‘ACM Presents: Our Country’ Draws 7.73 Million Viewers

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Eric Church

Sunday evening (April 5) was supposed to be an evening filled with awards and large-scale musical productions for the annual Academy of Country Music awards on CBS. Instead, top country artists including Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker turned in performances from their homes, as part of a two-hour show titled ACM Presents: Our Country.

The event, hosted by Gayle King, aired in place of the ACM Awards, which were postponed due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus outbreak. ACM Presents: Our Country brought in 7.73 million viewers and averaged a 1.0 rating in the adults 18-49 demo.

This year’s Academy of Country Music Awards have been postponed until Sept. 16, and will still feature the current ACM Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban as host for the evening. A venue for the newly-rescheduled awards show, as well as a performer lineup, will be announced soon.

During last night’s ACM Presents: Our Country, Eric Church debuted a new song, “Never Break Heart,” while Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley offered performances of “Mud On The Tires” and “Wagon Wheel” and later teamed for a tribute to the late Kenny Rogers, who died March 20 at age 81. Paisley and Rucker performed “Lucille” and “The Gambler,” followed by Luke Bryan’s rendition of “Coward of the County.” Carrie Underwood offered a rendition of her current single “Drinking Alone,” while Lady Antebellum performed “What I’m Leaving For.”

The show closed with Lionel Richie paying tribute to his friend and superstar Kenny Rogers.

“What stated out to be a great collaboration between two guys, Kenny Rogers and myself, ended up giving me a surprise. Not only did we have a hit record, but I found one of the greatest friends I ever had in my whole life,” Richie said. “The loss of him is tremendous on my heart. We lived so much life together, and tonight I want to celebrate his life. And I want to say to all of his fans: He enjoyed the ride. Let us celebrate his life, his legacy, and more importantly, the music. God bless you, Kenny. God bless your family. I love you very much.”

The tribute ended with flashback to a live performance from 2012 TV special ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – In Concert, where Rogers and Richie sang “Lady,” earning a standing ovation from the crowd.

Weekly Register: Gabby Barrett Reaches No. 1 On Country On-Demand Streaming Chart

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Newcomer Gabby Barrett‘s debut single, “I Hope,” reaches the pinnacle of the Country On-Demand Audio Streaming chart this week, with 7 million streams, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

Diplo‘s “Heartless” featuring Morgan Wallen and Julia Michaels moved 6.7 million streams, followed by Old Dominion‘s “One Man Band” at No. 3 with 6.3 million streams. Maren Morris‘ “The Bones” is at No. 4 with 6.1 million streams, while Dan+Shay‘s collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours,” rounds out the Top 5 with 6.1 million.

On the country albums chart, Luke Combs has the top two slots, with What You See Is What You Get at No. 1 (22K in total consumption), and This One’s For You at No. 2 (18K in total consumption). Morgan Wallen‘s If I Know Me is at No. 3 (16K).

Following the death of Joe Diffie on March 29 of complications from coronavirus, his album 16 Biggest Hits lands at No. 4, with 15K in total consumption. The album includes classic Diffie tunes such as “Ships That Don’t Come In,” “Home,” Honky Tonk Attitude,” and “Bigger Than The Beatles.”

Kelsea Ballerini‘s sophomore album kelsea rounds out the Top 5 with 13K in total consumption.

Tenille Townes Reveals Sony Music Nashville/RCA Records Partnership

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Tenille Townes

Tenille Townes has released a new song, “The Most Beautiful Things,” and Sony Music Nashville has announced a new partnership with RCA Records which will combine the efforts of RCA, Columbia Nashville and the SMN label group behind a global plan for Townes.

“We were all once a little kid, full of wonder and seeing the beauty in anything,” said Townes of the new song. “We were unafraid to be ourselves, relentlessly willing to dream the craziest of dreams because we weren’t scared of failing, or of what anyone else thought. I hope this song helps people remember what that felt like. Holding on to the love we have for each other and the most beautiful things around us, even in hard times, is what keeps that feeling alive. It makes me so thankful to get to put out this song right now in the times we are in.”

Townes also released a special new performance video of Bill Withers’ iconic song, “Lean On Me,” last week as an additional symbol of support during these difficult times. Recorded remotely from their homes, the video features performances from fellow artists Abby Anderson, Kassi Ashton, Keelan Donovan, Alex Hall, Adam Hambrick and Caylee Hammack.

Companies Crafting Masks For Healthcare Workers Get Aid From Nashville’s Music Community

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Photo: Only One Tailoring

Nashville-based companies Only One Tailoring and Fior Bespoke are helping to supply hospitals and other healthcare organizations with much-needed masks, to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The masks are based on designs from the CDC and Vanderbilt Medical Center. So far, the initiative has made more than 60 masks for Skyline Medical Center’s ER to use for doctors and nurses treating COVID-19 positive patients, as well as supplying 60 masks each for Saint Thomas Hospital, Vanderbilt Medical Center, and more than 200 masks for nursing facilities in Western Kentucky.

The company is asking for donations to help create more masks and has raised more than $13,000 to date. Only One Tailoring owner Aaron McGill (who’s mother Cindy McGill, worked at the Opry for many years working in alterations) is one of several people heading up the initiative. Others include Ashleigh Prince, artist manager Alicia Jones, Charles Bass, and tailor Loretta Harper.
Among those supporting the initiative are Chris Young, Bobby Bones, Jake Owen and others.

To donate, or to request masks, click here.

Hit Songwriter Alex Harvey Passes

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Singer, entertainer, actor and hit Nashville songwriter Alex Harvey has died at age 73.

Harvey is known for such classics as “Delta Dawn,” “Rings,” “Hell and High Water” and “Reuben James.” He was featured in such TV series as Dallas, The Dukes of Hazzard and Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as such movies as The Blue and the Gray, The Dollmaker, Parent Trap II and Country.

During a five-decade career, he recorded a dozen albums. He was a colorful showman whose nightclub appearances garnered rave reviews.

Thomas Alexander Harvey was born in Dyersburg, TN. He attended Murray State University in Kentucky, earning a master’s degree in music with a minor in drama. Following graduation, he headed to Nashville. Harvey initially supported himself by transcribing songwriters’ works into sheet-music form.

Songwriter Billy Edd Wheeler (“Jackson,” “Coward of the County”) became his mentor. Harvey also learned from Kris Kristofferson, who was one of the songwriters he transcribed.

When Kenny Rogers came to town to tape a TV show, Harvey deployed his charm and salesmanship to pitch the star “Reuben James.” Rogers and The First Edition made it into a Top 30 pop hit in 1969. Conway Twitty, Wanda Jackson and Jerry Lee Lewis were among those who later recorded Harvey’s lyric of racial harmony.

Alex Harvey earned his first country music credits for “Molly,” recorded by Jim Glaser in 1969 and for “Baby, Baby I Know You’re a Lady,” a No. 1 hit for David Houston in 1970. Dusty Springfield recorded Harvey’s “Someone Who Cares” that same year. It became the theme song for the Jason Robard‘s movie Fools.

In the wake of “Reuben James,” Kenny Rogers recorded more than a dozen Harvey songs. They included the 1970 social-commentary pop hit “Tell It All Brother” and “Hoodooin’ of Miss Fanny DeBerry,” which was included on the million-selling Gambler LP.

Rogers urged him to move to L.A. in 1970. Harvey took acting classes and began seeking TV and movie parts.

Meanwhile, the Memphis pop group Cymarron had a big hit with his “Rings” in 1971. Tompall & The Glaser Brothers covered it for the country field, hitting the Top 10. Lobo, Lonnie Mack, Reuben Howell and Twiggy also recorded “Rings.”

Harvey was signed by Capitol Records on the West Coast. Alex Harvey appeared as his debut LP in 1971. Rogers produced four of its songs, and Wheeler penned its liner notes. “Delta Dawn,” co-written with Larry Collins, was this album’s closing track.

Tanya Tucker launched her career with “Delta Dawn” in 1972. It remains her signature song. In 1973, Helen Reddy turned it into a No. 1 pop smash. It has also been recorded by Loretta Lynn, Bette Midler, Charlie McCoy, Kitty Wells, Waylon Jennings, Dottie West, Teresa Brewer, The Statler Brothers and many others.

“The song started everything off for me,” said Tanya Tucker yesterday (April 5). “I thank God for him, his song, my life, my career and my fans….My life would have been so different without the iconic ‘Delta Dawn’ and her creator Alex Harvey.”

Capitol released Souvenirs as Harvey’s second LP in 1972. It included his own versions of “Rings” and “Reuben James.” His third LP, 1973’s True Love, included “Makin’ Music for Money.” Jimmy Buffett popularized the song the following year.

Harvey next signed with Buddah Records, which released Preshus Chlld (1976) and Purple Crush (1977) as his next two albums. But his main focus during this period was on his acting career. James Garner took Harvey under his wing and featured him in the 1982 TV film The Long Summer of George Adams.

Subsequent movies cast him alongside Jane Fonda (1984’s The Dollmaker), Sharon Gless (1984’s The Sky Is No Limit), Jessica Lange (1985’s Country), Hayley Mills (1987’s The Parent Trap II), Daniel J. Travanti (1983’s Adam), Stacy Keach (1982’s The Blue and the Gray), Michael Pare (1987’s Houston Knights) and Kristofferson (1997’s Fire Down Below).

Alex Harvey moved back to Nashville in 1983. He reacquainted local audiences with his songs and showmanship. He augmented his distinctive, bluesy vocals with flamboyant costumes and handed out buttons, ribbons and printed programs at gigs.

In 1986 T. Graham Brown had a No. 1 hit with “Hell and High Water,” co-written with Harvey. Willie Nelson recorded “No Place But Texas,” the 1986 Alex Harvey song that was named the official song of the state’s sesquicentennial celebration. It also became the title tune of Harvey’s sixth album.

Tim Ryan had his chart debut in 1990 with their collaboration “Dance in Circles,” and the two became frequent songwriting partners. Billy Ray Cyrus returned Harvey to the country Top 10 via “Somebody New” in 1993, and he returned to the songwriter’s catalog for 1997’s “Bluegrass State of Mind.” Chris LeDoux sang Harvey’s “Five Dollar Fine” in 1999.

Over the years, his songs have also been recorded by Anne Murray, Andy Williams, Eydie Gorme, Merle Haggard, Ferlin Husky, Shirley Bassey, Percy Faith, George Hamilton IV, Leo Kottke, Roy Drusky, Arthur Prysock, Jim Ed Brown, Ed Bruce, Vikki Carr and Peggy Lee, among others.
Alex Harvey continued to record throughout the 1990s and 2000s. His output included Black and Red (1995), Eden (1997), Arms of an Angel (2001), Peace (2003), The Songwriter (2004), Galilee (2005) and Heart of the Art in Song (2018).

In 2015 he created a book as well as an album titled Texas 101. Harvey also hosted syndicated radio and TV series in the Lone Star State.
Alex Harvey’s death on April 4 was revealed yesterday in a Facebook post by his wife, Gineille Sabilino.

Missi Gallimore Launches T.R.U.T.H. Management

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Missi Gallimore

Missi Gallimore has launched T.R.U.T.H. Management, offering a wide range of services including artist development and management, A&R, publishing, digital marketing, styling, and more.

The company’s flagship country artists include Shy Carter (Warner Music Nashville), Abbey Cone (The Valory Music Co.), and sibling trio Track45, who is in the final stages of securing a label agreement, as well as Americana artist Sam Williams, the son of Hank Williams Jr. Cone and Track45 are joint-venture management projects with Gary Borman and Borman Entertainment.

Gallimore said, “Forming T.R.U.T.H. Management was just the next step for me. I am ready to take what’s mine and see where this will go! I have assembled a great team, and we have already accomplished more than I thought imaginable, and we are just getting started!”

Gallimore launched her career working with Country Music Hall of Famer Billy Sherrill, known for his work with George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Cash and more. She also served 10 years with Charley Pride’s publishing company Pride Music Group, before launching a career in A&R. She has successfully paired Tim McGraw with songs including “Humble and Kind,” “I Like It, I Love It,” and “Live Like You Were Dying,” and worked A&R for Faith Hill’s hits “Breathe” and “This Kiss,” as well as introducing Keith Urban to “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and his recent single “God Whispered Your Name.”

Johnny Reid To Relaunch Scruggs Sound Studios As Soultrain Sound Studios

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Johnny Reid. Photo: Daniel Shippey

Recording artist and studio owner Johnny Reid kept his promise to the late songwriter/guitarist/producer Randy Scruggs with the launch of his latest venture.

This spring, Reid will reopen the historic Scruggs Sound Studios in Nashville’s Berry Hill area as Soultrain Sound Studios. Scruggs bought the property and began work on the studio in 1979. Among the albums made in Scruggs Sound Studio include Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1989 album Will The Circle Be Unbroken V2, which Scruggs produced and featured Bruce Hornsby, John Hiatt, Rosanne Cash, Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, John Denver, Emmylou Harris and more, as well as Keith Whitley—A Tribute Album.

Reid purchased the studio in 2018, prior to Scruggs’ passing and has renovated the studio’s interior, adding state of the art recording equipment, a “b” studio and vintage equipment to the 3,000-square-foot space.

“I made Randy Scruggs a promise that his building would one day make music once again. I’ve kept my promise and look forward to continuing its tradition,” commented Johnny Reid.
Joining Reid in the new venture are mix engineer Justin Cortelyou and producer/engineer Tawgs Salter.

Cortelyou’s engineering credits include work with Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, U2, Andrea Bocelli, Taylor Swift, and others. For years Cortelyou worked alongside mix-master Mike Shipley at The Animal House in Los Angeles, and legendary music producer Bob Ezrin. Salter has worked with a vast array of artists ranging from Walk Off The Earth, Serena Ryder, Hunter Hayes, Lights and Scott Helman to Andrea Bocelli, Dear Rouge, Mother Mother and USS.

“I’m honored to partner with Soultrain Sound Studios and make it my home base here in Nashville,” said Cortelyou. “It’s a privilege to join the long list of legendary artists, musicians, producers and engineers that once created here. It really is a special place.”

Rosanne Cash, John Oates, Lee Brice To Lead ‘People Supporting Artists’ Benefit For MusiCares

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People Supporting Artists is hosting a telethon live from Nashville on April 11 to benefit the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. Among the artists participating in the telethon will be Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal, John Oates, Lee Brice, Los Lobos, Keb Mo, Shovels & Rope, John Osborne & Lucie Silvas, Jim Lauderdale, Aaron Lee Tasjan and many more. The show begins at 7 p.m. ET.

Fans can tune in on the PSA site, and 100% percent of the profits from this Telethon will be sent to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund after the event. A basic production and operating budget will be deducted as costs for PSA, to ensure that their other creative community members who are not eligible for MusiCares are supported as well. More information can be found here.

Reservoir Strikes Deal With Roger Murrah (Exclusive)

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Pictured (L-R): Greg Gallo, Reservoir VP, Creative; John Ozier, Reservoir EVP, Creative; Roger Murrah; Doug Colton, Colton Law Firm

Reservoir has inked a deal with Nashville Hall Of Fame songwriter and country music publishing veteran Roger Murrah. The deal includes rights to Murrah’s entire catalog of evergreen country music hits, as well as several thousand unexploited compositions, plus the acquisition of his wholly owned publishing companies, Murrah Music Corporation and Castle Street Music.

Over the course of his five-decade career, Murrah composed 14 No. 1 hits and country music standards including Alan Jackson’s “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” Al Jarreau’s “We’re In This Love Together,” Conway Twitty and Blake Shelton’s “Goodbye Time,” Wynonna Judd’s “Only Love,” and Alabama’s “I’m In A Hurry,” “High Cotton,” and “Southern Star.” He was named BMI Country Songwriter of the Year in 1988 and the following year crowned BMI’s Country Songwriter of the Decade for the 1980s. Murrah was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. He has two ACM Song of the Year awards, two CMA Song of the Year nominations, and an ASCAP Song of the Year award under his belt.

In 1990, Murrah formed his own publishing company, Murrah Music Corporation, and signed writers including Luke Bryan, Phillip White, Mike Mobley, Jon Henderson, Rachel Proctor, Mark Alan Springer, Rachel Thibodeau, and more. Over the years, Murrah Music songwriters were behind 14 No. 1’s and hundreds of hit copyrights including Rascal Flatts’ “I’m Movin On,” Billy Currington’s “Good Directions,” Reba McEntire’s “He Gets That From Me,” Tracy Byrd’s “The Keeper Of The Stars,” Tanya Tucker’s “Two Sparrows In A Hurricane,” and Kenny Chesney’s “When I Close My Eyes,” among others. As a publisher, Murrah earned Billboard’s Independent Publisher of the Year award in 1992, and his dedication to music and songwriters didn’t stop there. He served five terms as Chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation and two consecutive terms as President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

“It’s an honor to be the new caretakers of Roger Murrah’s incredible legacy as a songwriter and a music publisher,” said John Ozier, Reservoir EVP, Creative. “Reservoir is passionate about representing historic catalogs and I am especially proud to be bringing in one as historic as Roger’s as one of the first acquisitions out of the Nashville office.”

“I could not be more pleased to have the best of my life’s works in the hands of Reservoir, a family owned company,” added Murrah. “It’s another dream-come-true for me. These words may sound cliché, but this new chapter means too much to me. I look forward to working together with John Ozier, Greg Gallo, and the entire Nashville staff, as well as all the Reservoir professionals from around the world.”

‘Garth & Trisha Live!’ CBS Special To Rebroadcast April 5

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Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

CBS will rebroadcast Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood‘s Garth & Trisha Live! on Sunday, April 5 at 10 p.m. ET.

The special, which originally aired April 1, was filmed from the two superstars’ home recording studio in Nashville. On March 30, Brooks shared details about how viewers could make song requests for the special on his weekly Facebook Live show, “Inside Studio G,” on Monday, March 30. On Monday, March 23, Brooks and Yearwood hosted a casual, at-home concert from Studio G. Over 5.2 million viewers watched it in a matter of hours, repeatedly crashing the popular internet site and spurring the idea for the Network special.

“We’re seeing how big things can be when we all do them as one. In addition to the special, we and CBS will donate $1 million to charities to be determined, combating the COVID-19 virus,” said Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

“After we saw Garth and Trisha crash Facebook, we reached out to them about bringing this Studio G to a larger audience in a safe and exciting way,” said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events. “With Garth and Trisha coupled with the power of broadcast television, anything can happen, making this an event not to be missed.”

The special was produced by Horse of Troy Productions.