Grammy

Mike Wanchic strums for Mellencamp

NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator Thursday, August 18, 1994 Dance Naked, John Mellencamp‘s latest album that contains his hit remake of Van Morrison‘s ‘Wild Night’, didn’t only surprise the public — it also shocked his co-producer. Mike Wanchic, guitarist and co-producer in the Indiana singer and composer’s band since 1978, said he was astonished he received a phone call from his boss to head back into the studio within months of…


Fit as a fiddle…in the classic sense

Mark O’Connor leaves Nashville to concentrate on his talent as a classical music composer     Nick Krewen For The Record June 3, 1999     Pssst. Wanna buy a house? It’s a nice one, located in a private Nashville cul-de-sac about 10 minutes from Music Row. An artist retreat, this 4100 sq. ft. cedar home contains three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a great room with a 26-foot ceiling, inset shelving,…


Country’s Singing the Blues

Nashville In A Tizzy Over Sluggish Album Sales And Radio Airplay By Nick Krewen Special To The Star Saturday, April 17, 1999   NASHVILLE:   Music Row is in turmoil. As the heart of the country music business, this eight-block community of record companies, radio stations, music publishers, recording studios and management offices, located in central Nashville, Tennessee, is on the verge of panic. After enjoying a decade of unprecedented…


Diane Warren, Hitmaker

      California Dynamo Writes The Songs That Sell Millions   Nick Krewen Toronto Star Special to the Star December 28, 1998   Wynonna Judd, Mark Chesnutt and a gaggle of country and non-country music celebrities paid $125 U.S. a head a few weeks ago to stuff themselves into Nashville’s renowned Bluebird Cafe and witness a historic event:the first ever full-length concert by Diane Warren. Diane who? Unless you peruse the Billboard…


Cooking Up A Storm

PUBLISHED IN THE KITCHENER WATERLOO RECORD FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1998 By Nick Krewen   Buddy Guy knows how to cook up a storm on and off the stage. When he isn’t basting audiences around the world with masterful blues guitar licks or the savory Memphis-scented funk and soul of his latest album Heavy Love, George “Buddy” Guy can usually be found at his suburban Chicago home simmering a pot…