January was a big month for single sales in country, with six artists reaching RIAA Platinum or multiplatinum status during the month. Kane Brown reached double Platinum with his smash “What Ifs,” while Brett Eldredge (“Wanna Be That Song”), Dustin Lynch (“Small Town Boy”), LANCO (“Greatest Love Story”), Midland (“Drinkin’ Problem”) and Russell Dickerson (“Yours”) all achieved platinum status for their singles.

Nashville-affiliated artists achieving RIAA Gold Single certification during the month of January included:
Florida Georgia Line – “Smooth”
Justin Moore – “Somebody Else Will”
MercyMe – “Even If”
Miranda Lambert – “Tin Man”
Third Day “Soul On Fire (Featuring All Sons And Daughters)”

Eric Church‘s Mr. Misunderstood was also certified Triple Platinum, and Dan +Shay‘s Where It All Began reached Gold Album status.

Maren Morris recently celebrated the Gold certification of her first No. 1, “I Could Use A Love Song,” with staffers at her label, Columbia Records Nashville. She is following up the hit with her brand new single, “Rich,” a fan favorite from her lauded debut album Hero, which goes to radio today.

“‘Rich’ feels like the perfect, confidant, laugh-the-B.S.-off-with-your-friends kind of song to go into Spring with. More importantly, ‘Rich’ is the first time we’ve really let fans pick the single, so it was a no brainer to make it my final single from Hero,” says Morris.

The Gold certification caps off a year for Morris that has included six nominations for the 52^nd Academy of Country Music Awards, a summer tour with Sam Hunt, five CMA nominations for the 50^th Annual CMA Awards, MusicRow‘s 2017 Breakthrough Artist award, the Breakthrough Artist Award by the Music Business Association at Music Biz 2017, Radio Disney’s Country Best New Artist award, her fifth Grammy nomination, and the announcement of joining Niall Horan on Niall’s Flicker World Tour 2018 with dates in Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada.

She appears tomorrow night in New York City at the All For The Hall New York benefit concert at the Times Square PlayStation Theater.

Lauren Kilgore

By: LB Rogers

The business and entertainment law firm Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton has promoted litigation and entertainment attorney Lauren Kilgore to partner.

“Lauren has a unique understanding of the issues facing our clients,” said founding partner John Shackelford, “she has played a central role in the growth and success of the Nashville office and we are pleased she has accepted this new role with the firm.”

Kilgore draws from her firsthand experience as a country music performer to guide her in her representation of recording artists, publishing companies, internet companies and record labels in both trial work and transactional matters. She also represents a broad and diverse clientele of individuals and companies in commercial litigation.

Kilgore is a graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and earned her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Birmingham-Southern College.

She has been honored among the Best of the Bar by the Nashville Business Journal and selected to Super Lawyers magazine’s Tennessee Rising Stars list, which honors the top young attorneys in the state.

In addition to Ms. Kilgore’s promotion to non-equity partner, the firm also announced that corporate law attorney Michelle Snedden has been promoted to equity partner; and business and family law attorney Stephen Shellenberger has been promoted to non-equity partner in the Dallas office.