Music Row Veteran Don Light Passes

/by

Don Light

Don Light


Revered Music Row veteran Don Light died on June 17, leaving behind a wide-ranging legacy comprised of establishing the first Gospel music booking agency, co-founding the Gospel Music Association, and discovering Jimmy Buffett.
The Tennessee native’s entree into the music business came as a drummer on the Grand Ole Opry. Next, he helped lead Billboard’s Nashville outpost.
He noticed a need for a Gospel booking agency and opened Don Light Talent in 1965, representing groups including the Happy Goodman Family and The Oak Ridge Boys. He eventually signed the Chuck Wagon Gang, Governor Jimmie Davis, The Florida Boys, the Lewis Family, the Rex Nelon Singers, the Cathedral Quartet, the Singing Rambos, Wendy Bagwell & the Sunliters, and the Thrasher Brothers.
In the ’70s Light added record producer and artist manager to his multi-faceted repertoire, producing more than 50 albums and discovering and managing a diverse roster of artists such as Buffet, the Oaks, Delbert McClinton, Keith Whitley, Steve Wariner, Marty Stuart and Mark Collie.
Eventually he co-founded the Gospel Music Association, and was very active with the GMA, CMA, Recording Academy, IBMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Fittingly, his work led to induction in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame.
His longtime clients The Steep Canyon Rangers shared this rememberance with MusicRow:

We were approached backstage at Graves Mountain Bluegrass Festival in June of 2004 by a slender, well dressed gray haired man named Don Light. He watched as we were warming up for our set and mentioned that he would be interested in talking to us about becoming our manager. We had not even played our show, but he said he heard a sound that he liked and thought he could help us. A few weeks later we were in Nashville and had a meeting with Don Light in his Music Row office (formerly Chet Atkins’ office) and a relationship between Don Light—he only liked to be referred to by his first and last name, which he made very clear early on—and Steep Canyon Rangers was formed. Over the next seven and a half years we were proud to have Don Light Talent, with Julie Pennell, represent our group. The more we grew to know Don Light, the more we understood stood why his reputation in Nashville was impeccable. We loved his connection to old Nashville and his belief in our band was instrumental to us. The 2006 IBMA Emerging Artist award and our relationship with the Grand Ole Opry were two accomplishments among the many we achieved through Don Light. Being bluegrassers, we could sit in his office and hear stories about Lester Flatt and Keith Whitley all day! Don Light was full of great advice, one liners, striking smiles, but he was also a careful and thoughtful listener. His interest in bluegrass later in his career was a blessing for us and other groups who were fortunate to benefit from his experience and wisdom. We’re grateful to have known and worked with Don Light and will try to someday justify his belief that we “could be important.” He was that and more to us.

 

WME's Nashville Office To Relocate to the Gulch

/by

wme sliderWilliam Morris Endeavor (WME) is slated to move its Nashville office to an upcoming 15-story office tower in the Gulch area.
WME will relocate 80 staff members from its current location at 1600 Division Street to a 26,000 square feet space in the new building in 2016. The building, which Eakin Partners will begin work on this summer, will be located at 1201 Demonbreun Street, at the corner of 12th Ave. S and Demonbreun, next to condominium tower Twelve Twelve.
Recently Kevin Neal, former president of Buddy Lee Attractions, joined William Morris Endeavor, bringing with him Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Colt Ford and Parmalee. Additional clients represented by WME include Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Eric Church, Lee Brice, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton.
Partners at WME’s Nashville office include Rob Beckham, Joey Lee, Greg Oswald, Jay Williams and Kevin Neal.

2014 MusicRow Awards Winners Announced

/by

MusicRow-AwardsMusicRow Magazine presented its 26th annual subscriber-voted MusicRow Awards earlier this evening (June 18) during a ceremony hosted by BMI at the performing rights organization’s Nashville offices. The awards event, led by MusicRow Publisher and Owner Sherod Robertson, recognized the 2014 Breakthrough Artist, Breakthrough Songwriter, Song of the Year and Producer of the Year. Additionally, Top Ten Album All-Star Musician Awards were presented to session players who performed on the most top ten albums during the eligibility period.
26th Annual MusicRow Award Winners
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year—(tie) Cole Swindell, Sony/ATV, BMI. Hit(s): “Chillin’ It,” written with Shane Minor, recorded by Cole Swindell; “Get Me Some of That,” written with Michael Carter and Rhett Akins, recorded by Thomas Rhett; “This Is How We Roll,” written with Luke Bryan, Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, recorded by Florida Georgia Line.
(tie) Nicolle Galyon, Warner/Chappell, BMI; Hit(s): “Automatic,” recorded by Miranda Lambert; “We Were Us,” written with Jimmy Robbins and Jon Nite, recorded by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert
Producer of the Year—Frank Liddell
Breakthrough Artist of the Year—Brandy Clark (Slate Creek Records)
Song of the Year— “All Kinds of Kinds” by Phillip Coleman and Don Henry. Publishers: Gravitron, Carnival, Warner-Tamerlane; SESAC/BMI. Producers: Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay and Glenn Worf
Top 10 Album All-Star Musician Awards
Vocals—Wes Hightower
Keys—Charles Judge
Guitar—Ilya Toshinsky
Steel—Russ Pahl
Bass—Jimmie Lee Sloas
Fiddle—Aubrey Haynie
Drums— Greg Morrow
Engineer—Justin Niebank
An in-depth look at the award recipients can be found in MusicRow’s June/July 2014 print edition, available now. The MusicRow Awards is one of three annual events hosted by MusicRow. Others include Rising Women on the Row and the CountryBreakout Awards.

APA Signs Keith Anderson

/by

keith anderson1111

Keith Anderson


APA has signed Keith Anderson to its country music roster. Anderson’s Top 10 hits include “Pickin’ Wildflowers,” “Every Time I Hear Your Name,” and “I Still Miss You.”
“Keith has a wealth of talent,” commented APA Nashville Sr. Vice President Steve Hauser. “His songwriting and live shows are top-notch. We are excited to have him become a part of the APA family.”
“APA’s passion and enthusiasm for live music is contagious,” said Anderson. “The minute I met them, I could feel their energy and excitement. I’m ready to hit the road, and feel so blessed to have them in my corner.”
Anderson’s latest single, “I’ll Bring The Music,” is currently spinning on Sirius XM Radio.

Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon To Celebrate 20th Anniversary

/by

Screen shot 2014-06-18 at 3.10.04 PM1Lonestar, Trick Pony and Ricochet have signed on to celebrate the Wildhorse Saloon‘s 20th anniversary. Since opening in 1994, the Wildhorse has hosted concerts for performers in various genres, including artists such as Alan Jackson, Foreigner, Bret Michaels, Sugarland, Ringo Starr, Rick Springfield, and Craig Morgan.
The 20th anniversary concert will take place Thursday, June 19, at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 6 p.m.
Richochet, Trick Pony and Lonestar all got their start at the Wildhorse Saloon, a three-level historic warehouse located on 2nd Avenue in Nashville that was converted into a 66,000-square-foot live entertainment venue in 1994. An estimated 1.5 million music fans visit the Wildhorse Saloon each year.
For more information, visit wildhorsesaloon.com.

YouTube Battles With Indies Over Royalties

/by

youtubeThe upcoming launch of YouTube’s subscription service has rights holders, particularly indies, wondering how it will affect them.
Independent labels have not reached an agreement with the Google-owned video site over how royalties will be dolled out when it debuts an ad-free paid subscription service.
Because an agreement hasn’t been reached, YouTube’s head of content and business operations Robert Kyncl, told the Financial Times that YouTube will start blocking the indies’ videos “in a matter of days.”
In retaliation for refusing YouTube’s terms about the paid subscription service, YouTube could remove content from those labels from its ad-supported streaming service as well, notes Billboard. This means the labels would lose that income stream. Additionally, because it is the responsibility of rights holders to request the removal of infringing work, YouTube might leave music from those labels up on its site but refuse to monetize it with advertising.

Industry Pics (6/18/14)

/by

BMI recently sponsored an intimate concert from two-time Grammy Award winner Kacey Musgraves at the New York State Broadcaster’s Excellence in Broadcasting Dinner, held in conjunction with their Summer Conference at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. She performed several songs from her debut project Same Trailer, Different Park. The New York State Broadcasters Association represents interests of more than 300 television and radio stations throughout the Empire State.

Pictured (L-R): NYSBA Board Member and President/GM of WLIG-TV David Feinblatt, NASH- FM Retail Sales Manager Rick Morales, Kacey Musgraves, NYSBA Board Member and NASH- FM General Sales Manager Maire Mason and BMI’s Dan Spears.

Pictured (L-R): NYSBA Board Member and President/GM of WLIG-TV David Feinblatt, NASH- FM Retail Sales Manager Rick Morales, Kacey Musgraves, NYSBA Board Member and NASH- FM General Sales Manager Maire Mason and BMI’s Dan Spears.

• • •

The Oak Ridge Boys were honored with an official RIAA commemorative plaque certifying more than 41 million in sales, including numerous Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum album and single certifications. A special presentation was made during the group’s appearance on The Wendy Williams Show.

The Oak Ridge Boys

The Oak Ridge Boys celebrate over 41 million sold

 • • •

The 41st Annual Music City Tennis Invitational 2014 presented $102,000 to the Center for Child Development at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Founded in 1973 by Nashville music industry leaders, MCTI is the longest running music related charity tennis tournament in the country, and has raised over $1.5 million in proceeds from tournament player registrations, corporate sponsors, donors and songwriter showcases to benefit Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Pictured (L-R): MCTI Co-Chair Bill Riddle; MCTI Sponsor Chair Patsy Wells; MCTI Co-Chair Patsy Bradley; Director of the Center for Child Development Dr. Tyler Reimschisel; Luann Mayer Assistant Director of Community Development Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Pictured (L-R): MCTI Co-Chair Bill Riddle; MCTI Sponsor Chair Patsy Wells; MCTI Co-Chair Patsy Bradley; Director of the Center for Child Development Dr. Tyler Reimschisel; Luann Mayer Assistant Director of Community Development Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

CCM+E, Bobby Bones Ink Long-Term Deal

/by

Bobby Bones

Bobby Bones


Clear Channel Media and Entertainment has announced an exclusive long-term agreement with Country radio personality Bobby Bones to renew and expand his relationship with the company.
Under the agreement, Bones will continue in his current role as host of The Bobby Bones Show, which originates from WSIX in Nashville and is nationally syndicated by Premiere Networks. Bones will also continue hosting his weekend programs Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones, as well as Fox Sports Radio’s Bobby Bones.
Bones will also continue to work with CCM+E on a variety of joint ventures including multimedia projects and events, as well as the expansion of his top-rated radio programs.
“In just over a year Bobby and his morning show crew have proven they have a remarkable talent for entertaining and engaging the Country music community, while driving results for our partners,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of Clear Channel. “We’re committed to providing the best and most relevant programming to diverse audiences across America, and The Bobby Bones Show connects with listeners across multiple platforms. Bobby is an incredible talent and we look forward to collaborating on many exciting projects to come.”
“The past year with Clear Channel and Premiere has been a tremendous ride,” said Bobby Bones. “I started dreaming about a career in radio when I was about five years old — if I’d known it was going to work out this well, I’d have started earlier. The whole crew on The Bobby Bones Show is grateful for the support we’ve received from Bob Pittman, Rich Bressler, Darren Davis, Julie Talbott, Jennifer Leimgruber, Rod Phillips and Clay Hunnicutt. We look forward to keeping it real with our audience as we grow.”
The new long-term partnership between Bobby Bones, CCM+E and Premiere Networks was overseen by Paul B. Anderson, Principal & CEO of Workhouse Media. “Bobby has the kind of personality that connects with a large national audience while keeping his connection to listeners genuine and personal, every day,” said Anderson.

Artist Updates (6/18/14)

/by

ray stevens1Ray Stevens will release his memoir, Ray Stevens’ Nashville, on Father & Son Publishing, Inc. on June 22. The memoir details Stevens’ life and career, from his childhood in Clarkdale, Ga., to his journey to Nashville. Co-written with Stevens’ longtime business associate Cyrus “Buddy” Kalb, the book recounts numerous highlights in Stevens’ career, including forming a long-lasting friendship with Chet Atkins, producing Dolly Parton, and recording with Waylon Jennings and Elvis Presley. It also chronicles his hits including “The Streak,” “Mississippi Squirrel Revival,” “Everything Is Beautiful,” and more.

                                            • • •

amy grant1111111Amy Grant will bring new life to some of her biggest hits with her first remix album, In Motion: The Remixes, which will release Aug. 19. The project will feature remixes of “Baby Baby,” “Every Heartbeat,” “That’s What Love Is For,” “Better Than A Hallelujah,” and more.
The project can be pre-ordered beginning July 22. When fans pre-order, they will instantly receive the song “Baby Baby,” remixed by Dave Aude. The original version topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991.

 • • •

RPME Records artist and Maryland native Maggie Rose won The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) local 2013 Emmy Award on Saturday (June 14) at the 56th Emmy Awards gala. She co-wrote and performed “Get Ya Game On” for Comcast SportsNet as the theme for their coverage of the National Football League’s Washington Redskins throughout the 2013 season.
Maggie’s parents, Lizz and Steve Durante, were on hand to accept the award on their daughter’s behalf at the 56th Emmy Awards Gala. On Tuesday (June 16), the singer received the Emmy Award while shooting a new version of the “Get Ya Game On” promo in Nashville for the upcoming 2014 NFL season.

Pictured (L-R): Comcast SportsNet Managing Editor Joe Yasharoff, Maggie Rose, Producer & Co-Writer Jim Wes, Comcast SportsNet Sr. Director of Marketing & Creative Services Austin Krablin.

Pictured (L-R): Comcast SportsNet Managing Editor Joe Yasharoff, Maggie Rose, Producer & Co-Writer Jim Wes, Comcast SportsNet Sr. Director of Marketing & Creative Services Austin Krablin.

 • • •

tim mcgraw mens health1Tim McGraw will be featured on a double cover of Men’s Health. The article reveals how McGraw maintains a healthy shape and lifestyle while on tour.
The special summer issue is available for download now and will be on newstands June 24.

                                                         • • •

Emily West recently auditioned for America’s Got Talent. She performed a soulful country version of “Sea of Love.” West previously resided in Nashville and recently moved to New York City. West was previously signed to a Nashville label, and released the singles “Rocks In Your Shoes,” “That Kind of Happy,” and “Blue Sky” (featuring Keith Urban).
Watch West’s audition below.

Chris Tomlin Top Winner at BMI Christian Awards

/by

The night’s big winners gather for a photo at the 2014 BMI Christian Awards in Nashville. Pictured are (l-r): BMI's Phil Graham, Song of the Year writer Scott Cash, Publisher of the Year Eddie DeGarmo of Capitol CMG Publishing, BMI's Leslie Roberts, Song of the Year writer Ed Cash, Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year writer Chris Tomlin, Songwriter of the Year Brandon Heath, and BMI's Jody Williams. Photo by John Russell

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Phil Graham, Song of the Year writer Scott Cash, Publisher of the Year Eddie DeGarmo of Capitol CMG Publishing, BMI’s Leslie Roberts, Song of the Year writer Ed Cash, Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year writer Chris Tomlin, Songwriter of the Year Brandon Heath, and BMI’s Jody Williams. Photo by John Russell


BMI feted some of the top songs on Christian radio over the past year at Tuesday evening’s (June 17) BMI Christian Awards, held at the organization’s Nashville offices. Hosted by BMI Director, Writer/Publisher relations Leslie Roberts, the elegant celebration honored the year’s most performed songs in Christian rock, contemporary Christian, inspirational, southern and urban gospel.
“Tonight is a celebration of partnerships at work,” said BMI’s Jody Williams, in welcoming attendees. Indeed, as many of Christian music’s top artists also co-wrote many of their hits, the Songwriter of the Year category featured a six-way win. Winners for Songwriter of the Year included Casting Crowns’ Mark Hall (“Already There,” “Jesus, Friend Of Sinners”), Aaron Lindsey (“It’s Not Over [When God Is In It],” “My Testimony”), TobyMac (“Steal My Show,” “You Lead”), Brandon Heath (“Jesus in Disguise,” “Steal My Show”), Matt Maher (“Lord, I Need You,” “White Flag”) and Chris Tomlin (“Whom Shall I Fear [God of Angel Armies],” “White Flag”).
Tomlin was the evening’s big winner, earning his first Christian Song of the Year honor for “Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies),” which was featured on Tomlin’s Burning Lights project, and co-written by BMI songwriters Ed Cash and Scott Cash, and published by Alletrop Music, McTyeire Music, S.D.G. Publishing, sixsteps Songs, and Worship Together Music.
“Thank you for this and letting me be part of this family,” said Tomlin. “I think about how we all stand on other peoples’ shoulders. I think about people like Louie Giglio, and like Ed Cash. We wrote this, and I felt like it was a song the whole world needed to hear. We are living in a time of fear, but we are a people of faith, not of fear. I’m honored to share these songs.”
The evening was not only about honoring music, but experiencing music. Danny Gokey showcased his polished stage presence and versatile, soul-infused pop tenor on the radio-worthy “Hope In Front of Me” and “More Than You Think I Am.” His first Christian project, Hope In Front of Me, will be released June 24.
Jon Guerra gave a stirring acoustic performance of two songs from his EP Glass, including “Stained Glass” and “I Will Follow.” “This is very different, releasing music with people who do that for a living. When I was releasing music on my own, it just involved a tweet and a call to my mom. It’s a little more involved now,” he quipped.
With the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs, Capitol CMG Publishing earned the title of Christian Publisher of the Year.