Industry Ink: City National Bank, Songshine Media, T. Graham Brown

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City National Bank Promotes Two

Kristy Sargent, Stacia Watkins

City National Bank has promoted staffers Kristy Sargent and Stacia Watkins. Sargent has been promoted to Vice President/Senior Account Manager from her previous post as Assistant Vice President/Account Manager. Sargent has nearly two decades of financial service to the Entertainment Industry and was part of the original team hired to help launch City National’s Nashville Entertainment office in 2011.

Watkins, Assistant Vice President/Account Manager, has been elevated to Vice President/Senior Account Manager. Watkins has a decade of experience working in the consumer banking and private wealth management fields, with extensive knowledge in operational management and products. In 2020, Watkins moved from City National’s Private Banking Team to Entertainment. She also serves on the Board for Historic Nashville.

 

Songshine Media Closes Doors

Independent public relations firm Songshine Media will close operations as founder/publicist, Dakota Heflin, looks forward to new career opportunities in 2021. Songshine represented Joe & Martina, Jay Bragg, and Jake Loban, as well as Bromberg’s Big Noise and Ladybug Music Festival since its establishment. Heflin’s previous industry experience includes time as Senior Publicist at digital marketing, publicity and management company, Crowd Surf, as well as a publicist with The AristoMedia Group.

Reach Heflin via dakota_hailey@yahoo.com or (941) 993-2734.

 

T. Graham Brown Partners With Hillbilly Tea

T. Graham Brown has announced a partnership with HillBilly Iced Teas and Lemonade. HillBilly Beverages LLC is a privately held company that is based in Boca Raton, Florida that gained exposure from the hit TV show Shark Tank, and has expanded into the beverage market with iced teas, lemonades, and bourbons. Over the past few years, HillBilly Beverage’s distribution has grown to over 30 states and a variety of retailers.

“Man, from one hillbilly T. (that’s me, of course) to some great tasting HillBilly Tea, I am really excited to partner with Mike and his team to help spread the word about their beverages because I have been drinking this stuff for a while now and absolutely love it. Now, you can pick up both my album and some lemonade or tea at Walmart,” said Brown. “As we get back to touring next year, we will be traveling in our newly wrapped bus that I am excited to unveil.”

Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley To Release Solo Music

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Florida Georgia Line. Photo: John Shearer

Florida Georgia Line members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley announced on social media that they will be releasing their own music, as individuals, in the near future. The duo also assured fans that they are not splitting up; with their fifth studio album, Life Rolls On, due out in February and a tour to follow once it is safe to do so.

Florida Georgia Line started their hit-filled career in 2010. Their breakout single “Cruise” was certified 11x multi-Platinum, making them the first country act to achieve RIAA’s Diamond certification. They hold the longest reign on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart of 50 consecutive weeks with another Diamond, No. 1 single, “Meant to Be” with Bebe Rexha. They’ve tallied 17 career No. 1 singles.

In an effort to be “transparent and real” with their fans, Kelley and Hubbard uploaded a nearly 10-minute video explaining that while they will still be making music and touring as FGL, they will also be working on music individually, with Kelley announcing an album he’s planning for the summer. Hubbard mentioned some collaborations to be released soon.

“I did a lot of soul-searching,” said Kelley. “I took some time off from writing songs. I didn’t know what I was searching for. I got my arm back in shape and thought I was going to start pitching again, I fished as much as I could, and did pretty much anything I could do to get a lot of energy out and kill some time.

“Where I landed was really falling in love with my guitar and writing songs again, more than ever,” Kelley continued. “This has been a lifelong dream of mine, but I started writing an album once I started writing again. I had a couple songs that I was writing and I thought, ‘I think I’m supposed to sing these and have a project or an outlet for these to come out on.'”

Kelley said that he approached Hubbard in September with the idea for a solo project., to which Hubbard gave him his blessing as a collaborator.

“We’re really creating some freedom for ourselves in addition to what we do with FGL” Kelley said.

“There’s a lot going on,” Hubbard said. “We want to make sure that our truth is out there for you guys, and our genuine excitement and support of each other for the next chapter of our career, of our music, of our journey, of our touring, and everything. We’re really excited.”

Top Songwriter Chart: MusicRow’s Top 100 Songwriters Of 2020

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While the past year was difficult for all, 2020 saw these elite songwriters garner ample chart success on the weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart. Using algorithms based on song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams, these songwriters prevailed in 2020.

Notably, there are 19 female songwriters in the top 100 this year—which is made up of 112 songwriters because of tied scores. This is a continued increase from last year’s 13 female songwriters within the top 100, and 2018’s 11. Hillary Lindsey is the highest ranking female on this year’s list, at No. 11.

Hillary Lindsey. Photo: Becky Fluke

The songs that propelled Lindsey to No. 11 include Luke Bryan’s “What She Wants Tonight,” HARDY’s “One Beer,” Kelsea Ballerini’s “Hole In The Bottle,” and Jordan Davis’ “Almost Maybes.” Among her 2020 honors were Songwriter of the Year at the ACM Awards and Female Songwriter of the Year at the MusicRow Awards.

Josh Osborne

For the second time in the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart’s history, Josh Osborne takes the top position. Songs of his that were hits in 2020 include Sam Hunt’s “Kinfolks,” “Hard To Forget,” and “Breaking Up Was Easy In The 90’s,” Morgan Wallen’s “7 Summers,” Darius Rucker’s “Beers And Sunshine,” both Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani hit duets “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere,” and more.

Osborne ended 2020 in the No. 1 position on the weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter chart for the sixth consecutive week. Osborne won Song of the Year at the ACM Awards this year for “One Man Band,” recorded by Old Dominion.

HARDY. Photo: Tanner Gallagher

HARDY comes in at No. 2 on the MusicRow Top 100 Songwriters chart this year. As an artist, his self-penned songs that had high activity this past year were “Give Heaven Some Hell” and “One Beer,” his first No. 1 song as an artist. Songs HARDY co-wrote for other artists that were hits in 2020 were LOCASH’s “One Big Country Song,” Jameson Rodgers’ “Some Girls,” Morgan Wallen’s “This Bar” and “More Than My Hometown,” and more.

HARDY released his debut album, A ROCK, in September, and it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. He was also named the AIMP Nashville Songwriter of the Year.

Ross Copperman. Photo: Kelly Taylor

Ross Copperman takes the No. 3 position. Tops songs for Copperman in 2020 were “Tip Of My Tongue” (Kenny Cheseney), “What She Wants Tonight” (Luke Bryan), “The Other Girl” (Kelsea Ballerini with Halsey), “Lady” (Brett Young), “Beers And Sunshine” (Darius Rucker), as well as “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere” (Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani).

Copperman was named Songwriter of the Year for the fourth time at the BMI Country Awards in November.

Ashley Gorley. Photo: Josh Ulmer

Ashley Gorley, who notched his record-breaking 50th No. 1 song in 2020, is at No. 4 on the MusicRow Top 100 Songwriters chart. The hits that fueled him were “One Big Country Song” (LOCASH), “Remember You Young” (Thomas Rhett), “Hole In The Bottle” (Kelsea Ballerini), “Hard To Forget” (Sam Hunt), “One Of Them Girls” (Lee Brice), and more.

Gorley also won his eighth consecutive ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year award in November, and was MusicRow‘s Male Songwriter of the Year at the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards. He was also named as NSAI’s Songwriter of the Year.

Luke Combs. Photo Courtesy UMPG

The fifth songwriter on the MusicRow Top 100 Songwriters chart is Luke Combs. Combs garnered massive amounts of airplay, sales and streams this year, releasing the deluxe version of What You See Is What You Get. Songs that drove Combs were his own “1, 2 Many,” “Better Together,” “Does To Me,” “Lovin’ On You,” “Six Feet Apart,” and “Forever After All,” as well as Carly Pearce and Lee Brice’s hit duet, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.”

In 2020, Combs won Male Artist and Album of the Year at the ACM Awards; Male Vocalist and Album of the Year at the CMA Awards; and was named Artist of the Year at the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards. He was also named as NSAI’s Songwriter-Artist of the Year.

MusicRow‘s Top Songwriters of 2020:
1. Josh Osborne
2. Michael Hardy
3. Ross Copperman
4. Ashley Gorley
5. Luke Combs
6. Shane McAnally
7. Josh Thompson
8. Randy Montana
9. Morgan Wallen
10. Ernest Keith Smith
11. Hillary Lindsey
12. Jon Nite
13. Jonathan Singleton
14. Jake Mitchell
15. Jesse Frasure
16. Craig Wiseman
17. Zachary Kale
18. Ray Fulcher
19. Gabby Barrett
20. Thomas Archer
21. Laura Veltz
22. Ryan Vojtesak
23. Matt Dragstrem
24. Thomas Rhett
25. Lance Miller
26. Parker McCollum
27. David Garcia
28. Jimmy Robbins
29. Kane Brown
30. Brandon Kinney
31. David Lee Murphy
32. Natalie Hemby
33. Lindsay Rimes
34. Jamie Paulin
35. Maren Morris
36. Jordan Davis
37. Jamie Moore
38. Corey Crowder
39. Paul Sikes
40. Travis Denning
41. Brock Berryhill
42. Dallas Davidson
43. Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick
44. Michael Tyler
45. Alex Palmer
46. Ben Johnson
47. Parker Welling
48. Brett Young
49. Josh Hoge
50. Michael R. Carter
51. CJ Solar
52. Jeffery Hyde
53. Lee Brice
54. Eric Church
55. Emily Weisband
56. Russell Dickerson, Casey Brown
57. Sam Ellis
58. Sam Hunt
59. Tyler Reeve
60. Justin Weaver
61. Josh Miller
62. Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, Deric Ruttan
63. Jacob Durrett
64. Kelly Archer
65. Kelsea Ballerini
66. Lonnie Lee Fowler
67. Shay Mooney, Dan Smyers
68. Ryan Tedder
69. Matt Stell
70. Ashley McBryde, Nicolette Hayford
71. Dan Couch
72. Chris Stapleton
73. Matt Jenkins
74. Chris Lane
75. Scotty McCreery
76. Hunter Phelps
77. Tommy Lee James
78. Jessi Alexander
79. Shy Carter
80. Mike Henderson
81. Casey Beathard
82. Jimmy Yeary, Marv Green
83. Carly Pearce
84. Chase Rice
85. Matt McGinn
86. Zach Crowell
87. Kip Moore, Scott Stepakoff
88. James Slater, Micah Carter, Chris August
89. Tyler Hubbard
90. Ingrid Andress
91. Derrick Southerland
92. Jeremy Stover
93. Nicolle Galyon
94. Justin Moore
95. James McNair
96. Zach Skelton, Julian Bunetta
97. Brad Clawson
98. Chris Janson
99. Mitch Oglesby, Matt Roy
100. Carrie Underwood

Loretta Lynn To Celebrate Women Of Country On Upcoming New Album, ‘Still Woman Enough’

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Loretta Lynn is releasing her 50th studio album, Still Woman Enough, a celebration of women in country music, on March 19.

Produced by Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, the icon’s fourth project for Legacy Recordings features a host of guest artists including Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Margo Price and Tanya Tucker. The album includes a career-spanning selection of 13 new recordings illuminating different aspects of Lynn’s repertoire.

The collection is centered around Loretta’s original compositions, from songs like “Still Woman Enough” (which shares its title and attitude with her 2002 autobiography, and was co-written with her daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell) through fresh interpretations of classics including “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” (her first single, originally released March 1960), “You Ain’t Woman Enough” (the title track for her first No. 1 Billboard Hot Country Album in 1966), and an emotional “Coal Miner’s Daughter Recitation,” commemorating the 50th anniversary of the release of her signature song (October 5, 1970) and album (January 4, 1971).

In addition to her original compositions, Still Woman Enough includes Loretta’s take on American traditional music, with “I Don’t Feel at Home Any More,” Stephen Foster’s “Old Kentucky Home; gospel, with The Carter Family-popularized “Keep On The Sunny Side,” “Where No One Stands Alone,” “I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight,” and Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light;” and contemporary songwriting with Shel Silverstein’s satirical view of motherhood, “One’s On The Way,” a hit for Loretta in 1971.

“I am just so thankful to have some of my friends join me on my new album. We girl singers gotta stick together,” said Lynn. “It’s amazing how much has happened in the fifty years since Coal Miner’s Daughter first came out and I’m extremely grateful to be given a part to play in the history of American music.”

Celebrating 50 years of Lynn’s landmark album, Coal Miner’s Daughter will be reissued on black vinyl by MCA Nashville/UMe on February 12.

Loretta Lynn’s Still Woman Enough Track Listing:
1. Still Woman Enough (featuring Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood) (Loretta Lynn and Patsy Lynn Russell)
2. Keep On The Sunny Side (A.P. Carter)
3. Honky Tonk Girl (Loretta Lynn)
4. I Don’t Feel At Home Any More (Traditional, arrangement by Loretta Lynn)
5. Old Kentucky Home (Stephen Foster and Loretta Lynn)
6. Coal Miner’s Daughter Recitation (Loretta Lynn)
7. One’s On The Way (featuring Margo Price (Shel Silverstein)
8. I Wanna Be Free (Loretta Lynn)
9. Where No One Stands Alone (Lister Mosie)
10. I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight (T.B. Ransom)
11. I Saw The Light (Hank Williams)
12. My Love (Loretta Lynn)
13. You Ain’t Woman Enough (featuring Tanya Tucker) (Loretta Lynn)

Still Woman Enough is available for pre-order now in in digital, CD and 12″ vinyl LP formats.

Carrie Underwood To Follow Up ‘My Gift’ With Companion Gospel Album, ‘My Savior’

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Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood gave fans a special Christmas gift this year, announcing on social media in a Christmas day video message that she plans to release a new gospel companion album, My Savior, which follows her recent Christmas album My Gift.

The new project is slated to arrive in time for Easter in early April, and of recording the companion album she told fans that she was inspired to make My Savior from her experience of putting out My Gift.

“I basically didn’t want all of that to end when I was making this music. I felt like my soul was in such a great place, I wanted to keep making music like the music off of My Gift. This album is full of gospel hymns that I grew up singing. It’s been such a blessing making music like this that is near and dear to my heart, and I hope you guys enjoy listening to it as much as I loved making it,” she said in her video.

Underwood’s faith has always been a recurring theme in her music throughout her career, from her smash single “Jesus Take The Wheel,” to her duet with Vince Gill on “How Great Thou Art” that appeared on her 2014 Greatest Hits: Decade #1 album.

Bluegrass Icon Tony Rice Dies

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Tony Rice

Tony Rice, a pillar in bluegrass and country music, died on Christmas morning (Dec. 25, 2020) at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina. He died while making his coffee, according to a statement from longtime friend and collaborator Ricky Skaggs. Rice was 69.

Rice won a Grammy with the band New South for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 1983 for “Fireball.” He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013, and won various IBMA awards throughout his career.

Rice was born in Danville, Virginia but grew up in Los Angeles, California. His father, Herb Rice, introduced him to bluegrass, and he and his brothers learned the fundamentals of bluegrass and country music from L.A. musicians like the Kentucky Colonels, led by Roland and Clarence White.

Rice moved to Louisville, Kentucky in 1970, and started playing with the Bluegrass Alliance, and shortly thereafter, J.D. Crowe’s New South. Ricky Skaggs joined New South in 1974, and the band recorded J. D. Crowe & the New South. Also known as Rounder 0044, the album became Rounder Records’ top-seller up to that time.

After meeting mandolinist David Grisman, Rice left the New South and moved to California to join Grisman’s all-instrumental group, the David Grisman Quintet, where he was able to experiment more with jazz music. While in the group, Rice started to learn chord theory, learned to read charts, and began to expand his musical palate beyond bluegrass. The David Grisman Quintet’s 1977 debut recording is considered a landmark of acoustic string band music.

Rice left Grisman’s group in 1979 to pursue more experimental music, that he called “spacegrass,” with his Tony Rice Unit, including members Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin), Wyatt Rice (guitar), Ronnie Simpkins (bass), and Rickie Simpkins (fiddle). He recorded Acoustics, a jazz-inspired album, and then Manzanita, a bluegrass and folk album.

During the 1980s, he recorded Skaggs & Rice, an album of bluegrass duets with Ricky Skaggs. He, J.D. Crowe, Bobby Hicks, Doyle Lawson and Todd Phillips formed the Bluegrass Album Band and recorded from 1980 to 1996. Also during this time, Rice recorded with guitar legend Norman Blake; recorded a project titled The Rice Brothers with his brothers Larry, Wyatt, and Ron; and released other critically acclaimed albums.

In 1994 he was diagnosed with a disorder known as muscle tension dysphonia and as a result was forced to stop singing in concert. He was diagnosed in 2014 with lateral epicondylitis (“tennis elbow”), which made guitar playing painful. Rice’s last performance playing guitar live was his induction into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

Rice’s authorized biography, Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story, was published in 2010, and was written by Tim Stafford and Hawaii-based journalist Caroline Wright.

Rice was a monumental influence on many bluegrass and country musicians. Many bluegrass stalwarts, including Ricky Skaggs, Doyle Lawson, Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent, and Béla Fleck; as well as mainstream country artist Luke Combs, Carly Pearce, and Lee Ann Womack, mourned his loss on social media.

Rice is survived by his wife Pam and their daughter India, as well as his brothers Wyatt and Ronnie. He is preceded in death by his brother Larry Rice. No details on funeral arrangements have yet been announced at press time.

Bluebird Cafe Announces Lineup For “Alive At The Bluebird” Virtual Concert Series

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The Bluebird Cafe is hosting a year-long streaming series with a variety of songwriters in 2021 to help raise funds for Alive Hospice. For the past 28 years the Bluebird has partnered in January with Alive Hospice to help raise funds for the organization, and revenue from a month’s worth of shows donated by the songwriters performing has provided a significant portion of the nonprofit hospice’s annual budget over the years.

COVID-19 has forced longtime friends and partners to re-imagine the annual fundraiser due to the tiny venue’s continued closure and lack of opportunity for social distancing. The shows this year will be live streamed from the cafe via StageIt, and the Bluebird has forged a new partnership with Green Door Gourmet as well to ensure that the show will go on. Green Door Gourmet will partner with Alive for a series of fundraisers at their 350-acre farm including concerts and invitation-only tastings. 

This year’s “Alive at The Bluebird” series will consist of fifteen live streamed shows from The Bluebird over the course of the year. Shows will stream every Thursday at 7:30 PM Central in January (January 7, 14, 21, and 28), and the first Thursday of each month thereafter. Alive at The Bluebird’s 2021 lineup features new and returning performers including:

●   January 7: Gary Burr, Georgia Middleman, Jim Photoglo
●   January 14: Marc Beeson, Lucie Silvas & friends
●   January 21: Erin Enderlin, Kendell Marvel, Waylon Payne
●   January 28: JT Harding & friends
●   February 4: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne & friends

Tickets will cost $20 and attendance will be limited. Starting in February, The Bluebird will continue to donate proceeds from one show per month to Alive. Audience members will be able to send applause, donations, requests, and messages to the performers via SategeIt’s live chat feature.

“Over the past 28 years, Alive at The Bluebird has become a joyful reunion where old friends reconnect, and new members of the community are welcomed into the circle. This year’s event will embody that same spirit,” said Kimberly Goessele, Alive’s President/CEO.

“This year forced all of us to think more about what really matters and find creative ways to sustain our work. When it came time to start planning Alive at The Bluebird, we knew we couldn’t let uncertainty overshadow a beautiful tradition that means so much to our community,” said Erika Wollam Nichols, President/GM of the Bluebird Cafe.

Mark Your Calendar—January 2021

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Single Add Dates

January 4
Chris Young & Kane Brown/Famous Friends/RCA

January 8
Stephanie Quayle/By Heart

January 11
Gary Burk III/Two Lane Airplane/MC1 Nashville

January 22
Zoe Clark/Last One Standing

January 25
Shy Carter/Good Love/Warner/WAR
HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell/Big Loud
Andrew Jannakos/Gone Too Soon/RCA
Dwain Messer/It Goes So Fast/N Crowd Music

Album Releases

January 4
Steve Earle & The Dukes/J.T./New West Records

January 8
Morgan Wallen/Dangerous:The Double Album/Big Loud/Republic Records
Aaron Watson/American Soul/BIG Label Records
Barry Gibb/Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook/Capitol Records

January 15
Devin Dawson/The Pink Slip EP/Warner Music Nashville/Atlantic
Jake Hoot/Love Out Of Time

January 22
Willie Jones/Right Now/The Penthouse/Empire Nashville
Moon Taxi/Silver Dream/BMG

January 27
Logan Mize/Still That Kid/Big Yellow Dog Music

Industry Events

January 31
The 63rd Grammy Awards

The Mechanical Licensing Collective Begins Full Operations

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The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) officially began administering the new blanket license, established by the Music Modernization Act of 2018, on Jan. 1, 2021. The MLC anticipates sending out its first royalty payments and statements in April of 2021.

Services operating under the blanket license will be required to send monthly usage reports and mechanical royalty payments to The MLC, who will then match the usage activity to the appropriate musical works owners using the data in The MLC’s new musical works database, and distribute the royalties it has received to music publishers, musical works administrators and self-administered songwriters, composers and lyricists.

“The MLC has spent more than a year preparing for the License Availability Date, developing numerous resources for creators and music publishers to help them navigate the changes to mechanical licensing, conducting crucial outreach with well over 50 digital service providers (DSPs) and undertaking a widespread outreach campaign to educate music publishers, administrators, self-administrated songwriters and others in the broader music industry about The MLC’s mission and purpose,” said Kris Ahrend, CEO of The MLC. “We have also been fortunate to receive valuable input and guidance from our Board and Committee members—songwriters, publishers and digital service executives themselves—which has helped shape The MLC’s mission and scope of work since passage of The MMA. The arrival today of the License Availability Date marks yet another milestone in the process of making the promises of the MMA a reality, and The MLC team could not be more excited.”

Since last summer, The MLC has engaged with more than 50 DSPs expected to be eligible to secure the new blanket license to ensure those services are aware of their new legal responsibilities and solicit feedback. Working closely with the Digital Licensee Coordinator, the organization created by The MMA to represent digital audio services, The MLC conducted a series of webinars specifically designed for DSP representatives. Last Fall, The MLC launched a dedicated DSP Resources page on its website (TheMLC.com/dsp-resources) that includes an online form for DSPs to use to submit their Notices of License, usage reporting specifications they will need for submitting their monthly usage reports to The MLC and a calendar of key dates for them to track.

The MLC will also offer a number of key benefits for rightsholders, starting with The MLC Portal, a brand new online resource where members can review and update their existing musical works data, submit new registrations for new works and, starting later this Spring, access their royalty statements. Since beginning the roll-out of The MLC Portal in September, more than 8,000 members have been invited to set up their user accounts and member profiles in The MLC Portal, which will continue to be enhanced for even greater functionality. Prospective members who have not yet begun that process can now do so by clicking on the “Connect to Collect” button on The MLC’s website.