Nashville, TN - Zona Jones, the latest in an impressive line of hard-core country singers from Southeast Texas, signs with Tracy Lawrence's Rocky Comfort Records (RCR). Having played the Texas/Louisiana honky-tonk/ nightclub circuit for the past several years, Zona is ready to expand his already developed fan base and spread his brand of music across the country.

"I am so pleased to sign with Rocky Comfort," states Jones. "Tracy and I have been friends for several years, and I have been a huge fan of his music since the Sticks & Stones days. I have always been impressed with his keen sense for a great song. Tracy is one of those rare country artists who has consistently recorded albums fans can listen to over and over without ever skipping a song. Working with him to create the best music "we" can is going to be so cool."

With the support and friendship of multi-platinum recording artist Tracy Lawrence, Zona is sure to be in good hands.  Lawrence launched the Nashville based Rocky Comfort Records on July 25, 2006, as a partnership with his manager Laney Lawrence. The label has had much success from both radio and retail with the release of "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" and "Til I Was A Daddy Too," off of Tracy's current CD, FOR THE LOVE. There are currently four acts signed to RCR and the roster is growing.

"I am excited about having Zona on RCR. It's going to be nice having a true country singer in this format, and we look forward to a lot of success with both Zona and Rocky Comfort Records," said Tracy Lawrence, Co-Owner/Head of A&R.  Being snatched up by the label is only the beginning as Zona is starting a radio promotion tour and plans to release his first single by the end of July. 

AUSTIN, Texas -- Kara Grainger, the soulful songstress with the fiery guitar and sultry vocals, is set for the American release of her debut album, GRAND AND GREEN RIVER (Craving Records), on August 19.

"I''m really proud of this album. I love the feel and the groove and the playing on it," Grainger recently told Rhythms, the monthly roots-music magazine of Australia, where the album was released in late May and where she has been touring behind it with fellow Australian Jeff Lang.

GRAND AND GREEN RIVER was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by David Kalish (Rickie Lee Jones, Ben Harper) and features Grainger''s distinctive vocal style and mesmerizing lead electric, slide and acoustic guitar work on honest, heartfelt originals like "Bring Me Back," for which she shot a girl-drives-classic-car video in Sydney; the love song "On My Way," which became a duet with Blue Note artist Amos Lee; and the emotionally charged "Sky is Falling." View video at http://www.cravingrecords.com/videos/KaraG_Bring_Me_Back_h264Low.mov.

The album also showcases some of America''s most celebrated musicians, including blues-jazz guitarist Eric Johnson, Reggie McBride (Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker), Jeff Young (Jackson Browne), Richie Hayward (Little Feat), Arnold McCuller (James Taylor) and GRAMMY Award-winning pianist Joel Guzman (Los Lobos).

With a voice called "honeyed" by The Tennessean, Time Out likens Grainger''s mix of jazz, blues and modern country to "an unusually potent brew" -- making her music perfect for the thousands of Starbucks Coffee outlets it''s playing in across the United States and Australia.

Grainger began her musical journey in high school singing and playing guitar and quickly joined (with her brother, Mitch) the Sydney-based blues outfit Papa Lips and toured throughout Australia. On her own, she''s toured with musical greats like Eric Johnson, Amos Lee, Robben Ford and Little Feat. She currently calls LA her home base but plans to spend a lot of time in Austin soaking up the rich music scene.

Kara Grainger''s upcoming shows include:

July 19, Saxon Pub, Austin
July 26, Lorraine''s, Marble Falls, Texas
August 22, Saxon Pub, Austin (ALBUM RELEASE SHOW)
August 26-31, National Country Music Muster, Australia

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - June 23,2008...Bandit Records will release GEORGE JONES - BURN YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN: the unreleased duets, a collection of never before heard duets between Jones and his illustrious guests on August 19, 2008. The recordings range from the mid-70s with his ex-wife, the "First Lady of Country Music," Tammy Wynette to the most recent recording from 2007 with his daughter, Georgette, the only child from the union of George and Tammy.

Seven of the recordings are extra songs, not included in The Bradley Barn Sessions that MCA Records released in 1994. Produced by Brian Ahern, the Bradley Barn recordings brought together superstar musicians and singers from both the country and rock world. Recorded during the worst ice storm in Tennessee history, the 1993 sessions, which took place over the course of several weeks, brought together VINCE GILL, RICKY SKAGGS, LEON RUSSELL and MARTY STUART - as the core of the studio band with KEITH RICHARDS, MARK KNOPFLER, EMMYLOU HARRIS trading off as instrumentalists and vocalists on many of the songs. The top players in Nashville - Eddie Bayers, Mac McAnally, Jerry Douglas, Glenn Worf, Brent Rowan, Glen D. Hardin, John Jennings, Harry Stinson, Richard Bennett and many more made the icy trek every day to Mt. Juliet, about 30 miles outside of Nashville. No one wanted to miss these historic sessions which paired Jones with an array of superstars influenced by the artist they considered the greatest living country singer. Ahern produced the classic Jones hits as an acoustic project to give the songs a different feel than the originals. The "extra" songs which are now part of BURN YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN are:

New Album, 'Keep On Walkin,' In Stores July 15 on Rounder Records

Burlington, MA