Joe Galante Named To Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Board

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Joe Galante

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced that music industry executive Joe Galante has joined its Board of Directors. Galante is the former Chairman of Sony Music in Nashville and former President of RCA Records in New York City.

Galante’s appointment to Cumberland’s Board as an independent director was effective Sept. 19, 2018. Galante is also currently on the Board of Directors of Pinnacle Financial Partners, as well as the Country Music Association, and chair of the CMA Foundation.

He began his career at RCA Records in New York, followed by a transfer to RCA Nashville where he served as a director at the label, followed by the role of Vice President Promotion and Marketing. At the age of 32, he became the youngest person ever named to run a major country music record label. In 1990 he was named the President of RCA Records in New York. He returned to Nashville as Chairman to run the RCA and BNA labels there. Under his leadership, RCA Records was the number one country label for 11 consecutive years. He then served as Chairman of Sony Music Nashville for six years. He was presented with the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award by the Opry Trust to honor his work in country music.

“We are delighted to welcome Joe Galante to our Board of Directors. His successful business track record, entrepreneurial and public company experience make him a valuable new member of our Board,” said A.J. Kazimi, Chief Executive Officer of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. “We are fortunate to be headquartered in Nashville, one of the country’s most successful cities in the 21st century. Our two largest industries here are healthcare and entertainment, and we now have leaders of both those industries helping to build our company through their participation on our Board.”

Cumberland’s Board of Directors also includes Joey Jacobs, Chairman and CEO of Acadia Healthcare; Dr. Gordon Bernard, Associate Vice-Chancellor for Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Jamie Jones, former Managing Partner of KPMG LLP’s Middle Tennessee operations, Jon Griggs, Former Vice President Human Resources at Warner-Lambert Company, Caroline Young, former President of the Nashville Healthcare Council and current President of Nashville Health, and Ken Krogulski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Asset Management LLC, who also all serve as independent directors.

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. develops, acquires, and commercializes brands for the hospital acute care, gastroenterology, and oncology market segments. The company’s portfolio of FDA-approved brands includes:

• Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection, for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning;
• Caldolor® (ibuprofen) Injection, for the treatment of pain and fever;
• Kristalose® (lactulose) for Oral Solution, a prescription laxative, for the treatment of chronic and acute constipation;
• Omeclamox®-Pak, (omeprazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin) for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and related duodenal ulcer disease;
• Vaprisol® (conivaptan) Injection, to raise serum sodium levels in hospitalized patients with euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia;
• Ethyol® (amifostine) Injection, for the reduction of xerostomia (dry mouth) in patients undergoing post-operative radiation treatment for head and neck cancer and the renal toxicity associated with the administration of cisplatin in patients with advanced ovarian cancer;
• Totect® (dexrazoxane hydrochloride) Injection, for emergency oncology intervention, to treat the toxic effects of anthracycline chemotherapy in case of extravasation (drug leakage from the bloodstream into the tissues).

Keb’ Mo’ Looking West To Headline 2019 Tour

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Photo: Fresh Design

Grammy-winning Americana artist Keb’ Mo’ is headlining a series of solo acoustic shows across the western coast next year.

TajMo, his 2017 collaboration project with legendary blues musician Taj Mahal, earned Keb’ Mo’ his fourth Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Additionally, TajMo earned Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year at the 39th Annual Blues Music Awards, while Keb’ Mo’ took home the title of Contemporary Blues Male Artist of The Year.

Young blues songwriter, Jontavious Willis, will open all shows throughout the tour.

The tour kicks off in Oregon in May. Additional shows and markets for the 2019 tour are to be added and released at a later date.

Keb’ Mo’s 2019 West Coast Tour are as follows:
May 7: Rogue Theater (Grants Pass, OR)
May 8: Arkley Center for the Performing Ars (Eureka, CA)
May 9: Cascade Theatre (Redding, CA)
May 10: The Fox Theatre (Redwood City, CA)
May 11: Golden State Theatre (Monterey, CA)
May 14: Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center (Livermore, CA)
May 15: Harris Center (Folsom, CA)
May 16: Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (Santa Rosa, CA)
May 18: Poway Center For The Performing Arts (Poway, CA)
May 19: Thousand Oaks Alliance for the Arts (Thousand Oaks, CA)
May 21: Fox Theatre (Tucson, AZ)
May 22: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts (Scottsdale, AZ)

E! People’s Choice Awards Finalists Announced

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The 2018 People’s Choice Awards finalists were announced Monday (Sept. 24). Keith Urban is in the all-genre Male Artist of 2018 running, alongside Drake, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes and Bruno Mars. He is also nominated for Country Artist of 2018, alongside Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton.

I Can Only Imagine, inspired by the story of CCM group MercyMe‘s rise to prominence, is nominated for Family Movie of 2018, alongside A Wrinkle In Time, Christopher Robin, Incredibles 2,and Hotel Transylvania 3.

Voting is currently open, and ends Oct. 19. The People’s Choice Awards will air Nov. 11 on E! live from the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif. beginning at 9 p.m ET/PT.

ALBUM OF 2018
Cardi B, Invasion of Privacy
Camila Cabello, Camila
Shawn Mendes, Shawn Mendes
Ariana Grande, Sweetener
Nicki Minaj, Queen

SONG OF 2018
Ariana Grande, “No Tears Left to Cry”
Shawn Mendes, “In My Blood”
Selena Gomez, “Back to You”
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin, “I Like It”
BTS, “Idol”

MALE ARTIST OF 2018
Drake
Keith Urban
Ed Sheeran
Shawn Mendes
Bruno Mars

FEMALE ARTIST OF 2018
Taylor Swift
Cardi B
Ariana Grande
Camila Cabello
Nicki Minaj

COUNTRY ARTIST OF 2018
Thomas Rhett
Luke Bryan
Carrie Underwood
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban

FAMILY MOVIE OF 2018
Incredibles 2
A Wrinkle in Time
Hotel Transylvania 3
I Can Only Imagine
Christopher Robin

Apple Officially Closes On Shazam Acquisition

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Apple announced it has completed its acquisition of Shazam, one of the world’s most popular and highly-rated music apps, used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Following the announcement on Monday (Sept. 24), the company plans to soon make Shazam’s music-recognizing abilities free to users by eliminating ads.

“Apple and Shazam have a long history together. Shazam was one of the first apps available when we launched the App Store and has become a favorite app for music fans everywhere,” said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music. “With a shared love of music and innovation, we are thrilled to bring our teams together to provide users even more great ways to discover, experience and enjoy music.”

Apple announced its intent to acquire Shazam in 2017. Shazam, which was founded in 1999, has been downloaded over 1 billion times around the world, and users identify songs using the Shazam app over 20 million times each day, Apple reports.

Carrie Underwood’s ‘Cry Pretty’ Becomes Biggest All-Genre Female Album Debut Of 2018

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Carrie Underwood’s new album Cry Pretty is the biggest all-genre debut by a female in 2018. The album debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Album Charts with 265,654 equivalent album units, making Underwood the only woman in history to land four country albums at the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.

Cry Pretty is the best-selling country album debut of 2018, as well as the biggest country album debut since Aug. 7, 2015 (Luke Bryan’s Kill The Lights) and the biggest female country album debut since Oct. 22, 2012 (Taylor Swift’s Red). Cry Pretty’s debut week also marks the most first-week streams by any female in country music. This is Underwood’s seventh consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, representing all of her first seven albums including her Greatest Hits: Decade #1.

Cry Pretty is Underwood’s first release on Capitol Records Nashville and marks her first time co-producing alongside David Garcia. She co-wrote nine of the songs on the album including her current single, “Love Wins,” with David Garcia and Brett James. She recently released the official music video for “Love Wins,” which was directed by Shane Drake.

Underwood returns this fall for her sixth season as the voice of Sunday Night Football. This November, she and Brad Paisley will co-host the CMA Awards for the 11th consecutive year. In spring 2019, Underwood will launch a new arena tour, The Cry Pretty Tour 360. Sponsored by CALIA and promoted by AEG Presents, the new tour will kick off on May 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and will stop at 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada. She will be joined on tour by special guests Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.

Core Panel Moderators Announced For Country Radio Seminar’s 50th Anniversary

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Five country radio industry veterans have been selected to moderate all panels during the Country Radio Seminar’s upcoming 50th Anniversary event. Tom Baldrica (Midwest Communications), Becky Brenner (Albright & O’Malley & Brenner), Beverlee Brannigan (SummitMedia), Erica Farber (Radio Advertising Bureau), and Bob Richards (Emmis-Indianapolis) will share the responsibility of overseeing and directing the educational panels over the three days at CRS 2019, set for Feb. 13-15 at the Omni Nashville. 

This year marks the 50th year for the annual industry seminar, and registration is currently available at the rate of $599 here. Tickets to the New Faces of Country Music show are already sold out, and no longer available for purchase with registration packages.

 

In Pictures: Charlie Daniels, Chris Young, Lucas Hoge, Tegan Marie

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Chris Young Honored With Charlie Daniels Patriot Award

Pictured (L-R): Charlie Daniels, Chris Young and David Corlew (Daniels’ manager and The Journey Home Project co-founder).

On Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Charlie Daniels Patriot Award Dinner held at The Palm Restaurant in downtown Nashville, country singer Chris Young received a special honor and one that’s very near and dear to his heart. During the sold-out event benefiting The Journey Home Project (TJHP), Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Daniels presented Young with the first-ever Charlie Daniels Patriot Award.

The criteria for the Charlie Daniels Patriot Award is based on the mission of TJHP: to support veterans in their return, rehabilitation and reintegration back into civilian life. The award honors a person, persons or group that exemplifies the efforts and dedication to fulfill its purpose of care, support and encouragement to the men.

 

Lucas Hoge Visits ACM

Pictured (L-R): Lucas Hoge and ACM CEO Pete Fisher.

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Forge Entertainment Group recording artist Lucas Hoge to the office while he was in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Hoge performed his current single, “Power of Garth,” and performed other songs off his current album, Dirty South.

 

Tegan Marie At WMN’s Pickin’ On The Patio

Pictured (L-R): Missy Iredell (Sr. Dir. Artist Development, WMN), John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, WMN), Tegan Marie, Scott Hendricks (EVP A&R, WMN), Veronica Zelle (Co-Founder and CCO, Sweety High) and Frank Simonetti (Co-Founder and CEO, Sweety High).

Breakout country artist Tegan Marie gave Warner Music Nashville’s Pickin’ On The Patio season an upbeat finale recently. From a fruit punch drink aptly called “Boys’ Tears” (a play off of her song “I Know How To Make A Boy Cry”) to bubbles festively decorating the air, the 14-year-old rising star treated the all-ages crowd to her lighthearted tune “Keep It Lit” and more alongside her high-energy band.

Chris Young Returns Home To A Sold Out Nashville Show

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Photo: twitter.com/chrisyoungmusic

Drenched heads and squeaky cowboy boots filed into Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night (Sept. 22) for an exciting and sentimental night of music from hit-maker Chris Young.

The Losing Sleep World Tour made its Nashville stop a full circle moment for Young, as it was his first time headlining the massive indoor venue. The Murfreesboro-native brought along Kane Brown and Morgan Evans.

Young hit the ground running early, exhilarating the fans with his guitar-fueled “Losing Sleep” and then thrilling them further with his 2009 mega-hit, “Gettin’ You Home.” It was clear that Young was not messing around.

Several moments throughout the show found Young surveying the packed arena, grinning ear to ear and thanking his supporters and fans.

“I get to do what I love every day because of you. This is your fault,” he joked, “this is all your fault.”

One of the perks of a Nashville show is the chance that collaborators and other special guests are more likely to show up. Young did not hold out on the special guests, first bringing Cassadee Pope out to do their fiery duet “Think of You.”

Photo: Jeff Johnson

Young also surprised the audience when he introduced his friend Brad Paisley to perform “I’m Still A Guy.” The two traded verses and teased each other while singing the playful ode to masculinity. Paisley took it upon himself to grab a fan’s phone and make a call. The voice mailbox on the other line was lucky enough to hear Young and Paisley finish out the tune and the crowd roar.

Photo: Bridgestone Arena

A very grateful Young thanked his family and friends, many of whom were in attendance, and talked a lot about his road to get where he is now. He detailed growing up in middle Tennessee and playing gigs just up the street on Nashville’s Broadway. Young even invited a college friend from his brief time at Belmont University (before he later transferred to MTSU) to play keys at his Nashville show.

“This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” he gushed, “I’m never going to quit saying thank you.”

Couples swayed and slow danced to “Who I Am With You” and “I Can Take It From There,” but Young promised the single audience members that he hadn’t forgotten them as he went into “Lonely Eyes.”

Photo: MusicRow

Young also treated the audience to a few covers throughout the night. iPhone lighters glistened and swayed as Young did a tender acoustic version of Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All” and audience members howled when he broke into Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” when trying to hit the high note at the end of his 2011 hit “You.”

After playing a twangy “Aw Naw,” Young thrilled the audience by extending the set into an acoustic encore featuring “The Dashboard” and “I’m Comin’ Over” without ever leaving the stage. It was clear that Young had made himself quite comfortable playing for a sold-out crowd at Bridgestone Arena.

Kane Brown elicited a lot of screams during his set, playing his record-setting hits “Heaven” and “What If’s.”

Perhaps one of the most touching moments of the night was when Brown talked of abuse and racism he endured during his upbringing in which he details in “Learning.” He brought his weeping mother out during the song and kissed her, and encouraged the audience to persevere through dark times.

Warner Music Nashville’s Morgan Evans opened the show with just a guitar and a loop pedal.

“I call this thing my American band,” he joked as he explained to the crowd how it worked and assured them that there were no pre-recorded tracks being used.

Evans played his radio-hit “Kiss Somebody,” as well as Dylan Scott’s “Hooked,” in which Evans penned with Seth Ennis and Lindsay Rimes. To make things even more exciting, he brought out his wife and country star Kelsea Ballerini to sing harmonies on his delicate “Dance With Me.”

Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena was full of star-studded surprises, full-circle moments and enough encouragement to warm the hearts of nearly 14,000 people. Chris Young’s homecoming made a dark and rainy night in Nashville one not to forget.

TobyMac’s Hits Deep Tour To Visit 37 Cities In 2019

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TobyMac’s “HITS DEEP Tour” will make 37 stops nationwide in 2019 with Jeremy Camp, Jordan Feliz, Ryan Stevenson, We Are Messengers and Aaron Cole. TobyMac’s headlining jaunt is a partnership with K-LOVE, Air1, Awakening Events and Food for the Hungry. Among the stops are Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Atlanta’s Infinite Energy Arena, Hoffman Estates’ Sears Centre Arena, Newark’s Prudential Center and more.

2019 concertgoers will be treated to tracks from The Elements releasing on Oct. 12, marking the first new collection of music from the chart-topping artist in three years. The Elements boasts TobyMac’s biggest song in six years, “I just need U.” along with the current radio favorite “Everything.”

The 2018 “HITS DEEP Tour” sold out 18 arenas including Sacramento, St. Louis, Phoenix, Denver, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis and San Antonio, drawing 11,000 at Portland’s Moda Arena alone. It was noted as the highest-grossing Christian tour of 2018.

This year’s tour will again feature the fan friendly 20 percent off First Weekend promotion. During the first weekend tickets are on sale fans can save 20 percent on ALL tickets by using the code word “INSIDER” when purchasing tickets online. This promotion begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 28 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 30.

2019 “HITS DEEP Tour” Dates:
Jan. 29: Alexandria, LA Rapides Parish Coliseum
Jan. 31: Cypress, TX Berry Center
Feb. 1: Cypress, TX Berry Center
Feb. 2: Cedar Park, TX H-E-B Center at Cedar Park
Feb. 7: Huntsville, AL Von Braun Center
Feb. 8: Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Feb. 9: Louisville, KY Freedom Hall at Kentucky Exposition Center
Feb. 10: Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Feb 14: Charleston, WV Charleston Coliseum
Feb. 15: Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Feb. 16: Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Arena
Feb. 17: Norfolk, VA Constant Center
Feb. 21: Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Feb. 22: Sunrise, FL BB&T Center
Feb. 23: Estero, FL Germain Arena
Feb. 24: Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
Feb. 25: Toledo, OH The Huntington Center
March 1: Fairfax, VA EagleBank Arena
March 2: Fairfax, VA EagleBank Arena
March 3: Hershey, PA GIANT Center
March 8: Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre
March 9: Hoffman Estates, IL Sears Centre Arena
March 10: Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
March 14: North Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
March 15: Grand Prairie, TX The Theatre at Grand Prairie
March 16: Grand Prairie, TX The Theatre at Grand Prairie
March 22: Dayton, OH Wright State University’s Nutter Center
March 23: Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
March 24: Newark, NJ Prudential Center
March 26: Wilkes-Barre, PA Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
March 27: Albany, NY Times Union Center
March 29: Philadelphia, PA Liacouras Center
March 30: Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
March 31: Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
April 5: Charlotte, NC Bojangles’ Coliseum
April 6: Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BJCC
April 7: Jonesboro, AR First National Bank Arena

Thomas Rhett Adds Canadian Trek To Life Changes Tour

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Thomas Rhett has announced a Canadian leg to his Life Changes Tour. The tour will kick off April 24 in Montreal, with Dustin Lynch along for the ride, and will visit Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, and more through May 15.

Tickets for the Canadian tour run go on sale Friday, Sept. 28 at ThomasRhett.com.

“My fans in Canada are incredible, so I’m really excited that we will be headed there for a couple weeks next year and get to bring all the energy of the Life Changes tour with us,” Thomas Rhett said.

LIFE CHANGES TOUR 2019 Canadian Dates:
4/24/19 | Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
4/26/19 | Ottawa, ON – Richcraft Live at Canadian Tire Centre
4/27/19 | London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
5/2/19 | Sakatoon, SK – Sasktel Centre
5/3/19 | Regina, SK – Brandt Centre
5/4/19 | Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
5/8/19 | Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
5/10/19 | Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
5/15/19 | Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena