Jim Weatherly. Photo: Courtesy Songwriters Hall of Fame
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Jim Weatherly died Wednesday morning (Feb. 3) at his home in Brentwood at age 77.
His classics include “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “(You’re The) Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” “Someone Else’s Star,” “Neither One of Us” and “Where Do I Put Her Memory.” Country superstar Ray Price recorded more than 50 of his songs.
James Dexter Weatherly was a native of Pontotoc, Mississippi who began writing songs when he was 13 years old. Handsome and athletic, he became a football quarterback at the University of Mississippi. His Ole Miss team won the national championship in 1962. The Rebels repeated as SEC champs the following year, again with him as quarterback.
While in college, he and some friends formed a rock band. They came to Nashville in 1966, but found no interest. The group moved to L.A. and scored a recording contract with Verve Records as The Gordian Knot. With Weatherly as lead singer, the act issued its LP in 1968. The Godian Knot was on the Sunset Strip scene during the heyday of The Byrds, Johnny Rivers, Barry McGuire and other folk-rockers of the era.
Song publishers took an interest in his songs. In 1973-75, Gladys Knight & The Pips had big hits with his “Neither One of Us,” “Where Peaceful Waters Flow,” “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” “Love Finds Its Own Way” and, unforgettably, “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
At the same time, Nashville artists began scoring with Weatherly tunes. In fact, Ray Price’s 1973 No. 1 country hit with “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” predated Knight’s. Bob Luman hit the country Top 10 in 1973 with “Neither One of Us.”
Weatherly also wrote Luman’s 1974 country success “Just Enough to Make Me Stay,” as well as the Price country hits “Storms of Troubled Times” (1974), “Like a First Time Thing” (1974), “Like Old Times Again” (1975), “Roses and Love Songs” (1975), “Farthest Thing From My Mind” (1975) and “If You Ever Change Your Mind” (1975).
Songwriting success led to a solo recording contract. Jim Weatherly hit No. 11 on the pop charts with 1974’s “The Need to Be” and No. 9 on the country charts with 1975’s “I’ll Still Love You.” His top-30 1977 country single “All That Keeps Me Going” was later recorded by Trini Lopez.
In 1979, Bill Anderson took Weatherly’s “This Is a Love Song” into the top-20, and Charley Pride hit No. 1 with the songwriter’s “Where Do I Put Her Memory.”
Jim Weatherly began traveling to Nashville to collaborate with Music Row songwriters around 1982. In 1984, he had Top 10 country hits with Glen Campbell singing his “A Lady Like You,” Ed Bruce’s recording of “You Turn Me On (Like a Radio)” and the Earl Thomas Conley & Gus Hardin duet “All Tangled Up in Love.” He began living in Nashville in 1985.
Bryan White hit No. 1 with Weatherly’s co-written “Someone Else’s Star” in 1995. Since 2000, the songwriter’s works have been recorded by Kenny Rogers, Delbert McClinton, Jeff Carson, Etta James, The Manhattans and more.
Among the hundreds of others who have recorded Jim Weatherly songs are Dionne Warwick, Vince Gill, Tanya Tucker, Mac Davis, Marie Osmond, B.J. Thomas, Andy Williams, Eddy Arnold, Lynn Anderson, Joan Osborne, Neil Diamond, The Temptations, Trisha Yearwood, The Oak Ridge Boys, Hall & Oates, The Spinners, Reba McEntire, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Johnny Lee, Peter Cetera, Lee Greenwood, Brenda Lee, Aretha Franklin, Steve Wariner, Kenny Chesney, Julie Andrews, Dottie West, Bobby Goldsboro, Garth Brooks, The Indigo Girls, Johnny Mathis, Dan Seals, the Rev. James Cleveland, Peggy Lee and Widespread Panic.
Weatherly’s major-label albums were Weatherly (RCA, 1972), A Gentler Time (RCA, 1973), Jim Weatherly (RCA, 1973), The Songs of Jim Weatherly (Buddah, 1974), Magnolias & Misfits (Buddah, 1975), The People Some People Choose to Love (ABC, 1976) and Pictures & Rhymes (ABC, 1976). He also recorded a number of CDs for his own Brizac label.
He was ASCAP’S Songwriter of the Year in 1974. Weatherly was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 and became a member of the national Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York in 2014. He published Midnight Train as his autobiography in 2018.
Jim Weatherly is survived by his wife, Cynthia, daughter Brighton and son Zack. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Luke Combs and Maren Morris To Sit Down With NPR Music’s Ann Powers At CRS
/by Sarah SkatesCRS 2021: The Virtual Experience will host a special session, sponsored by AllAccess.com, featuring the reigning CMA Male and Female Vocalists of the Year Luke Combs and Maren Morris.
The Q&A session, to be held Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. CT, will be moderated by Ann Powers, NPR Music’s critic and correspondent.
Powers, Combs and Morris will discuss what country music means in light of its complicated past and how artists can hold themselves accountable in helping shape a genre that is as diverse as America itself.
Other highlights of CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience include the New Faces of Country Music® Show, featuring performances by Tenille Arts, Travis Denning, HARDY, Ashley McBryde, and Matt Stell; Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at CRS headlined by Tim McGraw; Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley featuring Thomas Rhett; the CRS Artist Interview with Luke Bryan; and lunchtime performances, sponsored by Warner Music Nashville and UMG Nashville.
Circle Network Added To Redbox’s Free Live TV Streaming Service
/by Lorie HollabaughCircle Network’s programming is now available on Redbox Free Live TV.
The network’s recently announced 2021 programming featuring new original series and renewed fan favorites will be included in the launch. Circle’s Opry Live airs weekly on Saturday nights, bringing superstars like Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, and Garth Brooks into viewers’ homes for a one-hour live performance.
Phil Vassar also returns for a third season of his Songs from the Cellar, where he invites close friends and celebrities into his cellar for great conversations and performances. Additional titles available include new series Opry Rewind hosted by Nan Kelley, Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith with Lauren Alaina, The Southern Weekend with Natalie Stovall, Upstream with Elizabeth Cook, The Dailey & Vincent Show with Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, as well as award shows and more.
“It’s great to kick off this new year by partnering with our friends at Redbox. Their recognizable red kiosks deliver a source of entertainment to millions, and we are excited to be a part of Free Live TV. Their platform’s audience is a perfect pairing for our original programming, which gives us the opportunity to bring even more fans inside the circle of everything country,” said Drew Reifenberger, Circle Network’s general manager.
Redbox joins Circle’s growing list of AVOD providers which also includes Roku, Inc., Samsung TV Plus, VIZIO SmartCast® and XUMO, signaling marked growth for the network since its launch last January.
Carly Pearce Reflects On Emotional Journey On New Project ’29’
/by Lorie HollabaughCarly Pearce is releasing a new project, 29, Feb. 19 on Big Machine Records.
The new seven-track project is the outcome of a creative burst of inspiration from Pearce’s time spent writing with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, and the songs mine deep into the roots of the music she grew up on. “The best songs come from the moment, from real creative spark—and Josh and Shane bring it out of me,” Pearce said. “I was unsure where my music would be without busbee. They both know where my musical heart is, and they understand how to capture exact details for much larger truths. The more specific they write, the more people I think can see themselves in the songs,” she says.
Other writers contributing to the project include Jordan Reynolds, Emily Shackelton, Sarah Buxton, Matt Ramsey, Jimmy Robbins, and Ben West. The tribute to Pearce’s producer and longtime friend busbee who passed away in 2019, “Show Me Around,” appears on the new album as well.
“I feel lighter reflecting on the last year and pouring my soul into this music and wanted to share it in hopes that others to will take from the songs what they need. With streaming and social media, we were able record music for the sole purpose of letting my fans know where my heart is without any expectations. That’s a kind of immediacy that makes making records really exciting. I can’t wait to share 29,” Pearce says.
29 Track List:
1. “Next Girl” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
2. “Should’ve Known Better” | Carly Pearce, Jordan Reynolds, Emily Shackelton
3. “29” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
4. “Liability” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
5. “Messy” | Carly Pearce, Sarah Buxton, Jimmy Robbins*
6. “Show Me Around” | Carly Pearce, Emily Shackelton, Ben West
7. “Day One” | Carly Pearce, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey
Produced by Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne
*Produced by Jimmy Robbins
Are You InCharge? Applications For MusicRow’s 2021 InCharge Print Directory Now Open
/by LB CantrellMusicRow is currently accepting applications from candidates for its annual InCharge print issue, the published directory of Nashville’s music industry decision makers. Now in its 34th year, InCharge serves as the April/May issue of MusicRow Magazine and slated for an April release.
Applications are now closed. All applications will be reviewed by committee to determine the candidates chosen for this year’s edition of InCharge.
For advertising opportunities, please contact Sherod Robertson at srobertson@musicrow.com.
For questions regarding the directory, please contact LB Cantrell at lbcantrell@musicrow.com.
Nashville Music Equality to Hold Panel on Feb. 9: Moving the Nashville Music Culture Forward
/by LB CantrellNashville Music Equality (NME) will kick off 2021 with the panel, Moving the Culture Forward, to discuss what they learned in 2020 and what they are working on for this year and beyond. The panel will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 5:30 pm CST.
The organization, recently recognized in the inaugural list of Billboard’s Change Agents, will host an in-depth discussion among the NME board members on the best way to move the Nashville music culture forward and how others can help create an anti-racist environment in Nashville.
The panelists include:
Alandis Brassel – entertainment attorney
Cameo Carlson – president of mtheory Nashville
Leslie Fram – senior vice president of music and talent, CMT
Tracy Gershon – artist manager and founder of Shero Entertainment
Beverly Keel – dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment
Gina Miller – senior vice president and general manager, Entertainment One (Nashville)
Shannon Sanders – executive director, creative of BMI Nashville
Brian Sexton – founder of Creatives Day
Kortney Toney – marketing consultant
Candice Watkins – vice president of marketing, Big Loud
RSVP for the Moving the Nashville Music Culture Forward panel here.
Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, More Added to Grand Ole Opry’s 95th Anniversary
/by Sarah SkatesNBC is honoring country music’s most famous show with its Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music special on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 9-11 p.m. ET/PT.
Recorded at the Grand Ole Opry House, the two-hour special will feature performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Garth Brooks, Kane Brown, Lady A, Little Big Town, Old Crow Medicine Show, Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker, Marty Stuart, Carrie Underwood and Trisha Yearwood. As previously announced, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton will co-host the show, which will also feature archival footage including interviews and performances.
Among the slated cover songs are Ballerini singing “When You Say Nothing At All,” Bentley and Stuart’s duet of “Pancho & Lefty,” and Lady A’s rendition of “Forever and Ever, Amen.”
“This special is going to capture so much of what makes the Opry a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience,” said Dan Rogers, Opry Vice President and Executive Producer.
The Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music telecast is a production of Grand Ole Opry and Brad Lachman Productions with Lachman serving as executive producer. Along with Lachman, Rogers and Scott Bailey are executive producers. Bill Bracken, Brad Lachman Productions, is co-executive producer.
Justin Timberlake Joins Ownership Group Of Music City Grand Prix
/by Lorie HollabaughJustin Timberlake is joining the ownership group responsible for bringing the Music City Grand Prix urban street race to Nashville in August. In addition to Timberlake, other music industry members joining the effort are President & CEO of the Big Machine Label Group, Scott Borchetta, and EVP/Music Sports & Entertainment at Pinnacle Financial Partners, Andy Moats.
Timberlake—who is from Memphis, Tennessee—has had ties to the racing world before, backing late British driver Dan Wheldon’s winning effort in the Indianapolis 500 in 2011 through a sponsorship with his clothing company William Rast. Other new additions to the ownership group include former Delta Airlines COO Gil West, and NASCAR team owner/driver Justin Marks. Just last month, Marks’ Trackhouse Racing team announced a new addition to his team—Grammy-winning Latin artist Pitbull.
The three-day international festival of speed and sound will be staged August 6-8 on a temporary 2.17-mile grand prix circuit in downtown Nashville and around the Nissan Stadium campus. The course will cross the Cumberland River via the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge, making the Music City Grand Prix one of the only events in motorsports to cross over a major body of water. In addition to a weekend of racing, attendees can look forward to live music performances by top artists, best-in-class chef-curated food experiences, and more.
“I am incredibly proud of the ownership group we have assembled,” says Matt Crews, CEO of Music City Grand Prix, “Our group combines game changers in the world of business, music and motorsports. Each person brings something unique to the table that will be invaluable as we merge motorsports, music and food into a one-of-a-kind event. This event will be one to remember and one to be celebrated year after year in the heart of Music City. We look forward to the team’s unique perspectives and the magic that soon will become the inaugural Music City Grand Prix.”
Other Music City Grand Prix Owners:
Teddy Phillips – CEO Phillips and Jordan, Inc.
Kevin Clayton – President & CEO of Clayton Homes
Brad Lager – Chairman & CEO Herzog Contracting Corporation
JR Hand – President/CEO Hand Family Companies
Darby Campbell – Owner and President of Safe Harbor Development
Stanton Barrett – Movie Director, Stunt Coordinator, Race Car Driver
Drew Kitchen – Attorney Maynard Cooper
Amish Purohit – Alpha Development
John Thompson – CEO MTA Distributors
Ace Harrington – COO MTA Distributors
Songwriting Great Jim Weatherly Passes
/by Robert K OermannJim Weatherly. Photo: Courtesy Songwriters Hall of Fame
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Jim Weatherly died Wednesday morning (Feb. 3) at his home in Brentwood at age 77.
His classics include “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “(You’re The) Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” “Someone Else’s Star,” “Neither One of Us” and “Where Do I Put Her Memory.” Country superstar Ray Price recorded more than 50 of his songs.
James Dexter Weatherly was a native of Pontotoc, Mississippi who began writing songs when he was 13 years old. Handsome and athletic, he became a football quarterback at the University of Mississippi. His Ole Miss team won the national championship in 1962. The Rebels repeated as SEC champs the following year, again with him as quarterback.
While in college, he and some friends formed a rock band. They came to Nashville in 1966, but found no interest. The group moved to L.A. and scored a recording contract with Verve Records as The Gordian Knot. With Weatherly as lead singer, the act issued its LP in 1968. The Godian Knot was on the Sunset Strip scene during the heyday of The Byrds, Johnny Rivers, Barry McGuire and other folk-rockers of the era.
Song publishers took an interest in his songs. In 1973-75, Gladys Knight & The Pips had big hits with his “Neither One of Us,” “Where Peaceful Waters Flow,” “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” “Love Finds Its Own Way” and, unforgettably, “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
At the same time, Nashville artists began scoring with Weatherly tunes. In fact, Ray Price’s 1973 No. 1 country hit with “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” predated Knight’s. Bob Luman hit the country Top 10 in 1973 with “Neither One of Us.”
Weatherly also wrote Luman’s 1974 country success “Just Enough to Make Me Stay,” as well as the Price country hits “Storms of Troubled Times” (1974), “Like a First Time Thing” (1974), “Like Old Times Again” (1975), “Roses and Love Songs” (1975), “Farthest Thing From My Mind” (1975) and “If You Ever Change Your Mind” (1975).
Songwriting success led to a solo recording contract. Jim Weatherly hit No. 11 on the pop charts with 1974’s “The Need to Be” and No. 9 on the country charts with 1975’s “I’ll Still Love You.” His top-30 1977 country single “All That Keeps Me Going” was later recorded by Trini Lopez.
In 1979, Bill Anderson took Weatherly’s “This Is a Love Song” into the top-20, and Charley Pride hit No. 1 with the songwriter’s “Where Do I Put Her Memory.”
Jim Weatherly began traveling to Nashville to collaborate with Music Row songwriters around 1982. In 1984, he had Top 10 country hits with Glen Campbell singing his “A Lady Like You,” Ed Bruce’s recording of “You Turn Me On (Like a Radio)” and the Earl Thomas Conley & Gus Hardin duet “All Tangled Up in Love.” He began living in Nashville in 1985.
Bryan White hit No. 1 with Weatherly’s co-written “Someone Else’s Star” in 1995. Since 2000, the songwriter’s works have been recorded by Kenny Rogers, Delbert McClinton, Jeff Carson, Etta James, The Manhattans and more.
Among the hundreds of others who have recorded Jim Weatherly songs are Dionne Warwick, Vince Gill, Tanya Tucker, Mac Davis, Marie Osmond, B.J. Thomas, Andy Williams, Eddy Arnold, Lynn Anderson, Joan Osborne, Neil Diamond, The Temptations, Trisha Yearwood, The Oak Ridge Boys, Hall & Oates, The Spinners, Reba McEntire, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Johnny Lee, Peter Cetera, Lee Greenwood, Brenda Lee, Aretha Franklin, Steve Wariner, Kenny Chesney, Julie Andrews, Dottie West, Bobby Goldsboro, Garth Brooks, The Indigo Girls, Johnny Mathis, Dan Seals, the Rev. James Cleveland, Peggy Lee and Widespread Panic.
Weatherly’s major-label albums were Weatherly (RCA, 1972), A Gentler Time (RCA, 1973), Jim Weatherly (RCA, 1973), The Songs of Jim Weatherly (Buddah, 1974), Magnolias & Misfits (Buddah, 1975), The People Some People Choose to Love (ABC, 1976) and Pictures & Rhymes (ABC, 1976). He also recorded a number of CDs for his own Brizac label.
He was ASCAP’S Songwriter of the Year in 1974. Weatherly was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 and became a member of the national Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York in 2014. He published Midnight Train as his autobiography in 2018.
Jim Weatherly is survived by his wife, Cynthia, daughter Brighton and son Zack. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
BREAKING: ACM Halts Morgan Wallen’s Eligibility For 2021 Awards
/by LB CantrellMorgan Wallen. Photo: John Shearer
The Academy of Country Music announced they will halt Morgan Wallen‘s potential involvement and eligibility for this year’s ACM Awards.
“The Academy does not condone or support intolerance or behavior that doesn’t align with our commitment and dedication to diversity and inclusion,” the statement reads.
The announcement comes after Wallen’s recording contract with Big Loud Records was suspended following the surfacing of a video of the country artist saying the N-word outside his Nashville home.
The 56th ACM Awards are to take place on Sunday, April 18, 2021 on CBS. Last year Wallen was nominated for New Male Artist of the Year.
Dan + Shay To Headline Warner Showcase During CRS
/by Sarah SkatesCountry Radio Seminar has released the lineup for the third annual Warner Music Nashville Luncheon, to be held Feb. 17 at noon CT during CRS: 2021 The Virtual Experience. The event will be headlined by Dan + Shay with additional performances by Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Drew Parker, Ian Munsick, Michael Ray, Robyn Ottolini, and Shy Carter.
“No matter where we are in the world, all of us at WMN remain committed to CRS and its mission to educate and connect,” said Warner Music Nashville SVP Radio Kristen Williams. “While we would love to be welcoming everyone to Nashville, we look forward to celebrating together in a new way. From GRAMMY-winning global superstars Dan + Shay to the brightest new talent, we can’t wait to bring our music into your homes.”
This year’s CRS agenda offers attendees more than 14 educational sessions, four morning networking events, two lunchtime performances, four interactive workshops, Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley featuring Thomas Rhett and Guests, Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at CRS, the annual New Faces of Country Music® Show, and Luke Bryan at the annual CRS Artist Interview, sponsored by BMI.
Registration for CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience is $199 per person and is available at www.countryradioseminar.com.