HOPPERS RELEASE
"NORTH AMERICA LIVE!"

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (1/12/09) – Canaan Records is pleased to announce that the brand new Hopper’s release, North America Live!, will hit bookstore shelves on January 27, 2009. From Jackson, Tennessee to Bloomfield, Ontario Canada, Claude, Connie, Dean, Kim and Mike capture the heart of live audiences in a way that only America’s Favorite Family of Gospel Music can. Both old and new material is featured on the new project including great arrangements of the classics “Ten Thousand Years,” “Ready To Leave,” “Jerusalem” and the Connie Hopper classic, “Jesus Saves.” Whether you are a Hopper fan from way back or a new convert to this well-known family group, North America Live! gives every fan a little taste of what has made this family so special for over 50 years! North America Live! is currently featured on the Singing News featured release player at www.singingnews.com, where a song from the release can also be downloaded for free. Fans can pre-order a limited quantity of autographed copies of the project at www.canaanrecords.com for a special introductory price of $7.97. The first single from North America Live!, “Blame It On Love,” will be shipped to radio stations world-wide on January 15th. The Canaan Track will be available at www.canaanrecords.com/store soon!

In December, Canaan Records announced that complete Canaan Tracks are available for Kim Hopper’s I Just Wanted You To Know, Mike & Kelly Bowling’s Faith To Believe and The Mike LeFevre Quartet’s Nothin’ But Good. The complete soundtracks include every song with lyrics from the original Canaan release and singers have the option of singing with or without background vocals on key songs. The performance tracks are available in bookstores or can be purchased at a special online price by visiting www.canaanrecords.com/store.

Canaan Records released a special edition of podcasts from a series of digitally recorded interviews and songs celebrating A Classic Canaan Christmas. A different Podcast was posted each week in December and included song clips from A Classic Canaan Christmas, as well as Christmas memories and interviews with Jan-Buckner Goff, Ernie Haase, Kelly Nelon-Clark and more! All four Podcasts were hosted by Les Butler of the Singing News Magazine. A contest was held in conjunction with the Christmas Podcasts release and two free tickets to the SGMA Hall of Fame and Dollywood were awarded to Jamie Vaughn last week. Radio DJ’s and Media outlets may obtain future Canaan & Friends Podcasts, to post on their own website, by signing up at www.canaanrecords.com/radio. Each Podcast will be sent through a special MPE e-mail after approval.

Fans can become a Facebook Friend of Canaan and not only receive exclusive updates on release schedules, but audio clips, pictures and more from your favorite Canaan artists as well. Mike & Kelly Bowling, the Mike LeFevre Quartet and the Hoppers also have their own Facebook pages with specific information about their groups. All pages can be accessed through Canaan’s page by following this link: www.facebook.com/pages/Canaan-Records/25884114199.

For more information on the Hoppers, log on to www.thehoppers.com. For more information on Canaan Records, log on to www.canaanrecords.com.

The Hoppers
The Hoppers were proud to commemorate their 50 year anniversary through a series of Hopper's Heritage Concerts that included performances by The Original Hopper Brothers & Connie last year. Claude, Connie, Dean, Kim and Mike were also awarded the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley in 2008. The group began their quest in music as a sharecropping family of eleven children where five of the seven brothers began singing at local churches under the direction of their mother. In 1957, as young adults, four of the brothers began the Hopper Brothers Quartet. In 1960, Connie Shelton joined their ranks as the piano player and later married Claude, the manager of the group. Connie's popularity eventually caused the group to change its name to The Hopper Brothers & Connie. In 1964, the group entered and won the talent contest at the National Quartet Convention in Nashville, TN. The Hoppers have evolved over the years and now is comprised of Claude and Connie, their two sons Mike and Dean and Dean’s wife, Kim. In 2007, the group signed with Canaan Records, a division of Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, where they nationally released their hit album, The Ride. This group has received nearly every award possible in their field of music including being presented with Favorite Mixed Group on numerous occasions and most recently in 2008.

Canaan Records
Canaan Records, a division of Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, was founded in 1965. The original Canaan Records' roster was home to many legendary Southern Gospel artists including The Cathedrals, The Happy Goodmans, The Florida Boys, The Inspirations, The Nelons and The Talleys. In early 2007, the renowned label reemerged with the signing of Gospel music greats, The Hoppers. Word Entertainment leads the industry with over 50 years of music making history.