RCA Signs Kristen Kelly

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Texas native Kristen Kelly has signed with RCA Records Nashville. She recently inked her record deal at the Sony Music Nashville offices. Kelly will soon be going into the studio with famed singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet and Grammy award-winning producer Tony Brown.

(L-R) Front row: Paul Overstreet, Gary Overton (Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville), Kristen Kelly, John Grady (artist manager). Back row: Skip Bishop (Sr. VP, Promotion), Jordan S. Keller (Lassiter, Tidwell, Davis, Keller & Hogan, PLLC), Paul Barnabee (Sr. VP, Marketing), Kerri Fox-Metoyer (VP, Sales)

Musicians Corner Returns With Packed Line-up

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Musicians Corner, the free outdoor concert series at Centennial Park, will kick off its second season on Saturday, May 7, 3-6 p.m., with performances by Sarah Buxton, Andrew Ripp, The Westbound Rangers, Dara Tucker and Marie Hines.
Musicians Corner will be held every Saturday 3-6 p.m. from May 7 through July 2, then take a short break for the hot summer months of July and August. The fall season will resume Sept. 3 and run every Saturday through Nov. 5.
Others on this year’s line-up include Angel Snow, The Wooten Brothers, Matthew Perryman Jones, Anna Wilson, Sandra McCracken & Derek Webb, Greg Bryant’s Expansion, Amy Stroup, The Delta Saints, Nathan Angelo, Darnell Levine, The Young International, Sara Jean Kelley, and Brooke Waggoner. Performers will continue to be announced throughout the spring.
“Musicians Corner is continuing its growth this season,” reports Executive Director John Tumminello. “You can expect great music in the best outdoor setting in Nashville. There will also be more on-site community, charitable and food partners, plus lots of fun activities for the kids. There’s no better way to spend your Saturday afternoon in Nashville.”
The setting is family friendly, and each week local charitable initiatives will be on-site, including an appearance by Emmylou Harris for her dog shelter charity Bonaparte’s Retreat (date TBA).
Activities for the May 7 kick-off include Mix 92.9 Kidsville hosting the Nashville Sounds’ mascot Ozzie, and providing free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The 40th Annual TACA Spring Craft Fair will also be taking place in Centennial Park that day from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Country Music Marathon Draws Music Industry Support

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The Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon presented by Nissan runs through Nashville the morning of Saturday, April 30 and the music industry is pitching in to make it even more memorable.
RCA’s Danny Gokey has signed on to sing the national anthem before the start gun at 7 am. He will also be helping raise awareness for Sophia’s Heart, a non-profit organization started in honor of his late wife. While Gokey was on American Idol viewers learned the tragic story of his wife Sophia, who had passed away only four weeks before he appeared on the show.
Numerous celebrities and industry people will participate, including the members of Diamond Rio (running for their Team Rio charity), TobyMac, and GAC’s Suzanne Alexander. Sanctuary Management’s Zac Koffler is running the race to benefit ABLE Youth, a Nashville-based wheelchair sports and independence group. His race will include pushing three children in three shifts through the entire marathon.
Once all the participants have napped and recovered, Montgomery Gentry will provide the post-race concert later Saturday evening at Bridgestone Arena. See information about the race, including road closures, at nashville.competitor.com.

 

Sanctuary Management's Zac Koffler poses with friends from ABLE Youth after a recent training run. (L-R): Braden Teague, Fiona Murphey, J-rod Denning, and Koffler

Americana—Early Bird Festival Rate; Hayes Carll Honored

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SESAC Awards Hayes Carll
SESAC presented singer-songwriter Hayes Carll with a plaque in honor of his No. 1 Americana album, KMAG YOYO. Carll took time to receive the award and visit with SESAC executives in Nashville before his packed show at Mercy Lounge.

(L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Hayes Carll and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Bev Moser


 
Americana Music Festival: Last Chance for Early Bird Rate
The early bird registration rate for the Americana Music Festival and Conference ends Sat., April 30, offering the discounted price of $250 for AMA members and $350 for non-members. This is $200 off the walk-up price. Showcase submissions also close April 30. Details on all this and more at www.americanamusic.org.
The festival and conference will run October 12-15, 2011. Registration includes access to all daytime music, panels and workshops; priority admission to nightly showcases; and a ticket to the critically acclaimed Americana Honors & Awards show at the Ryman Auditorium. The 12th annual conference will be based at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel, which is offering a special rate of $169 per night for attendees, online or by calling 615-259-2000.

Reba & Blake Plan Tornado Relief Concert

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(L-R): Reba, Blake Shelton





Oklahoma natives Reba and Blake Shelton will host the Tornado Relief Concert on May 26 at the Choctaw Casino Resort, in partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Tickets will be available beginning May 6 at 10:00 AM and may be purchased by phone at 1-800-585-3737 or online at www.choctawcasinos.com.
The news of Atoka County’s recent tornado disaster prompted the stars to reach out to the affected area. Reba was born just outside of Kiowa, which is approximately 30 miles away from the greatest devastation. Shelton was born in Ada and currently resides in Tishomingo, less than 50 miles from the Atoka County border.
In addition to the proceeds raised from the concert, a special mobile fundraising campaign has been set up with The mGive Foundation. Fans can text “OKGIVE” to 27722 to make a one-time $10 donation, which will be added to their monthly cell phone bill. All proceeds will go to the Tushka Disaster Relief Fund. Donation checks can also be made out to the Tushka Disaster Relief Fund and mailed to: 101 SE 1st Street, Tushka, OK 74525.

Photo Spread: EMI Signs Channing Wilson

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Songwriter Channing Wilson inked with EMI Music Publishing recently. The LaFayette, Georgia native has been writing songs and performing for over ten years, and is the former frontman of popular southeast touring band The Rounders.

Back row (L-R): EMI's creative team Tom Luteran, Laura Wright, Ben Vaughn, Missy Wilson, Josh Van Valkenburg, Front seated: Channing Wilson

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The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum recently (4/26) hosted its annual Words & Music Night with special guest singer-songwriter Laura Bell Bundy. The evening was a culmination of the year-long Words & Music program, a school initiative that teaches students the art of songwriting. Students write or co-write lyrics which are given to professional songwriters to refine and add melodies. Finally, students visit the Museum for a tour and a performance of their songs by their participating songwriter.

(L-R): Words & Music Outreach Coordinator David Bogart, VP of Museum Programs Jay Orr, host Laura Bell Bundy and School Programs Coordinator Nathalie Lavine. Photo: Donn Jones

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The ASCAP Music Lounge at The Nashville Film Festival featured performances by Katie Herzig, Jeremy Lister, Mikky Ekko and Alyssa Bonagura.

(L-R): Kyle Ryan, Jesse Willoughby (ASCAP), Jeremy Lister, Alyssa Bonagura, Katie Herzig, Mikky Ekko, Dan Burns and Jordan Hamlin.

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BMI concluded the 2011 Road to Bonnaroo contest at Mercy Lounge on Monday, April 18, with eight bands in a dead heat for the final Bonnaroo spot. Uncle Skeleton emerged victorious, winning over the crowd and judges. Other competitors included PUJOL, The Clutters, ACTION!, Tallest Trees, The Kingston Springs, Sarah Silva, and Cherub.

(L-R): Uncle Skeleton’s Cody Uhler, Road to Bonnaroo alum Jedd Hughes, Uncle Skeleton’s Ross Wariner, Road to Bonnaroo alum Jon Burr of How I Became the Bomb, BMI’s Clay Bradley, and Mercy Lounge’s Drew Mischke.

"The Voice" Sings Its Way To Strong Ratings

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(L-R): Jeff Jenkins, Elenowen, and Patrick Thomas


Last night’s (4/26) premiere of The Voice scored strong television ratings for NBC. The singing competition featuring celeb coaches Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine helped the network win the night in the coveted 18-49 demographic, according to Zap2It.com.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the strong showing of 11.8 million viewers improved NBC’s season average in the time period by 89 percent. For the whole night, NBC drew 10.3 million viewers and came in behind ABC’s 14.3 million average (Zap2It).
Several Nashvillians are among the contestants on The Voice. Patrick Thomas sang “Live Like You Were Dying” and was recruited for Shelton’s team, which also snagged local husband-and-wife team Elenowen (Josh and Nicole Johnson). Belmont student Jeff Jenkins performed “Bless The Broken Road” and ended up on Levine’s team.
 

Sugarland Stuck on Platinum

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(L-R): Luke Lewis, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group Nashville; Kristian Bush; Jennifer Nettles; Gail Gellman, Gellman Management


Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush celebrate Platinum certification for their latest effort, The Incredible Machine, at their recent sold-out concert in Nashville.  This marks the duo’s fourth consecutive release that has reached platinum or multi-platinum status with over 9 million records sold.
As previously reported by MusicRow, this album has also garnered two nominations for this year’s 2011 CMT Music Awards.

Music City Pickers Launches In Nashville

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Brady Seals and Gabriel Hernandez. Photo: Anna Henderson Photography


Got an old axe you don’t want and need some cash? Consider this option.
Hit songwriter, musician and artist Brady Seals (Little Texas, Hot Apple Pie) has teamed with former Gibson Guitars web editor Gabriel Hernandez to launch Music City Pickers, which will specialize in purchasing and selling vintage musical instruments.
The two initially met while researching one of Seals’ guitars and bonded over their shared appreciation of classic gear. What was a hobby for both men soon turned into a full-blown business venture. The company aims to be a top destination for the buying and selling of guitars, basses, banjos, mandolins, violins, amps, keyboards and more. Sellers will deal directly with Hernandez and Seals in all transactions.
“We’re the middlemen,” says Seals. “We’ll shoot straight with you, tell you the market value for your instrument and then make a fair offer where both Music City Pickers and the seller feel good about the purchase. This is a tough economy and if you need some money in your pocket and have an instrument you want to part with, come on out and show us what you’ve got. We’ll do the leg work to put that instrument in the hands of someone who will appreciate it. No hassle, no bull.”
The company will make its first stop May 20-22 at the Comfort Suites in Mason, Ohio. Operating hours will be between 9 am and 6 pm.

Best Cellars Dinner Has Raised Over $2 Million To Date

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Front row (L-R): Dierks Bentley, John Esposito, Jennifer Pientenpol, Tom Black, Jonathan Cain, Joe Galante, Kellie Pickler, Bill Hearn; Back row (L-R): Charles Kelley, Blake Shelton, Dr. Hal Moses, Laura Heatherly, Chef Ken Frank


Martina McBride, Jonathan Cain, Kellie Pickler, Charles Kelly, Amy Grant, Dierks Bentley, Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Blake Shelton, Laura Bell Bundy, Kix Brooks, Joe Don Rooney, Lisa Hartman Black, Clint Black and Big Kenny enjoyed gourmet food and world class wines at the Twelfth Annual Eco-Energy Best Cellars Dinner Monday night (4/25). The event raised more than $170,000 for the T.J. Martell Foundation’s cancer research efforts, bringing the grand total to more than $2 million since the event’s inception in 1999.
Guest Chef Ken Frank, Executive Chef and Owner of La Toque in Napa, California, created a four-course meal that was paired with wine from the personal cellars of top wine collectors from around the United States.
The evening included a live auction with auctioneer Big Kenny and his side kick, Nashville wine collector and business entrepreneur, Tom Black. Among the items up for bid were a celebrity dinner at the home of Big Kenny and his wife Christiev; a trip to Southern California for a food and wine experience; a David Yurman necklace and more.
“The Best Cellars Dinner continues to be a special evening that brings together music, food, wine and great people to raise important research dollars,” said event Co-Chairman Bill Hearn. Proceeds from the evening will go to the T.J. Martell Foundation’s mission of funding cancer research at the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.