ALABAMA’s Randy Owen Named Honorary Co-Chair Of The World Games 2022

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ALABAMA frontman and humanitarian Randy Owen has joined The World Games 2022 Birmingham as an Honorary Co-Chair.

Owen will participate in several events at The World Games 2022, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. He will also represent, support and promote the message and mission of The World Games 2022. Owen will join NBA Hall of Fame inductee Charles Barkley, who was announced as an Honorary Co-Chair in July.

“Millions of people around the world have grown up with Randy’s one-of-a-kind voice,” says The World Games 2022 CEO Nick Sellers. “He’s a national treasure for the USA and for the state of Alabama. And we are excited to have that legendary voice as an Honorary Co-Chair of this once in a lifetime moment.”

“I’m so honored to join my fellow outstanding Alabamians—Charles Barkley, Dr. Henry Panion, and those yet to be announced—in helping bring this event to Alabama,” says Owen. “The people in our state have made a tremendous impact on my life and career, and I’m happy to show the world what Alabama is all about. Our people are as diverse as the landscape in our beautiful state. It is my hope that we are able to bring that uniqueness to the forefront and let the light of Alabama shine out into the world.”

A graduate of Jacksonville State University, Owen is best known for his career as the frontman of ALABAMA. One of the most successful country music groups in history, ALABAMA released 21 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum albums, had 43 No. 1 singles, sold more than 75 million records, and earned more than 150 industry awards, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a career spanning more than 50 years.

As a founding member of ALABAMA, Owen was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, and received the BMI President’s Award. Individually, Owen has been the recipient of numerous local and national honors, including the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and has been inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“I could not be more thrilled to have an iconic Alabamian such as Randy Owen join us for this magnificent celebration of sports and the arts, one that will cast the eyes and ears of the entire world upon our city and state,” notes Dr. Henry Panion, who was recently named Artistic Director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. “There has been no greater ambassador for Alabama than my friend Randy, and I am looking forward to working with him on the festivities for The World Games 2022.”

A Dekalb County, Alabama native, Owen grew up on Lookout Mountain, on a farm that his family still owns today. The property, previously sharecropped by his family, has raised world-class cattle since 1981 and is named “Tennessee River Music, Inc.” after Owen’s first No. 1 single.

The Owen Family outfitted in The World Games gear. Photo: Courtesy Absolute Publicity

Owen is also known for his philanthropic efforts in his own community and around the world, raising millions of dollars through the June Jam and Tornado Relief charity concerts in Alabama, and groundbreaking fundraising for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Most notably, Owen created the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon, which has raised more than $900 million dollars for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital located in Memphis, Tennessee. For his fundraising efforts, Owen has also received the Michael F. Tamer Award, The Founder’s Award, National Library of Medicine Award, and the Country Music Association Foundation Humanitarian Award.

“My wife, Kelly, and I raised our family in Alabama,” says Owen. “Our children all graduated from Alabama universities: Jacksonville State (Alison), Samford (Heath), and Auburn (Randa). ‘My Home’s in Alabama’ isn’t just a song or lyrics on a page. My home and heart will always be in Alabama, and now it is the home of The World Games 2022!”

The World Games 2022 Birmingham will be an extraordinary Olympic-style sports experience where elite athletes from all over the world compete for gold in 34 unique, multi-disciplinary sports. Featuring 3,600 athletes from more than 100 countries, the international event will unite global fans with the Birmingham community in 25+ unique venues around the greater metropolitan area. The World Games 2022 Birmingham, which marks the 40th anniversary of the event, will take place July 7-17, 2022 and will generate an estimated $256 million in economic impact. The World Games was established by the International World Games Association, an organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

Crowd Surf Founders Jade Driver And Cassie Petrey Launch New Spotify Radio Show

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Jade Driver and Cassie Petrey have launched a new online radio show, Boy Band Top 10s, that is available exclusively on Spotify. Co-founders of the Nashville-based entertainment marketing agency Crowd Surf, Driver and Petrey grew up adoring the boy bands of the 80’s and 90’s.

The pair founded Crowd Surf while living together in a college apartment in 2007. They dreamed of one day having their favorite boy bands become clients of their company, and in 2012, the Backstreet Boys came knocking. After that, 98°,O-Town, New Kids on the Block, McFly, and Why Don’t We all became clients. Over the course of the company’s history, Driver and Petrey have toured the world with many of their favorite boy bands from their teen years, and they now have an interesting combination of both fan stories and professional anecdotes.

On, Boy Band Top 10s, Driver and Petrey count down 10 of their favorite boy band songs each Thursday. The show will feature all kinds of lists, from the greatest boy band songs all of all time to band specific lists and even an upcoming holiday show.

“I love that Cassie and Jade started off as BSB super fans…and still are to this day! They bring so much value to our team because of their passion and knowledge of our history,” said Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean. “I love that they know every single word to every song, who wrote everything and every word I’ve ever been quoted saying. Ha! That kind of knowledge is just priceless!”

Chris Stapleton Earns Two-Week No. 1 On ‘MusicRow’ CountryBreakout Radio Chart

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Chris Stapleton returns to No. 1 this week on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart with “Starting Over.” Stapleton co-wrote the song with Mike Henderson.

This is the title track to his latest Mercury Records release which debuted at No. 1 on the country albums chart according to Nielsen. It also landed at No. 2 on Spotify’s all-genre Top 10 U.S. Album Debuts, and No. 5 on Spotify’s Top 10 Global Albums Debut chart.

Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” won an award for the Most-Played Song at this year’s Tunie Awards Show.

Click here or above to view the latest issue of The MusicRow Weekly.

Matthew Ramsey Releases New Christmas Song For Charity Fund

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Old Dominion front man Matthew Ramsey is releasing a new holiday song “It’s Christmas and We’re Still Here,” for a very good cause. One hundred percent of Ramsey’s proceeds from the new Christmas tune will benefit My Hometown Fund: a charity fund held by The Community Foundation serving Western Virginia, that was created by Matthew and his wife Sara.

Ramsey says, “I created this fund to help support rural communities like the one I grew up in. By working with non-profit organizations, we are able to bring music, art, and basic needs to areas where such opportunities are hard to come by.”

Click here to listen to “It’s Christmas and We’re Still Here.”

Old Dominion recently released a new EP, Band Behind The Curtain, with songs penned by Ramsey and other members of the band that previously topped the charts for other artists.

United Talent Agency Launches Heartland Initiative

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Kathie Lee Gifford, Nick Barnes. Photo: Kathy Hutchins

Leading global talent and entertainment company United Talent Agency (UTA) today (Dec. 17) officially announced the company’s Heartland Initiative, a dedicated practice to identify, develop, and showcase the voices of creators and storytellers from America’s Heartland.

The Heartland Initiative focuses on storytelling rooted in the shared values of community, faith and family. The group will work with emerging and established artists and entrepreneurs, and launches with a roster that includes filmmakers The Erwin Brothers, Rove Productions and Tacklebox Films, Kathie Lee Gifford, Duck Dynasty’s Willie, Korie and Sadie Robertson, podcaster and author Annie F. Downs, writer Holly Gleason, comedians John Crist and Kevonstage, kids media brand GoNoodle, pastor Chad Veach, singer-songwriter John Eddie, and music artists Danny Gokey, Ross Copperman, and Louis York.

The new initiative will be led by Nashville-based UTA agent Nick Barnes. Barnes previously worked with country music artists Eric Church and Brothers Osborne, and as a digital executive at Sony Music Nashville. He joined UTA in 2017, originally as a Digital Strategy agent in UTA IQ, the agency’s research and analytics division.

“We believe there’s an extensive range of stories to be told and audiences eager to hear them—particularly in today’s content-thirsty world,” says Barnes. “UTA’s Heartland Initiative will bring to bear all of our resources into building bigger platforms for this underserved market. Millions of Americans will see themselves reflected in the unique voices and creative visions of our Heartland artists and entrepreneurs.”

UTA’s Heartland Initiative will be based in Nashville, where the agency is preparing to relocate the Nashville headquarters to the historic, original site of the Carnegie Library near the Tennessee state capitol building in the heart of Music City.

SOLID Celebrates Inaugural Year Of SOLID Shares, Announces 2021 Partners

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Pictured (L-R): Al Andrews, Tatum Allsep, Jess Brownsberger, Emilie Gilbert, Alyson Woods, Jonah Rabinowitz. Photo: Jack Carlisle

As 2020 draws to a close, Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) celebrates the inaugural year of SOLID Shares, its new fundraising initiative announced in May. SOLID Shares allows the organization to select four to six nonprofits annually to serve as the beneficiaries of its external fundraising events, simultaneously expanding its reach in the Nashville community while reinforcing the tenets of its mission. 2020 SOLID Shares partners included Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, Music Health Alliance, Porter’s Call, and W.O. Smith.

As SOLID adapted its programming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it supported and engaged SOLID Shares partners in innovative and collaborative ways. In lieu of its regular fundraising events, which include the Music Row Madness Topgolf and Turkey Bowl flag football tournaments, it hosted 21 virtual meet and greets for music fans (with a portion of proceeds benefiting SOLID Shares). The organization also held several panels highlighting each nonprofit, covering topics such as mental health and mentorship in the community.

“I am so grateful that SOLID was able to launch SOLID Shares in a year when our partners truly needed our support,” said 2020 SOLID President Nathan Pyle. “Outside of standard fundraising for our partners, we were able to build in programming that helped build awareness around the services our SOLID Shares partners provide to our community. It is the joint partnership that ultimately created a successful launch and set the foundation for SOLID Shares that will last for many years to come.”

The 2021 SOLID Shares partners will be Equity Alliance, MusiCares, the National Museum for African American Music, Notes for Notes and Ryan’s Grove/The Onsite Foundation.

T.G. Sheppard Inks New Nine-Album Licensing Deal With Time Life

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T.G. Sheppard

T.G. Sheppard has signed a new licensing deal with Time Life and will reissue nine of his albums next year. For the first time ever, these classic albums will be available digitally and include several of his No. 1 hits and many fan favorites.

“T.G. has built such a remarkable career in country music,” said Mike Jason, Time Life Senior Vice President, Live Entertainment, “We’re honored that he’s joining the Time Life family and has entrusted us with so much of his treasured music.”

“I am so happy to be working with the folks at Time Life. I have performed on their cruises, I have had songs on many of their previous country music collections, and now I get to work with them to put out several albums that originally came out on Warner Brothers Records,” says T.G. Sheppard. “I can’t wait for 2020 to be over so we can start enjoying the greatness of what we hope 2021 will become!”

In addition to his new partnership with Time Life, Sheppard recently released a new Christmas single, “Christmas In Mexico,” with Kelly Lang. T.G. Sheppard continues to experience a resurgence in his career with The T.G. Sheppard Show on SiriusXM Radio’s Elvis Channel.

Old Crow Medicine Show Continues Standing New Year’s Eve Show Tradition At Ryman

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Old Crow Medicine Show. Photo: Kit Wood

Old Crow Medicine Show will help usher out this crazy year and happily ring in the New Year at the Ryman Auditorium, where they’ll be performing Dec. 30 and 31 to a limited in-venue audience.

Fans around the world will also be able to tune in via Livestream for the band’s Dec. 31, 10 p.m. performance, which will also feature special guests including Marty Stuart with more to be announced soon. In-venue tickets for Dec. 30 and 31 start at $69.50, and tickets for the Dec. 31 live stream are priced at $20. To purchase in-venue tickets visit ryman.com and to purchase livestream tickets click here.

Grand Ole Opry members since 2013 and known for their RIAA double-Platinum hit “Wagon Wheel,” Old Crow Medicine Show has headlined the Ryman more than 20 times, and released Live at the Ryman, a compilation of songs performed at the historic venue between 2013-2019, last year. The band’s standing New Year’s Eve tradition marks their 11th year of celebrating the holiday at the Mother Church.

Old Crow Medicine Show’s latest endeavor is their live YouTube show, Hartland Hootenanny, which airs live on Saturday nights at 7 p.m. Curated and filmed by the band, the show combines music, comedy, and features a special guest each week.

Jake Hoot Reveals Track List, Art For New ‘Love Out Of Time’ EP

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Jake Hoot

Jake Hoot has unveiled the track listing and artwork for his Jan. 15, 2021 debut EP release, Love Out Of Time.

The project was produced by Danny Myrick and features four originals along with Hoot’s recently-released cover of “La Bamba.” Hoot collaborated with an all-star lineup of musicians and songwriters for Love Out Of Time including Dean Sams of Lonestar, Myrick, Jenne Fleenor, Dave Pahanish, Jamie Floyd, and more. The EP will also feature a duet with an artist that will be revealed later this month.

Following his win on NBC’s The Voice, Hoot has gone on to release several tracks including charitable song “Tennessee Strong,” which reached Top 10 in the iTunes Country Singles chart and benefited the survivors of the deadly Middle Tennessee tornadoes, as well as the debut single, “Dangerous Thing,” “The Best Job I Ever Had” and the heartwarming love song, “Nadine.” Drawing inspiration from his childhood in the Dominican Republic, Hoot released a cover of “La Bamba” as his lead-off single from his forthcoming EP on Nov. 6, which landed in the Top 10 on the iTunes Latin charts. Fellow Season 17 The Voice contestant Ricky Duran is featured as the lead guitarist on “La Bamba” along with 8 other contestants who lent their vocals on the track from Hoot’s winning season.

Love Out Of Time Track List:

  1. “This Is The Night” (Written by Hoot, Danny Myrick and Kylie Sackley)
  2. “Love Out Of Time” (Written by Hoot and Dave Pahanish)
  3. “Somethin’ We Can Slow Dance To” (Written by Hoot, Danny Myrick and Olivia Rudeen)
  4. “I Would’ve Loved You” (Written by Hoot, Dean Sams and Jamie Floyd)
  5. “La Bamba” feat. Ricky Duran

ACM Weekly Offers Up Special Holiday Edition

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The Academy of Country Music is featuring a special holiday edition of “The ACM Weekly” featuring performances of favorite festive classics performed by Lauren Alaina, Danielle Bradbery, Carolina Story, Devin Dawson, Jessie James Decker, Morgan Evans, Filmore, Chris Janson, Runaway June and Track45 available on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. CT. on Facebook.

The special episode will also include Dolly Parton’s official music video for “Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas” (with Michael Bublé). Following the live episode on Facebook, the special holiday edition will be featured and available to watch at TheHub.ACMcountry.com for 30 days.

Fans will get a chance to hear country artists perform songs from their own holiday albums in addition to a few of their favorite holiday classics. Featured songs include “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Silent Night,” and many more.