Photo: Jill Trunnell
Kenny Chesney will launch his “I Go Back Tour” in March, taking him back to the places that started it all for the superstar. Kelsea Ballerini will join Chesney as special guest on the new tour.
Kicking off in State College, Pennsylvania on March 25, the 21-date tour will criss-cross the country with stops Chesney played on the climb to superstardom, including Lexington, Kentucky, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Lincoln, Nebraska and Oklahoma City, as well as headlining the Hy-Vee Indy Race in Des Moines and Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Having played to over 1.3 million fans on 2022’s “Here And Now Tour,” including breaking his personal best at many of the 21 NFL stadium shows, Chesney wanted to take his music to the people who live beyond the major markets on the new tour.
“When a year is as hot and alive as 2022 was,” Chesney explains, “you don’t want to try to recapture that magic. Or maybe it’s me. I still have the sounds of diesel engines and No Shoes Nation in my head—and that made me ask, ‘What else could I do? What would be something that would put me every bit as much in the music and give No Shoes Nation another reason to believe? How can we reach those people who might not come to stadium shows, who live a little off the obvious path, but who love this music every bit as much…
“And that’s when it hit me: ‘I Go Back.’ That song is about holding all those things that shaped you very close, recognizing how special they are—and keeping them alive any way you can. So, I decided that rather than just go repeat what we did, I wanted to take this band and these songs to a lot of the cities we played on our way up! Let’s call the tour ‘I Go Back’—and do just that.”
The tour continues a working relationship between Chesney and Ballerini that started with Ballerini’s ode to her east Tennessee roots, “Half Of My Hometown,” which features Chesney.
“Music has taken me so many incredible places,” Ballerini says. “Around the world, singing with some of my heroes in pop, alternative and contemporary music, but singing with Kenny is going home. He was the only voice I heard on ‘Half Of My Hometown,’ and when he comes in, it’s just like hitting the Knoxville city limits. So to be able to go out to those cities like the place he and I grew up with an artist who’s accomplished what he has, it’s a lot like going home.”
American Express Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning Wednesday, Nov. 23 – Dec. 1. General on-sale begins Dec. 2 at KennyChesney.com.
Kenny Chesney “I Go Back Tour” Dates:
March 25 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center
March 30 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
April 1 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
April 6 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
April 8 – Wilkes-Barre Township, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
April 12 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC
April 14 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place Amphitheater
April 16 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Tortuga*
April 25 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
April 27 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
April 29 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
May 4 – Moline, IL – Vibrant Arena at The Mark
May 6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
May 9 – Grand Forks, ND – The Alerus Center
May 11 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 13 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 18 – Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
May 20 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center
May 25 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium
May 27 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf
July 22 – Des Moines, IA – Hy-Vee Indy Race*
*previously announced
Justin Moore Plots ‘You, Me, & Whiskey Tour’ Dates With Priscilla Block
/by Lorie HollabaughJustin Moore has announced nine new tour dates with Priscilla Block on the “You, Me And Whiskey Tour.”
The shows will cross the southeast and midwest next February and April, visiting Sioux City, Birmingham, Shreveport, and more. Tickets for the new dates are on sale now.
Additional dates and plans for new music will be announced soon.
Moore’s latest single with Block, “You, Me, & Whiskey” penned by Jessi Alexander, Brock Berryhill and Cole Taylor, is currently making its way up the charts.
SESAC Elevates JD Connell & Jonathan Farmer
/by Lydia FarthingJD Connell and Jonathan Farmer.
SESAC has announced a pair of new promotions. JD Connell has been elevated to SVP, Media Licensing and Jonathan Farmer has risen to SVP, Licensing Operations.
Connell will be responsible for leading SESAC’s high-level performance license negotiations with the Broadcast and Digital media industries.
Farmer will oversee the operations and sales efforts of General Licensing, Broadcast and General Licensing Administration, Customer Service, and Collections.
In their expanded roles, both Connell and Farmer will continue to report to Scott Jungmichel, President and COO of SESAC Performing Rights.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to expand both JD and Jonathan’s responsibilities at SESAC,” notes Jungmichel. “Both JD and Jonathan have been instrumental in driving value to our affiliates and the organization, and have demonstrated leadership in the rights management space. I have had the pleasure of working with them for over fifteen years at the company and congratulate them on their well-deserved promotions.”
Stagecoach Festival Announces Lineup For The Palomino Stage
/by Liza AndersonPhoto: Courtesy of The Oriel Co.
Stagecoach, California’s country music festival, has announced the official lineup for the Palomino Stage. The festival will take place April 28 – 30 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Tyler Childers will return to the Palomino Stage after first performing at Stagecoach in 2018. Musical acts including Ian Munsick,Turnpike Troubadours, Keb’ Mo’, Valerie June, Sierra Ferrell, Jaime Wyatt, Sammy Kershaw, and more will also hit the famous stage.
Past Palomino performers include Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, George Jones, John Prine, Jerry Lee Lewis, Smokey Robinson, Emmylou Harris, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, Charley Pride, Tom Jones and Dwight Yoakam as well as Sturgill Simpson, Cody Jinks, Zach Bryan, Cody Johnson, Colter Wall, Charley Crockett, Margo Price, and more.
The Palomino Stage artists will be part of the country music-filled weekend featuring previously-announced headliners Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, and Chris Stapleton.
For more information, click here.
The Palomino Stage Lineup:
Friday, April 28
Saturday, April 29
Sunday, April 30
Track45 Inks With UTA
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Missi Gallimore (Truth Management), Christian Barker (Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP), Bryan Vastano (UTA), Ben Johnson (Track45), KK Johnson (Track45), Jenna Johnson (Track45), Lance Roberts (UTA), Josh Garrett (UTA), Breanna Sill (Truth Management)
Rising country trio Track45 has signed with United Talent Agency for booking.
The trio—siblings Jenna, Ben and KK Johnson—will be working with UTA booking agent Lance Roberts day-to-day.
Track45 signed to BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek Records in August of 2020 and is managed by T.R.U.T.H. Management’s Missi Gallimore. The band recently released its own version of “Family,” a song written by the three that was made famous last year when it was recorded by David Guetta featuring Bebe Rexha, Ty Dolla $ign, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
Members of the group have penned songs for Justin Timberlake, Charlie Puth, Dierks Bentley, Weezer, Lee Brice, Hardy, Lauren Alaina and others. Track45’s Ben Johnson was also recently honored for five songs at the 2022 BMI Country Awards. The band is set to announce new music in the coming months.
“I have been wanting to work with these guys for a couple of years now,” says UTA’s Roberts. “Very excited that we are finally doing it and excited for what the future holds for them with help from our team at UTA.”
“We are all about family, and are so excited to add to ours by partnering with UTA,” says Track45. “We are extremely thankful for their belief in us and excited to see what the future holds!”
Zach Bryan Continues His Run At No. 1 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by Lydia FarthingZach Bryan. Photo: Courtesy of Shore Fire Media
The top 10 stays the same this week on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
At its peak, you can find Zach Bryan for the ninth week in a row. He has four tracks on the chart, all of which are his own, including “Something In The Orange,” “Oklahoma Smokeshow,” the newly added “Sun To Me” and “Burn, Burn, Burn.” Because he is the only writer on each of the songs, Bryan earns all of the points earned from airplay, digital download track sales and streams on the Songwriter Chart.
Filling out the remainder of the top five are Ashley Gorley (No. 2), Morgan Wallen (No. 3), Ernest Keith Smith (No. 4) and Luke Combs (No. 5).
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Kenny Chesney Returns To Markets That Launched Him On New ‘I Go Back Tour’
/by Lorie HollabaughPhoto: Jill Trunnell
Kenny Chesney will launch his “I Go Back Tour” in March, taking him back to the places that started it all for the superstar. Kelsea Ballerini will join Chesney as special guest on the new tour.
Kicking off in State College, Pennsylvania on March 25, the 21-date tour will criss-cross the country with stops Chesney played on the climb to superstardom, including Lexington, Kentucky, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Lincoln, Nebraska and Oklahoma City, as well as headlining the Hy-Vee Indy Race in Des Moines and Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Having played to over 1.3 million fans on 2022’s “Here And Now Tour,” including breaking his personal best at many of the 21 NFL stadium shows, Chesney wanted to take his music to the people who live beyond the major markets on the new tour.
“When a year is as hot and alive as 2022 was,” Chesney explains, “you don’t want to try to recapture that magic. Or maybe it’s me. I still have the sounds of diesel engines and No Shoes Nation in my head—and that made me ask, ‘What else could I do? What would be something that would put me every bit as much in the music and give No Shoes Nation another reason to believe? How can we reach those people who might not come to stadium shows, who live a little off the obvious path, but who love this music every bit as much…
“And that’s when it hit me: ‘I Go Back.’ That song is about holding all those things that shaped you very close, recognizing how special they are—and keeping them alive any way you can. So, I decided that rather than just go repeat what we did, I wanted to take this band and these songs to a lot of the cities we played on our way up! Let’s call the tour ‘I Go Back’—and do just that.”
The tour continues a working relationship between Chesney and Ballerini that started with Ballerini’s ode to her east Tennessee roots, “Half Of My Hometown,” which features Chesney.
“Music has taken me so many incredible places,” Ballerini says. “Around the world, singing with some of my heroes in pop, alternative and contemporary music, but singing with Kenny is going home. He was the only voice I heard on ‘Half Of My Hometown,’ and when he comes in, it’s just like hitting the Knoxville city limits. So to be able to go out to those cities like the place he and I grew up with an artist who’s accomplished what he has, it’s a lot like going home.”
American Express Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning Wednesday, Nov. 23 – Dec. 1. General on-sale begins Dec. 2 at KennyChesney.com.
Kenny Chesney “I Go Back Tour” Dates:
March 25 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center
March 30 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
April 1 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
April 6 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
April 8 – Wilkes-Barre Township, PA – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
April 12 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC
April 14 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place Amphitheater
April 16 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Tortuga*
April 25 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
April 27 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
April 29 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
May 4 – Moline, IL – Vibrant Arena at The Mark
May 6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
May 9 – Grand Forks, ND – The Alerus Center
May 11 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
May 13 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 18 – Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
May 20 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center
May 25 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium
May 27 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf
July 22 – Des Moines, IA – Hy-Vee Indy Race*
*previously announced
Q Prime South Inks Management Deal With Paul Cauthen
/by Lydia FarthingPaul Cauthen
Q Prime South has added Texas-bred singer-songwriter Paul Cauthen to its management roster.
Cauthen was raised in a musical family, as his paternal grandfather went to school with Hank Williams and his maternal grandpa, who worked with Buddy Holly and the Crickets, introduced Cauthen to singing. His grandmother taught him to play piano, while his grandfather and great uncle were the song leader and preacher, respectively, of the local Christian Church of Christ.
Cauthen started his musical career with the duo Sons of Fathers. In 2016, he released his debut solo album, My Gospel, which made Rolling Stone‘s list of Top 40 Country Records of 2016. He has since released three albums and an EP as a solo artist.
His most recent project, Country Coming Down, was released in April 2022, and was the No. 2 album on iTunes’ Top Country Albums Chart. He has garnered over 110 million career streams, including over 13 million album streams. He is currently working on new music, and will be on tour throughout December and into early 2023. For a full list of dates, click here.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Paul to the family,” says John Peets, Q Prime South’s founder. “He is an artist with a strong vision—he is a great addition to our Q Prime South roster.”
“It feels good to finally have found a home with Q Prime South,” Cauthen adds. “Stoked about the future and excited to get to work.”
In addition to Cauthen, Q Prime South’s roster includes Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Brandon Ratcliff, Marty Stuart and Dee White.
CMHOF Honors Kay West At 14th Annual Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R, back row): Lisa Purcell, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; Michael McCall, Senior Museum Writer-Editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; Nancy Shapiro; Denise Stiff; Kyle Young, CEO at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; (L-R, front row): Bebe Evans, Kay West and Bonnie Garne. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum recognized writer and music industry veteran Kay West on Wednesday night (Nov. 16) at its 14th annual Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum in the museum’s Ford Theater.
West discussed her 40 years in media in Nashville and on Music Row during an in-depth interview with the museum’s Michael McCall.
Michael McCall, Senior Museum Writer-Editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum & Kay West. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
As a journalist, she has been a regular contributor to People and TV Guide magazines and a staff writer at the daily Nashville Banner and weekly Nashville Scene newspapers. Her books include How to Raise a Lady and How to Raise a Gentleman, and the cookbook Around the Opry Table.
She has held positions as media director at MCA and RCA, and has served as an independent publicist for Patty Loveless, Alan Jackson, and George Strait.
She has also volunteered her time in support of political causes and charitable organizations, including Women for Tennessee’s Future, Nashville CARES, Magdalene/Thistle Farms and more.
The Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum was first presented in 2007. Past honorees include Kay Clary, Bebe Evans, Bonnie Garner, Dixie Hall, Cindy Mabe, Mary Martin, Bev Paul, Nancy Shapiro, Denise Stiff, Liz Thiels, Traci Thomas, Sarah Trahern, Marcie Allen Van Mol and Jo Walker-Meador.
The program was filmed and will be available to stream on the museum’s website next year.
CRS Opens $249 Day Pass Rate For 2023, Announces Digital Music Summit Speakers
/by Lorie HollabaughDay passes for CRS 2023 are available now for purchase. The CRS Digital Music Summit, which kicks off the three-day event, is returning as well on March 13.
Tim Foisset of Warner Music Nashville will lead the three-person agenda team for the Digital Music Summit, which also includes Emily Cohen Belote of Amazon and Beville Dunkerly of Pandora. Foisset succeeds UMG Nashville’s Annie Ortmeier in that role.
In 2021, CRS expanded its three-day education curriculum to include an exclusive one-day track focusing on streaming and digital education initiatives. The content planned for the 2023 event will also include the metaverse, web3, NFTs, and emerging next-gen platforms. The Summit is included in full registration packages and also available when purchasing a day pass.
“It’s been an incredible experience to see the lineup for 2023 come together,” Foisset comments. “Our Digital Music & Tech Summit team challenged ourselves to ensure that this year’s Summit reflects the continuously evolving landscape of our digital music business. The talented experts in every session are pushing the boundaries of our industry, bringing new perspectives and ideas that will carry us into the future. We’re proud to present a conference day you won’t want to miss.”
Confirmed speakers for CRS 2023 Digital Music Summit include Cohen Belote (Amazon Music), Zach Blair (VNUE), Cameo Carlson (M Theory Nashville), Robert Carlton (SmackSongs), Johnny Chiang (Pandora), Jade Driver (Crowd Surf), Foisset (Warner Music Nashville), Debra Herman (Apple Music), Sean Peace (SongVest), Noah Itman (Digital Music News), Lucia Kaminsky (Sandbox), Katie McCartney (Monument Records), Chris McMurtry (Pex), Doug Phillips (Q-Prime Nashville), Rahul Sabnisis (iHeartMedia), Clark Mims Tedesco (Warner Music Nashville), and Rachel Whitney (Spotify).
In addition to targeted educational sessions, the one-day Summit will include a digital networking breakfast, the Warner Music Nashville kickoff luncheon, an interactive conversation with Garth Brooks, the Amazon Country Heat showcase, and the third annual Paddle Royale ping-pong tournament.
CRS Day passes are priced at $249 per day and are available here.
Riser House Entertainment Promotes Megan Schultz
/by LB CantrellMegan Schultz. Photo: Shannon Bradley
Riser House Entertainment’s Megan Schultz has been elevated to Label Manager.
Schultz has been with the company for five years, helping to oversee the careers of artists including Dillon Carmichael and Meghan Patrick. She was also involved in the launch of Riser House Records, marking the start of Mitchell Tenpenny and Riser House’s joint venture with Sony Music Nashville.
In her new role, Schultz will continue to oversee and plan all label operations and scheduling for Riser House Records’ artists including Carmichael and Patrick, along with label services clients Jordana Bryant, Drew Baldridge, and more to be announced in 2023.
“Megan has proven her management and leadership skills in spades,” says Riser House Entertainment President and Co-founder Jennifer Johnson. “She’s an achiever and a champion. She is passionate about her team and our artists. Having been here since the beginning of Riser House, Megan has a clear vision and path for our future growth and success.”
“I am incredibly proud of what we have built at Riser House over the past five years,” Schultz adds. “Riser House is a place filled with an exceptional team of hardworking employees and uniquely talented artists. I am thankful to continue to grow with Riser House and am looking forward to all of the amazing things in store for the future.”
Reach Schultz at megan.schultz@riserhouse.com.