Frankie Miller
Texas-based country singer Frankie Miller, who originated the evergreen “Blackland Farmer,” has died at age 95.
Miller was born in East Texas in 1931. He excelled at football during his teen years. He formed a band called The Drifting Texans and signed with Gilt Edge Records (a subsidiary of 4-Star) in Houston. His 1951 efforts for that label were unsuccessful.
He joined the Army during the Korean War and earned a Bronze Star. Frankie Miller signed with Columbia Records in 1954 and joined the cast of Fort Worth’s Cowtown Hoedown later in the 1950s.
His heyday began when he signed with Nashville’s Starday Records in 1959. The label issued his self-penned “Black Land Farmer” that year, and it rose to No. 5 on the country hit parade. Miller followed it with “Family Man,” another top-10 hit.
Merle Kilgore’s sentimental “Baby Rocked Her Dolly” hit No. 15 for Miller in 1960. Frankie Miller was named the Most Promising Male Country Singer of 1960 by Cash Box magazine. He joined the cast of The Louisiana Hayride on KWKH in Shreveport.
Thanks to renewed airplay in Texas and Michigan, “Black Land Farmer” became a hit for Miller a second time in 1961. The song has since been recorded by Faron Young, Elizabeth Cook, Wink Martindale, Hard Working Americans, Pat Boone, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Gilmer, Steve Young, Sleepy LaBeef and a number of others.
Miller’s final chart entry was 1964’s “A Little South of Memphis.” He signed with United Artists in 1965, but no further hits ensued.
His straightforward, spare, honky-tonk style was out of step with the more-produced Nashville Sound stylists that were then ascending. In addition, he reportedly lacked ambition and suffered from stage fright.
Miller left the music business. He went to work at a Chrysler dealership in Arlington, Texas.
In the 1980s, he became a cult figure, with record collectors avidly championing him as a nearly forgotten country stylist. Reissues of his tunes were issued by Germany’s Bear Family Records label in 1983. In 2006, Frankie Miller returned to recording via the Heart of Texas Records label.
Tracy Pitcox, President of Heart of Texas Records, shared the news of his death, writing, “Frankie had just completed work and released his biography, The Blackland Farmer: Life Among Country Music Legends, written by Greg Wilson. He remained active in the industry and continued to enjoy making music into his 90s. He even was a special guest and performed with his long-time friend Willie Nelson a few years ago at the Luck Reunion.”
Miller is survived by his daughters Sandi Wilson and Lori Chaney, their husbands Greg Wilson and William Chaney, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Services have not yet been announced.
Ella Langley Breaks Record For Most Consecutive Weeks At No. 1 On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by Madison HahnenElla Langley. Photo: Caylee Robillard
Ella Langley sits at No. 1 on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart for the 19th consecutive week, officially breaking the record for most consecutive weeks at No. 1. Zach Bryan previously held the record at 18 weeks.
Tracks represented for Langley this week include “Be Her,” “Bottom Of Your Boots,” “Choosin’ Texas,” “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” “Jaded” and “Loving Life Again.”
Chase McGill sits at No. 2 with “Carry On,” “Hands Up,” “McArthur” and “Water At A Wedding.” Joybeth Taylor moves up to No. 3 with “Choosin’ Texas,” “Empty Words” and “I Can’t Love You Anymore.”
Jordan Schmidt (No. 4) and Austin Goodloe (No. 5) round out this week’s top five.
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.
Trey Pendley Unveils Debut Album
/by Lauryn SinkTrey Pendley released his debut album, Signs of Life, on Friday (Aug. 28) via Leo33.
Across its 13 tracks, the album celebrates love, family and community, while also looking at the reality of life’s harder moments.
“This album is a collection of songs that feel like snapshots of where I’ve been and what I’ve lived through,” Pendley shares. “There’s a lot of heart, a lot of family, and a lot of real life in these songs. Getting to write a couple of them with the late, great Ronnie Bowman is something I’ll always be grateful for, and having those songs on this record makes them even more meaningful to me. I hope when people listen, they find a little piece of their own story in these songs.”
Pendley will hit the road this fall with Ashley McBryde with upcoming dates in Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas and more.
Signs of Life Track List:
1. “Small Potatoes”
2. “Signs of Life”
3. “Country Boy Friday Night”
4. “Family Man”
5. “As Good As It Gets”
6. “Spend My Time Lovin'”
7. “Another Day Goes By”
8. “Devil Does”
9. “The Dog”
10. “Drunk As Any Rich Man”
11. “Like A River”
12. “Podunk”
13. “TV Tray”
Industry Ink: Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Mitchell Tenpenny, MTSU, CRS360
/by Lorie HollabaughJelly Roll Guest Hosts ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
Jelly Roll. Photo: Jen Rosenstein
Jelly Roll guest hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! last week. During his time on the show, he shared a monologue talking about on his appearance on Jeopardy, the night he won three Grammy Awards and his faith, among other topics. The full monologue is available here.
Guests during his time on the show included Glen Powell, Jay Shetty, Henry Winkler, Leanne Morgan, Nathan Fillion, Leslie Mann, Bert Kreisher and Stevie Nicks.
Cole Swindell Partners With Free Bird Southern Spring Water
Cole Swindell. Photo: Cody Arrington
Cole Swindell has partnered with Southern Spring Water brand Free Bird as both a brand ambassador and investor. Swindell was drawn to the product’s Blue Ridge Mountains roots and its connection to his home state. Free Bird is now available in more than 2,500 retail locations, including Walmart, Harris Teeter, Food City and Han-Dee Hugo’s, as well as Amazon and other major retailers.
“I’m so excited to share that I have invested in and will be partnering up with Free Bird Southern Spring Water, a company I have really admired for a while now,” shares Swindell. “Its values and the people behind it drew me in from the beginning and helped me believe in this product. I’m so excited about the opportunity to work with the incredible team over there, we’ve got so many cool things coming for you guys.”
Mitchell Tenpenny Celebrates BMI Million-Air Status
Photo: Courtesy of BMI
Mitchell Tenpenny was recently presented with five BMI Million-Air Awards for his songs “At The End of a Bar,” “Truth About You,” “If The Boot Fits,” “Drunk Me” and “We Got History,” which have surpassed six million broadcast performances on U.S. radio. Tenpenny released a new track last week, “Gone Like That,” which he co-wrote with Jaxson Free and Casey Brown. Mitchell continues his “Speed of Light Tour” through the fall.
MTSU To Honor Dolly With Jersey Patch For Season Opener
Chris Massaro and Beverly Keel. Photo: J. Intintoli
Middle Tennessee State University’s Blue Raider football team will honor the life of country icon and beloved humanitarian Dolly Parton by wearing a special commemorative jersey patch for the home season opener against Murray State on Sept. 5.
Athletics Director Chris Massaro and Beverly Keel, dean of MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, unveiled the jersey patch design at the Center for Popular Music, one of the world’s oldest and largest research centers devoted to the study of American popular music. The center’s collection includes artifacts from Parton’s career, several of which were on display for the announcement. MTSU will display QR codes on the Floyd Stadium scoreboard for fans to donate to Parton’s Imagination Library, and Massaro noted that the date of the game – 9/5 – made it even more appropriate, given Parton’s starring role and legendary song in the 1980 movie 9 to 5.
CRS360 Session ‘Prompt Me Like You Mean It’ With Stan Marczewski Available Now
NSAI Unveils Details For 27th Annual NSAI Song Contest
/by Lauryn SinkNSAI will open its 26th annual Song Contest on Sept. 1 at 12 p.m. CST.
Entries can be submitted here for $35 per song or lyric entry for current NSAI members and $45 per song or lyric entry for the general public. There is no limit to the number of songs or lyrics that songwriters can submit. The submission portal will close at 5:00 p.m. CST on Oct. 31.
This year, prizes will be distributed between 13 songwriters who place in the competition.
Winners and runners-up prizes will include items such as mentor sessions with Trisha Yearwood, Matthew West or Jenn Schott, industry opportunities and meetings, a cash prize up to $5,000, a curated Music Row Experience, a Taylor Gold Label 712e, a complete home studio recording package from Custom House at Guitar Center, the chance to attend the 10th annual Nashville Songwriter Awards in 2027 at The Ryman, an evening at the Bluebird Cafe and more.
Additional prizes for the Song Category winner include a chance to perform the winning song at both The Bluebird Cafe and Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, and an offer for a one-year single-song contract for the winning song from SMACKSongs. More information about prizes can be found here.
The judging will be completed in four phases, kicking off with an analysis of each individual entry by an industry professional. The highest scoring songs and lyrics from each judge will move forward to the next rounds. A total of 13 entries will place in the contest over the other three phases of judging, which will culminate with a final judging where the Lyric Category Grand Prize winner and runners-up will be announced, and the Song Category Top 10 finalists will be judged for the final time before determining the Song Category Grand Prize Winner. Judging will take place no later than February 2027. Up to 10 additional entries will be recognized as Honorable Mentions in the contest.
Dolly Parton Honored During Star-Studded Opry Show
/by Lauryn SinkPhoto: Mark Mosrie
The Grand Ole Opry dedicated Saturday night’s show (Aug. 29) to the late Dolly Parton.
A portion of each ticket sold from the show will be donated to Parton’s Imagination Library.
Carly Pearce, who began her career at Dollywood and was surprised by Parton with an invitation to join the Opry in 2021, performed “Those Memories of You” and celebrated her fifth anniversary as an Opry member. Kathy Mattea dedicated “Jolene” to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry Member’s memory. Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle sang “Just Someone I Used To Know,” and Dan Tyminski dedicated his song “Smile When You’re Alone” to Parton, saying “her voice would have been perfect on it.” Additional highlights included T. Graham Brown delivering “Beulah Land,” Belle Frantz, making her Opry debut, singing “Where No One Stands Alone,” Channing Wilson singing “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” and Jada Star, Parton’s niece, performing “The Orchard.”
All the artists gathered at the end of the show to perform “9 to 5,” including a surprise walk-on by Opry member Jelly Roll. The night concluded with the artists and several backstage guests taking the stage to watch a video of Parton singing “I Will Always Love You” at the Opry.
Photo: Mark Mosrie
Photo: Mark Mosrie
‘Blackland Farmer’ Hit Maker Frankie Miller Passes
/by Robert K OermannFrankie Miller
Texas-based country singer Frankie Miller, who originated the evergreen “Blackland Farmer,” has died at age 95.
Miller was born in East Texas in 1931. He excelled at football during his teen years. He formed a band called The Drifting Texans and signed with Gilt Edge Records (a subsidiary of 4-Star) in Houston. His 1951 efforts for that label were unsuccessful.
He joined the Army during the Korean War and earned a Bronze Star. Frankie Miller signed with Columbia Records in 1954 and joined the cast of Fort Worth’s Cowtown Hoedown later in the 1950s.
His heyday began when he signed with Nashville’s Starday Records in 1959. The label issued his self-penned “Black Land Farmer” that year, and it rose to No. 5 on the country hit parade. Miller followed it with “Family Man,” another top-10 hit.
Merle Kilgore’s sentimental “Baby Rocked Her Dolly” hit No. 15 for Miller in 1960. Frankie Miller was named the Most Promising Male Country Singer of 1960 by Cash Box magazine. He joined the cast of The Louisiana Hayride on KWKH in Shreveport.
Thanks to renewed airplay in Texas and Michigan, “Black Land Farmer” became a hit for Miller a second time in 1961. The song has since been recorded by Faron Young, Elizabeth Cook, Wink Martindale, Hard Working Americans, Pat Boone, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Gilmer, Steve Young, Sleepy LaBeef and a number of others.
Miller’s final chart entry was 1964’s “A Little South of Memphis.” He signed with United Artists in 1965, but no further hits ensued.
His straightforward, spare, honky-tonk style was out of step with the more-produced Nashville Sound stylists that were then ascending. In addition, he reportedly lacked ambition and suffered from stage fright.
Miller left the music business. He went to work at a Chrysler dealership in Arlington, Texas.
In the 1980s, he became a cult figure, with record collectors avidly championing him as a nearly forgotten country stylist. Reissues of his tunes were issued by Germany’s Bear Family Records label in 1983. In 2006, Frankie Miller returned to recording via the Heart of Texas Records label.
Tracy Pitcox, President of Heart of Texas Records, shared the news of his death, writing, “Frankie had just completed work and released his biography, The Blackland Farmer: Life Among Country Music Legends, written by Greg Wilson. He remained active in the industry and continued to enjoy making music into his 90s. He even was a special guest and performed with his long-time friend Willie Nelson a few years ago at the Luck Reunion.”
Miller is survived by his daughters Sandi Wilson and Lori Chaney, their husbands Greg Wilson and William Chaney, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Services have not yet been announced.
Bridey Costello Inks With Blue Harbor Music
/by Madison HahnenPictured (L-R): Kendall Lettow (Blue Harbor Music), Bridey Costello, Anthony Modica (management), Miller Arant (Blue Harbor Music) and Steve Markland (Blue Harbor Music)
Singer-songwriter Bridey Costello has signed a global publishing and strategic artist partnership deal with Blue Harbor Music.
The Chicago native’s songwriting centers on honest, plainspoken storytelling, touching on family, queerness, growing up and finding your identity. Her raw recordings keep the focus on the songs themselves, often capturing the immediacy of a first voice memo or early demo rather than a polished studio production.
She has also built a growing live resume, opening for Olivia Barton, Abby Powledge, Taylor Bickett, Abby Holliday and Ethan Tasch. Costello is currently working on new music, with additional releases planned throughout the year. She has released her new single, “Knew What I Wanted,” today (Aug. 31).
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Bridey Costello to the Blue Harbor Music family. Bridey is a uniquely talented writer with a voice and perspective that immediately stood out,” says Steve Markland, President, Blue Harbor Music. “Her writing is honest, unexpected, and deeply personal, with a way of making specific experiences feel universal. We’re also excited about the opportunity to continue expanding the diversity of voices and perspectives represented across our roster. Bridey brings something truly special to the company, and we’re honored to support her as she develops her music and career.”
Breanne Miller Launches Wayfinders, Inc.
/by Madison HahnenBreanne Miller & Kyle Malone
Breanne Miller, formerly of Martin, Allbee, Miller, Bryan & Associates LLC, has launched Wayfinders, Inc., a Nashville-based financial management firm serving recording artists, songwriters, performers, producers and entertainers at all stages of their careers.
Miller brings 25 years of experience in financial management within the music and entertainment industries.
“I am thrilled to bring the vision of Wayfinders to life,” says Miller. “The experience I gained with Kirke Martin & Laine Allbee is an exceptional foundation, and I will forever be grateful for it. I will continue to honor this legacy as I work to build something lasting.”
She is joined by longtime colleague and Belmont University alum Kyle Malone, who brings experience in the entertainment and music business.
Wayfinders plans to continue growing its client base while providing financial management services to both established and emerging members of the entertainment industry.
Flatland Cavalry Slates Deluxe LP ‘Work Of Heart – Heartstrings’ For October
/by Lorie HollabaughFlatland Cavalry are releasing a deluxe edition of their fifth studio album, Work of Heart – Heartstrings, on Oct. 2 via Lost Highway.
The deluxe edition adds five new songs to the collection, and a new track from the expanded project titled “Strangers & Angels” will drop on Friday (Sept. 4.)
“We recorded 17 songs when we went into the studio to record Work Of Heart,” shares frontman Cleto Cordero. “It wasn’t easy separating these songs into two factions – the standard and the deluxe – but, per usual, leaning upon intuition, I knew Heartstrings was raising its hand to be set apart. It came from a musical idea our pianist and multi-instrumentalist, Adam Gallegos, brought to the table. On one of our days off we got together alongside Reid [Dillon] and Jason [Albers] and chased it down. To me, it sounded like a classic love song and brought forth the image of one following his heart, floating through a relationship on Cloud 9; not weary of naysayers claiming he’s ‘trippin.’ If we’re to trip, tripping on heartstrings seems a noble way to fall.”
Tonight, the band kicks off their run as support on Kacey Musgraves’ “Middle of Nowhere Tour” with two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Their own “Work of Heart Tour” rolls on through the end of 2026, with five dates left.
Work of Heart – Heartstrings Track List:
1. “Gone” (Cleto Cordero, Ryan Beaver, Aaron Eshuis)
2. “On and On” (Cleto Cordero, Ray Fulcher, Cole Taylor)
3. “Bird’s Eye View” (Cleto Cordero, Ryan Beaver, Aaron Eshuis)
4. “Never Comin’ Back” (Cleto Cordero, Luke Laird, Aaron Raitiere)
5. “Unglued” (Cleto Cordero, Dwight Baker)
6. “Life, Love, and Happiness (Entertainer’s Lament)” (Cleto Cordero, Jason Nix)
7. “Flicker” (Cleto Cordero, Jason Albers, Reid Dillon)
8. “Work of Heart” (Cleto Cordero, Clara Calaway)
9. “Long Goodnight” (Cleto Cordero, Rodney Clawson)
10. “Nightshine” (Cleto Cordero, Dwight Baker)
11. “Real Slow” (Cleto Cordero, Dwight Baker, Conner Smith)
12. “All or Nothing” (Cleto Cordero)
13. “Hard Lessons” (Cleto Corero, Nick Walsh)
14. “Cinnamon Sugar (It’s Love)” (Cleto Cordero, Jay Knowles)
15. “Heartstrings” (Cleto Cordero, Adam Gallegos, Jason Albers, Reid Dillon)
16. “Strangers & Angels” (Cleto Cordero, Casey Beathard, Phil O’Donnell)
17. “One More Song” (Cleto Corero, Reid Isbell, Jason Nix)
Jeff Tobias Named VP Of Sales At Mogul
/by Lauryn SinkJeff Tobias.
Jeff Tobias has been named Vice President of Sales at Mogul.
In this role, Tobias leads the company’s enterprise sales and go-to-market strategy, with a focus on business management firms, artist management companies, distributors, catalog owners, royalty administrators and other organizations managing artists, rights and royalty income at scale.
Prior to joining Mogul, he served as Senior Director of Business Development at Tone, where he helped build the company’s go-to-market strategy, expanded its client base, and drove significant revenue growth across artists, labels, business managers, and other music industry partners. He previously held senior commercial and artist-facing roles at Stem and ONErpm, including Head of Artist & Label Relations for Nashville at Stem and Head of Country Music at ONErpm.