Carrie Underwood Graces Sunday Night Football Show Open For 9th Consecutive Season

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Carrie Underwood. Photo: Chris Haston/NBC

On Sunday, Sept. 12, seven-time Grammy Award-winner and multi-Platinum recording artist Carrie Underwood will star in the 2021 debut show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Shot at Industrial Light & Magic’s cutting edge LED sound stage and utilizing the StageCraft LED virtual production technology, the show open will feature a virtual football tailgate as a backdrop for Underwood’s performance of “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night.”

“Shooting the new show open for Sunday Night Football is one of the highlights of my year,” says Underwood, who headlines the SNF show open for her ninth consecutive season. “I just love the fact that we get to reinvent it every year.  The team behind these shoots is incredible and it’s always a really fun day, especially this year getting to work with such amazing state-of-the-art technology.”

NBC’s Sunday Night Football has been primetime television’s No. 1 program for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years and will now utilize the same cutting edge technology recently used in “The Mandalorian.” The show open will also highlight user-generated cameos from some of the NFL’s biggest stars, as well as fans’ self-recorded video from NFL tailgates.

“We are excited about this year’s new collaboration with Carrie, which utilizes virtual production technology to generate real-time environments for Carrie’s performance, including a ‘tailgate’ to salute this game’s great fans, who have been ‘waiting all day for Sunday night’ and will be incorporated with their own user-generated tailgate videos,” says Tripp Dixon, creative director of the SNF show open.

The first SNF game of the 2021-2022 season will be on Sept. 12 as the Chicago Bears take on the Los Angeles Rams at the SoFi Stadium in California.

Kelly Rich To Exit Amazon Music

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Kelly Rich

Kelly Rich will exit her position as Amazon’s Head of Country Music, MusicRow has confirmed. Her last day will be Aug. 30.

Rich joined Amazon four years ago after time at Big Machine Label Group, UMG Nashville, DreamWorks, Arista Nashville, BMG and Western Merchandisers. At Amazon she worked with artists and labels to drive collaborative efforts around content launches, events and promotions.

Rich has been honored multiple times, with inclusion on power player lists in Billboard and Variety, awards from the Nashville Business Journal and MusicRow’s Rising Women on the Row.

Amazon has posted a job opening for Head of Country Music, Nashville Office. Click here to view the application.

Dennis Quaid Plots Fall Tour In Advance Of New Album

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Dennis Quaid. Photo: Derrek Kupish

Dennis Quaid has announced plans for a 12-city tour this fall that will take him to venues like Sony Hall in New York, the Acorn in Three Oaks, Michigan, and City Winery in Nashville. The tour kicks off Oct.30 and runs through Nov. 15.

During the tour, Quaid will tell tales from his film career and stories behind the songs that will appear on his forthcoming album set for release in 2022 via Gaither/Primary Wave. During the show, Quaid will cover some of his favorite songs, including some by Jerry Lee Lewis, rock ‘n’ roll classics, and country standards.

Quaid is an Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe nominee, and is also a respected singer-songwriter with hundreds of thousands of miles under his belt as a recording and touring musician. After years of playing clubs with Dennis Quaid and The Sharks, they released their debut album, Out of the Box, in November 2018.

FlyteVu Adds 11 New Staff Members, Promotes 3

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FlyteVu, a Nashville-based full-service entertainment marketing agency, has announced a wave of new hires and promotions over the past month.

New hires for the Talent & Influencer and Media Departments include Chris Simmons as Head of Talent & Influencers and Ellen Prinzi as Integrated Media Director. Simmons was formerly VP of Celebrity & Influencer Marketing at The Marketing Arm and Prinzi was Director of Business Development at Gateway Blend.

Rachel Reynolds, who previously held the title of Senior Director of Creative Content Production at Concord Records, has been added to FlyteVu as a Producer, and Hannah Sandfeld, formerly Digital Manager at Golin, has been added as a Talent Strategist. FlyteVu has also added McKenna Monk as Digital Strategist; Sara McCauley as Account Manager; and Lauren Miller as Senior Account Manager.

Additionally, FlyteVu hosted a first-of-its-kind hiring session on the drop-in audio app, Clubhouse. Out of it, FlyteVu brought on five new hires including Rachel Brittain, Kaetlin Fehl, Milan Nolen, and Wayne Leeloy. Their collective experience includes time at TikTok, Turner Sports, CANVAS and Vector Management.

FlyteVu has also promoted three staff members, including Brittany Rashkin to Director of Publicity, Sina Seger to VP of Accounts, and Miriam Singer to Director of Operations.

Sam Grow Previews Second Album With ‘You Ain’t Gone’

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Sam Grow is releasing his sophomore project, This Town, on Average Joes Entertainment due out Sept. 10. The album’s newest release, “You Ain’t Gone,” co-written by Grow and Keirsten Hedden, is out now on all streaming platforms.

Produced by Colt Ford and Noah Gordon, This Town features 12 tracks co-written with some Nashville hitmakers including Brice Long, Terry McBride, Joey Hyde, Taylor Phillips, and more. Leading up to the release of the new album, Grow has garnered over 55 million streams on several tracks that have already been released, including “This Town,” “Song About You,” “Me and Mine,” and more.

“I’m so excited about the release of my second full-length album, This Town. It’s an album full of real stories from my life and the lives of my friends. This album is a reflection of past relationships, current relationships, and the small towns I’ve lived those stories in,” Grow shares. “Its release is close to the anniversary of my father’s passing and my Dad loved nothing more than to watch me chase my dreams in music. This album is dedicated to him. I can’t wait for y’all to listen to these songs all the way through and learn a little more about me.”

This Town Track List:
1. This Town (Sam Grow, Keesy Timmer, Wil Nance)
2. Song About You (Taylor Phillips, Joey Hyde, Kenton)
3. Me And Mine (Sam Grow, Danny Orton, Cody Cooper, George Birge)
4. Boy Like Me (Sam Grow)
5. Bar Last Night (Sam Grow, Danny Orton)
6. Go Right Now (Sam Grow, Kyle Jacobs, Vicky McGehee)
7. You Ain’t Gone (Sam Grow & Keirsten Hedden)
8. Grew Up Red (Brice Long, Taylor Phillips, Sam Grow)
9. Little House (Sam Grow, Terry McBride)
10. Kiss My Ass (Sam Grow. Hank Miller)
11. Better than Me (Sam Grow)
12. Whiskey Bound (Sam Grow)

Tim McGraw, ASCAP, City National Bank Named Title Sponsors Of Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament

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Only a few weeks away from the registration deadline, the 34th Annual Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament (MRLGT) has announced that Tim McGraw, ASCAP, and City National Bank will be the Title Sponsors for this year’s event.

Taking place on Monday, Sept. 13 at Old Natchez Country Club in Nashville, the 2021 tournament will once again benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee. The MRLGT raised over $70,000 in 2019 and has historically raised a grand total of more than $2.3 million for UCP of Middle Tennessee. The event is the single biggest annual fundraiser for UCP of Middle Tennessee.

As previously announced, Nashville-based boutique investment and development firm E3 Construction Services and Founder/CEO John Eldridge will host the tournament. Additionally, Keith Urban will be the Presenting Sponsor of the Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament for his fifth consecutive year.

For those interested in sponsoring this year’s tournament, options to be included on the event t-shirt are available. As the easiest way to get involved, this serves as a popular way for male songwriters and executives to show their support.

Registration for the tournament is open now at $135 per player with limited team space. To register, sponsor, or for more information, click here.

Ben Johnson Partners With BMG To Sign Johnny Reno

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Pictured (L-R): Chris Oglesby (Vice President, Creative A&R BMG), Katie Kerkhover (Senior Creative Director, A&R BMG), Ben Johnson, Johnny Reno, Leslie Roberts (Assistant Vice President, Creative BMI), Courtney Allen (Creative Director, A&R BMG)

Songwriter/producer Johnny Reno has signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG in partnership with hit songwriter Ben Johnson.

A Nashville native, Reno began his career at 15 playing on Nashville’s lower Broadway, and by 18 was touring with Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt. Though he started out as a solo artist, Reno found his true calling in production and songwriting. He wrote and produced Anthony de la Torres and Lana Condor‘s debut single “Rain in London,” as well as de la Torres’ EP, Find Me. He has also worked on records for Track45, Gayle, Kidd G, Twinnie, and Riley Roth.

“Johnny’s talent, passion, and drive to succeed makes him an instant stand out,” says Katie Kerkhover, BMG Senior Creative Director. “His ability to work seamlessly in both country and pop has him set up for a big future! We couldn’t be more excited to be working with him.”

“There’s so much that can be said about Katie, but it can be easily summarized to just say that she is actually the BEST!” says Reno. “As a person she’s just as good and honest as they come, and as an A&R person she’s always strategic and collaborative to get you in the best position for success. I’m excited to be working with her and the whole BMG team.”

Songwriter Craig Karp Dies At 76

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Chart-topping country songwriter Craig Karp died on Aug. 15 in Nashville at age 76.

He was the co-writer of “If It Don’t Come Easy,” which hit No. 1 for Tanya Tucker in 1988. Karp also hit the top of the country hit parade with “There’s No Stopping Your Heart,” recorded by Marie Osmond in 1985.

Born Ronald Craig Karp, he came of age in California before embarking on his Nashville songwriting career. His earliest big success was “Second Hand Heart,” a No. 7 country hit of 1984 sung by Gary Morris. He co-wrote two big hits for Southern Pacific. “Honey I Dare You” was a 1988 single by the group that reached No. 5 on the country charts. “All Is Lost” made it to No. 19 on the A/C chart for Southern Pacific in 1989.

Craig Karp also co-wrote songs recorded by T.G. Sheppard, Lynn Anderson, Dave Gibson, Burrito Deluxe, Eddy Raven, Jimmy Fortune, Matt King, Rob Crosby, James House and Wayland Patton.

Carla Monday and Rustie Blue are among the independent-label acts who charted with Karp’s songs. More than two dozen such singers recorded his songs in 1980-2010. Several of them were European recording artists.

Craig Karp is survived by his wife Helen, daughter Casey, son Cody Blue and granddaughter LaDonna Eby. Arrangements are being handled by Woodbine Funeral Home. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

AmericanaFest 2021 To Implement COVID-19 Entry Protocols

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AmericanaFest 2021, running from Sept. 22-25 in Nashville, has announced new COVID-19 policies for its upcoming event.

The three-day conference will be requiring either proof of vaccination, with a final dose at least 14 days prior to Sept. 22, or a negative COVID test obtained within 72 hours of the event. Additionally, based on the most recent CDC recommendations, attendees are encouraged to wear masks in all indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

“The safety of our community including attendees, artists, speakers, partners, volunteers and staff for AmericanaFest 2021 and the Americana Honors & Awards is our top priority,” AmericanaFest shared on its website. “This policy may change as we approach our event due to federal, state and local guidelines. We thank you in advance for helping us in protecting yourself and the rest of our community.”

AmericanaFest joins the growing list of events, venues, and businesses who have implemented new COVID-19 entry protocols. Among the others are Bonnaroo, Summerfest, Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival, Merlefest, Live Nation, AEG Presents, and a slew of Nashville’s independent music venues. Additionally, artists such as Garth Brooks and Florida Georgia Line have also cancelled upcoming shows due to the threat of COVID-19 out of an abundance of caution.

Justin Moore Earns 10th No. 1 With ‘We Didn’t Have Much’

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Justin Moore. Photo: Cody Villalobos

Multi-Platinum recording artist Justin Moore has racked up his 10th career chart-topper this week with “We Didn’t Have Much” which peaked at the top of both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase/Country Aircheck charts.

The reflective track epitomizing Moore’s humble roots and grateful spirit was produced by Jeremy Stover and Scott Borchetta, and is featured on Moore’s Straight Outta The Country project, which dropped in April. Written by Stover, Randy Montana, and Paul DiGiovanni, “We Didn’t Have Much” highlights the country traditionalism and vivid storytelling that has helped Moore achieve his 10 career No. 1s.

“We Didn’t Have Much” went No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart on May 28, 2021, marking his fifth trip to the top with MusicRow.

Moore also recently received a Pandora Billionaire Plaque to commemorate reaching 3 billion streams on the platform.