“Country Throwdown” Artists Offer Flood Relief 

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In light of the recent devastation in Nashville, artists on the the Country Throwdown Tour are coming forward to help. Main stage headliners Montgomery Gentry, Jack Ingram, Eric Church, Eli Young Band and Bluebird Café Tent singer-songwriters Sarah Buxton, Heather Morgan, Jedd Hughes, Ashley Ray, Troy Olsen, Brad Tursi, Cory Branan and Dave Pahanish will be donating the net proceeds from the sale of their merchandise at select shows throughout the U.S.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Country Throwdown Tour, and through the course of the tour the artists get to participate in generating a lot of revenue for Nashville,” says Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry. “Donating in one lump sum at the end of the tour gives us the opportunity to help any folks who may have fallen through the cracks, either through not having insurance or not being eligible for FEMA coverage. We’ll be able to place the money directly with the people who need it the most to rebuild.”

The Country Throwdown Tour will donate $.50 of every ticket to charity, a portion of which will go directly to Hands On Nashville to rebuild community infrastructure in Nashville. At the end of the tour, merchandise donations from the performers will also benefit Hands On Nashville.

“After moving part of our company down to Nashville well over a year ago, we’ve all grown deeply connected to this town,” says tour founder Kevin Lyman. “In the wake of this flood, all of us with the Country Throwdown Tour are inspired to help rebuild the Nashville community for many months to come.”

Country Throwdown headliners include Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Little Big Town and Jack Ingram. Additional main stage artists include Eric Church, The Lost Trailers, The Eli Young Band, Heidi Newfield, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, Jonathan Singleton & the Grove and Emily West. For tickets and information visit  www.countrythrowdown.com.

Flooding Forces Bentley To Cancel Dates

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Dierks Bentley canceled May 2 and May 3 tour dates for his new Up On The Ridge tour in Knoxville (5/2) and Charlottesville, VA. Purchased tickets will be refunded.

“For the safety of my band, crew and their families back here in Nashville, we are parking the buses and not going to try and attempt the trip east to Knoxville and Charlottesville,” explained Dierks Bentley.  “As much as we’d love to be playing music tonight, it feels like the right thing to do. I hope to reschedule both dates soon.” For more tour date info visit http://www.dierks.com.

Urban and Mayer To Reunite Live Onstage

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John Mayer and Keith Urban on "CMT Crossroads."

Keith Urban and John Mayer have announced that their summer tour plans will intersect on August 28 for a special live performance together at The Gorge in  Spokane, Washington. A pre-sale window via CMT.com will run from May 3 at 8:00 AM CT through May 7 at 8:00 PM CT. Tickets will become available to the public on Saturday, May 8th at 8”00 AM CT.

Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public exclusively offered by each artists by visiting www.JohnMayer.com and www.KeithUrban.net. Both artist pre-sales begin on Saturday, May 1 at 8:00 AM CT.

Last January, Mayer and Urban met for the first time in Nashville last January for the taping of a CMT Crossroads special. After just hours of rehearsal time, the two Grammy Award-winning musicians took to the stage to collaborate on Urban’s hits “If Ever Could I Love,” “‘Til Summer Comes Around” and “Sweet Thing.”  The duo traded off when Urban backed Mayer on his “Perfectly Lonely” and “Gravity.”

“CMT Crossroads was the first time I performed with Keith but the creative rapport was there right away,” said Mayer. “I’m looking forward to performing together again and I hope it’s one of many opportunities to work together in the future.”

“I had the best time playing with John on CMT Crossroads. There’s a  certain simpatico between us as guitar players that, I think, comes from sharing the same desire to express the unwritten. Playing together at the Gorge will be like  adding a musical score to the most magnificent setting in a film.”

Both musicians are renowned as songwriters, guitar players and vocalists, and their seamless collaborations can be seen when their CMT Crossroads special airs on Friday, June 18 at 8:00 p.m. CT on CMT.

Artist News: Chesnutt’s “Outlaw,” Keith’s USO Tour; Rio’s Run

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Mark Chesnutt To Release Outlaw
Mark Chesnutt is getting ready to pay tribute to some of his left-of-center friends on the Saguaro Records release, Outlaw. With a release date of June 22, Outlaw finds Chesnutt working with former Dwight Yoakam producer Pete Anderson and covering the songs of Billy Joe Shaver, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings (for whom his eldest son is named).

“When I was first approached to record this CD, my reaction wasn’t just ‘yes,’ but ‘hell, yeah,’” Chesnutt says. “I cut my teeth on this kind of music and it’s an opportunity for me to pay tribute to some of my biggest heroes in country music.”

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Toby Keith Heads Overseas
Show Dog-Universal Music artist Toby Keith is preparing to embark on a 14-day, 4-country USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour to visit and entertain troops. Keith will sign autographs, pose for photos and perform for military families in Germany and Korea, and for troops serving on the
front lines. This is Keith’s eighth USO tour.

“My songs for the troops are a little more humorous,” Keith says. “I’ve got my own little group of songs like, ‘She didn’t say, No, she said ‘Hell no!’…things like that, I try to entertain the troops with a smile.”

Since his first USO tour in 2002, Keith has traveled to more than 10 countries. He has performed for more than 140,000 service men and women, many at small remote outposts.

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Diamond Rio Runs For $135K
Diamond Rio’s Team Rio completed the Country Music Marathon in Nashville this past weekend and raised Over $135,500 For Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee in the process.

With skies threatening a severe downpour, Diamond Rio’s Marty Roe and Jimmy Olander led 175 Sixth Annual Team Rio runners and walkers across the finish line at the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. This year the team raised over $135,500.00, surpassing the $500,00.00 fundraising mark in just six years.

Click here for more information on Team Rio. www.teamrio.org.

Aretha Franklin At Ryman; Brentwood-Benson Signs Nathan Barlowe

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Aretha Franklin brought her big show to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last night (4/25). The Queen of Soul was backed by an orchestra for her performance of four decades worth of classics. The event was promoted by Outback Concerts.

Pictured backstage L-R: Sally Williams, GM, Ryman Auditorium; Aretha Franklin; Darin Lashinsky, Sr. VP, Outback Concerts. Photo: Aaron Crisler/The Judy Nelson Group

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SESAC affiliate Nathan Barlowe has signed with Brentwood-Benson Publishing for exclusive representation. Barlowe, co-founder and lead singer for rock band Luna Halo, is currently on tour with the band as well as working in the studio with a new group, The Honeymoon Thrillers. Barlowe joined Brentwood-Benson publishing executives on a recent visit to SESAC’s Nashville headquarters to mark the occasion.

Pictured (L-R): SESAC’s Tim Fink, Brentwood-Benson Publishing’s Eric Hurt, Nathan Barlowe, Brentwood-Benson Publishing’s Stacey Willbur & SESAC’s John Mullins. Photo: Ed Rode

Artist News: Flatts to “Idol,” Worley To Iraq; Taylor To Comics

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Rascal Flatts Heading to American Idol
Rascal Flatts is getting ready to make its third appearance on American Idol. The multi-Platinum trio will appear on the show on Wednesday, April 28, performing their latest hit, “Unstoppable.” They will also join Idol guest Shakira on her song, “Gypsy.”

Rascal Flatts previously performed on Idol in May of 2005 as the musical guest of Carrie Underwood, who won the title that same evening. The band also appeared on Idol Gives Back in 2007.

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Darryl Worley Heads Overseas With “Stars For Stripes”
Stroudavarious Records artist Darryl Worley will kick-off his Stars for Stripes military tour next week. Worley’s We’ve Not Forgotten Tour takes place April 29-May 3 and will include several full-band concerts, as well as scaled-down acoustic shows at various Forward Operating Bases in Iraq. A long-time supporter of the Armed Forces, Worley has toured overseas every year since 2002.

Upon returning to the states, Worley will begin working on his new album. Beginning May 14, he will host five songwriter series throughout the summer with the first event, Hitmakers on the Harbor in Pickwick, TN, already sold out. All proceeds from the benefits will go toward the Darryl Worley Foundation.

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Taylor Swift Becomes Comic Book Hero
She’s already appeared on countless magazine covers, and now country superstar Taylor Swift will grace the cover of her own comic book. The multi-Platinum singer/songwriter will become the latest celebrity immortalized in sequential form when her biography comic, Fame: Taylor Swift hits comic shops this July.

The comic, by Bluewater Productions, will trace Swift’s rise from young singer/songwriter to mega-selling recording artist. The 32-page comic will retail for $3.99.

Bluewater Productions line of comics will also feature such high-profile subjects as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Colin Powell, Lady GaGa, 50 Cent, Robert Pattinson and soccer star David Beckham.

Rascal Flatts Plan Tour; Underwood Extends Run

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Rascal Flatts will launch a new tour this summer, the “JC Penney Presents Rascal Flatts Nothing Like This Tour.” The first leg will open June 25 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and will continue with 26 shows through September 19 at Boston’s Comcast Center. Kellie Pickler and Chris Young will open.

Rascal Flatts recently wrapped its “American Living Unstoppable Tour,” which played 57 shows between June 2009 and March 2010, with attendance near 800,000. This total also includes the two sold-out stadium concerts at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Columbus’ Crew Stadium last summer. The band spent their time off this spring recording new music, expected out this fall.

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Carrie Underwood will continue her highly successful “Play On Tour” through the end of this year. “Hydrated by vitaminwater®,” the outing launched March 11 and is now slated to run through December 19, 2010, for a total of more than 100 shows throughout the U.S. and Canada. Billy Currington and Sons of Sylvia will appear this fall as special guests. The “Play On Tour” is Presented by AEG Live.

Thirty-six cents of every ticket sold for the fall tour dates will go to Save the Children’s United States Programs. This initiative was inspired by a lyric about “36 cents” from her song “Change,” addressing how the smallest bit of spare change can add up to make a difference. Fans can see Underwood perform “Change” tomorrow (4/21) on Idol Gives Back on FOX.

Tickets for the newly announced fall dates will go on sale beginning Saturday, April 24th at 10am – please see local venues for specific information.

William Morris Endeavor Acquires 360 Artist Agency

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Joey Lee

(Nashville, TN__April 15, 2010)__ William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME) has acquired Joey Lee’s 360 Artist Agency. Lee joins WME with agents
Henry Glascock and Risha Rodgers, who will be based out of WME’s Nashville office. They bring country music artists Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack, Josh Abbott Band, Keith Anderson, Wade Bowen, Lee Brice, Mark Chesnutt, Neal McCoy, Whiskey Myers, Randy Rogers Band, and Clay Walker.

Lee’s clients join WME’s formidable country music roster, a sampling of which includes Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, The Judds, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift.

An industry veteran, Lee formed 360 Artist Agency in 2007, a full-service talent agency that was nominated for Pollstar’s Boutique Agency of the Year Award earlier this year. Lee is on the Country Music Association Board of Directors, a member of the International Entertainment Buyers Association, and a member of the Academy of Country Music, where he was Vice President for three years.

Lambert Added To CMA Fest; Summer Tours Name Supporting Acts

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Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert is the latest addition to the performance line-up at the CMA Music Festival. Single-night tickets to the Festival’s Nightly Concerts at LP Field go on sale Sat., April 17, for the event running Thursday through Saturday, June 10-13, in downtown Nashville. Individual nightly concert tickets start at $30 and are available by calling 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) or via www.ticketmaster.com.

Artists currently scheduled to appear at LP Field include (in alphabetical order):
Thursday, June 10: Jason Aldean, Danny Gokey, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, and Carrie Underwood.
Friday, June 11: Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Josh Turner, Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band.
Saturday, June 12: Easton Corbin, Billy Currington, Randy Houser, Martina McBride, and Rascal Flatts.
Sunday, June 13: Trace Adkins, Justin Moore, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, and Blake Shelton.
Artists and schedules are subject to change. Additional artists will be announced soon.

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Toby Keith’s American Ride Tour launches June 19 with James Otto on board for 16 dates across the U.S. Otto will join Keith, and special guest Trace Adkins, at select shows through August 22.

Chris Young hit the road with Alan Jackson last week (4/8) when the tour kicked-off in Estero, FL. Between dates on the Jackson outing, Young will join Platinum-selling headliner Miranda Lambert, opening a pair of dates May 7 and May 8 on her Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour.

Radney Foster will join Jewel on her acoustic Star Light Café Tour in June. He will open the shows with a solo set in 14 cities beginning June 11 in Atlanta and ending June 27 in Seattle. Foster’s latest CD, Revival, was released in September 2009. 

Carrie Underwood Play On Tour

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(L-R): WCOL PD John Boy Crenshaw, Craig Morgan, Sony Music Nashville Chairman Joe Galante, Carrie Underwood, SMN VP Promotion Skip Bishop, 19 entertainment's Ann Edelblute, and SMN Sr. VP Sales & Operations Paul Barnabee. Photos: D. Ross

April 6; Columbus, Ohio—Schottenstein Center

Carrie Underwood’s latest tour, set to hit 54 cities across North America with support acts Sons of Sylvia and Craig Morgan, presents an artist who has grown into her superstar role, and arrives well-armed with a versatile “book” of material with which to showcase her ample vocal talents.

“This show has felt really comfortable since the first night,” said Underwood backstage. “Yes, there’s a few things we tweaked, but there’s so much going on up there including lots of special moments that we look forward to onstage.”

The set and costumes designed by Michael Cotten and Soyon An are a monument to the contrast between simplicity and infinite variation. A two-story, gazebo-like steel grid framework shapes the stage, also making extensive use of video screens to change the atmosphere from a gurgling country brook to an indoor botanical garden and more. Center stage, a rotating pedestal provides dramatic entrances and exits with each rise and descent. Ms. Underwood’s stylish fashion infatuation included more than 10 costume changes (with matching stilettos) throughout the show.

Carrie Underwood with Sony Music Nashville VP Sales Kerri Fox-Metoyer

Most notable was how the rich staging and costumes became almost invisible behind the singer’s pitch-perfect prowess. With power songs such as “Jesus Take The Wheel,” “American Girl,” “Cowboy Casanova,” “Undo It,” “Before He Cheats,” and more, it would be easy to overwhelm. This tour, however, proves that the young woman, thrust overnight into national prominence via the American Idol platform, has matured and learned to control her instrument like a skilled heart surgeon. During one intense vocal moment, displayed on a pedestal, on her knees Carrie seemingly beat her chest trying to force out maximum emotion. The crowd reacted like bees in a hive, emoting and buzzing in sync with the performance.

Special moments were abundant. Standouts included a Grand Ole Opry-themed video duet with Randy Travis, “I Told You So” which poured like rich wine. “Just a Dream” found Ms. Underwood riding an idyllic country swing suspended from a massive tree branch. For “Country Roads,” the diminutive blonde jumped in the back of a deep blue pickup truck which climbed above the crowd and drove deep toward the back of the room, giving all fans a front row view. And then there was the incredible antebellum “video” dress, backdrop for the moving ballad “Change.” The dress became a video screen, bathing the singer in an aura of warm lights and emotional tones that might also translate beautifully for an Award show performance.

Craig Morgan also contributed to the evening. A dramatic entrance from the back of the arena showcased his vocal and entertainer skills. Well received were hits such as “Redneck Yacht Club,” “International Harvester,” and “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” Morgan’s cover of Lionel Richie’s Commodores hit “Easy,” was a surprise standout. The likable military veteran moved into the crowd frequently getting strong applause for his efforts. Morgan appears to be on the verge of striking it rich, needing only a few more song nuggets to string together to create a headline show.

“Carrie’s now enjoying every aspect of her career,” said Sony Music Nashville Chairman Joe Galante. “She’s finally gotten to that place, personally and professionally, and it shows on stage.” The sold out Columbus crowd demanded an encore, and this writer heartily agreed.