Industry Ink: Sara Evans, Justin Moore, Randall King, More

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Sara Evans Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of ‘Restless’ With Surprises

Pictured (L-R): Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, Sara Evans, Lady A’s Hillary Scott and Carly Pearce. Photo: Andy Baxter

Sara Evans celebrated the 20th anniversary of her album Restless at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Thursday night (Aug. 17) with some surprises.

After welcoming the crowd to the sold-out celebration, Evans dove into the Restless album, telling stories and welcoming guests to the stage along the way. Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood of Lady A joined for a powerful performance of “Tonight,” and Carly Pearce topped it off with a roof-raising rendition of the No. 1 smash “Suds In The Bucket.”

Pearce then called Kelley and Haywood back to the stage and welcomed Lady A’s Hillary Scott to surprise Evans with a Platinum plaque for the hit.

After the plaque presentation, Scott brought out Grand Ole Opry member and legend Bill Anderson, who recalled seeing Evans in a small warehouse showcase where she performed songs from her forthcoming debut album, one of them being “Walk Out Backwards,” a song he had written and recorded in the early 1960’s. Anderson told Evans he had two questions for her. He first asked if she could sing a bit of that song to which she immediately broke out in a verse and chorus of the vintage tune.

Next, Anderson asked would she like to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, to which Evans tearfully and playfully said “No,” followed by “Of course, I would never say no to that question.” He then played a video message from Dolly Parton, congratulating her. After gathering her emotions, Evans rounded out the evening with “No Place That Far,” “I Keep Looking” and “A Little Bit Stronger” with Scott, who co-wrote the song, and “Born To Fly.”

 

Justin Moore Headlines WME & PBR’s Whiskey Jam Takeover

Pictured (L-R, back row): Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar, Big Machine Label Group’s Brooke Nixon, Big Machine Music’s Alex Heddle, Big Machine Label Group’s Mike Rittberg and The Valory Music Co.’s George Briner; (L-R, front row): The Valory Music Co.’s Laura Moxley, L3 Entertainment’s Joey Gonzales, Big Machine Label Group’s Athena Puharic, Meghan Kane, Sandi Spika Borchetta and Scott Borchetta, L3 Entertainment’s Pete Hartung, L3 Entertainment’s Cody Villalobos and WME’s Lane Wilson

Justin Moore made his debut appearance at Nashville’s Whiskey Jam outdoor concert series as he headlined the WME and PBR takeover on Thursday (Aug. 17).

He sang to a packed crowd that included his team at The Valory Music Co., L3 Entertainment and WME.

Moore also recently earned his 12th Mediabase/Country Airplay No. 1 with “You, Me, And Whiskey,” his duet with Priscilla Block.

 

Randall King Hosts KingFest In Nashville

Pictured (L-R): Warner Music Nashville’s Ben Kline, Randall King and Warner Music Nashville’s Shane Tarleton

Warner Music Nashville artist Randall King hosted KingFest at The Nashville Palace this past weekend. The two-day branded festival event featured support from Tyler Booth, Braxton Keith, Drake Milligan and Jon Stork.

King recently release two new songs, “The One You’re Waiting On” and “Hard To Be Humble.” The son of a working man, King was raised on the influences of country music greats Alan Jackson, George Strait, Keith Whitley and more. His neo-traditional style a byproduct of living life the way he often heard reflected in their lyrics, which is highlighted on the new tracks.

 

ACM & Black Music Action Coalition Host OnRamp Workshop On Touring

Pictured (L-R): OnRamp inaugural class members with workshop panelists Stephanie Davenport, ACM LEVel Up 2022 cohort member and Senior Director, A&R, Warner Music Nashville; Morgan Kenney, ACM LEVel Up 2022 cohort member and Agent, WME; Caitlin Cadden, Director, International Touring, Warner Music Nashville; and Otto Price, Agent, WME. Photo: Courtesy of ACM

Last week, members of the OnRamp program gathered with professionals from the music touring space at the Academy of Country Music’s Nashville headquarters for an informational workshop exploring agency relationships, booking and international touring strategy.

ACM and the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) created the OnRamp program to improve inclusivity and equity within Music City. The program seeks to empower the next generation of leaders in the early stages of their careers by granting access to professional development opportunities, community mentorship, and other resources to increase personal growth and industry exposure, including exclusive ACM membership panels and tentpole live events as well as visibility with the ACM Board and other industry leaders.

 

Lightning 100 Announces Third Annual Girls Write Nashville Benefit

Nashville independent radio institution Lightning 100 will host its third annual fundraiser for Girls Write Nashville (GWN), a nonprofit that aims to empower expression through songwriting, production, mentorship and creative community building for teen artists, on Oct. 8.

The event is a part of Lightning 100’s ongoing concert series, Nashville Sunday Night. Proceeds from the all-ages show will go toward supporting GWN’s programming.

Airing live on Lightning 100, the show will start with Nashville artists Crystal Rose, Purser and Eva Cassel along with GWN student program participant Magdalene performing in the round, which mimics how the GWN program operates, in an open and authentic way. The lineup also includes artists Katie Pruitt and Daisha McBride, who will perform sets during the second hour.

The benefit will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. CT. For more information, click here.

Liza Anderson
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