Cropper Visits Grammy Museum, Talks New Album

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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist (and Nashville resident) Steve Cropper appeared at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles Tuesday, October 25, to discuss his legendary career and latest album Dedicated. Additionally, Cropper sat in with the band on Conan O’Brien Monday, October 24.

Dedicated is Cropper’s tribute to guitarist Lowman “Pete” Pauling and early R&B group The Five Royales, who helped shape his own distinctive playing style. Special guests performing with Cropper on the album include Lucinda Williams, Brian May, Sharon Jones, Steve Winwood, John Popper, BB King, Bettye LaVette, Delbert McClinton, Buddy Miller, and more. The album was produced by Cropper with Jon Tiven (Wilson Pickett), featuring an all-star lineup of session players including David Hood (bass), Spooner Oldham (keys), Steve Ferrone (drums), Steve Jordan (drums, percussion), Neal Sugarman (from the Dap Kings), and Tiven on saxophones. Full track list below.

“Part of getting older and still being able to play and all of that — at a certain point it becomes about educating the next generation,” says Cropper. “I’ve already had four of five careers and I’m lucky to be alive. If I can educate these young ears as to where the music started, because they’re always asking, and if I can get them interested in the Five Royales I’ve done something.”

Cropper’s Stax Records-era guitar work with Otis Redding also got repurposed recently when Jay-Z and Kanye West used a sample of “Try A Little Tenderness” to power their collaboration “Otis.” Check out the video here.

Dedicated Track List:
1. 30 Second Lover (w/ Steve Winwood)
2. Don’t Be Ashamed (w/ Bettye LaVette & Willie Jones)
3. Baby Don’t Do It (w/ BB King & Shemekia Copeland)
4. Dedicated To The One I Love (w/ Lucinda Williams & Dan Penn)
5. My Sugar Sugar (w/ John Popper)
6. Right Around The Corner (w/ Delbert McClinton)
7. Help Me Somebody (Instrumental)
8. I Do (w/ Brian May)
9. Messin’ Up (w/Sharon Jones)
10. Say It (w/ Bettye LaVette)
11. The Slummer The Slum (w/ Buddy Miller)
12. Someone Made You For Me (w/Dan Penn)
13. Think (instrumental)
14. Come On And Save Me (Dylan Leblanc and Sharon Jones)
15. When I Get Like This (w/ Lucinda Williams)

House Introduces “The Stop Online Piracy Act”

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A bill introduced yesterday (10/26) in the U.S. House of Representatives is designed to combat online piracy with new enforcement tools, which would help boost America’s music industry. The bill, H.R. 3261 The Stop Online Piracy Act, was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and multiple cosponsors. It would “promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property.”

The initiative is praised by National Music Publishers Association President and CEO David Israelite. He explains, “Current laws tie the hands of both law enforcement and judicial personnel in many instances, to the detriment of American business and consumers. Legislation introduced today in the U.S. House would help fix that, enabling our justice system to go after criminal operatives. The music publishing and songwriting communities support these efforts and urge the entire House to move this important bill forward soon.”

Mastering For iTunes Optimization

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I'm With You, the new album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is widely touted as the first offering optimized for iTunes.

New albums are being mastered specifically for iTunes, starting with the latest from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which was released last month.

Producer Rick Rubin enlisted Masterdisk’s Vlado Meller and Mark Santangelo to master three versions of I’m With You—one for AAC (iTunes), one for vinyl, and one for CD.

Digital Music News spoke to Santangelo about the project. He explains, “optimized AAC files for iTunes were designed to retain the frequency response and level of the CD. With an iTunes optimized master, the listener will be able to enjoy more clarity and an overall better sound quality than is otherwise currently available.”

He believes this will eventually become a standard practice in the music industry.

Vinyl mastering he notes, “The vinyl purist appreciates the warmth and depth of the vinyl. To get the vinyl to sound its best, test cuts are made and compared to the original high resolution master. Adjustments in tone and level are made so that the vinyl plays back without distortion and without skipping. Levels and high frequencies and extremely low frequencies have to be handled carefully.”

Full story here.

How Chris Young Ended Up With Keith Whitley’s Guitar

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Chris Young performs with the guitar once belonging to Keith Whitley.

How did Chris Young come to own a prized guitar of one of his heroes, the late Keith Whitley? The short answer is he bought it from Music City Pickers, the Nashville outfit formed by artist Brady Seals and former Gibson Guitars web editor Gabe Hernandez.

But here’s the rest of the story:

During the mid-to-late 1980s at the height of his popularity, Keith Whitley performed mainly with three guitars: a Martin acoustic, a Fender Telecaster, and a Sigma by Martin acoustic/electric.

The Martin acoustic and Fender Telecaster are owned by private collectors and have been displayed on occasion at museums throughout the southeast since Whitley’s death. The Sigma by Martin acoustic/electric, however, remained in the hands of a family friend and fellow musician, Earl Watkins, until now.

Watkins, who previously owned the Circle H Saloon near Lexington, Ky., met Whitley during the mid 1970s. They became close friends, and often played music together at the Circle H. During a visit to the venue in 1987, Whitley traded his Sigma by Martin SE-36 for the Fender Telecaster belonging to one of Watkins’ band mates, Jerry Fannin. Not long after that, Watkins purchased Whitley’s guitar from Fannin for $500. Watkins eventually passed it on his daughter Jeanne, who sold it to Music City Pickers during a recent event in Lexington.

In turn, Music City Pickers sold it to Young. He explains, “Keith Whitley has always been one of my musical heroes, so to get the chance to hold a piece of history in my hands and play his guitar on the Opry stage was beyond awesome.”

Young played it during a recent performance on the Grand Ole Opry, where he sang his own hit “Tomorrow,” and Whitley’s classic “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” The show is set to air Sat., Oct. 29 on GAC.

Google Music Nears Launch

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Google’s music offering is nearing launch according to numerous reports including the New York Times.

The MP3 store is expected to have ties to the company’s growing social network, Google+, allowing users to share the music they buy with friends/followers. There is also supposed to be a cloud-based storage component.

Reportedly, EMI Music is close to agreeing to license its catalog, but NYT reports that the other majors are not yet on board with Google Music.

More from cnet.

CRS 2012 Expands Panel Offerings

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CRS 2012 to be held Feb. 22-24, 2012, has expanded its agenda by offering attendees more than 30 educational panels and roundtable discussions.

Previously announced appearances are keynote speaker Clear Channel Chairman Bob Pittman, futurist and entrepreneur David Houle, CMT’s Stephen Linn, and Twitter For Dummies co-author Laura Fitton.

Additional panels and panelists will include:
Jacobs Media Going Mobile Presentation: Get Smart!
The Jacobs Media presentation is a comprehensive presentation of how consumers use mobile media and its impact today and in the future. This audio/visual presentation employs examples of real consumers using and interacting with their mobile devices. Hosted by Fred Jacobs, Classic Rock format pioneer and founder of audience research and radio consultancy, Jacobs Media.

Branding: What It Really Is and How to Build One:
Forbes contributor and Chief Strategist at branding/consumer engagement agency Access Brand Strategies, Paul Jankowski helps define what a brand is and effective ways attendees can build theirs. His book, “How to Speak American: Building Brands in the New Heartland,” calls out ad agencies on the coasts for their dismissive attitude towards the “New Heartland,” the biggest cultural segment in the U.S. This panel explores the role that core values play in buying behavior and in listener engagement with Country radio.

Turbo Charging Your High Octane Air Talent:
Veteran talent coach and former morning radio pro Steve Reynolds of The Reynolds Group conducts a training session for managers and programmers who coach talent in PPM markets. Using tools like The Wheel of Content© and The Scorecard©, Reynolds educates managers on how to talk to their air talent to improve what they’re doing and help them perform better with the new measurement.

Brainstorming To Win:
Led by Executive VP/The Center for Sales Strategy’s Matt Sunshine, this panel outlines step by step brainstorming techniques using real world case studies. Attendees will learn how brainstorming can help them achieve marketing goals and execute successful promotions. Programs Sunshine has authored for the 28-year sales performance consulting company include the Interactive Insight webinar, the Digital Sales Accelerator and the Facilitator’s Certification Workshop.

Marketing That Gets Advertisers Results:
Another panel hosted by The Center for Sales Strategy’s Matt Sunshine, this panel focuses on the Marketing Strategy Model. Sunshine explains this five-step model and then examines case studies to give seminar attendees actionable knowledge they can utilize with specific clients.

$399 Early Bird registration is currently available for CRS 2012 through Nov. 15 at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com or by calling (615) 327-4487.

 

Lonestar Reunites

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Lonestar has reunited with original lead singer Richie McDonald. In 2012, Lonestar will record a new album (label TBA) to mark the band’s 20th anniversary.

The group will also kick off an overseas tour with its four original members– keyboardist Dean Sams, drummer Keech Rainwater, lead guitarist Michael Britt and McDonald. The outing will start Feb. 26, with tour dates in England, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany through March 4.

(L-R): Michael Britt, Keech Rainwater, Dean Sams, Richie McDonald

“Twilight” Soundtrack Sells Big, Boosts Baby Acts

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With the latest installment of the Twilight saga coming to theaters Nov. 18, it’s interesting to look at the popularity of the movies’ soundtracks.

To date, the three previous Twilight film soundtracks have sold a combined five million copies in the U.S. Thanks to the rabid built-in fan base, this is significantly higher than the average soundtrack sales tally.

Rolling Stone spoke to revered music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who has overseen all of the Twilight films, and loves to use them to give new artists a boost. The albums are noted for breaking new musical acts or giving more established artists upward momentum. A previous soundtrack helped propel Nashville rockers Paramore, for example.

Another Nashville-area band The Features are on the latest installment, with tune “From Now On.” Among others on the Breaking Dawn soundtrack are the Belle Brigade, Bruno Mars, Theophilus London, and Iron and Wine.

Some acts are reluctant to have their music attached to a film. Particularly Bon Iver, who almost bowed out of the previous Twilight offering. However, he eventually conceded, in an effort to expand his fanbase.

Thursday Photos

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Yaklin Signs with Orbison Music/Still Working Music

Singer/songwriter Chase Yaklin has signed a publishing agreement with Orbison Music/Still Working Music. (L-R) standing: Leslie Roberts, BMI; co-manager Gene Dries; attorney Trip Aldredge; Clay Myers, Orbison Music; and co-manager Neal Spielberg. Seated: Orbison Music’s Tanja Crouch and Yaklin.

Hayes Receives Honorary Membership

Last week, Atlantic Records’ artist/multi-instrumentalist Hunter Hayes was invited to become an honorary “Friends and Family” Member of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. (L-R): Pamela Johnson, VP Development; Sharon Burns, VP Sales & Mktg.; Ansel Davis, Mgr.; Hayes; Jay Orr, VP Museum Programs; and Kyle Young, Museum Dir.

Hit Writers Perform Benefit

Six Nashville songwriters made a trip to St. Paul, Nebraska on Oct. 15 to raise money for the Lassen family. Laura Lassen is currently battling through her third round of cancer. Writers (L-R): Michael Platek, Buddy Hyatt, David Chamberlain, Brice Long, Arlos Smith and Kevin Denney performed back to back shows to accommodate the large turnout. Recording artist and 2x PBR World Champion Justin McBride also made a surprise appearance. Lassen was unable to attend the event, but her oldest daughter was able to Skype the show on an iPad for Laura to watch.

Artist Round-Up: Charlie Daniels Turns 75

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RCA Nashville’s Josh Thompson stopped by CMT’s Top 20 Countdown to chat with host Evan Farmer about “CMT On Tour” with Luke Bryan, songwriting on the road, his upcoming album and more. The episode will air Fri., Oct. 28 and Sat., Oct. 29.

• Charlie Daniels will celebrate his 75th birthday this weekend with a Friday night show in Louisville, KY and two Saturday night performances at the Grand Ole Opry. Joining him at the Opry will be Clint Black, The Grascals, Lee Greenwood, Gretchen Wilson and more.

Daniels is also set to appear on a panel at the Country Music Hall of Fame called Brothers & Sisters: The Rise of Southern Rock Saturday at 1:30 p.m. On the 40th anniversary of Duane Allman’s death, the event will discuss the history of southern rock with figures central to its success including Daniels, Bonnie Bramlett (Delaney & Bonnie), Mike Hyland (Capricorn Records), and Ed King (Lynyrd Skynyrd).

• Linda Davis, Jonell Mosser, Buddy Jewell, Baillie & the Boys, and Alyssa Bonagura perform tonight (10/27) at the Factory at Franklin to benefit You Have The Power. Visit www.yhtp.org for tickets.

• The Attic @ Piranhas Presents Renegade Masquerade Sun., Oct. 30, 7 p.m.-midnight hosted by Crystal Hoyt. The Costume Party & Jam benefits The American Cancer Society. Also performing will be The Darlins, Aaron Goodvin, Jessica Cayne, Shanna Crooks, Matt Stillwell, Anthony Smith, David Bradley, Lucy Angel, and Phoenix Mendoza.

• Billy Dean and Natalie Grant star in Decision, a new movie on the Gospel Music Channel. It was shot in Kingston Springs, Tenn.

Mark Wayne Glasmire on location in Leipers Fork, Tenn. during the video shoot for "Going Home." The Country Network recently added the video to its Breaking Out playlist. The track is from his self-titled EP, coming in 2012. Photo: Bell-Jarboe Films