Luke Bryan To Perform at Billboard Music Awards

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Luke Bryan. Photo: Joseph Llanes

Luke Bryan. Photo: Joseph Llanes


Luke Bryan is one of the first performers named for the upcoming Billboard Music Awards, along with Imagine Dragons, John Legend and OneRepublic. Jason Derulo was previously announced as a performer.
The Billboard Music Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 18, on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Bryan is a finalist in six categories this year, more than any other Country artist. His nominations include Top Male Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Country Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Country Album and Top Country Song (twice, for “Crash My Party” and “That’s My Kind of Night”).
For a full list of nominees, visit musicrow.com’s previous listing.

Writer's Den Music Group Inks Deal With Tom Worth

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Pictured (L-R, seated): John Rolfe, Writer's Den attorney; Tom Worth; Bobby Rymer, Writer's Den partner. (L-R), standing) - Writer's Den staff writers Ben Cooper, Jerry Salley, Melissa Fuller and Thom Schuyler.

Pictured (L-R, seated): John Rolfe, Writer’s Den attorney; Tom Worth; Bobby Rymer, Writer’s Den partner. (L-R, standing): Writer’s Den staff writers Ben Cooper, Jerry Salley, Melissa Fuller and Thom Schuyler.


The Writer’s Den Music Group has signed songwriter and musician Tom Worth.
“Tom has such a positive enthusiasm about everything that he does, and he brings it everyday,” said Writer’s Den partner Bobby Rymer. “I’m looking forward to a lot of those days.”
Worth is a native of New York, Worth fulfilled a childhood dream this past year by performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage. His songs have been recorded by Country artists The Josh Abbott Band (“Hot Water,” “All Of a Sudden”) and Due West, dance/electronica artist Ella, and numerous others. His music has also been used for a theme song on Discovery Network and NBC Sports and has been featured on MTV’s Road Rules, ABC’s Forming The Band, ABC Family’s Jane By Design, and many others.

Round Hill Music Signs Trey Bruce

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Trey Bruce


Round Hill Music has signed a worldwide publishing deal and joint venture with songwriter/producer Trey Bruce.
“I’m really excited to be represented by this group of talented executives and music shepherds. In some ways Round Hill is a bit of a homecoming for me, and I couldn’t be more thrilled and inspired,” Bruce says.
Bruce’s “Things Are Tough All Over” became a hit for Shelby Lynn, followed by cuts for Randy Travis, including the chart-topping singles: “Look Heart No Hands,” “Spirit Of A Boy, Wisdom Of A Man,” and “Whisper My Name.” Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Trace Adkins, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood, Gary Allan, Reba McEntire, Gloriana, and Marty Stuart have also recorded his songs.
Bruce’s “Where’s The Hope” won an Emmy for Best Song; “This Is Your Moment” was featured on The Biggest Loser and American Idol. In 2013, he celebrated his third No. 1 Australian hit with Dianna Corcoran‘s “Therapy” along with the Rick Rubin-produced ZZ Top cut, “Heartache In Blue”, and Alabama‘s first studio single in over a decade, “All Americans.”
Jonnie “Most” Davis, Sr. VP, A&R at Round Hill Music says, “Trey and I were old friends from the first day we met. He is relentless in his pursuit of song greatness and has never been one to chase fads, take shortcuts, or rest on his prior achievements, which are many. Trey has a well established pedigree in Nashville, and I couldn’t be more proud to have him join the Round Hill family.”

Weekly Chart Report (4/11/14)

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chart report 4:11Click here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report

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Taylor Swift Lands New Publicist

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Tree Paine. Photo: Nashville Lifestyles

Tree Paine


Warner Music Nashville’s Sr. VP Publicity Tree Paine is set to leave WMN on May 31 to launch Premium PR, MusicRow has confirmed. She will begin in her new role June 1. Her first client is Taylor Swift. Paine fills a role previously occupied by Paula Erickson, who resigned earlier this year.
Prior to working with WMN in 2007, Paine worked at the Academy of Country Music.
WMN is currently working to fill its Sr. VP position.

MusicRowPics: Carlene Carter

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Carlene Carter artist visit

Carlene Carter artist visit


When selecting songs for her latest album, Carter Girl, Carlene Carter certainly had no shortage of material to choose from. Carter, a third generation member of the Carter Family, comes from an immensely talented bloodline. Her grandmother is Mother Maybelle Carter, and her mother is June Carter Cash. June, along with sisters Helen and Anita, comprised The Carter Sisters. Carlene’s father is Country singer Carl Smith.
Carlene Carter comes full circle on Carter Girl (Rounder Records), reviving several classic Carter songs, along with some of her own creations. The album includes several songs penned by A.P. Carter, Mother Maybelle and Sara Carter, the original Carter Family, as well as songs written by her mother and aunts, and a couple of her own compositions, including “Me and the Wildwood Rose” and “Lonesome Valley 2003″ (featuring Vince Gill).
“Mom dubbed [Rosie Nix Adams] Rosie ‘The Wildwood Rose,'” said Carter before performing “Me and the Wildwood Rose” for MusicRow staff. “We would get on the floorboard of the car, and grandma drove. I remember driving all night and getting to a fair and we would watch them perform. After grandma passed in 1978, I wanted to write about what those days meant.” The song was originally included on Carlene’s 1990 project, I Fell In Love.
Other guest vocalists on the project include Kris Kristofferson offers harmony on “Black Jack David.” Elizabeth Cook guests on “Blackie’s Gunman,” while Willie Nelson guests on “Troubled Waters.” Carter Girl also boasts a new version of “I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow,” featuring the guitar work of Cowboy Jack Clement and the voices of Helen, Anita, June and Johnny Cash. “The musicians played along to Cowboy’s original guitar work,” said Carlene. “I redid my vocal on it, and of course at that time [of the original recording], John always wanted to be in the studio, so his voice is on there.”
During her MusicRow visit, she offered up “Lonesome Valley 2003” and  “Little Black Train,” a song the Carter family performed, that Carlene Carter later discovered when she was selecting songs for the project. “Give Me Roses” is a well-crafted reminder to appreciate loved ones while they are still alive. “This is how I view my life and how I want to live it,” she said. Her voice took center stage throughout each song, backed only by her self-accompanying guitar picking in the famous “Carter Scratch” style of guitar playing, characterized by the thumb picking out the melody while the fingers simultaneously brush the strings in rhythm. The Carter Scratch, of course, helped shape the sound of Country music.
Don Was produced the project. “I always wanted to work with Don and I waited to work with him,” said Carlene. “I think that’s the reason it came out so well. He got me to trust my instincts.” she shares. “I wanted to fire myself from playing guitar because I felt we had so many talented guitarists in the studio, but Don said no, they were playing with me. I came to really own these songs as my own, to take them out into the world and keep alive the legacy of the Carter family.”
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Photos: SESAC Songwriters, Cassadee Pope, Lucy Hale

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SESAC hosted an impressive in-the-round performance at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe benefitting Shalom Foundation. The Foundation encourages Christian values by providing humanitarian assistance to children and their families living in extreme poverty.

Pictured (L-R): Songwriter Jaron Boyer, Beverly Herro of Shalom Foundation, SESAC's John Mullins, songwriter/producer Jason Ingram, and songwriters Regie Hamm and Cary Barlowe.

Pictured (L-R): songwriter Jaron Boyer, Beverly Herro of Shalom Foundation, SESAC’s John Mullins, songwriter/producer Jason Ingram, and songwriters Regie Hamm and Cary Barlowe.


• • • •
The Academy of Country Music welcomed singer/actress Lucy Hale to the office earlier this year. While at the Academy, she performed her current chart-climbing single, “You Sound Good To Me” and signed up for professional ACM membership, as part of the Academy’s complimentary one-year membership offered to support emerging artists. Hale will release her country debut album, Road Between, June 3 on DMG Nashville/Bigger Picture Group.
Click here to watch a video from Hale’s visit featuring an exclusive interview and clips from her performance.
Lucy Hale performs at the Academy of Country Music in Encino, CA. Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

Lucy Hale performs at the Academy of Country Music in Encino, CA. Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of ACM


• • • •
Following the ACM Awards, Cassadee Pope returned to Nashville on Tuesday (April 8) to perform the national anthem and kick off ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship game between the victorious UConn and the opposing Notre Dame. Earlier in the afternoon, Pope amped up the energy at the Music City Center’s Tourney Town presented by Capital One. She will join Tim McGraw’s Sundown Heaven Town 2014 Tour this summer.
Cassadee Pope performs before The University of Connecticut takes on Notre Dame University during the Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Bridestone Arena in Nashville. Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos

Cassadee Pope performs before The University of Connecticut takes on Notre Dame University during the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos

Book Signings By Josh Turner and Jim Rooney

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josh turnerJosh Turner will be at Lifeway Christian Store (1725 Galleria Blvd., Franklin, Tenn.), on Tues., April 22 from 6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. to sign copies of his first book, Man Stuff: Thoughts on Faith, Family and Fatherhood.
Releasing nationwide April 29 with Thomas Nelson, an imprint of Harper Collins Christian Publishing, Man Stuff shares stories Turner has learned over the years as a son, brother, friend, husband and father.
• • • •
jim rooneyJim Rooney will sign copies of his memoir In It for the Long Run: A Musical Odyssey on April 23 and 24 in Nashville. There will be a reading and signing at Parnassus Books on Wed., April 23 at 6:30 p.m.; and a barbecue, reading and signing at Station Inn on Thurs., April 24 at 6 p.m. followed by his quarterly show with Rooney’s Irregulars at 9 p.m.
Rooney’s five-decade career includes time as a performer, concert promoter, songwriter, music publisher, engineer, and record producer. He worked at the Newport Folk Festival when Bob Dylan “went electric” and moved to Nashville in the 1970s where he worked with John Prine, Iris Dement, Nanci Griffith and Hal Ketchum.

Auditions For ABC's New Singing Competition

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rising starAuditions for ABC’s new singing competition Rising Star will be held tomorrow (April 11) in Nashville.
On Rising Star, the audience has the final say in real time. The show follows a group of aspiring singers as they perform live. During the performances, viewers vote in real time via an app to determine if the singer will advance in the competition. If the voting reaches a certain threshold, the performer moves on. In addition, the performer can see how the voting is going throughout the performance, so the feedback is immediate and dramatic.
Aspiring singers are encouraged to visit www.abc.com/risingstar more information on the audition process. Solo vocalists, duos and vocal groups (up to five members) can register to audition in person, online or via Instagram. Nominations for a friend or family member are also accepted.
Based on a hit show from Israel, the U.S. series is helmed by executive producers Ken Warwick (American Idol) and Nicolle Yaron (The Voice).

Artist Updates (4/10/14)

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Granger Smith


Country music artist Granger Smith’s notorious ‘country-boy’ alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., will be making waves on national TV as a regular cast member on CMT’s new viral video countdown show FNA USA, which premieres tonight at 10 P.M. ET/ 9 P.M CT. Produced by Juma Entertainment, FNA USA will explore various pop culture trends and viral sensations to which Dibbles will lend his blunt commentary.
The show will debut with six one-hour episodes. Earl Dibbles Jr. made his national TV debut in the Fall of 2013 when he landed his own weekly segment on CBS Sports Network’s Inside College Football Live.
In addition to the new television gig, Granger is partnering with The Boot Campaign (501c3) again to support our troops by walking 100-miles in combat boots. Granger personally founded the 100-Mile Boot Walk and the 4th Annual Boot Walk will take place on May 4-8, 2014.

 • • •

natalie stovall11Natalie Stovall and The Drive will make their national live TV performance debut when they visit “Imus in the Morning” on Fox Business on Tuesday, April 15. The band will perform five songs including their lead single, “Baby Come On With It,” during the 6-9 a.m. ET block.
Natalie Stovall and The Drive’s debut album, produced by GRAMMY winner Paul Worley (The Band Perry, Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum), is expected this fall.

      • • •

Tenth Avenue North

Tenth Avenue North


Tenth Avenue North has been making the 10th day of every month a special day for fans. Starting in January, the band released a deluxe version of The Struggle, debuted a new video journal, hosted online chats and celebrated selling their one millionth record.
This month’s special feature is a live broadcast from Nashville’s Blackbird Studios starting at 9:10 A.M. CST  on April 10 while the band records their new album. The band will also do a Q&A on Facebook at 3:10 p.m. with fans.