Elvie Shane’s “My Boy” Receives Gold Certification

Pictured (L-R): Brian Wolf (Maverick), JoJamie Hahr (BBR Music Group), Elvie Shane, Jay Jones (BBR Music Group)

Wheelhouse Records’ Elvie Shane is celebrating another career milestone as his No. 1 single “My Boy” has officially been certified Gold by the RIAA, with over 500,000 units sold since its release. Shane was surprised with the news of his Gold certification during an interview with CMT Hot 20 Countdown.

“Music isn’t just the noise we make,” shares Shane. “It is the people that consume it. This song isn’t just a song. It is a chapter out of my personal journey. A sincerest ‘Thank You’ to my listeners for giving my story a Gold Record.”

“My Boy” is included on Shane’s debut full-length album Backslider. Shane recently spoke with MusicRow about the project and how it came to life.

Mandy Barnett Becomes Newest Member Of The Grand Ole Opry

Pictured (L-R): Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, and Mandy Barnett. Photo: Chris Hollo

Mandy Barnett was welcomed as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday night (Nov. 2) by Marty Stuart.

Barnett began her set with her very first single, “Now That’s Alright with Me,” following it with various stages of her career, including “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey,” which she performed countless times in the role of late Grand Ole Opry star Patsy Cline in the musical Always…Patsy Cline.

Stuart took the stage, saying: “You are like our sister, and we all want to be around you at this moment.” Inviting his band and Connie Smith to join him center stage, Stuart continued, “Many meaningful ladies have sung at this microphone, and I can’t think of anyone who was more born for this moment than you. 520 times—that’s how many times you’ve now played the Opry. That’s a long audition! On behalf of the cast, staff, and all the members, we welcome you with open arms and deepest hearts.”

“This is just so unbelievable,” exclaimed Barnett. “I’ve been pinching myself since the birthday invite. This means everything to me. I’ve wanted to be a part of the Opry since I was a little girl. This is just the greatest moment of my life, and I will cherish it.”

Barnett recently caught up with MusicRow to discuss her road to the Grand Ole Opry. She is scheduled to appear in four “Opry Country Christmas” shows debuting this coming holiday season at the Opry House on Nov. 28, Dec. 5, 8, and 12.

BlackHawk Donated $25,000 To Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Pictured (L-R): Dave Robbins (BlackHawk), Henry Paul (BlackHawk), Dr. Justin Balko (Vanderbilt), Lori Stefanski (Vanderbilt)

At the recent fifth annual Freeborn Jam benefit concert held at Nashville’s City Winery, members of country group BlackHawk continued their annual tradition of donating to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Henry Paul and Dave Robbins presented a $25,000 check to Vanderbilt on behalf of BlackHawk’s “Van Stephenson Memorial Cancer Research Fund.” Stephenson, a founding member of BlackHawk, passed away from melanoma in 2001. Since 2006, the fund has generated $400,000 for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

“BlackHawk’s commitment to fund cancer research continues as we strive to honor Van’s dying wish, ‘That we do what we can to try and find a cure,'” says Paul. “This effort started more than twenty years ago and will continue into the foreseeable future.”

“What an honor for Henry and I to support Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center year after year in memory of our friend and original co-founder of Blackhawk, Van Stephenson,” adds Robinson.

Pictured (L-R): Belmont University President Greg Jones, Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones, Brad Paisley, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Brad Paisley Scholarship recipient Jeanette Porcello. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Simpkins/Belmont University.

Belmont University is honoring alumnus Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley by naming the ballroom in the campus’ new Fisher Center for the Performing Arts after the couple.

The announcement was made during “A Night of Stories and Songs” at the new performing arts center, celebrating the university’s new president Greg Jones‘ inauguration on Thursday, Nov. 4.

“Brad and Kim together represent so much of what is wonderful about Belmont,” said Jones. “To paraphrase a song that Brad has sung, ‘When we all get where we are going’ we’ll all be grateful and for the better because we’ve been associated with Kimberly Williams-Paisley and with Brad Paisley. This remarkable facility will long be associated with the legacy of both of their contributions to Belmont.”

The dedication is attributed to the Paisleys work they’re doing with The Store—a nonprofit they founded in 2019 that helps supplies grocers to those in need—and to express Belmont’s gratitude for the endowed scholarship fund the couple created and the strong example Paisley sets for students following in his footsteps.

Since opening at the beginning of the pandemic in Spring 2020, The Store has served more than 1.5 million meals.

The Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley ballroom unveiling. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Simpkins/Belmont University

“I look around now at what Belmont is doing, and it’s incredible,” said Brad Paisley. “When I was going here, I just wanted to find my place in the Nashville music business, but now you can almost do anything you want in the world once you get a degree here. That impacts our charity in a way we never envisioned when we first pitched this idea—It can be so much more than a grocery store. I just want to use us as a school and as a charity to do good things in the world.”

The Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley Ballroom can be utilized for acoustic and amplified performances, as well as a rehearsal space for performances on the main stage of the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, a stunning new Nashville venue which was officially dedicated in September.

Pictured (L-R, front row): Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO; Nate Smith; Chief Zaruk, The Core Entertainment; (L-R, back row): Steve Hodges, SMN EVP, Promotion and Artist Development; Caryl Atwood, SMN SVP, Sales and Streaming; Ken Robold, SMN EVP and COO; Margaret Tomlin, SMN VP, A&R; Jennifer Way, SMN SVP, Marketing; Gaby Zelhof, SMN A&R Representative; Nicole Hunt, SMN Director, Marketing; Simon Tikhman, The Core Entertainment. Photo: Alan Poizner

Sony Music Nashville has signed country singer-songwriter Nate Smith.

The powerful vocalist first earned acclaim soon after releasing the poignant “One of These Days,” which he wrote after a wildfire devastated his hometown of Paradise, California. The reaction to the track inspired Smith to move to Nashville.

After he arrived in Music City, Smith released his biggest song to date, “Wildfire,” and signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. He has since released new music including “Sleeve” and “Under My Skin,” which has amassed over 40 million on-demand streams to date. Smith is managed by Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman with The Core Entertainment.

To celebrate his newfound record deal, Smith released a new emotive track co-written with Trannie Anderson and Jonathan Smith, “Raised Up.”

“The day we wrote it, I had to leave the room because I was tearing up,” Smith says. “The song talks about ‘Any time I lose my way, I turn the way I was raised up,’ and for me, whenever I’m lost or feeling alone, I’ve got God. That has really helped me, but it can be whatever somebody needs. It could be thinking about something your grandma said one time you now hold on to, or the phrase you have tattooed on your arm. It’s however you find your way back home.”