Fresh off his big-screen turn as Oscar winner Sandy Bullock's husband in The Blind Side, Tim McGraw is back doing what he does best - singing that vast catalogue of hits in front of adoring thousands.
McGraw has a date at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro Friday, April 30. That, country fans, is the same day the Oak Ridge Boys are playing in Savannah, at the Johnny Mercer Theatre. So you have a choice to make.
Well, the numbers don't lie. McGraw's still on the hit streak that started with "Indian Outlaw" in 1994. To date, he's had 21 No. 1 singles, and three Greatest Hits albums. In fact, 11 Tim McGraw albums debuted at the top of the Billboard country chart. McGraw's many, many fans know the tunes by heart: "Live Like You Were Dying," "Don't Take the Girl," "Just to See You Smile," "Please Remember Me," "It's Your Love," "My Next Thirty Years" ....
His marriage to the lovely Faith Hill is one of the most successful, longest-lasting marriages in Nashville (hitched in '96, they have three daughters, who often accompany their parents on the road). Here's hoping that some of McGraw's marital good fortune rubs off on Ms. Bullock, who looks like she could use it about now.
Paulson Stadium is on the campus of Georgia Southern University. Tennessee's Jonathan Singleton & the Grove will open, and tickets ($55, $50 for the public and significantly less for GSU students, faculty and staff) go on sale April 2).
Watch this space - we'll let you know more, as soon as we do.
On the record
Last fall's SCAD Radio-sponsored Savannah Record Fair was such a success, they're slitting open the shrink wrap on another one, and letting it breathe. The show is Saturday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the River Club (3 MLK Drive). Admission is free.
The last show was very vinyl-friendly; people were buying up $1 albums like they were made of gold. There was a smattering of CDs, some books, and the odd collectible or two.
Dealer tech info: Tables are $50 each; $65 after April 1. For SCAD students with valid ID, half tables are $15 and full tables are $30. For SCAD faculty and staff, full tables are $35. Call (912) 525-5502, or check out www.savannahrecordfair.com.
Some other stuff
...The French American Cultural Exchange brings three French films to Armstrong Atlantic State University's Fine Arts Auditorium April 1-3. Screenings in the second annual Francophone Film Festival are La Graine et le Mulet (The Secret of the Grain), Un Secret (A Secret), Entre les murs (The Classroom), Azur et Asmar (Azur and Asmar) and Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon (The Romance of Astrea and Celadon). Admission is free, and you can get the exact schedule at www.armstrong.edu...
... Savannah's Jamaal "Mali Music" Pollard, who's the Minister of Music at Faith on the Move Ministries, is nominated for a Dove Award for Urban Recorded Song of the Year. It's for song "Avaylable," from his CD The 2econd Coming. The Dove Awards will be handed out April 21 in Nashville ...
