CDB Member Taz DiGregorio Passes

/by

Taz DiGregario

Joel ‘Taz’ DiGregorio, longtime keyboard player, vocalist and songwriter for The Charlie Daniels Band passed away last night (10/12). He died as a result of injuries sustained in a single-car accident on I-40W in Cheatham County, Tenn. while driving to meet the CDB tour bus.

Hailing from Southbridge, Mass., DiGregorio was an original member of the CDB, and continued with them for over 40 years. He is a co-writer on many CDB songs, including the iconic “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.”

“I am in shock now, Taz was one of my best friends,” says Charlie Daniels. “The CDB family has lost a great friend and musician. We traveled many miles together and shared so many nights on the road. We’re going to miss you buddy. You were one of a kind and will never be forgotten. We send our deepest condolences to the family.”

The band was scheduled to depart for a concert in Cumming, GA tonight. The CDB has cancelled that date, as well as the Saturday, Oct. 15 show in Waterbury, CT.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time. MusicRow extends condolences to his loved ones.

An early photo of The Charlie Daniels Band, with DiGregario.

UMPG North America Names New President

/by

Evan Lamberg

Universal Music Group has promoted Evan Lamberg to President of Universal Music Publishing Group, North America. He previously served as Exec. VP, Creative, for UMPG’s East Coast division.

In his new role, Lamberg will lead North American operations for the company, which includes Pop, Urban, Country, Latin, Christian/Gospel and Canadian divisions. He will be based out of UMPG’s Santa Monica headquarters.

He reports to Zach Horowitz, UMG President & COO and Lucian Grainge, UMG Chairman & CEO.

Earlier this year David Renzer exited his post as UMPG Chairman and CEO.

UMPG Nashville Pres. Pat Higdon reports to Lamberg.

“Evan’s stellar track record for discovering, signing and nurturing the very best songwriting talent, combined with his managerial, organizational and business skills, makes him the ideal choice to build on UMPG’s market leading position and to take our North American operations to the next level,” says Horowitz. “He is a complete publisher—great ears, great relationships, and innovative approaches to maximizing the many new opportunities emerging in the marketplace.”

During his tenure with UMPG, Lamberg has been signed or worked with some of music’s best known talent including Justin Bieber, Owl City, Desmond Child, and more. He also signed a joint venture agreement with GloJoe Music that yielded eight cuts for DJ White Shadow on Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, including the hit title song and followup “Edge Of Glory.” Prior to joining UMPG, Lamberg spent over 17 years with EMI Music Publishing, including time as Executive VP of Creative, North America.

Hot Videos From LBT, Urban, Nichols and More

/by

Urban and Ellen

‱ Keith Urban and Ellen are promoting his new Phoenix cologne in this hilarious ad spoof.

Little Big Town's "Shut Up Train"

‱ Little Big Town’s “Shut Up Train” is iTunes’ Free Video of the Week through Tues., Oct. 18. See it here.

Nichol's new video for "Take It Off"

‱ The music video for Joe Nichols’ latest single, “Take It Off,” has passed 1.3 million views on YouTube.

‱ CMT will world premiere eight new music videos this weekend as part of its fifth CMT Big New Music Weekend, kicking off tomorrow (10/14) with videos from Zac Brown Band (“Keep Me In Mind”), Luke Bryan (“If You Ain’t Here to Party”), Tony Bennett and Faith Hill (“The Way You Look Tonight”), Toby Keith (“Red Solo Cup”), Chris Young (“You”), Justin Moore (“Bait A Hook”), Kevin Fowler (“That Girl”) and CMT’s Next Big Thing artist, Casey James (“Let’s Don’t Call It A Night”).

Photo Round-up (10/13/11)

/by

ASCAP Amped at Margaritaville

ASCAP recently presented the first-ever ASCAP Amped at Margaritaville in downtown Nashville. Four artists played half-hour sets with their bands. (L-R): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad and LeAnn Phelan; Carnival-Sony/Tree writer and UMG artist Dani Flowers; Big Yellow Dog writer Logan Mize; EMI writer Erin Enderlin; Bug Music writer Neal Carpenter; ASCAP’s Michael Martin and Robert Filhart; and Margaritaville’s Tinti Moffat.

Craig Campbell On Southern Fried Flicks

Country artist Craig Campbell cooked up some fun this week with CMT’s Hazel Smith while filming an episode of her hit TV show, Southern Fried Flicks. The show is set to air in November.

Crystal Hoyt Performs Anthem as Part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Jacksonville Jaguars invited singer Crystal Hoyt to perform the national anthem before they took on the New Orleans Saints. Hoyt’s performance was part of the NFL Goes Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hoyt’s mother Linda is a breast cancer survivor.

Signing Photo: Forest Whitehead

/by

Blanchard, La., native Forest Whitehead recently inked a publishing agreement with Black River Publishing. This is the 20-year-old songwriter’s first publishing deal.

(L-R) Standing: ASCAP’s Robert Filhart and Black River Publishing’s Robert Carlton, Celia Froehlig and Gordon Kerr. Seated: Whitehead

Restless Heart and Friends With The Symphony

/by

Click to order tickets.

Restless Heart has recruited fellow hit artists for Sunday’s (10/16) Music with a Mission concert with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. Proceeds from the event at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center will benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission.

On the line-up are Restless Heart, Ricky Skaggs, Tracy Lawrence, Keith Anderson, Gary Morris,  Melinda Doolittle, Lee Roy Parnell, Charlie McCoy and Jaci Velasquez. WSMV-TV anchor Demetria Kalodimos will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening.

Highlights of the event’s silent auction include: An Evening with Whispering Bill Anderson, featuring dinner with the star and Opry tickets; tickets and backstage passes to Jason Aldean’s sold-out Nashville show; and a fiddle autographed by Charlie Daniels.

Tickets for the evening range from $54 to $104, and are available along with other information at www.nashvillesymphony.org. All performers are donating their time and talent to the event.

Rascal Flatts Live; Alaina/McBride Sales Updates

/by

On Lyric Street/Hollywood Records

Add Rascal Flatts to the 4th quarter sales parade. Like Big Machine labelmate Taylor Swift, the vocal trio has announced plans to release a live album. Rascal Flatts Live, a full length project, will hit bins on Nov. 8. Only this record isn’t part of the BMLG empire, it is being released on Lyric Street/Hollywood Records. The 10-song collection will offer some of the group’s biggest hits, including “Bless The Broken Road,” “What Hurts The Most,” and “Life Is A Highway.”

According to insiders at Hitsdailydouble.com, Lauren Alaina, Season 10 American Idol runner up is set to shift between 60-65k units this week for her Mercury Nashville/19/Interscope label home. This comes after Idol winner and label mate Scotty McCreery harvested a giant 197k opening last week.

Also bin bouncing is the debut Eleven by Martina McBride on Republic Nashville which insiders peg to sell between 35-40k units. This is McBride’s first outing on her new label since moving from her long time RCA Nashville home. Republic is going the extra mile for McBride, (actually all the way cross-country) with its Eleven Across America train trek to promote the new album and breast cancer awareness. Follow McBride’s voyage here.

ACA Nominations Revealed

/by

Jason Aldean and Zac Brown Band lead the American Country Awards nominations with eight nods each, it was announced this morning [10/13]. The second annual ACAs will air live on FOX from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Mon., Dec. 5 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), with hosts Trace Adkins and Kristin Chenoweth. Other top nominees include Thompson Square with seven, and The Band Perry and Taylor Swift with six apiece.

The nominees were determined by four media measurement companies: BigChampagne (record sales and media consumption), Great American Country (video airplay), Mediabase (radio airplay), and Pollstar (touring data).

Starting today, fans can vote once each day at www.theacas.com. Voting is open until Friday, Nov. 11 for all categories, except for Artist of the Year, which closes on Friday, Dec. 2.

Performers and presenters will be announced soon.

Artist of the Year: Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year—Male: Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton

Artist of the Year—Female: Sara Evans, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood

Artist of the Year—Duo or Group: The Band Perry, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Zac Brown Band

Artist of the Year—Breakthrough Artist: Eric Church, Eli Young Band, Justin Moore, Jake Owen, Chris Young

Artist of the Year—New Artist: The Band Perry, Scotty McCreery, Jerrod Niemann, Pistol Annies, Thompson Square

Album of the Year
Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party
Kenny Chesney, Hemingway’s Whiskey
Brad Paisley, This Is Country Music
Taylor Swift, Speak Now
Keith Urban, Get Closer
Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give

Single of the Year
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Chris Young, “Voices”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Single of the Year—Male
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”
Billy Currington, “Let Me Down Easy”
Tim McGraw, “Felt Good On My Lips”
Chris Young, “Voices”

Single of the Year—Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Miranda Lambert, “Heart Like Mine”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Taylor Swift, “Mean”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Single of the Year—Duo or Group
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Rascal Flatts, “Why Wait”
Sugarland, “Stuck Like Glue”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”

Single of the Year—New Artist
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Craig Campbell, “Family Man”
The JaneDear Girls, “Wildflower”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

Single of the Year—Vocal Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”
Brad Paisley with Alabama, “Old Alabama”
Zac Brown Band with Jimmy Buffet, “Knee Deep”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Touring Headline Act of the Year: Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban

Music Video of the Year
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Blake Shelton, “Who Are you When I’m Not Looking”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”

Music Video—Male
Jason Aldean, “My Kinda Party”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”
Josh Turner, “I Wouldn’t Be A Man”
Keith Urban, “Put You In A Song”

Music Video—Female
Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
Reba, “Turn On The Radio”
Ashton Shepherd, “Look It Up”
Taylor Swift, “Back To December”
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”

Music Video—Duo, Group or Collaboration
Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Lady Antebellum, “Hello World”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”

Music Video—New Artist
The Band Perry, “You Lie”
Craig Campbell, “Family Man”
Brett Eldredge, “Raymond”
Jerrod Niemann, “What Do You Want”
Thompson Square, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”

American Country Awards is executive-produced by Bob Bain (Teen Choice 2011, Kids’ Choice Awards). Fletcher Foster, Paul Flattery and Tisha Fein serve as producers; and Greg Sills is supervising producer. Michael Dempsey will direct the special.

Strait Announces Tour Dates

/by

George Strait kicks off his 2012 tour Jan. 27 in Lafayette, LA. Currently, the itinerary includes stops in Georgia, Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah and Kansas. He’s also invited Martina McBride, who recently released her new album ELEVEN, to join him on the road.

Tickets for the Feb. 4 show in Las Vegas will go on sale Saturday, Oct. 29. Other sale dates will be forthcoming.

Strait’s tour schedule is as follows:

Lafayette, LA – Cajundome – Jan. 27
Bossier City, LA – CenturyLink Center – Jan. 28
Phoenix, AZ – US Airways Center – Fe. 3
Las Vegas, NV – MGM – Feb. 4
Atlanta, GA – The Arena at Gwinnett Center – Feb. 10
Orlando, FL – Amway Center – Feb. 11
Tulsa, OK – BOK Center – Feb. 16
St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center – Feb. 17
Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena – Feb. 18
Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena – Feb. 24
Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center – Feb. 25

For more information, please visit www.georgestrait.com.

Sonia Leigh Shows Fans The Money

/by

Southern Ground recording artist Sonia Leigh has been designated a rising star to watch by CMT, which is featuring the Zac Brown acolyte as its “Listen Up” artist during October. Leigh will be featured extensively on CMT and CMT.com, including exclusive performance videos taped in a Nashville studio.

Leigh’s debut album for Brown’s Southern Ground label, 1978 December, was released Sept. 27 to much acclaim. Lead single “My Name Is Money” is also starting to receive some attention. The single’s sound isn’t far from the ZBB template: rootsy and stripped down, yes, but with a backbeat derived from blues and soul. Then there’s her unmistakable voice, a sandpaper rasp that conjures Janis Joplin and Melissa Etheridge. The songwriting is even bold, with Leigh casting herself as the titular currency and humorously boasting of her ability to “make a small man stand tall.” Definitely not your usual country fare.

Elsewhere on 1978 December, Leigh hops around the stylistic map to incorporate hardcore honkytonk and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll into the mix. Her friend and label boss Brown appears on the track “Roaming,” and the Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray stops by to add vocals on “Virginia.”

Long a part of Atlanta’s songwriting community, Leigh befriended Zac Brown prior to his band’s rise from regional club favorites to platinum-selling country hitmakers. She earned numerous fans, including Brown, through delivering energetic live performances and her keen songwriting.

“When I first saw Sonia Leigh perform, I knew she was a star, and I knew I wanted to be by her side and create something special together,” says Brown.

The official “Money” video will be in rotation on CMT and CMT Pure throughout the month of October. Leigh is also featured in the current issue of People Country, in the “Hot Music Playlist” with others such as Vince Gill and Billy Currington.