Chapter 664

That sound you heard echoing on West End Avenue last night (Jan. 18) was the sound of love.

If you were anywhere near The Hutton Hotel’s Analog nightclub you could feel the vibe. Music filled the room and spilled out into the hallways of the venue. And if it wasn’t the music you heard, it was the unmistakable din of the schmoozing fabulous of Music Row.

The occasion was Nashville’s annual Grammy Nominees Party, and it might have been the best one yet. This year, the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy could boast that Music City is home to 91 nominees.

Walking the red carpet were such 2023 honorees as Bill Anderson (“Someday It’ll All Make Sense”), Drew Parker (“Doin’ This”), Hillary Scott (“For God Is With Us”), Reggie Smith of the Gaither Vocal Band, Liz Rose (“All Too Well”), Lori McKenna (“I Bet You Think About Me”), Jimmy Robbins (“Circles Around This Town”), gospel artists Keith & Kristyn Getty, Laura Veltz (Songwriter of the Year), Dave Pittinger & Sara Davis (“abcdefu”), engineer/mixer Nick Lobel, Molly Tuttle (Best New Artist), Joel & Luke Smallbone of For King & Country, Harry Styles producer Tyler Johnson and Ethan Hulse (“So Good”).

Current chapter president Ruby Amanfu greeted the crowd inside the club by reminding us all that, “We are nothing without music.”

Indeed, the first words out of her mouth were sung, “Love, Love Love…..Love, Love, Love….Love, Love, Love,” she crooned to the melody of The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” She begins each board meeting of the Nashville chapter with song.

That was only the beginning. Our chapter’s brilliant Shannon Sanders put together a musical program that featured some of Nashville’s best and brightest performing iconic numbers that have all been Grammy Song of the Year winners.

Nashville native Morgxn (Morgan Isaac Karr) applied his rafter-raising tenor voice to “Stay With Me” and “Royals” with an assist by hip-hop stylist Derek Minor. The enduringly great Tommy Sims sang “Grandma’s Hands” with the addition of the gripping Southern poetry of Minton Sparks and his own “Change the World” abetted by the spoken word artistry of S-Wrap (Saran Thompson).

The performance of the night belonged to the sensationally torrid Maggie Rose, who tore the roof off the place with “Rolling in the Deep” accompanied by Alison Brown and Sanders’ uber cool house band — Rob Cureton, Marcus Perry, Tyler Cain and Jon Lucas. Brown also favored the crowd with a dazzling bluegrass banjo tune. Charles Kelley of Lady A had the finale performance with “What’s Going On,” and had everyone singing along by the time he finished, including Rose, Sanders and Amanfu.

Cheering and singing along were Gramps Morgan, Mark Ford & Carol Ann Etheridge, Odie Blackmon, Ben Vaughn, Anthony L. Smith, Don Cusic, Leslie Roberts, Jackie Marushka, John Briggs, Nancy Shapiro and Beth Laird.

The entryway into Analog held a massive charcuterie board groaning under the weight of massed salami roses, candied pecans, brie crackers, fruits and cheeses. Opposite that was a buffet of hot chicken sliders, beef & brie sliders with onion jam and flatbreads topped by balsamic figs & goat cheese or pepperoni. The wait staff circulated with steak skewers, crab cakes, fried cheese balls, veggie skewers and Maryland-style mini crab cakes. The bartenders handled the throng with aplomb.

The room looked totally elegant. Tables held mini gerbera-daisy floral arrangements festooned with tiny “fairy lights.” The stage was artfully backed by cascades of crimson and aquamarine drapes with a multi-tiered chandelier overhead. In the center, naturally, was a jumbo golden Grammy Award.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have everyone here,” said host-with-the-most Alicia Warwick, the senior director of the Nashville chapter. “We look at a special year for The Recording Academy.” She reminded everyone that a Grammy isn’t based on sales or chart positions. It represents your peers voting on your music.

Those 91 nominees represent 134 nominations, including leading contenders in the Americana, rock, bluegrass, gospel, blues, CCM and country fields. Appropriately, the crowd was beautifully bi-racial.

Applauding the gala were Mike Sistad, Mason Hunter, Mike Kepler, Chuck Ainlay, Dave Paulson, Pat McMakin, Earle Simmons, Whitney Daane, Lori Badgett, Sherod Robertson, Susan Stewart, Chris Keaton, Tom Roland, Lee Willard, LB Cantrell, Jensen Sussman, Carla Wallace, Lisa Harless, Debbie Carroll, Dan Hill and publicists du jour Ronna Rubin and Susan Niles.

The Grammys will air on CBS on Feb. 5. Show host Trevor Noah promoted the show on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night.

Ross Ellis has signed an exclusive, global publishing agreement with UMPG Nashville and songwriter Brad Tursi, who is also a member of country band Old Dominion.

A native of Monterey, Louisiana, Ellis formed a band at 15 and gained a strong following throughout high school and college, playing venues across Louisiana and Mississippi. After graduating from University of Louisiana at Monroe, he moved to Nashville to pursue music full time. Ellis has had cuts by Lainey Wilson, Tim McGraw, Gary Allan and Tyler Farr.

“When Brad approached us about working together with Ross, it was an immediate YES,” notes Cyndi Forman, Senior Vice President A&R, UMPG Nashville. “We were already fans of his writing coupled with joining forces with Brad just makes so much sense.”

Tursi adds: “Over the years, I have listened to Ross’ songs just as much or more than some of my favorite artists of all time. He has a truly unique, emotional voice and a way of turning a phrase totally his own.”

“I’m so honored to join forces with UMPG alongside the ever so talented, Brad Tursi, to kickstart this new and exciting chapter in my songwriting career,” Ellis shares.

Randy Travis Foundation Receives $5,000 Donation Following Tribute Tuesday Celebration

Following this week’s Tuesday Tribute, which celebrated Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis, PickleJar presented the Randy Travis Foundation with a $5,000 donation. The evening featured songs from Thompson Square, Shawna Thompson, Timmy Brown, Dave’s Highway and Landon Wall at Live Oak.

The foundation provides support for victims of strokes and cardiovascular diseases as well as arts and entertainment education for at-risk children.

Outback Presents Adds Everett Ramsey & Hardy McBee

Outback Presents has added Everett Ramsey as General Manager and Hardy McBee as Director of Booking & Marketing of Outback Presents Mid-South. They will be based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ramsey began his entertainment career in 1994 at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. In 1998, he was hired by Beaver Productions to work directly for legendary promoter Don Fox. Ramsey has spent the last 25 years helping promote and produce major concerts and tours across the United States, and has been integral in setting up some of the biggest national tours in the nation. He has been closely involved with Michael Bublé, James Taylor, ZZ Top, Katy Perry, Bryan Adams, Norah Jones, Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, Tool, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruno Mars.

For nearly 15 years, McBee worked as Director of Marketing & Publicity for Beaver Productions. He was responsible for developing, implementing and managing marketing campaigns across the country for Beaver’s touring artists. Prior to Beaver Productions, McBee performed the duties of Vice President of Artist Management & Logistics for Blind Ambition Artist Management with veteran entertainment attorney Charles Driebe. He helped manage the professional careers of several Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated artists, including the Blind Boys of Alabama, Charlie Musselwhite and Ruthie Foster. Before Blind Ambition Artist Management, McBee worked as Assistant Talent Buyer and Marketing Manager for the House of Blues in New Orleans where he organized, negotiated, promoted and managed over 300 concerts annually for two concert halls.

Ramsey can be reached at everett.ramsey@outbackpresents.com and McBee at hardy.mcbee@outbackpresents.com.

Milestone Publicity Ups Lily Collins To Account Manager

Milestone Publicity has promoted University of Texas graduate Lily Collins to Account Manager.

Since joining Milestone in August of 2022 as an Associate Publicist, Collins has proved herself to be a skilled and driven publicist, recently being involved in campaigns with artists such as The Dryes, Kaya Stewart, Kids That Fly, Lonestar and Noah Hicks, among others.

“Lily came into Milestone loaded with the skills and character traits to be a great publicist,” says Mike Gowen, the company’s Founder & CEO. “We’re lucky to have her on the team and I’m excited to continue to watch her thrive as a publicist, and make a name for herself in the industry.”

Grammy award-winning songwriter Liz Rose has been named as one of the latest inductees to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Moving to Nashville in the mid-1990s, Rose began writing songs at the age of 37. One of her first cuts was “Elisabeth,” recorded by Billy Gilman in 2001. In 2003, Gary Allan took Rose’s “Songs About Rain” into the country top 20.

Rose was a frequent collaborator of Taylor Swift’s and co-wrote 16 songs with the starlet, including the No. 1 crossover hits “Teardrops on My Guitar;” “You Belong With Me,” which won the 2010 BMI Award for Song of the Year; “Tim McGraw;” “White Horse,” which won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Country Song; and “All Too Well.” Most recently, Rose has been nominated for the 2023 Grammy for Song of the Year with “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version).”

The recipient of the 2012 ACM Award for Song of the Year in honor of Eli Young Band’s “Crazy Girl,” Rose has also penned songs for Tim McGraw, Dan + Shay, Allison Krauss, Blake Shelton, LeeAnn Womack, Chris Young, Bonnie Raitt and more. In 2015, she won Song Of The Year at the CMA Awards and won the Grammy for Best Country Song for “Girl Crush,” recorded by Little Big Town.

Rose earned another Best Country Song Grammy nod in 2020 with Miranda Lambert’s “It All Comes Out In The Wash.” She also has recent releases with Maren Morris, Gabby Barrett, Lauren Alaina, Ingrid Andress, Kenny Chesney, and more.

Founder of her own music publishing company, Liz Rose Music, the accomplished songwriter is a Texas Heritage Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee. In addition to her Grammy wins, she has been honored with the 2007 SESAC Nashville Songwriter of the Year, as well as several CMA and ACM awards. She is also on the board of directors for CMA, NSAI, and was most recently one of the first of two songwriters inducted into the NMPA.

Rose will be honored alongside Sade Adu p/k/a Sade, Glen Ballard, Calvin Broadus Jr. p/k/a Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne and Teddy Riley at the organization’s 52nd Annual Induction and Awards Gala. Additional special award honorees will be announced soon.

“The music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first. Without them there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch… nothing, it all starts with the song and the songwriter,” explains Hall of Fame Chairman Nile Rodgers. “We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2023 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and, in their time, literally transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.”

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event, taking place on June 15 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000 and SHOF@buckleyhallevents.com. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.

Willie Nelson Joins BIC’s New Advertising Campaign

Willie Nelson has joined the BIC EZ Reach advertising campaign. Now in its third year, the campaign also features Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart. The partnership will continue throughout 2023.

A leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, BIC’s latest campaign iteration, “Most Borrowed Lighter,” reinforces the pocket-sized lighter’s extended wand that helps light hard-to-reach place. The “Most Borrowed Lighter” campaign debuts this month across streaming TV networks, social media and digital content hubs.

In the campaign spots, Nelson uses a BIC EZ Reach to light a candle just as he gets a surprise video call from Snoop who has misplaced his EZ Reach lighter. Stewart then joins the call to report that her scented candle is missing. While Nelson denies seeing their items, it becomes clear that he “borrowed” them and is seen chuckling mischievously as he lights up a candle with his “favorite herb scent” (-ed candle).

“Consumers love this cheeky campaign and how BIC EZ Reach lights candles and ‘more’ while helping to keep fingers away from flames,” notes Katty Pien, Vice President of Marketing for BIC North America. “Adding Willie into this playful dynamic with Snoop and Martha will expand the campaign’s appeal by welcoming Willie’s fans to join in the fun.”

Dolly Parton Expands Partnership With Duncan Hines With New Baking Mixes

Following the success of Dolly Parton‘s cake mixes and frostings last year, Duncan Hines is launching four more baking mixes with the beloved Grammy award-winning artist as part of the brand’s multi-year partnership. The new products include a cornbread mix, biscuit mix and two brownie mixes inspired by some of Dolly’s favorite family recipes.

“I knew Duncan Hines and I were bringing something special to the baking aisle when we launched our partnership last year, and I’ve been thrilled by the response,” Parton shares. “I’m really excited to launch more baking mixes steeped in my southern roots, like cornbread and biscuits. I think folks are really going to like them and hope they’ll bake up some special memories with family and friends.”

Beginning in early 2023, the new baking mixes can be found in the baking section of grocery stores and mass retailers, but early access to all new baking mixes will be made available as part of Duncan Hines’ limited-edition Dolly Parton’s Baking Collection beginning Feb. 8. The kit also includes a Dolly-inspired, collectible tea towel, spatula and recipe cards.

“With Dolly’s partnership and incredible star power behind us, Duncan Hines and IMG launched one of the most successful new innovations in baking in 2022,” shares Audrey Ingersoll, Vice President of Sweet Treats at Conagra Brands. “We could not be more excited to continue to evolve this important partnership with the launch of four more baking mixes.”

Kenny Chesney Adds Mocha Rum Cream To His Blue Chair Bay Beverage Lineup

Originally launched as a limited-time offering for National Rum Day in 2022, Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay Rum has brought back its Mocha Rum Cream.

Featuring a blend of slow-brewed coffee mingled with a rich chocolate flavor, the newest spirit also carries notes of coconut and spices. It can be enjoyed as a cocktail, like an espresso martini, with coffee or splashed on the rocks.

“With the response from No Shoes Nation, telling us they loved the taste on the rocks, but that it also took some of the work out of making those fancier drinks, like Espresso Martinis or Caribbean Irish coffee, it seemed like a must to add to our line-up. As simple or fancy as you like, Mocha Rum Cream is for No Shoes Nation,” says Chesney. “Nothing allows a nice meal with friends to linger a little longer than a nice cup of coffee or an after dinner cocktail. When we introduced Mocha Rum Cream, I’d hoped it might take the moment into even better conversations.”

Additionally, Blue Chair Bay and Tipsy Scoop have partnered to create Mocha Rum Cream ice cream. The limited edition flavor features Mocha Rum Cream churned into a creamy mocha ice cream base, packing a proof of up to 5% ABV per serving. The ice cream is now available by the scoop and pint at Tipsy Scoop’s NYC Ice Cream Barlours and online.

Thomas Rhett’s Dos Primos Tequila Adds Third Offering

Thomas Rhett and his cousin Jeff Worn have introduced the latest Dos Primos Tequila offering: Dos Primos Tequila Añejo. It will be available in a 750 ml bottle in select U.S. markets beginning in March.

Dos Primos Tequila Añejo is packaged in a clear embossed-glass, corked bottle and features a black-leather cord wrapped around the neck. The fabric label is hand-applied in Mexico and bears the signatures of Worn and Rhett.

“Bringing Dos Primos to life initially with our Blanco tequila, then with Reposado and now Añejo, has been an incredible journey,” Rhett says. “Our Añejo is a super-smooth and flavorful tequila that can be enjoyed year-round, and we can’t wait for everyone to enjoy it with their friends and family.”

“It seems like only yesterday when Thomas Rhett and I decided to create the kind of tequila we wanted to drink and share with our family and friends,” Worn adds. “Now, we have our third Dos Primos Tequila–a delicious Añejo–and I couldn’t be more proud of it and how far this brand has come in the past four years.”