“Tuskegee” Certified Platinum

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Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee has reached platinum certification from the RIAA within five weeks of its release.

The best-selling album of 2012 held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 200 for two consecutive weeks, and currently sits at No. 1 on the Country Albums chart for the fourth week since its March 26 debut.

RIAA platinum certification is based on shipments of one million units. Richie’s actual sales total 680k.

With Tuskegee, Richie joins Ray Charles as the only artists in history to have No. 1 albums on both the Billboard Country Albums and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

“Just when I think it couldn’t get any bigger, Tuskegee reaches a new level of success,” said Richie. “It is truly living up to the vision we had when we created it.”

The album features duets of 13 of his hits with Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and Shania Twain.

DISClaimer Single Reviews (5/9/12)

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Disc of the Day goes to Lady A; and the DisCovery Award goes to Grady Skelton

It might be optimistic and springtime outside, but it’s sad-ballad day here at Music Row.

Blake Shelton, Heidi Newfield, Chris Webb and Lady A are all singing downbeat fare on their latest singles. But only one of them is essential listening. That would be Lady Antebellum, nailing the Disc of the Day award with ease.

Of our more upbeat entries, Mark Collie, Grady Skelton, the Agave Posse Band and Rodney Atkins are all worth some spins. Texan Grady Skelton wins the DisCovery Award with his “Girl I Love.”

MELISSA BROOKE/Sticky Situation
Writers: Minnie Marianne Murphy/Pat Murphy/Ted Hewitt; Publishers: Montage/Machinafree/Pakimo/Ted Hewitt, ASCAP; Producer: Bill Green; Label: BGM (www.melissabrooke.com)
—This Texas teen takes the tune at a plodding, march-like tempo. It’s about a blind date that goes wrong, thanks to a girlfriend’s mix-up. Brooke’s pert singing needs some seasoning to sound more womanly.

RODNEY ATKINS/Just Wanna Rock n’ Roll
Writers: Rodney Clawson/Chris Tompkins; Publishers: Big Red Toe/Amarillo Sky/Big Loud Songs/Angel River/Big Loud Bucks, BMI/ASCAP; Producers: Ted Hewitt & Rodney Atkins; Label: Curb
—Despite the title, it’s a lilting, attractive invitation to party, country style. Well produced and highly listenable.

TJ BROSCOFF/Bigger, Better Than You
Writers: TJ Broscoff, Bill Green, BMI; Producer: Bill Green; Label: BGM (www.tjbroscoff.com)
—His singing and the band’s playing seem to be in different time signatures. A mess.

MARK COLLIE & HIS RECKLESS COMPANIONS/One More Second Chance
Writers: Mark Collie/T Graham Brown/Steve Schuffert; Publishers: Daniel Island/EMI Blackwood/Leipers Fork/River of Time, BMI; Producers: Tony Brown, Mark Collie & David Z; Label: Wilbanks (www.markcollie.com)
—In 2001, Collie went to the notorious Brushy Mountain State Prison with a batch of tunes about crime and punishment. His show, which also featured Kelly Willis, was recorded, but not released until this month. The Tennessee prison closed in 2009, but its energetic, in-concert album has found new life. It kicks off with this snappy, rockabilly romp that has the inmates whistling and shouting in appreciation. Alive at Brushy Mountain also includes versions of “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Why Me, Lord” and “Gospel Train,” but the bulk of the repertoire was freshly penned by Collie and his collaborators. Highly recommended.

GRADY SKELTON/Girl I Love
Writer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Clayton Corn; Label: Gamagrass (www.gradyskelton.com)
—The current single from Skelton’s Live Simply CD is a hearty, drawling, endearing and irresistibly jaunty ditty that rumbles along with such good will that you can’t help smiling. Feel-good Texas music, tailor made for summertime. Producer Corn is Pat Green’s keyboard player and Skelton has also worked with folks associated with Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Eli Young Band and other mainstays of the Lone Star State.

LADY ANTEBELLUM/Wanted You More
Writers: Dave Haywood/Charles Kelley/Hillary Scott/Jason Gambill/Matt Billingslea/Jonathan Long/Dennis Edwards; Publishers: Warner Tamerlane/DWHaywood/Radiobulletspublishing/EMI Foray/Hillary Dawn/Songs to Make Out To/Christina Marie/Ebug/Donelson/Sussman & Associates, BMI/SESAC/ASCAP; Producers: Paul Worley & Lady Antebellum
—Swirling and magical, this has a deeply sensual vibe. The multi-layered percussion, midnight-hour vocal echo, super strings and full-throttle production make this one fabulous listening experience. Co-writers Gambill, Billinslea, Long and Edwards are in the Lady A band, so that’s extra cool.

CHRIS WEBB/D.J. Please
Writer: Chris Webb; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Producer: Gary Sadker: Label: Red Ridge (www.chriswebbcountry.com)
—It’s a plea to a D.J. to play a tune about romance. His smooth, baritone vocal on this ballad is solid, but the tempo is taken so slowly he’s practically having to drag his knuckles along the ground

BLAKE SHELTON/Over
Writers: Paul Jenkins/David Elliott Johnson; Publishers: Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Touch My Music, ASCAP/BMI; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Label: Warner Bros.
—The amped-up choruses on this power ballad are thunderously over the top. He’s a country singer, so give him a country song.

AGAVE POSSE BAND/We’ll Get It On
Writer: Chad Beedy; Publisher: Agave, BMI; Producer: none listed; Label: Agave Posse (www.agaveposse.com)
—Garage country, sounding like it was recorded live in a shed made of corrugated metal. That said, the rhythm-happy band sounds like a raucous good time, and the vocalist has a slap-on-the-back friendliness that’s hard to deny. Worth a spin around the dance floor.

HEIDI NEWFIELD/Why’d You Have to Be So Good
Writers: Jeffrey Steele/Jeremy Popoff; Publisher: Jeffrey Steele/BPJ/EMI April/Jagermaestro, BMI/ASCAP; Producer: Blake Chancey: Label: Sidewalk/Curb
—Her vocal performance burns the house down. The song puts a wet blanket on the blaze.

Marlee Scott To Release Debut Album

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Marlee Scott at the Unbridled Eve Gala. (L-R): Big Ride Entertainment’s Gerry Leiske, Scott, Randy Owen, John Howard. Photo: Doug Fraser/Art Of The Game

Marlee Scott is set to release her first full-length album, Beautiful Maybe, with Big Ride Records on Tues., June 19.

Nearly a year in the making, Beautiful Maybe is comprised of 12 tracks produced by David Kalmusky. Her 2011 single, “Beautiful Maybe” is included on the album along with her current single, “Train Wreck,” which features guest vocals from Vince Gill. Allen Morgan remixed a dance version of “Train Wreck” available at iTunes.

Contributing songwriters include Desmond Child, Sarah Buxton, Blair Daly, Marcus Hummon, Hillary Lindsey, and Troy Verges, among others. Scott co-wrote two titles, “Kiss of Coming Home” and “I Love Hating You.”

“Beautiful Maybe is something I am so proud of,” says Scott. “I really feel like I have come into my own on this project musically.”

Scott recently performed the national anthem and an acoustic set at the Chicago White Sox/Boston Red Sox baseball game in Chicago and is scheduled to perform the song again on ESPN at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. She also appeared at an Unbridled Eve Gala in conjunction with the Kentucky Derby in Louisville.

Beautiful Maybe track list:
“Beautiful Maybe”
“Jane Doe”
“I Love Hating You”
“I Won’t Love You Anymore”
“I’m Not Your Baby Anymore”
“Let It Rain”
“Planet Of Your Own”
“Rhinestone In The Rough”
“Crazy For You”
“Kiss Of Coming Home”
“Train Wreck”
“Life Is Not A Movie”

Gilbert’s “Halfway To Heaven” Goes Gold

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(L-R): Back Row—Harry Lyons, Justin Key, Kelsey Chandler, Megan Knutson, Whitney Sutton, John Zarling, Annie Ortmeier, George Briner, Jake Basden, Erik Powell, Jimmy Chapin; Middle Row—Matthew Hargis, Jimmy Harnen, Sandi Spika Borchetta, Scott Borchetta, Brantley Gilbert, Allison Jones, Kelly Rich, Brittney McKenna; Front Row—Wayne Milligan, Andrew Kautz, Nikki Burns, Seth Hellman. Photo: Chase Reynolds

Before Saturday night’s (5/5) sold-out concert at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville, Brantley Gilbert was surprised with a gold plaque to commemorate sales of over 500,000 copies of Halfway to Heaven. His Big Machine Label Group family, and booking agency CAA hosted a pre-show celebration for the accolade.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Brantley and are not only celebrating a gold record but that Halfway to Heaven is now officially halfway to platinum,” said Big Machine Label Group President & CEO Scott Borchetta.

The album features the gold-certified, No. 1 hit, “Country Must Be Country Wide,” as well as his current Top 15 single, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.”

Chosen for an opening slot on Eric Church’s Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour, Gilbert played a rockin’ 45-minute set that had the crowd on their feet with their fists in the air.

For tour dates and more, visit Gilbert’s Facebook page.

CMHoF To Open Patsy Cline Cameo Exhibit

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The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will honor Patsy Cline with the cameo exhibition Patsy Cline: Crazy for Loving You, which opens in the Museum’s East Gallery on August 24, 2012, and runs through June 2013.

“Patsy Cline is an American music icon and perhaps the most accessible artist in country music history,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “Though she recorded for only eight years and made her last record nearly 50 years ago, her body of work—those classic torch songs and ballads of heartache—have continued to resonate with music fans of all genres. While she considered herself a country singer, she was equally adept at pop stylings, and was a key influence in bringing the two genres closer stylistically in the 1960s….Our exhibit will also offer visitors a look at the woman behind the songs, the firecracker who overcame childhood hardships to emerge as one of the most important artists of the 20th century.”

Patsy Cline: Crazy for Loving You will be accompanied by an ongoing series of programs throughout the exhibit’s duration.

 

Rachele Lynae Expands Single Promotion To Dance Clubs

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Rachele Lynae

Rachele Lynae’s new single “Party ‘Til The Cows Come Home” is gaining traction in dance clubs and at radio. Jamie O’Neal’s Momentum Label Group tapped Marco Club Connection to promote its flagship artist to dance clubs, and highlighted Lynae’s video with a DownCast video news release.

Nashvillechoreography.com’s Kevin Andrews created a line dance for the track, and award-winner Trey Fanjoy directed the video which showcases the dance.

“This song is a perfect vehicle to introduce Rachele into the Country dance club scene,” says Bobbe Morhiser, Marco Club Connection’s Manager/Venue Marketing. “Early testing by club DJs has been very positive, with many outlets adding the single right out of the box. Normally it might take several weeks after a song is released to radio before they add a song to their playlist. Many venue DJs work at local radio stations, and club spins can often translate into airplay on those stations and websites.”

DownCast launched a campaign this week (view it here) that showcases Lynae’s video and other artists who have benefited from dance club hits in recent years including Luke Bryan, Laura Bell Bundy, Jake Owen and Gloriana. DownCast, a joint venture between AristoMedia and Travis Television, distributes EPKs and VNRs to approximately 10,000 U.S. and international media outlets.

Todd Fritsch Preps Digital Release

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Todd Fritsch will release his latest album, Up Here In The Saddle (Saddle Up Records),  June 26 on iTunes. The CD is already available for purchase at Fritsch’s live shows and autographed pre-orders can be placed on his website.

The title track features hit songwriter Dean Dillon on a duet with Fritsch. Other songs are penned by Nashville’s finest including Ashley Gorley, Kent Blazey, Al Anderson and Scotty Emerick.

Fritsch released several Country singles before a roping accident and injury left him in a three-year recovery. His upcoming project, with producer Butch Baker, will be the first music he has released since.

“Everything was going my way, and then it all just ground to a halt,” said Fritsch. “But I focused on what I could do instead of what I couldn’t do and that kept me going.”

TRACK LISTING:
1.  My Kind Of Crowd (Bryan Simpson/Ashley Gorley/Wade Allen Kirby)
2.  Calls I Haven’t Made (Fred Wilhelm/Michael Terrence Post)
3.  That Ain’t Gonna Fly (Wes Hightower/Tony Martin)
4.  In A Song (Doug Johnson/John Ramey)
5.  Love Never Goes Out Of Style (Bryan Simpson/Ashley Gorley/Wade Allen Kirby)
6.  Texas Girl (Matt Caldwell/Nate Barrett/Kent Blazy)
7.  Horses He Can’t Ride Anymore (Dean Dillon/Al Anderson/Scott Emerick)
8.  Top Of My List (Dean Dillon/John Northrup)
9.  It Don’t Hurt To Ask (Dean Dillon/Roxie Dean/Jeremy Spillman)
10.  Up Here In The Saddle [with Dean Dillon] (Dillon/Buddy Brock/Will Nance)
11.  Like I Wasn’t Even There (Wes Hightower/Tim Mensy/Monty Criswell)
12.  That Girl’s Got A Cowboy’s Heart (Dean Dillon/Scott Emerick/Tim Ryan)

Lady A to Debut Single Tonight on “The Voice”

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Lady Antebellum will debut single “Wanted You More” on the season finale of NBC’s The Voice tonight (5/8) at 8:00PM CT where Justin Bieber, Flo Rida and Hall And Oates are also scheduled to perform.

“Wanted You More” was released to radio yesterday (5/7). The song was penned by the trio along with band members Jason Gambill, Jonathan Long, Dennis Edwards and musician Matt Billingslea.

“One of the added benefits of being out on the road so much is the time it gives us during the day to write,” said Lady A’s Dave Haywood. “The three of us love writing together, but it’s always special when something starts organically with the guys in our band.”

Wednesday (5/9) and Thursday (5/10) Lady A will appear on Anderson to surprise a member of the studio audience with tickets to a sold out Own The Night 2012 World Tour date (check local listings).

Fans can catch the tour this weekend in Jacksonville, FL (5/10), Tampa, FL (5/11) and West Palm Beach, FL (5/12). For a full listing of upcoming appearances and tour dates, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

To preview “Wanted You More,” click here: www.thegreenroompr.com/ladyantebellum.html

That’s My “InCharge” Story. What’s Yours?

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In the current print issue of MusicRow InCharge, Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson shares the story of his career path from Arthur Andersen & Co. (pre-Enron) in the 90’s to Nashville’s Music Industry Publication, MusicRow. He discusses the executives profiled in the InCharge magazine who helped guide his way and made a huge impact on his career.

“These pages in InCharge list the most influential people in our industry, but that influence is not limited to artists, their music and our industry’s commerce. That influence affects us all in unique and personal ways through our relationships, our careers and even our friendships,” says Robertson.

Many people on the Row have stories about how the decision makers in InCharge have impacted their careers, or maybe how the magazine itself led to opportunities.

We would love to hear YOUR story.

Email your story to Sarah Skates at [email protected] or call me directly at 499-5419.

Here’s my story:

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In the summer of 1999 my parents took me to freshman orientation at MTSU. Recording Industry professor Matthew O’Brien held up a copy of InCharge, and instructed the group of incoming music business students to subscribe to MusicRow. Learning the players was key to our success, he told us. Thankfully, my very supportive Dad went home to LaFayette, Georgia and signed me up for a subscription.

Sarah Skates

The magazines and emails came steadily over the next few years. I read “Bobby Karl Works The Room” and tried to keep up with the names and faces on the pages. The InCharge issue came in handy for research, like the time I was going to SOLID Shadow Day to follow Curb’s Drew Alexander. And the Artist Roster was helpful when I needed to find a manager to interview for class. It led me to Daniel Miller at Borman Entertainment who graciously agreed to help a MTSU student.

Fast forward to graduation in 2003. It was time to find a real job in the music business. I’d interned in the DreamWorks publicity department under Summer Harman, but the label’s impending merger with UMG meant they weren’t hiring.

I landed behind the ticket counter at the Country Music Hall of Fame. That six-month gig proved extremely valuable as I wandered the galleries, getting a much needed crash course in the history of Country music.

My MusicRow subscription had become more important than ever, as I scanned every email and issue for job leads. One day, I saw a tiny classified ad for a part-time writer at the magazine in the @MusicRow email. The requirement: “Must love country music.” I interviewed a few times, submitted writing samples, and MusicRow founder David Ross took a chance on me. As a board member of The Hall, he liked that I was working there and it helped my resume stand out from the rest. That customer service position was a key stepping stone, just as the DreamWorks internship helped my application stand out to hiring managers at The Hall.

If it weren’t for that copy of InCharge at freshman orientation in 1999, I wouldn’t be here today, helping compile, write and edit the valuable information presented in that very magazine. Eight years after joining MusicRow, my profile is among the players I read and write about. I am grateful to everyone who helped me along the way. That’s my InCharge story. What’s yours?

Photo Tuesday (5/8/12)

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On May 5, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum celebrated the musical legacy of Jerry Reed c.g.p. with a special concert. Fellow certified guitar player (c.g.p.) John Knowles, and Reed’s friends and colleagues paid tribute to the late guitarist and songwriter in celebration of what would have been his 75th birthday on March 20. The concert was offered in support of the special exhibition Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player, made possible through the support of the Gretsch Company with additional support provided by Great American Country Television Network.

(L-R): Thom Bresh, Ric McClure, Darrell Toney, Craig Dobbins, Julie Adams, Richard Smith, John Knowles c.g.p., Seidina Reed, Chip Young, Will Barrow, Sean Weaver, Steve Bryant and Mark Thorton.

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Show Dog – Universal Music artist JT Hodges recently wrapped shooting a music video for his new single, “Goodbyes Made You Mine,” which world premiered on CMT’s Big New Music Weekend April 27.

(L-R) Back Row: manager Alex Bridge, Bridge Artist Management; George Nunes, GM, Show Dog-Universal Music and Natalie Moore, Show Dog-Universal Music Director of Artist Development and Creative Services. Front Row: Hodges, video director Mason Dixon and Samantha Lockwood, actress in the music video.

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Canaan Smith (L) and Kristian Bush (R)

Mercury Records singer/songwriter Canaan Smith invited label and tour mate Kristian Bush of Sugarland to perform with him at the Grand Ole Opry. They teamed for Smith’s single “We Got Us.”

“Friday night was my fourth performance on the Grand Ole Opry and I gotta say it was the most exciting for me,” enthused Canaan. “Being on that legendary stage with someone as influential and talented as Kristian Bush was overwhelming. That moment will be hard to top.”

Canaan is currently on tour with Sugarland on their In Your Hands Tour. Their next stop is in Los Angeles at the Greek Theatre on May 22.