Billy Blue Records Signs Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

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Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Billy Blue Records is celebrating one year in business with the signing of legendary acoustic artist, Bluegrass Hall of Fame member, Doyle Lawson.

Billy Blue Records was launched in June 2018, the brainchild of award-winning songwriter and producer Jerry Salley, who serves as A&R and Creative Director for Billy Blue. The label was founded in partnership with Nashville’s Daywind Music Group.

“I am so grateful to Ed Leonard, [President of Daywind Music Group], for sharing in this vision and to our entire team for a year of support, optimism and enthusiasm” Salley says, who also leads Billy Jam Records, an Americana imprint of Daywind.

The first Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver recording on the burgeoning label is Live in Prague, Czech Republic, recorded at Dlabacov Hall in downtown Prague. It will release on Aug. 30.

“I have known and respected Doyle for almost 3 decades. He is an icon in Bluegrass and Gospel music and it’s my honor to call him a friend,” says Salley, who himself just received a nomination for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. “He is an uncompromising professional as a singer, musician, producer and band leader, but the bonus is working with someone who also happens to be a truly incredible person.”

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver joins a roster that already boasts Appalachian Road Show (headed up by bluegrass veterans Barry Abernathy and Darrell Webb, with Jim VanCleve); Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, one of America’s premier Bluegrass bands; International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Songwriter of the Year winner, Donna Ulisse; and Jason Barie, fiddler for Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers. The young label is living up to its own motto, “We’re here to play.”

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver had previously been signed to Mountain Home Music for nearly 15 years.

“I just felt that it may be time to move on,” Lawson says. “It was a good run and there’s no ill will, but when the opportunity came for a live recording, I decided to ask Jerry if he’d be interested in that record.”

Bobby Karl Works The Room: The Opening Of CMHoF’s Kacey Musgraves: All Of The Colors

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Pictured (L-R): CMHOF’s Kyle Young, Barbara Musgraves, Kacey Musgraves, Darrell Gene, Jason Owen and Samantha Borenstein attend the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

A fabulous artist deserves a fabulous museum exhibit and a fabulous party in her honor at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Multiple Grammy honoree Kacey Musgraves was in the spotlight on Monday (July 1) at the Hall. She is the subject of an extensive overview of her young career titled “Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors.”

“There’s a lot to be celebrated and a lot to be remembered,” Kacey said, with tears brimming in her eyes. Seeing her life’s mementos in the hallowed Hall moved her immensely.

We began the eve with a cocktail supper. Guests schmoozed and noshed on delish mini spring rolls, mushroom caps stuffed with herbed cream cheese, roast beef sandwiches, pork dumplings, roasted veggies and more. Then the program began.

Pictured: Kacey Musgraves speaks onstage for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

“I’m pleased and proud to welcome you to the opening of our new exhibit,” said HoF CEO Kyle Young. “Artistry doesn’t recognize format,” he added, referring to Kacey’s genre-leaping music. “And yet, each of the plaques in the Hall of Fame represents artistry and not replication…..which bring us to Kacey Musgraves.”

“This is crazy, this is absolutely insane,” responded Kacey. “I admit that when the Country Music Hall of Fame approached me about this, I went, ‘Whatever….’ But I feel unworthy. They assured me that it was the right moment [for this].

“I’m very proud of my story and where I am right now…..To see everything laid out is a really healthy and beautiful thing for me. There are a lot of really happy memories that I am really happy to share.”

Normally the picture of cool, calm and collected, Kacey became verklempt several times during her remarks. She then shared with us the story that the one artifact the museum turned down was a joint she’d saved that Willie Nelson had given her.

Pictured: Kacey Musgraves speaks onstage for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Kacey was quick to credit her family for much of what was on exhibit. Seated at a stage-front table were her grandmother, whom Kacey said was her first booking agent; her mom, who saved everything; and her grandfather, whose record collection was her inspiration.

She thanked the Hall of Fame’s staff, who were, “so patient with me with all the details.” Her thanks also extended to, “The Nashville community – I’ve learned so much from all of my friends, all of my songwriter friends. I love all of you here.”

That would include such A-Listers as star-to-be Mickey Guyton, plus Scott Borchetta, Royce Risser, Susan Stewart, Leslie Fram, Jason Owen, Joanna Carter, the Frist museum’s Susan Edwards, Jerry Douglas, Jon Freeman, Hunter Kelly, Bob Delevante, Seab Tuck, the Nashville Public Library’s Kent Oliver, Lisa Sutton, Donna Hughes, Bill Denny, Barry Mazor, ace drummer Fred Eltringham, Karen Hayes of Parnassus Books, Ben Vaughn, Charlie Monk, Phil Ryan & Meredith Libby, Lori Ann Mauney of Servis 1st Bank, Jim Sherradin, Earle Simmons, Marion Williams and Nancy Kruh.

Artifacts seen during the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

The exhibit is one of the museum’s most visually delightful in recent memory. While making her mark as a brilliant singer-songwriter, Kacey has also turned heads with her imaginative stage wear.

The long, sweeping, glass-cases promenade begins with childhood-performer memorabilia and carries Kacey’s career through the CDs Same Trailer, Different Park; Pageant Material and Golden Hour. All these changes are illustrated by brilliantly inventive costumes. Including, by the way, a “rhinestone cowgirl” jacket with flashing pin lights and light-up boots to match.

Artifacts seen during the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Pictured: Barbara Musgraves, Kacey Musgraves and Darrell Gene attend the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Pictured: Kacey Musgraves views the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Artifacts seen during the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Pictured: Ruston Kelly and Kacey Musgraves attend the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opening of new exhibition, Kacey Musgraves: All of the Colors, at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 01, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)

Second Annual Andrew Marshall Dorff Memorial Benefit Concert Set For October

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The second annual Andrew Marshall Dorff Memorial Benefit Concert has been set for Oct. 1 at City Winery and will celebrate the amazing songs of Dorff, an acclaimed songwriter who had over 70 songs cut with 5 No. 1 hits.

Confirmed to perform during the special evening are Hunter Hayes, Lori McKenna, Devin Dawson, Rachel Wammack, and Jeffrey Steele, with additional performers to be announced. Tickets will go on sale soon.

“The evening will feature incredible performances by some of Andrew’s dear friends and co-writers. We will be raising money for pediatric oncology initiatives at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, a cause dear to my son. My family and I look forward to celebrating and honoring Andrew’s memory with our Nashville music family,” said Andrew’s father and lauded music composer Steve Dorff.

Contributions from the Andrew Marshall Dorff Memorial Fund will play a key role in enabling more young people to find expert, specialty cancer care. All proceeds from the benefit concert will help advance Children’s Hospital’s ongoing mission of compassionate patient care, discovery research, and clinical training.

Jedd Hughes To Head ‘West’ In August

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In-demand session musician and songwriter Jedd Hughes returns with his latest album, West, to be released Aug. 30.

The album, self-produced and mixed by Hughes, features 10 tracks. While Hughes penned many of the album’s songs solo, he does welcome co-writers including Rodney Crowell, Parker Milsap, Sarah Buxton and the late Guy Clark.

The first track released from the album, “Animal Eyes,” was inspired by and written with Crowell. “I hope these stories in these songs resonate with people,” Hughes says. “I hope people listen to it as a record and can see some of the things I saw.”

Hughes will be on tour with Vince Gill this fall, playing as part of Gill’s band and opening each show with his own set.

Hughes released his first major label album, Transcontinental, in 2004 on MCA Nashville.

In 2011, Hughes was part of a short-lived duo with fellow singer-songwriter Sarah Buxton, dubbed Buxton Hughes. Since then he has played and written with numerous artists including Patty Loveless, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, Gill, Ryan Bingham, Sarah Jarosz, the late Guy Clark, Jim Lauderdale, Brandy Clark, and more.

In addition to co-writing Jarosz’s “House of Mercy,” which earned the 2017 Grammy for Best Americana Roots Performance, Hughes has penned and co-penned hits including Keith Urban’s “Put You in a Song.” Last year he renewed his deal with Carnival Music and aligned with ASCAP.

MCA Nashville Southeast Regional Louie Newman To Retire

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MCA Nashville Southeast regional Louie Newman, who has been with the label imprint for more than 25 years, will retire effective Aug. 1. Current MCA coordinator Briana Galluccio has been promoted to Manager/Promotion and will spend this month transitioning into the southeast region. Assuming the role of MCA coordinator/promotion is current UMG coordinator/promotion Kaileen Mangan.

“I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to call MCA Nashville my home for 25+ years. When I started my career in 1966 at the age of 21, I never could have imagined the road ahead and the view looking back at all the wonderful artists, managers and friends that I have grown to love like family. Some of my most treasured memories have been with my family at Universal Music Group. I love working with Mike Dungan, Katie Dean and my MCA team. Royce Risser and I go back from Day 1 when I first started, and he has always been by my side. It was through MCA that I met my beloved wife Judy, and I will always be grateful for that. I am very proud to pass the baton to Briana Galluccio. Briana will be the third southeast regional in the history of MCA Nashville to carry the torch. Thank you to all my radio people who have supported me through thick and thin. Will always love you, Uncle Lou.”

TIDAL Launches Interactive Credits Pages

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Streaming platform TIDAL has launched interactive streaming pages, which allows TIDAL members to explore the producers, background vocalists, musicians and engineers that help create their favorite tracks.

The TIDAL platform aims to create an in-depth database of credits, allowing users to filter the roles on each track list to display songs on which that artist has contributed in a similar capacity. Users can also sort the contributor’s track list by release date, popularity, title, or artist.

“This is a milestone for TIDAL which, at the heart of the platform, is a space for music lovers to connect with their favorite artists in unique ways,” said Tony Gervino, TIDAL SVP, Culture & Content. “As a music streaming service and culture hub, it is important to acknowledge that music is a team sport–it takes a talented crew of sound engineers, lyricists, and band members to make a song stick. We recognize the challenges ahead in creating a thorough and extensive catalogue, but we are excited to take this important step.”

Mark Gray Named Southeast Promotion Director At Columbia Nashville

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Mark Gray. Photo Credit: Adam Davis

Mark Gray has joined Columbia Nashville as Director, Southeast Promotion, effective immediately. Gray will be based in Nashville and report to Shane Allen, Columbia Nashville Senior Vice President, Promotion.

Gray joins from Blue Chair Bay Rum, where he served as Tour Activation Manager for the spirit brand during founder Kenny Chesney’s recent Songs For The Saints Tour. His past stops also include day-to-day management duties for Eli Young Band, Director of Southwest Promotion at Republic Nashville, (where he was instrumental in the breakthrough success of artists including Florida Georgia Line, Eli Young Band, and The Band Perry) and Marketing Director at iHeartRadio station WKKT-FM in Charlotte, NC.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the hottest label in Nashville! Big Thanks to Shane Allen and Steve Hodges for giving me the opportunity,” said Gray. “Can’t wait to see some old friends and meet some new ones in the Southeast!”

Former Columbia Nashville Director, Southeast Promotion Lauren Longbine will transition to Director, Midwest Promotion as longtime regional rep Bo Martinovich steps into the newly-created role of Sony Music Nashville Director, Artist Development.

Peter Roselli Elevated To President Of Bluewater Music

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Peter Roselli has been promoted to President of Bluewater Music. As President his responsibilities will consist of the management of all operations, including administration agreements, license negotiations, creative placements, general accounting services, management of collection society memberships, and development of new business opportunities.

Roselli joined Bluewater Music in 2001 as financial director after a few years as an auditor at a regional CPA firm. In 2004, he was promoted to controller. Since 2009, he has served in the role of chief operating officer, where he has led the company’s administration division. During his tenure at Bluewater, Roselli has helped to develop many automated internal control and review systems to ensure complete, accurate and timely accountings to Bluewater’s administration clients. Roselli’s efforts have been instrumental in expanding Bluewater’s extensive and diverse administration client base, signing talented clients such as G. Love, Bonnie Raitt, Dessa, Black River Entertainment, Gene Autry Music Group, Kris Kristofferson, Blue Man Group and many others.

“Peter has earned this promotion, and we share many of the same values that include focusing on maximizing the value of copyrights,” said Brownlee Ferguson, Bluewater’s founder. “I couldn’t be happier for him, and I know our songwriters and clients are in excellent hands with him and his team.”

“I feel fortunate to have spent the majority of my professional career at Bluewater – a company that Brownlee has positioned to always be ahead of the game when it comes to direct, at-source royalty collections,” Roselli says.  “I’m quite proud of what we have built thus far, and I’m thankful to be surrounded by such a talented and hard-working team. I’m looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

Big Loud/Maverick Adds Lex Lipsitz To Management Team

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Lex Lipsitz

Big Loud/Maverick has welcomed Lex Lipsitz to its management team, to handle day-to-day management for country artist Sean Stemaly.

A Texas native and Belmont University graduate, Lipsitz began his career as a touring drummer, before he began managing producers including Kid Ink and Toby Wright, alongside artists including Shooter Jennings.

Lipsitz later led the music department at Relativity Music, where he oversaw strategy for Jennings’ Put The ‘O’ Back In Country.  Lipsitz later moved to Nashville and became head of A&R for Average Joe’s Entertainment (Montgomery Gentry, Colt Ford), and a marketing consultant for Sony Music Nashville and Big Machine Label Group. Over the last decade he’s cultivated and grown his own management roster under LEX Music Group (Lit, Jon Wolfe, Sean Stemaly, Stoney Banks, Joedi Silvers and more), while running a real estate investment company and stepping into the tech world to build the event dating app, WillCalled.

“We are always looking to expand our team with talented, forward-thinking managers, which makes Lex the perfect fit for Big Loud,” says Big Loud partner/manager Chief Zaruk. “With an already proven skill set, we’re excited for the new ideas and opportunities he’ll bring, as well as work with the fresh artists coming along with him.”

“I’m beyond excited to be joining Big Loud / Maverick,” says Lipsitz. “I wanted to partner with a like-minded company that sets itself apart, fosters teamwork, and genuinely cares about making a difference in our ever-changing entertainment industry. I had no hesitation and am grateful for the opportunity to be on this progressive team.”

Big Loud was founded as a partnership between Craig Wiseman, Seth England, Zaruk, and Joey Moi, with song publishing, artist development, management, production, and promotion under one roof. The organization scored its first win when it helped launch the career of Florida Georgia Line, and in 2015 the partners expanded their firm with the creation of Big Loud Records, led by Clay Hunnicutt.

Big Loud’s management division has gone on to introduce breakout country talent Morgan Wallen, a new-school superstar whose first three singles have all gone Gold or Platinum, including back-to-back No. 1s “Up Down” (featuring Florida Georgia Line) and “Whiskey Glasses.” Big Loud also counts Chris Lane (“Fix”) on its management roster, along with HARDY, Dallas Smith and MacKenzie Porter.

Weekly Register: Blanco Brown, Luke Combs Charge Ahead

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Blanco Brown‘s “The Git Up” continues charging ahead, leading this week’s top on-demand country streaming tracks rankings again this week, with 18 million streams, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Blake Shelton‘s “God’s Country” follows at No. 2 with 11.4 million streams, while Morgan Wallen‘s “Whiskey Glasses” at No. 3 with 10.9 million streams. Lee Brice‘s “Rumor” is at No. 4 with 9.9 million streams and Luke Combs‘ “Beer Never Broke My Heart” rounds out the Top 5 with 9.6 million streams.

Combs extends his reign atop the country albums chart, with This One’s For You earning 24K in total consumption, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Willie Nelson debuts at No. 2 country with Ride Me Back Home moving 19K in total consumption. Combs’ The Prequel EP is at No. 3 with 16K, while Dan + Shay‘s self-titled album is at No. 4 with 15.6K in total consumption. Thomas Rhett‘s Center Point Road rounds out the Top 5 with 15K.