Wed, 06/10/2015 - 10:51 am

Singer & Actress Laura Tate pays tribute to songwriter Mel Harker in this fantastic collection of Jazz, Country and Rock-n-Roll songs.

There is simply no one else like her. With a heart the size of Texas, a mesmerizing voice and a zest for living that is irresistible, Laura Tate inspires; through her music, her words and her deeds.  There is a spark behind those violet blue eyes that seems to say, “I’m living my life on my own terms… with love and laughter and passion.  Want to come along?”  And, yes, we do… and with the new CD release, “I Must Be Dreaming,” we most certainly do.

Whether she is singing Broadway hits or ballads, pop favorites or original compositions, Laura brings heart and soul to her performance and recordings. The versatile singer, actor, producer, and community advocate continues to mesmerize audiences in both intimate cafes and huge concert halls, reaching each listener with her smooth sultry torch singer voice and warm stage presence.

Laura Tate’s commitment to important humanitarian and educational causes is a driving force in her life. With her ability to move gracefully from corporate fundraising and Junior League social events to singing gigs in hometown bars and cozy cafes, Tate inspires everyone she meets with her natural compassion and dedication. 

Dan Lambert, Entertainment Weekly, El Paso:  The first time we met I knew from the way Laura carried herself and the way she talked that she knew what she was doing…. And that voice!

Ronda Espy, past vide president of Chrysalis Records and Trustee of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Artists and songwriters), said of Laura Tate and the album I Must Be Dreaming, “Fantastic!”

More about songwriter, Mel Harker:

A few years back, I met Mel Harker in California.  I those days, I think you could say he was "the hardest-working, most talented songwriter" that I had ever met.  We worked together and recorded some songs together and I loved his heartfelt lyrics and rich compositions.  He was a poet with an incredible gift for telling stories and creating unforgettable characters.

Although our paths parted, Mel's music I could not forget.  A couple of years ago, I finally tried to track him down.  It was not as easy as I expected, but I found him.  We connected over the music like we did when we were just starting our careers. He gave me all his songs to take home to Texas: a wonderful treasure of soulful ballads, country love songs, and foot-stomping rock and roll. Out of the hundreds of virtually unknown gems, I picked a dozen for this collection, my tribute to a talented writer everyone should know:  Mel Harker

Sat, 02/06/2016 - 2:26 pm

Legacy Recordings / Sony Music Entertainment Australia is proud to announce the forthcoming release of SUMMERTIME: WILLIE NELSON SINGS GERSHWIN on Friday, February 26th, 2016.

Willie Nelson's new album of pop standards, penned by America's legendary songwriting duo George and Ira Gershwin, follows the selection of Willie as the 2015 recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The first country artist ever to receive the distinguished Gershwin Prize, Willie Nelson was honoured in November 2015 with a two-day celebration in Washington, DC, culminating in a star-studded tribute concert.

President Jimmy Carter, who was unable to attend the concert, wrote in a letter read by host Don Johnson to the crowd that Nelson’s music has "enriched the lives of people far and wide for decades" and that the songwriter is truly worthy of this "prestigious and well-deserved award."

"To get a Gershwin award for anything is great, but to get one for songwriting is especially great because Ira and George Gershwin were just fantastic writers. They wrote some of the greatest songs ever", said Willie Nelson in response to receiving the Gershwin Prize. "The Gershwin songs have been here for many many years. When I was just a small guy, I remember hearing all these great Gershwin songs and they'll be around forever because great music like that just does not go away."

Willie Nelson's distinctive down home delivery and heartfelt vocal stylings mesh perfectly with the exquisite construction, unforgettable melodies and sublime romance of the Gershwin brothers' songs especially selected for SUMMERTIME.

Among the 11 Gershwin classics recorded by Willie Nelson for his new album are two duets: ‘Let's Call The Whole Thing Off’ with Cyndi Lauper (the song was originally introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1937 film Shall We Dance) and ‘Embraceable You’ with Sheryl Crow (the song was performed by Ginger Rogers in Girl Crazy, recorded by Billie Holiday in 1944 and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2005).

Other songs on SUMMERTIME: WILLIE NELSON SINGS GERSHWIN include: ‘But Not For Me’ (written for Girl Crazy, Ella Fitzgerald's version won a Grammy in 1960), ‘Somebody Loves Me’ (published in 1944, the song was a hit for The Four Lads in 1952), ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ (written in 1926 for Oh, Kay!, the song also closes out Willie Nelson's 1978 album Stardust), ‘It Ain't Necessarily So’ (written for the Gershwins' 1935 pop/gospel opera Porgy and Bess), ‘I Got Rhythm’ (the 1930s jazz standard written for Girl Crazy), ‘Love Is Here To Stay’ (the last composition completed by George Gershwin before his death in 1937, the song serves as the main theme in An American In Paris and is a centerpiece of the Great American Songbook), ‘They All Laughed’ (written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance), ‘They Can't Take That Away From Me’ (written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance), and the immortal ‘Summertime’ (an aria originally written for Porgy and Bess, ‘Summertime’ has become one of the most covered songs in pop music history).

SUMMERTIME: WILLIE NELSON SINGS GERSHWIN hearkens back to STARDUST, the 1978 blockbuster album of pop standards that secured Willie's reputation as pop balladeer (in addition to his status as one of the architects of outlaw country music). STARDUST peaked at #1 on Billboard ' s Top Country Albums and #30 on the Billboard 200. STARDUST was on the Billboard ' s Country Album charts for ten years—from its release in April 1978 until 1988. In 2002, STARDUST was certified quintuple platinum, and it was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame class of 2015.

Thu, 04/20/2017 - 7:07 am

DELIVERANCE features six previously unreleased tracks: "Deliverance," "Man Opera," which includes a four-movement medley: "I Am," "Touch Me," "Sunrise Sunset," "No One Else;" and an extended version of "I Am." The songs were written and recorded when Prince was an independent artist, protesting what he saw as an unjust music industry. In the spirit of that independence, and in supporting Prince's opinion of major label contracts, DELIVERANCE is being released independently via RMA, a Vancouver, WA based record company. The majority of all sales of DELIVERANCE will benefit Prince's estate.

Prince, and Ian Boxill (2Pac, Gladys Knight, Janet Jackson, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, multiple award winning Prince albums), co-wrote and co-produced all of the tracks beginning in 2006. After Prince's untimely passing, Boxill continued their work by spending the past year completing the compositions and arrangements, finishing the production and mixing the songs.

Says Boxill, "I believe 'Deliverance' is a timely release with everything going on in the world today, and in light of the one-year anniversary of his passing. I hope when people hear Prince singing these songs it will bring comfort to many." He continues, "Prince once told me that he would go to bed every night thinking of ways to bypass major labels and get his music directly to the public. When considering how to release this important work, we decided to go independent because that's what Prince would have wanted."

Prince is regarded one as of the most prolific and groundbreaking artists in modern music history. A worldwide Multi-Platinum selling artist, Prince was also a multiple time GRAMMY® Award winner, American Music Award winner, Billboard Music Award winner, Academy Award winner, Golden Globe Award winner, BET Award winner, Soul Train Music Award winner, Brit Award winner, GRAMMY® Hall of Fame winner, MTV Music Award winner, NAACP Image Award winner, and ASCAP Award winner, and more.