danielle peck

This was a pinch hitter Josh Beckett probably didn't expect to see.
Hit single
Peck's top-selling tune is "Findin' a Good Man," which reached No. 16 on the country charts last year.



Country singer Danielle Peck, a former Ohio resident who used to date the Boston Red Sox ace, sang the national anthem and "God Bless America" last night for Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.

Beckett was set to pitch for the Red Sox, who trailed the Indians 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Peck was a substitute for Taylor Swift, another country star.

"(Peck's) record company called and said she's got Ohio ties and we said, 'Perfect,' " Indians Vice President Bob DiBiasio said.

Peck's manager, Bob Burwell, initially issued a no comment to media inquiries about the singer's relationship with Beckett through the Indians and said all interviews "will abruptly end" if their wishes aren't honored.

Later, all interview requests were politely declined.

DiBiasio said the Indians were unaware of the history between Beckett and Peck.

"An incredible coincidence," he said. "Honestly."

If anything, Beckett seemed to be inspired by the sight and sound of his ex-flame.


Trivia time
When was the Olympic flame introduced at the modern Games?

Eternal flame?
Beijing organizers are designing a high-tech Olympic torch capable of withstanding gale-force wind, torrential rain and even the oxygen-thin air atop Mount Everest.


AdvertisementTo eliminate chances of the flame going out, authorities have set up a torch design lab under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.
Technician Xue Li said the roughly 10-inch high flame is designed to resist gusts of up to 106.96 feet per second and downpours of up to 1.97 inches per hour, Xinhua reported.

Torch fuel has traditionally been a mix of butane and propane that gives off a bright yellow flame without releasing toxins or thick smoke.

Beijing organizers plan to stage the longest torch relay in Olympic history � an 85,000-mile, 130-day route that would cross five continents.


Parting shot
Via Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times: "Notre Dame will win at least three games this fall," boldly predicted Elliott Harris of the Chicago Sun-Times. "In what sport isn't exactly clear."

Trivia answer
At the 1928 Games in Amsterdam Peck was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, but grew up in Coshocton, Ohio. She is the daughter of a United States Marine. Her parents both came from musical backgrounds. Her mother's side of the family traveled and sang in churches. Her father' parents and grandparents were steeped in country music, playing dances in the area.[1] Before Peck was able to even speak, she was able to sing. The first song she ever sang was Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," which she continues to perform in her live shows to this day. She wrote her first song before the age of 10, for an imaginary record company called "Danielle Peck Records", complete with song titles and cover art. She also sang in her church, as solo and as part of a choir. At age 16, she joined a band called The Neon Moon Band, which performed around the local area, where she was raised. With her band, Peck would sing everything, from Patsy Cline to Reba McEntire.

When she was 18, her father bought Peck her very own sound and light system.

After graduating from high school, Peck went out on the road and formed her band, that performed at festivals and other events. She then decided to go for her dream and got to Nashville, Tennessee and become a singer, after several years of performing with her own band. She was first hired as a waitress, spending the rest of her time, working on her songwriting skills. Soon after moving to the Country music capital, she met Clay Myers, a publisher who recognized Peck's talent, and got her a deal with as a songwriter with Barbara Orbison's Still Working Music. Peck soon started writing for her staff members.


[edit] Current success
Soon, Peck signed a recording contract with DreamWorks Records, with executive Scott Borchetta. She was working on her debut album, when DreamWorks folded and Borchetta founded his own record company entitled Big Machine Records, also the present-day record company for teenage country singer Taylor Swift as well as Trisha Yearwood.

In 2005, she released her very first single from the album called "I Don't". The song peaked at #28 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, making the Top 30. (Judy Torres recently remade "I Don't" as a dance track released by Robbins Entertainment.) Peck released her debut self-titled album in June 2006. Her debut album, Danielle Peck, peaked at #23 on the "Top Country Albums" chart in 2006.

Her next single entitled, "Findin' a Good Man" did much better on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, peaking the Top 20, at #16. This gave Peck her first significant hit. Another single from the album, "Isn't That Everything" was another Top 30 hit for Peck in early 2007.