The Human Rights Campaign Honors Cody Alan With Visibility Award

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Pictured (L-R): Kelsea Ballerini & Cody Alan. Photo: Hunter Thomas Photography

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, recently honored CMT host Cody Alan with a Visibility Award at the 2022 HRC Nashville Dinner at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel on Feb. 26.

The HRC Visibility Award recognizes LGBTQ+ individuals who are living open and honest lives at home, at work and in their greater community. These attributes align with HRC’s mission of creating a country that inspires and engages all Americans to work toward ending discrimination against LGBTQ+ citizens and realizing a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

The event featured a performance by artist and activist Shea Diamond and included special guest comedian Dana Goldberg. Grammy award-nominated and two time CMA award-winning singer-songwriter and author Kelsea Ballerini presented Alan with his honor, giving a speech about her friendship with the country personality.

The HRC also celebrated Nashville-based community advocate and MashUp CEO Dr. Brian Marshall with an Equality Award, which is given to an individual or organization that is paving the way for equality for LGBTQ+ people.

“We are so glad to honor both Dr. Brian Marshall and Cody Alan for everything that they do to help achieve LGBTQ+ equality,” says HRC Interim President Joni Madison. “Dr. Marshall’s dedication to uplifting Nashville’s LGBTQ+ people of color through his organization, MashUp, is a beautiful example on how to live an impactful life in service of others. Cody Alan is a moving example of someone who lives their life openly and fully, all while building a mega successful career in country music where he gets to inspire countless people every day. We are honored to hold both Dr. Marshall and Cody up as role models, and to thank them for their service to the LGBTQ+ community.”

Kristian Bush Celebrates Turning 52 With First Installment Of New 52-Song Project

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Kristian Bush is celebrating turning 52 on March 14 in a fitting way–with a brand new 52-song, four-volume collection to commemorate the milestone. The first album, 52 – ATL X BNA, couples Nashville storytelling with Atlanta’s R&B studio sounds and will be available March 25 via Big Machine Records.

The Atlanta-based singer named the first group of songs after the letters on his well-worn luggage tag, pointing to his decades traveling between Atlanta (ATL) and Nashville (BNA) airports. Two songs from the new project, “Tennessee Plates” and “Everybody Gotta Go Home,” are available now.

Bush co-wrote nine of the 10 songs on 52 – ATL X BNA with writers, including Brett James, Liz Rose, Jeffrey East, JT Harding, Bobby Pinson, and more, and recorded it in Atlanta alongside resident R&B musicians.

“Somewhere between the horns, the pedal steel and the background singers, you get a glimpse at what it’s like to make country music from Atlanta,” Bush shares. “It’s like putting Lego pieces together. There’s a point I have come to, because I’ve been home through COVID all this time, I thought, ‘I’m at a certain age where I have to admit to myself that no adults are coming to save me.’ I’ve been very busy for the last 15 years, and I’m not going to waste any more time getting these songs out.”

52 – ATL X BNA Track List:
1. Everybody Gotta Go Home | Kristian Bush, Taylor Davis, Steve Bogard
2. After The Wine Wears Off | Kristian Bush, Brett James, Andrew DeRoberts
3. Mansion | Kristian Bush, Liz Rose
4. Unbroken | Kristian Bush, Andrew DeRoberts, Bob DiPero
5. I’m With You | Kristian Bush, JT Harding
6. Tennessee Plates | Kristian Bush, Andrew DeRoberts, Rodney Clawson
7. Heart Of Yours | Kristian Bush, Jeffrey East, Dean Alexander
8. World Ain’t As Bad As You Think | Luke Dick, Ben Hayslip, Chase McGill
9. Gasoline | Kristian Bush, Bobby Pinson
10. I’m Coming Around | Kristian Bush, Stephen Wrabel, JT Harding

Danielle Bradbery Celebrates Musical Journey On ‘In Between: The Collection’

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Danielle Bradbery. Photo: David McClister

Danielle Bradbery has released a new album showcasing both her roots and wings, musically. In Between: The Collection is available everywhere today (March 4) via Big Machine Records.

The new project features 10 tracks representing the different chapters in Bradbery’s musical journey so far, including brand new track “Look At The Mess I’m In” as well as the heart-wrenching “Break My Heart Again.”

“Over the last nine years, I’ve put out a handful of music. All this time I’ve been finding my voice, finding the things I really want to sing about and overall continuing to create who I am,” explains Bradbery. “I’ve felt in my heart that I needed to close this last chapter of my music, so I gathered all the songs I’ve put out over the past few years and made In Between: The Collection.

“The first half of the collection shows my country side—my roots,” she continues. “The second half shows the direction I see my music going—infusing R&B, pop, and rock elements while remaining true to my country core in storytelling and lyric. I make music that I love and let my fans decide what to call it. I want everyone to reminisce on the past few years with me as I get ready to begin this exciting next chapter.”

In Between: The Collection Track List:
1. “Stop Draggin’ Your Boots”
2. “Girls In My Hometown”
3. “Shallow (featuring Parker McCollum)”
4. “Look At The Mess I’m In”
5. “F-150”
6. “Break My Heart Again”
7. “Never Have I Ever”
8. “Blackout”
9. “Hometown (featuring Zac Brown & Danielle Bradbery)” – Diplo
10. “Never Have I Ever / Yo Nunca He… (Spanish Version)” – Danielle Bradbery, KURT

Jimmie Allen Reveals First Ever NFT

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Fanpage LLC, proprietor of the polygon Fanpage NFT platform, is teaming up with CMA and ACM Award-winner Jimmie Allen to immortalize one of his iconic career moments with the “Jimmie In The Rain” NFT.

On Aug. 7, 2021, Allen performed at the inaugural Bettie James Fest, which he created in honor of his late grandmother and late father. The night ended with a headline performance from the Grammy-nominated recording artist, who performed in the pouring rain.

Four variations of the NFT have been created with varying levels of exclusivity: a single Gold edition, a Silver edition with only 10 available, a Bronze edition with 100 available, and an Open edition which Allen is giving away to the first 5,000 fans who visit the drop page and use the promo code “jadrop.”

“Working with Jimmie’s team on this project was an amazing experience, but the real honor was the opportunity to bring his first-ever NFT to life,” says Billy Rodgers, Fanpage CEO. “In the history of time, there will only be one, first-ever Jimmie Allen NFT.”

“It was important for us to not get out ahead of ourselves on this project,” adds Scott Berman, Fanpage Chief Creative Officer. “We only wanted to enhance the photograph and bring it back to life, because the true art was the moment itself.”

Gabby Barrett Gets Heavy Metal Surprise Ahead Of ‘Billboard’ Women In Music Event

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Gabby Barrett. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Billboard

Gabby Barrett was surprised Wednesday night (March 2) with three plaques honoring her meteoric success on the red carpet before the Billboard Women in Music 2022 event.

Billboard News host Chelsea Briggs gave Barrett the plaques honoring her debut album Goldmine going Platinum, along with smash chart-toppers “I Hope” achieving 6x Platinum and “The Good Ones” going double Platinum.

Pictured (L-R): Tayler Bock (Tour Manager), Tom Lord (Red Light Management), Gabby Barrett, Cade Foehner (Husband), Brooke Yancey (Red Light Management), Kevin Meads (WME). Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Billboard

Barrett was the only country artist acknowledged at Billboard Women in Music 2022, held live at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. The Warner Music Nashville artist received the Rising Star Award presented by Honda, and was introduced by Honda marketing executive Jessika Laudermilk and husband Cade Foehner before performing an acoustic version of “I Hope.”

Hosted by Ciara, other honorees at the special event included Olivia Rodrigo, Phoebe Bridgers, Doja Cat, Karol G, H.E.R., Bonnie Raitt, Saweetie, Summer Walker, and Golnar Khosrowshahi.

The honor follows Barrett’s performance as one of the Country Radio Broadcasters’ 2022 New Faces of Country Music last Friday (Feb. 25) in Nashville. The in-demand entertainer now heads to Las Vegas to co-host the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards live from Allegiant Stadium on March 7. The reigning New Female Artist of the Year is up for Female Artist of the Year and is set to perform with co-host Jimmie Allen as well.

Midland Finds Freedom In ‘The Last Resort’ On Upcoming Project

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Midland is set to release their third album, The Last Resort: Greetings From, on May 6 via Big Machine Records. The project’s title track, penned by the trio with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, is available now.

“It’s about more than the roots,” lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach offers. “Because that makes you think of something that’s buried, which this music shouldn’t be. It’s about creating country music that’s pure in a different kind of way, that draws on some of what’s been left behind but shouldn’t be. Some of these songs are pure Gary Stewart, others are the earliest Eagles stuff when they really were country.”

“There are a lot of honky-tonk truths,” guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson explains. “Some of them are the way a guitar or steel twines around the melody, almost a counterpoint or counter-narrative. To us, the playing is as important as the vocals or the lyrics. It’s not just a big wad of sound, but how the tracks build to extract the song’s essence. It’s a different thing, but it lets us not just have a sound, but make the songs more than just the hook… We’re trying to have people lean in, listen to the rest of what’s going on, too.”

“We wanted ‘The Last Resort’ to be a track released before the album arrives because it’s kind of a manifesto for everything else,” bassist/vocalist Cameron Duddy adds. “You know sometimes the last resort doesn’t mean you’ve run out of options, but more that you’ve decided you’re going for the place or the thing that’s going to set you free. That freedom of letting go and falling into space, giving it over to fate? That’s where real living begins…”

The album, which builds on 2021’s The Last Resort EP, has already yielded their current single, “Sunrise Tells The Story.”

The Last Resort: Greetings From Track List:
1. The Last Resort | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
2. If I Lived Here | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
3. Two To Two Step | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
4. Take Her Off Your Hands | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
5. Sunrise Tells The Story | Jess Carson, Jessi Alexander, Aaron Raitiere
6. And Then Some | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
7. Longneck Way To Go (featuring Jon Pardi) | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley
8. Life Ain’t Fair | Jess Carson
9. King Of Saturday Night | Jess Carson
10. Paycheck To Paycheck | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Rhett Akins, John Osborne
11. Bury Me In Blue Jeans | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
12. Adios Cowboy | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Marv Green, JT Harding

Cody Johnson Returns To No. 1 On MusicRow Radio Chart

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Cody Johnson’s “‘Til You Can’t” spends a second week at No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio chart. The single rose to the spotlight one month prior on Feb. 4. He not only rose to the top spot on the MusicRow Chart, he also notched a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Johnson has also added new RIAA Gold certifications to his credentials, one for “‘Til You Can’t” and one for “Dear Rodeo.” With these new additions, Johnson notches 12 career certifications from the RIAA.

Matt Rogers penned the single with Ben Stennis and appears on his sophomore effort Human The Double Album, which contains songs originally rejected by other Nashville artists for what Johnson considers being “too country for country.”

Click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.

Booking Agent Travis James Joins Action Entertainment Collaborative

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Pictured (L-R): Travis James, Nick Meinema. Photo: Courtesy AEC

Tenured booking agent Travis James has joined Action Entertainment Collaborative (AEC), the boutique agency founded in 2021 by Nick Meinema and partner Greg Baker.

James joins AEC from United Talent Agency (UTA), and brings country artists John Michael Montgomery, John Anderson, Collin Raye, Aaron Tippin, Confederate Railroad and The Kentucky Headhunters with him to AEC.

“We were thrilled to be called on by Travis for this new chapter of his career,” says Meinema. “His mindset for the future of his clients is directly what we have set out to do when AEC opened its doors last year.”

James’ roster adds to AEC’s Music Row-based office which includes Trace Adkins, TLC, Terri Clark, Lonestar, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters, newly-signed Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, High Valley, Williams and Ree, Etta May, James Barker Band, as well as Canadian representation of The Mavericks, Sawyer Brown, Dallas Smith, Dean Brody, Hunter Brothers, The Road Hammers, The Trailer Park Boys and with Paquin Entertainment, The Reklaws, Gord Bamford and Jojo Mason.

“I met Nick in 2014 and worked with him daily through 2020,” shares James. “The pandemic changed the touring landscape forever and gave many of us enough pause to reprioritize our approach to booking. I’m a ‘Greatest Hits’ agent. My passion and happiness lies within the box set artists. As I looked around town, it was no surprise that Nick, Charley [Ray] and staff were redefining that agency model in a way I’ve never seen. I began learning my craft in a similar model in 1996, under my father’s tutelage at the Bobby Roberts Company. AEC is a modern version of where I came from, and their goals toward growth are unique and inspiring. Its singularly focused goal allows me to better serve my artists with the dedication they and the talent buyers deserve.”

Reach James at [email protected] or (615) 208-9596.

Kenny Rogers’ ‘The Love Of God (Deluxe Edition)’ To Be Released On CD

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Kenny Rogers. Photo: Jay Fletcher

A deluxe edition of Kenny Rogers‘ 2011 gospel album, The Love Of God, will be available for the first time ever on CD beginning March 25 via Capitol Records Nashville/UMe.

Produced by Warren Hartman and Grammy award-winner Kyle Lehning, The Love Of God was recorded at The Compound and Sound Emporium in Nashville in 2010. Upon its release in March of 2011, the album reached No. 2 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.

One of the tracks originally recorded for the album was “The Gospel Truth,” featuring The Oak Ridge Boys. While the song, written by Rogers and his bandmates Steve Glassmeyer and Hartman, didn’t make the final track listing of the original release, it makes its physical debut on The Love Of God (Deluxe Edition).

“The Love Of God is the culmination of an idea I had been thinking about for years but never had the opportunity to bring to life,” the late Country Music Hall of Famer shared back in 2011. “It’s been a musical awakening to me. To all of the wonderful musicians, vocalists, and songwriters who lent their amazing talents to this record, I want to thank you for making it so special. It seems I have a personal relationship with every song on it. For example, ‘In The Sweet By And By’ was my mom’s favorite song. When I was a kid, as I was leaving to go to school, I remember hearing her sing along with the radio. Music is by far the best ‘memory creator’ I know, and that memory is very special to me.”

Other special guest artists who collaborated with Rogers on the project include Point of Grace, The Whites, and Winfield’s Locket. Songs written by Rogers, Vince Gill, Michael McDonald and Michael W. Smith are also featured, along with Rogers’ take on classics, such as “I’ll Fly Away,” “In The Sweet By And By,” “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” “What A Friend We Have In Jesus,” “Amazing Grace,” and more.

Additionally, the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, will be showcasing “Through the Years: Kenny Rogers’ Photographs of America.” The exhibit, in collaboration with the Rogers estate, will display one of Rogers’ greatest hobbies and present a selection of his color and black and white photographs of America. It will remain on view through July 10, 2022.

The Love Of God (Deluxe Edition)Track List:
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Peace
I’ll Fly Away (featuring The Whites)
The Rock Of Your Love
In The Sweet By and By (featuring Winfield’s Locket)
He Showed Me Love
Grace
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
Circle of Friends (featuring Point of Grace)
For the Love Of God
The Gospel Truth (featuring The Oak Ridge Boys)
Amazing Grace
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms

Chris Janson Reveals Details For Forthcoming New Album

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Chris Janson

Chris Janson has unveiled the details of his fourth studio album, All In, due out on April 29 through Warner Music Nashville.

The 16-track album features collaborations with Eric Church and Travis Tritt, as well as co-writes with some of Nashville’s most acclaimed writers, including Church, Ashley Gorley, David Lee Murphy, Rhett Akins, Casey Beathard, Dallas Davidson and more. Janson also produced the project alongside Tommy Cecil, Zach Crowell and Brad Clawson.

“The title All In epitomizes this album,” Janson shares. “There are all kind of songs on this project, but they all flow together because they are genuine to me. I went all in on every part of the process, from writing to singing to playing to producing. I feel like it’s my best, most true-to-myself album to date.” He adds, “I hope the fans enjoy listening to this album as much as I did creating it. I love all 16 tracks, and I’m especially honored to have collaborated with my friends Eric Church and Travis Tritt!”

The album’s flagship single, “Bye Mom,” continues to connect with fans and is currently rising at country radio.

Janson is sharing new music from All In, as well as his collection of chart-topping hits, on his headlining “Halfway to Crazy” tour. He will make a sold out stop at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium next Thursday (March 10). For a full list of upcoming dates, click here.

All In Track List:
1. Keys To The Country* (Chris Janson/Dallas Davidson/Ashley Gorley/Zach Crowell)
2. We Did It Anyway* (Chris Janson/Dallas Davidson/Ashley Gorley/Chris Stevens)
3. Cold Beer Truth** (Brad Clawson/Mitch Oglesby/Rob Pennington/Chris Janson)
4. You, Me & The River (feat. Eric Church) (Eric Church)
5. Halfway To Crazy (Chris Janson/Rhett Akins/Dallas Davidson/Ben Hayslip)
6. Bye Mom* (Chris Janson/Brandon Kinney)
7. Love Don’t Sleep (Chris Janson/Mitch Oglesby/David Frasier/John Edwards)
8. The Reel Bass Pro (Chris Janson/Mitch Ogelsby/Shane Profitt)
9. Too Far Gone (Chris Janson/Marv Green/Ben Hayslip)
10. Flag On The Wall (Chris Janson, Eric Church)
11. All In* (Chris Janson/Dallas Davidson/Ashley Gorley/Zach Crowell)
12. Here and Gone (Chris Janson, Casey Beathard)
13. Things You Can’t Live Without (feat. Travis Tritt) (Chris Janson/David Lee Murphy/Deric Ruttan/Chris Stevens)
14. Small Town Big Time (Chris Janson/Jimmy Yeary/Tim Nichols)
15. You Never Did (Chris Janson)
16. My American World (Chris Janson, Kelly Roland, Shane Profitt)

Produced by Tommy Cecil and Chris Janson
*Produced by Zach Crowell and Chris Janson
**Produced by Brad Clawson and Chris Janson