Via Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

There’s a country song by Carrie Underwood, ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel,’ that Richard Masters has often listened to while he paints in the basement of his Webster home. • It’s the story of a frazzled mother driving home for Christmas, distracted from the important things in her life — like the baby sleeping in the back seat — until a skid on the icy road brings her near to disaster and jolts her back in touch. • Masters’ car accident 19 years ago didn’t end as well. He’s been a quadriplegic since age 5, when a dump truck blew through a stop sign and smashed into the car his mother was driving. • But the struggles he’s faced, and his remarkable talent for painting, have put him on a positive path.

He was 5 years old on Columbus Day, 1994, when his mother bundled him and his sister into the car to go to a playground near their Basket Road home.

They approached Schlegel Road, just a few hundred yards from their house, and Richard was looking out the rear passenger window. He likely saw the dump truck barrel through a stop sign and smash into the car.

The impact did not break his neck but stretched and twisted his spinal cord so his head was facing backward. Doctors in Rochester told Lynn Masters her son likely wouldn’t last 48 hours.

She had him transferred to a hospital in Buffalo, where the prognosis improved slightly: from death to life in a permanent vegetative state.

She had him transferred again, this time to the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., where doctors put a shunt in his brain to relieve the pressure.

Within an hour, he was speaking to her. Within three days, he was driving a motorized wheelchair.

“Many times they told me to say goodbye to him,” Lynn Masters said. “They told me he would be a complete vegetable. And now look.”

Now, he’s 23 years old, a grown man who’s overcome near-complete paralysis and made a name for himself as an artist.

He grips the paintbrush by clamping his teeth on the end of an 8-inch stick and moving his head side to side. His aunt, artist Deborah Sapienza, mixes the paint and holds the canvas, but Masters retains artistic control.

He has no motion from his neck down, but can move his head smoothly enough to put expression in eyes, movement in hair and rich patterns in the background.

He began painting almost immediately after his recovery from the accident as a way to maintain flexibility above his neck. But it wasn’t until he started working with veteran Webster Schroeder High School art teacher Bill Stephens that his talents truly began to blossom.

Stephens had never worked with a paralyzed student before in nearly four decades of teaching. He tried using one of Masters’ mouthsticks himself and quickly realized it was a special skill.

The two met in Stephens’ free periods for one-on-one lessons they both recall fondly.

“I always thought of him as a Buddha, actually,” Stephens said. “When he came into the room his presence was so beautiful. … . There were times we were working and we’d just start laughing and he’d spit that mouthstick right out. We just enjoyed each other’s company.”

Masters began with floral prints and still lifes, but decided shortly after graduating from high school to combine his artistic talent with his love of country music. He did a portrait of singer Tim McGraw and presented it to him in person backstage at a concert last summer.

His next subject was dearer to his heart: Carrie Underwood, the phenom singer/songwriter whose music had touched him so deeply.

He met her backstage as well, then sat front-row at her concert in Buffalo in March, where she thanked him from the stage. His next projects are singers Jason Aldean and Toby Keith.

Masters hasn’t drawn a breath on his own for 18 years, and never will. He occasionally lands back in the hospital with various complications and has three full-time aides, including his mother, at his side around the clock.

He doesn’t like when people stare at him; he doesn’t like riding in cars. He gets vicious muscle spasms that shake his body and ruin his sleep.

But those who know him say he radiates positivity, always thinking of others first and reaching out in his own way.

“Most people go through life complaining,” Sapienza said. “He doesn’t. He’s really a joy to be around.”

“He’s a very fortunate young man,” his mother said. “He cares more about everybody else than himself.”

“It’s a hard life, but he handles it with a lot of grace,” said Marie Vandermark, one of his nurses.

He basks in the sun when it’s warm and watches NASCAR races and DVDs when it isn’t. He’s considering a return to the still lifes he started with, and a possible public exhibit of his work.

“All the lousy stuff I’ve been through — it’s a lot for me to take on sometimes,” Masters said. “But I try to make everybody laugh. I try not to be a crabby person.”

- via Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 

Today in 1994, Neal McCoy began a 4 week stay at the top of the Charts with Wink.

Watch Neal Sing the Song On The Opry:  

Since the release of the recent Jason Aldean hit “1994,” everyone has been wondering “will the real Joe Diffie please stand up?” We now have the answer. “Joe-Joe-Joe Diffie” has been hard at work in the studio on a new song of his own with the help of D. Thrash of the up-and-coming group Jawga Boyz. The result is “Girl Ridin’ Shotgun” and Diffie returns Aldean’s favor by name-dropping him in the new tune.

For Joe, the collaboration was a chance to write with one of Country’s hit-makers and a hot new act on the “Hick Hop” scene at the same time, which proved to be lots of fun.

“My management called and mentioned a new act called the Jawga Boyz, who are making some waves down in the Southeast,” said Diffie. “Part of my goal was to get back to my writing a little more, so they asked if I wanted to write with those guys and see what happened. I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ Jawga Boyz Derek Thrasher and I got together with Phil O’Donnell and we wrote my new single, ‘Girl Riding Shotgun.’ Derek wrote all the ‘Hick Hop’ parts of the song and Phil and I concentrated on writing the chorus, so it was a true collaboration. It was really cool to see it all come together like it did, because it was something so different. It is really gratifying to see people get so excited about it. It’s not what people would normally expect from me and I hope fans have as much fun listening to it as we did writing and recording it.”

“When we first heard ‘Girl Ridin’ Shotgun’ we knew we had to find a way to work with Joe,” said Bigger Picture Group’s Michael Powers, who will be promoting the single to radio. “He’s an amazing talent, and with the resurgence of heritage artists of the 1990’s, Joe’s signature voice has stood the test of time. His new single is a breath of fresh air, not only among artists of his era, but also among new music today.”

Diffie is hard at work on a new CD of songs that will be released later this year, meanwhile “Girl Ridin’ Shotgun” is available on iTunes now. Listen to the track below.

-via Country Music Is Love

Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and musician Travis Tritt is releasing his first new single in almost five years TODAY(6/16).  Appropriate for Father’s Day, the track is a duet with his 15-year-old daughter Tyler Reese.

A remake of Patty Smyth and Don Henley’s “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough,” is available via iTunes.

“Sometimes” is the first single from Tritt’s upcoming album The Calm After …, which will be out July 9 on his Post Oak Recordings label. The collection is a revised re-release of 2007′s The Storm, adding two new tracks – the single and Tritt’s cover of Faces’ “Stay With Me.”

Not featured on the album is the live acoustic version of “Why Me, Lord?” he sang at the memorial for George Jones at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in May. After the video became a viral sensation, the single version was made available on iTunes.

Meanwhile, Travis continues a full tour schedule. Look for his daughter, Tyler Reese, to join her Dad as a special guest on select dates in 2013. Upcoming dates include:

June 22 Ft.Monroe Beach Stage Ft.Monroe, VA
June 23 Empire City Casino Yonkers, NY
June 24 Birchmere Music Hall Alexandria, VA
June 26 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ
June 27 Turning Stone Resort & Casino Verona, NY
June 28 Palace Theatre Greensburg, PA
June 29 JD Legends Entertainment Complex Franklin, OH
July 12 Seven Clans Casino Thief River Falls, MN
July 13 St. Croix Casino Turtle Lake, WI
July 18 Freedom Hall Sterling Heights, MI
July 19 Chautauqua Institute Chautauqua, NY
July 20* Beckley YMCA Sports Complex Beckley, WV
August 1 Campbell Country Fair Gillette, WY
August 2 Butte Silver Bow County Fair Butte, MT
August 3 Big Valley Jamboree Camrose, Canada
August 8 Tillamook County Fair Tillamook, OR
August 9 Umatilla County Fair Hermiston, OR
August 16 Havelock Country Jamboree Havelock, ON
August 28 KCI Auto Auction Kansas City, MO
August 30 Fort Randall Casino Pickstown, SD
September 7* Vermont State Fair Rutland, VT
September 13 Riverwind Casino Norman, OK
September 15* B100 Birthday Bash South Bend, IN
September 19 PACE Center Parker, CO
September 20 Sky Ute Casino Events Center Ignacio, CO
September 21 Cattle Baron’s Ball 2013 Eaton, CO
September 27 Margaritaville Resort Casino Bossier City, LA
September 28* Hot Springs Balloon Festival Hot Springs, AR
October 3 Bucks County Playhouse New Hope, PA
October 4 Renaissance Theatre Mansfield, OH
October 5 The Newton Theatre Newton, NJ
October 6 The Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield, CT
October 12 Austin County Fair Bellville, TX
October 19 Mark G Etess Arena Atlantic City, NJ
October 26 Pensacola Interstate Fair Pensacola, FL
October 27* Florida State Hog Rally Ft. Walton Beach
October 28* Pensacola Fair Pensacola, FL
November 1 Strathmore North Bethesda, MD
November 2 New Barn Theater Mount Vernon, KY
November 9* Founder’s Day Festival Ocoee, FL

*denotes special guest appearance by Tyler Reese.

-via Country Music Tattle Tale

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads and Granddads out there!  Last weekend we asked our Facebook followers what their favorite songs about Dad were.  We were overwhelmed with the response.  While many wonderful songs were mentioned one of them stood out in the many comments.  That song is Daddy’s Hands – a Top 10 hit for Holly Dunn in 1986.

In case you are wondering, Holly Dunn retired from Country music about ten years ago to focus on her other passion, painting.

On second thought I *do* like to brag. Cause I’m mighty proud of that ragged old flag!

Happy Flag Day!  Let’s celebrate by saluting our flag with this classic by Johnny Cash:

Today in 1987, Randy Travis began a 3-week stay at #1 with the classic Forever And Ever, Amen.

Watch The Music Video Below:  

Randy Travis has delivered a hit with the surprise debut of the George Jones tribute song, “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum.”  The heartfelt single is now available on iTunes.  “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum” was recently recorded by the country icon and singer Joe Nichols. This is the first song from Randy’s new album that’s set to be released this fall.

“It was an honor when I received a request to record this tribute to George Jones, and after I heard how well Keith Gattis had written “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum,” I was excited to record it.  Thanks to Joe Nichols for coming in and helping on this project,” says Randy Travis.

The Grammy winner provided fans with the first public hearing of “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum” at the CMA Music Festival.  It happened during the Remembering George Jones panel session on Friday which included the legendary singer’s widow, Nancy Jones, longtime drummer Bobby Birkhead, John Rich, Jamey Johnson and host Joseph Hudak of Country Weekly.  The moving tribute generated a standing ovation among hundreds of fans. It was written by Keith Gattis.

Listen To “Tonight, I’m Playin’ Possum”:  

-via Country Music Rocks

There is no doubt that this will be the cutest thing you see all week!

A 4 year-old girl is captured on video singing Wagon Wheel.  She does so without aid from the recording at all.  The song is currently a major hit for Darius Rucker and is a cover of a classic by Old Crow Medicine Show.

40 years ago today, the legendary Dolly Parton recorded Jolene.  The song was released in October of 1973 and topped te charts in February of 1974.