Flatts, Edens Edge and EYB Join To Fight Hunger

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The Outnumber Hunger bus features BMLG's Rascal Flatts, Edens Edge and Eli Young Band.

Big Machine Label Group artists Rascal Flatts, Edens Edge and Eli Young Band are teaming up with General Mills this summer to help Feeding America secure meals for local food banks through Outnumber Hunger Live. This marks an extension to the Outnumber Hunger initiative, which has already helped Feeding America secure more than 6 million meals for local food banks.

From now through the end of October, at each of the over 35 concert stops on the Farmers Insurance Presents Changed Tour, Outnumber Hunger will make a donation to Feeding America to help secure 5,000 meals for that city’s local food bank. At each tour stop, a donation of $625 will be made to Feeding America—enough to secure 5,000 meals for that local food bank.

“People in every community across America—nearly 49 million individuals—are struggling with hunger,” said Mike Eli of the Eli Young Band. “With ‘Outnumber Hunger Live,’ we hope that we can help these local communities and continue to raise awareness of this issue in our country.”

“The Outnumber Hunger program helps make a difference in the hunger crisis in America,” said Vicki B. Escarra, president and CEO, Feeding America. “We appreciate that General Mills and Big Machine Label Group’s artists continue to lend their voices to this effort.”

Dean Berner, Hannah Blaylock and Cherrill Green of Edens Edge perform an acoustic set for fans during the first stop in Hartford, CT on the "Changed Tour."

“In our home state of Arkansas, nearly 18 percent of the residents struggle with hunger. “That’s more than half a million people,” said Hannah Blaylock of Edens Edge. “That’s why Outnumber Hunger Live is an important part of our tour.”

According to the USDA, approximately one in six Americans (16.1%) struggles with hunger which often affects hardworking families who face tough decisions about whether to pay bills or pay for food. “Outnumber Hunger Live” aims to continue to raise awareness for the issue and help make a difference in the fight against hunger in local communities.

The Outnumber Hunger initiative launched in March with a star-studded roster of Big Machine Label Group artists, including Rascal Flatts, Reba and Martina McBride. The artists appeared on millions of specially marked General Mills products alongside Outnumber Hunger codes. By entering the codes at www.OutnumberHunger.com, people can help Feeding America secure five meals on behalf of their local food banks. General Mills has already donated $700,000 and will donate up to an additional $1,400,000 based on online code entry and other consumer actions. As a thank you, consumers receive a free song download from participating artists after entering their package code.

For more, visit www.OutnumberHunger.com and Facebook.

Yearwood’s Cooking Show Returning For Second Season

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Food Network has ordered a new season of the daytime series Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, starring Trisha Yearwood. The show’s thirteen-episode, second season will begin production this summer and is slated to premiere in the fall.

In Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, the singer shares her food traditions, updates classic dishes and displays her southern hospitality, cooking family-inspired, down-home recipes with her friends and family. Each themed episode invites viewers into Yearwood’s kitchen for favorite meals and family stories.

“Our viewers loved seeing a different side of Trisha. Her impressive cooking skills and family recipes, coupled with her natural southern charm, really resonated with our audience,” said Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network. “We’re thrilled Trisha will be returning for a second season with more delicious dishes and family traditions.”

The series is produced by Ellen Rakieten Entertainment and RelativityREAL.

Lonestar Reunites For New Music and 2012 Tour

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Lonestar

Lonestar has reunited with frontman Richie McDonald for the band’s latest single and upcoming 20th anniversary October album release. “The Countdown” will be released to radio July 17 on the band’s 4 Star Records.

The recently reunited quartet — Michael Britt, lead guitar; McDonald, lead vocals & piano; Keech Rainwater, drums; and Dean Sams, keyboards — performed at the CMA Fest’s Riverfront Stage in Nashville in early June. The group debuted the lead single along with another new song, “Pretty Good Day.”

Lonestar began 2012 on a European tour with Reba McEntire and Ricky Skaggs. Yesterday (6/21) the group kicked off its summer tour in Del Mar, CA, with shows booked through October. See dates below.

The Texas-bred band has sold more than 10 million album since 1995, and achieved 10 No. 1s. After McDonald left the band in 2007, Lonestar released its 10th album in 2010, Party Heard Around The World, with vocalist Cody Collins.

Lonestar is also featured on a duet with Amber Hayes titled “Always There For Me,” offered as a free download below. The previously unreleased title was performed by Hayes and McDonald in the 2012 summer movie, Cowgirls N’ Angels.

Lonestar 2012 Tour
6/22 Petaluma, CA
6/23 Pleasanton, CA
6/29 Dickinson, ND
7/1 Gillette, WY
7/3 Coralville, IA
7/6 Rama, ON
7/7 Prospect, PA
7/13 Westbury, NY
7/14 Salamanca, NY
7/16 Cumberland, MD
7/21 Baraboo, WI
7/27 Los Angeles, CA
7/28 Yerington, NV
8/4 Albert Lea, MN
8/5 Binghamton, NY
8/9 North Bend, OR
8/10 Citrus Heights, CA
8/15 Sun Valley, ID
8/18 Berryville, VA
8/22 Fremont, OH
8/23 Rhinebeck, NY
8/26 Columbia, SC
9/1 Bethany, MO
9/6 Santa Ynez, CA
9/7 Roslyn, WA
9/8 Pendleton, OR
9/11 Salt Lake City, UT
9/12 Richfield, UT
9/14 Bellingham, WA
9/16 South Bend, IN
9/20 Lancaster, PA
9/21 Ocean City, MD
10/19 Branson, MO
10/25 Hot Springs, AR

Photo Spread: Joe Walsh and Friends, Dustin Lynch, Casey James

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CMT Crossroads: Joe Walsh & Friends
Taped recently at the Factory in Franklin, CMT Crossroads: Joe Walsh & Friends premieres Sat., June 23 at 11:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT. A first of its kind, this special features the legendary rocker and guitarist onstage with friends from country music including Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes, as well as Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. Among the hits they perform are “Life’s Been Good” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”

Pictured backstage at the taping (L-R): Back Row: John Hamlin, Executive Producer and SVP, Music Events and Talent, CMT; Brian Philips, President, CMT; and Bill Flanagan, Executive Producer and EVP & Editorial Director, MTV. Front Row: Gibbons; Hayes; Joe Walsh; Evans; Bryan and Paisley. Photo: Rick Diamond/WireImage

Dustin Lynch Visits CMA
Broken Bow Records artist Dustin Lynch stopped by the CMA offices recently to perform for the staff. He played current Top 20 single, “Cowboys and Angels,” as well as “Last Lap” and “She Cranks My Tractor,” all from his upcoming album set for release Aug. 21.

(L-R): CMA Senior Coordinator of Member Relations and Services, Betsy Walker; President of L3 Entertainment, Peter Hartung; Dustin Lynch; CMA Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Sheri Warnke; President of Dashboard Media, Natalie Kilgore; CMA Senior Manager of Membership and Balloting, Brandi Simms. Photo: Christian Bottorff

Casey James Performs For CRB Board
19/Columbia artist and former American Idol contestant Casey James performed for a gathering of industry executives and Country Radio Broadcasters board members at The Rutledge on Wed., June 20. James appeared in conjunction with the CRB board and CRS agenda committee meetings, held at the downtown Renaissance Hotel to help plan Country Radio Seminar 2013. CRS 2013 will be held Feb. 27 – March 1, 2013.

Pictured (L-R): Norbert Nix, Columbia Nashville; Johnny Chiang, KKBQ; Bill Mayne, CRB Executive Director; Becky Brenner, Albright & O'Malley; Casey James; Mike Culotta, CRB President/WQYK; John Shomby, WGH-FM/Max Media of Hampton Roads; Joel Raab, Joel Raab Consulting.

Booker T., Richard Thompson to be Honored By Americana Music Association

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The Americana Music Association will present Booker T. Jones and Richard Thompson with Lifetime Achievement Awards at its 11th Annual Honors and Awards ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at the Ryman Auditorium.

Jones will be given the award for Instrumentalist, and Thompson will receive his for Songwriting. The two join previously announced Bonnie Raitt, who will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance. All three artists are set to perform during the Awards ceremony, and Thompson has also been confirmed to do a showcase during the Americana Music Festival and Conference Sept 12-15.

Known primarily as Booker T., the famed Memphis instrumentalist Jones is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has earned a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. His group Booker T and the MGs (Steve Cropper, Lewie Steinberg, and Al Jackson Jr.) helped create the template for Southern soul, playing on hundreds of recordings for Stax Records including Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Bill Withers as part of the Stax house band. Additionally, Jones has produced albums such as Willie Nelson’s Stardust, and received an instrumental Grammy for his 2011 album The Road To Memphis.

Richard Thompson is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, in addition to being a revered songwriter, having received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriting and the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. He debuted with the UK band Fairport Convention, early purveyors of the English Folk Rock sound, and has since recorded over 40 albums between work with his ex-wife Linda and as a solo artist.

“Booker and Richard’s artistry and influence are part of the rich tapestry of Americana,” noted Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association. “We are thrilled they are coming to AmericanaFest; their contributions exemplify the broad reach of our community, from the common ground of folk rock to R&B born in Memphis.”

Register for the Americana Music Festival & Conference here.

Karaoke Industry Leaders Meet Today (6/22) in Nashville

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The Karaoke Cloud Music City Summit 2012 – The End Of The Age Of Plastic meets today (6/20) at the Hilton Nashville Downtown. The event will mark the first time that all of the major industry names will gather together to discuss the state of the industry, innovations in technology and delivery, and battling piracy.

“Much like the broader music industry, the karaoke world has undergone a sea change in recent years,” said Joe Vangieri, CEO of Digitrax Entertainment, LLC, which is hosting the event. “Changes in the way that end users and industry professionals use and interact with our products are telling us that we must evolve in order to remain viable and relevant. Most people are not aware that the karaoke industry in the United States has been on the verge of imploding. We come together to find common cause against the challenges we all face, so that high-quality karaoke music won’t vanish completely.”

Speakers, presenters and attendees at the Summit, which will be streamed live over the internet in include Master of Ceremonies Dr. Hugo Drax, President of the American Disc Jockey Association, Kurt Slep of Sound Choice, Bernardo Melo of The Singing Machine, Jim Woodford of SBI Global, John West of Sunfly, entertainment and licensing legal experts Allen Jacobi and Vincent Castellucci, Doug DeLuca, Executive Producer of the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Ben Seo of RSQ, David Su of Ace Karaoke, Bob Latshaw of Karma, Derek Slep of Stingray, Greg Lazzaroni of Karaoke.com, Jason Hou of VocoPro, Jim Weisz of TM Century, Jonathan Apostoles of JoltSoft, Rick Vogt of Karaoke Warehouse, Tomas Gorrio of Magic Music and Ryan Sherr of PCDJ.

Click here for event details or here for Livestream channel.

Weekly Chart Report (6/21/2012)

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Artist Craig Morrison (R) visited with WUCZ’s (Carthage, TN) Dennis Banka earlier this week. Morrison, who has had a successful career in his native Australia, is visiting radio introducing his debut US single, "Fences.”

SPIN ZONE
Call the po-po, it’s Dierks Bentley’s “5-1-5-0” taking over the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 spot after 13 weeks of reports. Just 70 spins back at No. 2 is Brantley Gilbert’s “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” followed by The Band Perry’s “Postcard From Paris” at No. 3. It’s a tight top 10 and though most are gaining spins, only Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over” sees forward movement from No. 8 to 6.

Toby Keith's Live in Overdrive Tour recently played to a packed house in Salt Lake City where Keith visited KEGA/The Eagle's MD, Jon Watkins (L) and his red solo cup.

Quickly climbing toward the top is Little Big Town’s “Poontoon,” which adds another 254 spins this week and moves to No. 17. Also looking strong are Big & Rich’s “That’s Why I Pray” at No. 32 and Zac Brown Band’s “The Wind” at No. 33. And living up to its title is Miranda Lambert’s “Fastest Girl In Town,” which is already up to No. 40 in only its second week charting.

This chart edition sees the return of Aaron Lewis’ “Endless Summer,” which debuts at No. 70. The single originally had a few weeks of airplay under R&J Records, and now the gang over at Blaster Records (along with Skip Bishop) has rebooted it just in time for the heat. Also debuting are Casey James’ “Cryin’ On A Suitcase” at No. 76 and Michael Dean Church’s “That’s How We Roll” at No. 79.

Frozen Reports: KBOE, KFTX, KYEZ, KYKX, WAKG, WBYZ, WKWS, WOOZ

RADIO NEWS
Tony Thomas has departed his on-air position with Dial Global’s “Country Today” format, as the company is restructuring and closing its Seattle offices. Thomas joined the company in March following 22 years with KMPS/Seattle. “It’s been a real pleasure working with Melody Morgan, John Paul, Beau Phillips and the other Country Today jocks; along with the terrific Dial Global Seattle crew (special thanks to Susan Stephens and Tim Maranville),” says Thoams. His final day was last Friday (6/15) and he can be reached at [email protected] and 206-792-9082.

Upcoming Singles
June 25
Trace Adkins/Them Lips (On Mine)/Show Dog-Universal
Miranda Lambert/Fastest Girl In Town/RCA
Maggie Rose/I Ain’t Your Mama/RPM
Stephanie Grace/Hey There

July 2
Chris Cagle/Let There Be Cowgirls/Bigger Picture
Colt Ford feat. Jake Owen/Back/Average Joes
Andy Gibson/Summer Back/Curb
Steele/Do You Really Have To Go
Shane Yellowbird/They’re All About You/On Ramp

• • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Aaron Lewis/Endless Summer/Blaster Records – 70
Casey James/Crying On A Suitcase/19-Columbia Nashville – 76
Michael Dean Church/That’s How We Roll/MDC – 79

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Miranda Lambert/Fastest Girl In Town/RCA Nashville – 327
Zac Brown Band/The Wind/Southern Ground/Atlantic – 317
Aaron Lewis/Endless Summer/Blaster Records – 288
Kenny Chesney/Come Over/Blue Chair-Columbia Nashville – 282
Little Big Town/Pontoon/Capitol – 254

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Miranda Lambert/Fastest Girl In Town/RCA Nashville – 19
Zac Brown Band/The Wind/Southern Ground-Atlantic – 12
Glen Templeton/That’s My Job/Black River Entertainment – 12
Trace Adkins/Them Lips (On Mine)/Show Dog–Universal – 11
Aaron Lewis/Endless Summer/Blaster Records – 10
Tim McGraw/Right Back Atcha Babe/Curb – 9

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Bobby Dean/Me and George Strait/Lamon – 162
Shawna Russell/Sounds Like A Party/Way Out West – 159
Scarletta/Right Here Right Now – 157
Bill Gentry/That Kind of Life/Tenacity Records – 151
Colt Ford with Jake Owen/Back/Average Joes – 148

Arista/Sea Gayle’s Jerrod Niemann hangs with KKWF/Seattle’s Mike Preston and crew. Niemann's latest single, "Shinin’ On Me,” lands at No. 35 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart this week. (L-R): Terri Yankovich (Mike’s wife), Arista Nashville’s Lesly Tyson, Jerrod Niemann, KKWF’s Mike Preston, Arista Nashville’s Lauren Thomas

Florida Georgia Line stopped in Terre Haute, IN to visit HI-99/WTHI between stops on the Country Throwdown tour. The band met with PD Eric Michaels and staff in support of their debut single “Cruise,” which takes them to No. 41 on the CountryBreakout Chart this week. (L-R): Tyler Hubbard, Michaels, Brian Kelley

Josh Turner dropped by WSM-AM/Nashville this week to play his new album “Punching Bag” on air with Eddie Stubbs. (L-R): Stubbs, Turner, and WSM-AM PD Joe Limardi.

GRAMMY Camp In Nashville This Week

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The Recording Academy hosted GRAMMY Camp in Nashville this week for 33 high school students from across the country. Though the camp started eight years ago, this is the first year it was held in Music City. The interactive residential experience focusing on commercial music was held at Black River Entertainment from June 17–24. GRAMMY Camp Nashville offers campers the opportunity to work in integrated industry teams in six fields: Engineering for Audio & Video; Electronic Music Production; Marketing & Management; Music Journalism; Performance — Instrumental or Vocal; and Songwriting.

The faculty included award-winning audio/video producer Nathan Adam; DJ/producer Greg “Stryke” Chin; former music industry executive Amy Macy; Dove, Emmy, and GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter and producer Drew Ramsey; and songwriter and producer/engineer Dave Tough. Gordon Kerr, chief executive officer, Black River Entertainment was also on hand.

Tomorrow (6/23) GRAMMY Camp Nashville will culminate in a Launch Party at Rocketown produced by the students and featuring original performances, content and video presentations created during GRAMMY Camp. The following Industry Advisors will attend the launch party, provide feedback on presentations, and participate in a networking session with the GRAMMY Campers: John Alexander, vice president of strategic marketing, Black River Entertainment; Will Anderson, lead singer of Mercury Records chart-topping band Parachute; Benita Bellamy, chief executive officer, the Bellamy Group, LLC; Tate Cunningham, member of Universal Republic band SafetySuit; Black River recording artist Sarah Darling; Mark Montgomery, founder, Flo Thinkery; and Bryan White, multi-platinum recording artist. Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation® will offer opening remarks, and GRAMMY Foundation Vice President Scott Goldman will moderate the discussion. GRAMMY Foundation Sr. Vice President Kristen Madsen will also be in attendance.

Charlie Cook On Air: New Acts

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I was having a conversation with a friend the other day. He listens to Country Music Radio about a third of the time, and listens to CHR and Talk Radio the other times. I think he sneaks in Howard [Stern] on Sirius during his alone time too but our conversation was about Country Music and how a real “fan” has come to appreciate the new music on the radio.

I asked him who his favorite artists were and the usual suspects were all near the top of the list. He loves Garth Brooks and still raves about seeing his show in Las Vegas over a year ago. He likes Jake Owen and Carrie Underwood.

By then I figured that I had a focus group of one and I could find out some habits from a male P2 as long as I continued to pay for the beer. I thought I should hurry along before all of the answers were Hank, Jr. or Jamey Johnson.

Remember that this is a fan who listens to about 4 hours of the format every week. He appreciates the music and likes the “Newer Country Music,” as he called it. So who are your favorite new acts? I asked.

Tim McGraw, Montgomery Gentry and Reba were mentioned after a little thought. I decided to ask him about some individual songs and see if he could ID even newer artists associated with the music.

How about, “Need You Now”? He told me that this was one of his favorite songs from the last 6 months (?) but he wasn’t sure who the singers were. He knew it was a male and female duo. (Sorry Dave).

He knew that Toby Keith sings “Made in America” and that Billy Currington sings “People Are Crazy”.

He loves “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” but could not tell me who sang it with a gun to his head. He thought it might be Jason Aldean.

We are very lucky in the format right now as there are a ton of new and newish acts that sound like they could be around for a long time.

The earlier referenced Brantley Gilbert is near the top of the list. Thompson Square, and now Kip Moore make up the level of acts that have gotten significant radio play but are still finding a base of fans that can support an appearance on their own.

We have a strong tier of acts like Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Jake Owen who are now multiple No. 1 acts and can play bigger venues by themselves. Of course we have the stadium acts like Kenny, Carrie and Jason.

Just being able to identify these performers by only their first names is an indication that they have made it and are the big stars. Those of us inside the format can easily refer to Luke, Eric and Jake and know who we are talking about but my friend might be challenged to come up with their surnames and certainly he would have trouble matching a name with a face.

I admit that a focus group of one and particularly a male in his 40s is going to be a tough putt when discussing Country Music Radio but in order to grow the format we need to make these P2s comfortable and include them in our growth curve.

If you accept the above three tiers then in order to grow the format we need to work the fourth tier.

A couple of weeks back I watched Sonia Leigh absolutely capture the crowd at the CMA Music Fest Bud Light Stage. I had not seen her and her tight band perform before and I was impressed not only by her performance but by the passion of the smallish group of fans who did know her music.

That stage was hopping all day with The Trailer Choir working their butts off (pun intended in Big Vinny’s case) for the fans there and Jaida Dreyer, who is totally comfortable on stage and has a unique vocal styling that helps her stand out.

I know Vinny was on TV and the band was in the Toby Keith movie so they might have an advantage over some of the new acts but if we are going to move Luke, et al into tier one and then Brantley into tier two so we can make room for Sonia, Jaida, Maggie Rose, Andy Gibson, Jon Pardi, Thomas Rhett and on and on into the next group, radio has to step up and work it.

Because this is what radio does best. Nothing beats radio for introducing new artists to fans but not everyone has Shazam on their smart phones so it is incumbent on radio to talk about the new acts just like we talk about the Superstars.

The old slogan is true: If you play it, say it.

Many AC stations use song tags but this is not going to work on a current format like Country. WUBL in Atlanta used to tag the new songs. I like this but we need to know about what makes Dustin Lynch different from Greg Bates. Why is Edens Edge, beyond great harmonies, worth my 10 to 30 bucks for a CD or concert ticket?

I have talked about this many times and the recent CMA research convinces me that we are on the cusp of another format explosion. CHR Music is GREAT right now. The format has some killer music today but that music changes about every 6 months so who knows what acts will be noteworthy by Christmas on CHR.

Country is not like that. We are going to be playing Josh Thompson, Hunter Hayes and Gloriana for years. Let’s get to know them better. Ultimately we will see them on TV, which is the best way hook the face with the music, but radio is the best way to tell a story about the act.

As long as WYCD does not tell their listeners that Josh is a Green Bay Packer fan, he has a real chance to be star in Detroit.

We have so many great new acts to talk about, why keep the good news a secret?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

No. 1 Party: Jake Owen’s “Alone With You”

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(L-R): Razor & Tie Publishing’s Lisa Johnson, RCA Records’ Keith Gale, producer Rodney Clawson, co-writer JT Harding, Jake Owen, co-writer Catt Gravitt, Songs MP3’s Kelly King, co-writer Shane McAnally, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan, Little Blue Egg Publishing’s Robin Palmer, BMI’s Clay Bradley, and Kobalt Music Publishing’s Whitney Daane. Photo: Steve Lowry

RCA’s Jake Owen and songwriters, JT Harding, Catt Gravitt and Shane McAnally celebrated their recent No. 1 chart-topper, “Alone With You,” with a packed and sweaty crowd of Music Row friends and executives at Nashville’s Cabana on Tuesday (6/19).

Produced by Joey Moi and Rodney Clawson, the song marks Owen’s second trip to the top of the chart and Gravitt’s first country No. 1. McAnally and Harding previously had success together in 2011 with Kenny Chesney’s No. 1 hit “Somewhere With You.”

Plaques and awards were handed out in spades honoring the creative team. Presenters included BMI’s Clay Bradley, ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan and SESAC’s Shannan Hatch. Bradley was quick to point out “Jake has redefined his career with this record,” and the audience was in full agreement.

RCA Records’ Keith Gale joined the presenters and acknowledged, “This album should be called ‘Greatest Hits.'” The accolades continued with Razor & Tie Publishing’s Lisa Johnson, Songs MP3’s Kelly King, Little Blue Egg Publishing’s Robin Palmer, Kobalt Music Publishing’s Whitney Daane, Avenue Bank’s Ron Cox, CMA’s Brandi Simms and CRB’s Keith Kaufman.

Jake Owen took the stage and admitted, “It took awhile to get here and a lot of people to help me get here.” He gave a special thanks to Renee Bell for sending him the song two and a half years ago. He also thanked his new beautiful bride, Lacey who was among the attendees. Looking at the writers, he added, “You allow me to have a pretty awesome life.

The No. 1 celebration quickly began to resemble a night at Zanies as JT Harding gave a heartfelt thanks to his mom in the audience for never complaining about his loud music or coming to breakfast on a regular basis with KISS makeup on. Describing the writing session, Harding recalled that Gravitt “wanted to feel it” before agreeing the song was finished and made a graphic gesture that shocked he and McAnally into looking like “two cub scouts looking at a Playboy for the first time.” Giving much credit to Owen, Harding added, “He has to work ten times as hard with this song because its a booty call song, and no one as good looking as him has ever been someone’s booty call.”

Gravitt confessed, “I’m just lucky that I don’t have a pee bag and a wheelchair attached to my body ’cause it’s taken me so long get here. I am more grateful to Jake Owen than he knows.” After the laughter had settled, she then looked out over the audience; getting choked up admitting it has “taken a village for me.” Starting with her parents, she thanked the many people who had been influential in her career.

Taking his turn, McAnally also got emotional thanking his family who were in attendance. “I’m grateful to many people in this room,” he added. Addressing Owen, he said, “These are life changing events for us,” thanking him for taking a bold position and a risk in doing a song like this.” Calling his fellow co-writers “a wall of optimism,” McAnally thanked them bringing joy to his life.