Artists Remember Charley Pride

Charley Pride. Photo: Joseph Llanes

Country music pioneer, Charley Pride passed away Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, as a result of complications from COVID-19. He was 86.

Pride was a Country Music Hall of Fame member, a Grand Ole Opry member, and bonafide hitmaker. Between his chart debut in 1966, and 1989, Pride had 29 No. 1 country hits and over 50 Top 10 tracks, including enduring classics like “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” (1970), “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” (1971), and “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)” (1969).

In 1971, he was named CMA Entertainer of the Year, as well as Male Vocalist of the Year in both 1971 and 1972. Pride was also the first Black man to co-host The CMA Awards, taking the reins in 1975 alongside Glen Campbell. He also was awarded the ACM Pioneer Award in 1994. Pride holds three Grammy Awards and was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Recording Academy in 2017. Pride was honored most recently at the CMA Awards in Nov. with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Following news of Pride’s death, tributes poured in from many artists, including Jimmie Allen, Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Darius Rucker, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, Luke Combs, and more.

Read below for several tributes to Pride:

 

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“Like the rest of the world, I am shocked and saddened to learn about the death of Charley Pride. He and I went back to the early days of his career in 1966 when he made his first nationwide appearance as a guest on my syndicated television show. In later years, we toured together, shared music and argued baseball endlessly. I saw firsthand some of his early struggles as the first Black performer in country music. My admiration for the way he handled himself during those years knows no bounds. I’ve lost a hero and a friend.” – Bill Anderson

“My friendship with Charley goes back to his very first tour with Willie Nelson that I was privileged to be a part of also. As big as his voice was, his personality was even bigger… and his heart was even bigger than that. He loved jokes, loved stories, loved to laugh…. and loved us. I will miss all of this. He’s leaving us some wonderful memories. My heart goes out to Rozene’, his family, his Opry family and his many friends and fans.” – Jeannie Seely

“I loved Charley Pride and will miss his happy spirit. His voice was so unique, his records were so well done, he was a great entertainer, and he opened up a whole new market for country music. No wonder he is in the Hall of Fame.” – Ricky Skaggs

“Charley Pride, a pioneer, a music man, a baseball player, a good friend and the love of Rozene’s life, has passed on. Without his encouragement when I was playing the Whiskey a Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in the ‘70s, I might have never made it to Nashville—and to hear this news tears out a piece of my heart. That he died of COVID makes me even sadder. These are such sad days with too much loss. Please, to everyone who’s ever loved ‘Kiss An Angel Good Morning,’ ‘Mountain of Love’ or ‘Is Anybody Goin’ To San Antone,’ wear a mask, wash your hands and be wise about gathering. We’ve lost too many, and I just want us all to be here to love each other and the music the way Charley always did for years to come.” – Ronnie Milsap

“Charley has been a longtime friend and over the years I have always enjoyed laughing and exchanging jokes with him. We will miss you.” – Jeff Cook of ALABAMA

“Charley’s smile always lit up the room. His historic Hall of Fame career lit up an industry. Tonight I’m sure he’s still lightening them up… just a little higher up.” – Teddy Gentry of ALABAMA

“He and Rozene are true friends of mine and Kelly’s. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rozene and his family. Heaven awaits my friend, Charley.”  – Randy Owen of ALABAMA

“Charley Pride was a longtime friend and great entertainer. I’ll miss him always calling me Ray Ragsdale and reminding me that I’m an Aquarius. RIP Charley, my friend.” – Ray Stevens

“Charley Pride was a trail blazer whose remarkable voice & generous spirit broke down barriers in country music just as his hero Jackie Robinson had in baseball. His last performance was his hit, ‘Kiss an Angel Good Mornin.’ Now he is one.” – Ken Burns

“Charley Pride was a global icon in music, baseball and business. He broke barriers, unprecedented at the time, and made us all realize that we have more in common than our differences. Charley was a great American and a good Christian. Perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments is his more than 60-year marriage to his lovely, devoted partner in life, his wife Rozene. As one of the producers of The Charley Pride Story, I’ll make sure his story is not unsung to the younger generation. While Charley has left this Earth, he is now singing in the Heavenly choir.” – Dennis Quaid, co-producer of The Charley Pride Story

Patrick Mayberry Signs With Centricity Music

Patrick Mayberry has signed with Centricity Music and released new single, “Breakthrough Miracle Power,” to radio and digitally on Friday (12/11).

Signed to the publishing wing of the company, Centricity Publishing, in 2018, Mayberry has had cuts by North Point Worship, David Leonard, Mack Brock, Chris Renzema, David Dunn, Jonny Diaz, Joel Vaughn and others, and his songs have also garnered major sync placements with T-Mobile, NBA, NBC TODAY and more.

“Patrick has a unique ability to express his heart through his songs in such a powerful way,” says James Duke, Centricity Music Director of A&R. “His music is full of hope and passion, and I’m thrilled that Centricity Music has the privilege of sharing these songs with the world.”

Mayberry says of “Breakthrough Miracle Power”: “It started on my own, and it was super personal. It’s essentially a desperate song of when your back’s against the wall and there’s no way out, and ultimately, you’re just desperate for the Lord to show up.

“I feel like I’m getting to put the flag in the moon, because to me, it’s not just this song; it’s the last 10 years of traveling back and forth to Franklin, TN from Chicago, staying up way too late working on demos, and being a grumpy dad in the morning. There’s been a lot of sweat equity, and this song is kind of the Ebenezer that marks the start of something really beautiful that’s come from all of that.”

 

2021 New Faces Show Lineup Revealed

Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) has announced the lineup for the CRS 2021 New Faces of Country Music Show, to be held Feb. 19 during CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience.

The show lineup includes Tenille Arts (19th & Grand), Travis Denning (Mercury), HARDY (Big Loud), Ashley McBryde (Warner/WMN),and Matt Stell (Records/Arista).

Formed in 1970, the annual New Faces of Country Music Show is one of the most anticipated events at Country Radio Seminar, and has played a pivotal role in the careers of almost every major country star. The show is co-sponsored by the Academy of Country Music and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience will take place Feb. 16-19. Registration is $199 per person and New Faces of Country Music Show tickets are included. Standalone tickets to the CRS 2021 New Faces of Country Music Show are also being made available for $49 per ticket. Individual tickets may be purchased by contacting registration@crb.org.

 

Charley Pride: The Loss of A Legend [Updated]

Charley Pride. Photo: Joseph Llanes

One of the greatest country stars of all time has fallen victim to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Charley Pride, 86, died in Dallas on Saturday (Dec. 12) as a result of complications from the disease. The Grand Ole Opry star was honored last month in Nashville with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the CMA.

During his six-decade career, Pride placed 67 titles on the country charts, including 52 top-10 hits and 29 No. 1 Billboard successes. His standards include “Kiss an Angel Good Morning,” “All I Have to Offer You Is Me,” “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “Mountain of Love” and “We Could.” He holds 12 Gold Record awards.

He will forever be remembered as country’s first Black superstar, dubbed “the Jackie Robinson of country music.” As a former baseball player, himself, he was honored by the comparison with the man who broke the color barrier in major-league baseball.

Born Charley Frank Pride on March 18, 1934, he was the fourth of 11 children raised by sharecroppers near Sledge, Mississippi. Pride said that the lyrics of his 1974 hit “Mississippi Cotton Pickin’ Delta Town” closely reflected his upbringing. The song was written by Sledge native Harold Dorman, who also penned Pride’s 1982 smash “Mountain of Love.”

Charley Pride’s father was a devoted listener of the Grand Ole Opry. Inspired by the country music he heard on the broadcasts, the youngster taught himself to play guitar at age 14.

But sports were his main focus. Pride left Sledge at age 16 to pitch and play outfield in what was then called the American Negro League. One of teams he played for was the Memphis Red Sox.

While in Memphis, he met cosmetologist Rozene Cohran. They married in 1956 while he was serving in the Army. She became his business manager, as well as his wife.

In 1960, they moved to Helena, Montana, where Pride worked in a smelting plant near the iron mines. He also began singing locally. Backstage at a Red Foley concert in Helena, he played some songs for the country legend. Both Foley and his concert co-star Red Sovine urged Charley Pride to go to Nashville and audition at Cedarwood Music.

Instead, he decided to give baseball one last shot. He travelled to Clearwater, Florida in 1963 to try out at the New York Mets summer training camp. Mets manager Casey Stengel turned him away.

En route back north, Pride stopped in Nashville. Cedarwood’s owner was country star Webb Pierce. After hearing Pride sing, Pierce directed him to manager Jack Johnson.

Johnson funded a recording session that included Pride singing “Snakes Crawl at Night,” penned by Cedarwood songwriter and future singing star Mel Tillis. Johnson played the tapes for maverick producer Jack Clement, who agreed to work with the aspiring singer.

Clement recorded Pride and took the result to Chet Atkins at RCA Records in 1965. Atkins always believed he would be forever remembered as the man who signed Charley Pride to a recording contract.

Pride broke through on the country charts with the Jack Clement compositions “Just Between You and Me” (1966) and “I Know One” (1967).

Opry star Bill Anderson gave the newcomer his first television exposure by inviting Pride to be a guest on his nationally syndicated TV show. On Jan. 1, 1967, Charley Pride made his debut on the Opry, introduced by Ernest Tubb. He was invited to join the show’s cast in 1968, but had to decline because he was suddenly too busy to become a show regular.

The Hank Williams classic “Kaw-Liga” became a substantial hit in 1969 and was followed by Pride’s first No. 1 single, “All I Have to Offer You Is Me.” This was the first of six consecutive chart toppers, including 1970’s “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone.”

His 1971 performance of “Did You Think to Pray,” co-written with Johnson, won Pride a gospel Grammy Award. That same year’s “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” took home the Grammy for Country Song of the Year for its writer, Ben Peters.

Charley Pride was named the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year in 1971 and its Male Vocalist of the Year in both 1971 and 1972.

Presenters Minnie Pearl, center, and Kitty Wells looks on as Charley Pride draws some laughs as he accepts one of his two trophies when he won for both Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the year at “The 5th Annual CMA Awards” on Oct. 10, 1971, at the Grand Ole Opry House, live telecast on the CBS Television Network. Photo: courtesy CMA

In 1972, Pride sang “All His Children” as the theme song for the Paul Newman movie Sometimes a Great Notion. It was nominated for an Oscar, and Pride sang it on the Academy Awards international telecast. In 1973, his album Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs won a Grammy Award.

In 1975, he became the first Black artist to co-host the CMA Awards, appearing alongside Glen Campbell.

By the mid 1970s, Charley Pride was outselling the other artists on RCA, at times even outpacing Elvis Presley. His string of smash hits continued with such classics as “Amazing Love” (1973), “We Could” (1974), “Hope You’re Feelin’ Me (Like I’m Feelin’ You)” (1975), “My Eyes Can Only See as Far as You” (1976), “She’s Just an Old Love Turned Memory” (1977), “Someone Loves You Honey” (1978) and “Where Do I Put Her Memory” (1979).

As a Nashville businessman, he formed the Music Row song publishing company Pi-Gem Music with producer Tom Collins. This gave him ready access to such top-tier songwriters as John Schweers (“Don’t Fight the Feelings of Love,” etc.) and Kye Fleming & Dennis Morgan (“MIssin’ You,” etc.). The latter team’s 1981 Pride hit “Roll On, Mississippi” later became a state song.

The Prides made their home in Dallas. There, he formed the management and booking company Chardon. This firm helped launch the careers of Dave & Sugar, Janie Fricke and Neal McCoy, among others. Pride was also heavily invested in Dallas real estate and banking.

His 1978 hit “Burgers and Fries” (again penned by Ben Peters) earned Pride another Grammy nomination. In 1980, he issued There’s a Little Bit of Hank in Me, a tribute album to his idol, Hank Williams. It spawned back-to-back chart toppers with his revivals of “Honky Tonk Blues” and “You Win Again.” He also revived the Johnny Rivers hit “Mountain of Love” (1982), the George Jones classic “Why Baby Why” (1982) and the Webb Pierce standard “More and More” (1983).
Other disc successes of the 1980s included “I Don’t Think She’s in Love Anymore” (1982), “You’re So Good When You’re Bad” (1982) and “Night Games” (1983). His last top-10 hit was 1988’s “Shouldn’t It Be Easier Than This.”

But he was far from idle in the 1990s. He finally took the Opry up on its open-ended invitation to join the cast by becoming a member in 1993. The following year, he opened his 2,200-seat theater in Branson, Missouri and published his acclaimed autobiography, Pride. Admirers Travis Tritt, Joe Diffie, Hal Ketchum and Marty Stuart joined him on a 1994 CD.

In 1996, he performed for the Clintons in the White House, accepted the Trumpet Award from Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta and scored a No. 1 hit album in Australia. He holds attendance records at a number of Canadian venues and has also appeared in Japan, Guam, New Zealand, Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, Fiji and a number of other countries.

By 2000, his record sales exceeded 35 million. That was the year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

(L-R): Bill Anderson, Charley Pride, Randy Owen and Jimmy Fortune attend the 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Neal McCoy has always cited the superstar as a mentor. In 2013, he issued the tribute album Pride. Other stars who received career boosts from the legend include Ronnie Milsap, Trini Triggs, Exile, Janie Fricke, Brad Paisley and Steve Wariner.

Some of them have recorded with Pride, as have such country greats as The Oak Ridge Boys, Tanya Tucker, Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton.

In 2016, Pride was one of the artists featured in the No. 1 country single and video “Forever Country.” The event, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the CMA won the Video of the Year award and became a Gold Record.

Charley Pride was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2017. The Nashville Association of Talent Directors banquet also saluted him that year, with Bobby Bare presenting the NATD’s Career Achievement honor.

Last year, Pride was honored with the PBS American Masters bio-documentary, Charley Pride: I’m Just Me, narrated by Tanya Tucker. The CMA’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to him by current Black country hit maker Jimmie Allen during the 2020 CMA telecast on Nov. 11.

Jimmie Allen is part of a brigade of contemporary Black country artists who owe their careers to Pride’s breakthrough. Others who have come through the door he opened include Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, Chapel Hart, Rissi Palmer, Darius Rucker, Reyna Roberts, Willie Jones, Shy Carter, Blanco Brown and Tony Jackson.

Charley Pride came on the country scene during the height of the Civil Rights struggle. He faced prejudice, insults, discrimination and racial barriers with grace, humor, perseverance and dignity. His character exhibited the same warmth and class as his singing voice.

He is survived by his wife Rozene and by children Kraig, Dion and Angela, as well as by siblings Harmon, Stephen, Catherine and Maxine, plus five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Pride’s family and close friends will hold a private wake and memorial in Dallas this week, with future plans for a public celebration of life memorial ceremony to be announced at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Pride Scholarship at Jesuit Preparatory School, Saint Philips School & Community Center and/or The Food Bank.

Charley Pride and Brad Paisley perform “Kiss An Angel Good Morning” in the opening medley at “The 50th Annual CMA Awards,” live Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and broadcast on the ABC Television Network. Photo: courtesy CMA

Randall King Debuts First Major-Label EP, ‘Leanna’

Randall King. Photo: Sam Siske

Today (Dec. 11), Randall King has released his major-label debut EP Leanna via Warner Music Nashville. Named after his late sister who passed earlier this year, the EP reflects on King’s personal struggles of early life between depression and OCD, as well as the obstacles he faced after the unexpected loss of his sister.

“I’m beyond grateful to release my new EP named after my sister, Leanna, and to have a team and a label that allows me to be myself and support me as I honor her with these four new songs,” said King. “These songs showcase a deeper side of my life, myself, and my relationship with my sister. From overcoming the struggles of depression, anxiety, and OCD in high school, to friends/family I’ve seen struggle with separation of their children, to watching love ones grow old and the reality of the weight of time, to singing my sister home to Jesus.”

Leanna marks his first collection release since signing with Warner Music Nashville in 2018, following tracks “Burn It At Both Ends,” “Hey Cowgirl,” “White Christmas Makes Me Blue” “She Gone” and most recently “Run Run Rudolph,” which have all contributed to his 40 million career streams. To coincide with the EP, King has released the stunning music video for the track “Around Forever.”

Written about “loved ones and making sure you take the time to see them before they’re gone,” King stated: “I didn’t realize at the time that meant my sister. It was a heavy reality when I went back and played this song for the first time shortly after her passing. She was everything to me, and I know I’ll never be the same without her. So heed the song’s warning, and make sure you take that time.”

Leanna EP Track Listing:
1. Takin’ It As It Comes
2. Hey Moon
3. Around Forever
4. I’ll Fly Away

David Nail Drops New EP ‘Bootheel 2020’ Today

David Nail

David Nail has released his latest EP, Bootheel 2020, today (Dec. 11).

The stripped down new project is a bit of a family affair, as his son, Lawson, can be heard on the prelude and interlude, and the EP is titled after the region of Missouri that Nail grew up in.

“These songs were in essence demos. And due to everything 2020 brought, it sort of became impossible to really make them much more than this. That said, I think everything happens for a reason, and I definitely think these songs were meant to sound this real, this raw, this imperfect,” says Nail.

Nail wrote all three songs himself and produced Bootheel 2020 with the help of Reed Pittman.

Bootheel 2020 Track Listing:
1. Prelude feat. Lawson Nail
2. Roach Motel
3. Nobody Knows
4. Interlude feat. Lawson Nail
5. Back Home
6. Back Home (Piano Version)

Blake Shelton, Jimmie Allen, Michael Ray, Shy Carter Slated For LEVL UP Fest, Benefitting Live Event Professionals

Performers for the Live Events Lift Up Festival, also known as LEVL UP Fest, were announced today (Dec. 11), and include Blake Shelton, Dave Matthews, Jimmie Allen, Jason Mraz, Michael Ray, Shy Carter, The War And Treaty, John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, Dispatch, Keala Settle, Mt. Joy, Augustana, Indigo Girls, Lucie Silvas, Annie Bosko, Bre Kennedy, CJ Hammond & Sloane, Veridia, Public, Michael Cerveris, the McCrary Sisters and Sam Wade.

Live streaming from the historic Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET, LEVL UP Fest is a benefit for the entertainment and events industry that has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The livestream will be available on NoCap Shows and Twitch.

Making special appearances will be rock legend, Roger Daltrey, actor/comic and poet, Steve Connell, Michael McDonald, Kenny G, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, All-American Rejects’ Nick Wheeler, Greta Van Fleet, Adam Gardner from Guster, Ray Parker Jr., Jerry Dipizzo from OAR, Taye Diggs, The Fray’s Ben Wysoki, The Harleys accompanied by Dublin Gospel Choir, Jim Sheridan of Ireland’s The Late Late Show, and Co-Host of Sirius XM The Highway, Storme Warren. Also from SiriusXM, Nicole Ryan from Hits 1 The Morning Mash Up, will host the evening live from The Ryman.

“Creating an incredible live show is what our team, and all of our production partners, do best. Speaking up, drawing attention to ourselves…not so much. We’re an industry of people who work behind the curtain, blending into the background, making our artists, entertainers, and guests the focal point in everything we do. We’re humbled to now have so many of them supporting us, showing their appreciation for their crews, and amplifying the message of Live Events Lift Up Festival,” said LEVL UP Fest Co-Founder and SVP of Sports & Fan Entertainment for PRG, Eileen Valois.

LEVL UP Fest’s presenting sponsor, Complete Health Partners—a Nashville-based healthcare clinic—is donating COVID-19 testing and medical consultation services for both the rehearsal and the live performance in order to reduce the risk of spread of the virus. More than 100 rapid tests will be administered by Complete Health Partners.

“As a local healthcare clinic, we’re here to serve our community, first and foremost. Our neighbors and our friends right here in Nashville are the people who make live music happen all over the country, and we know they’re hurting right now. We’re glad we can play a part in making this benefit event happen,” said Dr. Ty Babcock, owner of Complete Health Partners.

Willie Nelson Pays Homage To Fellow Icon Frank Sinatra With New Studio Album, ‘That’s Life’

Willie Nelson tributes his friend and fellow icon, Frank Sinatra, on his new studio album, That’s Life, out Friday, Feb. 26 on Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Nelson and Sinatra were close friends, musical colleagues and mutual admirers of each other’s work throughout Sinatra’s lifetime. In the 1980s, Sinatra opened for Nelson at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas and the two of them appeared together in a public service announcement for NASA’s Space Foundation. That’s Life continues Nelson’s longtime musical appreciation of Sinatra’s artistry and repertoire, an exploration exemplified by 2018’s My Way, which earned Nelson the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Solo Album. This album includes classics made famous by Frank Sinatra, including “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “Luck Be A Lady,” and “In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning.”

Produced by Buddy Cannon and Matt Rollings, That’s Life was recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood—where Sinatra, the first artist to record at the facility, created many albums from March 1956 to November 1961—with additional recording at Pedernales Studios in Austin, Texas. The album cover painting of Nelson and his iconic guitar, Trigger, was created by painter and illustrator Paul Mann. It evokes classic Sinatra album cover In The Wee Small Hours.

Willie Nelson – That’s Life track listing (songwriters; Frank Sinatra version, date)
1. Nice Work If You Can Get It (Ira Gershwin & George Gershwin; Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First, 1962)
2. Just In Time (Adolph Green, Jule Styne & Betty Comden; Come Dance With Me!, 1959)
3. A Cottage For Sale (Larry Conley & Willard Robison; No One Cares, 1959)
4. I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Cole Porter; Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!, 1956)
5. You Make Me Feel So Young (Josef Myrow & Mack Gordon; Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!, 1956)
6. I Won’t Dance – featuring Diana Krall (Jerome Kerr, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields; A Swingin’ Affair!, 1957)
7. That’s Life (Dean Kay & Kelly Gordon, That’s Life, 1966)
8. Luck Be A Lady (Frank Loesser; My Kind Of Broadway, 1965)
9. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (David Mann & Bob Hilliard; In The Wee Small Hours, 1955)
10. Learnin’ The Blues (Dolores Vicki Silvers; Session with Sinatra EP, single, 1955)
11. Lonesome Road (Nathaniel Shilkret & Gene Austin; A Swingin’ Affair!, 1957)

That’s Life is available for pre-order here.

Lee Brice Receives 12th New RIAA Certification Of 2020 With “One Of Them Girls”

Lee Brice has achieved another Platinum milestone with the RIAA Platinum certification of his single, “One Of Them Girls,” from his recent album release, Hey World. Brice has had a pretty shiny 2020 in spite of the pandemic, as the certification of “One Of Them Girls” marks Brice’s twelfth RIAA certification of 2020.

The single was released in April 2020 and rose to the top of the charts in late September, spending three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, and two weeks atop the Mediabase chart.

“Congratulations to Lee Brice on 12 new RIAA Gold & Platinum Program certifications in 2020! A very rare feat and testament to Lee’s enduring musical success!” said Jackie Jones, VP Artist and Industry Relations, RIAA.

Brice recently topped the charts with “One of Them Girls,” which follows his No. 1 with Carly Pearce on “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” and his chart-topper just prior to that, “Rumor,” which was nominated for Single of The Year at the 55th Annual ACM Awards. One of the most-played country artists of all time on Pandora, he is a member of the company’s Billionaires Club.

Industry Ink: Runaway June, Cumulus Toy Drive, Midnite Jamboree

Runaway June Sends Love To Service Members With New Holiday AFE Concert

Runaway June is sending some cheer to servicemen and women with their first ever virtual concert, “When I Think About Christmas With Runaway June,” which is premiering on the Armed Forces Entertainment YouTube Channel. The concert has been made available to every service member around the globe during this holiday season, and is intended to boost morale for military families during this important time of the year to let them know how much Americans appreciate their sacrifices. The performance is available exclusively on the Armed Forces Entertainment YouTube Page now.

The trio is also is also teaming up with Cracker Barrel for a Christmas feature called “Cracker Barrel Sounds of the Season” alongside Carrie Underwood and Maddie & Tae. The family-friendly Christmas event will be released on Dec. 16 on Cracker Barrel’s YouTube and Facebook pages with the all-female lineup and will be available throughout the holiday season. Runaway June also recently partnered with CMT’s Radio Team and Seacrest Studio for a “virtual holiday party” for participating children’s hospitals across the country that are part of the Seacrest Network.

 

Cumulus Nashville Toy Drive A Major Success

Cumulus Nashville radio stations 103-3 Country, 104-5 The Zone, 92Q, Super Talk 99.7 WTN and 95.5 NASH ICON collected thousands of toys and gifts for children and seniors in need at the recent 13th annual Toy Field, presented by T-Mobile to benefit The Salvation Army’s Forgotten Angel Program at Nissan Stadium.

“Throughout the years, the Cumulus Nashville listeners have been generous with their donations. Today was a great day that will help create miracle moments for families in our community this holiday season,” said Major Ethan Frizzell, Area Commander—The Salvation Army Nashville Area Command.

 

Jeannie Seely’s Santa Paws Is Coming To Town Benefit Set For December 19

Jeannie Seely will host the second annual Santa Paws is Coming To Town benefit on Dec. 19 on the historical Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree at the Texas Troubadour Theatre in Nashville, with featured guest Tim Atwood. Guest performers include Allie Colleen, Michele Capps and Anita Stapleton, with more special guests to be announced. The all-star band will include Dug Grieves, Danny Davis, Kenny Sears, Eddie Bayers, Eddie Dunlap and Mike Nobel, and the show will be taped live for fans to watch during a live stream at 2 p.m. CT on the Ernest Tubb Record Shop Facebook page, and available to listen to on WSM 650 Radio and online.

Fans are asked to bring food, blankets, animal beds, puppy pads, cat litter, cleaning supplies, pet toys, treats and more to benefit the dogs and cats who find themselves in Nashville animal shelters at the start of a new year. The donations can be dropped off at the Texas Troubadour Theatre 2416 Music Valley Drive Nashville starting Dec. 12 through 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.