The Sony Music Nashville staff celebrated the Billboard 200 and Country Album No. 1 debut of Kenny Chesney’s Hemingway’s Whiskey with a pizza lunch and a group photo of staffers holding inflatable No. 1 fingers.

Brother/sister duo The Roys have been busy at Skaggs’ Place Studios working on their upcoming CD, co-produced by Kentucky Thunder fiddler Andy Leftwich. Ricky Skaggs joined them to add his vocals to a track.

At today’s CMA Board of Directors meeting (Oct. 6-7) in Nashville, Chairman Steve Buchanan and Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore surprised ex-officio Board member Jim Free and former President/Chairman Randy Goodman by presenting them with the CMA Chairman’s Award, which is given annually at the discretion of the Chairman of the Board.

Moore, praised Free’s passion for Country Music and tireless efforts on behalf of the format in Washington D.C. over the years. Free was instrumental in guiding and developing CMA’s successful Washington Board meetings in March, including securing top-tier legislators to discuss issues of importance to the music industry and introducing what has now become an ongoing relationship with the Library of Congress and Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington.

Buchanan praised Goodman’s leadership, vision, and years of volunteer service to the Association. “Randy is a strategic thinker and action oriented leader who dedicated countless hours to making the CMA a better, more effective organization and he did just that,” Buchanan said. “The results of his efforts, which were always colored by his heart, passion, and sense of humor, will have a lasting, positive impact with immeasurable benefit to our Board and our industry.”

CMA has announced it will donate all net proceeds from the 2010 CMA Music Festival to support music education and flood relief in Metro Nashville, for a record sum of $2,924,936. The donation will be split between CMA’s “Keep The Music Playing” campaign and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. CMA Board member Kix Brooks made the announcement.

“When we started this program several years ago, the success of the Music Festival itself and the opportunity to have an ongoing contribution to aid in the music programs of our local schools, was just a dream – today we have a reality that’s has far exceeded our imaginations,” said Brooks. “It’s working and I can’t thank my fellow artists and all the other CMA volunteers enough. Considering the year our community has had, the faithful support from the fans of Country Music could not have come at better time. Big time thanks to everyone!”

“Every cent of the net proceeds from CMA Music Festival is going right back into this community to support causes important to everyone in the industry – music education and aiding recovery in the aftermath of the floods,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We are thrilled to make a donation of this size and we have confidence that the funds will be put to immediate and good use reaching the hands of the people who need it most.”

With the announcement, CMA has contributed $4,774,521 to support music education. This money has been used to build music labs and purchase nearly 4,000 instruments in Metro Nashville Public Schools through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. The total also includes an annual endowment gift for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Words & Music program, which assists language arts and music teachers with classroom instruction in the basics of songwriting.

Ellen Lehman, President of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, received a check on behalf of her organization to benefit flood relief.

“Thanks to the kindness of the CMA’s fans, performers and the CMA itself, there is now additional money to help our neighbors rebuild their lives,” said Lehman. “Through grants to local nonprofits which are counseling, rebuilding homes, and feeding, this gift will assist The Community Foundation and our nonprofit partners as we work toward restoring every corner of our community until the task is completed. Our sincerest thanks to the CMA and its performers and fans.”