Rob Hendon in his studio
The “My Music Row Story” weekly column features notable members of the Nashville music industry selected by the MusicRow editorial team. These individuals serve in key roles that help advance and promote the success of our industry. This column spotlights the invaluable people that keep the wheels rolling and the music playing.
Rob Hendon is a Nashville-based artist whose work hangs all over Music City and beyond.
He started his career in the music business at Capitol Records, and held several executive positions within the Nashville music industry. Having painted off and on since childhood, Hendon returned to painting after a lapse of several years. Through his use of vivid color and extraordinary texture, he quickly garnered the attention of Nashville art lovers. Initially painting beautiful flowers in vases and fields, Hendon found much success and notoriety when he chose guitars as his muse.
Hendon’s name is synonymous with guitars in the art world. His guitar art can be seen in lobbies and conference rooms at companies such as Bridgestone Arena, Warner Brothers Records, Warner Brothers Studios Nashville, Sony Records, Sony Music Publishing, Oceanway Studios, Big Machine Records, BMI Nashville, BMI New York, SESAC, and more. He painted the artwork for Luke Combs‘ What You See Is What You Get album, as well as the artwork for the framed SESAC award.
Rob Hendon, Charlie Daniels
MusicRow: Where did you grow up?
North Canton, Ohio. I moved here to go to Lipscomb in ’85. By ’87 I was interning at MCA records. I interned for two years at MCA and Universal Records. I was interning for Jimmy Bowen and James Stroud. Bowen took over Capitol about the week that I graduated from college and I ended up with a full-time A&R job.
What did you do?
I was the tape guy. Then I got to start listening for songs. I went out every night, I loved seeing music. I’m a guitar collector and fanatic, as well as a music fanatic, so the whole thing was right up my alley. My parents weren’t quite sure with my career choice—they may not be still. (Laughs)
What was next?
I had a great run with Bowen and got to be really good friends with James Stroud, too. When I was kicked out of Capitol, which ended up happening to most people, I found Stroud within about a half hour of getting fired. He had left and started Giant Records and he said, “Do you know anything about music publishing?” I said, “I know great publishers and I know great songwriters.” He said, “Let’s start a publishing division of Giant Records.” We started Giant Publishing and signed a couple writers like Daryle Singletary and Tim Johnson. We had success.
Rob Hendon, Garth Brooks
How did you start painting?
I’ve always had the bug for music. When we had our son, I didn’t want to go out as much. The jobs I was getting offered weren’t nearly as fun as some of the others. I had started painting out of stress and frustration from the business changing and me being a little older. I literally just started painting in the middle of the night one night. I was driving my wife crazy because I couldn’t sleep well for a couple of years. I’m a worker, I just love working, and business was happening slower. The singles were going up the charts slower and we were going through a whole thing. I was losing my mind. So I did flower paintings for a couple of years. I gave some away, then I started selling paintings and working with a couple galleries.
You’ve become known for your iconic guitar paintings. What inspired that?
I had a bunch of my guitars set up in my studio. I was experimenting with these varnishes and my Les Paul was sitting there. I realized the varnish looked like a guitar varnish. It was the middle of the night and I did one guitar. Now I’ve done thousands of guitars.
It’s really been cool to be in all the lobbies, conference rooms and studios.
Rob Hendon at Bridgestone Arena
You and Brad Paisley painted a mural in Bridgestone Arena together.
I say I discovered Brad as a painter. We were at a charity thing and Brad and I were standing at the back. I had presented a painting for the charity. After I presented it and came back to the back, Brad said, “What are you doing tomorrow? It’s going to be 72 and sunny. I’ve been saving this wall for you by my home studio.” The next day, I loaded up my old Escalade and went over there. We were looking at the wall with Brad, Kim and the boys. He had done this giant T-Rex on the wall with spray paint. I decided to add the guitar so the T-Rex was chomping at the guitar because it wanted a Tele. (Laughs) Brad started helping me. He was so good.
Bridgestone had been asking me to come down and do a wall. I’d been down there twice, looking at walls and talking about it, but I’m not really a spray paint artist. That night after Brad and I painted [the wall in his house], I emailed the Bridgestone guys and said, “I’ve got an idea. How about Brad and I do it?” I showed him the picture of the painting we did. We scheduled it when he could go down there. It was the greatest day. We must have painted for about five or six hours. And that thing has become a classic—it’s wild!
You also got to do the artwork from Luke Combs’ What You See Is What You Get album. How did you get to know him?
Luke came over here. He called me up and I remember where I was standing in the studio. I hadn’t heard of him because he was on his first single. He said, “I just had my first hit and I’ve been waiting to get your art.” I said, “That’s great! You’ll have to come to my studio sometime.” He said, “I’m actually in Green Hills right now.” He came over in five minutes. We just had this great thing. He bought something for him and something for Kappy that day.
That’s the only person I’ve ever painted. I tried to make it funky because I wanted it to be my style and not like a portrait—I can’t do that anyway. I only had about a month to do it. It’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame right now.
What is your favorite part of the process?
I’m always kind of nervous in the creation, but that’s probably what keeps me going. I want them to all be different but all have my style. But the finished product is my favorite part. Seeing it when it’s done. It used to be a little tricky for me to know when to stop. I’m sure record producers deal with that. I could tweak forever on a painting.
In January, you will celebrate 20 years of painting. You’ve done projects for people all over town, from executives to artists to Titans players. What have been some of your most exciting recognitions?
I got contacted by Les Paul. Somebody sought me out from Arizona and bought a couple pieces. They said, “Does Les know about you?” Because I was really just doing Les Paul’s from my Les Paul guitar. They called me back the next day and said, “He wants you to present him a guitar and the Iridium Jazz Club where he plays on Monday nights. He’s 92, so he doesn’t go every week. You might actually go to New York and he not be there.” We went and had a great time. He did a show, then he had a long break, and then he did another show. We took the painting to him and I must have talked to him for an hour. I told him about my grandpa giving me my first real guitar, a Les Paul.
Morgan Wallen Nails MusicRow No. 1
/by MusicRow StaffMorgan Wallen returns to the top of the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart for the third time this year with “You Proof.” He previously topped the chart with “Wasted On You” and his feature on ERNEST’s “Flower Shops.”
Wallen co-wrote “You Proof” with Ashley Gorley, Ernest Keith Smith, and Ryan Vojtesak. He was recently celebrated at the 15th Annual ACM Honors where he earned the ACM Milestone Award for his unprecedented or outstanding achievement in the field of country music.
Wallen is set to headline iHeartRadio Music Festival this month and Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam in 2023.
Click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.
Kane Brown Holds Interactive Event To Celebrate ‘Different Man’ Album Release
/by Liza AndersonPictured (L-R): Neon Coast’s Martha Earls, Kane Brown, Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman and Neon Coast’s Nikki Boon. Photo: Sony Music Nashville
Music Row gathered at The Ruby yesterday afternoon (Sept. 7) to celebrate the release of country superstar Kane Brown‘s newest album Different Man.
Colored lights tinted the room and an exciting buzz filled the air as guests entered the venue. Brown’s voice blasted through the speakers while his music and lyric videos flashed across the front wall—engulfing the crowd in his talent.
Different interactive experiences filled the space, each one symbolizing a track from the upcoming album. The hit artist’s most recent single “Go Around” was represented by a 360 degree photo-op, allowing guests to stand on a platform and pose with props while a revolving camera captured their movements.
Sony Music Nashville’s Chairman and CEO Randy Goodman took the floor to welcome and thank everyone for coming. He described the process of creating Different Man, referring to Brown as a musical pioneer.
“It’s been arduous, at times, to get here, but the album speaks for itself. I’m so proud of [Brown] and the man [he] has become,” shared Goodman.
Goodman took time to acknowledge and thank all the people involved in the project. Sony Music Nashville’s VP, A&R Margaret Tomlin was next to detail Brown’s vision, noting that he maintained creative control throughout the endeavor. Tomlin stated that the presence of Brown’s wife Katelyn will be a “force” on the record, along with Blake Shelton‘s feature.
Finally, Brown took the mic to express his gratitude. He told the crowd that he is still finding his sound and growing musically. Sharing his experimentation with the anticipated album, Brown states that he knew the direction he wanted to go in when performing the record and believes the tracks are enhanced when heard live.
Different Man will release tomorrow, Sept. 9. Brown will also be back at The Ruby tomorrow to ring in the release of the album with his fans.
William Michael Morgan Inks Pub Deal With Porchlight Music
/by Lydia FarthingPictured (L-R, back row): Shannon Sanders (BMI) and Freeman Wizer (PLM); (L-R, front row): Tim Medlin (PLM), William Michael Morgan, and Anthony Smith (PLM). Photo: Grayson Green
Porchlight Music has inked a publishing deal with singer-songwriter William Michael Morgan.
Upon signing his first major-label deal at 19 years old, Morgan found himself topping the country radio charts, and ultimately landing at No. 1 on Mediabase with the Gold-certified “I Met a Girl.” He followed that with his 2016 album debut, Vinyl, which earned him a Billboard Top 5.
Throughout his career, he has also penned songs for other artists, including the recent No. 1 “Tractor Town” for Texas country artist Jake Bush. Morgan has performed on the famous Grand Ole Opry stage more than 70 times, and was featured by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as a highlighted artist in the 2017 American Currents exhibit.
Currently produced by Keith Stegall, Morgan is working on a collection of new songs that tap into a variety of musical genres, including country, blues, and soul.
DISClaimer Single Reviews: Tenille Townes Shows Her Musical Brilliance With ‘The Last Time’
/by Robert K OermannToday’s playlist is what country music would sound like in an ideal universe.
That is to say, male-female equality instead of the preposterous imbalance that exists today.
And do I need to add that the tracks by women are almost uniformly more interesting than those by men? The exceptions are Jake Owen, Willie Jones and Mitchell Tenpenny, all of whom are at the top of their game today.
But the listening session was ruled by the fairer sex with outstanding offerings by Madeline Edwards, Danielle Bradberry, Catie Offerman and our Disc of the Day winner, Tenille Townes.
GEORGIA WEBSTER / “I Hate Phone Calls”
Writers: Josh Kerr/Georgia Webster; Producers: Josh Kerr/Georgia Webster; Label: River House/Sony
–Processed teen-pop vocal with banjo plucking and electronic accompaniment. If she makes it in country music, she’ll be outta here to pop pastures in no time.
MITCHELL TENPENNY / “Good and Gone”
Writers: Mitchell Tenpenny/Zach Abend/Seth Ennis/Geoff Warburton; Producers: Mitchell Tenpenny/Jordan Schmidt; Label: Sony
–There’s not much of a melody here, but there’s something haunting about the performance. The hushed, almost whispered verses contrast with the loudly sung choruses while a nervous, stuttering rhythm track keeps double time. Intriguingly different.
TENILLE TOWNES / “The Last Time”
Writers: Ben Goldsmith/Gordie Sampson/Tenille Townes; Producers: Gordie Sampson/Pete Good; Label: Sony
–I’m very fond of this Canadian stylist. As great as her previous singles have been, this one goes all the way to brilliant. From the moment she swung into that first chorus, she had me by the throat. By the time she finished, I was completely choked up. She’s wonderfully philosophical and emotionally gripping as she unspools the message of cherishing every moment with every loved one. Perfection in each note.
DUSTIN LYNCH / “Wood on the Fire”
Writers: Dustin Lynch/Hunter Phelps/Jordan Minton/Jordan Reynolds; Producer: Zach Crowell; Label: Broken Bow
–The onrushing, guitar-crashing production effectively evokes a raging fire while he sings of a relationship that burns out of control.
MADELINE EDWARDS / “The Wolves”
Writers: Madeline Edwards/Emily Doty/Gavin Slate; Producers: Ryan Tyndell/Oscar Charles; Label: ME
–This barn-burner performance is fierce and fearless. Smoky-voiced Edwards recently introduced the stormy, bluesy number on the Grand Ole Opry. Since her debut EP release this summer, the hotshot singer-songwriter has been on a roll. She is an Apple Music Country Riser, a Spotify Hot Country Artist to Watch and a member of this year’s CMT Next Women of Country class. Plus, she just signed a pub deal with Sony.
JAKE OWEN / “Up There Down Here”
Writers: Travis Wood/Summer Ashtyn Overstreet/Zachary Robert Dyer; Producer: Joey Moi; Label: Big Loud
–Wildly clever. The lyric contrasting his bad-boy persona with her angelic goodness is packed with terrific imagery and wordplay. The twangin’ vocal performance is splendid, too. Absolutely play the heck outta this.
DANIELLE BRADBERY / “A Special Place”
Writers: Maren Morris/Shane McAnally/Jimmy Robbins/Sasha Sloan; Producers: Nathan Chapman/Derek Wells; Label: BMLG
–Feisty, frisky and fun. She’s reserved a special place for her ex, a zero-star hotel in hell. Her saucy delivery has just the right touch of snark for this witty ditty.
SHANE OWENS / “You Go Good”
Writers: Buddy Owens/Doug Johnson/Galen Griffin; Producer: none listed; Label: Amerimonte
–Charmingly southern, winningly country, innocently romantic.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD / “Pink Champagne”
Writers: Hillary Lindsey/Carrie Underwood/Ashley Gorley/David Garcia; Producers: David Garcia/Carrie Underwood; Label: Capitol
–His love gives her a bigger buzz than booze does. Bubbling, fizzy stuff that’s heavy on the thudding rhythm track.
SCOTTY McCREERY / “It Matters to Her”
Writers: Rhett Akins/Lee Thomas Miller/Scotty McCreery; Producers: Frank Rogers/Derek Wells/Aaron Eshuis/Scott Johnson; Label: Triple Tigers
–I know it is meant to sound considerate and loving, but there’s something slightly patronizing about it. As always, Scotty delivers as a country vocalist, and the production is forceful.
CATIE OFFERMAN / “Get a Dog”
Writers: Catie Offerman/Joe Clemmons/Aaron Eshuis; Producer: Dann Huff; Label: MCA Nashville
–Ultra cute. If you’re looking for unconditional love, try a canine companion instead of her. Offerman is a multi-instrumentalist who honed her craft at everything from pizza parlors to polka gigs, including a bazillion Texas honky tonks. She staged her dream-come-true Opry debut last weekend.
WILLIE JONES / “Get Low Get High”
Writers: Willie Jones/Cary Barlowe/Brandon Day; Producers: Brandon Day/Willie Jones; Label: Sony
–A definite feel-good outing. It has a sunny, sing-along quality that goes down smooth and easy. I especially liked the part where he asked the background guys to sing “Get low” and the ladies to sing “Get high.” Very enjoyable.
Tyler Childers And The Food Stamps To Release New Three-Part Album
/by Lorie HollabaughTyler Childers and The Food Stamps. Pictured (L-R): Jesse Wells, James Barker, Tyler Childers, Chase Lewis, Craig Burletic, Rod Elkins. Photo: Emma Delevante
Tyler Childers and his longtime band, The Food Stamps, are gearing up for the release of their new album, Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? on Sept. 30 on Hickman Holler Records/RCA Records. In advance of the release, two versions of “Angel Band” are out now.
Conceptualized as a three-part project, the album’s eight songs are presented in a trio of sonic perspectives in Hallelujah, Jubilee and Joyful Noise. The collection features a mix of new and traditional songs, with the Hallelujah version capturing Childers and the core band playing live in a single room over the course of two days, while the Jubilee version builds with the addition of strings, horns, background vocals and an array of instruments such as dulcimer, mbira and sitar. The Joyful Noise version will be unveiled on release day.
“I grew up Baptist and I was scared to death to go to hell,” Childers says of the new album. “A lot of that stuck with me. Filtering through that and trying to find the truth, and the beauty, and the things you should think about and expelling all that nonsense has been something I’ve spent a lot of time on. This is a collection that came together through those reflections. In a lot of ways, this is processing life experiences in the different philosophies and religions that have formed me, trying to make a comprehensive sonic example of that.
“Working with the same song three different ways is a nod to my raising, growing up in a church that believes in the Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and what that means,” he continues. “The Father being the root, the place from which everything comes from, and The Son coming to free up some of those things, allowing it to be more open and welcoming. And then you have the Holy Ghost once The Son is gone—that feeling that’s supposed to keep us sustained until we are reunited, in whatever way that looks. Message wise, I hope that people take that it doesn’t matter race, creed, religion and all of that like—the most important part is to protect your heart, cultivate that and make that something useful for the world.”
The new album is the first new music from Childers since 2020’s Grammy-nominated surprise release, Long Violent History.
Hallelujah:
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’Jubilee:
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin’
Joyful Noise:
1. Old Country Church
2. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
3. Two Coats
4. Purgatory
5. Way of the Triune God
6. Angel Band
7. Jubilee
8. Heart You Been Tendin
Chris Tomlin & Erica Campbell To Host 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards
/by Lorie HollabaughChris Tomlin & Erica Campbell
Chris Tomlin and Erica Campbell, who serves as half of the gospel duo Mary Mary, have been tapped as hosts of the upcoming 53rd Annual GMA Dove Awards to be held in Nashville on Oct. 18.
“What an honor it is to co-host this years Dove Awards alongside Erica Campbell,” shares Tomlin. “I have been fortunate enough to attend the Doves for many years and each time I am reminded of the power of a song. I have always said songs are like arrows out of a bow… you never know how far they will go, how far they will reach, and how God is going to use them. I’m so excited to have the opportunity to celebrate not only the incredible artists, but also all the writers, producers, musicians, and teams that work passionately to create something that truly has an eternal impact.”
“So honored to be a part of Christian and Gospel music‘s biggest night,” Campbell adds. “Let’s bring healing to this broken world, and encourage us all in the process to keep sharing the gospel! I’m so excited to host this year’s Dove Awards alongside Chris Tomlin. This is going to be great!”
Tomlin, a Grammy award-winner, has racked up 17 No. 1 singles, sold 12 million albums with 5.6 billion career streams, and won three Billboard Music Awards and 27 Dove Awards.
Campbell is a multi-Platinum artist, TV personality and host of the nationally syndicated radio show Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell. She is a five-time Grammy winner with 16 Stellar Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, two American Music Awards, four Soul Train Awards and 13 Dove Awards.
This year’s broadcast will air exclusively on TBN and the TBN app on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. CT, with an encore presentation on Oct. 28.
My Music Row Story: Rob Hendon
/by LB CantrellRob Hendon in his studio
Rob Hendon is a Nashville-based artist whose work hangs all over Music City and beyond.
He started his career in the music business at Capitol Records, and held several executive positions within the Nashville music industry. Having painted off and on since childhood, Hendon returned to painting after a lapse of several years. Through his use of vivid color and extraordinary texture, he quickly garnered the attention of Nashville art lovers. Initially painting beautiful flowers in vases and fields, Hendon found much success and notoriety when he chose guitars as his muse.
Hendon’s name is synonymous with guitars in the art world. His guitar art can be seen in lobbies and conference rooms at companies such as Bridgestone Arena, Warner Brothers Records, Warner Brothers Studios Nashville, Sony Records, Sony Music Publishing, Oceanway Studios, Big Machine Records, BMI Nashville, BMI New York, SESAC, and more. He painted the artwork for Luke Combs‘ What You See Is What You Get album, as well as the artwork for the framed SESAC award.
Rob Hendon, Charlie Daniels
MusicRow: Where did you grow up?
North Canton, Ohio. I moved here to go to Lipscomb in ’85. By ’87 I was interning at MCA records. I interned for two years at MCA and Universal Records. I was interning for Jimmy Bowen and James Stroud. Bowen took over Capitol about the week that I graduated from college and I ended up with a full-time A&R job.
What did you do?
I was the tape guy. Then I got to start listening for songs. I went out every night, I loved seeing music. I’m a guitar collector and fanatic, as well as a music fanatic, so the whole thing was right up my alley. My parents weren’t quite sure with my career choice—they may not be still. (Laughs)
What was next?
I had a great run with Bowen and got to be really good friends with James Stroud, too. When I was kicked out of Capitol, which ended up happening to most people, I found Stroud within about a half hour of getting fired. He had left and started Giant Records and he said, “Do you know anything about music publishing?” I said, “I know great publishers and I know great songwriters.” He said, “Let’s start a publishing division of Giant Records.” We started Giant Publishing and signed a couple writers like Daryle Singletary and Tim Johnson. We had success.
Rob Hendon, Garth Brooks
How did you start painting?
I’ve always had the bug for music. When we had our son, I didn’t want to go out as much. The jobs I was getting offered weren’t nearly as fun as some of the others. I had started painting out of stress and frustration from the business changing and me being a little older. I literally just started painting in the middle of the night one night. I was driving my wife crazy because I couldn’t sleep well for a couple of years. I’m a worker, I just love working, and business was happening slower. The singles were going up the charts slower and we were going through a whole thing. I was losing my mind. So I did flower paintings for a couple of years. I gave some away, then I started selling paintings and working with a couple galleries.
You’ve become known for your iconic guitar paintings. What inspired that?
I had a bunch of my guitars set up in my studio. I was experimenting with these varnishes and my Les Paul was sitting there. I realized the varnish looked like a guitar varnish. It was the middle of the night and I did one guitar. Now I’ve done thousands of guitars.
It’s really been cool to be in all the lobbies, conference rooms and studios.
Rob Hendon at Bridgestone Arena
You and Brad Paisley painted a mural in Bridgestone Arena together.
I say I discovered Brad as a painter. We were at a charity thing and Brad and I were standing at the back. I had presented a painting for the charity. After I presented it and came back to the back, Brad said, “What are you doing tomorrow? It’s going to be 72 and sunny. I’ve been saving this wall for you by my home studio.” The next day, I loaded up my old Escalade and went over there. We were looking at the wall with Brad, Kim and the boys. He had done this giant T-Rex on the wall with spray paint. I decided to add the guitar so the T-Rex was chomping at the guitar because it wanted a Tele. (Laughs) Brad started helping me. He was so good.
Bridgestone had been asking me to come down and do a wall. I’d been down there twice, looking at walls and talking about it, but I’m not really a spray paint artist. That night after Brad and I painted [the wall in his house], I emailed the Bridgestone guys and said, “I’ve got an idea. How about Brad and I do it?” I showed him the picture of the painting we did. We scheduled it when he could go down there. It was the greatest day. We must have painted for about five or six hours. And that thing has become a classic—it’s wild!
You also got to do the artwork from Luke Combs’ What You See Is What You Get album. How did you get to know him?
Luke came over here. He called me up and I remember where I was standing in the studio. I hadn’t heard of him because he was on his first single. He said, “I just had my first hit and I’ve been waiting to get your art.” I said, “That’s great! You’ll have to come to my studio sometime.” He said, “I’m actually in Green Hills right now.” He came over in five minutes. We just had this great thing. He bought something for him and something for Kappy that day.
That’s the only person I’ve ever painted. I tried to make it funky because I wanted it to be my style and not like a portrait—I can’t do that anyway. I only had about a month to do it. It’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame right now.
What is your favorite part of the process?
I’m always kind of nervous in the creation, but that’s probably what keeps me going. I want them to all be different but all have my style. But the finished product is my favorite part. Seeing it when it’s done. It used to be a little tricky for me to know when to stop. I’m sure record producers deal with that. I could tweak forever on a painting.
In January, you will celebrate 20 years of painting. You’ve done projects for people all over town, from executives to artists to Titans players. What have been some of your most exciting recognitions?
I got contacted by Les Paul. Somebody sought me out from Arizona and bought a couple pieces. They said, “Does Les know about you?” Because I was really just doing Les Paul’s from my Les Paul guitar. They called me back the next day and said, “He wants you to present him a guitar and the Iridium Jazz Club where he plays on Monday nights. He’s 92, so he doesn’t go every week. You might actually go to New York and he not be there.” We went and had a great time. He did a show, then he had a long break, and then he did another show. We took the painting to him and I must have talked to him for an hour. I told him about my grandpa giving me my first real guitar, a Les Paul.
Blake Shelton Debuts New Seasonal Lands’ End Collection
/by Lorie HollabaughBlake Shelton has teamed with Lands’ End to create a new fall and holiday collection.
The collection will feature men’s, women’s and kids’ apparel with stylish layers, denim, and graphic tees. It will also include pet essentials such as beds and bandanas, and home finds like faux fur throws, percale sheets and more.
“When you know what works, you stick with it,” Shelton explains. “Flannel shirt, jeans, a great jacket…when clothes are done right, it’s just easy. This is what I wear. It’s really fashion for folks who want to look good and feel comfortable, no matter where they are or what they’re doing. My collection with Lands’ End is about making clothes you’ll know are keepers the second you put them on. When you know, you know.”
“We knew that Blake values comfortable and ready-to-wear clothing–all elements that stand at the core of our design process at Lands’ End,” adds Jerome Griffith, CEO at Lands’ End. “As we eyed our next collaboration partner, Blake was a natural fit for not only our brand, but our shopper. Reliable styles that can comfortably be dressed up or down and fit every body is where Lands’ End–and this collection–strikes a chord.”
Through Sept. 1, 2023, Lands’ End will donate a portion of each purchase from the Blake Shelton x Lands’ End collection to Habitat for Humanity, a global housing organization that partners with people in communities around the world to build or improve a place they can call home.
The Blake Shelton x Lands’ End collection can be found here or a Lands’ End retail store location.
Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, More Among ‘The Judds: The Final Tour’ Lineup
/by Lorie HollabaughWynonna Judd has announced the special guests who will join her on the upcoming “The Judds: The Final Tour.”
Along with Martina McBride, who will join Judd on the road for the entirety of the tour, the Grammy winner will be accompanied by Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill on select dates.
The 11-date arena tour kicks off on Friday, Sept. 30 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and will make stops in Huntsville, Green Bay, Fort Worth, and more before concluding in Lexington at Rupp Arena on Oct. 29. Yearwood will join the festivities for a Nashville date at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 28.
“It’s hard to believe that in just three weeks we’ll be stepping onstage for our first show in Grand Rapids,” Judd notes. “I continue to find myself both grateful and humbled by the unwavering support from my fellow artists, music community, and of course, the fans. I am looking so forward to celebrating The Judds music one final time. It will be a bittersweet experience, and one that I will never forget.”
Tickets for “The Judds: The Final Tour” are available here.
CAA Signs Singer-Songwriter Wade Bowen [Exclusive]
/by Liza AndersonWade Bowen. Photo: Katie Kauss
CAA has signed country singer-songwriter Wade Bowen.
Originally from Waco, Texas, Bowen serves as a contemporary link in a Texan chain of roots-rock poets stretching back more than 50 years. Utilizing both country and rock influences, he complements his gravely vocals with an organic sound.
He has released a dozen album–including six studio sets, two live collections, a gospel album and an ongoing series of buddy-country hits with fellow Texan Randy Rogers. Along the way, he’s scored his fair share of hits, and continues to perform nearly 200 shows nationwide each year, including multiple appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
His focus remains on writing songs with a literary quality and shifting his sonic territory to match his life, as evidenced by his uplifting lead single, “Everything Has Your Memory,” from his recent album Somewhere Between The Secret And The Truth, which debuted Aug. 12 via Thirty Tigers.
Bowen is managed by Alicia Pruitt at Red Light Management. His attorney is Scott Safford at Safford/Motley PLC, his business manager is Fred Ford at FBMM Entertainment and his publicist is Ebie McFarland at Essential Broadcast Media.