Welcome to Danny Gokey News & Discussion- 10/23 -11/5/17

Close up of Danny gokeyWonderful photos of the Danny Gokey Band performing on the

Rise Out of the Dark Tour

Danny Gokey Band perfomring in Rockford IL

Photo by Troy L of the Danny Gokey

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69 thoughts on “Welcome to Danny Gokey News & Discussion- 10/23 -11/5/17”

  2. This message is for Admin2. She accuses me of being crazy for Christmas music (and she is right). I played Danny’s Facebook live broadcast 5 times to hear if he says “If you are into Christmas music, I have my new Christmas song”. Tell me if I’m hearing things in the last 15 seconds of the broadcast.

    https://www.facebook.com/DannyGokeyOfficial/videos/10155332821738402/

    (Danny has a three pack of albums for sale on tour for $20: Rise, Christmas is Here, HIFOM.)

  3. Leyicet, “Danny is always trying to win the Best Christian Award”. I love that Leyicet can tease Danny and keep him humble.

  4. “my new Christmas song”. Tell me if I’m hearing things ”

    You’re hearing things. One of the things you heard was “my new Christmas song.” I heard it too.

    I had wondered if he might do “The Prayer” with Natalie. I guess not. He said “my” not “our.”

  6. Hi Lurker, I had a chance to ask about “The Prayer” after Danny’s Summerfest show and his manager told me that they had trouble getting the rights to the song to record it. Or something like that? So I’m assuming that wasn’t worked out…

    I kind of doubt it is a new song. Probably a song from his Christmas album, First thought was something different, like Christmas is Here, but it only has 33,000 views on the special video released last year. But O Holy Night has 289,000 views and it hasn’t been released as a single, yet. I’m guessing that it will be released to Christian radio. (It has previously been added by some stations, but it wasn’t a true single.)

    Or ??? I’m watching the industry sources to see if a new Christmas single is rolled out for Danny. I see that Ryan Stevenson has one that will impact 11/24/17. And Jasmine has a Christmas EP:

    JASMINE MURRAY – FOR GOD SO LOVED

    Published October 5, 2017
    Labels: Fair Trade Services
    Number of Tracks: 5
    Total Time: 15:25
    Formats: Christian AC, Christian Inspo, Holiday, Christmas, Christian Hot AC
    Available Date & Time: October 5, 2017 02:00 PM ET
    Impact Date: November 24, 2017
    Country: USA

    It is with great pleasure Fair Trade and Jasmine Murray present to you “For God So Loved” – impacting the Christmas airwaves with the true reason for the season this most wonderful time of the year…

    Born in Starkville, Mississippi, Jasmine Murray grew up in a single parent household as the youngest of five children. Her love for music began at an early age… from singing along with the car radio to giving mini-concerts at home to singing in church choir. After being a Top 13 finalist on American Idol Season 8, God began opening up doors like never before – including singing for President Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast, and performing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Live! with Regis & Kelly. Jasmine was crowned Miss Mississippi in 2014, and finished in the Top 10 at Miss America 2015. Jasmine’s debut single “Fearless” hit Top 5 AC / Top 10 Hot AC and launched her career as one of the most played new artists of 2017 on Christian radio. Her debut album will release in spring 2018, and you can see her on the Rise Out Of The Dark tour with Mandisa, Danny Gokey, and Love & The Outcome this fall.

  7. Jasmine Murray didnt release a album before?She waited a long time.I wish her the best.

  9. I think this is correct

    I do accuse Jan of that.
    And I am right 😉
    And she is hearing things.
    And she is right.
    Is Danny right that he truly has a “new” Christmas song or does he mean a new Christmas single from the CIH album that we’ve already heard as an album track. A new song would be fun, whether cover of a standard or an original.

    This message is for Admin2. She accuses me of being crazy for Christmas music (and she is right). I played Danny’s Facebook live broadcast 5 times to hear if he says “If you are into Christmas music, I have my new Christmas song”. Tell me if I’m hearing things in the last 15 seconds of the broadcast.

  10. Thanks for your help in confirming what I was hearing 🙂

    I should have looked at the Christmas album being sold to see if it was different than original CIH (or last year’s Boston Store issue). But it looked the same so I didn’t turn it over. We have not seen any signs of Danny in the studio recording a new song. I do know he has had a videographer in Nashville so new promo material is possible (we’ve seen the door video for the tour and the Idol parody). So…. one of the originally released songs makes the most sense to me.

  12. I first heard Danny Gokey on Natalie Grant’s fund raiser for hurricane Harvey. I was so impressed with his I had to see what music was available. I came across the story of his late wife and American Idol days. This man is not only a great artist but very inspiring. Love this music!!!!

  13. Hi Stacie, so glad you were able to discover Danny through Natalie’s fundraiser. How cool that you are a new fan! Jan

  16. Danny and Leyicet are so funny. The things they say. 🙂 Danny not wanting to wear his sweatshirt.. cute. By the way, the sweatshirt looked very cozy like Leyicet said. Baby Gabriel is so cute. Yes, I heard, “new song.”

    Have a happy day, everyone..

  18. I didn’t hear new song. But I could have missed it. Leyicet is so distracting — funny, but distracting.

  19. I wonder if a song that sells well and goes to #1 on the charts and sits there a couple of days is more successful than a song that hangs around #10 or #20 for five years.

  21. This morning I have been writing with my left hand. No reason except curiosity. I am right-handed and have never tried writing with my left hand before.
    I wonder why I have never thought of trying it before. Don’t know why. The brief thoughts I had about it were that I thought it would be difficult and that I hoped I never had to do it.
    I was surprised. It was able to do both manuscript and cursive on first try. Both looked childish but were very legible.
    The writing was slow. I would not feel good about it if I were in a classroom having to take a test with time running out.
    Anyway, I enjoyed my experiment. I am easily entertained.

  25. Hugh tweeted this.

    Hugh Laurie‏Verified account @hughlaurie Oct 25
    Though we’re apart, you’re a part of me still…
    460 replies 1,936 retweets 8,552 likes
    Reply 460 Retweet 1.9K Like 8.6KI

    I searched it to see where it came from. It is from “Blueberry Hill.”
    I looked for “Blueberry Hill” on youtube and found this video. Elvis sings BH while Fats plays piano. (I like this piano sound.)
    Then Fats sings “Love Me.” I know BH is associated with Fats. Is “Love Me” a song by Elvis? I don’t think I’ve heard it before.

  26. I think TC will stick around on Billboard charts a little longer, but unless it gets a resurgence, I expect it to go recurrent Sunday night on Mediabase AC:

    8 8 Up this week CASTING CROWNS Oh My Soul 1314 1309 5 5.927
    9 9 Up this week CHRIS TOMLIN Home 1235 1201 34 5.994
    10 10 DANNY GOKEY The Comeback 1111 1163 -52 6.636
    11 11 Up this week MATT MAHER Your Love Defends Me 1104 1049 55 4.58
    12 12 Up this week BRANDON HEATH Whole Heart 1010 987 23 4.154

  27. David Archuleta‏Verified account @DavidArchie 1h1 hour ago
    More
    Replying to @dannygokey
    I wish!! I would love to see you and Mandisa both perform! I still have never seen you in concert my friend. Hope it’s going great!
    1 reply 6 retweets 28 likes
    Reply 1 Retweet 6 Like 28

  30. Lurker, I have definitely heard Elvis sing “Love Me.” It’s been covered by a number of artists. According to Wikipedia, it was originally written to be a parody of country and western music, but became popular instead! Elvis made it a hit. It made it to #@ on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1956. Here is Elvis:

    https://youtu.be/pBN7khCMhvU

  33. This doesn’t surprise me too much (via mjsbigblog)

    http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2017/10/25/american-idol-notes-casey-james-interview-savannah-auditions/

    “American Idol” notes: Casey James interview – “I’m not a country artist. Never was.” But he knew that was the most commercial route the folks at BNA wanted him to go. So he went that direction. “It really wasn’t a bad thing,” he said. “I got a lot of exposure from it. I gained a lot of contacts. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t taken the journey.” But James felt like he was often performing in front of the wrong crowd. “I felt like a chain saw juggler at an art gallery,” he said. He recalled finishing a country set and the next artist came up and opened a beer and the crowd went bonkers. James thought, “Man, this is not my crowd.” So now he’s embracing the blues, his first love. Sure, it’s a far smaller pond to be in but he hopes enough of his fans from country and “Idol” days will jump over and give him a shot to make a living in that world. Hm. I expect a version of this interview from Trent Harmon eventually – Read more at AJC

  34. While I am sure some of Casey’s fans will follow him to his new shows, i wonder how he expects to gain new fans? Without any radio play, i would guess the crowds will continue to diminish.interesting that he was fleeing Nashville while a country recording artist, but now is back.

  35. Interesting history, Ellen. Elvis did look as though he was sort of making fun of the song.

  36. Lurker, that performance seemed very tongue-in-cheek. Elvis even rolled his eyeballs at one point. But it’s still a good song, and I liked Elvis’ musical phrasing.

  37. I wish that Danny wouldn’t be negative when he mentions his country era. As with CaseyJ, I think he learned a lot. In Casey’s case, I think it pushed him vocally. In Danny’s case, I think it made him a better entertainer. Although Danny wasn’t successful enough to sustain a country music career — and it wasn’t a good fit for him in any event — he wasn’t a failure, either. His album sold well and two songs charted.

  38. I could see Casey J being happy perhaps being able to tour to venues that have blues performers. Or even at some point becoming lead guitarist for a bigger-name act. He could self=release music in either path.

  39. “While I am sure some of Casey’s fans will follow him to his new shows, i wonder how he expects to gain new fans? Without any radio play, i would guess the crowds will continue to diminish.”

    I strongly disagree, Jan. CaseyJ’s genre — blues — doesn’t have much (if any) of a radio presence, so not getting radio play is not likely to hurt Casey any more than it hurts any other blues artist. If Casey is accepted within the blues community, he will get exposure through word-of-mouth and visibility through alternative means such as blues festivals, etc. And if he can stick it out long enough — there is not a lot of money to be made doing blues — he will become part of the new faces of blues as the old guard dies out.

    As for Casey’s fanbase — sure, as with Danny, part of Casey’s fanbase will fall or has already fallen away.

    The quicksilver fans fall first — those who are interested only because of the artist’s fleeting fame connected to a TV show, or because they think the artist is cute, or because they build a story in their head about who they think the artist is.

    The conditional fans leave next — those who are interested in an artist only if he pursues a certain lane. We saw that happen with Danny. There were those who wanted Danny to do blue-eyed soul or some other genre and abandoned him when he went country. And some of Danny’s country fans deserted him when he went Christian. But you know what? Danny picked up new fans. I think Casey will do so too.

    And I think Casey — just like Danny — will maintain the fans who are in it for the long haul. Those who appreciated Casey’s mad guitar licks, his ability to jam, his laidback vocal prowess. And he will gain new fans in the blues genre, just as Danny has in the Christian genre.

  40. “He recalled finishing a country set and the next artist came up and opened a beer and the crowd went bonkers. James thought, ‘Man, this is not my crowd.'”

    To follow up on Admin2’s post re Casey James ~

    First, the quote above from CaseyJ probably expresses a sentiment that Danny also could identify with. And it reminds me of when CaseyJ did a show at one of my local country radio stations. The DJs interviewed him, and the questions they asked made me uncomfortable, and I think Casey as well. I don’t recall how it went now, but the DJs asked him about his consumption of alcohol — whether he’d ever been drunk, or what he did when drunk, or something related to drinking. And they kept pushing Casey to answer. It was really uncomfortable. I can’t remember now, but I think Casey said something like he doesn’t drink anymore. I got the impression that he’d had a problem with drinking in the past, but was now sober.

  43. I also wish Danny would not put down his country career. He did have success there. He had a record-setting album (don’t remember the record mentioned, but do remember reading about it), songs charted, and he was nominated for an award. Plus he toured with Taylor and some others. I don’t think he appreciates how well he did and how much some other artists trying to get started in country music would have loved to have had that much success.
    Yes, he lost his contract. Yes, he is doing better in the Christian market now.
    I don’t think, though, that if he had gone straight to Christian music that he would have had the success back then that he has now.

  44. I strongly disagree, Jan. CaseyJ’s genre — blues — doesn’t have much (if any) of a radio presence, so not getting radio play is not likely to hurt Casey any more than it hurts any other blues artist.

    The fact that blues doesn’t get much radio play is my point, Ellen. Danny left country and went to a genre (Christian Pop) that plays him on the radio. That has increased his fanbase and success. Casey has left country and is trying to break into blues – with apparently no radio play. It will be very hard to gain new fans. In the next five months, Casey has 5 shows listed on his website. He has 160,000 followers on Facebook. (Danny has close to 600,000.) I’m glad that Casey is pursuing the music he feels more passionate about, but it could be a challenging way to support himself — and his soon to be family of 4.

    I also wish Danny would not put down his country career. He did have success there.

    Lurker, I saw that Mandisa agrees with us. She liked his country album. So did I. And the lessons he learned from his time with RCA was critical to his being ready for this “last shot at a music career” (Danny’s words.) I’d like him to express more gratitude for the period/fans/opportunities he had with the country music career. Maybe he will with a bit more time and distance.

  46. I just checked, no sign of another single (Christmas or otherwise) for Danny, but this makes my guess less likely. Would Danny try to have O Holy Night as a Christmas single as direct competition with:

    LAUREN DAIGLE – O HOLY NIGHT -Published October 16, 2017

  48. Interesting idea, Lurker. Danny knows “Feliz Navidad” by heart… it would be fun to hear it on the radio. I don’t think I heard it on Christian radio last year….

  49. This is sort of the same thought path as “I don’t think Danny would have the success he has now if he had not done country first.”

    Danny was supposed to have TYHTBA as a single before he did. That was changed, and HIFOM was released. Then later TYHTBA was.

    I do not believe TYHTBA would have been as big as it was if it had come out first. Some really good songs get moderate attention because the singer has not built enough success yet to get more notice. HIFOM was a success. Danny had a strong base when TYHTBA came out. With that song, it kept growing.

    If it had come out earlier, it would have missed the boost from the dancers on TV.

    Timing is important. I still love “Win Me Over.” I wished timing had worked for it. Plus, if Danny had been a huge star when IWNSG was released (and if the talking had been left out), I think that song would have been a monster hit. (It continues to get views on Youtube.)

  50. Lurker, I think the record was something like this: Danny’s first week sales of his country album (around 65,000, I think) was the highest for a debut album of a male country artist since Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992. Something like that. I think, but I’m not sure, that Danny’s record has since been broken.

  51. I guess I still disagree a bit, Jan. CaseyJ doesn’t need radio play to be successful in the blues market, because blues isn’t supported by radio. I don’t disagree that it is very difficult for blues artists to make a living and have a full-time music career. But I do think Casey is talented and has a decent shot at making it in the blues genre. He has to know that doing blues is not likely to make him a lot of money. It is his choice to pursue it.

  52. “I don’t think, though, that if he had gone straight to Christian music that he would have had the success back then that he has now.”

    I couldn’t agree more, Lurker. I’ll elaborate later.

  53. Danny had a strong base when TYHTBA came out. With that song, it kept growing.

    If it had come out earlier, it would have missed the boost from the dancers on TV.

    Timing is important. I still love “Win Me Over.” I wished timing had worked for it. Plus, if Danny had been a huge star when IWNSG was released (and if the talking had been left out), I think that song would have been a monster hit. (It continues to get views on Youtube.)

    Lurker, people are still discovering IWNSG, I think it could have been a monster hit — but timing and artist popularity does make the difference in song success. I agree with you on TYHTBA, too. HIFOM was a good lead singer and Danny was one of the writers. It gave him some legitimacy as a new Christian artist.

  54. But I do think Casey is talented and has a decent shot at making it in the blues genre. He has to know that doing blues is not likely to make him a lot of money. It is his choice to pursue it.

    Considering Blues is the lane that Casey was pursuing before Idol, I’m sure he is experiencing a boost/better bookings, etc, 🙂

    Danny talks about wanting to be a gospel singer. He said he wanted to be the next Fred Hammond. I think Danny’s voice is great for gospel music, but he as a white guy that he wasn’t making any headway in that genre prior to Idol. I think his 3 albums didn’t use his “gospel” sound. As he said as he was writing HIFOM, he was searching for his OWN sound. I think he’s found it. But I do like his raspy, gospelly voice, too. I think we are only seeing a bit of it in his retro sounding songs.

    Hammond has been active both as a member of the gospel performing group Commissioned, and as a solo artist (currently for Verity Records). He is a multiple Grammy-, Dove-, Stellar-award winner and nominee as a performer, producer and writer.

    Hammond first gained recognition while playing bass guitar for the gospel group The Winans.[2] By 1985 he was one of the six original members of the group Commissioned, participating in 10 of the group’s 12 albums.

    After his time with Commissioned ended, he regained fame in the gospel community after selling millions of albums with his musical group Radical For Christ.

  55. For those who celebrate, “Happy Halloween!” The children go to town for “trick or treat.” So, it’s always quiet out our way. After the game..”Go Dodgers”.. we’ll will watch a Halloween movie. Have fun, everyone.

  57. Hi Cindy, we never get trick or treat visitors because we live on a dead end road…. the only place on it. Out in the country. Even when are kids were of school age, no one bothered coming down our road to see if they could trick or treat. We always heading into town, too.

  59. Do people say, “Remember back”?

    If they do, I wonder why. Wouldn’t “remember” be enough? Most people can’t remember forward. It seems if one is remembering, the only direction would be back.

  60. Lurker, I always say, “remember when.”

    Yes, you can’t “remember back” unless you’ve gone forward. 😉

  64. Sometimes I think of lyrics or words I’ve heard from songs I don’t know. Often I can find and identify the song when I check youtube.
    From somewhere I’ve heard a couple of phrases but did not know this song. I found it. It is done by a grandmother for her grandchild. She has a pleasant voice.

  65. Cindy, Natalie starting vocal exercises last week. She also got the test results. It was cancer, but the doctor says it was fully contained in the nodules. So, no need for radiation, etc?

  68. Very sad, Jan. Nothing seems to be sacred. I don’t understand how human life can be taken so freely and often in this country… My heart goes out to Sutherland Springs, Texas. ♥

    I saw a video of little Gabriel. He’s so cute. Looks so much like Victoria and Daniel. What a beautiful family.

    The leaves are blowing all around today. A blustery Autumn day.

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