Curb Records’ Hannah Ellis On Zoom Writes And Staying Connected To Fans

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Campbellsville, Kentucky native and Curb Records artist Hannah Ellis recently shared new music with MusicRow Magazine staffers.

She has been signed with Curb as a songwriter for the past five years and recently signed to Curb Records as an artist. She’s penned songs recorded by Carly Pearce, Russell Dickerson, Emily Weisband, Cassadee Pope, Filmore and more.

She signed her label deal on March 3, the day tornadoes ripped through Nashville, followed by a barrage of tour cancellations and businesses moving to a work-from-home model, due to the coronavirus.

“That was crazy,” she recalls. “But at the same time, it gave us time to get things set up administratively. So it has actually been a nice time to get all our ducks in a row and have time to get to know more people on the team.”

A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Ellis has competed on Season 8 of NBC’s The Voice. She also toured as part of CMT’s Next Women of Country Tour in 2019.

In addition to her talent as a singer and songwriter, Ellis also takes initiative, as evidenced by one of her early meetings with Curb Records VP Marketing, John Clore.

“I sent him a list of things I’ve done in the past and I mentioned that I graduated from UK. He was like, ‘We need to figure out a way to get you on a national commercial or something with them.’ I was really new and I was like, ‘Well, I already did that back in 2015.’ He was like ‘Nationally?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it played at halftime of every single UK ballgame that aired that year.’ So obviously, great minds think alike.”

During the Zoom call, Ellis performed songs including “Plans” and “Somebody Else,” and shared her current plans to return to the studio to work on new songs.

“I’m going in the studio on July 29 to cut some sides with producer Jason Massey. I’m so pumped that we get to get back into the studio. We’ve been trying to think of outside-the-box ways to stay connected with fans, because not being able to play live shows has been the hardest thing.”

Like nearly all songwriters right now, Ellis has been conducting a good chunk of her co-writes via Zoom, and adjusting to the technology’s benefits and frustrations.

“The writing doesn’t feel as creative, but I’ve done a lot of it. Once I got used to it, I’ve written some stuff I really love. I’m about half-and-half with Zoom writes and then in-person writes. I’m not good at not working. Even if I don’t like Zoom, I’m going to do it. I have to feel productive in some way.”

Ellis says she expects Zoom to become more fully integrated into songwriters’ daily lives going forward.

“Just like anything else, the technology is going to keep getting better. It’s going to make writing, like me here and someone in another town, much easier. I have something that might be coming out with some DJs in Europe. If we need to have a conversation about it we can get on Zoom, whereas it used to be all emails. People are going to continue to use it.

“There has been a lot of craziness this year, but there are so many beautiful things that can happen right now. Just focusing on those has made it a really good year in spite of itself.”

Pictured: Curb Records’ John Clore and Jessie Lowe, MusicRow Magazine’s Haley Crow, Jessica Nicholson, LB Cantrell, Sherod Robertson, Alex Parry, and Curb Records artist Hannah Ellis.

Dylan Scott’s “Nothing To Do Town” Certified Gold

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Curb Records’ Dylan Scott has earned RIAA Gold certification for his song “Nothing To Do Town.”

The track was inspired partly by his childhood in Bastrop, Louisiana and is the title track to Scott’s 2019 EP. Scott’s current single, “Nobody,” is at No. 40 on Mediabase. “My Girl” was previously certified Double-Platinum and was one of the most-played songs of 2017. Also recently certified Gold is Scott’s self-titled album, Dylan Scott (Deluxe Edition).

Weekly Register: The Chicks Top Country Albums Chart With ‘Gaslighter’

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Fourteen years after their album Taking the Long Way topped the country albums chart, the Texas-born trio now known as The Chicks have made their return to the chart pinnacle with their latest offering, Gaslighter. The album moved 84K (total consumption) in its debut week, according to Nielsen Music. While the all-female trio tops the country albums chart, another superstar female, Miranda Lambert, holds the top slot on both Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart and the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart, with “Bluebird.”

Luke Combs‘ What You See Is What You Get downshifts to No. 2 this week, with 22K, followed by Morgan Wallen‘s If I Know Me at No. 3 with 22K. Combs’ This One’s For You is at No. 4 with 19K, while Sam Hunt‘s Southside is at No. 5 with 15K.

Gabby Barrett continues her stronghold on the On-Demand Country Streaming chart, with “I Hope” earning 8.4 million streams this week. Hunt’s “Hard To Forget” is in second place this week, with 7.6 million streams, followed by Maren Morris‘ “The Bones” (7.4 million streams), Lambert’s radio chart-topper “Bluebird” (7.2 million streams) and Luke Bryan‘s “One Margarita” with 7.1 million streams.

Shania Twain Bringing ‘Heart Of Texas’ Novels To Television

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Shania Twain Photo: Alex Harbaugh

Shania Twain is helping develop author Debbie Macomber‘s Heart of Texas novels into an upcoming TV series.

Twain has partnered with Reel World Management, Roma Roth and Christopher E. Perry, Executive Producers of the Netflix original series, Virgin River, to adapt the novels for the small screen. Twain will Executive Produce alongside Roth and Perry and will be contributing creatively to Heart of Texas, which revolves around the personal and professional struggles of siblings Savanah, Grady and Richard Weston who must fight to keep the family ranch and legacy alive after the untimely death of their parents.

“Heart of Texas is an exciting project for me to be involved in as I very much relate to the dynamics and the powerful connection of friends and family of a small-town community,” says Twain. “It’s a story of love, laughter and true grit, all elements that so strongly influence my songwriting.”

Macomber is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author who has sold more than 200 million copies of her books worldwide. Her novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list with 13 novels hitting the number one spot.

“Reel World Management is excited to collaborate with Shania Twain and Debbie Macomber, two outstanding female creatives who have successfully built powerhouse brands, to create a series that will resonate emotionally with a global audience while also reinforcing the valuable themes of tolerance, female empowerment, family, community and endurance,” says Roth.

HARDY, Thompson, Gorley: MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart’s Top Three

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HARDY remains at the No. 1 position on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, with co-writer credits on “More Than My Hometown” (Morgan Wallen), “One Big Country Song” (LOCASH), and “Some Girls” (Jameson Rodgers), as well as his own “One Beer.”

Josh Thompson maintains the No. 2 position this week. Ashley Gorley moves up to No. 3 with credits on “Hard To Forget” (Sam Hunt), “Hole In The Bottle” (Kelsea Ballerini), “One Big Country Song” (LOCASH), “One Of Them Girls” (Lee Brice), and “We Were Rich” (Runaway June).

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

Island Hopper Songwriter Festival Postponed Until 2021

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The 7th annual Island Hopper Songwriter Fest has been postponed due to concerns over the coronavirus. The new dates will be Sept. 17-26, 2021.

The 10-day music festival in Southwest Florida features more than 80 artists performing more than 100 shows, most of which are free in small, intimate venues across Captiva Island, Fort Myers Beach, and downtown Fort Myers.

“After extensive consideration, and in light of the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the most prudent way to proceed,” said Tamara Pigott, executive director for The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel. “We are just as disappointed as our songwriters and fans but we’re looking forward to next year.”

The Island Hopper Songwriter Fest organizers have produced three monthly installments of Songs from the Sofa – a virtual experience featuring previous Island Hopper songwriters on Instagram Live. Songs from the Sofa will continue on the third Thursday of every month, and updates will be shared on island-hopper.fortmyers-sanibel.com.

Ethan Hulse, "Who You Say I Am," Essential Music Publishing Top BMI Christian Awards

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BMI honored its top songwriters and publishers in Christian music recently. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, BMI has been honoring its top songwriters from the past year across all genres via online platforms in lieu of traditional in-person ceremonies.

Among this year’s BMI Christian Music Awards honorees, the Song of the Year title went to “Who You Say I Am,” written by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan and published by Capitol CMG Publishing and Hillsong MP Songs. The song was nominated for Top Christian Song at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards and won the GMA Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year in 2019. It peaked at No. 2 and spent an impressive 109 weeks on the Billboard US Christian Songs Chart.

For the second year in a row, the Songwriter of the Year award went to Ethan Hulse, who wrote “Confidence,” “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” “Known” and “Scars.” In 2019, Hulse won his first BMI Award and was simultaneously named Songwriter of the Year.

Essential Music Publishing took home the Publisher of the Year award. The company had the highest percentage of copyright ownership among the year’s most-performed songs, including the hits “Confidence,” “Even Then,” “Freedom Hymn,” “Haven’t Seen It Yet,” “Known,” “Living Hope,” “Only Jesus,” “Resurrecting,” “Scars,” “Survivor,” “Till I Found You,” and “What a Friend.”

In addition to the major award winners, BMI is also paying homage to the Twenty-Five Most Performed Christian Songs of the Year (2019). This year’s group of inspirational winners featured 14 first-time award winners, including Jeff Bumgardner (“Even Me”), Austin French (“Freedom Hymn”), Gareth Gilkeson (“Counting Every Blessing”), Lyn Rowell (“I Believe He’s Alive”), and Shane Stevens (“Beat Up Bible”), among others. Veteran Christian artist and six-time Songwriter of the Year winner TobyMac took home his 29th award for “Everything.”

“I look forward to the BMI Christian Awards every year, and 2020 is no exception,” says Leslie Roberts, Executive Director, Creative, BMI Nashville. “This year has been a difficult one for so many reasons. I am thrilled to be able to celebrate and honor these songs that are so full of hope and have brought comfort to so many during this tumultuous time in our world.”

Miranda Lambert Earns Seventh Country Radio Chart-Topper With "Bluebird"

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Miranda Lambert has earned her seventh No. 1 single this week, as “Bluebird” tops both Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart.

“Bluebird” is the second single from her album Wildcard and Lambert co-wrote the track alongside Natalie Hemby and Luke Dick. The song has earned more than 130 million on-demand streams to date.

“2020 hasn’t offered a whole lot to celebrate, especially for musicians,” Lambert said on Twitter. “But I am celebrating this week. I’m celebrating happiness and the feeling of artistic freedom in a time where we all feel a little caged. I’m celebrating country music and all the joy it has brought to my life. I’m celebrating ALL the fans, the writers, the musicians, the crews and bands, radio and streaming services, and venues for allowing me to have the most wonderful career for the last 17 years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And thank you to Luke Dick for allowing me to write this beautiful idea with you and to Natalie Hemby (my Dean Dillon) for bringing it home. Also Jay Joyce for bringing it to life and giving it wings, Trey Fanjoy for setting this bluebird free in the most beautiful video. And my management Shopkeeper MGMT/Marion Kraft and Sony Nashville for fighting for this song and for me. Turns out we did have a wildcard up our sleeve.”

“Bluebird” marks Lambert’s first No. 1 song on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in eight years, and her first on Mediabase in six years.

She previously reached No. 1 as part of the 2018 Jason Aldean collaboration “Drowns The Whiskey,” but as a solo artist, her most recent No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart was in 2012 with “Over You.” She last hit No. 1 on Mediabase in 2014 with “Automatic.”

“Bluebird” follows an uptick in No. 1 songs from solo female artists so far in 2020, following chart-toppers from Maren Morris (the multi-week No. 1 “The Bones”), Ingrid Andress (“More Hearts Than Mine”), Gabby Barrett (“I Hope”) and Carly Pearce (“I Hope You’re Happy Now” ft. Lee Brice).

Publisher/Producer John E. Denny Dies

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Longtime Music Row business figure John E. Denny died Tuesday (July 21) at age 79. He had been battling diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease for years.

Born John Everett Denny, he was the son of Country Music Hall of Fame member Jim Denny (1911-1963).

Opry manager Jim Denny founded Cedarwood Music with Webb Pierce in 1953. Along with Acuff-Rose and Tree, this was one of the cornerstones of the Nashville song publishing business.

When Jim Denny died, sons Bill Denny and John Denny assumed control of Cedarwood. John was Cedarwood’s vice president. The company was sold to Mel Tillis in 1983.

John Denny wrote several songs for the Cedarwood catalog, including the novelty numbers “All I Want for Christmas Is a Go-Go Girl,” “Jesus Took the Outlaw Out of Me” and “What’s Tootsie Gonna Do When They Tear the Ryman Down.”

One of the firm’s spin-offs was the Dollie Records label. John Denny produced Dollie singles for Carl Perkins, including “Country Boy’s Dream” and “Shine, Shine, Shine” which charted in 1966-67. He also produced Diana Duke and others for Dollie. The label’s acts included Johnny Wiggins, Marti Brown, Gene Wyatt and Johnnie Bailes.

In 1965, he formed his own Denny Music Group. The publishing arm, John E. Denny Music registered 422 titles with BMI. Most of its songs were recorded by independent country artists.

He had his own recording studio, Denny’s Den.

He also founded JED Records (named for his initials). The label released singles by Kent Westbury, Bobby Sykes, Scotty Stoneman, Rusty Adams, Chris Gantry, Jimmy Smart, Max D. Barnes, Ruthie Steele, Audie Ashworth and more before folding around 1980.

John E. Denny received the Lifetime Achievement award from R.O.P.E. (Reunion of Professional Entertainers) in 2004. He was one of the organization’s founders.

He is survived by his wife Pandora, son James Rae Denny II, sister Linda Gayle, brother J. William, a grandson and a granddaughter.

There will be a private family gravesite service on Thursday (July 30) at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made in John’s name to the Country Music Hall of Fame or to the charity of your choice.

BEXAR’s Chris Ryan Signs With Reservoir

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Pictured (L-R): Scott McGhee (1˚ Entertainment Music & Management Group), Greg Gallo (VP Creative, Reservoir), Chris Ryan, John Ozier (EVP Creative, Reservoir), Golnar Khosrowshahi (CEO, Reservoir) Photo credit: Haley Crow/MusicRow

Chris Ryan has signed a worldwide publishing deal with Reservoir. Ryan is part of the country music duo BEXAR, which recently signed with Warner Music Nashville.

The Reservoir deal includes all compositions from Ryan’s catalog, plus future works, including BEXAR’s newly-released single “Again.”

The up-and-coming country duo, pronounced “bear,” gets its name from Ryan’s hometown, Bexar County, Texas. Ryan performs lead vocals/guitar alongside Logan Turner, who rounds out their sound with additional vocal/banjo/guitar. BEXAR self-released their EP, BEXAR, in 2018 and have since amassed over 25 million streams. Their new single “Again,” a collaboration with writer-producer Ross Copperman, has been released on all platforms.

“Chris Ryan is a masterful songwriter and storyteller,” said John Ozier, Reservoir EVP, Creative. “It’s such an exciting time, as BEXAR are working on new music and sharing it with the world and we’re so happy to be on this journey with him.”

“As a songwriter, it’s so important to align with a publisher that has the same sensibilities as you,” added Ryan. “I love my team at Reservoir, John Ozier and [VP Creative] Greg Gallo, and the creative opportunities they provide me with.”