Sam Moore joined Nu-Blu on their All The Way disc on Rural Rhythm Records. Soul Man Sam Moore was featured on CBS Sunday Morning August 17, with a glimpse of this dynamic addition to his repertoire. For years, Sam Moore has been best known for lending his unmistakable lead vocals to the classic soul duo, Sam & Dave. But his latest musical move is a career first -- bluegrass. Moore sits in on “Jesus & Jones,” a duet with Carolyn Routh, vocalist of the bluegrass group Nu-Blu. The single -- a tribute to country legend George Jones -- will also appear on the band’s All The Way project (full release Sept. 16). Also included is a special feature track with the ‘Queen of Bluegrass' Rhonda Vincent. This two-day photo shoot was especially exciting for our group at McClearen Design! We had an excellent session, plus the pleasure of producing the design on Nu-Blu's All The Way cover. Kelli Dirks and I had tons of fun with Daniel, Carolyn, Austin and Levi. It was a joy to work with the whole group!

Here are a few of the shots:

  Check out the full interview with Sam on CBS.   I worked with Sam some 30-plus years ago on another LP release with he and Dave called “Sweet & Funky Gold”. I surprised him with a copy at the studio session, with Nu-Blu. There was a ton of teasing, laughter and fun shared by all. Sam's humor is contagious. Here is an insightful excerpt from Sam’s blog - a telling summary of the legend himself. We should all learn from this wisdom. --Brenda McClearen

Words of Inspiration

At 73, having lived the crazy life I've lived, I think I've learned some important things. My wife Joyce stumbled on this post one day, by someone else named Sam Moore, while doing some research, and we thought the messages were inspiring and brilliant; so I would like to share these thoughts with everyone who visits my site: (1) Never apologize for your enthusiasm, passion, or vision. (2) Never apologize for being inspired by another human being. (3) Seek out inspiration (don't wait for it). (4) Inspire others by sharing your talents and time. (5) And no matter what: Don't let the bozos grind you down, ever.   Record company: Rural Rhythm Records (http://ruralrhythm.com) Publicity/Marketing: Webster & Associates Public Relations (http://websterpr.com) CD Cover & Photography: McClearen Design Studios (http://www.mcclearendesign.com) Graphics & Photography, Kelli Dirks & Brenda McClearen / Illustration, Randy Garrett Nu-Blu (http://nu-blu.com) Sam Moore (http://sammoore.bombplates.com)  

When Susan DePue was preparing a social media launch for her business, she approached us at McClearen with media needs. We wanted to capture her warm smile and inviting presence. Susan adds an invaluable boost to businesses of any size that are looking to ratchet up a notch. Her business, Growth Pointe strategies, “provides you a GPS for business growth”. We at McClearen can attest to the value of Susan’s methods, having had her help tweaking our service offerings and working personally with our staff. Susan… a successful Business Strategist, Coach, Mentor, Speaker and Author. She balances this amazing list with effective style. Check out all the impressive skills that Susan can bring to the table at www.growthpointestrategies.com. Growth Pointe Strategies website design by McClearen Design Studios.   Follow Susan DePue on Twitter! Profile art by McClearen Design Studios.        

Let's talk Facebook. You’re probably wondering if your business needs one. The answer is yes. If you have a business, it needs a Facebook page. Not just any old Facebook page, it needs a page that draws attention visually and secondly offers people something to keep them engaged and make them want to get regular updates. Not convinced? Here are some things to think about: A Facebook Page can effectively drive traffic to your website. Chances are your customers are not looking at your website on a daily basis, but they are checking their Facebook page on a daily basis, thus keeping them up to date with your latest offerings and keeping you in the forefront. Creating Buzz. Facebook is the new "Word of Mouth" If customers have had a good experience with your business, they will most likely want to connect with you on Facebook to stay informed about upcoming specials, products, news, and so on. In turn, they will leave feedback on your page telling you about how wonderful their dinner was last night at your restaurant, or how much they enjoyed your concert, or maybe they have a suggestion you could use. All of this activity generates buzz. For example, if you have 100 fans, and they each have 100 friends, that means that potentially 10,000 people will see that their friends liked your business. That's 10,000 opportunities. Not too shabby. Google and Facebook are likethis. Google loves fresh content and constant updates. Because your Facebook Page is constantly being updated with new content by you and your fans, this makes your page more likely to come up higher in the search engines and thus driving more traffic to your actual website as well. Event promotion made easy. Facebook makes it easier than ever to let people know about your upcoming events. You can create an event and invite all your fans, whether it's a concert, a big sale, or maybe you're just throwing a shindig. You can send out invites and get a head count of who's planning on coming, and they can invite their friends too.

What's our role in all of this?

We make it easy. We take the stress out of trying to figure it all out and cut to the chase. There are many options in addition to Facebook that you'll need to consider and we'll help you decide what's right for your business and only focus on what's really going to make an impact. We'll get you all set up and then if you're comfortable taking the wheel from there, we'll let you drive, and if not, we're more than happy to manage it all for you. We make it work. Facebook now allows you to create highly customized and interactive pages within your Facebook Page called iFrames, they're pretty nifty. You can make your Facebook look and work a lot like a website, post videos, add a store, share your music and more. We can do a lot or a little, depending on your needs and budget. We make it pretty. Professional graphics make a big splash, and it's important to keep all of your material cohesive. We'll take every opportunity to dazzle your fans and make sure you're looking good at all times. Whether it's a custom timeline header, event invitations, or coupons, we can do it all. So what are you waiting for? All the cool kids are doing it, and your mom says it's okay. Give us a call or stop by the studio, we'd love to talk! And don't forget to like us on Facebook!