Steel Magnolia was an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
duo that won season two of the television
talent show
A talent show or talent contest is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are p ...
''
Can You Duet
''Can You Duet'' is an American reality competition television show on CMT. The show was produced by FremantleMedia, the same company that produces ''American Idol''.
The show premiered on April 14, 2008, and the first season ended on June 13, ...
''. The duo consisted of
Meghan Linsey and her fiance,
Joshua Scott Jones.
After becoming the top winner on the show, the duo signed a recording contract with
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and ...
, and released its debut single "
Keep On Lovin' You" in August 2009, which was a Top 10 hit on the U.S. ''Billboard''
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
chart.
Biography
A native of Ponchatoula, La., 23-year-old Meghan Linsey formed Steel Magnolia with her boyfriend of three years, Joshua Scott Jones. Before trying out for ''Can You Duet'', Linsey was a karaoke host at a Nashville karaoke bar, called Lonnie's Western Room, which is where she met Jones.
On September 29, 2011, Jones made a public announcement that he had entered
drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines. The general int ...
. In Jones's absence, fellow country artist and former touring partner
James Otto stepped in so that Steel Magnolia could continue their touring obligations while maintaining a duet. Otto cited similar musical tastes for sparking his interest in joining Linsey.
On March 3, 2014, Linsey and Jones, together on their Facebook page, made a public announcement that they were each going to pursue solo careers.
Music career
''Steel Magnolia—EP'': (2009–2010)
Steel Magnolia released their debut single "
Keep On Lovin' You" shortly after winning season two of ''Can You Duet''. It debuted at No. 58 on the ''Billboard'' country charts and became a Top 5 hit on that chart. In November 2009, the song became the highest-charting single from a ''Can You Duet'' competitor; season one finalists'
Joey + Rory
Joey + Rory was an American country and bluegrass duo composed of singer-songwriters Rory Feek (born April 25, 1965) and Joey Feek (September 9, 1975 – March 4, 2016), who were husband and wife. Both members of the duo were vocalists and s ...
's debut single, "
Cheater, Cheater," peaked at No. 30 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart in January 2009. The song served as the lead-off single to the duo's
self-titled extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
, which was released on February 23, 2010. It has also been included in the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
to the film ''
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...
''.
In October 2009, they made their
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...
debut and sang "Keep on Lovin' You" as well as "
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1949. The song has been covered by a wide range of musicians.
Authorship and production
Various writers quoted Williams ...
", by
Hank Williams
Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...
.
The duo earned its first
Academy of Country Music Awards
The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...
nomination for the 2010 Top New Vocal Duo alongside
Bomshel and
Joey + Rory
Joey + Rory was an American country and bluegrass duo composed of singer-songwriters Rory Feek (born April 25, 1965) and Joey Feek (September 9, 1975 – March 4, 2016), who were husband and wife. Both members of the duo were vocalists and s ...
.
Debut album: (2010–2013)
Steel Magnolia's self-titled debut album was scheduled to be released on September 21, 2010,
but was pushed back and eventually released on January 11, 2011.
''Steel Magnolia'' debuted within the Top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200 and ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums, debuting at number 7 and number 3, respectively. It sold approximately 28,000 copies in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
during the first week of sales.
The album includes their debut single, as well as their second single, "Just By Being You (Halo and Wings),"
which was released to country radio in July 2010, and became their second Top 30 single on the country charts. "
Last Night Again," which was released to country radio on December 6, 2010 as the album's third single, peaked at number 24 on the country chart. A fourth single, "Bulletproof," was released on August 22, 2011.
Jones entered rehabilitation in September 2011, with
James Otto filling in for him on a tour with
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...
. In January 2012, Steel Magnolia parted ways with Big Machine amid rumors that the duo had parted. In June 2012, the duo announced they are working on a new album. They also performed at LP Field as part of the CMA Music Fest.
Split and solo careers: (2013–2015)
In 2013, the duo split. Jones released a solo single titled "Honk If You're Tonky", and Linsey released a cover of
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals, piano), Zach Filkins (guitar, viola), Drew Brown (musician), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle ( ...
's "
Counting Stars". Jones told ''The Boot'' that "I’m not saying we’ll never make another record because you never know". Linsey confirmed that the split was official.
In 2015, Linsey tried out for season 8 of ''
The Voice'', having three judges (with the exception of
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music, country singer, songwriter and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin (Blake Shelton song), Austin" from his Blake Shelton (album), self ...
) turn their chairs around. She chose
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
as her coach, and was stolen by Shelton after losing in the Battle Rounds. She continued with Shelton as her coach throughout the season. She finished as the runner-up of the season.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
; Notes
Music videos
Other appearances
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Country music groups from Tennessee
Big Machine Records artists
American country music duos
Musical groups disestablished in 2013
Musical groups established in 2009