Mcbride’s Career Puts Squeeze On Charity Work
Halloween night was to help make the world a less scary place for certain women in the Chicago area, thanks to Nashville star Martina McBride.
McBride, whose charity activities have focused on aiding shelters for battered women ever since the release of her award-winning hit “Independence Day,” made another such effort last Thursday in a nightclub concert benefiting local women’s causes. The event was cosponsored by the Illinois Women’s Funding Federation.
“‘Independence Day’ was very important in the women’s community,” says IWFF office manager Lisa Stauff. “One of our member groups contacted Martina soon after it came out.”
The Chicago date is one of “just a handful” of concerts McBride has been able to do this year, says Kim Blake of Bruce Allen Management, which represents McBride.
“When we get to cities where there is a shelter, Martina has usually given tickets to the people in the shelters or spoken at local schools or shelters,” Blake says.
But McBride’s charitable efforts have been hampered this year, Blake says, by the demands of an expanding career which brought her three Country Music Association award nominations in early October.
Recently booked on tour bills with Bryan White, LeAnn Rimes and Ty England, McBride saw the title song of her current CD, “Wild Angels,” used on the hit NBC-TV drama “ER” on Oct. 17. Four days later, she did a live radio network special with Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Suzy Bogguss and Lee Roy Parnell.
In November, she will film a Christmas special in Nashville with Alabama and other RCA acts.
God bless
As Shania Twain gears up for the release of her CD single “God Bless the Child,” her first recording since her album, “The Woman in Me,” Mercury Records announced “The Woman…” has been certified “octuple platinum” - an 8 million seller - in the United States.
Worldwide, it is nearing the 10 million mark.
The CD single is to be released by Mercury in November, with proceeds from its sale earmarked to help feed hungry children across North America.
Trying again
George Ducas hopes to emulate Randy Travis and John Conlee, who scored No. 1 hits with singles (“On the Other Hand” and “Backside of 30”) that were re-released after misfiring the first time.
Capitol Records is re-releasing Ducas’ “Every Time She Passes By,” the first single from the new album “Where I Stand,” due in stores next Jan. 14. The single was released this summer, and the album was also scheduled for release then, but Capitol decided to reschedule it after discerning, as announced in a recent statement, that August “was a very crowded time in country music for both albums and singles.”