VERSE OF THE MONTH: Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. - Psalm 98:4
ALBUM NEWS: Lee Brice is gearing up for the release of his fourth career album, a self-titled effort he co-produced with Jon Stone, Kyle Jacobs and Dan Friszell. The project is due out November 3 on Curb Records. The first single from the album, “Boy” (written by Nicolle Galyon and Jon Nite) is already digitally available and impacts radio June 19. Of the forthcoming album, Lee says, “Writing this record was a personal and vulnerable experience. Every song is a snapshot of who I am right now. I’ve labored over every word and every note, and I can’t wait to share it.” The title track of Brice’s previous album, ”I Don’t Dance,” earned him his first RIAA double-platinum certification, marking his seventh consecutive certification since “Love Like Crazy” certified Gold in 2010. More about “Boy” and the upcoming album at leebrice.com.
AWARD NEWS: The Georgia Sheriffs’ Association awarded Grand Ole Opry star John Conlee with a plaque for supporting law enforcement at the country hitmaker’s live show in Putnam County, Ga. The award was presented to commemorate Conlee’s dedication to the "men and women in the state of Georgia who walk behind the star." Sheriff Sills presented the plaque to Conlee in-person as the “Common Man” singer returned to Georgia for two shows. Upon first hearing the song, Sills stated, "I cannot adequately express my thanks to you, the Opry, WSM, and all those who were responsible for the recognition during the program and of course the song itself." Over the years, Conlee has raised money for various charities including the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Fisher House, Show of Support and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Tour dates and more at johnconlee.com
AMERICANA NEWS: Van Morrison will be the recipient of the 2017 Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting at the Americana Honors and Awards program to be held at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Wednesday, September 13. Morrison will also headline the Ascend Amphitheater on Thursday, September 14 with special guest his daughter Shana Morrison, during the 18th annual Americanafest in Nashville, September 12 – 17. It will be his first Nashville appearance in eight years. The show will be a separate ticketed event and tickets are now available at ascendamphitheater.com. Americanafest will once again bring together fans and music industry professionals alike with six days of celebration through seminars, panels and networking opportunities by day and raw artist showcases by night. Info, registration, tickets and more at americanamusic.com.
ARTIST NEWS: When Brad Paisley calls to see if you’d like to duet on a new album, you don’t say no. At least, Mick Jagger (“Drive of Shame”), Bill Anderson (“Dying to See Her”), John Fogerty (“Love and War”) and Timberland (“Grey Goose Chase”) certainly didn’t say no, and all can be found on Paisley’s new album, LOVE AND WAR, his followup to 2014’s MOONSHINE IN THE TRUNK. The stars came out to record their duets at Paisley’s yellow studio house in Williamson County, Tennessee. Paisley’s Weekend Warrior Tour is underway with coast to coast dates plus overseas stops in Norway and Sweden. Tour dates and more about the album at bradpaisley.com
AWARD NEWS: The Georgia Sheriffs’ Association awarded Grand Ole Opry star John Conlee with a plaque for supporting law enforcement at the country hitmaker’s live show in Putnam County, Ga. The award was presented to commemorate Conlee’s dedication to the "men and women in the state of Georgia who walk behind the star." Sheriff Sills presented the plaque to Conlee in-person as the “Common Man” singer returned to Georgia for two shows. Upon first hearing the song, Sills stated, "I cannot adequately express my thanks to you, the Opry, WSM, and all those who were responsible for the recognition during the program and of course the song itself." Over the years, Conlee has raised money for various charities including the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Fisher House, Show of Support and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Tour dates and more at johnconlee.com.
BABY NEWS: Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren just brought their adopted daughter, Willa Gray, home from Uganda in May. In less than three months, Lauren will give birth to their second daughter in August, and they’ve been trying to figure out a name for baby girl Akins #2. We’re certain whatever name Thomas and Lauren choose, it will be perfect. Even with his growing family Thomas is continuing to work hard promoting his latest single, “Craving You,” and out on his Home Team Tour. In fact, he took Willa Gray on her first tour bus trip recently for his show in Mississippi … Brantley Gilbert and wife Amber announced they are expecting their first child in mid-November. Wonderful blessings since their struggle with fertility. They join Jason Aldean and his wife Brittany on their joyful news of a baby boy in their future.
BENEFIT NEWS: Here the info for the 2017 Warren Peace Ride - Storme Warren with Montgomery Gentry and Friends Motorcycle Ride and Parking Lot Party, to benefit the TJ Martel Foundation;
Date & Time: June 10, 2017 at 10:00am; Where: Music City Indian Motorcycle at 1003 8th Ave S - Nashville, TN 37203. Contact: rfermin@tjmartell.org or get tickets at: https://donate.tjmartell.org/nashville/events/2017-storme-warren-montgomery-gentry-friends-ride/e126334 . For more about Montgomery Gentry, visit www.montgomerygentry.com, engage with Troy and Eddie on Facebook, @mgunderground on twitter, and check out their YouTube channel. FYI: Storme is a proud member of the Nashville Community. Storme serves on the board of directors for the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer research. He is also a proud Eagle Scout. He and his wife Allison have two teenage boys and live in Franklin, Tennessee.
BOOK RELEASES: (SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION NEWS) My new book “College of Songology” has launched and I am so excited! It's a comprehensive handbook about protecting your intellectual property and making money with your music as a singer and/or songwriter. It is available in a print version and for download as an e-book on all devices. Check out www.collegeofsongology.com.
CD NEWS: The number 1 on the country albums chart is Southern Ground/Elektra/WAR's Zac Brown Band with “Welcome Home”. The album sold more than 138,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen Soundscan. It also debuted at No. 2 on the Top 200 chart. More at www.zacbrownband.com.
CMA FEST NEWS: Nashville is getting ready for the 20127 CMA Music Festival, set for June 8 through June 11. Taking the big stage are Trace Adkins, John Anderson, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Tracy Lawrence, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, Thomas Rhett, Keith Urban, and Chris Young. The Chevrolet Riverfront Stage is back in 2017 with a packed lineup that will include A Thousand Horses, LOCASH, Maddie & Tae, Neal McCoy, William Michael Morgan, Michael Ray and many more. Even more acts can be seen and heard at the Chevrolet Park Stage in Walk of Fame Park, with many newer artists performing at the Gildan Broadway Stage by the Hard Rock Café. Tickets for the Nightly Concerts at Nissan Stadium may still be available at CMAFest.com or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST. Outdoor daytime stages including Chevrolet Riverfront and Park Stages, as well as the Gildan Broadway Stage at Hard Rock Cafe, are free and open to the public.
CMT AWARDS NEWS: The CMT Music Awards are moving to a new venue, thanks to the success of the Nashville Predators in their bid for the Stanley Cup. The award show is normally held every year at the Bridgestone Arena, home of the Predators. However, this year the CMT Music Awards will be moving across the street to the Music City Center. The show is scheduled for June 7. The move is precautionary as the Predators’ playoff schedule has not yet been set. The show will air live on CMT-TV beginning at 8:00pm (ET/PT). Charles Esten, star of the TV Show ‘Nashville,’ will host.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: Miss EmiSunshine, the 12-year-old prodigy from East Tennessee who captured the nation’s attention as a viral phenomenon, has formed an alliance with industry veteran, Steven Pritchard (Pro Tour Events) for artist management. Pritchard will oversee and assist with day-to-day artist management including A&R, booking initiatives, PR and social media campaigns. Pritchard has represented some of the biggest names in the music recording and live entertainment sectors. He has assembled an all-star team of industry professionals to support the young stylist’s career ambitions. Music City Media and ProMO Image have jointly boarded the EmiSunshine team as national PR representatives, bringing more than 40 years of collective field experience to the impassioned group. Charlie Ray (Music City Artists) will serve as exclusive booking agent; Stephanie Orr (Country Wired) will elevate Emi’s digital footprint, while Ed Gertler (Digital Delivery Services) will spearhead the global digital retail campaign. EmiSunshine became a global sensation when a video of her singing in a music store went viral. She is set to release RAGGED DREAMS, featuring 14 self-penned tracks and co-writes, in late August 2017.
GARTH NEWS: Garth Brooks has now almost quadrupled his Lafayette, LA ticket sales record with 47,000 ticket sold for the Cajundome and tickets were still selling for all 5 shows as of late May. His previous record was set November, 14, 1992, at the Cajundome with 12,409 tickets sold. This is the last show on the world tour for Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. The concerts will be: June 23, 24, 25, 30 and July 01. There is an eight ticket limit per purchase. Tickets can only be purchased at ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks or ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $60.78 plus a $3.95 tax, a $4.00 facility fee and a $6.25 service charge for a total of $74.98. All seats sold are best available.
INDIE NEWS: Zach Stone is set to headline the early morning “finish line festivities” at the 5th Annual Hillbilly Half Marathon and Little Billy 5K in Leiper's Fork, Tenn. on Saturday, June 3. Originated as the Franklin Half Marathon, the 2017 race marks its fifth running this June; the Hillbilly Half has become a special, must-attend community event for avid runners and enthusiastic family members, friends and neighbors. Local residents customarily dress up to sing and cheer on (even antagonize in good-hearted fun) the runners along the route. Stone will perform a live concert (featuring songs from his newly released EP, ASHES) at the conclusion of the race. See zachstonecountry.com
INDUSTRY NEWS: WMN CEO John Esposito was happily smiling for a phot opp recently. The have signed Singer/songwriter Morgan Evans to Warner Music Nashville. Evans has a power team around him. Morgan is managed by Fitzgerald Hartley in Nashville and Rob Potts Entertainment Edge in Australia. He's currently in the studio working on new music with songwriter/producer Chris DeStefano.
LABEL NEWS: (MCA Records) Following on the boot heels of his wildly successful “2 Nights of Number 1’s” at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in May, the King of Country George Strait announced that due to the overwhelming fan reaction, he will continue the concept of playing his record-setting collection of 60 No. 1 hits again in July. Strait debuted the unprecedented two nights of No. 1’s during his recent T-Mobile Arena shows on April 7-8. With an unmatched Number Ones and more than 280,000 fans streaming Strait's 60 #1 Hits playlist on Spotify every month, Strait wanted to showcase these radio hits plus several fan-favorites such as “Troubadour” that never reached No. 1. Show dates and ticket info at StraitToVegas.com.
(Reviver Records) Kudos to my friends LOCASH (Preston Brust and Chris Lucas) who received the prestigious BMI Million-Air Award from David Preston, BMI’s Senior Director, Writer-Publisher Relations. The Award recognizes the achievement of one million-plus spins on the radio. They received the award in a laid-back ceremony on the BMI rooftop patio, Tuesday May 23. Although they are successful recording artists in their own right, in this case Preston and Chris received the award as songwriters (along with ASCAP writer Jaren Johnston) for writing the song “You Gonna Fly” recorded by Keith Urban. The BMI “Million-Air” Award is given to songwriters, composers, and publishers whose songs accumulate to over one million U.S. broadcast performances. George Dickel and Sam Adams provided beverages at the party and Texas Road Hose catered. More at locashmusic.com.
MEDIA NEWS: Amanda Colleen Williams, a Grammy-nominated song co-writer and a dear friend of mine, has overcome extraordinary hurdles after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015. Now cancer free, she is emerging with a new Nashville music venue, named 7695, and a groundbreaking concert series. ‘A Story of Love’ is a one woman show performed monthly at the 7695 venue. Shows are typically the last Saturday of the month, at 7695 River Road Pike in Nashville. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the concert begins promptly at 7PM. Parking is free with attendants on site. Tickets, $20.00 each, can be purchased in advance at https://www.7695.us. 7695 is available for private events (wedding bells, anyone?). Info about the monthly shows and the venue at 7695.us
MUSIC BIZ 2017 NEWS: Bart Herbison Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association said it best, “Music Biz 2017 is one the top Music Conferences around the globe.” Around 1,500 music pros attended the event that annually brings together the influential decision makers from the world of music. More at musicbiz.org
MUSIC NEWS: Before the show even started, Kenny Chesney picked up two of the three Billboard Music Awards he’s nominated for: Top Country Tour and Top Country Collaboration “Setting The World On Fire,” the multiple week No. 1 duet with P!nk. However, on the night of the show the Chesney/Pink song lost out to Florida Georgia Line’s ‘H.O.L.Y.’ for Top Country Song. “Winning Best Country Tour makes me happy for my entire road family, from the band, the riggers, the caterers, the people selling the tickets and t-shirts, and for everyone who’s worked one of our shows last year who made their town feel like another hometown,” said Chesney. He will headline Myrtle Beach’s Carolina Country Music Fest on June 10 and Columbus, Ohio’s Buckeye Country Superfest June 11. See Kenny Chesney’s ‘Rich and Miserable’ video at kennychesney.com.
MUTT NATION NEWS: Over the top animal lover and activist Miranda Lambert will host the inaugural MuttNation March June 8, where Lambert and her rescue dogs will walk from Nissan Stadium, over the Nashville Pedestrian Bridge, and end in downtown Nashville. "So many shelter pets need a home, so we are going to march to raise awareness," says Lambert. "Country music has the best fans in the world and together we can help so many animals find amazing homes." Fans and their mutts are encouraged to join the walk. Details and registration info at https://www.crowdrise.com/donate/project/march-tickets/mirandalambert/. Additional related events include the MuttNation Foundation Adoption Drive inside CMA Fan Fair X and the MuttNation Shelter Day Sweepstakes, which gives one winner and a guest the chance to win a day with Lambert making over an animal shelter in need.
NUMBER ONE NEWS: Congrats to newcomer Luke Combs, for his No. 1 for “Hurricane.” According to www.countryaircheck.com --- The last time an artist held their debut at the chart pinnacle for more than a week was December 2012. That song was Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise.” Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” is number one at Billboard the first week in June!
SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS: My music buddy Tyler Barham has released his fourth EP, HISTORY, available now at all online retailers. Fans who pre-order the album now instantly get two tracks from the EP including ‘No End Weekend’ and ‘History,’ a duet with YouTube star Megan Davies. Barham said that the songs on the EP are ones that he’s been playing at shows and are the ones that people seem to request the most. “I’m already getting tweets and Facebook messages from fans who love the two tracks they get when they pre-order,” he said. One of Billboard’s Country Artists to Watch, this Montana native has built a foundation of more than 70,000 dedicated online fans with over 9.5 million YouTube views. He currently has over 1 million streams on Spotify and has over 20K monthly listeners. Download the EP from iTunes; more info at tylerbarham.com and on social media.
SINGLE NEWS: As of this week, Brett Young’s HOT SINGLE -- ‘In Case You Didn’t Know’ (BMLG) retains the Number One spot on the CDX TRACtion chart. The ‘Monitored Radio Airplay’ chart uniquely tracks spins and adds on Country radio. Young is a singer-songwriter from Orange County, CA, who took up songwriting after an injury sidelined him from a promising future as a pitcher in college baseball. Tour news and more at brettyoungmusic.com and www.cdxcd.com.
SONGWRITER NIGHTS NEWS: A monthly writer’s night, “Story and a Song,” will be held the last Monday of every month and will feature some of the best new talent in Nashville. It will be presented by Nashville PR/Marketing firm Brickshore Media and online media outlet Pop Blitz Magazine. The venue is The Country, 110 - 28th Ave, Nashville. It is a free event and open to the public. See the calendar at thecountrynashville.com for upcoming shows.
TOUR NEWS: When Eric Church’s 2017 Holdin’ My Own Tour launched in January, the 62-stop tour encompassing 40+ states and provinces in less than five months promised to give fans everything in Church’s arsenal. Church has been delivering on that vow with over 35 songs and three hours of music every night. Church is now adding 8 remaining plays to his 2017 calendar. For the eight new performances, Church will retire his two-set model (for now), and bring special guests to join him. The first to be announced for his Alabama dates Sept. 15-16 are CMA and ACM Duo of the Year winners, Brothers Osborne, and singer/songwriter Ashley McBryde. Updated tour info at ericchurch.com/events.
WEB NEWS: Check out my new blog, Nashville Music Line, that has gone live. I plan to feature news, information, helpful ideas and inspiration for singers and songwriters. If you are an aspiring artist or songwriter just starting out on your career path, or if you are already on your way, I hope you’ll find it both useful and enjoyable. It has only just gone ‘live’ so the content is quite small right now, but I intend to start adding to it on a regular basis. Let me know if there are any topics you would like me to address there. Please bookmark the URL and visit frequently. I’d love to read your comments. You can find it at www.nashvillemusicline.com.
WWWEBSITES TO CHECKOUT: www.nashvillesongwriters.com / www.cmaworld.com / www.cdxcd.com / www.namm.org
WHO'S LOOKING * WHO'S CUTTING: Kayla Adams, Dustin Lynch, Luke Bryan and Kelsea Ballerini.
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