NOW OPEN: Applications For MusicRow’s 2023 N.B.T. Music Industry Directory

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Applications are now open for the N.B.T. (Next Big Thing) Music Industry Directory, which will be featured in MusicRow‘s Touring/N.B.T. print issue, which releases on Nov. 29.

MusicRow‘s N.B.T. Music Industry Directory is the first and only list of its kind, showcasing Nashville music business professionals who are rising through the ranks. This class of industry members occupy mid-level roles at their respective companies, and are on a trajectory of excellence to become future leaders in the Nashville music industry. Applicants should ideally have a minimum of 5 or more years experience in the music industry.

This Touring/Next Big Thing print edition also includes the annual Next Big Thing artists listing, with editorial features focused on the touring segment of our industry.

To apply for inclusion in this year’s edition of the N.B.T. Music Industry Directory, please click here to access the application form. (Please note that not all submissions are guaranteed to be listed in the directory.)

Note: If you are submitting multiple candidates, you will need to click on SUBMIT at the bottom of the form before entering another candidate. Head shots can be sent to art@musicrow.com.

New submissions for the directory close on Friday, September 23, 2022. For questions, email lbcantrell@musicrow.com.

HarbourView Acquires Big Loud Mountain’s Publisher Share Of Select Florida Georgia Line Songs

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Florida Georgia Line. Photo: John Shearer

HarbourView Equity Partners has announced its acquisition of Big Loud Mountain Music’s publisher share of select songs from Florida Georgia Line‘s catalog.

Big Loud was a key player in the launch and early success of Florida Georgia Line. The duo made their mark on the genre with hit songs such as “Meant To Be,” “This Is How We Roll,” “H.O.L.Y.,” “May We All,” “Dirt” and “Cruise.” Together the duo’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley tallied 19 career No. 1 singles and more than 13 billion global streams. They sold more than 40 million tracks and 4.8 million albums worldwide.

FGL recently ended their chapter as a duo, and have since been working on solo careers.

Since launching just nine months ago, HarbourView has acquired nearly 40 catalogs to date. The firm’s diverse portfolio features thousands of titles spanning numerous genres and decades. Most recently the company acquired catalogs from Brad Paisley and Lady A, as well as Hollywood Undead, Dre & Vidal, and Luis Fonsi.

Big Loud Mountain Music was represented by Derek Crownover, Megan Pekar and John Rolfe of Loeb & Loeb LLP. Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP served as legal counsel to HarbourView.

The terms of the transaction, nor the titles of the acquired tracks, were not disclosed.

Chris Stapleton Renews Global Publishing Deal With Warner Chappell

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Chris Stapleton. Photo: Becky Fluke

Eight-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton has renewed his global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music.

Born and raised in Kentucky, Stapleton first landed on the scene in 2015 with his now 5x Platinum debut album, Traveller, which includes the RIAA diamond single, “Tennessee Whiskey.” He has gone on to earn 10 RIAA-certified Platinum singles, 14 CMA Awards, eight ACM Awards, and billions of streams.

As a songwriter, Stapleton has penned countless hits, including his 3x Platinum song “Broken Halos,” his 2x Platinum single “Parachute,” and Justin Timberlake’s 3x Platinum single “Say Something.” He has also written songs recorded by Adele, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Peter Frampton, Sheryl Crow, Ed Sheeran, Vince Gill, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Tim McGraw.

Of the news, Stapleton shares, “Ben Vaughn and the Warner Chappell Music team have been wonderful partners to me and my music over the past eight years. I look forward to our continued relationship.”

Vaughn, President & CEO of WCM Nashville, adds, “Chris Stapleton is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. The way he crafts lyrics set against his rhythms makes you literally feel the music. We believe his music will live on for generations and we couldn’t be more honored to continue working with such a timeless songwriter and artist.”

Stapleton is represented by his managers Coran Capshaw, Zach Peters, and Clay Hunt (Red Light Management) as well as his attorney Chip Petree (Ritholz Levy Fields).

Zach Bryan Climbs To No. 2 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart

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Zach Bryan. Photo: Rachael Polack

Zach Bryan jumps to the No. 2 spot this week on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart. Rising from No. 4, the rising singer-songwriter has two of his own songs rising on the chart: “Oklahoma Smokeshow” and his breakout hit “Something In The Orange.”

For a sixth consecutive week, Ashley Gorley continues his reign at No. 1 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart with seven currently charting songs, including “Gold” (Dierks Bentley), “Holy Water” (Michael Ray), “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” (Cole Swindell), “Take My Name” (Parmalee), “What He Didn’t Do” (Carly Pearce), “You Didn’t” (Brett Young) and “You Proof” (Morgan Wallen).

Ernest Keith Smith maintains the third spot, Morgan Wallen falls to fourth, and Chase McGill remains in fifth this week.

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

Frank Rogers Elevated To Chief Creative Officer, Spirit Music Group/CEO, Spirit Music Nashville

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Frank Rogers. Photo: Courtesy of Spirit Music Group

Frank Rogers has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer, Spirit Music Group/CEO, Spirit Music Nashville.

In his new role, Rogers will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Spirit Music Group’s global roster and creative activities, as well as continuing to oversee Spirit Music Nashville’s operational activities.

In addition to being a publishing executive, Rogers is a multi-Platinum producer and songwriter who has produced 44 No. 1 singles, more than 80 top 20 singles and over 60 RIAA certified albums or singles for artists such as Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Allison Krauss, Frank Ray, and Scotty McCreery.

Rogers has 18 CMA nominations, with one win, and 27 ACM nominations, with five wins. He has produced 17 Grammy-nominated songs or albums, including four winners. He has been named Billboard‘s No. 1 Hot Country Producer Award five times, MusicRow’s Producer of the Year four times, and was included on Billboard’s Country Power Players list in 2020 and 2022.

As a songwriter he’s co-written many chart toppers, including “I’m Gonna Miss Her” (Brad Paisley); “Alright” and “This” (Darius Rucker); “Five More Minutes,” “This Is It,” “In Between,” and “You Time”  (Scotty McCreery); and “Backroad Song” (Granger Smith). His songs have been recorded by Chris Stapleton, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Kenny Rogers, Clint Black, Hootie And The Blowfish, Lee Brice, Kidd Rock, Billy Gibbons, Matthew West, and many more.

In 2016, Spirit Music Group inked a multi-facted deal with Rogers and his company, Fluid Music Revolution, forming the Spirit/Fluid joint venture. The deal empowered Rogers to bring new artists, producers and writers to the company, and he also joined Spirit’s roster as a songwriter, with the company administering all of his new compositions worldwide. Rogers was appointed CEO of Spirit Music Group Nashville in 2019.

“I’m confident Frank is the right person to lead Spirit Music Group’s global creative team in this next exciting chapter. Frank brings a wealth of experience to our business, both as a multi-Platinum songwriter/music producer in his own right and as a highly accomplished music publishing executive with a proven history of delivering hit after hit with our roster,” notes Jon Singer, Chairman, Spirit Music Group. “We are thrilled to provide Spirit Music Group’s global roster of artists, songwriters and producers of every genre the very best in executive talent and a creative executive at the helm who knows how to build business and careers for our writers. What Frank has accomplished with Spirit Music Nashville is a great example of what a music publishing community firing on all cylinders can accomplish and we look forward to seeing him apply his creative strategy throughout our global offices.”

“I am honored to continue and to expand my relationship with Spirit Music Group,” Rogers adds. “Jon Singer, Ross Cameron and Joe Borrino have been great partners over the last several years and I look forward to continuing to build on Spirit’s impressive foundation. I am excited to work with all of Spirit’s songwriters and staff with the goal of expanding our global presence while making Spirit Music Group the preeminent independent music publisher in the world.”

Breland Looks To Bridge The Genre Gap On Debut ‘Cross Country’ Project [Interview]

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Breland. Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

Since independently releasing his breakthrough smash hit “My Truck” on social media in 2020, genre-bending singer-songwriter Breland has spent the last couple years taking the country world by storm and making quite the mark on Nashville along the way.

In that time, the New Jersey native has kept busy, hosting his own “Breland & Friends” benefit concert at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, which raised over $140,000 for the Oasis Center, as well as being included on countless artist to watch lists. He’s been featured on many projects from established country and hip-hop artists, such as Dierks Bentley‘s “Beers On Me” alongside Hardy, Nelly‘s “High Horse” with Blanco Brown, and more. Not to mention he’s been popping out his own collection of collaborations, including the Gold-certified “Throw It Back” with Keith Urban.

Breland. Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

All the while, though, the magnetic entertainer was hard at work perfecting his eagerly awaited debut project, Cross Country, which was officially unveiled today (Sept. 9).

Taking its name from his autobiographical 2021 single, which earned a remixed version featuring Mickey Guyton, Cross Country features over three dozen co-writers within its fourteen tracks spanning varied levels of success, from Nashville writer royalty such as Derrick Southerland, Ashley Gorley, Monty Criswell and Jessie Jo Dillon, to fellow artists like Sam Hunt, Ernest, Hardy and Ryan Hurd. Its track list also features a fair share of newer tunesmiths such as Jacob Durrett, Cameron Bartolini and Rocky Block. However, Breland’s hand and signature flair can be heard on every song.

“I’m someone that can write a song entirely by myself, but I love co-writing because it’s social,” Breland shares with MusicRow. “You end up coming to different conclusions than you would come to on your own, and I feel like each of the songwriters that I wrote these records with all have a unique point-of-view. They all have different things that they bring to the table melodically and conceptually.

Breland. Photo: Evan Kaufmann

Cross Country includes a handful of previously released tracks, such as the title track with Guyton, the Urban-graced “Throw It Back,” the infectious “Praise The Lord” featuring Thomas Rhett, and the Shania Twain-inspired “Natural.” However, the project also brings plenty of fresh blood in its track list, all of which showcase Breland’s journey over the past few years.

“[This album] has been a long time coming. I feel like every artist is waiting for the opportunity to put out their debut album, and I’ve been working on this one since I signed my deal two and a half years ago. There are songs on here from early 2020 before the pandemic and songs from just a few months ago,” he notes. “I’ve grown a lot during that span and lived a lot of life during that time as well, so there’s a good array of songs, a lot of sonic diversity, and also a lot of different types of stories on this album.”

Breland. Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

Helmed by Breland’s longtime producers Sam Sumser and Sean Small, who oversaw the project nearly in its entirety, the album encompasses his signature “Cross Country” sound which, as he explains, includes a myriad of different musical influences. Whether merging with gospel, Motown, R&B, hip-hop or any other combination, the project aims to show a slightly different side of country music intersecting with other genres through each song.

“Each song is important and helps cover some ground in terms of the different intersections that I’m trying to hit with country and [other genres]. They all contribute to the Cross Country narrative and soundscape,” he explains. “You never know when you go into a room what’s going to happen, especially when you’re trying to be experimental with the sounds. You’re not always going to land it, which is why when you end up with a body of work with a bunch of songs that you feel like you did land it, they all represent something more.”

An entertainer known for his high-flying collaborations, Cross Country includes two new ones: “Told You I Could Drink” with help from country trio Lady A, and “Here For It” which features labelmate Ingrid Andress.

Pictured (L-R): Reservoir EVP Creative John Ozier, Reservoir Creative Coordinator Beth St. Jean, Zachary Manno, Breland, Reservoir VP Creative Greg Gallo

Born after a surprise meeting at a CMA Awards after party, Breland joined forces with Lady A’s Charles Kelley for their tune, along with newcomer Zachary Manno. In May of this year, Manno signed with Reservoir in a first-of-its-kind deal for the publishing house through its Protégé mentorship campaign. Launched by Breland, the platform aims to elevate and guide rising Nashville talent and provide them with opportunities that might otherwise be hard to come by.

“Zach is such a talented man. It was shocking to me that he hadn’t had any major cuts given the talent that he possesses as a writer, producer and guitarist, coupled with the vibe that he brings to the studio. I had written with him a few times and every time we got in together, we made something magical,” Breland shares. “He’s someone that I think is going to really crush it in country music.”

Among the rest of the album’s track list are a few that the Bad Realm Records/Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville artist is particularly excited for fans to get their hands on, including the powerfully delivered “For What It’s Worth,” which he believes will be one of the biggest songs on the record and ready for radio in no time.

Another highlight of the project can be heard in “Good For You,” which was penned alongside rising Warner Nashville artist Tyler Braden. The track gives the breakthrough entertainer a chance to show off his pipes with a moving vocal performance that hasn’t really been heard before. “I think if you just listen to ‘Throw It Back,’ ‘My Truck’ and some of the bigger records, people might not know that I’m a vocalist,” he notes. “That song gives me the opportunity to share some of my chops, and it’s a really well written song.”

Breland. Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

However, the song that Breland is most looking forward to is a touching track titled “Growing Pains” that nearly didn’t make the cut for the project. Chronicling his journey over the past few years, the young trailblazer notes that it’s the most accurate reflection of where he feels he is now, while also diving into some of the recent lessons learned.

As one of the voices leading the charge for Black country artists’ representation in the genre, “Growing Pains,” which was written with Sumser, Small and Stephen McGregor, speaks to that sentiment while also showing that growth isn’t always pretty.

“Growing Pains’ was the last song written to make it onto the project.” He explains, “I’ve grown a lot [over the past year] and I realized that the career growth that I’ve experienced is a direct reflection of the personal growth that has been happening… However, it’s also recognizing that growth isn’t always a linear process and that you might still have down days, but it’s how you respond to those that really shows how far you’ve come.”

With this colossal debut project under his belt and the start of a new chapter in his career, Breland, as always, has his eyes set on what’s next. Already hard at work on his sophomore effort, the burgeoning artist has plenty more in the works, including some still-under wraps opportunities in the TV and film space, and hopefully bringing these new songs to crowds all across the country.

Breland’s debut album, Cross Country, is available everywhere now.

‘Monarch’ Execs Prep For Sunday’s Premiere [Interview]

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Adam Anders, Jason Owen

On Sunday (Sept. 11), FOX will premiere the new multi-generational musical drama Monarch.

The series focuses on America’s “leading family of country music,” built around the “Queen of Country Music” Dottie Cantrell Roman (played by Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon), and her beloved husband and fellow country music royalty Albie Roman (played by multi-Platinum country music star Trace Adkins).

Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins in the series premiere of Monarch. Photo: FOX © 2022 FOX Media LLC.

The dramatic story finds the Romans ruling their country music dynasty, a legacy their daughter Nicolette “Nicky” Roman (played by Golden Globe nominee Anna Friel) plans to continue with her own music career. Nicky’s brother Luke Roman (Joshua Sasse) is also in the family business, serving as CEO of the Romans’ Monarch Entertainment. Youngest daughter Gigi Tucker-Roman (Beth Ditto) is very close to her older brother and sister, but in a family of superstars, she’s always felt like bit of an outcast despite her incredible singing voice.

As learned from a sneak peek of the show, things get tricky for the Romans when it’s discovered that the very foundation of their success is a lie. The show, which is 100% owned and produced by FOX Entertainment, debuts with a special two-night event, beginning Sunday, Sept. 11, immediately following the FOX NFL doubleheader at 8 p.m. EST.

Prior to the premiere, MusicRow caught up with Monarch‘s executive producer and top music manager, Jason Owen, as well as Monarch‘s executive music producer Adam Anders.

Owen says that Monarch came about to offer something new to viewers, especially in middle America.

“Gail Berman, who has become my mentor, is a genius producer. She ran FOX during the decade that they had American Idol and Glee,” Owen says. “She has her own production company now and she has felt like there needed to be a country music-centric show for FOX, knowing that FOX’s demographic was really in the middle of the country. No one was really speaking to the middle of the country, they were all speaking to the coast.”

That’s where screenwriter Melissa London Hilfers came in. She was the perfect choice to write the story of the Romans, as she grew up on country music.

“Gail needed someone who knew both TV and the music business—someone that can add authenticity to this, but also add drama to it,” Owen says. “That’s where I came in. We had a meeting three and half years ago and just immediately connected.”

Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins in the series premiere of Monarch. Photo: FOX © 2022 FOX Media LLC.

With his background in the country music industry, and a client list that includes Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, Dan + Shay and Kelsea Ballerini, it’s easy to assume that Owen would have a lot of influence and knowledge to draw on when creating Monarch.

“You’ll see storyline references through the process that you could probably connect some dots to [in country music history], whether it’s a divorce or something like that. There’s a story about one of the record labels buying someone’s masters. There are those through lines that come from reality.

“Look, there’s no question that I’m surrounded by divas every day—including myself!” Owen adds with a laugh.

There is one character, however, that is inspired after a well-known Nashvillian.

“One real life example I took for the script was for Dottie’s hairdresser Earl,” Owens says. “Earl Cox is a legend in hair for country music and a dear friend of mine. He’s done hair for Martina McBride, Wynonna Judd, Tammy Wynette, Faith Hill, and everybody else you can imagine. He’s such a character and he’s such a wonderful human.

“Earl was not part of the original script. At some point, I said, ‘We need this counterpart because the glam teams, specifically ones that have been with these artists for a long time, have a big influence on them.’ So Earl was written in. We got permission from Earl to use his real name. I use a lot from him, including a lot of his sayings and interactions.”

In a show about country music, it’s no surprise that the music on the show was of the utmost importance. That’s why the Monarch team brought in three-time Grammy Award nominee and series executive music producer Adam Anders to head up the music. Anders has experience in creating a soundtrack for a television series that is larger than life, as he was the executive music producer for Glee.

Anders is also a true country music fan from childhood, making him the perfect steward for the music of Monarch.

“The first record I ever bought was when I saved my pennies to buy Kenny Rogers‘ The Gambler,” Anders says. “I’ve always had an affinity for country music. My parents loved it. I moved to Nashville whenI was 16 years old. I started as a bass player and did a lot of Christian and country records. I cut my teeth as a songwriter in Nashville.

Beth Ditto and Anna Friel in the series premiere of Monarch. Photo: FOX © 2022 FOX Media LLC.

“The thing that drew me to the show was it’s not just classic country or new country, it’s everything in between as well,” he adds. “There was an opportunity for original songs. The only real correlation with Glee is that we get to introduce songs to a new generation. [Viewers] might not have heard a Waylon Jennings song, a Hank Williams song or Barbara Mandrell song, so it’s fun for me to reframe those in a way that is appealing to this generation. A great song is a great song.”

When it came time to find a theme song for Monarch, more Nashville creatives were called in. The Love Junkies—Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose—wrote a haunting song called “The Card You Gamble” for the show. Talented songstress Caitlyn Smith recorded it.

“FOX really wanted an original theme song versus a licensed theme song,” Owen shares. “I have had tremendous success with the Love Junkies and they’re great friends of mine. I called Beth Laird first and she got them all on a Zoom with me. I walked through what the show was, what we were looking for, and the concept. I sent the first script and talked through it all. Within three or four days, they had that song back to me.

“Then, of course, we needed someone to sing it,” he adds. “FOX was going to hire a singer that does theme songs, but I said, ‘No, I have literally one of the best voices in country music: Caitlyn Smith.’ She jumped on it and they were thrilled.”

One thing that is evident with the Monarch team is their intention to include as many Nashville creators as possible.

“The songwriting community in Nashville [is involved in the new songs], as well as the musician community,” shares Anders. “We’re tracking every song in Nashville and all the backgrounds are Nashville singers, so it’s a really a Nashville affair.”

Catch the series premiere of Monarch on Sunday, Sept. 11, immediately following the FOX NFL doubleheader (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET, and simultaneously to all time zones). It then makes its time period premiere Tuesday, Sept. 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), following the season six debut of The Resident (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT).

DISClaimer Single Reviews: Tenille Townes Shows Her Musical Brilliance With ‘The Last Time’

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Today’s playlist is what country music would sound like in an ideal universe.

That is to say, male-female equality instead of the preposterous imbalance that exists today.

And do I need to add that the tracks by women are almost uniformly more interesting than those by men? The exceptions are Jake Owen, Willie Jones and Mitchell Tenpenny, all of whom are at the top of their game today.

But the listening session was ruled by the fairer sex with outstanding offerings by Madeline Edwards, Danielle Bradberry, Catie Offerman and our Disc of the Day winner, Tenille Townes.

GEORGIA WEBSTER / “I Hate Phone Calls”
Writers: Josh Kerr/Georgia Webster; Producers: Josh Kerr/Georgia Webster; Label: River House/Sony
–Processed teen-pop vocal with banjo plucking and electronic accompaniment. If she makes it in country music, she’ll be outta here to pop pastures in no time.

MITCHELL TENPENNY / “Good and Gone”
Writers: Mitchell Tenpenny/Zach Abend/Seth Ennis/Geoff Warburton; Producers: Mitchell Tenpenny/Jordan Schmidt; Label: Sony
–There’s not much of a melody here, but there’s something haunting about the performance. The hushed, almost whispered verses contrast with the loudly sung choruses while a nervous, stuttering rhythm track keeps double time. Intriguingly different.

TENILLE TOWNES / “The Last Time”
Writers: Ben Goldsmith/Gordie Sampson/Tenille Townes; Producers: Gordie Sampson/Pete Good; Label: Sony
–I’m very fond of this Canadian stylist. As great as her previous singles have been, this one goes all the way to brilliant. From the moment she swung into that first chorus, she had me by the throat. By the time she finished, I was completely choked up. She’s wonderfully philosophical and emotionally gripping as she unspools the message of cherishing every moment with every loved one. Perfection in each note.

DUSTIN LYNCH / “Wood on the Fire”
Writers: Dustin Lynch/Hunter Phelps/Jordan Minton/Jordan Reynolds; Producer: Zach Crowell; Label: Broken Bow
–The onrushing, guitar-crashing production effectively evokes a raging fire while he sings of a relationship that burns out of control.

MADELINE EDWARDS / “The Wolves”
Writers: Madeline Edwards/Emily Doty/Gavin Slate; Producers: Ryan Tyndell/Oscar Charles; Label: ME
–This barn-burner performance is fierce and fearless. Smoky-voiced Edwards recently introduced the stormy, bluesy number on the Grand Ole Opry. Since her debut EP release this summer, the hotshot singer-songwriter has been on a roll. She is an Apple Music Country Riser, a Spotify Hot Country Artist to Watch and a member of this year’s CMT Next Women of Country class. Plus, she just signed a pub deal with Sony.

JAKE OWEN / “Up There Down Here”
Writers: Travis Wood/Summer Ashtyn Overstreet/Zachary Robert Dyer; Producer: Joey Moi; Label: Big Loud
–Wildly clever. The lyric contrasting his bad-boy persona with her angelic goodness is packed with terrific imagery and wordplay. The twangin’ vocal performance is splendid, too. Absolutely play the heck outta this.

DANIELLE BRADBERY / “A Special Place”
Writers: Maren Morris/Shane McAnally/Jimmy Robbins/Sasha Sloan; Producers: Nathan Chapman/Derek Wells; Label: BMLG
–Feisty, frisky and fun. She’s reserved a special place for her ex, a zero-star hotel in hell. Her saucy delivery has just the right touch of snark for this witty ditty.

SHANE OWENS / “You Go Good”
Writers: Buddy Owens/Doug Johnson/Galen Griffin; Producer: none listed; Label: Amerimonte
–Charmingly southern, winningly country, innocently romantic.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD / “Pink Champagne”
Writers: Hillary Lindsey/Carrie Underwood/Ashley Gorley/David Garcia; Producers: David Garcia/Carrie Underwood; Label: Capitol
–His love gives her a bigger buzz than booze does. Bubbling, fizzy stuff that’s heavy on the thudding rhythm track.

SCOTTY McCREERY / “It Matters to Her”
Writers: Rhett Akins/Lee Thomas Miller/Scotty McCreery; Producers: Frank Rogers/Derek Wells/Aaron Eshuis/Scott Johnson; Label: Triple Tigers
–I know it is meant to sound considerate and loving, but there’s something slightly patronizing about it. As always, Scotty delivers as a country vocalist, and the production is forceful.

CATIE OFFERMAN / “Get a Dog”
Writers: Catie Offerman/Joe Clemmons/Aaron Eshuis; Producer: Dann Huff; Label: MCA Nashville
–Ultra cute. If you’re looking for unconditional love, try a canine companion instead of her. Offerman is a multi-instrumentalist who honed her craft at everything from pizza parlors to polka gigs, including a bazillion Texas honky tonks. She staged her dream-come-true Opry debut last weekend.

WILLIE JONES / “Get Low Get High”
Writers: Willie Jones/Cary Barlowe/Brandon Day; Producers: Brandon Day/Willie Jones; Label: Sony
–A definite feel-good outing. It has a sunny, sing-along quality that goes down smooth and easy. I especially liked the part where he asked the background guys to sing “Get low” and the ladies to sing “Get high.” Very enjoyable.

My Music Row Story: Rob Hendon

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Rob Hendon in his studio

The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.

Rob Hendon is a Nashville-based artist whose work hangs all over Music City and beyond.

He started his career in the music business at Capitol Records, and held several executive positions within the Nashville music industry. Having painted off and on since childhood, Hendon returned to painting after a lapse of several years. Through his use of vivid color and extraordinary texture, he quickly garnered the attention of Nashville art lovers. Initially painting beautiful flowers in vases and fields, Hendon found much success and notoriety when he chose guitars as his muse.

Hendon’s name is synonymous with guitars in the art world. His guitar art can be seen in lobbies and conference rooms at companies such as Bridgestone Arena, Warner Brothers Records, Warner Brothers Studios Nashville, Sony Records, Sony Music Publishing, Oceanway Studios, Big Machine Records, BMI Nashville, BMI New York, SESAC, and more. He painted the artwork for Luke Combs‘ What You See Is What You Get album, as well as the artwork for the framed SESAC award.

Rob Hendon, Charlie Daniels

MusicRow: Where did you grow up?

North Canton, Ohio. I moved here to go to Lipscomb in ’85. By ’87 I was interning at MCA records. I interned for two years at MCA and Universal Records. I was interning for Jimmy Bowen and James Stroud. Bowen took over Capitol about the week that I graduated from college and I ended up with a full-time A&R job.

What did you do?

I was the tape guy. Then I got to start listening for songs. I went out every night, I loved seeing music. I’m a guitar collector and fanatic, as well as a music fanatic, so the whole thing was right up my alley. My parents weren’t quite sure with my career choice—they may not be still. (Laughs)

What was next?

I had a great run with Bowen and got to be really good friends with James Stroud, too. When I was kicked out of Capitol, which ended up happening to most people, I found Stroud within about a half hour of getting fired. He had left and started Giant Records and he said, “Do you know anything about music publishing?” I said, “I know great publishers and I know great songwriters.” He said, “Let’s start a publishing division of Giant Records.” We started Giant Publishing and signed a couple writers like Daryle Singletary and Tim Johnson. We had success.

Rob Hendon, Garth Brooks

How did you start painting?

I’ve always had the bug for music. When we had our son, I didn’t want to go out as much. The jobs I was getting offered weren’t nearly as fun as some of the others. I had started painting out of stress and frustration from the business changing and me being a little older. I literally just started painting in the middle of the night one night. I was driving my wife crazy because I couldn’t sleep well for a couple of years. I’m a worker, I just love working, and business was happening slower. The singles were going up the charts slower and we were going through a whole thing. I was losing my mind. So I did flower paintings for a couple of years. I gave some away, then I started selling paintings and working with a couple galleries.

You’ve become known for your iconic guitar paintings. What inspired that?

I had a bunch of my guitars set up in my studio. I was experimenting with these varnishes and my Les Paul was sitting there. I realized the varnish looked like a guitar varnish. It was the middle of the night and I did one guitar. Now I’ve done thousands of guitars.

It’s really been cool to be in all the lobbies, conference rooms and studios.

Rob Hendon at Bridgestone Arena

You and Brad Paisley painted a mural in Bridgestone Arena together.

I say I discovered Brad as a painter. We were at a charity thing and Brad and I were standing at the back. I had presented a painting for the charity. After I presented it and came back to the back, Brad said, “What are you doing tomorrow? It’s going to be 72 and sunny. I’ve been saving this wall for you by my home studio.” The next day, I loaded up my old Escalade and went over there. We were looking at the wall with Brad, Kim and the boys. He had done this giant T-Rex on the wall with spray paint. I decided to add the guitar so the T-Rex was chomping at the guitar because it wanted a Tele. (Laughs) Brad started helping me. He was so good.

Bridgestone had been asking me to come down and do a wall. I’d been down there twice, looking at walls and talking about it, but I’m not really a spray paint artist. That night after Brad and I painted [the wall in his house], I emailed the Bridgestone guys and said, “I’ve got an idea. How about Brad and I do it?” I showed him the picture of the painting we did. We scheduled it when he could go down there. It was the greatest day. We must have painted for about five or six hours. And that thing has become a classic—it’s wild!

You also got to do the artwork from Luke Combs’ What You See Is What You Get album. How did you get to know him?

Luke came over here. He called me up and I remember where I was standing in the studio. I hadn’t heard of him because he was on his first single. He said, “I just had my first hit and I’ve been waiting to get your art.” I said, “That’s great! You’ll have to come to my studio sometime.” He said, “I’m actually in Green Hills right now.” He came over in five minutes. We just had this great thing. He bought something for him and something for Kappy that day.

That’s the only person I’ve ever painted. I tried to make it funky because I wanted it to be my style and not like a portrait—I can’t do that anyway. I only had about a month to do it. It’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame right now.

What is your favorite part of the process?

I’m always kind of nervous in the creation, but that’s probably what keeps me going. I want them to all be different but all have my style. But the finished product is my favorite part. Seeing it when it’s done. It used to be a little tricky for me to know when to stop. I’m sure record producers deal with that. I could tweak forever on a painting.

In January, you will celebrate 20 years of painting. You’ve done projects for people all over town, from executives to artists to Titans players. What have been some of your most exciting recognitions?

I got contacted by Les Paul. Somebody sought me out from Arizona and bought a couple pieces. They said, “Does Les know about you?” Because I was really just doing Les Paul’s from my Les Paul guitar. They called me back the next day and said, “He wants you to present him a guitar and the Iridium Jazz Club where he plays on Monday nights. He’s 92, so he doesn’t go every week. You might actually go to New York and he not be there.” We went and had a great time. He did a show, then he had a long break, and then he did another show. We took the painting to him and I must have talked to him for an hour. I told him about my grandpa giving me my first real guitar, a Les Paul.

Nominees Announced For 56th Annual CMA Awards

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The Country Music Association has revealed the final nominees for the 56th annual CMA Awards.

Lainey Wilson, a first-time nominee, is the most nominated this year with six nods. Other top nominees include Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, and Chris Stapleton, along with songwriter and producer Shane McAnally, each with five nominations.

Vying for the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, is Stapleton, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Morgan Wallen.

First-time CMA Awards nominees include BRELAND, Alexa Campbell, Jack Clarke, Dan Grech-Marguerat, Jacob Davis, Dustin Haney, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins, Jason Lehning, Blake Lively, Chip Matthews, Parker McCollum, Michael Monaco, Jason Nix, Mikey Reaves, Harper Smith, Trent Willmon, and Wilson.

“It’s thrilling to celebrate these deserving nominees while our industry is returning to live music,” says Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s slate is impressive, with some nominees logging historic milestones while others are just getting started. No matter what stage in their career, they each bring a unique voice and unforgettable story to life, showing that country music is stronger than ever! We look forward to honoring them this November.”

The 56th CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, will air live from Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00 – 11:00 PM/EST) on ABC.

See the full list of nominees below:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
– Luke Combs
– Miranda Lambert
– Chris Stapleton
– Carrie Underwood
– Morgan Wallen

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer
– “Buy Dirt” – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan
Producer: Paul DiGiovanni
Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley
– “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (feat. Kenny Chesney)
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins
Mix Engineer: Dan Grech-Marguerat
– “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
– “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke
– “You Should Probably Leave” – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Mix Engineer: Vance Powell

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s)
– Growin’ Up – Luke Combs
Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
Mix Engineers: Jim Cooley, Chip Matthews
– Humble Quest – Maren Morris
Producer: Greg Kurstin
Mix Engineer: Serban Ghenea
– Palomino – Miranda Lambert
Producers: Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Mikey Reaves
Mix Engineer: Jason Lehning
– Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineer: F. Reid Shippen
– Time, Tequila & Therapy – Old Dominion
Producers: Shane McAnally, Old Dominion
Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank

SONG OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Songwriters
– “Buy Dirt”
Songwriters: Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins
– “Never Wanted To Be That Girl”
Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce
– “Sand In My Boots”
Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Josh Osborne
– “Things A Man Oughta Know”
Songwriters: Jason Nix, Jonathan Singleton, Lainey Wilson
– “You Should Probably Leave”
Songwriters: Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Chris Stapleton

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
– Miranda Lambert
– Ashley McBryde
– Carly Pearce
– Carrie Underwood
– Lainey Wilson

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
– Eric Church
– Luke Combs
– Cody Johnson
– Chris Stapleton
– Morgan Wallen

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
– Lady A
– Little Big Town
– Midland
– Old Dominion
– Zac Brown Band

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
– Brooks & Dunn
– Brothers Osborne
– Dan + Shay
– LOCASH
– Maddie & Tae

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s) and Producer(s)
– “Beers On Me” – Dierks Bentley with BRELAND & HARDY
Producers: Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman
– “If I Didn’t Love You” – Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood
Producer: Michael Knox
– “Longneck Way To Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi)
Producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
– “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson)
Producer: Zach Crowell
– “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
– Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle
– Paul Franklin, Steel guitar
– Brent Mason, Guitar
– Ilya Toshinskiy, Banjo
– Derek Wells, Guitar

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s) and Directors
– “I Bet You Think About Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) – Taylor Swift (featuring Chris
Stapleton)
Director: Blake Lively
– “Longneck Way To Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi)
Director: Harper Smith
– “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson)
Director: Michael Monaco
– “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde
Director: Alexa Campbell
– “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson
Director: Dustin Haney

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
– HARDY
– Walker Hayes
– Cody Johnson
– Parker McCollum
– Lainey Wilson

 

2022 CMA BROADCAST AWARDS – FINALISTS FOR BROADCAST PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR (by market size):

Weekly National
– “American Country Countdown” (Kix Brooks) – Westwood One
– “The Country Top 40 with Fitz” (Cory Fitzner) – Hubbard Radio
– “The Crook & Chase Countdown” (Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase) – iHeartMedia
– “Today’s Country with Kelleigh Bannen” (Kelleigh Bannen) – Apple Music Radio
– “With Elaina” (Elaina Smith) – Westwood One

Daily National
– “Angie Ward” – iHeartMedia
– “The Big D and Bubba Show” (Derek “Big D” Haskins, Sean “Bubba” Powell, Patrick Thomas, and Carsen Humphreville) – Compass Media Networks
– “The Bobby Bones Show” (Bobby Bones, Amy Brown, “Lunchbox” Dan Chappell, Eddie Garcia, “Morgan #2” Huelsman, “Raymundo” Ray Slater, “Scuba Steve” Stephen Spradlin, “Mike D” Rodriguez, and “Phone Screener Abby” Anderson) – Premiere Networks
– “Nights with Elaina” (Elaina Smith) – Westwood One
– “The Sam Alex Show” (Sam Alex) – Sam Alex Productions, LLC

Major Market
– “The Andie Summers Show” (Andie Summers) – WXTU, Philadelphia, Pa.
– “Chris Carr & Company” (Chris Carr, Kia Becht, and McKaila Poppen) – KEEY, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
– “Danny Dwyer” – KUPL, Portland, Ore.
– “Josh, Rachael & Grunwald” (Josh Holleman, Rachel Hunter, and Steve Grunwald) – WYCD, Detroit, Mich.
– “The Morning Wolfpack with Matt McAllister” (Matt McAllister, Emily Raines, and Joe Wallace) – KKWF, Seattle, Wash.

Large Market
– “Jim, Deb & Kevin” (Jim Denny, Deborah Honeycutt and Kevin Freeman) – WFMS, Indianapolis, Ind.
– “The Wayne D Show” (“Wayne D” Danielson and Tay Hamilton) – WSIX, Nashville, Tenn.
– “The Dale Carter Morning Show” (Dale Carter) – KFKF, Kansas City, Mo.
– “The Big Dave Show” (“Big Dave” Chandler, Chelsie Shinkle, Jason “Stattman” Statt, and Ashley Hempfling) – WUBE, Cincinnati, Ohio
– “The Wake Up Call with David and Kelli” (David Bugenske and Kelli Green) – KFRG, Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
– “The New Q-Morning Crew with Mike and Amanda” (Mike Wheless and Amanda Daughtry) – WQDR, Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

Medium Market
– “Buzz Jackson” – KIIM, Tucson, Ariz.
– “Cliff & Tanya in the Morning” (Cliff Dumas and Tanya Brakebill) – KUZZ, Bakersfield, Calif.
– “Julie and DJ in the Morning” (“Julie K” Kansy, “D.J. Thee Trucker” Dale Sellers, and Jon Dennis) – WPCV, Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
– “New Country Mornings with Nancy and Woody” (Nancy Wilson and Aaron “Woody” Woods) – WHKO, Dayton, Ohio
– “Steve & Gina In The Morning” (Steve Lundy and Gina Melton) – KXKT, Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa

Small Market
– “The Cat Pak Morning Show with Brent and Mel” (Brent Lane and Mel McCrae) – WYCT, Pensacola, Fla.
– “Dr. Shane and Tess in the Morning” (“Dr. Shane” Collins and Tess Connell) – WPAP, Panama City, Fla.
– “The Eddie Foxx Show” (Eddie Foxx and Amanda Foxx) – WKSF, Asheville, N.C.
– “Liz & Scotty in the Morning” (Liz Del Grosso and Scotty Cox) – KCLR, Columbia, Mo.
– “Officer Don & DeAnn” (“Officer Don” Evans and DeAnn Stephens) – WBUL, Lexington-Fayette, Ky.

2022 CMA BROADCAST AWARDS – FINALISTS FOR RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (by market size):

Major Market
– KILT – Houston, Texas
– KNIX – Phoenix, Ariz.
– KSCS – Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
– WXTU – Philadelphia, Pa.
– WYCD – Detroit, Mich.

Large Market
– KFKF – Kansas City, Mo.
– WIRK – West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.
– WMIL – Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.
– WQDR – Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
– WSIX – Nashville, Tenn.

Medium Market
– KXKT – Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa
– WHKO – Dayton, Ohio
– WIVK – Knoxville, Tenn.
– WQMX – Akron, Ohio
– WUSY – Chattanooga, Tenn.

Small Market
– WCOW – La Crosse, Wis.
– WKML – Fayetteville, N.C.
– WKXC – Augusta, Ga.
– WXBQ – Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va.
– WXFL – Florence-Muscle Shoals, Ala.