The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” Lives On

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The Band Perry’s mega-hit “If I Die Young” has maintained a long life after its No. 1 chart ascent, and now the RIAA has certified the song Quadruple Platinum for sales exceeding four million. The news comes on the heels of TBP’s recent No. 1 “All Your Life” and Platinum certification of their debut album.

“We are honored by this acknowledgement and thankful that so many of you have connected with this song,” said Kimberly Perry, who won the 2011 CMA Award for Song of the Year for writing “If I Die Young.”

“Each time the bar is set, it seems that The Band Perry surpasses it! Selling over 4 million downloads on just one song is a huge accomplishment,” said Republic Nashville President Jimmy Harnen. “This extremely talented group is remarkable and we’re thrilled to have them as part of the Republic Nashville family.”

The Band Perry is currently touring with Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality Tour and headlining their own dates. The group’s next single “Postcard From Paris” is going for adds immediately.

Performers Added to “ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends”

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Lionel Richie

Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw and Jennifer Nettles have been added to the lineup for ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends, which tapes Mon., April 2, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Rogers. The concert special will air Fri., April 13 on CBS.

Lionel Richie and Friends will feature Richie performing duets with country artists including “My Love” with Chesney, “Sail On” with McGraw, “Lady” with Rogers, “Say You Say Me” with Aldean and more. Recordings of the duets appear on Richie’s  upcoming album Tuskegee, out March 26 via Mercury Nashville.

“It has been so rewarding to have my songs embraced by country music artists,” said Richie. “Since Conway Twitty recorded ‘Three Times a Lady’ and Kenny Rogers sang ‘Lady,’ I have been welcomed into the country music family with open arms. It’s the ultimate compliment to have country artists record and perform songs that I’ve written. I’ve always felt right at home in country because I was raised just down the road from Nashville in Tuskegee, Alabama, where I was immersed in country, R&B, gospel and classical music.”

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster for $100, $150, and $200. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit ACM Lifting Lives, which works to improve lives through music. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions.

The Orchard and IODA Announce Merger

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The Orchard and IODA have announced an agreement to combine their global digital distribution businesses. The new company will operate under the name of The Orchard and aims to create a new market leader for digital distribution of music and video.

Brad Navin, CEO of The Orchard, will serve as CEO of the new company, and IODA founder/CEO Kevin Arnold will take on an advisory role to the Orchard’s Board of Directors. Arnold will also work on strategic projects for Sony.

“The Orchard and IODA were both founded to maximize opportunities for independent labels and artists. This deal opens doors for everyone by creating the preeminent platform for distribution, sales and marketing,” said Navin. “We’re combining two talented teams supported by a scalable infrastructure, which will give us more flexibility than ever to stay focused on our clients while continuing to work with the independent label community to improve the future of the industry.”

Billboard reports that Sony, which owns 51% of IODA, will own at least 50% of the merged company.

The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. IODA clients include Allegro, Arts & Crafts, Ghostly International, London Symphony Orchestra and more. The Orchard’s clients include Barsuk Records, Daptone Records, Frenchkiss Records, and more.

The news follows the recent announcement that Universal Music’s Fontana Distribution has been acquired by digital leader INgrooves, and Universal will own a minority share in the new business.

Bobby Karl Works the Hall of Fame Inductees Announcement

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(L-R): Kix Brooks with Hall of Fame inductees Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Connie Smith, and Garth Brooks. Photo: Alan Mayor

Chapter 392

Bobby Karl is a very, very happy boy today.

You see, three absolutely perfect 2012 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame were announced this morning (3/6). In the Musician category, it’s virtuoso country piano player Hargus “Pig” Robbins. In the Veterans category, it’s the divinely gifted Connie Smith. And in the Modern Era category it’s the titanic Garth Brooks.

“Notifying the inductees is one of my favorite things I do as the CEO,” said the CMA’s Steve Moore. “They always think it’s a crank call.”

Following greetings by Moore and the Hall of Fame’s Kyle Young, Kix Brooks took the podium in the Rotunda of the Country Music Hall of Fame. “What an awesome responsibility this is,” said Kix. “When I got a chance to see these names early, what a smile I wore around the house.”

He breathlessly rattled off a list of greats Robbins has recorded with – Neil Young, Chris Young, Joan Baez, Vince, Merle, Tammy, Shania, Willie, Conway, Loretta, Dolly, Porter, k.d. lang, Roy Orbison, Keith Whitley and so many more. That rapid-fire piano attack in “White Lightning” by George Jones? That would be Pig. The keyboard parts on Bob Dylan’s masterwork Blonde on Blonde? Pig. That gorgeous rippling keyboard intro in “Behind Closed Doors” by Charlie Rich? Pig. Patsy’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “I Fall to Pieces?” Pig again. The distinctive tinkling figure that runs through “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle? Pig, Pig, Pig.

Robbins acknowledged the standing ovation he received and pronounced himself “honored” to be following in the footsteps of such prior Musician honorees as Floyd Cramer, Harold Bradley and Charlie McCoy. He thanked Murray Nash, Buddy Killen, Shelby Singleton, Jerry Kennedy, Billy Sherrill, Owen Bradley, Chet Atkins and Allen Reynolds. “There have been so many people down through the years who have been kind to me,” concluded the blind keyboardist.

Kix retook the stage to remind one and all of what Dolly Parton once said, “There are really only three female singers – Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt and Connie Smith – the rest of us are only pretending.”

“I’ve had a great week,” said Connie after everyone settled down from a standing ovation. “I get to be here with all my friends and peers. I also had my eighth grandbaby!

“Just to be in the same company as Miss Kitty Wells is enough,” she added. “I’m just honored.” She recalled the importance of Bill Anderson, Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson and her husband/producer Marty Stuart to her career. The last-named was on the front row, beaming. “To be called a Veteran is kinda funny to me,” she added. “I’m still learning.

“I love the Hall of Fame. It’s always been magical and very, very spiritual to me. God has given me many blessings. And this is a very special blessing.”

“This next guy changed our town in a huge way,” said Kix in introducing Garth. With sales of 128 million, the RIAA has named Garth the Male Solo Artist of the 20th Century. “I’m convinced that half of the records we sold [as Brooks & Dunn] were people reaching for the ‘other’ Brooks.”

Garth recounted a series of people he met who changed the course of his life – Stephanie Brown, Kent Blazy, Trisha Yearwood and attendees Bob Doyle, Allen Reynolds, Mark Miller, Kerry O’Neil and Rusty Jones, plus the studio musicians and his road band. “It is truly a circle. That’s what I love about Nashville.” Garth is notable for the length and loyalty of his music associations.

“We’ve been together for 25 years,” he commented. “Bob says it feels like 50.” Songwriters, video directors, road companions, record-label execs and more were acknowledged. “There is a guilty feeling about standing here today,” Garth added. Although mentors George Strait, Merle Haggard and George Jones are in the Hall of Fame, he noted that Randy Travis, Keith Whitley and Ricky Skaggs are not. “These are the guys I cut my teeth on. I stand here in total humbleness. It’s out of order.

“It’s all about God. It’s all about love. It’s all about the songs.”

The Rotunda was full of fabulons. Recent DJ Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Stubbs, always a font of knowledge, pointed out that today is the release date of Bear Family Records’ Just For What I Am, the second boxed-set of Connie’s RCA recordings. Barry McCloud, Barry Mazor, Ed Hardy, Ed Morris, Stacy Schlitz, Jessie Schmidt, Troy Tomlinson, Vanessa Sellers, Steve Buchanan, Gary Overton, Hunter Kelly, Storme Warren and Pat Collins led the cheers.

A continental breakfast was served – muffins, pastries, fruit, coffee and juices. Most of us were too excited to eat.

Universal Music Publishing Re-Signs Luke Laird

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Pictured (L-R): Evan Lamberg, President, UMPG North America; attorney Derek Crownover; Luke Laird; Kent Earls, EVP/General Manager, UMPG Nashville; Jody Williams, Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, BMI; and Beth Laird, Creative Nation.

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) today announced the re-signing of Nashville’s award-winning songwriter, Luke Laird, to an exclusive, worldwide publishing agreement. Through the deal, UMPG will now also administer select writers from Creative Nation, the publishing entity of Luke and Beth Laird.

Luke Laird has co-written three No. 1 singles in the last 12 months (“Take a Back Road” recorded by Rodney Atkins, “Drink in My Hand” recorded by Eric Church, and “You” recorded by Chris Young), earning his second consecutive Country Music Association Triple Play Award.

In total, Laird has co-written nine singles that hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts: the three mentioned above as well as Carrie Underwood’s “Undo it,” “So Small,” “Last Name,” and “Temporary Home;” Sara Evans’ “A Little Bit Stronger;” and Blake Shelton’s “Hillbilly Bone” featuring Trace Adkins. Laird celebrated multiple wins at the BMI Country Awards in November, and is nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the April 1 ACM Awards. His songs have contributed to the sales of more than 20 million albums. Laird is also co-producing Kacey Musgraves’ debut album on Mercury/Lost Highway.

“It’s an honor, for Universal Music Publishing, to continue to work with Luke who is one of the most successful songwriters to come out of any music genre in years. And it’s an additional honor to start a business relationship with Beth Laird and Luke’s Creative Nation Music,” said Evan Lamberg, President, UMPG North America. “Kudos to Kent Earls and his staff for continuing to put songwriter relationships at the core of what matters most.”

“We are excited and thrilled to continue our already successful relationship with Luke Laird,” said Kent Earls, Executive Vice President/General Manager, UMPG Nashville. “Luke continues to deliver smash after smash after smash. He has solidified his place among the Nashville hit-makers with nine No. 1 songs over the last few years. As well, we look forward to working with Beth Laird and the Creative Nation writers to help accomplish their goals.”

“I am so blessed to have the opportunity to make music every day and have really enjoyed working with Evan, Kent and the whole UMPG team,” summed Laird. “With the addition of Creative Nation, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the future.”

Brice to Release Second Album

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Lee Brice’s second Curb Records album Hard 2 Love will hit stores on April 24. After experiencing success as a songwriter for a litany of country music’s biggest chart toppers from Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney to Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw, Brice is now focusing his talents on propelling his own emergence as a artist. The album’s first single, “A Woman Like You,” is already climbing the charts.

Hard 2 Love follows Brice’s debut album Love Like Crazy, which spawned Billboard’s Most Played Country Song of 2010 by virtue of its title track. Brice repeated the feat in 2011 when Eli Young Band took his song “Crazy Girl” to No. 1, racking up “most played” song numbers in the country genre, and earning an ACM nomination for “Song of the Year.” Brice also penned Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory” — the only song in Billboard history to debut at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart.

“Everything on the album reflects who I am right now and where I am in my life,” he noted in a recent interview.

Co-produced by Brice, Kyle Jacobs, Jon Stone, Doug Johnson and Matt McClure, Brice co-wrote eight of the thirteen tracks along with his buddies Billy Montana, Jerrod Niemann, John Ozier, Jon Stone and Eric Church.

Tracks include:
1. Hard To Love
2. A Woman Like You
3. That’s When You Know It’s Over
4. Parking Lot Party
5. Don’t Believe Everything You Think
6. I Drive Your Truck
7. See About A Girl
8. Friends We Won’t Forget
9. Life Off My Years
10. Seven Days A Thousand Times
11. Beer
12. That Way Again
13. One More Day

Lipscomb University Hosts Charlie Daniels, Chris Young, and More

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Charlie Daniels will perform for military families tonight (March 6) on the inaugural stop of his 2012 Charlie Daniels’ Scholarships for Heroes Tour. The concert takes place at 7 PM at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena, and also includes emcee Storme Warren, Chris Young, Darryl Worley, The Grascals and actor Gary Sinise.

The tour is designed to create awareness of the Veterans Yellow Ribbon education program. Lipscomb offers Post 9/11 GI Bill veterans and their family a tuition-free, or greatly-reduced tuition rate for graduate or undergraduate degrees.

Tickets are available at all Middle Tennessee Daily’s locations and the Lipscomb University box office at 615-966-7075. Since its inception in fall 2009, Lipscomb’s Yellow Ribbon Program has grown from 20 original participants to more than 150 veterans enrolled this Spring.

Underwood Announces Album Title, Releases Cover Art

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Carrie Underwood announced her fourth studio album, scheduled for release May 1, will be titled Blown Away.

Leading up to the announcement, Underwood released parts of the album cover piece by piece on her official website, revealing a new piece to fans every 20 minutes.

Blown Away was produced by Mark Bright and is Underwood’s fourth studio album for 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville. The album cover was shot by Randee St. Nicholas. The album can be pre-ordered now at Carrie’s official music store at http://bit.ly/zkFKBh.

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees Revealed

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The 2012 class of inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame were revealed this morning during a press event at the Hall. For more in depth coverage keep an eye on musicrow.com for Bobby Karl’s insider report.

Modern Era: Garth Brooks

Billboard and the Nielsen Company have named Garth Brooks “the Best-Selling Artist of the SoundScan Era” with more than 128 million albums sold. The Oklahoma native signed with Capitol Records Nashville, and his self-titled debut album featuring the No. 1 hits “If Tomorrow Never Comes” and “The Dance” was released in 1989. It went on to become the top-selling country album of the ‘80s and has since sold over 10 million copies. Brooks’ second album No Fences arrived in 1990 and cemented his superstar status with the smashes “Friends in Low Places,” “Unanswered Prayers,” “Two of a Kind (Workin’ On a Full House),” and “The Thunder Rolls.”

Brooks’ third album Ropin’ The Wind made history when it became the first Country album ever to debut at No. 1 on both the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts. It went on to win the 1992 CMA Album of the Year Award and earn Brooks his first Grammy Award. His status as an entertainer is legendary, and his four CMA Entertainer of the Year wins has been matched only by Kenny Chesney. In 1997, he took over New York City and drew the largest-ever concert to Central Park. “Garth – Live From Central Park” was HBO’s most-watched and highest-rated original program of the year. In 2007, he made history again when his single “More Than A Memory” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Singles Chart. In 2008, he performed at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, and began performing his acoustic residency at the Wynn Las Vegas. In 2010, Brooks performed nine sold-out shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena to raise money for The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for flood relief. The concerts raised $5 million and set a record in Tennessee for ticket sales by a single performer.

Veterans Era — Connie Smith

Connie Smith, born Constance June Meador in Elkhart, Ind., was signed to RCA Victor Records in 1964 by Chet Atkins. Her recording of Bill Anderson’s “Once A Day” was rushed to radio and went on to become the first debut single from a female artist to hit No. 1. Following the song’s success, she was named Billboard’s Most Promising Female Country Artist and was nominated for three Grammy Awards.

Her self-titled debut album spent seven weeks at No. 1, and its second single “Then and Only Then” (also penned by Anderson) hit No. 4. In 1965, Smith fulfilled her childhood dream of joining the Grand Ole Opry. A member of the Grand Ole Opry for over 45 years, she also released hits like “If I Talked To Him,” “Ain’t Had No Lovin’,” “The Hurtin’s All Over,” and more. She began recording more gospel oriented material in the late ‘60s, and went into semi-retirement in 1979 to concentrate on raising her five children. In the early ‘90s, she signed with Warner Bros. and worked with Marty Stuart as her producer. The two were married in 1997, and have proven to be great musical collaborators. Smith’s 2011 album Long Line of Heartaches (Sugar Hill) was produced by Stuart and hailed as one of the year’s best country recordings.

Recording or Touring Musician — Hargus “Pig” Robbins

Robbins is one of the most accomplished Nashville session piano and keyboard players in history. He was born in Spring City, TN in 1938. An accident blinded him in one eye at the age of two, and by age four he lost his vision completely. While studying at the Nashville School for the Blind, he learned to play classical music on piano and began to play country songs by ear after hearing them on the radio.

He has recorded with legendary country artists such as Bobby Bare, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Ray Price, Charley Pride, Connie Smith, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb and more. His work can be heard on Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “I Fall To Pieces.” He also played on Bob Dylan’s landmark 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, and classic country recordings like Crystal Gayle’s “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” and Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors.” He released eight solo albums in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and remained in demand as a session player through the ‘80s, ‘90s and early ‘00s. In 1976 he won CMA Instrumentalist of the Year. Thirty-four years later in 2000, he won the CMA Musician of the Year Award.

Fans were able to watch the live announcement online at www.livestream.com/CMA.

Wade Hayes To Perform at The Stars Go Blue Benefit

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The fourth annual The Stars Go Blue For Colon Cancer benefit concert and silent auction takes place tonight (March 6) at 7 pm in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Ford Theater, and special guest Wade Hayes has been added to the lineup.

Hayes, a gold-selling artist responsible for hit songs like “Old Enough To Know Better,” “On A Good Night,” and “Tore Up From The Floor Up,” is currently in treatment for stage four colon cancer. He performed at the first Stars Go Blue benefit, and will be performing again tonight. He joins previously announced performers Trace Adkins and Exile.

The Stars Go Blue For Colon Cancer Benefit raises funds and awareness for The Blue Note Fund, which was created to provide money for living expenses and incidentals to those in treatment for colon cancer. The fund and event were created by producer and musician Charlie Kelley, who was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 40.