Danny Gokey Parts Ways With RCA Nashville

By On 11/18/2011 · 109 Comments · In American Idol, Danny Gokey

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The story I reported on a few weeks ago about Danny Gokey possibly parting ways with Sony Nashville? The news has been confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter

American Idol season 8 finalist Danny Gokey is the latest show alum to find himself without a major label deal. A spokesperson for the country singer’s label confirms to the Hollywood Reporter that, “Danny Gokey and RCA Nashville have mutually agreed to part ways.”

Danny remains on the 19 Recordings roster “free to sign with another label or self-release his music.”

Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Casey James, are signed to Sony Nashville and all have albums coming out in 2012. Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alanina released albums this fall, part of the Mercury Nashville roster.

 
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  • http://twitter.com/CanadianLady2 CanadianLady

    > He grew up listening to country and Motown and he’d like to blend them.  I wouldn’t call that idiotic. 

    Hmm. I found that statement intriguing because my favourite Canadian singer is doing exactly that and being VERY successful – in Canada, that is.

    His name is Johnny Reid and he’s Scottish-born, been in Canada since he was a young teen. His dad listened to country and his mom to motown and he combines the two beautifully. And adds a bit of other flavours as well.

    He is totally accepted in Canada’s country community. However – and this is where the comparison to Danny comes in – he has been trying to get noticed in the US for the last couple of years, and so far I don’t think anything is happening. Nothing on the charts anyway.

    You can check out his sound at http://www.johnnyreid.com/

    I never knew what to do with Danny on Season 8. I didn’t hate him but neither did I like him. Not sure I ever know what slot to put him in. Maybe because they played up the Christian aspects and his back story so much that it was never clear to me what he wanted to sing. I guess I expected him to go Christian, too, and was very surprised when he went country. I sure never saw him as country.

    Hope he figured this out and finds his groove. Some people just know, or really have little choice, re what to focus on, while others seem to be all over the map and can’t decide. It’s almost harder when in some respects you have the ability to do various things, to make a choice and stick with it.

  • Indigobunting

    “Maybe because they played up the Christian aspects and his back story so much that it was never clear to me what he wanted to sing.”
    Exactly.  AI wanted him to be the complete Christian package to compete against Adam Lambert for excitement. And of course they loved his back story and Danny in his innocence thought nothing of talking about his wife.
    No one knew Danny’s real full time job was as a semi truck driver-never even mentioned on the show.

    Does he have a twang, no.  Does he have a soulful voice?  YES.  But, heck-even Randy Travis saw something appealing about Danny for country-both Randy and Paula Abdul told Danny to pick country.
    He is still refining his sound; but people who aren’t familiar with his AI origins and hear his songs hear country in them.

    Thanks for the info on Johnny Reid, that is fascinating!  Will definitely check him out. Sometimes the US is behind the times on certain things for sure; Metric system, environmental matters and drug utilization (other countries have drugs in use way ahead of the US)-perhaps Danny’s sound can develop in the US enough to have some small success.  I didn’t know Canada was such a trendsetter ;)  :)

    Article in The Boot- one of the major country blogs.  I notice it says nothing about Danny considering/is rumored/should consider CCM music.

    http://www.theboot.com/2011/11/21/danny-gokey-rca-records/

  • http://twitter.com/CanadianLady2 CanadianLady

    We actually have a thriving country community up here that barely get a ripple down there – although a number of them live in Nashville. :) If you want different, check out the Stellas, who Johnny has been promoting.

  • steph6449

    Anyone watching Idol knew that Danny wasn’t a country singer.

    Danny did a wide variety of songs on the show. Two of the most notable were Jesus Take the Wheel and especially What Hurts the Most which he performed in his exit appearances after the top 3, kept thru the AI Tour, and continues to perform in concert. I guess it depends on how open or closed one believes the box of “country singer” to be, but he got a lot of positive feedback for WHTM and did the best among the AI tracks Danny had on iTunes. He also did Lee Ann Womack’s I Hope You Dance (chosen for Hollywood Week, long before the show even aired), and two more country-connected songs.  Although I didn’t necessarily “expect” Danny to go country post-AI, it made sense to me in its own way, and as a country music listener I’ve had a lot of fun watching him in his journey so far.

  • http://twitter.com/CanadianLady2 CanadianLady

    Having watched a few recent YouTube videos of him performing in bars, etc. he definitely looks pretty comfortable rocking out now. Much more than I remember him on the show.:)

  • happyhexer

    Oh, Danny can rock it out all right! He likes to shake his booty! When I have seem him in settings where I would not expect his hardcore fans to predominate in the audience (country bars, opening for other country artists, etc.), the audience seems to respond very well to his peppier numbers, like “Get Away, “Be Somebody,” Like That’s a Bad Thing,” and peppier covers, “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.” and “Life Is a Highway.” (I’ve particularly been surprised at how well-received “Be Somebody” is by country music fans at concerts, since that is the song that sounds the least country to me.)
    I can’t predict the future, so I, for one, have no idea what direction Danny might take in the future. But I am one hardcore fan who would prefer that he not go the CCM route. I prefer fun Danny — the one who gets me on my feet singing and dancing, and feeling young and invincible!
    I can’t predict the future, so I, for one, have no idea what direction Danny might take in the future. But I am one hardcore fan who would prefer that he not go the CCM route. I prefer fun Danny — the one who gets me on my feet singing and dancing, and feeling young and invincible!

  • happyhexer

    Sorry about the partial double post.  I’m still unfamiliar with the new Website changes, and I have an older browser, which makes posting difficult.  :-(

  • happyhexer

    Oh, Danny can rock it out all right! He likes to shake his booty! When I
    have seem him in settings where I would not expect his hardcore fans to
    predominate in the audience (country bars, opening for other country
    artists, etc.), the audience seems to respond very well to his peppier
    numbers, like “Get Away, “Be Somebody,” Like That’s a Bad Thing,” and
    peppier covers, “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.” and “Life Is a Highway.” (I’ve
    particularly been surprised at how well-received “Be Somebody” is by
    country music fans at concerts, since that is the song that sounds the
    least country to me.)

    I can’t predict the future, so I, for one, have
    no idea what direction Danny might take in the future. But I am one
    hardcore fan who would prefer that he not go the CCM route. I prefer fun
    Danny — the one who gets me on my feet singing and dancing, and
    feeling young and invincible!

  • http://twitter.com/CanadianLady2 CanadianLady

    Yeah, I just this minute discovered there’s a little box that tells you when someone has responded to a post you’ve made. Cool!

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