Pictured (L-R): Perry Howard, Dixie Hall, and Jody Williams. Photo: Alan Mayor
Award-winning bluegrass songwriter and former top country-music journalist Dixie Hall has passed away at age 80.
The wife of Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tom T. Hall died on Friday, January 15, following a long illness. She and her husband won Songwriter of the Year honors from SPBGMA (the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) for 10 consecutive years. She also co-wrote songs with Jeanette Williams, Billy Smith and Country Music Hall of Fame member Maybelle Carter, among others.
Dixie Hall founded the record label Blue Circle Records, the publishing company Good Home Grown Music and a recording studio. In the 1960s, she was the editor of country music’s biggest periodical.
Born Iris Violet May Lawrence in a town near Manchester, England, she wrote poetry as a youngster. During the 1950s, she became a country-music fan and began working as an overseas representative for Tex Ritter, Starday Records and other Nashvillians.
She moved to Music City in 1961 and was adopted by the legendary Maybelle Carter. Iris Lawrence adopted “Dixie Dean” as her Nashville pen name. She and Carter co-wrote the Johnny Cash songs “A Letter From Home” and “Troublesome Waters.”
Bobby Cyrus with Tom T. and Dixie Hall. Photo: Bev Moser
Also as “Dixie Dean,” she co-wrote the 1965 Dave Dudley hit “Truck Drivin’ Son-of-a-Gun.” Under this same byline, she wrote celebrity profiles for the Music City News fan magazine and eventually became its editor. She met Tom T. Hall at a BMI awards banquet in 1964. They married in 1968. For many years, she raised and trained award-winning basset hounds while her husband became a country superstar.
Dixie Hall reactivated her songwriting in the 1990s. Tom T. Hall wanted to retire, but she urged him to continue writing by becoming his collaborator. This is also when she established their record label, song-publishing company and recording studio, all headquartered at their Williamson County home, Fox Hollow.
She subsequently wrote or co-wrote more than 500 recorded bluegrass songs. They were sung by a who’s-who of the genre, including The Grascals, Special Consensus, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Don Rigsby, Josh Williams, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, James Monroe, Dale Ann Bradley, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Little Roy Lewis and Paul Williams.
She produced the all-female ensemble Daughters of Bluegrass. The group’s Pickin’ Like a Girl record was totally comprised of Dixie Hall songs and won an award from the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) in 2010.
Carlene Carter included Dixie’s co-written “Troublesome Waters” on her 2014 CD Carter Girl. Miranda Lambert placed Dixie’s co-written “All That’s Left” on her million-selling 2014 CMA Album of the Year winner Platinum.
Dixie Hall’s funeral will be private, according to The Tennessean. Tom T. Hall reportedly plans a celebration of his wife’s life and music at a later date.
LifeNotes: Bluegrass Song Great Dixie Hall Passes
/by Robert K OermannPictured (L-R): Perry Howard, Dixie Hall, and Jody Williams. Photo: Alan Mayor
Award-winning bluegrass songwriter and former top country-music journalist Dixie Hall has passed away at age 80.
The wife of Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tom T. Hall died on Friday, January 15, following a long illness. She and her husband won Songwriter of the Year honors from SPBGMA (the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) for 10 consecutive years. She also co-wrote songs with Jeanette Williams, Billy Smith and Country Music Hall of Fame member Maybelle Carter, among others.
Dixie Hall founded the record label Blue Circle Records, the publishing company Good Home Grown Music and a recording studio. In the 1960s, she was the editor of country music’s biggest periodical.
Born Iris Violet May Lawrence in a town near Manchester, England, she wrote poetry as a youngster. During the 1950s, she became a country-music fan and began working as an overseas representative for Tex Ritter, Starday Records and other Nashvillians.
She moved to Music City in 1961 and was adopted by the legendary Maybelle Carter. Iris Lawrence adopted “Dixie Dean” as her Nashville pen name. She and Carter co-wrote the Johnny Cash songs “A Letter From Home” and “Troublesome Waters.”
Bobby Cyrus with Tom T. and Dixie Hall. Photo: Bev Moser
Also as “Dixie Dean,” she co-wrote the 1965 Dave Dudley hit “Truck Drivin’ Son-of-a-Gun.” Under this same byline, she wrote celebrity profiles for the Music City News fan magazine and eventually became its editor. She met Tom T. Hall at a BMI awards banquet in 1964. They married in 1968. For many years, she raised and trained award-winning basset hounds while her husband became a country superstar.
Dixie Hall reactivated her songwriting in the 1990s. Tom T. Hall wanted to retire, but she urged him to continue writing by becoming his collaborator. This is also when she established their record label, song-publishing company and recording studio, all headquartered at their Williamson County home, Fox Hollow.
She subsequently wrote or co-wrote more than 500 recorded bluegrass songs. They were sung by a who’s-who of the genre, including The Grascals, Special Consensus, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Don Rigsby, Josh Williams, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, James Monroe, Dale Ann Bradley, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Little Roy Lewis and Paul Williams.
She produced the all-female ensemble Daughters of Bluegrass. The group’s Pickin’ Like a Girl record was totally comprised of Dixie Hall songs and won an award from the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) in 2010.
Carlene Carter included Dixie’s co-written “Troublesome Waters” on her 2014 CD Carter Girl. Miranda Lambert placed Dixie’s co-written “All That’s Left” on her million-selling 2014 CMA Album of the Year winner Platinum.
Dixie Hall’s funeral will be private, according to The Tennessean. Tom T. Hall reportedly plans a celebration of his wife’s life and music at a later date.
Dolly Parton Inks Development Deal with NBC
/by Jessica NicholsonDolly Parton
NBC has signed a development deal with Dolly Parton. NBC will develop several two-hour television movies based on the songs, stories, and life of the singer-songwriter. The deal is in conjunction with production partner Sam Haskell of Magnolia Hill Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
“I am so excited to be involved with my friend Bob Greenblatt, who produced the Broadway version of ‘9 to 5: The Musical’ with me, and my longtime friend and former agent Sam Haskell. We want to create projects for NBC that are both fun and inspirational with a family audience in mind,” said Parton.
“I don’t know anyone in the world who doesn’t love Dolly Parton, and the idea of developing television movies inspired by her incredible life and the stories she has sung about for decades is exciting to all of us at NBC,” said Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.” I hope we will create some uplifting movies that the entire family can enjoy together, a genre of programming that still seems largely untapped on television.”
Over the past 40 years, Parton has 41 albums that have reached the top 10 in the country charts – the most for any artist – as well as 25 albums have either been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum. In addition, 110 singles have reached the country charts. She has won 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Assn. Awards and 7 Academy of Country Music Awards. In fact, Parton has been nominated for 46 Grammys as both she and Beyonce are the most Grammy-nominated women of all time.
She was twice nominated for an Oscar for her original songs “9 to 5” and “Travelin’ Thru,” for the film Transamerica. As an actress, Parton was nominated for three Golden Globes (two for “9 to 5,” one for “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”) and won two People’s Choice Awards.
Tyler Waugh Joins Blaster Records Promotion Staff
/by Jessica NicholsonTyler Waugh
Blaster Records Vice President of Promotion Bob Reeves has appointed Tyler Waugh to the label’s promotion department as Regional Director of Promotion, handling the Northeast. Waugh officially joined the staff today (Jan. 16), working out of the label’s new Nashville offices.
A graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Music in 2000, Waugh began his professional career as an alternative music marketing specialist for BMG Distribution before transitioning to promotion duties with rock independent Roadrunner Records and, subsequently, RCA/Arista/J Records. Waugh relocated to Nashville in 2008 with Arista Nashville, segueing to Streamsound Records in 2013 for regional and national promotion duties.
Waugh can be reached at (615) 870-2040 or via tyler@blasterrecords.com.
Blaster Records was founded in 2007 and is distributed by RED Distribution.
Fruition Songs Adds Webb, Fike, Reed & Reilley
/by Troy_Stephenson“Our company is about making music that matters. I am extremely proud of the catalog of songs we have built.” said Fruition Songs Managing Partner Ashley Worley.
Webb, aka LollieVox, was a staff writer at Curb Music Publishing, earning a cut with LeAnn Rimes and several film placements before popping through as an artist with 2005’s “Aren’t You Clever.”
Fike hails from Texas but recorded her solo debut album as Miss Oneida in Nashville with engineer Mark Nevers.
Reed recently signed a publishing deal with EMI/Sony ATV, and was honored with a 2014 NIMA award as Best R&B Solo Artist.
Reilley moved to Nashville in 1998, and has penned songs recorded by Vince Gill, Hal Ketchum, Sam Bush and more.
Fruition Songs is spearheaded by veteran creative executives Worley and Rachel Kice, with entrepreneur Brad Baack.
CMHoF’s Troubadour Society To Hold 2015 Kickoff Party Jan. 26
/by Jessica NicholsonJaren Johnston
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Troubadour Society, a community of young music industry leaders, is hosting a New Year Kickoff.
Featuring a performance by Grammy-nominated songwriter and The Cadillac Three’s front man Jaren Johnston, the Troubadour Society’s 2015 Kickoff Party will be held on Monday, Jan. 26 and is open only to Troubadour Society members. This event—complete with food, drinks, and the performance–allows industry members to network and to tour the museum’s galleries.
Today through Jan. 26, Troubadour Society Membership is being offered for only $50—a 20 percent discount on the annual membership fee. Members receive unlimited museum admission, invitations to quarterly networking events, including the members-only opening reception for the museum’s new feature exhibition, “Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City” on Friday, March 27, and more.
Those interested can visit the Troubadour Society’s webpage and use the code KICKOFF15, or contact kwilliams@countrymusichalloffame.org.
Sturgill Simpson Signs Major Label Deal with Atlantic Records
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto: Sturgill Simpson social media
Sturgill Simpson, whose independently released album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (High Top Mountain) was released in May 2014, has signed a major label deal with Atlantic Records, his publicist has confirmed.
The 2014 release landed Simpson praise from several outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Garden & Gun, and The Washington Post. He was also honored with the Emerging Act of the Year title at the Americana Music Association’s awards show in 2014.
Simpson made the major label signing announcement by uploading to social media a photo of a record with both the singer’s name and the label’s logo, accompanied by a list of legendary artists who have recorded for the label, including Otis Redding, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, Wilson Pickett, and The Velvet Underground.
The signing is the latest in what is already an accolade-filled start to 2015 for Simpson. He landed a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album for Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and is set to perform at several festivals, including Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, and Coachella this year.
Industry Members Tom and Julianne Drenon Lose Home To Fire
/by Jessica NicholsonJulianne Drenon
Tom and Julianne Drenon tragically lost their house to a fire yesterday (Jan. 15). Julianne, CEO of Creekhouse Entertainment, has managed artist Josh Thompson for approximately eight years, while Tom is the drummer for Darryl Worley. The couple has a five-year-old daughter.
Tom suffered third degree burns to his hands. The home is a complete loss and the family has temporary housing in place.
To help the family in their time of need, a donations page has been set up at GoFundMe.com Virtual gift cards are another option of assistance.
Members of the Nashville community can drop off clothes and other items at Music City Bar & Grill on Saturday (Jan. 17) from 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Appropriate clothing sizes are listed on the GoFundMe.com webpage.
Julianne can be reached at creekhouseent@earthlink.net.
Google To Reveal Artist-Directed Concert Ticket Results
/by Eric T. ParkerNow, Google will display expanded info (on-sale information, availability, direct link to preferred ticketing site), if artists use markup links on official websites. If events are ticketed by a primary ticketer whose website provides markup (Ticketmaster, Ticketfly, AXS, etc.), you don’t have to do anything, Google will read the ticketer’s markup and apply it toward your venue’s event listings.
If your website does not support markup or you don’t list events, artists an use delegation markup to instruct Google to source the information from another website.
Comedians are now also included in the upgrades, in addition to individual venues (fairs, theaters, libraries, etc.) that now have the opportunity to list in Google’s search.
Vince Gill Joins America’s Best Communities to Revitalize Small Towns
/by Jessica NicholsonAmerica’s Best Communities will reward communities with the best business plans for economic development and improved quality of life in a $10 million prize competition. Winners will share best practices and ideas for growth among all communities.
“There’s a lot of small town community in me. I have a small town mentality,” Gill recently said during a press event in Nashville. “This is where I live and I want to make it better, I want to be part of a team focused on supporting the backbone of America.”
America’s Best Communities has already drawn more than 200 registrations across the 27 states served by Frontier Communications. Fifty quarter-finalists will be selected in April 2015 and awarded development funds for their revitalization proposals.
At the end of the competition in 2017, the top three applicants will share $6 million in prize money – $3 million to the winner, $2 million for second place and $1 million for third place – money to be used to continue to implement their improvement plans.
Maggie Wilderotter, Chairman and CEO of Frontier Communications, said, “As the largest broadband communications company focused on rural America, we want to be a catalyst for growth in our towns and cities. We believe that investments in these locations will have a multiplier effect as communities embrace opportunities for revitalization. Whether it is upgrading existing businesses in the area or new startups, a focus on local businesses will be key to sustained growth. We also will look for innovative ideas on how each community will come together to socialize and interact as a measurement of success.”
Conceived by Frontier Communications and co-sponsored with DISH Network and CoBank, America’s Best Communities Prize is a competition that will fund economic development opportunities for the winners and share best practices and great ideas for progress among all the communities that enter.
Songwriter Events: BMI, ASCAP, CMA, Love City Country Music Fest
/by Jessica NicholsonBroadcast Music, Inc. hosted its quarterly showcase “BMI Buzz at the Basement” at the iconic Basement venue in Nashville on Jan. 14, 2015. Country singer/songwriters Josh Martin, Emma White, Tristen Smith and Matt Chase took the stage to perform their best original tracks in front of a packed house of music industry executives, family and friends.
Pictured: BMI’s Bradley Collins, BMI songwriters Josh Martin, Tristen Smith, Emma White and Matt Chase with BMI’s Jody Williams.
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The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) hosted its first showcase of 2015 at The Bluebird Cafe on Wed., Jan. 7, kicking off another year of its long-running monthly showcase series. The “in the round” showcase featured songwriter Phil Barton (“A Woman Like You” – Lee Brice), songwriter-artist Steven Clawson, Curb Music Publishing songwriter Josh Matheny and songwriter-artist Carly Pearce, whose current single “Blame the Whiskey” is in regular rotation on Sirius XM’s “The Highway.”
Pictured (L-R): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, Steven Clawson, Phil Barton, Carly Pearce and Josh Matheny. Photo: ASCAP’s Alison Toczylowski.
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The January performances of the Sundance ASCAP Music Café’s CMA Songwriters Spotlight will feature Jessi Alexander, Kyle Jacobs, Kelley Lovelace, and Neil Thrasher.
“We are honored that the CMA Songwriters Spotlight will return for the second year as a highlight of the Sundance ASCAP Music Café, an official part of the Sundance Film Festival calendar,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Nashville’s songwriters deserve to be showcased at the world’s premier stage for storytellers, Sundance.”
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Hit songwriters Kent Blazy, Marti Frederiksen, Kendell Marvel, Danny Myrick and special guest songwriters will entertain music fans during a Nashville-style writers round performing and telling the stories behind their biggest hits.
Arista Nashville/Sea Gayle recording artist Jerrod Niemann will headline the three-day Love City Country Music Festival with performances from special guests Pat Green, Dallas Smith, Sunny Sweeney and more.