Nashville Superstars Make Forbes “Celebrity 100” List

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Forbes recently revealed its annual Celebrity 100 list of the world’s most powerful celebrities, chronicling the earnings and media saturation of entertainers, athletes, and multi-media titans.

A few of Nashville’s biggest stars make the cut, led by Taylor Swift at No. 11. Her earnings for the previous 12 months totaled $57 million, and her social media ranking was seventh best overall. Just making the Top 50 at No. 49 is Toby Keith, who earned $55 million between his numerous ventures. Close behind at No. 53 is Kenny Chesney, and Brad Paisley lands at No. 68.

Jennifer Lopez is at the top of the list, with earnings over $52 million and a near constant media presence. The American Idol judge has parlayed her presence on that show into hit singles and endorsements from L’Oreal and Gillette as well as a clothing line at Kohl’s. She bests last year’s No. 1 Lady Gaga, who slips to fifth place overall. In the No. 2 slot is Oprah Winfrey, whose presence was actually somewhat diminished following the end of her syndicated television run.

See the full list here.

Parallel’s JP Williams Boosts Scholarships

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Parallel Entertainment CEO J.P. Williams recently donated $100,000 to scholarship funds at Belmont University, Murray State University and the University of Montana. The funds will be administered by a committee appointed by Williams, in association with IEBA and NATD.

$25,000 of the gift will go to the Ron Baird Scholarship Fund for Entertainment Management students at the University of Montana in Missoula. It will be distributed by IEBA and NATD. Baird previously headed CAA’s Nashville office and passed away last year.

$37,500 will be used to supplement the scholarship in Williams’ name at Belmont. Since founding the scholarship in 2007, IEBA has awarded money to five students in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business.

A $37,500 scholarship will also be founded in Williams’ name at Murray State University in Murray, KY. NATD will distribute the funds to students in the Music Business program.

Parallel Entertainment is behind the Blue Collar Comedy enterprise.

Dierks Bentley Covers Adele On “Unplugged”

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Dierks Bentley will perform some of his signature hits in a new episode of CMT”s Unplugged, which will debut exclusively on CMT.com Tuesday, May 29 at 1 pm/CT.

Included in the set list are Bentley’s hits “Am I The Only One,” “Up On The Ridge,” “Home,” current single “5-1-5-0” and a bluegrass take on Adele’s “Set Fire To The Rain.” For a sneak peak of Bentley’s Adele cover, click here.

“I love breaking my songs back down to their original acoustic foundation,” said Bentley. “When I write these songs by myself or with friends, we just use acoustic guitars… so, it’s fun to sometimes go back to just the simple groove and idea you had to begin with.”

The episode will also air as a half-hour special Saturday, June 2 at 8 pm/CT on Palladia; Monday, June 25 at 9 pm/CT on CMT and CMT PURE. Fans of CMT’s Facebook page will be able to see the episode in a dedicated tab starting Tuesday, May 29.

Big Machine Sponsors IndyCar Champion

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Dario Franchitti

Big Machine Records is sponsoring four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti’s No. 50 car during the 96th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday, May 27.

The Big Machine Records logo will appear on Franchitti’s helmet and fire suit during the race, which will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 11 am/CT. Republic Nashville’s Martina McBride will sing the national anthem during pre-race ceremonies at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The event is a bittersweet moment for racing aficionado and BMLG President and CEO Scott Borchetta, who was a sponsor of the late Dan Wheldon’s winning car at last year’s Indy 500.

“Winning the Indy 500 is the pinnacle of auto sport achievements and Dan’s dramatic last-lap win last year will be with us always,” said Borchetta. “Dario was a great friend to Dan and we’re honored that he will carry our defending champion’s logo on Sunday. Let’s not forget that Dario is no stranger to Victory Lane at Indy, previously winning the 500 mile race twice… And let’s not be surprised if he again finds his way first to the checkers.”

BMLG will also sponsor the upcoming Brickyard 400 NASCAR series race July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which has been re-christened as Crown Royal Presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com. The race weekend will feature a special concert by The Band Perry, Justin Moore, The Mavericks, Greg Bates and others. BLMG originally sponsored the Brickyard 400 in 2011, the first time a record label has ever presented a nationally televised race.

Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” Added to National Recording Registry

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Dolly Parton has achieved another historic milestone: her classic song “Coat Of Many Colors” has been added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

One of 25 recordings selected annually for being “historically, culturally or aesthetically significant,” “Coat Of Many Colors” brings the Registry’s total number of recordings to 350. The Congress said “Coat Of Many Colors” “affectionately recounts an impoverished childhood in the hills of Tennessee that was made rich by the love of her family.” Joining Parton in the Registry this year are Patsy Montana, Donna Summer, the Grateful Dead and Prince plus historical recordings of former American slaves (recorded in 1930), Leonard Bernstein, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” and Parliament’s “Mothership Connection.”

For more information, visit www.dollypartonmusic.net.

Luke Bryan To Perform On “The Bachelorette”

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Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan will appear in the third episode of the new season of ABC’s The Bachelorette, which airs May 28.

During a special one-on-one date in the streets of downtown Charlotte, NC, Bryan will perform his current single, “Drunk On You,” and his No. 1 hit “Do I” for the Bachelorette and one of her suitors. The show airs Mondays at 7 pm/CT on ABC.

In addition to headlining his own dates, Luke is currently on the road with Jason Aldean as part of the 2012 My Kinda Party Tour.

Artist Updates (5/25/12)

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Prior to his 2011 Goin’ Coastal tour, Kenny Chesney partnered with sunglasses maker Costa Del Mar to design a line of signature sunglasses with proceeds benefiting the Coastal Conservation Association. The partnership has continued into 2012, and Chesney is introducing five new signature styles with proceeds again benefiting CCA. Costa has also been announced as a title sponsor for Chesney’s online No Shoes Radio. To date, the partnership has raised over $50,000. Check out the frames here.

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Josh Turner’s new album Punching Bag (MCA) isn’t due to hit stores until June 12, but fans can check him out performing songs from the release today (5/25) in the exclusive concert series HSN LIVE Presents Josh Turner sponsored by Cricket. The show starts at 8 pm/CT and will air on HSN, HSN.com, HSN Mobile and HSN’s Facebook page. Fans will also have the opportunity to pre-order Punching Bag bundled with ICON Series: The Best of Josh Turner for $19.95.

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Our friends over at Her Nashville have a couple of interesting musical articles in the  “Her Music City” issue that hit stands this week. “The Pioneering Ladies of Music Row” by Elizabeth Ulrich discusses Music Row’s early power females Frances W. Preston, Patsy Bradley, Liz Thiels and Denise Stiff. Read it here. Also in the issue is a style spread with local musicians dressed up as iconic artists. Featured in the shoot are Courtney Jaye, Sarah Darling, and Zarna Surti as The Supremes; Ashley Monroe as Nancy Sinatra; Sarah Davidson as Dolly Parton; and Ruby Amanfu as Billie Holiday. Check it out here.

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Keith Urban recently debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Album Chart in Australia with his album The Story So Far. The Australian release collects the most popular tracks from his US albums Get Closer, Defying Gravity, Love Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing, Be Here, and Golden Road as well as his current US single “For You.”

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Jo Dee Messina is a mother of two and has been chronicling the ups and downs of motherhood in her blog “The Fumbling Mom” since its launch in January 2012. Now content from the blog will be featured in The Tennesean’s Family section going forward, which can be found online here.

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Up-and-coming country artist David Bradley is supporting America’s military with a Memorial Day Weekend special. Starting today (5/25) through Monday (5/28), for anyone who purchases Bradley’s song “Get A Hero Home” from iTunes, he will donate a portion of the proceeds to Healing Heroes Network.

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To celebrate the one year anniversary of her viral sensation “The People of Walmart,” Nashville’s Jessica Frech is hosting a free live U-stream concert for her fans. The show will take place at 8 pm June 7, and can be viewed on her website jessicamusic.com.

CountryBreakout No. 1 Song

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People will talk. If you’ve been the jerk in a relationship, someone’s going to find out and word will spread. And if you’re really a creep, you might have a cautionary song written about you.

Thus Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl,” which is the new No. 1 song on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. Carrie casts herself in the role of jilted ex-lover trying to warn an innocent girl about this no good dude and how badly he will mess her up if she sticks around. In the song’s video, Carrie plays both roles for a Black Swan/White Swan effect. Carrie co-wrote “Good Girl” with Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley.

From its release in late February, “Good Girl” has been an event. The lead single from Carrie’s fourth album Blown Away, the song has already been certified Gold for downloads exceeding 500,00 units. Blown Away was released May 1 and debuted at No. 1 with more than 267,000 units sold. Carrie and her husband Mike Fisher (of the Nashville Predators) also recently sat down with Oprah Winfrey for the couple’s first TV interview together. See videos from the appearance here.

Sixth Annual Songwriters Series Announced

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The Sixth Annual Songwriters Series is set for June 7-9 at the Hard Rock Café in Nashville, and as in years past, will benefit Musicians On Call (MOC) Nashville. The three night event, hosted by the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville and presented by SiriusXM Radio, features many of country music’s best songwriters.

Tickets start at $10 and are available here. 

ASCAP – June 7

Kyle Jacobs, Rivers Rutherford, Brett James, Tony Lane

BMI – June 8

Phil O’Donnell, Tim James, Kendell Marvel, Bob DiPiero

SESAC- June 9

Cledus T Judd, Rob Hatch, Lance Miller, Cary Barlowe

 

Country Throwdown and The Boot Campaign Honor Military Families

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The Country Throwdown Tour and The Boot Campaign have announced the Country Throwdown Tour Contest sponsored by Southwest Airlines. Anyone in the United States can nominate an eligible military family to win a pack of four VIP tickets to one of five stops on the summer 2012 Country Throwdown Tour.

The public can nominate a military family whose family member is active duty military or received an honorable discharge within the last two years, resides in the continental United States, and served or is serving any branch of service, including the Guard and Reserve. Nominations will be received from May 24 through June 25.  Check contest rules for specific entry periods.

Concert locations include Glen Allen, VA (June 13), Pittsburgh (June 16), Milwaukee, WI (June 28), Chicago (June 30), and Nashville (July 8). Winners selected for each city will be flown courtesy of Southwest Airlines, receive hotel accommodations, four tickets to the concert, a chance to stand side stage, a meet and greet with Gary Allan, and a pair of the Boot Campaign’s “Give Back Boots.”

Nominate a military family for the Boot Campaign “Country Throwdown Tour Contest” here.

At the Nashville Country Throwdown tour stop on July 8, Headliner Gary Allan will be joined by performers Corey Smith, Sunny Sweeney, Eric Paslay, Florida Georgia Line, Maggie Rose as well as special guests Drake White and Jonathan Singleton and the Grove for a combination of classic and innovative country music. The Bluebird Cafe tent will feature emerging singer-songwriters Channing Wilson, Rose Falcon, Carly Pearce and Mama’s Blue Dress.

“As we roll into our third summer of Country Throwdown, the team put together a can’t-miss package for true country fans, and we’re excited to spotlight some of country music’s greatest acts,” said tour co-founder and co-producer Sarah Baer.

Tickets can be purchased here.