Weekly Register: Morgan Wallen Spends Ninth Week At No. 1

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Morgan Wallen. Photo: John Shearer / Getty Images For Ryman Auditorium

Morgan Wallen‘s Dangerous: The Double Album is not slowing down. The project spends its ninth week at No. 1 this week with 78K album only and 5.8K song streams, according to Nielsen.

Dangerous: The Double Album is one of just four country albums ever to spend at least nine weeks in the top spot, along with Garth Brooks’ Ropin’ the Wind (18 weeks, 1991-92), Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All (17, 1992) and Taylor Swift’s Fearless (11, 2008-09).

Luke Combs takes the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the albums chart with What You See Is What You Get earning 28K total this week and This One’s For You earning 17K. Wallen reappears at No. 4 with If I Know Me, and Chris Stapleton rounds out the top five with Starting Over.

Wallen also tops the songs chart with “Wasted On You” earning 6.5 million streams, while his “Sand in My Boots” comes in third with 5.6 million according to Nielsen.

Gabby Barrett is at No. 2 on the weekly chart with “The Good Ones” garnering 5.8 million streams. Niko Moon‘s “Good Time” is at No. 4, and Combs is at No. 5 with “Better Together.”

Recording Academy Forms New Songwriters & Composers Wing

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The Recording Academy has established a new Songwriters & Composers Wing to help foster recognition of all genres of songwriters and amplify their unique role in policy discussions that seek fair compensation for creators. The new wing will be dedicated to elevating, supporting, and advocating on behalf of music’s storytellers.

Songwriter and Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter President Evan Bogart will serve as Chair of the Songwriters & Composers Wing; Ashley Gorley, Lamont Dozier, Kenny “Babyface“ Edmonds, Carole King, Jimmy Jam, Tania León, Gustavo Santaolalla, Valerie Simpson, Diane Warren, and Hans Zimmer will serve as honorary chairs; and Susan Stewart, Senior Director, South Region at the Recording Academy will serve as Executive Sponsor.

Currently, a third of the Recording Academy’s voting membership identify songwriting or composing as part of their craft, and these members will be automatically included in the new Wing. Those interested in joining can find membership information on the Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing page on grammy.com. Through educational offerings including panels, mixers, songwriting retreats, and mentorship, the Wing will provide opportunities for recognition, networking and collaboration and also spotlight emerging opportunities for song and scoring achievement within a variety of media globally.

“The musical process begins with our fellow songwriters and composers, and we’re thrilled to launch this Wing at the Academy that creates a home for music’s storytellers across the country,” says Harvey Mason jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy. “These creatives are essential to the music community and we look forward to collaborating with our industry colleagues to support, educate and empower the diverse members in these crafts.”

“The S&C Wing magnifies the presence of songwriters and composers throughout our membership body,” said Ruby Marchand, chief industry officer at the Recording Academy. “Many songwriters and composers are also producers, engineers, musicians, and recording artists. We look forward to celebrating their full array of talents and accomplishments.”

“Just as music begins with the song, music advocacy begins with the songwriter,” said Daryl Friedman, chief advocacy officer at the Recording Academy. “We are pleased to continue our fight for songwriters and composers’ rights, reenergized by the newly organized advocates of the Songwriters & Composers Wing.”

Jordan Gray Signs With Sea Gayle Music

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Pictured (L-R, top row): John Lytle, David Crow, Brandon Gregg; (L-R, middle row): Kim Wiggins, Emily Whitters, Chris DuBois; (L-R, bottom row): Marc Driskill, Jordan Gray, JD Groover

Artist-writer Jordan Gray has signed a global publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music.

Gray grew up in Lamar, South Carolina. In 2015 he released his first EP, West of The Pines, which helped him build a following on streaming and social media platforms. With the help of his song “Stay The Night,” he amassed 10 million streams, toured the southeast circuit, and moved to Nashville to pursue music full time.

Since arriving in Nashville, Gray has immersed himself in the Nashville songwriting community building relationships with several writers and publishers.

“I’ve known Jordan a long time. To watch him grow into the writer, artist, and human he is today is a pleasure. I am over the moon he chose us as his first publishing home in Nashville. Thank you Ward [Guenther] for letting me fill in at Whiskey Jam. This might not have happened!” says Sr. Creative Director at Sea Gayle Music, JD Groover.

Gray says, “Chris DuBois has an impressive background in the writing and publishing world and has helped many writers and artists develop successful careers in this industry. He has built a great team at Sea Gayle and I am excited to be a part of their writer’s group. I feel Chris, JD, and Sea Gayle will be a great developmental partner for me and I am looking forward to seeing what we can build together.”

John Lytle, Gray’s manager, adds, “We are thrilled to have Sea Gayle as a partner in Jordan’s career. It is a dream to find fervent believers like Chris and J.D. who see the potential in this young talent and have them join the crusade!”

 

Skillet Announce Spring 2021 Drive-In Tour Dates

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Skillet has announced its spring 2021 Drive In Theater tour. The fourth package of the 2021 series will feature Jordan Feliz and Colton Dixon on 21 dates beginning April 22 in Mitchell, Indiana and wrapping May 23 in Chaffee, Missouri with stops in Alabama, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, and more along the way.

All dates on the Drive-In Theater Tour will comply with local guidelines related to COVID-19. Tickets for the tour will again be sold by the car load (up to six people per car) and are available for purchase now. Some dates on the tour will not be at a drive-in theater, and at these shows, billed as “An Evening Under The Stars,” seating may be sold in pods or other socially distanced configurations.

Skillet released their deluxe project, Victorious: The Aftermath (Atlantic) last October, featuring twelve original tracks plus eight additional tunes, including two brand new unreleased songs, and five reimagined songs. Last November the band released their second graphic novel, Eden II: The Aftermath, once again pairing Random Shock Studios with Skillet frontman John Cooper and artist Chris Hunt.

GrassRoots Promotion’s Scott Whitehead Passes

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Scott Whitehead, business manager for Nashville-based GrassRoots Promotion and FanTheJam.com, passed away suddenly on March 12.

Whitehead and GrassRoots’ Managing Partner/co-owner Nancy Tunick recently celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary. Whitehead was also a musician, songwriter (formerly signed to Acuff-Rose), producer, manager, and a former member of the country duo Hometown News, which scored two charting singles, “Minivan” and “Wheels,” on VFR Records in 2002. Prior to his music career, Whitehead served for eight years in the U.S. Navy flying the F/A-18 Hornet, including missions over Iraq. He is a graduate of the Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun).

In addition to Tunick, survivors include the couple’s two teenage children, an adult son from a previous marriage, three grandchildren and Whitehead’s parents. No immediate funeral services are planned. The family hopes to host a celebration of his life in the summer or fall.

 

Bill Nowlin Announces New Book About Rounder Records

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Bill Nowlin, a founder of Nashville’s Rounder Records, is set to release a new book about his career with the label called Venture Vinyl: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records.

The new book, out on April 6, tells stories of Nowlin’s life-long career building the independent label.

Nowlin has written many books, though most have been about his love of baseball. This book focuses on the early years up to and just through when Rounder evolved to a second stage. It goes through how a generational change kept the label healthy and flourishing while so many other cultural enterprises from the era have folded or gone dark.

Venture Vinyl: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records includes original photographs taken by the Nowlin or drawn from the Rounder Records archives. It’s the story of three people with no background in business who took an idea and, through hard work and passion, built something of lasting cultural significance.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts native, along with Ken Irwin and Marian Leighton Levy started Rounder Records in 1970, born out of a “hobby that got out of control,” in the Boston-area.

The now Nashville-based produced over 3,000 albums, specializing in roots music and its contemporary offshoots. Rounder won 56 Grammy awards and documented a swath of music that in many cases might otherwise never have been presented to a broader public. It’s arguably a quintessentially American success story.

The book is published by UK based Equinox Publishing and will be available in paperback and ePUB editions on April 6.

Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Mickey Guyton Glow On Grammy Stage

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Pictured (L-R): Maren Morris and John Mayer perform onstage during the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Photo: Getty Images for The Recording Academy

While its number of performances were few, country music shined on the Grammy stage last night (March 14) at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards.

Miranda Lambert took home the only televised country award, Best Country Album, for her seventh studio album Wildcard. This is Lambert’s second win for Best Country Album, receiving the Award for her No. 1 album Platinum in 2014. She has also previously won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “The House That Built Me.”

Miranda Lambert. Photo: Getty Images for The Recording Academy

In the pre-telecast, Dan + Shay were awarded Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours.” The duo made history with this win, becoming first artist to win three times consecutively since the category’s inception. Dan + Shay won the category for the first time in 2019 with 6x Platinum smash “Tequila,” and again in 2020 with 5x Platinum hit “Speechless.”

Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna won Best Country Song for their co-written “Crowded Table,” recorded by The Highwomen. Vince Gill was awarded his 22nd Grammy Award for his performance of “When My Amy Prays,” in the category of Best Country Solo Performance.

The awards were presented outside the Los Angeles Staples Center, with only a handful of masked, socially distanced nominees watching each presentation in an open-air tent. The majority of the performances took place inside. The indoor venue featured five stages in the round. Artists performed for each other before another set of artists replaced them after the performances wrapped.

Host Trevor Noah traveled from the outdoor presenting stage to the indoor performance stage.

The ceremony also featured music venue owners and employees from around the nation who have struggled immensely during the pandemic. Nashville’s Station Inn owner J.T. Gray presented Best Country Album to Lambert, via video. Venue employees from the Troubadour in Los Angeles and the Apollo in New York were a past of the broadcast, as well.

The In Memoriam tribute featured many artists and musical icons that we lost this past year, pulling out a few artists to feature more prominently. Lionel Richie gave tribute to Kenny Rogers by singing their iconic song, “Lady.”

Carlile did a superb job honoring John Prine. She sang “I Remember Everything,” the song that Prine posthumously won Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for.

When it came time for the country round of performances, Mickey Guyton gave a stellar performance of her moving “Black Like Me.” With this performance, Guyton became the first Black female country artist to perform at the Grammys.

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Once Guyton was through, she turned to a beaming Lambert to introduce her next performance. Lambert performed her No. 1 smash hit “Bluebird,” from her now Grammy awarded album Wildcard, under a chandelier of flowers.

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Lambert then introduced the next country performer, Maren Morris, as “my Texas gal pal I’ve known since the honky tonk days.” Morris was joined by Joh Mayer playing guitar and singing harmonies on her pop crossover hit, “The Bones.”

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There were a few historic moments throughout the telecast. Beyoncé set a new record for most wins by a female artist. Now with 28 Grammys, she surpasses Alison Krauss’ 27 wins. Beyoncé now ties for second most awarded artist at the Grammys with record producer Quincy Jones. Orchestral and operatic conductor Georg Solti holds the record with 31 awards.

Taylor Swift became the first female artist to win Album Of The Year three times for her win with Folklore. This feat ties her with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder as the only artist to win in that category three times.

Tigirlily Signs With Monument Records

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Pictured (L-R): Louis Newman (Manager), Shane McAnally (Co-President, Monument Records), Kendra Slaubaugh, Krista Slaubaugh, Katie McCartney (GM, Monument Records), Jason Owen (Co-President, Monument Records).

Tigirlily has signed with Monument Records.

The duo, comprised of sisters Krista and Kendra Slaubaugh, announced the news on Ty Bentli’s Apple Radio show last week. Their song “Somebody Does” which they penned with songwriter Zarni DeVette, has rocketed to the top of both the iTunes Country Songs chart and the iTunes All Genres Songs charts since its release in February.

Tigirlily first began touring throughout their home state of North Dakota, as well as South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota, eight years ago when they were just 14 and 16 years old. After relocating to Nashville in 2017, they  began writing with fellow artists and performing live weekly at local venues. By the end of 2019 they had 130 shows under their belt including opening for LeAnn Rimes, Big and Rich, Justin Moore and Chris Janson. At the end of last year the duo was featured in the KEDS shoes global fall/winter 2020 campaign titled “Progress: Whatever That Means,” highlighting women entrepreneurs from all over the world.

“We’ve been following what Tigirlily has been doing for a while now, and with this new song, it feels like the perfect time to make it official. We can’t wait to share more music and are thrilled to have them as part of the Monument family,” said Monument Records Co-President Jason Owen.

“At Monument, we have always prided ourselves on finding artists who bring something new and different into the world, and Tigirlily is no exception. They have such a clear vision of who they are, and it’s so exciting to be on this journey with them,” continued Monument Records Co-President Shane McAnally.

“Monument is our dream team,” said Krista Slaubaugh. “After years of being independent artists, we are so excited to be part of a label that brings out the best in their unique artists, and to work with a team that takes artists to the next level.”

“We have been working toward this goal for so long,” adds Kendra Slaubaugh. “The opportunity to collaborate with Jason, Shane, and Katie, along with our manager Louis, is truly a dream come true.”

Rumble On The Row Fights Announced For June Charity Event

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The matches for the 17th annual Ringside: A Fight for Kids Rumble on the Row have been announced. The charity boxing event, set for Friday, June 4 at The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee, features three action-packed rounds of amateur boxing between music industry professionals who duke it out in the ring for children’s causes.

This year’s “Rumble on the Row” matchups will include Pat Worstell (Warner Brothers Records, artist development coordinator) VS. Tyler Corrado (BBR Music Group/BMG, social media + fan engagement, manager), songwriters Phillip White (FAME Music Publishing) VS Jaime Paulin (Universal Music Publishing), and Nikki Boon (1021 Entertainment, artist manager) VS Erin Pettit (FBMM, account manager).

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Ringside will implement COVID-19 safety protocols, including making it a reduced-capacity event with one less “Rumble” bout, and only a limited number of standing-room tickets and reserved tables available.

“Ringside may be scaled-down a bit this year, but I promise it will pack the same powerful entertainment punch as past years,” said Carolyn Miller, The Charley Foundation’s founder and chairman, and Ringside producer. “The Charley Foundation is eternally grateful to all six of these committed fighters who are already training hard to help area kids.”

Ringside: A Fight for Kids benefits multiple children’s charities in the Nashville area through The Charley Foundation. The evening features gourmet dining, live music, surprise celebrity guests, a silent auction, and the amateur boxing matches sanctioned by USA Boxing. All funds raised through Ringside: A Fight for Kids will provide assistance to disabled and underprivileged children served by medical, recreational, and care groups in the Nashville community.

Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, John Prine Among Grammy Winners

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Nashville artists were well represented at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night (March 14).

Miranda Lambert took home Best Country Album for her seventh studio album, Wildcard.

Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna won Best Country Song for their co-written “Crowded Table,” recorded by The Highwomen.

Vince Gill was awarded his 22nd Grammy Award for his performance of “When My Amy Prays,” in the category of Best Country Solo Performance.

Best Country Duo/Group Performance was awarded to Dan + Shay for their collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours.” The duo made history with this win, becoming first artist to win three times consecutively since the category’s inception. Dan + Shay won the category for the first time in 2019 with 6x Platinum smash “Tequila,” and again in 2020 with 5x Platinum hit “Speechless.”

The Fisk Jubilee Singers won in the Best Roots Gospel Album category for Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album), which marks their first ever win in their 150-year history.

The late John Prine, who was honored with a tribute by Carlile during the telecast, posthumously won Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for “I Remember Everything.”

Sarah Jarosz won Best Americana Album for World On The Ground.

Zach Williams and Dolly Parton took home Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “There Was Jesus,” and Kanye West won Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Jesus Is King.

In the general field, Billie Eilish took home Record Of The Year for “Everything I Wanted.” Megan Thee Stallion won Best New Artist. Song Of The Year was awarded to Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas for their song “I Can’t Breathe,” recorded by H.E.R.

Taylor Swift took home Album Of The Year for Folklore. This is her third time winning the honor, making Swift the first female artist to win the award three times, and tying her with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder as the only artist to win in that category three times.

Below are a selection of winners:

Record Of The Year:
“Black Parade” — Beyoncé
“Colors” — Black Pumas
“Rockstar” — DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch
“Say So” — Doja Cat
“Everything I Wanted” — Billie Eilish
“Don’t Start Now” — Dua Lipa
“Circles” — Post Malone
“Savage” — Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé

Song Of The Year:
“Black Parade” — Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk & Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)
“The Box” — Samuel Gloade & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)
“Cardigan” — Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
“Circles” — Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk, Austin Post & Billy Walsh, songwriters (Post Malone)
“Don’t Start Now” — Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa & Emily Warren, songwriters (Dua Lipa)
“Everything I Wanted” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“I Can’t Breathe” — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
“If The World Was Ending” — Julia Michaels & JP Saxe, songwriters (JP Saxe Featuring Julia Michaels)

Album Of The Year:
Chilombo — Jhené Aiko
Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) — Black Pumas
Everyday Life — Coldplay
Djesse Vol. 3 — Jacob Collier
Women In Music Pt. III — Haim
Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa
Hollywood’s Bleeding — Post Malone
Folklore — Taylor Swift

Best New Artist:
Ingrid Andress
Phoebe Bridgers
Chika
Noah Cyrus
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
Megan Thee Stallion

Best Country Album:
Lady Like — Ingrid Andress
Your Life Is A Record — Brandy Clark
Wildcard — Miranda Lambert
Nightfall — Little Big Town
Never Will — Ashley McBryde

Best Country Solo Performance:
“Stick That In Your Country Song” — Eric Church
“Who You Thought I Was” — Brandy Clark
“When My Amy Prays” — Vince Gill
“Black Like Me” — Mickey Guyton
“Bluebird” — Miranda Lambert

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
“All Night” — Brothers Osborne
“10,000 Hours” — Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber
“Ocean” — Lady A
“Sugar Coat” — Little Big Town
“Some People Do” — Old Dominion

Best Country Song:
“Bluebird” —  Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby & Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
“The Bones” — Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
“Crowded Table” — Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby & Lori McKenna, songwriters (The Highwomen)
“More Hearts Than Mine” — Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis & Derrick Southerland, songwriters (Ingrid Andress)
“Some People Do” — Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, Matthew Ramsey & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Old Dominion)

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Un Dia (One Day)” — J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy
“Intentions” — Justin Bieber Featuring Quavo
“Dynamite” — BTS
“Rain On Me” — Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
“Exile” — Taylor Swift Featuring Bon Iver

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song:
“The Blessing (Live)” — Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes & Elevation Worship; Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes & Steven Furtick, songwriters
“Sunday Morning” — Lecrae Featuring Kirk Franklin; Denisia Andrews, Jones Terrence Antonio, Saint Bodhi, Brittany Coney, Kirk Franklin, Lasanna Harris, Shama Joseph, Stuart Lowery, Lecrae Moore & Nathanael Saint-Fleur, songwriters
“Holy Water” — We The Kingdom; Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash & Scott Cash, songwriters
“Famous For (I Believe)” — Tauren Wells Featuring Jenn Johnson; Chuck Butler, Krissy Nordhoff, Jordan Sapp, Alexis Slifer & Tauren Wells, songwriters
“There Was Jesus” — Zach Williams & Dolly Parton; Case Beathard, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:
Run to the Father —  Cody Carnes
All of My Best Friends — Hillsong Young & Free
Holy Water — We the Kingdom
Citizen of Heaven — Tauren Wells
Jesus Is King — Kanye West

Best Pop Vocal Album:
Changes — Justin Bieber
Chromatica — Lady Gaga
Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa
Fine Line — Harry Styles
Folklore — Taylor Swift

Best Americana Album:
Old Flowers — Courtney Marie Andrews
Terms Of Surrender — Hiss Golden Messenger
World On The Ground — Sarah Jarosz
El Dorado — Marcus King
Good Souls Better Angels — Lucinda Williams

Best American Roots Performance:
“Colors” — Black Pumas
“Deep in Love” — Bonny Light Horseman
“Short and Sweet” — Brittany Howard
“I’ll Be Gone” — Norah Jones & Mavis Staples
“I Remember Everything” — John Prine

Best American Roots Song:
“Cabin” — Laura Rogers & Lydia Rogers, songwriters (The Secret Sisters)
“Ceiling to the Floor” — Sierra Hull & Kai Welch, songwriters (Sierra Hull)
“Hometown” — Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz)
“I Remember Everything” — Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
“Man Without a Soul” — Tom Overby & Lucina Williams, songwriters (Lucinda Williams)

Best Roots Gospel Album:
Beautiful Day —  Mark Bishop
20/20 — The Crabb Family
What Christmas Really Means — The Erwins
Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album) — Fisk Jubilee Singers
Something Beautiful — Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Best Gospel Album:
2econd Wind: Ready — Anthony Brown & group therAPy
My Tribute — Myron Butler
Choirmaster — Ricky Dillard
Gospel According to PJ — PJ Morton
Kierra — Kierra Sheard

Best Contemporary Blues Album:
Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? — Fantastic Negrito
Live At The Paramount — Ruthie Foster Big Band
The Juice — G. Love
Blackbirds — Bettye LaVette
Up And Rolling — North Mississippi Allstars

Best Bluegrass Album:
Man on Fire — Danny Barnes
To Live in Two Worlds, Vol. 1 — Thomm Jutz
North Carolina Songbook — Steep Canyon Rangers
Home — Billy Strings
The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 1 — Various Artists

Best Music Film:
Beastie Boys Story — Beastie Boys
Black Is King — Beyoncé
We Are Freestyle Love Supreme — Freestyle Love Supreme
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice — Linda Ronstadt
That Little Ol’ Band From Texas — ZZ Top

For a full list of winners, visit grammy.com.