Weekly Chart Report (5/18/12)

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EMI Records newcomer Kelleigh Bannen recently kicked off her radio tour to promote her debut single, “Rose Colored Glasses.” She brought a 'fish eye' lens to take photos with her visits with WVVR/Clarksville. Pictured (L-R): Fletch (Fletch & Bailey on WVVR) and Bannen

SPIN ZONE
It’s new No. 1 song time, as Luke Bryan’s “Drunk On You” climbs into the CountryBreakout Chart’s top position after 14 weeks of airplay. Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” moves up to No. 2, followed by Eli Young Band’s “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” at No. 3. Brantley, Toby, Kip, and The Band Perry also gain spins inside the Top 10.

Blake Shelton’s “Over” is really on the move, leaping to No. 30 in its third week on the chart. Other new offerings by Lady Antebellum (“Wanted You More”), George Strait (“Drinkin’ Man”) and newcomer Greg Bates (“Did It For The Girl”) are also making quick work of the chart. Lee Brice’s “Hard To Love” and Jake Owen’s “The One That Got Away” are neck-and-neck at No. 55 and 56, respectively, after only two weeks.

Several big debuts are impacting the chart, beginning with Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over.” Chesney and Tim McGraw’s “Feel Like A Rock Star” is in the upper reaches of the chart, but his new solo effort rocketed up to No. 63 in its first week of reporting. Newcomers Florida Georgia Line also made an impression with summertime-ready single “Cruise,” which lands at No. 71. Rascal Flatts’ “Come Wake Me Up” gains 203 spins to hit No. 77, and Due West’s “Things You Can’t Do In A Car” picks up 184 spins to jump to No. 79.

Frozen Playlists: KDOL, KYKX, WBKR, WBYZ, WXXK

Upcoming Singles
May 21
Blake Shelton/Over/Warner Bros./WMN
Bill Gentry/That Kind of Life/Tenacity
Rascal Flatts/Come Wake Me Up/Big Machine
Jake Owen/The One That Got Away/RCA

May 29
Jason Charles Miller/Up To Me/Render
Mavericks/Born to Be Blue/Valory
Big & Rich/That’s Why I Pray/WMN

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New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Kenny Chesney/Come Over/BNA – 63
Florida Georgia Line/Cruise/Big Loud Mountain – 71
Rick Monroe/Crazy Not To/Render Records – 75
Rascal Flatts/Come Wake Me Up/Big Machine – 77
Due West/Things You Can’t Do In A Car/Black River – 79
Kristen Kelly/Ex-Old Man/Arista – 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Blake Shelton/Over/Warner Bros. – 446
Lady Antebellum/Wanted You More/Capitol – 421
Kenny Chesney/Come Over/BNA – 374
Jake Owen/The One That Got Away/BNA – 232
Dierks Bentley/5-1-5-0/Capitol – 232

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Lady Antebellum/Wanted You More/Capitol – 28
Kenny Chesney/Come Over/BNA – 28
Blake Shelton/Over/Warner Bros. – 18
Rascal Flatts/Come Wake Me Up/Big Machine – 18
Due West/Things You Can’t Do In A Car/Black River – 16
Jake Owen/The One That Got Away/BNA – 15
Heidi Newfield/Why’d You Have To Be So Good/Sidewalk Records – 15
Greg Bates/Did It For The Girl/Republic Nashville – 13
Florida Georgia Line/Cruise/Big Loud Mountain – 11
Lee Brice/Hard To Love/Curb – 10
Little Big Town/Pontoon/Capitol – 10

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Jessie James/Military Man/Show Dog-Universal – 211
Craig Wayne Boyd/I Ain’t No Quitter/Big Ride – 198
Randy Houser/How Country Feels/Stoney Creek Records – 193
Sean Patrick McGraw/Git Yer Cowboy On/Little Engine Records – 191
Glen Templeton/Sing That Song Again/Black River Entertainment – 180

Black River Entertainment's Sarah Darling kicked off her radio tour this week with 103.7/WSOC in Charlotte. (L-R): Rick Baumgartner (Black River Ent.), Rick McCracken (WSOC MD), Sarah Darling, D.J. Stout (WSOC PD), and Megan Good (Black River Ent.)

Show Dog-Universal’s Trace Adkins paid a visit to Denver’s/KYGO while out on his his “Songs and Stories” Tour. (L-R): John Thomas (PD), Adkins, SDU Regional Promotion Director Lisa Owen, and Garret Doll (MD)

Darryl Worley visited with The Farm backstage at WWYZ/Hartford’s benefit for Wounded Warriors on Monday (5/14). Several country stars participated in the 92.5 "Swingin' and Singin" fundraiser at the Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Hartford. (L-R): Nick Hoffman (The Farm), Worley, and The Farm’s Krista Marie and Damien Horn

Charlie Cook On Air: Halfway MVP Awards

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We are already about half way through 2012. I hope that the Mayans were wrong, by the way.

I thought I would look at the MVPs at this point in the year. We have one awards show down and the CMA show coming in the fall. The CMT Awards show is in a couple of weeks and the MusicRow Awards nominees were announced earlier this week.

I don’t want to use just the awards and the nominations as the criteria for the “Halfway MVP” awards. If it was that easy I would just report on the nominees and winners so far. Additionally, the CMT awards use a very different standard than the other awards shows, as the video is the determining factor. First I thought I would look at some of the radio superstars that haven’t yet won awards.

Artists like Kip Moore and Lee Brice, who have not won performing awards yet, have had a huge presence on radio so far in 2012. Also true for the Eli Young Band and Brantley Gilbert.

We talk a lot about radio’s influence on sales but the number one advantage is introducing new acts to the public and the above acts are perfect examples of this benefit. To be fair it is really easy to look back six months and “make predictions.” If you can’t get that right you really have problems.

I went back and looked at some new artist/break through artist choices made in MusicRow in past years. Winners like The Band Perry, The Zac Brown Band and Lady Antebellum look like geniuses are picking these choices. Past winners also include Buddy Jewel, Eric Heatherly and Mark McGuinn.

Buddy had two big radio songs. Not so much for Eric and Mark.

There have been some past MVPs missing from the list this year. Someone is going to win the Albert Puljos award for first half of 2012 (renamed from the Adam Dunn Award-2011).

I have spoken to fans who are missing Sugarland. Easton Corbin has a hit on the radio right now but he seemed to disappear from the first half of the year. Randy Houser was on the cusp of exploding last year but has slowed down a bit this year.

Here are my “Halfway MVP” award nominees for 2012 and from this will come a “Halfway MVP” award winner.

  1. Montgomery Gentry: Their resurgence on the chart this year is much more impressive than first glance would indicate. Average Joe’s Entertainment took a flyer with the guys after they left Sony and paired them with a new producer that recaptured their old sound.
  2. Miranda Lambert: Country fans in Boston and Dallas love her for the same and different reasons. There is no doubt this lady lives and breathes Country but her lyrics are sophisticated and edgy enough to cut through the lives of every woman no matter if her accent is Long Os or Twang.
  3. Jake Owen: Two No. 1 songs in a row now. “Alone With You” is my so far favorite song of 2012. I guess when you’re personal life is going as well as this newlywed’s apparently is, your professional life is that much easier.
  4. Blake Shelton: Nothing else has to be said.
  5. Chris Young: Talk about being able to open a movie. How many No. 1s in a row? He is just so smooth and such an accomplished writer now that he is going to starring on his own tour shortly.
  6. Luke Bryan: See Jake and Chris.
  7. Kenny Chesney: In his case his year is just now getting started with the touring to begin. Kenny is not going to be the “Halfway MVP” but he is going to be in the top two at the end of the year.
  8. Jason Aldean: I saw his concert in Nashville and was blown away by his emergence as a TRUE format superstar. I also now know why I hate concerts. Young people (of which I am not included) stand through the entire show.
  9. Zac Brown Band: Just get used to them being on the list from now on.
  10. Eric Church: Right there.

The list could really be 20 artists. Lady A has had a great first half. Taylor, Flatts and Toby could be on the list but I had to cut it at some point. The above 10 have the buzz so far this year.

My choice for the “Halfway MVP” is Blake Shelton. Number one after number one, social media and TV exposure are hard to beat.

Who did I miss? Let me know your thoughts.

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

MusicRowPics: Craig Wayne Boyd

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Big Ride’s Craig Wayne Boyd stopped by MusicRow headquarters yesterday (5/16) to share some of his music, including his current single “I Ain’t No Quitter.” The video for the single was recently filmed and is expected to be released next month. The Dallas, TX native also shared cuts from his upcoming album due this summer including “Blood, Sweat and Beer” and “Dirty South.”

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BMI Will Bring Tailgate Party To LP Field For CMA Fest

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A BMI-sponsored stage will rev up fans outside LP Field during the CMA Music Festival, Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10. New this year, the BMI Tailgate Party will begin at 4:30 PM and will be located right off the Cumberland River outside LP Field, with BMI artists and songwriters performing before the Nightly Concerts.

The BMI Tailgate Party is free and open to the public. A limited amount of parking will be available at LP Field each night for $15 cash-only on a first come, first serve basis.

For fans who want to attend the Nightly Concerts at LP Field (see line-up here) after the BMI Tailgate Party, tickets are still available, but will likely sell out. Fans can purchase their tickets through Ticketmaster.com.

The BMI Tailgate Party Lineup
Thursday, June 7: Brent Cobb, Peach Pickers (Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson)
Friday, June 8: Kristen Kelly, Chuck Mead and His Grassy Knoll Boys, Trent Summar and the New Row Mob
Saturday, June 9: Florida Georgia Line, Chancie Neal, Mo Pitney
Sunday, June 10: Hogslop String Band, Kenny Vaughan, World Famous Headliners (Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp, and Pat McLaughlin)

Doug Dillard Passes Away

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Photo: Alan Mayor

Banjo player Doug Dillard passed away yesterday (5/16) at a Nashville, TN emergency room. He was 75 years old.

Dillard was born in Salem, MO in 1937. Signed to Elektra Records in the early 1960’s, Dillard and his band (The Dillards) appeared multiple times on The Andy Griffith Show as fictional family band the “Darlings.”

After that, Dillard joined the Byrds on the group’s European Tour, eventually partnering with former Byrds member Gene Clark to perform as the duo Dillard & Clark.

He was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

Lady A Helps Tornado Ravaged Community

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Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Lady Antebellum helped raise more than $285,000 at Louisville, KY’s KFC Yum! Center on May 16 to benefit the Henryville, IN community, which had been ravaged by a tornado earlier this year. All proceeds will be distributed through the New Hope/Indiana Bankers Association for the Disaster Relief Fund.

The group also hosted a private prom event with Henryville High School’s Juniors and Seniors where they surprised the students a with an acoustic performance, which was followed by the arena concert open to the public.

“This event started as an idea we had in the studio last year to crash someone’s prom,” explains Lady A’s Hillary Scott. “We had no idea at the time it would fill such a need. We are amazed by the support we’ve gotten from our fans, sponsors and the press. This is one of the proudest moments in our career!”

Lady A and ABC’s JuJu Chang visited Henryville High School where they toured the building that is currently under construction and planning to reopen this fall. The story will be featured today (5/17) on Good Morning America, World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, Nightline, ABC Radio and on ABC affiliates across the country.

Lady Antebellum presents funds to tornado ravaged Henryville, IN Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Donna Summer Passes, Leaves Disco Legacy

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Photograph from sessions for Summer's 2008 album Crayons.

Disco diva Donna Summer passed away today (5/17) at age 63 after quietly battling lung cancer for several months. She and husband Bruce Sudano were sometime Nashville residents who were in Florida, reportedly working on her new album, at the time of her passing.

Best known for a string of late-‘70s dance hits, Summer’s music helped define the era with “Hot Stuff,” “Last Dance,” “Bad Girls” and “Love To Love You Baby.” Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte were the producer and songwriter team behind her biggest hits in the ’70s.

Her success continued in the next decade as a singer and songwriter. “Starting Over Again,” which she wrote with Sudano, was a No. 1 country and Top 40 hit for Dolly Parton in 1980. Summer had a hit as an artist with “On The Radio,” which she penned with Moroder, and was covered by Emmylou Harris in 1983. She also scored big as an artist with the 1983 smash “She Works Hard For The Money.” In 1995 Reba McEntire took “Starting Over Again” back to the Top 20.

Born LaDonna Andre Gaines, Summer grew up performing in church in her hometown Boston. She eventually moved to Europe and married a German named Helmut Sommer and took his name.

She later married Sudano. In the mid-‘90s the couple moved to Brentwood with their two daughters. She became integrated with the community, serving on the board of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum from 2003-2005, and developing a friendship with the late legendary songwriter Harlan Howard.

Summer was a five-time Grammy winner and was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on several occasions, including this year.

“I can’t believe we’ve lost another wonderful singer,” Parton said in a statement today. “Donna, like Whitney, had one of the greatest voices ever. I loved her records. She was the disco queen, and will remain so. I knew her and found her to be one of the most likable and fun people ever. She will be missed and remembered.”

ET is reporting that funeral services will be held Mon., May 21 in Nashville.

Artist Updates (5/17/12)

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Miranda Lambert is featured on the cover of the June issue of Self Magazine, which is on newsstands now. Lambert appears under the heading of “15 Things I’ll Never Apologize For,” and discusses how to throw a punch, hairspray, and the ingredients to her signature cocktail the “Randarita.”

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Tim McGraw has teamed with the engineers at sound equipment company JBL to create his own line of headphones. The JBL Tim McGraw Artist Series headphones are available in On-Ear and In-Ear versions, and available for purchase here.

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MCA artist Kip Moore recently made his television debut, appearing on Live With Kelly. Moore performed his hit single “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck,” from his newly released debut album Up All Night. See the performance here.

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Gloriana will be featured on the upcoming episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette, set to air Monday, May 21. The group will perform a surprise concert in Charlotte, NC during a date between the star and one of her suitors.

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Love and Theft appears in the latest episode of GAC’s Day Jobs, where duo members Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson learn how to make whiskey at Popcorn Sutton’s White Whiskey Distillery. The episode initially aired last night (5/16), and will re-air throughout the week on GAC (check local listings for times).

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Up-and-coming artist Payton Rae recently filmed the video for her new single “Stomp The Fire Out” in Springfield, Tennessee, under the direction of Stephen Shepherd with Roger Pistole. “Stomp the Fire Out” was written by Pete Sallis, Karyn Williams, and Bryan White and will appear on the teen’s upcoming album project.

Legal Aid Hosts Music Row Breakfast

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The Legal Aid Society hosted its 3rd Annual Music Row breakfast yesterday (5/17) at Cabana. The newly-named Bob Sullivan Memorial Breakfast was held to facilitate a time for socializing, hearing about its services, and sharing how people have found hope for a new life with the help of the organization.

(L-R): Kevin Doherty, Richard Green, Lucinda Smith, Cathy Sullivan

The gathering of the Music Row community honored Richard A. Green, EVP & General Counsel, EMI Christian Music Group with the Bob Sullivan Service Award for over a decade of pro bono legal assistance. The event also provided an opportunity to reflect and remember the many contributions the late Bob Sullivan had made throughout his life and career and in particular to the Legal Aid Society.

The Legal Aid Society has provided free civil legal services to families with nowhere else to turn for more than 40 years. Sponsors for the breakfast included Shackelford, Zumwalt & Hayes; Burr & Forman; KraftCPAs; Loeb & Loeb; Milom, Horsnell, Crow, Rose & Kelley; and SunTrust.

The event host committee included Vic Alexander, Jeff Bradford, John Briggs, Kevin Doherty, Bob Doyle, Tim DuBois, Tiffany Dunn, Richard Green, Chris Farren, Craig Hayes, Daniel Hill, Kyle Lehning, Steve Markland, Mike Milom, Robert K. Oermann, Sherod Robertson, Thom Schuyler and Jody Williams.

Legal Aid Society is a private, non-profit organization that provides free legal services to people with low income. The members do not take criminal cases, only civil cases.

LAS has eight offices that serve 48 Tennessee counties. Offices are located in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. Information about the organization’s financials and programs can be found here and at www.las.org.

Martina Sells Out Midwest Tour Dates

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Photo: Becky Fluke

Martina McBride recently sold out all three of her recent Midwest tour stops during the One Night theater tour. The sold-out dates included Shooting Star Casino (Mahnomen, MN); Surf Ballroom (Clearlake, IA) and Honeywell Center (Wabash, IN).

Throughout most of the summer, McBride will be on the One Night tour, but on May 27 she will head to Indianapolis, IN to sing the national anthem at the 96th Indianapolis 500.

A couple weeks later on June 10, she will headline the CMA Music Festival’s LP Field show in Nashville. For more information click here.

UPCOMING DATES:
May 17           Austin, TX                           Austin City Limits Live
May 18           Houston, TX                        Arena Theatre
May 27           Indianapolis, IN                   Indianapolis Motor Speedway
June 8            Winstead, MN                     Winstock Country Music Festival
June 10          CMA Music Festival             LP Field
June 13          Vienna, VA                           Wolf Trap Filene Center
June 14          Kettering, OH                       Fraze Pavilion
June 16          Riverside, IA                         Riverside Casino & Golf Resort