Country Crossing Resort Opening Soon

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CountryCrossingLogo_smOver twenty acts will perform at the three-day grand opening celebration for Country Crossing, the new entertainment destination in Dothan, AL being developed by Ronnie Gilley Entertainment. From Jan. 15-17, the free, public event will include performances by Tracy Lawrence, Darryl Worley, Lorrie Morgan and John Anderson, who all have interests in the development.

There is an amphitheater and RV park, as well as several artist themed establishments. In addition to the George Jones Possum Holler Bed & Breakfast, Morgan has a hot chicken restaurant, Anderson’s name is on a cafeteria and Worley has a saloon. 

Set to appear at the grand opening are Joe Nichols, Matt Kennon, Confederate Railroad, Restless Heart, Little Texas, Aaron Tippin, Neal McCoy, The Grascals, Houston County, John Conlee, Pam Tillis, Blackhawk, LoCash Cowboys, Blackberry Smoke, Bellamy Brothers and the Commodores.

Ronnie Gilley Entertainment’s music interests include Stroudavarious Records, Country Crossing Records and BamaJam Records. The company also produces the annual Verizon Wireless BamaJam Music and Arts Festival.

Cumulus Adds Shelly Mullins As Mktg. Dir.

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cumulusCumulus Nashville has added Shelly Mullins as Marketing Director for the radio conglomerate which is made up of 95.5 The Wolf, 97.1 RQQ, SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, 92Q, and i106. Mullins’ more than two decades of experience in the entertainment business includes six years handling publicity and marketing, most recently at Kaleidoscope Media.

Mullins has worked in television and event production on awards shows and programs such as the Farm Aid special. Her other stops include Shop At Home Television, Webster PR, High Five Entertainment, William Morris and Southern Writers Group. She has worked with clients including The Bellamy Brothers, Hank Williams Jr., Ronnie Milsap, Rhonda Vincent, Lee Greenwood, Sprint Sound and Speed, Barney, and the Nashville Screenwriters Conference. Her career began with a gig playing keyboards on the road with David Frizzell.

With the addition of Mullins, Jane Crossman will move to Webmaster within the marketing department, overseeing websites, e-blasts and digital branding. Mark Sullivan is Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cumulus Nashville.

Mullins can be reached at [email protected] or by calling (615) 312-3529.

Nashville Star, Earl Gaines: 1935-2009

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Earl-GainesNashville r&b star Earl Gaines died on New Year’s Eve at St. Thomas Hospital. He was 74 years old. Gaines was a gruff-voiced shouter who was a central figure in Music City’s soul scene for decades. That fact was underscored by his prominence in the Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit and Grammy Award winning CD set Night Train to Nashville.

He first achieved prominence in 1955 by singing lead on the original version of the standard “It’s Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)” for Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers. As a solo star, he had later hits with “The Best of Luck to You” in 1966 and “Hymn Number 5” in 1973. The Night Train compilations reissued his “White Rose,” recorded in 1959, and “Don’t Take My Kindness for a Weakness,” from 1965, as well as “It’s Love Baby.” He also performed memorably at the museum exhibit’s opening celebration.

The material he recorded in 1967-73 for the Starday/King imprint DeLuxe Records was reissued in 1998, and he released a new CD titled Everything’s Gonna Be Alright in that same year. He also recorded for such labels as Excello, Champion, Poncello, Hanna-Barbera, HBR, Athens, Sound Stage 7, Ace, Meltone, Appaloosa, Black Top, Ecko and Blue Fye. Often cited as the greatest r&b singer Nashville ever produced, Earl Gaines was in addition notable for his long career. He toured and recorded from the 1950s onward, issuing new CDs as recently as 2005 and 2008, The Different Feelings of Blues and Soul and Nothin’ But the Blues.

The loss of Earl Gaines compounds what has been a devastating year for Nashville’s r&b pioneers. Producer/singer/songwriter Ted Jarrett died last March. Guitarist/singer Johnny Jones passed away in October, as did Ted Acklen Jr., who chronicled the legacy of his father’s famed Jefferson Street nightclub, The Club Del Morocco.