Hello friends. 2009 has started off very busy. I have returned from the Soul Choir tour and it was a trip, to say the least. We went to Phoenix, Tucson, L.A., Oregon and Washington on the first part of the tour. Then we went down to Delray Beach, Fla., for a week. I just hate it when I get paid to go to Florida. That’s definitely one time I simply love doing what I do! When we were in Tucson, we were throwing the football around outside after sound check, and when I called home I found out it was 2 degrees in Nashville. I was certainly glad to escape some of the cold weather this year.

The tour itself proved to be a success. The crowd’s response to the message of hope and love conveyed in such a familiar way was, at times, overwhelming. For me personally, being from the Bible Belt and loving soul music, this project was a no-brainer. Of course, coming from someone who sings about snake handling, like I do in my shows, I’m sure it is no surprise to you that I love combining spiritual messages with my gift of song and taking it to the streets. To see it affect people is the gift we get back as performers.

Speaking of performers, the level of talent on the Soul Choir stage was remarkable. To get to work with 9 unbelievable singers was inspiring and, at times, a challenge for me. This is the first time I have ever been involved in this type of a group project, and I have to say, trying to compete with 9 other singers all sharing a monitor proved to be a challenge! Do you think it’s wrong that at times I wanted to knock a few of them out of my way? Oh Lawd, I need prayers for my sick ways!

When we got down to Delray Beach I swear there was nobody under the age of 75 years old in the crowd. The very first show, the lights are dim when we come out on the stage and as soon as the lights came up the first thing I saw was some older man with his fingers in his ears. If their fingers weren’t in their ears, they were adjusting their hearing aids! Then I thought I was going to die when one of them was dead asleep in the front row. One of the other singers started punching me and pointing and it was hard to keep it together. I called home and told my husband “honey, we are killing ‘em down here...literally!” We kept it all light though, and it was some serious comic relief for the singers.

The next stop on the soul choir tour is a PBS television special that we will be filming in the spring. I believe we will be filming in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium, so for all the local folks, you will certainly have a chance to come check it out. I can’t wait for everyone to see this incredible musical experience.

As for now, I am back to focusing on my solo career and getting ready to launch the new record. I promise before the end of the month it will be available on iTunes, cdbaby.com and my official website. Also, check back next week for free downloads of two songs that people ask about a lot. I just want to give a little something back to the fans for supporting my music. The free downloads will be available for about a week starting next Thursday, March 12.

I have teamed up with one of my writing partners, Greg Barnhill, and we now have office space together, which we have appropriately named “The Department of Soul.” We have been working on some new songs and want to share them with you. My goal is to have a new podcast coming to you weekly by the end of March. Surely the D.O.S. can crank out a few numbers for the world to hear! I am very excited about the new creativity that will come from our corner of the world. The building we are in was an old Catholic school and the nuns used to live in here. There is also another church that meets in the amazingly beautiful chapel downstairs. Needless to say, with all the prayer that has gone on in this building there is a very cool vibe here.

I will be in touch soon. Just wanted to catch up with you guys and let you know what’s been going on. Look for some changes to the website here real soon.

Stay in touch,

Joanna

Hello world.

It has been such a year of healing, rest and seeking which direction to go next that I haven’t quite had the words to describe the experience, so please forgive me for not writing in such a long time.

I have had great encouragement from the fans to keep the faith and keep being true to who I am, and I want all of you to know that I am so grateful for every e-mail you took the time to send me. It does reinforce that I am doing what I intended to do with music all along, and that is to touch people. I think that’s what every artist truly wants to do, but unfortunately the gatekeepers of our musical structure today throw a few kinks in that plan! But in this season of thanksgiving, I am also grateful that those structures are changing and there are new gateways every day to touch the world with the gift of song.

I recently ran into a music colleague and when they asked what I had been up to I told them “Well, it’s been a year of picking up the pieces after Warner Bros. and figuring out where to go next.” His immediate response was “Yeah, it’s like giving a dog a bath. They shake off all the water and then they look at you like WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO ME?!”

That analogy has made me laugh every time I think about it because it is so true. That’s exactly how I have felt. But just like a dog after a bath, even though they didn’t much like the experience, they are better for it! And that’s certainly what I hope for with my music and for me as a person. Going through something like that only makes you stronger. I know more about the industry now, I know more about what I will and will not do again and I believe it has prepared me for what is coming next.

I have come to realize in this season of my life that you have to let go of the past to make room for the future. My identity is not “Joanna Cotten, Warner Bros. recording artist.” Who I am comes from within, not from a record label, not from a producer and not from a manager. It has been liberating to create art again from such a fresh place.

I have been working on a new record this year. Even though I was not able to get my songs back from Warner Bros., I have created lots of other songs and I started looking at my catalog and picking out things that I loved. It has been a challenge to make myself decide which ones to include on the new album. I have been ruled by a committee for so long that I almost forgot I have an opinion too!

I also gained a greater respect for producers during this process. With little to no budget, that was one thing I had to step up to the plate and do myself this time around. The greatest asset of a producer I’ve found is making decisions and making them quick. When a musician looks at you and says “Are you sure you like that tempo?” You have to be the one to say, “Yes, I’m sure and no, you can’t change it!” Or you have to be open to the creativity available in the room to explore options that might take your art to a better level without letting it get out of control and off on a tangent that just eats up your studio time, which increases your budget!

I had such a great team around me on this latest musical journey. I was joined by Greg Barnhill, Greg Foresman, Jeff Roach, Craig Young, Dan Needham and Chuck Fields for the tracking. We cut the tracks at the EMI studio, and the great engineer Chris Latham was in charge of making sure the brilliance was captured!! Then we sang vocals for days, then we edited for days, then we mixed for days, then we sang more vocals for days and this dragged on for eight months! James Waddell was in charge of mixing, and the fabulous Richard Dodd mastered the record in two hours and we were off to packaging land!

So much goes into this process, but I have an end product that I am proud of and I hope it will touch others. After all, that’s really what matters.

Although that has taken up much of my time, I have continued to write songs when I am inspired. Unfortunately, we had a couple of major cuts fall through this year. One was a hold for Tina Turner. If Tina had cut my song, I could have just gone on to be with the Lord today and been fine with it. She decided she would go on tour instead of doing a new studio record, so maybe when she gets inspired, she will take another look at our song!

Also, Beyonce cut one of my songs, but it did not make the record. The song was called “I Know Who I Am” and the title of her record ended up being “I Am/Sasha Fierce.” Slight conflict there! However, just having the cut opened doors for me, and not making the record has closed a few doors for me! But it all goes back to letting go of the old to welcome in the new.

After eight years, I will be leaving my publishing company, EMI, and exploring new options. It has been a great run with them, but it was tied to my artist deal and it’s a new day, so hopefully I will soon find a new team of champions that will rally around me as a songwriter. I will certainly miss my old stomping ground and am so grateful for the nurturing of my gifts that they have given me. Gary Overton will always be one of my favorite people in the world.

Recently I was asked to be a part of a project that is very intriguing to me. It’s called the American Soul & Rock & Roll Choir. There will be four leads and a choir and we will be taking soul/rock & roll songs and giving them a new twist. It is such an inspirational project that I just had to be a part.

I admit, at first I was only involved because they were paying, but the more I got to know the people and started really paying attention to the messages that were being put out there, I got really excited about it. They have also cut a record that I am singing on and it will be available soon for downloads. They have the fabulous Dan Beck, who ran Sony Records’ marketing department for years, and music visionary Darrell Brown running the project. He has some amazing ideas for the marketing of this record as well. The thing I am most excited about is that it certainly has a taste of Heaven on earth in the message and I am always about that. After all, I do sing “Praise the Lord and pass me a copperhead!”

So be sure and check it out. We are on tour in January and February. Their website is www.soulandrockandrollchoir.com and all the ticket information is available there.

On a personal note, I am a proud new aunt. My brother and his wife welcomed Georgia Kayleigh Haralson into the world nine weeks ago. She is quite possibly the most beautiful baby girl ever. I am certainly not partial and she will certainly not have her aunt Joanna wrapped around her finger!

Other than that, everyone is healthy and happy and we continue to press on toward the goal! Love to all and happy holidays! Remember, you don’t get time back so enjoy each moment!

Dear friends seen and unseen,

I have to admit, I've wanted to write this several times, but I wasn't sure how to put into words the things that have occurred during this latest season of life.

The main thing was struggling with the decision to confront my record label about my future there, knowing that the end result could end up as me being a free agent.

However, when you are in a situation that you know just isn't right, you can't let fear of the unknown stop you from doing what you know you should do. I needed answers and there was only one way to get them...ask. After numerous discussions with managers, publishers, and lawyers, nobody could give me any clear direction for the future of my career so I knew I had to go directly to the source, the president of my record label.

I had to just look him in the eye and ask "where is this going? Are we putting out another single? Is there a marketing plan for that single? When does the single drop? How do we break it at radio?" I needed to know these things because I just went through a year of having a single released that didn't even get on the charts, and in order for the next attempt to be successful, there had to be a plan.

I also knew it was risky. I know my sound is different. It's not something that can just be thrown out there without standing firm behind it, embracing the fact that it IS different and believing that's why it's going to be successful. I know "Funkabilly" has some serious edge to it, but you know so does "Save A Horse Ride a Cowboy," and that came off the very same record label. So I knew somewhere in this record label madness there was potential for success, but not if fear and confusion were involved. That seemed to be what I ran into every time I turned a corner.

Not just their fear, but my fear as well. Fear of standing up to the big machine and saying "what is going on here?" We didn't share the same fear because I wasn't scared of my music failing, I was frightened of what was coming next if my future wasn't with this record label. So I faced the inner struggle and my thoughts went something like this...but I've spent close to 5 years at this company. Please God, just turn it around, remove the fear and the doubt and bring clarity. Funkabilly is my sound, it's where I'm from and I've lived long enough to know the public wouldn't believe it if I tried to be something else. Can I just bring myself to step inside the box for one single and give these people what they need to break me? Then I can sing anything I want, right? I've cut 21 songs for these people and they can't pick a single from that. Do I cut more songs? That seems crazy right? What is life going to be like without a major record deal? But I know this is a big machine and they can do this. But it's not happening.

And that seemed to be the answer I got every time I prayed about it. IT'S NOT HAPPENING. Not here anyway. You gotta let go and move on to what's next. This is too much of a struggle and it's not supposed to be that way. It doesn't matter that I have great relationships there and I want SO badly for this to just work. I mean, so many people have put in so much time.

So I boldly laid it out there and told the president, hey I need honesty. PLEASE, if you don't know what to do, just tell me. If you want to put out another single, let's get a firm plan and do everything in our power to make it successful. I would love nothing better than that, but please don't act like you know what to do if you don't. Don't give me any more empty promises because this is my life and my career — not my manager's career, not my booking agent's career, not my publisher's career, my career. Sometimes even if the answer is ITS NOT HAPPENING, at least not this way, you have to be strong enough to accept that and lay it down and move on with the new.

And that's exactly where I am today. The answer was "we love you Joanna but we aren't sure what to do." Well thank God. I finally have some honesty. Was it the answer I wanted? Of course not. I wanted them to say "Joanna you are our priority and we are going to spend the money and apply all of our resources to make this happen."

But deep down I knew the answer. I've spent these last two months accepting that and figuring out how to move forward. There have been some sad days, but I have to trust that God has something else and He will get me where I am supposed to be. I do know that I can hold my head up high, knowing I did all I could do. I have a gift that the world can't change or take away, and somewhere there is a home for what I have to offer.

As I learn to let go, good things have been coming my way. I have been getting some major cuts as a songwriter. I am participating in the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, and my show will be filmed by Direct TV (I'll keep you posted on details of when it airs, etc.). Then I come back to Nashville and open up some shows for B.B. King.

So, life goes on...hope ya'll are doing well and getting on with the new beginnings 2008 is bringing to you.

Stay in touch.

Joanna

Hey everybody. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be playing right outside of Chattanooga this Friday, July 27th. The venue is in Ringgold, GA which is in the area going through Chattanooga that turns to Georgia for a split second and then back to TN. We are playing the opening of an amphitheater called the Colonnade Center (directions below). This is a free show and we will play at 8:00 for about 50 minutes. There is an opener that starts at 7:00. This will also be my first time to have a tour bus, so if you can't make it at least propose a toast to the smooth bus on Friday night! The single is slowly but surely moving up. We have now gone to the conference rooms of a couple of Nashville radio stations to sing and introduce ourselves so please continue to call your local stations and request "The Prize."

Hope everyone is well. We will be launching a new Joannacotten.com in the next few weeks so continue checking back.

ROCK ON!
Joanna

DIRECTIONS:

From Chattanooga:
Take I-75 South; exit at 350 (Battlefield Parkway) and turn Right(West) onto Battlefield Parkway towards Ft. Oglethorpe. Drive exactly 1.6 miles and turn Right at the second Signal Light on to Old Mill
Road. Our green and yellow "Benton Place" sign is on the corner. Drive approximately 1/4 mile and turn right into Benton Place Campus. Ours is the last and largest of the buildings in the campus and there is a fountain in the front. www.colonnadecenter.org

I was seven years old, trying to contain myself at school because as soon as the last bell rang I was going to get in the car and Mama and Mimi were taking me on my first trip to Nashville for Fan Fair. It didn't matter how long I had to stand in line, I was going to meet Lee Greenwood and tell him I would sing backup for him for free if he would just give me a chance! And maybe, just maybe, I could get autographs from Earl Thomas Conley, Exile, Janie Fricke and let's not forget...Mel McDaniel.

While my brother was into the Michael Jackson "Thriller" album, my stereo played louder, and Mel McDaniel won the battle in our house, hands down. The intro guitar riff of "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" still haunts my brother to this day.

When we got to Jackson, Tenn., which was only two hours from home, we felt like we were a million miles away, and when we hit the "Ashland City" sign we knew Music City USA was right around the corner. It didn't get any better than that. I can still remember the excitement and innocence of a little girl that was a dreamer and, most of all, a fan.

The first thing we did was get lost...at least a million times! I will never forget that we were trying to find a place to park at the fairgrounds (this is when it was called Fan Fair and it was at the fairgrounds) and my mom stopped and asked a police officer for directions. Not just once, FOUR TIMES...THE SAME POLICE OFFICER! I have to admit it was a bit embarrassing, but I didn't care. I was in Nashville to meet Lee Greenwood and sing on any stage they would let me sing, and I did just that.

 

That seemed like a million years ago as I stood there shaking hands with my very own police escort at CMA Fan Fest 2007. My participation this year was not as a fan, but as brand new Warner Bros. recording artist Joanna Cotten. As I stood in front of the shiny convertible Corvette that would drive me past the fans for the kickoff parade, I anxiously waited for someone to realize I was the 'artist.' Even though nobody knew who I was (yet), I couldn't help but be proud of how far I had come. I felt an overwhelming clash in my soul of the old and new, and after 13 years of trying to get through the "gatekeepers" in Nashville, I had FINALLY made it to the fans.

I felt a sigh of relief when I was handed a huge magnet with my name on it to put on the front of the car. At least now the fans would know my name! I sat on the back of the car, trying to keep my s-curve going and my makeup from running down my face in the 100-degree weather and prepared for take off.

As we headed up the Broadway, the very street with all the honky-tonks I had sung in as a little girl, there they were...thousands of fans that had come from all over the world to listen to country music. I was pleasantly surprised that they were just as enthusiastic to see me as they were the more familiar faces riding in the cars in front of and behind me. They screamed out my name and had their video cameras going. I saw a few kids with little guitars waving back to me and I wondered if they would be riding on one of these cars 10 years from now!

You could sense the excitement in the air as we made our way around Broadway and then back to our own personal golf carts that would take us to the backstage area for the kickoff block party show in front of the arena in downtown Nashville. I stood in awe as Cowboy Troy came out of the tent and people crowded around the metal barricade to get his autograph. I couldn't help but think, "Man, I want my single to get out there so I can stand there and sign autographs!" So I made my way out of the tent and, much to my surprise, the fans were screaming for me to come over there and sign autographs! WHAT? These people are amazing! They just accept that if you aren't somebody today, you will be soon, so sign everything!

I went back to the tent area and saw Tanya Tucker. Now how cool is that? I'm hanging backstage getting ready to sing and there is Tanya Tucker! I had the instant thought of "holy crap, that's Tanya Tucker," and then I thought, "Oh, I'm supposed to be playing the role of a star myself, so DO NOT GAWK!" It was hard to just play it cool and assure myself that things have changed now and I belong here too.

One of the coolest things about the whole day was that my mom got to see all this happen. I took the stage and saw her in the back of the crowd proudly watching as tears rolled down her face. It had to be just as emotional for her to see my dreams coming true, and I love being able to share those moments with the people I love.

I did my set and as I came off the stage, there they were again...those insane fans with a sea of Sharpies asking for more autographs. I have to say it was another unbelievable day! I've been having quite a few of those lately. So as I wound down and decided I would go meet a friend at a restaurant across the street, the security people assured me that I needed an escort. Now that is just hysterical to me — I'm just walking across the street, nobody even knows who I am and I need an escort? The guy looked at me and said, "Yeah, you'll get mobbed." I thought, "Well, what if I want to get mobbed?" I've been trying to get here my whole life, I wouldn't mind finding out what it feels like to be mobbed!

They got me to the front door of the restaurant safely and I reflected on a day I will never forget. Thank you, country music fans, for supporting even the unknown. Here's to those autographs being worth a lot of money one day!

Love,
Joanna Cotten

Fourteen hours of sleep? Yep, that's exactly how much I slept the night I got home from attending the ACM Awards in Las Vegas.

It was quite possibly one of the best times I've ever had on my musical journey. I flew out the Sunday before the show with probably a third of the Nashville music industry. Once we arrived, I had an overwhelming pull to go check out the hotel and the casino, but I had a 4:45 wake-up call coming my way the next morning, so I went with the wise choice of dinner and sleep!

I found out soon that Las Vegas is not the old Las Vegas I knew in the past. You know, where on every corner they were offering steak dinners for $4.95. Well, no more of that! My day-to-day manager and I went to the first restaurant that didn't have an hour wait, and when we sat down the waiter came to take our drink order. I ordered the house red wine before looking at the menu only to later find out that it cost $17 per glass! Now, that's not quite as bad as the $1,400 shirt, but $17 for a glass of house wine is pretty insane, don't you think?

I kept trying to suppress the low-end Arkansas side of me and say, "It's o.k. Joanna, it's all on an expense account." But the more I told myself that and the longer I looked at the menu, I just couldn't hardly enjoy myself! The next jaw-dropping moment was when the waiter came back to tell us about the specials. There was one steak special for $125 and then there was the steak and lobster for $290. Yeah, you read that right. TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY DOLLARS! I hope I was able to hide the shock I was feeling inside, and I tell you, it was a good thing I was exhausted from the excitement of the trip. That was the only thing that kept me numb enough to eat and not think about it. Once I settled on the $54 New York strip, I felt like I was getting a bargain.
Now that I'm up on my soapbox about that, it reminds me of my friend who's from a really small town in Tennessee. His family comes to see him in the big city of Nashville every once in a while, and he tried to take them to a nice restaurant one time and they just couldn't enjoy themselves because they said "the food at Shoney's is just as good and not even a 1/4 of the price!" Lord, I hope I'm not that bad! You see, I know the money train's coming in for me soon, but I think if I had all the money in the world there's still going to be that side of me that chokes on my $17 wine when they tell me about the $290 special.

O.K., enough about the low-end side, let me tell you about the next day. I had a hair and makeup call at 5:45 a.m. and at 8 I went to sing for radio consultants Albright and O'Malley. The seminar was partially about bringing storytelling back to radio, so Jaye Albright asked if I would share my story after I sang.

Warner Bros. debuted the video of my live show that was shot at 3rd & Lindsley and then I came out and sang "Keep My Faith" accompanied by piano. Later I told my story and got to meet some radio personalities. It was a blast and the next morning I woke up to see my name on the front page of Country Aircheck (May 14 edition If you wanna go to the Web site and read it).

That was my big moment this year at the ACMs. Well, except for getting to go to the show. Warner Bros. gave me 6th row seats and it was just unbelievable. I sat next to another new artist at Warner Bros. named Lance Miller. Lance and I used to write for the same publishing company and we have been in the trenches for quite sometime together. So it was really cool to be there with another rookie! That way I could get all excited and have someone sitting beside that hadn't been there for the last 20 years going "what's the big deal?"

Terri Clark was on stage giving away awards before the show actually started. Brooks & Dunn and Carrie Underwood came out and then they were yelling over the intercom "YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR SEATS. THE SHOW WILL START IN 2 MINUTES." Of course, musicians are so much like kids that a lot of people just stood there and kept on talking. So the started yelling again! "YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR SEATS, THE SHOW WILL BEGIN IN ONE MINUTE!" Eventually, taking their own sweet time, they made it to their seats. And, come on, what's the big deal? Why is everybody screaming when they had a whole 3 seconds to spare.

The show started with Kenny Chesney and I reached over with a death grip on Lance's leg and said, "Isn't this the coolest thing EVER!" We had to turn our cell phones off, but I realized I could text my husband while I'm sitting there, so I silenced my phone and sent a text to him saying "I'm 2 seats over and 2 rows back from Gretchen Wilson!" It truly was amazing. We were dead center and right next to everybody.

However, the camera NEVER panned to our side of the aisle. I have several friends who don't care much for country music and they said, "I watched that whole show trying to see you and NOTHIN'!" Awhhh. Oh well. I was there. You might not have seen me, but I was there!

Then, after the show I was supposed to go to the after-party with Lance when his manager said, "Come on, let's go say hi to Tim." So we go busting backstage and I'm standing about 4 feet from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. It was cool to see the backstage area where everybody was getting dressed. Hopefully my name will be on the dressing room list next year.

We finally made it to the Warner Bros. after-party and hung out with my record label and then I decided it was time to break free. I found some of my peeps and eventually I found myself at Studio 54, where I danced in my red high heels until 3:30 in the morning. That would be 5:30 a.m. Nashville time! TORE IT UP! The only hard part about that was I had to get up early the next morning and stuff everything that I had thrown all over my room back back into two suitcases and roll them through about 10,000 people at the Las Vegas airport. WHEW, my feets was so TIRED! Now I guess you know why I slept 14 hours.

I feel like things went well in Las Vegas and at the ACMs, and it's definitely one trip I will never forget!

Joanna

If I had one word to describe my career, especially the last year of my life, it would hands down be 'perseverance.'

I'm sure you have noticed that I haven't posted a blog in quite some time. The honest reason is because I wasn't sure what to say or how to even get started. The most popular question of 2006 and into 2007 has been, "what's going on with you? When can I buy your record?" When the answer is always "I don't know," your blogs are fairly unentertaining! I should have just posted that as my banner on myspace and the header of my website. Welcome to Joannacotten.com...I DON'T KNOW!

Then in my Sunday morning quiet time, I sipped my coffee and read these words: "perseverance must finish its work so that you will be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Then it hit me that I'm not alone here. Everybody goes through trying times. We have to — it says so right there in the Good Book! So, I was immediately overcome with freedom and was inspired to write to all my unseen friends out there and hold my head up high and say "I don't know and it's ok!"

One thing I do know is that I will never be able to explain life's timing. I have struggled with the same questions you ask. What is going on? When am I going to be released to go do what I love to do, which is sing for people? I felt certain my record would be out by now, but for reasons I can't really even explain, it's not. I just have to know that it's the man upstairs' timing, not mine, and as we say in the South, "good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise,"my record will be released this year. In the meantime, every day, I find a way to keep my faith!

I went into 2007 not quite sure what to expect and along the way I've gotten several surprises. This Sunday was yet another one of those "cried and called mama" sort of days! I had received word several months back that two of my songs were gonna be in the new Dukes of Hazzard film. I wasn't quite sure of all the details since they changed almost daily.

By the end of negotiations, I thought it all fell apart so I just assumed we didn't make the cut. Well, you know how Sunday afternoons are...definitely a time of relaxing, so I curled up on the couch and turned on the t.v. There on the guide was "Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning."

So I thought "well, I'll just see what they went with" and right there, when Daisy Duke went from her shy librarian look to the knock out we all know her for, comes the quite familiar guitar riff of "High Maintenance." The next thing that happens is here comes my voice! MY VOICE ON NATIONAL T.V!! After I jumped up and down and ran around my living room a few times, I called mama. My voice broke and I said "I just heard myself on national t.v." I filled her in on all the details and hung up. About that time, here comes another one of my songs! Daisy Duke had her an ice cream parlor moment, and a sexy old time with that whipped cream I might add, while "Sweat" played in the background. So the next thing I know I'm getting calls from all my co-writers screaming "we're on t.v. baby!" We all got a big kick out of that.

Now what does this mean for you? Well, I've been told that you can download the soundtrack version of "High Maintenance" from Rhapsody. That's an added bonus for all my peeps who have e-mailed me about getting my music off of myspace.

Speaking of that, let me address the question so many have asked... "Why can't I download your music to my page?" I can see it all now. You're sitting there at your desk looking at myspace instead of working, trying to download these songs. When you get frustrated enough, you run down the hall to your co-worker's desk, knowing they aren't doing anything either, and say "do you know how to do this?" They say no, but who is this girl? You proceed to tell them all about me and spread the love. Then you go back and stare at the computer and say "I know there's something I'm just not doing. There has GOT to be a way!"

The answer is — THERE IS NO WAY! Until the album is released, you will not be able to download my music. Warner Bros. has set it up that way and unless you are some computer genius that can outsmart the geniuses at Warner that help me put this together, then your only option is to listen from your computer. Now that you know that, do not let that stop you from running down the hall and telling all your friends about me!

I will sum everything else up because I could write in detail about every little thing that's happened and next thing you know I'd have a novel:
• I have been told that Funkabilly is the first single and it will be released in July.
• There seems to be somewhat of a plan forming at my record label to move this project forward.
• I did an acoustic filming, which was pretty cool. (Honey it is hard to suck your gut in, get your S-curve on and sing like I need to sing...or as some would say, SANG!)
• The name of the record is "High Maintenance," and I recently got some options for the cover to look at.
• No major shopping sprees in L.A. lately. (Thank God because I decided I would get right up in the spirit of eating at Christmas, and now that I'm staring at bathing suit weather I'm thinking those Lean Cuisines are tasting pretty good!)

As I continue to find out more on the album release, I will be in touch. Until then, rock on everybody.

Joanna

11/23/06

I got up this Thanksgiving morning and wanted to reflect on all the things I am thankful for. This is a bit of a more serious side of me...one I questioned whether I should share with the whole world wide Web! But then I thought, everyone has a deeper place and so much of me is an open book, so why not share that side too. It..s a bit of a change from shopping trips in L.A. or stories about meeting Barbara Mandrell, but someone out there might enjoy. Happy Holidays everyone...and what if...

What if the world didn..t have the gift of song? Imagine a world with no radio. Just think, we could have never heard voices like Aretha, Don Henley, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye. Can you imagine never hearing the sound of a violin, or the crying moan of a gigantic opera singer in such distress that you hang on to every emotion as if you were living it yourself? Or have you ever thought of watching a movie with no sound? Do you really think any suspense movie would have the power behind it without music? That..s what creates that emotion of you wanting to jump right out of your skin. Being a person that responds so much to music, today I am thankful for the gift of song. For something so powerful that it can bring you to tears or make you laugh hysterically .. something so powerful that it makes you feel.


What if we didn..t have the gift of laughter? When I think about laughter I see everyone I..ve known; my family, my friends and their bright smiles. When I reflect on it, I can even hear some of their laughs ringing in my ear. Each person..s laugh is so unique to them. Today I am so thankful for laughter, for it has gotten me through many hardships.


What if we didn..t have the gift of sunsets? I have sat so many times and figured things out with God while watching what I love to call his gigantic coloring book. God..s showtime, every day, on display for the world to see. Sometimes you can see the whole big bright orange ball just dip down in the water or into the hills, sometimes there are majestic clouds that it dips through and then back out again and then it moves on, leaving it..s reflection of brilliant colors for us to stand in awe. Anyone who has experienced this sight must know in their heart of hearts there is a God and He does reign.

What if we didn..t have the gift of friendships? I often think what if I couldn..t call up a friend and say ..guess what happened today.. or what if I didn..t have those special people in my life that I don..t even have to call up and say ..guess what?.. They know me well enough that in just the word hello they can tell if I..m excited or sad. Even if it..s something you don..t want to talk about they drag it out of you and help you sort it through. Or those lifelong friends that you sometimes aren..t able to see but maybe once a year, sometimes not even that much, but the minute you get together it..s like you haven..t missed a beat. Today I..m thankful for the gift of friendship.

What if we didn..t have the gift of choice or the gift of freedom? Can you imagine living in a place where it wasn..t your choice if you wanted to marry someone, or if you wanted to get up and go worship in any house of the Lord you wanted, or there was no freedom to simply take a stroll around your neighborhood because of war. This one is one I..m really thankful for. Not one that I reflect on every day, because I just get so used to routine, but once I sit and think about it I know how truly lucky I am and I..m a bit ashamed that I walk around always wanting more. Sometimes simply being able to just be is a gift. To go and do anything you want, anything you set your mind to...it..s up to you, you have the gift of choice. And for that I..m thankful.


What if we didn..t have the gift of our senses? You know, what if we couldn..t smell? Think about all those cakes in the oven...my particular favorite being anything with cinnamon. When I smell cinnamon I go crazy! Or the smell of burning leaves in the fall...that..s what my grandmother loved so much and there..s not a time I don..t smell them that I don..t think of her. Or what about the Thanksgiving turkey? Half the fun of eating is the anticipation...knowing it..s coming, seeing it, smelling it...sometimes that..s more fun, and definitely lasts longer, than having everything right there on your plate and eating it all! Then it..s gone, over in a flash. What about the sense of sight? Or the sense of touch, of hearing, and best of all on a day like today, the sense of taste. Now for that, I AM THANKFUL.

Lastly, what if we didn..t have the gift of love? This one is so big and universal that just thinking of its power leaves me in awe. Then you break it down to just the simplicity of love...a hug, a smile, a touch, a common thread that is the heartbeat of the universe. May your day be full of thanks, many laughs, as colorful as a sunset, full of life and freedom, and most of all, full of the gift of love.

November 3, 2006

When I was four years old, someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, to which I confidently replied, "A country music star." When they asked me what I wanted my stage name to be, I thought for a long time and said, "I think I'll go with Barbara Mandrell!" So get this; I was asked at the last minute to fill in for Jamie O'Neal for a show this past Monday night called "Broadway Meets Nashville," and guess who introduced me? Yep, that's right...Barbara Mandrell. This has truly been a week that you know you are living the dream. The part of the dream where you have to pinch yourself to make sure you're really here!

Last week started out just like every other week for me. I had my schedule filled up with different co-writers, maybe a demo session scheduled, I can't even remember back that far. and at the end of the week I was going back to the land of Funkabilly, the Arkansas Delta, to see my grandparents.

So, I'm in the car on the way to Memphis and all of a sudden numbers from L.A. and New York start showing up on my phone, Warner Bros. is calling and I think, hmm, maybe I need to check in with my manager and see what's going on. I get him on the phone and he says, "Do you want to be involved in a show on Monday for the Country Music Association where country music singers sing Broadway songs and Broadway singers sing country songs?"

I said, "Well, I'm breathing aren't I!" That's when the whirlwind began. Of course, being the high maintenance woman that I am, the first question was not what am I singing, but what should I wear? I figured I'd be ok, I have a FAHB-ulous white suit or maybe the black outfit you see on my myspace page. So it was much to my surprise when I spoke to the director and he said, "We just ask that you don't wear white or black."
WHAT? That just happens to be ALL that's hanging in my closet! 911...FASHION CRISIS! So, you know what that means .. 12 hours in the nearest mall, which, remember, I'm on my way to Memphis.

So as luck would have it, there just happens to be a mall right off the interstate and after several hours of painful searching...no luck. So I got back to Nashville in time for three more painful hours of searching and by that point I was so tired, I just bought it all and what didn't work I could always take back.

Then there were other important things to take care of, like who's going to do my hair and make-up and I gotta get my nails polished and oh yeah, I gotta learn my song!
I sang "What I Did For Love" from A Chorus Line, which I had never heard in my life. I needed to have that ready for a 2:45 rehearsal on Sunday. Once I started learning it I realized, that song ain't no joke! It's not like it's only an octave range or something, it's fairly tricky, with modulations and lots of words!

Then I started thinking to myself how strange it was and how long it's been since I have performed a song that was not my own. How was I going to take this Broadway song and add the Joanna Cotten flair to it in a mere 24 hours? And look fabulous all at the same time?

Sunday night there was a dinner for the participants and that was probably the coolest part of it all. It was at the Hall of Fame and I got to meet Lorrie Morgan, Trisha Yearwood (no, Garth wasn't present!), Ben Vereen, Peter Gallagher, the head of the CMA, Clay Walker, Raul Malo from the Mavericks, Lee Ann Womack, Chris Young and the list goes on and on. I just couldn..t stand myself when I saw Barbara Mandrell. I had to tell her that she had taken my stage name! She was the most gracious, classy woman. What an honor to meet her and for her to be so nice to me...a mere rookie!

And you won't believe this. She says, "So, let me ask you something. What are you wearing?" I said, ..Well, they told me no black and no white.. and she said, "Well, I may have to go nude and I don't think they want that much comedy" LOL!! I said, "Honey I'm right there with you!" Dang, talk about a pinch yourself moment. Here I am chatting with Barbara Mandrell and she asks me what I'm wearing!

So we sit down for our dinner, which was catered southern style for our New York guests, all the way down to the banana puddin' at the end! WHEW honey, slap yo' mammy! I kept telling them that the biscuits didn't have nothin' on mama's and that we were going to have to show them what real southern eatin.. was like.

After a couple of hours of comparing "northernisms" with "southernisms" and laughing about how they were big old Broadway stars and here were all these country music stars and neither one of us knew who anybody from the other genre was! They got a big kick out of that. Another thing I thought was hilarious was the fact that here we are in the Country Music Hall of Fame and you wanna know what they were most fascinated with? The plaque on the wall of Dolly Parton because her boobs stuck out over her name and left a shadow so you couldn't even see her name! They were taking out their camera phones and sending pictures back to their friends of that. I told them if they thought that was cool, they needed to head on down to Tootsie's Lounge and see what Nashville's really all about. I bet that would trip them out completely!

After overserving ourselves on banana pudding, we called it a night because we had to be back bright and early for another rehearsal, then it was off to hair and make-up and back for a dress rehearsal and then off to red carpet and then the show and the after-party! I woke up the next morning and started panicking trying to memorize the song, thinking "Oh dear Lord, I'm going to have to write these lyrics on my hand and pretend like I'm putting all my emotion in it while I hold out my hand so I can read while I sing." And then the heavens parted. I show up for rehearsal and there it is, straight down from the sky...a teleprompter! OH THANK YOU LORD! Now, I can relax and just sing! I had my hair and make up done, piled up in my FAHB-ulous fashions from Dillards and busted right on down the red carpet.

One more rookie moment for you. I thought the red carpet was going to be me looking glamorous waving to all the cameras and walking down some red carpet while they took my picture. That sounds logical, right? NOPE! It's the line of media that does interviews. There wasn..t even any red carpet! Well thank God I didn't know what that meant. That would have just been one more thing I would have gotten all worked up about! Instead, I informed them that I was a last minute stand in for Jamie O'Neal and, while they haven't heard of me yet, but they were about to!

Finally after all the drama, we get to the show itself, which was just the coolest. What an awesome concept. To have Broadway singers singing country and Country singers singing Broadway and here I am piled up in the middle of it! See, they started this last year when the CMA awards went to New York and this was the first year to host New York in Nashville. They were brilliant in our format and I must say, us hillbillies tore it up pretty good on some Broadway tunes ourselves! I had to follow Felicia Fields, who stars in Color Purple, and she busted out an awesome version of "No One Else On Earth" by Wynonna. Then, here I come. The rookie, the one nobody's heard of! I did my song and got myself a standing ovation! WHEW! I made it through and pulled it off!

So, that was my experience with Broadway. Hope everybody is doing well. We..re going to make it through CMA week and everything pretty much shuts down after that. You know, it's family time. Time for the holidays and Christmas parties and all that fun stuff. Then we'll be gearing up for the first of the year and road work, radio tour and record launching. I'll keep you posted when we're coming to a city near you!

Alan Jackson spoke a lot of truth when he said, I made it up to Music Row, Lordy dont the wheels turn slow.

You know, sometimes I feel like a race horse that keeps kicking and bucking its head up against the start gate, just waiting for the barrier spring to release so I can run my course. Human nature is to get caught up in the day-to-day battles that leave you standing there focusing on the pain of your bell being rung going, Ow, banging my head up against the starting gate sure does hurt! So I challenge myself to look at my life from the sidelines. I just imagine I am the beautiful woman in the floppy hat and halter dress that steps up to the railing looking at her race form and, much to her surprise, High Maintenance Cotten is favored to win!

When I look at my musical journey that way, I am a lot more relaxed and can simply sip my mimosa and enjoy the race! I can take my focus from the pain of training and trying to maintain the patience to endure to just simply recognizing the fact that I am in the race. All those other horses might be leisurely strolling in the fields, but they dont get the thrill of being harnessed in the start gate, running the race and getting the chance to take home the Triple Crown.

Lately my journey has been focused on trying to figure out how to get out of the start gate and win the race. When you are an outside the box racehorse, the challenge is even greater. How do you get people to take a chance and bet on you when there are other, sure bet horses, in the race? There are so many ins and outs to the music industry. Everyone keeps asking me when my record is coming out and I have to be completely and totally honest and say I dont know.

What I do know is that there are things happening. Warner Bros. has hired Julian Peploe to put together my album packaging. Julian has done work for Keith Urban and J-Lo, just to name a few. He flew in from New York to see my last show at 3rd & Lindsley and we had such a blast hanging out. I cant wait to see what he comes up with and, more importantly, I cant wait for you to see what he comes up with! That will mean my album is available in the stores for you to buy!

There has also been talk of a video concept to take to radio that involves my live show. We would film here in Nashville and you the fans would be a big part of it. I will keep you informed of the details as they come together.

The label is trying to figure out what the first single is. For those of you who know anything about the music industry, we all know how long that can take! Ill keep you informed of those details as they come together as well.

My LeAnn Rimes single is doing well. It is slowly climbing up the charts so I pray for a continuance of that!

All is well in my world, and I hope everyone out there in cyberspace is well and were praying Funkabilly will be rollin like a freight train to your city real soon!

Peace,
Joanna Cotten