Industry Ink: Grand Ole Opry, Bradley’s Barn, Dan Seals, Connor Daly, IBMA
Vince Gill Helps Unveil Opry’s New Mic Stand
Photo: Grand Ole Opry, photos by Chris Hollo
Vince Gill helped the Grand Ole Opry unveil its new Opry mic stand during last Saturday night’s show. In what has become as iconic as the Opry’s esteemed six-foot circle of wood centerstage and the world-famous Opry barn set design, the redo is only the fifth major redesign of the Opry mic stand in the show’s 100-year history.
Bradley’s Barn Celebrates Reopening
John Owen Bradley recently renovated the iconic Bradley’s Barn and reopened it. The studio was founded in the mid-1960s by his great-grandfather, Owen Bradley, in a converted barn on farmland in Mount Juliet, Tennessee and was the site of numerous notable records by artists including Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, J. J. Cale, Bill Anderson, k.d. lang, George Jones and others. A writer’s round was held recently to celebrate the reopening of the studio.
Dan Seals Among TX Heritage Songwriters Hall Of Fame Inductees
Jim Seals, Holley Seals-Lizarraga and Andrea Seals. Photo: Ted Parker Jr.
The Texas Heritage Songwriters Association celebrated the 2025 Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees at ACL Live at the Moody Theater Feb. 22. The event honored the late Dan Seals, Charlie Robison, David Lee and Leslie Satcher, who have each made profound contributions to Texas’ rich musical legacy. The night was especially poignant as friends, family and fans gathered to pay tribute to Seals, whose career spanned both pop and country music.
A Texas native, Seals first gained recognition as half of the pop duo England Dan & John Ford Coley before transitioning into country, where he amassed eleven No. 1s. Introduced by Dan’s beloved friend and co-writer, Bob McDill, iconic songs “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold) and “They Rage On” were performed by Larry Gatlin and Jon Randall in his honor, highlighting the timeless quality of his songwriting and vocal artistry.
Connor Daly Inks With Burning Ground Entertainment
Connor Daly
Connor Daly has signed with Burning Ground Entertainment for management. Daly exploded onto the Americana music scene last summer with his debut album, Colors Fade, and just released his new single “Curtains Never Close” on Valentine’s Day, with plans to drop more music later this year.
IBMA Songwriter Showcase Applications Now Open
The IBMA Songwriter Showcase will take place during the IBMA Business Conference from Sept. 16-18 in Chattanooga. Up to 10 songwriters (or songwriting teams) will be invited to showcase their work. Songs will be selected through a juried process, with an emphasis on the quality of the work and its appeal to bluegrass audiences.
Applicants don’t need to be IBMA members but must be willing to perform their song live. Each applicant may submit one song per entry, with a maximum of two entries. There is no application fee; however, selected songwriters must register for the IBMA Business Conference to participate. Applications close March 31.
