
It’s been 50 years since Rodeo World Champion/entertainer Chris LeDoux first formed his own label and released his debut album, the aptly titled Songs Of Rodeo Life. In celebration of that landmark anniversary, Capitol Nashville/UMe and the Chris LeDoux Estate is releasing a new 13-song album on July 2, Wyoming Cowboy – A Collection.
The new collection compiles some of LeDoux’s most-loved songs with a handful of rarities and other studio and live gems. Assembled by LeDoux’s longtime friend/guitar player Mark Sissel, the project will be released digitally as well as on vinyl, marking the first time many of these songs released in the CD era will be available on vinyl. Two rare tracks – “Oklahoma Hospitality,” self-released in 1978 on a UK-only album and never released in the U.S., and “Album Intro,” from an equally long out-of-print 1975 record, will receive their digital debuts.
Serving as both a gift to longtime fans and an introduction to those unfamiliar with LeDoux’s music, which he dubbed a combination of “western soul, sagebrush blues, cowboy folk and rodeo rock ‘n’ roll,” Wyoming Cowboy brings together songs like “County Fair,” “Cadillac Cowboy” and the epic “This Cowboy’s Hat” from Western Underground, (his first major label album on Liberty Records in 1991,) along with “Western Skies,” “Look At You Girl,” “Hooked On An 8-Second Ride” and his top 10 country hit with Garth Brooks, “Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy,” from his 1992 Gold-selling album of the same name.
The album also features LeDoux’s rollicking duet with Charlie Daniels, “Even Cowboys Like A Little Rock And Roll,” from 1993’s Under This Old Hat and originally released in a different incarnation on his 1984 album, Melodies and Memories. It also includes a special posthumous collaboration between LeDoux and his son Ned with the song “We Ain’t Got It All.” Sung and performed by Ned, the song was co-written by him and Mac McAnally using some of LeDoux’s songwriting notes, resulting in a true father-son co-write. The album ends with a live version of fan favorite “Little Long Haired Outlaw” from 1997’s Live, capturing the pyrotechnic-filled, rodeo rock and roll shows he loved to play.
“My dad’s catalog of music is timeless and includes so many great records and I love each one of em,” says Ned LeDoux. “This new collection honors the 50th anniversary of when he first started making music and is a nice snapshot of who he was and the subject matter he loved writing about – cowboys, rodeo life, true love and staying positive.”
LeDoux enjoyed a long recording run following his successful rodeo career, and by the end of the 1980s had self-released 22 albums with sales of more than a quarter of a million copies. That same year, following a name check by rising country star Garth Brooks, in which he sang, “A worn out tape of Chris LeDoux, lonely women and bad booze/Seem to be the only friends I’ve left at all,” in his first hit, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old),” LeDoux received recognition and fame well outside the rodeo world. He signed with Liberty Records and in 1991 released Western Underground. LeDoux would release another 18 albums for the labels, with sales of more than six million around the world, before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2005 at just 56 years old.
Cheyenne Frontier Days will celebrate LeDoux’s life and legacy at their 125th annual festival this year, which is dedicated to the legendary entertainer and rodeo world champ. The 10-day event will feature a sold-out, opening night performance by Brooks and Ned LeDoux on July 23. The festivities will kick off with the unveiling of a bronze statue of LeDoux, which will be added to the sculpture collection on Frontier Park to honor his ties to the rodeo and music worlds and his place in Cheyenne Frontier Days history. Designed by artist D. Michael Thomas, who created a similar sculpture of LeDoux for the Chris LeDoux Memorial Park in his hometown Kaycee, Wyoming, the bronze statue depicts LeDoux riding his horse Stormy Weather to the 1976 World Bareback Riding Championship, along with a guitar that sits atop an arrow shaped base representing CFD’s logo.
Meghan Patrick Announces New Album ‘Heart On My Glass’
/by Lydia FarthingBack-to-back CCMA Female Artist of the Year and 15-time CMA Ontario winning country artist Meghan Patrick has announced that her third studio album, Heart On My Glass, will be released on June 25 via Riser House Records.
To celebrate the announcement, Patrick surprised fans last week with the release of “Mama Prayed For,” the latest single from the 10-song collection. Written by Patrick with James McNair (Luke Combs, Hardy, Keith Urban) and Ben Stennis (Tim McGraw, Ronnie Dunn), the track is sung from a rough-around-the-edges woman accepting that she might not be every mother’s dream girl for their son.
The song follows Patrick’s “Never Giving Up On You,” which landed on several playlists like Spotify’s Wild Country and Next From Nashville, Amazon’s Introducing Country, Pandora’s Rising Women In Country, Apple Music’s New In Country, Country Risers and more.
Heart On My Glass Track Listing:
1. Heart On My Glass – Meghan Patrick, Sam Sumser, Michael Lotten, Sean Small
2. Goes Good With Beer – Patrick, Joey Hyde, Adam Craig
3. My First Car – Patrick, Hyde, Craig
4. Never Giving Up On You – Patrick, Victoria Banks, Karen Kosowski
5. Mama Prayed For – Patrick, James McNair, Ben Stennis
6. Better Story – Patrick, Blake Bollinger, Phil Barton
7. Where You Drink – Patrick, Brent Anderson, Jake Mitchell
8. Cool About It – Patrick, Carly Barlowe, Corey Crowder
9. Belong In Boots – Patrick, Hyde, Fancy Hagood
10. Liar Too – Patrick, Brian Davis, Ben Simonetti
Noah Hicks Signs With RED Creative Group
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): RED Creative Group VP of Publishing Taylor Lamb; RED Creative Group Owner Jeremy Stover; Noah Hicks; Red Creative Records General Manager John Cantu. Photo: Courtesy of RED Creative Group
Noah Hicks has signed an exclusive publishing, label, and development deal with RED Creative Group. The 22 year-old’s debut single for the label, “No More of ‘Em,” a duet with songwriter Rhett Akins, is set for release this Friday, May 14.
A Carrollton, Georgia native, Hicks quickly made a name for himself in Nashville as a promising writer and performer, and his musical talent and high-energy live shows initially caught the attention of RED Creative Group’s Taylor Lamb, who was recently promoted to Vice President of Publishing. “No More of ‘Em” (produced by Will Bundy and Jeremy Stover) kicks off a series of releases that Hicks has coined ‘Shot & Chaser’ – two back-to-back songs released simultaneously. (The follow-up single “Miss You Back,” produced by Paul DiGiovanni and Jeremy Stover, is due out May 28).
“Noah’s the real deal,” says Jeremy Stover, owner of RED Creative Group. “The energy and raw talent he brings to every writer’s room and every stage is next level. We’re proud to have him at RED Creative. We’re not knocking on doors, we’re about to kick some down.”
“RED Creative felt like home the second I walked in for my first meeting,” says Hicks of signing with RED. “Working with Jeremy and the team is a dream come true. I love their creativity, work ethic, and ability to move mountains. It’s going to be a fun year and we’re just getting started.”
Chart Action: Chris Lane Earns Station Adds
/by Alex ParryBig Loud Records artist Chris Lane is most added at country radio this week with 54 new station adds for his single, “Fill Them Boots.” Receiving 23 adds on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart, Lane moves six positions from No. 47 to No. 41. On the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart, he earned 16 adds and debuted at No. 69 with a spin gain of +173.
Lane wrote “Fill Them Boots” with Josh Miller, Ernest Keith Smith and Mark Trussell, and it is built around a homegrown pickup line. “I wrote ‘Fill Them Boots’ with three of my favorite songwriters in town,” shares Lane. “I had the idea for a long time, and I’m incredibly proud of the way it turned out. It makes me think of how my wife and I first met, so I hope it’s a song people can easily relate to as well. I can’t wait to play it live and hear y’all sing it!”
Adam Sanders’ Debut Album, ‘What If I’m Right, Set For Release May 21
/by Lydia FarthingBreakout country artist and sought-after songwriter Adam Sanders has announced his debut, full-length album What If I’m Right, due out on May 21.
What If I’m Right is a collection of 13-songs entirely co-written by Sanders, including the title track that has garnered over 400,000 streams to date. Also included on the project is his up-tempo “Do What We Do;” an anthem for NASCAR fans “Daddy Jesus and Earnhardt;” the wistful “Burn The Stars;” and the mid-tempo, fan-favorite “Make Em Wanna Change.”
“It’s taken a long time to get to this point in my career where I feel comfortable enough to release a full-length project and music as a solo artist. I never lost faith or passion for my dream of becoming an artist, and this album is all about that, and the possibilities… what if I’ve been right all along and it’s just taken a while to get here?” says Sanders.
Sanders has earned his reputation as an artist to watch with over 100 million streams, over 70,000 singles sold, and landing on Billboard’s Top 40 Country Albums chart with his previously released self-titled debut EP. Signed to a co-publishing deal with Round Hill Music Nashville, Sanders has wrote No. 1 songs for Dustin Lynch (“Hell of a Night”) and Cole Swindell (“Ain’t Worth the Whiskey”), as well as songs for Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton.
What If I’m Right Track List:
All About That – Adam Sanders, Craig Campbell, Jacob Rice
Just Need One – Adam Sanders, Lynn Hutton, Jacob Rice
What If I’m Right – Adam Sanders, Lynn Hutton, Jacob Rice
Make Em Wanna Change – Adam Sanders, Adam Craig, Dallas Wilson
Bible Versus – Adam Sanders, Ben Stennis, Brice Long
Daddy Jesus And Earnhardt – Adam Sanders, Brock Berryhill, Cole Swindell, Taylor Phillips
So Good At That – Adam Sanders, Adam Craig, Neil Medley
Do What We Do – Adam Sanders, Brice Long, Jesse Heimer
Burn The Stars – Adam Sanders, Josh Kear
My Kinda People – Adam Sanders, Cary Barlowe, Jessi Alexander, Will Weatherly
I Got Roots – Adam Sanders, Ben Stennis, Taylor Phillips
Good Way To Go – Adam Sanders, Ben Stennis, Brice Long
In Case You’re Listening – Adam Sanders, Josh Mirenda
Live Nation Q1 Results: Concert Pipeline For 2022 Up Double Digits From 2019
/by Lydia FarthingLive Nation Entertainment, Inc. has released its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.
The live entertainment empire posted $290 million in 2021’s Q1, which was down by 79% year-on-year due to the effects of COVID on the music industry. However, as reopening efforts worldwide are ramping up and more people are receiving their vaccines, Live Nation’s President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Rapino expressed his hope for redemption for 2022.
“When we reported our 2020 results in February, I was optimistic that we would soon be returning to live events, and since then, our confidence has increased for our key markets,” says Rapino in a letter that accompanied the report. “Complementing our event pipeline, Ticketmaster continues to build its global client base to further accelerate its growth. This year, we have already added new clients representing over 5 million net new fee-bearing tickets, which we expect to grow further throughout the year as more venues prepare for 2022.”
Rapino continues, “Our brand partners remain engaged and are responding well to our reopening, and like our concerts business, our sponsorship pipeline of committed activity for 2022 is up double digits for next year relative to where it was at this time pre-pandemic in 2019 for 2020.”
Live Nation Financial Highlights:
For the three months ended March 31, 2021:
Read the complete report here.
Nashville Music Equality Sets Panel For AAPI Heritage Month
/by LB CantrellFor Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Nashville Music Equality will present a panel that invites AAPI members of the Nashville music industry to share their stories and participate in an open conversation. The panel will take place on Zoom on Wednesday, May 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CST.
Among the guests slated to join the panel are Grammy-nominated producer and head of deciBel Entertainment, Dave Brainard; Director of Operations, Cox Music Group Houston, Johnny Chiang; Strategic Development Director, Give A Note Foundation, and Independent Contractor at AGD Entertainment, Juliana Lee; Vice President Management Division at Paquin Entertainment Group, Michelle Szeto; and International Relations Coordinator, Country Music Association, Katherine Wong.
The panel will be moderated by Kurt Bardella, Publisher of the Morning Hangover and Contributor for Los Angeles Times and USA Today. CMT, mtheory, Quinton Digital, Morning Hangover, and the Academy Country Music are sponsoring the panel.
Register for the panel here.
Nashville Music Equality will celebrate its first anniversary on June 1, the first day of Black History Month, with a special event. More details are to come.
The organization also extended an invitation to observe a moment of silence on May 25 to give respect to the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s death.
Walker Hayes Drops New Jake Owen Collab From Upcoming EP ‘Country Stuff’
/by Lorie HollabaughWalker Hayes. Photo: Robert Chavers.
Walker Hayes has announced his new EP, Country Stuff, will be available on June 4.
The six-track project features previously released tracks “I Hope You Miss Me” and “Make You Cry,” along with four new songs that feature vocals from Carly Pearce and Lori McKenna. The title track from the new project, a collaboration with Jake Owen, was penned by Hayes with Joe Thibodeau and Adam Stark, and produced by Hayes, Thibodeau and Shane McAnally.
During the pandemic, Hayes and his family spent time at their family’s 500-acre farm and doing their own version of country stuff. Among the hunting, fishing, tractor driving, and dirt roads, Hayes sat down and wrote about it all. He sent the song to Thibodeau who then helped bring the idea to life.
“Having Jake Owen on ‘Country Stuff’ is a full circle moment for me” says Hayes. “When I got my first publishing deal in town, Jake was one of the first artists to put a hold on one of my songs. That moment meant so much to me. To now be releasing a song with him on it… that’s just mind blowing.”
Country Stuff Track List:
1. Country Stuff (Featuring Jake Owen)
2. Fancy Like
3. Make You Cry
4. I Hope You Miss Me
5. What If We Did (Featuring Carly Pearce)
6. Briefcase (Featuring Lori McKenna)
Gary Allan Announces New Album ‘Ruthless’ Set For June
/by Lydia FarthingGary Allan. Photo: Eric Adkins.
Country recording artist Gary Allan has announced his long-awaited new album, Ruthless, will be available June 25.
The California native marks his return to the spotlight with a 13 track album produced by Mark Wright, Tony Brown, Greg Droman, Jay Joyce, and Allan himself. Coupled with his unique storytelling, the instrumentation draws from Allan’s deep-rooted influences of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
“This is a montage of everything I have done since my last album,” Allan says. “It’s what I love. I remain influenced by the ‘90s—as well as by the ‘80s. Twenty-six tracks were cut for this album. Then I went back to the studio and recorded three or four more tracks. Then I returned for two more. From each of these many sessions, I stripped out the cool stuff that I wanted on the record.”
Allan made the announcement yesterday (May 6) during a special live stream appearance from House of Blues Studios in Nashville. Allan also gave his fans a first listen to his new music including the lead track, “Temptation,” which is available now along with a brand new merch collection.
In 2016 Allan re-signed with Universal Music Group Nashville, the label home for the entirety of his twenty-four year career. His last album, Set You Free, topped the all-genre Billboard 200 and the Billboard Country Album chart. The album also produced the singer’s fifth No. 1 country radio chart topper with “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain).” Since Allan got his start in 1996, he has released nine studio albums, been certified Platinum on three back-to-back albums, and been certified Gold five times. He has five No. 1 hits at country radio, 14 top 10 hits to his credit, and amassed over 2.6 billion total streams.
Ruthless Track Listing:
1. Temptation – Nicolle Galyon, Chase McGill and Jon Nite
2. Waste Of A Whiskey Drink – Josh Kear, Michael Hardy and Mark Holman
3. Till It Felt Like You* – Kyle Jacobs, Joe Leathers and Matt Warren
4. Slide – Ross Ellis, Alex Kline and Michael Whitworth
5. Pretty Damn Close* – Gary Allan, Sarah Buxton, Rodney Clawson and Matt Warren
6. High As I’ve Ever Been* – Matt Warren, James Slater and Skip Black
7. What I Can’t Talk About* – Jim Beavers, Lindsay Rimes and Matt Rogers
8. SEX – Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally and Matt Jenkins
9. Trouble Knows Trouble – Steve Bogard, Jason Sever and John Edwards
10. Ruthless – Hillary Lindsey, busbee and Ryan Hurd
11. Unfiltered** – Blair Daly, Brad Warren and Brett Warren
12. Little Glass Of Wine* – Jesse Winchester
13. The Hard Way* – Matt Warren and Carey Ott
Produced by Mark Wright and Tony Brown
*Produced by Gary Allan and Greg Droman
**Produced by Jay Joyce
Chris LeDoux’s Legacy Celebrated With New Album ‘Wyoming Cowboy – A Collection’
/by Lorie HollabaughIt’s been 50 years since Rodeo World Champion/entertainer Chris LeDoux first formed his own label and released his debut album, the aptly titled Songs Of Rodeo Life. In celebration of that landmark anniversary, Capitol Nashville/UMe and the Chris LeDoux Estate is releasing a new 13-song album on July 2, Wyoming Cowboy – A Collection.
The new collection compiles some of LeDoux’s most-loved songs with a handful of rarities and other studio and live gems. Assembled by LeDoux’s longtime friend/guitar player Mark Sissel, the project will be released digitally as well as on vinyl, marking the first time many of these songs released in the CD era will be available on vinyl. Two rare tracks – “Oklahoma Hospitality,” self-released in 1978 on a UK-only album and never released in the U.S., and “Album Intro,” from an equally long out-of-print 1975 record, will receive their digital debuts.
Serving as both a gift to longtime fans and an introduction to those unfamiliar with LeDoux’s music, which he dubbed a combination of “western soul, sagebrush blues, cowboy folk and rodeo rock ‘n’ roll,” Wyoming Cowboy brings together songs like “County Fair,” “Cadillac Cowboy” and the epic “This Cowboy’s Hat” from Western Underground, (his first major label album on Liberty Records in 1991,) along with “Western Skies,” “Look At You Girl,” “Hooked On An 8-Second Ride” and his top 10 country hit with Garth Brooks, “Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy,” from his 1992 Gold-selling album of the same name.
The album also features LeDoux’s rollicking duet with Charlie Daniels, “Even Cowboys Like A Little Rock And Roll,” from 1993’s Under This Old Hat and originally released in a different incarnation on his 1984 album, Melodies and Memories. It also includes a special posthumous collaboration between LeDoux and his son Ned with the song “We Ain’t Got It All.” Sung and performed by Ned, the song was co-written by him and Mac McAnally using some of LeDoux’s songwriting notes, resulting in a true father-son co-write. The album ends with a live version of fan favorite “Little Long Haired Outlaw” from 1997’s Live, capturing the pyrotechnic-filled, rodeo rock and roll shows he loved to play.
“My dad’s catalog of music is timeless and includes so many great records and I love each one of em,” says Ned LeDoux. “This new collection honors the 50th anniversary of when he first started making music and is a nice snapshot of who he was and the subject matter he loved writing about – cowboys, rodeo life, true love and staying positive.”
LeDoux enjoyed a long recording run following his successful rodeo career, and by the end of the 1980s had self-released 22 albums with sales of more than a quarter of a million copies. That same year, following a name check by rising country star Garth Brooks, in which he sang, “A worn out tape of Chris LeDoux, lonely women and bad booze/Seem to be the only friends I’ve left at all,” in his first hit, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old),” LeDoux received recognition and fame well outside the rodeo world. He signed with Liberty Records and in 1991 released Western Underground. LeDoux would release another 18 albums for the labels, with sales of more than six million around the world, before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2005 at just 56 years old.
Cheyenne Frontier Days will celebrate LeDoux’s life and legacy at their 125th annual festival this year, which is dedicated to the legendary entertainer and rodeo world champ. The 10-day event will feature a sold-out, opening night performance by Brooks and Ned LeDoux on July 23. The festivities will kick off with the unveiling of a bronze statue of LeDoux, which will be added to the sculpture collection on Frontier Park to honor his ties to the rodeo and music worlds and his place in Cheyenne Frontier Days history. Designed by artist D. Michael Thomas, who created a similar sculpture of LeDoux for the Chris LeDoux Memorial Park in his hometown Kaycee, Wyoming, the bronze statue depicts LeDoux riding his horse Stormy Weather to the 1976 World Bareback Riding Championship, along with a guitar that sits atop an arrow shaped base representing CFD’s logo.
Grand Ole Opry To Remove Capacity Restrictions May 14
/by LB CantrellThe Grand Ole Opry announced today (May 7) that it will open up to full-capacity for the first time in more than a year, beginning May 14. Its first performance at full capacity will be May 14’s show featuring Opry members Lorrie Morgan, the Oak Ridge Boys and more.
The Opry will continue to follow enhanced COVID-19 health and safety protocols throughout the spring, including mandatory masks for all guests and Opry House operations/production staff, per Metro Nashville Health; as well as enhanced cleaning practices.
Among other performances recently announced, Lady A will mark their first Opry show as members with an appearance on Sat., May 15. The group was invited to join the Opry family and officially inducted as part of the show’s Opry’s 95th Anniversary network television special last winter. Among those joining Lady A on the May 15 show are Opry member Morgan and Ryan Hurd, who is scheduled to make his Opry debut.
The Opry’s annual Salute The Troops show, honoring members of the U.S. Military, is scheduled for May 29. The show will feature Lauren Alaina and Opry members Luke Combs and Chris Young, among others. Also scheduled for upcoming spring and summer Opry performances are Trace Adkins, Bill Anderson, Aaron Lewis, MercyMe, Keb’ Mo’, Old Crow Medicine Show, Carly Pearce, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills, and more.