Industry Pics: Darryl Worley, Reba McEntire, David Starr, John Oates

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Darryl Worley Co-Hosts “Stomping Out Cancer” Event

Darryl Worley, Jim Brown, and Gary Chapman hosted the charity event Stomping Out Cancer on Oct. 23 at 3rd and Lindsley. All proceeds from ticket sales went to benefit the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center for continued research of cures to fight against cancer. The lineup also included Curb recording artist Mo Pitney as well as Allie Colleen, Ashlyn Grayce, and Charly Reynolds.

 

Reba McEntire Celebrates Upcoming Spotify Podcast

Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Spotify

Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s Global Head of Communications and PR; Marian Dicus, Spotify’s Global Head of Artist and Label Services; Reba McEntire; Brittany Schaffer, Spotify’s Head of Artist and Label Services Nashville; and Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s Head of Music Strategy attend Spotify’s launch of its new podcast with country icon Reba McEntire at the Bridge Building on October 29, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Spotify)

 

David Starr, John Oates Preview New Album

Pictured: Ryan Cunningham (THG), Olivia Baker (Richlynn Group), Billy Holland (THG), Ron Backer (THG), John Oates, Mike D’Ancona (THG), David Starr, Kate Richardson (Richlynn Group), and David Kalmusky (Addiction Sound).

David Starr and John Oates announced Starr’s new single and upcoming project, Beauty and Ruin, at a artist and industry packed event at InDo Nashville this week. The Americana concept album, set for release in February 2020, features songs written by artists who were inspired by David’s grandfather’s long lost novel, Of What Was, Nothing is Left. The team on the project includes The Holland Group (THG) and Richlynn Group and it was recorded in Nashville at Addiction Sound, produced by John Oates and co-produced by David Kalmusky and Starr.

Downtown Nashville Preps Traffic Adjustments In Preparation For CMA Awards

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There will be several traffic adjustments in downtown Nashville as the city prepares for The 53rd Annual CMA Awards, airing live from Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 7-10 p.m. CT on the ABC Television Network. Production set-up and clean-up for the show will require special traffic patterns that are in effect beginning Sunday, Nov. 3 and continue through Thursday, Nov. 14. All times Central.

From 6:00 AM Sunday, Nov. 3 until 6:00 PM Thursday, Nov. 14, the northbound sidewalk along Sixth Avenue next to Bridgestone Arena from Broadway to Demonbreun Street will be closed.

From 6:00 AM Sunday, Nov. 10 until 3:00 AM Thursday, Nov. 14, one westbound lane as well as the westbound sidewalk next to Bridgestone Arena along Demonbreun Street from Fifth Avenue to Sixth Avenue will be closed.

From 1:00 PM Sunday, Nov. 10 until 3:00 AM Thursday, Nov. 14, Sixth Avenue between Demonbreun Street and Broadway will be closed.

From 6:00 AM Tuesday, Nov. 12 until 3:00 AM Thursday, Nov. 14, Demonbreun Street from Fifth Avenue to Sixth Avenue will be closed, as well as sidewalks.

From 6:00 AM Tuesday, Nov. 12 until 3:00 AM Thursday, Nov. 14, Fifth Avenue from Broadway to Demonbreun Street will be closed, leaving the northbound lane open after Hilton Drive for Hilton exit only. In addition, the sidewalk next to Bridgestone Arena along Fifth Avenue from Broadway to Demonbreun Street will also be closed.

From 6:00 AM Wednesday, Nov. 13 to 3:00 AM Thursday, Nov. 14, the following streets will be closed:

  • Sixth Avenue from Korean Veterans Boulevard to Demonbreun Street (No cut through traffic – Music City Center parking and exit only)
  • Fifth Avenue from Korean Veterans Boulevard to Broadway
  • Demonbreun Street from Fourth Avenue to Eighth Avenue, including all sidewalks
  • Seventh Avenue from Demonbreun Street to Broadway
  • McGavock Street from Seventh Avenue to Eighth Avenue
  • Meters along Fourth Avenue from Broadway to Hilton Driveway

The 53rd Annual CMA Awards are hosted by Carrie Underwood with special guest hosts Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton and broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 8/7c on the ABC Television Network.

DISClaimer: Luke Bryan, Rissi Palmer Lead New Releases

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Today, we’re visiting with some of our old country-music buddies.

Veterans Shenandoah, Charlie Daniels, T.G. Sheppard and Exile are here with new music. So are perennial DisClaimer faves Shane Owens and Aubrie Sellers.

The Disc of the Day is a toss-up between Rissi Palmer and Luke Bryan. Both of them deserve your audio attention at once.

We have no newcomers to the column today, but both Rissi and Dallas Remington are making just their second appearances, so welcome them both with open arms.

RISSI PALMER/Seeds
Writers: Rissi Palmer/Deanna Walker/Rick Beresford; Producer: Shannon Sanders; Publishers: Rissi Palmer Stypmann/Go Little Kayak/Main Squeeze, BMI; Baldilocks
– Stirring, thumping and anthemic, this is a call to unity and battle cry of freedom, hope and power in the face of oppression. March on, sister: I hear you loud and clear.

MITCHELL TENPENNY & SEAFORTH/Anything She Says
Writers: Mitchell Tenpenny/Tom Jordan/Mitch Thompson/Andy Albert/Jordan Schmidt; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Riser House/Columbia
– Gently bopping with a white-guy r&b vibe, this has nicely contrasting lead vocals and a steady, bob-your-head rhythm groove. I can hear how the not-too-country kiddies would dig it.

SHANE OWENS/Hard Luck Girl
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Amerimonte
– It’s a toe-tapping honky tonker that’s bound to bring a smile of recognition to anyone nursing a beer and a busted heart. Also, there’s just the right revenge-touch of “payback’s a b*tch.” With this guy, real country music never goes out of style.

T. G. SHEPPARD/I Wanna Live Like Elvis
Writers: Chip Davis/Billy Davis/Doug Graham; Producers: T.G. Sheppard & Buddy Hyatt; Publisher: none listed; Leopard
– We can all aspire to live like fabulously wealthy folks do. When you fantasize about being fabulous in over-the-top, tasteless excess, now you’re talkin.’ Very cute. I especially liked the ad-libbed “thankyaverymuch.” You’ll find this on T.G.’s first new solo CD in more than 20 years, Midnight in Memphis.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Drinking Alone
Writers: Brett James/Carrie Underwood/David Garcia; Producers: Carrie Underwood/David Garcia; Publishers: Warner Chappell/Capitol Christian Music Group
– She’s not looking for a pick-up. She just wants to be drinking alone, together, in a misery-loves-company kinda way. The fourth single from Cry Pretty is a slow jam, but she’s still hitting that vocal “money note” every chance she gets.

EXILE/16 Tons
Writer: Merle Travis; Producer: Exile; Publisher: none listed; Big Horse (track)
– The new double album is called The Garage Tapes. So this is the reunited band, jamming live on what sound like demos in an echoey garage. But you know what? It all comes across kinda cool, especially this homey, funky revival of a Tennessee Ernie Ford 1955 country classic. I dig it.

SHENANDOAH & CHARLIE DANIELS/Freebird in the Wind
Writers: Nelson Blanchard/Scott Inness; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Shenandoah
– Charlie recites a poem visible at Ronnie Van Zant’s gravesite to begin this Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute ballad. The band apes the Southern-rock idiom instrumentally while lead singer Marty Raybon pleads a lyric that recalls the 1977 plane crash that claimed Skynyrd bandmembers’ lives. There’s an accompanying video with vintage Skynyrd performance footage, B-roll of the band on board the fateful plane and some somewhat ghoulish shots of the crashed aircraft.

AUBRIE SELLERS/Worried Mind
Writers: none listed; Producers: Aubrie Sellers & Frank Liddell; Publishers: none listed; Soundly Music
– As before, her country-as-grits vocal contrasts strikingly with a garage-rock backing band. This time, the anxiety in the lyric matches perfectly with the discordant electric guitar. She’s one of a kind, and more power to her.

DALLAS REMINGTON/Huntin’ Season
Writers: Dallas Remington/Allie Colleen/Cyndi Limbaugh Torres/Scott Barrier; Producers: Eric Torres/Kim Franca; Roadwarrior
– She’s still a teen, but this feisty, blunt gal knows exactly who she is. This tongue-in-cheek ditty is a no-nonsense sass-attack on a cheating ex. Stomping and catchy.

LUKE BRYAN/What She Wants Tonight
Writers: Luke Bryan/Ross Copperman/Hillary Lindsey/Jon Nite; Producers: Jeff Stevens/Jody Stevens; Publishers: none listed; Capitol/UMG
– Hot, hot, hot. This is one of the most overtly sexual country singles in recent memory. The throbbing track steams as warmly as the lyric. He’s coming off yet another No. 1 hit, and I think I just heard another.

All Them Witches Plot Three Exit/In Shows, Drop New Single

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All Them Witches released their newest single, “1X1,” today (Oct. 31) via New West Records. “1X1” follows their acclaimed 2018 album ATW and is their first new music as a paired down trio (keyboardist Jonathan Draper left the group in October 2018).

The psych-rock group produced the single at their own complex, “The Church,” located just outside of their hometown of Nashville. “1X1” is available now for free download via Bandcamp and will be available across all digital retailers tomorrow (Nov. 1).

The band⁠—comprised of Charles Michael Parks, Jr. (bass, vocals), Ben McLeod (guitar, vocals) and Robby Staebler (drums, vocals)⁠—will launch a 23-date U.K. & European tour supporting the Swedish band Ghost in Nottingham, UK on Nov 16. Upon returning home to Nashville, they will appear for three consecutive nights at the famed club Exit/In, closing out their successful 2019. All tour dates listed below.

All Them Witches On Tour With Ghost: 
11/16 – Nottingham, UK Motorpoint Arena
11/17 – Cardiff, UK Motorpoint Arena
11/18 – Glasgow, UK SSE Hydro
11/20 – Dublin, IE 3Arena
11/22 – London, UK Wembley SSE Arena
11/23 – Leeds, UK First Direct Arena
11/25 – Copenhagen, DK Forum Black Box
11/28 – Helsinki, FI Hartwell Arena
11/30 – Katowice, PL Spodek
12/1 – Prague, CZ Universum
12/3 – Budapest, HU BSA
12/4 – Zagreb, CRO Mochvara *Headline Show
12/5 – Mantova, IT PalaBam
12/6 – Zurich, CH Halle 622
12/8 – Barcelona, ES St. Jordi
12/10 – Lisbon, PT Sala Tejo
12/11 – Madrid, ES Wizink Centre
12/13 – Strasbourg, FR Zenith
12/14 – Schweinfurt, DE Stattbahnhof *Headline Show
12/15 – Munich, DE Zenith
12/17 – Luxembourg, LU Rockhal
12/18 – Nantes, FR Zenith
12/19 – Toulouse, FR Zenith
12/27 – Nashville, TN Exit/In *Headline Show
12/28 – Nashville, TN Exit/In *Headline Show
12/29 – Nashville, TN Exit/In *Headline Show

Industry Executive Joe Mansfield Passes

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Music industry veteran Joe Mansfield died on Thursday morning (Oct. 31) at the age of 77. Mansfield’s music industry career started with the San Antonio radio station KMAC/KISS in 1962.

He worked as VP, Merchandising for CBS Records in New York, managing seven creative departments, after working his way up through CBS branch manager positions in Atlanta and Dallas. From 1978-1981, he served as VP, Marketing at Columbia Records in New York, working with artists including Journey, Chicago, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith and more. He then served as Division VP, Contemporary Music for RCA Records in New York, and VP, Marketing at Capitol Records in New York.

From 1990-1992, he worked as VP, Marketing and Sales for Capitol Nashville/Liberty Nashville, as part of the team behind the launch of Garth Brooks’ meteoric career, while also overseeing a roster that included Tanya Tucker, Billy Dean, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and more. He became a partner in Mansfield-Martinovich Associates, which provided consulting services for artists including Brooks, Wynonna, Willie Nelson and others. He then served as President/CEO of Asylum Records in Nashville.

Peggy Dold Joins IBERIABANK As Sr. VP/Director Of Music & Entertainment

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Peggy Dold has been named Senior Vice President and Director of Music and Entertainment in IBERIABANK’s Nashville office, in their division of IBERIABANK Sports & Entertainment Banking.

Dold joins IBERIABANK with over 20 years of experience in the music and entertainment industry. Her career has aligned her with work in both the Anglo and Hispanic music markets in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Nashville, as well as in global markets outside of the U.S.

“We are very pleased to have Peggy join our team,” says Alex Hernandez, IBERIABANK Managing Director of Sports and Entertainment Banking. “She is a highly respected executive in the music industry with years of experience and is a great addition to our team of experts covering all music genres.”

Dold joins the IBERIABANK Sports and Entertainment Banking team who manage banking relationships with clients in sports, film and television, and music publishing. The team also includes Alex Hernandez, Managing Director of Sports & Entertainment Banking; David Pijot, Senior Vice President of Motorsports Banking; and Ben James, Senior Vice President and Commercial Relationship Manager leading syndications for the group.

Industry Pics: Scotty McCreery, Chris Janson, Cody Johnson

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Scotty McCreery Notches Five Sellout Overseas Shows

John Marks (Head of Global Programming for Country Music, Spotify), Scotty McCreery, Scott Stem (McCreery’s Manager, Triple 8 Management), Andrew Percy (Member of the U.K. Parliament) and George Couri (Partner, Triple 8 Management and Partner, Triple Tigers Records) backstage at McCreery’s sold-out first show in London at Bush Hall on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Scotty McCreery celebrated five sold-out shows in Germany and the UK, as part of his first European tour. The Triple Tigers/Sony artist’s shows coincided with Country Music Week in both countries and included concerts in Berlin and Cologne, Germany, as well as London and Manchester, England.

 

Chris Janson Honored With Excellence In Creativity Award

Chris Janson. Photo: Courtesy WMG

Country music recording artist Chris Janson joined greats across many industries on Tuesday night (Oct. 29) in Washington D.C. as an honoree at the 2019 Global IP Champions Gala at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier presented Janson with the Excellence in Creativity Award, citing his artistry as a songwriter, musicianship as an instrumentalist and individuality as an entertainer. The Chamber described him as “navigating a new country music genre… expertly perched on the fence between country music’s past and future.”

 

Cody Johnson Performs National Anthem For Game 7 Of The World Series

CoJo Music / Warner Music Nashville’s Cody Johnson had the home field advantage last night in Houston, Texas when he performed the national anthem prior to Game 7 of the World Series. The Houston Astros battled the Washington Nationals for the title at the 115th Fall Classic with the Nationals ultimately walking away with the win.

Skillet Receives RIAA Plaques For “Monster” And “Hero”

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(L-R): Seth Morrison, John Cooper, Jen Ledger and Korey Cooper. Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann

Skillet has received RIAA certifications for its songs “Monster,” which has been certified 3x Platinum, and “Hero,” which has been certified 2x Platinum. The band’s “Monster” remains one of the most-streamed rock songs of all time with over three billion global audio streams. Their song “Hero” has garnered over one billion global audio streams and has been used in sync partnerships with everyone from the NFL, NHL, MLB, SCC and WWE.

To celebrate the certifications, personalities from top Active Rock stations in Dallas and Orlando surprised the band at two Victorious Sky tour stops last week. In Dallas, Ayo from KEGL joined the band backstage for a Facebook Live interview, closing with the plaque presentation for “Hero.”  In Orlando, Dickerman from WJRR surprised the band on stage with the 3x platinum plaque for “Monster.”

Skillet is also celebrating their tenth Top 10 Active Rock single with their latest single from the best-selling album Victorious, “Legendary.” In addition to the hit track being tapped as the official theme song for WWE’s RAW on USA Network, the WWE also recently used the song as the trailer for their brand new 2K20 Video Game. Also nabbing the energetic track lately is the NBA and NCAA as well as MLB during the opening of the NCLS game two between the St. Louis Cardinals and Syracuse Nationals.

The band is launching a European headlining tour November 6 through the remainder of the year that will include stops in London, Paris, Hamburg and Budapest.

Skillet’s John Cooper

Dave Barnes Inks New Publishing Deal

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Pictured (L-R): Jessi Vaughn (WCM), Dave Barnes, Ben Vaughn (WCM)

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Dave Barnes, known for penning songs including “God Gave Me You,” which became a Grammy and CMA-nominated hit for Blake Shelton, has a signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group.

“Dave is one of the most talented, respected, and well-liked people in Nashville, not to mention one of the funniest,” said Ben Vaughn, President and CEO of WCM Nashville. “Anyone who is lucky enough to work with Dave has been a part of something magical. We’re stoked to have him be part of our ever-growing Warner Chappell family.”

“I’ve admired Warner Chappell for a long time,” added Barnes. “So many of my friends write there and I have so much respect for Ben and Jessi. I’m really proud to be a part of the team.”

Barnes also co-wrote the No. 1 hit “Craving You,” recorded by Thomas Rhett and featuring Maren Morris, as well as Bethany Dillon’s “All I Need,” a Top 5 hit on the Christian songs chart. He also has several tracks on Lady Antebellum’s upcoming album Ocean. Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire are also among the artists who have recorded Barnes’ songs.

As a recording artist, Barnes has issued eight studio albums, three EPs and two Christmas projects. His recorded version of “God Gave Me You” hit the Top 15 on the Christian songs chart in 2010; the next year, Shelton released his own version of the track to country radio. Barnes will hit the road soon for his A Very Merry Christmas Tour, which launches Dec. 8 at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

WME Nashville Promotes Three

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Pictured: Skyler Clark-Hamel; Alex Collignon; Beth Hamilton

WME’s Nashville office has promoted three staffers to agent roles. Skyler Clark-Hamel joins the Christian Music division and will focus on the U.S. Southeast, Caribbean, and Central and South America. He most recently served as a booking coordinator for the division after previously working in the country music department.

Beth Hamilton and Alex Collignon will both join the country music department, with Collignon focusing on West Coast and Southwest.

Collignon most recently worked as an assistant in the department after initially launching his career at WME in 2014 in the fair and festival department.

Hamilton began her agency career at the William Morris Agency in Nashville assisting with booking arenas and amphitheaters in the Northeast, prior to making the transition to artist management and concert promotion. In 2016, Hamilton joined WME, following the agency’s 2009 merger with Endeavor, to work alongside Jay Williams, strategizing national and international touring for headlining artists including Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Brothers Osborne, among others.

WME’s Nashville office booked over 14,000 dates in the past year. In September, it was announced that WME’s Becky Gardenhire was recently promoted to Co-Head of the Nashville office, joining Scott Clayton, Joey Lee, and Jay Williams.