Connie Smith To Begin Hall of Fame Residency

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Connie Smith has been named the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2011 Artist-in-Residence and will give special performances at 7 pm August 22, August 29 and September 12 in the Ford Theater. Smith will host the shows, which will feature her own hits as well as appearances by some of her favorite collaborators.
The Museum’s residency program annually honors a master who can be credited with contributing a large and significant body of work to American popular music. Previous honorees for the program, which started in 2003, include Cowboy Jack Clement, Earl Scruggs, Tom T. Hall, Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill and Buddy Miller.
“Connie Smith possesses one of the most powerful and recognizable voices in country music,” says Museum Director Kyle Young. “Her body of work includes more than 50 albums, and her signature song, ‘Once a Day,’ remains one of country music’s most popular classics. When Connie sings, she takes us on an emotional journey, wringing every teardrop and ounce of feeling from her lyrics. We are thrilled that she will be bringing those talents to the Ford Theater for three one-of-a-kind shows.”
Smith’s smash No. 1 hit “Once A Day” emerged from her early partnership with Bill Anderson, and was the first debut single by a female artist to top the country charts. Other hits followed, like “Then and Only Then,” “Ain’t Had No Lovin’,” and “Cincinatti, Ohio.” She pursued a more spiritual direction through the ‘70s, and took a hiatus in the ‘80s to raise her family. In the 1990s she began working with Marty Stuart on her self-titled Warner Bros. album, and the collaboration turned into romance, followed by marriage. Smith’s new album Long Line of Heartaches (Sugar Hill) is due out August 23 and features songs she penned with Stuart as well as compositions by Dallas Frazier, Harlan Howard, Kostas and more.
Tickets for the Hall of Fame shows are $35 for museum members and $45 for the general public. Members will have the opportunity to purchase starting Tuesday, August 2, with the general public tickets available Friday, August 5. All tickets are available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org.

Jaron Brings "Sunday Suppers" To Douglas Corner in July

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Jaron Lowenstein (Jaron and The Long Road to Love) and Joe Firstman, former bandleader for Last Call With Carson Daly, are hosting weekly “Sunday Supper” concerts at Nashville’s Douglas Corner throughout the month of July.
The most recent show featured a surprise guest performance by Big Kenny. The week prior, singer/songwriters James Otto and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley performed a few of their favorite covers. Jason “Slim” Gamble of Lady Antebellum, and Steve Gorman of The Black Crowes have also made appearances.
“The best way to describe this is a bunch of musicians getting together and playing the best music they can find and frequently inviting other artists and musicians to join in when they know a song– and doing it all solely for the purpose of pleasing an audience who have the same passion for music like we do,” says Jaron.
The idea for “Sunday Suppers” emerged when old friends, Jaron and Firstman reunited in Nashville 10 years after having first met in Los Angeles and began picking some songs on the porch. They decided the music was simply too fun not to share with others. The shows also pay homage to a Sunday series that Joe Firstman hosted along with Danny Masterson (That 70’s Show) in Hollywood, California in the mid 2000’s featuring weekly guests such as John Mayer, Christina Aguilera and others.
Shows are every Sunday in July at 8 p.m. and is open to the public, free of charge. Seating is first come first serve.

Krinik Returns to Capitol/EMI Nashville

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Promotion and radio veteran Mike Krinik will re-join the Capitol/EMI Records Nashville family as Regional Director of Northeast Promotion for EMI Records Nashville. He will be based out of Nashville, where he will report directly to EMI VP Promotion Angela Lange and represent the label’s roster of Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Jon Pardi, Troy Olsen and Eric Paslay.
Krinik was most recently Program Director for Entercom’s KBWF/San Francisco, and prior to that held the position of Regional Director of West Coast Promotion for Capitol Nashville 2005-2009. He also served as PD for Entercom’s WGGY’s Scranton, PA.
“It’s always special when you’re able to bring back a member of the family,” says Capitol/EMI SVP Promotion Steve Hodges. “Mike is a seasoned vet, a true promotion/marketing professional, and I am thrilled to bring him back to where he belongs, in our building!”
Krinik’s first day on the job is July 11. Reach him at mike.krinik@emicap.com or 615-269-2083.

Toby Keith Sings For The Bluebird

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(L-R): Bobby Pinson, Toby Keith and Scotty Emerick


Toby Keith headlined a benefit show for The Bluebird Cafe earlier this week at the famed venue. Joining him were hit songwriters Bobby Pinson and Scotty Emerick, who have collaborated with the star on some of his biggest hits.
The event, part of the BirdSongs Series, raised $20,000 for the listening room. Contributing to the total was the cover charge and the auction of two autographed guitars donated by Takamine.
The Bluebird’s BirdSongs Series was created in 2010 to help pay off the debt accrued through NSAI’s purchase of the legendary club.
Keith was named NSAI’s Songwriter of the Decade for his hits from 2000-2010.
Further BirdSongs shows are in the works and will be announced at bluebirdcafe.com.

Milestones For Sara Evans, Margaret Durante

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Rising country singer Margaret Durante set a record on the GAC Top 20 Country Countdown last week when “Maybe Tonight” became the first music video from an artist on an independent label to debut at No. 1. The 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Maryland was added to rotation on the channel only two weeks prior, and fans rallied their votes for the newcomer, giving her the impressive debut on the weekly video countdown. Click to see Durante’s team members.

Margaret Durante on the set of her new video.


• • • • •
Sara Evans’ single “A Little Bit Stronger” has been certified platinum by the RIAA for one million digital downloads. Written by Hillary Scott, Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, the song was a multi-week No. 1 hit. Read about the No. 1 party here.
Evans’ new single is “My Heart Can’t Tell You No.” Co-written by Dennis W. Morgan and Simon Climie, the song was originally recorded by Rod Stewart.

Weekly Chart Report (7/01/11)

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Becky Brenner


RADIO NEWS
KMPS/Seattle PD Becky Brenner revealed via Facebook earlier today that she will exit her post with the station after more than 28 years. No details on her future plans have been announced.
SPIN ZONE
Kudos to the gang at Capitol Records. In addition to having the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 song for a second straight week with Dierks Bentley’s “Am I The Only One,” three other songs in the Top 5 are Capitol artists. Luke Bryan’s threatening to take No. 1 soon with “Country Girl (Shake It For Me),” followed by Lady Antebellum’s “Just A Kiss” at No. 3 and Eric Church’s “Homeboy” (EMI Nashville) at No. 5. Capitol also has a hot new single from Keith Urban called “Long Hot Summer” that is the week’s biggest spin gain at No. 31.

NuCorp Entertainment flagship artist Darren Warren took time out of his stint performing at Cowboys Dance Hall in Dallas to visit 96.3 KSCS and chat up his debut single “Cowboy Up and Party Down.” (L-R): 96.3 KSCS PD Chris Huff and Warren.


Two superstar females have just launched hot new singles after spending some time away from the chart. Dolly Parton’s “Together You and I” is performing well at No. 55, and Shania Twain’s “Today Is Your Day” is just a few steps behind at No. 58. Dolly grazed the chart in late 2007 with “Better Get To Livin’” (from Backwoods Barbie), and Shania’s most recent chart effort was the 2004 Billy Currington duet “Party For Two.” Both artists’ singles added more than 100 new spins this week.
Biggest debut of the week goes to Rascal Flatts’ “Easy,” which is a duet with English pop star Natasha Bedingfield. The song picks up a substantial 274 spin gain and moves into charting territory at No. 59. Also crossing the chart debut threshold are Kellie Pickler’s “Tough” at No. 74 and Alison Krauss & Union Station’s “Paper Airplanes” at No. 80.
Frozen Playlists: KBOE, KFTX, KMGO, KSED, KVAY, KVVP, WATZ, WHWK, WTCR



Upcoming Singles
July 5
Dirt Drifters/Always A Reason/Warner Bros./WMN
July 11
Sonia Leigh/My Name Is Money/Southern Ground/BPG
Jason Sturgeon/The Cover/Toolpusher/Spinville
Christian Kane/Let Me Go/Bigger Picture
Katie Armiger/I Do But Do I/Cold River
Ashton Shepherd/Where Country Grows/MCA
Billy Ray Cyrus/Runway Lights/Buena Vista/CO5
Jason Cassidy/Honky Tonk Heaven/A-Blake/Quarterback
July 12
Royal Wade Kimes/500 Miles Away From Home/Wonderment
•  •  •  •  •
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Rascal Flatts f. Natasha Bedingfield/Easy/Big Machine — 59
Kellie Pickler/Tough/BNA — 74
Alison Krauss & Union Station/Paper Airplanes/Rounder — 80
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Keith Urban/Long Hot Summer/Capitol — 602
Ronnie Dunn/Cost Of Livin’/Arista — 412
Toby Keith/Made In America/Show Dog-Universal — 396
Alan Jackson/Long Way To Go/EMI — 305
George Strait/Here For A Good Time/MCA — 296
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Keith Urban/Long Hot Summer/Capitol — 36
Rascal Flatts f. Natasha Bedingfield/Easy/Big Machine — 24
Ronnie Dunn/Cost Of Livin’/Arista — 21
J.T. Hodges/Hunt You Down/Show Dog-Universal — 11
Jerrod Niemann/One More Drinkin’ Song/Arista — 10
Alan Jackson/Long Way To Go/EMI/ACR — 9
Sawyer Brown/Smokin’ Hot Wife — 9
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Susan Hickman/Just Missed This Train/4 L Clover Entertainment — 230
D.J. Miller/Between Sundays/Evergreen/Nine North/Spinville — 200
Deborah Allen/Anything Other Than Love/Delta Rock — 192
Jody Booth/Golddigger/Vigilante Music — 192
Susan Cattaneo/Girls Night Out/Jersey Girl Music — 189

Davis Music Group’s Jacob Lyda recently joined Columbia Nashville’s Bradley Gaskin at the Slidebar in Fullerton, CA for a special Go Country 105 (KKGO) performance, with all proceeds from the night going to the station’s “Avon Walk for Breast Cancer” team. KKGO has set a goal of $85,000 for the September 17-18, 39-mile team walk in Santa Barbara. (L-R): Davis Music Group National Director of Radio Mktg. Glenn Noblit; Lyda; KKGO Sr. Acct. Exec. Michelle Abel; KKGO morning show host Ashley Paige; KKGO Sr. Acct. Exec. Monique Renea; Gaskin; Columbia Nashville West Coast regional Larry Santiago


Sunny Sweeney recently visited with WLHK “Hank FM”/Indianapolis before her opening performance on Brad Paisley’s H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour. Sweeney’s upcoming album is due out August 23. (L-R) Hank FM’s Morning Show Host Dave O'Brien, Sweeney and PD Bob Richards.

Photos: Gaskin, Beckett, Y.E.P., Nick 13

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Columbia Nashville’s Bradley Gaskin recently debuted his single, “Mr. Bartender” on the Grand Ole Opry. Gaskin wrote the song several years ago while working for a drywall company in Alabama.

(L-R): John Rich (producer); Gary Overton, CEO/Chairman Sony Music Nashville; Gaskin; Pete Fisher, VP/GM Grand Ole Opry and Gaskin's manager Charlie Pennachio. Photo: Joel Dennis

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ASCAP songwriter Jordan Beckett and actor/director/filmmaker Sam Jaeger recently stopped by the ASCAP Nashville office. Beckett’s band, Bootstraps, provided the soundtrack to the feature film Take Me Home, which was written, produced and directed by Jaeger. The film is screening and winning awards at several film festivals across the country. In addition to Take Me Home, Bootstraps’ music has also been featured on the TV show No Ordinary Family and will be heard in several TV shows and films later this year.

(L-R): Jordan Beckett, ASCAP's LeAnn Phelan, and Sam Jaeger Photo: Anna Maki

••••

BMI hosted a panel discussion on June 28 for Y.E.P.— Young Entertainment Professionals—a new industry networking group created in January by Andrew Cohen, an alumnus of BMI’s Belmont University internship program, Catalog Cast. The panel provided an informal setting for rising music industry staffers to pick the brains of industry experts in a relaxed, after-hours setting.

(L-R): BMI’s Beth Laid, EMI Music Publishing’s Ben Vaughn, Big Machine Record’s Allison Jones, Sony Music Nashville’s Jim Catino, Y.E.P.’s Andrew Cohen, and Big Yellow Dog Music’s Carla Wallace. Photo: Julie Stuckey

••••

While touring the country in support of his recently released country/western solo debut on Sugar Hill Records, internationally celebrated musician Nick 13 stopped by the Country Music Association offices in Nashville to pledge his membership.

(L-R): Christopher Seay, Membership & Balloting Assistant; Betsy Walker, Sr. Coordinator Member Relations & Services; Nick 13; Bob Doerschuk, CMA Close Up Editor; Gary Paczosa, VP A&R for Sugar Hill Records.

"The Tennessean" Cuts Hit Entertainment Staff

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The Tennessean was hit hard today (6/30) by lay-offs, with numerous writers exiting the newsroom of the Nashville publication.
The paper cut Sr. Music Writer Peter Cooper to part-time status. After more than 10 years with the publication, Cooper is one of Nashville’s most respected music journalists. He was recently honored with a Charlie Lamb Award for country music journalism during the International Country Music Conference at Belmont University.
Exiting The Tennessean are entertainment writer Nicole Keiper, and Metromix editor Heather Byrd.
Remaining on board are full-time entertainment writers Cindy Watts and Dave Paulson.
Some sources estimate the number leaving the newsroom to be as high as 20, while the Nashville Post is reporting 14 staffers were affected.
Gannett, owner of The Tennessean, announced plans to cut staff last week, but didn’t reveal who would be exiting. As the second quarter ended today, the staff was notified of the changes.

Web Traffic: Gloriana, Eli Young, Aaron Lewis

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Gloriana is giving away free downloads of “Soldier Song” in celebration of Independence Day. The track was inspired by the band’s USO tour, and will be on its upcoming album. Gloriana’s Facebook page is hosting the download until Thursday, July 7, and also features fan-submitted photos in a “Soldier Song” music video.
In conjunction with current single, “Wanna Take You Home,” Gloriana and Marco Club Connection are holding a line dance video contest here.
• • •
The Eli Young Band is heating up the web with its new single “Crazy Girl.” With 400,000 paid downloads, and 2 million views of the video on YouTube, the track is inspiring fans to make  music videos of their own covers of the hit. After 122 fan videos were posted to EYB’s YouTube Channel, the band decided to turn it into a contest. The winner gets to perform the song onstage with the band at the album release show in Ft. Worth on Aug. 20.
• • •
Aaron Lewis is featured in Yahoo!’s “Ram Country” series. In the interview, he gives a tour of his Massachusetts hometown and farmhouse, and performs two songs: the unreleased “75” and current hit “Country Boy.”
For the Fourth of July, he is saluting the military in a new music video for “Country Boy,” exclusively at CMT.com.
His album Town Line has sold over 170,000 copies, and the single is approaching Gold certification.

Thursday Snapshots

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CMT Helps Feeding America
Steel Magnolia, Carter’s Chord, Crystal Bowersox, Jimmy Wayne, Margaret Durante and Coldwater Jane recently visited Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to stuff backpacks for the Feeding America BackPack Program. The event was symbolic of the donation that CMT makes every year on behalf of artists in lieu of having celebrity giftbags at the CMT Music Awards.

Standing (L-R): Steel Magnolia; Carter’s Chord; Crystal Bowersox; Jimmy Wayne; Jaynee Day, CEO, Second Harvest; Coldwater Jane; Margaret Durante; Ron Kelly of sponsor Ladies’ Home Journal. Front: Lucia Folk, Sr. Director, Public Affairs, CMT. Photo: John Russell


CJaye LeRose Performs At MusicRow
Budding country music artist CJaye LeRose recently visited MusicRow to perform for the staff. The Texas native has garnered fans worldwide through social media. She has more than 2.5 million YouTube channel views, over 18,000 Twitter followers, and 15,000 Facebook ‘Likes.’ On July 12 she will independently release her debut album Date With The Tub, featuring single “The Porch.”

(L-R): Back row: MR Pres. Sherod Robertson, MR Art Dir. Christie King, RowFax Mgr. Michelle Stephens, MR Chart Dir. Jon Freeman. Front: MR Publisher David Ross, CJaye LeRose


 
Jaron and The Long Road To The ACM
The Academy of Country Music welcomed Jaron Lowenstein to the office when he was in Los Angeles last week. While at the Academy, he sang current single, “Beautiful Lies.”

(L-R): Erin Spahn, ACM Executive Director, Lifting Lives; Jaron Lowenstein; and Tiffany Moon, ACM Executive Vice President, Managing Director. Photo: Michel Bourquard


 
Kolby Gray In The Studio
New artist Kolby Gray has been recording at Starstruck Studios with producer David Huff, who also brought in his brother Dann to co-produce some tracks. Debra Byrd, who has served as the head vocal coach for American Idol, has also been working with Gray. Among the musicians on the project are Chad Cromwell, Tom Bukovac, Mike Rojas, Jonathan Yudkin, Ilya Toshinskiy and Jimmie Lee Sloas.

(L-R): Debra Byrd, Kolby Gray, producer David Huff. Photo: Alan Mayor