Chris Tomlin Makes History With Good Friday Nashville Event

Pictured (L-R): Governor Bill Haslam, First Lady Crissy Haslam, Chris Tomlin, Kristen Allender (State Director for Tennessee’s Kids Belong), Laura Doherty (Director of Communications for America’s Kids Belong)

CCM artist Chris Tomlin made history on Friday, April 14, when nearly 15,000 attendees joined him for his Good Friday Nashville event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, making it the largest ticketed Christian concert in the venue’s history.

Joining Tomlin were Big Daddy Weave, Zach Williams, best-selling author Max Lucado and surprise special guest Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum singing her No. 1 hit “Thy Will,” as well as Matt Maher and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Good Friday Nashville is set to return with Bridgestone Arena already on hold for the next seven years.

Tomlin donated the net proceeds from Good Friday Nashville to Tennessee Kids Belong (TKB), the state chapter of national non-profit, America’s Kids Belong.

Winter Jam Tour Spectacular Makes Pollstar Top 100 Tours List

Britt Nicole performs at Winter Jam

The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, which closed its 2017 Eastern U.S. run earlier this month, landed at No. 4 on Pollstar’s “1Q YTD Worldwide 2017 Ticket Sales Top 100 Tours” chart. The tour visited 46 cities from January through April.

The tour features 10 top CCM artists, including Crowder, Britt Nicole, Tenth Avenue North, Andy Mineo, Colton Dixon, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Winter Jam creators and tour hosts NewSong. Several special guests appeared throughout the tour, including Matthew West, Lauren Daigle, Danny Gokey, Francesca Battistelli, Jordan Feliz, Zach Williams and more.

Next Level Songs Adds Marketing Director, Lead Mentor

Nashville-based Next Level Songs, founded by Stephen Duncan in 2014, has added Brittani Scott as Marketing Director and Lead Mentor. The company provides mentorships and song critiques, as well as hosting songwriting retreats to connect songwriters with fellow writers and industry professionals. The company is primarily geared toward the Christian music industry.

Stephen Duncan, the owner and founder of Next Level Songs, states, “I am so excited to bring Brittani Scott on staff with Next Level Songs! She is heading up our marketing department, co-leading and coordinating our retreats and workshops, and she adds huge value to our mentorship program as our second mentor on staff.”

Next Level Songs’ upcoming songwriting retreat will take place June 22-25 at Deer Run Retreat Center south of Nashville. For more, visit event.nextlevelsongs.com/retreat

The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will host its inaugural Mother’s Day Brunch on Sunday, May 14, 2017. The Martin Family Circus will headline a morning of music and traditional Southern food. Family-style seating will be offered at both 9 a.m. and noon, in the museum’s Event Hall.

Playfully dubbed the Martin Family Circus by Country Music Hall of Fame Member Vince Gill, Paul Martin (singer/guitarist of Exile) and Jamie Allen Martin (daughter of Oak Ridge Boy Duane Allen) began performing with their four children–March (19), Kell (16), Texas (11), and Tallant (10)—in 2010. Representing four generations of musicians, the vocal-driven family band will be performing a variety of musical numbers. The event will also offer a brunch buffet prepared by museum executive chef Bobby Hammock.

“The deep connection that music creates in our memories is a universal phenomenon entwined with the people, seasons and special events in our lives,” said Sharon Brawner, senior VP of sales and marketing for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Unforgettable music and exceptional family experiences are always on the menu for the museum’s annual celebrations like Deck the Hall and Easter Brunch, and our new Mother’s Day Brunch is no exception. We are thrilled to welcome the Martin Family Circus to offer a fun, family-friendly musical experience sure to please. Combine that heartwarming music with chef Bobby’s mouthwatering menu, and you’re sure to have a joyous and memorable celebration worthy of mom!”

Brunch tickets include entry into the museum, a complementary family photo and a mimosa for adults. Ticket prices are $65 for adults, $25 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under. Tickets for both seatings go on sale Friday, April 21, at 10 a.m. CST. For more information and to purchase tickets visit countrymusichalloffame.org/mom.

Pictured (L-R): Steve Turner, Kitty Moon Emery

Nashville businessman Steve Turner and the late Kitty Moon Emery will receive the hospitality industry’s top honors for contributions made to the success of the city’s tourism and convention business, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today.

Turner, a longtime advocate for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the cultural arts in Nashville, will be presented the E.W. “Bud” Wendell Award, joining past recipients Vince Gill, former Gov. Phil Bredesen and former Mayor Karl Dean. The award recognizes contributions to the success of the tourism and convention business in Nashville by someone outside the industry.

Moon, who was active on the CMA board for two decades and helped bring professional sports to Music City, will posthumously receive the inaugural Francis S. Guess Connector Award, which recognizes an individual who has worked to connect the hospitality industry to the community at large to make Nashville a more appealing, open and successful destination. Nashville developer Pat Emery will accept the award on behalf of his late wife.

“It is impossible to capture all that Steve has contributed to Nashville – through his energetic support of our music industry, our downtown and our quality of life,” said Beth Seigenthaler Courtney, board chair of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and president at DVL Seigenthaler. “Steve is a visionary who recognized early the full potential of downtown as the place to live, work and play by living downtown himself and by leading the revitalization of the Gulch. Also, through his deep involvement with our arts community, including the Nashville Symphony and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Steve has strengthened the organizations that uphold music in Music City.”

Courtney added, “Kitty was a trailblazer — one of the first corporate leaders to connect the hospitality industry to Music Row and to the broader business community. She was ahead of her time in seeing the impact the music brand could have on our tourism and convention business and on making Nashville a global destination. Kitty was a sharp businesswoman who understood the importance of the hospitality industry as an economic engine and her legacy will always be part of our city’s success.”

Both award winners will be recognized at Nashville’s National Tourism Week Hospitality Industry Celebration, which will take place on May 9 at 11:30 a.m. at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Dylan Scott

Don’t be surprised if you hear an abundance of love songs on Dylan Scott’s self-titled album from Curb Records. Scott, who in May will celebrate his first wedding anniversary to his high school sweetheart Blair, says his wife has been the inspiration for most of the tracks from his upcoming project.

“We’ve been together since I was 15 and she was 16. I’ve been with her longer than I’ve been writing songs, so a lot of my songs are love songs.”

His current chart-climbing single, “My Girl,” is one of those inspired tracks.

“She’s really shy, but we were driving around and she started rapping an Eminem song word for word. Later I was writing, inspired by that moment, and I made the song about all the things that I see in my girl that nobody gets to see but me.”

The song’s imagery creates a picture of a ballcap wearing, music-loving southern girl who holds strongly to her family and her faith. He says he did take one creative liberty with the song.

“The only line that is not true about her is a line about drinking Crown and Sprite. She doesn’t drink Crown and Sprite, but it rhymed really well.”

Dylan Scott with MusicRow staffers.

Musical talent runs in the family for this Louisiana native. His father played guitar with Freddy Fender and Freddy Hart back in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. Following in his father’s musical footsteps, Scott first began making trips to Nashville as a teenager, when he met Nashville executive Howard Fields.

“He told me, ‘I’m going to try to get you a record deal in six months. If I don’t, you don’t have to sign anything with me, go do what you want to do. I remember driving around in my truck In Louisiana and he called and told me I had two label offers, one from Warner Music and one from Curb Records. I’m a huge Tim McGraw fan, and I grew up about 30 minutes from where he’s from. I’d look at the back of a Tim album and would always see Curb Records. So it was like, ‘Is this really happening?’ when I signed with Curb. So when I met with them it just felt right so I signed with them.”

At age 19, Scott signed a recording deal with Curb Records’ now defunct subsidiary Sidewalk Records. When Sidewalk shuttered, Scott was transferred to Curb Records. Last year, Scott first hit the Top 40 with the single “Crazy Over Me.” He says the long road to radio success has been a blessing in disguise.

“It’s been a huge blessing though that it’s taken six or seven years to get music out, because who I was then is not who I am now. The music I recorded then, was me trying to figure out who I was. I’m a huge Keith Whitley fan so when I moved to town, I was like, ‘I’ll be the next Keith Whitley.’ But you get to town and you are intimidated because there are so many great artists in this town. So I didn’t know who I was at the time. You get in there and start writing and you get on the road and start playing music and you find out who you are.”

Last year, Scott performed more than 130 shows, after wrapping an opening slot for Lee Brice’s Life Off My Years tour. In between gigs, he’s been crafting his 13-track, self-titled album for Curb Records. The album was produced by his longtime songwriting and producing friend Matt Alderman, alongside Curb Records’ Chief Creative Advisor Jim Ed Norman.