Can You Duet
| Can You Duet | |
|---|---|
 Can You Duet logo | |
| Presented by | Rossi Morreale (2008) Lance Smith (2009) |
| Judges | Naomi Judd Brett Manning (2008) Aimee Mayo (2008) Big Kenny (2009) Scott Borchetta (2009) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jeff Boggs |
| Running time | Varies |
| Original release | |
| Network | CMT |
| Release | April 14, 2008 – June 2009 |
Can You Duet was an American reality-competition 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, 2008.[1]
Sixwire, runners up from Fox's Next Great American Band, performed as the house band for Can You Duet with Steve Mandile serving as the show's musical director. Two additional musicians, Steve Hornbeak on keyboards and Andrea Young on violin, performed with Sixwire during the show. The show was cancelled after two seasons.
Seasons
Season One (2008)
The show was hosted by Rossi Morreale, and the judge panel was made up of Naomi Judd, Brett Manning, and Aimee Mayo.[2]
The eight finalist duos for season one were:[3]
| Duo | Place in competition |
| Caitlin Lynn and William Snyder | Winner |
| Nick Brownell and Jeremiah Richey | Runner Up |
| Rory Feek and Joey Martin Feek | 3rd |
| Kate & Kacey Coppola (a.k.a. "The Coppolas") | 4th |
| Jared Johnson and David Oakleaf | 5th |
| Ruth Collins and Victoria Gibson (a.k.a. "Wild Honey") | 6th |
| Chris Cline and Nathan Herron | 7th |
| Lewis Brice and Gabriel Jordan | 8th |
Three of the season 1 finalists, Caitlin & Will, Kate & Kacey Coppola, and Joey + Rory, have signed record deals; Caitlin and Will with Columbia Nashville, Kate & Kacey with Big Machine, and Joey + Rory with Vanguard/Sugar Hill.[4]
Caitlin & Will released their debut single, "Address in the Stars", on March 30, 2009.[4] The single peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and the duo subsequently broke up in October 2009 and their debut album went unreleased. Kate & Kacey released their debut single, "Dreaming Love", on April 27, 2009 via Big Machine. The single underperformed and the duo parted ways with Big Machine in early 2010 without releasing an album.
Joey + Rory, who finished in third place, were the most successful act from the first season. They released their debut single, "Cheater, Cheater", in September 2008, which reached a peak of number 30 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Their debut album, The Life of a Song, followed on October 28, 2008. Joey + Rory have released six further studio albums and a Christmas record, and produced one further chart single on the Hot Country Songs chart in "That's Important to Me," a number 51-peaking single in March 2011.
Lewis Brice is the younger brother of Curb Records artist Lee Brice.[5]
Season Two (2009)
Auditions for the second season began on March 7, 2009 and the show premiered on June 20, 2009. Over 5,000 auditioned, and was cut down to 10 duos for the show's competition.
Naomi Judd returned as a judge for season two,[6] and Lance Smith from CMT's Top 20 Countdown became the new host.[7] The other two seats in the judge panel were made up of Big Kenny (of Big & Rich) and Scott Borchetta (CEO of Big Machine Records).
| Duo | Place in competition |
| Meghan Linsey & Josh Jones (a.k.a. "Steel Magnolia") | Winner |
| Brandon Green & Jonathan Cox (a.k.a. "JB Rocket") | Runner Up |
| Ryan Larkins & Avalon Peacock | 3rd |
| Brad Stella & MaryLynne Stella (a.k.a. "The Stellas") | 4th |
| Mark O'Shea & Jay O'Shea (a.k.a. "O'Shea") | 5th |
| Keeira Lyn Ford & Matt Boggs | 6th |
| Memarie Gayle & Kassie Miller | 7th |
| Abby Fender & Holly Jackson | 8th |
| Spencer Bartoletti & Dessa Zuccaro (a.k.a. "Harmon Creek") | 9th |
| Chelsee Oaks & Rob Bolin | 10th |
Having won the competition, Steel Magnolia signed a recording contract with Big Machine Records; their debut single, "Keep on Lovin' You", was released in August 2009, and their self-titled debut album followed with a January 2011 release. The album produced three further chart singles in "Just By Being You (Halo and Wings)," "Last Night Again," and "Bulletproof." In January 2012, Steel Magnolia ended their relationship with Big Machine. Meghan Linsey appeared on the eighth season of The Voice, coming in 2nd place.
The Stellas and O'Shea found success in their home countries (Canada and Australia, respectively). The Stellas released their self-titled debut in 2011 via EMI Music Canada, and O'Shea released their debut, Mr. and Mrs. via Sony Australia in 2011. Additionally, JB Rocket was later signed to Valory Music Group, a sister label of Big Machine Records. However, JB Rocket was eventually released from the label without releasing anything.
Brandon Green was previously on American Idol as one of the top 50 contestants in its seventh season, and Kassie Miller was previously on CMT's Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search where she won the first season.
References
- ^ "Can You Duet : Episodes". CMT.com. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ Judges Named For CMT's "Can You Duet"
- ^ "Can You Duet : Season 1 Contestants". CMT.com. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ a b CMT's Can You Duet Returning in June
- ^ http://www.cmt.com/shows/series/can_you_duet/season_one_contestants/lewis_brice.jhtml
- ^ Naomi Judd Returns as judge
- ^ "Lance Smith to Host Season Two of CMT's Hit Series 'Can You Duet'" (Press release). CMT. March 10, 2009.