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QUOTE OF THE MONTH: If I am chasing your dream faster than you, then I am in the wrong dream - Preshias
ACM NEWS: Dierks Bentley, Clint Black, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Sam Hunt, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Ronnie Milsap, Darius Rucker, Dwight Yoakam, Alabama, Eli Young Band and Florida Georgia Line are scheduled to perform at the ACM Party For A Cause Festival April 17-18 at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX, ahead of the April 19 50th Annual ACM Awards. Performances will be taped for the two-hour ACM Presents: Superstar Duets, which will air May 15 on CBS-TV. Proceeds benefit ACM Lifting Lives. More at acmcountry.com/news
ALBUM NEWS: Kip Moore doesn't mind admitting when he's wrong and he proves just that with his lead single "I'm To Blame." The song is available at digital retailers and features Moore's signature raspy voice over a driving back beat highlighted with a rolling banjo. Moore wrote the song with Justin Weaver and Westin Davis, and the refreshingly honest lyrics are personal for the multi-platinum selling artist. "I've learned that sometimes when you're in a relationship, especially if you're trying to keep the relationship, it's better just to admit that something was your fault so everybody can move on," said Moore. "I thought that sort of truth-telling was a good way to set the tone for the new album.” Moore's sophomore album will be released later this year.
ARTIST NEWS: Thomas Rhett has scored his third consecutive No. One hit off his debut album IT GOES LIKE THIS (Valory Music Co.), and his first as the artist and songwriter. The Gold-certified “Make Me Wanna” topped both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase radio charts, just days after securing his first-ever ACM nod as one of only three “New Artist of the Year” nominees. Thomas Rhett now stands with only a small number of elite artists who can claim three No. one smash hits, more than 3.8 million digital downloads, over 150 live shows a year as well as both ACM and CMA “New Artist of the Year" nominations from a debut project. More information and upcoming tour dates visit www.thomasrhett.com.
BABY BLESSINGS: We are sending Congratulations to hit songwriter Dallas Davidson (Founding member of The Peach Pickers) and wife Natalia on the birth of their son Dallas Gerald Davidson, Jr. " I have the greatest wife – and now mother – and a beautiful healthy boy. This is what life is all about. I feel like I'm floating on clouds right now. I'm as happy as I've ever been. God is great. I'm blessed beyond my wildest dreams," says Davidson.
BOOK NEWS: My new book, “I Know Country!” is almost ready for prime time! It features 366 day-by-day country music Q&As, plus hundreds of fun factoids about the songs, the artists and the songwriters. I had so much fun at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) getting country artist to test their musical knowledge with some tough trivia questions. Stay tuned and I’ll give you more details in my next column.
CD NEWS: Cracker Barrel and the Academy of Country Music announced “The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Country Checkers Challenge” leading up to the 50th Annual ACM Awards live on CBS on Sunday, April 19, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. On Saturday, April 18, team captains Kellie Pickler and Thomas Rhett and their teams will battle it out on Cracker Barrel’s giant checkerboard. The fun takes place at the 2015 ACM Party for a Cause Festival: 50 Years of Music & Memories at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Through a $35,000 donation from Cracker Barrel, ACM Lifting Lives® will donate $25,000 to the winning team’s charity and $10,000 to the losing team’s charity. Pickler has selected the USO and Rhett has selected DAV as the benefiting charities.
CONCERT NEWS: Live Nation, in collaboration with MGM Resorts International, has announced Route 91 Harvest Festival will return to Las Vegas for a second consecutive year October 2 – 4. The three-day, two-stage festival, held at the MGM Resorts Village, will be headlined by Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban as well as Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen and more. Passes are on sale from Friday, March 13 at 10 a.m. PST at rt91harvest.com. A Thousand Horses, Frankie Ballard, Mark Chesnutt, Easton Corbin, Clare Dunn, Brett Eldredge, Gloriana, Joe Nichols, Jon Pardi, Chase Rice, The Cadillac Three, Thomas Rhett, Austin Webb and Drake White will also join the all-star lineup with more artists to be announced in the coming weeks. The festival’s second stage, “Next From Nashville,” will return continuing to showcase emerging country artists.
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL of FAME NEWS: Check the newest exhibit at CMHoF. Bob Dylan bucked executives at his record label and surprised his fans when he came to Nashville in 1966 to record his classic album Blonde on Blonde. Working with the city’s unmatched session musicians, Dylan produced a rock & roll masterpiece and went on to record two more albums there. Dylan’s embrace of Nashville and its musicians—the Nashville Cats—inspired many other artists, among them Neil Young, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen, to follow him to Music City. Around the same time, Johnny Cash was recruiting folk and rock musicians—including Dylan—to appear on his groundbreaking network television show, The Johnny Cash Show, shot at the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry. This exhibit looks at the Nashville music scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a time of great cultural vitality for Music City. Read more: Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City
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DEEPEST SYMPATHY: For the family and friends of Billboard’s Senior Chart Manager, Wade Jessen, 53, who died March 5 following a heart attack. Jessen was head of Billboard's Country, Bluegrass, Christian and Gospel charts for 20 years. He had previously held on-air positions at several radio stations, including WSM-AM in Nashville. At the time of his passing, Jessen covered the night shift on SiriusXM's Willie's Roadhouse… Deepest Sympathies are also extended to the family and friends of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Wayne Kemp, who died March 9 at age 74. Kemp wrote classics including Johnny Cash's "One Piece At A Time," George Strait's "The Fireman," Ricky Van Shelton's "I'll Leave This World Loving You" and George Jones' "Love Bug."
IHEARTRADIO: Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line are among the performers scheduled for the March 29 iHeartRadio Music Awards airing live from Los Angeles 8-11pm ET on NBC-TV. Other artists performing or appearing include Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, Kelly Clarkson and host Jamie Foxx. Country nominees are: Luke Bryan for Artist of the Year; Cole Swindell for Best New Artist; Lady Antebellum's "Bartender," Aldean's "Burnin' It Down," FGL's "Dirt," Eric Church's "Give Me Back My Hometown" and Bryan's "Play It Again" for Country Song of the Year; Church's Church Choir for Best Fan Army; and Brantley Gilbert for the Renegade Award.
INT’L NEWS: Country music filled the air in London, March 7th & 8th. The third ‘Country to Country’ (C2C) Festival took over the O2 Arena and Nashville’s stars were there to take center stage, along with some local Brit Country talent. Lady A were the headliners, along with Jason Aldean, Kip Moore, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert and more. The show also hit stages in Dublin. Ireland, as well as Oslo and Stocholm. Estimates put attendance at the London date at around 30,000. BBC Radio 2 dedicated a digital (DAB) channel specifically to the two-day festival.
LABEL NEWS: (RCA) Old Dominion, the hard-working, hard-rocking Nashville quintet has signed with RCA Nashville, taking the next step on a path that started 10 years ago. The move comes months after the group released its self-titled debut EP and as its hot new single “Break Up With Him” climbs the charts. Old Dominion, comprised of Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung and Brad Tursi, lands the deal 20 months after signing with Morris Higham Management. The news comes as Old Dominion prepares to head out on Kenny Chesney’s ‘The Big Revival’ stadium tour this summer. For more information about Old Dominion or to hear “Break Up With Him," visit olddominionband.com.
… Reviver Records and LOCASH kicked 2015 Country Radio Seminar into full throttle with a surprise giveaway of a brand-new, state-of-the-art 2015 FORD Mustang LC1 at their live concert showcase for new single, "I Love This Life." Courtesy of Reviver Records and Champion Ford in Owensboro, Kentucky, CMT Manager of Music Strategy, Stacey Cato, was awarded the keys to the special LOCASH Edition Mustang, valued at $35,105 at their jam-packed showcase. The showcase also featured Reviver's newly-signed Lucas Hoge and special guest Little Anthony. LOCASH celebrated the biggest radio debut of their career with "I Love This Life," as one of the Top 5 most-added songs at country radio in its first week out of the gate. For more information on LOCASH, visit www.locashmusic.com.
MEDIA NEWS: Randy Houser has racked up three consecutive No. 1 singles and now more than three million in singles sales with his most recent Stoney Creek Records album, How Country Feels. His current single and fourth off the album, “Like A Cowboy,” continues its steady climb up the charts as it nears the Top 5 on both Billboard and Mediabase charts this week. Houser recently announced that he will hit the road with Luke Bryan for remaining dates on his That’s My Kind of Night Tour and will start on Bryan’s highly-anticipated Kick The Dust Up Tour in May. Full list of tour dates at www.RandyHouser.com or follow on Twitter @RandyHouser and www.Facebook.com/RandyHouser.
MUSIC NEWS: From the European leg of their WHEELS UP 2015 TOUR, Lady Antebellum is releasing the up-tempo “Long Stretch Of Love” as the new single from their fifth studio album 747. With its hypnotically driving beat and Celtic-inspired instrumentation, the new track had already hit airwaves and arenas across Europe and is now at Country Radio in the US. Up next, the band will continue to trek across the globe for the Australian leg before returning to the states in time for the 50th Annual ACM Awards airing live from Dallas, TX on April 19th on CBS. The North American leg of their tour begins May 1 in Lubbock, TX. For upcoming tour dates, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.
NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION NEWS (NSAI): Tin Pan South is scheduled for March 24-28, 2015 with a packed schedule on tap. Presented by Regions Bank and hosted by NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) the annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival embodies the spirit of the songwriting community. Now in its 23rd year, Tin Pan South presents performances by some of America’s most prolific songwriters at dozens of venues around Nashville, including BB Kings Blues Club, The Bluebird Café, Douglas Corner Café, The Hard Rock Café, The Listening Room, 3rd & Lindsley and many more. Tin Pan South is also the location for NSAI Spring Training, featuring two days of inspirational panels, intense education and a hard-knock look into the business and craft of songwriting with some of the top names in the industry. With 300+ aspiring songwriters with all levels of experience attending from around the world, NSAI Spring Training is also a good place to network and find new co-writers. Events, venues and info at www.nashvillesongwriters.com
NEWCOMER ARTIST NEWS: Hats off to Michael Ray who was recently named an iHeartRadio “On the Verge” artist, with his debut single, “Kiss You In The Morning.” The Florida native is one of my favorite people and a super talent. He’s currently out on tour dates with the likes of Sam Hunt, Montgomery Gentry and Cole Swindell. Check out tour dates at www.michaelraymusic.com.
RIAA NEWS: Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifications issued in February included three-times multi-platinum (3,000,000) for Florida Georgia Line's and Luke Bryan's "This Is How We Roll;" platinum (1,000,000) for Carrie Underwood's "Something In The Water;" and gold (500,000) for Brantley Gilbert's "More Than Miles" and Thomas Rhett's "Make Me Wanna.”
TOUR NEWS: Zac Brown Band will kick off their North American stadium tour in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena May 1. Fan club members can buy pre-sale tickets March 10; tickets for the general public go on sale March 13. More info and the complete tour schedule at zacbrownband.com/shows. The tour gets under way three days after the release of their new album Jekyll + Hyde…. During his Country Nation World Tour stop in Colorado Springs, CO Arista's Brad Paisley made a fan named Blaze's dream come true when he invited him to jam at sound check and later, during the show. Paisley extended the invitation after seeing a YouTube video posted by the young guitarist called "I Wanna Jam With Brad Paisley."
TV NEWS: Trace Adkins is scheduled to guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC medical drama “The Night Shift.” In an episode that will air in early May, Adkins plays the leader of TC’s (Eoin Macken) MMA veteran therapy group. On the show, TC is ex-military, and his character this season has been dealing with his PTSD and trying to move past his issues to be in a relationship with Jordan (Jill Flint). The role works well for Adkins as he is a spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Program that helps military veterans with brain injuries, as well as the American Red Cross. He has also performed seven USO Tours.
VIDEO NEWS: Americana artist Mary Beth Cross is exploring new musical and visual territory by releasing a techno-pop-dance song video of the Noel Brazil classic, "Babes in the Wood" The video, which was filmed at various landmarks including Denver's Union Station, features Cross performing on a snowy, dark downtown street with five dancers from Cherry Creek Dance. The performances are accented with clips of roaming wolves from Yellowstone National Park, a reminder that danger lurks just beyond the happy-go-lucky innocence of youthful bliss. Cross, who recently received the "2014 Folk-Country CD of the Year Award" from the National Traditional Country Music Association, describes her project as "a visual story of the wolf in nature at Yellowstone and mankind's living in harmony with the Earth, nature, one another and ourselves." More at www.MaryBethCross.com.
WWWEBSITES TO CHECK OUT: www.bouldercreekguitars.com / www.ascap.com / www.sesac.com / www.globalsongwriters.com / www.bmi.com.
WHO'S LOOKING * WHO'S CUTTING: Mark Chesnutt, Lauren Aliana, James Wesley, and more!