Darius Rucker Sets Date For Annual St. Jude Fundraiser

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Darius Rucker will host his third annual “Darius And Friends” benefit for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, on Monday, June 4 beginning a week of events in Nashville for CMA Music Fest.

The two-part fundraiser presented by GAC begins early with the St. Jude Darius and Friends celebrity golf tournament, which takes place at the Gaylord Springs Golf Links. The concert is scheduled for later that same evening at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon. Performers have not yet been announced, but previous guests have included Jake Owen, Easton Corbin, Radney Foster, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Justin Moore, and Jake Owen.

100 percent of ticket sales will be donated to further St. Jude’s mission of providing the best care possible for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases at no cost to their family. The concerts alone have helped raise more than $100,000 for the organization.

“Ever since I made my first visit to the hospital, I was so moved,” said Rucker. “I knew I needed to be part of it and support it in any way possible. These events allow me to honor the outstanding work of the researchers, doctors and staff at St. Jude and I’m honored to be able to help contribute to their efforts.”

DariusRucker.com members will have early access to tickets through April 21, when sales open to the general public. Tickets may be purchased at the Wildhorse Saloon and through Ticketmaster.

Journalist Pat Harris Passes Away in Nashville

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Nashville journalist Pat Harris passed away Saturday (4/14) of natural causes at her daughter’s Nashville home. She was 88.

A native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Harris held numerous roles during her lengthy career, including serving as Reuters News Service’s middle Tennessee reporter for nearly three decades up until about a year ago. She was also a Time magazine correspondent for over 25 years, and wrote a weekly entertainment feature for Chicago Sun Times and a monthly column for Music City News. Additionally, her work appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor.

The veteran scribe got her start with International News Service in Chicago after finishing high school, later moving to the Springfield, Ill. office after INS merged with United Press International, where she served as bureau manager.

Harris was also the Chicago press aide for Governor Adlai Stevenson during his presidential campaign against Dwight Eisenhower. She later wrote a book called Adlai: The Springfield Years, which was published in 1975.

Harris arrived Nashville in 1965 when her husband accepted a job at The Tennessean. She worked for the TN Education Department for 12 years, handling PR, writing speeches, and editing the Trailblazer magazine.

Harris is survived by her daughter Barbara and numerous friends. A private celebration of her life will be held later. Those close to Harris, who was a lover and advocate of animals, request memorial contributions be made to ASPCA, or local organizations like Happy Tales, Love at First Sight, or Nashville Humane Association.

Weekly Register: Lionel Richie Rides High

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Lionel Richie and Tim McGraw after singing "Sail On."

This week in sales again belonged to Lionel Richie who topped the country album sales chart with over 128k units driving Tuskegee’s 3-week sales to a lofty 423k. Actually, Richie was the only current country album in chart positions 1-39 to post a positive move, jumping 35%. For the how? and why? Read on.

Readers will recall that last week’s Nielsen SoundScan rankings were impacted by the ACM Awards show which gave many artists nice looking percentage gains and boosted the Rascal Flatts debut, but in reality, didn’t greatly move the needle on total country album sales tonnage. And like the tide, last week’s incoming percentage gains gave way to this week’s outgoing deficits as w/w country album sales dropped 23%.

The ACM wisely takes advantage of having all the artists gathered for its awards show by shooting an additional TV special the following day (as does the CMA with its Christmas gala). This year it was ACM Presents Lionel Richie and Friends, an all-star benefit for ACM’s Lifting Lives charity. The chief architect of this event should take a deep bow, for it proved to achieve a splendid convergence of goals. The two-hour show gave CBS a ratings win for the evening, offered a stellar marketing tie-in with the Tuskegee album, raised money for charity and offered multiple artists additional TV time.

Richie’s new album of duets with country stars was re-created In Concert and it worked smoothly. Performers included Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Big & Rich, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans and Marc Anthony, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, and Blake Shelton, but one star shown brighter than all the rest. Mr. Richie exuded the confidence and charm of a seasoned professional while his voice and songbook did the talking. Several artists have already personally confided to me that working with Lionel Richie was a career highlight.

The Weekly Grid
This week’s grid has a new column and a few tweaks. The data is all YTD and now shows Last Week and This Week to offer a bit more perspective. The far right column is new and shows album sales including TEA albums for both country and all genre. This is the first week we have been able to get all the necessary information to be able to compare apples to apples, meaning 2012 to 2011. Country is showing a healthy 11.06% YTD sales gain compared with the same period last year while all genre sports a more modest 2.42% gain. These results are not surprising because country track sales are exploding compared with all genre, up 23.8% YTD (all genre is up 8%). The country albums w/TEA total is 15.929 million albums. The all genre figure is 131.716 million. Last week’s TEA index helps to show the percentage of the albums w/TEA that is tracks based.

Upcoming
Kip Moore, Lee Brice and Carrie Underwood are some of the upcoming releases. Click here to see more.

Also, there’s still time to register for next week’s Leadership Music Digital Summit. Your Scribe will be taking part in what promises to be an educational day. Don’t miss it.

TNN To Return This Summer

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Crook and Chase with Henry Luken at the NAB Convention.

TNN will resume operations as a country music and lifestyle network in late summer 2012 through a partnership between Luken Communications and Jim Owens Entertainment. Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase, whose television and radio shows are produced by Jim Owens Entertainment, joined execs from the companies in Las Vegas at the 2012 NAB Show to make the announcement.

The network will return to broadcast television through exclusive network affiliates. Programming will combine digitally restored classic content pulled from the vaults in Nashville with contemporary shows. The lineup will include Memories of the Grand Ole Opry, Crook & Chase, Celebrity Kitchen, The Country Vibe, Music City Tonight and Larry’s Country Diner.

The Nashville Network is a sister network to Luken Communications’ Retro Television® (RTV), My Family TV, TUFF TV, PBJ, MyCarTV and Frost Great Outdoors. Luken Communications offers diverse, family friendly programming on its networks reaching approximately 80 percent of all U.S. households via a blend of over-the-air, cable and satellite television.

TNN, originally launched in 1983 as a cable network featuring country music programming, was sold in 2000 and subsequently changed its name and programming to target a different demographic.

Photo Roundup (4/18/12)

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ASCAP recently hosted a reception for songwriters and artists attending EMI’s Global Writers Retreat at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills.

(L-R): ASCAP's Loretta Munoz, Laura Bell Bundy, ASCAP's Mike Sistad and Brendan Okrent

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BMI invited a selection of the Big Easy’s top songwriters to perform at the annual French Quarter Festival in New Orleans. Set in the courtyard of the Historic New Orleans Collection, the BMI Songwriter Stage featured performances on Saturday (4/14) from Charlie Oxford, Jon Roniger, Erin Miley, Denton Hatcher, Alexis Marceaux, Sean Bruce, Andrew Duhon, and Kristin Diable; followed Sunday (4/15) by Reed Alleman, Armand St. Martin, Jalan Crossland, Olga Wilhemine, David Shaw, Jim McCormick, Jason Matthews, Colin Lake, and the Backyard Heavies.

(L-R): BMI's Clay Bradley, Historic New Orleans Collection’s Jiordana Ciavetti, Charles Lumar, Kristin Diable, Alexis Marceaux, and BMI's Mark Mason outside of the Historic New Orleans Collection. Photo: Erika Goldring

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Film Com kicked off their week of events with a special dedication on April 14 at Montgomery Bell Academy in the newly built Mary Helen Lowry Building to honor screenwriter Tom Schulman. He’s best known for the legendary film Dead Poets Society, which won him an Academy Award for best screenplay. At the Event, U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn gave the Keynote address and school Headmaster Branford Gioia welcomed all and presented Schulman the Film Com Award.

(L-R): Head Master Branford Gioia, Shulman and Congressman Marsha Blackburn

New CMA Hirings In Marketing and Projects Departments

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Karen Stump

The Country Music Association has announced the hiring of Karen Stump as Senior Director, Market Research; and Vilma Salinas as Senior Manager of Projects.

Stump will lead and manage a broad range of research initiatives to provide consumer information to industry groups. She will report to Tammy Donham, CMA Vice President of Marketing. “CMA has taken a leadership position in the last few years by establishing itself as a repository for consumer information and research,” said Donham. “We are excited to have Karen join us to expand our research services, and we look forward to providing our membership with a wide range of data analysis to aid them in their business endeavors.”

Stump was previously based in New York City as VP of Market Analytics and Strategic Insights for Scripps Networks Interactive working with Food Network, Great American Country, HGTV, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, and Travel Channel. Prior to that, she served eight years as the Director of Marketing and Customer Insights for American Standard Inc. Stump earned bachelor and MBA degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Vilma Salinas

As Senior Manager of Projects Salinas will be responsible for managing and executing aspects of CMA special events and programs as they pertain to ticketing, budgeting, booking, and production logistics. She will report to Chris Crawford, CMA Senior Director of Live Events and Special Projects. “We produce events all year long, ranging in size from our highly-regarded CMA Songwriter Series to our internationally known CMA Music Festival and CMA Awards, and it takes a team of skilled professionals to orchestrate them flawlessly,” said Crawford. “Vilma will make an excellent addition to our team.”

Salinas previously served five years as the Sales and Marketing Manager for Nashville’s Hard Rock Cafe, where along with brand management she also handled production and logistics for live and special events. Prior to that, Salinas was the Catering Sales Manager of the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville and served as the Event Manager at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs. She graduated from the University of New Orleans.

Lauren Alaina Dances on Prom Night, But Not at Her Own

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Lauren Alaina missed junior prom this past Saturday night (4/14) because she was in Louisville, KY with Sugarland’s In Your Hands tour.

Alaina improvised by finding a partner from the audience to come onstage so she could officially have her prom dance.

After her set, she discovered the Lanesville High School Prom was being held just six blocks away from the concert venue. With the permission from the Lanesville High School Principal, she and fellow tour opener Canaan Smith made a surprise appearance at the Lanesville prom, dancing on the floor for about 20 minutes before heading back to the Sugarland show.

The 17-year old American Idol runner-up opens for Alan Jackson in Pensacola, FL (May 4) and Columbus, GA (May 5) before picking back up on Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party tour May 10-19. She will continue with Sugarland when the tour heads to Los Angeles on May 22.

Underwood’s Release Week Includes Letterman Webcast

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Carrie Underwood will promote her latest album, Blown Away (due out May 1) on CBS Interactive Music Group’s concert webcast series Live On Letterman from the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC, Mon., April 30 (8 pm ET/5 pm PT).

Underwood’s Letterman webcast will follow the taping of her performance on the Late Show with David Letterman, which will be broadcast later that evening (11:35 pm ET) on CBS.

Underwood will be performing some of her biggest hits on the webcast, including her latest single, “Good Girl,” which appears on Blown Away.

The webcast performance will be available live on the CBS JumboTron in Times Square and on-demand here, in addition to select CBS Radio broadcasting and mobile apps. Further, VEVO will broadcast and syndicate the special.

The Live on Letterman franchise is staged in an intimate setting and hosted established bands and musicians for a global audience.

“Good Girl” is currently No. 5 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart.

Carrie Underwood at her Blown Away listening party at Flyte in Nashville (4/16). Pictured (L-R): Ann Edelblute (XIX Entertainment), Mark Bright (producer), Underwood, Gary Overton (Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO). Photo: Alan Poizner

(L-R): Clay Hunnicutt (SVP Programming Clear Channel), Michael Bryan (OM/PD WSIX), Underwood, John Marks (Sirius XM), Overton, Lesly Tyson (VP National Promotion Arista Nashville). Photo: Alan Poizner

DISClaimer Single Reviews (4/18/12)

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Top: The Grascals; Bottom: Cumberland River

We’re overdue for an overview of what our bluegrass brothers and sisters are up to, so here’s a batch of CDs that are currently picking and grinning out there.

The Disc of the Day belongs to The Grascals. Life Finds a Way is the band’s first for Mountain Home Records, and I think it’s one of the ensemble’s best efforts ever.

This edition’s DisCovery Award goes to Kentucky newcomers Cumberland River. They’re already being featured on a television soundtrack and are hip enough to recognize the power of a music video. Go, boys, go.

JUNIOR SISK & RAMBLERS CHOICE/A Far Cry from Lester & Earl
Writer: Tim Massey/Rick Pardue/Harry Sisk Jr.; Producer: Wes Easter & Ramblers Choice; Publisher: Dixie Breeze/Mitchell River/Dreamin’ Creek, BMI; Rebel (track) (www.juniosiskandramblerschoice.com)
—This track is presently No. 1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited popularity chart. It decries how bluegrass is drifting too far away from the classic sounds of The Stanley Brothers and the men of the song’s title. “We’re way down below that high-lonesome sound” sings Junior in this lively toe tapper. Sisk’s CD is titled The Heart of a Song, and it’s hardcore bluegrass all the way.

CHRIS JONES & THE NIGHT DRIVERS/Final Farewell
Writer: Chris Jones/Jon Weisberger; Producer: Chris Jones; Publisher: Gal Sal/Use Your Words, BMI; Rebel (track) (www.rebelrecords.com)
—I’m a big fan of guitarist-singer Jones. This yearning, midtempo, romantic outing is drawn from his current Lost Souls & Free Spirits, which is a compilation of his finest work for Rebel, plus three new tracks. As always, he sings with understated warmth and unforced soulfulness. Heartfelt.

THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS/Nobody Knows You
Writer: Graham Sharp; Producer: Gary Paczosa & The Steep Canyon Rangers; Publisher: Enchanted Barn, ASCAP; Rounder (track) (www.steepcanyon.com)
—Because of backing Steve Martin last year, the Rangers won the IBMA Entertainer of the Year award with him. This title tune to the band’s just-released (4/10) new album that it kicks plenty of butt without the banjo-playing superstar. In addition to hearty harmonies, it features some wonderfully scampering fiddle work and a throbbing bass line. Fresh sounding.

THE GRASCALS/Life Finds a Way
Writer: Jamie Johnson/Dierks Bentley/Ronnie Bowman; Producer: The Grascals; Publisher: Country Gentleman/Little Johnson/Big White Tracks/Sony-ATV, SESAC/ASCAP/BMI; Mountain Home (track)
—This rolls along gently as the sweetly romantic title tune of The Grascals’ latest collection. Jamie Johnson and Terry Eldredge remain two of the genre’s finest young lead vocalists. Kristin Scott Benson’s award-winning banjo work is just stellar. I also like the way this band consistently looks “outside the box” for material. In this CD, you’ll find bluegrass reworkings of “Mystery Train” and “Sweet Baby James” alongside terrific songs by writers like Harley Allen and Jerry Salley. And get a load of the writer credits on this tune.

BRAND NEW STRINGS/Other Side of Lonesome
Writer: Randall Massengill; Producer: Preston Schmidt & Brand New Strings; Publisher: Eastern V, BMI; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.brandnewstringsband.com)
—I think the concept here is to combine traditional high-lonesome vocals with ultra-modern instrumental flash. Because these five guys can all play their fingers off. The seven-song mini-album is titled Stay Tuned. I will.

CUMBERLAND RIVER/Cold and Withered Heart
Writer: J. Dean; Producer: Steve Gulley; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.cumberland-river.com)
—It’s a brave new world out there — bluegrass groups now make music videos. This tune from this new band’s The Life We Live CD has its own clip. So does the album’s tune “Justified,” the theme song of an FX TV show by that name. From an audio standpoint, these fellows sing with urgency and abandonment here that keep you on edge as a listener. Cumberland River hails from Harlan, KY. Two of its members are for-real coal miners. Four of them are cousins. Now that’s country.

DAILEY & VINCENT/Living in the Kingdom of God
Writer: Jaimie Dailey; Producer: Darrin Vincent & Jaimie Dailey; Publisher: Bluegrass Ambassador, BMI; Rounder/Cracker Barrel (track) (www.daileyandvincent.com)
—This is the lead-off song and first charting track from this team’s second bluegrass-gospel collection. As before, the set is co-marketed by Rounder in partnership with Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores. This is a lickety-split, happy-happy celebration of being born again. Elsewhere on the CD are well-chosen tunes by Dolly Parton, Buck Owens, Jimmy Fortune, Willie Nelson (“Family Bible”) and Carl Perkins (“Daddy Sang Bass”). An all-star cast of sidemen is on hand.

THE CROWE BROTHERS/He Could Pick the Hound
Writer: Steve Watts; Producer: Steve Thomas, Josh Crowe, Wayne Crowe & Steve Sutton; Publisher: Redbud Ridge, ASCAP; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.crowebrothers.com)
—New on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart this month is this track from Bridging the Gap by The Crowe Brothers. As you might expect, the sibling harmony is spot-on. But what really drives this number is the fleet-fingered banjo playing of Steve Sutton.

CAROLINA ROAD/A Light in the Window, Again
Writer: Dixie Hall/Tom T. Hall; Producer: Lorraine Jordan; Publisher: Good Home Grown, BMI; Rural Rhythm (track) (www.carolinaroadband.com)
—This wistful mountain tune is currently on the chart for the smooth-sounding Carolina Road. Producer Jordan is the band’s able mandolinist and high-harmony vocalist. Guitarist Tommy Long has a marvelously evocative lead voice that is a gentle persuader. Back to My Roots is the second Rural Rhythm outing for this super band. It’s a total winner, thoroughly listenable, track after track.

NU-BLU/Other Woman’s Blues
Writer: Kira Small; Producer: Nu-Blu; Publisher: Gerry Bruce, ASCAP; Pinecastle (track) (www.nu-blu.com)
—Thanks to breakthroughs by Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Dale Ann Bradley, Laurie Lewis and others, female lead singers in bluegrass are more common than ever. Add Nu-Blu’s Carolyn Routh to that list. She brings a pleading, plaintive tone to this minor-key gem. Promising.

Director Wes Edwards Brings Authentic Edge To Aldean’s Videos

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Wes Edwards and Jason Aldean on the set of "Flyover States."

Jason Aldean toasted youthful rebel rousing and the scars it leaves behind in recent hit “Tattoos on this Town.” And he teamed with longtime director Wes Edwards who took the sentiment one step further in the music video. When coming up with the treatment, Edwards wondered, “What’s the ultimate thing you could leave behind? A child.” Penned by Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher, the lyrics don’t depict the video’s storyline of a young couple whose marriage is cut short when the man dies at war, before the birth of his son. “Nothing in the song makes you think of the storyline of the video,” continues Edwards. “That’s how I make videos interesting. I find the thing that might add something to the experience.” It went on to earn Edwards his second nomination for ACM Video of the Year. He was nominated along with producer John Burke.

Since first working together on Aldean’s 2005 debut video, “Hicktown,” Edwards and Aldean have risen through the ranks simultaneously. Back then Edwards, a Franklin, Tenn. native, had just landed at Ruckus Films, where he continues today. He had earned a television production degree at MTSU and spent four years gaining traction, including time as an editor at Ground Zero. “I thought it was going to be easy to direct music videos, which was the most naive thing ever,” he recalls.

“‘Hicktown’ put me on the map and it put Jason on the map,” he explains. “We shot the video at this place in Florida where people bring giant trucks—homemade, some of them—and go mudbogging. It was insane. Monster trucks and crazy vehicles flying into the air. Looking through the lens, I knew it was going to be an awesome video, especially because there was nothing out there at the time that was anything like it. It was so real, raw, unpolished. I added film scratches, and we didn’t try to get rid of the grain.”

The gritty feel and lack of literal song interpretation set the tone for the pair’s work going forward. “There’s something real about the videos we’ve done and the unpolished props we use,” says Edwards. “For ‘Flyover States’ we shot at an airplane graveyard in Smyrna, which we discovered while shooting ‘Tattoos’ in a nearby hanger. We didn’t try to clean up anything. I think those locations go with the sound of his music, which is more rocking and raw.”

Even with his rock sound, some Aldean singles could easily be turned into light-hearted video fare, but the artist prefers Edwards’ juxtaposition of imagery and sound. He nixed Edwards’ original idea of using vivid colors in the “Johnny Cash” video. Instead they shot at a neon sign graveyard in Las Vegas and Edwards treated the film with a rust color for an aged effect, right in line with Aldean’s go-to color palate of what the director calls “dark, rusty and grungy.”

It’s worked out well, with Edwards earning his first ACM Video of the Year nomination for Aldean’s “Amarillo Sky.” The director explains, “In ‘Amarillo Sky,’ everything in the lyrics makes you imagine that it’s an old man driving the tractor. But I thought, ‘What if it’s a young guy and what if they’re not characters?’” So Edwards interviewed farmers in their real houses, wearing their own clothes and shot footage of the aging, rusted equipment in the cornfield. “It was borderline documentary, and that really resonated,” he states.

He strives to keep the fresh ideas coming by not getting bogged down in watching other videos, and by working projects outside the country genre. “I don’t watch other country videos,” he says. “I don’t want to compare my videos to other videos, and I don’t want to get stuck in a pattern.” Recently Edwards expanded his portfolio by making three videos for trance artist Dash Berlin.

“The music video is an incredibly powerful marketing tool,” he sums, “because videos break artists and videos keep artists in the spotlight.”