LifeNotes: Hit Singer-Songwriter Michael Johnson Passes

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Nashville singer-songwriter Michael Johnson died at age 72 while in hospice care in Minneapolis on Tuesday, July 25.

Johnson made his mark in Music City as both a pop and country hit maker. His Nashville-recorded “Bluer Than Blue” became a No. 1 A/C hit and a major pop success in 1978. He repeated the feat with “This Night Won’t Last Forever” the following year.

In the 1980s, he made the transition to being a country music hit maker with “Give Me Wings,” “The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder” and other singles.

Johnson was successful in folk music, as well as in the pop and country fields. Born in Colorado in 1944 [August 8], he took up the guitar at age 13. He won a talent contest that led to a recording contract when he was a college student. He then studied classical guitar in Spain. Back in the U.S., he joined the folk group The New Society, which featured former New Christy Minstrels leader Randy Sparks.

In 1967, Johnson joined The Chad Mitchell Trio. At the time, the group included John Denver, with whom Johnson became a songwriting collaborator. The two also toured together after their Trio gig ended. Next, Johnson became a member of the touring company of the off-Broadway musical “Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in
Paris.”

Returning to solo record making, Michael Johnson recorded three folk-pop albums in 1973-76 for Atco Records. After that, he settled in Nashville.

Working with Brent Maher and Steve Gibson, he recorded Randy Goodrum’s song “Bluer Than Blue.” It earned him an EMI America contract and became a big hit. Working for the same label, Johnson charted four other titles on the pop charts in 1978-80, including 1979’s “This Night Won’t Last Forever,” penned by Nashville’s Bill LaBounty with Roy Feeland.

In 1985, Michael Johnson signed with the country division of RCA Records. Late that year, he scored a top-10 hit as the duet partner of the label’s Sylvia with “I Love You By Heart.” His country solo career was introduced with his self-penned “Gotta Learn to Live Without Her” in 1986.

“Give Me Wings,” written by Kye Fleming and Don Schlitz, became a No. 1 country smash for Johnson in late 1986. Hugh Prestwood’s “The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder,” became Johnson’s second No. 1 country hit in early 1987.

Johnson co-wrote “Crying Shame” with Brent Maher and Don Schlitz. It returned him to the country Top 10 list in late 1987. He then sang Randy Vanwarmer’s “I Will Whisper Your Name” and Prestwood’s “That’s That,” both of which became Top 10 country hits in 1988.

Michael Johnson continued to record as a country artist for Atlantic (1991-92) and Vanguard (1995). He was the cowriter of the 1995 4 Runner country single “Cain’s Blood.”

Johnson recorded duets with Juice Newton in 1991 (“It Must Be You”) and Alison Krauss in 1997 (“Whenever I Call You Friend”), the latter of which became a video release. He also became a popular troubadour at The Bluebird Café, for whom he recorded a live CD in 2000.

His later albums were also released by such independent labels as Intersound (1997), Yellow Rose (2005) and Red House (2012).

He underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2007. A charitable fund called “Friends of Michael Johnson” was established to help with his medical expenses at the time.

Funeral arrangements for Johnson are still pending.

650 AM WSM To Launch Weekly Sports Talk Show With George Plaster

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Pictured (L-R): Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher, WSM General Manager Chris Kulick, George Plaster, Belmont University Director of Athletics Scott Corley

 

George Plaster will return to 650 AM WSM beginning July 30 for a weekly sports talk radio show that will air each Sunday evening, beginning at 5 p.m. The call-in show, Sports Night, bears the same title of the previous long-running show Plaster helmed for 27 years on two Nashville radio stations. WSM Program Director Jonathan Shaffer will serve as show co-host.

The show will also be broadcast online at wsmonline.com, and via the station’s mobile app.

Plaster got his start in radio at 650 AM WSM as a reporter for the Waking Crew with host Ralph Emery. More recently, in addition to the role of sports talk show host, Plaster has been a radio and television play-by-play broadcaster for several college teams. He also serves as the Associate Director of Athletics for Belmont University, a position he will continue to hold in conjunction with his role at 650 AM WSM.

“No matter the season or year, there’s always great stuff to talk about in sports,” Plaster said. “I’m thrilled Jonathan is going to be part of the show with me, and I’m excited to get back in the studio and talk with the fans. I know I’ve got the station’s complete confidence in what I want to do and I know they’re going to allow me to do this the way I want to do it. That’s the only way I would have agreed to this show.”

“We’re excited to welcome George back to the airwaves of WSM,” Shaffer said. “When you have the chance to add a legendary talent to a legendary signal, you do it.”

“I always liked WSM because of its strong signal, and the thought that I’ve got a chance to talk to people in 38 states and half of Canada just intrigues the daylights out of me,” Plaster said.

 

Banner Music Adds Two

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Susanne Smith, Ryan L. Cunningham

Banner Music has hired Susanne Smith in the newly-created role of Public Relations Manager, to handle marketing, public relations, and social media for Banner Music and its artists. Smith previously worked at Los Angeles-based fashion boutique public relations operation MHA Media. She also previously held roles at Rogers & Cowan and UMG Nashville.

Earlier this year, Banner Music also hired Ryan L. Cunningham to serve in artist management for Shelby Lee Lowe and James Robert Webb. Cunningham previously served as A&R Director at OakHill Music, Director of Artist Management at Music Row Management, and as social media coordinator/publicist at PLA Media.

“We are thrilled with the growth our company is currently experiencing,” says Banner Music CEO, Camilla Kleindienst. “We’ve been selective with who we’ve brought in, and so far they’ve been doing an excellent job of making things happen for the company, our artists, and our songwriters.”

Craig Campbell Preps Month-Long Outing With Luke Bryan

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Craig Campbell

Red Bow Records’ Craig Campbell showcased a rockin’ half-hour set, perfectly tuned for Luke Bryan audiences, exclusively for industry insiders at S.I.R.’s Nashville rehearsal hall on Thursday night (July 25).

The preparations are being made for Campbell’s 13-date appearance on Bryan’s Huntin’ Fishin’ & Lovin’ Every Day Tour, which begin during a three-night run in Gilford, New Hampshire, beginning Aug. 8.

Rob Baker of Longshot Management introduced the star to the rehearsal hall stage after mingling amongst the crowd.

“These guys have been working their tail off to make a hell of a show,” cheered Baker. “I can’t wait for the 13 lucky dates to hear what we already know, that Craig Campbell is one of the best damn singers in this city!”

The set list launched with a unreleased tracks that at least have a good chance of making the cut for Campbell’s forthcoming debut with the label group, if he’s playing them live.  New songs include a rambunctious party anthem “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” medium tempo backroads love song “Talk Country To Me” and his debut, lead single with the label group “Outskirts of Heaven,” which calmed the set just momentarily.

With seven singles released to date, Campbell plans to also treat audiences to some Bigger Picture Music Group hits, including his 2012 Top 15 “Outta My Head,” the 2013 crowd pleaser “Keep Them Kisses Comin’,” and the heavily suggestive 2011 release “Fish,” which was blended with a sample of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ In The Dark.”

“August 8 through September 9 is going to be the best leg of [Luke Bryan’s Huntin’ Fishin’ & Lovin’ Every Day] Tour because I’m on it,” Campbell egged at the conclusion of his performance. “Thank you all so much for showing up and hanging out.”

Although Campbell is only featured from August to September, Bryan’s tour extends through the end of October—interspersed with shows for Bryan’s signature Farm Tour before heading to Mexico in 2018 for the annual Crash My Playa event.

Industry Ink: Brett Eldredge, William Michael Morgan, Jacob Davis, Bar Frog Music, Lorrie And Marty Morgan

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Brett Eldredge, William Michael Morgan Make Radio Stops

Brett Eldredge and KBEQ’s TJ McEntire

Brett Eldredge met with KBEQ’s TJ McEntire and Todd Nixon during a stop on his tour last weekend.

William Michael Morgan recently visited with WGKX’s Duane And Abby In The Morning.

 

Black River Entertainment’s Jacob Davis Makes ACM Visit

Pictured (L-R): Pete Fisher, CEO, Academy of Country Music; Jacob Davis; Dawn Delvo, Head of Media and Public Relations, Black River Entertainment; Daniel Miller, Red Light Management/Fusion Music. Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

Black River Entertainment recording artist Jacob Davis stopped by the ACM offices for a visit while he was in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Davis performed his current single, “What I Wanna Be,” and other songs from his upcoming album.

 

Bar Frog Nashville Opens

Randy Barber jumps into his newest venture creating an independent label services firm, Bar Frog Music. This full-service promotion and consulting label based in Nashville TN, features a full slate of offerings including artist development, management, production services, booking inquiries, radio promotion and tours, publicity and social media execution. The firm has hired Sheena Dickey, a former 10-year radio programmer to serve as Artist Representative and Michael Vorhees, a recent intern with Skyline Artist Agency, to serve as Booking Coordinator. They have also partnered with PR/Marketing firm Brickshore Media to represent them and their artists and Daredevil Productions to help increase their artist fan base on social platforms.

 

Lorrie Morgan, Marty Morgan Team For Bluebird Cafe Show

Lorrie Morgan will join her brother, songwriter Marty Morgan for a very special evening of music at the Bluebird Café on August 2. The in-the-round performance will begin at 9:00 pm with doors opening at 8:30. The night will also feature several special guests who will join in and celebrate the iconic music that the Morgan family have shared with the world for the past several decades.

Rounder Records To Release Gregg Allman’s Final Studio Album, ‘Southern Blood’

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The final studio album from the late rocker Gregg Allman, titled Southern Blood, will release via Rounder Records on Sept. 8. The torchbearer for Southern rock died earlier this year on May 27, at the age of 69, at his home near Savannah, Georgia.

The album stands as the final studio release, and first all-new recording since his 2011 album Low Country Blues. Southern Blood features a collection of songs penned by friends and fellow artists including Jackson Browne, Willie Dixon, Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter, Lowell George, Spooner Oldham, and Dan Penn. Allman collaborated with manager Michael Lehman, as well as Grammy-winning producer Don Was. The album was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

The album’s range includes Jackson Browne’s “Song For Adam,” which includes a final verse that Was says reminded Gregg of his older brother Duane’s passing, as well as “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats,” a track from Johnny Jenkins’ Duane Allman-produced album Ton-Ton Macoute!. Bob Dylan’s “Going, Going Gone” and Tim Buckley’s “Once I Was” also made the cut.

“As his producer, I was dedicated to helping Gregg crystallize his vision for the record and to help make sure that this vision made it to the tape,” says Was. “He was a musical hero of mine and, in later years, had become a good friend. The gravitas of this particular situation was not lost on me. Gregg was a sweet, humble man with a good heart and good intentions and it was a great honor to help him put his musical affairs in order and say a proper farewell.”

“Gregg was very excited to be in the studio,” says Lehman. “He was especially thrilled to be recording this studio album with his solo band—he was so proud of them and loved the sound that they produced together. Gregg felt close to every single one of them. The Gregg Allman Band was like a family or a well oiled machine, always knowing what the other band members were thinking and doing.”

“Muscle Shoals is hallowed musical ground,” says Was. “FAME was the place where Gregg’s brother Duane first started making waves in the music world and where the earliest seeds of The Allman Brothers Band were sown in a back room during their first, seminal rehearsals. Duane’s presence is still ubiquitous in that building. Recording there was Gregg’s way of making his spirit a part of this album, in the same way that his spirit continued to be part of Gregg’s life.”

The album’s lead single, “My Only True Friend,” which Allman co-wrote with Gregg Allman Band guitarist and musical director Scott Sharrard. Sharrard led the band through two weeks of recording for the album, with all nine musicians playing together in the same room, and Allman singing live vocals.

“‘My Only True Friend’ was Gregg’s attempt to contextualize the course of his life,” says Was. “The man that his fans saw performing onstage was the essential Gregg Allman—he was whole and truly satisfied when he was up there playing music. The trials and troubles he faced in life were mostly the result of not knowing what to do with himself in between shows. In this song, he’s addressing a woman and explaining that, although he loves her and doesn’t want to face living his life alone, being away on the road and performing every night is his lifeblood. If you understand this about Gregg Allman, every other aspect of his life makes complete sense.”

“Gregg was not feeling great,” Lehman says, “but being a true professional, he gave it his all as usual. He hit the studio every day for about four or five hours and would typically nail one or two of the songs.”

“Gregg was thrilled that the sound in his head was manifesting itself on the tape,” Was says. “He didn’t have all the lungpower of his younger self, but we felt that these raw, weathered performances were honest and compelling. We all agreed to leave them as they were on the day they were recorded. In the spirit of Laid Back, Gregg wanted to hear things like background harmony vocals and reverb on his voice but this album is essentially a documentary of our two weeks in the studio.

IBMA Reveals Nominees For 2017 IBMA Awards

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The International Bluegrass Music Association revealed this year’s nominees for the IBMA Awards, during an event held at the SiriusXM Studios in Nashville Wednesday morning (July 26).

IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger announced the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame inductees, which include Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, Bobby Hicks, and Roland White.

Distinguished achievement awards will be presented to Norman Blake, bluegrass music publication Bluegrass Today, Louisa Branscomb, Fletcher Bright, and Silver Dollar City.

Entertainer of the Year nominee Balsam Range ended the nomination reveal with a performance alongside Female Vocalist of the Year nominee and reigning IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year Sierra Hull and Justin Moses.

Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn will host the IBMA’s 28th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards Show on Thursday, Sept. 28 at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Entertainer of the Year:
Balsam Range
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
The Earls Of Leicester
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers

Female Vocalist of the Year:
Brooke Aldridge
Dale Ann Bradley
Sierra Hull
Amanda Smith
Molly Tuttle

Male Vocalist of the Year
Shawn Camp
Eric Gibson
Leigh Gibson
Buddy Melton
Russell Moore

Emerging Artist Of the Year
Front Country
The Lonely Heartstring Band
Molly Tuttle
Sister Sadie
Volume Five

Vocal Group of the Year
Balsam Range
Blue Highway
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Flatt Lonesome
The Gibson Brothers

Instrumental Group of the Year
Balsam Range
The Earls Of Leicester
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Punch Brothers

Song of the Year
“Blue Collar Dreams,” recorded by Balsam Range; Aaron Bibelhauser (writer)
“Going Back To Bristol,” recorded by Shawn Camp; Mac Wiseman, Thomm Jutz, Peter Cooper (writers)
“I Am A Drifter,” recorded by Volume Five; Donna Ulisse, Marc Rossi (writers)
“Someday Soon,” recorded by Darin & Brooke Aldridge; Ian Tyson (writer)
“The Train That Carried My Girl From Town,” recorded by The Earls Of Leicester; Frank Hutchison (writer)

Album of the Year
Fiddler’s Dream, Michael Cleveland; Producers: Jeff White/Michael Cleveland; Compass Records
In The Ground, The Gibson Brothers; Producers: Eric Gibson/Leigh Gibson/Mike Barber; Rounder Records
Mountain Voodoo, Balsam Range; Producer: Balsam Range; Mountain Home Records
Original, Bobby Osborne; Producer: Alison Brown; Compass Records
Rattle & Roar, The Earls Of Leicester; Producer: Jerry Douglas; Rounder Records

Recorded Event Of The Year
“East Virginia Blues,” Ricky Wasson and Dan Tyminski
“Going Back To Bristol,” Shawn Camp with Mac Wiseman, Peter Cooper, Thomm Jutz
“I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You,” Bobby Osborne with Sierra Hull, Alison brown, Rob Ickes, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley, Todd Phillips, Kenny Malone, Claire Lynch, and Bryan McDowell
“Steamboat Whistle Blues,” Michael Cleveland ft. Sam Bush
“‘Tis Sweet To Be Remembered,” Mac Wiseman and Alison Krauss

For a full list of nominees, visit ibma.org.

Manchester City Football Club And Sony Nashville Team For Pre-Game Fan Party

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Manchester City Football Club will be hosting a huge pre-game fan party before its soccer match against Tottenham Hotspur here in Nashville on July 29 at the George Jones Museum and Entertainment Complex. Sony Nashville is supporting the event, with artists Ryan Hurd, Seth Ennis, and The Sisterhood performing.

Manchester City ambassador Mike Summerbee and former player Paul Dickov will be on hand at the party to meet fans and preview the upcoming pre-season match, and fans can enjoy Q&A’s onstage and giveaways during the event. 

“I’m so thrilled to team up with Manchester City to officially kick off their big game this weekend in Nashville,” said Ennis. “I love soccer and have always been the biggest City fan, so to have a match in our backyard and be able to welcome them to town and watch them play is so exciting. I can’t wait to get the party started for City fans with Ryan and The Sisterhood. Let’s go City!”

Ricky Skaggs To Perform First Full Country Concert In 20 Years At Nashville Palace

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Photo courtesy of Carson Photoworks

Ricky Skaggs is performing his first full-blown concert in two decades on Sept. 2 in Nashville at the Nashville Palace. Skaggs is plugging back in for the concert and cranking up his hits from the ’80s, including “Highway 40 Blues,” “Honey (Open That Door),” “Heartbroke,” “Country Boy,” and “Uncle Pen,” among others.

Skaggs has been honoring a promise he made to the late Bill Monroe to do his part to keep bluegrass alive, and since Monroe’s passing in 1996, Skaggs has kept that promise, playing thousands of live bluegrass shows and releasing several albums dedicated to the genre. But he’s decided it’s time to dust off the songs that made him famous.

“After playing bluegrass music for the last 20 years, I’m gonna have a blast plugging in my electric guitar and singing my country hits again,” says Skaggs. “Can’t wait! We did a test run of the show back in June and came away from it feeling great!”

Since he began playing more than 50 years ago, Skaggs has released over 30 albums. He started his own record label, Skaggs Family Records, in 1997, and has released 12 consecutive Grammy-nominated albums on the label.

Tickets to Skaggs’ country show, which range from $20-200, go on sale today and can be purchased HERE.

ASCAP, BMI Reveal Comprehensive Musical Works Database

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Performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI have joined forces to create a single, comprehensive database of musical works from their combined repertories that will deliver an authoritative view of ownership shares in the vast majority of music licensed in the United States.

Elizabeth Matthews, CEO, ASCAP and Mike O’Neill, President and CEO, BMI announced the database, which will feature aggregated song ownership data from both PROs and offer greater transparency in song ownership. ASCAP’s and BMI’s respective databases will continue to be available on each organization’s respective website during the creation and initial launch of the joint database.

The joint database will roll out in phases with Phase One expected to launch by the end of 2018, and include the majority of ASCAP and BMI registered songs. Future phases will explore customizable, interactive API solutions and the potential inclusion of other databases.

A cross functional team of copyright, technical and data experts from BMI and ASCAP began working on the project over one year ago, in anticipation of the demand from licensees and the industry for more clarity around ownership shares. The database, which will be publicly available initially via ASCAP and BMI websites, will feature aggregated information from BMI’s and ASCAP’s repertories and will indicate where other performing rights organizations may have an interest in a musical work.

ASCAP and BMI have long had their respective online, searchable repertory databases – ASCAP’s ACE Repertory and BMI’s Repertoire Search. Both PRO public databases already include the following information, which will be combined in the joint database: song and composition titles, performing artist information, aggregated shares by society for ASCAP & BMI, international Standard Work Codes (ISWC) and other unique identifiers, as well as IP names and numbers.

The respective teams are analyzing, testing and reconciling the data from each organization, addressing incomplete and/or incorrect registrations, share splits, U.S. representation of international works and complicated ownership disputes, among other things. They are now testing the combined data sets in a cloud platform, and the results of that analysis will serve as the foundation for the joint database.

Matthews commented, “ASCAP and BMI are proactively and voluntarily moving the entire industry a step forward to more accurate, reliable and user-friendly data. We believe in a free market with more industry cooperation and alignment on data issues. Together, ASCAP and BMI have the most expertise in building and managing complex copyright ownership databases. With our combined experience, we are best positioned to make faster headway in creating a robust, cost effective market solution to meet the needs of the licensing marketplace.”

O’Neill added, “This is an important solution for the marketplace created by the experts who know their data best. We have always advocated for data transparency and supported the need for a user-friendly and comprehensive solution that would benefit music users and music creators alike. While BMI and ASCAP remain fierce competitors in all other regards, we recognize that our combined expertise allows us to create the best solution for our members and the marketplace. We’re excited by our momentum and the promise of what this database can become in the future.”