The Academy of Country Music has announced Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cam, Maren Morris, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban and hosts Lady Antebellum as performers for the 10th annual ACM Honors.

The event will be held Aug. 30 at the Ryman Auditorium. For the first time, it will be filmed for a network broadcast, slated to air Sept. 9 on CBS.

The Academy also announced that Aldean, reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, will be honored with the Academy’s prestigious Triple Crown Award. This award is given to those who have won New Male/Female Vocalist of the Year, Male/Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.

Aldean’s Entertainer of the Year win this year made him eligible for this honor, as he was previously honored with the New Male Vocalist of the Year (2005) and Male Vocalist of the Year (2012-2014). The Triple Crown Award has been awarded to only six other artists, including: Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Mickey Gilley, Merle Haggard, Barbara Mandrell and Carrie Underwood.

As previously announced, the ACM Honors will honor Special Awards recipients Glen Campbell (Career Achievement Award), Crystal Gayle (Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award), Eddie Rabbitt (Poet’s Award, awarded posthumously), Tanya Tucker (Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award), Carrie Underwood (ACM Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award), Keith Urban (Mae Boren Axton Award), Jeff Walker (Jim Reeves International Award, awarded posthumously), Jimmy Webb (Poet’s Award), Little Big Town (Crystal Milestone Award) and The Statler Brothers (Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award).

Studio Recording Awards recipients include Jim ‘Moose’ Brown (Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year), Dave Cobb (Producer of the Year), Shannon Forrest (Drummer of the Year), Paul Franklin (Steel Guitar Player of the Year), Justin Niebank (Audio Engineer of the Year), Danny Rader (Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year), Michael Rhodes (Bass Player of the Year) and Derek Wells (Guitar Player of the Year). In addition, Ross Copperman will be honored as Songwriter of the Year.

The fifth annual Watershed Festival near George, Washington, made history over the weekend (Aug. 5-7) as the first-ever country music festival to host two consecutive weekends. Headliners Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Keith Urban performed both weekends.

“I’m still processing these past two weeks,” said Brian O’Connell, President of Live Nation Country Touring. “To expand to two weekends was a huge undertaking for all, including the artists and fans, and we’re not taking that for granted. Everyone involved helped us make history and we couldn’t be more humbled. We were able to provide unique experiences for both sets of shedders and more people were able to experience the magic of the festival.”

 

Kimberly Kelly Signs With TNT Artist Development

Texas singer-songwriter Kimberly Kelly has signed with TNT Artist Development for management services.

Now based in Nashville, Kelly recently earned her first cut, “WTF,” which was included on Tara Thompson’s Valory Music Co. project and was co-written with Thompson, Alex Kline, and Erin Enderlin. Kelly has also collaborated with Radney Foster, Larry McCoy and Monty Holmes. Kelly released her self-titled debut album in 2007, followed by 2010’s Sweet Time Dreamin’. Currently in the studio finishing her latest single, Kelly is expected to release new music this fall.

TNT Artist Development launched in 2016 as a full-service artist development company offering management and marketing services. The company is owned by Tammy Ragusa, a former Arista/Nashville, RCA and Capitol Nashville artist development manager and Nash Country Weekly staff writer.

 

MusicStartsHere, The Sessions To Welcome Jim Peterik, Liberty DeVitto For Nashville Panel

MusicStartsHere will host its next session on Thursday, Aug. 18 from 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School.

Among those on the panel are “Eye of the Tiger” co-writer Jim Peterik, freelancer Dom Famularo, Saturday Night Live vocalist Christine Ohlman, drummer Liberty DeVitto, entertainment lawyer Paul Quin, music business coach Rick Drumm, artist relations manager Rick Dejonge.

In addition to the panel, the event will include dinner and an all-star jam session.

To register for this free event, visit thesessions.org.

BMLG Records’ Ryan Follese might be a newly-signed solo artist, but he is far from a newcomer to the music industry.

Follese is the son of Nashville songwriters Keith and Adrienne Follese. Keith penned Tim McGraw’s “Something Like That” and Faith Hill’s “The Way You Love Me,” while Adrienne wrote “I Love You” for Martina McBride and “Long Gone,” recorded by Lady Antebellum.

Ryan Follese previously found success fronting pop band Hot Chelle Rae, best known for its 2011 hit “Tonight Tonight.” That band also included Ryan’s brother Jamie on drums, as well as Nash Overstreet (the son of songwriter Paul Overstreet) and bassist Ian Keaggy (son of guitarist Phil Keaggy).

Now embarking on a solo country career, Follese previewed four tracks from his upcoming project on Tuesday (Aug. 9), via a mandolin-laced acoustic set that included the songs “Wilder,” “Lose A Little Sleep,” “Put A Label On It,” and “One Thing Right.”

“It’s about trying to keep a relationship together and not screw up, which in my experience is what happens,” Ryan says. “Guys do a lot of things wrong and when you meet someone super important, it kind of puts all your flaws under a magnifying glass.”

He says the new album stems from his time in Los Angeles, when his songwriting began showing more country flavor. “I was out there writing songs and going to sessions and every song that I would write by myself was coming out country, and coming from my heart and this place of experience,” says Ryan.

He also collaborated with his parents to create the music, making it a true family affair. “We didn’t write this record in typical songwriter fashion, where you go write a song every single day,” says Ryan. “Sometimes we would spend an entire week on a concept, or some songs we wrote in 20 minutes or in six months.”

Ryan brought the new music to his manager, Switched On Entertainment’s John Hamlin. “I told him my vision and how I felt about it, and he brought us to the people who would let me do what I wanted to do.

“That’s why these songs are so real and so true, is because I actually got to write…I wasn’t being put in rooms with people, like, ‘Here is this song, record it.’ Coming from a family of songwriters, I was dead set on writing this thing myself. The label reps said, ‘Nobody can write this except you.’ Hearing that, it was like ‘Well, there is no better home for me as an artist.’”

Follese is currently in the studio with producers Dann Huff and Cameron Montgomery. His BMLG Records EP is slated to release in September.

MusicRow is proud to reveal its 2016 Artist Roster magazine featuring Dierks Bentley on the cover.

The August/September issue highlights listings in the categories of Label, Management, Talent Agency, Publicity, Organizations and Artist Services (Business Management, Digital Music, General Services, Marketing, and Radio Promotion). For the first time, the issue includes a list of top entertainment law firms. In addition, the easy-to-follow Artist Roster grid connects artists with their industry representatives.

“Each segment of our industry plays a vital role in the success of any artist,” says MusicRow owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. “It’s not only the artist, but the full support of his or her team that moves music from the ‘digital shelf’ to listeners’ ears. Because of their importance, we produce the annual Artist Roster issue comprised of the critical team members of artists.”

Exclusive print editorial for the 2016 Artist Roster includes an interview with Jeremy Holley and Laura Hutfless of Nashville marketing agency FlyteVU. Country music’s impact on the Las Vegas entertainment scene is explored, focusing on George Strait at the T-Mobile Arena, The Judds and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at the Venetian, Garth Brooks at the Wynn and Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn at Caesars Palace. MusicRow also dives into the significance of TV ratings in the digital era with comments from Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich and CMT executives Brian Philips, Margaret Comeaux and Leslie Fram.

Capitol Records Nashville artist Dierks Bentley covers MusicRow magazine for the third time with the 2016 Artist Roster print issue. Bentley’s illustrious career has led to the 2016 release of Black, his eighth studio album. Bentley is making waves out on the road with his Somewhere On A Beach Tour. His new single is “Different for Girls.” He is a pilot who often flies himself to shows in order to have more time at home with family.

Single copies of the current Artist Roster print magazine are available for purchase for $30, and are included with yearly subscriptions at no additional cost.