Pre-Telecast: 2014 Grammy Winners

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Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves


Kacey Musgraves, Darius Rucker, songwriters Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, as well as The Civil Wars, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, Del McCoury, Guy Clark, Mandisa and Tasha Cobbs were among the early Grammy winners during the pre-telecast awards ceremony, held in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Awards for Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song, Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance, Best Americana Album, Best Folk Album and Best Bluegrass Album were among the early awards handed out during the pre-telecast ceremony.
A full list of winners is available at grammy.com.
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
“Wagon Wheel,” Darius Rucker. Label: Capitol Records Nashville
BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
“From This Valley,” The Civil Wars. Label: Sensibility Recordings/Columbia Records
BEST COUNTRY SONG
“Merry Go Round,” Kacey Musgraves. Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Kacey Musgraves
BEST GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Tasha Cobbs, “Break Every Chain,” Grace. Label: EMI Gospel/Motown Gospel
BEST GOSPEL SONG
Tye Tribbett, “If He Did It Before…Same God”; Songwriter: Tye Tribbett; Label:  Motown Gospel; Publisher: Everything Fresh Entertainment LLC
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM
Overcomer, Mandisa. Label: Sparrow Records
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC SONG
Mandisa, “Overcomer,” Overcomer. Songwriters: David Garcia, Ben Glover & Christopher Stevens, songwriters
BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
Old Yellow Moon, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris. Label: Nonesuch Records
BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
The Streets of Baltimore, Del McCoury Band. Label: McCoury Music
BEST FOLK ALBUM
My Favorite Picture of You, Guy Clark. Label: Dualtone

In Pictures: Nashville Songwriters

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ASCAP members Ralph Murphy, Danny Flowers, Chris Wallin and Mark D. Sanders performed in an “Alive At The Bluebird” benefit round on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014 at The Bluebird Cafe. The Alive At The Bluebird concert series began in January and will continue through Feb. 1, with all proceeds to benefit local nonprofit organization Alive Hospice. More than 90 artists have signed on for this year’s series, which helps Alive Hospice provide hospice care and grief support services in Middle Tennessee. Since its inception, the concert series has raised more than $500,000.

Pictured (l-r): Danny Flowers, special guest Sophie Sanders, Mark D. Sanders, ASCAP's Ralph Murphy, Chris Wallin and special guest Camille Wallin

Pictured (L-R): Danny Flowers, special guest Sophie Sanders, Mark D. Sanders, ASCAP’s Ralph Murphy, Chris Wallin and special guest Camille Wallin

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The CMA Songwriters Series kicked off its landmark tenth season Wednesday at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The showcase marked the first time CMA Songwriters Series has traveled to Sundance, and featured special guests Brandy Clark, Brett James, Chris Stapleton, and Lee Ann Womack sharing the stories behind their hit songs.

Pictured (L-R): CMA Board member Brett James, Lee Ann Womack, Brandy Clark, and Chris Stapleton backstage at the CMA Songwriters Series at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival. Photo Credit: Erik Philbrook / ASCAP

Pictured (L-R): CMA Board member Brett James, Lee Ann Womack, Brandy Clark, and Chris Stapleton backstage at the CMA Songwriters Series at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival. Photo: Erik Philbrook / ASCAP

• • •

ASCAP kicked off the new year with the first installment of its “We Create Music” showcase series on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at The Basement. The showcase featured three-time ASCAP Christian Music Songwriter of the Year/hit country songwriter Ben Glover (“Hard to Love”); Ten Ten Music songwriter-artist duo Cotton Wine; Big Machine Music songwriter-artist Courtney Cole; and up and coming songwriter-artists Ashlee Hewitt, Hunter Johnson and William Michael Morgan.

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP's Ryan Beuschel, Cotton Wine's Femke and Brandon James, Ben Glover, Courtney Cole, ASCAP's LeAnn Phelan and Evyn Mustoe, William Michael Morgan and Hunter Johnson. Photo by ASCAP's Alison Toczylowski.

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP’s Ryan Beuschel, Cotton Wine’s Femke and Brandon James, Ben Glover, Courtney Cole, ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan and Evyn Mustoe, William Michael Morgan and Hunter Johnson. Photo: ASCAP’s Alison Toczylowski.

MusicRowLife: Fashion Designer Manuel Weds

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Manuel and Maria Salinas Del Carmen


Fashion designer Manuel has tied the knot with Maria Salinas Del Carmen.
Manuel Cuevas and Maria were engaged on Tuesday and exchanged vows on Thursday (Jan. 23) at the Davidson County Courthouse. As a result, Manuel’s fashion boutique, Manuel Couture, opened at 11:30 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. on Thursday.
Maria was born and raised in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She moved to Nashville in Feb. 1998, where she works full-time as an independent sales director for Mary Kay.
Manuel has counted Johnny Cash, Elvis and Bob Dylan among his numerous celebrities. Beyond music stars, he’s also dressed presidents, athletes, dancers, artists, and movie stars, including nearly 100 movies.
His showroom, Manuel Couture, is located at 800 Broadway in Nashville, and is open to the public. His creations are also displayed in museums nationwide, including the pieces in the Smithsonian and Nashville’s own Country Music Hall of Fame.

Lambert To Team with Billie Joe Armstrong For Grammy Tribute

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Miranda Lambert


Miranda Lambert will take the stage at the Grammy awards on Sunday night with Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of the band Green Day, to pay tribute to Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers. Phil Everly died Jan. 3, 2014.
Armstrong and Lambert will perform the Everly Brothers classic “When Will I Be Loved” during a special tribute segment.
“It’s really cool to perform this song,” Lambert told Grammy.com. “I’ve been doing the [Linda] Ronstadt version of ‘When Will I Be Loved’ for a long time. I’ve never sang with someone from a totally different genre than mine. His voice sounds really amazing on this kind of music and I’m really excited to do this collaboration.”
Lambert isn’t just performing at the Grammys–she’s nominated for a few trophies herself. She is nominated for Best Country Song, and Best Country Solo Performance, both for her single “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which topped the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart in April 2013.
The 2014 Grammy awards will be held Jan. 26, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Suzy Bogguss To Embark on 'Lucky' Tour

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bogguss1111Suzy Bogguss is preparing to embark on a string of dates to promote her latest project, Lucky. The 12-song Merle Haggard-penned collection ranging from the boozy lament, “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink” to “You Don’t Have Very Far to Go” and “Someday When Things Are Good.”
The tour will run from Feb. 4 through Sept. 7, with stops in Nashville (on Feb. 5 at Music City Roots), as well as Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle, New York, and other dates.
LUCKY dates and markets include:
Feb. 4: New York, NY (Highline Ballroom)
Feb. 5: Nashville, TN (Music City Roots)
Feb. 7: Nashville, TN (3rd & Lindsley)
Feb. 12: Tampa, FL (Florida State Fair)
Feb. 14: Spokane, WA (Chateau Rive at The Flour Mill)
Feb. 15: Ellensburg, WA (Kittitas County Fairgrounds)
Feb. 16: Ellensburg, WA (Kittitas County Fairgrounds)
Feb. 18: Bellingham, WA (The Green Frog Acoustic Tavern)
Feb. 19: Seattle, WA (Tractor Tavern)
Feb. 20: Portland, OR (Alberta Rose Theatre)
Feb. 21: Sisters, OR (The Belfry)
Feb. 22: Auburn, CA (Auburn Event Center)
Feb. 23: Berkeley, CA (The Freight)
Feb. 26: Boise, ID (Sapphire Room at the Riverside Hotel)
Feb. 27: Boise, ID (Sapphire Room at the Riverside Hotel)
Feb. 28: Hyrum, UT (Mountain Crest High School)
Mar 8: The Woodlands, TX (Dosey Doe)
Mar 15: Ft. Worth, TX (McDavid Studio)
Mar 21: Sellersville, PA (Sellersville Theater)
Mar 22: Germantown, MD (Black Rock Center for the Arts)
Mar 28: Duluth, GA (Red Clay Center)
Mar 29: Forsyth, GA (Rose Theater)
Apr 4: Calhoun, GA (Gem Theatre)
Apr 5: York, SC (McCelvey Center)
Apr 25: Minneapolis, MN (Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant)
Apr 26: Racine, WI (Route 20 Outhouse)
Apr 27: Chicago, IL (City Winery Chicago)
May 2: Hoover, AL (The Library Theatre)
May 3: Hoover, AL (The Library Theatre)
July 11: Rocky Mount, VA (The Harvester Performance Center)
July 24: Flandreau, SD (Royal River Casino)
Aug 29: Pilesgrove, NJ (Deleware Valley Bluegrass Festival)
Sept. 6: La Veta, CO (Rio Grande Scenic Railroad)
Sept. 7: La Veta, CO (Rio Grande Scenic Railroad)

49th Annual ACM Awards Nominees To Be Revealed Jan. 29

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acm awardsThe nominees for the 49th annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced on Wednesday, Jan 29 at 7 a.m. PST.
Erin Andrews, Beth Behrs, Dallas Davidson, Kevin Frazier, Lucy Hale, Gayle King, Jerrod Niemann, Nancy O’dell, Willie & Korie Robertson, Darius Rucker, and hosts of CBS’ The Talk, including Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler and Sheryl Underwood will announce this year’s contenders.
The nominees will be announced via social media at the ACM Awards’ Facebook and Twitter pages.
The 49th annual ACM Awards will take place on April 6 in Las Vegas; Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan will return as co-hosts.

Signings & Hirings (1/24/14)

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Kayla Calabrese


Kayla Calabrese has signed with Next Generation Artist Management, a division of Spin Doctors Nashville.
“I have known Al Brock and Kristin Johnson for a while and I’ve come to trust them and their judgment,” Calabrese says. “Spin Doctors’ radio promotion department was already promoting my new single, to radio, so it just made sense to have their management company involved in my entire career instead of just part of it.”
“We are so proud to have Kayla on our team,” adds Next Generation Artist Management president Kristin Johnson. She is a true gem with a heavenly voice and a great head on her shoulders. She will go far in Country music.”
Calabrese’s first single, “Kiss Me,” from her self-titled album, reached No. 59 on the MusicRow Country Breakout chart; Calabrese recently released her second single, “This Is How It Feels.”

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Given Music Publishing has signed songwriter/instrumentalist Chris Caminiti to its roster. Caminiti, a Chicago native, moved to Nashville in 2005 to further his songwriting craft. He was a Top 4 finalist in consecutive years in the CMT/NSAI song contest, and has performed during Tin Pan South and Key West Songwriter’s Festivals.

“I have watched Chris Caminiti blossom as a writer over the last year, and in the last six months he has really come into his own,” said the company’s VP/GM Mike Sebastian. “Chris’ unique take on lyrics, combined with his production and melody chops, make him sure to be a successful and diverse writer.”

Pictured (Front row,L-R): Mike Sebastian, VP/General Manager, Given Music Publishing; Chris Caminiti. (Back row, L-R): Michael Martin, Senior Creative Director, ASCAP; Denise Stevens, Senior Counsel, Loeb & Loeb LLP.

Pictured (Front row, L-R): Mike Sebastian, VP/General Manager, Given Music Publishing; Chris Caminiti. (Back row, L-R): Michael Martin, Senior Creative Director, ASCAP; Denise Stevens, Senior Counsel, Loeb & Loeb LLP.

• • •

Landon dirickson

Landon Dirickson


Landon Dirickson has been named a partner in the Nashville, Tenn., based law firm of Davis Dirickson, PLLC (formerly Ansel L. Davis & Associates, PLLC).
The firm’s practice is focused on a range of entertainment related matters including negotiation of agreements for artists, producers, managers, publishers, songwriters and executives. In his new position, Dirickson will play a continuing role in the representation of many of the firm’s current clients as well as focusing on the growth of new business.
The Tulsa, Okla., native joined the firm shortly after graduating from law school in 2005 and was admitted to the Tennessee Bar that same year. While at the University of Tulsa Law School Dirickson was one of two students selected from his class for publication of a legal article concerning trademark dilution under Federal Trademark Law. He is a member of the Troubadour Society of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, Young Entertainment Professionals and is an alumnus of Society of Leaders In Development.

Execs With Nashville Ties Featured in 'Billboard' Power 100

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Pictured (clockwise from top left): Brian O’Connell, Mike Dungan, Clint Higham, Scott Borchetta and Gary Overton.


Several music industry executives with Nashville ties have been included in Billboard‘s Power 100 roundup.
The top 10 on the Power 100 list included:
1. Jay-Z and Beyonce
2. Lucian Grainge, Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group
3. Coran Capshaw, Founder/owner, Red Light Management, Starr Hill Presents; Partner, ATO Records, TBD Records
4. Michael Rapino, CEO Live Nation
5. Martin Bandier, Chairman/CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
6. Doug Morris, Chairman/CEO, Sony Music Entertainment
7. Irving Azoff, Chairman/CEO, Azoff MSG Entertainment
8. Len Blavatnik, Vice chairman/owner, Warner Music Group Founder/chairman, Access Industries
9. Rob Light, Managing partner/head of music, Creative Artists Agency
10. Jimmy Iovine, Chairman, Interscope Geffen A&M; 
Co-founder/CEO, Beats Electronics
Among those with Nashville ties include:
Red Light Management’s Coran Capshaw ranks in the Top 10 at No. 3. His management company oversees careers of artists including Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Luke Bryan, The Band Perry, and others.
Live Nation’s Brian O’Connell lands at No. 34. He oversees country touring operations, where he promotes tours for artists including Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and others.
Joel Katz ranked at No. 39. Katz, Chairman of Global Entertainment and Media Practice, began his practice in 1971 with his first client James Brown. His client roster has included artists such as Gary Allan, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Sheryl Crow, Alan Jackson, Kris Kristofferson, Brad Paisley, George Strait and more. His corporate clients have included Country Music Association, BMG Rights Management, Dick Clark Productions, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and more.
BMLG founder, President and CEO Scott Borchetta was included at No. 40. The label group encompasses Big Machine Records (founded in 2005), The Valory Music Co. (2007) and Republic Nashville. His artist roster includes Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Reba, The Band Perry, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band, Thomas Rhett, Brantley Gilbert and others.
Mike Dungan, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville, ranked at No. 41 on the list. After 12 years at the helm of Capitol Nashville, Dungan took the reins at UMG Nashville in 2012. UMG Nashville is the home of imprints MCA, Capitol Nashville, Mercury and EMI Nashville. The roster includes Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Easton Corbin, Billy Currington, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Kip Moore, Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker, and many others.
Clint Higham is listed at No. 75 in the Power 100. As President of Morris Artists Management, Higham has been with the company for 18 years, where he manages artists including Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen and others.
Gary Overton is ranked at No. 84 on the list. As Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville, Overton’s artist roster includes Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, and others. Overton arrived at Sony in 2010 after 15 years as Exec. VP and GM of EMI Music Publishing.

Weekly Chart Report (1/24/14)

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Screen Shot 2014-01-24 at 8.44.19 AMTo access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report, click here or above.

The Oak Ridge Boys To Release First Live Country Album

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orb boys night hout111Given that The Oak Ridge Boys‘ career has spanned six decades and more than 41 million albums sold, with hits including “Elvira,” “American Made,” and others, it is hard to believe that this group has never before released a full-length, official hits concert album.
That will change on April 15, when Cleopatra Records will release Boys Night Out in three formats, including CD, vinyl and digital download. In early 2013, lead vocalist and producer Duane Allen began capturing performances of their current concert show, dubbed “Boys Night Out,” to create a live project for fans.
Track Listing for Boys Night Out
1. You’re The One
2. American Made
3. (I’m Settin’) Fancy Free
4. Love Song
5. Y’all Come Back Saloon
6. Sail Away
7. Dream On
8. This Crazy Love
9. Trying To Love Two Women
10. Come On In
11. Make My Life With You
12. Thank God For Kids
13. Elvira
14. Bobbie Sue