Jamie O’Neal Signs With Kinkead Agency

Jamie O’ Neal has signed with the Kinkead Agency for representation. Her new album, Now And Then, is set for release this fall.

O’Neal scored back-to-back No. 1 singles in 2001 with “There Is No Arizona” and “When I Think About Angels.” She followed that up with multiple hits including “Shiver,” “Trying To Find Atlantis,” and “Somebody’s Hero.”

She has earned Grammy nominations, won ACM and Billboard Awards, and penned most of her own songs, as well as hits for Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Leann Rimes, Cece Winans, Idina Menzel and others.

Steve Cropper, Eddie Gore, Justyna Kelley Launch Sneaky Animals Music

Writer/producer team Eddie Gore and Justyna Kelley have joined forces with legendary guitarist Steve Cropper to launch a new label and production company, Sneaky Animals Music.

The company’s first signing is Emily McGill, daughter of the late Chuck McGill, a local hero in the West Tennessee music scene. McGill grew up singing and playing in her family band and working in her father’s music store, The Bandstand.

She signed a publishing deal with Eddie and Justy Productions in 2020, and has worked and written with Bud Lee, Irene Kelley, Steve Mandile, Jonathan Singleton, Aaron Raitiere, Ronnie Bowman, Troy Tomlinson, and more.

McGill and Cropper will also be playing at Nashville’s City Winery on April 26 7 p.m. CT. For ticket information, click here.

Adam Sanders’ Whiskey Jam Takeover Helps S.O.N.G.S. Foundation

Last month, Adam Sanders held his Whiskey Jam Takeover benefiting the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation.

The music-filled event raised $6,236 for the charity.

The 15th Annual ACM Honors will take place at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

The evening will celebrate the recipients of the ACM’s Special Awards, including the Songwriter of the Year Award, Studio Recording Awards and Industry Awards from the 57th ACM Awards cycle, which are voted on by the Academy’s Board of Directors.

This year’s ACM Honors will acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of this year’s Songwriter of the Year, Hardy. This award is presented to an individual who stood out as the top wordsmith of the past year, helping to create the stories that artists share with their fans through song. Notable winners from the past 15 years include Rhett Akins, Hillary Lindsey, Shane McAnally, and Lori McKenna.

Other Special Awards categories include the Cliffie Stone Icon Award, the Gene Weed Milestone Award, the Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award, the Jim Reeves International Award, the Mae Boren Axton Service Award, the Merle Haggard Spirit Award, the Poet’s Award, and the Tex Ritter Film Award.

The Academy’s Studio Recording Awards recognize the creators behind the music, with categories including Bass Player of the Year, Drummer of the Year, Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year, Piano/Keys Player of the Year, Specialty Instrument(s) Player of the Year, Electric Guitar Player of the Year, Audio Engineer of the Year, and Producer of the Year. Notable winners in the Studio Recording Awards categories in the past 15 years include Busbee, Dann Huff, Jay Joyce, Jimmie Lee Sloas, and Ilya Toshinskiy, among others.

Finally, ACM Industry Awards recognize venues and talent buyers/promoters who have bought or promoted a set number of country concerts, is in good standing with all agents/vendors, and helps promote country music ticket sales. The various categories honored include Casino of the Year – Theater, Casino of the Year – Arena, Fair/Rodeo of the Year, Festival of the Year, Club of the Year, Theater of the Year, Outdoor Venue of the Year, Arena of the Year, Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year, and Promoter of the Year.

Additional details including this year’s winners, host, performers, and general event information will be announced in the coming weeks.

At 27 weeks, Dustin Lynch‘s Platinum, six-week No. 1 collaboration “Thinking ‘Bout You (feat. MacKenzie Porter)” has made history as the longest-running Top 10 single since the Billboard Country Airplay chart launched in January 1990.

Surpassing his four-week No. 1 mark set by 2017’s “Small Town Boy,” the Lynch, Andy Albert, Hunter Phelps and Will Weatherly co-write is Lynch’s eighth U.S. and second Canadian No. 1 at country radio, as well as his third career chart-topper as a songwriter. The song also gives Porter her first U.S. and fourth Canadian No. 1, and has racked up over 300 million global on-demand streams to date.

“Wow! Adding this stat to ‘Thinking ‘Bout You’ is so huge. It further validates what we all felt with this song, and it’s so rewarding to see it continue to connect with listeners,” shares Lynch.

Lynch is once again climbing the charts with his current single “Party Mode,” which scored his biggest add week and highest career debut. He returns to the road this week for back-to-back shows at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville, Kentucky on Thursday (April 21), and The Anthem in Washington, DC, on Friday (April 22).

The Music of The World Games has shared its new theme song, “Hope of Alabama,” to encapsulate the strength and power of athletes, teams, coaches, entertainers and fans coming together with Birmingham, Alabama’s presentation of the The World Games 2022.

Produced by World Games Artistic Director Dr. Henry Panion III and penned by Alabama’s Randy Owen, his daughter Allison Owen, and Panion, the track represents a broad range of artists from the worlds of rock, country, R&B, gospel, and hip-hop.

The star-studded collaboration features some of Alabama’s most iconic musical stars, including Owen; hip-hop artist Yung Bleu; country stars Sara Evans and Jamey Johnson; Stellar Awards Gospel Artist of the Year pastor Mike Jr.; NBC’s The Voice top contestants Worth the Wait; Rolling Stones’ keyboardist Chuck Leavell; American Idol winners Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks; American Idol runner-up Bo Bice; Motown legend Martha Reeves; and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

“This song is a clarion call for the world when we need it the most—a call for hope and unity,” says The World Games 2022 CEO Nick Sellers. “’Hope of Alabama’ is a testament to music’s power to lift humanity to a better place.”

Randy Owen adds,“I want everyone to feel like they’re a part of something larger than just one. A feeling of feeling needed and wanted.”

As the first global event of 2022, The World Games 2022 will kick off on July 7 at Protective Stadium with Unlocking The Magic: Celebrating The Power of The One. Presented by Alabama Power, the presentation will feature live entertainment, special effects, honorable dignitaries and a parade of athletes representing more than 100 countries. Produced by Birmingham-based LRY Media Group, the Opening Ceremony will celebrate Birmingham’s past, present and future. Spoken word artist, musician, educator, and Birmingham native, Sharrif Simmons will deliver a poem in the Opening Ceremonies.

On July 17, the grand finale of The World Games 2022 will commemorate The Games with performances and the opportunity for athletes, fans and volunteers to bid farewell to Birmingham. Presented by Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, the final presentation will include the ceremonial passing of The World Games flag to representatives of the 2025 host city: Chengdu, China.

Jamey Johnson is launching a tour later this year with Blackberry Smoke. Ella Langley and Megan Maroney will support on the 19-date run, which kicks off Aug. 12 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The hitmaker will visit Wichita, Little Rock, Charlotte, Charleston, Pittsburgh and more with a Franklin, Tennessee show at FirstBank Amphitheater on August 25. Tickets for the dates go on sale to the public on April 22.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do until I am standing there doing it,” Johnson says. “That is a freedom I have enjoyed ever since I began doing this, the ability to try something new. You’ll see me do a lot of my songs, including my old stuff. If I have a new song that I want to share, you will hear that. When I’m not doing my songs, I’ll be doing everybody else’s that I like, from every format.”

Johnson continues, “If I find a jazz song that I like, we’ll drop it in there. If I find a rock song that I like, we’ll do that. My taste is vintage, traditional, and that is not to say that everything I do is old. There are a lot of new writers these days that are putting out great music that I find in the same vein as the old stuff I like and we may try some of that out.”

Johnson’s 2008 album, That Lonesome Song, was certified Platinum for 1 million in sales, and his 2010 double album, The Guitar Song, received a Gold certification. He has won two Song of the Year awards for “Give It Away” and “In Color,” both from the ACM and the CMA. In 2012, the Alabama native released the Grammy-nominated Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, which paired him with Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Ray Price, Elvis Costello, George Strait, Vince Gill and Merle Haggard.

Jamey Johnson & Blackberry Smoke Confirmed Tour Dates:
12-Aug – Lincoln, NE – Lincoln On The Streets – Downtown Lincoln
13-Aug –  Mankato, MN – Vetter Stone Amphitheater
16-Aug – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
18-Aug – Wichita, KS – WAVE
19-Aug – Camdenton, MO – Ozarks Amphitheater
20-Aug – Little Rock, AR – First Security Amphitheater
21-Aug – Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater
23-Aug – Southaven, MS – Landers Center
25-Aug – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
26-Aug- Raleigh, NC- Red Hat Amphitheater
27-Aug- Charlotte, NC- Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
28-Aug- Greensboro, NC – White Oak Amphitheater
1-Sep- Anderson, SC- Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center
2-Sep- Doswell, VA- The Meadow Event Park – SERVPRO Pavilion – After Hours
3-Sep- North Charleston, SC- Firefly Distillery
4-Sep- Portsmouth, VA – Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion
8-Sep- Pittsburgh, PA- Stage AE Outdoors
9-Sep- Sterling Heights, MI- Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
11-Sep- Columbus, OH- KEMBA Live!