Music industry members gathered at the SESAC office this week to celebrate two hit songs from Stoney Creek recording artist Jimmie Allen.

Allen’s second No. 1 single, “Make Me Want To,” reached the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart on March 7, 2020. Jennifer Denmark and Paul Sikes are co-writers on the tune, which was co-produced by Eric Torres and Ash Bowers. Bowers also co-produced and co-wrote “Freedom Was A Highway” along with Allen, and co-writer Matt Rogers. The song, recorded as a duet with Brad Paisley, reached the top of the chart on Feb. 19, 2022.

The party felt like a Jimmie Allen fan club gathering, as everyone in the room dotted on the charismatic star. SESAC and BMI hosted the party, and SESAC’s Shannan Hatch served as emcee.

“Jimmie has been in Nashville for a while now and I had the pleasure of meeting him early on, before he had a publishing deal and before he had a record deal,” Hatch said of the SESAC writer. “The thing about Jimmie that has always been true from the very beginning is what a hard worker he is. When he sets his mind to something, he accomplishes it.”

Hatch introduced the publisher presentations, starting with Endurance’s Michael Martin.

Martin echoed Hatch’s sentiments about Allen. “His work ethic is a whole other level,” he said. “He always brings such great energy which is contagious to everyone around him.”

Martin also spoke about writer Paul Sikes. “It’s been an honor for me and our team to work with Paul. His passion, his work ethic, and his talent separate him from the average writer.”

When speaking to Ash Bowers, Martin said, “It’s been amazing to be a partner in everything you’ve created at Wide Open and the team you’ve put together. Working with you has been such a catalyst for everything that we’re doing.”

Curb’s Colt Murski was on hand to speak about Jennifer Denmark, who was celebrating her first No. 1. “You’re one of my favorite people and one of my favorite writers I’ve gotten to work with. You show up with a big smile and big laughs every day,” Murski shared.

Josh Van Valkenburg represented Sony Music Publishing and spoke about Matt Rogers. “He’s not a songwriter, he’s a craftsman,” Van Valkenburg said. “I’ll put this guy up against anybody in town. He’s one of the best songwriters I’ve ever worked with.”

BMI’s MaryAnn Keen got up to speak about Bowers. “He is the ultimate business man,” she said of the hit songwriter, producer, manager, publisher and more. “Ash is the definition of hard work and continuing to show up for his people day after day. It’s such an honor to celebrate with Ash.”

BBR’s Jon Loba gushed about Allen, pointing out his important role in country music.

“You’re writing history,” he said, getting choked up. “There are few things that I’m going to be more proud of when I’m done than getting to work with you. Thank you.”

Next it was time to hear from the songwriters and producers.

Sikes was up first. “I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s humbling to be up here,” he said. “You’ve got to love this when you’re on a mountain top and you’ve got to love it in the valley. You never know when these opportunities are going to come for you.”

“The only thing cooler than having a No. 1 is having one with one of my best friends in the world, Paul Sikes,” said Denmark. “Writing with Jimmie before he had a record deal and then seeing him rise to this level has been a blessing for me.”

Bowers was emotional when he spoke. “It’s crazy to think about me being here. I came here as an artist. I thought I was failing but God has given me more opportunity to learn and grow in a different space.

“Jimmie, nobody works harder than him,” Bowers added. “These things don’t just happen. He outworks not just everybody here, but everyone in town.”

Rogers spoke about his supportive village. “I moved to Nashville about 17 years ago. To make it in this town, you have to have people to believe in you,” he said. “I really do appreciate people who have believed in me.”

Producer Torres kept his remarks short and sweet. “Thank you guys for an amazing song,” he said, telling the story about how he entered the Jimmie Allen team.

When it came time for the man of the hour to speak, he didn’t leave anyone out, individually recognizing his co-writers, publishers, label team, managers, band and crew, and his family.

Allen was candid about the pressure he felt in his role, thanking his support system for helping him through it. “It’s hard, but my family has been great,” he said. “Even though I have issues, we all have them, what I’m doing does matter. It helps people and inspires people.”

He pointed out that he didn’t want to change country music, he wanted to add to it.

“You’ve got to come into this business and have respect for the business. Have respect for radio, publishing, and record labels, and figure out how to not change it—but add to it,” he said. “That’s what I want to do in this business. I don’t want to change country music, I want to add to it. When you add to things, it grows. If you change it, it disregards and is disrespectful to the history. It takes away from what people love about it, so let’s add to it.”

Zachary Manno has signed a publishing deal with Reservoir. The deal is the first-ever signing through the talent discovery and mentorship platform Protégé, and is the result of a campaign led by Reservoir singer-songwriter Breland.

Last year, Breland launched the campaign which called for applicants to showcase an original song or beat to receive personalized feedback from him. Manno’s submission was chosen as the winner, earning him a publishing deal with Reservoir and making him the first act to be officially signed via the Protégé platform.

“I’m thrilled to be able to give Zach this chance to work with Reservoir, especially to access so many resources that can take his hard work to the next level,” shares Breland. “I can’t wait to see what we cook up to release into the world.”

Hailing from New Jersey, Manno is a skilled songwriter, producer, guitarist, and engineer. He has produced several tracks for country singer-songwriter Haley Mae Campbell and has already begun collaborating with Breland on upcoming music for acts including country supergroup Lady A.

“The Reservoir team is looking forward to supporting Zach in his burgeoning career and exposing him to an even broader talent ecosystem that will provide new creative opportunities,” notes Executive Vice President of Creative John Ozier.

“I couldn’t have hoped to find a better home for my work than what I’ve found with Breland and Reservoir,” adds Manno. “I’ve been working hard to establish myself in Nashville as a producer, and now I’m ready for that next step in my career. I’m tremendously proud to join this impressive team. I plan to make the most of this incredible opportunity, and I think we just might have more than a few hits up our sleeve.”

“Our team could not be more thrilled that Breland and Reservoir were able to provide this life changing opportunity for Zach by way of the Protégé platform,” says Alexys Feaster, Managing Partner & Global Head of Talent at Protégé. “Our company is trying to change the fact that right now talent can be found anywhere but opportunity cannot. It’s been awesome to see Breland helping live out these ideals and expand access for all the undiscovered talent out there.”

Ghostwriter Music Adds Tim Hare As Senior Director Of Sync

Ghostwriter Music, a production, publishing and sound design company, has added Tim Hare as the organization’s Senior Director of Synch.

In his role, Hare will lead the synch department for advertising and television, work in tandem with internal A&R staff to develop the company’s catalog and artist series, and maintain a strong focus on business development for the entire company. He will split his time between LA and Nashville.

“Tim was brought in to focus on expanding and promoting the Ghostwriter catalog with a focus on TV/Advertising/Trailers,” says Chris Bragg, Founder/CEO of Ghostwriter. “His business development acumen and experience in production music make him a valuable asset to the Ghostwriter family. We’ve often talked about working together someday and finally, we made it happen.”

Hare has worked in the music industry on the creative side as a musician/composer and on the business side for a combined 20 years. Prior to this role, he grew to VP of Business Development for Alibi Music Library and before that worked for Extreme and Sonic Librarian. Hare has also worked in tour production and artist management for Foreigner, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The Smashing Pumpkins. In 2015, he transitioned to working in Production Music on the Business Development and Synch side while composing many tracks for Sonic Librarian, Megatrax, Flavorlab, and Alibi Music.

Adding to their Los Angeles presence, the company’ opened its second office in Nashville last year. The new middle-Tennessee office contains a mix stage and full post-production capabilities with Bragg and COO Travis Michaud spearheading the location. The Nashville office concentrates on catalog growth and new artist development, while the Los Angeles location remains focused on custom music production.

 

Michelle Wright Rejoins PLA Media’s Artist Roster

PLA Media has welcomed back Canadian country artist Michelle Wright to its roster. For the first time in nine years, Wright has a new album on the way via BFD / Audium Nashville titled Milestone.

Wright has been part of the music industry since the ’90s, with PLA Media Founder Pam Lewis helping launch her Now & Then album in 1992. Since their initial time working together, the Merlin, Ontario native has earned multiple awards and a coveted induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

“It is such a timely honor to be reunited with Michelle having worked her seminal CD, Now & Then. She has it all: a strong female role model, looks, talent, well-written songs, good production, smarts and oh…did I mention? She is so nice!” says Lewis.

This summer, fans will find Wright appearing across North America with performances at the Country Music Association of Ontario Week and her return to downtown Nashville for CMA Fest.

 

Alyssa Smeykal Named A&R Manager At Demolition Music

Alyssa Smeykal has joined Demolition Music as A&R Manager. Her responsibilities will include managing the catalog, setting up sessions, and pitching songs.

After graduating with a degree in Advertising from Penn State University in 2017, Smeykal moved to Nashville and landed a job at Bandtwango assisting in artist development. She moved into her role as Assistant Tour and Merchandise Manager for country songwriter and artist Chase Bryant in the spring of 2018. Smeykal spent the next two years on the road, which led her to explore the world of publishing. Soon after, she landed the title of Creative Manager at Liv Write Play where she helped manage the catalogs of Skip Black, Olivia Lane, and Matt Nolen.

“We considered many candidates and Alyssa was the unanimous choice. She has a perfect balance of experience, hunger and a winning attitude that makes her a perfect fit with our team, and will help get our young company to the next level,” says Demolition President, Jon D’Agostino.

“I could not be more excited to start working with such a talented roster at Demolition. This team feels like a big family already, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with this incredible company,” Smeykal adds.

 

The Troy Gentry Foundation Celebrates Inaugural “Salute 2 Service” Concert

The Troy Gentry Foundation recently held its first “Salute 2 Service” concert featuring performances from Jon Pardi, Dillon Carmichael, and Southerland.

The concert took place after a day of wake surfing organized by Operation Wake Surf and powered by Centurion Boats. Gentry’s wife, Angie, presented a $10,000 check to Operation Wake Surf.

“It was an honor to partner with Operation Wake Surf. Troy loved surfing because it was a great way to spend time with his family and he had a huge heart for the military so today was a no brainer for us,” Angie notes. “I am honored to have met everyone that participated and thank them for their service.”

The Troy Gentry Foundation, named after one half of country duo Montgomery Gentry, aims to keep Gentry’s legacy and personal beliefs of “Love God, Love Others” alive after his tragic death in a helicopter crash in 2017. The foundation produces events to raise funds and support various organizations that aid in cancer research, assist military families and families in need, and help provide music education to future generations.

Dolly Parton will star in a special holiday film, Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas, later this year on NBC.

According the film description, the film depicts the backstage story and on-camera results of Parton’s desire to share the unique “mountain magic” she has always found in and around Dollywood at Christmas. Throughout the production, the country icon takes a private journey into her past, guided by the mysterious appearances of her own personal Three Wise Men. Parton aims to show the world that the real magic of the season lies in the realization that Christmas is about the people we share it with, and how her faith remains the common thread between Christmases past, present, and future.

Parton will write and executive produce with David Rambo and Sam Haskell. Billy Levin and Bobby Kelly will produce while Hudson Hickman will also co-executive produce.

More information is expected to be released in the coming months.

Fan Fair X is returning in a big way this year following the festival’s two-year hiatus due to the pandemic with plenty of entertainment and fan connection festivities.