Hill Entertainment Group, founded in 2013 by President and CEO Greg Hill, has hired Kodi Chandler as Director of Business Development and promoted longtime staffer Grace Jones to Creative Director.

Chandler joins the Nashville-based management and brand strategies company following his seven-year tenure at WME, where he was a booking agent in the country music department. In his new role, Chandler will strategize innovative opportunities for management clients, facilitate brand partnerships, and coordinate and direct touring efforts.

In her new role, Jones, who has been with Hill Entertainment Group for nearly five years, will oversee the clients’ marketing campaigns and develop and manage social media for their roster. She will continue coordinating photo and video shoots for clients, in addition to managing music distribution and relationships with streaming platforms. Before joining Hill Entertainment Group, Jones interned at Channel Greatness, Sony Music and Red Distribution.

Hill Entertainment is the current home to Rodney Atkins, Naomi Judd and The Judds, Canaan Smith, Mark Wills, Jennifer Smestad, Drew Baldridge, and Emily Earle.

Country singer-songwriter Melanie Meriney has launched her own Nashville publishing company, Steel Fox Entertainment Publishing. The company was originally formed in 2020 alongside her partner Michael Funk of Funk Studio.

“My years as a staff writer taught me a lot about the publishing side of the music business,” says Meriney. “Songwriting has always been a great passion of mine, so it was always a dream to form my own company. Steel Fox has been an idea for a long time and I’m so excited it’s finally getting officially introduced to the world.”

After working in songwriter circles for 10 years, Funk brings a wealth of experience in production from his time running a full-time studio. “[Funk’s] back catalog is incredible and I’ve been dying for years to get some of these songs heard,” Meriney shares. “Michael brings a lot to the table in terms of creativity and collaboration and is the natural next step for us.”

Steel Fox also has the support of industry veteran Shane Barrett, who has over 20 years of song-plugging experience. He has pitched and secured cuts with ​country music icons including George Strait, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood and many more. He will work with the Steel Fox roster.

In addition to song-plugging, the company will provide a majority of its production in-house.

Grammy-winning entertainer Chris Stapleton has rescheduled his upcoming shows for this weekend—including tonight’s (Oct. 21) show at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati and two back-to-back nights at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena (Oct. 22 and 23).

The Nashville shows have been rescheduled for Dec. 10 and 11. The Cincinnati show will be rescheduled to 2022 with a new date to be announced soon. All tickets will be honored at the rescheduled dates. However, for those unable to attend, they can contact their point of purchase for a refund.

Earlier this month, Stapleton was forced to cancel his show in Sioux Falls on Oct. 16 after contracting laryngitis. According to social media, his voice has not yet recovered enough for this weekend’s performances.

“I want to thank you all for your well wishes and kind words you have shared over the last few days. I had hoped to have some good news to share with you after this quiet time, but unfortunately the progress I’ve made it not enough,” Stapleton shares on social media. “On doctor’s orders, I will need to continue my vocal rest through the weekend in order to fully heal. I am sorry that so many of you have been inconvenienced and I’m truly thankful for your patience and understanding.”

See below for rescheduled dates.

Nashville • 12.10.2021
Nashville • 12.11.2021

The show at Riverbend in Cincinnati is being rescheduled to 2022. A new date will be announced as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/9qDV7dvwXu

— Chris Stapleton (@ChrisStapleton) October 20, 2021

He continues, “Nothing is more personal to me than the experience of music. I’m eternally grateful for the privilege of sharing in that journey with all of you night after night. Thank you for your continued support and I hope to see you all very soon.”

Stapleton’s “All American Road Show” is scheduled to continue on Oct. 28 at Untied Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas.

Riley Green’s “There Was This Girl” Goes Platinum

Singer-songwriter Riley Green recently celebrated the RIAA Platinum certification for his debut single, “There Was This Girl.”

The song, written alongside Erik Dylan, also marked his first No. 1 at country radio. The track hit No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart on Jan. 24, 2019.

Executives from Big Machine Label Group–Scott Borchetta, Allison Jones and Jimmy Harnen–commemorated the occasion with a special plaque at their Nashville office.

Green will kick off his “We Out Here Tour” on Nov. 3 in Athens, Georgia. The headline dates will run through February 2022 with special guests Corey Smith, Kameron Marlowe and Mike Ryan.

The 2020 ACM Awards New Male Artist of the Year spent the summer on Dierks Bentley’s “Beers On Me Tour” and has previously opened for acts such as Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley and Jon Pardi.

 

CRB Opens Applications For Rusty Walker Scholarship Program

Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) is now accepting applications for the Rusty Walker Scholarship program.

Each scholarship includes a full CRS 2022 registration, as well as airfare and accommodations for three nights. Eligible applicants must be full-time radio station employees and first-time CRS attendees.

The Rusty Walker Scholarship program is named in honor of Country Radio Hall of Fame member Rusty Walker, who passed away in May 2012 at the age of 59.

Country’s Radio Coach Owner/CEO and CRB Scholarship Chairman John Shomby says, “We continue to strive to attract talented, young broadcasters to the seminar, especially in the name of Rusty Walker, who, for years, cultivated some of the best young talent in our industry. The scholarship provides some unique opportunities to network with some of the best in the business and begin some long-lasting mentoring relationships. Once again, I thank the CRB Board of Directors for their continued overwhelming support of this honor.”

CRS 2022 is slated for February 23-25 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. The last day for scholarship submissions is Nov. 5. To apply, click here.

 

Michael Martin Murphey To Join The Texas Trail Of Fame

Michael Martin Murphey will be inducted into The Texas Trail of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 23 at the Livestock Exchange Building in the historic Ft. Worth Stockyards. A sold-out recognition dinner is set for Thursday, Oct. 21.

The Texas Trail of Fame was established to honor individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Western way of life. Along the walkways of the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, bronze inlaid markers are placed in recognition of honorees’ achievements.

Murphey blends many genres, including pop, country, Western, Celtic, jazz and bluegrass, and focuses on his personal life as a Southwestern “pilgrim.” Murphey has released over 35 albums, and his song “Wildfire” is among the most-aired songs in radio history. His other hits include “Carolina In The Pines,” “Cowboy Logic,” “Geronimo’s Cadillac,” “What’s Forever For?” “Long Line of Love,” “Boy From The Country,” and “Cherokee Fiddle,” among others.

Murphey’s Trail of Fame marker will be placed in front of Billy Bob’s Texas.

 

Tammy Hyler, Smashville Entertainment Nominated At Franklin International Indie Film Festival

Award-winning, renowned songwriter, music industry professional and film producer, Tammy Hyler (Smashville Entertainment) will celebrate her most recent collaborative TV/film project, Way Back In The Woods at the 5th Annual Franklin International Indie Film Festival in November.

The short film, created and produced by Hyler, co-written by Hyler and Dan Backman, was produced as the pilot for a ten-episode, hour-long television series. Way Back In The Woods also celebrated accolades from the New York Independent Cinema Awards, and LA Independent Film Awards earlier this year.

Shot in Nashville, Fairview and Primm Springs, Tennessee, the film is a fictional story of four young sisters, born and raised in the Tennessee backwoods. Abandoned by their parents as young children, the girls are left to fend for themselves where they learn to hunt, fish and carry on with the family underground moonshine distillery. A wounded hunter stumbles upon their them, forcing the girls to decide his fate.

“The concept for Way Back In The Woods was derived from a song that Shaye Smith, Alexis Ebert and I wrote. We shot the corresponding music video and the storyline for the series just seemed to write itself. I couldn’t get it down on paper fast enough,” shares Hyler. “The pilot has been dubbed Little Women in the woods, meets Succession, meets Outer Banks by industry insiders. I’m so very proud in the early welcome and praise, to be honored by the Franklin International Indie Film Festival, and to celebrate the achievement at the screening in our backyard where the film was made.”

The festival will be held at The Factory in the Franklin Mockingbird Theater from Tuesday, Nov. 9, through Sunday, Nov. 14. With more than 151 films submitted, Way Back In The Woods is nominated in multiple categories, including Doc Feature, Best Short Film, Best Tennessee Short Film, and Audience Favorite.