Sheila E. is the winner of this season’s Gone Country

John Rich tapped Sheila E. as the winner of the third season of CMT’s hit series, GONE COUNTRY, in tonight’s season finale. Sheila won with “Glorious Train,” the song she penned with Nashville songwriters Angie Aparo and James Slater while taping the series. The single is produced by John Rich and will go out via the CMT Radio Network on Monday, March 9. The accompanying video, directed by Sean Weber-Small, debuted after the finale and is currently in rotation on CMT and CMT Pure as well as via CMT.com.

Sheila, who edged out tough competition from fellow GONE COUNTRY contestants George Clinton, Tara Conner, Taylor Dayne, Micky Dolenz, Richard Grieco and Justin Guarini, performed her song before a live audience at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon in the show’s finale. In the end, Rich dubbed Sheila the winner because of her ability to connect to the audience through her gospel-infused, spiritual single, “Glorious Train.”

“Sheila E. is perhaps one of the most talented musicians on our planet. What really took me over the top with her was witnessing the sheer passion she displayed for country music and our audience,” says Rich. “As they say in sports, she left it all on the field when it came to her commitment to GONE COUNTRY 3. Her song Glorious Train’ really does speak to her life story and how she has been challenged in life and triumphed over those challenges, which I think many country music fans will identify with. I also love the way she wrote a gospel-infused country song! Faith has always been a big part of country music and is a very important aspect of our music to our fans. At the end of the day, it was a hard decision, but Sheila E. took it to another level. I’m proud to have named her the winner of GONE COUNTRY 3.”

Gone Country Will Be Back A Third Time in January

Courtesy of CMT:

CMT’s hit franchise, GONE COUNTRY, returns with award-winning singer, songwriter & producer, John Rich, as host for a third season featuring new challenges and a new cast who are vying for a chance at country music success. GONE COUNTRY, the series that takes seven celebrities from every realm of the entertainment industries and immerses them in all things country, will premiere in January 2009 on CMT. Production is currently underway in Nashville.

The cast for GONE COUNTRY 3 includes:

- George Clinton funk musician, founding member of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic; member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

- Tara Conner television personality; Miss USA 2006

- Taylor Dayne pop vocalist/actress

- Micky Dolenz actor, musician; drummer/lead vocalist of The Monkees

- Sheila E. entertainer/musician; philanthropist

- Richard Grieco actor/musician

- Justin Guarini singer/songwriter, actor/television host; “American Idol” runner up

With the goal of creating a hit country music single, each GONE COUNTRY cast member must uproot to Nashville for an intense two-week challenge. Each celebrity will again be paired with two of Nashville’s finest songwriters with whom they write a country single. In addition to meeting with songwriters, the cast will compete in challenges that test them musically and physically to adapt to a life in country music, both on and off the stage.

This season, cast members will be afforded the opportunity to win mentor sessions with top country artists. At the end of the two weeks, the artist that is most prepared to impress a country audience, as determined by Rich, will record and release their single to country radio. Previous GONE COUNTRY winners have included Julio Iglesias, Jr. (season 1) and Sebastian Bach (season 2).