GAC, Armiger Partner In Unique Promotion

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Katie Armiger and Great American Country (GAC) are teaming up to fly a contest winner to Nashville for a writing and recording session with the budding artist. “Kapturing A Love Song with Katie Armiger” kicks off today and runs through Friday, Feb. 27 at www.GACTV.com. When complete, the song will be made available on iTunes.

GAC, where Armiger is the February Artist of the Month, says this is one of the most unique sweepstakes it has ever offered. “Katie has a lot of fans at GACTV.com because of her successful Kapturing Katie web series,” adds GAC’s director of music marketing John Alexander.

CRS Offers One-Day Rates

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Single day registration will be available for those attending Country Radio Seminar on March 5 “Music Industry Town Meeting Day” or March 6 “Radio Sales Day.”

Admission to the Music Industry Town Meeting is $265 and includes the Sony Music Nashville Luncheon with Miranda Lambert and Jake Owen, informational panels about technology and small markets, and WCRS Live! with Bobby Pinson, Paul Overstreet, Josh Turner and Jamey Johnson.

Those signing up for Radio Sales Day will enjoy that evening’s New Faces of Country Music Show, sure to be a highlight of the week with performances by Lady Antebellum, James Otto, Kellie Pickler, Chuck Wicks and The Zac Brown Band. For the $370 one-day registration fee, attendees can learn from panels focused on consumer habits, promotional and research ideas. Also included is the Managers’ Breakfast, and Capitol Nashville’s luncheon with Darius Rucker and Little Big Town.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, who has officially proclaimed the week of March 2, 2009 “Country Radio Week” in the city, will greet CRS-40 attendees on March 4. Registration for the full event, to be held March 4-6, 2009 at the
Nashville Convention Center, will be $699 until Feb. 6. On-site
registration will be $749.

Sundresses By Swift Shipping Now

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Taylor Swift’s line of sundresses began shipping exclusively to Wal-Mart yesterday (2/1). The dresses are being made through a partnership with clothing manufacturer L.E.I., who also made Swift’s namesake jeans.  All retailing for $14, there will be three sundress styles available at launch and two additional styles are planned for a March 1 delivery.

“It was very important for me to create cute, affordable dresses,” says Swift, who is on the current cover of Teen Vogue. “If I couldn’t see myself wearing them, I wasn’t interested in making them.” She plans to wear the dresses throughout her spring and summer tour.

As previously reported, this will be her first headlining outing, and includes dates in Canada and Australian. She is in such demand Down Under that another show has been added in Melbourne. Chugg Entertainment and Rob Potts Entertainment Edge tacked on a March 9 date specifically for the under 18 set, to precede the next night’s 18-and-up show. Her first Australian Tour also includes sold-out stops in Brisbane and Sydney, and a festival performance in Thredbo, NSW.

Parton Plans Big Night

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Dolly Parton is in town for two big events tonight (2/2). She will be inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame and perform at an all-star fundraiser at the Wildhorse Saloon.

Alongside Michael W. Smith, Dr. Bobby Jones, Dixie Hummingbirds, and Lari Goss, Parton will join the Gospel Music Hall of Fame during an invitation-only dinner and ceremony. Among the evening’s presenters and performers are Steven Curtis Chapman, Toby McKeehan, Stella Parton, and The Imperials.

Parton will also perform at tonight’s “Gift of Music” Concert with Ronnie Dunn, Keith Anderson, Kellie Pickler and many others. Presented by the Dustin J. Wells Foundation, the second annual fundraiser for the W.O. Smith School of Music will take place at The Wildhorse Saloon. General Admission tickets, $45, are available through Ticketmaster. A limited number of VIP passes are available for $500 and include parking, stage-front seating, and limited backstage access by calling 371-8878. Last year’s event raised over $50,000.

Grady Becomes President Borman Nashville

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Borman Entertainment owner/founder Gary Borman has announced that John Grady will join the company as President of its Nashville operations.

Grady, started 32 years ago as a college rep for A&M Records and more recently served as president of DMZ Music, Columbia Nashville, Epic Nashville and Monument Nashville. For the past 2 years, Grady was a partner in Redlight Management. He currently sits on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Board of Directors and was elected President of the Academy of Country Music.

“My career could be described as a series of unique opportunities,” says Grady. “Gary and his staff have built a unique company based on artists, music, creativity, loyalty, intelligence and hard work. I am honored to be called upon to contribute to what they have already built. I am humbled to work with the company’s extraordinary artists and management team. I can hardly wait to go to work.”

Borman Entertainment represents Faith Hill, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum. According to Borman, who has been in business since 1976, the goal has always been to specialize in building long term careers from the bottom to the top. “Due to our size we have the advantage of focus plus the ability to move quickly and go deep every day for our 3 artists,” says Borman. “We love what we do and who we do it for. Adding John’s experience, skill and passion for music is incredible for us. I look forward to many years working with John and our Nashville team as we meet the challenges and opportunities our business encounters.”

John Grady will be based in the Borman Entertainment Nashville office at 1222 16th Avenue South suite 23. Ph. 615-320-3000
john@bormantn.com

Urban Barbecue Escape

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Keith Urban’s 2009 tour, labeled Keith Urban Escape Together Tour has added KC Masterpiece Barbeque Sauce and Kingsford Charcoal as a headline sponsor. The shows will begin in May and play mostly larger size venues. Drew McGowan, Sr. Grp. Manager PR/Sponsorships for Clorox Company, which owns both brands, told Billboard, “There’s a perfect link between people who barbecue out in the backyard and people listening to country music. We definitely wanted to continue our commitment to country music because it fits so well with our brands. We looked at who was touring this summer and who made a lot of sense with our brands individually, and Keith just seemed like a perfect fit.” Last year the sponsor signed on to support Tim McGraw.

KC Masterpiece and Kingsford, as part of the agreement, will host the Keith Urban Backstage Experience, VIP pre-show and more. Making sure that everyone’s taste buds meet savory results will be “official pitmaster” and barbecue champion Chris Lilly. Urban manager Gary Borman noted that the client/sponsor fit made for a “natural association. We’re thrilled.”

Propper (ly) Official

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CO5 Nashville has officially announced the addition of Heather Propper to its team. She will serve as Director/Promotion and Marketing Southeast. “CO5 remains committed to finding the absolute best talent our industry has to offer,” says David Newmark, VP/Country Promotion CO5 Nashville. “We are dedicated to being the leader in radio promotion.”

Propper’s music industry career began at KMLE/Phoenix. She later moved to the promotion side of the business joining Equity Music Group and specializing in secondary promotion. She can be reached at 602-317-0551 or heather@co5music.com.

Jeffrey Steele & Friends Fundraiser

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Jeffrey Steele, Keith Anderson, Sebastian Bach, Billy Dean, LoCash Cowboys, and other special guests will perform in Nashville at Rocketown March 12 to raise money for The Alex LeVasseur Memorial Scholarship Program. The Jeffrey Steele & Friends event will include table seating, with a limited VIP section. VIP tables are $1,500; remaining tables are $1000; limited single seats are available for $100 each. Wine and hors‘d oeuvres will be served. Tickets will be available Monday, Feb. 2 exclusively through www.nowplayingnashville.com. The Scholarship program is in memory of Steele’s 13-yr-old son Alex LeVasseur, who passed away Jan. 28, 2007 in a tragic accident. Jeffrey Steele & Friends is the first of two annual events the LeVasseur family puts on in memory of Alex. The second is an outdoor skate and music festival, slated for June 28, 2009. http://www.rememberalex.com.

DISClaimer (1/30)

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Newcomers, baby acts and veterans are all in the mix this week.

Both Aaron Tippin and Collin Raye arrived with excellent sounding comeback discs. Chris Young, Bomshel, Jamey Johnson continue to shine with blindingly bright promise.

Newcomer Mike Adkins totally nails the DisCovery Award.

And I continue to be in awe of the talent of Eric Church (as well as his producer, Jay Joyce). Give that man yet another Disc of the Day prize.

BOB HARVEY/Completely Harmless
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Echo
—I’m not sure what this is all about. It has a copyright notice on it that clearly says “1969.” So what’s it doing in this week’s reviewing stack? Beats me. In any case, it is an audio waste of time.

JAMEY JOHNSON/High Cost Of Living
Writer: Jamey Johnson/James Slater; Producer: The Kent Hardly Playboys; Publisher: EMI Blackwood/Big Gassed Hitties/Hope-N-Cal/Pick Them Maters/Diversion/Cal IV, BMI; Mercury Nashville (track)
—Jamey’s extraordinary Grammy-nominated That Lonesome Song CD kicks off with this harrowing—and completely gripping—tale of substance abuse. It ends in prison. When was the last time country music was this gritty and real? I applaud the courage and authenticity of this.

JOSH DAVIS BAND/House In The Hills
Writer: Josh Davis; Producer: Mike Musgove & Josh Davis; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Joshua655 (817-944-8785)
—Muddy and cluttered sounding.

CHRIS YOUNG/Gettin’ You Home
Writer: Chris Young/Cory Batten/Kent Blazy; Producer: James Stroud; Publisher: Runnin’ Behind/EMI April/I Want to Hold Your Songs/Words & Music, ASCAP/BMI; RCA
—I still think this guy is a star waiting to happen. This sexy little seduction number is just the thing to raise him up. It has a cool, rolling groove, and his burnished baritone vocal dips and slides on all the right notes.

MIKE ADKINS/Easy The Hard Way
Writer: Jamie Richards/Biff Watson; Producer: Greg White & Jamie Richards; Publisher: Mike Curb, BMI; MAB (www.mikeadkinsband.com)
—It has a nice “outlaw” sound, some dandy guitar work, a punchy rhythm track, a solid ccountry-boy vocal and a nicely penned, dues-paying lyric. I’m in.

AARON TIPPIN/Drivin’ Fool
Writer: Aaron Tippin/Terry Brown; Producer: Aaron Tippin & Tim Grogan; Publisher: Sony ATV Acuff-Rose/TCT Rose/Terry Brown, BMI; Nippit (track) (www.aarontippin.com)
—Aaron is going all retro with a collection of classic trucker songs like “Six Days on the Road,” “East Bound and Down,” “Truck Drivin’ Man,” “Prisoner of the Highway” and “Drivin’ My Life Away.” He provides one new original to the genre, and it’s a dandy, a rhythm-happy prayer for truckers everywhere. The CD is called In Overdrive, and it’s a keeper.

KATIE ARMIGER/Trail Of Lies
Writer: Katie Armiger/Lisa McCallum/Quinn Loggins; Producer: Paul Compton; Publisher: Lily Road/Castle Street/Large Opportunity/Jaden Lane, BMI/ASCAP; Cold River (www.katiearmiger.com)
—This boasts a lickety-split tempo and a very well-written cheatin’ lyric. As usual, her delivery is spunky and confident.

ERIC  CHURCH/Love Your Love The Most
Writer: Eric Church/Michael P. Heeney; Producer: Jay Joyce; Publisher: Sony ATV Tree/Sony ATV Acuff-Rose, BMI; Capitol Nashville
—I can’t wait for the rest of you to hear Eric’s Carolina CD when it appears in March. It is simply the coolest sounding country record of the year to date. This glowing, warm, brilliantly-produced and refreshing single is a fine introduction to this man’s distinctive style. Spin it a zillion times.

COLIN RAYE/Mid-Life Chrysler
Writer: Neal Thrasher/Wendell Mobley/Tony Martin; Producer: Collin Raye; Publisher: Major Bob/Crosstown/Warner/Sony, ASCAP; Saguaro (CDX) (www.collinraye.com)
—His tenor vocal cuts like a hot knife through butter. The startling, original and different lyric is supported by a bopping, pop-inflected production awash in electric guitar work and stacked, soft, wafting harmony vocals.

BOMSHEL/Fight Like A Girl
Writer: Kelley Shepard/Kristy Osmunson/Bob Regan; Producer: Chuck Howard; Publisher: Getting Grown/KupKake/Osmunson/Green Hills/Big Loud Bucks/Travelers Ridge/Regan, BMI/ASCAP; Curb
—It’s a stately-sounding, empowering-female ballad with plenty of audio oomph and a terrific lead vocal performance. Recommended without reservation.

Clarkson Single Rockets To No. 1

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Starstruck Entertainment President, and Kelly Clarkson manager Narvel Blackstock (Reba, Blake Shelton), must be feeling good about his client’s new single, “My Life Would Suck Without You.” Clarkson’s track rocketed from No. 97 last week on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart all the way to the top—No. 1. This massive gain sets a record for the largest leap to No. 1 in the chart’s 50-year history. (The previous record was set by Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” which moved from No. 96 to No. 1.)

Clarkson’s single also topped the Digital Tracks chart selling 279,605 downloads it its first week. The American Idol alum’s CD, All I Ever Wanted (19 Recordings/RCA) is set to debut March 10.