Artist Updates (4/14/14)

Natalie Stovall and the Drive will make their Grand Ole Opry debut on Tuesday, May 6. Frontwoman Stovall spent part of her childhood performing in Opryland’s Kids Club at the Opryland theme park in Nashville.
The band, signed with HitShop Records, is promoting their current single, “Baby Come On With It.”

                                                            • • •

On Saturday, April 26 at Woodlawn Cemetery, friends and fans of the late George Jones are invited to celebrate his legacy as Nancy Jones will plant two dogwood trees at the “He Stopped Loving Her Today” monument. The event will begin at 1 p.m.; Woodlawn Cemetery is located at 660 Thompson Lane in Nashville.
“This day is going to be bittersweet,” says Nancy Jones. “I know how much people loved George, and the love has continued even a year later. I am so fortunate for the friends and fans that George and I made through the years. I want everyone to come celebrate with us, not because he is no longer with us, but to keep his legacy alive.”

• • •

James House will release his first Country project in more than 10 years, Broken Glass Twisted Steel, on April 29 (Victor House Records). House is known for penning Dwight Yoakam’s “Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” Martina McBride’s “A Broken Wing,” and Diamond Rio’s “In A Week or Two.”

According to House, “I’d been toying with the idea of putting together a Greatest Hits CD, but then I started getting calls from the editor of a magazine in England called Up Country, telling me that my music was having a resurgence over there. That’s all I needed to go back into the studio. I’d written some new songs I wanted to record, so I thought, why not?”

• • •

Sara Evans is partnering with the makers of Hidden Valley Original Ranch products on a program that aims to help moms during the most hectic time of their day between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. Hidden Valley’s limited-edition “Twist on Tonight” activity box from Surprise Ride, available through June 30, gets kids involved in family meal preparation. Evans helped design the kits, as well as a playlist that is included as the soundtrack for meal times.

               • • •

Dustin Lynch co-hosted a recent Nashville event launching jewelry and timepiece designer David Yurman‘s Frontier collection. Guests were treated to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as they previewed Yurman’s latest collection. Part of the evening’s proceeds supported the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.