Gregory follows up the success of his Top 30 summer anthem "Crazy Days" with a more mature ballad, an emotional delivery that finds the singer looking inward and wondering aloud "What It Takes" to meet the expectations of the song's protagonist.

Gregory co-wrote the song with much of the same group that delivered his first single: Lee Brice, Kyle Jacobs and Joe Leathers.  The addition of Greg Crowe rounded out the songwriting team.  Keith Follese and Brad Allen co-produced the track, as well as the entire album, due out in early 2009.

"The idea for the song actually came about after a conversation my manager had on the telephone with his girlfriend at the time," says Gregory.  "He turned to me after he hung up and said, 'Adam, I don't know what it takes to be her man,' and something just clicked right then and there.  We knew we had something.  I picked up the guitar and we started writing.  We later finished the song in Fort Pierce, Florida with Lee, Kyle, Joe, and Greg."  
 
Late last week, Gregory was in Nashville to shoot the video for "What It Takes."  The video, which was directed by Roman White, will be released in the coming weeks.

The 23-year-old rising star will continue touring through the end of the year, combining a lengthy radio tour with appearances tied to his recent partnership with Cricket Communications, Inc.  In addition to radio visits, Gregory will stop at Cricket stores in select cities across the country to meet fans, sign autographs and play live material from his forthcoming debut.  He will also be making his third appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on October 28th.
 
Gregory concluded the summer with the digital release of more than 100 sports team remixes of "Crazy Days." Earlier this summer, he completed a realignment of his agreement with No Strings Attached and Midas Records to include a long-term promotion and distribution deal with Big Machine Records.

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Over the summer, Allen visited stations all across the West – and he has just returned from a run of states including Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
 
As “Why Ask Why” makes its steady climb up the radio charts, the single is also gathering steam at over 100 clubs and dance halls across America – via Marco Promotions’ “Club Connection”- with a hot, toe tappin’ dance that has been created for the song.
 
“Club Connection’s” Bobbe Morhiser comments: “I took ‘Why Ask Why’ with me to the Mishnock & Friends Country Dance Weekend in up state New York this past weekend and the dance instructors indicated to me that they were eager and excited to get back to their dance halls to add the song and line dance to their weekly schedule!”
 
Allen and his label, River Run Records, will be on location in central Tennessee this week to shoot a video for the single with director/producer, Glenn Sweitzer of Fresh Film + Design.

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Last weekend, Dan & Kelly Albro hosted the Miishnock & Friends Country Dance Weekend at the Hudson Valley Resort & Spa, in the Catskill Mountains of New York. The instructors of this event included Dan Albro, Joanne Brady, Stompin' Sue, John Robinson, Junior Willis, Johnny Montana, Kathy Sharpe-Arrant, Christopher Petre, Lyndy, Debi Pancoast, Barb & Dave Monroe, Jeff & Lynn Bartholomew and Tom Dailey. DJs present included Wild Bill, Stompin' Sue, Tom Dailey, Mary Andragna and Louie St. George.

There were seven professional wooden dance floors, clothing, boots, hats, crafts and more available to dancers. 

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Scott: Why don't you tell people who might be reading this today a little bit about yourself, and what it is that you have done in the past to get you to where you are today.
 
Charlie:  I worked really hard for a lot of years trying to make it in the music industry.  I have had a lot of record deals and people who have promised a lot of things that never happened, but I kept reaching for the stars, doing the best I could and trusting in people.  Now, through all the years, it came true and we broke through the ice.
 
Scott:  You are on River Run Records now correct?
 
Charlie: I am on River Run Records and I own it with my girlfriend, Diane Delena.  People told us that we weren't going to do good, and that is something you don't want to tell us.
 
Scott:  By owning it, do you have full freedom to make the music you want to make now?
 
Charlie:  I always had people telling me what I could record or threw in songs that I felt wasn't that great.  Now, we own the record company, and we have people working with us and we work together.  If I feel something is good, we run with it.  We feel really good about what we have done so far, but we have a lot more we want to do and it is a lot of hard work.
 
Scott:  You co-write a lot of songs.  One song that got me off of your album was "You Can't Take Him Out Of Me."  What inspired that song to come about?
 
Charlie:  Well, Diane was watching the news and she said "come in here, I want you to see this."  They were talking about taking God off of the dollar bill and schools and bibles out of hotels.  So I just came up with a title called "You Can Take God Out Everything, But You Can't Take Him Out Of Me."  That’s when it all came about.  I was on fire.  I ended up writing it with Brian White and Steve Dean.  I didn't write this song thinking it would go on record, and then everyone heard it and started saying that I needed to put it out as a single.  After I listened to the track and listened to what we wrote, I realized it was a great song.  This is America.  We can't let people push us around.
 
Scott:  Your new single is "Why Ask Why." What would you like to tell anybody to turn them on to this "killer" single?
 
Charlie:  I wrote this song about "taking the bull by the horns.”  I think people need to go out and enjoy life.  There are things that we need to be cautious about, but other times we need to jump in.  You can fall in love and not even know it.  That's what happened to me and Diane.
 
Scott:  What is your tour schedule like?
 
Charlie:  We are on radio tour and some Wal-Mart tours.  We are getting a lot of great reviews.  You know as well as I do that it is all about who hears your music.
 
Scott:  You come from quite a musical background.  Your mother is a member of the Bristol Music Hall of Fame.  What kind of influence has she had on your music and life?
 
Charlie:  I used to sit around and listen to her sing Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Dottie West.  She then started working shows with Faron Young.  I picked up pretty fast and I really loved what she was doing.  She said one day "Son, you want to practice?"  I said "yes," so she got me a broom stick or mop and she made me a mic.  My first show was with Hank Williams Jr. in Texas.
 
Scott:  What was that like?
 
Charlie:  It was something I really can't explain because I was scared to death.  It was my first show and there were 3 or 4 thousand people.  After that, I was fine though.
 
Scott:  Who gave you the best piece of advice in your whole career?
 
Charlie:  I would have to say it was Charley Pride.  He asked me "Son, how long have you been out here with us?"  I told him "about a year."  He said "Well, don't you think you should go on home and be a boy?"  Sure enough he told my dad that "I had had enough and needed to be a kid and get him ready for the next year."
 
Scott:  Have you ever played the Opry by yourself?
 
Charlie:  I Haven't.  I thought that I had as a kid, but it turned out that I didn't.  I can't remember where that was at.  I would have been about 7 years old at the time though.
 
Scott:  What would you feel like if they called you and said "Charlie, we have an empty slot and would like for you to fill it?”
 
Charlie:  I would love to fill those shoes.  I would put everything I had into it.
 
# # #
Link to website:
http://countrymusicreport.com/ArtistShowcase.htm

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Auditions are currently being held at Tootsies Orchid Lounge in Nashville.  Ten contestants will be selected from the first three rounds and compete in the finals on Friday, Oct. 24.  The last round of auditions will be Oct. 17.

"We thought it was a natural fit for Digital Rodeo to step in alongside WSM and Tootsies and help provide another unique opportunity for independent artists out there to gain prominent exposure," said DigitalRodeo.com Director of Marketing and Promotions John Pyne.  

The winner will be given an opportunity to open for Ronnie Milsap and the Grascals at WSM's birthday celebration Nov. 6, as well as a single-song recording session at 16 Ton Studios, a Harrah's Metropolis Prize Pack and a front-page announcement on DigitalRodeo.com.  

"We're very excited to be partnering with Digital Rodeo in promoting the 'Tootsies to the Ryman' contest," said Chris Kulick, Genral Manager at 650 WSM-AM.  "We share a global vision to interact with Country music fans and artists around the world, so it makes for a perfect relationship."

DigitalRodeo.com Director of Industry Relations and former Mavericks bassist Robert Reynolds serves as one of the judges for the competition.

"It's important to us at Digital Rodeo to be thought of as an ally and a tool for the unsigned artists as well as the major labels," said Reynolds.  "We realize that a number of the artists on our site fit that category, and we encourage local, national and international artists to come out and audition.  It's open to everyone."

Contestants must perform original compositions and are allowed to bring one other musician on stage for accompaniment.

For more information, please visit www.DigitalRodeo.com/wsm or www.wsmonline.com.

About DigitalRodeo.com:
Since its launch in March 2007, DigitalRodeo.com has become the fastest growing online social networking community for country music fans.  Membership is free and offers fans and artists alike the opportunity to connect, upload and download audio and video, watch exclusive DigitalRodeo.com content and keep abreast of the latest in country music news. For more information, visit www.DigitalRodeo.com

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Industry execs, dedicated fans, radio personnel and contest winners made up the majority of the crowd.  The 60-minute, high-energy set included Gregory's newest single, "What it Takes," which goes for adds October 27th.

Pictured L to R: WGAR/Cleveland PD, Brian Jennings; KFDI/Wichita PD, Beverlee Brannigan; Adam; KILT/Houston MD, Greg Frey; WKLB/Boston MD, Ginny Rogers; Key Market Stations VP/Programming, Frank Bell; KTEX/McAllen MD, Patches; and KTEX/McAllen PD, JoJo Cerda.  

Photo by Bev Moser.

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