Latest Flood Relief Benefits

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Standing: Victoria Shaw and Marcus Hummon. Seated: Julie Gold and Don Henry. Photo: Alan Mayor

Victoria Shaw, Marcus Hummon, Julie Gold and Don Henry performed a benefit for MusiCares Friday (5/7) at the Bluebird Cafe. MusiCares has established the Nashville Flood Relief Fund to assist music people affected by the Middle Tennessee Floods. Initial assistance will provide funds for food and clothing, gasoline and transportation, clean up efforts, relocation costs, medicine and other critical supplies. In order to apply for assistance or to donate, please contact the South Regional office at (615) 327-0050 or toll free (877) 626-2748.

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CeCe Winans, Kellie Pickler, Jaci Velasquez and Will Hoge have been added to the line-up for Music City Keep on Playin’ – A Benefit for Flood Relief. The May 16 show will be the first nationally televised telethon and live concert for Nashville flood aid. Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley and Rodney Atkins were previously announced for the event at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. It will air on GAC, WKRN-TV in Nashville on Comcast channel 245 (over the air delivery at 2.2), and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.

Tickets start at $25 and are on sale at www.ryman.com and www.opry.com, by phone at 1-800-SEE-OPRY or the Ryman box office.

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Pop star Ke$ha is headlining her own flood recovery benefit at Limelight on Wed., June 16. General admission and VIP tickets are available here. “Nashville helped shape me as an artist and as a person and my love for this city is beyond words,” she says. “I will continue to do anything I can to help rebuild this city and support the families and animals who have been affected by this tragedy.” When the singer arrived in Nashville last week she immediately donated 1,000 pounds of dog and cat food to a local animal shelter.
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Music City’s latest fashion craze is “We Are Nashville” T-shirts. After being featured on CNN by Anderson Cooper, demand for the shirts crashed the Cool People Care site which is selling them. The Cool People Care clothing company picked up the saying from a post-flood rallying post on Patten Fuqua’s Predators fan blog. According to the Tennessean, 3,500 T-shirts have been sold so far, with proceeds raising $25,000 for the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s Flood Relief Fund. The newspaper also reports that starting Thurs., the Nashville Clothing Co. will be the first retail outlet to carry the shirts.

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Tide, in partnership with Dollar General, is bringing its “Loads of Hope” team to Nashville. Free laundry services for residents and relief workers will be available Wednesday, May 12 through Wednesday, May 19 from 8AM – 6PM. They will be at Dollar General, 2403 Lebanon Pike.

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On May 12, venue Center Stage (514 8th Ave. S.) is hosting a benefit from 3-10 p.m. featuring Marthia Sides, Marty Raybon, Razzy Bailey, Kristina Cornell,  DecemberRadio, Rachel Williams, Thom Shepherd, and more. $5 cover, donations welcome.

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BLEVE Records founder Mickey Milam will donate proceeds from this month’s sales at www.blevemusic.com to the local FOP and IAFF organizations to aid Middle Tennessee First Responders who lost their homes and belongings during the floods.

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During May, Delgado Guitars will donate profits from guitar and accessory purchases, and guitar repair to the flood relief efforts.

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On-air host CW at KMKS in Texas is offering free voiceover services to any flood victim who might need it. Email cw@kmks.com.

Alison Krauss Joins Borman Entertainment

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Gary Borman officially announced this morning that 26-time Grammy winner Alison Krauss has signed with Borman Entertainment for management. “Alison’s timeless talent defies stereotype or any ordinary definition,” says Borman. “It is truly a privilege to represent such a gifted artist.”

Previous manager Denise Stiff (DS Management) and Krauss amicably parted ways last February after a relationship that lasted almost 23 years with a mutual statement that said, “We have the utmost respect and love for one another.”

Krauss was first signed to Rounder Records at age 14. Over her nearly three-decade career she has earned multiple CMA, GMA, ACM and IBMA Awards and is the most decorated female artist in Grammy history. Krauss and band Union Station are currently recording a new album.

Borman Entertainment, formed in 1976, has offices in Los Angeles and Nashville. The Music City division is headed by industry veteran John Grady. In addition to Krauss, the firm represents Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban and Michael Franti.

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MusicRow’s Humble Scribe first tipped the new Borman/Krauss pairing on April 14 saying, “The Scribe’s crystal ball is percolating like a Starbucks on steroids. Alison Krauss…soon to affiliate with a respected management company with Nashville and Los Angeles offices.”

Van Fletcher Joins Chasin

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Van Fletcher

Longtime industry executive Van Fletcher is on board as President of a new company, Chasin Music Group.

Founded by John Acunto and Gary Hohman, Chasin’s first initiative is the Chasin Hits mobile phone music application, being developed and distributed by seasoned mobile services company Handmark.

The Chasin Hits application will be available to all mobile service providers and works on any mobile platform. Chasin Hits offers a proprietary interface that is designed for easy content management and updates, it offers targeted demographic gathering and reporting, combined social networking capabilities, sales reporting and more.

Chasin Music Group will have its primary offices in New York and Nashville as well as satellite offices in other cities to be announced.

Fletcher, who most recently spent eight years as Sr. VP of Sales and Operations at Universal Records South, is an equity partner in Chasin. Prior to his post at Universal, he was Exec. VP & GM at Virgin Records and Sr. VP of Sales and Branch Distribution for Polygram. Fletcher can be reached at van@chasinmusicgroup.com.

McGraw, Hill Plan Huge Flood Relief Concert

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Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are spearheading a superstar flood relief concert set for Tuesday, June 22 at the Bridgestone Arena. They’ve already recruited Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Amy Grant, Miranda Lambert, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Michael W. Smith, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood for performances, as well as special guests Titans coach Jeff Fisher and Predators coach Barry Trotz.

Proceeds from “NASHVILLE RISING: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery,” will go to the Community Foundation, which provides philanthropic services that enhance the Middle Tennessee area. The event will be presented by AEG Live/The Messina Group, Live Nation and Outback Concerts.

“The damage that we’ve seen to people’s homes and the effect that the flooding has had on their lives is unimaginable. But we’ve seen the spirit of our community first hand, as volunteers, church groups and our local business leaders rally to help,” said McGraw and Hill in a joint statement. “We all need to continue to support those in need in anyway that we can, and for that reason we could not be more appreciative to all of the artists, the companies and the people behind the scenes, who collectively, will make June 22nd a truly special night.”

Tickets range from $25-$75 and go on sale Fri., May 14 at 10 AM/CT via Ticketmaster. The line-up will continue to grow as the event draws closer. Ticket auctions on select seats and VIP packages will also be available. Visit www.nashvillerising.org for more details.

Corporate sponsors include Bravado, Ticketmaster and Outback Steakhouse. For information on becoming a corporate sponsor, please contact helpnashvillerising@redlightmanagement.com.

ZBB/Ram Trucks Launch ‘Letters for Lyrics’ 

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The Ram Truck Brand, in partnership with Zac Brown Band, has kicked off Letters for Lyrics, a national letter-writing campaign targeted to U.S. soldiers. The goal for the Ram Truck Brand and Zac Brown Band is to send 1 million letters to U.S. troops deployed around the world.

In exchange for writing a letter to a U.S. soldier, participants will receive a special compilation CD titled, Breaking Southern Ground. This exclusive CD features three all-new songs from Zac Brown Band, as well as music from artists signed to Zac Brown’s label, Southern Ground Records – Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan and Levi Lowrey.

“The Ram Truck Brand is grateful for the commitment and courage that U.S. soldiers give to this country each day,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO, Ram Truck Brand. “Our company has been steadfast in its support of America’s armed services; we know these letters will help brighten a soldier’s day. We encourage our employees, suppliers and our customers to visit a local Ram Truck dealership to write or drop off a letter for these soldiers who protect our right to freedom.”

“We’ve had several opportunities to perform for the troops over the past year and each time we were deeply inspired by their positive attitudes and dedication to protecting our country and preserving our way of life,” said Zac Brown. “We were so moved that we knew we needed to recognize their efforts in a big way. Our hope is that by combining our experience overseas, our music, and the good people at Ram Truck Brand, we will be able to rally a movement of support for our brave service members abroad.”

Darren Doane, the CMT nominated director of Zac Brown Band’s live Pass the Jar DVD and their music video for the #1 hit “Toes,” traveled with the band to the Persian Gulf to document the moving experience – capturing footage of the band performing for the troops and meeting individually with the men and women in uniform. Bringing the experience home, Doane has constructed several mini-documentary style videos which will be posted to RamTrucks.com starting today and updated throughout the coming weeks.

Letters will be collected at Zac Brown Band concerts and all U.S. Ram Truck dealerships. People interested in writing a letter can visit any Ram Truck dealership where special Letters for Lyrics stationery will be provided.

Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit organization, will deliver the letters on behalf of the Zac Brown Band and the Ram Truck Brand. Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-led organization with over 225,000 members providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, along with veterans and their families.
The Letters for Lyrics campaign is part of an integrated marketing campaign for the 2010 Ram Heavy Duty and is supported with broadcast, print, digital and social media efforts that will run concurrently.

Average Joe Ent. Opens Urban Imprint

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Shannon Houchins

Average Joes Entertainment has formed AVJ Records, an Atlanta-based urban imprint. The first two signings include Nappy Roots and Bizarre.

Heading the new Atlanta office will be Average Joes Entertainment CEO Shannon Houchins as President and Jason “Boogie” Brown as Vice President.

The company began in 2008 and launched Colt Ford who has sold over 200k units over four titles released in the two years. Ford has also scanned over 500k in digital track downloads. Other country artists on the label include Brantley Gilbert, Josh Gracin and Matt Stillwell.

Colt Ford, photo: Heather Brand

Brown managed Grammy Award-nominated Rapper/songwriter Attitude; launched AtlantaUrbanMix.com and played an integral role in assisting DJs like DJ Holiday, DJ Infamous, DJ Scream and The Empire expand their mixtape distributions systems.

Houchins served as staff producer for Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Productions for three years and produced remixes for such diverse multi-platinum recording artists as T.L.C., Usher, Jagged Edge, and Kut Klose.

Contacts for the new office of AVJ Records are 404-428-7161 or boogiebrown@avjrecords.com

“Vince Gill and Friends” Flood Telethon Raises 1.7 Million 

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Keith Urban Performs

WSMV-TV Channel 4 is thanking the Nashville music industry for all of its support of WSMV’s telethon for flood relief, as well as the many viewers who called in pledges proving again the true spirit of Music City and all around the country. The telethon was streamed live via the internet and pledges came in from  Canada, New York, Michigan, Sacramento and Key West among others.

Dan Tyminski, Alison Krauss and Vince Gill


“Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to the singers, songwriters, musicians and technicians of Nashville for their instant response to the call to help our friends and neighbors in their time of need,” said Elden Hale, Senior Vice President and General Manager of WSMV-TV Channel 4. “We would also like to thank the thousands of people who called into the telethon to make a donation. We sincerely thank everyone for their generosity.”

Amy Grant and Vince Gill


The telethon, Vince Gill and Friends, officially raised more than 1.7 million dollars for Nashville and Middle Tennessee flood Relief. That number will undoubtedly more than double when the checks and online donations that are still coming in are finally received. WSMV has a long and rich history with the Nashville music community, with roots springing from the creation of the Grand Ole Opry and Dolly and Porter’s programs originating from their studios on Knob Hill in Nashville.

Volunteer Exchange

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A number of music industry companies and individuals have expressed interest in volunteering to help those in need during this flood 2010 crisis. If you need help, leave your contact information and a brief description of the help needed in the Reply Comment box below.

Stuart’s Late Night Jam To Benefit MusiCares Flood Relief 

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Opry star Marty Stuart will once again help kick off CMA Music Fest with his annual Late Night Jam on June 9 beginning at 10:00 PM at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. This year’s concert is inspired by Stuart’s highly rated TV show, The Marty Stuart Show and will benefit the MusiCares Nashville Flood Relief Fund.

“Bringing traditional country music into homes across America is something I am honored and proud to be a part of…and to be able to recreate the styles and themes of our show on the Ryman stage, the epicenter of our country music heritage, is a dream,” says Stuart. “I created the Late Night Jam in order to kick off country music’s biggest week with a show unlike anything else that the fans would be able to see while they were in Nashville, and the results have been legendary.

At the heart of the show is my love and respect for MusiCares. This year of all years MusiCares is needed after the flood the city just experienced. I know of musicians who’ve lost their homes, vehicles, instruments, and in a couple of instances, families. With that in mind, me and my friends are going to play our hearts out for our friends who are hurting and in need. I’ve called lots of numbers in my phone book and invited wonderful people to come and participate in the Late Night Jam. It’s actually quite staggering who is coming.”

Joining Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives for this year’s marathon of live music are Keith Urban, Dallas Frazier, Cowboy Jack Clement, Ronnie Milsap, steel guitarist Ralph Mooney, Connie Smith, the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band and a few very special surprise guests representing the Country Music and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame.

To date, Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam has raised over $150,000 for MusiCares, the philanthropic arm of The Recording Academy.  
The Marty Stuart Show is RDF-TV’s highest-rated show and adds a new chapter each week to the tradition of simple, electrifying country TV.  Upcoming guests include Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless and Kitty Wells.

Tickets for the Late Night Jam are available now at www.ryman.com.

Musician’s Union Facilitates Flood Relief

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Today (5/7), in response to the recent disastrous flood in in Middle Tennessee, the Nashville Musicians Union set up a “Nashville Musicians Flood Relief” bank account at Suntrust’s Music Industry branch. The Union will distribute collected funds through its Emergency Relief Fund at Local 257.

Donations are being accepted for “Nashville Musicians Fund Relief” at local Suntrust branches or checks can be sent to AFM Local 257, 11 Music Circle N. Nashville TN 37203. The Union has set up a Pay Pal button on the home page of its website’s at www.nashvillemusicians.org. to take donations and invites folks to stop by their offices to make a donation in person. For more information call 615-244-9514.