I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was really good and I was able to spend a lot of time with family that I don't always get to see. That's always cool. I missed my sister Christy her family from Brenham, TX. They weren't able to make it to this one.

This week is a big week for me and my music. My song "One More Day" will be sent to a lot of internet radio stations. It would help me out a great deal if you would take the time to request my songs. This is a good way to spread my music all around the world. Also, my 2009 calendar is still growing very fast and looks to be a very busy year for me and the band. I can't wait! I'll keep you posted.


Jay Hollis

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Besides getting to eat like a hog, I get to see a lot of my family that I don't get to spend a lot of time with throughout the rest of the year. We are all so busy. That's really kind of sad. It's a shame that we get so busy that we don't even see our own family that often. Anyway, we will get to do some catching up today. This is also one of the most hectic days for me. I have so many places to go that I usually end up drained by the end of the day. I'm still looking forward to it. I hope your Thanksgiving is a great one!

I would also like to say thank you to everyone who has voted for my song on Ourstage.com. I am still doing well in that competition but I still need those votes.


Jay Hollis

ACC Top 40 Contest

I just checked out Ourstage.com and found that my song, "One More Day", has made the top 20 of the competition. There were almost 700 songs entered in the contest and I am 19th as of now. I actually forgot that my song was entered this month so I was surprised to find it so high on the list. The competition is very talented and will be tough to beat but we'll see how it goes. Contests are very hard but it's really cool if you win.

If you want to vote yourself, it is easy. Go to www.ourstage.com and click the "Judge" button. Then select the "ACC Top 40" station and judge. There are only 20 songs left in the competition so it won't take very long to get through all of the songs. The winner gets an interview with Kix Brooks of "Brooks & Dunn" on his weekly radio show, "The ACC Top 40"! I would really appreciate your votes and I approve this message!


Jay Hollis

Cold

I don't know about where you live, but it has been rally cold around here. It is really screwing up my extracurricular activities. It's very hard to play golf in this weather! Oh well, I guess that just gives me more time to sit inside and watch the Mavericks and the Cowboys play. The Mavericks are now on a small winning streak and that makes it more enjoyable to watch.

Kim and Matthew's daughter, Gabby, is out of the hospital now and she is doing a whole lot better. It's funny how fast you can recover from something like that when you are younger. I just hope that's all of the hospital time she will ever have. I know I've had more than my fair share of time in hospitals and I don't wish that on anyone.

It looks like I will be spending quite a bit of time on the road this next year. Starting New Year's day I will be busy playing shows. Be sure to check on my touring schedule so you can come and see me when I come to your area. I am looking forward to it!

Jay Hollis

True Friends

I found out today that my very good friends, Kim and Matthew, have a daughter in the hospital. Her name is Gabby and she has an infection that has moved into her hip. I pray for her to have a fast recovery and good health from here on. I grew up and went through school with Matthew and I know he will take good care of his family and I know they will have a lot of prayers said for them. Matthew and Kim have always been very close friends and have always been right there to help me with anything that I need. Matthew worked his butt off when we filmed my music video. I don't know what we would've done without him there. He has been a sound man for me at shows and Kim has also been there to help with everything. This is a couple that will do all the things nobody else wants to do and will smile about it and pretend they love doing it. True friends! Thank you, to the both of you, for all that you have done for me. I owe you a thousand tokens! No, not each. You will have to split them! Yes, I'm cheap.


Jay Hollis

Jay Hollis Sports Talk Blog - Volume 1

I promise I'm not going to turn this into a sports blog but I want to express my excitement for my two teams. First of all, the Dallas Mavericks finally pulled one off against the Knicks. That's right, they won! No, I'm not kidding. They barely got it done but they got it done and that's all that counts. The Dallas Cowboys also got it done tonight against the Redskins. I thought Romo, the four fingered quarterback, did a good job. I am not even a hardcore sports fan like it might sound but I do like for my home teams to be successful.

It looks like I have some song writing sessions this week and I'm excited about that. Nothing really beats performing live in front of a huge crowd of people who are into what I'm doing, but writing songs is right there close. I have always loved that part of music because anything goes. If the song turns out to be "no good", you don't have to play it for anyone. If you don't write songs, trust me, there are going to be some bad ones. That's OK because sometimes that's what it takes to get the creative juices flowing through your head. Good or bad, it is all rewarding for me!


Jay Hollis

"FORE"

Ok, so I got my butt kicked at the golf course today. I am going to officially blame the 40 mph wind that seemed to be about 10 degrees. Man, was it cold. Still fun though. You know, it's funny, I have been playing golf now for about four years and I haven't improved one tiny bit. I guess it doesn't matter, I'm not shooting for the PGA tour. I would like to play in a scramble with some of those guys though. I did almost get hit in the face with a golf ball that some guy hit in my direction. I never heard him yell the famous golf term, you know, the one that means "Hey! You're about to get smacked by a golf ball!" Good thing I have "cat like" reflexes! What are you supposed to do when someone yells "fore"? You don't want to look up and try to find the ball because, well, that's self explanatory. If you run, you could run right into the path of the ball. The only thing you can do is cover vital parts of your body and hope it hits somebody else in your group!

Now that you know a little about my golf skills, we should get together sometime and play a round. We could make it the "Jay Hollis Challenge" and fans could challenge me in a game of friendly, bruise-free golf. When I come to your city, get in touch with me, and I will try to fit in a round of golf with you while I'm there. I'm serious, it could be a lot of fun! Think about it!


Jay Hollis

Sponsors!

I guess the Mavericks won't win another game this season. It doesn't look like it anyway. Oh well, I'll just have to go golfing tomorrow to make myself feel better. That always seems to do the trick! Maybe it will help me get over this sickness that I came down with this week. It is kind of hard on a singer to get a sore throat and all that crud that goes with it. I have been lucky with that this year so far so I guess I can't complain too much.

I have been working this week with sponsors. I am buying a new cargo trailer to haul the band equipment in when I am on the road and I am going to deck it out with sponsor's logo's. It's going to be cool. I might even look like a Nascar racer going down the road with my "pimped out" trailer. Ha! If you are interested in being a sponsor or know someone who would, please don't hesitate to let me know. It's really a great deal for everyone involved. Well, I better go work on my golf swing for tomorrow although one days practice won't be enough to really matter!


Jay Hollis

CMA Awards

Did you catch the CMA's last night? I did. I have to be very honest about the whole thing. I have never understood why year after year they haven't ever got the sound right. I don't really know how it sounds at the actual event, though I hope someday I will get to. Anyway, it always sounds so horrible on TV. I don't get how every other show with music has it figured out, but not the producers of the CMA event. This is a big deal and they butcher it every time. I wish they would fix it so the artists that bust their butt all year to get the chance to perform on that stage, don't sound like they can't sing. It would help with the millions of viewers at home anyway.

Congratulations to the winners! It must be a very good feeling to receive such an honorable award for doing what you are so passionate about. I thought everyone that won was very deserving. With that said, I would now like to say I sure miss seeing a lot of the guys I always looked up to growing up. I remember when Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alabama, Reba, and of course, George Strait were the ones on stage most of the night. I know George Strait is still there but I miss the others. Those were the 'good ol days' for me. I guess times change and days go by. Well, hopefully I will be lucky enough to be there very soon and I can start a brand new series of 'good ol days'!


Jay Hollis

Transfusion to-go please

Since I have had some time away from playing music, I have been spending my time catching up on work that I got behind on. That's always a fun game. Don't get me wrong, I actually love to work. I just hate thinking about it. For me, the hardest part about getting started, is getting started. Anyway, things are actually going well and I'm getting a lot accomplished.

This might seem strange but this time of year I am always thankful to be alive. I don't know if it's the way the air smells when winter is coming or if it's just the way everything feels that reminds me, but it was 13 years ago that I nearly died. Obviously I didn't and I'm thankful for that. I wasn't ready. I was bucked off at a rodeo and stepped on. It ruptured my spleen and I bled internally for about 19 hours. I'm no doctor but I believe that is a long time. I guess I was just too stupid to go to the hospital earlier than that. I suppose not being able to walk or stay awake for very long time wasn't a strong enough sign. Anyway, after hours in the emergency room and passing out during the x-rays, I went under the knife. I am thankful for the doctor that got out of bed early that morning and helped save my life. I had a bruised pancreas and kidney, no spleen, and I lost well over half of my own blood. That makes me thankful for the people who donated their blood so I could have some of it. Does that mean that I'm not really me anymore? I don't know. So, I'm reminded of that accident every year at this time. Sometimes I don't feel so good inside and it always happens this time of year. Weird huh? Well, I'm glad I could share this uplifting story with you today. (that's if you're still reading)

Stay tuned for more happy, uplifting stories just like this one next time on "Real Stories of Jay Hollis". Hopefully the others won't be so violent!


Jay Hollis

Well, it's been a little bit of a rough start for my Dallas Mavericks. They just almost pulled it off against the hard to beat Lakers but couldn't get it done in fourth quarter, again. Oh well, I'm still rootin' for em'. I am impresses with the new addition to the team, Gerald Green. He can dunk the basketball almost as well as I can. Ha!

That's all I can say about that. I better get to work looking for a band trailer and some new sound equipment. Don't forget to check out the new pictures on the website and all the new stuff on myspace!

Myspace

Man, my Myspace page is really rockin lately. If you haven't been to see it lately you should. It has several videos on it now and my songs have been getting a lot of plays every day. Thanks to Amy for keeping it looking good. She has done some great work to my page. I do, however, read my own messages and personally respond to them. With that said, leave me a message or a comment and let me know what you think of it.

There is a place on the lower left of my page where you can DEMAND me to come and play in your city. This is a brand new feature we have just added so it would be cool if YOU demand me. The more demands, the better. I've always said that! Also, my songs will be available to buy from the myspace page very soon. This is also a brand new feature that myspace has recently introduced. Be sure to check back to see the new video I am about to shoot!


Jay Hollis

PBR Finals

Another season of the PBR has come and gone. I remember when my friend and mentor Cody Lambert and few of his close buddies got together and started this association. I guess I don't really have to explain how successful it has become and what a good idea it was to start such an event. I do know that it has gone beyond their expectations. Congratulations to all the finalist and congratulations to the PBR. All that money up for grabs makes me wonder sometimes why I'm not out there after it like I used to be. Then I realize I haven't had to pay a hospital bill in a long time. That's a good thing! I haven't been injured yet from playing music!


Jay Hollis

I have so much to talk about and so little time. That seems to be the story of my life. Maybe that means I talk too much. Maybe I just ramble on too much like right now. Anyway, I had a meeting with my management team Friday in Arlington and it went great. It was long, but we had a lot of things to cover. We are about to release my single to a lot of places so keep an eye out for it. You would be helping me out so much if you would request my song wherever you are.

I will be shooting another video this week and I'm excited about that. It is such a cool experience. It will be posted on my website, as well as youtube and myspace for you to see it. I'll let you know when it is posted. I will also be in the studio again this week to finish up some things. There are so many cool things happening that I can't even begin to tell you all of them.

My 2009 calendar is still growing. I love to stay busy so I can't wait to get started. Those shows will be posted on the website and myspace in the near future. Also, check out the website to see new pictures we have posted of the CD release party!

Jay Hollis

I will be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area tomorrow to meet with my management company and discuss a lot of good things. I always have a lot of fun with those guys so I'm looking forward to it. However, I do feel sorry for them having to spend their day with me and my goofiness.(if that's a word) They are good at pretending that they like it.

We will discuss next year's tour as well as my next album. I love to write songs, so I have to pick what I want to record for you to hear. I will also be spending some time in the studio while I'm there recording vocals on some songs. I also love recording. I always learn more and more about the art of recording every time I step into the vocal booth so I can't wait. I'll keep you posted on that.

Once again I would like to remind you that my t-shirts are now available on my website! You can also buy a t-shirt and my CD from myspace. The address is www.myspace.com/jayhollismusic. Check it out! There will also be a lot of new pictures and videos posted on the website very soon.

Jay Hollis

Shirts Available

It's been a few days since I have written a blog. I have been very busy, you know, with the election and all that. It's not like I really did anything, but I was glued to the TV for a couple of long days so I felt like I was really helping out with the whole thing. I pray for our country to get through these times and come out on top. I'm not convinced that the election is the problem solver either way but I still hope we can come out on top, and soon. Enough politics.

My shirts are now available to you from my website. Just click on the store button and there they are! Right next to the "Jay Hollis" CD. We are already working on more designs so keep checking back for more choices. They are going very fast so don't hesitate to order if you are thinking about it.

Also, don't forget to check out the myspace page. It has been updated and it's looking really cool. The address is www.myspace.com/jayhollismusic. Drop me a note sometime and tell me what's on your mind. I'm leaving myself wide open!

Jay Hollis

Benefit

We had a wonderful turnout for the benefit Saturday night. There were a lot of good folks there to help support Teresa Spencer in her fight with cancer. Everyone had a really good time. It was a very well organized event with something for everyone. Of course, I had a great time as I always do when I am playing music. I would like to thank everyone who attended this event to make it the success that it was. I appreciate you and I know Teresa and her family also appreciate you.

I will be heading to the Dallas/Fort Worth area this week for a meeting and I will spend some time in the studio. I have a little bit of free time now to get all my ducks in a row to get ready for next year and it is much needed. Everything has been moving so fast and I could use a little catch up time before it gets even busier. Stay in touch.

Jay Hollis