Industry Ink: The MAX, Country Music Cruise, Big Trip, Y’ALL 106.7
The MAX Inducts Five New Members In Mississippi
Mac McAnally
The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) inducted five new members into its Hall of Fame on Jan. 23, at a ceremony in downtown Meridian. Folklorist William “Bill” Ferris, historian and novelist Shelby Foote, poet Natasha Trethewey and singer-songwriters Bobbie Gentry and Mac McAnally were inducted in front of 700-plus attendees who filled the historic theater at the Mississippi State University Riley Center.
Ferris, McAnally and Trethewey were all on hand to accept their awards, while Huger Foote accepted on behalf of his late father. Video tributes honoring each of the five new Hall of Fame members played throughout the night. The MAX president and CEO Penny Kemp delivered a memorial tribute for the late Marty Gamblin, longtime music industry professional and founding director of The MAX. McAnally capped off the ceremony with a performance of “Back Where I Come From,” including a reprise of the chorus that had the 700+ in attendance singing along just before the ceremony closed.
Country Music Cruise Raises $90K For Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Pictured (L-R): Mike Jason, StarVista LIVE President/Country Music Cruise Executive Producer; Ben Hall, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum VP of Development; winners Eric Blankenship of All Access Coach and Danny Hamilton; and Craig Campbell, Campbell Entertainment. Photo: Tom Konisiewicz/StarVista LIVE
The Country Music Cruise and parent company StarVista LIVE announced a charitable relationship with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum last year, and the patrons on last week’s sold-out cruise raised $90,000 for the Museum. Two Gibson guitars were autographed by artists performing on this year’s cruise and sold via live auction prior to Neal McCoy taking the stage. One guitar was purchased for $40,000, and the other raised $50,000. Each winner was also presented a complimentary Honor Society membership to the Museum, which includes an invitation to its exclusive Medallion Ceremony, the annual induction of new Country Music Hall of Fame members.
Y’ALl 106.7 To Debut Talkin’ With Taylor
Taylor Stanford
Y’ALL 106.7 will launch a new weekly radio show, Talkin’ With Taylor, airing every Sunday at Noon beginning Feb. 16. Each week, on-air personality Taylor Stanford will be joined by a celebrity guest co-host to continue the country music conversations on-air taking listeners behind the scenes of the music industry with an inside look at the artist’s lifestyle while playing fan favorite songs from the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s.
“It’s amazing to see how generous artists have been with their time, just dropping by the Y’ALL studio to share their music and stories,” says Brand Manager Ron Allen. “We have our podcast, website and social media where we can post this content but I feel it’s time to share these cool conversations directly to our on-air audience and with Taylor’s truly conversational interview style Talkin’ with Taylor is going to be just fun to listen to.”
