Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Jackson Browne Join Steve Earle’s 6th Annual John Henry’s Friends Benefit

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Steve Earle is holding his sixth annual John Henry’s Friends benefit concert, virtually, on Dec. 13. Performers for the special concert include Steve Earle & The Dukes, Emmylou Harris, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, and more.

Earle has been gathering a group of world-class friends and performers for the one-night-only concert, which raises money for The Keswell School, an educational program for children and young adults with autism, for the past five years. On December 13th, with the help of Luck Productions and City Winery, this year’s concert is expanding its audience, making the annual fundraiser a world-wide affair. One hundred percent of the donations go to The Keswell School, an institution near to Earle’s heart, and at which his son and the event’s namesake, John Henry, is a student.

“Well, 2020 has pretty much sucked so far,” said Steve Earle. “It’s been tough on everybody, including those of us in the performing arts, who, after all, depend on the patronage of live audiences for our very livelihood. Therefore, I’m especially grateful that some of my favorite people have come together against all odds to support a cause that is near and dear to my heart, the Keswell School. Since we’ve been doing these shows, they are always my favorite day of the year…good music, good friends, and a good cause. This year’s performers are alumni, one and all, and I’m eternally grateful to each and every one for suiting up and showing up in the hour of our school’s greatest need.”

Lady A Goes Back Into The ‘Ocean’ With New Deluxe Edition

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Lady A has expanded its 2019 album Ocean into the Ocean Deluxe Edition, available this Friday (Nov. 20). The project is being released in celebration of the one-year anniversary of the release of Ocean, and includes six additional tracks, including live renditions of fan-favorites like “Let It Be Love (At Home Version)” and their chart-topping Platinum hit “What If I Never Get Over You (Live from 3rd and Lindsley).”

Lady A also recruits ACM Entertainer of the Year co-winner Thomas Rhett on “Heroes” on the new version, which also includes Lady A’s current Top 10 and climbing single “Champagne Night” from the prime time series Songland, as well as a Dave Haywood-produced breezy rendition of the single on “Champagne Night (Tiki Bar Version).”

“It’s crazy to think this album is only turning a year old because it has already been part of so many moments for us as a band,” said Hillary Scott. “We wanted to share our appreciation with our fans with a couple of never released tracks we thought they might like and put a spin on some others that have been fun to play around with during quarantine.”

Ocean Deluxe Edition Track Listing:
1. “What If I Never Get Over You” – Sam Ellis, Jon Green, Ryan Hurd, Laura Veltz
2. “Pictures” –  Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Sarah Buxton, Corey Crowder
3. “Crazy Love” – Charles Kelley, Nathan Chapman
4. “You Can Do You” – Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Corey Crowder, Jordan Schmidt
5. “What I’m Leaving For” – Sam Ellis, Micah Rayan Premnath, Laura Veltz
6. “Be Patient With My Love” – Charles Kelley, Dave Barnes, Ben West
7. “Alright”- Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, busbee, Justin Ebach
8. “Let It Be Love” – Hillary Scott, Jordan Reynolds, Amy Wadge
9. “On A Night Like This” – Dave Barnes
10. “Boots” – Charles Kelley, Ross Copperman
11. “The Thing That Wrecks You” (feat. Little Big Town) – Daniel Tashian, Tenille Townes, Kate York
12. “Mansion” – Chris DeStefano, Hillary Lindsey, Josh Miller
13. “Ocean” – Tofer Brown, Sarah Buxton, Abe Stoklasa
14. “Heroes” (feat. Thomas Rhett) – Charles Kelley, Thomas Rhett, Julian Bunetta, Sean Douglas, Jesse Frasure, Joe London
15. “Champagne Night (From Songland)” – Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Patricia Conroy, Ester Dean, Andrew DeRoberts, Tina Annette Gemza, Shane McAnally, Madeline Rae Merlo, Ryan Tedder, Dave Thomson
16. “Underwater” – Jon Green, Corey Sanders, Laura Veltz
17. “Let It Be Love (At Home Version)”
18. “Champagne Night (Tiki Bar Version)”
19. “What If I Never Get Over You (Live from 3rd and Lindsley)”

Russell Dickerson’s “Love You Like I Used To” Stays At No. 1 For Second Week

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Triple Tigers Records artist Russell Dickerson tops the Mediabase and Billboard charts for a second week with “Love You Like I Used To.” The song is Dickerson’s fourth consecutive No. 1, following “Yours,” “Blue Tacoma,” and “Every Little Thing.”

“Love You Like I Used To,” penned by Dickerson, Casey Brown and Parker Welling, marks the first single from Dickerson’s upcoming album Southern Symphony, out Dec. 4.

Dickerson is the first artist to earn four consecutive career-launching No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart since Luke Combs.

CRB Reveals New Faces Of Country Music Show Nominees

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Country Radio Broadcasters has revealed the slate of nominees for the 2021 New Faces of Country Music Show, as part of CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience.

This year’s nominees include: Tenille Arts (19th & Grand), Travis Denning (Mercury), HARDY (Big Loud), Ryan Hurd (RCA), Ashley McBryde (Warner/WMN), Parker McCollum (MCA), Niko Moon (RCA), Jameson Rodgers (River House/Colombia), and Matt Stell (RECORDS/Arista).

The New Faces of Country Music voter criteria has been expanded this year, to include a wider representation of the country music industry. Eligible voters must now be full-time employees primarily involved in the programming, promotion and distribution of country music, from companies including broadcast radio, satellite radio, television outlets, and digital service providers, while expressly excluding those with vested interests in individual artists or musical works such as labels, managers, agents and publishers.

Voting for the Class of 2021 will open Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. CST and will run through the end of the day (11:59 p.m. CST), Friday, Dec. 4 at countryradioseminar.com. The five acts with the most votes will make up the lineup for the show. To view the New Faces of Country Music qualification criteria, visit countryradioseminar.com.

CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience will be held Tuesday, Feb. 16, through Friday, Feb. 19.  The New Faces of Country Music Show closes out the event on Friday, Feb. 19.

Ninth Annual Touring Career Workshop Shifts To Virtual Event

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The ninth annual Touring Career Workshop (TCW) will be held as a free virtual event on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020 airing via Facebook Live at 6 p.m. CST.

TCW was created in 2011 by Chris Lisle, owner of Production Design firm CLLD, LLC (Alice Cooper, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Robert Plant, NFL Draft, more), and Erik Parker, also a production designer.

After more than two decades in the live entertainment and event industry, Lisle saw a lack of “human resources” for those persons working in those sectors. “I saw the need to educate road crew members coming up through the ranks on core financial (taxes, renting or purchasing a home, retirement) and personal issues (mental health, family relationships, work safety) they may face as independent contractors,” Lisle said.

The workshop, held each November, typically has more than 350 attendees. This year’s event will be approximately one hour long and themed “A Night of Connection and Reflection,” including guest speakers from a variety of fields.

In addition to the annual free workshop, Lisle and Parker also created the All Access Program which offers—at no cost—two counseling sessions from one of several pre-approved therapists and life coaches. It’s handled in a completely confidential way with individual names known only by that person’s therapist.

“We firmly believe that seeking the advice of a professional can help get you through difficult times and do not want one’s ability to pay to keep them from getting help,” said Parker, TCW co-founder and associate director.

Sponsors for this years event include 4Wall Lighting, ACT Lighting, Bandit Lites, Clair Brothers Audio, Crew One, DCR, Elation Lighting, GLP Lighting, JBL by Harman, Martin by Harman, Master Tour, MooTV, Morris Sound and Light, StageCall Trucking, and Vari-Light/Phillips.

Avenue Beat, Jessie Reyez Remix Viral Smash “F2020”

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Avenue Beat has teamed up with singer/songwriter Jessie Reyez on a new remix of Avenue Beat’s viral hit single “F2020.”

The track began as a viral TikTok sensation, but quickly became an anthem for 2020 after landing in the Top 30 at Top 40 Radio and amassing over 50 million global streams to date.

“Jessie was one of the first people to reach out to us about the song,” Avenue Beat’s Sam Backoff shares, “and we’ve been huge fans of hers for legit years so I literally have no idea why she agreed to record it with us but we are so grateful!”

“Her lyrics are other worldly; her tone is next level and we are so excited to get to collaborate on this with her!” AB’s Savana Santos says.

“As soon as I started listening to it, I had to run to my car to bump it as loud as humanly possible!” adds AB’s Sami Bearden.

“I was inspired,” Reyez said of the collaboration. “I reached out to Avenue Beat to show love, found out they produced it themselves, fell in love even more and the rest is history.”

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Cody Weaver Reminisces About “Dad’s Old Ford,” Sets New EP For December

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Cody Weaver

Cody Weaver is releasing a new song, “Dad’s Old Ford,” today (Nov. 13). The song is the lead-off single from Weaver’s forthcoming five-song Southern Noise EP set for release on Friday, Dec. 4.

Weaver’s upbringing growing up on an orange grove and the life lessons learned during that period became the catalyst for writing the rollicking “Dad’s Old Ford.” The new track follows 2019’s “Burn,” Weaver’s single that hit number one on KB Country Radio in Canada.

“Growing up on an orange grove in Buckingham Florida we didn’t have much but that old truck meant so much to me,” explains Weaver about his new single. “The song’s message is about taking pride in what you do have and being content when it seems everyone else just wants more.”

A proud fourth-generation Floridian, Weaver credits his musical style to being immersed in the sounds of American music throughout his life in the south, including blues, bluegrass, traditional country and rock.

Track listing for Southern Noise:
1. “Dad’s Old Ford”
2. “Cope”
3. “Not This Time”
4. “Before I Met You”
5. “Southern Noise”
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Rhett Akins To Celebrate 25 Years Of Hits With Virtual Concert

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Warner Chappell Music Nashville will celebrate Rhett Akins‘ 25 years of hits with a special virtual concert on Dec. 13, with Akins sharing stories behind many of the biggest hits he’s penned for artists including Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and more. Akins has penned 31 No. 1 hits, and earned 40 BMI awards for his hit songs.

Ben Vaughn, President & CEO, WCM Nashville said, “We’re thrilled to celebrate Rhett’s incredible career as a songwriter with his fans across the globe through an intimate night full of stories and songs. Anyone who’s been to Nashville knows how special the songwriting round is and we can’t wait to bring that magic to a wider audience thanks to our friends at Stabal.”

Fans can purchase tickets to Celebrating 25 Years of Legend: Rhett Akins’for $13.50. A 30-day Unlimited Access Pass will also be available to unlock exclusive bonus content including, a Stabal Talk with Rhett Akins for an in-depth look at his legendary career, an encore performance, and free access to a Warner Chappell Songwriting Round episode with Akins, Jessi Alexander, and Randy Montana.

For tickets, visit stabal.com.

Jason Isbell Criticizes CMA For Not Honoring John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver

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Jason Isbell. Photo: Alysse Gafkjen

Jason Isbell spoke out against the Country Music Association on Thursday (Nov. 12) for not including the late singer-songwriters John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver during its CMA Awards telecast on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Writing on Twitter, the four-time Grammy winner Isbell said he, along with Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit band-member and wife Amanda Shires, would be returning their CMA membership cards.

Isbell, a four-time Grammy winner, wrote Nov. 12 on Twitter, “Due to CMAs failure to mention John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver at the CMA’s last night, @amandashires and I have decided to return our membership cards. I doubt anybody will care, but we cared a lot about our heroes.”

While this year’s CMA Awards opened with a tribute to the late Charlie Daniels, and paid homage to Mac Davis, Kenny Rogers and Joe Diffie, the show did not include mentions of the recent deaths of Prine, Walker or Shaver.

The Country Music Association released the following statement to MusicRow Magazine:

“The CMA Awards broadcast historically does not include an In Memoriam segment. An In Memoriam did air in 2017 to honor the victims of the tragic shooting at Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas. In order to recognize those we have lost each year, the CMA does include an In Memoriam tribute on our website and in our annual CMA Awards Program Guide, which was mailed to CMA members ahead of this year’s broadcast. To note, this year’s In Memoriam includes those lives lost prior to the program guide’s printing deadline of Oct. 14, 2020.”

Americana icon Prine died April 7 at age 73, following a battle with coronavirus. Prine’s career has been honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grammys, Americana Association, and more. Prine, known for penning songs including “Sam Stone,” “Angel From Montgomery,” and “Hello In There,” also penned George Strait’s 1998 hit “I Just Wanna Dance With You,” which earned Prine a CMA nomination for Song of the Year.

Texas native Walker is known for penning “Mr. Bojangles,” and died Oct. 23 at 78, following a battle with cancer. Shaver’s songs have been recorded by Waylon Jennings (whose 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes was comprised of nearly all Shaver songs), Elvis Presley and more; Shaver died Oct. 28, at age 81.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit’s album The Nashville Sound was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards.

Judah & The Lion Share Uplifting New Track “Spirit”

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Judah & The Lion are releasing a brand new single, “Spirit,” today (Nov. 13). The new song delivers a message of hope and positivity going forward in spite of what has been a difficult year. The band also announced a limited-edition vinyl compilation by the same name that includes all of the Judah & the Lion songs released throughout 2020.

Spirit will feature new original songs “Spirit,” “Beautiful Anyway,” and “Never Give Up On You,” which was written as the official anthem for the Nashville MLS team, Nashville SC, alongside an unplugged version of 2017 hit “Suit and Jacket” and a cover of Sheryl Crow’s feel-good single “Soak Up the Sun.” Pre-orders for the vinyl are available now exclusively on the band’s official site.

“2020. A season of pain, heartache, and unrest. Our hope is that ‘Spirit’ will help those listening to move forward and push through this season, TOGETHER,” said Judah Akers. “Most iconic stories and songs don’t start with everything being perfect, but rather the story comes from the pain and the tension between moving forward and allowing the pain to become your super power in life.”

 

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