Shane Adkins: News

Well, first off, it was hot and crowded. The convention was a success. I especially enjoyed picking with Paul Curvin and Chuck Whiteside. Chuck picks a great guitar that he made himself. Paul plays a very special Gibson that has seen a lot of picking in its day. It still has many more days ahead in Paul's capable hands.

Of course, my monkey-toed photographer was there to capture the moment. There are a few pictures posted in the "Photos" portion of this website for you to see. She has posted a bunch more at this link: http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/free/gallery.asp?memberID=250554 Enjoy....

Shane

It seems people from everywhere recognize Steve Freeman's britches. Congratulations go out to Beverly Posey and Lisa Taylor (Lisa had an unfair advantage....she's his sister) for recognizing Steve in his picture. Patty Brown knew who it was too. I hope y'all enjoy Opryland. The Log Flume should be refreshing this time of year.

Actually, they each win a Shane Adkins CD. Its not quite as good as a free trip to Opryland, but considering they pushed Opryland in a ditch and built a shopping mall, a cd will have to do. :o)

Maybe we'll have another contest sometime. That was fun!

Shane (and Lisa)

I love to go the bluegrass festival in Lincoln County....even if it makes my fingers sore from picking so much. I get to pick with my favorite bluegrass group, Golden Hollow Band, eat ice cream, and kick around in saw dust and manure. You just can't beat it. Especially when you consider that the only charge is $5 for parking. There isn't an admission fee. I've added a few pictures over at the photo link. Check it out. There is a picture of the newest champion banjo picker, Kristi Massey from Petersburg, TN. Doesn't the banjo look natural in her musical hands. Right Sammy? Also, if you've read this far, you deserve a special treat. One of the pictures is a contest. See if you can figure out whose pants are shown with the water bottle in the pocket. You can send your contest entry to us at adkins03@bellsouth.net. The winner gets two free passes to Opryland Amusement Park.

Have fun guessing. The winner will be posted on the next update.

Shane (and Lisa)

I had the privilege yesterday to perform on a local TV show call Cooper and Co. They were nice enough to put a couple of videos on You Tube. We aren't sure how to add them here, so check out Lisa's blog www.monkeytoedgal.blogspot.com to see them. I'm playing "Blue Smoke" and "Beans and Taters".

Shane

As much as I hated it, I turned off the gues book last year because of uncontrollable spam. There are some weirdos out there that will put ANYTHING on a person's website. I really missed hearing from all of y'all real people though. So with trepidation, I'm turning it back on. We'll see how it goes. So if you are reading this, drop a line in the guest book. I'd love to hear from you.

I didn't think so. WOW!!! Its a CB J built by Chris Bozung in Fairview, TN. You can get to his website through my "Links to Others" tab. Its a slope shouldered dreadnought with Brazillian back and sides. It also has a adirondack red spruce top. Its a real hoss. I've played two other brazilian CB J's and they impressed me to the point where I just had to have one for myself. Everything from the inlay work to the tobacco sunburst is flawless. It is the finest guitar that I've ever played. Because I don't know how to add a picture right here, you'll have to click my photos link to take a peek at it.

Shane

I've been catching grief about not having updated my website in a while. Hi Dad. My monkey-toed gal has been keeping me busy, but now even she is telling me to update this website. Sooo, here goes.

I recently had the opportunity to play at the VBCC for the songwriter's showcase. Huge thanks to Jim Parker. It was a great night. Karen Staley and Doug McDonald were awesome to pick with. Cristina Lynn and David Sheppard performed a great opening act.

This Friday morning, I will be appearing on Cooper and Co. at 6:00 a.m. This is ZTV, Channel 11 out of Athens. Don't be surprised if I look sleepy.....

To be continued in six months. (Just kidding)

And you can hear 2 minutes worth of each song! Here is the link...http://cdbaby.com/cd/adkins3

I hope you check it out.

Shane

Well actually, its been complete for a couple of months....Its called, Shane Adkins "Traditional." It should be on cdbaby very soon. We'll have music samples of each of the songs as soon as possible. Its a very fun cd and I hope you enjoy it.

Shane

I hope everyone got their bellies full yesterday at the dinner table. I know I did.

Several people have asked about the next cd. I am working on it but it won't be ready before Christmas. I'm really excited about how things are going with it. It should be a fun one with several crowd favorites like "Monkey Toed Gal", "Mona Lisa" and "Turn Over". There will be a few surprises too. I'll be letting everyone know when it is ready.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

I recently had the opportunity to do a live show called the Blue Plate Special on WDVX in Knoxville, TN. They broadcast from the Knoxville Visitor's Center from 12:00 to 1:00 eastern. You can check it out at www.wdvx.com. I especially enjoyed playing this radio station because they play alot of true traditional country music.

I moved on from there to Townsend, TN and played the Riverstone Family Restaurant. This restaurant is a favorite of the locals in that neck of the woods and I can see why. Terry and Belinda Haley sure can cook up some good food. Our favorites were the catfish and the fried dill pickles. Stop by there to fill your belly and say hello next time you are in the Smokies.

This past Friday night, Lisa and I had the privilege to attend the "Golden Saw Music Hall" in Williams, AL or otherwise fondly known as Osh Kosh, AL. My good friend Paul Curvin invited us. This place is really unique. It was an old homeplace that was about to be torn down and just before the demolition began, the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Green, decided to invite over a few friends for some music...just for old times sake. Well, as they say, the rest is history. More and more people began coming to these pickings and before they knew it, they had a genuine music hall on their hands. They have since added on to the place. The inside is just like being inside a log cabin and there is a fireplace that puts Cracker Barrel to shame. What struck us most, was the friendliness of everyone we met. Everyone listens to music for a while, then gathers together during the break for some homemade goodies brought by those in attendance. We had great fried pies and fresh apple cake. If you ever happen to be near Williams, AL on a Friday night, they start at 6:30 and end up about 9:00. I'm sure they would love to have you join them, they are just that way. Thanks Paul for the invite. Shane

I just wanted to check in and thank everyone who has purchased a copy of "A Gospel Harvest". I would also like thank everyone for signing the guestbook. It is always fun to see who stopped by for a visit. I'm working on some new arrangements of songs that I look forward to using in concert and recording on the next cd. I have been working on "Tiger Rag" the past couple of days. Speaking of a new cd, I hope to start recording the next one soon. Here are a few songs that I plan to put on it: Monkey Toed Gal (original), Walls of Jericho (original), Mona Lisa, Dance of the Golden Rod, Walking the Strings, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Blue Smoke, Stars Fell on Alabama, Tiger Rag, and several more. Email me if you have suggestions and I'll see what I can do.

Another item of interest, I just returned from California where I played guitar at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) for Larrivee Guitar Company. I had a great time. The people at Larrivee are great people and I appreciate them honoring me with the invitation. I played some awesome Larrivee guitars that I would recommend to anyone. If you are ever in the market for a guitar, you can't go wrong with a Larrivee. No, they didn't pay me to say that. I really mean it.

Until next time, Shane

You can hear sound clips from "A Gospel Harvest" and order the cd at the following address from CD Baby. http://cdbaby.com/cd/adkins2 I hope you enjoy it...Shane

My second cd, "A Gospel Harvest" has arrived and is now on sale locally. It will be 5-10 days before the cd will be available online. I'm anxious to get the samples on the webpage for you to hear. If you are interested in buying locally, you can find "A Gospel Harvest" at Roy and Rogers Western Wear in Fayetteville, TN, Hunter and Potter Grocery in Hazel Green, AL, B&B Auto Parts in New Market, AL, The Fret Shop in Huntsville, AL, and The Gentle Touch Salon in Meridianville, AL. Of course if you run in to me, I'll probably have a few (hundred) to sell.

Yesterday, I made my first trip to the studio to begin recording the gospel CD that I have been promising. We were able to get three tunes recorded. I'm anxious to continue in the studio and hope to have the gospel CD available before Christmas.

First of all, I think Winfield, KS must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The people are extremely friendly and my experience at the festival was like none other. There was so much good music that you just couldn't hear it all. The day of the fingerstyle guitar contest started off cool and windy. I wasn't even sure if I would get to compete in the contest since I was number 49 and they only allow 40 contestants. Lucky for me, some were no shows. In the long run, I was the next to last contestant to compete. Whew! There were many musical styles played in the contest....classical, contemporary, rock, jazz, and traditional. Everyone played great that day. My selection for the preliminaries was "Flint River Blues" (as heard on my CD, Stomping Ground) and my arrangement of "Blue Smoke". For the finals, I played "Dance of the Goldenrod" and "Mona Lisa". You can just imagine how surprised I was when I was told that I had won. The prize guitar I selected was a killer Larrivee LV-10 Cut Away. Its a beautiful guitar. After the contest, Todd Hallawell informed me that I HAD to go somewhere called Carp Camp. I told him I would go only if I could keep all of my clothes on. Going to Carp Camp turned out to be an experience I'll never forget. I can't put into words how great it was. It is a large group of Celtic musicians that.....well, like I said, I can't put it into words. You have to experience it yourself. I'm planning on going back as often as I can. Everyone should try to go to the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS at least once.

Shane

Hey everybody! This is Lisa with some really great news. Shane just called from Winfield, Kansas and we are thrilled to announce that he has won this year's International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition!!! Thanks for all of your well wishes, thoughts and prayers. I think this means that he will finally be making another CD. Yeah!

Well, I hate that I didn't get to attend the 2005 International Thumbpicking Championship this year. My family and I really wanted to go, but other things kept us home. I hear they had a great time. I wanted to post the results of the contest and congratulate the newest winners. Congratulations to Ben Hall of Mississippi for winning the Grand Champion Thumbpicking title and the traditional thumbpicking contest. Also, Congratulations to Kyle Reeder for winning the contemporay thumbpicking contest and Scott Taylor for winning the open guitar contest. Here is a link to the newspaper article that tells all about it. http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/news/kentucky/8822707.htm
Shane

I had a great time at the BBQ Caboose in Lynchburg, TN last night. The place was packed. I met people from Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, and of course Tennessee and Alabama. I had some of the best smoked chicken and lemonade around. Thanks to all who came out for the concert and a special thanks to Ken and Sam, owners of the BBQ Caboose. Shane