Buddy Jewell Inducted Into Arkansas Walk Of Fame

Buddy Jewell was inducted into the Arkansas Walk of Fame on May 26 along with five other recipients, joining roughly 100 influential names in the fields of civil rights, wrestling, aviation, kickboxing and country music on the Walk of Fame. The Lepanto, Arkansas native was honored at the walk at 629 Central Ave followed by a free concert in the Bridge Street Entertainment District featuring Jewell as the headlining act.

“Buddy Jewell is a prime example for all Arkansans and others that with grit and determination you can achieve your dreams and goals at any age. Buddy has never lost his Arkansas values and continues to give back with his work for St. Jude, the USO and many other worthy causes,” stated Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison. “Buddy Jewell makes Arkansas proud and we are very proud as well to have him in the Walk of Fame.”

 

Lee Greenwood Signs With Action Entertainment Collaborative

Lee Greenwood has signed with Action Entertainment Collaborative, with Charles Ray and Nick Meinema serving as the his agents.

“Charles and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with this amazing singer, American treasure and patriot as he plots his final years of touring,” says Meinema.

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of Lee Greenwood’s patriotic song, “God Bless The USA.” Greenwood penned the song in 1983 and it was released by MCA Nashville in 1984, becoming a mainstay year after year at every patriotic holiday party, fireworks display celebration and military retirement. As part of the 40th-anniversary celebration, Greenwood will be touring throughout North America with several key event announcements coming soon.

 

T. Graham Brown Signs With Third Coast Talent

T. Graham Brown has inked an exclusive booking deal with Third Coast Talent. Known for his soulful voice and stage presence, Brown has been performing hits “Darlene,” “Hell and High Water,” “I Tell It Like It Used To Be,” “Don’t Go To Strangers” and “Wine Into Water” for decades.

“Third Coast Talent is thrilled to be the exclusive booking agency for ‘His T-Ness’. We have known and worked with T. Graham Brown for years, but have not had the opportunity to work with him exclusively. We are huge fans and admirers of his incredible soulful vocal stylings, his chart-topping songs, and endearing stage presence. We look forward to a bright future together,” says Carrie Moore-Reed and Debbie Moore of Third Coast Talent.

Ava Hundley Joins PLA Media

Ava Hundley has joined PLA Media as a Publicity and Social Media Coordinator, assisting in the management of all social media and publicity initiatives for current and future clients. Since January 2023, Hundley shadowed PLA’s senior team part time as a PR assistant before ascending to her current role.

“Ava immediately impressed me with her maturity, outgoing personality, intelligence and quick ability to pick up and run with a project,” says PLA President, Pamela L. Lewis FRSA. “She has proven to be a good team player who is ready to learn and contribute. Welcome aboard young lady!”

 

Blackhawk and The Outlaws Donate $75,000 To MusiCares & Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Chapter 671

In my opinion, Music City’s greatest annual fiesta is the Grammy Block Party.

It certainly felt that way on Wednesday evening (May 31) at Ole Smoky Distillery. This event is staged every year by the Nashville chapter of the Recording Academy and has evolved into an essential calendar item for the music-biz community. If you work in this industry and you are not a member of the Recording Academy, you should be, if only to be invited to attend this awesome bash.

“I became a member last year, and I’m very proud of it,” said Breland.

He was one of the stellar performers at the party. Get this: The gig began with the Tennessee State University Band strutting across the street and onto the party plaza with the panache and pride of the Grammy winners they are. Once on stage, they did a jam presentation alternating rhythm-section romps with melodic brass interludes. It was youthful and electrifying.

Christian singer/keyboardist Blessing Offor offered a set that included the Bill Withers classic “Grandma’s Hands” and his “Real Magic” tune that’s become a national Coca-Cola commercial. The blind native Nigerian more than proved he’s a worthy member of the Nashville music community with his brilliant showcase.

Wendy Moten, who hosted, also presented a dynamic vocal session. It included the slinky groove of the inspiring “Don’t Give Up” as well as her spine-tingling arrangement of “You’re All I Need to Get By.” She reminded the crowd that she’d competed with the song on TV’s The Voice. The veteran R&B vocalist went on the talent competition in order to remain active during the COVID pandemic and became a crowd-favorite finalist.

The musically eclectic Breland did “Cross Country,” which he said describes his musical style. He danced nimbly across the stage as he presented everything from his current single “For What It’s Worth” to the gospel song “Praise the Lord.” He is presently on tour with Shania Twain, so you’ll be able to catch him at GEODIS Park when she headlines the venue’s opening concert next Wednesday (June 7). Breland’s energy got the crowd on its feet and dancing.

The superstar stardust of the event was sprinkled by Brothers Osborne. The multiple country award winning band features one of modern music’s most charismatic and gifted frontmen T.J. Osborne alongside his equally-gifted, guitar-slinger brother John Osborne, a class instrumentalist and now an amazing record producer for Ashley McBryde.

You will notice that those artists performing at the bash reflected diverse styles and social groups. This is one of the things I love most about the Nashville chapter of the Recording Academy. The crowd was also racially diverse. Which shows how effective the chapter has been in representing the many artists who live and record here. Yes, we are country and (usually) proud of it, but Nashville is a crib for many other genres. One of the things I liked about this event’s 22nd staging is that it has become more diverse and welcoming. Did I mention that the finale was scheduled to be a grand salute to hip-hop with Daisha McBride, Chuck iNDigo and Tim Gent?

In between the performers, DJ Megan Coleman grooved non-stop spinning choice tunes. Grooving along were Emily Peacock, Becky Parsons, Natalie McDonald, Pam Lewis, Steve Dorff, Leslie DiPiero and chapter executive director Alicia Warwick.

We were greeted on entering by Mike Kepler, a born fabulon if I’ve ever met one. After schmoozing the TSU band members in the the Mexi-food buffet line, we loved on the gig’s terrific publicist Ronna Rubin.

Then the proverbial floodgates opened — Nancy Shapiro, Ed Rode, Sherry Bond, Earle Simmons, Becky Hobbs, Bonita Hill, Ruby Amanfu, Dan Hill, Debbie Carroll, Neil Spielberg, Tracy Gershon, Beverly Keel, Jennifer Hanson, Jenny Tolman & Dave Brainard, Courtney White, Dan Daley, Mason Hunter, Tom Long, Laura Crawford, Ashley Ernst, Ben Fowler, Lyn Aurelius, Phil Thornton and a multitude of other fabulons worked the room. If you weren’t there, you should have been.

The 23rd Annual Truist Hot Dog Day will be held Thursday, June 8, from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Truist Bank on Music Row.

The event will include live entertainment provided by songwriters from Combustion Music, Ern’s Cadillac Music and Big Yellow Dog Music.

Truist will provide hot dogs, chips, cold drinks and ice cream to all attendees.

Big Machine Music (BMM) has extended its long-term, exclusive co-publishing agreements with chart-topping songwriters Laura Veltz, Jessie Jo Dillon and Maddie & Tae. The company is also celebrating its 11th anniversary.

“We’re ecstatic to celebrate 11 years of Big Machine Music with the continuation of our partnerships with Laura Veltz, Jessie Jo Dillon and Maddie & Tae,” says BMM’s General Manager, Mike Molinar. “We feel privileged to enjoy commercially successful and personal relationships with all four of these uniquely gifted songwriting talents. Their trust in us is truly a validation of our long-term vision and approach.”

Veltz, Billboard‘s 2022 Songwriter of the Year, has been with BMM for a decade. Since signing her deal in 2013, she has penned songs for Demi Lovato, Maren Morris, Idina Menzel, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Kelly Clarkson, Monsta X, Kane Brown and more. Veltz has garnered four Grammy nominations, and was included in the Recording Academy’s inaugural class of nominees for Songwriter of the Year earlier this year. She took home both the 2020 ACM and CMA Awards for Song of the Year as well as the 2021 BMI Pop Song of the Year, for Morris’ chart-topping smash “‘The Bones.”

Dillon first signed to BMM in 2016. She co-wrote Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber’s global, crossover smash “10,000 Hours” as well as Cole Swindell’s Grammy-nominated No. 1 “Break Up in The End,” which earned her an ACM Awards Song of the Year nomination and NSAI Song of the Year. She is currently celebrating the rise of several tunes, including Old Dominion’s top 10-and-rising single “Memory Lane,” Catie Offerman’s debut single “I Just Killed A Man” and Megan Moroney’s critically-acclaimed “Girl in The Mirror.”

Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr have also been with BMM for a decade. The award-winning duo first topped the charts with their Platinum-certified debut “Girl In A Country Song.” They followed that up with top 10 Platinum “Fly” as well as Gold “Friends Don’t.” Maddie & Tae’s triple-Platinum No. 1 smash “Die From A Broken Heart” earned ASCAP Country and Pop Awards in 2022, and solidified them as the first and only female twosome to score multiple No. 1s on the Country Airplay chart.