An all-star salute to Lee Greenwood will be held on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The celebration of Greenwood’s career encompassing his 40 years of hits will feature special guest appearances from Michael W. Smith, Lee Brice, Dustin Lynch, Michael Ray, Jamey Johnson, Big & Rich, Randy Owen, Riley Green, Home Free, Sam Moore, Tracy Byrd, The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, Mark Wills, The Frontmen of Country, and more to be announced.

Tickets for the event will be available for pre-sale on Wednesday, December 9 at 10 a.m. CST until Thursday, December 10 at 10 p.m. CST, and go on sale to the public Friday, December 11 at 10 a.m. CST. A variety of ticket prices are available from $25 to VIP Packages, which include a private dinner and Meet & Greet with Lee Greenwood on Monday, October 11th. Tickets will be available via ticketmaster.com or vonbrauncenter.com.

“With this crazy year we have had to endure, I am really excited to be celebrating in 2021!” said Greenwood. “I have been part of so many of these tribute concert events and they are literally like a family reunion with everyone hanging backstage telling their favorite stories from the road or studio. You know, when you get in the music business you just hope for success. I can’t believe I have actually been having hits for 40 years. I never knew so many of my songs had influenced so many of these great artists that are joining me for this celebration. It’s going to be spectacular, something that Huntsville has never seen before!”

Cliff Downs. Photo: Courtesy Alliance Media Relations

Cliff Downs has been named Sr. VP of Publishing and Artist Development at Given Entertainment.

Downs was signed as a pop artist on Atlantic Records by the legendary Ahmet Ertegun. His scores and songs have been placed in major film and TV programs, and he has multiple Emmy nominations and won a Best Original Song Emmy for “When I Think Of You,” which was featured on the series One Life To Live.

As a songwriter, Downs has had songs recorded by Foreigner, Wynonna, Gabby Barrett, and more. He is also a noted producer with a number of titles to his credit, including “One Heart at a Time,” a single featuring vocal performances by Garth Brooks, Olivia Newton-John, Faith Hill, Michael McDonald and others.

“Cliff’s wealth of experience and success in all aspects of the music industry, along with the passion and care he puts in all that he does has made him an invaluable asset to our artists and songwriters,” Given Founding Partner Cindy Owen said.

“I’m excited to be a part of the Given Entertainment family and have the opportunity to work with some established hit songwriters as well as some extremely talented young writer/artists, all with very promising futures,” Downs said. “I look forward to working with the amazing team that has been assembled at Given.”

Downs can be reached at [email protected].

After more than three months of negotiations, the Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257, have reached an agreement that will provide the Musicians of the Nashville Symphony with an interim stipend that will begin Jan. 3, 2021. The musicians were furloughed on July 1, and all scheduled concert activity has been suspended through July 31, 2021.

The agreement provides musicians with a $500 weekly stipend, while the musicians commit to participating in community performances and other activities to be determined with the orchestra’s administrative staff. The Nashville Symphony will also continue to provide musicians with health insurance benefits for the duration of the agreement, which ends July 31, 2021. Due to the short-term nature of this agreement, negotiations between the symphony and the musicians will continue with the goal of reaching a new agreement before the start of the 2021-22 season.

In addition to producing virtual performances and participating in educational initiatives, musicians will work with staff to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure that both the orchestra and the audience can safely return to the concert hall. Corporate partners Amazon and Nissan North America offered significant support for the agreement.

“This agreement represents a vital first step in bringing the Nashville Symphony back from one of the most monumental challenges it has faced,” said Pamela Carter, chair of the Nashville Symphony’s Board of Directors. “We have much work left to do, but we cannot do it without our musicians, who represent the heart, soul and artistry of our organization. Many of our musicians have been profoundly affected by this pandemic, but thanks to the support of our community, whose generosity has helped make this agreement possible, I am confident that our orchestra will reemerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient than ever.”

Nashville Musicians Association President Dave Pomeroy talked about what Nashville’s symphony musicians have had to endure this year. “The July 1 announcement of the extended furlough of all Nashville Symphony musicians created an untenable situation for many of these world class players. Like so many unemployed Americans, they were faced with heartbreaking decisions in order to survive—some of which involved not being able to stay in Nashville at all. It is fortunate that we were finally able to reach an agreement with the NSO to give some assistance to these world-class musicians, and help them get through this unprecedented time.”

“Like most other performing organizations and concert venues, the Nashville Symphony has experienced staggering financial losses, that since mid-March, when we were forced to shut our doors, have topped $10 million,” said President & CEO Alan D. Valentine. “Despite every effort to keep our musicians and staff employed, our Board of Directors was forced to make some extremely difficult decisions with painful short-term consequences in order to secure the long-term future of the institution. Today’s announcement is also driven by our commitment to the Nashville Symphony’s long-term well-being. Our orchestra cannot survive unless we invest in our greatest resource: our musicians.”

Florida Georgia Line have set the release date for their fifth studio album, Life Rolls On (BMLG Records), slated for Feb. 12. Fans can preorder the project beginning today (Dec. 4).

The album features each song on their previously-released 6-Pack EP and some unheard tracks, 13 of which were written by the duo with top-shelf collaborators like David Garcia, Jaren Johnston (The Cadillac Three), Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip, and Tree Vibez Music songwriters Corey Crowder, Jordan Schmidt, Canaan Smith, and Blake Redferrin. It marks their first full-length set as co-producers with Corey Crowder, and its 16 diverse tracks reflect FGL’s growth as entertainers, husbands, and friends as well.

“I think this personally is just a big, celebratory chapter,” FGL’s Tyler Hubbard explains. “We’ve come a long way since 2012 when we dropped our first album, it’s wild to think about the journey we’ve been on –  the things we’ve got to do, the places music has taken us. We’re celebrating life and the good times, the ups and the downs, and the journey it took us to get where we’re at.”

“It’s just evident within the music how good of a time we’re having,” FGL’s Brian Kelley adds, “and how good of a place in life we are for sure.”

Fans who pre-order the new album will instantly receive seven of the tracks (“Long Live,” “Countryside,” “I Love My Country,” “Ain’t Worried Bout It (Album Version),” “Beer:30,” “Second Guessing (From Songland),” and “U.S. Stronger”), and a fresh batch of FGL swag is also now available, including signed CDs, signed test pressings, t-shirts, joggers, and koozies.

Florida Georgia Line’s LIFE ROLLS ON Track Listing:
1. “Long Live” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, David Garcia, Josh Miller
2. “Life Looks Good” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Jaren Johnston
3. “Countryside – Blake Redferrin, Jake Rose, Michael Whitworth
4. “Always Gonna Love You” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Ross Copperman, Corey Crowder, Michael Hardy
5. “I Love My Country” – Kane Brown, Corey Crowder, Chase McGill, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Will Weatherly
6. “Hard To Get To Heaven” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Josh Thompson
7. “Long Time Comin’” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Jordan Schmidt, Canaan Smith
8. “Interlude” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder
9. “Ain’t Worried Bout It (Album Version)” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip   
10. “Beer:30” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Canaan Smith, Ernest Keith Smith
11. “New Truck”* – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Jeff Gitelman, Raysean Hairston, Blake Redferrin, Priscilla Renea
12. “Eyes Closed” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Ross Copperman, Corey Crowder, Michael Hardy
13. “Second Guessing (From Songland)”** – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Ester Dean, Andrew DeRoberts, Shane McAnally, Griffen Palmer, Ben Simonetti, Ryan Tedder, Geoff Warburton
14. “Good To Me” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Canaan Smith
15. “U.S. Stronger” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley
16. “Life Rolls On” – Ben Burgess, Alysa Vanderheym, Emily Weisband

Zach Williams

Zach Williams‘ “Chain Breaker” is the most-added song this week on MusicRow‘s CountryBreakout Radio chart, with 11 station adds and 88 total spins this week. The song ranks at No. 104. The song was previously a multi-week No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Christian Songs chart and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Thomas Rhett‘s “What’s Your Country Song” has the greatest spin increase, with 9 station adds and a spin gain of 365. The song earned a total of 1,296 spins this week and is at No. 12.

Click here to view the CountryBreakout Radio Chart.