K-LOVE Fan Awards Adds To Performer Lineup

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The 5th Annual K-LOVE Fan Awards will feature a host of performers Sunday night (May 28) at the Grand Ole Opry House, including 7eventh Time Down, Big Daddy Weave, Britt Nicole, Colton Dixon, Crowder, Danny Gokey, for KING & COUNTRY, Hawk Nelson, Jeremy Camp, Jesus Culture, Kari Jobe, Love & The Outcome, Mandisa, Matthew West, MercyMe, Natalie Grant, One Sonic Society, Ryan Stevenson, Tauren Wells, Tenth Ave North, We Are Messengers and Zach Williams. 

Presenters added to the show include Dave Frey (Sidewalk Prophets), Francesca Battistelli, Julianna Zobrist, Matt Hammitt, Nichole Nordeman, Peter Furler, Phil Joel, Sadie Robertson and Steven Curtis Chapman.

As previously announced, this year’s K-LOVE Awards will be shown on the big screen. Presented by Fathom Events and John Sanders LLC,  The K-LOVE Fan Awards: Ignite Hope will be shown in movie theaters nationwide on Tuesday, June 13 only at 7 p.m. CST. Tickets can be purchased online by visiting fathomevents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans across the U.S. will be able to enjoy the show in more than 500 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).

Chris Janson Launches Latest Hit With ‘Fix A Drink,’ Sets EP Release For June

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Photo credit: Robby Klein

Chris Janson may sit down and fix himself a drink to celebrate the success of his aptly-titled latest single, “Fix A Drink,” since the song is the most-added song at radio this week. Janson recently made a video for the fun-filled new tune featuring cameos from buddies Luke Bryan, Michael Ray, Dustin Lynch, LOCASH, and the Davisson Brothers Band, that recently debuted on CMT. The track is from Janson’s upcoming Fix A Drink EP, slated to release June 9.

“I am feeling extremely blessed to have the most added song this week,” said Janson. “I am so thankful and humbled. To all of my friends in country radio, thank YOU for believing in me. Hope to see everyone out on the road this summer!”

Janson joins Sam Hunt next month for the 15 In A 30 Tour, kicking off June 1, and will join Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s “Soul2Soul” tour later this summer.

Grand Ole Opry Plans Artist-Packed Week For CMA Music Fest

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The Grand Ole Opry will kick off CMA Music Festival week with a set of Tuesday night shows featuring Carrie Underwood, Del McCoury, Bill Anderson, Dustin Lynch and more on June 6 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.  The music begins earlier in the afternoon with a free Opry Plaza Party presented by Humana featuring hit-making group Parmalee.

Later in the week fans can see Opry performances by Blake Shelton, Steve Wariner, Trace Adkins, Charley Pride, Roy Clark, Oak Ridge Boys, Scotty McCreery, Brandy Clark, and Sara Evans. Tickets are available at 800-SEE-OPRY and at opry.com.

UMG Nashville Adds Travis Denning To Roster

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Pictured, Front Row (L-R): Travis Denning, UMG Nashville Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan. Back Row (L-R): Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Noah McPike, UMG Nashville Director A&R Blain Rhodes, UMG Nashville Vice President Business and Legal Affairs Rob Femia, UMG Nashville Senior Vice President and COO Mike Harris, UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe, ole’s Jeremy Stover, UMG Nashville Senior Vice President Promotion Royce Risser and UMG Nashville Senior Vice President A&R Brian Wright

Universal Music Group Nashville has signed singer-songwriter Travis Denning. A native of Warner Robbins, Georgia, Denning moved to Nashville in 2014 and within a year signed his first publishing deal with Jeremy Stover’s RED Creative Group.

The up-and-comer has already secured several album cuts by outside artists such as Jason Aldean, Justin Moore and Chase Rice. He is currently working on his debut album.

Sister Hazel, Barenaked Ladies, Will Hoge, NEEDTOBREATHE Set For The Rock Boat XVIII Cruise

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Barenaked Ladies will make a triumphant return to The Rock Boat XVIII after a three-year hiatus. They’ll be joined by NEEDTOBREATHE, Will Hoge, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Cowboy Mouth, Colony House, Wild Adriatic, Welshly Arms, MELODIME, Larkin Poe, and hosts Sister Hazel for the 18th annual cruise, which will hit the seas from Jan. 30-Feb. 4, 2018. Additionally, for the first time, NEEDTOBREATHE, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Colony House & Welshly Arms will present their popular “Tour De Compadres” at sea.

“The Rock Boat is a living manifestation of what life should be about,” says Sister Hazel’s Ken Block. “There is a spirit of community and camaraderie that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Once you’ve been in once, you’re part of the family forever.”

One of the first-ever themed cruises of its kind, The Rock Boat XVIII returns to The Big Easy for the first time since 2012. Known for its anything-goes atmosphere, spur-of-the moment collaborations and performances that often last from sunset to sunrise, The Rock Boat XVIII will feature more than five stages and offers guests the opportunity to vacation alongside their favorite artists and discover new favorites along the way.

Shelby Lynne, Allison Moorer To Release ‘Not Dark Yet’ In August

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Artists and sisters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer will release their long-awaited collaboration album Not Dark Yet on August 18 via Silver Cross Records/Thirty Tigers.

Recorded in Los Angeles in 2016 with producer Teddy Thompson, the album finds the sisters reinterpreting songs ranging from the Louvin Brothers, Nick Cave, Kurt Cobain, Merle Haggard, Jason Isbell/Amanda Shires and Jessi Colter, among others. They close the album with their own co-written track, “Is It Too Much.”

Collectively, the two have released 24 albums and earned a Grammy as well as an Oscar nomination, but Not Dark Yet marks their first album together.

Not Dark Yet Track Listing

My List – The Killers
Every Time You Leave – The Louvin Brothers
Not Dark Yet – Bob Dylan
I’m Looking For Blue Eyes – Jessi Colter
Lungs – Townes Van Zandt
The Color of a Cloudy Day – Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires
Silver Wings – Merle Haggard
Into My Arms – Nick Cave
Lithium – Kurt Cobain
Is It Too Much – Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer

Eric Church Offers Fans Last Chance At Bridgestone Tickets With Pop-Up Store

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Eric Church will wrap up his wildly successful Holdin’ My Own tour with two sold-out shows at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena May 26-27, and will open his pop-up store in East Nashville over the weekend from 10-6 p.m. each day featuring rare items including Church’s Gibson Hummingbird Dark Signature autographed guitar and custom Jack Daniel’s barrels. The store, located at 218 South 11th Street, will open again June 8-11 at CMA Music Fest during the same hours and will feature exclusive merch like a custom Orion Cooler and vintage tour T-shirts and posters.

Fans hoping to score tickets to the sold-out finale shows at Bridgestone this weekend have one more chance to find them if they visit the Nashville pop-up. By purchasing the store’s exclusive poster they have a chance of finding a pair of hidden tickets to the Friday and Saturday night shows. This year Church will also debut a never-before-seen design of his These Boots by Lucchese cowboy boot line called “The Chattanooga Lucy” during the Bridgestone Arena shows May 26 and 27.

Those wanting to get a virtual peek at the pop-up store items before it officially opens can visit Church’s Facebook page on Thursday, May 25 at 11 a.m. CT to get a tour via Facebook Live. A portion of the proceeds from the pop-up store (now in its third year at CMA Fest) benefits Church’s non-profit organization Chief Cares, which serves over 2.5 million people around the globe. More information on the Chief Cares Fund can be found at ericchurch.com/chiefcares.

 

Industry Pics: Dierks Bentley And Brett Young Celebrate RIAA Honors, Morgan Evans Makes Opry Debut

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Dierks Bentley Celebrates Multiple RIAA Certifications

Kicking off the new leg of his What The Hell tour at the Merriweather Post Pavilion (Columbia, Maryland) on Friday night (May 19), Dierks Bentley was also presented with several RIAA certifications. His album Black was recognized as being gold-certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. Additionally, Bentley’s songs “Somewhere On A Beach” and “Different For Girls” were both recognized for platinum sales, while his latest single, “Black,” was recognized as being gold-certified.

Pictured (L-R): Dierks Bentley and Jonathan Lamy, Executive Vice President, Communications and Marketing, RIAA.

 

Brett Young Earns Two Gold Certification Plaques

Big Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta and BMLG EVP and BMLG Records President Jimmy Harnen presented Brett Young with his double gold certification plaque today for his first two singles “Sleep Without You” and “In Case You Didn’t Know.” “Sleep Without You” already hit No. 1 on Country radio and “In Case You Didn’t Know” is on its way. Though Young only recently received the gold-certification plaque for “In Case You Didn’t Know,” it was announced today (May 24) that the song has actually earned platinum sales.

Pictured (L-R): Scott Borchetta, Brett Young, Jimmy Harnen

Pictured (L-R): Red Light Management’s Van Haze and Haley McLemore Haze, BMLG’s Scott Borchetta, Brett Young, BMLG’s Jimmy Harnen, Red Light Management’s Enzo DeVincenzo

 

Warner Music Nashville’s Morgan Evans Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut

Warner Music Nashville artist Morgan Evans made his Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday, May 19.

Pictured (L-R): Dan Rogers, Grand Ole Opry; Nick Hartley, Fitzgerald Hartley; Leslie Fram, SVP, Music Strategy, CMT; Morgan Evans; Justin Luffman, VP Brand Management, WMN

Jamie Floyd Joins Writer’s Den Music Group Roster

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(L-R): Sarah Feldman (Creative Director, Writer’s Den Music Group) Bobby Rymer (Partner/GM, Writer’s Den Music Group) Jamie Floyd, Lydia Schultz (Manager, Creative Services SESAC)

Jamie Floyd has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Writer’s Den Music Group.

Floyd recently co-wrote the soundtrack to the Burt Reynolds film Dog Years. She is also a member of the duo Stranger Friends with John Martin, and the two are working on their debut album.

“Her work ethic and talent are unmatched. We are looking forward to trying to keep up with her,” says Bobby Rymer, Partner/GM, Writer’s Den Music Group.

“Over the years I have always admired Bobby and his big heart for songs,” says Floyd. “I ended up running into him while I was waiting tables at [Nashville restaurant] Lockland Table last winter and fatefully it led to our new partnership! I’d been working hard on my own and held out for the last few years looking for the right publisher. I feel fortunate to say I have found a home at Writer’s Den and am so grateful and excited for our future!”

Floyd spoke to MusicRow earlier this year about her work in the recent documentary The Last Songwriter, which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in April. The documentary chronicles Floyd’s struggle to balance her creative pursuits as a Grammy-nominated songwriter with the necessity to make a living. At the time, Floyd said her (then unofficially announced) new deal made for a happy update to her story.

“A year ago we were in the thick of filming the restaurant scenes,” Floyd told MusicRow. “If you had told the girl mopping at the restaurant a year ago, that exactly a year later that would be completely taken out of the picture, I don’t know if I would have believed you. I am one of many songwriters that have this exact storyline. It’s meant to encourage my generation to not give up, if they know that this is what they are supposed to do.”

A Retrospective on MusicRow’s Song of the Year Winners

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Lori McKenna performs Song of the Year “Humble And Kind” at the 28th Annual MusicRow Awards. Photo: Moments By Moser

Following yesterday’s (May 23) announcement of this year’s nominees for the 29th annual MusicRow Awards, we reflect on the Song of the Year award.

The category has evolved since it’s inception. From 1985 until 1997, MusicRow presented a Top Songwriter Award to the writer with the most top-20 singles for the year.

In 1996, the Song of the Year category was officially established and continues today. MusicRow has presented the Song of the Year award 21 times—each year since 1996.

Lori McKenna is the winningest songwriter in MusicRow Awards history, with credits on “Humble and Kind,” “Girl Crush,” and “Stealing Kisses.”

Additionally the MusicRow Song of the Year often goes on to win CMA Song of the Year, including “Humble and Kind” (2016), “Girl Crush” (2015), “I Drive Your Truck” (2013), “If I Die Young” (2011), “The House That Built Me” (2010) and “In Color” (2009).

The Best Songs Are The Ones You Write Alone
7 Song of the Year winners were solo-writes:

“Humble and Kind,” Lori McKenna
“Stealing Kisses,” Lori McKenna
“If I Die Young,” Kimberly Perry
“Letter To Me,” Brad Paisley
“Red Ragtop,” Jason White
“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” Alan Jackson
“Friends,” Jerry Holland

They Sure Know How To Pick ‘Em
These artists have recorded more than one MusicRow Song of the Year.

Brad Paisley: “Letter To Me,” “Whiskey Lullaby,” “He Didn’t Have To Be”
Miranda Lambert: “All Kinds of Kinds,” “The House That Built Me”
Tim McGraw: “Humble and Kind,” “Red Ragtop”

The Chosen Few
Only three songwriters have won the Song of the Year award multiple times.

Lori McKenna: “Humble and Kind,” “Girl Crush,” “Stealing Kisses”
Allen Shamblin: “The House That Built Me,” “Don’t Laugh At Me”
Brad Paisley: “Letter To Me,” “He Didn’t Have To Be”

Subscribed members of MusicRow will receive ballots by email on Wednesday, May 24. Voting closes on Tues., May 30 at 5 p.m. CT. If you do not have a subscription, you may subscribe to receive your ballot and invitation.