With the announcement of her new gospel album, Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, being released on Feb. 3, Reba McEntire is offering up the song, “Softly and Tenderly,” to her fans.
The album, co-produced by Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus and band leader/musical director Doug Sisemore, is a two-disc offering that will contain classic hymns and original songs.
“It’s a double album,” said Reba. “One album has 10 hymns on it, songs that I grew up singing all my life. And the other one are 10 brand-new songs. Music conjures up great memories and goes hand and hand with us McEntires. Mama unblocked sites, Susie and Alice even came into the studio with me to record ‘I’ll Fly Away,’ all of us gathered around an old hymnal straight from the Chockie church.”
Another of the classic hymns found on the album is “Softly and Tenderly,” which Reba recorded with her daughter-in-law Kelly Clarkson and good friend Trisha Yearwood.
“Sing It Now was the perfect title for this album because the message and melody throughout the song connects the dots between the traditional hymns I grew up on and new music that has been uplifting for me in challenging times,” said Reba.
“Softly and Tenderly” can be found on iTunes, available for download now. Listen to Reba, Kelly and Trisha’s heavenly version of “Softly and Tenderly.”
SING IT NOW: SONGS OF FAITH & HOPE TRACK LIST
DISC 1
1. Jesus Loves Me (Written by William Batchelder Bradbury)
Arrangement by Reba McEntire
2. Oh, How I Love Jesus (Written by Frederick Whitfield)
Arrangement by Jay DeMarcus, Tim Akers
3. When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder (Written by James Milton Black)
Arrangement by Reba McEntire, Catherine Marx, Doug Sisemore
4. Oh Happy Day (Written by Edward Francis Rimbault)
Arrangement by Jay DeMarcus, Tim Akers
5. Amazing Grace (Written by John Newton)
Arrangement by Reba McEntire, Doug Sisemore
6. I’ll Fly Away (Written by Albert E. Brumley)
Arrangement by Reba McEntire, Doug Sisemore
7. In The Garden / Wonderful Peace (Medley) (featuring The Isaacs)
(“In The Garden” written by Austin C. Miles | “Wonderful Peace” written by Warren D. Cornell)
Medley Arrangement by Jay DeMarcus, Tim Akers
8. Swing Low Sweet Chariot / Swing Down Chariot (Medley)
(Written by Wallace Willis)
Arrangement by Reba McEntire, Doug Sisemore
9. How Great Thou Art (Written by Stuart K. Hine)
Arrangement by Doug Sisemore
10. Softly And Tenderly (feat. Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood)
(Written by Will Lamartine Thompson)
Arrangement by Doug Sisemore
DISC 2
1. Sing It Now (Written by Michael Farren, Joseph Habedank, Tony Wood)
2. Angels Singin’ (Written by Jessi Alexander, Sarah Buxton, Steve Moakler)
3. God And My Girlfriends (Written by Patricia Conroy, Lisa Hentrich, Marcia Ramirez)
4. Hallelujah, Amen (Written by Dave Barnes, Lucie Silvas, Jeremy Spillman)
5. There Is A God (Written by Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley)
6. I Got The Lord On My Side (Written by Reba McEntire, Jackie McEntire)
7. Back To God (Written by Dallas Davidson, Randy Houser)
8. Angel On My Shoulder (Written by Leigh Reynolds, Amber White, Philip White)
9. From The Inside Out (Written by Amy Fletcher)
10. Say A Prayer (Written by Michael Dulaney, Jason Sellers, Neil Thrasher)
11. **HIDDEN TRACK (physical only): Jesus Loves Me (Reprise)
(Written by William Batchelder Bradbury)
Arrangement by Reba McEntire
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Friday, 10 June 2016
Review: Kelly Clarkson Provides a Master Class in Pop Singing in 'Stronger'
Kelly Clarkson’s new album has been subject to more delays than the NBA season. But apparently the perpetual tweaking was a matter of fine-tuning, not desperation, since “Stronger” lives up to its title -- trumping not just the current pop-diva competition but all of Clarkson’s previous albums, too.
Whether the general public has been waiting on tenterhooks for the record remains to be seen, since the lead single, “Mr. Know It All,” peaked at No. 18 in its debut week. But there are six, seven, maybe eight tracks here better than that okay opener waiting to break away and get a shot at commandeering the radio. As a succession of potential smashes, “Stronger” feels like tuning in to an expertly programmed all-Kelly/all-the-time hits station.
That’s giving a lot of inherent credit to the revolving door of writer-producers responsible for the parade of hooks, almost all of them new to Clarkson’s team. (No Dr. Luke this time; no Ryan Tedder.) Still, no one’s likely to tag “Stronger” as “a producers’ album” when it manages to be such a master class in great pop singing.
Also read: Kelly Clarkson Live: Watch Her 'Ellen' Performance [Video]
Part of greatness is restraint, and what a pleasure it is hearing Clarkson hold herself back here, if that doesn’t sound too counterintuitive. There’s hardly a showboat-y moment in an hour’s worth of lead vocals here. At times, in her lowest range, she even sounds like a dead ringer for Rihanna -- which is hardly the highest compliment you could pay a singer of Clarkson’s range, but it does give her a starting point from which to graduate to the kind of wailing fans are waiting for.
If it’s balladic Kelly that thrills you, you may need to hold out for some future project Clarkson is destined to record her middle age, since only two out of the 13 tracks on the standard edition fall outrightly into that category. “Stronger” is for fans who prefer fun Kelly, or angry Kelly… which have come to be pretty much the same thing, come to think of it.
For someone who still enjoys an image as America’s duly elected sweetheart, Clarkson gets a lot of mileage out of righteous rage. The pissy post-breakup rejoinders begin with “Mr. Know It All” and rarely let up, least of all with the likely second single, “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger),” a soon-to-break-out dance track in which Clarkson all but declares that “I, the Nietzschean superman, will survive.”
(Never mind how tired that tune’s titular phrase is. For a laugh, look up the YouTube video in which some wag mashed together a medley of 30 different songs that already borrowed “That which does not kill me makes me stronger” as a lyrical hook. Compared to this, Britney’s “Hold It Against Me” is based on an original thought.)
“Stronger” really does get stronger as it goes along. The rocker “Einstein” sounds like it might’ve been written for Pink, though it probably wasn’t, since Clarkson gets a co-writing credit. Against guitar squalls and live drums, she does the romantic math (“Our love divided by the square root of pride… It was heavy when I finally figured it out”) and concludes that “dumb plus dumb equals you,” a formula that will surely help kids get interested in arithmetic this fall.
Two albums ago, on the underrated “My December,” Clarkson seemed to be indulging an Amy Lee complex, and it returns with a brilliant vengeance on the hyper-dramatic “Honestly,” a far better Evanescence song than anything on the new Evanescence album.
“Dark Side” cleverly reinforces the idea that Miss American Idol has a shadow side with a spooky music-box melody that cuts in every time the big beat and goth histrionics briefly cut out. By contrast, “I Forgive You” sounds like nothing but power-pop fun, even though its Cars-style rock riffage and synth gurgles lead into a surprisingly cathartic expression of absolution.
The best is saved for almost last: “You Can’t Win,” another guitar-driven barnstormer, benefits from a series of exceedingly sharp verses that prove why modern life is just like Vietnam: “If you’re thin/Poor little walking disease/If you’re not/They’re screaming disease,” goes one couplet, and the woman knows whereof she speaks. “If you dump, so ungrateful/And if you’re happy, why so selfish?/You can’t win…”
Oh, but she can. “Stronger” has its cake and eats it, too -- by marrying pure ear-candy arrangements to Clarkson’s flawless, effortlessly fluid soul-rock vocals, and by embedding vividly conjured emotions in up-tempo tunes that never get too bogged down in their own seriousness. Thanks to records like this, ten years later, she’s still the only Idol that matters.
Thursday, 31 March 2016
Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monae and Others Release Song in Support of Michelle Obama’s Education Initiative
Michelle Obama has received some major celebrity support for her education initiative dedicated to supporting the education of girls worldwide.
"Called This Is For My Girls, the song will be performed live at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music, film and tech festival in Texas on Wednesday as Obama pushes her Let Girls Learn campaign,” said The Straits Times.
Obama announced her Let Girls Learn initiative in March 2015 and proceeds from the new single will go to the campaign, which Obama said is in the “action” phase.
Written by Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren, the single is intended to be an anthem fro the 62 million girls in need of education worldwide.
Clarkson and Monae aren’t the only powerful female singers to lend their vocals to the song.
"Along with Rowland, Missy Elliott, Zendaya, Janelle Monae, Lea Michele, Kelly Clarkson, Jadagrace, and Beyoncé protégées Chloe & Halle lend vocals to “This Is for My Girls,” which was released on iTunes today,” said UpTownMagazine
"Called This Is For My Girls, the song will be performed live at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music, film and tech festival in Texas on Wednesday as Obama pushes her Let Girls Learn campaign,” said The Straits Times.
Obama announced her Let Girls Learn initiative in March 2015 and proceeds from the new single will go to the campaign, which Obama said is in the “action” phase.
Written by Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren, the single is intended to be an anthem fro the 62 million girls in need of education worldwide.
Clarkson and Monae aren’t the only powerful female singers to lend their vocals to the song.
"Along with Rowland, Missy Elliott, Zendaya, Janelle Monae, Lea Michele, Kelly Clarkson, Jadagrace, and Beyoncé protégées Chloe & Halle lend vocals to “This Is for My Girls,” which was released on iTunes today,” said UpTownMagazine
Kelly Clarkson Won't Be Fat Shamed, Tells British Twitter Troll "I'm Awesome"
You can't put this girl down!
Kelly Clarkson had an amazing comeback for the British TV personality who called her fat in a series of unpleasant tweets — "Say what you will, I'm awesome!"
Clarkson, who gave birth to her first child River Rose in June last year, appeared on the British TV programme The Graham Norton Show in February, and renowned criticizer (and also the so-called Most Hated Woman in Britain) Katie Hopkins decided she had the right to comment on the singer's appearance.
"Jesus, what happened to Kelly Clarkson? Did she eat all of her backing singers? Happily I have wide-screen. #grahamnorton," she tweeted. But even when an army of followers snapped back with an explanation that the former American Idol winner had only recently given birth, Hopkins continued her abuse.
"Look chubsters, Kelly Clarkson had a baby a year ago. That is no longer baby weight. That is carrot cake weight. Get over yourselves," the sharp-tongued reality TV star continued.
Happily, Clarkson has the confidence and grace to let the nasty comments flow right over her, and had the best comeback imaginable for Hopkins when asked by Heat magazine how the comments had affected her.
"She's tweeted something nasty about me? That's because she doesn't know me. I'm awesome! It doesn't bother me. It's a free world. Say what you will," sunny Clarkson retaliated.
"I've just never cared what people think," she continued. "It's more if I'm happy and I'm confident and feeling good, that's always been my thing. And more so now, since having a family — I don't seek out any other acceptance."
Kelly Clarkson had an amazing comeback for the British TV personality who called her fat in a series of unpleasant tweets — "Say what you will, I'm awesome!"
Clarkson, who gave birth to her first child River Rose in June last year, appeared on the British TV programme The Graham Norton Show in February, and renowned criticizer (and also the so-called Most Hated Woman in Britain) Katie Hopkins decided she had the right to comment on the singer's appearance.
"Jesus, what happened to Kelly Clarkson? Did she eat all of her backing singers? Happily I have wide-screen. #grahamnorton," she tweeted. But even when an army of followers snapped back with an explanation that the former American Idol winner had only recently given birth, Hopkins continued her abuse.
"Look chubsters, Kelly Clarkson had a baby a year ago. That is no longer baby weight. That is carrot cake weight. Get over yourselves," the sharp-tongued reality TV star continued.
Happily, Clarkson has the confidence and grace to let the nasty comments flow right over her, and had the best comeback imaginable for Hopkins when asked by Heat magazine how the comments had affected her.
"She's tweeted something nasty about me? That's because she doesn't know me. I'm awesome! It doesn't bother me. It's a free world. Say what you will," sunny Clarkson retaliated.
"I've just never cared what people think," she continued. "It's more if I'm happy and I'm confident and feeling good, that's always been my thing. And more so now, since having a family — I don't seek out any other acceptance."
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
Kelly Clarkson: Piece By Piece review – one of pop’s most forceful voices
Empowerment anthems … Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson: ‘I’ve had to cry in record label offices to get my singles released’
The big-voiced American Idol winner talks about determination to succeed, nasty newspapers, Grammy night with Ed Sheeran, and Jane Austen in Texas
Hi, Kelly! The last time I interviewed you was in 2003, a year after you won the first series of American Idol. I was expecting a media-trained Idolbot, but you were really opinionated. (1)
They tried to get me to do a media-training class after Idol, but I didn’t want to, and they looked at my manager and said: “Good luck.” I like talking so I’m usually fine with doing interviews, but the part of my job I abhor is photo shoots. You spend all day setting up and waiting to take the picture, and it’s so boring.
Did you think you’d still be here now, 25 million albums and three Grammyslater?
I don’t know why I’ve lasted – you focus on the music, and sometimes the stars align and sometimes they don’t. I think it helped that I knew what I wanted to do from the start.
Which was…?
I wanted to do pop, because that means “popular”, and anything that was soulful. But it was hard to get that across at first. With Miss Independent (2), I had to cry in my label’s office to get it out [as a single]. They wanted me to sing like the Aretha songs I’d done on the show, and I was, like: “I’m 20 years old, I can do big ballads, but I also love guitars.” They didn’t want to do a lot of production with me. It was the same thing that would happen with Adele – she does ballads with a piano. I said: “That’s beautiful, but can I do other stuff?”
How do you deal with the nastiness of a lot of celebrity coverage, like the Daily Mail’s recent story about your “bizarre” dress sense?
I have journalist friends, and it’s sad to see people who have the talent to do more writing those kinds of stories. But it’s supply and demand, I guess – those websites wouldn’t exist if people weren’t reading them. I have a very thick skin, and I don’t usually let things like that get to me, but I’m human, and if people are mean on Twitter it hurts. But if [a journalist] is sitting behind a computer somewhere, writing nasty things, that doesn’t bother me. People always get mad at the paparazzi, but you have to get mad at the people funding it.
You did some witty tweets on Grammy night, like “I love this @edsheeran song! It’s weird he wrote it about me but hey I get it. #mygravitationalpull” So which song was that?
Oh. Uh … something like “Take me into your arms…”
Thinking Out Loud?
I think so. He’s amazing. So talented - and he’s young! Usually I’m there, but I wasn’t eligible this year, so I was watching it on TV and it was a different perspective. I thought it was really tasteful. When you’re at the Grammys, you don’t really experience it, and you definitely can’t tweet from your seat.
There was a slightly surreal story a couple of years ago about you buying Jane Austen’s ring at auction, then being refused permission to take it out of the country.
Her ring came up for sale at a Sotheby’s auction, and I thought: “I’ll probably spend too much money” [she paid £152,450], but my family doesn’t have any heirlooms to pass on, so I thought it would be lovely to have it. So I won it, and we got the export licence – and then [culture minister Ed Vaizey] suddenlyclaimed it as a national treasure.
You never got to wear it?
I kept it in a safety deposit box at Christie’s and wore it while I was in London. It was turquoise, but it was fragile – the band on it was weakening. My boyfriend was trying with my lawyer in parliament to let us keep it, because he was going to propose to me with it. In the end, we couldn’t, so instead, he made a replica for me at Christmas. (3)
So how did a Texas girl become such a big Austen fan? Is she taught in American schools?
We didn’t learn her at school, but one of my teachers was reading Jane Eyre, and I got interested [in British female authors of the period]. I read Persuasion and it painted a very realistic picture of life – I love how she wrote her female characters, because they were so independent.
Heartbeat Song from Kelly Clarkson’s new album Piece by Piece.
What do you think of the trend for big singers collaborating with other big singers? John Legend is on your new album, Piece By Piece, and you’ve done other collaborations.
I haven’t done that many … I did one with [US country star] Jason Aldean, but that was for his album, and I did a single with Vince Gill, but he’s country, too. (4) I hadn’t done a pop one till John Legend. I don’t want it to be forced: I don’t like it when they bring together a celebrity and a celebrity, regardless of how they sound. Just because people are lead singers doesn’t mean they can harmonise. Harmony is my favourite thing – I’m jealous of my backing singers, because they have more fun.
You’ve said it was hard to get a break when you started because your voice made record labels assume you were black, and they were disappointed when you turned out not to be.
I didn’t have money for a photo shoot, so I sent my demo out – a soulful demo - without a picture. And a couple of times, [label staff] said to me, “Oh, you’re not black” – they wanted a black-backing-singer look. I did get some calls returned:Gerry Goffin (5) was the first person to be excited by me. They invited me to his home and I saw his gold records and thought, “this is amazing”. So I had some interest from people who’d worked with major artists, but I still wasn’t really getting anywhere. I was living with a girl I barely knew on Croft Avenue [in Los Angeles], and the day we moved in we went out to dinner. We came back from dinner and the place was on fire.
Actually on fire?
Actually on fire. I lost everything except one box. I had to sleep in my car. And then I heard about a random audition for a talent show…
And here you are, 13 years later. The Sunday Mirror once interviewed you and claimed you said “No one on the planet should be as famous as me”, but you’vesaid that was a misquote.
That was a good one! They took what I said out of context – I said I don’t think people should be so famous that they can’t have a normal life. The girl asked if I thought I was too famous, so I said being famous is like a big piece of dynamite. And it was misquoted, and I sounded like such a tool.
“Tool” is very British. Do they say that in Texas?
Tool? Sure we do.
Footnotes
1) Among other things, she said she disliked people with nothing to say for themselves.
2) Her second single, a snappy R&B tune that contrasted sharply with the sappy balladry of her debut.
3) She was wearing it during this interview, but it paled next to her multi-carat wedding and engagement rings.
4) She also did a countrified duet with Robbie Williams for his Swings Both Waysalbum.
5) Lyricist on some of the greatest pop songs of the 1960s.
Kelly Clarkson: 'I knew I wanted to do pop from the start.' Photograph: Cindy Ord/Getty Images North America
Hi, Kelly! The last time I interviewed you was in 2003, a year after you won the first series of American Idol. I was expecting a media-trained Idolbot, but you were really opinionated. (1)
They tried to get me to do a media-training class after Idol, but I didn’t want to, and they looked at my manager and said: “Good luck.” I like talking so I’m usually fine with doing interviews, but the part of my job I abhor is photo shoots. You spend all day setting up and waiting to take the picture, and it’s so boring.
Did you think you’d still be here now, 25 million albums and three Grammyslater?
I don’t know why I’ve lasted – you focus on the music, and sometimes the stars align and sometimes they don’t. I think it helped that I knew what I wanted to do from the start.
Which was…?
I wanted to do pop, because that means “popular”, and anything that was soulful. But it was hard to get that across at first. With Miss Independent (2), I had to cry in my label’s office to get it out [as a single]. They wanted me to sing like the Aretha songs I’d done on the show, and I was, like: “I’m 20 years old, I can do big ballads, but I also love guitars.” They didn’t want to do a lot of production with me. It was the same thing that would happen with Adele – she does ballads with a piano. I said: “That’s beautiful, but can I do other stuff?”
How do you deal with the nastiness of a lot of celebrity coverage, like the Daily Mail’s recent story about your “bizarre” dress sense?
I have journalist friends, and it’s sad to see people who have the talent to do more writing those kinds of stories. But it’s supply and demand, I guess – those websites wouldn’t exist if people weren’t reading them. I have a very thick skin, and I don’t usually let things like that get to me, but I’m human, and if people are mean on Twitter it hurts. But if [a journalist] is sitting behind a computer somewhere, writing nasty things, that doesn’t bother me. People always get mad at the paparazzi, but you have to get mad at the people funding it.
You did some witty tweets on Grammy night, like “I love this @edsheeran song! It’s weird he wrote it about me but hey I get it. #mygravitationalpull” So which song was that?
Oh. Uh … something like “Take me into your arms…”
Thinking Out Loud?
I think so. He’s amazing. So talented - and he’s young! Usually I’m there, but I wasn’t eligible this year, so I was watching it on TV and it was a different perspective. I thought it was really tasteful. When you’re at the Grammys, you don’t really experience it, and you definitely can’t tweet from your seat.
There was a slightly surreal story a couple of years ago about you buying Jane Austen’s ring at auction, then being refused permission to take it out of the country.
Her ring came up for sale at a Sotheby’s auction, and I thought: “I’ll probably spend too much money” [she paid £152,450], but my family doesn’t have any heirlooms to pass on, so I thought it would be lovely to have it. So I won it, and we got the export licence – and then [culture minister Ed Vaizey] suddenlyclaimed it as a national treasure.
You never got to wear it?
I kept it in a safety deposit box at Christie’s and wore it while I was in London. It was turquoise, but it was fragile – the band on it was weakening. My boyfriend was trying with my lawyer in parliament to let us keep it, because he was going to propose to me with it. In the end, we couldn’t, so instead, he made a replica for me at Christmas. (3)
So how did a Texas girl become such a big Austen fan? Is she taught in American schools?
We didn’t learn her at school, but one of my teachers was reading Jane Eyre, and I got interested [in British female authors of the period]. I read Persuasion and it painted a very realistic picture of life – I love how she wrote her female characters, because they were so independent.
Heartbeat Song from Kelly Clarkson’s new album Piece by Piece.
What do you think of the trend for big singers collaborating with other big singers? John Legend is on your new album, Piece By Piece, and you’ve done other collaborations.
I haven’t done that many … I did one with [US country star] Jason Aldean, but that was for his album, and I did a single with Vince Gill, but he’s country, too. (4) I hadn’t done a pop one till John Legend. I don’t want it to be forced: I don’t like it when they bring together a celebrity and a celebrity, regardless of how they sound. Just because people are lead singers doesn’t mean they can harmonise. Harmony is my favourite thing – I’m jealous of my backing singers, because they have more fun.
You’ve said it was hard to get a break when you started because your voice made record labels assume you were black, and they were disappointed when you turned out not to be.
I didn’t have money for a photo shoot, so I sent my demo out – a soulful demo - without a picture. And a couple of times, [label staff] said to me, “Oh, you’re not black” – they wanted a black-backing-singer look. I did get some calls returned:Gerry Goffin (5) was the first person to be excited by me. They invited me to his home and I saw his gold records and thought, “this is amazing”. So I had some interest from people who’d worked with major artists, but I still wasn’t really getting anywhere. I was living with a girl I barely knew on Croft Avenue [in Los Angeles], and the day we moved in we went out to dinner. We came back from dinner and the place was on fire.
Actually on fire?
Actually on fire. I lost everything except one box. I had to sleep in my car. And then I heard about a random audition for a talent show…
And here you are, 13 years later. The Sunday Mirror once interviewed you and claimed you said “No one on the planet should be as famous as me”, but you’vesaid that was a misquote.
That was a good one! They took what I said out of context – I said I don’t think people should be so famous that they can’t have a normal life. The girl asked if I thought I was too famous, so I said being famous is like a big piece of dynamite. And it was misquoted, and I sounded like such a tool.
“Tool” is very British. Do they say that in Texas?
Tool? Sure we do.
Footnotes
1) Among other things, she said she disliked people with nothing to say for themselves.
2) Her second single, a snappy R&B tune that contrasted sharply with the sappy balladry of her debut.
3) She was wearing it during this interview, but it paled next to her multi-carat wedding and engagement rings.
4) She also did a countrified duet with Robbie Williams for his Swings Both Waysalbum.
5) Lyricist on some of the greatest pop songs of the 1960s.
Friday, 22 January 2016
Kelly Clarkson was here
It was a cold morning Feb. 23 when a car pulled to the curb in front of the Washington County Local History and Genealogy Library and out stepped pop singer and first "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson, along with a camera crew from The Learning Channel's "Who Do You Think You Are?" program.
Singer Kelly Clarkson is shown at the gravesite of her great-great-great grandfather, Isaiah R. Rose, at the Round Bottom Cemetery in Coal Run during a February filming of The Learning Channel’s “Who Do You Think You Are?”
"We knew they were coming and had closed the genealogy library for the day. They were here from around 9 or 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was a pretty long day," said assistant librarian Eric Richendollar.
He said Clarkson and the crew were very professional, but also easy to work with.
"They brought two or three cameras and took shots from several different angles inside the library," Richendollar said.
He wasn't sure if any of the local library staff would be shown in the episode, noting that TLC had brought their own genealogy expert to help Clarkson review the historical documents about her ancestor.
"She was professional and nice, and seemed like a very down-to-earth person," Richendollar said of Clarkson. "It was a great experience for us."
Grammy-winner Clarkson, 31, shot to fame after winning "American Idol" in 2002 and has since sold more than 20 million albums, with hits including "Miss Independent," "Since U Been Gone," "Walk Away," "Mr. Know It All," My Life Would Suck Without You, "Already Gone" and "Stronger."
Clarkson's great-great-great grandfather Isaiah R. Rose was born in Belmont County in 1842, but when he was a small boy the family moved to Coal Run, according to a history of Isaiah Rose by Betty K. Rose of Devola. The article was published in a 2010 edition of the Lower Muskingum Historical Society's "Reflections Along the Muskingum" periodical.
Rose, 86, wrote that Isaiah enlisted with the Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War and served with General William Tecumseh Sherman's army during the infamous "March to the Sea."
Isaiah's younger brother, Thompson Rose, who also served with the OVI, was fatally wounded at one point, and while attempting to help his brother Isaiah was captured by the Confederate Army and was confined to the Andersonville Prison in Georgia for seven months.
After serving through the war, Isaiah returned to the Coal Run area and eventually became a senator in the Ohio General Assembly in 1906. He died on Nov. 26, 1916 in Coal Run.
"I always admired Isaiah because after returning from the war he realized he needed an education and attended public school with his son," Betty Rose said.
She hopes to see the "Who Do You Think You Are?" episode.
"I've never seen the program, but I'm hoping to have it recorded so that I can watch this episode," she said.
Local genealogy historian Ernie Thode, who also works at the library, was not there the day of the filming, but said the library had been contacted by TLC back in November about the planned visit.
"They were in contact with me and (library director) Justin Mayo in November and December," he said, adding that the staff also did some preliminary research for the show.
Mayo said before Clarkson and the crew left the library Feb. 23 he presented the singer with a "souvenir" basket of local wine from Marietta Wine Cellars.
"I basically just had time to hand it to her and then they had to leave-they were on a tight schedule," he said. "But she really appreciated it."
Thode said he was able to watch an advance preview of the "Who Do You Think You Are?" episode recently.
"There's some 'teaser' footage of Marietta and the W.P. Snyder, and later she pulls up in front of the library before she goes inside," he said.
From the library Clarkson and the crew drove north on Ohio 60 to Coal Run where she's filmed at Isaiah Rose's final resting place in Round Bottom Cemetery.
It was dusk when they arrived at the graveyard. Local historian Phillip Crane said his wife mentioned seeing a lot of bright lights at the cemetery that evening.
During some research in the wake of Clarkson's visit, Crane discovered she has more than one connection to the area.
"I found out that Kelly's grandmother was Mary George who lived in Parkersburg, W.Va.," he said. "And Kelly's mother, Jeanne Rose, grew up in Parkersburg and graduated from Belpre High School."
Crane also found the star has connections to other relatives in the area, including the Ewing and Humiston families.
He said more information about Clarkson and her family will be included in his column, "An Eye on the Lower Muskingum," in Saturday's edition of The Marietta Times.
Thode said in addition to being entertaining, the TLC episode will give the county genealogy library some great exposure.
"The publicity is valuable, but it also shows that we do serve everybody here," he said. "Just this week we've had people from Mesa, Ariz. and South Carolina doing genealogical research."
Richendollar agreed.
"We're very fortunate that our library directors have realized the importance of this facility," he said. "People from all over the country and all over the world come here to research their family histories, even if their ancestor was just passing through."
Mayo said the TLC airing of Clarkson's visit is exciting news for the local area, but also indicates the quality of the genealogy library supported by the resources of the Washington County Library System.
"I would put our genealogy department up against any other library in the state," he said.
The show, in its fourth season, follows celebrities as they trace their ancestry and visit related sites.
Clarkson was in town to learn about her great-great-great grandfather, Isaiah Rose, a Civil War veteran and former Ohio Senator who lived in the Coal Run area and is buried in Round Bottom Cemetery.
Clarkson was in town to learn about her great-great-great grandfather, Isaiah Rose, a Civil War veteran and former Ohio Senator who lived in the Coal Run area and is buried in Round Bottom Cemetery.
Singer Kelly Clarkson is shown at the gravesite of her great-great-great grandfather, Isaiah R. Rose, at the Round Bottom Cemetery in Coal Run during a February filming of The Learning Channel’s “Who Do You Think You Are?”
"We knew they were coming and had closed the genealogy library for the day. They were here from around 9 or 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was a pretty long day," said assistant librarian Eric Richendollar.
He said Clarkson and the crew were very professional, but also easy to work with.
"They brought two or three cameras and took shots from several different angles inside the library," Richendollar said.
He wasn't sure if any of the local library staff would be shown in the episode, noting that TLC had brought their own genealogy expert to help Clarkson review the historical documents about her ancestor.
"She was professional and nice, and seemed like a very down-to-earth person," Richendollar said of Clarkson. "It was a great experience for us."
Grammy-winner Clarkson, 31, shot to fame after winning "American Idol" in 2002 and has since sold more than 20 million albums, with hits including "Miss Independent," "Since U Been Gone," "Walk Away," "Mr. Know It All," My Life Would Suck Without You, "Already Gone" and "Stronger."
Clarkson's great-great-great grandfather Isaiah R. Rose was born in Belmont County in 1842, but when he was a small boy the family moved to Coal Run, according to a history of Isaiah Rose by Betty K. Rose of Devola. The article was published in a 2010 edition of the Lower Muskingum Historical Society's "Reflections Along the Muskingum" periodical.
Rose, 86, wrote that Isaiah enlisted with the Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War and served with General William Tecumseh Sherman's army during the infamous "March to the Sea."
Isaiah's younger brother, Thompson Rose, who also served with the OVI, was fatally wounded at one point, and while attempting to help his brother Isaiah was captured by the Confederate Army and was confined to the Andersonville Prison in Georgia for seven months.
After serving through the war, Isaiah returned to the Coal Run area and eventually became a senator in the Ohio General Assembly in 1906. He died on Nov. 26, 1916 in Coal Run.
"I always admired Isaiah because after returning from the war he realized he needed an education and attended public school with his son," Betty Rose said.
She hopes to see the "Who Do You Think You Are?" episode.
"I've never seen the program, but I'm hoping to have it recorded so that I can watch this episode," she said.
Local genealogy historian Ernie Thode, who also works at the library, was not there the day of the filming, but said the library had been contacted by TLC back in November about the planned visit.
"They were in contact with me and (library director) Justin Mayo in November and December," he said, adding that the staff also did some preliminary research for the show.
Mayo said before Clarkson and the crew left the library Feb. 23 he presented the singer with a "souvenir" basket of local wine from Marietta Wine Cellars.
"I basically just had time to hand it to her and then they had to leave-they were on a tight schedule," he said. "But she really appreciated it."
Thode said he was able to watch an advance preview of the "Who Do You Think You Are?" episode recently.
"There's some 'teaser' footage of Marietta and the W.P. Snyder, and later she pulls up in front of the library before she goes inside," he said.
From the library Clarkson and the crew drove north on Ohio 60 to Coal Run where she's filmed at Isaiah Rose's final resting place in Round Bottom Cemetery.
It was dusk when they arrived at the graveyard. Local historian Phillip Crane said his wife mentioned seeing a lot of bright lights at the cemetery that evening.
During some research in the wake of Clarkson's visit, Crane discovered she has more than one connection to the area.
"I found out that Kelly's grandmother was Mary George who lived in Parkersburg, W.Va.," he said. "And Kelly's mother, Jeanne Rose, grew up in Parkersburg and graduated from Belpre High School."
Crane also found the star has connections to other relatives in the area, including the Ewing and Humiston families.
He said more information about Clarkson and her family will be included in his column, "An Eye on the Lower Muskingum," in Saturday's edition of The Marietta Times.
Thode said in addition to being entertaining, the TLC episode will give the county genealogy library some great exposure.
"The publicity is valuable, but it also shows that we do serve everybody here," he said. "Just this week we've had people from Mesa, Ariz. and South Carolina doing genealogical research."
Richendollar agreed.
"We're very fortunate that our library directors have realized the importance of this facility," he said. "People from all over the country and all over the world come here to research their family histories, even if their ancestor was just passing through."
Mayo said the TLC airing of Clarkson's visit is exciting news for the local area, but also indicates the quality of the genealogy library supported by the resources of the Washington County Library System.
"I would put our genealogy department up against any other library in the state," he said.
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