“Guitars of the Stars” Benefits Flood Victims

/by

Chris Young

A second annual Guitars of the Stars Benefit Auction will be held on Friday, June 11 at 3:00 PM at the Ryman Auditorium. The event will give fans in town for CMA Music Fest the opportunity to bid on acoustic guitars decorated by some of country music’s hottest stars. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Opry Trust Fund and will be earmarked for victims of this month’s Middle Tennessee floods.

Among the stars confirmed to contribute guitars they’ve designed in celebration of their current singles, hobbies, favorite country songs, or country music heroes are Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Danny Gokey, Alan Jackson, George Jones, The Judds, Jake Owen, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, and more.

Other guitars up for bids will include a custom Gibson Ebony LP guitar to be signed by artists at the 2010 CMT Music Awards and a guitar designed by the artists on this spring’s Country Throwdown Tour.
RCA Nashville artist Chris Young will kick off the event with songs from his current album, The Man I Want To Be, followed by the auction. Young will also contribute a guitar personalized for a winning bidder that afternoon. GAC-TV and 650 WSM radio personality Bill Cody will be on hand as emcee.

For more than 40 years, the Opry Trust Fund has assisted members of the country music community in need of help with medical bills, living expenses, utilities, rent, and food. Proceeds from this year’s auction will be earmarked to benefit victims of the floods that ravaged Middle Tennessee earlier this month.

AEG Live Adds Amy Bryan

/by

Amy Bryan

AEG Live/Moore Entertainment Group has announced that Amy Bryan has joined the firm to develop a Talent Buying division for the company. Prior to her new position, Bryan was a Talent Buyer and an Entertainment Producer for Neste Event Marketing.

Bryan is a graduate of the University of Florida and has been producing entertainment for a variety of events and venues in North America over the past four years. She can be reached at (615) 340-5384 and [email protected]. For more information, go to www.aeglive.com.

AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance. The company is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions, fifteen regional offices, and thirty state-of-the-art venues.

McBride Signs With Morris Artist Mgt.

/by

RCA Nashville artist Martina McBride has signed a management deal with Clint Higham, President of Morris Artist Management, this week. Higham, who manages Kenny Chesney and Jake Owen, is based in Nashville and has been with Morris Artist Management for 18 years.

“Excited is an understatement when it comes to how I feel about starting this partnership with Clint,” says McBride. “He has strong and focused ideas about my career and the opportunities that lie ahead. I have the utmost respect not only for his talent and passion as a manager, but also for his integrity both professionally and personally.”

“My team and I cannot be more thrilled and honored to represent Martina,” says Higham. “She is an artist who inspires all those around her as well as millions of fans everywhere. Martina is a superstar at the top of her game but I believe there are many layers to her career that have yet to be explored. I look forward to an exciting future with her.”

Worley’s “Hitmakers” Sing For Charity

/by

Songwriters Darryl Worley, Jim “Moose” Brown, Walt Aldridge, and Steve Wariner performed some of their biggest hits this past Friday (5/14) for a sold out audience at the Hitmakers on the Harbor songwriters concert.

The event took place in Pickwick, TN and raised $28,000 in support of The Darryl Worley Foundation, which doubled the amount raised last year. Hit songs like “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (Brown), “I Loved Her First” (Aldridge), “Holes In the Floor of Heaven” (Wariner), and Worley’s latest single, “Best of Both Worlds” carried the melody for the night with behind-the-scenes stories told by the hitmakers about the songs that have graced the top of the country music charts.

Hitmakers on the Harbor is the first of four songwriter events leading up to Worley’s annual songwriters dinner (Sept. 15) and Tennessee River Run (Sept. 16-18), a four-day festival established by Worley for various charities funded by the Darryl Worley Foundation.

CMA Names Chapman Director of Marketing

/by

Cory Chapman

The Country Music Association has promoted Cory Chapman to Director of Marketing, announced CMA Senior Director of Marketing Tammy Donham today (5/19).

“During his tenure with CMA, Cory has shown a strategic vision and commitment to our department and organization that has significantly contributed to our many recent successes,” said Donham. “His creative skills, marketing expertise and leadership abilities have made him an integral member of the CMA team and he is highly deserving of this recognition.”

As Director of Marketing, Chapman is responsible for overseeing ticket sales advertising and promotional campaigns for CMA Music Festival and the CMA Awards – including print, broadcast and online initiatives, and media planning. He is active in developing promotional campaigns with event partners including the ABC Television Network, the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and cable networks CMT and GAC. He also works with network affiliates and other event partners to promote tune-in for the CMA Awards and CMA Music Festival television special.

“CMA gave me an opportunity to complete an internship nine years ago, and this promotion marks another in a long line of opportunities” Chapman commented. “I’m fortunate to work with incredibly talented colleagues and mentors from whom I learn new things every day. We’ve achieved great success together, and we have many exciting projects ahead.”

Chapman began his career at CMA in 2001 as an intern in the Communications Department. He was hired in early 2003 as Communications Assistant and promoted to Communications Coordinator in 2004 before moving into a Marketing Coordinator position later that year. He was promoted to Marketing Manager in 2006 and to Senior Marketing Manager in 2007. Chapman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Contemporary Media and Journalism, with emphases in Advertising and Public Relations, from the University of South Dakota.

DISClaimer 5/19/10 (reveiws)

/by

It sounds to me like this town is ready to shake off those rainy-day blues and do some dancing in the sunshine.

This week’s stack of platters includes peppy rockers by The Roys, Melanie Denard, Charlie Allen and Todd O’Neill. Even the midtempo effort by The Band Perry has a sunshiny lilt.

So it comes as no surprise that both of our award winners are rockers. Curb’s new duo Martin Ramey debuts with a splendid twang bopper called “Twisted.” It earns them an easy victory for the DisCovery Award. The Disc of the Day also happens to be this listening session’s most lathered-up tempo tune. It is “How I Got to Be This Way” by a fellow who is most definitely on a roll, Justin Moore.

TODD O’NEILL/Somethin’ with Some Attitude
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Aria
—As you might expect from the title, it is an in-your-face party rocker. He doesn’t want to hear a slow song. Instead he’ll take Led Zeppelin or Charlie Daniels. Whatever.

THE GRINGO KINGS/On My Way Home
Writer: Scott Burgess; Producer: Scott Burgess, Tim Burge & Tim Phelan; Publisher: Winding Road, BMI; Winding Road (www.thegringokings.com)
—These Texas boys take it all echoey, stately and slow here. The highlights are a dramatic, resonant, expressive lead vocal and some very tasty electric-guitar lines. For those shy about its 4:50 length, the single also contains an edited, 3:59, version.

MARTIN RAMEY/Twisted
Writer: Brad Martin/John Ramey; Producer: Doug Johnson, Richard Bennett & Bobby Terry; Publisher: Mike Curb/Sweet Hysteria/Sixteen Stars/Hori-Pro, BMI; Curb
—This new Curb duo is, truly, a duo. We have become so used to country “duos” having only one real voice, that this comes as a truly refreshing sound. Their harmonies are heavenly-Everly derived, and the neo-rockabilly track kicks tail. Very promising. Send more.

KEVIN PICKETT & SOUTHERN RAIN/Long Strange Ride
Writer: Kevin Pickett; Producer: Mark A. Parker; Publisher: none listed, BMI; KP (track) (www.kevinpickettmusic.com)
—That’s not your phone ringing. That’s the record’s opening sound. It’s also the most coherent thing on it.

JUSTIN MOORE/How I Got to Be This Way
Writer: Justin Moore/Rivers Rutherford/Jeremy Stover; Producer: Jeremy Stover; Publisher: Super Slick98/Universal/Macirhyco/EMI April/Songs of Countrywood, BMI/ASCAP; Valory Music (track)
—Plenty of rhythmic punch anchors this Nitro-fueled speedster. Summertime’s first top-down rocker has arrived, screaming around the track shooting flickering flames. Easily this boy’s finest performance to date.

SEAN HOGAN/Suck It Up
Writer: Sean Hogan; Producer: Sean Hogan; Publisher: Lakeland Heart, SOCAN/BMI; Lakeland Heart (CDX) (615-584-0628)
—It’s yet another one of those Buffett rip-off beach-bum things. Enough already.

THE ROYS/Beautiful
Writer: Lee Roy/Matthew  J. Rogers/Jay Brunswick/Keesy Timmer; Producer: The Roys & Steve Dean; Publisher: Roy Family/Better Angels/Croton U/Cowboy Timmer/Canalco/Mjosephrogers, BMI/ASCAP; Pedestal (CDX) (www.theroyscountry.com)
—This duo is bopping this time around. They’ve goosed up their sound with a bigger production and a thumping backbeat. The happy-sunny lyric works, too.

MELANIE DENARD/All I Ever Did Was Love You
Writer: Kylie Sackley/Gary Burr/Victoria Shaw; Producer: Dan Frizsell; Publisher: Steel Wheels/Figjam/Connboy/Multisong/Avaru, no performance rights listed; Star Path (CDX) (678-488-1927)
—This sassy belter has been noted for her dynamic delivery in this column several times. The upbeat romp of a song gives her plenty of ammo to work with. The electric guitarist, tambourine shaker and piano pounder turn up the heat, too.

CHARLIE ALLEN/Grandpa’s Recipe
Writer: Charlie Allen/Tony Stampley; Producer: Henry Paul & Charlie Allen; Publisher: U Tell Me, BMI; River Run (CDX) (203-605-3803)
—Charlie remains a solid honky-tonk vocalist, but he’s surrounded by a muscular rock track here. The lyric has some real meat on its bones. The overall result is somewhere in the Montgomery-Gentry vicinity.

THE BAND PERRY/If I Die Young
Writer: Kimberly Perry; Producer: Paul Worley; Publisher: Pearlfeather/Rio Bravo, BMI; Republic Nashville (track)
—This one is considerably more “country” than “Hip to My Heart” was. Kimberly’s lead vocal is all airy and sweet, the song is full of heart, and the siblings’ instrumental support is stellar. An audio delight.

Habitat Knoxville’s “Brooks & Dunn” House

/by

Knoxville Habitat for Humanity and the Charlie and Moll Anderson Family Foundation are teaming up with America’s talented musical artists to build a ‘Music Row’ in Knoxville. Only this ‘Music Row’ serves to provide local families with simple, decent and affordable housing.

Today, Brooks & Dunn’s Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn participated in the dedication of the ‘Brooks & Dunn’ house, the first of the ‘Music Row’ houses made possible by the Charlie and Moll Anderson Family Foundation. The home is located at 1717 LeFlore, formerly Bonny Ave., in Knoxville.

“The work of Habitat for Humanity is extraordinary and inspiring. It is an honor to be part of this project and have our names on one of Knoxville’s new ‘Music Row’ homes,” said Brooks & Dunn.
‘Music Row’ will be a collection of numerous houses built by Knoxville Habitat for Humanity on LeFlore Ave. in the Lonsdale community. The houses, each of which will be built during the next 10 years, are underwritten by the Charlie and Moll Anderson Family Foundation from an annual benefit concert featuring a country music act. Brooks & Dunn performed at the first event in 2008 and the first house is built in their honor. Next year, a home will be built in honor of recording artist Martina McBride, who performed at the 2009 benefit.

Even though the homes are underwritten by the foundation, the homes are not given away. In lieu of a down payment, all Knoxville Habitat for Humanity homeowners are required to complete 500 hours of sweat equity, mostly in the form of budgeting and homeowner classes. In addition, the family pays a mortgage on the home that is at zero-percent over 25 to 30 years.

Besides a visit from country duo Brooks & Dunn, the dedication included remarks from Knoxville Habitat for Humanity’s president and CEO, Kelle Shultz and Charlie and Moll Anderson of the Charlie and Moll Anderson Family Foundation.

“Today we’re celebrating new homeowner Stephanie Davis, thanks to the generosity of the Charlie and Moll Anderson Family Foundation,” said Shultz. “When Brooks & Dunn hand Stephanie the keys to her new house it will unlock her dream of home ownership.”

“Home ownership has an incredible generational impact on families,” said Charlie Anderson. “According to a 2001 Harvard University study, children whose families own a home have better home environments, higher cognitive test scores and fewer behavioral problems than do children of renters. The positive affect that a steady, grounded home environment can have on a child is amazing.”

“We are thrilled to be a part of the ‘Music Row’ here in Knoxville,” said Moll Anderson. “One of our Foundation’s key philosophies is to provide basic human needs, and shelter fits into that category. Working with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity is a perfect way for us to focus on something that’s so important for all humans – a safe and healthy home.”

Brooks & Dunn along with Charlie and Moll Anderson talk with new Habitat for Humanity homeowner Stephanie Davis and her family in front of their new home on ‘Music Row’ in Knoxville, Tenn.

Naxos Brings “Classical” Flood Relief

/by

Franklin, Tennessee-based classical music company, Naxos of America, joins with online retailers Amazon MP3, Naxos Direct and ClassicsOnline to launch Naxos for Nashville, from which one hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Hands On Nashville (www.hon.org), a volunteer organization that is helping local communities in and around Nashville cope with losses from the recent floods.

On Amazon MP3, an exclusive album became available for download on Tuesday (5/18) which will consist of 40 tracks of music, featuring works by Chopin, Debussy, Finzi, Handel, Liszt, Schubert, Ravel and Vivaldi. The cost for the album will be $0.99. ClassicsOnline and Naxos Direct asked friends and followers on Twitter and Facebook which titles would be appropriate for this water-themed sale. The result is a two-week Naxos for Nashville sale on over 40 music and audiobook titles.

The idea for Naxos for Nashville began with a Naxos employee, whose conversations with NOA friends and followers on Twitter and Facebook led to the creation of the above sale of water-themed titles, of which the proceeds would go to the Nashville volunteer organization Hands On Nashville.

“Naxos is proud to offer this exclusive music collection on Amazon MP3 to raise funds for those affected by the devastating floods in Nashville,” says Naxos CEO Jim Selby. We are pleased to donate the proceeds of this digital offering to Hands On Nashville, which has served the community so admirably in their role organizing volunteers to assist with flood recovery.”

“We are happy to support Naxos in this exclusive offering to our customers that will benefit Hands on Nashville,” said Pete Baltaxe, director of Amazon MP3. “By coming together as a community we can help bring music back to Nashville.”

22nd Annual MusicRow Awards

/by

MusicRow is proud to announce its nominees for the 22nd Annual MusicRow Awards. Ballots for the reader-voted categories will be emailed to subscribers May 19. The deadline for voting is May 24th. The winners, along with the Top Ten Album All Star Musicians will be announced at our awards ceremony on June 24. (The eligibility period was from May 1, 2009 through April 30, 2010.)

Breakthrough Artist of the Year

To honor an artist who achieved significant career progress for the first time.

1. Gloriana (Warner Bros. Nashville)
2. Randy Houser (Show Dog-Universal)
3. Justin Moore (Valory Music Co.)
4. Chris Young (Sony Music Entertainment—RCA)
5. Zac Brown Band (Atlantic)


Producer of the Year

To honor a producer’s work on albums active during the awards time period. Can include, but is not limited to single chart performance and album sales.

1. Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Danny Gokey, Emily West)
2. Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride, Steel Magnolia)
3. Frank Liddell/Mike Wrucke (Miranda Lambert, David Nail)
4. Keith Stegall (Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band, Clay Walker)
5. Paul Worley (Lady Antebellum, James Otto)


Song of the Year

To honor Writers and Publishers on the Craft of Songwriting, not necessarily Chart Positions (song, artist, writer, publishers)

1. “Need You Now”—Lady Antebellum; writers Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott; publishers EMI Foray Music, Darth Buddha, Dwhaywood Music, Hillary Dawn Publishing, Radiobullets Publishing, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Year Of The Dog Music

2. “Welcome To The Future”—Brad Paisley; writers Chris DuBois, Brad Paisley, publisher SeaGayle

3. “The Climb”—Miley Cyrus; writers Jessi Alexander, Jon Mabe; publishers Disney Music Publishing, Hopeless Rose Music, Mabe It Big Music, Stage Three Music

4. “The House That Built Me”—Miranda Lambert; writers Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin; publishers Sony/ATV, Tomdouglasmusic, Built On Rock Music, Evergreen, ICG Alliance Music

5. “A Little More Country Than That”—Easton Corbin; writers Wynn Varble, Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress; publishers S1 Songs and Universal Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell, Don Poythress Songs, FSMGI, A Sling And A Prayer Music, State One Music America, Warner Tamerlane Publishing, Precious Flour Music

Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year

To honor a Nashville songwriter who for the first time wrote or co-wrote a Top 10 song.

Canaan Smith—“Runaway” by Love & Theft
Chart info: broke top 10 on 10/24/09 (spent 35 weeks on the charts); writers Canaan Smith, Rob Blackledge, Stephen Barker Liles; Lyric Street Records

Jessi Alexander—“The Climb” by Miley Cyrus
Chart info: broke top 10 on 05/23/09 (spent 15 weeks @#1 and 51 weeks total on the charts); writers Jessi Alexander, Jon Mabe; Walt Disney Records

Kevin Denney—“Bonfire” by Craig Morgan
Chart info: broke top 10 on 11/21/09 (spent 31 weeks on the charts); writers Kevin Denney, Tom Botkin, Mike Rogers, Craig Morgan; BNA

Patrick Davis—“Where I’m From” by Jason Michael Carroll
chart info: broke top 10 on 6/6/09; writers Patrick Davis, Joe Leathers; Arista

Chris Young—“Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)” by Chris Young
chart info: hit No. 1 on 9/19/09; writers Cory Batten, Kent Blazy, Chris Young; RCA

Troy Olsen—“I’ll Just Hold On” by Blake Shelton
chart info: broke Top 10 8/3/09; writers Troy Olsen, Ben Hayslip, Brian Simpson; Warner Bros.

Swift Wins BMI Song of the Year

/by

(L-R): Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Troy Tomlinson, BMI Pop Song of the Year winner Taylor Swift, BMI Pop Award winners Liz Rose and Jon Mabe, and BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo: Mark Sullivan

Taylor Swift won top honors at last night’s BMI Pop Awards in Los Angeles, taking home the prestigious Song of the Year award for her multi-genre international No.1 smash “Love Story.”

20-year old Swift is the youngest songwriter in history to win this honor, and the first country winner in more than a decade. The most recent country songwriters honored with this award were Stephanie Bentley for “Breathe” in 2000, Shania Twain for “You’re Still The One” in 1998, and Dolly Parton in 1993 for “I Will Always Love You.”

“Love Story,” which Swift wrote by herself, was honored for receiving more radio airplay in the past year than any other pop song. “Love Story” earned BMI’s Country Song of the Year honors in 2009, and Swift also won BMI’s Country Song of the Year in 2008, for “Teardrops On My Guitar.” That year she became the youngest songwriter in any genre to win the honor, and Swift is the first female songwriter in history to win back-to-back BMI Song of the Year awards, in any genre.

“Love Story,” from Swift’s 6x-Platinum Fearless album, topped Billboard’s Country, Pop and A/C charts in the US, and became a global sensation, reaching No. 1 in countries including the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. “Love Story” is also the most downloaded country single in US history.
Also this week, Swift was in Chicago to accept the Artist of the Year award from the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM). The award recognized Swift’s “extraordinary creative and commercial achievements” and her “brilliant and stellar contribution to the music industry in just a few years.”