Industry Ink: Robert Deaton, Cobblestone Road, CRB/CRS, Craig Morgan, More

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Robert Deaton Inducted Into North Carolina Music Hall Of Fame

Robert Deaton and Luke Combs. Photo: David Bergman

Robert Deaton was recently inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame alongside Luke Combs, Clyde Mattocks, David Childers, Hattie “Chatty Hattie” Leeper and Dexter Romweber.

“I love being from North Carolina,” Deaton shared from the stage. “It made me who I am today. I’m so honored to be going in with this amazing group of creative people, especially my buddy Luke Combs. I’d also like to do a shoutout, even though he’s not able to be here, to Eric Church. He’s a Tar Heel, a member of this Hall of Fame (2015), and he was influential in me being here tonight.”

 

Cobblestone Road Taps Mike Kraski As General Manager

Mike Kraski.

Cobblestone Road Entertainment has tapped Mike Kraski as the company’s General Manager.

“This opportunity is a dream come true for me,” shares Kraski. “Not only do Casey and Laura understand the music business, they’ve lived it. Their purity of intent to help artists realize their hopes and dreams is nothing less than inspiring, and I take very seriously their vision for this company.”

“When we formed Cobblestone Road Entertainment, we were very specific about the qualities we wanted in our staff like leadership, experience, proven track record and esteem,” adds Co-Founders Casey Barile and Laura Turner-Barile. “Mike filled all of those qualities and more. We’re excited about the foundation we’re building, and thrilled to have Mike in the driver’s seat orchestrating all of the great things to come.”

 

CRB/CRS Now Accepting Applications for the Rusty Walker Scholarship Program

The Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) are now accepting applications for the 2026 Rusty Walker Scholarship Program until Nov. 12. Interested parties may apply here.

Eligibility for the Rusty Walker Scholarship is limited to full-time radio station employees who will be attending CRS for the first time. Three scholarship recipients will be selected and will receive complimentary registration, hotel, and airfare for CRS 2026

 

Craig Morgan Performs National Anthem At Bengals vs. Steelers Game

Craig Morgan.

Craig Morgan recently performed the national anthem during Thursday night’s Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers matchup at Paycor Stadium.

Morgan has amassed nearly 2.5 billion career streams and charted over 25 songs on Billboard. His memoir, God, Family, Country, is available now.

 

Rock City Worship Signs With Capitol Christian Music Group

Pictured (L-R): Stephen Brewster (The Harmony Group); Nathan Montgomery (Rock City Worship member and Central Worship Pastor at Rock City Church); and Chad Fisher (Pastor at Rock City Church).

Rock City Worship has signed with Capitol Christian Music Group.

“Rock City Worship brings a fresh worship expression and a compelling mission,” says Garrett Davis, Vice President of A&R for Capitol CMG. “We are excited about this new partnership and to reach, inspire and serve people with their music.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to join the Capitol CMG family,” adds Pastor Chad Fisher of Rock City Church. “Our prayer is that Rock City Worship’s music will reach far beyond our church walls and inspire people everywhere to encounter the power of Jesus.”

 

Alex Miller Visits RFD-TV

Alex Miller and Market Day Report host Suzanne Alexander.

Alex Miller visited RFD-TV studios recently as a part of their “Countdown To The FFA Convention.”

Miller discussed his time in FFA, his experience earning the American FFA Degree for Excellence in 2023 and his new single.

 

Olivia Harms Signs With She Laughs Media

Pictured (L-R): Shari Lacy (She Laughs Media, Senior Publicist), Harms, and Krista Dykes (She Laughs Media, Founder & CEO).

Olivia Harms has signed with She Laughs Media ahead of her national television debut on The Road. The show premiered yesterday (Oct. 19) on CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.

 

Amazon Music To Feature Brandon Lake On Songline Docu-performance Series

Amazon Music will feature Brandon Lake for the next Songline performance. The audio release of the docu-performance series is set for Oct. 29 and will feature nine reimagined versions of his songs including “Honey In The Rock,” “King of Hearts,” “That’s Who I Praise,” “When A Cowboy Prays,” “Gratitude,” “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” “Too Good Not To Believe,” “Daddy’s DNA” and “I Know A Name.”

“I hope fans can see a bit of my songwriting process that happens before a song ever reaches a stage or a stream,” shares Lake. “It felt really special to be able to pull back the curtain with Songline and show not only how songs are made, but their impact on fans and the artists and songwriters that wrote them.”

Lauryn Sink
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