Date Set For 2015 CMT Music Awards
The date has been set for the upcoming 2015 CMT Music Awards, which celebrates fan-favorite music videos from many of country music’s top artists.
This year, the CMT Music Awards will be held Wednesday, June 10, with the show airing beginning at 7 p.m. CT. The show airs just before the kickoff for CMA Music Festival, which will bring multitudes of fans to downtown Nashville June 11-14.
Performers and ticket on-sale dates for this year’s CMT Music Awards will be announced soon.
Yesterday, CMT announced several new and returning programs as part of CMT’s upcoming lineup. The announcements were made in New York City during the annual 2015 CMT Upfront, held at The Times Center. The event featured a performance from Darius Rucker. Billy Ray Cyrus, Kellie Pickler and husband Kyle Jacobs were also in attendance. Cyrus is set to star in the comedy Still The King, while Pickler and Jacobs will invite fans to get an inside look at their life on the comedy I Love Kellie Pickler (working title).
Country Cooking: Trisha Yearwood, Matt Moore Offer New Recipes
Trisha’s Table
Trisha Yearwood’s third cookbook, Trisha’s Table: My Feel-Good Favorites For A Balanced Life (Clarkson Potter) hit shelves this week. Written by Yearwood with her sister Beth Yearwood Bernard, and including a foreword by husband Garth Brooks, the book’s 100-plus new recipes include dairy-free Angel Hair Pasta with Avocado Pesto, vegetarian Smashed Sweet Pea Burgers, Edamame Parmesan, Slow Cooker Georgia Pulled-Pork Barbecue, Chicken Tortilla Casserole, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.
On April 18, the sixth season of Trisha’s Southern Kitchen premieres at 10:30 a.m. ET/PT on Food Network.
Her line of cookware, Trisha’s Precious Metals, will also be revealed in April. It will be available at Walmart and Sears, among others places.
In 2014, Yearwood returned to the road with Brooks and released a new album, PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit, featuring current single, “I Remember You.”
A Southern Gentleman’s Kitchen
Nashville songwriter-turned-chef Matt Moore recruited some country music pals from his homestate Georgia for his new cookbook, A Southern Gentleman’s Kitchen. Luke Bryan and Dave Haywood are both featured in the Southern Living/Oxmoor House release, available April 28.
Moore offers over 150 recipes fashioned with a realistic, simple, and healthy approach—with plenty of anecdotes mixed in.
How does this meal sound? Crab Cakes with Caper Remoulade, Georgia Peach Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction, Pecan-Crusted Chicken and Peppered Goat Cheese, Grilled Corn with Tequila-Lime Butter and Momma’s Carrot Cake, with a savory Bacon Old-Fashioned.
His self-published debut cookbook, Have Her Over for Dinner, was highlighted by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Today Show.
Warner Bros. Nashville Working Kid Rock Single to Country Radio
Warner Bros. Nashville has announced its WEA Promotion team will be working Kid Rock‘s latest single “First Kiss” to country radio, impacting April 27. Kid Rock is signed to Warner Bros. in Los Angeles.
The singer-songwriter has long had ties to Nashville. In 2002, his duet with Sheryl Crow, “Picture,” was a staple on country radio. His single “All Summer Long” hit No. 4 on the country radio chart in 2008.
Kid Rock hosted the CMT Music Awards in 2010 and 2011 in Nashville.
LifeNotes: Singer-Songwriter Sandy Mason Passes
Sandy Mason Theoret
Nashville singer-songwriter Sandy Mason died in Ormond Beach, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon, April 1.
She is best known for writing the 1979 Crystal Gayle hit “When I Dream” and for co-writing the Garth Brooks 1998 No. 1 smash “Two Pina Coladas.” She was 71 years old.
Sandy Mason Theoret was a native of Birdsville, PA, a town near Tarentum northwest of Pittsburgh. She was a child performer on Pittsburgh radio and TV. By the time she was in her teens, she excelled as a pianist, comic, singer, guitarist and ventriloquist. She became an alumnus of The Pittsburgh Playhouse, Western Pennsylvania’s top venue for training stage performers.
By the age of 20 in 1963, Mason was in New York recording for Roulette Records and working as a ventriloquist at a club called The Boulevard Room. During her 1963-64 booking at The Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago, she revamped her act from ventriloquist to singer. Returning to Pittsburgh, she landed her own local television show in 1965.
She first attracted attention in Nashville by being signed to Hickory Records in 1966. Her Hickory single “There You Go” appeared on the country charts in 1967. She subsequently released singles for Epic, Mercury and JMI in the early 1970s.
Her songwriting career took off in the late 1970s. After Gayle sang Mason’s “When I Dream,” the song was recorded by more than 70 other artists. Mason’s “Only Love” was popularized by Don Williams, Roger Cook and John Prine, the latter two of whom were her co-writers on the song. Another perennial favorite was “All I Want to Do in Life,” which was recorded by George Jones, Jack Clement, Gayle and Marianne Faithfull. Mason co-wrote it with Allen Reynolds, her most frequent collaborator.
Debby Boone and Paul Anka both recorded her “I’d Even Let You Go.” Pat Alger co-wrote and recorded “You’ll Come Back to Me.” Petula Clark recorded Mason’s “Feel the Love Go Round.” Johnny Cash recorded “After All.”
Others who recorded her songs include Lynn Anderson, Eddy Arnold, Roger Whittaker, Nanci Griffith, Julie Andrews, Floyd Cramer, Tompall Glaser, Mac Davis, Willie Nelson, George Hamilton IV, Trisha Yearwood, Helen Reddy and several European and Japanese artists.
Sandy Mason sang backup on records by Cash, as well as Gayle, Prine, Brooks and others. Her own recording career resumed with the 1982 LP Only Love.
She co-wrote “Two Pina Coladas” with Shawn Camp and Benita Hill. It became her biggest hit and again led to recording her own albums. There Goes That Song Again (2001), Romance (2003), Angels in Disguise (2004) and Out There and In Here (2008) captured her distinctive performing style.
Sandy Mason’s music was never easily classified. Roger Cook described her songs as being “between The Beatles and George Gershwin.” Her amusing, self-deprecating, pixie-like musical personality frequently charmed audiences at The Bluebird Cafe, Douglas Corner and other local venues.
Sandy Mason left Nashville after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several weeks ago. She reportedly declined aggressive chemo therapy, opting to let the disease take its course as she reposed in Florida.
No funeral arrangements have been announced.
Kellie Pickler, Billy Ray Cyrus To Star In CMT Comedies
Pictured (L-R): Darius Rucker, Brian Phillips, Josh Wolf, Billy Ray Cyrus, Cyma Zarghami, Kellie Pickler, Kyle Jacobs, Philippe Dauman, and Joey Logano attend the Annual 2015 CMT Upfront at The Times Center on April 2, 2015 in New York City. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for CMT
CMT revealed a new slate of programming in the midst of a company-wide restructuring. CMT, which is now part of Viacom’s new kids and family division, is focusing on more original programming. Among the new offerings are two comedies featuring Billy Ray Cyrus and Kellie Pickler.
I Love Kellie Pickler (working title) will follow the daily life of country singer and former Dancing With the Stars winner Kellie Pickler, along with husband and producer/songwriter Kyle Jacobs. The series will be produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions. I Love Kellie Pickler will premiere Sept. 18.
Executive VP of Development for CMT Jayson Dinsmore speaks onstage at the Annual 2015 CMT Upfront at The Times Center on April 2, 2015 in New York City. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for CMT
Billy Ray Cyrus will star in Still The King, a comedy that features the singer-songwriter as Vernon Brown, a washed up country singer who becomes an Elvis impersonator. After crashing into an old country church, he is sentenced to return and perform community service. He pretends to be the congregation’s new minister and discovers he has a 15-year-old daughter he’s never met.
Hideout Pictures, a division of Average Joes Entertainment, will produce Still The King with Cyrus serving as executive producer and writer. Average Joes’ CEO/President, Shannon Houchins, Hideout’s Potsy Ponciroli, and Travis Nicholson will also executive produce. Ponciroli will serve as Showrunner. Julia Silverton and Jayson Dinsmore will executive produce for CMT. Still The King will premiere in 2016.
These were just two of the new series announced today (April 2) in New York City during the annual 2015 CMT Upfront, held at The Times Center. The event featured a performance from Darius Rucker. Billy Ray Cyrus, Kellie Pickler and husband Kyle Jacobs were also in attendance.
American Speed: The True Story of NASCAR, an account of the story behind NASCAR, will be narrated by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. American Speed is executive produced by Stephen David of Stephen David Entertainment and Zane Stoddard for NASCAR. Jayson Dinsmore, Lewis Bogach and John Miller-Monzon executive produce for CMT. American Speed will debut in 2016.
CMT will launch its first-ever nightly talk show, The Josh Wolf Show, starring comedian Josh Wolf and produced by Chelsea Handler. the show will feature panel discussions, interviews, and sketches with artists from country music, Hollywood and more.
Also coming are The Ed Bassmaster Show, starring Ed Bassmaster, as well as the docu-series Gainesville, from the producers of Brick City. Gainesville, produced by Wheels Off Entertainment, is set to premiere May 14 and follows a group of friends in small town Florida as they transition into adulthood.
Additionally, the entire series of the highly lauded ensemble drama Friday Night Lights starring Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton will begin airing in May.
This spring CMT will premiere new seasons of Party Down South, Party Down South 2, and Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge, as well as the music events CMT Music Awards, CMT Artists of the Year, and CMT Championship Kickoff Party.
Pictured (L-R): Kyle Jacobs and Kellie Pickler. Photo: Getty Images for CMT
Industry Pics: SOURCE Welcomes Marcie Allen; In The Studio with Producer Mickey Jack Cones
SOURCE held its monthly Members Luncheon at ASCAP on March 26, 2015. Marcie Allen, President and Founder of MAC Presents, was this month’s guest speaker. MAC Presents is an award-winning New York City-based music sponsorship and activation agency. For nearly a decade, they’ve been creating dynamic partnerships and unforgettable live events with top tier artists and the world’s leading brands.
(L-R): Susan Myers Woelkers, GW Entertainment; Shauna Collins, Boys and Girls Club of Benton County; Marcie Allen, President and Founder of MAC Presents; Bebe Evans, Charlie Daniels Band; Wendy Crosby York, Major Bob Music. Photo: Denise Fussell
• • •
Nashville-based producer Mickey Jack Cones is currently in the studio with Joe Nichols, Trace Adkins and Thompson Square recording new projects for each artist at Westwood Studios. The studio, a log cabin in Nashville’s Berry Hill area, is owned by Cones.
Cones, a native of Texas and a graduate of Belmont University, has previously produced Dustin Lynch, Jeff Bates, Randy Houser, Exile, and the Act of Valor soundtrack.
In the studio with Joe Nichols
Thompson Square with Mickey Jack Cones
In the studio with Trace Adkins
Nashville Entrepreneur Center Names New President and CEO
Stuart McWhorter
John R. Ingram, Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, has announced Stuart McWhorter, Chairman and Co-founder of Clayton Associates, as The Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s new President and CEO, beginning April 9.
McWhorter will succeed Michael Burcham, who announced plans to leave the nonprofit for the private sector in December. Burcham was the EC’s founding President and CEO since 2010.
McWhorter has been Chairman of venture capital firm Clayton Associates, and will continue as a member of its board of directors. His background is in venture capital, business planning, and finance. He is a graduate of Clemson University, and earned his masters in health administration fro the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He and wife Leigh Anne Hendrix have five children and attend Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood.
Additionally, McWhorter serves on the boards of directors at FirstBank of Tennessee, the Tennessee Business Roundtable, and Nashville’s Agenda Steering Committee.
“We have searched far and wide to identify the right CEO for the next phase in the EC’s growth and service,” Ingram said. “We knew it was critically important to assess where the EC is in its development – and in light of its stature now as a known and successful organization. It was important first to understand the requirements of this next phase and then to identify and recruit the best possible leader for what the EC needs now. Stuart McWhorter is the right CEO for this dynamic next period.”
McWhorter says he is “excited to become part of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center family and ecosystem. A strong foundation of success has been established, and I look forward to building off of its platform to make this the gold standard locally, regionally and nationally.”
“Nashville’s entrepreneurial spirit is easy to see in the many innovative and creative individuals in music, healthcare and other sectors in our city, and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center has established itself and our city as a leading locale for start-ups and their founders,” Mayor Karl Dean said. “Stuart McWhorter knows what it takes to lead and develop companies from bright ideas into thriving companies, having done exactly that for several industries in the Middle Tennessee region.He has a keen eye for budgets, planning and simply making businesses better at filling niches and serving their customers. I know Stuart, and he is an excellent choice to lead the EC into its next phase of growth and continue our city’s momentum as the best place to start a new business.”
Publishing Deal For SESAC-Represented Josh Helms
Pictured (L-R): Meld Music’s Chad Segura, Fair Trade Music Publishing’s Mark Nicholas, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Helms, Fair Trade Music Publishing’s Jeff Moseley and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Bev Moser
Songwriter/artist Josh Helms has signed a publishing deal with Meld Music/Fair Trade. Helms is a SESAC writer.
Based in Nashville, Helms’ songs are slated to be included on the upcoming album from Craig Wayne Boyd.
Industry Ink: Nine North, City of Hope, Holly Williams
Nine North/Turnpike Music Name Seiple Director, Promotion & Marketing (NE Region)
Stephanie Seiple
Nine North/Turnpike Music has named Stephanie Seiple as its new Director, Promotion & Marketing for the Northeast Region. Seiple will be based in Philadelphia. Her career includes stops in the promo departments of Wind-Up, RCA, Jive, Epic and Columbia. She also worked remotely as a marketing coordinator for sony Music Entertainment, working with brands including Best Buy, FYE, and Barnes & Noble. In 2014, she was elected Advisor to The Recording Academy’s Philadelphia Chapter’s board.
Seiple is based in Philadelphia.
“I’m honored to join such a seasoned, well respected and talented team,” Seiple says. “Many thanks to Jeff and Larry (Pareigis, NNRLG President) for offering me this opportunity to work together! See you on the road soon!”
“I’m very excited to add Stephanie to our team,” says Nine North/Turnpike/Edgehill Music’s Jeff Davis. “Her experience, energy, and innovative thinking make her the perfect fit for what we are doing here at Nine North! I can’t wait for radio to meet their new favorite rep!”
Tickets On Sale For City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game
The 25th annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game will be held June 13 at 9 a.m. at the new First Tennessee Park in Nashville. The game has hosted numerous country stars in past years, including Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Vince Gill, and more.
Nashville, Tennessee – (April 2, 2015) – A fan favorite event and longstanding tradition of CMA Music Festival, the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game will commemorate 25 years of striking out cancer on June 13 at 9am from the new First Tennessee Park in Nashville.
Tickets for the 25th annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game are on sale now at Ticketmaster. The full line-up of celebrity players stepping up to the plate on the Grand Ole Opry and iHeartRadio teams will be announced in the coming weeks.
City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
Holly Williams’ White’s Mercantile Offers Online Shopping
Singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Holly Williams‘ 12South shop White’s Mercantile is now offering online shopping, including a range of items for men, women, and children, as well as accessories. The store is located at 2908 12th Ave. S.
Williams is also behind the Nashville clothing boutique H. Audrey.
For more, visit whitesmercantile.com.
Sky Creative Entertainment Group Launches in Nashville
DeShawn Oravetz
Middle Tennessee State University graduate DeShawn Oravetz has launched creative and music agency Sky Creative Entertainment Group in Nashville.
The company’s catalog of services focuses on aspects of branding, marketing, music, design, and project management. Sky will also partner with local creatives to collaborate on client projects, building working relationships in the Greater Nashville creative community.
For more information, visit skyceg.com.