Pictured (L-R): Hazel Daniels, Charlie Daniels, Carolyn Tate, David Corlew. Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum

Charlie Daniels spoke only for a few minutes during the party thrown in his honor on Tuesday night (Sept. 20) at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Despite his brevity, he was able to express his thanks for having a long career that led to an exhibit in his honor, named Million Mile Reflections.

That exhibit officially opens Friday, yet Daniels was able to gather dozens of his friends and business associates (some of whom have worked for him for more than 40 years) to the museum’s BMI Hall a few days early.

The occasion coincided with the 52nd wedding anniversary for Daniels and his wife, Hazel Daniels. David Corlew, who has managed Daniels’ career for 43 years, stood proudly in the back of the room. In addition to the invitation-only event, Daniels and his entourage spent time admiring the exhibit.

Charlie Daniels. Photo: Anna Webber/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum

After remarks from Sr. Vice President of Museum Services Carolyn Tate, Daniels greeted the well-wishers with remarks he had written in advance. He will be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year.

“At the age of almost 80 years, God has chosen to bless me with yet another wonderful blessing,” he began. He said he considered himself lucky as “a chubby fiddle player who came to town with a dream and a $20 bill.”

Throughout his remarks, he spoke highly of Nashville, and said that when he arrived in 1967 with his wife and infant son, there was no question he was going to stay.

Charlie Daniels. Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum

“As I often say, when I leave Tennessee, I wanna go to Heaven because there is no other place but there that I’d rather live,” he said.

He described the museum as a sanctuary from the politics of the music business and as a destination for country fans who want to get a glimpse into the life of the stars they admire.

“It’s a place where the past is respected and the future is excitedly anticipated,” he said. “Of all the other music capitals across the nation, Nashville stands alone as a city where the music is what truly brings us together. It’s the music that brought us here, the music that kept us here – and the music will live on long after we’ve all gone to our eternal awards.”

After recalling his heart’s desire to be part of Nashville’s music community, Daniels concluded, “Not only has that blessing been granted, not only did I get to share my music with the world, but thanks to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, I get to share my life. Thank you for coming. God bless Music City USA.”

ASCAP will present Top Shelf Songs: Heartbreak Edition on Wednesday (Sept. 21) at 5:30 p.m. at The Basement.

Aaron Eshuis, Ryan Hurd, Steven Lee Olsen, Jonathan Singleton, Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi and more will offer unique collaborations.

The happy hour event will feature co-writers performing the songs together. While past installments have been built around a publishing company partner, this is the first time the showcase has been curated around a theme.

“I wanted to develop a series to showcase outstanding, not-yet recorded songs written by our ASCAP writers in a fun and collaborative setting,” says ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, who launched the program. “Not just new songs, but extremely well-written songs that deserve a moment to be heard by the A&R, management, and artists and peers.”

John Prine

John Prine received the prestigious PEN Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award on Monday (Sept. 19) at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The award is presented every two years by the writers’ group PEN New England. Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan were also recognized with the award.

Drawing from Prine’s catalog, Rosanne Cash and Elvis Costello performed “Hello in There” and John Mellencamp sang “Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone.”

Chuck Berry, Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristofferson and Randy Newman are past recipients of the award.

A longtime Nashville resident, Prine will perform his 1971 self-titled debut album at Station Inn on Thursday (Sept. 22) as part of the Americana Music Festival. He is also slated for sold-out shows at the Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

Prine’s upcoming album, For Better, For Worse, will be released on Oh Boy Records/Thirty Tigers on Sept. 30. He will turn 70 on Oct. 10.

The Church Sisters. Photo: Joseph Llanes

The Valory Music Co. has added The Church Sisters to its artist roster. Comprised of fraternal twins Savannah and Sarah, the 20-year-old Virginia natives have been touring the country since age 14. The duo joins the roster’s artists including Brantley Gilbert, Thomas Rhett, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band and Tara Thompson.

“It is a dream come true getting signed to The Valory Music Co.,” shared Sarah Church. “We are thrilled to be working with Scott Borchetta and one of the best labels in Nashville. We will continue to pour our hearts and souls into the music we make with Julian Raymond, and we look forward to seeing where this journey takes us.”

The Church Sisters are in the creative phase of their debut album, while also performing select dates with Delta Rae. In the meantime, the duo has released the video for their rendition of Lukas Graham’s hit “7 Years,” which can be seen on Vevo.

“We would like to thank Sandi Borchetta and the Big Machine creative team for their belief in us, and for bringing the vision for the ‘7 Years’ music video alive,” added Savannah Church. “We are really excited with how it turned out, and we cannot wait for the world to see it.”

The duo is featured on the track “Where We’ll Never Grow Old,” on Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited, which was co-produced by Carl Jackson. The Church Sisters also appeared on another Carl Jackson-produced project, Mark Twain: Words & Music.