Dolly Parton Receives First Excellence In Leadership Award From Leadership Tennessee

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Pictured (L-R): Leadership Tennessee executive director Cathy Cate, First Lady and Leadership Tennessee III member Crissy Haslam, Dolly Parton, Class IV member and Excellence in Leadership Award chair State Rep. Mark White. Photo credit: Patrick Sheehan

Dolly Parton was presented with the inaugural Dolly Parton Excellence in Leadership Award by Leadership Tennessee Saturday night (Aug. 11) for her selfless work to improve lives across Tennessee.

Parton’s contributions to the Volunteer State are transformational to generations of Tennesseans, including her “Smoky Mountains Rise” telethon, which raised more than $12.5 million for her My People Fund, to provide financial assistance to victims of the devastating Gatlinburg wildfires in 2016. In addition to the joy her music has brought to millions of fans, Parton’s Imagination Library mails free books to children from birth until they begin school regardless of family income. Since its launch in 1995, the program has given more than 100 million books to children in five different countries on three different continents.

“Tennessee has many talented sons and daughters but there are few who are as beloved as Dolly Parton,” First Lady Crissy Haslam, chair of the Fifth Anniversary Committee said. “And while she may be most known for her music, she has undoubtedly proved to be an exemplar of leadership through her generosity, humility, inclusiveness, expertise and passion. As a state, we are indebted to all that Dolly has done for Tennessee and its people; there is no one better suited for the very first Excellence in Leadership Award.”

“My dream was to make as many people happy as I could in this life, and I am grateful to Leadership Tennessee and First Lady Crissy Haslam for recognizing our work done to improve the lives of all Tennesseans,” Parton said. “Even more humbling is for decades to come the future leaders of Tennessee will receive an award with the Parton family name attached to it, and for that I am truly honored and thankful.”

The Dolly Parton Excellence in Leadership Award, designed and created by artist and Nashville native Ben Caldwell, marked the culmination of a year celebrating Leadership Tennessee’s fifth anniversary.

Leadership Tennessee executive director Cathy Cate and Class IV member CeeGee McCord, director of global, public and community affairs and vice president of the Eastman Foundation, also announced the three winners of the Volunteer State of Mind initiative receiving grants for volunteer programs across Tennessee:
  • Hunger’s Hope Food Sorting and Packing from the Mid-South Food Bank in Memphis
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in Nashville
  • Pellissippi Pantry from the Pellissippi State Foundation in Knoxville

Exclusive: Lainey Wilson Signs With Broken Bow Records

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Back Row (L-R): Colton McGee, Director of Business and Legal Affairs, BBR Music Group; Kent Marcus, Marcus & Colvin, LLP; Sara Knabe, VP of A&R, BBR Music Group; Mandelyn Monchick, Deep South Entertainment. Front Row (L-R): Jon Loba, EVP, BBR Music Group; Lainey Wilson; Dave Rose, Deep South Entertainment

Lainey Wilson has joined BBR Music Group’s Broken Bow Records imprint, alongside labelmates Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Chase Rice and Everette. Wilson is signed as a writer to Sony/ATV and is booked by WME. The Louisiana native has also landed cuts for Luke Combs and Kasey Tyndall.

In April, Wilson independently released her six-song, self-titled EP; she is a co-writer on all six tracks. In May, her video for “Workin’ Overtime” premiered on CMT.

 

Old Dominion Celebrates Platinum Singles With Rooftop Show At JW Marriott Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): Whit Sellers, Trevor Rosen, Matt Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung

Old Dominion celebrated a trio of RIAA Platinum certifications for the No. 1 hits “Written In The Sand,” “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart” and “Song For Another Time,” and reaching one billion career streams with an exclusive rooftop concert at the new JW Marriott in downtown Nashville last Thursday night (Aug. 7).

The band performed a set full of fan favorites during the event and were surprised with a plaque by their label, Sony Music Nashville, for the achievements. Their banner week culminated on Saturday night with their performance for a record-setting hometown crowd at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Kenny Chesney‘s Trip Around The Sun Tour.

Pictured, Back Row (L-R): Taylor Lindsey, Sony Music Nashville; Dennis Reese, RCA Records Nashville; Tracy Fleaner, Sony Music Nashville; Ed Rivadavia, Sony Music Nashville; Basak Kizilsik, Morris Higham; Nate Ritchies, Morris Higham; Mike Betterton, Morris Higham; Steve Hodges, Sony Music Nashville; Paige Altone, Sony Music Nashville. Pictured, Front Row (L-R): Whit Sellers, Trevor Rosen, Matt Ramsey, Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung

Given Music Publishing Enters Into Joint Venture With Gary Baker

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Pictured Back row (L-R): Jenny Hall, Creative Director, Given Music Publishing; Given’s Michael Hollandsworth; Given Music Founding Partner Cindy Owen and Gary Baker.
Front row (L-R): Danny Wilson and Graeme Hogg.

Given Music Publishing and Gary Baker’s Baker-san Music have entered into a joint venture deal, according to an announcement made today by Given’s VP/GM Michael Hollandsworth. The agreement reunites Baker and Hollandsworth, who worked together at both Fame Music and Zomba Music. The joint venture includes Baker-san writer/artists Danny Wilson and Graeme Hogg (Justin Bieber’s “Believe” and The Wanted’s “We Own the Night”) as well as writer/producer Matt Johnson.

“I’m very happy to be reuniting with my long-time publisher Michael Hollandsworth,” Baker said. “I’m excited about being a Given writer but equally excited about bringing the remarkable singing and writing talent of Graeme and Danny to the team. We are looking forward to getting in the studio and showing Nashville what a rare talent these guys really are. I’m just as proud to bring my long-time songwriting partner Matt Johnson to the team. I look forward to what the future brings at Given and working with the talents of Cindy Owen and Jenny Hall. This just feels like a perfect fit for me.”

Under Hollandsworth’s guidance, Baker and Frank Myers co-wrote one of music’s most enduring songs, “I Swear,” which was a multi-week No. 1 record on both the country charts (John Michael Montgomery) and the Hot 100 charts (All-4-One). The songwriters were also three-time ACM and CMA nominees for Vocal Duo of the Year as the recording act Baker & Myers. As a writer, Baker went on to have great success with the international pop act the Backstreet Boys, as eight of his songs appeared on a number of the group’s multi-million selling records. He has just finished producing a Special Edition Greatest Hits & Fan Favorites on the Backstreet Boys, set for release this fall. He will also be involved with writing for the band’s upcoming studio album, scheduled for release in 2019.

“Gary and I started our association over thirty years ago,” Hollandsworth said. “It’s a publisher’s greatest reward to connect with a young writer and see them go on to earn a Grammy award, write a Song of the Year, have hundreds of millions of record sales, produce a superstar pop act, and still have incredible momentum all these years later. This definitely has been one of the most rewarding partnerships of my career.”

Pictured (L-R): Owen, Baker, Matt Johnson, Hollandsworth and Hall.

Martina McBride Signs With BMG, Preps Christmas Album And Cookbook

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Martina McBride has signed a new label deal with BMG, as she prepares for the release of her upcoming holiday album It’s The Holiday Season on Oct. 19.

Jon Loba, EVP BBR Music Group, “This is the coolest Christmas album I’ve ever heard but at the same time, it is an instant classic.”

McBride collaborated with the late Patrick “Pat” Williams to arrange a set of classic Christmas songs, with accompaniment from more than 40 world-class musicians at Capitol Studio in LA, and Blackbird Studio in Nashville. The album follows the release of her multi-Platinum holiday 1998 holiday album White Christmas. In support of the album, McBride will bring back her The Joy of Christmas Tour in November, this time with a complete, local orchestra. The run includes three nights at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1.

“It’s been exactly 20 years since I released White Christmas,” says McBride. “With that album I wanted to make it classic and something that would stand the test of time, which I feel like it has done. I wanted to accomplish the same thing with It’s The Holiday Season, but with a different feel. So I decided to make most of the album with a big-band swing vibe that takes you back to the Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald records. We recorded more of the pop Christmas numbers that lend themselves to that kind of feel rather than focusing on the hymns like we did with White Christmas. I think they are great companion pieces and my hope is that they will both be enjoyed for years to come.”

Prior to the album release, McBride will release her all-season cookbook, Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist For Real Life. Available Oct. 30, the new collection includes nearly 300 pages of family recipes and new creations from her own kitchen.  This follows her 2014 release Around The Table.

Brian O’Connell, Dierks Bentley Talk Seven Peaks Festival, Rise In Artist-Branded Festivals

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Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley has always been a risk taker, and an artist eager to display the various facets of his music. In 2010, after lobbing nearly a dozen singles into the Top 5 on country radio (both traditional-leaning and more pop-inspired fare), he did the unexpected, releasing the acoustic-based, string-laden sounds of Up On The Ridge. In 2016, he released Black, a contemporary conceptual project that spawned the hits “Black,” “Somewhere On A Beach,” and “Different For Girls,” among others. Earlier this year, he released The Mountain, a project conceived in Colorado, which explores some of country music’s rougher rock edges.

Over Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 2), Bentley will showcase his latest creative endeavor, welcoming nearly 30 artists back to Colorado for his own The Seven Peaks Festival.

“Starting my own festival is a dream come true,” Bentley tells MusicRow. “After playing as many festivals as I have over the years, it makes you think about what you’d do if you could put your own stamp on one.”

Miranda Lambert headlines the Saturday show, while Bentley closes out the festival with a headlining performance on Sunday. Bentley will also welcome his “Burning Man” collaborators Brothers Osborne, and “Different For Girls” duet partner Elle King. Meanwhile, newcomers including Boy Named Banjo, Abby Anderson, Rapidgrass and Travis Denning will commandeer the Whiskey Row side stage.

However, you never know where Bentley will show up over the course of the three days.

“I think we are going to have to lock him up to keep him off the stage,” Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell says. “He wants to play with every act that is on the bill, which is unique to say the least. Friday night, kind of a celebration of country music on Friday, it will be damn near impossible…I’m afraid for some of the artists…”

“With Seven Peaks, I was part of planning from day one and am looking forward to spending time with fans in all capacities: on stage, off stage, in the campsites and trying out the activities we’ve been working so hard to plan.” Bentley says.

For O’Connell, the Seven Peaks Festival has been years in the making. He had long been scouting for a Colorado location that would serve as the site for a new festival.

“We had decided on a different site at one point, and literally the night before we were going to go live, I just had a bad feeling about it and I pulled the whole thing down,” O’Connell recalls. “I felt like I was forcing it. So the idea of doing a country festival in Colorado is clearly not a new thing.”

O’Connell followed his intuition, waiting for the right opportunity. That opportunity came in the form of superstar Dierks Bentley and his manager Mary Hilliard Harrington, who suggested collaborating on the Colorado festival.

“That’s one of the cool things about our business is that we all do business together but we are also buddies. So we just broke down the fourth wall and let’s do this together.”

For Bentley, the festival in some ways feels like an extension of the album-making process.

“The more personal you can make it, the more of a universal appeal it has a possibility to be. I am taking everything I love musically, and surrounding it with everything I love about festivals, the things I’ve been making note of for years and hopefully creating one of the best fan experiences of any festival anywhere.”

Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell and Dierks Bentley

The festival will be held in Buena Vista, Colorado, which is located at the foot of the Continental Divide, surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks.

“Buena Vista is a cool town. I made a joke, ‘It’s kind of the essence of Colorado without skiing.’ It’s a real chill town with really great people in it. It’s a great place to really get away from the clutter and noise.”

The area is home to world-class rafting, as well as numerous other outdoor activities from mountain biking to hiking.

I’ve never seen any artist do an outdoor camping experience like this,” O’Connell says. “Someone asked me the other day, what are you going to do with the festival to make it different? I said, ‘Look up.’ There are seven 14,000-foot mountain peaks around you. There is nothing I can do to beat that.”

Though Bentley and company will headline the festival, O’Connell admits they have some stiff competition.

“When the sun sets and the sky turns purple, it’s amazing. We’ve talked about pausing the show just to watch the sunset. It’s that dramatic.”

Of course, taking on the role of financial partner in a festival comes with financial risk for artists, but O’Connell says that won’t deter more artist-branded festivals from launching. “It wouldn’t surprise me if everyone had one sooner or later, if they have that drive,” he says, also noting current festivals such as Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa.

“Artists want to create, and they want something they own that is unique to them, that has their own touch on it, to draw their hard-core fans. Not everything in their world at this point is about money. The idea that they can have creative control is gold to most artists.”

LANCO Plans First Headlining Tour For Fall

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LANCO is launching its first headlining tour, the Hallelujah Nights Tour, this Fall which will kick off in Columbia, Missouri, at The Blue Note on Oct. 24 with special guest Travis Denning.

The band will hit 14 cities on the new tour, before closing out the run where it all began for the band, in Nashville, with a show at the Cannery Ballroom Dec. 7. The first tickets to select cities will be available to the “FANCO” fan club members tomorrow (Aug. 14) before tickets go on sale to the public Friday (Aug. 17) at fanco.lancomusic.com/.

“This is a brand new show we’ve put together for our fans and it will be the first time we get to play Hallelujah Nights in its entirety,” said lead singer Brandon Lancaster. “This year has been full of so many incredible firsts for us, and we’ve learned so much out on the road about ourselves and about what our people want and expect from us. We can’t wait to play these songs and share their stories from front to back that represent the core of LANCO.”

HALLELUJAH NIGHTS TOUR DATES:
Oct. 24: Columbia, MO- The Blue Note
Oct. 25: Sioux Falls, SD – The District
Oct. 26: Clive, IA – 7 Flags Event Center
Nov. 1: Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
Nov. :2 Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
Nov. 3: Rochester, NY – Anthology
Nov. 8: Chattanooga, TN – The Signal
Nov. 9: North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
Nov. 10: Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
Nov. 17: Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Nov. 18: Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Nov. 30: Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Dec. 6: Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Dec.  7: Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom

Kenny Chesney Offers Hits, Hope And Unity During Nashville Show

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Kenny Chesney on the afternoon of Aug. 11, prior to his show at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. Photo: Kenny Chesney/Instagram

“Music and songs are the most powerful thing we have,” country music superstar Kenny Chesney told the record-breaking crowd of 55,182 fans (besting One Direction’s 2014 Nissan Stadium record of 54,249) that packed Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Saturday (Aug. 11), the setting for the 16th stop on his Trip Around The Sun Tour. “This is beautiful.”

This Hillbilly Rockstar was in full control of his stadium-sized legion of fans as he offered a 20+ song set, filled with hits from a career that has spanned more than two decades.

“I haven’t played this stadium in six years and I apologize for it,” Chesney told the crowd.

All was clearly forgiven, as the audience stood at attention throughout a set that ranged from 1998’s “How Forever Feels” to his latest chart-topper “Get Along.”

Throughout the energetic two-hour performance, Chesney worked every part of the massive stage, dancing, grinning, running and generally staying as close as possible to his No Shoes Nation. He led the audience in hit after hit, including “Livin’ In Fast Forward,” “Beer In Mexico,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” and more.

Though temperatures in Nashville hovered in the 80s well into the evening, Chesney never left the stage. Before he reached the second half of the set, Chesney’s signature tank and jeans were clearly soaked with sweat, both from the heat and from a concert that is essentially a rigorous two-hour cardio workout for the superstar.

Two large video screens followed his every move, in addition to a video screen that flashed scenes from various music videos. During “Young,” the screens showcased photos from Chesney’s own childhood, including his early performances and sports games.

The moody “Somewhere With You” offered the first slow burn of the concert, strategically placed nearly 10 songs into the show. The placement of the show’s scarce quiet moments heightened the pure emotional connection between fans and superstar. Midway through “Anything But Mine,” Chesney allowed the audience to take over the chorus, while he ended the song with only his warm baritone left convey the song’s nostalgia.

Chesney showcased members of his ace band throughout the evening, highlighted by his collaboration of “Setting The World On Fire’ with bassist and vocalist Harmoni Kelley. With her powerful, edgy voice, she more than held her own center stage, while Chesney offered his vocals from the catwalk, shaking hands with fans.

He also welcomed the evening’s openers, Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion, and Brandon Lay back to the stage at various points. Thomas Rhett collaborated on “When The Sun Goes Down,” while Lay sang on “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” During “Save It For A Rainy Day,” Chesney traded lines with Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi and Matt Ramsey, who co-wrote the 2015 Chesney hit with the late Andrew Dorff.

David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney.

As he has done for several shows on his Trip Around The Sun Tour, Chesney welcomed David Lee Murphy to perform two of his signature ‘90s hits, “Dust On The Bottle” and “Party Crowd.” The two also offered their recent chart-topping collaboration, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” Chesney and Murphy were in Nashville earlier this week to celebrate the No. 1 single with industry members, but Saturday evening they shared the song’s uplifting message, and their longstanding friendship, with the fans.

Saturday night’s stadium show reached a pinnacle with the duet, which served as a swirling anthem of hope.

“Let us help you forget whatever it is, and just live in this music, this moment.” Tennessee native Chesney urged the crowd, with the sincerity of a southern preacher, using music to spread his musical message of love, hope, sunshine, and good times.

Industry Pics: Luke Combs, Brett Eldredge, Mitchell Tenpenny

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Luke Combs Honors Co-Writers On Opry Stage

Luke Combs teamed with the Grand Ole Opry to create a rare and matchless moment on the Opry stage Tuesday night (Aug. 7). Combs, who debuted on the Opry stage in 2016, chose to honor the collaborating songwriters from his Platinum-selling debut album This One’s For You and deluxe album This One’s For You Too to step into the circle and perform with him—turning the legendary stage into an unrivaled songwriting round reminiscent of where it all began for these songwriting friends. Several of the writers—Wyatt B. Durrette, Rob Synder, and Channing Wilson—appeared on the Opry for the first time with Combs, while Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton, and Rob Williford were welcomed back to the stage to perform with Combs on hits they’d co-written.

 

Brett Eldredge Performs On Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Pictured (L-R): Michael Levine (KKGO); Chad Schultz (VP Radio Marketing, WMN); Rick Young (Manager Regional Radio & Streaming, WMN); Gator Harrison (WSIX); Brett Eldredge; Rod Phillips (iHeartCountry); Rob Baker (Longshot Management); Zorbey Ozdilek.

Brett Eldredge took the outdoor stage at Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday night (Aug. 8) for a set that included his chart-topping hit “The Long Way” and brand new single “Love Someone.” Fans can catch his CMT Crossroads event with Meghan Trainor airing on Sept. 3.

 

Mitchell Tenpenny Visits Academy of Country Music

Pictured (L-R): Allen Brown, Sony Music Nashville; Jen Way, Sony Music Nashville; Mitchell Tenpenny; Lisa Lee, ACM SVP, Creative & Content; Kristen Ashley, Riser House. Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music® welcomed Riser House/Columbia Nashville recording artist Mitchell Tenpenny to the office while he was in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Tenpenny performed his current rising single, “Drunk Me,” from his self-titled EP, Mitchell Tenpenny and previewed a few tracks from his upcoming album.

Click here to watch a video from Tenpenny’s visit featuring an exclusive interview and clips from his performance.

Adam Hood’s ‘Somewhere In Between’ Coming In October

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As a writer for Grammy award-winning producer Dave Cobb‘s Low Country Sound, Adam Hood is most known for his songs recorded by Miranda Lambert, Brent Cobb, Anderson East, Lee Ann Womack and Little Big Town, and after years of writing for others, Somewhere in Between, is an album that finally finds Hood telling his own story. Due Oct. 12 on Hood’s label Southern Songs, the deeply autobiographical record features Hood writing or co-writing 10 of the record’s 11 tracks alongside friends Pat McLaughlin, Brent Cobb, who appears on the electrified “She Don’t Love Me,” and Josh Abbott.

Teaming up with friend and producer Oran Thornton (Miranda Lambert ‘Revolution,’ Eric Church ‘Caught In The Act: Live,’ Angaleena Presley ‘Wrangled’), Hood recorded most of the album live at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios over two quick days. His goal was to create something that reflected the raw, real sound of his concerts, where overdubs and unlimited takes are never an option. The result is a record that reflects Hood’s Opelika, Alabama-bred working class roots, mixing the upbeat thrill of roadhouse roots-rock songs with the contemplative, stripped-down sway of country ballads.

Joining him in the studio were guitarist Pat McLaughlin, bassist Lex Price, and drummer Jerry Roe. Hood celebrates America’s rural pockets with songs like “Keeping Me Here” and “Real Small Town,” two songs filled with images of main streets, open landscapes, hard times, and good people. A dedicated family man, Hood wrote “Locomotive” — a heartland anthem, full of Telecaster twang and sunny swagger — after watching his young daughter develop her motor skills while playing with a set of blocks, and balancing his life as a relentless road-warrior, Hood penned highway ballad “Downturn” about a life filled with wanderlust and long drives from gig to gig.

Somewhere In Between Tracklist:
1. Heart of a Queen (Adam Hood, Ben Danaher)
2. She Don’t Love Me (ft. Brent Cobb) (Adam Hood, Brent Cobb, Josh Abbott)
3. Alabama Moon (Adam Hood, Pat McLaughlin)
4. Downturn (Adam Hood, Jason Eady)
5. The Weekend (Adam Hood, Pat McLaughlin)
6. Bayou Girl (Willis Alan Ramsey)
7. Easy Way (Adam Hood, Pat McLaughlin)
8. Locomotive (Adam Hood, Jason Saenz)
9. Keeping Me Here (Adam Hood, Jason Saenz, Oran Thornton, Jared Hicks)
10. Real Small Town (Adam Hood, William Clark Green)
11. Confederate Rose (Adam Hood, Pat McLaughlin)