‘MusicRow’ Weekly Chart Report (7/14/17)

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Lewis Brice Releases New EP Today

Following in the footsteps of his big brother Lee Brice, Lewis Brice is releasing his own self-titled EP on Pump House Music today. The new project, which features six songs co-written by Lewis and co-produced with Brian Bunn, Dan Frizell, and Ben Simonetti, is being released through a venture with Straight 8 Entertainment and Kobalt Music Recordings.

The EP’s first single, “Best Ex Ever,” is already approaching 400,000 streams on Spotify, while “Messin’ With My Mind” has surpassed 200,000 in less than two weeks and is currently featured on the New Boots and Wild Country playlists.

Brice appeared in CMT’s first season of “Can You Duet,” coming in eighth place out of the thousands who auditioned, and also took on the lead role in Lee Brice’s music video for “I Drive Your Truck.”

Lewis Brice Track Listing:
1. Best Ex Ever (Lewis Brice, Mike Walker, Benjy Davis)
2. Rob You Blind (Lewis Brice, Aaron Parker)
3. Messin’ With My Mind (Lewis Brice, Matthew Quinton)
4. Outta My Head (Lewis Brice, Randy Montana)
5. Still With You (Lewis Brice, Aaron Parker)
6. Alabama (Lewis Brice, Lee Brice)

Industry Pics: Parmalee Celebrates ‘27861,’ Midland Visits ACM, Demi Lovato’s House Party Tour

Parmalee Celebrates Album Release

(L to R:) Lane Wilson, WME; Shawn Pennington, Pennington Entertainment; Barry Knox, Josh McSwain, Matt Thomas and Scott Thomas, Parmalee; Jon Loba, BBR Music Group; Greg Oswald, WME; Chris Loss, Stoney Creek Records; Heather Propper, Stoney Creek Records

Parmalee previewed material from the band’s new sophomore release, 27861, for a crowd of industry friends and family at the Steps at WME Wednesday night (7/12). The new project, which is named for the zip code of its hometown of Parmele, North Carolina, is set for release July 21 on Stoney Creek Records, and features their current single, “Sunday Morning.”

 

ACM Welcomes Midland

Pictured (L-R): Matt Graham, BRND MGMT; Midland; Pete Fisher, ACM CEO. Photo: Michel Bourquard/Courtesy of the Academy of Country Music

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Big Machine Label Group recording trio Midland to the office while they were in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, Midland performed their current single, “Drinkin’ Problem,” and other songs from their self-titled EP.

 

Demi Lovato Holds Nashville ‘House Party’

Demi Lovato’s House Party tour, in support of her new single “Sorry Not Sorry,” continued this week in Nashville with surprise guest Billy Ray Cyrus, who jumped on stage with Demi.

Sam Hunt, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Luke Combs Get RIAA Heavy Metal

For June 2017, several country, Christian, and pop artists earned heavy metal from the RIAA.

Sam Hunt‘s sales juggernaut “Body Like A Back Road” has been certified 2x platinum, while his debut major label album Montevallo has been certified 3x platinum.

Luke Combs‘ debut single “Hurricane” has earned platinum sales, while Dylan Scott‘s “My Girl” has gone gold. “State Of Grace,” a track from Taylor Swift‘s 2012 album Red, has also gone gold.

Chris Stapleton‘s From A Room, Vol. 1, which released just over two months ago, has been certified gold. Maren Morris’ debut album Hero, which debuted in June 2016, has been certified gold. Brett Eldredge‘s second album Illinois, released in 2015, has also gone gold.

In the CCM world, For King and Country‘s “Fix My Eyes” has earned gold, as has Francesca Battistelli‘s “Holy Spirit” and Matt Redman‘s “You Never Let Go.”

Big Yellow Dog songwriter and pop superstar Meghan Trainor‘s “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” (ft. John Legend) has been certified 4x platinum.

Chris Janson Signs With WME

Pictured (L-R): Greg Oswald (Co-Head, WME Nashville), Rob Beckham (Co-Head, WME Nashville), Brian Jones (WME), Chris Janson with wife and manager Kelly Janson, Joey Lee (WME), Tom Lord (Red Light Management)

Chris Janson has signed with WME for representation in all areas, including music, television, endorsements and more.

The Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville recording artist is known for his award-winning songs and exuberant stage presence. Janson has penned multiple top-charting hits, including his No. 1 Platinum single “Buy Me A Boat,” which received a BMI Songwriter Award and was named Country Song of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2016. His current smash, “Fix a Drink,” is rapidly climbing the charts and is available now at all digital outlets. “Fix a Drink” is the first single from Janson’s forthcoming album.

Born to entertain, Janson plays every instrument on stage, although he is best known for his signature harmonica playing. You can find him on the road this summer with Sam Hunt for the “15 in a 30” tour as well as on his own headlining dates.

Janson was previously represented by United Talent Agency.

MusicRowPics: Smith & Wesley, Jo Smith

Smith & Wesley Visit MusicRow

Smith & Wesley recently visited the MusicRow offices to perform songs including “Sweet Life,” “You’re The One,” and “The Little Things,” the lead single from their For Better Or For Worse album.

Smith & Wesley

Jo Smith Visits MusicRow

SMACKSongs artist Jo Smith offered soulful sounds on her new track “Old School Groove” during a recent visit to the MusicRow offices. The song, penned by Smith, Ben Burgess, and Bobby Huff, is the first release from Smith’s four-song EP Introducing Jo Smith, produced by Shane McAnally and Jesse Frasure.

Smith previously went by Joanna Smith and was signed to a deal with Columbia Nashville.

Jo Smith with MusicRow staff.

Thompson Square, BBR Music Group Part Ways

Photo: Garrett Merchant

Country music duo Thompson Square and BBR Music Group have parted ways. BBR’s imprint, Stoney Creek Records, has been the group’s label home since 2009.

“It’s bittersweet leaving our Stoney Creek Records family,” says Shawna Thompson. “So many memories have been made and so many goals have been achieved. We will be forever grateful to Benny and Carolyn Brown for their faith in our artistry. It has changed our lives forever.”

“All good things must come to an end but we look forward to the future and to new beginnings,” Keifer Thompson shares. “We are extremely excited about this new chapter of our life and what it means for our music and our fans.”

Thompson Square continue to be represented by Shawn Pennington at Pennington Entertainment and William Morris Endeavor’s Greg Oswald and Abby Wells Bass. The duo is currently in the studio recording their forthcoming album with Grammy Award-winning producer Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum).

Alan Jackson’s Honky Tonk Running Full-Throttle

Alan Jackson has officially opened all four floors of AJ’s Good Time Bar, the first and only completely artist-owned establishment on Broadway in Nashville. Filled floor-to-ceiling with items from Jackson’s own collection of career and personal memorabilia, the honky-tonk offers visitors a unique experience, including a drink menu highlighted by “Alan’s Drink”—Jack and Water, the singer’s beverage of choice.

Each of the four floors showcase Jackson’s various interests and hobbies. “AJ’s Honky Tonk” is the first floor and prominently features live country music, while the second floor is known as the “GT Bar,” offering a sports and car-themed atmosphere, 12 big screen televisions and live, acoustic music. The “Hullbilly Bar” on the third floor is proving to be one of the venue’s biggest draws and is modeled after Jackson’s own Merritt Sportfish boat “Hullbilly,” seen in his “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and “Long Way to Go” music videos. The third level’s stage also features karaoke and live music. The rooftop “Star Bar” caps AJ’s Good Time Bar, providing views of the historic Ryman Auditorium, Broadway, Nissan Stadium and all of downtown Music City.

“I always wanted to own a honky-tonk that plays real country music on Broadway that I could put my name on,” says Jackson. He purchased the building in August of 2016, opened the first two floors in October of 2016, and after intense renovations, opened the third floor and rooftop in May 2017.

Jackson is also a majority owner in ACME Feed & Seed, located just blocks away at 1st Avenue and Broadway.

For more on AJ’s Good Time Bar, visit ajsgoodtimebar.com.

CCMA Nominations Announced With Brett Kissel, High Valley Among Top Nominees

The CCMA nominations have been announced, with Brett Kissel and High Valley among the top nominees. High Valley received three nominations including the Apple Music Fans Choice Award, Album of the Year, and Group Or Duo of the Year, and the duo is up for their third consecutive win for the Group or Duo trophy. Their latest single “She’s With Me” is quickly climbing the charts and their Top 20 hit, “Make You Mine,” was featured in a recent episode of “The Ranch” starring Ashton Kutcher.

Brett Kissel received a whopping five nods, including Male Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Interactive Artist of the Year. Dean Brody also received an impressive five nods, including the Apple Music Fans Choice Award, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year. Lindsay Ell also received a nomination for Female Artist of the Year.

The 2017 CCMA Awards show airs live from SaskTel Centre on Sunday, Sept. 10, partnering with Canadian television network CBC-TV.

APPLE MUSIC FANS’ CHOICE AWARD
Gord Bamford
Dean Brody
Chad Brownlee
High Valley
Dallas Smith

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Beautiful Freakshow – Dean Brody
Dear Life – High Valley
Game On – James Barker Band
Grace & Grit – Meghan Patrick
Side Effects – Dallas Smith

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Alee
Lindsay Ell
Madeline Merlo
Jess Moskaluke
Meghan Patrick

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gord Bamford
Chad Brownlee
Tim Hicks
Brett Kissel
Aaron Pritchett
Dallas Smith

***TIE in this category

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
Cold Creek County
High Valley
James Barker Band
The Road Hammers
The Washboard Union

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
The Lovelocks
Jessica Mitchell
Lindi Ortega
JJ Shiplett
The Washboard Union

RISING STAR
Dan Davidson
Aaron Goodvin
James Barker Band
JoJo Mason
Meghan Patrick

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Autograph” – Dallas Smith
“Cool With That” – Brett Kissel
“Lawn Chair Lazy” – James Barker Band
“Take Me Home” – Jess Moskaluke
“Time” – Dean Brody

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Chills – James Barker Band
I Didn’t Fall In Love With Your Hair – Brett Kissel
That’s When You Know – Chris Buck Band feat. Kira Isabella
Time – Dean Brody
When A Momma’s Boy Meets A Daddy’s Girl – Aaron Pritchett

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR presented by ole
James Barker, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood, Donovan Woods
Song: Chills (Performed By: James Barker Band)
Ted Hewitt, Brett Kissel, Phil O’Donnell
Song: Cool With That (Performed By: Brett Kissel)
Clayton Bellamy, Dan Davidson
Song: Found (Performed By: Dan Davidson)
Dean Brody
Song: Time (Performed By: Dean Brody)
Patricia Conroy, Jessica Mitchell, David Thomson
Song: Workin’ On Whiskey (Performed By: Jessica Mitchell)

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Shae Dupuy
Tim Hicks
Hunter Brothers
Brett Kissel
Wes Mack

MUSICIAN AWARDS
BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chris Byrne
Lisa Dodd
Justin Kudding
James Murdoch
Travis Switzer

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR
Jimmy Boudreau
Ben Bradley
Jayson Brinkworth
Rich DaSilva
Chad Melchert

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Denis Dufresne
Shane Guse
Julie Kennedy
Mike Sanyshyn
Tyler Vollrath

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR presented by Cithara Guitars
Derek Caven
Ryan Davidson
Matt McKay
Darren Savard
Brennan Wall

KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Scott Galloway
Mike Little
Bart McKay
Carly McKillip

***Less than 5 nominees

SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Denis Dufresne – Banjo
Shane Guse – Mandolin
Tyler Vollrath – Mandolin

 

DisClaimer: Dailey & Vincent, Claire Lynch Shine On New Grass Tracks

Dailey & Vincent

It’s time for a smooch from country’s “kissin’ cousin,” bluegrass music.

This is a genre that’s hard to find on radio, but which thrives at 500+ bluegrass festivals a year. And, as we see today, on records, too.

I have no newcomers in this stack of platters, so there’s no DisCovery Award this week.

However, I do have two winners of the Disc of the Day prize. Much awarded bluegrass superstars Dailey & Vincent claim one of them.

The other goes to the enduringly great Claire Lynch. She’s no slouch in the awards department, either, having been the IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1997, 2010 and 2013. Her Grammy nominations have been for her Moonlighter CD of 1995, as well as for her current North By South, which competed for Best Bluegrass Album last February.

 

BALSAM RANGE/Blue Collar Dreams
Writers: Adam Bibelhauser; Producer: Balsam Range; Publisher: none listed, BMI
– Perched at No. 1 on this month’s Bluegrass Unlimited chart is this uptempo working-class lament of being trapped in a daily grind, deep in debt and struggling to survive. The lickety-split picking is super hot and the flawless vocal harmony this group is noted for is firmly in place. You’ll find it on the group’s fifth CD, Mountain Voodoo.

BLUE HIGHWAY/Don’t Weep for Me
Writers: Shawn Lane/Buddy Brock/Gerald Ellenberg; Producer: Blue Highway; Publisher: Cat Town/Wadako/Buddy Brock/Pop Batson, BMI
– Snapping at Balsam Range’s heels on the chart is the red-hot bluegrass supergroup Blue Highway at No. 2. Its hit track is a minor-key murder saga. He finds her in another’s arms, sees red and is now facing a death sentence. The twist is that the man he found in her arms turned out to be her long-lost brother, so his jealous rage was utterly unfounded. Dig those mournful, regret-filled vocals. These veterans have never sounded better than they do on Original Traditional, their 11th studio album.

EDDY RAVEN & CAROLINA ROAD/All Grassed Up
Writers: Eddy Raven/David Stewart; Producer: Josh Goforth, Lorraine Jordan & Eddy Raven; Publisher: Sony-ATV/Dingo Daze/In the Wings, BMI
– The title tune of country veteran Raven’s collaboration with bluegrass stars Carolina Road ripples along as a smoothly rolling “road” tune. Along the way, he disses mainstream Music Row for forgetting country’s traditions.

DARIN & BROOKE ALDRIDGE/Someday Soon
Writers: Ian Tyson; Producer: Darin & Brooke Aldridge; Publisher: Warner Bros., ASCAP
– This evergreen Ian & Sylvia folk classic has been revived by everyone from Judy Collins and The Kingston Trio to Suzy Bogguss, Lynn Anderson, Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle and Moe Bandy. Brooke’s heart-in-throat version simply sparkles. It rises to No. 7 on this month’s Bluegrass Unlimited chart and can be found on the Aldridges’ Faster & Farther collection.

YouTube video

 

THE GIBSON BROTHERS/Highway
Writers: Eric Gibson; Producer: Eric Gibson, Leigh Gibson & Mike Barber; Publisher: Brown Bird, BMI
– The fastest rising song in the top-10 on this month’s chart is “Highway,” which leaps eight spots to No. 8. I admit that I’m a sucker for brother harmonies, and few acts today are as good at that as these guys. Especially on a jaunty traveling song that is so downright jolly sounding. The album is called In the Ground. It’s a keeper.

LARRY STEPHENSON BAND/Yesterday’s Gone
Writers: Chad Stuart/Wendy Kidd; Producer: Ben Surratt & Larry Stephenson; Publisher: EMI Unart, BMI
– Rounding out the top 10 in the 10th spot is this remake of the Chad & Jeremy “British Invasion” pop hit of 1964. It works surprisingly well as a bluegrass tune, easily as well as Manfred Mann’s “Fox on the Run” did. The hillbilly quartet harmonies here are spectacular. A must listen.

NU-BLU, JIMMY FORTUNE & BEN ISAACS/Still Small Voice
Writers: Tony Lopacinski/Devin Belle/Jimmy Fortune; Producer: Nu-Blu; Publisher: Big Mouth/Little Igloo/Jimmy Fortune, BMI
– This North Carolina group is anchored by the warm soprano lead singing of Carolyn Routh. On this upbeat lyric about finding inner strength, she is joined by former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune and the Isaacs’ exemplary harmony man Ben. The result is a track that is as good as progressive bluegrass can be. In its third month on the chart, this track from the Vagabonds CD lands at No. 19. The collection also includes imaginative rearrangements of Waylon & Willie’s “Good Hearted Woman,” Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” the late Norro Wilson’s Charly McClain oldie “Surround Me with Love” and the Sawyer Brown tune “Gypsies on Parade.”

CLAIRE LYNCH/Black Flowers
Writers: Lynn Miles; Producer: Alison Brown; Publisher: Cold Girl, SOCAN
– The sublime bluegrass diva Claire Lynch went northward on a song quest, fell in love with a community of songwriters and now has an entire CD containing almost all Canadian tunes. Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn and Ron Sexsmith are here, but so are a lot of other gifted tunesmiths you might not know. Her current single/video is a haunting, hushed, bluesy lament of death and mourning penned by Ottawa’s Lynn Miles. Instrumental support on her North By South album comes via such stellar names as Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Kenny Malone, Alison Brown, David Grier and Stuart Duncan. You’d be a fool to overlook this perfect audio jewel.

YouTube video

 

DAILEY & VINCENT/Gimme All the Love You Got
Writers: Jaimie S. Dailey/Karen Staley/Darrin Vincent; Producer: Dailey & Vincent; Publisher: Bluegrass Ambassador/Hobo Lizard/Julieann, BMI
– Stand back or face the force of nature that is this astounding ensemble. Their new Patriots & Poets CD kicks off with this fiery jolt of energy. It blasted onto this month’s Bluegrass Unlimited hit parade at No. 20 as the genre’s highest charting new tune, doubtless en route to No. 1. If you’ve never seen these great showmen, head to The Ryman Auditorium tonight (July 13). I promise you will be royally entertained. Take it from me, there’s a reason they’ve earned three Grammy nominations, won four Dove Awards, claimed an astounding 35 IBMA honors (including three as Entertainers of the Year) and landed their own TV show on RFD.

CHRIS JONES & THE NIGHT DRIVERS/I’m a Wanderer
Writers: Thom Jutz/Charley Stefl/Jon Weissberger; Producer: Chris Jones & Tim Surrett; Publisher: Thom Songs/Maddy Dog/Use Your Words, SESAC/BMI
– Mellow. It’s an easy-going ode about marching to the beat of your own drummer. The melody is a lilting, gentle thing, perfect for a lazy summer afternoon. It’s at No. 23 this month and comes from the band’s Made to Move CD.