Hello World From Nashville!

Great news!

Now you can hear Leigh¹s headlining performance on the "Opry Star Spotlight" radio special, which was broadcast live March 2 from the world-famous Ernest Tubb Record Shop in downtown Nashville.

Just go to www.wsmonline.com, click on the "Opry Star Spotlight" archive button and then click on March 2, 2001. Leigh appears as host Matthew Gillian¹s first guest on the show, which also features live performances by Billy Yates, Rosie Flores, Blake Shelton, Leslie Satcher, Trini Triggs, James Dean Hicks and Perfect Stranger .

Naturally, theres a story here. Leigh first guested on the Feb. 27 weeknight edition of "Opry Star Spotlight." This enormously popular music and interview show is broadcast live all over America on WSM-AM, the 50,000- watt radio powerhouse. Its also carried live on the Internet.

Anyway, Leigh and Matthew hit it off so well that he invited her to perform on the special. On the Feb. 27 show, Leigh sang selections from her new album, Fire In The Rain, accompanied by famed sessions players Mike Severs on guitar and Tom Roady on percussion. Throughout Leighs two-hour segment, Matthew also played cuts from her album and took phone calls to Leigh from fans across the country. Joining in the fun was Leighs producer and co-writer, Ken Barken.

Seems like Matthew is really smitten with Leigh¹s music (and personality). Hes asked her back for the Wednesday, April 4, edition of "Opry Star Spotlight." Be sure to listen in.

You should know, by the way, that the Ernest Tubb Record Shop where Leigh sang is no ordinary record store. It was founded in 1947 by Ernest Tubb, the Grand Ole Opry¹s famed "Texas Troubadour," to make his and other Opry stars¹ records available to fans via mail order. To draw attention to this then-unusual service, Tubb established a radio show, "The Midnight Jamboree," that aired live from the store every Saturday nights after the Grand Ole Opry broadcast.

So when Leigh performed at the still-thriving store, she was standing on the same "sacred ground" from which Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and dozens of other country superstars once lifted their voices to the world.

The "Opry Star Spotlight" special was broadcast during Country Radio Seminar week, the time when hundreds of disc jockeys and radio programmers come to town to meet and mingle with the artists whose records they play. During the week, Leigh did an interview with Lee Williams, reporter for "Music Choice," one of the largest radio outlets in the United Kingdom. It is broadcast throughout England and into seven other European countries. Not a bad way to start an international fan base.

Finally-for the moment, at least -the Tower Record stores in Nashville have stocked Fire In The Rain and have invited Leigh to make in-store appearances when her schedule permits.

Thanks for stopping by our site and for all your wonderful words of encouragement and enthusiasm. Together, were gonna fly!

Review/May 2000: www.SongTalk.com

Leigh Robbins' new CD, Fire In The Rain, is one of the pure delights coming out of Nashville this year. During a time when mainstream Music City offerings have been considered slim pickings, this is a solidly packed pop powerhouse. Fire In The Rain is a seamless offering, brimming with melodic, richly textured tracks, and crisp, clean production ably handled by writer/producer Ken Barken. The songs are visually intense and absorbing observations about life & love.

Leigh's intimate and compelling vocals make this CD difficult to remove from the player. She's a superb stylist with hair-trigger timing and an ability to move with ease from pop to progressive country to torch, readily taking the listener from the Big Apple to the Big Easy.

Key cuts: "If I Were You" contains some of the best use of words & phrases we've heard in awhile, a tightly crafted lyric excursion. "Title cut "Fire In The Rain" is a moving ballad and, like the big pop production number, "Never Give Up On Love," has an exciting use of background vocals. There are some natural radio hits including the infectious "These Days," the cross-format "Home (Wherever The Heart Is)," a roots romp called "Get Out The Map" and the delightful take-no-prisoners tune "Absolutely, Positively, Definitely." Additional SongTalk.com picks include torch numbers "I Only Get Lonely For You" and "My Nights Have Seen Better Days."

It should come as no surprise that the team of Robbins and Barken have been tapped by New York and Hollywood film and television producers many times over.

Kudos to a top writing team and a noteworthy new pop artist!