Star cast ready

If you ever find yourself cruising around Los Angeles, you might see Erika Nuri Taylor's signs announcing a house for sale in Simi Valley or a condo listing in Van Nuys. What you might not know is that the Realtor is also a Grammy-nominated songwriter with a long and storied career working with the likes of Enrique Iglesias, Janelle Monáe and Fantasia. Or that she co-wrote the Meghan Trainor song "Woman Up" playing in that "80 for Brady" movie trailer that's sure to dominate our televisions during the Super Bowl. So, you might wonder, why on earth is she selling houses? The 65th Grammy Awards ceremony, that annual celebration of (mostly mainstream, American, Top 40) radio, arrives once again on Sunday, with performances from the industry's top earners, including Lizzo, Harry Styles and Luke Combs. The glitzy gathering can obscure the fact that making a living in the industry is increasingly hard for most songwriters and musicians in the streaming era. Royalties tend to be … [Read more...] about In the Spotify era, many musicians struggle to make a living

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 6 DALLAS (AP) — Texas high school quarterbacks guru Todd Dodge got what he wanted when Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts of Philadelphia won their conference championship games. “I really like Joe Burrow,” Dodge said with a chuckle in reference to Cincinnati's star quarterback, “but I'm not going to root for Joe Burrow over Patrick Mahomes, that Texas quarterback.” The Mahomes-Hurts matchup is the first showdown between a pair of Texas high school signal QBs and the latest milestone for a football-crazy state once known much more for Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson than whoever was handing off to those future Pro Football Hall of Fame running backs. Dodge, a recently retired high school coach who won seven state championships, played a big role in the start of the transformation around 1980. He was the quarterback for what he considered the father of … [Read more...] about Mahomes-Hurts matchup rep Texas prep QBs on Super Bowl stage

WHEN Lyle Lovett went to Trinity Lutheran Church in Klein last Sunday -- it's the church his family has attended forever -- several members congratulated him on headlining the upcoming RodeoHouston. "I could tell from the greetings that, finally, because I'm playing the rodeo, I'm doing OK. This (music career) might work out," he says with a grin. The 43-year-old singer-songwriter, who has won several Grammy Awards and acted in movies (he's a favorite of director Robert Altman 's), is thrilled about performing at the rodeo for the first time, on Feb. 19. But if music is Lovett's passion, motorcycles rank a close second. When Lovett was 7, his family vacationed in Galveston. His father rented a small Honda sport bike, and they took a ride on the beach. "It was exhilarating. I had never felt anything like it," he recalls. "And I felt comfortable and safe, because I had my arms around my dad." Ever since that day on the beach, Lovett has held intense feelings about … [Read more...] about Lyle Lovett found peace on the seat of a Harley