry. Many of you might know that my wife, Brenda is the museum curator at the Grand Ole Opry. Opryland was hit hard by the flood, and she and everyone else out there have been fighting the good fight. The Opry has been staged all over town, including shows at the Ryman and at the War Memorial Auditorium, where it played for four years before moving to the Ryman – but it hasn’t missed a show. They hope to be back in the Grand Ole Opry House to celebrate the Opry’s 85th Anniversary at the beginning of October.
So that was the bad news from May. The good news is that the Million Dollar Quartet Broadway show in which I act as Musical supervisor/arranger is nominated for THREE Tony Awards. Not bad for our little hillbilly skit. The nominations are for Best Musical, Best Book for a Musical, and Levi Kries (Jerry Lee Lewis) for Best Performance in a Musical. This is a pretty big deal. Big enough to put me in a tuxedo and get me to the Tonys Award Show on June 13th on CBS. Tune in! Better yet, go on up to New York City and see the show. It’s a blast I promise.
I’ve got some cool shows coming up this summer including an appearance at the famed Station Inn in July and couple with Willie Nelson out west in Montana and Wyoming. Check out the tour section of my website. We’re also in the process of rescheduling those dates over in Europe that I had to postpone due to the May flood.
I hope I see you all where ever you live and until then –
Peace, Love and Ernest Tubb.
CM

European Dates Postponed

chuck — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:04:24 +0000

Due to the massive flooding in Nashville, I had to postpone a few of the dates on my European tour with the Hillbilly Boogiemen to return home to help with the clean up and recovery. The shows will be rescheduled soon so everybody keep your eyes peeled for updates.
Thanks
CM

European Tour

chuck — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:57:52 +0000

Chuck will be on tour in Europe from May 1st through May 15th with his good friends The Hillbilly Boogiemen. Longtime pals, the Boogiemen will be backing Chuck as he treks across The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. It’s a one of a kind experience that shouldn’t be missed. Come on out and join the fun!

Interview on Outlaw Country

brenda — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:46:33 +0000

Chuck will be live in the studio with Mojo Nixon on Tuesday, March 30, at 3pm Eastern. Tune in to Outlaw Country -Channel 63 on Sirius XM- and count the things that would be bleeped on terrestrial radio!!

Rodeo Bar 3-7-2010 Show cancelled

brenda — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:41:57 +0000

Chuck will be back at the Rodeo Bar on March 14, but this Sunday’s show has been preempted!

New York City Sunday Night Honky Tonks

chuck — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:22:06 +0000

Hey Kids!
I will be setting up a residency gig at the Rodeo Bar on Sunday nights for a two month long stand February 14th – March 28th. That’s right, while we’re rehearsing the Broadway musical in which I am the musical director “Million Dollar Quartet” (opening April 11th at the Nederlander Theatre) I’ll be hosting “The Sunday Night Honky Tonk Session” at the good ol’ Rodeo Bar at 23rd & 3rd in the Hillbilly Mecca of New York City. I’ll have special guests every week and a lot of good Honky Tonk music. Should be a lot of fun bringing Lower Broadway to, I guess we’ll call it “Upper Broadway”.
I hope I see y’all there!
CM

Happy New Year

chuck — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:34:46 +0000

Hey folks! I just want to wish you all a Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’ll be a good one. We covered lots of ground in 2009 and with a little luck, we’ll cover even more in 2010! Now don’t forget, on January 6th I’ll be playing a show here in Nashville out at the Loveless Barn for the Music City Roots Show. It’s a big benefit for the Nature Conservancy featuring Kristi Rose & Fats Kaplin, Tim O’Brien, Donna The Buffalo, The Believers and yours truly. As always, the show will be broadcast on WSM 650AM and simulcast on wsmonline.com. Tune in! And while you’re there, check out the archives for the big New Year’s Eve show that was broadcast from the Ryman Auditorium with The Old Crow Medicine Show. It was a fantastic way to ring in the new year! And on a blue moon to boot!
So I hope y’all ate your black eyed peas on January 1st and we’ll see you down the road.
CM

Merry Xmakwanahanuramachristakahdanzamas!

chuck — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:00:57 +0000

Click on the heading to download my Holiday song. . . or launch the music player to stream it.

Music City Roots – January 6 – Loveless Barn

brenda — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:31:16 +0000

You may not have heard about WSM’s newest addition, but you should! On WSM 650, AM also stands for Americana Music. Music City Roots debuted this summer, live from the great new “Loveless Barn” next door to the famed Loveless Cafe. “The Roots” features amazing lineups, and the tickets are only $10 ($5 with a college ID). Doors open at 6 and shows start at 7. Seating is general admission, and I suggest getting there early and grabbing either a fried chicken sandwich or a burger (served with pimento cheese, yum!) and then grabbing a good seat – not that there are any bad ones. Chuck will be on the January 6th broadcast with good friends Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose, Tim O’Brien, Donna the Buffalo, and the Believers. If you want to get tickets, click here. And remember, you can always hear the show on the Air Castle of the South or stream it at wsmonline.com