Loretta Lynn Moved To Rehab Facility, Recovering Well Following Stroke

/by

Loretta Lynn is recovering well following the stroke she suffered on May 4 at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The 85-year-old was hospitalized following a stroke and advised by doctors to stay off the road while recuperating. An update on her website says she has been moved from the hospital into a rehabilitation facility and “is doing great.” She also thanks everybody for their prayers, love, and support in the message posted on her official website.

Lynn had been preparing for the release of a new album, Wouldn’t It Be Great, via Legacy Recordings on Aug. 18. She’s slated to perform two more dates at the Ryman Auditorium later this Summer on Aug. 24-25.

Artist Action: Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, Brett Eldredge, Rascal Flatts, Chris Young, Natalie Grant, Jason Crabb

/by

Brad Paisley Goes Back To School With New Contest

Brad Paisley is holding a “Class of 2017 ‘Last Time for Everything’ Contest” inspired by his current single, “Last Time For Everything,” where one fan will win a concert by Brad for their entire graduating class. Now through May 25, fans can post their answers to the question: What “Last Time” are you going to miss most about school? on either Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #BPGrad17Contest. Multiple contest posts are allowed, and contest rules are available here.

 

Josh Turner’s “All About You” Hits Airwaves

Josh Turner

Josh Turner’s upbeat new single, “All About You” was released to radio Monday (May 15). The new tune, written by Craig Wiseman and Justin Weaver, follows Turner’s No. 1 hit “Hometown Girl” off of his latest No. 1-debuting album, Deep South (MCA Nashville).

“From the first time I heard ‘All About You,’ I loved the energy that it had,” shares Turner. “It really had a drive to it and on top of that, it’s got a really simple, yet profound lyric basically saying ‘it doesn’t really matter what we’re doing as long as I’m with you, that’s what matters most.’ We’ve been playing it live a lot lately and the fans are digging it and I’m excited to say it’s my new single.”

 

Brett Eldredge Releases Instant Grat Track From New CD

Brett Eldredge is releasing a new track, “The Long Way,” from his upcoming self-titled album set for release Aug. 4. “Instant download tracks are my favorite things about releasing an album, because you get to release them before the full record comes out,” Eldredge said. “I don’t like to wait and I don’t like my fans to wait!”

Written by Eldredge and Matt Rogers, “The Long Way” is one of Eldredge’s favorite songs on the new album. “For me, ‘Long Way’ stands out as such a powerful look at love and that search for something deeper. It’s about that big moment when you finally meet the person you’ve been waiting to meet, and you want to know everything about them. You don’t just want a quick breeze through their hometown and life, you want to take the long way. It’s a beautiful sentiment about love.”

 

Rascal Flatts Go Mid-Day In L.A.

Rascal Flatts has been tapped to guest host Los Angeles’ Go Country 105 (KKGO) Middays this month. Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney will share personal stories, their unique perspective on country music and more during weekdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. PST, beginning May 22 and running through June 2. Fans around the world can tune in each day at GoCountry105.com and on the Go Country 105 mobile app.

 

Chris Young Not Losing Any Sleep Over New Single

Chris Young has released a new single, “Losing Sleep” that immediately shot to the No. 2 spot on the iTunes Country chart within hours of its release.

“I continue to be blown away by the response to my last record and it makes me push myself even harder in the studio and onstage,” said Young. “With every new album I think I want to try and write something easier and not so high in my register, but of course, on ‘Losing Sleep’ we push the boundaries even further and layer in some fun, new grooves too.”

The song is the lead single from the RCA Nashville artist’s upcoming seventh album due out later this year, and was penned by Young with Josh Hoge and Chris DeStefano.

 

Natalie Grant And Jason Crabb To Headline American Gospel Celebration

Natalie Grant and Jason Crabb are set to headline the second annual American Gospel Celebration June 8 and 9 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Celebrating faith and freedom, the event will be highlighted by messages from pastor John Hagee and author and pastor Matt Hagee. Kicking-off at 7:00 pm each night at the Lancaster Convention Center, the Celebration will also feature The Isaacs, The Martins, and Canton Junction. General admission tickets are $40, with single-day passes available for $25 each. Register by phone at 1-855-694-9649 or online.

Trisha Yearwood, Chris Janson Reveal New Marketing Partnerships

/by

Trisha Yearwood Teams With 7UP

Trisha Yearwood has teamed with 7UP to create new recipes featuring the popular drink, including 7UP Fizzy Lime Margarita, 7UP Teriyaki Chicken Skewers, 7UP BBQ Pulled Chicken Sliders and 7UP Cherry Cake with Sour Cream Frosting. The recipes can be found on 12-packs of Regular, Cherry and Diet 7UP.

“Growing up in Georgia, I loved to watch my mother cook and learning her secrets. Now I have some secrets of my own – like using 7UP to make a marinade or in a cake. It can be used as an unexpectedly versatile ingredient,” said Yearwood. “Then, of course, it’s a perfect beverage as a mixer for cocktails.”

 

Chris Janson Partners With Waffle House, TouchTunes

Chris Janson with Waffle House employees. Photo: Alan Poizner

Chris Janson has teamed with Waffle House and TouchTunes. Janson stepped out of the studio for a mid-morning stop at his local Waffle House recently, with his brand new single and summer anthem “Fix a Drink” (impacting radio May 22) playing throughout the restaurant.

The celebration supported a sweepstakes hosted by Waffle House and TouchTunes, an in-venue interactive music platform with digital jukeboxes available in every Waffle House nationwide. Winners of the sweepstakes will enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Nashville during the annual CMA Music Festival, including tickets to fan events and a special meet-and-greet with Janson.

Signings: Terry McBride, Mark Wills

/by

Pictured (L-R): President of ArtistLive Agency Deric Brown, Terry McBride, and Tayler Bock of ArtistLive Agency.

Terry McBride, songwriter and former frontman for ’90s country group McBride & The Ride, has signed with ArtistLive in Nashville for domestic and international booking. McBride’s latest solo album, Hotels & Highways, was released in February via MV2 Entertainment.

In addition to his work with McBride & The Ride, McBride has penned songs for Garth Brooks, Reba, Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn.

Established in 2009, ArtistLive is a full-service talent agency based in Nashville.

 

Pictured (L-R): Hallmark Direction Co.’s John Dorris, The Kinkead Entertainment Agency’s Bob Kinkead, Mark Wills 

Mark Wills has signed with The Kinkead Entertainment Agency for booking. Company CEO Bob Kinkead serves as Wills’ agent.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be working with The Kinkead Entertainment Agency,” said Wills. “With Bob’s long-standing reputation as one of the premier booking agents in the business, I’m looking forward to a successful year and partnership ahead.”

 

Weekly Register: Chris Stapleton Takes Top Two Spots On Country Albums Chart

/by

Chris Stapleton reigns atop this week’s country albums chart, taking the top two spots. His latest album, From A Room: Vol. 1, debuts atop the chart with 202K. Its predecessor Traveller, which released on May 5, 2015, is at No. 2, with 15K. That puts Traveller at 1.931 million in album-only sales to date.

Last week’s No. 1 album, God’s Problem Child from Willie Nelson, lands at No. 3 this week, with 9.8K units sold this week, for 44K sales to date. Colt Ford‘s Love Hope Faith debuts at No. 4 with 9.6K, while Keith Urban‘s Ripcord rounds out the Top 5 with 7.4K this week.

On the digital country tracks rankings, Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like A Back Road” is again at No. 1, with 48K sold this week. That puts “Body Like A Back Road” at 905K in sales to date. Brett Young‘s “In Case You Didn’t Know” is at 30K (530K to date).

Stapleton’s new single “Either Way” is at No. 3, with 23K, followed by Luke Combs‘ “Hurricane” at No. 4, with 22K. Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood‘s “The Fighter” rounds out the Top 5 with 21K.

Other top debuts this week include Scotty McCreery‘s “Five More Minutes” at No. 6 (20K), and Zac Brown Band‘s “Roots” at No. 10 (11K).

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

Kip Moore Sets Overseas Headlining Shows For 2017

/by

Kip Moore is getting back into the touring groove following trips to Costa Rica, Iceland, Australia and more, announcing that he will return to the U.K this fall for a stint of headlining shows.

Moore has invited Drake White and The Big Fire out on the tour, which will stop in Birmingham, UK (Oct. 2), Manchester, UK (Oct. 3), Glasgow, UK (Oct. 4) and will culminate in a show on Oct. 6 as part of Country Music Week in London at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Country Music Week is a brand new week-long series of shows, created by the organizers of the Country To Country music festival. Moore first connected with fans during his debut performance as part of the festival two years ago.

Moore will also return to Ireland later this summer for Harvest 2017, stopping in Westport, IE (Aug. 26) and Enniskillen, IE (Aug. 27).

Tickets go on sale on Friday, May 19 at 9 a.m. GMT at gigsandtours.com.

Moore is promoting his current radio single, “More Girls Like You,” from his upcoming third album.

Neil Portnow, Lucinda Williams, Lionel Richie Earn Honorary Berklee Degrees

/by

Pictured (L-R): Todd Rundgren, Berklee senior vice president for academic affairs and provost Lawrence J. Simpson, Lionel Richie, Neil Portnow, Shin Joong Hyun, Lucinda Williams, and Berklee President Roger H. Brown. Photo: Dave Green

NARAS president/CEO Neil Portnow, singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, and entertainer Lionel Richie were among those who received honorary doctor of music degrees during Berklee’s 2017 commencement. Berklee President Roger H. Brown also presented multi-instrumentalist Todd Rundgren and guitarist/singer-songwriter Shin Joong Hyun with honorary doctoral degrees.

Rundgren delivered the commencement address to the graduating class and an estimated audience of nearly 7,000 guests at the Agganis Arena. The event also featured surprise performances from Williams, who sang “When I Look at the World,” and from Joong Hyun, who performed a variation of “Autumn Leaves” on guitar.

More than 1,000 graduates from 71 countries and 40 U.S. States received degrees during the commencement.

Artist Updates: Bobby Bones, Kane Brown, Sara Evans, Jimmy Wayne

/by

Bobby Bones Announces Second Leg Of Funny & Alone Standup Comedy Tour

Bobby Bones has announced the second leg of his Funny & Alone Standup Comedy Tour, following a run of more than 15 sold-out shows earlier this year. The second leg of the tour will begin June 30 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and will feature special guests Carly Pearce and Nikita Karmen.

The second leg of the tour includes shows in California, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 19 at 10 a.m. local time. For more information, visit bobbybonescomedy.com.

 

Kane Brown, Lauren Alaina Team For New Music Video For “What Ifs”

Kane Brown has partnered with Lauren Alaina for the new music video for their collaboration “What Ifs,” streaming exclusively on Amazon Music.

Directed by P. R. Brown and produced by Steve Lamar, “What Ifs” is the first music video to be filmed at The Inn at Newport Ranch on the breathtaking North California coastline.

“What Ifs,” from Brown’s self-titled debut RCA Nashville/Zone 4 album, is his current single at country radio. The track was co-written by Brown, Matthew McGinn, and Jordan Schmidt, and produced by Dann Huff.

 

Sara Evans Sets Album Preview Party For June 7

To celebrate the release of her upcoming album Words, Sara Evans is hosting an album preview party on Wednesday, June 7 from Nashville’s City Winery to give fans a sneak peek at the songs from her upcoming album. The midday show, which takes place at the start of CMA Music Festival, will feature a live performance from the CMA Award-winning singer — including No. 1 hits “No Place That Far,” “Suds In The Bucket,” “A Real Fine Place To Start, “Born To Fly” and “A Little Bit Stronger” — as well as never-before heard songs from her upcoming album, Words, set to release on July 21. Attendees will also get a meet & greet and photo with Sara following the show as well as pre-order signed copies of Words at the party. Tickets start at $30 — visit http://smarturl.it/SECWreserve for reserved seating and  http://smarturl.it/SECWstanding for standing room tickets.

 

Jimmy Wayne To Release Children’s Book In November

Jimmy Wayne helps bring awareness to the plight of foster children in the upcoming children’s book, Ruby The Foster Dog, which will release Nov. 1 via BroadStreet Publishing Group.

In the story, Ruby, a mixed-breed puppy with an underbite, was abandoned at a shelter as a puppy. Ruby wonders if she will ever be adopted by a family. After Ruby encounters Mr. James, a hiker who stops by the shelter, she joins him on his journey. Mr. James is walking halfway across America to raise awareness for thousands of foster children in need.

On their adventure, Mr. James teaches Ruby about integrity, honesty, loyalty, faith, forgiveness, and trust,  but mostly she learns how love can rescue someone and forever change lives. As they walk along historic routes and locations throughout the United States, Ruby quietly helps Mr. James overcome the issues he’s been struggling with too. By the time they get to Phoenix (from Nashville) both of their lives are changed for the better.

LifeNotes: Guitar Great Corki Casey O’Dell Passes

/by

Musicians Hall of Fame member Corki Casey O’Dell died in Nashville on Thursday, May 11, at age 80.

She was a trailblazer for female session instrumentalists. Vivian J. “Corki” Ray Casey was part of a group of rock ‘n’ rollers who congregated in Phoenix in the late 1950s. When some of her peers went into the recording studio with producer Lee Hazelwood, she accompanied them.

She played rhythm guitar on Sanford Clark’s 1956 hit “The Fool.”

She can also be heard on the rockabilly discs of Jimmy Spellman and on instrumentals by Jimmy Dell. She backed then-husband Al Casey on his 1963 hit “Surfin’ Hootenanny.”

She is perhaps best known for backing Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame member Duane Eddy on his “twangy guitar” hits as a member of his band, The Rebels. “Ramrod” (1957), “Rebel Rouser” (1958), “Forty Miles of Bad Road” (1959), “Because They’re Young” (1960) and “Peter Gunn” (1960) are among these. They made Eddy rock ‘n’ roll’s all-time top instrumentalist.

Corki Casey married Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Kenny O’Dell (Kenneth Guy Gist Jr.) nearly 50 years ago. They moved to Music City in 1969.

He became notable as the writer of such hits as “Behind Closed Doors” (Charlie Rich, 1973), “Mama He’s Crazy” (The Judds, 1984), “What I’ve Got in Mind” (Billie Jo Spears, 1976), “Trouble in Paradise” (Loretta Lynn, 1974) and “Lizzie and the Rainman” (Tanya Tucker, 1975). He also wrote his own top-10 hit as a vocalist, 1978’s “Let’s Shake Hands and Come Out Lovin.’” Kenny and Corki were fixtures at the annual Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame banquets.

In 2014, Corki Casey O’Dell joined Barbara Mandrell and Nashville session guitarist Velma Smith (1927-2014) as the first three female inductees into the Musicians Hall of Fame. She played with joy and abandon on the Municipal Auditorium stage on that occasion, describing it as her “Cinderella night.” It was the first time that she and her lifelong friend Duane Eddy had performed together in five decades.

The museum describes her as “The First Rock-and- Roll Sidechick.”

Corki Casey O’Dell had been in declining health for several months and passed away just two days shy of her 81st birthday.

In addition to Kenny O’Dell, she is survived by her children Diana Rose, Sandra (Chuck) Blevens and Al (Donna) Casey; by seven grandchildren and by five great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be Monday, May 15, 2017, from 4-8 p.m. at Woodbine Funeral Home, Hickory Chapel, 5852 Nolensville Road.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Musicians Hall of Fame.

Lipscomb University To Take Ownership Of Sound Emporium

/by

Lipscomb University will help preserve Nashville recording studio The Sound Emporium, as its new owner. Former Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn, who has owned the Sound Emporium since 2011, has offered Lipscomb University ownership of the studio, as part of Shinn’s recently announced $15 million gift to the university. In recognition of this gift, the college was named the George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts. Lipscomb and Shinn expect that the gift of the Sound Emporium to Lipscomb will take effect before June 30, 2017.

Under Lipscomb’s ownership, Juanita Copeland will continue to serve in her role as president and general manager, overseeing the studio’s operation and managing its staff as she has done since 2005. Producer Charlie Peacock will oversee the day-to-day interactions between the studio and the university. His primary role will be to preserve the professional production capacity of the studio while looking for subtle ways for it to serve as a real-world learning lab for contemporary music students in the university’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts.

“For the first time ever, we will have a partner in Lipscomb University who will help us preserve the history of this iconic place that we have worked so hard to create,” said Copeland. “In the 22 years that I have been a part of the Sound Emporium team, I have seen a lot of ebb and flow in this industry. I am excited that this partnership will give us stability and a partner who shares our vision. We are honored and proud to be part of the Lipscomb family.”

The Sound Emporium, located at 3100 Belmont Blvd. in Nashville, has been a vital part of Nashville’s international claim to fame as Music City, U.S.A., for nearly 50 years. In 1969, “Cowboy Jack” Clement, who produced artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich and Johnny Cash at Memphis’ famed Sun Records, built Jack Clement Recording Studios in Nashville, the first of its kind in the city. In 1979, Clement sold the studio and the name changed to the Sound Emporium. Producer Garth Fundis purchased the studio in 1992, and in 2011 sold it to George Shinn.

Artists who have created music within Sound Emporium’s walls include Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, John Denver, Keith Whitley, New Grass Revival, REM, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Taylor Swift, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, Cyndi Lauper, Keith Urban, Merle Haggard, Cole Swindell, Jimmy Buffett, St. Paul and the Broken Bones and numerous others. In addition, film soundtracks such as O’ Brother Where Art Thou, Cold Mountain and Walk the Line have been recorded at the Sound Emporium under the guidance of Grammy-winning producer T-Bone Burnett.

“This is a significant moment in the history of Lipscomb University,” said John Lowry, Lipscomb University vice president for development and external affairs. “We are grateful to George Shinn and his commitment not only to this institution, but to our students and the music industry as a whole. We look forward to continuing the vision of the Sound Emporium to serve this community and the music industry for decades to come and to the many ways our students will thrive as they have a unique opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s leaders at Sound Emporium.”