Michael Ray Earns First Platinum Certification For ‘Think A Little Less’

Singer-songwriter Michael Ray recently celebrated his first RIAA Platinum-certified single, “Think A Little Less,” which has been certified for U.S. digital single sales of over 1 million units. Bobby Bones presented Ray with a commemorative plaque Saturday night (Aug. 28) following his 58th performance at the Grand Ole Opry.

Ray has also received four Gold certifications throughout his career for his chart-topping songs “Kiss You in the Morning” and “One That Got Away,” as well as fan favorites “Get To You” and “Her World Or Mine.”

His current single, “Whiskey And Rain,” is climbing the country radio charts and has accumulated nearly 50 million streams since its release. Ray also released his new EP, Higher Education, last Friday (Aug. 27) which was produced by Ross Copperman.

 

Big Loud Adds Duane Hobson As Director Of Promotion (Southeast)

Big Loud Records has added Duane Hobson as its Director of Promotion (Southeast). Supporting the label’s roster in the Southeast region, Hobson brings two decades of expertise to his new role and will report to SVP of Promotion, Stacy Blythe.

After graduating from Nashville State Community College, he went on to serve in various A&R capacities with RCA Records, Sony/BMG, and Sony Music Nashville. Since then, he’s spent time handling A&R Industry Consultant duties for the University of Georgia’s Music Business Department, as well as Kennesaw State University’s Joel A. Katz Music and Entertainment Business Program. Most recently, Hobson worked as A&R Collaborative Manager/Tour Manager at Edge Artist Management, and has also consulted for Intercept Music, as well as numerous independent artists and producers.

“I’ve been waiting quite some time to have a spot on this team for Duane [Hobson]. He’s already beloved in our industry and we are honored that he chose Big Loud Records as the home for his return,” shares Blythe. “Duane’s passion and positivity are abounding, and I know our radio friends in the Southeast are going to love him.”

“It’s an honor to join a company that invests heavily in the individuals and in the culture that they have come to be known for,” shares Hobson. “I’m looking forward to being on the front lines daily in the Southeast representing this amazing artist roster with Big Loud Records.”

Hobson can be reached here.

 

Morgan Brasfield Upped To Creative Manager At Kobalt

Morgan Brasfield has been promoted to Creative Manager at Kobalt Music.

Brasfield has spent her career dedicated to both amatuer and professional songwriters. After graduating from Belmont University, she worked her way from receptionist to writer representative at NSAI. She has worked on the creative team at Kobalt Music since 2017.

In her new role, she will work creatively with writer and publishing company clients while also overseeing calendar management, co-writing opportunities, and pitching songs.

Multi-Platinum selling recording artist Josh Turner is releasing his debut Christmas record, King Size Manger, on Oct. 8 through MCA Nashville. In support of the album, Turner will embark on a 16-city “Holiday & The Hits Tour” that will wrap at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium.

The record, produced by Kenny Greenberg, will include Christmas classic as well as four originals, three of which were co-written by Turner who also arranged five of the 11 tracks on the project. 

The four original songs include the solo penned “Mele Kalikimaka My ‘Ohana” featuring world renowned ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and Grammy-nominated Hawaiian trio Ho’okena. Turner also wrote “What He’s Given Me” with Pat McLaughlin, as well as the title track “King Size Manger” with Mark Narmore. The album also includes the Travis Hill and Tom Douglas track “Soldier’s Gift.” Christmas music fans will also find the beloved classics “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which features Turner’s wife Jennifer and his four children, as well as “Joy To The World” featuring Rhonda Vincent. 

“Making a Christmas record can be a mighty daunting task for an artist,” says Turner. “There are so many songs to choose from and there’ve been so many versions of those songs throughout history. It can be intimidating to know whether you’ll be able to measure up to what’s already been done and when I get to that point, I step back and remind myself that I have to do what I hear in my heart. You may be surprised to hear my arrangement on some of these songs that you know so well.  We had a lot of fun throwing out all the preconceived notions of what a Christmas record should sound like. In my opinion, it’s about the words and the heart and soul of how a song sounds. You don’t need jingle bells on a song to make it a Christmas song.”

King Size Manger Track List:
1. Angels We Have Heard On High
2. What He’s Given Me (Featuring Pat McLaughlin)
3. King Size Manger
4. Joy To The World (Featuring Rhonda Vincent)
5. Soldier’s Gift
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Featuring The Turner Family)
7. Go Tell It On The Mountain
8. Mele Kalikimaka My ‘Ohana (Featuring Jake Shimabukuro and Ho’okena)*
9. The First Nowell
10. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town
11. Silent Night, Holy Night

Brinley Addington and Jerry Flowers, who co-wrote Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris’ duet “Chasing After You,” have made it into the Top 10 on the MusicRow Songwriter Chart.

Ashley Gorley takes the No. 1 position again this week, as a co-writer on current charting songs “Good Things” and “Steal My Love”(Dan + Shay), “Country Again” (Thomas Rhett), “Give Heaven Some Hell” (Hardy), “Sand In My Boots” (Morgan Wallen), “You Should Probably Leave” (Chris Stapleton), and “Beers On Me” (Dierks Bentley, Hardy & Breland).

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

Sturgill Simpson earns the top country album debut this week with the release of The Ballad of Dood and Juanita. The album takes No. 3 on the country charts and No. 23 overall with 18,000 first-week streams, according to Nielsen.

Morgan Wallen stays at No. 1, with Dangerous: The Double Album adding 42,000 streams. Luke Combs takes up second as What You See Is What You Get and fifth as This One’s For You with 23,000 and 16,000 streams, respectively. Dan + Shay rises to No. 4 with their newly released album, Good Things, gaining 17,000 streams.

Monument Records’ Walker Hayes retains his place at No. 1 country, and No. 8 overall, as “Fancy Like” earns another staggering 12 million streams this week, according to Nielsen. “Lil Bit” (Nelly & Florida Georgia Line) takes back the second spot, adding 7.2 million streams; “Chasing After You” (Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris) rise to third with 7.1 million streams; and “Forever After All” (Combs) moves up to fourth with 6.5 million streams. Dan + Shay fill out this week’s top five as “Glad You Exist” earns 6 million streams.

Cody Jinks is doubling down this November with the release of two new albums on Nov. 12 through his own independent label, Late August Records: Mercy, a solo country record, and None The Wiser, a metal album created with his band Caned By Nod. Ahead of the releases, Jinks has released “All It Cost Me Was Everything” from Mercy and “Middle Finger” from None The Wiser.

Both produced and engineered by Edward Spear and recorded simultaneously at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, the two records vary sonically and thematically yet are tied together through Jinks’ signature songwriting.

Jinks incorporates traditional elements with soul, rock and blues through Mercy. Written entirely during quarantine, he used his time at home to further develop his songwriting skills. Working with both longtime friends and heroes, the project features collaborations with Chris Shiflett, Kendell Marvel, Adam Hood, TN Jet, Josh Morningstar, Greg C. Jones and Ward Davis, as well as Jinks’ wife, Rebecca.

Meanwhile, None The Wiser pulls from arena-caliber classic rock, thrash metal and psychedelic-tinged grunge and marks a full circle moment for Jinks, who performed in a metal band before making the shift to country. Jinks wrote all ten tracks on the record with his past bandmate Ben Heffley, with some written as recently as this year and others dating back to the early 2000s.

“It was very different recording them at the same time,” recalls Jinks of the process. “Literally, it was being in one studio and walking next door and going from this beautiful country song that we’re doing to just this really angry metal song, flipping a switch. The actual art of writing was the only thing I really had to focus on to keep myself sane… the song comes first. If I’m not writing a great song, then I’m dead in the water. I really, really focused on being a better wordsmith.”

Since the release of his 2015 breakthrough record, Adobe Sessions, which features his Platinum-certified song, “Loud and Heavy,” Jinks has released four more studio albums. He’s sold over 1.5 million equivalent units throughout his career and garnered over 2 billion streams. Jinks was recently named MusicRow’s 2020 Independent Artist of the Year after receiving the most radio spins for an independent artist and was awarded Entertainer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Single of the Year by Texas Radio in 2020.