Sarah Jarosz. Photo: Kaitlyn Raitz

Fresh off her win Grammy win for Best Americana Album, Sarah Jarosz has announced she will release another project, Blue Heron Suite, on May 7. She composed the collection of songs after becoming the recipient of the FreshGrass Composition Commission in 2017.

Blue Heron Suite was recorded in December of 2018 at Reservoir Studios in New York City and features Jeff Picker on bass and Jefferson Hamer on guitar and harmony vocals. The piece was inspired by frequent trips Jarosz and her parents made to Port Aransas, a small town on the Gulf Coast of Texas a few hours from the family’s home in Wimberley.

“2017 was an emotional year for me—my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous winter and the town of Port Aransas was severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” recalls Jarosz. “Those two events caused me to think back to the early morning walks my mom and I would take along Mustang Island beach—we would always spot the Great Blue Herons along the shore… The bird came to be a symbol of hope for my family during a difficult time, and even now, throughout my travels, whenever I spot a Blue Heron, I always think of it as a good omen; a little reminder of the important things in life, especially family.”

Jarosz notes, “Thankfully, my mom is now in remission and Port Aransas is slowly on the mend, but Blue Heron Suite still encapsulates so many of the feelings associated with that time – I like to think of the song cycle as a quiet acknowledgment of life’s many uncertainties; you never know what will be thrown your way, but you can always work to try to face the highs and the lows with grace and strength.”

Jarosz also recently announced a pair of livestream concert events scheduled for April 29 and May 9 which are slated to feature different set lists for each show. On April 29, Jarosz will perform her Grammy-winning album World on the Ground with a full band for the first time since its release. Meanwhile, on May 9, Jarosz will celebrate the release of Blue Heron Suite by performing it in its entirety.

Tickets for both shows, which will stream via Mandolin, are now available for purchase.

Parmalee. Photo: Ford Fairchild

Parmalee has signed with WME.

The ACM-nominated band is one of only four groups since 2001 to earn three consecutive Top 10 singles from a debut country album. Since their debut at country radio, Parmalee has earned more than 427 million Pandora streams, 253 million on-demand streams, and over 58 million YouTube views.

Comprised of brothers Matt and Scott Thomas (lead vocals/guitar and drums, respectively), cousin Barry Knox (bass), and life-long friend Josh McSwain, the North Carolina natives recently went No. 1 with their Platinum-certified single featuring BBR labelmate Blanco Brown, “Just the Way,” which amassed more than 160 million streams in the U.S. alone. The reimagined pop version of the smash, co-produced by Andrew Goldstein and David Fanning, was recently released and features pop/hip-hop maverick Bryce Vine in addition to fellow country artist Brown. Offering a message of self-acceptance and praise to those that are true to themselves, the song will ship to pop radio April 12.

Parmalee is represented by David Fanning and attorney Derek Crownover at Loeb & Loeb LLP.

Pictured (L-R): Given Sr. VP of Publishing and Artist Development Cliff Downs; Given Founding Partner Cindy Owen; Billy Dean; Given Creative Director Kelsey Wise. Photo: McIntyre Barnhardt

Billy Dean has signed a publishing deal with Given Entertainment.

The signing reunites Given Founding Partner Cindy Owen and Dean from their days at Starstruck Entertainment, when Owen brought the artist to Narvel Blackstock for management.  At the time, she served as the company’s Creative Director.

Since his launch in the early ’90s, Dean has sold millions of records, won numerous music industry honors and amassed a loyal following with his brand of pop-folk-influenced country. He won his first of several major awards in 1992 when the Academy of Country Music named him Top New Male Vocalist of the Year, and also presented him with the Song of the Year honor for “Somewhere In My Broken Heart.” The smash single also won Song of the Year from the Nashville Songwriters Association International, as well as awards from BMI and a Grammy nomination. Dean was also part of the Grammy-winning album Amazing Grace: A Country Salute To Gospel Vol 1, and Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, which won 1994 CMA Album of the Year. Other career accolades include CMT’s Rising Star Award and TNN’s Top Songwriter Award for his song “Billy the Kid.”

In addition to music, Dean has worked as an actor, appearing in several TV shows including Wings and Lois and Clark as well as the Dolly Parton movie Blue Valley Songbird. He also hosted some network music specials including ABC’s In Concert.

“Signing Billy is a no-brainer. His passion for music is as strong as it ever was and he is writing and singing better than ever,” Owen says. “We are proud to give him a platform to continue to build on the Billy Dean legacy that had so many of us hooked.”

“When Cindy listened to my new music, she said, ‘Billy, your best years of writing are ahead of you.’  That’s the kind of encouragement and support I look for in a publisher,” Dean says. “Given is giving me the freedom to dig deep to craft songs for this generation of incredibly gifted country music artists.”

Photo: Reid Long

Eric Church will share songs from his new three-part album project and answer fan questions with a live Q&A during an exclusive event on the Amazon Music Twitch channel on April 20.

Following the release of Heart this Friday (April 16), the first album from his anticipated new three-part project, Church will perform new music, including “Rock And Roll Found Me” from Soul for the first time ever ahead of the album’s release. Starting at 8 p.m. CT on April 20, fans can watch along via the Amazon Music Twitch channel and within the Amazon Music mobile app. The performance will also be available to watch on the Amazon Music Twitch channel for four days afterwards.

Heart & Soul was created during a secluded session in rural North Carolina, where Church and his collaborators wrote and recorded a song from start to finish each day for nearly a month. The three-part, 24-song collection begins with Heart, on April 16, and concludes with Soul, out April 23. In keeping with his longtime commitment to his fans, Church created the middle album, &, specifically for the Church Choir and will make it available exclusively to those fans and only as a vinyl record on Tuesday, April 20.

To gear up for the event, fans can now explore Church’s full discography on CD and vinyl in his Amazon Music Store, featuring 22 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified singles off Gold-certified Desperate Man (“Some Of It”), Platinum-certified Sinners Like Me (“How ’Bout You,” “Guys Like Me”), Carolina (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most”) and Mr. Misunderstood (“Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz”), Double-Platinum certified The Outsiders (“Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega”) and 3x Platinum-certified Chief (“Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand”).

Pictured (L-R): Hill Entertainment Group’s Greg Hill, Sony Music Publishing’s Cam Caldwell, Hill Entertainment Group’s Grace Jones, Sony Music Publishing’s Anna Weisband, Drew Baldridge, BMI’s Leslie Roberts, Sony Music Publishing’s Rusty Gaston, Sony Music Publishing’s Mya Hansen and Sony Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran

Drew Baldridge has signed a global publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing.

Baldridge first captured attention with his breakout single “Dance With Ya” from his debut album Dirt On Us in 2016. In 2020 his viral hit “Senior Year,” which he co-wrote alongside Tim Nichols and Jordan Walker, landed on both the Billboard and Mediabase Country charts without major label support. The track became the anthem for students who missed out on the many traditions that come with graduating high school due to the ongoing pandemic. The Patoka, Illinois native is also known for fan favorites like “Middle of Nowhere Kids,” “Before You” and “It’s Your Loss.”

Baldridge kicked off 2021 with “That’s You,” written alongside Trannie Anderson and Jason Massey. The song was released following its success on TikTok and garnered over four million views on social media. This month, he released his newest single, “Beach Ain’t One,” which he wrote with Ryan Peterson and Ryan Plappert, and in March kicked off the second leg of his Baldridge and Bonfires Tour that will run through the summer with over 50 dates. Baldridge also hosts a weekly radio show on LA’s Go Country 105 airing every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.– 2 p.m. PT.

“As a songwriter, Drew has experienced a breakthrough to another level,” says Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston. “Drawing from his years of fan engagement and building his business, his songs are rich with emotion and heart that connects with the country audience. In a time where it’s easy to make excuses, Drew is cutting his own path – be it in touring or on TikTok. We couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead in his career.”

“Rusty has been a champion of mine since I moved to Nashville,” says Baldridge. “I am so excited to be working with him and everyone at Sony Music Publishing in these next stages of my songwriting career.”