Whenever we meet folks who take the time to show their appreciation to our brothers and sisters in uniform for all the sacrifices they have made and continue to make for freedom’s sake, we take an instant liking to them… especially when they turn out to be extraordinarily talented and are using that talent to support our troops.

That is exactly what singer-songwriter-musician and owner of Guilty Dog Studios Joe Merrick is doing.

Fellow BigDawg’er Chris Ross, who we spotlighted a few months back, first introduced us to Joe’s music when he shared the video “Just In Case” at our site.  We insisted Chris talk his friend into joining us, and we’re so glad that he did!

When I approached Joe about spotlighting him, I learned that he had donated his great song, “Just In Case,” to Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit organization that provides aid and comfort to our military members and their families, for their Pocket Angel initiative.  How very cool.

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When we find ourselves in difficult times, it is easy for us to lose hope…to wonder “why?”…to want to give up the fight.  But every now and then, when we least expect it, God shows up in a big way to let us know He is with us and is in control…always…and I am reminded of these lyrics from the song “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns:  “…as the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain, ‘I’m with you’…”

On the morning of 1 July 2011…that “whisper became a shout.”

What started out as a regular weekly spotlight on one of our great culture warriors at BigDawg Music Mafia – this time on the amazing music of our good friend Chip Murray, a truly gifted singer/songwriter who also happens to be a delightful, down-to-earth blogger – has turned out to be so much more.   We are reminded not only of God’s incredible Grace, but we are also reminded of the sacrifices of our fallen brothers and sisters that enable us to celebrate our freedom.   May this story–Chip’s story–lift your spirits and give you hope.

It is a pleasure and an honor to introduce our friend, Chip Murray.

Chip’s Biography:

Chip got his first guitar (a Stella) at the tender age of 13.  It may have been a cheap guitar, but he quickly found it to be a great tool of expression and a very cool way to connect with people.  Growing up in the turbulent 60’s, the guitar became his life raft and steady friend through the whitewaters of adolescence…. And while the rest of the world seemed to be finding themselves, making their marks and staking their claims, he was tasting the silent sweetness of nowhere.  And yet, by 35 he had lived everywhere from Boulder to Reseda, to Morgan City and the Houston suburb of Bacliff.  He lived, worked, loved, fought, and danced with “the people” on every coast of this great land.  He became one of them, assimilating their culture by inhaling their music and stories into his heart and soul… “Gone Wishin‘,” the debut CD from his band Cavern was his first public “exhale” and but a glimpse of what’s inside.  From “Devil in Me” to “Deja Vu Blues,” Gone Wishin’ is a metaphor for our journey from the darkness to the light….and after “we rest on the wind, we’ll come right back to our mothers again.”- Gibran. (more…)

I first “met” Brian Futch online last November when he joined our site after learning about us from our Twitter account (gotta love new media) and immediately fell in love with his music.  I was so impressed that I invited him to be one of our featured artists at BigDawg Music Mafia’s Liberty Fest at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this past Feb.  Before reading Brian’s bio, I knew there was something special about him as soon as I heard one of the first songs he shared at our site, When A Hero Dies — this one got me seriously choked up as it is about our our fallen brothers and sisters who have paid the ultimate price for freedom, and their loved ones who mourn their loss.  I love the line:  “Even Jesus cries…when a hero dies…” Tissue alert on this one…

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His fabulous rock anthem, Don’t Forget Me, a moving tribute to our troops, is another one of my favorites and was recently aired on The Alana Burke Show.  His latest political tune, a wonderful bluesy rock number, Something For Nothing, laments about those who would take from those who work and give to those who do not.

There isn’t a song I’ve heard from Brian that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed listening to.  It was no surprise when I learned more about this husband of 25 years, father of six, and former U.S. Army officer (HOOAH!) who has a very impressive resume of musical accomplishments including garnering the coveted title of “Memphis Songwriter of the Year” two years in a row, having swept the categories of Pop/Rock, Country and Western, and R&B.   He also served as Vice President of the Memphis Songwriter Association, and was recruited to become a full-time songwriter in Nashville for Split Publishing, where Brian wrote alongside Earl Bud Lee (Friends in Low Place  s), Marty Haggard and Jeff Pearson, and performed acoustic shows at the Bluebird Café and B.B. King’s.

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How is mocking and attempting to humiliate someone over their weight any different than doing so over their sexuality. Kathy Griffin is on the frontlines of PC anti-gay bullying campaign and yet here she is mocking the “fat girl” like some vicious cheerleader, and on national television. It goes without saying that only in Hollywood would anyone see Bristol Palin as overweight. Bristol not only just gave birth but unlike Ms. Griffin hasn’t spent a gajillion dollars to look like a red-headed Joan Rivers:

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When Fox News first appeared, America was introduced to Sean Hannity as the conservative voice on “Hannity & Colmes.” Since then, Colmes has been jettisoned, but the nightly show rolls on (renamed of course), and Hannity also hosts one of the most successful radio talk shows in America. Yet I do not think I go too far in saying that all these successes pale in comparison to the reputation Hannity has built for himself as “a Great American” and as huge supporter of America’s men and women.

Daniels and Hannity high five during 2009 Freedom Concert

Whether on television or the radio, Hannity frequently calls attention to our troops. And through his summers of “Freedom Concerts,” which he began in 2003, he has raised over $10 million for Oliver North’s Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund: a fund “designated for the education of children of U.S. service members who have been killed or 100% permanently disabled in an operational mission or training accident.” These concerts feature performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Charlie Daniels’ Band, solo artists like Lee Greenwood and Michael W. Smith, and political commentators like Mark Levin and Oliver North, among others.

In a word, they are top-notch events aimed at one thing: raising money and awareness for our troops.

Country music legend Charlie Daniels has been so impressed with Hannity’s work for the troops that he recently wrote a “Personal Tribute to Sean Hannity,” wherein he told the world: “Each week Sean does five three-hour radio shows and five one-hour television shows, each one requiring research and preparation, not to mention the numerous speeches and other public appearances he makes. Yet [even] with…this hectic schedule, Sean Hannity devotes his summer family vacation time to do the…coast to coast…Freedom Concert Tour.” (more…)

The Trews’ guitarist John-Angus MacDonald didn’t look too far into the future when he first helped form the band. “We were 15 year-old high school students trying to have a wicked show whenever we had one booked,” MacDonald says of his once-modest goals.

Flash forward to today and The Trews boasts two gold records, 10 top-10 singles and opening gigs for the likes of Robert Plant and The Rolling Stones.

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The hard-rocking quartet – lead vocalist Colin MacDonald; brother John-Angus, cousin, drummer Sean Dalton, and long-time pal bassist Jack Syperek – delivers uncomplicated rock that flies in the face of today’s electronica-saturated age.

The ascent has been gradual, the lead guitarist tells Big Hollywood, but with sign markers along the way.

“Hearing yourself on the radio for the first time … the tip of the hat from some of the older guard, like The Rolling Stones … selling out our own tours,” he says. “It’s an extremely special thing.”

The Stones tour revealed the pragmatic side of classic rock. (more…)

Because there weren’t already enough reasons to crush on America’s Sweetheart, Sandra Bullock - ….

People.com [emphasis added]:

There to accept the “Troops Choice” Award for Entertainer of the Year, from presenter Robert Downey, Jr. — the honor was bestowed by members of the military — the “Blind Side” Oscar winner, looking stunning in form-fitting black, leather mini-dress, received a standing ovation from the audience inside the Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles.

“Let’s be honest here, just for a moment. We’re all going to be honest, right?” Bullock, 45, told the crowd. “Did I win this for being entertainer of the year, or did I win this because of the spectacular I.E.D. [improvised explosive device] explosion that became my personal life?!”

Once the laughter subsided, she added, “No, it’s okay. Because I would do it over again if it was to entertain our troops , and our extraordinary troops deserve something much more than some actress in a tight dress talking about herself.” …

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[Rosie] O’Donnell said she wanted to “build on what Oprah began and excelled at for 25 years, in my own style and with new adaptations and ideas.”

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“The Hurt Locker” lost me when the David Morse character, a Colonel in the field, ordered his men to stop treating a wounded prisoner — ordered that the prisoner be left to bleed to death. This monstrous moment wasn’t even necessary to the plot. It’s just thrown in as an awkward, spellbreaking aside to smear our troops. Then there’s Jeremy Renner’s protagonist who’s so PTSD-riddled and addicted to the adrenaline of war he constantly puts his own men in danger until his ongoing Iraq experience finally strips him of so much of his humanity that he can no longer love his own son.

That’s pro-troop? Well, a lot of people said so and argued with my review – even some conservatives. But one day before Oscar ballots are due, some Iraq veterans are speaking up:

Sunday’s Washington Post:

But to those who were there, Iraq is real life. And they’re very sensitive — some would say overly so — when their war is portrayed via a central character who is a reckless rogue.

Hence a rising backlash from people in uniform, such as this response on Rieckhoff’s Facebook page from a self-identified Army Airborne Ranger:

“[I]f this movie was based on a war that never existed, I would have nothing to comment about. This movie is not based on a true story, but on a true war, a war in which I have seen my friends killed, a war in which I witnessed my ranger buddy get both his legs blown off. So for Hollywood to glorify this crap is a huge slap in the face to every soldier who’s been on the front line.”

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We debated whether to rank “The Messenger” as “abhorrent,” but there are some lightly positive things about it. The more we thought about this movie after seeing it, however, the more the bad content in it stood out and annoyed us. 

Basically, the movie is about a sergeant wounded in the Iraq War who gets assigned to notify the next of kin of recently killed soldiers. Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery, played by Ben Foster in a star-making performance, is assigned to fellow officer Tony Stone, played by Woody Harrelson (also excellent), a recovering alcoholic who has never really seen action. Cynically, with a touch of sarcastic humor, Tony tries to show Will the ins and outs of performing this onerous duty. Even so, both are surprised by some of the reactions they get. One father angrily spits at Will when Will gives him the news about his son’s death.  (more…)

The situation in Afghanistan is like a poker game. There are only three options for action: raise, call or fold.  The President seems to be unable to pick one that doesn’t have Americans on both sides of the debate pulling out their hair.

During his campaign for the White House President Obama said, “We have seen Afghanistan worsen, deteriorate. We need more troops there. We need more resources there… I would send two to three additional brigades to Afghanistan.”

He promised to send another ten to fifteen thousand troops to help those already there. He also declared that the war in Afghanistan was the proper front in the war against terror. Now that he is Commander-in-Chief, his vision seems to be less clear.

The military commanders gave the President four troop deployment options earlier this week but he refused all four. Not for military reasons but because of some hooey about the corruption of the government in Kabul and their inability to run a fair election. Mr. President, if our support for governments was based on whether they are corrupt or not and could run a fair election, we would have pulled federal funding from Chicago years ago. The problem with pulling out of Afghanistan, or Chicago for that matter, is that they would fall into violent anarchy. We have already seen that happen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. (more…)

With all of the chaos going on these last couple of weeks, I felt this to be a necessary piece. The troops aren’t allowed to vindicate themselves, so somebody has to speak up for them.  Let me give you a hint; It won’t be Pelosi. These people are doing a WORLD-CLASS job at keeping us safe and GITMO is a big part of that.  Of course, there was a lot of footage that I wasn’t allowed to include in the video, but I hope the message still speaks volumes.  God bless the troops and the work they do for us!

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Matthew McConaughey won’t be in the mix for any Oscar nominations this year, and probably not in 2010 or 2011, for that matter. But the routinely shirtless actor has one up on some of his A-list peers.

At a time when many celebrities risk alienating their fan base by voicing political views, McConaughey is opting to speak out on behalf of our men and women in uniform.The “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” star will appear in a new public service announcement that encourages giving back to veterans, politics be darned. (more…)

I’ve set up a special site at Causes.com to allow for all of us to participate in the R2R auction in order to win a dinner with Sarah Palin for five wounded warriors.

This is how it works:

1. Go to this site and make a donation directly to R2R.

2. At the end of the auction, Friday Sept. 18th, the accumulated donations will be entered as a bid for the DINNER WITH SARAH PALIN auction.

3. If this is the winning bid, FIVE deserving warriors chosen by the Ride 2 Recovery program will enjoy dinner with Sarah Palin – a wonderful evening out with a most wonderful person.

4. If this is not the winning bid, R2R will still benefit from your generous contribution and we will know that each of us will have donated to a most worthy cause. (more…)

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On March 26, I was watching the Kids’ Choice Awards with my 8-year-old twins on Viacom’s Nickelodeon, which for 30 years has been the No. 1 entertainment brand for kids. It was dedicated to the Big Green Help environmental campaign and “going green” for Earth Day awareness. Leonardo DiCaprio was honored for his green work. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson was the host, and my fellow Hollywood stars and musicians came out in full force.

An impressive commitment was shown to keeping the message of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” as a battle cry for our youths’ participation in protecting Mother Earth from global warming and pollution. My children were enthusiastic. I was confused. Something bothered me, and I could not put my finger on why – until Memorial Day weekend.

It started on Saturday morning, when I took my 8-year-old son, Nicholas, who is a Cub Scout, to the Los Angeles National Cemetery. About 2,700 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, from Cub to Eagle, convened to place flags on more than 84,000 gravesites of America’s finest. It was a moving, profound experience.

One would expect a lot of running and playing among these youngsters as they performed their task. But, no. At each site, they stood at attention, recited the name of the service member and then saluted. Within two hours, 84,000 flags proudly waved in the gentle breeze. (more…)