Pictured (L-R): Sarah Cates, chair of the organization’s board of directors, with inductees John Scott Sherrill, Amy Grant, Buddy Cannon, and Rhett Akins; Mark Ford, NaSOF’s executive director. Photo: Bev Moser

Chapter 644

This year’s press conference announcing the newest members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was a hybrid affair.

Participants could choose either to experience the event via streaming or attend in person. The option to show up live was limited to 40 people, to allow for COVID guidelines. Staged as usual at Columbia Studio A, the event was characterized by warmth and camaraderie.

We convened on Tuesday morning (July 13), and the fellowship was evident immediately. Everyone started to beam when they saw this year’s class of inductees posing for a group portrait. How could you not be delighted? Buddy Cannon, Amy Grant, John Scott Sherrill and Rhett Akins are all so abundantly worthy. Absent, but sending a video from the road was inductee Toby Keith.

Working the socially distanced room were such mavens as Lance Cowan, Jennifer Bohler, Bev Moser, Dave Paulson, Tom Roland, Peter Sherrill, Carol Ann Ford and Mike Porter.

“We’re honored to be in this historic space where so many of our [Hall of Fame] members recorded their most iconic songs,” commented NSHoF board chair Sarah Cates in welcoming the crowd. That would include prior inductees Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, Flatt & Scruggs, Johnny Cash, John Anderson, Rodney Crowell, Larry Gatlin, Rosanne Cash and Merle Haggard.

“It’s so good to be back together,” added NSHoF executive director Mark Ford. “We haven’t done this in a year and a half.”

“I’m overwhelmed that I am here,” said Rhett when he was invited to the podium. “When I saw the names on the ballot, I said to my wife, ‘I don’t have a shot.’ I take this very seriously. I want to keep the flame of country songwriting burning as long as I can.”

“I don’t really know what to say,” said an equally humbled Buddy. “I’m pretty much speechless. The first two songs of mine that were ever recorded were by Bob Luman, produced by Glenn Sutton right here in this room. I am so honored to be in this group of people.”

“To say this is an honor is to put it mildly,” said Scotty. “I have loved this town ever since I first landed here. In those first few days, I heard some songs that changed my world.”

“I’m so grateful to be in a town that celebrates creativity,” said Nashville native Amy. “I want to encourage everybody who’s ever had a creative thought: The world needs your stories.”

Commenting via video, Toby added, “This induction means everything to me. I’m looking forward to seeing you in November.”

The banquet and induction ceremonies will be held at the Music City Center on Nov. 1. It will be a double-sized event, since the 2021 gala will also salute the 2020 inductees—Steve Earle, Kent Blazy, Brett James, Spooner Oldham and Bobbie Gentry. They comprise the 50th anniversary class. The NaSHOF golden anniversary gala was postponed due to the pandemic, hence the double ceremony this year.

Following many happy reunions and hearty congratulations, we snacked on coffee and fresh-baked cookies. Surprisingly, neither Buddy Cannon nor John Scott Sherrill had ever been in the adjacent, super-historic founding building of Music Row, The Quonset Hut. Mike Porter happily offered guided tours to the songwriting veterans.

Upon its two-year anniversary, Gibson Gives, Gibson’s philanthropic arm, has raised over $2.5 million dollars through its mission of creating, developing, and supporting non-profit organizations to advance musicians, as well as youth-focused education and wellness initiatives.

Re-launched in July of 2019, Gibson Gives immediately committed to donating 1,000 guitars in 1,000 days to non-profits including music education, music wellness programs and musicians in need worldwide. Since then, the organization has climbed above and beyond by donating over 2,800 guitars in 700 days.

“When we announced we would donate 1,000 guitars in 1,000 days, I thought it was a lofty goal,” explains Dendy Jarrett, Executive Director of Gibson Gives. “We could have never predicted all the hurdles this past year presented in the music community and beyond. It’s been a humbling experience and an honor to work with so many worthy music and health programs in need, directly supporting and impacting individual people, as well as non-profits.”

Gibson Gives representatives donate a music room to Maplewood High School in Nashville, TN.

To continue its charitable efforts, Gibson Gives has created two new groups which include an Influencers and an Artist Advisory Council which will provide thoughtful leadership, foundation, and funding strategies, as well as present philanthropic opportunities that fulfill the foundation’s mission.

The Gibson Gives Artist Advisory Council members include Lzzy Hale, Celisse, Alex Lifeson, Matt Heafy, Joe Bonamassa, Billy F. Gibbons, Slash, Captain Kirk Douglas, and more.

The Gibson Gives Influencers group is composed of leaders from across the Music and Entertainment Business, Sports, Youth, Education, Legacy, International, the Nashville “Music City” Community and Gibson’s partner advisors. Influencers include Jeff Smith/Music Makes Us (Director of Arts, Metro Nashville Public Schools), Ken Adams (Co-Owner, Tennessee Titans), Matt Crews (CEO, Music City Grand Prix), Ian Ayers (CEO, Nashville Soccer Club), Ben Hall (Senior Director of Development, Country Music Hall of Fame), Lee Bartram (Head of Marketing and Cultural Influence, Gibson Brands Europe), Toby Lee (Musician), Nina Miller (Executive Director of Miranda Lambert’s Mutt Nation/Former Executive Director, Gibson Foundation), Reid Shippen (Song Farm/Grammy award-winning producer/engineer/mixer), Melinda Colaizzi (Founder, Women Who Rock), and Erica Krusen (Managing Director of Mental Health, MusiCares).

Gibson Gives also recently announced the launch of TEMPO, Training and Empowering Musicians to Prevent Overdose–a collaborative program with MusiCares, Harbor Path and 7 non-profits–to save musicians lives in response to continued and elevated opioid overdoses from over a year of confinement and Covid-19 closures. TEMPO empowers participating non-profits and venues by providing the life-saving training necessary for using the drug naloxone to prevent opioid overdose.

For more information about Gibson Gives and the work it’s doing to help our community, click here.

Georgia Webster will release her debut EP, First Goodbye, on Friday, July 16. Webster penned all five songs on the new Sony Music Nashville/River House Artists project, which follows her major label debut single, “Push & Pull.”

The Hampden, Mass. native attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music’s songwriter camps, and in July 2020 her original song, “Tell Your Mom,” became an instant viral hit on TikTok, amassing more than two million views in just a few days. Webster’s TikTok success brought offers from pop and rock record labels out of New York and Los Angeles. However, she elected to work out of Nashville and teamed up with songwriter and producer Paul DiGiovanni to create the studio version of “Tell Your Mom.”

“I’m so excited to be sharing my first EP with you guys,” says Webster. “These songs are all songs I’ve written throughout my high school career, and I couldn’t have brought them to life like this without the help of my team.”

First Goodbye Track List:
1. “Tell Your Mom”
2. “Push & Pull”
3. “First Goodbye”
4. “UGLY”
5. “Box of Memories”

Cody Jinks

Cody Jinks has launched his own indie label, Late August Records, which will be headed up by longtime manager Arthur Penhallow Jr. at True Grit Management, as well as Malia Barrett. Jinks’ entire catalogue as well as all future releases will be available via Late August Records.

This past spring, Jinks released the fan-favorite acoustic album, Adobe Sessions Unplugged. Recorded during a livestream concert this past fall, the project is a stripped-down recreation of Jinks’ 2015 record, Adobe Sessions, featuring the Platinum track, “Loud and Heavy.” In conjunction with the release, he also recorded a special interview series, Behind the Mind and Music of Cody Jinks, where he dissects each track on the album.

Jinks was named MusicRow’s 2020 Independent Artist of the Year award at the CountryBreakout Awards after receiving the most radio spins for an independent artist in 2020. He has sold over 1.5 million equivalent units throughout his career and received over 2 billion lifetime streams to date.

Jinks and his band will spend much of the year on the road including newly confirmed shows at New Orleans’ Saenger Theatre and Las Vegas’ The Chelsea later this year, added due to high demand after selling out two nights within minutes in each city. He’ll also make stops this fall in Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, and Bristol, Tenn. as well as his own festival in Luckenbach, Texas.

Walker Hayes. Photo: Robert Chavers

After only three weeks, Monument Records’ Walker Hayes has earned the No. 1 spot on this week’s top country streaming songs with “Fancy Like.” This week, the track received an impressive 9.9 million streams with 20 million streams RTD, according to Nielsen. “Fancy Like” lands at No. 21 overall.

Nelly & Florida Georgia Line hang on to the second spot with “Lil Bit” gaining 7.8 million streams this week, and Luke Combs claims the third position as “Forever After All” gains 7.7 million. Chris Young & Kane Brown rack up another 6.7 million streams this week with “Famous Friends” sitting at No. 4, while Dan + Shay enter the top five with “Glad You Exist” earning 6.2 million streams.

After 26 weeks of release, Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album maintains its residency at the top, adding 46,000 streams this week to a total 56 million RTD. Wallen also holds on to the No. 4 spot with his 2018 album, If I Know Me, receiving 15,000 streams. Combs continues to stake his claim to the No. 2 with What You See Is What You Get and the No. 3 spot with This One’s For You earning 26,000 and 18,000 streams, respectively. Solidifying the top five is Toby Keith‘s 2008 compilation album, 35 Biggest Hits, which had 13,000 streams this week.