John Berry
In the mid-’90s, there were few male vocalists with the raw soul and power of John Berry, who notched the Grammy-nominated chart-topper “Your Love Amazes Me” in 1994, following it with hits including “Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye” and “She’s Taken A Shine.” Since then, Berry has released 10 projects to date, and toured relentlessly. 2018 was no exception. In July, he released “Beautifully Broken” as the title track to the film of the same name. In October, he went into the studio to record the six-song EP Thomas Road, which reunited him with producer Chuck Howard. He also embarked on his 22nd annual Christmas Songs and Stories Tour.
But along the way, Berry was battling mounting vocal problems.
“Staring in October, I had this little annoying stick in my throat. It felt just like if you had the skin of a Spanish peanut stuck in your throat,” he tells MusicRow. “And I couldn’t get rid of it. I just thought I had a swollen tonsil or something. We got home from the tour and [Berry’s wife] Robin was like, ‘We gotta go see an ENT.’ He looked down my throat, then looked at me and said, ‘I’m a no-BS kinda guy. You have cancer.’”
On Jan. 22, 2019, Berry and Robin shared a video on social media, revealing Berry’s throat cancer diagnosis to his fans. On Feb. 13, Berry began treatment–a grueling seven-week period which included 35 radiation treatments and seven chemotherapy treatments.
“They did a biopsy on the tonsils and they knew there was a tumor on one of them. The other tonsil had a tumor inside, so I had a tonsillectomy.”
The radiation and chemotherapy were successful; April 9 marked Berry’s final day of treatments.
“It was a tough seven weeks, but I’m glad and grateful to be here,” Berry says.
Tonight (April 23) Berry will welcome an assemblage of country performers he has met and worked with throughout his 25-year career to Nashville’s City Winery for the benefit show “We All Come Together” to help raise funds for Berry’s medical treatment, as well as for the nonprofit Music Health Alliance, which aids musicians and music industry members with health insurance needs. The show will also include a silent auction.
Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, Trace Adkins, Bryan White, Clint Black, Mark Wills, Tracy Lawrence, Jimmy Fortune, Jeannie Seely (with Tim Atwood), Darryl Worley, Exile, Anita Cochran, Suzy Bogguss, the Oak Ridge Boys, Radney Foster, Shenandoah, Tim Rushlow and more will all take the stage.
“A lot of folks kept asking ‘What can we do? How can we help?’ and City Winery offered their facility, which is amazing,” Berry notes. “Once everybody knows it’s cancer and major medical things like this, there’s always needs. We’re no different. So [Berry’s manager] Brian Smith and [publicist] Bev Moser, they put this together with City Winery and some other folks that were involved. They started inviting people and the guest artist list, I’m astounded!”
Berry has known one of the evening’s guests, fellow country entertainer Travis Tritt, since their early club days in Georgia.
“We were playing clubs in Atlanta,” he recalls. “He was playing at Miss Kitty’s and we would play there. Then Travis got a record deal and, of course, we had heard a lot of the songs that he put on his debut album. He was playing them there at the club. And “Country Club” was a big hit [the track reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1989]. He did that song at the club before it ever came out on the radio and my wife said ‘That’s gonna be a big ol’ song,’ and sure enough it was. Travis has just always been very kind to me and he’s invited me to open two shows for him here and there. Always been a lot of fun. Good guy.”
“I don’t know anyone that hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way,” Tritt says. “Knowing that friends and family have your back is an important factor in fighting this disease. On this night, John’s friends and musical family will come together to show John and the world that we have his back and he is not fighting this alone.”
Berry says Tritt is slated to perform his 2000 hit, “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive,” and he hopes to sneak in a collaboration of “Georgia On My Mind” with his fellow Georgian. Berry could even offer a rendition of his own hits.
“I’m hoping to do a song or two as the night goes. We’ll see how I’m doin’.” he says.
Later this week will mark Berry’s first official return to the stage since his treatments, as he visits Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi to do a speaking engagement and offer a few songs. In May, he will open a few shows for Clint Black and Trace Adkins on their The Hits. Hats. History. Tour.
“That’s going to be a lot of fun to go and open for them, to just go and do 20 minutes with my guitar,” Berry says.
But tonight’s show at City Winery will be about celebrating life, love and music with some of his best friends in the industry.
“It’s going to be awesome. I told everybody on my team, please just make sure there’s boxes of tissues everywhere. I’ll be in puddles,” Berry said.
Dan + Shay To Perform On Billboard Music Awards
/by Jessica NicholsonDan+Shay. Photo: Patrick Tracy
Grammy and three-time ACM Award winners Dan + Shay (Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) are set to perform “Speechless” on the Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday, May 1. Additional recently-announced performers include Ciara, Halsey, and Tori Kelly.
Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Lauren Daigle, More Unveiled As Performers For K-LOVE Fan Awards
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R, top row): Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, for KING & COUNTRY; (L-R, bottom row): Lauren Daigle, Danny Gokey, Steven Curtis Chapman
The list of performers for the 2019 K-LOVE Fan Awards, slated for June 9 at the Grand Ole Opry House, has been unveiled. The lineup will feature performances from some of the Christian music industry’s biggest artists, including Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Lauren Daigle, for KING & COUNTRY, Danny Gokey, Steven Curtis Chapman, Francesca Battistelli, Big Daddy Weave, I Am They, Bethel Music’s Josh Baldwin, Micah Tyler, Phil Wickham, Rend Collective, Tauren Wells and We Are Messengers. In addition to co-hosting the evening, Mandisa and Matthew West are also slated to perform.
The fan-selected nominations will be unveiled on May 13. Purchase tickets to the 2019 K-LOVE Fan Awards here.
TBN will broadcast the show on June 9 beginning at 8 p.m. CT. Viewers can find their local TBN channel through the network’s Channel Finder at: tbn.org. Coca-Consolidated will again participate as a sponsor, marking their fourth year of partnership.
Nashville’s Music Community Comes Together For John Berry Benefit Show
/by Jessica NicholsonJohn Berry
In the mid-’90s, there were few male vocalists with the raw soul and power of John Berry, who notched the Grammy-nominated chart-topper “Your Love Amazes Me” in 1994, following it with hits including “Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye” and “She’s Taken A Shine.” Since then, Berry has released 10 projects to date, and toured relentlessly. 2018 was no exception. In July, he released “Beautifully Broken” as the title track to the film of the same name. In October, he went into the studio to record the six-song EP Thomas Road, which reunited him with producer Chuck Howard. He also embarked on his 22nd annual Christmas Songs and Stories Tour.
But along the way, Berry was battling mounting vocal problems.
“Staring in October, I had this little annoying stick in my throat. It felt just like if you had the skin of a Spanish peanut stuck in your throat,” he tells MusicRow. “And I couldn’t get rid of it. I just thought I had a swollen tonsil or something. We got home from the tour and [Berry’s wife] Robin was like, ‘We gotta go see an ENT.’ He looked down my throat, then looked at me and said, ‘I’m a no-BS kinda guy. You have cancer.’”
On Jan. 22, 2019, Berry and Robin shared a video on social media, revealing Berry’s throat cancer diagnosis to his fans. On Feb. 13, Berry began treatment–a grueling seven-week period which included 35 radiation treatments and seven chemotherapy treatments.
“They did a biopsy on the tonsils and they knew there was a tumor on one of them. The other tonsil had a tumor inside, so I had a tonsillectomy.”
The radiation and chemotherapy were successful; April 9 marked Berry’s final day of treatments.
“It was a tough seven weeks, but I’m glad and grateful to be here,” Berry says.
Tonight (April 23) Berry will welcome an assemblage of country performers he has met and worked with throughout his 25-year career to Nashville’s City Winery for the benefit show “We All Come Together” to help raise funds for Berry’s medical treatment, as well as for the nonprofit Music Health Alliance, which aids musicians and music industry members with health insurance needs. The show will also include a silent auction.
Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, Trace Adkins, Bryan White, Clint Black, Mark Wills, Tracy Lawrence, Jimmy Fortune, Jeannie Seely (with Tim Atwood), Darryl Worley, Exile, Anita Cochran, Suzy Bogguss, the Oak Ridge Boys, Radney Foster, Shenandoah, Tim Rushlow and more will all take the stage.
“A lot of folks kept asking ‘What can we do? How can we help?’ and City Winery offered their facility, which is amazing,” Berry notes. “Once everybody knows it’s cancer and major medical things like this, there’s always needs. We’re no different. So [Berry’s manager] Brian Smith and [publicist] Bev Moser, they put this together with City Winery and some other folks that were involved. They started inviting people and the guest artist list, I’m astounded!”
Berry has known one of the evening’s guests, fellow country entertainer Travis Tritt, since their early club days in Georgia.
“We were playing clubs in Atlanta,” he recalls. “He was playing at Miss Kitty’s and we would play there. Then Travis got a record deal and, of course, we had heard a lot of the songs that he put on his debut album. He was playing them there at the club. And “Country Club” was a big hit [the track reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1989]. He did that song at the club before it ever came out on the radio and my wife said ‘That’s gonna be a big ol’ song,’ and sure enough it was. Travis has just always been very kind to me and he’s invited me to open two shows for him here and there. Always been a lot of fun. Good guy.”
“I don’t know anyone that hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way,” Tritt says. “Knowing that friends and family have your back is an important factor in fighting this disease. On this night, John’s friends and musical family will come together to show John and the world that we have his back and he is not fighting this alone.”
Berry says Tritt is slated to perform his 2000 hit, “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive,” and he hopes to sneak in a collaboration of “Georgia On My Mind” with his fellow Georgian. Berry could even offer a rendition of his own hits.
“I’m hoping to do a song or two as the night goes. We’ll see how I’m doin’.” he says.
Later this week will mark Berry’s first official return to the stage since his treatments, as he visits Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi to do a speaking engagement and offer a few songs. In May, he will open a few shows for Clint Black and Trace Adkins on their The Hits. Hats. History. Tour.
“That’s going to be a lot of fun to go and open for them, to just go and do 20 minutes with my guitar,” Berry says.
But tonight’s show at City Winery will be about celebrating life, love and music with some of his best friends in the industry.
“It’s going to be awesome. I told everybody on my team, please just make sure there’s boxes of tissues everywhere. I’ll be in puddles,” Berry said.
APA Promotes Steve Lassiter To Co-Head Of Worldwide Music
/by Jessica NicholsonSteve Lassiter
Steve Lassiter has been promoted to Co-Head of Worldwide Music at APA, it was announced today by Jim Gosnell, President and CEO of APA. Lassiter, who first joined APA in 1998 and most recently served as Partner, Senior Vice President and Head of Concerts at APA Nashville, will now oversee all APA Music operations for APA’s Concerts division alongside fellow Co-Heads of Worldwide Music, Bruce Solar and Steve Martin, who are headquartered in Los Angeles and New York, respectively.
“Steve has done a tremendous job guiding the success of our Nashville operations,” commented Gosnell in making the announcement. “The quality of his leadership and contributions to our overall success cannot be understated, and I’m very pleased to honor his hard work and dedication with this well-deserved promotion.”
“This is an exciting chapter in my life,” added Lassiter. “I look forward to creating new success stories with Jim, Bruce and Steve as our agency continues to grow and evolve in lock-step with Music City.”
Lassiter, whose current roster includes Travis Tritt, The Charlie Daniels Band, David Lee Murphy, Sublime with Rome, The Marshall Tucker Band, BJ Thomas, Jim Messina,Sawyer Brown, KANSAS, The Outlaws, Blackhawk, Phil Vassar, Little Texas, Lee Greenwood, Crystal Gayle and many others, got his first taste in the music business in 1977 at 19-years old working as a production assistant and promotion representative for Sound Seventy Productions, the local Nashville concert production company then owned by Joe Sullivan and Charlie Daniels. Four years later, after obtaining an AS degree in Communications from Volunteer State, as well as a BS degree in Recording Industry Management from Middle Tennessee State University, Lassiter left Sound Seventy to pursue a career as a talent agent.
Lassiter currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Academy of Country Music (ACM), the National Association of Talent Directors (NATD) — where he also served as President and received their Talent Director of the Year Award in 2005 and their Honors Award in 2015, and the TJ Martell Foundation. He is also a member of the Country Music Association (CMA), the National Association of Recording Arts and Science (NARAS), the Gospel Music Association (GMA), and the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE). He has also served on the Board of Directors for the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA), on MTSU’s Recording Industry Alumni – where he additionally served as an adjunct professor and was named to their Mass Communications Wall of Fame in 2005. In 2017, Lassiter was named to Billboard‘s Nashville Country Power Players List of the top 100 leaders, achievers and influencers in Music City, and to Variety’s Music City Impact Report recognizing the top Nashville music executives who played a pivotal role in the year’s biggest country success stories.
George Briner Promoted To President, The Valory Music Co.
/by Jessica NicholsonGeorge Briner
Big Machine Label Group President/CEO/Founder Scott Borchetta has announced that George Briner has been elevated to President of The Valory Music Co., effective immediately.
Most recently serving as General Manager, Briner joined the imprint in 2008. He has led the charge on groundbreaking promotion and marketing strategies for Thomas Rhett, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band and Aaron Lewis as well as Tyler Rich. VMC’s latest signee, Sheryl Crow, just released one of the most talked about new releases of the year – a duet with Johnny Cash “Redemption Day,” off of her forthcoming album, slated for late summer release. Briner’s expanded duties will allow him to dive more deeply into all elements of VMC’s success.
Borchetta commented, “George and I have been in each other’s orbit longer than either of us care to admit, but I can tell you that there is no better record executive in the business. His passion for turning people on to new music is truly unmatched. George is a lifer, committed to the cause, always eager to lead and always eager to learn. He has turned The Valory Music Co. into a force to be reckoned with any day of the week, because he is moving the needle every day of the week. Well deserved!”
Throughout Briner’s tenure, VMC has propelled 27 singles to No. 1 across 17 multi-Platinum and Platinum-certified albums. The label has earned a plethora of awards and nominations from every major awards show including Grammys, CMA, ACM, AMA, People’s Choice and iHeartRadio.
“Throughout the many years and great opportunities that have been offered to me in this business, my journey has been supported by my wife, family, friends, business associates and so many incredible artists,” said Briner. “These past eleven amazing years with The Valory Music Co. have been the highlight of this musical journey, thus far. I am incredibly thankful to Scott Borchetta and Andrew Kautz, who have allowed me the freedom to create a business model that has been successful in supporting our music. The artists, along with Valory staff and countless within Big Machine are responsible for all the success that we have accomplished. I’m excited to continue this amazing journey and honored by this promotion.”
EXIT 111 Festival Reveals Inaugural Performer Lineup
/by LB CantrellEXIT 111 Festival has revealed its line-up that will feature all forms of rock when it debuts Oct. 11-13 at the Great Stage Park in Manchester, Tennessee. The three-day event, hosted by Eddie Trunk, will be led by headlining slots from Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a mix of more than 40 artists including ZZ Top, Deftones, Ghost, Megadeth, and Slayer—in the last Tennessee show of their career. Tickets for EXIT 111 go on sale Thursday, April 25 at 12 p.m. ET.
Produced by C3 Presents and AC Entertainment, the massive footprint of the festival site—known as the home of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival—will feature the all-star line-up appearing on three stages with 12 hours of music daily, camping and a variety of activities tailored specifically to concert-goers. This marks the first-ever event, beyond Bonnaroo, to utilize the 700-plus acre farm.
For EXIT 111, festival promoters have teamed with Seether frontman Shaun Morgan’s Rise Above charity. Beyond having one of the festival stages named as the Rise Above Stage, EXIT 111 will donate $1.00 from every ticket sold to Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE). These efforts will assist in raising funds for the charity’s life-saving suicide awareness efforts which started at Rise Above Festival.
EXIT 111 weekend passes and single day tickets go on sale Thursday, April 25 at 12:00 p.m. (ET). A special pre-sale launches Tuesday, April 23 at 9 a.m. (ET)-Wednesday, April 24 at 11:59 p.m. (ET) via the festival’s website. Children under 10 are free with paid accompanied adult. Tickets to EXIT 111 can be purchased here.
Bluewater Music Signs Admin Deal With The Vegabonds
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Vegabonds
Bluewater Music has signed a worldwide administration agreement with Alabama‐born, Tennessee‐bred band The Vegabonds. This year, The Vegabonds released their fifth album, V, on Blue Elan Records and will tour North America in support of the release.
Danny Allen of The Vegabonds says, “We’re excited to announce our signing with Bluewater Music! We’re so proud to have our first publishing administration deal, and consider it an honor to partner with such a well respected company. Bluewater will open up new opportunities and breathe new life into The Vegabonds’ entire catalogue spanning five albums and ten years. We’re looking forward to what the future holds, and we’re happy to have Bluewater on the team!”
The Vegabonds manager Owen Canavan of Perry Street Management, adds, “The Vegabonds and I have been looking for the right publishing administration deal for some time, and I am thrilled we landed with Bluewater. The band has a lengthy history of some ten years, with five records under their belts, and the music deserves to be heard globally. We are confident the Bluewater team can help us achieve that goal.”
Peter Roselli, COO of Bluewater, says “The Vegabonds are such a talented group of musicians and songwriters. We look forward to administering the catalog and pursuing placement opportunities to assist in creating more exposure internationally for the band.”
Kip Moore Discusses Paying Songwriters Bonuses On ‘And The Writer Is…’ Podcast
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto: And The Writer Is… Podcast
Kip Moore appeared on a recent episode of popular podcast And The Writer Is…, hosted by fellow songwriter Ross Golan.
The two discussed Moore’s support for his fellow songwriters, and why he pays bonuses to the writers behind the songs from his albums that do not become radio singles.
“I would hate to be just a songwriter now because they’re so screwed in so many ways…I’m so blessed that I get to actually write and perform mine,” said Moore, who has notched chart toppers including “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck,” “Beer Money,” and “More Girls Like You.”
As today’s songwriters cannot typically earn a livable income from album cuts alone, they need to write songs that become radio singles for artists. Moore stated that if every artist could offer a portion of their touring revenue to the songwriters on their albums, it would make a large difference to songwriters’ incomes.
“If you’re a successful artist, like I am, and I’m making a decent living on the road, I can afford to take five or six writers that were on my record and throw them a couple thousand bucks. Then if everybody’s doing that, the writers are going to go in the room and be able to breathe a little more and they’re going to be thinking about writing a good song,” Moore stated. “These people [songwriters] are responsible for all of us making money. We’ve got to figure out a way to take care of them.”
Moore is on the road following the release of his latest EP Room To Spare: The Acoustic Sessions.
Chris Tomlin Breaks His Own Record For Largest Ticketed Christian Concert At Bridgestone Arena
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R): Tony Johnsen, CAA; Anthony Piedmonte, Piedmonte & Co; Pat Barrett; Lauren Daigle; Dan Fife, Awakening Events; Pastor Darren Whitehead; Chris Tomlin; Bryan Myers, CAA; Tauren Wells; John Huie, CAA; Max Lucado. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds
Christian music mainstay Chris Tomlin smashed his own attendance record at his sold-out Good Friday Concert on Friday (April 19), which made the show the largest ticketed Christian concert in the history of Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Tomlin has committed to hosting the Good Friday Nashville concerts at least through 2024; and he has already set the date for 2020’s show, which will be Friday, April 10, 2020.
Chris Tomlin. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds
The 2017 Good Friday Nashville event was the previous record setting year, as it became the largest ticketed Christian concert in the venue’s history at the time. Good Friday Nashville was produced by Awakening Events and was presented by K-LOVE, Air1, The Fish and WAY-FM.
Tomlin was on stage from beginning to end of the two and a half hour show. The night also included best-selling author Max Lucado, special guests Tauren Wells and Pat Barrett. The Grammy-winning Lauren Daigle made a surprise appearance to perform her song “You Say” and joined Tomlin, Wells and Barrett for “Good, Good Father.”
Lauren Daigle. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds
To have a lasting impact on Nashville and the state of Tennessee, each year’s concert will give back to the community. The Good Friday Nashville concert proceeds will benefit Tennessee Kids Belong, a statewide nonprofit who help children and families in the foster care system. “Foster family recruitment goals have been far surpassed the last two years,” said Kristin Allender, Executive Director of Tennessee Kids Belong. “Last year the state certified 1,122 new foster families! They have a goal of 960 new families this year, with a special emphasis on the need for teenage placements. It has been beautiful to watch entire communities come around these families and children.”
Chris is surprised with crowd mosaic as audience spells out “I Fight 4 Kidz” in honor of concert proceeds benefitting Tennessee Kids Belong. Photo: Mikayla Symmonds
Tickets for the 2020 Good Friday Nashville concert are available now.
Toby Keith To Launch That’s Country Bro! Tour In May
/by Lorie HollabaughToby Keith will launch his That’s Country Bro! Tour May 26 at the Tree Town Country Music Festival in Forest City, Iowa, and will visit 28 additional cities as part of the trek. The tour’s namesake and Keith’s new single,”That’s Country Bro,” will be released to radio May 3 and across all streaming and digital platforms.
Written by Keith and longtime collaborator Bobby Pinson, “That’s Country Bro” marks Keith’s first new music since “Don’t Let The Old Man In,” featured in last year’s Clint Eastwood film The Mule. The new tour follows last year’s Toby Keith Should’ve Been A Cowboy Tour XXV, which was at the center of a multi-faceted celebration of the 25-year anniversary of his debut No. 1 smash “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.”
Toby Keith That’s Country Bro! Tour dates: