Chris Stapleton accept Artist of the Year. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbell claimed top honors at the 15th annual Americana Music Awards at the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday night (Sept. 21).
The ceremony marks the official kick-off of the Americana Music Association’s convention and festival, which continues through the rest of this week in Nashville. An estimated 2,000 are registered for “Americanafest.”
At the nearly four-hour ceremony, the much-awarded Stapleton won the Americana Artist of the Year honor. The singer-songwriter has been embraced by both the country and Americana genres.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said bashfully. “I’ve been sitting here, watching my heroes play…and it….means a great deal to me. I’m nervous. There’s so many heroes in the audience.”
Jason Isbell. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Isbell won both the Song and Album of the Year honors. In 2014, he claimed the same two awards, as well as Artist of the Year. He is a “homegrown” Americana favorite, who has blossomed along with the genre.
“This community has given us a place,” he said. “I was not one of the first, second, or even third generation of Americana musicians. We never expected to get out of the bars. This group of people, they helped pull all of us up, together. I feel like I can go any place in the world to make this kind of music, now.”
Isbell’s winning song was “24 Frames,” from his winning Americana album, Something More Than Free.
The Duo/Group of the Year award went to Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, both of whom are prior Lifetime honorees at this convention.
“It’s amazing what Americana has become,” said Harris. “We were kind of ‘field hippies,’ and now we’re ‘Americana.’”
“Hat off and hearts out to the other nominees in this category,” added Crowell. Among those he was saluting were the nominated Milk Carton Kids, who were standout performers on the show.
Margo Price. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
The Emerging Artist of the Year award was won by Margo Price. She is a Nashville country singer-songwriter who is on Jack White’s rock label Third Man Records.
“I’m very, very thankful to the Americana Music Association for presenting honest music,” she said. “Some of the people who passed on my record might be sitting here tonight. I’d like to thank my husband, Jeremy Ivey, who believed in me and this record enough to sell our car.”
The Instrumentalist of the Year award went to Sara Watkins. The former Nickel Creek fiddler was not present. Brother and fellow Nickel Creek alumnus Sean Watkins accepted on her behalf.
The AMA honors always balance contemporary-artist accolades with salutes to veteran music makers. The latter are annually recognized via Lifetime Achievement presentations.
This year, those were the Lifetime Achievement Performer award to Bob Weir, Lifetime Achievement Songwriter award to William Bell, Trailblazer Award to Shawn Colvin, President’s Award to the late Woody Guthrie, Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award to Billy Bragg and Wagonmaster Award to Jim Lauderdale, who is the show’s longtime host.
All of the honors were punctuated by live performances. Indeed, the show’s music always outshines its actual award presentations.
Before the event even started, the divinely gifted McCrary Sisters favored the crowd with gospel harmonies as a benediction. They then sang backup for the other artists on the bill.
Then came a segment honoring some greats who passed away during the past year. Alison Krauss led an awesome quartet featuring Stuart Duncan, Buddy Miller and Melonie Cannon on “Glory Land” to salute Ralph Stanley.
Joe Henry gave deep, blue-eyed soul to “Freedom for the Stallion” honoring Allen Toussaint. Steve Earle saluted Guy Clark with “Desperados Waiting for a Train” with the house band thundering righteously behind him. Bob Weir’s dusty vocal — backed by the kick-ass, Bakersfield-fired band — offered “Mama Tried” in honor of Merle Haggard.
For the first Lifetime salute, Bonnie Raitt introduced Colvin, who accepted her honor by saying, “This award is proof that if you never give up…and…fight like hell, you can wind up here.” She then delivered a slinky and tough “Diamond in the Rough” with John Leventhal joining the house band on lead guitar. Colvin has a current duo CD with Earle. Presenter Raitt capped this segment with a vampy, bluesy, sensuous “Gypsy in Me.”
Winners Harris & Crowell delivered “Bring it on Home to Memphis” in a rollicking, romping arrangement with a swampy backbeat. Isbell presented his bopping “It Takes a Lifetime” with wife Amanda Shires by his side on fiddle.
Bragg was on stage for his award as well as for the Guthrie honor. He sang a moody and downcast version of Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home.”
“I think this is another example of Nashville’s generosity,” he said of his own award. “I want to pay tribute to the AMA for their inclusiveness about what Americana music is. E Pluribus Unum – America is never greater than when it strives to live up to that.”
Of the Guthrie salute, Bragg added, “All of us stand on the shoulders of a great American songwriter and activist. He wrote the truth.”
Emerging Artist winner Price sang her country stomper “Tennessee Song.” Performer winner Weir, best known for his work in The Grateful Dead, read a prepared speech.
“How could a guy be more truly blessed?” he asked. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think. I have dedicated my life to performing and honoring this art form.” His Dead songs have included “Sugar Magnolia,” “Truckin,’” and “Jack Straw.”
Lifetime Songwriter winner Bell is responsible for “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” “Born Under a Bad Sign,” “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” and more. He brought out Raitt to sing with him on his “The Three of Us,” which is on his new Stax Records CD.
“William is the foundation – He was there when soul music started,” said presenter Leventhal. “He has written standards. He is a soul poet.”
Pictured (L-R): George Strait, Jim Lauderdale. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Lauderdale’s award was presented by superstar George Strait, who has recorded many of the songwriter’s works. Strait also punctuated the honor with a profoundly country performance of Lauderdale’s “The King of Broken Hearts.”
“This means so much to me,” said Lauderdale. He listed such influences as Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, Roland White and Dwight Yoakam, as well as Strait. “They gave me something to aspire to. I’m trying to catch up with those guys.” He has a new CD, too.
Other standout performances came from 2016 AMA nominees. The Milk Carton Kids cast a spell with interwoven guitars and innocence-lost vocals on the dreamy “Memphis.” John Moreland’s “American Flags in Black and White” was rolling folk-rock. Miller and Earle did a rocked-up version of The Delmore Brothers chestnut “I Let the Freight Train Carry Me On.”
The Lumineers were stirring and anthemic on the enthralling “Angel.” Parker Millsap presented his tempo-shifting lament with the topical lyric of brotherhood, “Heaven Sent.” Lucinda Williams was chiming and echo-y and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats were rousing and rootsy.
Dwight Yoakam wasn’t nominated, but was a sensation with his new funky-bluegrass sound on “What I Don’t Know.” It’s on his new CD, Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars.
Presenters included John Prine, Wynonna, Larry Campbell, The Indigo Girls, Ken Paulson, Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes, Jed Hilly, Timothy B. Schmit, Jack Ingram, Sam Palladio and Bruce Hornsby. Miller’s All-Star Band this year included Duncan, the McCrarys, Steve Fishell, Matt Rollings, Dave Cobb, Fred Eltringham and Chris Wood.
“If you’re looking for The Rosetta Stone of Americana Music, you can point to this album,” said Hilly referring to 1971’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The show finale was that album’s title tune, an all-star “group sing” saluting the 50th anniversary of its creators, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
The Americana Music Honors & Awards show was carried live on Nashville’s WSM, WRLT and WMOT, and also on Sirius/XM’s Outlaw Channel. It was taped for a later telecast as an Austin City Limits episode on PBS.
Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Big Americana Awards Go To Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell
/by Robert K OermannChris Stapleton accept Artist of the Year. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbell claimed top honors at the 15th annual Americana Music Awards at the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday night (Sept. 21).
The ceremony marks the official kick-off of the Americana Music Association’s convention and festival, which continues through the rest of this week in Nashville. An estimated 2,000 are registered for “Americanafest.”
At the nearly four-hour ceremony, the much-awarded Stapleton won the Americana Artist of the Year honor. The singer-songwriter has been embraced by both the country and Americana genres.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said bashfully. “I’ve been sitting here, watching my heroes play…and it….means a great deal to me. I’m nervous. There’s so many heroes in the audience.”
Jason Isbell. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Isbell won both the Song and Album of the Year honors. In 2014, he claimed the same two awards, as well as Artist of the Year. He is a “homegrown” Americana favorite, who has blossomed along with the genre.
“This community has given us a place,” he said. “I was not one of the first, second, or even third generation of Americana musicians. We never expected to get out of the bars. This group of people, they helped pull all of us up, together. I feel like I can go any place in the world to make this kind of music, now.”
Isbell’s winning song was “24 Frames,” from his winning Americana album, Something More Than Free.
The Duo/Group of the Year award went to Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, both of whom are prior Lifetime honorees at this convention.
“It’s amazing what Americana has become,” said Harris. “We were kind of ‘field hippies,’ and now we’re ‘Americana.’”
“Hat off and hearts out to the other nominees in this category,” added Crowell. Among those he was saluting were the nominated Milk Carton Kids, who were standout performers on the show.
Margo Price. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
The Emerging Artist of the Year award was won by Margo Price. She is a Nashville country singer-songwriter who is on Jack White’s rock label Third Man Records.
“I’m very, very thankful to the Americana Music Association for presenting honest music,” she said. “Some of the people who passed on my record might be sitting here tonight. I’d like to thank my husband, Jeremy Ivey, who believed in me and this record enough to sell our car.”
The Instrumentalist of the Year award went to Sara Watkins. The former Nickel Creek fiddler was not present. Brother and fellow Nickel Creek alumnus Sean Watkins accepted on her behalf.
The AMA honors always balance contemporary-artist accolades with salutes to veteran music makers. The latter are annually recognized via Lifetime Achievement presentations.
This year, those were the Lifetime Achievement Performer award to Bob Weir, Lifetime Achievement Songwriter award to William Bell, Trailblazer Award to Shawn Colvin, President’s Award to the late Woody Guthrie, Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award to Billy Bragg and Wagonmaster Award to Jim Lauderdale, who is the show’s longtime host.
All of the honors were punctuated by live performances. Indeed, the show’s music always outshines its actual award presentations.
Before the event even started, the divinely gifted McCrary Sisters favored the crowd with gospel harmonies as a benediction. They then sang backup for the other artists on the bill.
Then came a segment honoring some greats who passed away during the past year. Alison Krauss led an awesome quartet featuring Stuart Duncan, Buddy Miller and Melonie Cannon on “Glory Land” to salute Ralph Stanley.
Joe Henry gave deep, blue-eyed soul to “Freedom for the Stallion” honoring Allen Toussaint. Steve Earle saluted Guy Clark with “Desperados Waiting for a Train” with the house band thundering righteously behind him. Bob Weir’s dusty vocal — backed by the kick-ass, Bakersfield-fired band — offered “Mama Tried” in honor of Merle Haggard.
For the first Lifetime salute, Bonnie Raitt introduced Colvin, who accepted her honor by saying, “This award is proof that if you never give up…and…fight like hell, you can wind up here.” She then delivered a slinky and tough “Diamond in the Rough” with John Leventhal joining the house band on lead guitar. Colvin has a current duo CD with Earle. Presenter Raitt capped this segment with a vampy, bluesy, sensuous “Gypsy in Me.”
Winners Harris & Crowell delivered “Bring it on Home to Memphis” in a rollicking, romping arrangement with a swampy backbeat. Isbell presented his bopping “It Takes a Lifetime” with wife Amanda Shires by his side on fiddle.
Bragg was on stage for his award as well as for the Guthrie honor. He sang a moody and downcast version of Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home.”
“I think this is another example of Nashville’s generosity,” he said of his own award. “I want to pay tribute to the AMA for their inclusiveness about what Americana music is. E Pluribus Unum – America is never greater than when it strives to live up to that.”
Of the Guthrie salute, Bragg added, “All of us stand on the shoulders of a great American songwriter and activist. He wrote the truth.”
Emerging Artist winner Price sang her country stomper “Tennessee Song.” Performer winner Weir, best known for his work in The Grateful Dead, read a prepared speech.
“How could a guy be more truly blessed?” he asked. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think. I have dedicated my life to performing and honoring this art form.” His Dead songs have included “Sugar Magnolia,” “Truckin,’” and “Jack Straw.”
Lifetime Songwriter winner Bell is responsible for “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” “Born Under a Bad Sign,” “I Forgot to Be Your Lover” and more. He brought out Raitt to sing with him on his “The Three of Us,” which is on his new Stax Records CD.
“William is the foundation – He was there when soul music started,” said presenter Leventhal. “He has written standards. He is a soul poet.”
Pictured (L-R): George Strait, Jim Lauderdale. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Lauderdale’s award was presented by superstar George Strait, who has recorded many of the songwriter’s works. Strait also punctuated the honor with a profoundly country performance of Lauderdale’s “The King of Broken Hearts.”
“This means so much to me,” said Lauderdale. He listed such influences as Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, Roland White and Dwight Yoakam, as well as Strait. “They gave me something to aspire to. I’m trying to catch up with those guys.” He has a new CD, too.
Other standout performances came from 2016 AMA nominees. The Milk Carton Kids cast a spell with interwoven guitars and innocence-lost vocals on the dreamy “Memphis.” John Moreland’s “American Flags in Black and White” was rolling folk-rock. Miller and Earle did a rocked-up version of The Delmore Brothers chestnut “I Let the Freight Train Carry Me On.”
The Lumineers were stirring and anthemic on the enthralling “Angel.” Parker Millsap presented his tempo-shifting lament with the topical lyric of brotherhood, “Heaven Sent.” Lucinda Williams was chiming and echo-y and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats were rousing and rootsy.
Dwight Yoakam wasn’t nominated, but was a sensation with his new funky-bluegrass sound on “What I Don’t Know.” It’s on his new CD, Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars.
Presenters included John Prine, Wynonna, Larry Campbell, The Indigo Girls, Ken Paulson, Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes, Jed Hilly, Timothy B. Schmit, Jack Ingram, Sam Palladio and Bruce Hornsby. Miller’s All-Star Band this year included Duncan, the McCrarys, Steve Fishell, Matt Rollings, Dave Cobb, Fred Eltringham and Chris Wood.
“If you’re looking for The Rosetta Stone of Americana Music, you can point to this album,” said Hilly referring to 1971’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The show finale was that album’s title tune, an all-star “group sing” saluting the 50th anniversary of its creators, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
The Americana Music Honors & Awards show was carried live on Nashville’s WSM, WRLT and WMOT, and also on Sirius/XM’s Outlaw Channel. It was taped for a later telecast as an Austin City Limits episode on PBS.
Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images
Liz Hengber Signs Publishing Deal With Starstruck Writers Group
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Cliff Williamson, Chief Operating Officer, Starstruck; Liz Hengber; Courtney Allen, Creative Director, Starstruck
Starstruck Writers Group has renewed its worldwide publishing agreement with songwriter Liz Hengber.
Hengber has an impressive list of credits that go back 25 years. She’s written five No. 1 singles and had over 75 songs recorded by artists including Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Easton Corbin, Trisha Yearwood, Andy Griggs, Peter Cetera, The Steeldrivers and many more.
Her most recognizable songs include “And Still,” “For My Broken Heart,” “Forever Love” and “It’s Your Call,” all recorded by Reba McEntire.
In 2011, Hengber won Song of the Year at the Canadian Gospel Awards for “A Fathers Love” recorded by both Bucky Covington and High Valley. This year she had two songs on The Steeldrivers’ Grammy Award-winning album The Muscle Shoals Recordings. Hengber also co-wrote Ronnie Dunn’s current single, “Damn Drunk” which features Kix Brooks.
“I’m so excited to be working with Starstruck Writers Group again. It was my first publisher and in truth it feels like home,” Hengber said.
“We are thrilled to continue working with Liz Hengber. I’m always blown away by the incredible ideas that she brings to life in her songs and her unique approach to storytelling through her lyrics,” said Courtney Allen, Creative Director at Starstruck.
Kenny Chesney Reveals Track List, Cover For New Album
/by Craig_ShelburneKenny Chesney has announced the 11 songs and an album cover for his next project, Cosmic Hallelujah. The project will be released by Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville on Oct. 28.
Chesney delayed the original release date after finding “Setting the World on Fire” and recording it as a duet with Pink. He also dropped the album’s original title, Some Town Somewhere. Cosmic Hallelujah is Chesney’s first new album since 2014’s The Big Revival.
“I’ve been blessed with some of the best songs out there, some songs written, actually, just for this album by writers whose work I’ve loved for years,” he said. “When ‘Setting The World On Fire’ came together, it opened a window of time – and some songs that had come in after we were done, I didn’t have to save for the next album. Suddenly, everything was changing, and the album I’m releasing now has a lot of what made Some Town Somewhere capture the essential part of who the No Shoes Nation is, but really takes the your-life-is-now piece of The Big Revival and expands it.”
Track List for Kenny Chesney’s Cosmic Hallelujah
1. “Trip Around the Sun”
Nick Brophy/Brett James/Hillary Lindsey (ASCAP)
2. “All the Pretty Girls”
Nicolle Galyon/Tommy Lee James/Josh Osborne (BMI/ASCAP)
3. “Setting the World On Fire” (With P!nk)
Ross Copperman/Matt Jenkins/Josh Osborne (BMI/ASCAP)
4. “Noise”
Kenny Chesney/Ross Copperman/Shane McAnally/Jon Nite (BMI/GMR/ASCAP)
5. “Bucket”
Brett James/Craig Wiseman (ASCAP)
6. “Bar at the End of the World”
J. T. Harding/Aimee Mayo/David Lee Murphy (ASCAP/BMI)
7. “Some Town Somewhere”
Ross Copperman/Heather Morgan/Josh Osborne (BMI)
8. “Rich and Miserable”
Jesse Frasure/Shane McAnally/Josh Osborne (BMI/GMR/ASCAP)
9. “Jesus and Elvis”
Matraca Berg/Hayes Carll/Allison Moorer (BMI/SESAC)
10. “Winnebago”
David Lee Murphy (ASCAP)
11. “Coach”
Kenny Chesney/Casey Beathard (BMI)
Anderson Benson Expands Services For Live Performances
/by Sherod Robertson“As Nashville has become home base for an increasing number of national and international music performers and their management companies, it is a natural step for Anderson Benson to extend our music focus to include a division dedicated to serving their special risk management needs for live performances.” said Anderson Benson partner Brent Daughrity.
”Artists in these various genres and their associated management have specific needs that require specialized risk management,” said Anderson Benson partner Will Wright. “These higher risk acts have more complicated liability factors than the artists in the Country and Christian genres due to a number of factors that include larger and more elaborate staging, massive audio and visual arrangements, pyrotechnics and certainly crowd behavior. Outdoor events, concerts and festivals have weather challenges that we provide solutions for as well. We possess deep music industry experience and expertise to execute extraordinary risk management so that our clients in every genre can focus on their art and entertain their fans.”
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Anderson Benson is reportedly the only locally owned and independent entertainment industry insurance broker that services clients across the country. Anderson Benson Partner George Anderson can be reached here.
Artist Updates: Sam Hunt, Jimmy Wayne, The Last Bandoleros
/by Jessica NicholsonSam Hunt Added As Headliner For Taste Of Country Festival
Sam Hunt
Sam Hunt will join Jason Aldean as a headliner for the fifth annual Taste of Country Music Festival, to be held June 9-11, 2017 at Hunter Mountain Resort in Hunter, New York.
This year, the festival hosted 53,000 fans over the three days, to see Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Kid Rock, Gary Allan, Big & Rich and more.
Jimmy Wayne Honored With Points of Light Award
Pictured: Jimmy Wayne receives Points Of Light Award from Neil Bush
Country artist and author Jimmy Wayne was honored with the Points of Light Award for his work raising awareness for youth in foster care. Prior to receiving the honor from Neil Bush, Wayne met with President George H.W. Bush, the founder of Points of Light, at the Bush family home at Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Wayne said, “No one should receive an award for helping kids; it’s what we’re all supposed to do and not expect anything in return. But what do you do with an award that’s been given to you? Use it to raise awareness for more foster youth. It was an honor for me to meet the President of the United States, and to do that in his living room made it even more special. The shoreline leading to his driveway and his home were indeed beautiful, but what impressed me most was how humble he was.”
The Last Bandoleros Announce EP Release
The Last Bandoleros
Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville band The Last Bandoleros announced the Tuesday (Sept. 20) release of their debut self-titled EP during Spotify’s Artists to Watch showcase in New York.
With the official addition of Diego Navaira’s brother Emilio Navaira IV, sons of the late Tejano legend Emilio Navaira III, the band is ready to take country fans on a tour of the Texas borderlands.
The EP’s tracks include “Maria,” “Adios,” “Where Do You Go?”, “Get Down,” “I Don’t Want to Know” and “Take Me to It.”
Charlie Daniels Expresses Deep Gratitude For CMHoF Exhibit
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Hazel Daniels, Charlie Daniels, Carolyn Tate, David Corlew. Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
Charlie Daniels spoke only for a few minutes during the party thrown in his honor on Tuesday night (Sept. 20) at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Despite his brevity, he was able to express his thanks for having a long career that led to an exhibit in his honor, named Million Mile Reflections.
That exhibit officially opens Friday, yet Daniels was able to gather dozens of his friends and business associates (some of whom have worked for him for more than 40 years) to the museum’s BMI Hall a few days early.
The occasion coincided with the 52nd wedding anniversary for Daniels and his wife, Hazel Daniels. David Corlew, who has managed Daniels’ career for 43 years, stood proudly in the back of the room. In addition to the invitation-only event, Daniels and his entourage spent time admiring the exhibit.
Charlie Daniels. Photo: Anna Webber/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
After remarks from Sr. Vice President of Museum Services Carolyn Tate, Daniels greeted the well-wishers with remarks he had written in advance. He will be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year.
“At the age of almost 80 years, God has chosen to bless me with yet another wonderful blessing,” he began. He said he considered himself lucky as “a chubby fiddle player who came to town with a dream and a $20 bill.”
Throughout his remarks, he spoke highly of Nashville, and said that when he arrived in 1967 with his wife and infant son, there was no question he was going to stay.
Charlie Daniels. Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum
“As I often say, when I leave Tennessee, I wanna go to Heaven because there is no other place but there that I’d rather live,” he said.
He described the museum as a sanctuary from the politics of the music business and as a destination for country fans who want to get a glimpse into the life of the stars they admire.
“It’s a place where the past is respected and the future is excitedly anticipated,” he said. “Of all the other music capitals across the nation, Nashville stands alone as a city where the music is what truly brings us together. It’s the music that brought us here, the music that kept us here – and the music will live on long after we’ve all gone to our eternal awards.”
After recalling his heart’s desire to be part of Nashville’s music community, Daniels concluded, “Not only has that blessing been granted, not only did I get to share my music with the world, but thanks to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, I get to share my life. Thank you for coming. God bless Music City USA.”
Nashville Songwriter Angel Snow Signs To Nettwerk Music Group
/by Craig_ShelburneAngel Snow is completing work on her first album for Nettwerk Music Group. The Nashville-based artist has signed to the label and publishing divisions of the company.
Snow’s album is expected to be released in 2017. She has re-recorded one of her most popular songs, “Secret,” for the project. The new version will be released in the coming weeks. Her album will have electronic music elements added to her Americana roots influences.
Snow is scheduled to perform at Pilgrimage Music & Arts Festival on Sunday (Sept. 25).
ASCAP Sets ‘Top Shelf Songs: Heartbreak Edition’ Showcase
/by Jessica NicholsonASCAP will present Top Shelf Songs: Heartbreak Edition on Wednesday (Sept. 21) at 5:30 p.m. at The Basement.
Aaron Eshuis, Ryan Hurd, Steven Lee Olsen, Jonathan Singleton, Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi and more will offer unique collaborations.
The happy hour event will feature co-writers performing the songs together. While past installments have been built around a publishing company partner, this is the first time the showcase has been curated around a theme.
“I wanted to develop a series to showcase outstanding, not-yet recorded songs written by our ASCAP writers in a fun and collaborative setting,” says ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, who launched the program. “Not just new songs, but extremely well-written songs that deserve a moment to be heard by the A&R, management, and artists and peers.”
Wanda Jackson, Kree Harrison, Ella Mae Bowen Set For Change The Conversation Session
/by Jessica NicholsonWanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson will serve as the special guest mentor of the second Change the Conversation Presents: Rising Young Artists Mentoring Sessions, which will be held at the Bluebird Cafe, on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. The event is part of the 17th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference.
Change the Conversation co-founder Tracy Gershon will lead Jackson in a talk designed to provide advice and guidance to the young artists chosen for the event.
The evening will also feature performances by the artists Arielle, Ella Mae Bowen and Kree Harrison. Taylor Guitars will present each artist with a guitar.
Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. She has released more than 30 studio albums during her international career. Her hits include “Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine,” “A Woman Lives for Love” and “Fancy Satin Pillows.”
“Wanda Jackson is the perfect mentor for our Change The Conversation series. Wanda broke through the male-dominated genre of rock in the early fifties and earned her title as The First Lady of Rock and Roll. Her insight and stories will prove to be inspiring to the young women facing similar challenges today,” says Gershon, who is also Rounder Records Group’s vice president of A&R.
Change the Conversation was formed by Gershon, Beverly Keel and Leslie Fram in 2014. It was formed initially to create an informal atmosphere where women could gather and develop productive ways of solving the problem. The coalition has grown into an organization of influence, which funds research and hosts events where industry experts address their segments of the industry.
“Quality mentoring is so important to our Change The Conversation mission. Young female artists can gain invaluable knowledge and wisdom from successful women who have paved the way,” says Fram, Sr. VP of Music Strategy and Talent at CMT.
John Prine Accepts Literary Excellence Award in Boston
/by Craig_ShelburneJohn Prine
John Prine received the prestigious PEN Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award on Monday (Sept. 19) at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The award is presented every two years by the writers’ group PEN New England. Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan were also recognized with the award.
Drawing from Prine’s catalog, Rosanne Cash and Elvis Costello performed “Hello in There” and John Mellencamp sang “Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone.”
Chuck Berry, Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristofferson and Randy Newman are past recipients of the award.
A longtime Nashville resident, Prine will perform his 1971 self-titled debut album at Station Inn on Thursday (Sept. 22) as part of the Americana Music Festival. He is also slated for sold-out shows at the Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
Prine’s upcoming album, For Better, For Worse, will be released on Oh Boy Records/Thirty Tigers on Sept. 30. He will turn 70 on Oct. 10.