Kendell Marvel

Kendell Marvel has signed a new worldwide publishing agreement with Concord Music Publishing.

A Southern Illinois native, Marvel began playing shows in bars at 10, and eventually moved to Nashville to pursue a career in songwriting. Shortly after arriving in Music City he penned Gary Allan’s first Top 5 hit “Right Where I Need to Be” and went on to have cuts by Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Brothers Osborne, Jake Owen, George Strait, Jamey Johnson, Lee Ann Womack, Aaron Watson, and more. His monthly Kendell Marvel’s Honky Tonk Experience shows at Nashville’s Exit/In became a hot ticket in town, where he played a mix of originals and classics and was joined by notable guests including Cody Jinks, Brothers Osborne, Alison Krauss, Foo Fighters, Randy Houser and Ashley McBryde.

In 2017, Marvel released his debut solo album, Lowdown & Lonesome and in October 2019, followed up with his second album Solid Gold Sounds, which he wrote and recorded in a matter of days and was co-produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and David R. Ferguson. Marvel and Auerbach co-wrote nine of the album’s 10 songs that reflect on his life as an accomplished songwriter, singer, father and husband. Additional collaborators include John Anderson, “Big” Al Anderson, Ronnie Bowman, Pat McLaughlin, Paul Overstreet and Bobby Wood.

“As a songwriter and as an artist, Kendell represents the very core of country music. His way of writing about life’s raw truths, heartache and pain, life, love, and having a good dang time, is what it’s all about,” says SVP A&R at Concord Music Publishing in Nashville, Brad Kennard. “After admiring his work for years, I’m thrilled that we get the chance to work with him.”

“I’m fired up to be joining the diverse roster of writers and artists that make up the Concord family. I’ve known Brad Kennard for the better part of 15 years and look forward to working with him and his crew,” says Marvel.

Marvel just announced he will hit the road this summer with fellow country singer-songwriter Brent Cobb for the Country Music For Grown Folks Tour.

Zac Brown Band. Photo: Diego Pernía

The Zac Brown Band is set to perform at their renowned Southern Ground studio for the first time on May 8 at 8 p.m. CST.

The Grammy Award-winning country group will play fan favorites spanning over two decades and also plan to make a special announcement. The livestream, available exclusively through Sessions Live, will be followed up by a VIP encore set featuring storytelling from the band and a fan-sourced Q&A.

“I’m so excited to invite our fans to our special livestream performance,” says Zac Brown. “It’s been a long time since we took the stage, and we think it’s about time we bring family and friends together from our very own Southern Ground Studio in Nashville for the first time ever. After the live performance, stick around for our special encore event, where we’ll be answering fan-submitted questions. We can’t wait for you to join us!”

“It’s an honor to welcome the three-time Grammy winner and multi-Platinum artist Zac Brown Band to perform this special livestream on Sessions. This will be one of those moments in music history as this legendary band lights up living rooms all over the world with their incredible live sound,” says Co-Founder of Sessions Tim Westergren. “Zac joins a growing list of superstar artists using Sessions to connect directly with fans and grow their audiences in over 185 countries simultaneously with the power of interactive live streaming.”

During the show, the band will give away some ultra-rare, exclusive signed items as a thank you to select fans who attend. Audience members will also be able to make donations to support the non-profit Camp Southern Ground, the world-class facility founded by Brown, dedicated to serving youth and veterans.

General admission tickets priced at $19.99 are on sale now. VIP ticket packages are also available, which include a one-on-one virtual hang with Zac Brown, a DemerBox with Bown’s laser engraved signature, and an Uncaged Vinyl signed by Brown.

Brett Eldredge Partners With Lamar Advertising To Promote And Inspire Community Efforts

Lamar Advertising Company, one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the world, has teamed up with Warner Music Nashville artist Brett Eldredge for a digital billboard campaign. This campaign is designed to shine the light on the good works and deeds of Eldredge’s fans, The Locals, with the goal of inspiring others to do the same.

This movement is inspired by Eldredge’s new single, “Good Day,” which walks listeners through the powerful process of positive thinking. As part of the recently launched #GoodDayMovement, Lamar is currently displaying selected images of members of Eldredge’s fan club and the great things they are doing to uplift their communities in Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Brett’s hometown of Paris, Illinois.

In addition to these, Lamar has also dedicated space on digital billboards in Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Champaign, Charlotte, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Lakeland, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Providence, Raleigh, Seattle, St. Louis, Terre-Haute and Jonesboro.

Stabal Announces Exclusive Concert Featuring The Shires

Ben Earle, Crissie Rhodes

Stabal, a leading platform in on-demand and pay-per-view live performances, is scheduled to host an exclusive worldwide concert event featuring The Shires on April 10, 2021, at 4 p.m. CST.

Made up of Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, The Shires hail from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The pair continues to create country music that draws from classic elements of the genre while also delivering singalong, mellow experiences within their forward-thinking tales.

Tickets to The Shires Live Online are available now. Attendees have the option to purchase a 30-day unlimited Deluxe Pass, providing access to behind-the-scenes documentary content, bonus performances, and return admittance into The Shires Live Online for 30 days (through June 30, 2021). Live Show Only passes are also available and must be purchased before the premiere showing on April 10.

Give A Note Foundation Gets The Band Back Together At John Overton High School

Pictured (L-R): Beth Slusher, Give A Note CEO; Jeff Coffin; Cassadee Pope, Laurie Schell, Save the Music Board Member; F. Reid Shippen, SongFarm Co-Founder; Dr. Adrienne Battle, Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Director of Schools; Jeff Syracuse, 15th District Council Member; Adam Sansiveri, AllianceBernstein Managing Director; Ed James, Board Chair, Give A Note

Give A Note Foundation (GAN), which provides support for K-12 public school music education programs nationwide, has joined forces with other music education nonprofits to raise over $50,000 to provide Nashville students with music-specific safety equipment that ensures safe participation in making music. This effort is now providing more than 8,500 instrument masks and bell covers for brass and woodwinds to be distributed to Metro Nashville Public Schools.

“Nashville is known as Music City so we all want to keep band practice going as schools reopen this month. These specialized instrument masks and bell covers will make it possible for students to come together and play music safely,” says GAN CEO Beth Slusher. “What’s so great about our mask vs. those sold by other music education companies is the hands-free flap that makes it possible for students to easily position the instrument into playing position.”

At an event at John Overton High School in Nashville, three-time Grammy winning saxophonist, member of Dave Matthews Band, and Vanderbilt University music educator Jeff Coffin addressed the vital benefits of music education for students. Joining the celebrations were SongFarm co-founders multi-Grammy winning producer/engineer F. Reid Shippen and Grammy nominated songwriter Ross Copperman; Grammy nominated artists Cassadee Pope and Devon Gilfillian; and singer-songwriter Caitlin Canty.

The event also featured a performance from the Overton High School band who showcased the specialized instrument masks and bell covers. With these new additions they can once again play and practice safely.

Pictured (L-R): EMG President Michael Martin, EMG Sr. Creative Director Josh Saxe, Paul Sikes, EMG Sr. Vice President Mark Ahlberg, EMG Creative Manager Courtney Kruckeberg. Photo: Ed Rode.

Endurance Music Group has renewed its worldwide publishing agreement with chart-topping songwriter and producer Paul Sikes.

Sikes co-wrote recent hits by fellow EMG writers, including Stoney Creek Records artist Jimmie Allen’s second consecutive No. 1 song, “Make Me Want To,” and RECORDS/Arista Nashville artist Matt Stell’s second consecutive chart-topper, “Everywhere But On.” He has cuts on upcoming releases by Allen, Endurance writer and RECORDS artist Chase Martin, Cody Johnson and others. Sikes also co-wrote Johnny McGuire’s current single, “100 MPH.”

Sikes says, “I’m really happy to be continuing this journey with my family at Endurance. They are driven, hardworking, and forward-thinking, all while maintaining a culture of integrity and fairness. I’m just so thankful I get to write songs for a company that’s made up of people that believe in me the way I believe in them. That’s tough to beat.”

“I met Paul back when I was with Extreme Writers Group, and it didn’t take long to recognize how talented a musician and a young writer he was,” says Endurance Music Group president Michael Martin. “And now he’s a triple threat as a hit songwriter, in-demand producer and touring musician. Everyone at Endurance loves working with Paul and we all are very excited to continue our journey together.”

Sikes joined Endurance in January 2020 with the company’s acquisition of the Wide Open Music Group catalog. A talented guitarist, he has toured with Allen, Stell, Billy Ray Cyrus and more.