UMPG On Andrew Dorff: ‘A Heart of Gold and Unparalleled Talent’

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Universal Music Publishing Group today issued a statement about the unexpected passing of their songwriter and friend Andrew Dorff.

Today we mourn the tragic loss of prolific songwriter Andrew Dorff, a man with a heart of gold and an unparalleled talent for songwriting.

He was beloved in the Nashville community. To us, he was family and a fixture in our office and in our writers rooms. As a songwriter he was extremely gifted and dedicated to the craft. It wasn’t unusual for Andrew to have two, or even three co-writing sessions a day.

So many great Nashville artists recorded his songs including Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw, Jake Owen, Cole Swindell, and The Cadillac Three. Most recently Andrew co-wrote four No. 1 country singles: by Kenny Chesney (“Save It For A Rainy Day”), two by Blake Shelton (“My Eyes” and “Neon Light”), and Hunter Hayes (“Somebody’s Heartbreak”).

Yet with all his success, Andrew remained so humble and giving. He never met a stranger, nor walked away from anyone who needed help. He was an incredible mentor to younger writers. Everybody in Nashville reminisces how Andrew always packed an extra sandwich for his co-writer each day. He never wanted anyone to go hungry.

Finally, he was a brilliant lyricist with a process that he described as staring at a highway of words streaming across the ceiling. He said he would just simply reach out and grab the ones that fit together.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Andrew Dorff. We will truly miss our friend and hold him in our hearts.

Statement from Kent Earls, EVP/General Manager, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville: “Andrew Dorff was family to all of us at UMPG Nashville. We’re completely heartbroken and saddened. His words will forever live in song and his light will forever shine on. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve and the rest of the Dorff family.”

Statement from Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group: “I’ve known Andrew’s dad, songwriter Steve Dorff, for many years. It was Steve who introduced me to Andrew in his early 20’s. We lost him too soon. My heart sincerely goes out to his family and all the people who loved him.”

Statement from Jody Williams, BMI, VP, Writer Publisher Relations, Nashville: “The BMI Family is incredibly shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of songwriter Andrew Dorff. The Nashville music business community will miss his kind and generous spirit, his unparalleled talent, and his gift of friendship. BMI was so fortunate to be a part of his career from the very beginning. Whether swinging by our office for a quick meeting or receiving an award at our annual dinner, Andrew’s presence was always a welcome one in the room. He will be sorely missed by our entire staff.”

Pictured (L-R): Front Row: BMI’s Phil Graham and Jody Williams, BMI songwriter Andrew Dorff, Universal Music Publishing’s Kent Earls. Back Row: BMI’s Bradley Collins, business manager Anna Marsh, Universal Music Publishing’s Cindi Forman, Missy Roberts, BMI Songwriter Steve Dorff, BMI’s Leslie Roberts, Universal Music Publishing’s Travis Gordon and Ron Stuve. Photo: Steve Lowry

Andrew Dorff and his team in July 2016 at Park Cafe, when he was honored with four BMI Million-Air Awards. Pictured (L-R): Front Row: BMI’s Phil Graham and Jody Williams, BMI songwriter Andrew Dorff, Universal Music Publishing’s Kent Earls. Back Row: BMI’s Bradley Collins, business manager Anna Marsh, Universal Music Publishing’s Cyndi Forman, Missy Roberts, BMI Songwriter Steve Dorff, BMI’s Leslie Roberts, Universal Music Publishing’s Travis Gordon and Ron Stuve. Photo: Steve Lowry

Peach Pickers Open Tickets For 4th Annual Georgia Benefit At The Ryman

gaonmymind-logo-mdTickets for the Peach Pickers’ May 16, 2017, Georgia On My Mind concert went on sale Tues., Dec. 20 at ryman.com and all Ticketmaster outlets.

The 4th annual event returns to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium with a yet-to-be-announced group of artist/songwriter guest appearances. Presented by Jameson Irish Whiskey, the event raises money for the Georgia Music Foundation, which distributes grants in music education, preservation and outreach programs. Each year during the concert, the foundation presents its Flamekeeper Award to a Georgia artist who preserves and promotes Georgia’s musical roots and traditions.

“I can’t overestimate the importance of Georgia to the Peach Pickers,” explains Dallas Davidson, “but the success of this event has proven how special our state’s music means to a lot of people. Last year, when Randy Houser told the audience what Otis Redding’s music meant to him before breaking into ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’ was an awesome moment, especially with all three of Otis’ children standing backstage.”

Rhett Akins adds, “I was so stoked when Kevn Kinney played that I could barely introduce him for sharing stories about listening to [Kinney’s rock band] Drivin’ N Cryin’ when I was living in Athens.”

Dallas Davidson, who chairs the Georgia Music Foundation, says, “Sharing the Ryman stage with our friends and having Jameson Irish Whiskey and Georgia Tourism on board has helped us hit a home run for fans every year. But having the proceeds support the Foundation truly makes it an annual grand slam.”

View a video recap of the 3rd annual Georgia On My Mind concert here.

Artist Updates: Big & Rich, Lee Brice, Jeremy McComb

Big & Rich Set For Musicians On Call Fundraiser

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Big & Rich will be the headlining entertainment at the RIAA’s second-ever inauguration charity event benefiting Musicians On Call. The hit duo will perform their set at the 9:30 Club the evening of the presidential inauguration on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.

 

Lee Brice Performs At Military Funeral

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Lee Brice sang “Go Rest High On That Mountain” in tribute to U.S. Air Force Maj. Troy Lee Gilbert during a full military honors funeral service on Dec. 19. Gilbert was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery 10 years after his F-16 crashed while he protected U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq.

 

 

Christmas Extravaganza Benefits Food Bank

Pictured L to R: KICR MD/ Mornings Derik Walker, McComb, KICR's Jeff McClain & Rick Huckaby

Pictured (L-R): KICR MD/ Mornings Derik Walker, Jeremy McComb, KICR’s Jeff McClain and Rick Huckaby

K102 and Nashville North, owned by singer/songwriter Jeremy McComb and business partner Bob Kreaman, recently hosted their 7th Annual Christmas Extravaganza. McComb and songwriter Rick Huckaby performed at the sold-out event which raised over $4000 for McComb’s hometown food bank.

Tony Martin: Four Decades In Song

Tony Martin

Tony Martin

Not many country songwriters can say their very first cut was also their first No. 1 hit, recorded by the legendary George Strait. But Tony Martin can.

“That was like hitting the country music sweepstakes lottery,” he says of Strait’s 1988 single, “Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye.” “My first demo, the first cut, the first hit, the first single, it was all the same song.”

The son of Nashville songwriter Glenn Martin (a writer for Charley Pride, Eddy Arnold, and Roy Clark), Tony grew up regularly hearing artists and songwriters such as Mickey Newbury, Hank Cochran, and Merle Haggard doing guitar pulls in the living room, interspersing hit songs with favorite unrecorded compositions. “Like a lot of kids, it was just kind of what your dad did,” Martin recalls.

Tony directed his own writing talent to the journalism field, working for a Chicago daily newspaper and later for The Tennessean. He amused newsroom colleagues with parody songs, then his father challenged him to write a serious tune. On his tenth try, Tony composed “Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye.”

“When I saw my first check, I thought, ‘This is how much I made this year as a reporter. I think I’ll switch,’” Martin says.

Though both professions involve creative approaches to the written word, Martin says not many writing rules traverse journalism and songwriting. “The only thing I say I’ve taken from journalism is I don’t like a lot of adjectives. Get the right verb, because it makes your picture move. Nobody goes to a movie to watch the person sit there. They want to see movement, even if they are looking at someone’s face. They see that emotion come up. It can be still as rain, but there is movement.”

To date, Tony Martin has notched 16 No. 1 hits, including at least one chart-topper in each of the last four decades. He earned hits with Strait’s “Living and Living Well” and “Go On,” Tim McGraw’s “Just To See You Smile,” Josh Turner’s “Time Is Love,” and his latest, Jason Aldean’s “A Little More Summertime.” Plus, he’s earned a slew of Top 5 hits for Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Mark Wills, and others.

“Planes are easier to catch when they are on the ground”

Martin credits at least part of his success to collaborating with artists early in their careers. “They have their whole lives and they haven’t written about hardly any of it,” says Martin. “I used to come into a writing session like, ‘I have this idea,’ and I realized I was going about it all wrong. They have these interesting lives and stories, so let’s find out what’s going on with them. It’s about drawing those stories out.”

Martin’s No. 1 hit for Dierks Bentley, “Settle For A Slowdown,” came in 2006, as the final single from Bentley’s sophomore project Modern Day Drifter. Penned by Bentley, Martin and Brett Beavers, the song became Bentley’s third No. 1 single.

“The line I always love is, ‘This land is flat as it is mean.’ If you’ve been out in those places like West Texas, it’s like, ‘I have to watch you leave me for a long time, because I can see so far.’ It’s a scene in a movie. I want you to see the picture of the guy standing there. And to be in that vulnerable place, Dierks sells that. I think it’s all his years playing that high lonesome in clubs.

“Dierks is a great writer, and this is writing with an artist who hadn’t really taken off yet. They had just finished his first album, but we were just writing anyway. With artists, you get to play to their strengths. Planes are easier to catch when they are on the ground,” Martin muses.

“It’s nothing more than a bunch of creative choices”

“Whatever You Say,” a 1997 hit for Martina McBride, pulled double duty. Not only did Martin score a hit song for McBride, but “Whatever You Say” also initiated a writing relationship with rising artist Sara Evans.

“The thing that helped us was that [co-writer] Ed [Hill] was using a great demo singer, who had a deal on RCA, named Sara Evans. She took it to RCA to play for Renee Bell. Sara told the label how much she liked the song, and then all of a sudden we get calls from people putting it on hold for Martina. I don’t know how that happened over there, but a whole bunch of credit goes to how Sara pulled it off in the studio.”

Evans returned to Martin, along with co-writer Tom Shapiro, for what would become her own first No. 1 hit, “No Place That Far.” Originally a pop-infused up-tempo track, the song was reconstructed as a more traditional, albeit vocally powerful, ballad after a co-writing session with Evans.

“It’s nothing more than a bunch of creative choices, from the very beginning,” Martin says of his process. “Once you start writing within the construct of what you are creating, you are creating the rules and limitations of it, too.”

While radio listeners can hear a finished song for what it is, like most writers, Martin hears what a song could have been.

“You see all the choices you left out,” he says. “What they see is the framework in which they now fill in their life and their story. In some ways, by you not being able to put in all of your choices or ideas, you left room for theirs, or at least I tell myself that.”

“When you are in this business, it feels like a slot machine”

If earning a No. 1 song with your very first cut, as Martin did, seems improbable, then earning a No. 1 hit with a song six years after an artist first recorded might seem impossible.

But that’s what happened with Keith Urban’s “You Look Good In My Shirt.” Penned with Mark Nesler and Tom Shapiro, the song was first included on Urban’s 2002 Golden Road album. The song was slated to be the album’s fifth single, but those plans were abandoned. Then, in 2008, a newly-recorded rendition of the song was incorporated into Urban’s Greatest Hits: 19 Kids. That same year, “You Look Good In My Shirt” reached the pinnacle of the country chart.

“You would never even think to pray for that,” says Martin, who notes he and his co-writers wrote the song after hearing Tim McGraw was looking for a Tom Petty-inspired tune to record.

“We were like, ‘Tom Petty sings about sex and drugs. What are we going to talk about?’ and we came up with the line, ‘You look good in my shirt.’” One verse change later, and Urban took the song into the studio.

“I’ve had times where Keith was going to cut a song, and we were feeling confident, but I would still feel nervous. If someone asked why, I would say, ‘Well, Keith hasn’t asked me to change anything yet,’” Martin says. “In fact, I think every time I’ve had to change something, because Keith knows what works for him.”

Nearly 30 years after celebrating his first No. 1 hit, Martin still exudes a humbleness and thankfulness for his success.

“When you are in this business, it feels like a slot machine, except there have to be about 20 things you have to hit all the way across to pull these things off. After writing a song, I don’t have much control over it. They are like children you send out the door. Most just come back and lay around the basement.”

Industry Ink: Musicians Hall of Fame, PLA Media, Cheyenne Frontier Days, The Beatitudes Project

Amy Holm Joins PLA Media

Amy Holm

Amy Holm

Musicians Hall of Fame Director of Public Relations Amy Holm will be leaving her post; today (Dec. 20) is her last day in that role. She will join PLA Media as Social Media Coordinator in January 2017. She can be reached at amyholm31@gmail.com.

 

2017 Lineup Announced For Cheyenne Frontier Days

cheyenne-frontier-daysCheyenne Frontier Days has announced all but one of the names set to appear during for the Frontier Nights® entertainment series, slated for July 21-30 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Brantley Gilbert, Little Big Town, Sawyer Brown, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, and Jason Aldean with special guests Tyler Farr, David Nail, Joe Diffie, and The Bellamy Brothers were announced by Mark Miller, the lead singer of Sawyer Brown, from Las Vegas and live-streamed on the Wrangler Network.

 

Amy Grant, Martin Smith, Michael W. Smith Team For The Beatitudes Project

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Several top CCM artists have joined for a multi-media The Beatitudes Project, set for release spring 2017.

Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and Martin Smith join singer/songwriters like Matt MaherAudrey Assad, John Mark McMillan, Joel Houston, Amanda Cook as well as Propaganda, All Sons & Daughters, Terrian Bass and The Brilliance.

The project includes a book: Words From the Hill (An Invitation to the Unexpected) from NavPress, a full-length album Beatitudes from The Fuel Music, and a documentary film. The project aims to reveal a wide world of connected stories: real people from all faiths and walks of life who embody mercy, poverty, meekness, the hungry and thirsty, the peacemakers, the mourners, and the pure in heart—as seen, heard and experienced through a 21st century lens.

“The Beatitudes Project is meant to be a reset button in a world plagued with violence and division,” says Stu G, best-known as part of the bands Delirious? and One Sonic Society, who also authored the book. “These upside-down Jesus announcements on a hillside by the Sea of Galilee in Matthew 5 where Jews, Greeks, Romans and people of all ethnicities were gathered are a reminder that there is another way.”

 

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Names 2017 Class

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The 2017 inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have been announced. Set to be inducted in the Performer Category are Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur and Yes.

The Award for Musical Excellence will be presented to Nile Rodgers.

The 32nd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Klipsch Audio, will take place on Friday, April 7, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York for the third time.

Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first recording. The 2017 Performer Inductees were chosen by more than 900 voters of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, as well as the aggregate results of an online fan vote.

The Induction Ceremony will again have its television premiere on HBO, and a radio broadcast on SiriusXM. Broadcast details will be announced in early 2017.

Ticket on-sale dates for the event will be announced in January. A limited number of pre-sale tickets will be available for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members in advance of the public sale date.

The special exhibition on the 2017 Inductees will open at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on March 30.

LifeNotes: Songwriter Andrew Dorff Passes

andrewdorff-570x380UMPG songwriter Andrew Dorff has died, MusicRow has learned. Dorff turned 40 on Dec. 16.

The son of songwriter Stephen “Steve” Dorff, Sr. and brother of actor Stephen Dorff, the Los Angeles native made his way to Nashville in 2003 to pursue songwriting. He went on to sign with Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville.

In 2008, he earned a Top 10 hit with Martina McBride’s “Ride.” Since then he went on to deliver more hits, including “Somebody’s Heartbreak” (Hunter Hayes), “Bleed Red” (Ronnie Dunn), and “Missing” (William Michael Morgan).

In July, BMI celebrated Dorff’s hit for Kenny Chesney, “Save It For A Rainy Day,” and honored him with four Million-Air Awards, for one million radio spins each of “Somebody’s Heartbreak,” “Neon Light,” “My Eyes,” and “Save It For A Rainy Day.”

Dorff’s life and career was recently profiled in MusicRow‘s 2016 Publisher Issue.

“I’ve been fortunate the artists that have cut my songs are some of the great artists,” he told MusicRow at the time. “So those songs are going to live on.”

As will his kind spirit and impact on Nashville’s music community.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Several community members expressed their sympathies.

Dorff’s father, Steve Dorff, said via Facebook: “Thank you all for the outpouring of love and prayer. ❤ There simply are no words for the unbearable heartbreaking loss my family and I are feeling today. May God bless my Son Andrew, the best friend any Father could have. Your light will forever shine in my heart, and in all those who were lucky enough to know you.”

“It is with immeasurable grief that we learn of the passing of our friend Andrew Dorff,” NSAI president Lee Thomas Miller said. “Our songwriting community is small and close and this loss will hurt us all deeply. Andrew was a good man and a good friend. He was an elite songwriter at the peak of his life and career. Our sincerest prayers go out to his family. May we all hug each other a little tighter this week and remember that life is fragile. Rest in peace Andrew.”

In Pictures: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Dustin Lynch, Cassadee Pope, Drake White

Dustin Lynch, Cassadee Pope To Appear On Spike TV’s Lip Synch Battle

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Broken Bow Records’ Dustin Lynch will make his debut on Spike TV’s popular musical gameshow Lip Sync Battle Wednesday (Dec. 21) at 8 p.m. squaring off against fellow country star Cassadee Pope.

Hosted by LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen, Lip Sync Battle pits celebrities in a head-to-head fight to see who can deliver the most outrageous and entertaining lip-synched performance. Lynch and Pope will each take the stage twice as they pretend to sing classic hit songs.

 

Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood Make GMA Appearance

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood perform on Good Morning Åmerica

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood perform on Good Morning America

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood recently performed a song from their Christmas album on Good Morning America, which airs Friday, Dec. 23 (7 -9 a.m., EST) on ABC.

 

Country Music Hall of Fame Celebrates Ford Community Day With Artist Performances

Pictured (L-R): Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s VP of Development Lisa Purcell, Trent Harmon, Drake White, Danielle Bradbery, Ford Motor Company Fund’s Jim Graham and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ben Hall. (Photo courtesy of Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Pictured (L-R): Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s VP of Development Lisa Purcell, Trent Harmon, Drake White, Danielle Bradbery, Ford Motor Company Fund’s Jim Graham and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ben Hall. Photo: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

On Sunday, Dec. 18 the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum welcomed thousands of visitors for its eighth annual Ford Community Day. The Museum was free for all visitors, made possible by Ford Motor Company, and included special programming throughout the day. Big Machine Label Group recording artists Danielle Bradbery, Drake White and Trent Harmon headlined the day with a guitar pull in the museum’s CMA Theater, swapping songs and stories for the crowd.  

Brad Paisley To Release 11th Studio Album In 2017

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Brad Paisley will release his upcoming 11th studio album, Love and War, in 2017 via Arista Nashville. “Today” is the first single from the album and is already in the Top 15 of the country singles charts.

Love and War is co-produced by Paisley and Luke Wooten.

Paisley recently announced the upcoming live concert CD/DVD release Life Amplified World Tour: Live at WVU,  on Friday, Dec. 23. PBS will air the concert as an hour-long show, titled Brad Paisley – Landmarks Live In Concert: A Great Performances Special, on Friday, Jan. 27 at 9 p.m. ET.

The singer-songwriter will continue his successful Life Amplified World Tour with new dates added in February 2017. The tour will make stops in eastern Canada and the northeast U.S. with special guests Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell.

ASCAP And Nielsen Partner For Strategic Data Agreement

ascapnielsenToday (Dec. 19), ASCAP and Nielsen announced a strategic multi-pronged, long-term data agreement where Nielsen will provide ASCAP with expanded U.S. radio airplay data along with metadata and unique identifiers for recordings.

Coupled with ASCAP’s membership and copyright data, this partnership will allow ASCAP to provide its members with transparency as ASCAP brings together the verified recording information with its authoritative data on the underlying works. In addition, this data link of unique identifiers creates the potential for more efficient performance matching and reporting.

ASCAP also intends to utilize a wide range of Nielsen measurement tools and insights to create innovative reporting capabilities and services that will be developed by ASCAP’s recently formed Digital Product & Data Team. These offerings will be made available to ASCAP members through ASCAP’s re-launched Member Access portal.

“ASCAP has been pursuing a strategy of remaining flexible and nimble by pursuing partnerships with best-in-class service providers” said ASCAP’s CEO, Elizabeth Matthews. “As the market-leader in consumer, music and audio measurement, Nielsen’s data will bring additional frequency and breadth to ASCAP’s reporting, enabling ASCAP’s members to have a 360-degree view of the performance landscape for their music, while enabling faster and more accurate reporting and tracking across all platforms. This deal also sets the stage for us to provide our members with new business intelligence tools with predictive analytics components.”

“Nielsen is excited to work with ASCAP to provide its songwriter and publisher members with more efficient and effective business tools,” said Nielsen Entertainment’s President, Howard Appelbaum. “This agreement brings together two world-class organizations that excel at using data to increase transparency within the music sector, including music creators.”