Nashville R&B, Gospel Mainstay Jesse Boyce Dies

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Jesse Boyce

Singer, songwriter, producer, instrumentalist, bandleader, businessman and entertainer Jesse Boyce has died at age 69.

For more than four decades, Boyce was a cornerstone figure of Music City’s r&b and gospel industries. He wrote, sang and/or produced some of the most prominent soul and disco hits ever made in Nashville.

An alumnus of Leadership Music, Boyce was associated with such top stars as The Temptations, Little Richard, Peabo Bryson, Shirley Caesar, Wilson Pickett and Teddy Pendergrass.

Born in 1948, Jesse Boyce was a native of North Carolina. As a high-school student in Greensboro, SC, he was classically trained on piano, organ, drums, guitar and bass. After earning a degree from American Baptist College in Nashville, he became a top session musician in Muscle Shoals, AL.
As a bass player in The FAME Gang of session players, he backed Candi Staton, Wilson Pickett, Bobbie Gentry, Clarence Carter and many other top stars. The FAME Gang (featuring Boyce) also made records under its own name, including 1969’s “Grits and Gravy” and “Soul Feud.”

During the 1960s, Jesse Boyce began a long association with guitarist/producer Moses Dillard (1947-1993), initially in the r&b group The Dynamic Showmen. Their next band, Moses Dillard & The TexTown Display, featured future star Peabo Bryson.

Boyce began writing and recording in Nashville in 1972. He formed the soul band Bottom & Co., which was signed to Motown Records in 1973. This made Bottom & Co. the first modern Nashville black act on a major label.

He wrote and sang “You’re My Life” (1974) and “Here for the Party” (1975), which made lower reaches of the soul charts for the group. Its Rock Bottom LP was issued in 1976.

Moses Dillard moved to Nashville that year. He and Boyce resumed their musical partnership. Working under the billing The Saturday Night Band, they scored a No. 2 disco hit with Boyce’s written and sung “Come On, Dance, Dance” in early 1978.

Continuing as a studio group, this time billed as The Constellation Orchestra, they hit the disco top-10 again that summer with “Perfect Love Affair.”

Meanwhile, Bill Brandon scored a 1978 top-30 hit on the r&b charts with “We Fell in Love While Dancing,” co-written and co-produced by Dillard and Boyce. In early 1979, Dillard and Boyce co-produced the big Lorraine Johnson disco hits “Feed the Flame” and “Learning to Dance All Over Again.”

This time billed as Dillard & Boyce, the team again gained its own spotlight by issuing their We’re In This Thing Together album on Mercury Records in 1980. Boyce sang lead and wrote or co-wrote all but one of its tunes.

With the disco ensemble dubbed Frisky, Boyce hit the dance charts again with “You Got Me Dancing in My Sleep” and “Burn Me Up” in 1980. He next joined the soul trio Spunk, with whom he made the r&B charts via “Get What You Want” in 1981. Jesse Boyce was the writer, lead singer and co-producer of this group, which reportedly sold four million records in the U.K.

In 1982, he hit No. 1 on the disco/dance charts via Linda Clifford’s version of “Let It Ride,” which he wrote and produced. Over the years, Jesse Boyce’s songs have also been recorded by The Temptations, Ben E. King, The Dells, The Commodores, The Impressions, O.C. Smith, Bloodstone, David Ruffin and The Chi-Lites, among others.

In addition, he became a sought-after session musician on Music Row. As a bass player, keyboardist and/or backup singer, Boyce recorded with Crystal Gayle, Dr. John, John Hiatt, Mickey Newbury, Shirley Caesar, Millie Jackson, Albertina Walker, Lou Rawls, Lonnie Mack, The Osmonds, The Mighty Clouds of Joy and more. He won a NARAS Super Picker Award honoring Nashville’s top session sidemen.

In 1983, Jesse Boyce was signed as a solo artist by Nashville’s Compleat Records. He issued “Bluer Than Blue” (1983) and “It’s Your Chance (To Break Dance)” (1984) for the label. This is also when he became the lead singer for the nostalgic golden-oldie bands The Marvels and The Sons of the Beach.

Around 1986, he began his 30-year tenure as the bass player for Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame legend Little Richard.

He resumed his education at Vanderbilt’s Divinity School and at Memphis Theological Seminary. He composed and recorded soundtrack music for a number of religious documentary films. Boyce eventually became the music minister at Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church in North Nashville.

He and Dillard co-produced the 1991 Warner Bros. Records gospel CD by New Faith. This group was composed of inmates at the Tennessee State Prison who were serving life sentences. Boyce sang backup on the record and co-wrote four of its tunes. This disc included guest appearances by Sam Moore of Sam & Dave fame, plus soul star Teddy Pendergrass.

He was selected for Leadership Music in 1992 and graduated from the program in 1993.

In more recent years, Jesse Boyce had established his Sovereign Music Group and founded the Midtown Music Academy for at-risk children in North Nashville.

He was diagnosed with advanced-stage prostate cancer in 2003.

Boyce released his final CD, The Messenger, in 2013 billed as Jesse Boyce & Vision.

When his cancer resumed and spread in 2016, he agreed to have his story told in the documentary film Intentional Healing. It premiered at the Nashville Film Festival earlier this year. It includes footage of him recording his song “Dance Again” with Phil Hughley (Gtar Phil) and UMG’s Black Violin.

Jesse Boyce died on Thursday, Aug. 17. He is survived by his wife Asieren; by children Jesse, Rosalind, Walden and Adrienne; by brother Tommy James and sister Dorothy Harris; by five grandchildren and by four great-grandchildren.

Donations are requested to Midtown Music Academy (P.O. Box 233, Madison, TN 37116) or to the Jesse Boyce Music Chair at the Reclamation Center Inc. (2334 Herman St. Nashville, TN 37208).

Workshop Management Promotes Jenn Stookey To Creative Director/Manager

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Workshop Management has promoted Jenn Stookey to artist manager and Creative Director.

Stookey started at Workshop Management in 2015 and previously served as a management assistant. She is a graduate of Belmont University.

Under her new role Stookey serves as the manager for UK-based Milestones who release their debut LP in Spring 2018 on Fearless Records. She will also operate as the day-to-day manager for Mayday Parade, Glen Phillips of Toad The Wet Sprocket, Marie Miller, and producer Chad Copelin.

Stookey will also serve as a creative director for the company’s branding division, Workshop Projects, which has secured sponsorship & endorsement deals with Twix, Ford Music, and Hilton Hotels among others, and their newly-launched music licensing division, Workshop Songs, which represents artists such as Layup, Upstate & Kilgore for sync opportunities.

“Jenn’s hard work, passion and talent has added tremendous value to every client on our roster. She’s a self-starter who approaches the role of artist manager with a fresh perspective and cutting edge ideas. She’s someone we can build our business around and are thrilled to be able to support her in this new role which allows her to continue to develop and grow our management roster while also expanding our branding and licensing divisions to offer even more services to our clients,” said Josh Terry, founder/CEO of Workshop Management.

Workshop Management is located at 800 18th Ave. S., Suite C in Nashville.

Jerrod Niemann’s ‘Ride’ Set For Oct. 6, Diamond Rio Guests On New Track

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Jerrod Niemann is releasing his first album for Curb Records this fall with This Ride on Oct. 6. The project includes 13 tracks co-produced by Niemann himself with Jimmie Lee Sloas, who also co-produced Niemann’s 2014 album High Noon.  

Niemann taps into Nashville’s stable of amazing tunesmiths for the new collection, which features songs by Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman, Rodney Clawson, Craig Wiseman, Dallas Davidson, Natalie Hemby, Josh Osborne, Chris DeStefano and more. The project has already yielded two singles,  the feel-good “A Little More Love” duet with longtime buddy/labelmate Lee Brice, and the romantic “God Made A Woman,” and features a new song with guest harmonies by 90’s country favorites Diamond Rio, “I Ain’t All There.”

Track listing for Jerrod Niemann’s THIS RIDE:
1. “Zero to Crazy” (Ashley Gorley, Chris DeStefano, Shane McAnally)
2. “But I Do” (Josh Osborne, Jimmy Robbins, Jon Nite)
3. “Leavin’ a Trail” (Corey Crowder, Luke Dick, Cole Taylor)
4. “I Got This” (Rodney Clawson, Josh Osborne, Luke Dick)
5. “Out Of My Heart” (Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson, Chris DeStefano)
6. “A Little More Love” with Lee Brice (Ross Copperman, Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, Kristi Neumann)
7. “God Made A Woman” (Michael Ray, Joel Shewmake, Jeff Hyde)
8. “Whiskey Waitin’ On Ice” (Jerrod Niemann, Lance Miller, Rob Hatch, Brandon Hood)
9. “Feelin’” (Jeremy Stover, Chris Janson, Luke Dick)
10. “I Ain’t All There”  featuring Diamond Rio (Jerrod Niemann, Lance Miller, Richie Brown)
11. “Come Back” (Jimmy Yeary, Matt Dragstrem, Craig Wiseman)
12. “The Regulars” (CJ Solar, Tina Parol, Jessie Jo Dillon)
13. “This Ride” (JT Harding, AJ Babcock, Pete Good)

 

Promotions, Hirings At Marbaloo

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Pictured: Brooke Hughes, Marisa Boras, Maxie Hammock, Emily Thornburg, Sara Jordan Jacobson, Haley Schaafsma, Kalaway Voss, Haley Coote, and Jon Gish.

Nashville-based, multi-faceted entertainment marketing company Marbaloo has announced a round of promotions and hirings.

Brooke Hughes joined Marbaloo in April, from Triple 8, as Marbaloo’s  newest marketing manager. She works closely with her roster of clients with a strong touring base as well as being the go-to resource for experiential activations at the company.

Marisa Boras joins Marbaloo’s interactive team following internships with WSM Radio, Ryman Auditorium, and Vector Management. Her career background also includes videography and production.

Maxie Hammock joined Marbaloo as a marketing assistant following an internship at Sony Music Nashville.

Emily Thornburg has been promoted to publicity coordinator from publicity assistant.

Sara Jordan Jacobson joins Marbaloo as its newest media research assistant. She works closely with the company’s executives by presenting and planning next steps for the publicity department in the ever evolving media landscape.

Haley Schaafsma, who previously worked in the sports department at CAA, and Kalaway Voss now handle executive support and operational coordination for the company. Haley Coote continues to support executives in an upgraded executive manager role as she nears her three-year anniversary with the company.

Jon Gish is at helm in a newly-created finance and operations director position. He is now the senior level finance personnel handling resource management, investments, billing and business manager relations.

Marbaloo Marketing is located at 401 Church Street in Nashville.

Rockabilly Pioneer Sonny Burgess Dies

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Sun Records artist Sonny Burgess, one of the last of the original rockabilly stylists, has died at age 88. Burgess passed away on Friday, Aug. 18, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He became a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2002.

He was born Albert Burgess Jr. in 1929 and was playing country music in his Newport, Arkansas hometown by the time he reached his early 20s. Elvis Presley came there to perform and promote his debut Sun single in 1955. Burgess was inspired and dramatically changed his style in imitation of Presley.

He also went to Memphis to audition for Presley’s label. Sonny Burgess’ Sun debut was the wildly energetic “We Wanna Boogie” / “Red Headed Woman” of 1956. Both sides of the disc are considered to be rockabilly classics.

He followed his debut with another strong rocker, 1957’s “Ain’t Got a Thing.” But this failed to duplicate the success of his first single. The third Burgess Sun single was a rockabilly version of “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It.” Teen idol Ricky Nelson copied it, sold a million with it and drowned the Burgess original in 1958. Next, Burgess tried the rockabilly instrumentals “Itchy” and “Thunderbird.” These failed, too.

He and his band The Pacers toured with many of the top Sun acts, including Johnny Cash, Warren Smith and Jerry Lee Lewis. On the road with Roy Orbison, they did double duty by serving as his backing band.

Sonny Burgess & The Pacers were crazed, flamboyant stage personalities. Their antics included charging into audiences in a rocking frenzy, forming a human pyramid, rolling around on their backs while playing and dragging one another across stages.

They also did The Bug. This involved one band member picking up an imaginary bug and throwing it on another. The one “bugged” would flail around wildly, scratching and itching while continuing to play. He’d then toss the “bug” onto another, and the gesticulating would escalate. Then they’d involve the audience in the same game.

Other gymnastics included doing make-believe Indian dances. When Burgess would leap high into the air and let out a blood-curdling scream, it was a signal for the band to rock even harder.

At one point, Burgess dyed his hair red and costumed himself in red suede shoes, red socks, red slacks, a red shirt and a red tuxedo jacket. These matched his red Fender guitar.

But the lack of a big hit record demoralized The Pacers by the end of the 1950s. After serving a stint in Conway Twitty’s band, Sonny Burgess & The Pacers broke up. Burgess reverted to singing country and r&b music in the 1960s, but in 1972 he quit the music business.

He was a salesman for a fabric company for more than a decade. Then, in 1986, Burgess and a group of Sun session musicians performed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. Billed as the Sun Rhythm Section, they also did a popular, two-week stint in one of the city’s nightclubs.

This led to further festival appearances, European tours and a Sun Rhythm Section CD. Then Burgess embarked on a series of solo comeback albums with Raw Deal (1986), Spellbound (1989), I’m Still Here (1990) and The Razorback Rock & Roll Tapes (1992). In 1992, Dave Alvin of The Blasters produced an especially acclaimed Sonny Burgess CD titled Tennessee Border.

In 1996, Gary Tallent of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band brought Burgess to Nashville to record the album Sonny Burgess Has Still Got It for Rounder Records. The CD’s cast included Billy Livsey, Roy Husky Jr., Scotty Moore and The Jordanaires. As he did “back in the day,” Burgess supplied his own lead-guitar licks.

His career revival continued with the CDs God’s Holy Light (1997), Tupelo Connection (2001), Back to Sun Records (2003) and Tear It Up (2006). He formed a new version of The Pacers and recorded a 2007 CD titled Gijon Stomp! Then Live at Sun Studios appeared in 2012.

In 2015, Sonny Burgess returned to Nashville as the headliner at the opening of a Sun Records exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. On stage to celebrate “Flying Saucers Rock & Roll: The Cosmic Genius of Sam Phillips,” Burgess proved that his powerful growling voice and fiery guitar playing were undimmed by time.

Last month, Sonny Burgess fell at his home and was hospitalized. He died at Little Rock’s Baptist Health Medical Center, He is survived by a son, John Burgess. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Bobby Bones And The Raging Idiots Release New EP, Announce New Tour Dates

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Bobby Bones and The Raging Idiots are hitting the road this fall for a special limited-date tour and have announced eight new shows. Tickets for this run, featuring special guests Jillian Jacqueline and Nikita Karmen, go on sale August 25 at ragingidiots.com.

Bones also surprised fans with a new EP, THE NEXT EPISODE (Songs In The Key of B, LLC), available now. The EP includes four new tracks: “Namaste,” “Golden Girls Theme Song (Thank You For Being A Friend)”, “Break Up With Me,” and his popular love letter to the chicken franchise, “Chick-Fil-A (…But It’s Sunday).”

BOBBY BONES & THE RAGING IDIOTS Tour Dates: 
10/20 – Lubbock, TX – Lubbock Civic Center
10/21 – Tulsa, OK  – Brady Theater
10/27 – El Paso, TX – Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre
10/28 – Austin, TX – Nutty Brown Amphitheater (on sale now)  **
11/17 – Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
11/18 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theater
12/8 – Oklahoma City – Diamond Ballroom
12/9 – Fayetteville, AR – Walton Arts Center 
 
**Support includes Jillian Jacqueline and Chris Janson and Brandon Ray. Nikita Karmen not on date
The Next Episode Track Listing: 
1. Namaste – Bobby Bones and Walker Hayes
2. Golden Girls Theme Song (Thank You For Being A Friend) – Andrew Gold
3. Chick-Fil-A (…But It’s Sunday) – Bobby Bones, Mike Rodriguez and Brandon Ray
4. Break Up With Me – Bobby Bones, Adam Hambrick and Brandon Ray

Bonus Q&A: PR Tips From Jake Basden, Ebie McFarland, Kristie Sloan, Jensen Sussman

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For the 2017 Artist Roster print magazine, MusicRow exclusively sat down with public relations representatives behind artists including Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, The Robertson Family, Ronnie Dunn, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Bobby Bones, Dierks Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini and Dustin Lynch to discuss PR damage control in the modern age.

Jake Basden, VP Publicity & Corporate Communications, Big Machine Label Group; Ebie McFarland, Publicist/Owner, Essential Broadcast Media; Kristie Sloan, co-owner of the Greenroom and Jensen Sussman, Pres./Owner of Sweet Talk Publicity discuss their experiences with media in a world where clicks are driven with shock and awe, and consumers have devoured many celebrities after their missteps; think: Paula Deen or Kathy Griffin.

The full interview can be found in MusicRow’s latest Artist Roster Print magazine, available with a subscription. We exclusively discuss country music fan demographics—with identities being both Republicans and Democrats, LGBT and conservative Christian or even advocates for Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter. The print feature also discusses how each publicist’s personal reactions have been neutralized to navigate crisis situations.

What follows is a bonus Q&A, which features the publicist’s advice for operating their businesses in today’s environment. Read the exclusive print interview in MusicRow’s 2017 Artist Roster Print magazine, available with MusicRow subscriptions and individually at musicrow.com.

– – –

MusicRow: How can a publicist get their voice heard when pitching for features?

Jake Basden: Rule one is: Know you’re audience. We’re really in the business of telling stories. MusicRow may be perfect for certain things that no one over at People magazine ever may need to see. You have to understand the goal and who you are trying to reach, because a lot of times trying to reach everyone will get you no one.

Kristie Sloan: I love a “No.” Then I can tell you why that “No” doesn’t work. [laughs]. I crave information and if we can figure out why a certain pitch didn’t work, we can try something else. If it’s not a fit, then it’s not a fit—I’m not going to force anything. But if I believe so strongly it is a fit, I want to have a dialogue about it.

Ebie McFarland: There are certain times we will go to our core Nashville journalists, ones who have been championing the format for a long time, to soundboard some stories and say, “Help me find the timeliness here.” A lot of time we’ll postpone a story 8-10 months because it may need told when a single is peaking, not when a single is going for adds—or one of 50 reasons. I think that is why we are so fortunate as a format to have so many people that actually care about these artists in real ways.

Jensen Sussman: Email still doesn’t replace a phone call. PR is so much about relationships and trying to tell those stories. When you can have a dialogue on the phone or in person, you can really go in-depth about that story. I always encourage my team, if you’re not hearing back, you need to get on the phone or take them to coffee. Because a lot of those emails could be deleted if you picked up the phone to have one conversation.

MR: With your rosters, do you get one-on-one attention for national media too?

Basden: It’s so competitive. There’s one music booker at Fallon. There’s tons of publicists trying to reach her. You have to be selfless, thinking of it that way and remembering that part. [Most people at BMLG] are talking about competing against the other 50 people on the country chart. But that booker is looking at every genre…

Sussman: …every single chart, and actors and others non-music related. We were just looking at what we’re all fighting for, pitching for and up against with magazines in print. There’s how many major books? There’s 12 covers a year and six are Hollywood actresses.

MR: Say you’ve secured one of those high-profile features, do you ever then turn and have to sell that opportunity to your client or take responsibility for a potential misstep during the interview?

Sussman: I always say, we present opportunities putting together the strongest campaigns we can and presenting as many opportunities we think are good fits for our clients. That’s our job. But there is an entire team and so many other factors. But we focus on working the hardest in our area—doing the best we can.

McFarland: I would add to that, explaining why it’s a good opportunity [to] team members that perhaps haven’t had a story in the Wall Street Journal, Kickstarter campaign or a New York Times magazine piece. Those set the tone for an album. When you’re trying to emphasize the importance of those outlets, explain why the [placement] can help now and why we recommend it is helpful. Because that’s ultimately why we’re getting paid, is for our expertise.

MR: How might national, or international media operate differently than we do in Nashville?

Basden: One way it gets challenging is TV. We get so used to CMT correspondents and artists go out of town to an awards show in Vegas or LA or New York and they go to the carpet and can’t understand why a producer may not know their album came out, or the name of their current single. Artists may not realize the correspondent has just been hired for that day and just has a list of people they need to interview. Whereas someone in [Nashville] who stays up on that information day to day would know that. So you will get feedback from artists in that regard. Even the bookers. Sometimes you’ll have conversations, because we’re consuming MusicRow magazine or Country Aircheck and everything all day [in Nashville], they may not be. That’s a good reminder to keep feeding them with information…

McFarland: …and contextualizing it. When you’re dealing with people that don’t live and breathe the format, it’s important to show in layman’s terms how it’s relevant to them without it becoming a stats or sales story. You have to evoke emotion from the segment, and that has to start with the pitch. If that doesn’t happen, it is very unlikely that it will become a moving piece. That’s a very delicate process, and something you work years to hone in able to be able to craft pitches so they don’t isolate your artist as one particular thing in their mind. Because a lot of times, you’re growing that relationship with that person for the first time, especially with international.

MR: So is that the challenge of publicists, to translate sales stats to compelling stories?

Basden: It is important not to get caught up in stats, like Ebie said. Every day from the label there are new stats. There’s a new No. 1 every week and you can’t go in expecting these people in these other markets to follow the charts like we do. And quite frankly, sales stats are not always a story. They may show momentum, but being No. 1 is not the story. Unless it’s historic.

Sussman: On a human-interest level, what fans and media producers connect with is that story the artist is telling. It seems like a big sales story, but what’s going to connect with them, and for us to get that segment or placement is the story of what that particular artist has gone through or is telling with their music. That is what is going to let us bring that spotlight on them, and that’s how you fall in love with music is because it speaks to you, and what you’re going through. That’s why we’re all in this and why we want to tell those story.

McFarland: Think of discovering music as a child. If you heard a song you liked, the first thing you’d do is read the back of the vinyl or booklet. Think of the way people consume music today. A lot of times they’re Shazaming it or Googling it. We want to create the content so when people hear the music, they are able to go down the rabbit hole and fall more in love and connect more with the artist and their story. Back in the day it would have been you wanted your bio to tell everything with the hopes of starting the conversation.

MR: Jake, from a label perspective, do you ever suggest artists hire an independent publicist from outside of Nashville?

Basden: I get so mad if one of our artists sign with someone outside Nashville because they think that whatever reason they’re in L.A. that they may bring something more to the table. Most times it doesn’t end up working out that way.

Sussman: [laughs]

Basden: So if you’re going to hire an indie in country, that person needs to be on the ground in Nashville. Nashville publicists do a good job looking at the whole picture—digital and print. A lot of times these bigger firms are really doing nothing but booking television for people all the time. We talked a lot about country today, but I think people in other facets of entertainment are crazy for not engaging more with Nashville publicists. Any of these [publicists here today] could do a better job than someone who happens to be on the ground in New York or L.A. I really believe that.

McFarland: We all pay Jake. He’s our publicist. [Laughs]

Do ever feel a sense of competition between each other, not only competing for clients but features and spots?

Sussman: It’s funny, Kristie and I just had drinks the other night. We have such a community [in Nashville] that I don’t ever feel competitive. There’s so much music, so many great artists and all of us are doing such great work. I have so much respect for everyone in the room that if there was a crisis situation and needed to bounce ideas, I really feel like I could call anyone.

Sloan: If anything it’s a healthy competition. Because if someone lands a cover, we all know how hard that is. Or you get SNL. That’s huge!

Basden: Exactly. And you’re opening the door for the rest of [Nashville].

McFarland: But to Jake’s earlier point about New York or L.A., if the growth of Nashville helps to overcome some of the stereotypes about businesses based in Nashville being somehow at a disadvantage geographically, then I’m all for the growth.

Maybe that collaborative nature comes from feeling like in order for somebody in Nashville to win, somebody else in Nashville doesn’t have to lose.

Basden: Except maybe during the CMA Awards.

All: [laughs]

Pick up MusicRow’s latest Artist Roster Print magazine, exclusively discussing what it feels like when the pressure is on during a crisis situation, available with a subscription.

Kip Moore’s ‘Slowheart’ Is Next Chapter In Evolving Career

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Kip Moore knows the instant that a new album is about to transpire. “It’s like all of a sudden a light starts,” says the singer, whose next project Slowheart will be released Sept. 8. “With whatever I’ve internalized with relationships, being on the road, and observing life in general, there is a distinct thing that happens and I feel it the moment it starts. Within weeks or a month, I know I’m about to write a record.”

Slowheart—named for that inclination to internalize—processes and puts on display those experiences and emotions, taking fans on a journey of colorful imagery and interesting characters. “I watched her pack up her mink coat, pink stilettos and rosary,” he sings on “Just Another Girl.”

Moore’s ongoing story is full of summer flings (“Sunburn”), smoking with Slash (“I’ve Been Around”), sloe gin fizz and fast women (“Fast Women”), but balances it with plenty of grounded material. There’s lost love (“Plead The Fifth”), sincere devotion (“Try Again”), hopefulness (“More Girls Like You”), sunny romance (“Good Thing”), and self-reflection (“Guitar Man”). Along the way, he finds unique perspectives for music’s most timeless topic—love. (If you were my last breath I’d just wanna hold ya.—“Last Shot.”)

“I always want my records to evolve with who I am and what I’m feeling,” he says. “What those vulnerabilities and insecurities are at that time of my life. What my hope is at that time of my life.”

As sole producer of the project, Moore conjures sing-along choruses and guitar hooks galore. Having co-produced his two previous albums, doing it alone this time was a natural step. “I had lived with these songs for so long and I had been imagining all these arrangements,” he continues. “I had a blueprint for each and every one. I knew exactly the sound I wanted. And I didn’t want anybody to deter me from that sound.”

Moore cut about 25 tracks before whittling it down to the final 13. Slowheart was recorded mostly at Southern Ground studio, with the exception of lead single “More Girls Like You” and “Blonde,” which he and co-writer David Garcia recorded at Garcia’s home studio, playing all the instruments themselves.

The singer brought that well-thought-out vision to his recording of “Bittersweet Company,” a song about a fading long-term relationship. “It was such a slow, melancholy acoustic thing when I wrote it,” he says. “I live with it for a while before I go in to record it. I think, ‘How is this song going to grab people live? How am I going to get the maximum feeling and emotion out of this song?’ I think of all the elements, like what that title means. Bittersweet is a contradiction of each other, it’s a double-edged sword. The music and the lyric is a contradiction of each other. The lyric is a heart-wrenching, sad thing, but yet I put this happy melody on top of it. It feels like a straight old-school ‘90s rock ‘n’ roll song to me.”

Moore’s fans and albums have followed him through all phases of his life, starting in 2012 with the small-town nostalgia and young love found on Up All Night. In 2015 he offered the rock-oriented Wild Ones, with snapshots of his life following three No. 1s. Upcoming Slowheart blends the storytelling of his first outing with the rock grooves of Wild Ones to become its own piece of art.

“The reason the records are never going to sound the same is because I’m never going to be that guy that’s going to write in hopes of holding on to commercial success,” says Moore. “If the commercial success happens, that’s the gravy part of it. I’m going to write to the fans that have been there with me, and are growing and evolving with me. And about what pertains to my life. I see that all the time with artists, I know exactly what their record’s going to sound like before they put it out. That bores me and I feel like that is basically trying to keep the train rolling on whatever has gotten you there. I can’t write ‘Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck’ again. I can sing it, because I can go back to that nostalgic place, but I can’t write that song again, because it’s not relative to my life anymore. I had yet to travel the world and experience things the way I have. I don’t have that in my well anymore and I don’t want to go try to dig it back up just in hopes of maybe grabbing a hit. And that gets pressed on me all the time. You start getting in the corporate side of things….I’m always like, ‘Guys, it’s not gonna happen. This is another chapter.’”

The current chapter shows Moore recording outside songs for the first time, including “The Bull,” a song by Jon Randall and Luke Dick about flipping the bird to “all the bulls that bucked me off.” Moore says, “That’s the first time a song had really punched me in the mouth like that that wasn’t mine. That’s how I feel about everything right now.”

And though Slowheart hasn’t even been released, Moore is evolving to the next chapter. “I’ve already been writing what I think will be the feel of the next record after this one,” he says. “You’ll find out, but it’s completely different than Slowheart. I’m still the same person at my core. But where I’m at musically right now is completely different from where I was a year ago. I want there to always be a direct correlation of my life and what I’m making musically.”

In the meantime, Moore is itching to share Slowheart with fans on the road. “That’s the hardest part,” he sums. “When you’ve been sitting on all these songs and waiting to play them live. Because I write around that.”

His headlining Plead The Fifth Tour kicks off Oct. 19.

Moore will perform in Nashville on Sept. 10. He is teaming up with skateboarding champion Tony Hawk for the Music City Skate Jam presented by Harley-Davidson. The event at Music City Walk Of Fame Park will include a skate demo by Hawk with proceeds benefitting Kip’s Kids Fund and the Tony Hawk Foundation.

SLOWHEART Track List:

1.Plead The Fifth (Luke Dick, Josh Kear)

2. Just Another Girl (Kip Moore, Westin Davis, Ben Helson)

3. I’ve Been Around (Kip Moore, Dan Couch)

4. Fast Women (Kip Moore, Blair Daly, Westin Davis and Troy Verges)

5. Bittersweet Company (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)

6. Sunburn (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller, Steven Olsen)

7. More Girls Like You (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)

8. The Bull (Jon Randall, Luke Dick)

9. Blonde (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)

10. Good Thing (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)

11. Last Shot (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, David Lee Murphy)

12. Try Again (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller)

13. Guitar Man (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, Westin Davis)

Levon, The Sisterhood, Ashley McBryde Plan Solar Eclipse Opry Shows

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Levon

Columbia Nashville/Epic Records’ new trio Levon are confirmed to perform at the Opry Plaza in Nashville on Monday, August 21, prior to the total solar eclipse as part of the Opry Total Eclipse Plaza Party Presented by AT&T. At the event, guests will enjoy live music on the Plaza stage from Levon starting at approximately 12:30 p.m., just prior to the total eclipse at 1:27 pm. Ashley McBryde will perform prior to Levon, and again after the eclipse.

Also signed under the Sony Music Nashville umbrella, country duo The Sisterhood will make their Grand Ole Opry debut on Sunday, Aug. 20. The Opry this particular night is a momentous one as it is celebrating the once-in-a-lifetime Total Solar Eclipse in the U.S. which occurs the following day, as Nashville is in the direct path. In addition to The Sisterhood, the all-star line-up for the two special Sunday night “Total Eclipse” Opry performances on August 20th includes Little Big Town, Darius Rucker and Wynonna, among others.

The Sisterhood 

JRA Fine Arts Rebrands To Ovation Artist Group

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Ovation Artist Group staff, pictured (L-R): Marc Whitmore, Meg Ellisor, Tyler Lewis, Melissa Miller, Jeff Roberts, Bill Marquardt, Teddy Pagano.

Known for booking Dailey & Vincent, Sandi Patty and Ramsey Lewis, JRA Fine Arts is rebranding and changing its name to Ovation Artist Group.

JRA Fine Arts previously focused on booking shows in performing arts centers and symphonies. Under its new name, the company will expand its reach to include clubs, festivals, casinos and other concert venues.

Ovation Artist Group also recently expanded its roster to include Kurt Elling, Ramsey Lewis and soul singer Sam Moore. Ovation Artist Group is a division of the Jeff Roberts Corporation, which is also home to Jeff Roberts & Associations, which represents Casting Crowns, for King & Country, Lauren Daigle, Skillet and more.

Company president Jeff Roberts says, “It’s an exciting time for Ovation Artist Group and our artists. We felt a bit limited in the past but with this change, the addition of a few agents and satellite offices in London and Los Angeles, the sky’s the limit for what we can offer our clients.”