Cam Signs Booking Deal With WME

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Cam. Photo: Dennis Leupold

Arista Nashville/RCA Records artist Cam has signed a booking deal with WME. The agency will now represent her in music, film, television, books, and endorsements. The singer/songwriter was previously with CAA.

Cam’s debut single “Burning House” topped the charts and went Platinum. This international hit went on to earn her GRAMMY, ACM, CMA, CMT, and American Music Awards nominations. Her first album Untamed debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and her sophomore album is expected to be released later this year. Cam gave her fans a preview of the forthcoming album with the recently released single “Diane.”

Cam is managed by Lindsay Marias at Grit & Magic Entertainment.

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Academy of Country Music Announces Four New Hires

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Pictured (clockwise, from top left): Bridget Cirone, Lanni Gagnon, Carrie Tekautz, and Jen Heaton

The Academy of Country Music has added new staffers in four departments, including new Assistant, Creative & Content and Marketing departments Bridget Cirone; Coordinator, Events Lanni Gagnon; Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships Jen Heaton; and Coordinator, Awards & Membership Carrie Tekautz. All positions are based out the Academy’s headquarters in Encino, California.

Chicago-born and Las Vegas-raised, Cirone joins the Academy of Country Music’s Los Angeles team, stepping in as Assistant for both the Marketing and Creative & Content departments. She will assist the marketing and creative & content teams with all needs, including administrative and support tasks, and will serve as a production assistant for all major events, among other duties. She reports dually to Lisa Lee, Senior Vice President, Creative & Content and Brooke Primero, Senior Vice President, Marketing.

A Massachusetts native, Gagnon joins the Academy of Country Music team as Coordinator of the Events department, where she will be responsible for various logistical and operational elements of the ACM Awards and ACM Party for a Cause Events – including event production, red carpet, food and beverage, transportation, signage, security, event décor and partnership fulfillment. She reports to Erick Long, Senior Vice President, Events.

California born and raised, Heaton joins the Academy of Country Music in a newly created role as Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships, where she is responsible for planning and executing the ACM and ACM Lifting Lives® partners programs—including identifying, cultivating, and developing new sponsors across industries and developing a multi-year partnership strategy. She reports to Erick Long, Senior Vice President, Events.

Originally from Kansas City, Tekautz joins the Academy of Country Music’s team as Coordinator of the Awards & Membership department, where she will help maintain the membership database, recruit new ACM professional members and help coordinate the ACM Awards voting process. She reports to Nick Di Fruscia, Vice President, Awards & Membership.

Byron Gallimore To Be Highlighted In CMHoF Music Masters Series

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Byron Gallimore

Grammy-winning record producer Byron Gallimore will be featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s (CMHoF) program series Music Masters, on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. in the museum’s Ford Theater.

Presented in support of the exhibition Tim McGraw & Faith Hill: Mississippi Woman, Louisiana Man, the Interview will be conducted by museum staffer Michael McCall. Gallimore has co-produced Tim McGraw’s albums since 1993, and he has worked with Faith Hill since her 1998 album, Faith. As producer of Hill’s Grammy-winning 1999 album, Breathe, Gallimore received a Grammy himself. His collaborations with Hill and McGraw—on both solo and duet projects—has been rewarded with three CMA awards and four ACM awards. Gallimore also co-produced the recently released album of McGraw-Hill duets, The Rest of Our Life.

Gallimore’s other production clients have included Terri Clark, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, Phil Vassar and Lee Ann Womack. He received additional CMA awards for Album of the Year (Womack’s There’s More Where That Came From) and Single of the Year (for her “I May Hate Myself in the Morning.”) With Sugarland, he won ACM Single of the Year, for “Stay.” Gallimore also owns the recording studio Essential Sound and, in 2012, founded the label Streamsound Records with Jim Wilkes.

The Music Masters program will follow Gallimore from his hometown, Puryear, Tennessee, where he began performing in bands, through his move to Nashville in 1986 and his decades-long tenure as one of Nashville’s most successful record men. The multimedia program will include photos, audio clips and videos. Following the program, Gallimore will sign commemorative Hatch Show Print posters purchased from the Museum Store.

Music Masters is an interview series featuring revealing conversations with music industry figures such as producers, publicists, engineers, A&R staff, and business executives. Normally at work behind the scenes, these leaders share unique perspectives on the development of artists and the creation of hit songs. Through stories from these key players, the Music Masters series explores the interaction of business and culture.

The program is included with museum admission and free to museum members. Seating is general admission. Attendees must have a program pass to guarantee admission to the event. Museum members may reserve their program passes in advance by phone (615-416-2050) or via reservations@countrymusichalloffame.org. The program will be streamed live at countrymusichalloffame.org/streaming.

Industry Ink: Ricky Skaggs, Buddy Lee Attractions, Pulse Music Publishing

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Ricky Skaggs Discusses Bill Monroe’s Legacy with Reverb

Ricky Skaggs and his 15th GRAMMY® / Photo: Carson Photoworks

Ricky Skaggs recently sat down with Reverb for an exclusive interview at his Hendersonville, Tennessee recording studio. Skaggs discussed Bill Monroe’s unique performance style and the impact the legend had on the genre, along with his own music. The full interview can be seen here.

 

Buddy Lee Attractions Signs Clay Hollis

Clay Hollis

Rising Texas country singer Clay Hollis has signed a deal with Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc. in Nashville for worldwide booking representation.

“We’re looking forward to working with Clay and developing his already strong presence through the rest of Texas and beyond,” says Jimmy Dasher, agent at Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc.

“I am extremely excited to join the Buddy Lee team and work with such a reputable company,” adds Hollis. “I am looking forward to what the future brings for me in the New Year, especially playing for new (and current) fans around the country.”

 

Pulse Music Publishing Extends Admin Deal With Mary Jo Mennella’s MAM

Mary Jo Mannella

Pulse Music Publishing has extended its relationship with Mary Jo Mennella and Music Asset Management, Inc. (MAM) to continue the exclusive management of Pulse Publishing Administration.

Through the deal, MAM will continue overseeing Pulse’s global administration of more than 150 catalogs, including joint venture partners such as Creative Nation, Rick Rubin’s American Songs, Mark Anthony’s Magnus Media and Mass Appeal.

UMPG Signs Josh Hoge

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Pictured (Back Row, L-R): Shannan Hatch, Sr. VP, Creative Services, SESAC; Ron Stuve, VP, A&R/Special Projects, UMPG; Kent Earls, Exec. VP/GM, UMPG; Kent Marcus, Marcus & Colvin, LLP; Cyndi Forman, VP, Creative, UMPG; Travis Gordon, Sr. Creative Director, UMPG. (Front Row, L-R): Josh Hoge and Missy Roberts, Sr. Creative Director, UMPG.

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed Nashville songwriter Josh Hoge to a global publishing deal.

A Franklin, Tennessee native, Hoge has co-penned hit songs including “Think of You” and “I’m Comin’ Over” for Chris Young, as well as six songs on the artist’s latest LP, including title track and lead single “Losing Sleep.” Hoge also co-wrote Kane Brown’s certified gold song “Used to Love You Sober” and charted single “Thunder in the Rain.” In 2016, Hoge was named SESAC Songwriter of the year.

“We have closely followed Josh’s career over the last decade and jumped at the chance to bring him into the UMPG family. He is an incredibly talented melodic singer-songwriter with an innate gift for focusing on the artist’s vision in co-writing sessions. We’re honored to work with him and excited to further his career as a songwriter,” said Kent Earls, EVP and GM of UMPG Nashville.

“When a company like Universal Music Publishing has a philosophy that is ‘Songwriters First,’ what writer wouldn’t want to be a part of that? As a leading publisher in this business, they still have that small family feel which I love most,” said Hoge. “The passion Kent Earls and his entire staff showed in getting me to join was like no other I’d seen in my 10 years of doing this. It was a no brainer for me to sign with this awesome new team!”

Hoge’s musical career began as an R&B solo artist and pop songwriter working with artists such as Backstreet Boys and Jesse McCartney. He was part of a duo, Jukebox Mafia, and toured with Miranda Lambert.

The Recording Academy Details Premiere Ceremony, Extends Westwood One Partnership

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This year’s Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be held on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden from 3-6 p.m. ET, and livestreamed at grammy.com/live and at cbs.com.

Zac Brown, Natalie Grant and Bernie Herms, Lisa Loeb, Ledisi, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jimmy Jam are among those presenting the first Grammy Awards of the day in nearly 70 categories. Performers during the Premiere Ceremony include Body Count, India.Arie, Jazzmeia Horn, Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’, and Stile Antico. Singer, composer, and instrumentalist Paul Shaffer will host the ceremony and will serve as musical director while his World’s Most Dangerous Band will serve as the house band.

Meanwhile, the Recording Academy has also extended its partnership with Westwood One, with Westwood One continuing to be the Recording Academy’s official radio broadcast partner.

Westwood One will also create a two-hour GRAMMYs 60th Anniversary Nomination Special and distribute the broadcast across three key music formats airing Jan. 20 and 21, each hosted by New York City on-air talent. The Top 40/Rhythmic, Hot AC, and AC versions will be hosted by Jayde Donovan from Todd & Jayde Mornings on WPLJ-FM/New York and the Urban/Urban AC version will be hosted by La Loca from WNBM-FM/New York.

Westwood One will also air a week-long series of musical performances and interviews, live from Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17, at Penn Plaza. Pop station 95.5 WPLJ and New York’s only country station, NASH FM 94.7, will be hosting private performances all week by Bleachers, Marshmello, and this year’s GRAMMY-nominated artist Midland, among others. A complete list of performances will be announced soon.

The 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on the CBS Television Network from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

Jason Aldean, Lauren Alaina, Luke Combs Set For High Noon Neon Tour

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Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean will welcome Lauren Alaina and Luke Combs as direct tour support for his upcoming High Noon Neon Tour, which will launch on May 10 in Kansas City, Missouri. The tour will visit 34 cities from May through September, including a Sept. 7 date at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The tour will wrap Sept. 29 in Irvine, California.

Aldean has also teased an upcoming album with the tour announcement.

“We named this tour after a song that’ll be on my next record,” said Aldean. “It reminds me of the bars I grew up playing in Georgia when I was getting started. We’re going to bring some of that raw energy out this summer with Luke and Lauren—I know we’re all ready.”

For a full list of tour dates, visit jasonaldean.com.

DISClaimer: Brothers Osborne, Dugger Band Top New Tracks

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Brothers Osborne

It’s a new year brimming with new country talent.

Tegan Marie, Sara Morgan and Dugger Band are all making their DisClaimer debuts today, while Jenny Tolman, Noe Palma and Cale Dodds are stepping up to the plate with their sophomore efforts.

Dugger Band wins the DisCovery Award. This brother duo had to compete for the big prize with two other teams, Dan + Shay and Brothers Osborne, plus the band LANco. Despite the worthy competition, Brothers Osborne wins Disc of the Day.

LANCO/Born To Love You
Writers: Brandon Lancaster/Ross Copperman/Ashley Gorley/Josh Osborne; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane/Concession 114/Neon Cross/EMI Blackwood/Plain Jane/Rezolant/Sony-ATV/Combustion Engine/Sadie’s Favorite/WB/Anderson Fork in the Road/Smackville/Smack Songs/Kobalt, BMI/ASCAP; Arista (track)
– Percolating country-pop with hooks a-plenty, crunchy beats and charming vocals. Absolutely addictive.

DUGGER BAND/East Tennessee Son
Writers: Jordan Dugger/Seath Dugger/Bill DiLuigi; Producers: Paul David/Jordan Dugger/Seth Dugger; Publishers: Dughouse/888 King, ASCAP/SESAC; DB (track)
– The sibling harmonies are skintight. The lyric praising Appalachian beauty is evocative. The soaring melody is lovely. The production is sophisticated and nicely layered. Get on board.

DAN+SHAY/Tequila
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Warner Bros.
– Anguish and heartache, brought on by a taste of tequila that brings back her memory. Beautifully produced and sung, as usual, with feeling and gusto. Highly recommended.

TEGAN MARIE/Keep It Lit
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Warner Bros.
– She’s 14. Her single is bouncy and youthful and romantic.

BROTHERS OSBORNE/Shoot Me Straight
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; EMI
– These two are the best thing to happen to country music in years. On this outing, they combine the swagger of Southern rock, the drawl of backwoods blues, stinging guitar licks and relentlessly righteous rhythm. Love them. Love this.

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NOE PALMA/Swerve
Writers: Bridgette Tatum/Benjamin Drew Davis/Jason Matthews; Producers: Bart Busch & Jason Matthews; Publishers: none listed; Mae Capital
– I loved this dude’s last effort. This shouted rocker is heavier on attitude than it is on melody, but I imagine it goes down well in a rowdy nightclub setting.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD & LUDACRIS/The Champion
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Arista
– This is her anthem for the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. Her vocal is compressed and processed. His is multi-tracked. I don’t hear the result as being programmable by either pop or country taste makers.

SARA MORGAN/The Boots
Writer: Sara Morgan; Producers: Carl Butler/Sara Morgan; Publishers: none listed; River Delta (track)
– “He might wear the pants, but I wear the boots.” Cleverly written and sung with spunk, moxie and verve. The steel-dominated track is a might thin sounding.

CALE DODDS/Take You Back
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Warner Bros.
– Dreamy and tuneful. His endearing, boyish, pleading vocal is paired with a swirling, chiming, echoey production. The lyric is of nostalgia and lost romance. I dig this.

JENNY TOLMAN/Something To Complain About
Writers: Dave Brainard/Aaron Raitiere/Jenny Tolman; Producer: Dave Brainard; Publishers: none listed; Jennyville (track)
– A working girl looks at the problems of privileged celebrities with a jaundiced eye. Then she compares the problems of her own life with those of a homeless person. Smartly written and engagingly sung. Somebody sign this indie gal pronto.

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Dolly Kicks Off 2018 With Trifecta Of Achievements And Honors

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Pictured (L-R): Greg Linn, SVP, Marketing & Content, Legacy Recordings/Sony Music; Parton; John Jackson, SVP, A&R, Legacy Recordings/Sony Music; and John Zarling, EVP, Marketing & New Business, Sony Music Nashville. Photo credit: John Shearer

Dolly Parton is kicking off 2018 in a big way, receiving recognition from the Emmys, RIAA and Guinness World Records for multiple milestones.

Parton is nominated for a 32nd Midsouth Regional Emmy Award in the Community Service category for Smoky Mountains Rise, along with collaborators Nicholas E. Dugger, Danny Nozell, Pete Owens, Scott Durand, Shanna Strassberg, Edie Lynn Hoback and John Zarling. The event will be streamed live Saturday, Jan. 20, at 8 pm CT from Nashville’s Music City Center, and during the ceremony, Parton and the Dollywood Foundation will receive The Governors’ Award for outstanding achievement in community service.

She is also being recognized in the pages of the Guinness World Records 2018 Edition, for holding records for the Most Decades with a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart and Most Hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs Chart by a Female Artist. To make it official, Guinness World Records visited Dolly in Nashville recently to present her with record title certificates and sit down for an exclusive interview that can be seen here.

Surpassing George Jones, Elvis Presley and Reba McEntire, Parton is the only artist with Top 20 hits across six consecutive decades (1960s–2010s), earning her the title of Most Decades with a Top 20 Hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart. Beginning with her first Top 20 entry, “Something Fishy” in 1967, she’s a credited artist on a further 73 Top 20 hits, including her most recent, a new version of her beloved 1974 title “Jolene,” featuring a capella quintet Pentatonix, which debuted at No.18 on the chart dated October 8, 2016.

The 2016 remastered version of “Jolene” was also Dolly’s 107th chart entry, solidifying her second record title for the Most Hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs Chart by a Female Artist. Of the 107 hits, twenty-one were achieved with former partner Porter Wagoner (1927–2007).

Parton also recently was surprised with the news of four Recording Industry Association certifications. She was presented with plaques in recognition of the RIAA Gold certification of her recording of “I Will Always Love You” (RCA) with over 500,000 digital sales and streams, Gold certification of “Jolene” (RCA) with over 500,000 digital sales and streams, and Platinum certification of “9 To 5” (RCA) which has amassed over one million digital sales and streams. “9 To 5,” penned by Parton, has also been chosen as the music bed to a new Northwestern Mutual national TV commercial.

As the sole songwriter of “I Will Always Love You,” recorded by Whitney Houston on The Bodyguard film soundtrack (Legacy/Arista), Parton also received a plaque commemorating Triple-Platinum certification for over three million digital sales and streams of the smash hit.

Photo: John Shearer

CMHoF Features Don McLean Display

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Don McLean in performance at The Sage Gateshead

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHoF) opened a new display from award-winning singer-songwriter Don McLean in its long-running, permanent exhibition Sing Me Back Home: A Journey Through Country Music, beginning Jan. 12. Rotated often, these short-term, informal displays provide a closer look at a particular person or special anniversaries in country music history.

Among the items on display include a 1997 Martin Model D-40DM Don McLean signature acoustic guitar, one of only 71 such guitars that were built. A selection of never-before-seen manuscript pages inclusive of “Vincent” (Starry, Starry Night), which McLean wrote in tribute to Vincent Van Gogh are also part of the display.

“Alan Stoker, Curator of Recorded Sound Collections at the Country Music Hall of Fame, is the son of my friend Gordon Stoker who founded The Jordanaires and who I recorded with for many years,” says McLean. “I have so many long-term and beautiful associations with musicians and music business professionals who have loved me and my music for decades. As a strange musical hybrid of some kind, I was always welcome in Nashville without reservation. I would like to add whatever I can to the storied past of country music as a musical representative of Americana.”

Items on display in the museum’s long-time, permanent exhibition, Sing Me Back Home, are updated frequently. By regularly rotating displays, the museum offers a glimpse into its unique collection of over 2.5 million artifacts, which includes recorded discs; historical photographs; films and videotapes; thousands of posters; books; songbooks; periodicals and sheet music; personal artifacts such as performers’ instruments, costumes and accessories; and more. Recent rotating displays in Sing Me Back Home have featured John Anderson, Bob Moore, Ray Stevens and Keith Whitley.