Jillian Jacqueline. Photo: Courtesy of Red Light Management
Jillian Jacqueline first rolled into Nashville 14 years ago with the dream of putting out her own album.
However, the format at the time wasn’t as conducive to longer-form projects from new artists, forcing Jacqueline to release a string of singles and EPs that have garnered her moderate success and over 100 million streams, including “Reasons,” “God Bless This Mess” which she co-wrote with Lori McKenna, and “If I Were You” featuring Keith Urban.
But this Friday (June 10), the budding singer-songwriter will finally release her debut, full-length project through Virgin Music. Aptly titled Honestly, the 11-track record finds Jacqueline at her most raw and innocent, giving listeners a peek behind the curtain into her thoughts about love and life which she’s yet to explore musically.
“I was actually talking to a friend about [the level of honesty in this album] because we shot one of the music videos for the song on the record called ‘Iconic,’ and it ended up being this visual love letter to my husband. It scared the shit out of me because I was like, ‘Can I show people all these images of our lives?’ They said, ‘That’s what your album is. You’re finally telling people your real story,'” Jacqueline explains to MusicRow. “[Honestly] feels very innocent, in a way, like the way that I sing about love, which I’ve never really done before. It feels like a very faithful, wide-eyed, hopeful version of myself that I don’t always let people see.”
Originally born in the summer of 2019, Honestly is a project nearly three years in the making, which went through a few different lives before arriving at its final form. Within those three years, Jacqueline lost her first label deal with Big Loud Records, married her husband and producer Bryan Brown, and had their first child.
“[When I first started making Honestly] it was more of a panic move. It was kind of like, ‘I have to start making music because I need to prove to myself that I’m supposed to be here and this is what I’m supposed to be doing.’ A lot of insecurity went into the first batch,” Jacqueline shares. “If you look at the original track list, so many songs that we were [so excited about] actually died off. We tried iterations of them over and over again, but they just never felt right.”
Jillian Jacqueline. Photo: Courtesy of Red Light Management
In a similar sentiment from many artists during the COVID lockdown, Jacqueline credits the pandemic with the new wave of music that changed the landscape of Honestly. In March of 2020, Jacqueline and her producers—Bryan and his brother Tofer Brown, a longtime collaborator of Jacqueline’s—went back to the drawing board.
Come July, she signed a new publishing deal with Kobalt which spawned a collection of new songs, including “Honeymoon” and “Better With A Broken Heart,” both of which ended up on Honestly‘s revisited track list with its entirely new sound.
“There were a lot of come to Jesus moments with me, Bryan, and Tofer where we were all navigating our different work styles. Tofer and I have worked together for many years. He’s done all my music with me and he’s my best friend. We decided to bring Bryan in on production because he’s just an incredible guitar player and he works differently than us,” Jacqueline says. “During the whole process of making the record, we were navigating a lot of these new processes with Bryan that Tofer and I weren’t used to. We’re more like throwing spaghetti at the wall people. We’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, that stuck. That feels good. Let’s move on.’ Bryan’s like, ‘No, I think we should throw five more noodles,’” she jokes. “That drove us crazy at first and then we started to realize that his vision for the songs was even cooler, braver, wilder, and more interesting than we had even anticipated.”
With writing credits from some of Nashville’s heavy hitters, such as Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Daniel Tashian and Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen, Honestly also sees a couple of stellar collaborations with Charlie Worsham (“The Ocean”) and Brothers Osborne’s TJ Osborne (“Better With A Broken Heart”).
As a long-time admirer of TJ and Brothers Osborne, Jacqueline notes the song as one of her favorites on the album.
“I really respect them and I respect him, so I went out on a limb and sent him a text saying, ‘I have this song and I can’t hear anyone else but you singing on it with me. Totally cool if you’re not into it, but I really love your voice and I would love to collaborate,’” she explains. “He was like, ‘Wow, I love the song. Let me sit with it for a while. We’ve done a lot of collaborations recently, so I don’t want to jump right in without thinking about it first.’”
After taking a few weeks of listening and playing around with melodies and harmonies that felt right to him, Osborne got on board for the project.
TJ Osborne & Jillian Jacqueline. Photo: Alexa King
“He hit me up a couple weeks later, and said, ‘I love that song. When can I sing it?,’” she continues. “He went on about how he felt like the lyrics and the way it described love was something that felt very honest to him and that he could really get behind. [With this duet], we’re singing our own versions of it, but it’s not necessarily a romantic thing which is kind of unusual. Normally, if it’s a duet, they’re singing to each other, so it was cool that we both got to have our own moment in the song without necessarily singing to one another.”
Another one of Jacqueline’s favorite tunes from Honestly is the stirring, emotional track “Iconic.” Written with Tofer and Kate York on the heels of her engagement, the song serves as a beautiful ode to committing to forever with someone, as well as love being a choice.
As an added bonus, the song is laced with an extra special layer of production that hits close to Jacqueline’s heart.
“My husband did this wildly romantic thing where on the day that he knew he was going to propose to me, we were in Paris and he took his phone out and started recording a voice memo of the sounds of the city,” Jacqueline shares. “Months and months later, I wrote the song and we were starting to hash out the production. He was working on it one day in the studio and he told me about this voice memo in Paris. He put it at the beginning of the song to commemorate what the lyrics are. You can just hear the streets of Paris and then the piano starts in.”
On the cusp of the release of her debut record, Jacqueline has her eyes set on returning to the road this year, as well as dreams of a billboard in Times Square.
“I’ve always said I wanted a billboard and we got the billboard here in Nashville, which was so freaking cool. In my head, though, with the way I work now, I need to get one in Times Square,” she says with a laugh. “I have this issue with nothing ever being enough. I’m restless and I’m always wanting the next thing. As much as I am excited for all the things coming up, my biggest challenge is just to be present with where I am and be so grateful that I actually finished this record. It’s something that I truly believe in and want to share with the world.”
Jacqueline’s debut, full-length album Honestly will be available everywhere this Friday (June 10).
DISClaimer Single Reviews: Eric Church Demonstrates ‘Country Music Brilliance’ On New Single
/by Robert K OermannEric Church performs. Photo: Anthony D’Angio
Today’s DISClaimer is a ringing reminder of how meaningful country music can be when it is at its best.
And country music doesn’t come any better than Eric Church, who takes home his umpteenth Disc of the Day prize from this column.
We have several promising newcomers vying for our attention in this stack of tunes. I was deliriously smitten by the fresh sounds of MacKenzie Carpenter, Drake Milligan, Catie Offerman, Kimberly Kelly, Bryan Ruby and Coffey Anderson. The rocking performance by Drake Milligan wins him this week’s DISCovery Award.
CATIE OFFERMAN / “Don’t Do It In Texas”
Writers: Catie Offerman/Nicolle Galyon/Ryan Beaver; Producer: Dann Huff; Label: MCA
–Tuneful and yearning. She’s getting ready for him to split, but begs him not to dump her in her beloved Lone Star State. Promising in the extreme. Offerman will make her performance debut during CMA Fest on Saturday at 4:00 on the Maui Jim Reverb Stage.
ERIC CHURCH / “Doing Life With Me”
Writers: Eric Church/Casey Beathard/Jeffrey Steele; Producer: Jay Joyce; Label: EMI
–I will never get over how great this artist is. Every note he sings goes straight to my hillbilly heart. This new performance is country-music brilliance. He muses on his imperfections while giving thanks to loved ones for being on his life’s journey. A mandolin trills, backing vocalists shadow his gently expressive performance and percussion shuffles along. Play it again.
BRYAN RUBY / “Left Field”
Writers: Andrew Capra/Chad Sellers/Bryan Ruby; Producer: Smith Curry; Label: BR
–Very cool. Ruby is a professional minor-league baseball player, but the title doesn’t refer to the game as you might expect. Instead, to a brisk, lively tempo, he urges you to live your life bearing in mind that some of the best things in it will come unexpectedly from out of nowhere. Proceeds from this ultimately playable single will go to his charity Proud To Be in Baseball, since he is the sport’s first openly gay athlete.
GARY ALLAN / “Ruthless”
Writers: Hillary Lindsey/Busbee/Ryan Hurd; Producers: Mark Wright/Tony Brown; Label: EMI
–The title tune of Gary’s 2021 comeback collection is now the name of his post-COVID comeback tour. It’s a stately heartache ballad embellished with soulful organ and punchy horn accents. Bluesy and righteous.
COFFEY ANDERSON / “Blessed”
Writers: Sean Squires/Stephen Hunley/Bobby McLamb; Producers: Coffey Anderson/Ilya Toshinsky; Label: Riser House
–I love country spelling songs. “I’m B-L-E-double S-E-D” he warbles in a softly furry tenor while the band kicks up some twang-dust behind him. It’s all about being thankful, affirming and positive, and I can certainly endorse that. Anderson stars in a Netflix reality series about his life titled Country Ever After.
JORDAN DAVIS / “What My World Spins Around”
Writers: Jordan Davis/Matt Dragstrem/Ryan Hurd; Producer: Paul DiGiovanni; Label: MCA
–Endearing. He’s a country boy, head over heels in love. The performance is downright joyous, and the production has all the thumping, shuddering oomph it needs. Dear radio: I’d sure like to hear this in heavy rotation. Thank you.
NICOLLE GALYON / “Winner”
Writers: Nicolle Galyon/Shane McAnally/Josh Osborne; Producers: King Henry/Jimmy Robbins; Label: Songs & Daughters
–One of Nashville’s most successful songwriters (“Tequila,” “Automatic,” etc.) is issuing an autobiographical song cycle titled Firstborn. The musical memoir’s first single is a simply lovely outing pairing her intimate soprano with a spare, folkie production that wafts like a spring breeze. This is music to get lost in. I must have this album.
CARLOS SANTANA & CHRIS STAPLETON / “Joy”
Writers: Carlos Santana/Chris Stapleton; Producer: Chris Stapleton; Label: BMG
–The Latin rock titan hits hot guitar licks in between Stapleton’s bluesy wailing. This seemingly oddball collaboration works better than you might think. It’s for the hidden hippie in all of us. You’ll find it on Satana’s new album Blessings and Miracles.
ADAM HOOD & MIRANDA LAMBERT / “Harder Stuff “
Writers: Brent Cobb/Charlie Starr/Adam Keith Hood/Davis Nix; Producer: Brent Cobb; Label: AH
–Nashville songwriting champ Hood sings of his newfound sobriety in this plaintive ballad while superstar Miranda lends her support with perfectly placed harmony vocals. It’s very slow and deliberate, but rings with honesty and truth. There’s an extended instrumental coda that keeps the mood lingering.
KIMBERLY KELLY & STEVE WARINER / “Blue Jean Country Queen”
Writers: Kimberly Kelly/Brett Tyler/Steve Wariner; Producer: Brett Tyler; Label: Show Dog/Thirty Tigers
–This is a snappy toe-tapper that rocks along with vim and verve. Kelly’s sprightly delivery has twang to spare. Wariner is along for some soft harmony singing and a red-hot guitar solo.
DRAKE MILLIGAN / “Sounds Like Something I’d Do”
Writers: Brett Beavers/Drake Milligan/Terry McBride; Producers: Brandon Hood/Tony Brown; Label: Stoney Creek
–Milligan wowed them on America’s Got Talent on Tuesday with this barn burner. He has the physical presence of an Elvis, the deep-baritone dips of a Merle and the honky-tonk authenticity of a Strait. I think this kid might be a star. Get on board and rock with him ‘til ya get dizzy.
MacKENZIE CARPENTER / “Can’t Nobody”
Writers: Brigetta Truitt/Peytan Porter/MacKenzie Carpenter; Producer: Brandon Hood; Label: Valory
–“Can’t nobody write a song like Dolly.” “Can’t nobody love June like Johnny.” “Can’t nobody break a heart like you.” This midtempo, sweet/sad, swirly confection introduces a gal who sounds like a major contender. Spin it.
13th Annual ‘Darius & Friends’ Benefit Raises All-Time High Of $516,000 For St. Jude
/by Lorie HollabaughDarius Rucker. Photo: Acacia Evans
Darius Rucker held his 13th annual “Darius & Friends” Benefit on Monday night (June 6) at the Ryman Auditorium, followed by his corresponding golf tournament and silent auction on Tuesday, June 7.
This year’s event alone raised an all-time high of $516,000, bringing together a sold-out audience at the Ryman with at-home fans watching via live stream. This year’s successful show brings the total raised to over $3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Darius Rucker and his band members. Photo: Austin Friedline
Reflecting on his first visit to the hospital in 2008, Rucker explained to the sold-out crowd, “I’m talking to one administrator and she said, ‘When you bring your kid to St. Jude, we fly you in, we put you up, we feed you and we never send you a bill.’ I started talking to people there and it’s true. That day I said, I want to do something to help. I’m doing this for St. Jude–thank you guys for coming out!”
The benefit concert, which serves as an unofficial kickoff to CMA Fest each summer, is famous for its surprise lineup of stars and this year’s guests included Sheryl Crow, Lindsay Ell, Sara Evans, Caylee Hammack and Rachel Wammack.
Prior guests have included Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, John Daly, Charles Kelley of Lady A, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, and Tommy Thayer of KISS, among many others.
The 13th Annual “Darius & Friends” concert benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Photo: Tony Vasquez
Sheryl Crow. Photo: Acacia Evans
Lindsay Ell. Photo: Acacia Evans
Jillian Jacqueline Talks ‘Honestly,’ Her Debut Album Years In The Making [Interview]
/by Lydia FarthingJillian Jacqueline. Photo: Courtesy of Red Light Management
Jillian Jacqueline first rolled into Nashville 14 years ago with the dream of putting out her own album.
However, the format at the time wasn’t as conducive to longer-form projects from new artists, forcing Jacqueline to release a string of singles and EPs that have garnered her moderate success and over 100 million streams, including “Reasons,” “God Bless This Mess” which she co-wrote with Lori McKenna, and “If I Were You” featuring Keith Urban.
But this Friday (June 10), the budding singer-songwriter will finally release her debut, full-length project through Virgin Music. Aptly titled Honestly, the 11-track record finds Jacqueline at her most raw and innocent, giving listeners a peek behind the curtain into her thoughts about love and life which she’s yet to explore musically.
Originally born in the summer of 2019, Honestly is a project nearly three years in the making, which went through a few different lives before arriving at its final form. Within those three years, Jacqueline lost her first label deal with Big Loud Records, married her husband and producer Bryan Brown, and had their first child.
“[When I first started making Honestly] it was more of a panic move. It was kind of like, ‘I have to start making music because I need to prove to myself that I’m supposed to be here and this is what I’m supposed to be doing.’ A lot of insecurity went into the first batch,” Jacqueline shares. “If you look at the original track list, so many songs that we were [so excited about] actually died off. We tried iterations of them over and over again, but they just never felt right.”
Jillian Jacqueline. Photo: Courtesy of Red Light Management
In a similar sentiment from many artists during the COVID lockdown, Jacqueline credits the pandemic with the new wave of music that changed the landscape of Honestly. In March of 2020, Jacqueline and her producers—Bryan and his brother Tofer Brown, a longtime collaborator of Jacqueline’s—went back to the drawing board.
Come July, she signed a new publishing deal with Kobalt which spawned a collection of new songs, including “Honeymoon” and “Better With A Broken Heart,” both of which ended up on Honestly‘s revisited track list with its entirely new sound.
“There were a lot of come to Jesus moments with me, Bryan, and Tofer where we were all navigating our different work styles. Tofer and I have worked together for many years. He’s done all my music with me and he’s my best friend. We decided to bring Bryan in on production because he’s just an incredible guitar player and he works differently than us,” Jacqueline says. “During the whole process of making the record, we were navigating a lot of these new processes with Bryan that Tofer and I weren’t used to. We’re more like throwing spaghetti at the wall people. We’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, that stuck. That feels good. Let’s move on.’ Bryan’s like, ‘No, I think we should throw five more noodles,’” she jokes. “That drove us crazy at first and then we started to realize that his vision for the songs was even cooler, braver, wilder, and more interesting than we had even anticipated.”
With writing credits from some of Nashville’s heavy hitters, such as Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Daniel Tashian and Old Dominion’s Trevor Rosen, Honestly also sees a couple of stellar collaborations with Charlie Worsham (“The Ocean”) and Brothers Osborne’s TJ Osborne (“Better With A Broken Heart”).
As a long-time admirer of TJ and Brothers Osborne, Jacqueline notes the song as one of her favorites on the album.
“I really respect them and I respect him, so I went out on a limb and sent him a text saying, ‘I have this song and I can’t hear anyone else but you singing on it with me. Totally cool if you’re not into it, but I really love your voice and I would love to collaborate,’” she explains. “He was like, ‘Wow, I love the song. Let me sit with it for a while. We’ve done a lot of collaborations recently, so I don’t want to jump right in without thinking about it first.’”
After taking a few weeks of listening and playing around with melodies and harmonies that felt right to him, Osborne got on board for the project.
TJ Osborne & Jillian Jacqueline. Photo: Alexa King
“He hit me up a couple weeks later, and said, ‘I love that song. When can I sing it?,’” she continues. “He went on about how he felt like the lyrics and the way it described love was something that felt very honest to him and that he could really get behind. [With this duet], we’re singing our own versions of it, but it’s not necessarily a romantic thing which is kind of unusual. Normally, if it’s a duet, they’re singing to each other, so it was cool that we both got to have our own moment in the song without necessarily singing to one another.”
Another one of Jacqueline’s favorite tunes from Honestly is the stirring, emotional track “Iconic.” Written with Tofer and Kate York on the heels of her engagement, the song serves as a beautiful ode to committing to forever with someone, as well as love being a choice.
As an added bonus, the song is laced with an extra special layer of production that hits close to Jacqueline’s heart.
“My husband did this wildly romantic thing where on the day that he knew he was going to propose to me, we were in Paris and he took his phone out and started recording a voice memo of the sounds of the city,” Jacqueline shares. “Months and months later, I wrote the song and we were starting to hash out the production. He was working on it one day in the studio and he told me about this voice memo in Paris. He put it at the beginning of the song to commemorate what the lyrics are. You can just hear the streets of Paris and then the piano starts in.”
On the cusp of the release of her debut record, Jacqueline has her eyes set on returning to the road this year, as well as dreams of a billboard in Times Square.
“I’ve always said I wanted a billboard and we got the billboard here in Nashville, which was so freaking cool. In my head, though, with the way I work now, I need to get one in Times Square,” she says with a laugh. “I have this issue with nothing ever being enough. I’m restless and I’m always wanting the next thing. As much as I am excited for all the things coming up, my biggest challenge is just to be present with where I am and be so grateful that I actually finished this record. It’s something that I truly believe in and want to share with the world.”
Jacqueline’s debut, full-length album Honestly will be available everywhere this Friday (June 10).
CRS360 Webinar Series For June Dives Deep Into Music Preference
/by Lorie HollabaughThe latest installment of CRS360’s webinar series, “If The Song Fits, Play it!,” is set for Wednesday, June 15 at 1 p.m. CT. Carolyn Gilbert and Leigh Jacobs of Nuvoodoo will serve as panelists on the episode with Clay Hunnicutt as moderator.
The music and song-focused episode is Part II of a follow-up to the research project originally presented at CRS 2022 in February by NuVoodoo. Various song titles will be shared, setting out to answer one primary question: Whether listeners think they should be played on country radio or included in a country playlist. Results are based on a sample of adults 25-54 nationwide, who are all regular listeners to country radio.
“NuVoodoo has prepared an important and comprehensive look into what songs fit for country radio or are more suited to a playlist,” shares CRS Executive Director RJ Curtis. “We touched on this at CRS in February, and Clay Hunnicutt, Carolyn Gilbert, and Leigh Jacobs return with a deeper dive that programmers will eat up. This session is a must if you care about playing the right music. If you don’t care about playing the right music, well… good luck with that.”
Those wanting to attend the June edition of the CRS360 webinar series can sign up here. Only a limited number of slots are available and are based on a first-come, first-served basis.
Kylie Morgan Slates New ‘P.S.’ EP For July
/by Lorie HollabaughKylie Morgan. Photo: Katie Kauss
Kylie Morgan is gearing up for the release of her upcoming EP, P.S., on July 1.
The new collection will feature her recent tracks “Independent With You” and good-time anthem “Love Like We’re Drunk,” along with her upcoming debut single “If He Wanted To He Would,” which ships to country radio on release day.
P.S. is the follow-up to Kylie’s 2021 EP Love, Kylie, which helped score Morgan a spot as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country and VEVO’s 2021 DSCVR Artists to Watch, while also being selected for CMA’s coveted KixStart program.
“With my debut EP, Love, Kylie, I finally got to tell the world over a decade’s worth of stories I had only told my guitar, in six songs,” Morgan shares. “But that was just the first few chapters. I am so excited to finish sharing this book of love letters from me to my fans with my new EP, P.S.”
Morgan will share some of the tracks from the upcoming EP during CMA Fest as she performs this Sunday night (June 12) at Nissan Stadium, after taking the Dr Pepper Amp Stage that afternoon at 2:45 p.m.
“I’ve been so blessed to have a lot of answered prayers and pinch me moments in my career, but getting to play my first stadium this weekend–and debut my next single off this project–in my current home of Nashville will be hard to beat,” adds Morgan. “I’ve been coming to CMA Fest as a fan since I was 15, and now I’m playing the stage I waited in line for and sat in the nose bleeds so I could see my favorite artists. God is so dang good.”
P.S. Track List:
1. “Independent With You” (Kylie Morgan, Erik Belz, Palmer Lee)*
2. “If He Wanted To He Would (Kylie Morgan, Zandi Holup, Ben Johnson)
3. “Love Like We’re Drunk” (Kylie Morgan, Jeff Garrison, Brian White)
4. “Gucci” (Kylie Morgan, Nicolette Hayford, Pete Good)
5. “Country Anyway” (feat. Walker Hayes) (Kylie Morgan, Elaina Jones, Walker Hayes)
6. “Over A Redneck” (Kylie Morgan, Nate Kenyon, Blake Bollinger)
7. “Mean Girls” (Kylie Morgan, Shane Stevens, Nash Overstreet)
*Produced by Shane McAnally, Ben Johnson and Erik Belz
Recording Academy Unveils New Award Categories, Special Merit Award & Voting Procedural Updates
/by Lydia FarthingAs part of the Recording Academy’s commitment to evolve with the ever-changing musical landscape, several new changes have been made to the Grammy Awards process.
Five new categories will be recognized starting next year, including Songwriter Of The Year (Non-Classical) and Best Score Soundtrack For Video Games And Other Interactive Media, among others. Additionally, a new Special Merit Award will be given out for Best Song For Social Change.
The Academy has also announced changes to the Grammy Awards entry and voting processes and more (detailed below). All updates go into effect immediately for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards taking place in 2023.
“We’re so excited to honor these diverse communities of music creators through the newly established awards and amendments, and to continue cultivating an environment that inspires change, progress and collaboration,” notes Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “The Academy’s top priority is to effectively represent the music people that we serve, and each year, that entails listening to our members and ensuring our rules and guidelines reflect our ever-evolving industry.”
“The creation of the Songwriter Of The Year Grammy Award is a huge step forward in the Songwriters & Composers Wing’s commitment to serve and amplify the music creators who pen the songs we love,” adds Susan Stewart, Managing Director of the Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing. “This new honor presents an incredible opportunity to celebrate craft writers who bring a song to life. We remain dedicated to serving this vital profession.”
New Grammy Awards Categories Added:
Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical – Recognizes the written excellence, profession and art of songwriting honoring the most prolific non-performing and non-producing songwriters for their body of new work released during an eligibility year.
Best Alternative Music Performance – A track and single category that recognizes the best recordings in an alternative performance by a solo artist, collaborating artists, established duo, or established group.
Best Americana Performance – A track and single category that recognizes artistic excellence in an Americana performance by a solo artist, collaborating artists, established duo, or established group.
Best Score Soundtrack For Video Games And Other Interactive Media – Recognizes excellence in score soundtrack albums comprised predominately of original scores and created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current video game or other interactive media released within the qualification period.
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album – An album category that recognizes excellence in spoken word albums specific to the performance of poetry with or without music.
Special Merit Award Addition:
Best Song For Social Change
This Special Merit Award will be determined by a Blue Ribbon Committee and ratified by the Recording Academy Board of Trustees. Submissions must contain lyrical content that addresses a timely social issue and promotes understanding, peace-building and empathy.
Grammy Award Voting Procedural Updates:
Charging Fees For Entry Submissions
All Recording Academy members will receive five courtesy entries every year. For additional entries, members will pay $40 (Early Bird Fee); $75 (Standard Fee); or $125 (Final Deadline Fee) per additional entry. Registered media companies will pay a fee of $65 (Early Bird Fee); $95 (Standard Fee); or $125 (Final Deadline Fee) per entry. Considerations will be made for artists/members experiencing financial hardships. Any member who would be burdened by the entry fees can request the fees be waived by reaching out to the Recording Academy Awards Department.
Album Eligibility
To be eligible for Grammy Award consideration, an album must contain greater than 75 percent playing time of newly recorded (within five years of the release date), previously unreleased recordings. The previous eligibility rule was 50 percent. (Note: Best Compilation Soundtrack, Best Historical Album, Best Immersive Audio Album, Best Recording Package, Best Special Package, and Best Album Notes accept albums of recordings that are not newly recorded.)
Additional Category Amendments:
Classical Field: Creation of Craft Committees in Select Classical Categories
Three Categories within the Classical Field will now be determined by highly specialized Craft Committees: Producer Of The Year (Classical), Best Engineered Album (Classical) and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
Classical Field: Recognition of Composers and Librettists in Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Compendium Categories
Category definitions have been updated to award composers and librettists in addition to artists, producers and engineers.
New Age, Ambient Or Chant Field: Renamed And Redefined Field and Category Name
The category formerly known as “Best New Age Album” has been renamed “Best New Age, Ambient Or Chant Album” and the Field name has also been updated to reflect that change.
Musical Theater Field: Recognition of Composers and Lyricists in Best Musical Theater Album Category
Category definition has been updated to award composers and lyricists of more than 50 percent of the score of a new recording.
Music For Visual Media Field (Includes Film, TV, Video Games, And Other Visual Media): Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Some language in the criteria for this category which had been removed has now been restored to recognize principal artists and in-studio producers.
Production Field: Updated Definition of Best Remixed Recording Category
The newly amended definition of the Best Remixed Recording Category helps to reflect the remix craft as it currently stands in the industry: the creation of a new, full-track, unique performance created by a remixer from a previously released recording.
Spoken Word Field: Updated Category Name and Definition
The category formally known as Spoken Word Album has been renamed Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording. This category recognizes excellence in spoken word albums (not including Spoken Word Poetry).
18th Annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic Raises $1.38 Million
/by Lorie HollabaughDenton Padgett, a former resident at OK Kids Korral, and Toby Keith. Photo: Courtesy of Shock Ink
This year’s 18th annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic on May 20-21 in Oklahoma City and Norman, Oklahoma was a big success, raising nearly $1.4 million for charity.
This year’s total was the third highest ever, raising funds for the OK Kids Korral, the cost-free home for families of children being treated at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center. The event has raised more than $16 million since its inception.
Winning afternoon team. Pictured (L-R): John Bochnowski, Mark Bochnowski, Toby Keith, Scott Challis, Chris Cleary and Drew Hawley. Photo: Courtesy of Shock Ink
Getaways were a big draw this year, with the top drawing live auction item being a golf getaway for eight to the luxury resort Diamante Cabo San Lucas, which earned a bid of $82,000–twice. In the silent auction, a stay at Lake of the Ozarks drew the top bid of $4,500.
John Conlee headlined Friday night’s gala dinner with support from local favorites Hypnotik. The next day’s double shotgun start Golf Classic at Keith’s Belmar Golf Club was won by the morning team of Slater Miller, Luke Switzer, Christian Johnson, Kevin Bookout and Nolan Rankin, and the afternoon team of John Bochnowski, Mark Bochnowski, Scott Challis, Chris Cleary and Drew Hawley. The closest-to-the-hole shootout winner was Mike Hearne, who took home $10,000.
Launched in 2004, the Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic features a two-day format with a gala dinner and auction the first night followed by a shotgun start golf tourney the following day. Proceeds funded the development, building and eventual operation of OK Kids Korral, which is now in its eighth year welcoming and comforting children with cancer and their families.
Mike Hearne, winner of the $10,000 shootout, with Toby Keith. Photo: Courtesy of Shock Ink
Dane Schmidt Launches New Creative Management Company, Daschent
/by LB CantrellDane Schmidt
Former Senior Creative Director at Sony Music Publishing (SMP), Dane Schmidt, has launched his own venture, Daschent.
Originally from Minnesota, Schmidt moved to Nashville and formed WeVolve Music with his brother, hit songwriter/producer Jordan Schmidt. He then spent two years leading Florida Georgia Line’s Tree Vibez Music to more than 65 major label cuts, before joining Sony Music Publishing. While there, Schmidt was instrumental in signing Gabby Barrett to the SMP Nashville roster, whose song “I Hope,” was a multi-Platinum crossover smash and one of the biggest hits of 2020.
Schmidt shared that his last day at SMP was June 3 in a video message announcing the new venture.
“I’m very, very excited,” Schmidt said in the video. “It’s been an amazing ride the last seven years. I’m really excited to see what happens in the future.
“To Sony Music Publishing, I have two words for you—thank you,” Schmidt added. “Thank you for the opportunity that I’ve had for the last five years to really grow and develop as a publisher and as a human.”
Schmidt can be reached at ds@daschent.com.
Seals & Crofts Pop Hitmaker Jim Seals Passes
/by Robert K OermannJim Seals. Photo: Courtesy of Robert K. Oermann archive
Nashville pop star Jim Seals died on Monday (June 6) at age 80.
He was famed as half of the 1970s pop duo Seals & Crofts, who scored with such big hits as “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer.” Seals sang lead in the act. He wrote the duo’s lyrics and co-wrote its melodies with partner Darrell “Dash” Crofts.
Both of them grew up in West Texas and began playing music together as teenagers. Jim Seals was born in 1941 into a highly musical family. His father was a musician in a western-swing band. Older cousin Johnny Duncan (1938-2006) became a 1970s country star.
Uncle Chuck Seals (1922-1997) co-wrote the country standard “Crazy Arms.” Younger brother Dan Seals (1948-2009) had pop hits as half of England Dan & John Ford Coley, then became a major solo country star of the 1980s. Another brother, Eddie Seals, performed music, comedy and impressions in the popular Printer’s Alley nightclub act Eddie & Joe. Older cousin Troy Seals has been elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Nephew Brady Seals gained fame in the country band Little Texas and has become a well-regarded solo artist.
At age 9, Jim Seals won the Texas State Fiddle Championship. By the time he was in junior high, he had mastered saxophone and guitar, as well. He made his disc debut in 1958 with a pair of instrumental singles.
The rock & roll group The Champs was on tour enjoying the chart-topping success of 1958’s “Tequila” when a dispute broke up the band. Seals and Crofts were recruited to become replacement members. When the tour ended, they moved to L.A. to continue performing and recording with The Champs.
Seals began to blossom as a songwriter. His “It’s Never Too Late” was recorded by Brenda Lee as the B-side of her chart-topping “You Can Depend on Me” smash of 1961. His songs were also recorded by The Knickerbockers, Gene Vincent, Rick Nelson, and Lenny Welch, as well as The Champs.
The band was an instrumental act that showcased Seals’ sax honking. But both he and Crofts wanted to sing, as did newer member Glen Campbell. They departed The Champs in 1965. By then, Jim Seals had recorded four more solo singles that went nowhere. After leaving the band, he took work as a session musician and played in several pop bands in L.A.
In the late 1960s, Seals and Crofts teamed up with a trio called The Day Sisters and formed a Vegas act called The Dawnbreakers. The group recorded for Dunhill Records, but the label never issued anything. The mother of the Day sisters was a key figure in the emerging Baha’i religious community in Southern California. Both Seals and Crofts were converted to this faith.
Crofts switched from playing drums to learning mandolin. He and Seals began writing and singing pop tunes, backed simply by guitar and mandolin.
Seals & Crofts debuted as a duo in 1969. They began to record their soft, folkie, exotic, acoustic sound on two small-label albums in 1970. They signed with Warner Bros. Records the following year.
Their songs’ lyrics, written by Seals, reflected their faith. The Baha’i religion, founded in Persia, espouses universal brotherhood and fosters complete equality of the sexes and all races. The sect’s peace-and-love beliefs and gentle mysticism were evident in such tracks as “Summer Breeze” and “Hummingbird,” which became career-launching hits in 1972-73. Seals sometimes even quoted verbatim from Baha’i scriptures in his lyrics.
“Diamond Girl” and “We May Never Pass This Way Again” became two more pop hits for Seals & Crofts in 1973. Like their predecessors, they became even bigger smashes on the A/C charts.
Seals & Crofts became a big-time touring attraction, assembling a large band, traveling in private jets and employing a huge entourage. The shows incorporated their tuneful hits, plus hoedown fiddling from Seals, humorous songs, romantic testimonials, jazz instrumental solos and spotlight moments for backup vocalists. After the encores ended and the applause faded away, the men would return to the stage for “firesides.” These were no-microphone chats about their faith with whoever stayed behind to listen. Seals & Crofts were never evangelists. The rap sessions merely shared the Baha’i message of love and tolerance.
The duo’s progress was derailed in 1974. Seals & Crofts wrote and recorded “Unborn Child” as an anti-abortion single that year. Fearing controversy, many radio stations refused to broadcast it. Momentum was regained the following year with “I’ll Play for You.” A Greatest Hits album was issued in 1975, and it sold two million copies.
The comeback was solidified with 1976’s “Get Closer.” The duo’s artsy sound was updated with more thump in the production and an injection of soul from a third vocalist, Carolyn Willis from the hit-making R&B trio Honey Cone. The result was the biggest hit of their career. The films One on One (1977) and Foolin’ Around (1980) featured Seals & Crofts soundtrack songs. The 1977-78 premiere season of TV’s The Paper Chase used their “First Years” as its theme song.
In 1977-78, Seals & Crofts continued to be mainstays on the A/C charts with the hits “Goodbye Old Buddies,” “My Fair Share” and “You’re the Love.” But interest began to fade, and the albums of 1979 and 1980 failed to sell. Warner Bros. dropped the duo, and the two parted ways.
Seals continued to write songs, but moved to Costa Rica to operate a coffee plantation. Dash Crofts moved to Nashville and embarked on a solo career. The duo appeared at Baha’i gatherings and reunited for a tour in 1991-92.
Jim Seals had been living in Nashville on and off for several years before he officially relocated in 2004. A second Seals & Crofts reunion resulted in the 2004 album Traces. Jim and younger brother Dan Seals began to co-write songs, record and perform together in Music City. Dan was also a Baha’i. His cancer diagnosis and subsequent death in 2009 ended the brothers’ partnership.
“Summer Breeze” was revived by The Isley Brothers. The Voltage Brothers brought back “Get Closer.” “We May Never Pass This Way Again” was a high-school graduation favorite for many years. All of the Seals & Crofts hits became oldie airplay evergreens.
A stroke in 2017 brought Jim Seals’ performing days to a close. No cause of death was given at the time of his passing on Monday. He is survived by his wife Ruby Jean and by children Joshua, Juliette and Sutherland.
BMI Presents Joe D’Angelo With Ambassador Award
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): BMI’s Clay Bradley, Bruce Esworthy, Sirius XM The Highway’s Storme Warren, HD Radio’s Joe D’Angelo, BMI’s Mason Hunter, and Dan Spears. Photo: Erika Goldring
BMI presented its Ambassador Award to Joe D’Angelo at the BMI Licensing Customers and Partners VIP Reception during the recent Key West Songwriters Festival.
The BMI Ambassador Award is given to an individual or company that has shown recognition, continuous support, and promotion of Nashville’s vibrant songwriting community.
D’Angelo, who has actively supported BMI for over 15 years, has played a critical role in the success of various BMI events and initiatives, including the Key West Songwriters Festival, the Maui Songwriters Festival, and various other BMI focused events. He has helped to use HD Radio’s platform to create a place for songwriters to highlight their craft and provide an outlet for fans to hear the stories behind their favorite hits.
The event featured comments by BMI’s Mason Hunter and previous Ambassador Award recipient Storme Warren.
“It is only fitting to recognize Joe with the BMI Ambassador Award during the Key West Songwriter Festival alongside his broadcast peers, songwriters, and past honoree Storme Warren,” says Hunter, AVP, Creative, Nashville. “Joe and HD Radio have been supporting BMI songwriters through broadcast initiatives and events all over the country for nearly 15 years and his dedication to songwriters is unwavering. Even during the pandemic, Joe was able to create opportunities for songwriters through radio and social media performances.”
As Senior Vice President of Global Radio and Digital Audio for Xperi, D’Angelo is responsible for the global broadcast radio business and product development. As one of the founders of iBiquity Digital, the company behind HD Radio technology, he has over 20 years of experience in the radio technology industry. He has led commercial licensing, product development and technology innovation efforts during his tenure, and currently leads Xperi’s global radio services with a focus on HD Radio, DAB, hybrid and streaming radio services.