The occasion was “Heavy Metal at the Hard Rock,” a bash staged downtown on Friday evening (1/28). We gathered to celebrate world conquest by the 21-year-old music phenom. Specifically, her Triple Platinum success with her Speak Now CD, her No. 1 triumph with “Mine” and her cumulative U.S. sales of 13 million.
Talk about your star gazing – this year’s Grammy nominee party was the place to be.
Performance photos by John Russell and Donn Jones Chapter 355 The earliest CMA Awards Show review came from the organization’s newly crowned Entertainer of the Year. “I think this was the best [CMA] show I’ve ever seen,” said Brad Paisley. “And I’ve been watching it all my life. I loved every minute. “Who Still Buys […]
Chapter 354 Photos by Rick Diamond and Andrew H. Walker The 58th annual BMI Country Awards – the first of all the country accolades – mixed young with old like never before. Taylor Swift, 20, became the youngest person ever to be named the organization’s Songwriter of the Year. Nineteen tunesmiths won their first BMI […]
Chapter 353 Graciousness, warmth, elegance and relaxed conviviality—these are the things we associate with SESAC’s annual awards banquet. This year, the smallest of the performing rights organizations has shown more muscle than ever, with pieces of hits by such top stars as Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, George Strait and Keith Urban. But its banquet (11/8) […]
Chapter 352 It was quite a weekend. On Saturday (10/24), Blake Shelton was inducted into the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. “It’s shocking,” he said backstage. “Because you walk up and down these halls and look at [photos of] who’s been here before.” I guess so, since both the Ryman and the Opry House’s […]
BOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM: Chapter 351 One night each year, the absolute best person to be in the world is a hit Nashville songwriter. An entire ballroom fills with them. They gather for fellowship and to honor one another. A lucky few are saluted by their peers as the creators of the “Songs I […]
Chapter 350 Loretta Lynn Tribute, Carrie Underwood Concert, Capitol Street Fest Fear not, gentle readers, your party boy has been on the job all week long. Longer than a week, actually. The fun began last weekend. Miss Mary’s South Carolinian cousins Chuck & Mary Connors always go to the Opry when they come to town. Always. […]
Chapter 346 Inviting fans to the ACM Honors turned out to be an excellent idea – the event was punctuated by star-struck cheers of delight and spontaneous standing ovations. There was a whole new level of energy at this fourth annual gig. The appearances of Randy Travis, Kenny Rogers, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Martina McBride and […]
Warner Bros. Records is getting ready to offer music lovers a peek into the songs that artists hear before they become a No. 1 hit. The Original Songwriter Demos is a collection of original demo performances of some of country music’s most influential hits performed by the songwriter’s themselves. Volumes one and two of the […]