Michael Chugg Receives CMA Int’l Award

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(l-r) Jeff Walker, CMA Board Member and President of AristoMedia/Marco Promotions; Steve Moore, CMA Board Chairman; Michael Chugg, Jo Walker-Meador International Award Winner; and Rob Potts, CMA Board Member and CEO of Rob Potts Entertainment Edge

During a press conference at 2010 CMA Music Festival last Thursday (6/10), Australian concert promoter Michael Chugg of Chugg Entertainment was given the Jo Walker-Meador International Award. The Award was presented by CMA Board Chairman Steve Moore, with CMA Board members Jeff Walker, President of AristoMedia/Marco Promotions, and Rob Potts, CEO of Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, in attendance.

“To receive such a wonderful award from CMA during their Festival week in Nashville was a great honor, and will take pride of place in my office in Sydney,” said Chugg. “To be able to play a part in spreading music to the world is very special, and I thank the Board of the CMA on behalf of all the Australian Country Music fans.”

The Jo Walker-Meador International Award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual or company in advocating and supporting Country Music’s marketing development in territories outside the United States. 
 
Chugg is one of the most experienced and respected concert promoters in Australia, with a career spanning more than 45 years. He received the CMA International Talent Buyer/Promoter of the Year Award in 2006, has won every major music and entertainment award possible in Australia, and currently serves on the CMA Australian Advisory Group. Chugg has been involved with establishing Australia as a strong live touring market for international artists, and has promoted or co-promoted tours with Brooks & Dunn, Dixie Chicks, Willie Nelson, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban, among others. Chugg Entertainment will co-promote a Tim McGraw tour with Entertainment Edge later this year.

Judds Announce “Last Encore” Tour

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This morning (6/10) country music duo The Judds delivered a riveting performance for over 10,000 fans in downtown Nashville as they launched this year’s 2010 CMA Music Festival. Wynonna and Naomi Judd helped kick off what USA Today calls “the crown jewel Country Music festivals,” setting the stage for their highly anticipated final tour, The Judds: The Last Encore. It has been over 10 years since their 2000 Power To Change tour, and this final reunion promises to be nothing short of spectacular.

In typical fan-friendly Judd fashion, Wynonna and Naomi recently invited dedicated “Judd Heads” and country music fans across the country to name their upcoming tour in The Judds “Name That Tour” contest.  The response was overwhelming, and Jacqualine Budgell from Murfreesboro, TN was chosen as the lucky winner.

According to Naomi, The Last Encore tour is an opportunity to celebrate the relationship with their fans one last time.

 “There is nothing like music and laughter to connect people,” she says.  “How I’ve missed that encounter with the very ones who’ve allowed us that awesome privilege! I’m counting the days till I can be back on my bus, visiting their towns.”

In addition to their enduring 26-year relationship with the fans, Wynonna shares her sentiment on reuniting with her mother, Naomi, again. 

“This tour gives me a chance to enjoy where Mom and I are in our relationship. I look forward to celebrating our personal and professional journey…together.”

For fans who have followed their journey together through the years, this final curtain call will be yet another reason to celebrate. The tour will kick off on November 26, the day after Thanksgiving, in Green Bay, Wisconsin and will continue on to their home state of Kentucky with a show in Louisville alongside dates in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Judds will close their final tour with a full circle moment in Phoenix, AZ where their 2000 Power To Change tour began. The Judds: The Last Encore tour will feature new Judds and Wynonna music from the upcoming album while also shining a bright light on all of the fans’ Judds and Wynonna favorites. And for the first time ever, they will also celebrate the holiday season during their final tour by weaving several classic Christmas songs in their set list.

“The Judds have been a major force on the arena level now for three consecutive decades,” says The Judds agent, Greg Oswald of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. “The response from buyers when we made The Last Encore show available was overwhelming. So many offers and not enough time to do them all!”

The Judds’ friends at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital also wanted to share in the excitement by partnering with the duo. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance, so no child is ever denied treatment because of their family’s inability to pay. The ongoing relationship between St. Jude and The Judds prompted the duo to include and honor the work of St. Jude on their final tour.

The Judds: The Last Encore tour will visit the following cities:

11/26 – Green Bay WI – Resch Center
11/27 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino
11/28 – Moline, IL – i wireless Center
11/30 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino
12/2 – Columbus, OH – Value City Arena – Schottenstein Center
12/3 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
12/4 – St. Charles, MO – Family Arena
12/5 – Council Bluffs, IA – Mid-America Center
12/7 – Colorado Springs, CO – World Arena
12/8 – Broomfield, CO – 1STBank Center
12/9 – Salt Lake City, UT – EnergySolutions Arena
12/11 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
12/12 – Sacramento, CA – Arco Arena
12/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
12/16 – Santa Ynez, CA – Chumash Casino
12/17 – Rancho Mirage, CA – Agua Caliente Casino
12/18 – Las Vegas, NV – Mandalay Bay Events Center/Arena
12/19 – Phoenix, AZ – US Airways Center

ABC Special Captures CMA Fest

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ABC TV is heading to Nashville to take fans to the hottest music event of the year with CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. Between Thursday and Sunday, June 10-13, today’s biggest country stars will hit the stage during a four-day celebration of America’s music for a special that will air Wednesday, Sept. 1 (7:00-10:00 PM/CT) on the ABC Television Network.

Some of the artists already announced to appear at LP Field during CMA Music Festival include Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band, and more. Taylor Swift will host a free 13-hour fan meet and greet event during the Festival at the Bridgestone Arena, which will include a short acoustic performance.

“Our announced lineup this year is the strongest ever and a country music enthusiast’s dream bill,” said Steve Moore, Chairman of the CMA Board of Directors.

The primetime television special, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, debuted in 2004 as a two-hour special highlighting the Festival and Music City. In 2005, the special moved to the ABC Television Network.
In 2009, the special expanded to three hours boosting ABC ahead of CBS, NBC and FOX with the network’s second biggest audience during the summer season. With 7.4 million viewers and a 4.7/8 overall rating, it outperformed its broadcast rivals in total viewers topping CBS by 6 percent, NBC by 32 percent and FOX by 85 percent.

The special had a 43 percent increase in viewers compared to 2008, generating the biggest audience in four years and tallied its highest Adult 18-49 rating (2.0/6) in three years. The special ranked No. 12 for the week among total viewers and No. 11 for the week for Adults 18-49.

CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock is executive-produced by Robert Deaton and directed by Gary Halvorson. The 2009 CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Throwdown Forced To Trim Dates

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The Country Throwdown Tour has announced it will cancel four upcoming shows in Houston (6/9), Dallas (6/10), San Diego (6/17) and Phoenix (6/18). In addition, the Bakersfield date (originally set for 6/16) has now moved to Friday, 6/18. Tickets from the above listed shows will be honored at all other Country Throwdown tour dates and refunds are also available at the point of purchase.

According to tour Producer Kevin Lyman, “After many attempts to keep these shows, we’re regretfully unable to bring Throwdown to these four markets due to low tickets sales and too many shows competing with one another. We are trying to bring a festival style tour with 21 artists, at a reasonable and fair ticket price (average ticket cost $31), but because most markets are currently flooded with shows, we end up cannibalizing one another and someone ends up with lower ticket sales. As a result, we can’t afford to keep the show on the road for ALL of its intended dates. It’s a first year tour and we expected year one to be full of key lessons so that next year– and there will be a next year–is even better.”

The tour, which offers a unique presence in country music, mixes top artists with emerging singer-songwriters in a festival environment. Featured artists include Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town, Eli Young Band, Jack Ingram and Eric Church. Additional artists featured are Heidi Newfield Emily West and Tyler Reeve. there is also a Bluebird tent with up and coming songwriters such as Sarah Buxton and Jed Hughes (Buxton Hughes).

The event was conceived and orchestrated by Kevin Lyman and Sarah Baer of 4 Fini, the company responsible for the Vans Warped tour now in its 16th season.

McCartney To Play Music City

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Paul McCartney will make his first-ever Nashville appearance Monday July 26, 2010, when he brings his Up and Coming 2010 Tour to the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. The tour will feature the former Beatle and his band in unique venues, places and locations; cities he’s never before played as well as familiar markets he’s not recently visited. Tickets go on sale Monday, June 7 at 10:00 AM and will be available at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office and all Kroger locations, by logging on to www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

“The opportunity to represent Sir Paul McCartney in concert in Nashville is a career moment for me,” said AEG Senior VP Steve Moore. “I am honored.”

Although this will be his first concert appearance in Nashville, it is not McCartney’s first visit to Music City. McCartney and his family spent six weeks in Nashville in 1974, a visit, he told the Nashville Banner at the time, to “relax, ride horses and record” his then band, Wings. The McCartney family stayed at a 133 acre Lebanon farm owned by songwriter Curly Putman (“Green, Green Grass of Home”), and it was that farm that inspired the Wings hit, “Junior’s Farm.”

McCartney’s recent live shows have garnered unprecedented reviews from fans and critics alike. He’s pushed boundaries, performed to millions and made global news with monumental shows including performances in Moscow’s Red Square, outside of the Coliseum in Rome, the largest outdoor show ever in the Ukraine, his first performance in Tel Aviv and a live performance into a NASA space station. Last year’s Summer ’09 Tour began in earnest with an already legendary inaugural run of shows at New York’s CitiField Stadium, the site of the former Shea Stadium where The Beatles played the 1965 concert that set the precedent for the modern-day stadium rock show.

The Up and Coming 2010 Tour, which kicked off in late March, are McCartney’s first U.S. shows since his five-week ‘Summer Live ‘09′ tour, which was prefaced by a triumphant sold-out headline set at the 2009 Coachella festival and a surprise performance for CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater (inside which The Beatles made TV history decades ago) that drew throngs packing Broadway from Columbus Circle to Times Square.

The new McCartney show features a typically diverse set list, drawing on 2 plus hours’ worth of selections spanning the catalogues of The Beatles, Wings and McCartney’s solo career, including tracks from the 2008 album,  The Fireman’s 2008 album, Electric Arguments, and potentially some songs never-before-played-on-U.S.-soil added to the set list.

Greg Oswald Promoted At WME

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[Developing Story] MusicRow has learned that Greg Oswald has been named the new Co-Head of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment’s country division, along with Rick Shipp. Oswald is the agent responsible for artists such as Taylor Swift, Wynonna, Gretchen Wilson, Kenny Rogers, and Hank Williams Jr. COO Paul Moore will continue to oversee the overall Nashville office also with Rick Shipp. The company’s roster also includes Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakam, Gary Allan, Blake Shelton, and more.

The following note was distributed yesterday by Peter Grosslight, Worldwide Head of Music/WME:

“It is with great pleasure that Rick Shipp and I announce Greg Oswald’s promotion. We invite all of you to join us in congratulating Greg who has worked long and hard for this well-deserved recognition.  Cheers, Greg, you’ve more than earned it,” Peter Grosslight.

Bonnaroo To Donate To Flood Relief

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Bonnaroo will donate up to $50,000 to aid the flood relief efforts for Music City. Great Stage Park, the home of Bonnaroo, escaped flood damage but the cleanup efforts to help rebuild Nashville after one of the most devastating natural disasters in this city’s history have only just begun, and the festival has created several ways for the Bonnaroo community to get involved and make a difference.

Bonnaroo has already donated $10,000 to the Middle Tennessee Red Cross, and festival organizers, Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment, are encouraging all friends and fans to help out in any way possible. Now through Sunday, June 6, Bonnaroo will be facilitating donations, via the Bonnaroo Works Fund, and matching them, dollar for dollar, up to $30,000. All donations will go to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Additionally, while he’s not on stage as part of Bonnaroo’s Café lineup this year, Jonathan Sexton (of Jonathan Sexton & the Big Love Choir) and Bonnaroo will be partnering up to show Nashville some “Big Love” by attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most hugs in a 24-hour period (he’ll have to hug more than 7800 people!). For every hug given Bonnaroo hopes friends and fans will donate to the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville “Restore the Dream” Fund. Bonnaroo will then match donations up to $10,000. Sexton will be stationed at the post office at the Bonnaroo Festival site from noon on Friday, June 11 to noon on Saturday, June 12.

Established in 2009, the Bonnaroo Works Fund was created to further the festival’s community investment and philanthropic endeavors. The Fund is administered by the East Tennessee Foundation (ETF), a 501(c)(3) community foundation which manages philanthropic endeavors for numerous businesses and organizations in Tennessee. Since its inception eight years ago, Bonnaroo has demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting numerous local, regional and national non-profits, with a special focus on the Coffee County community where the festival is based. Bonnaroo has generated and distributed over $3,000,000, mostly in direct contributions to a variety of initiatives and causes, mostly in Coffee County.

Bentley Wows Reverent Ryman Crowd

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Dierks Bentley’s Up On The Ridge tour closed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 22 after visiting 24 cities in 30 days to build demand for the album’s release on June 8. The final show featured Bentley’s backing band the Travelin’ McCourys and the Punch Brothers with Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) on mandolin and was filmed for a TV special that Bentley told the crowd was for GAC and PBS. Texan Hayes Carll opened the show.

The sold out crowd included industry notables such as ASCAP’s Tim DuBois, Bentley manager Ken Levitan and songwriter Matraca Berg. Mike Dungan, head of Bentley’s label was perched attentively in the balcony.

Early in the show the artist dedicated a song to his Mom, apparently not realizing that only moments before the show began she had left the Ryman with her husband, Dierk’s father, who was carried out on a stretcher by emergency medics. He appeared alert and was talking with the medics as he was leaving. MusicRow wishes him a speedy  recovery.

Bentley described his show and upcoming album as an “experiment” mixing bluegrass and country music. However, he warned the crowd, “If you don’t like the banjo you might be in the wrong place.” True to his word, the evening’s musical recipe, was heavy on the bluegrass, a joyful tribute to stringed instruments.

Ryman acoustics were superb and the instrumental setting was effective in adding a unique perspective to the singer’s previous hits such as “Feel That Fire,” “Free And Easy (Down The Road I Go),” “Sideways,” “Come A Little Closer” and others.

The video for Bentley’s first single from the new package, “Up On The Ridge” is already in heavy rotation on CMT and No. 22 rising on the MusicRow Breakout chart.

Special guest Jon Randall joined Bentley to perform their co-write “Draw Me A Map,” from the upcoming album. Another of the evening’s high points was when McCoury band leader Del McCoury treated the crowd to his piercing tenor harmonies getting a standing ovation.

Bentley told the crowd, “Bluegrass is all about the three ‘Ts’—tuning, timing and tone.” Judging by the evenings exalted musicianship, this writer will attest to the finely honed tuning and tone that has already seduced national critics from the Washington Post and USA Today. As to the timing, it remains to be seen how strongly Bentley’s fans will embrace this left of center musical experiment. Based upon the Ryman reaction however, the new album will serve as a vehicle to introduce Bluegrass to thousands of fans who have not been exposed to it and give fans added respect for the breadth of Bentley’s daring artistry.

Lady A Preps First Headlining Tour

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After selling out headlining concerts in New York, Los Angeles and Nashville, ACM and CMA Vocal Group of the Year Lady Antebellum announced today their first-ever headlining tour with special guest MCA recording artist David Nail. The Need You Now 2010 Tour is sponsored by Dr. Pepper and kicks off on Sept. 20 with stops in 35 cities across the country through November. Cities and dates will be announced by market in the coming weeks with the first one announcing on Monday, May 24.

“I feel like we were just writing songs for our very first show at this small club in Nashville,” said Hillary Scott. “I can remember being so nervous to perform in front of just a handful of people that night and to think now we’re beginning to headline our very own tour is unbelievable. We have our fans to thank for following us every step of the way!”

Lady Antebellum first took country music by storm in 2008 with the release of their self-titled Platinum debut album, which generated the hits “Love Don’t Live Here,” “Lookin’ For A Good Time” and their No. 1 smash “I Run To You.” Their double Platinum sophomore album Need You Now debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart and has since maintained the top spot on the Billboard Country chart for an astonishing 14 weeks. The title track and multi-week No. one song “Need You Now” has dominated the Country, Top 40, AC and Hot AC charts breaking records as a country crossover hit.  Following on the heels of three consecutive No. one songs in just eight months for a total of eight weeks at the summit, Lady A’s next single is “Our Kind Of Love.”

Missouri native David Nail’s debut record I’m About To Come Alive was released on MCA Nashville August ‘09. Single “Red Light” peaked at #6, holds the record for the longest charted single in Mediabase history at 42 weeks and also just earned an Academy of Country Music Award nomination for “Single of the Year.” Visit www.davidnail.com to hear Nail’s new single “Turning Home.”

For a full list of tour dates and ticket info as it becomes available, visit www.ladyantebellum.com.

BamaJam Draws Big Sponsors

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Dodge Ram Trucks and Kraft foods are the latest big-name sponsors on board with the 2010 Verizon Wireless BamaJam Music & Arts Festival. The event, running June 3-5 in Enterprise, Alabama, has lined up performances by Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Rodney Atkins, Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson, Zac Brown Band and tons more.

As part of their sponsorships, Dodge will showcase its Ram Trucks at the festival, and Kraft will host tents with artist meet-and-greets and macaroni and cheese.

Among the other national companies offering sponsorship support are Anheuser – Busch, Chrysler, Coldwell Banker, Hardees, Jim Beam, Little Caesars, Playstation, Verizon Wireless and Wrangler Jeans.