Randy Travis. Photo: Marisa Taylor

More Life, a documentary on Randy Travis featuring many of his last recorded performances, will air on the Circle Network on Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

A decade in the making, More Life started in 2011 as an intimate concert special honoring the 25th anniversary of Travis’ iconic album Storms of Life. As the film was being finalized in 2013, he unexpectedly suffered a massive stroke, leaving him unable to perform and severely limiting his speech.

“Though this documentary began as a 25th Anniversary special, it quickly pivoted into a chronicled celebration of life’s setups and setbacks, after my massive stroke in 2013. The planned few months of composing, turned into 10 years—Mary [Travis] and I thank the perseverance and patience of the wonderful team that waited and believed in it until completion… the ones that care and protect the legacy of my music,” offers Travis. 

“With the colorful life I’ve lived and four rollercoaster decades in the music and movie industry, there are infinite stories to tell in a finite timeframe,” the award-winning entertainer continues. “As I watch and listen to the cadence of kind words, special memories, and well-wishes from friends and colleagues, captured in the documentary, I am reminded of the blessed life God has given me. I appreciate those who gave More Love along the way, and the fans that continue to shed More Light along my path. There aren’t words that express the gratitude I have for the ones that came along when the day was dim, the future unknown…that gave me More Life.” 

“Randy Travis is the cornerstone of Warner Music Nashville, and we are both honored and humbled to share More Life with the world,” adds Shane Tarleton, EVP of Artist Development at Warner Music Nashville. “We’ve been in production for over a decade on this documentary, which shines a light on the passion that still drives one of the most important voices in modern country music history.”

Teresa George, VP of Strategic Partnerships at Circle Network, adds: “Randy Travis’ light has shined brightly over this town ever since he stepped into the music scene. We are honored to have a part in sharing this inspiring story of his courage, kindness and talent with the world.”

The documentary also features a special duet performance with Travis and Josh Turner, who appeared on Travis’ 25th anniversary album. More Life will air following the season two premiere of Upstream with Elizabeth Cook, where Elizabeth joins Travis and his wife at their home in Texas for a day of fishing.

Circle’s Day of Randy Travis will begin on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 3:30 p.m. CT and will end at 9 p.m. CT after the documentary airs. For a full lineup of the day’s programming, click here.

Sophie Hopkins

Warner Chappell Music has announced the hiring of Sophie Hopkins as the new Director of Synchronization for its Nashville operations.

In her new role, Hopkins will oversee and develop new business in the Nashville market with a focus on clients across the television and film industry in addition to the full digital media landscape.

“Nashville is an incredibly important location for our team where we will continue to invest and expand our efforts. With the addition of Sophie and her expertise across high end clients, our position in the market only continues to elevate,” shares Rich Robinson, EVP, Global Sync and Media Original Music, WCM.

Ben Vaughn, President & CEO, WCM Nashville adds: “Sync is a vital part of our business—it opens up some incredible opportunities for our songwriters to be heard by entirely new audiences and we’re committed to growing and strengthening those efforts here in Nashville. Sophie’s extensive experience with creatives of all types makes her an excellent addition to the team and I know that she’ll put our songwriters first and always remain focused on their best interests.”

Hopkins joins Warner Chappell from Big Yellow Dog Music, where she spent the past four years in sync. Her previous career stops include time at Heavy Hitters Music in Los Angeles.

The Indianapolis native moved to Nashville at 18 to attend Belmont University, where she also had the opportunity to live and intern in both New York City and Los Angeles during undergrad.

“I’ve spent the better part of my life obsessed with the perfect pairing of song and scene and can’t imagine a better place than Warner Chappell to continue my career doing so,” Hopkins shares. “I am over the moon to be working not only with this incredible catalog of songs, but to join a team that is so passionate about putting the songwriters first!”

5x Grammy nominee Thomas Rhett has announced his headlining “Bring The Bar To You Tour,” slated for this summer. Special guests for the dates are Parker McCollum and Conner Smith.

Presented by Dos Primos, the tour kicks off June 17 in Gilford, New Hampshire, and will visit over 30 cities, including Detroit, Atlanta, Seattle, Tulsa, and more through Oct. 15.

Tickets for the new tour, named from a to-be-released song from Rhett’s upcoming sixth studio album, Where We Started, go on sale to the general public on Jan. 28. HomeTeam members can access tickets early via pre-sale on Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. local time, and Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets from Jan. 25-27.

“Man it feels good to share this tour news,” Rhett comments. “I’ll never take for granted being able to come see y’all and I’m so fired up to play some of these new ones that were made with these nights in mind. I have a feeling things are going to get loud–I’m counting down the days already!”

“Bring The Bar To You Tour” Dates:
6/17 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion
6/18 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion
6/23 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
6/24 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
6/25 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
7/14 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
7/15 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
7/16 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
7/21 – Tuscaloosa, AL – Tuscaloosa Amphitheater
7/22 – Atlanta, GA – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
7/23 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium
8/11 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
8/12 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/13 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
8/18 – Seattle, WA – White River Amphitheatre
8/19 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
8/25 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
8/26 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre
9/22 – Columbia, MO – Mizzou Arena
9/23 – Springfield, MO – JQH Arena
9/24 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
9/29 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center
9/30 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center
10/1 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
10/6 – Boise, ID – Ford Idaho Center Arena
10/7 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
10/8 – Missoula, MT – Adams Center
10/13 – Moline, IL – TaxSlayer Center
10/14 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center
10/15 – Dayton, OH – Nutter Center

Heather Froglear

The 2022 Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award recipient and individuals selected to receive the Rusty Walker and Lisa McKay Women in Radio Scholarships have been unveiled by the Country Radio Broadcaster, Inc (CRB).

Heather Froglear has been named the 2022 Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award recipient. She will be recognized during the New Faces of Country Music show, held during CRS 2022.

Froglear has spent 28 years on the air at KFRG and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and the Country Radio Seminar’s Agenda Committee. She is the creator of K-Frogger’s for Kids Radiothon, benefiting Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. In its 20th year, the radiothon has cumulatively raised over $7 million. Froglear is also involved in several organizations, including Lifestream, the Riverside Police Officer’s Association, the American Cancer Society Inland Empire Chapter, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and more.

Each year, the Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual in the country radio industry who has displayed a spirit of caring and generosity in service to their community. Named in honor of the CRB Board member, Rivers was known for his work at WQYK, Tampa/St. Petersburg and WUSN, Chicago, and was highly regarded for his public service.

“Heather is the kind of person this award was made for. She’s not about prestige or celebrity, but she has lots of both and personally commits to using them for good. The power of her empathy raises the lives of people who need her. And we all need people like her,” says CRB/CRS Board President Kurt Johnson. “CRS is proud to recognize Heather’s significant and very real service.”

Receiving the 2022 Rusty Walker Scholarship are Kyle Matthews (APD/MD, KFGE, Lincoln, NE), Spencer Campbell (Account Executive, WLVK Ft Knox, KY), and Morgan Taylor (On-Air Talent, KGRT, Las Cruces, NM), Set to receive the first-ever Lisa McKay Women in Radio Scholarship is Jacqueline Dunn Pailizzi (PM Drive and APD, WCJC, Marion, IN). Each recipient will receive complimentary registration, hotel, and airfare for CRS 2022 and will be recognized during CRS Honors, which kicks off the 3-day event.

“CRS has a decades-long mantra of ‘growth through sharing,’ and today’s award recipients fully live up to that spirit. Tom Rivers was an unselfish and empathetic broadcaster whose humanitarian acts were done with sincerity and humility. Heather Froglear is the perfect honoree for 2022 and lives up to Tom’s namesake and legacy, as her impressive list of initiatives proves,” adds CRS Executive Director, RJ Curtis. “Rusty Walker and Lisa McKay were two of our industry’s most passionate and involved mentors, encouraging younger broadcast professionals to learn, excel, and lead. CRS is proud to host these aspiring and deserving industry professionals in 2022, and we believe Rusty and Lisa would be proud.”

Walker was a Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee, an influential programmer and consultant, and mentor in the music industry. After his passing in 2012, the scholarship program was developed to continue his legacy of supporting bright, young minds in the business. Similarly, McKay successfully programmed WQDR/Raleigh for 16 years and was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2018. She was integral in helping the CRB launch the well-established annual Rusty Walker Scholarship program, formed to mentor up-and-coming programmers. The scholarship serves to advance younger females pursuing leadership roles in radio programming.

CRS will be held Wednesday, Feb. 23-25, and will feature educational panels, virtual networking, and workshops designed to provide instant, actionable takeaways.