Pictured (L-R): Brandon Perdue (Riser House), Lydia Schultz (SESAC), Shannon Sanders (BMI). Clay Bradley (BMI), Tom Luteran (Sony ATV), Michael Whitworth (Songwriter), David Ray Stevens (Songwriter), Jelly Roll/Jason DeFord (Artist and Songwriter), Andrew Baylis (Songwriter and Producer), Jon Loba (BBR). Photo: Steve Lowry for BMI
Earlier this week, BMI welcomed industry members, family and friends to celebrate “Dead Man Walking,” the first No. 1 for Nashville-based, multi-genre artist Jelly Roll.
The party, hosted by BMI and SESAC, celebrated Jelly Roll and co-writers Michael Whitworth, Andrew Baylis, and David Ray Stevens. “Dead Man Walking,” which spent two weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, was the first No. 1 song for all writers.
BMI’s Shannon Sanders served as emcee for the occasion. “We have a lot of No. 1 celebrations, but because this one is home grown, it hits different,” he said to an excited crowd.
“I’m excited for our four songwriters today,” Sanders said. “I’m so proud of these guys. You talk about a real Nashville come-up story… These guys have been doing this for a long time.”
Pictured (L-R): Michael Whitworth, David Ray Stevens, Jelly Roll/Jason DeFord, and Andrew Baylis. Photo: Steve Lowry for BMI
The celebration was jovial, and included many tequila shots from the stage.
SESAC’s Lydia Cahill was on hand to speak about co-writer Whitworth, who was one of her very first signings. “Your humility, drive and passion is going to keep us celebrating these songs for many years to come,” she said.
Sanders let the crowd know that three of the four writers owned their own publishing, so they wouldn’t have publishers speaking about them. Whitworth, however, is signed to Riser House, so the company’s Brandon Perdue was there to support him.
Jelly Roll’s label head, BBR’s Jon Loba, said a few words about his multi-genre artist.
“I can talk about Jelly Roll—Jason DeFord—for days, weeks and months,” he said. “From the minute that Adrian Michaels introduced us, I fell in man-love with Jelly Roll. First, by listening to his art, then by getting to know his heart. He’s got both in spades.
“No. 1 records are rare, as you know. We plan to have more, but savor this. Soak it in,” Loba added. “It’s even more special that you get to do it in your hometown and help further establish Nashville as not just country music, but the epicenter of North American music.”
When the songwriters spoke, they talked about writing rock music in a town known for country music, and how being in Jelly Roll’s circle had changed their careers.
“The cool thing about Jelly Roll is he’s changing lives with his songs. He changed my life,” said co-writer and producer Baylis. “I grew up in a small town. Having dreams like this is crazy, but I hope that when people look at someone like me, instead of being put down all the time, I hope they feel like they can do it.”
Stevens talked about his long-time friendship with Jelly Roll and the full-circle moment of celebrating a No. 1 in Nashville. “I’ve known you for 20 years,” he said. “To be born and raised here, it’s surreal to be up here. I was just mesmerized by the Music Row banners growing up. I always thought we would be here—it’s just something about your character.”
Whitworth told the story of the night “Dead Man Walking” was written at Sound Emporium at 3 a.m.
“A rock No. 1 on Music Row!” Whitworth said. “Thank you BMI and SESAC for celebrating something outside of country. I love country, it has my soul, but damn, music is music. This is awesome.”
When it came time for Jelly Roll to speak, he made sure to thank everyone in the room. He made sure to give a shout out to Michaels, who he refers to as “Meatball,” for recognizing his talent and helping him assemble a team around him.
“Meatball is also responsible for introducing me to a man that completely changed my life, narrative and direction of everything I thought I was going to do. His name is Jon Loba,” Jelly Roll said. “He showed me something I didn’t think was possible. He showed me how I could continue to be myself but we could take this to a mainstream platform and figure out how to spread this message across America without compromising the integrity of the nuances of art and the freedom or artistic expression.”
The crowd said amen.
Jelly Roll closed with a word of thanks to his co-writers. “The coolest part of this story is that four dudes who never had a No. 1 wrote a song, blackout drunk and on nefarious drugs, at 3 a.m. and the record went on to be a No. 1 at radio.”
Industry Celebrates First No. 1 For Multi-Genre Nashville Native Jelly Roll
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R): Brandon Perdue (Riser House), Lydia Schultz (SESAC), Shannon Sanders (BMI). Clay Bradley (BMI), Tom Luteran (Sony ATV), Michael Whitworth (Songwriter), David Ray Stevens (Songwriter), Jelly Roll/Jason DeFord (Artist and Songwriter), Andrew Baylis (Songwriter and Producer), Jon Loba (BBR). Photo: Steve Lowry for BMI
Earlier this week, BMI welcomed industry members, family and friends to celebrate “Dead Man Walking,” the first No. 1 for Nashville-based, multi-genre artist Jelly Roll.
The party, hosted by BMI and SESAC, celebrated Jelly Roll and co-writers Michael Whitworth, Andrew Baylis, and David Ray Stevens. “Dead Man Walking,” which spent two weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, was the first No. 1 song for all writers.
BMI’s Shannon Sanders served as emcee for the occasion. “We have a lot of No. 1 celebrations, but because this one is home grown, it hits different,” he said to an excited crowd.
“I’m excited for our four songwriters today,” Sanders said. “I’m so proud of these guys. You talk about a real Nashville come-up story… These guys have been doing this for a long time.”
Pictured (L-R): Michael Whitworth, David Ray Stevens, Jelly Roll/Jason DeFord, and Andrew Baylis. Photo: Steve Lowry for BMI
The celebration was jovial, and included many tequila shots from the stage.
SESAC’s Lydia Cahill was on hand to speak about co-writer Whitworth, who was one of her very first signings. “Your humility, drive and passion is going to keep us celebrating these songs for many years to come,” she said.
Sanders let the crowd know that three of the four writers owned their own publishing, so they wouldn’t have publishers speaking about them. Whitworth, however, is signed to Riser House, so the company’s Brandon Perdue was there to support him.
Jelly Roll’s label head, BBR’s Jon Loba, said a few words about his multi-genre artist.
“I can talk about Jelly Roll—Jason DeFord—for days, weeks and months,” he said. “From the minute that Adrian Michaels introduced us, I fell in man-love with Jelly Roll. First, by listening to his art, then by getting to know his heart. He’s got both in spades.
“No. 1 records are rare, as you know. We plan to have more, but savor this. Soak it in,” Loba added. “It’s even more special that you get to do it in your hometown and help further establish Nashville as not just country music, but the epicenter of North American music.”
When the songwriters spoke, they talked about writing rock music in a town known for country music, and how being in Jelly Roll’s circle had changed their careers.
“The cool thing about Jelly Roll is he’s changing lives with his songs. He changed my life,” said co-writer and producer Baylis. “I grew up in a small town. Having dreams like this is crazy, but I hope that when people look at someone like me, instead of being put down all the time, I hope they feel like they can do it.”
Stevens talked about his long-time friendship with Jelly Roll and the full-circle moment of celebrating a No. 1 in Nashville. “I’ve known you for 20 years,” he said. “To be born and raised here, it’s surreal to be up here. I was just mesmerized by the Music Row banners growing up. I always thought we would be here—it’s just something about your character.”
Whitworth told the story of the night “Dead Man Walking” was written at Sound Emporium at 3 a.m.
“A rock No. 1 on Music Row!” Whitworth said. “Thank you BMI and SESAC for celebrating something outside of country. I love country, it has my soul, but damn, music is music. This is awesome.”
When it came time for Jelly Roll to speak, he made sure to thank everyone in the room. He made sure to give a shout out to Michaels, who he refers to as “Meatball,” for recognizing his talent and helping him assemble a team around him.
“Meatball is also responsible for introducing me to a man that completely changed my life, narrative and direction of everything I thought I was going to do. His name is Jon Loba,” Jelly Roll said. “He showed me something I didn’t think was possible. He showed me how I could continue to be myself but we could take this to a mainstream platform and figure out how to spread this message across America without compromising the integrity of the nuances of art and the freedom or artistic expression.”
The crowd said amen.
Jelly Roll closed with a word of thanks to his co-writers. “The coolest part of this story is that four dudes who never had a No. 1 wrote a song, blackout drunk and on nefarious drugs, at 3 a.m. and the record went on to be a No. 1 at radio.”
Greylan James Puts On His Artist Hat With Debut EP
/by Lydia FarthingGreylan James
Nashville songwriter and rising solo artist Greylan James has rounded up a special collection of songs for his debut EP, I Hope She Hears These, available now.
The five-song EP includes two brand new tracks, as well as three previously released singles, and serves as a cohesive love letter to someone special as suggested by the project’s title. From the debut single, “Anything Cold,” to his latest release, “Walls,” James’ self-produced the entire project and can be heard playing every instrument on the EP.
“After writing songs for other country artists’ projects, I’m so excited to finally be putting out my own EP. These songs took a lot of living, heartbreak, alcohol, love, & time to create,” James notes. “I think everyone can find themselves in one of these songs, and I’m glad they’re finally out of the vault and into the world.”
Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, James made his way to Nashville at 18 where he quickly signed with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). Since then, he’s been featured on NBC’s The Voice, named one of the best guitarists in the world under 21 by Guitar Center Magazine’s Brotherhood of the Guitar Top 100 and earned his first No. 1 single with Kenny Chesney’s “Happy Does.” James has racked up over 400,000 streams on Spotify alone thus far with only a handful of releases.
To celebrate the release of his debut EP, James will open up for Scotty McCreery in Colorado tonight (Aug. 12).
I Hope She Hears These Track List:
Anything Cold (Greylan James, Abram Dean, Jason Massey, Josh Dorr)
Walls (Greylan James, Jacob Davis, Joshua Miller)
Where You Got It From (Greylan James, Ben Hayslip, Chase McGill)
Make The Best Memories (Greylan James, Brock Berryhill, Rodney Dale Clawson)
Damaged (Greylan James, Jacob J Davis, Joshua O Miller)
Amy Grant Postpones September, October Tour Dates
/by Lorie HollabaughAmy Grant
Amy Grant will be postponing her previously scheduled tour dates for September and October as she recovers from injuries sustained in a biking accident last month, her management has announced.
Grant sustained a concussion and was hospitalized after an accident while riding bikes with friends on July 27. All concerts will be rescheduled throughout February, March, and April 2023. Tickets will be honored at the new dates.
She will resume touring in November on her Christmas Tour with Michael W. Smith and annual Ryman Residency with her husband Vince Gill.
“Amy is getting stronger every day. Just as she did after her heart surgery, we are amazed at how fast she heals,” Grant’s manager, Jennifer Cooke shares. “However, although she is doing much better, we have made the difficult decision to postpone her fall tour so she can concentrate on her recovery and rebuild her stamina. She wants to be able to give 100% when she tours and, unfortunately, we do not think that will be the case by the time rehearsals would start for the fall dates.
“She will resume touring with her Christmas tour with Michael W. Smith and her annual ‘Christmas At The Ryman’ residency with her husband Vince Gill,” Cooke continues. “Amy would like to extend her gratitude for all the many good wishes and prayers offered since the accident. She feels the impact of the collective good will extended her way. Thank you.”
For further updates, visit amygrant.com.
Clayton Anderson Slates ‘Made In The USA’ Album For September
/by Lorie HollabaughClayton Anderson is set to release his first full-length album since signing to Visionary Media Group in 2021, Made In The USA, on Sept. 16. Anderson tributes his roots and his hometown state on his new single “Indiana,” out now as an instant grat track.
Featuring 12 tracks, eight of which were co-written by Anderson, Made In The USA shares some of Clayton’s deepest dreams, fears, and hard-working pride, while delivering the raucous tunes that have earned him placements with brands like Ford, Major League Fishing, the Indianapolis Colts, and ESPN.
“Every song on this album has a special meaning to me,” Anderson shares. “It’s my most vulnerable body of work and I’m thrilled to have worked alongside Dave [Audé], Brandon [Hood], Anastasia [Brown] and the entire team at Visionary Media Group. Performing my songs live on the ‘Lake Tour’ has been a blast. People know every word to ‘Show Me Your Fish,’ thanks to our friends at Hook & Barrel, and our most recent track ‘Made In The USA’ has people raising their hands and singing along. There’s no better feeling than to know that you can bring thousands of people together through music. I’m truly blessed.”
Made In The USA Track List:
1. “All For Nothing” (Written by Clayton Anderson, Jeremy Buck; produced by Brandon Hood)
2. “Show Me Your Fish” (Written by Anderson, Dave Audé, Christian Stalnecker; produced by Audé)
3. “Let Me Go” (Written by Anderson, Jimmy Ritchey, Robert Counts, Brian Pruitt; produced by Hood)
4. “Indiana” (written by Anderson, Audé, Stalnecker; produced by Audé)
5. “This Round’s On Me” (written by Stalnecker; produced by Audé)
6. “Made In The USA” (written by Aaron Parker, Parker Welling, Brandon Hood; produced by Hood)
7. “Get After It” (written by Anderson, Shane Stevens, Nash Overstreet; produced by Overstreet)
8. “As You Are” (written by Thomas Rhett, Barry Dean, Jimmy Robbins; produced by Hood)
9. “No Habla” (written by Anderson, Taylor Goyette; produced by Hood)
10. “Only Us” (written by Andrew Jannakos, Alex Pennington Smith, Malachi Mills; produced by Audé)
11. “Is It Too Late” (written by Anderson, Audé, Stalnecker; produced by Audé)
12. “Records On The Wall” (written by Anderson, Audé, Stalnecker; produced by Audé)
Chart Action: Dierks Bentley Most-Added At Country Radio
/by Alex ParryAfter his debut on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart last week, Dierks Bentley‘s “Gold” continues to be the most added on the MusicRow chart and earns additional adds on the Mediabase chart.
Bentley wrote “Gold” with Ross Copperman, Luke Dick, and Ashley Gorley. The newest track from the country superstar sets the tone for his tenth LP, arriving early next year, and speaks to how time has flown in Bentley’s career.
He landed his first publishing deal in 2001 and released his debut album in 2003, producing an instant No. 1 single. The years since have included eight top selling albums, twenty-one No. 1 songs, 6.4 billion streams, three CMA Awards, fourteen Grammy nominations and membership into the Grand Ole Opry.
For more chart data, click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly.
Marty Stuart Signs With Snakefarm, Marking His First Major Record Deal In Nearly A Decade
/by LB CantrellMarty Stuart. Photo: Alysse Gafkjen
Country Music Hall of Famer Marty Stuart has signed with Snakefarm, a label housed under the Spinefarm Music Group and owned by UMG. The deal marks his first major record deal in almost a decade.
Stuart will head out on a headlining European tour in August and September, where he and his Fabulous Superlatives—Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson and Chris Scruggs—will visit the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. This will mark the five-time Grammy winner’s first European outing in over a decade. He will be supported by Nashville-based rising star Sam Williams, who released his debut album Glasshouse Children last year via Snakefarm in the UK on behalf of Mercury Nashville.
Following his European tour, Stuart will perform at Pilgrimage Music Festival in Tennessee and hit the road for a fall US trek.
Of the announcement, Stuart says, “I like the idea of joining forces with Snakefarm. I am intrigued by the global mindset and the aura of musical integrity that surrounds the brand. I look forward to a long line of thrilling musical escapades in the days ahead.”
“As long-time supporters of the great man and his music, it’s with much pride that we welcome Marty Stuart to Snakefarm,” shares Dante Bonutto, Snakefarm’s A&R. “The intention with the label has always been to shine a spotlight on the very best in roots music, its sacred traditions and values, and when it comes to an artist who lives, breathes, loves and protects these values, Marty Stuart is in a class of his own. We look forward to a long and exciting journey ahead, and we’re aware that we’ll have to spectacularly up our game on the fashion front!”
Jonas Nachsin, General Manager, Worldwide of Spinefarm Music Group, adds, “We are thrilled to welcome Marty Stuart to our growing Snakefarm roster. It is a distinct honor to have him join the label as we expand its scope around the world.”
Stuart has new music on the way, with more details to be announced shortly.
Jeff Garrison Re-Emerges As Solo Artist With New Music On The Way
/by Lorie HollabaughJeff Garrison
Jeff Garrison is releasing his self-titled six-song EP this fall on Penumbra Records, an imprint of Eclipse Music Group.
The project will feature his autobiographical single “Had To Be There,” which is available everywhere now. The track is an intimate missive to the artist’s mother, whose long history of addiction has marked Garrison’s life.
“I had the idea and the guitar lick for this deeply personal song for quite a while and was just waiting for the right moment when it could come together,” offers Garrison. “Though it’s always nerve-wracking to offer something so raw and vulnerable, when I found myself with two of my favorite co-writers, Faren Rachels and Greg Bates, I went out on that limb.”
He continues, “Faren shared that this was her story too and we realized that others might relate to it–and be helped by it–as well. This is the reason that I love songwriting. My hope with this song is to give it away and let it reach the people that it is meant for and, in some way, help with the healing process we all need.”
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Garrison moved to Nashville in 2011 to perform and write music. His career jumpstarted when his duo, Cassio Monroe, signed with Island Records where he achieved a No. 2 Billboard Dance hit and embarked on a full U.S. tour.
Throughout his career, Garrison has also collaborated with other artists and has garnered cuts with Morgan Wallen, Kylie Morgan, Dylan Rockoff, RaeLynn, Livy Jeanne and more. His songs have been placed in numerous film and TV spots including Taco Bell, a Super Bowl promo, Riverdale, Modern Family, American Idol, Blackish and more.
Garrison will preview some songs from the new project at a show at The Basement in Nashville on Saturday, Aug. 20.
Garrison Track List:
1. Happy Together (Alan Gordon, Gary Bonner)
2. Had To Be There (Jeff Garrison, Faren Rachels, Greg Bates)
3. Morphine Lips (Jeff Garrison, Julia Cole)
4. Shouldn’t Be Happy (Jeff Garrison, Payton Porter, Faren Rachels)
5. Good People (Jeff Garrison, John Robert Hall, Dave Kuncio)
6. Cross that Bridge (Jeff Garrison, Rocky Block)
Produced by Jeff Garrison
Luke Combs Notches Three Week MusicRow No. 1
/by Alex ParryFor a third week, Luke Combs’ “The Kind Of Love We Make” occupies the No. 1 position on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart. In just 8 weeks at radio, he has earned a cumulative 9,845 spins on the CountryBreakout Chart.
“The Kind Of Love We Make” was written by Combs, Dan Isbell, Reid Isbell, and Jamie Davis.
Combs has partnered with Atlas Experiences and the Wisconsin Lottery to launch the “Living Lucky with Luke Combs” multi-state lottery scratch off and bonus drawing. Through the promotion, Combs will be showcased on lottery tickets. The partnership is a natural fit given the content of Luke’s iconic song “When It Rains It Pours,” which is centered around winning a hundred bucks on a lottery scratch-off ticket.
Click here to view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly containing the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart.
Sydney Mack Signs With Warner Chappell Music
/by Lorie HollabaughSydney Mack
Rising singer-songwriter Sydney Mack has signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music.
The Nashville-based artist kicked off her career on Season 14 of American Idol, followed by starring in NashNext Top 10 where she toured with Raelynn. She has opened for Miranda Lambert, Florida Georgia Line, Brett Eldredge, and more.
In 2021, Mack released a handful of tracks which garnered over 3.4 million streams on Spotify and Apple Music. Earlier this year, she shared two new songs, “Don’t Call” and Pretty Boy,” on TikTok and amassed more than four million views. In March, “Pretty Boy” debuted at No. 12 on the iTunes chart.
She is managed by Creekhouse Entertainment.
New Book On The Jordanaires Due In November
/by Lorie HollabaughA new book on The Jordanaires by Gordon Stoker with Michael Kosser and Alan Stoker is set for release this November from Backbeat Books.
The Jordanaires: The Story of the World’s Greatest Backup Vocal Group chronicles the story of the gospel group of mostly Tennessee boys that formed in the 1940s and set the standard for studio vocal groups in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and beyond. In their sixty-five-year career, from 1948 through 2013, the recordings they sang on have sold an estimated eight billion copies.
They appeared on more than 200 Elvis Presley recordings, including most of his biggest hits. They were in three of his best-known movies, appeared with him on most of his early nationwide TV shows, and toured with him for years. Throughout the superstar’s early career, they were his most trusted friends and probably his most positive influence.
The Jordanaires also did plenty of pop sessions in LA, singing on most of Ricky Nelson‘s biggest hits and over the years backed up Andy Williams, Fats Domino, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Dinah Shore, The Everly Brothers, Glen Campbell, Patti Page, Neil Young, Perry Como, Loretta Lynn, Ringo Starr, Tom Jones, Andy Griffith, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, Billy Ray Cyrus, and about 2,100 other recording acts.
Kosser is a senior editor at American Songwriter where he has written a column on songwriting called “Street Smarts” for the past twenty years. Since 1979, his songs have been recorded by George Jones, Barbara Mandrell, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich, and others. Kosser offers an in-depth, insider’s view of Nashville during its ascendancy in his book How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A.: Fifty Years of Music Row.
Alan Stoker, the son of Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires quartet, is s a Grammy-winning audio engineer, a musician/vocalist, and a music historian. Throughout his career, he’s backed up beach music legend Clifford Curry and Sam Moore of the Stax Records duo Sam and Dave. He’s also recorded with prog-rock group McKendree Spring and E Street Band bassist Gary Tallent. Additionally, he’s the long-time archivist for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, where he’s preserved some of the earliest recordings of the biggest names in music.