Condolences to Amy Grant and her family on the passing of her mother, Gloria Dean Napier Grant, on April 30, 2011. The Nashville native was 80 years old and had devoted her life to her faith, family and a variety of charitable causes.
She supported her husband of 60 years, Burton Paine Grant, throughout his medical career and also pursued several business interests of her own, including selling her famous fruitcakes at the Green Hills Market. She was a founding board member of Nashville! Magazine and began the private jewelry business Lynwood Hampton Collectables.
Grant was an active supporter of the Fanny Battle Day Home, Friends of Children’s Hospital (founding member), and the Nashville Public Library Foundation. She enjoyed family gatherings, Bible study, golf, bridge, sewing, gardening, cooking, and entertaining.
She is survived by her husband Burton and her four daughters, Gloria Kathleen Grant Harrell (Dan), Mimi Dean Grant Verner (Jerry), Carol Ann Grant Nuismer (Jack), and Amy Lee Grant Gill (Vince Gill), as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends remember Gloria by doing an unexpected act of kindness, or making a gift to Lipscomb University or Alive Hospice. Visitation will be held Tuesday, May 3 from 4-8 p.m. at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ, 5120 Franklin Pike. The funeral service will be at the church Wednesday, May 4 at 2 p.m. with visitation at 1 p.m. Online guestbook and details here or at (615)254-8200.

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Label: RCA Nashville
Current Album: Neon (to be released in July)
Current Single: “Tomorrow” (the fastest rising single of his career)
Current Producer: James Stroud
Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN
Management: ShopKeeper Mgmt./Marion Kraft
Booking: William Morris Endeavor Ent./Rob Beckham
Recent Hits: Three consecutive No. 1 singles: “Voices,” “The Man I Want to Be” and “Gettin’ You Home”
Awards: Last year Young won the Breakthrough Songwriter Award at the 22nd Annual MusicRow Awards, while amassing multiple ACM, CMA, and ACA nominations and his first GRAMMY® nod.
RIAA Certs to date: “Gettin’ You Home”–Gold Digital Single; The Man I Want to Be–album approaching Gold
Touring: Young will join Jason Aldean on his My Kinda Party Tour beginning in June. He recently wrapped more than six months on the road with Rascal Flatts.
Birthdate: June 12
Website: www.chrisyoungcountry.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrisyoungmusic
Twitter: @ChrisYoungMusic
Chris Young has distinguished himself as a singer/songwriter who honors country music’s finest traditions while adding a fresh, new chapter to the genre’s legacy. The opening months of 2011 have been especially eventful for Young, as his No. 1 single for “Voices” became the first country record in 25 years to be re-released to chart-topping status, while his current single, “Tomorrow,” has become the fastest rising hit of his career. Young also recently received his first Grammy Award nomination, recognized for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for his No. 1 song “Gettin’ You Home.”
On the horizon this year is Young’s third studio album, Neon, which he recorded with producer James Stroud. Kicking off the album is new single “Tomorrow,” which sold 30,000 digital downloads in the first week of release.
Young knew early on that he wanted to pursue a career in country music. Raised just minutes away from Nashville, in Murfreesboro, he began making trips to Music Row at a young age, trying to land a record deal. He began performing while still in high school, and was playing 150 dates a year by the time he was in college. Before eventually landing a deal with RCA, Young had a regular gig at the famed Texas honky-tonk, Cowboys. “It was a great way to get experience,” he says. “I had a seven-piece band and we played three nights a week. Plus there were major acts constantly going in and out of there, so I’d get to watch their show and see how they worked the crowd. It was a good learning experience for me.”
Young’s self-titled RCA Nashville debut made him country’s best-selling new male artist in its year of release and earned him a nod in the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Male Vocalist category. His 2009 sophomore project, The Man I Want to Be, is quickly approaching Gold certification. It launched three consecutive No. 1 singles with the title track making a three-week run at the top of the charts.
Like his heroes Keith Whitley and Randy Travis before him, Young doesn’t see himself as the savior of country music, just a lucky guy living his dream. “I love playing music,” he says. “There’s no way I could do anything else.”

Craig Wiseman shared his story and experience with Belmont University students at an Insider’s View seminar on April 27. Wiseman, the founder of Big Loud Shirt Industries, advised students that creativity flourishes when you let down your guard and are not concerned about what other people think.

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Teddy Gentry, member of the country group Alabama, and Porter-Gentry Productions, is releasing Teddy Gentry’s Best New Nashville album, exclusively at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®, starting May 16. Produced by Gentry, the album includes 12 songs performed by 12 new artists. Gentry says this is his way of giving back because he knows from his own early experiences how hard it is to make it in this very tough business.
Tracks on Teddy Gentry’s Best New Nashville:
1.     Every Mile I’m Missing You – Jimmy Stewart
2.     I’m Gonna Cry – Chanel Campbell
3.     That’s The Kind Of Love I Need – Garrett Steele
4.     A Good Place To Turn Around – 3 Lanes Crossing
5.     A Better Woman – Laura Fedor
6.     In His Hands – Chip Davis
7.     I’ll Find You – Samantha Landrum
8.     Chip Away – Dillon Dixon
9.     My So Called Life – Southwind
10.  Long Lost Smile – Brad Long
11.  Run Baby Run – Adrianna Freeman
12.  Are You Ever Gonna Love Me – Amber Shalene

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Mercury Nashville singer/songwriter Randy Montana has been added to Taylor Swift’s Speak Now Tour. He has been confirmed for eight shows in June with stops in Detroit, Pittsburgh and Foxboro, to name a few. Montana made his second appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on April 22 and performed his current single “1,000 Faces” and “Last Horse.”