Cracker Barrel Exclusives From Jason Michael Carroll, Oak Ridge Boys

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Two new country offerings are hitting shelves at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Jason Michael Carroll—a one-time server at the restaurant in his North Carolina hometown—has released the CD Numbers exclusively through the store. The album is available now and contains 11 new songs and one previous hit “Alyssa Lies.”
The Oak Ridge Boys will release their new album It’s Only Natural through the Cracker Barrel exclusive music program on Sept. 19. The CD celebrates the thirtieth year of “Elvira” with a re-recording of that signature hit, along with six other hits, plus five new songs.
In addition to the CD, the Oaks will celebrate another  milestone on Aug. 6 when they are officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

CRS Sneak Peek

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Country Radio Seminar organizers are giving an early look into what lies ahead at CRS 2012. The annual event will return to the downtown Nashville Convention Center Feb. 22-24, 2012.
Keynote—Bob Pittman, Clear Channel’s Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms, kicks off CRS 2012 with the keynote address on Wed., Feb. 22.
Research—CRS has commissioned a far-reaching national Country radio study, which will debut exclusively at CRS 2012.
Education—Panels will cover social media in-depth, digital transition challenges, promotion strategies, branding and ratings, as well as the latest in PPM and radio diary technology.
Musical Performances—A special Wednesday night performance event is debuting at CRS 2012, along with Friday’s popular New Faces show, the PRO songwriter showcases and three label luncheon concerts.
Awards—The Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony unofficially kicks off CRS 2012 in the Nashville Convention Center on Tues., Feb. 21, 2012.
More than 2,600 industry professionals attended Country Radio Seminar last year. Details and the early bird registration rate of $399 are available for a limited time at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com or by calling (615) 327-4487.

Church Enjoys Heavenly Sales

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Capitol Chieftain Mike Dungan and his flock of the Capitol faithful have created a revival of sorts. First and foremost they receive a righteous shout out for launching Eric Church into the No. 1 spot on both the Top 200 and Country album charts with sales of almost 145,000 units. Secondly, their efforts have had the devout effect of raising country’s YTD album sales increase into heavenly territory above that of overall sales. According to Nielsen SoundScan, country album sales YTD are now up 2.9% while overall album sales are only up 1.8%.
And let’s not “pew pew” Church’s digital sales. The Chief album was downloaded over 51,000 times or 35% of total album sales. This is a lofty number which shows that country fans are rapidly jumping over the country chasm, aka—digital divide.
The congregation is still out on how this might have happened. Typically album sales are radio driven. Yet Church’s current single “Homeboy” is outside the Top 10 on mainstream radio charts and the single shows up this week at a lackluster No. 17 on the country tracks chart, hardly divine positions. (“Homeboy” has gone Gold however, in less than 21 weeks.)  And yet Chief is the second highest country debut of the year (behind Brad Paisley), outselling others this year that hit debut weeks with “perfect” textbook setups. So what has made the difference?  Could it be the artist’s strong touring schedule? Social networking?
“Is Eric the new Hank Jr.?” asks sales veteran Neal Spielberg. “There’s hits and then there are polarizing records that touch people and create rabid fans. Church has done a great job of converting people into solid fans.”
Church’s manager John Peets from Q Prime South has a pretty strong theory. “Yes it feels like a sea change of sorts for the country music industry,” he says. “The story here is that Eric didn’t get the traditional exposure that you would expect to be necessary to reach these levels. It wasn’t there for him, although we’re grateful for everything we did get. But what it tells me is that the new power is in the hands of the people. That is to say, the magic is created by great records with a point of view. And that’s what Eric has done with three great albums. It’s like we’ve reached a tipping point of sorts. We are just blown away and encouraged by this. It’s like Eric’s music represents something even bigger than him.”
“We have always put everything we have into making the best records possible,” explains Church. “Complete, individual pieces of work that strive to be as different and innovative as they are creative and artistic. It is a journey that at times has led us down the road less traveled. It is very humbling and rewarding to learn that a lot of people decided to follow us down this path. I can’t thank my fans enough and look forward to where this trip takes us next.”
Are we writing a new page in the country music sales handbook? Is social networking and digital word of mouth gaining critical mass? That would be great, since the existing book hasn’t delivered stellar results over the past few years. Please comment below…

Richard Falken Joins Cumulus Nashville

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Richard Falken


Cumulus Radio is beefing up its Nashville team with the addition of radio vet Richard Falken. The CMA and ACM award-winning radio producer has been named Director of Promotion over all of the cluster’s local stations. Falklen makes the move from Clear Channel where he served as producer of Gerry House and The House Foundation for the past six years.
At Cumulus Falken will report directly to VP/Market Manager, Mike Carpenter. The cluster includes Super Talk 99.7/WTN, 92Q/WQQK, 95.5-FM/WSM, Classic Hits 97.1/WRQQ, and i106/WNFN.
Falklen is also the owner and president of Lighthearted Productions, Inc., and has held positions at Wolf Fang Productions, Ltd., Music Sales Corporation and The Lou Levy Music Company in New York City.
A graduate of Arizona State University and Florida State University, Falklen is a committee member for the Music City Tennis Invitational and current president of the Middle Tennessee Tennis Association.

Photo Spread: James Burton, Pete Huttlinger, Pickin' On The Patio

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Museum honors Burton with Nashville Cats Program
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum recently (7/23) honored James Burton in its quarterly Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Musicians series. Throughout the program, which included rare recordings and videos, Burton discussed his experiences playing on the Louisiana Hayride, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Shindig. In addition to playing on thousands of recordings including “Susie-Q” (Dale Hawkins), “Mama Tried” (Merle Haggard), “Two More Bottles of Wine” (Emmylou Harris) and “Hello Mary Lou” (Ricky Nelson), Burton toured with John Denver, Harris, Nelson and Elvis Presley. He is also a pioneer of the “Bakersfield Sound” and helped popularize the “chicken picking” style of guitar playing.

Pictured (L-R): Johnny Rivers, Paul Leim, Ed King, James Burton, Norbert Putnam, Kenny Lovelace, David Briggs, Wayne Moss, Dan Penn, Chip Young and program host Bill Lloyd. Photo: Donn Jones


Pete Huttlinger Returns To Nashville For All-Star Benefit
Pop icon John Oates welcomed guitarist Pete Huttlinger back to the stage after months of hospitalization at a benefit in his honor last week at Nashville’s Mercy Lounge. Among the evening’s highlights were performances by Vince Gill, Baillie & The Boys, Alyssa Bonagura, Jeff Hanna, Mark Selby, Bill Lloyd, John Jorgenson, and Huttlinger’s step-daughter Sean Della Croce, whose mom is publicist Erin Morris Huttlinger.
Noted guitarist Huttlinger suffers from a congenital heart defect that has required the implantation of a heart pump while he awaits a heart transplant. Immediately following the Nashville benefit, Huttlinger returned to Texas Heart Institute in Houston where he is being treated until he can receive the new heart in Nashville. To make an online donation go to www.petehuttlinger.com.

Pete Huttlinger (L) and John Oates (R) perform a John Denver song at the recent benefit. Photo: Steve Lowry


WMG Pickin’ On The Patio
Warner Music Nashville hosted its signature Pickin’ On The Patio event last Thursday night, featuring Elektra Records’ country newcomer Dean Alexander and Fervent Records’ soulful new songstress Dara Maclean. The next Pickin’ On The Patio will be Aug. 25.

Pictured (L-R): Word Entertainment President and CEO Rod Riley, Dara Maclean, Dean Alexander and Warner Music Nashville President and CEO John Esposito

Photo Spread: James Burton, Pete Huttlinger, Pickin’ On The Patio

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Museum honors Burton with Nashville Cats Program
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum recently (7/23) honored James Burton in its quarterly Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Musicians series. Throughout the program, which included rare recordings and videos, Burton discussed his experiences playing on the Louisiana Hayride, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Shindig. In addition to playing on thousands of recordings including “Susie-Q” (Dale Hawkins), “Mama Tried” (Merle Haggard), “Two More Bottles of Wine” (Emmylou Harris) and “Hello Mary Lou” (Ricky Nelson), Burton toured with John Denver, Harris, Nelson and Elvis Presley. He is also a pioneer of the “Bakersfield Sound” and helped popularize the “chicken picking” style of guitar playing.

Pictured (L-R): Johnny Rivers, Paul Leim, Ed King, James Burton, Norbert Putnam, Kenny Lovelace, David Briggs, Wayne Moss, Dan Penn, Chip Young and program host Bill Lloyd. Photo: Donn Jones

Pete Huttlinger Returns To Nashville For All-Star Benefit

Pop icon John Oates welcomed guitarist Pete Huttlinger back to the stage after months of hospitalization at a benefit in his honor last week at Nashville’s Mercy Lounge. Among the evening’s highlights were performances by Vince Gill, Baillie & The Boys, Alyssa Bonagura, Jeff Hanna, Mark Selby, Bill Lloyd, John Jorgenson, and Huttlinger’s step-daughter Sean Della Croce, whose mom is publicist Erin Morris Huttlinger.

Noted guitarist Huttlinger suffers from a congenital heart defect that has required the implantation of a heart pump while he awaits a heart transplant. Immediately following the Nashville benefit, Huttlinger returned to Texas Heart Institute in Houston where he is being treated until he can receive the new heart in Nashville. To make an online donation go to www.petehuttlinger.com.

Pete Huttlinger (L) and John Oates (R) perform a John Denver song at the recent benefit. Photo: Steve Lowry

WMG Pickin’ On The Patio
Warner Music Nashville hosted its signature Pickin’ On The Patio event last Thursday night, featuring Elektra Records’ country newcomer Dean Alexander and Fervent Records’ soulful new songstress Dara Maclean. The next Pickin’ On The Patio will be Aug. 25.

Pictured (L-R): Word Entertainment President and CEO Rod Riley, Dara Maclean, Dean Alexander and Warner Music Nashville President and CEO John Esposito

DISClaimer Single Reviews (8/3/11)

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It’s nice to know that country hasn’t forgotten its sense of humor.
Reckless Kelly’s “Good Luck & True Love” made me smile because of its cleverness. Sam Roark found me grinning from ear to ear with her merry “Check Out Girl.” Buddy Jewell had me openly chuckling from his performance of “Jesus, Elvis & Me.” And, trust me, you have GOT to listen to “No Beer Here” by Amy Ames. It is a complete hoot.
There was no contest for the DisCovery Award. Our winner is clearly Casey James. He might come from American Idol, but this Texan is more than a karaoke singer. He can actually play the guitar.
Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones of the duo Steel Magnolia recently became engaged to be married. Let me be the first with a congratulations gift, a Disc of the Day prize.
BILL GENTRY/This Letter
Writer: Arlos Smith/Rick Giles/Walker Hayes; Producer: Chad Carlson; Publisher: Jeff, Jack and the Mule/Plaid Cactus/1808/Purple Cape/Breaking New Ground/On a Walk/Sony-ATV Tree, SESAC/BMI; Tenacity (www.billgentrynatioin.com)
—The track is gorgeous, full of echoey bass, sighing steel, deftly twanged guitar and swooping fiddle. The producer seems to have fallen in love with it, too, for it sometimes threatens to overwhelm the clearly enunciated tenor vocal. The song’s too-predictable lyric is a case of romantic mistaken identity. The track fades with the same lovely instrumental work that introduces it. Worth some spins.
STEEL MAGNOLIA/Bulletproof
Writer: Lori McKenna/Chris Tompkins; Producer: Dann Huff; Publisher: Melanie Howard/Big Loud Songs, ASCAP; Big Machine (track)
—These newly engaged kids sing their faces off on this snarky rocker about surviving a bitter breakup. Meghan, in particular, is white-hot vocally here. Splendidly listenable.
MICHAEL MANDELLA/Simple Things
Writer: Eddie Cunningham/Jeffrey Steele; Producer: Michael Mandella; Publisher: none listed; MMM (track) (www.michaelmandellamusic.com)
—This slab of California beefcake (he’s posing shirtless on the CD cover) has titled his album American Outlaw. But its debut single is an attempt at down-the-center country balladry. I say, “attempt” because all the echo chamber in the world can’t hide those vocal pitch disasters. We’re talking painful, people.
CASEY JAMES/Let’s Don’t Call It A Night
Writer: Casey James/Brice Long/Terry McBride; Producer: Chris Lindsey; Publisher: EMI Foray/Songs of Send Me the Checks/Orbison/Turn Me On/BMG Chrysalis, SESAC/BMI; 19/BNA
—Another day, another American Idol alumnus. This one finished third on the show in 2010. His single is a nicely bluesy outing with a slow-burn, come-on lyric. Promising.
RECKLESS KELLY/Good Luck & True Love
Writer: Willy Braun; Producer: David Abeyta, Cody Braun & Willie Braun; Publisher: C&P Fah-Q, BMI; No Big Deal (track) (www.recklesskelly.com)
—I’ve always liked these guys. Their latest Austin outing is the album title tune that bops along with a personable vocal drawl, jingle-jangle guitars and cool “answering” harmony voices. In addition to great music, this project has spectacular graphics. Buy it.
BUDDY JEWELL/Jesus, Elvis & Me
Writer: Chris Stapleton/Tim James; Producer: Michael Bush & Buddy Jewell; Publisher: EMI April/Harry Fox/New Sea Gayle/Play Fairchild, ASCAP; Diamond Dust (CDX)
—Highly entertaining. The neo-rockabilly track gallops along while the lyric rattles off witty Elvis and holy-roller one liners. One favorite: “She loves to hear the preachin’ at a Southern revival/She takes a custom-made, blue-suede King James Bible.” Another: “She was singing ‘Rock of Ages’ first line third verse/It was all that I could do to keep from fallin’ in love/When she followed ‘Hallelujah’ with ‘thankyouverymuch.’”
AMY AMES/No Beer Here
Writer: Amy Ames/Eddie Hedges; Producer: Eddie Hedges; Publisher: Amy Ames/Eddie Hedges, BMI; Grand Channel (CDX) (www.amyames.com)
—This toe tapper has zippy fiddling, dandy banjo plunking and hilarious backup men practically burping their lines. The whole thing is so goofy and zany that it doesn’t even matter that she can just barely sing. Must be heard to be believed.
JOANNA MOSCA & RICHIE McDONALD/Where Does Good Love Go
Writer: Tania Hancheroff/Jimmy Ritchey/Billy Lawson; Producer: Bryan White; Publisher: Universal/Z Tunes/Fox Ridge/Artone, BMI/ASCAP; Dolce Diva (CDX) (917-701-5914)
—Richie leads things off with his hearty tenor. Her pert delivery takes over for a couple of lines before he begins harmonizing expertly. The mid-tempo tune is quite nicely penned. Another plus: it’s as country as grits.
NICK VERZOSA/She Only Loves Me When I’m Leavin’
Writer: Nick Verzosa/Matt Harlan; Producer: Walt Wilkins; Publisher: Tiyaga/Ghost Moon, BMI; Indie Extreme (www.nickverzosa.com)
—Send this to remedial melody camp. Uptempo dullsville.
SAM ROARK/Check Out Girl
Writer: Ron Davies/Ron Kimbro/Michael Witty; Producer: Joe Sun; Publisher: Meeshides/Cheap Cigar/Sleepover Boy, ASCAP; KAT (www.samroark.com)
—Samantha sings the sprightly, smiling tale of the grocery check-out gal who steals the cash from the register, hits the road with a touring band and then ditches the guys by taking off in their bus. I like the little breaks in her voice, the dobro-laced production and the rollicking tempo. Delightfully different.

Early Williams Recordings To See Light Of Day

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A new Hank Williams CD set will be released Sept. 13. Hank Williams: The Legend Begins is a 3-CD package coming via Time Life.
One disc, entitled “Rare And Unreleased,” contains the earliest recordings of a 15-year-old Williams, as well as four songs from a 1940 home recording. The other two CDs are from Williams’ first syndicated radio show in 1949, called “Health And Happiness.”
The music on The Legend Begins has been restored using the same much-lauded technology that was used on the Grammy nominated Williams project, The Complete Mother’s Best Recordings….Plus!

Luke Bryan Preps Album, Tour Launch

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Luke Bryan covers the August issue of “Nashville Lifestyles."


Luke Bryan is blazing toward a busy fall with next week’s album release, followed by the CMT On Tour run launching in September.
The Capitol Nashville album tailgates & tanlines will street Aug. 9. His third studio set features 13 new tracks, eight of which were co-written by Bryan, including lead single “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” It is No. 7 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart, and quickly approaching 1 million downloads, making it the fastest-selling and fastest-rising song of his career. The album is available for pre-order at iTunes, and is streaming in its entirety at Rhapsody.
Bryan will kick-off release week with street date appearances on LIVE! With Regis and Kelly and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He follows that with performances on the Today Show (8/10), ABC’s CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock (8/14), Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio Live series, and visits to GAC and CMT.
Bryan is currently on the Tim McGraw Emotional Traffic Tour, and then heads out on the 10th annual CMT On Tour with special guests Lee Brice and Josh Thompson, and CMT’s Next Superstar winner Matt Mason. The run kicks off Sept. 15 in Huntington, West Virginia and play 22 shows before wrapping Nov. 19 in Monroe, Louisiana.
tailgates & tanlines is the follow-up to Bryan’s Gold-certified album Doin’ My Thing, which produced three back-to-back No. 1 singles: “Do I,” “Rain Is A Good Thing” and “Someone Else Calling You Baby.”
See the tailgates & tanlines tracklisting here.

As Exit/In Turns 40, New Venue Coming To Nashville

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Nashville’s celebrated live music hall Exit/In will mark its 40th anniversary next month. The club opened in September 1971 at its current Elliston Place location and became known as the “Rock Block.”
The anniversary celebration has lined up acts from throughout the venue’s history for a series of shows kicking off the week of Sept. 6. Confirmed are performances by Guy Clark, Griffin House, Clayton Bellamy, Marshall Chapman, Barefoot Jerry, Mac Gayden, Dianne Davidson, Tracy Nelson, Alex Harvey, Will Kimbrough, Tommy Womack, Tom Kimmel, Buzz Cason, The Babushka Brothers, Lee Clayton, Jimmy Hall, Matthew Perryman Jones, James Talley, and Cadillac Blacks. Proceeds from the event will benefit MusiCares, which assists musicians and their families in need. Details at exitin.com.
As Exit/In reaches a milestone, its owner Josh Billue is part of a team planning to add a new venue to Nashville’s landscape. He joins Chris Cobb (Sell Out Presents, Live On The Green, Next Big Nashville/SoundLand) and Telisha Arguelles Cobb (Special Events Plus) in opening the multi-use space in October in Marathon Village. It looks to fill the void left by the shuttering of 328 Performance Hall and City Hall, and also maintain a commitment to eco-friendly efforts, charitable community outreach, and left of center music.
Owners aren’t disclosing the venue’s exact capacity yet, but say they are creating the space to fill the void in the market for a mid-sized venue. “Music industry professionals across the country recognize the need, in Nashville, for a mid-sized venue that offers all the modern amenities that concertgoers and performers expect in a city like Nashville. Our plan is to meet that need,” says Chris Cobb.
Lightning 100 is hosting a contest through Aug. 5 for Nashvillians to name the venue. Every submission will receive one ticket to the grand opening show. Favorite submissions will then be voted on by listeners.
For more information contact Telisha Arguelles Cobb at 615-497-1549 or [email protected].
Editor’s note: For insight into contests like this, see today’s subscriber-only article on crowdsourcing.