Jaren Johnston

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Troubadour Society, a community of young music industry leaders, is hosting a New Year Kickoff.

Featuring a performance by Grammy-nominated songwriter and The Cadillac Three’s front man Jaren Johnston, the Troubadour Society’s 2015 Kickoff Party will be held on Monday, Jan. 26 and is open only to Troubadour Society members. This event—complete with food, drinks, and the performance–allows industry members to network and to tour the museum’s galleries.

Today through Jan. 26, Troubadour Society Membership is being offered for only $50—a 20 percent discount on the annual membership fee. Members receive unlimited museum admission, invitations to quarterly networking events, including the members-only opening reception for the museum’s new feature exhibition, “Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City” on Friday, March 27, and more.

Those interested can visit the Troubadour Society’s webpage and use the code KICKOFF15, or contact [email protected].

Julianne Drenon

Tom and Julianne Drenon tragically lost their house to a fire yesterday (Jan. 15). Julianne, CEO of Creekhouse Entertainment, has managed artist Josh Thompson for approximately eight years, while Tom is the drummer for Darryl Worley. The couple has a five-year-old daughter.

Tom suffered third degree burns to his hands. The home is a complete loss and the family has temporary housing in place.

To help the family in their time of need, a donations page has been set up at GoFundMe.com  Virtual gift cards are another option of assistance.

Members of the Nashville community can drop off clothes and other items at Music City Bar & Grill on Saturday (Jan. 17) from 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Appropriate clothing sizes are listed on the GoFundMe.com webpage.

Julianne can be reached at [email protected].

Vince Gill has joined the America’s Best Communities partnership to aid in revitalizing small towns across the country.

America’s Best Communities will reward communities with the best business plans for economic development and improved quality of life in a $10 million prize competition. Winners will share best practices and ideas for growth among all communities.

“There’s a lot of small town community in me. I have a small town mentality,” Gill recently said during a press event in Nashville. “This is where I live and I want to make it better, I want to be part of a team focused on supporting the backbone of America.”

America’s Best Communities has already drawn more than 200 registrations across the 27 states served by Frontier Communications. Fifty quarter-finalists will be selected in April 2015 and awarded development funds for their revitalization proposals.

At the end of the competition in 2017, the top three applicants will share $6 million in prize money – $3 million to the winner, $2 million for second place and $1 million for third place – money to be used to continue to implement their improvement plans.

Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman and CEO of Frontier Communications, said, “As the largest broadband communications company focused on rural America, we want to be a catalyst for growth in our towns and cities. We believe that investments in these locations will have a multiplier effect as communities embrace opportunities for revitalization. Whether it is upgrading existing businesses in the area or new startups, a focus on local businesses will be key to sustained growth. We also will look for innovative ideas on how each community will come together to socialize and interact as a measurement of success.”

Conceived by Frontier Communications and co-sponsored with DISH Network and CoBank, America’s Best Communities Prize is a competition that will fund economic development opportunities for the winners and share best practices and great ideas for progress among all the communities that enter.

Martina McBride. Photo: Kristin Barlowe

Martina McBride will be honored during The Music Business Association’s (Music Biz) 2015 Awards Luncheon, a convention held for the first time in Nashville from May 12-14.

McBride will be presented the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award at 12 p.m., Thursday, May 14, at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel in Nashville. The event is also slated to honor her, again, label president Scott Borchetta.

McBride’s philanthropic efforts recognized include work as the spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Network to End Domestic Violence, and Tulsa Domestic Violence. She also aligned with Loveisrespect and the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. Her songs, most notably “Independence Day,” “A Broken Wing” and “Concrete Angel,” have also brought light to the issue.

McBride has also lent her support to various other organizations such as hosting the Middle Tennessee’s YWCA Celebrity Auction every year since 1995 – raising more than $500,000 – and working with the Kids Wish Network to fulfill the wish of a young girl battling Muscular Dystrophy. In 2010, she performed “Unchained Melody” during the Stand Up 2 Cancer Telethon with Leona Lewis, Aaron Neville, and Stevie Wonder.

Additionally, McBride empowers fans through Team Martina, a global charity group that has raised over $275,000 to make the world a better place through music. In Nashville, she and her team raised over $40,000 for a cancer research at Vanderbilt University while the Atlanta group raised $33,000 to help the city’s green space for urban kids. Team Martina also raised money to fund a music education program for Covenant House, a shelter for orphaned and abused girls, in Guatemala. Fans also have the opportunity to participate in hands-on volunteering.

“I believe that anyone blessed enough to achieve success has a responsibility to help those in need,” said McBride. “While my goal was never to be recognized for my charitable efforts, this award is proof that we can all make a difference, no matter how small, in the lives of others. I hope this recognition will encourage more people to support worthy organizations that speak to their hearts.”

McBride most recently signed to Nash Icon Records, a joint venture between the Big Machine Label Group and Cumulus, and is expected to release new music this year. Last night (Jan. 14) she performed with Gladys Knight and British singer Estelle in Nashville.

Registration is available now, with early bird discounts available until March 8. For more information, visit MusicBiz2015.com.