Razzy Bailey. Photo: Courtesty Robert K. Oermann
Singer-songwriter Razzy Bailey, who placed more than 30 singles on the country charts in 1976-89, died at his home in Goodlettsville on Wednesday, Aug. 4, at age 82.
Bailey had 13 top-10 hits and five No. 1 smashes, including “Midnight Hauler,” “Lovin’ Up a Storm” and “She Left Love All Over Me.” He was named Billboard’s No. 1 country chart artist of 1981.
Born Erastus Michael Bailey, he was raised in rural poverty in Alabama. The performer was named for his father, “Rasie” (he later changed the spelling so people would pronounce his name correctly). The elder Bailey was a farmer who played guitar and banjo and was an amateur songwriter. Razzy Bailey was also influenced by the blues music played by the Black farmhands he worked alongside as a youth.
He formed his first country band at age 15 and began recording four years later in 1958. Bailey’s career was characterized by decades of dogged determination. For the next 20 years, he recorded for such labels as B&K, Peach, Lowery, ABC, Boblo, 123 (distributed by Capitol), Aquarian, MGM, Capricorn and his own Erastus imprint, all without success.
At one point on his journey, he became utterly disillusioned, frustrated and discouraged. He dropped out of music and tried working as a delivery-truck driver, insurance salesman, butcher and furniture seller. He had married as a teenager and was desperate to support a young and growing family. His wife, Sandra, urged him to continue pursuing his music dreams. They went to a psychic who predicted that his fortunes would soon change.
They did. In 1976, Dickey Lee scored a major country hit with Bailey’s song “9,999,999 Tears.” The following year, Lee also hit the charts with Bailey’s “Peanut Butter.” These successes reawakened Music Row’s interest in him.
Producer/publisher Bob Montgomery had been behind the board during Bailey’s stint on Capricorn. He brought the singer-songwriter to RCA Records. With Montgomery producing, Razzy Bailey debuted on the label with the top-10 hit “What Time Do You Have to Be Back To Heaven” in 1978.
Montgomery’s staff songwriters provided Razzy Bailey with the subsequent hits “Tonight She’s Gonna Love Me (Like There Was No Tomorrow),” “If Love Had a Face,” “I Can’t Get Enough of You,” and the bluesy “I Ain’t Got No Business Doing Business Today” in 1979.
Bailey scored his first No. 1 hit with “Loving Up a Storm” in 1980 when he was 41 years old. This was the first of five successive chart toppers of 1980-82 – “I Keep Coming Back,” “Friends,” “Midnight Hauler,” and “She Left Love All Over Me” being the others.
During the early 1980s, he also scored with “True Life Country Music,” “Love’s Gonna Fall Here Tonight,” “Scratch My Back,” “Every Time You Cross My Mind (You Break My Heart)” and his own composition “Anywhere There’s a Jukebox.” By the time of his third RCA album, he was also recording songs co-written with his father, a unique composing partnership in country music.
Razzy Bailey earned top-newcomer awards from Cash Box and Record World, as well as an ACM nomination. His humility, good-time energy and warmth endeared him to audiences at concerts. He headlined overseas in England at the Wembley Festival, as well as at shows in Australia, Croatia and New Zealand.
He showcased his distinctive, sandpapery vocals on Austin City Limits, Hee Haw, That Nashville Music, The CMA Awards, The John Davidson Show, The Mike Douglas Show (which he co-hosted), Nashville Now, Solid Gold, Nashville After Hours, Church Street Station, Pop Goes the Country, Farm Aid ’94, Nashville On the Road, Country Comes Home and other national telecasts.
In 1984, Razzy Bailey switched to MCA Records and began emphasizing his r&b influences. He issued country singles of the soul songs “In the Midnight Hour,” “Knock On Wood” and “Starting All Over Again.” His homage Blues Juice album of 1989 capped this phase.
He’d started producing his own albums in the mid-1980s and also began recording more of his own compositions. These included “After the Great Depression” (1983), “Modern Day Marriages” (1985), “Old Blue Yodeler” (1986), “Rockin’ in the Parkin’ Lot” (1986) and “Unattended Fire” (1988). His last charted single was 1989’s “But You Will,” which he co-wrote.
After turning 50, Bailey recorded for smaller labels, including his own SOA (Sounds of America) imprint. The year after he recorded his 1992 collection Fragile Handle With Care, his wife Sandra committed suicide. Hoping to find a fresh start, they had moved to Decatur, AL. In the wake of her death, Razzy Bailey returned to Music City.
In 1997, his obscure, 20-year-old recording of “The Love Bump” became a hit in Japan. In 2008, a Thai artist named Bird Thongchai had an overseas dance-mix hit with Bailey’s “9,999,999 Tears.”
Razzy Bailey resumed his own recording career with such collections as Razzy Unwrapped (1998), Your Cheating Heart (1999), Damned Good Time (2008) and Whiskey California (2009). During the later years of his career, he recorded with Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Mickey Gilley, Delbert McClinton, Willie Nelson and Dobie Gray, among others.
Bailey was noted for mentoring new songwriters and aspiring country performers. This kept him active as a record producer well into the 2000s. He was involved in a car accident last November that broke his back in two places.
Razzy Bailey is survived by his wife and manager, Faye Bright Bailey, by daughters Tammy, Jenita, Jenevra, Teressa and Paula, by sons Rasie and Douglas and by 13 grandchildren and six great- grandchildren as well as by his sister Vanda and a host of extended family members.
Visitation will be on Thursday, Aug. 12 from 4-8 PM at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville. A celebration of life service will take place on Friday, Aug. 13 at 1 PM at the funeral home with the family receiving friends and visitors for two hours prior to that. Burial will follow in Spring Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Razzy Bailey’s name to Music Health Alliance.
Morgan Wade Signs With Arista Nashville
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R, front row): Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO; Morgan Wade; Mary Sparr, Hillpeople Artist Management. (L-R, back row): Liz Cost, SMN VP, Marketing; Caryl Atwood, SMN SVP, Sales and Streaming; Jennifer Way, SMN SVP, Marketing; Taylor Lindsey, SMN SVP, A&R; Steve Hodges, SMN EVP Promotion and Artist Development; Sadler Vaden, producer. Photo: Alan Poizner
Morgan Wade has signed with Arista Nashville. Wade’s debut single, “Wilder Days,” will be released this fall.
Wade released her debut album Reckless in early 2021 to critical acclaim. The 26-year-old kept her songs and her voice hidden in her younger years, taking to the stage naturally at age 19, and then choosing sobriety soon after in her early twenties. Working alongside Paul Ebersold and Sadler Vaden, the trio shaped songs Wade has written over the years and developed new tracks to create her debut.
“There always a bit of reserve when going to a major label from an independent one – there’s worry that your creativity will be stripped away. I don’t feel that at all with Sony,” says Wade. “If anything, I’m more inspired than ever. Sony and Arista see my vision and want to work hard with me to share that vision. I feel at home.”
Following opening stints with Ashley McBryde and American Aquarium, Wade will join Lucero for the band’s fall tour and will appear at major festivals including Rock the South, Pilgrimage, and more.
Wade is represented by Hillpeople Artist Management and WME. She signed with UMPG Nashville earlier this year.
Boy Named Banjo Announce New ‘Circles’ EP
/by Lorie HollabaughBoy Named Banjo. Photo: David McClister
Mercury Nashville’s newest band, Boy Named Banjo, is set to release their new seven-song EP, Circles, on Aug. 27.
Produced by Oscar Charles, the upcoming project highlights the band’s genre-defying sound. Composed of members William Reames, Willard Logan, Barton Davies, Sam McCullough and Ford Garrard, the group have been releasing music and hitting the road together since 2016, but Circles is on track to represent the band better than any of their previous releases to date.
“Our Circles EP has been years in the making,” the band shares. “With the unexpected time at home during the pandemic, we decided to dive back into this music and try to make it the very best that it could be. We feel the finished product both highlights and represents our band like nothing we have released before. We could not be more proud and grateful to present this EP to the world.”
The road-tested band will embark on their headlining Where The Night Goes Tour which kicks off in late August in Atlanta, and visits Birmingham, Richmond, Chicago, Louisville, Denver, and more before wrapping in Nashville on Dec. 23 at the Brooklyn Bowl. For a full tour schedule, click here.
Circles EP Track List:
1. Only You Know (Barton Davies, Jon Sherwood, William Reames)
2. Feel For You (Barton Davies, William Reames, Michael Whitworth, Dan Fernandez)
3. Too Close (Barton Davies, William Reames, Tim Bruns, Jon Sherwood)
4. Circles (William Reames, Oscar Charles, Jon Sherwood)
5. Where The Night Goes (Barton Davies, William Reames, Benjamin Simonetti, Jon Sherwood)
6. Keep Lying To Me (Barton Davies, William Reames, Benjamin Simonetti, Jon Sherwood)
7. Go Out Dancing (Barton Davies, William Reames, Oscar Charles, Jon Sherwood)
‘80s Country Chart Topper Razzy Bailey Passes
/by Robert K OermannRazzy Bailey. Photo: Courtesty Robert K. Oermann
Singer-songwriter Razzy Bailey, who placed more than 30 singles on the country charts in 1976-89, died at his home in Goodlettsville on Wednesday, Aug. 4, at age 82.
Bailey had 13 top-10 hits and five No. 1 smashes, including “Midnight Hauler,” “Lovin’ Up a Storm” and “She Left Love All Over Me.” He was named Billboard’s No. 1 country chart artist of 1981.
Born Erastus Michael Bailey, he was raised in rural poverty in Alabama. The performer was named for his father, “Rasie” (he later changed the spelling so people would pronounce his name correctly). The elder Bailey was a farmer who played guitar and banjo and was an amateur songwriter. Razzy Bailey was also influenced by the blues music played by the Black farmhands he worked alongside as a youth.
He formed his first country band at age 15 and began recording four years later in 1958. Bailey’s career was characterized by decades of dogged determination. For the next 20 years, he recorded for such labels as B&K, Peach, Lowery, ABC, Boblo, 123 (distributed by Capitol), Aquarian, MGM, Capricorn and his own Erastus imprint, all without success.
At one point on his journey, he became utterly disillusioned, frustrated and discouraged. He dropped out of music and tried working as a delivery-truck driver, insurance salesman, butcher and furniture seller. He had married as a teenager and was desperate to support a young and growing family. His wife, Sandra, urged him to continue pursuing his music dreams. They went to a psychic who predicted that his fortunes would soon change.
They did. In 1976, Dickey Lee scored a major country hit with Bailey’s song “9,999,999 Tears.” The following year, Lee also hit the charts with Bailey’s “Peanut Butter.” These successes reawakened Music Row’s interest in him.
Producer/publisher Bob Montgomery had been behind the board during Bailey’s stint on Capricorn. He brought the singer-songwriter to RCA Records. With Montgomery producing, Razzy Bailey debuted on the label with the top-10 hit “What Time Do You Have to Be Back To Heaven” in 1978.
Montgomery’s staff songwriters provided Razzy Bailey with the subsequent hits “Tonight She’s Gonna Love Me (Like There Was No Tomorrow),” “If Love Had a Face,” “I Can’t Get Enough of You,” and the bluesy “I Ain’t Got No Business Doing Business Today” in 1979.
Bailey scored his first No. 1 hit with “Loving Up a Storm” in 1980 when he was 41 years old. This was the first of five successive chart toppers of 1980-82 – “I Keep Coming Back,” “Friends,” “Midnight Hauler,” and “She Left Love All Over Me” being the others.
During the early 1980s, he also scored with “True Life Country Music,” “Love’s Gonna Fall Here Tonight,” “Scratch My Back,” “Every Time You Cross My Mind (You Break My Heart)” and his own composition “Anywhere There’s a Jukebox.” By the time of his third RCA album, he was also recording songs co-written with his father, a unique composing partnership in country music.
Razzy Bailey earned top-newcomer awards from Cash Box and Record World, as well as an ACM nomination. His humility, good-time energy and warmth endeared him to audiences at concerts. He headlined overseas in England at the Wembley Festival, as well as at shows in Australia, Croatia and New Zealand.
He showcased his distinctive, sandpapery vocals on Austin City Limits, Hee Haw, That Nashville Music, The CMA Awards, The John Davidson Show, The Mike Douglas Show (which he co-hosted), Nashville Now, Solid Gold, Nashville After Hours, Church Street Station, Pop Goes the Country, Farm Aid ’94, Nashville On the Road, Country Comes Home and other national telecasts.
In 1984, Razzy Bailey switched to MCA Records and began emphasizing his r&b influences. He issued country singles of the soul songs “In the Midnight Hour,” “Knock On Wood” and “Starting All Over Again.” His homage Blues Juice album of 1989 capped this phase.
He’d started producing his own albums in the mid-1980s and also began recording more of his own compositions. These included “After the Great Depression” (1983), “Modern Day Marriages” (1985), “Old Blue Yodeler” (1986), “Rockin’ in the Parkin’ Lot” (1986) and “Unattended Fire” (1988). His last charted single was 1989’s “But You Will,” which he co-wrote.
After turning 50, Bailey recorded for smaller labels, including his own SOA (Sounds of America) imprint. The year after he recorded his 1992 collection Fragile Handle With Care, his wife Sandra committed suicide. Hoping to find a fresh start, they had moved to Decatur, AL. In the wake of her death, Razzy Bailey returned to Music City.
In 1997, his obscure, 20-year-old recording of “The Love Bump” became a hit in Japan. In 2008, a Thai artist named Bird Thongchai had an overseas dance-mix hit with Bailey’s “9,999,999 Tears.”
Razzy Bailey resumed his own recording career with such collections as Razzy Unwrapped (1998), Your Cheating Heart (1999), Damned Good Time (2008) and Whiskey California (2009). During the later years of his career, he recorded with Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, Mickey Gilley, Delbert McClinton, Willie Nelson and Dobie Gray, among others.
Bailey was noted for mentoring new songwriters and aspiring country performers. This kept him active as a record producer well into the 2000s. He was involved in a car accident last November that broke his back in two places.
Razzy Bailey is survived by his wife and manager, Faye Bright Bailey, by daughters Tammy, Jenita, Jenevra, Teressa and Paula, by sons Rasie and Douglas and by 13 grandchildren and six great- grandchildren as well as by his sister Vanda and a host of extended family members.
Visitation will be on Thursday, Aug. 12 from 4-8 PM at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville. A celebration of life service will take place on Friday, Aug. 13 at 1 PM at the funeral home with the family receiving friends and visitors for two hours prior to that. Burial will follow in Spring Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Razzy Bailey’s name to Music Health Alliance.
America Salutes You Honors ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons With Special Benefit Concert
/by Lorie HollabaughBilly F. Gibbons. Photo: Blain Clausen
America Salutes You will honor ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons with a benefit concert TV special previously taped at country music’s historic Grand Ole Opry House. The benefit concert, which celebrated Gibbons’ legendary career, will air nationally on Fox owned and operated stations throughout August and September.
Among artists included in the performance are Brad Paisley, Chris Janson, Dennis Quaid, Eric Church, Jimmie Vaughan, Larkin Poe, Lucinda Williams, Tim Montana, Travis Tritt and Guthrie Trapp. The original sold out concert was taped in Nashville on May 16 in front of a live audience.
“A sold out audience at the Grand Ole Opry House enjoyed an amazing show honoring Mr. Gibbons,” comments Bob Okun, Executive Producer, America Salutes You. “Now a national TV audience can enjoy the same dynamic concert special while supporting charities assisting our veterans and first responders with their generous on-line donations.”
100% of public donations will be made to non-profits including ThanksUSA, CreatiVets, the USO, First Responders Children’s Foundation.
For a full list of times and dates for the TV special, click here.
Industry Ink: ASCAP, Logan Mize, Circle Network, Alexandra Kay
/by Lydia FarthingASCAP Nashville Holds Summer Session Of ASCAP Master Class
Pictured (top row, L-R): Dave Pacula, Holly Chester, Steven Schmitt; (middle row, L-R) Sam Cary, Ryan Boey, Bella Hudson; (bottom row, L-R) – Tawna Goforth, Clay Mills, Lexi Miller
On Tuesday, Aug. 3, ASCAP Nashville virtually hosted its summer edition of ASCAP Master Class with award-winning songwriter and producer Clay Mills (“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” by Darius Rucker) and Liz Rose Music’s SVP of Creative Dave Pacula.
ASCAP Master Class, curated and hosted by ASCAP Membership Manager Holly Chester, helps provide a select group of promising songwriters with the opportunity to receive feedback from publishers and hear first-hand advice from hit songwriters.
Logan Mize, Big Yellow Dog Music Celebrate First Gold Certification
Pictured (bottom row, L-R) Charly Salvatore (Logan’s manager), Carla Wallace (BYD), Lincoln Mize (Logan’s son), Jill Martin (Logan’s wife), Logan Mize, Violet Mize (Logan’s daughter), Kerry O’Neil (BYD); (third row, L_R) Lauren Funk (BYD), Kara Tusch (BYD), Nicole Rhodes (BYD), Alex Stefano (BYD), Daniel Agee (“Better Off Gone” producer); (second row, L-R) Claire Karliak (BYD), Sophie Hopkins (BYD), Carie Long (BYD); (top row, L-R) Jacee Badeaux (BYD), Rowdy Domstead (BYD)
Big Yellow Dog Music’s Logan Mize earned his first RIAA Gold-certified record for his 2017 hit, “Better Off Gone.” The track, which has amassed over 100 million streams to date, is also Big Yellow Dog Music’s first Gold record as a label.
“I feel extremely lucky to have such a wonderful, dedicated fan base who continue to listen to my music and purchase tickets to live shows,” Mize says. “I don’t take it for granted, and this Gold record is just a testament to them and their never-ending support.”
Mize recently announced that he will release his upcoming album, Welcome to Prairieville, on Oct. 1. The album features 11 tracks that celebrate Mize’s rural upbringing, while also showcasing his storytelling abilities. Spending nearly a decade developing the concept behind the album, Mize co-wrote all but one song, making this one of his most personal releases to date.
Circle Network Partners With Dish, Sling
Circle Network has announced that its original programming will now be available to DISH customers nationwide as part of the DISH’s America’s Top 120 package offering. Circle will also be available on SLING TV in the coming weeks.
Circle first appeared on DISH and SLING TV in May of 2020 with Opry Live, which features a live performance each Saturday from the Grand Ole Opry’s iconic Nashville stage. With the help of Circle, the 95-year-old beloved country music institution kept the music playing each week throughout COVID-19.
“We are pleased that Circle has found a home on DISH and SLING TV, and that our regular viewers who have tuned into Opry Live each week are now able to access Circle’s entire slate of original programming,” says Circle Network General Manager, Drew Reifenberger. “This partnership with DISH and SLING TV unlocks a key distribution goal for Circle that allows us to serve a passionate group of country lifestyle fans.”
DISH customers will find Circle on channel 370 where they will have access to Opry Live hosted by Bobby Bones, Hee Haw, Songs from the Cellar with Phil Vassar, Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith with Susie McEntire, Talking in Circles with Clint Black, Dinner Drive with Kyle Petty, Big Kenny’s Crank it Up Garage with Big Kenny, Authentic America, The Dailey & Vincent Show with Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, and more.
Alexandra Kay, Cooper Alan Announce Second Leg Of In Real Life Tour
Following an almost completely sold out first run in July, Alexandra Kay and Cooper Alan are hitting the road this fall for the second leg of the In Real Life Tour joined by Thomas Mac. The second string of shows will carry them through Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Kay’s two million followers on TikTok demanded the release of her current single, “How Do We Go,” pushing it to the No. 2 spot on the iTunes Country chart. Previously, her second and third independent releases, “I Kinda Don’t” and “All The Cowboys,” reached No. 1. Meanwhile, Alan’s debut single, “Carolina Saturday Night,” achieved national acclaim by reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart.
In Real Life Tour Dates:
Sept. 1 – Austin, Texas – The Parish
Sept. 2 – Odessa, Texas – Linx Bar & Grill
Sept. 3 – Dallas, Texas – The Loft (Gilley’s)
Sept. 4 – Houston, Texas – Secret Group
Sept. 5 – New Orleans, La. – SouthPort Music Hall
Sept. 7 – Savannah, Ga. – Victory North
Sept. 8 – Atlanta, Ga. – Vinyl
Sept. 10 – Indianapolis, Ind. – Deluxe
Sept. 11 – Lexington, Ky. – Manchester Music Hall
Sept. 12 – Nashville, Tenn. – Exit / In
Sept. 14 – Birmingham, Ala. – Zydeco
Sept. 15 – Huntsville, Ala. – Side Tracks Music Hall
‘The Girls Are Back In Town’ As Chapel Hart Announces Upcoming Sophomore Album
/by Lorie HollabaughChapel Hart
Country music trio Chapel Hart is set to release their sophomore album, The Girls Are Back in Town, on Aug. 28. Comprised of sisters Danica and Devynn Hart with their cousin Trea Swindle, have garnered a string of critical acclaim with their recent singles as well as being named by CMT as the Next Women of Country 2021.
Every song on the 12-track project centers around the universal theme of celebrating and empowering women in country music while reminding listeners that love, harmony, diversity, and unity can co-exist in our present world. The album, produced by Jeff Glixman (Kansas, Georgia Satellites), includes the trio’s current single, “You Can Have Him Jolene,” which takes inspiration from the enduring 1973 Dolly Parton classic, “Jolene.”
Chapel Hart
The three will also be hitting the road throughout the rest of the year, hitting a variety of festivals, fairs, and the annual week-long Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.
Upcoming Chapel Hart Tour Dates:
Aug. 05 – Wave / Wichita, Kan.
Aug. 07 – Washington Town & Country Fair 2021 / Washington, Mo. with ZZ Top
Aug. 08 – Sturgis / Sturgis, S.D.
Aug. 09 – Sturgis / Sturgis, S.D.
Aug. 10 – Sturgis / Sturgis, S.D.
Aug. 11 – Sturgis / Sturgis, S.D.
Aug. 12 – Sturgis / Sturgis, S.D.
Aug. 13 – Sturgis / Sturgis, S.D.
Aug. 14 – Sturgis / Sturgis, S.D.
Aug. 22 – Brauer House / Lombard, Ill.
Sept. 11 – Fire Festival 2021 / Wagener, S.C.
Sept. 17 – Pasadena Rodeo/ Pasadena, Texas
Sept. 18 – Bubba’s on the Strand / Galveston, Texas
Sept. 24 – Smith’s Olde Bar / Atlanta, Ga.
Sept. 25 – The Nick / Birmingham, Ala.
Sept. 30 – French Quarter Festival/ New Orleans, La.
Oct. 08 – Cruisin’ The Coast 2021 / Pass Christian, Miss.
Oct. 09 – Jazz Fest Afterparty/ New Orleans, La.
Oct. 19 – Women In Construction / Dallas, Texas
Oct. 29 – Knuckleheads Saloon / Kansas City, Mo.
Nov. 04 – Frank Brown International Songwriter Festival 2021 / Pensacola, Fla. (With Mickie James)
Nov. 05 – Pearl River Ranch/ Poplarville, Miss.
Nov. 06 – Pearl River Ranch/ Poplarville, Miss.
Nov. 12 – Frank Brown International Songwriter Festival 2021 / Pensacola, Fla.
Nov. 13 – Frank Brown International Songwriter Festival 2021 / Pensacola, Fla.
Nov. 14 – Frank Brown International Songwriter Festival 2021 / Pensacola, Fla.
Scott Borchetta & Big Machine Take The Racing World By Storm [Interview]
/by Steven BoeroScott Borchetta. Photo: by Nathan Morgan for BMLG
[This article first appeared in The Sports Credential, the Nashville sports industry trade publication owned by MusicRow magazine’s parent company, Music Row Enterprises, LLC.]
Big Machine Label Group has solidified itself as one of the top independent record labels in Nashville and in the country, discovering and signing artists like Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line and Lady A. Founder and CEO Scott Borchetta has become one of the top music executives in the industry, but this past year he and Big Machine made the leap beyond music.
Big Machine and Big Machine Distillery have become one of the biggest sponsors in motorsports over the past few years and have made huge strides in making its name in the sport. Borchetta, an avid racing fan and current driver in the Trans Am series, has taken the Big Machine name and created a whole new image for it within the racing world.
“We’re a 10-year overnight success because we’ve been sponsoring races at Indy for the last decade,” Borchetta tells The Sports Credential. “But it takes that much time and a few ‘aha’ moments. You’ve got to be patient in motorsports and you’ve got to understand how it works, what works, and what kind of products work with it. For a lot of years, I did it as a vanity thing. I just wanted us to be there.”
Borchetta started racing motocross as a 9-year-old in southern California. When he discovered he had a talent for it he started competing in BMX in its early years. From there, the next logical move would be to go to motorcycles, but Borchetta’s father wasn’t going to let that happen. At that point, he started racing quarter midgets, which he did for years. But in the mid-90s, Borchetta started racing legend cars and quickly found the success he was looking for.
“Brooks & Dunn and Mark Collie started racing legends cars, so I started racing with them and I started winning. I became the state regional champion in legends cars, and won a couple of big races, including one of those televised Charlotte Tuesday night feature races on TV,” he shares. “It was a lot of fun. I decided that if I was ever going to move up to big cars, that was the time to do it.”
Borchetta continues, “In 1998, we started racing in the super truck division at the fairgrounds in Nashville. The first season was terrible, the second season we started to look like we knew what we were doing, and then the third season I finished second in points. I won the next three championships in a row. We won my last championship on Sept. 3, 2005. I opened Big Machine on Sept. 1, 2005, so I knew that was going to be my last race.” Borchetta retired from racing as he put all of his blood, sweat, and tears into creating the now-massive BMLG.
He admits that he started racing too late in life to make a career out of it and wasn’t going to put the early stages of Big Machine in jeopardy after so much work and investment. It wasn’t until he met NASCAR Hall of Famer Ray Evernham in 2016 when Borchetta rediscovered his love for driving. Evernham invited him to race and, though weary at first, Borchetta agreed to a track day.
“I went over and did a track day with Ray, At some point he said, ‘Man, you’re pretty good. You should come and race with us.’ But I told him no,” Borchetta explains. “I was flying home thinking about it and ended up talking to my wife about it. She said, ‘Why are you even asking me? Ray wants you to come and race. You’re going to do it, so just go do it.’ That was her way of giving me her blessing. Shortly after I started racing vintage and SVRA series and we started doing really well with that. We ended up winning the group six championship.”
For more of Borchetta’s interview with The Sports Credential, click here.
Chart Action: Dierks Bentley, Breland & Hardy Debut
/by Alex Parry“Beers On Me” by Dierks Bentley featuring BRELAND and HARDY debuts on the country charts this week. The single lands at No. 34 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart, No. 47 on Country Aircheck‘s Mediabase Chart, and No. 70 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart.
“Hardy threw out this title and I remember immediately thinking, ‘I wish I could buy all my fans a beer.’ After the year we’ve all had, it would be nice to get the first round and say, ‘Hey, we all got some problems but we’re going to forget about them for a little while…the beers are on me,’” Bentley said. “I came back to Nashville to record the song and came across an article about Breland in the Nashville Scene. I got his number and he came in the next day and wrote and sang the third verse. It was truly an organic collaboration and I couldn’t be more proud to have him and Hardy on this song with me.”
The trio also claims most added on Billboard and Mediabase accumulating 111 total station adds. On the MusicRow Chart, Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood‘s “If I Didn’t Love You” earned the most station adds adding 19 new station this week. “Beers On Me” is a close second having earned 18 station adds.
For more chart data, view the latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly.
Details Revealed For Late Country Music & Radio Icon Bob Kingsley’s Career-Spanning Book
/by Lydia FarthingBob Kingsley
Throughout his life, country music and radio personality Bob Kinglsey documented his career from start to finish as well as the past, present, and future of the radio format. All of these details and more will be revealed in Bob Kingsley’s Book of Records, as previously announced. The book is available for pre-order now and set to ship beginning Dec. 7, 2021,
In the late icon’s first-hand account of the formats’ most engaging artists, songwriters, producers, and executives, readers will get a helping of never-before-heard stories as well as fresh interpretations from his wife and business partner Nan Kingsley along with some of Bob’s many industry friends.
The print book, edited by longtime producer Ken Halford and published by Nautilus Publishing, will also include a collection of rare photographs. Meanwhile the audio book, published by Orange Sky Audio, will be voiced by longtime friend and fellow National Radio Hall of Fame member Blair Garner.
In tandem with the recent donation of the Kingsley Archive to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, all proceeds from the print and audio book will be allocated to the Museum’s COVID-19 Relief Fund.
Laci Kaye Booth Achieves Heart’s Desire With Self-Titled Debut Release
/by Lorie HollabaughLaci Kaye Booth. Photo: Robby Klein
Laci Kaye Booth, Texas native and American Idol season 17 alum, has unveiled her self-titled debut today (Aug. 6) via BMLG Records. Her first single, “Treasure,” is set to impact country radio on Sept. 13.
Booth co-wrote every song on the eight-track collection, which also includes songs penned by Sam Ellis, Sara Haze, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz, James Slater, and more. Labelmate and one third of Lady A, Charles Kelley, joins Booth on the song “Broken Heart Still Beats,” which the duo co-wrote with Paul DiGiovanni and Adam Hambrick.
“My whole life, I prayed, and I wished for this to happen. I prayed for it every night, and every time I’d blow out my candles on my birthday cake, I’d wish for it,” shares Booth. “In my heart of hearts, this is exactly what I always wanted.”
Laci will celebrate the release today with a listening party with fans at 1 p.m. CT on Vertigo. To tune in, click here.
Laci Kaye Booth Track List:
1. Used To You | Laci Kaye Booth, Sam Ellis, Sara Haze
2. On The Fence | Laci Kaye Booth, Todd Clark, Sara Haze, Jason Cole Saenz
3. Treasure | Laci Kaye Booth, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz
4. Broken Heart Still Beats (featuring Charles Kelley) | Laci Kaye Booth, Charles Kelley, Paul DiGiovanni, Adam Hambrick
5. Shuffle | Laci Kaye Booth, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland
6. If He Would’ve Stayed | Laci Kaye Booth, Carlo Colasacco, James Slater
7. Visions | Laci Kaye Booth, Jamie Kenney
8. Heart Of Texas | Laci Kaye Booth, Nathan Chapman, Emily Fox Landis