Morgan Wallen Notches Fourth Consecutive No. 1 With “More Than My Hometown”

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Morgan Wallen. Photo: John Shearer

Reigning CMA New Artist of the Year Morgan Wallen has earned his fourth consecutive No. 1 with “More Than My Hometown,” which tops both the Billboard and Country Aircheck/Mediabase Country radio airplay charts.

“More Than My Hometown,” which Wallen co-wrote with Michael Hardy, Ernest Keith Smith and Ryan Vojtesak, also marks Wallen’s third No. 1 as a songwriter. He also co-wrote his own “Chasin’ You,” as well as “You Make It Easy,” a No. 1 hit for Jason Aldean.

The chart-topper previews Wallen’s upcoming 30-track sophomore record, Dangerous: The Double Album, which releases Jan. 8, 2021. On Nov. 20, Wallen released three more songs from the project—“Somebody’s Problem,” “Still Goin Down,” and “Livin’ The Dream.” “Somebody’s Problem” rose to No. 1 on the Apple Music US Top Songs All Genres chart.

American Music Awards Ratings Drop 40%

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Awards shows seem to be another casualty of the pandemic in 2020, with major shows like the Emmys, the CMA Awards, and the ACM Awards all garnering much lower viewership than normal this year. The American Music Awards followed that trend as well, with its Sunday night show (Nov. 22) drawing its smallest audience ever, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The show garnered 4.01 million viewers for the night, a 40%  drop from the 2019 show, and earned a 1.0 in adults 18-49 (a 41% drop in the demo year-over-year).

Two NFL games were the big winners for the night, with both Fox’s late afternoon game and NBC’s prime time matchup drawing their biggest audiences since week one of the season.

Female Artists Dominate Grammy Country Categories

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Miranda Lambert

Female artists dominate in this year’s Grammy country categories, represented in all five nominee spots for Best Country Album.

Ingrid Andress, Brandy Clark, Miranda Lambert, group Little Big Town and Ashley McBryde are all nominated in the Best Country Album category, while female artists earn three of the five nominations for Best Country Solo Performance (Clark for “Who You Thought I Was,” Mickey Guyton for “Black Like Me,” and Lambert for “Bluebird”).

Guyton also makes history with her nomination, as the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category (the Pointer Sisters previously won Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for “Fairytale” in 1974).

Songs recorded (and co-written) by female artists also earned four of the five slots in the Best Country Song category. Lambert, Natalie Hemby and Luke Dick are nominated for Lambert’s “Bluebird,” while Maren Morris, Laura Veltz and Jimmy Robbins are nominated for their work on Morris’ “The Bones.” Group The Highwomen‘s “Crowded Table,” penned by Brandi Carlile, Hemby and Lori McKenna, is nominated, as is “More Hearts Than Mine” recorded by Andress and co-written by Andress with Sam Ellis and Derrick Southerland.

Of note, Old Dominion also picked up their first two Grammy nominations this year, with “Some People Do” earning Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Song nominations (the song was written by Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, Matthew Ramsey, and Thomas Rhett).

Lambert and Andress have three nominations each, with Lambert earning a nod for Best Country Album (Wildcard), Best Country Solo Performance (“Bluebird”) and Best Country Song (“Bluebird”), while Andress is up for the all-genre Best New Artist honor, Best Country Song (“More Hearts Than Mine”) and Best Country Album (Lady Like).

Best Country Solo Performance
For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.

  • “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
For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country recordings.

  • “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
A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

  • “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 Country Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new country recordings.

  • LADY LIKE
    Ingrid Andress
  • YOUR LIFE IS A RECORD
    Brandy Clark
  • WILDCARD
    Miranda Lambert
  • NIGHTFALL
    Little Big Town
  • NEVER WILL
    Ashley McBryde

Brittany Howard, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson Among Top Grammy Nominees

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Brittany Howard. Photo: Danny Clinch

Several artists with Nashville ties made a strong showing in the Rock, Producer, and American Roots categories.

Brittany Howard secured five nominations, including Best Rock Performance for “Stay High,” as well as Best Rock Song as the sole writer on the same tune. Howard is also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for Jaime, as well as Best R&B Performance for “Goat Head,” and she earned a Best American Roots Performance nod for “Short and Sweet.”

John Prine earns two posthumous nominations, with “I Remember Everything” earning nods for Best American Roots Performance, and Best American Roots Song. Sturgill Simpson is nominated for Best Rock Album for Sound & Fury.

Lucinda Williams, The Secret Sisters and Bonny Light Horseman also each earned two nominations in American Roots Music and/or Folk categories.

Nashville-based producers Dan Auerbach and Dave Cobb each earned nominations for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), with Auerbach producing Marcus King‘s project El Dorado (nominated for Best Americana Album) and Cobb producing Prine’s “I Remember Everything,” as well as The Highwomen, whose song “Crowded Table” is nominated for Best Country Song.

See a list of selected category nominations below:

Best American Roots Performance
For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings.  This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).

  • “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
A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

  • “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 & Lucinda Williams, songwriters (Lucinda Williams)

Best Americana Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.

  • 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 Bluegrass Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.

  • 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 Folk Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

  • BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN
    Bonny Light Horseman
  • THANKS FOR THE DANCE
    Leonard Cohen
  • SONG FOR OUR DAUGHTER
    Laura Marling
  • SATURN RETURN
    The Secret Sisters
  • ALL THE GOOD TIMES
    Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

29th Annual Tin Pan South Sets Dates For 2021

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The 29th Annual Tin Pan South songwriter’s festival will return in 2021 as an in-person experience, back at favorite venues across Music City on Nov. 16-20, 2021.

This year’s Tin Pan shows were held virtually due to the pandemic, and the 2021 event has been pushed back to Fall instead of its usual Spring timeframe. Additional news on the 2021 festival will be released in the coming weeks.

“With the support and encouragement from Regions Bank, our other incredible partners, and the songwriters and organizations that participated, we were thrilled to keep the spirit of Tin Pan South alive in a virtual format,” said Jennifer Turnbow, Festival Director. “While the 2021 festival will once again take place in the fall instead of the usual March/April timeframe, we are very excited about the prospect of being back in the local venues next year!  We hope that in 2022, we can regain complete normalcy and hold our 30th-anniversary festival in the Spring.”

Tauren Wells, We The Kingdom, Ricky Dillard Among Top CCM, Gospel Grammy Nominees

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Tauren Wells. Photo: PFA Media

When the Grammy nominations were announced Tuesday (Nov. 24), Tauren Wells, We The Kingdom, and Ricky Dillard were among the top CCM and Gospel nominees.

Tauren Wells picked up his two latest Grammy nominations, for Best Contemporary Christian Performance/Song, for “Famous For (I Believe)” (ft. Jenn Johnson), and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, for Citizen of Heaven. He has previously been nominated for five Grammy honors, and was named Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year at this year’s Dove Awards.

Ricky Dillard is also nominated in two categories, for Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Release (LIVE)” featuring Tiff Joy (song written by David Frazier). Dillard is also nominated in the Best Gospel Album category, for Choirmaster.

We The Kingdom is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song/Performance for “Holy Water,” and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for their project Holy Water.

Dolly Parton is nominated in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Song/Performance category alongside Zach Williams for their collaboration “There Was Jesus.” Parton won this category last year with her collaboration “God Only Knows” with for King & Country.

See the full list of CCM/Gospel Grammy nominations below:

Best Gospel Performance/Song
This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best traditional Christian, roots gospel or contemporary gospel single or track.

  • “Wonderful Is Your Name”
    Melvin Crispell III
  • “Release (Live)”
    Ricky Dillard Featuring Tiff Joy; David Frazier, songwriter
  • “Come Together”
    Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents: The Good News; Lashawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Lecrae Moore & Jazz Nixon, songwriters
  • “Won’t Let Go”
    Travis Greene; Travis Greene, songwriter
  • “Movin’ On”
    Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music; Darryl L. Howell, Jonathan Caleb McReynolds, Kortney Jamaal Pollard & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best contemporary Christian music single or track, (including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin, or rock.

  • “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; Casey Beathard, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters

Best Gospel Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional or contemporary/R&B gospel music recordings.

  • 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 Christian Music Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, contemporary Christian music, including pop, rap/hip hop, Latin, or rock recordings.

  • 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 Roots Gospel Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.

  • 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

Ingrid Andress Earns Three Grammy Nominations, Including Best New Artist

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Warner Music Nashville/Atlantic artist Ingrid Andress has earned her first Grammy nominations today (Nov. 24), including a nomination in the all-genre category of Best New Artist. Her debut album, Lady Like, also earned a nod for Best Country Album, while her No. 1 breakthrough hit, “More Hearts Than Mine,” earned a nod for Best Country Song.

Earlier this year, Ingrid won MusicRow Magazine’s MusicRow Awards for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year, while her (now Grammy-nominated) No. 1 hit “More Hearts Than Mine” was named Song of the Year.

The last time a country artist earned the Best New Artist win was in 2009, when Zac Brown Band took home the honor. Among the previous Best New Artist country winners are Carrie Underwood (2006), Shelby Lynne (who won in 2000, and had already released six albums and charted several country songs in the late 1980s and early ’90s by that point), LeAnn Rimes (1996), and Bobbie Gentry (1967)—Gentry was also the first solo female artist to ever win the honor.

BREAKING: Taylor Swift, Brittany Howard, Ingrid Andress, Miranda Lambert Among Top Grammy Nominees

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The nominees for The 63rd Grammy Awards were announced today (Nov. 24) by Chair and Interim Recording Academy President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and an eclectic group of past Grammy winners, nominees and other special guests, including artists Lauren Daigle, Mickey Guyton, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Pepe Aguilar, Yemi Alade, Nicola Benedetti, and Imogen Heap, as well as CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King and The Talk host Sharon Osbourne.

This year’s nominees were selected from more than 23,000 submissions across 83 categories, reflecting work that defined the year in music (Sept. 1, 2019 — Aug. 31, 2020). The final round of Grammy voting is Dec. 7, 2020 — Jan. 4, 2021. The 63rd Grammy Awards will be broadcast on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. ET.

The Recording Academy also announced The Daily Show host and Grammy-nominated comedian Trevor Noah as host of The 63rd Grammy Awards. This will be the first time Noah will serve as host.

Here are the top nominees in selected categories:

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

Best Progressive R&B Album:
Chilombo — Jhené Aiko
Ungodly Hour — Chloe X Halle
Free Nationals — Free Nationals
F*** Yo Feelings — Robert Glasper
It Is What It Is — Thundercat

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 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 Global Music Album:
FU Chronicles — Antibalas
Twice As Tall — Burna Boy
Agora — Bebel Gilberto
Love Letters — Anoushka Shankar
Amadjar — Tinariwen

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
Acid For The Children: A Memoir — Flea
Alex Trebek – The Answer Is… — Ken Jennings
Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, And The Richest, Most Destructive Industry On Earth — Rachel Maddow
Catch And Kill — Ronan Farrow
Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) — Meryl Streep (& Full Cast)

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 nominees, visit grammy.com.

Country Hit Maker & Opry Star Hal Ketchum Dies

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Hal Ketchum. Photo: Pete Lacker

Singer-songwriter Hal Ketchum died on Monday (Nov. 23) at age 67, following a struggle with early-onset dementia.

Known for such top country hits as “Small Town Saturday Night” and “Past the Point of Rescue,” Ketchum has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry cast since 1994.

He was born and raised in Greenwich, NY, in the Adirondack Mountains near the Vermont state line. Ketchum’s father was a country banjo player, but the boy got his start in music as a drummer for a local R&B band at age 15.

At age 17, Hal Michael Ketchum became a master carpenter, initially plying his trade in Florida, then moving to Austin, TX. A visit to the legendary showplace Gruene Hall changed his life in 1981. Ketchum became captivated by Lone Star State tunesmiths Townes Van Zandt and Lyle Lovett. Determined to follow in their footsteps, he taught himself guitar and began playing open-mic nights at the venue.

He recorded his debut LP Threadbare Alibis in 1986. It contained the first 10 songs he’d ever written. He showcased at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1987 and was spotted by songwriter Pat Alger, who took Ketchum’s music to Nashville. Music Row’s Forerunner Music signed him as a staff songwriter in 1988. His album was released in Europe the following year, leading to career-long popularity overseas.

Ketchum moved to Music City in 1990 and was signed by Curb Records. “Small Town Saturday Night” made him a star in the summer of 1991. It was named the No. 1 country single of the year by Radio & Records magazine. Its hilarious accompanying music video won Breakthrough Video of the Year honors from MusicRow, and Ketchum was nominated for the CMA’s Horizon Award.

He followed his breakthrough smash with his self-composed “I Know Where Love Lives,” then rang up a trio of 1992 hits – “Past the Point of Rescue,” “Five O’Clock World” and “Sure Love.” His debut Curb album, Past the Point of Rescue, was certified as a Gold Record.

The string of hits continued in 1993 with “Mama Knows the Highway” and his self-written “Hearts Are Gonna Roll” and “Someplace Far Away.” Ketchum sang the songs of such top Nashville songwriters as Alger, Gary Burr, Allen Reynolds and Shawn Camp. In addition, he often co-wrote his singles, as was the case with “(Tonight We Just Might) Fall in Love Again” (with Al Anderson, 1994), “Stay Forever” (with Benmont Tench, 1995), and “Every Little Word” (with Marcus Hummon, 1995).

He fell in love with the Opry when he first guested on the show in 1991 and began dropping hints that he’d love to be invited to join the cast. Those efforts paid off in January 1994. Hal Ketchum called his induction the highlight of his life.

His album output on Curb continued with Sure Love (1992), Every Little Word (1994) and I Saw the Light (1998). But Ketchum’s career was troubled by health issues. He went to rehab for substance abuse in 1992 and 1997 before attaining sobriety in early 1998. Later that year, he was diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, a neurologic disorder that can cause paralysis. He had to learn to sing and play guitar all over again.

He battled back with the Curb collections Awaiting Redemption (1999), Lucky Man (2001) and The King of Love (2003). Then speech impairment, balance issues and arm paralysis led to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, the disease that had killed his mother. Months of physical therapy allowed him to reemerge on stage via a role in The Nashville Ballet’s 2006 production of The Nutcracker and on disc with the 2008 CD Father Time.

Ketchum temporarily retired from music and moved back to Texas in 2008. He took up painting, resumed woodworking and wrote poetry and short stories. His paintings were featured in one of the art galleries in Santa Fe, NM.

In 2014, he reemerged with the album I’m the Troubadour and resumed touring regionally. Ketchum appeared sporadically in Texas venues throughout the next four years.

In April 2019, he announced his retirement and his dementia diagnosis, which was accompanied by Alzheimer’s Disease. His wife Andrea stated that he died at home on Monday night.

Hal Ketchum was married four times and had five children. Funeral arrangements had not been announced at press time.

Music Groups Unite To Plead With Congress For Relief From Pandemic Toll

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A group of music industry organizations including the CMA, the ACM, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and others sent a letter to congressional leaders today (Nov. 24) highlighting the growing devastation to the live music industry due to COVID-19 and urging that they immediately pass legislation to provide additional relief desperately needed by the many artists, musicians, engineers, producers, and venues who bring live music to the public.

In the letter, the groups specifically ask Congress to (1) renew and extend Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation; (2) pass the RESTART Act; (3) fix the CARES Act by passing the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Act; (4) expand the Saves Our Stages Act; (5) expand employer retention tax credits and pass a 100% COBRA premium subsidy; and (6) pass the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act and the HITS Act.

The coalition has routinely called on Congress to act, sending letters to leadership throughout the spring and summer as well as organizing MusicCovidRelief.com, a central site to help the music community access aid.

See the full letter below:

November 24, 2020

Dear Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer and Leader McCarthy,

There is no denying that COVID-19 has truly tested the nation, and it has had a devastating effect on our country’s music industry.  The live music business – once a sign of a thriving community and a draw to our cultural and commercial centers – has gone tragically silent. The music community remains grateful for Congress’ bipartisan relief efforts earlier this year, but more must be done soon to avoid a level of loss that that could devastate artists, musicians, engineers, producers, venues, and everyone in the music industry for a generation.

First, Congress must renew and extend existing benefits that have proved indispensable, including the weekly funding provided through Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.  Congress must also act to pass the RESTART Act, to build on the short-term relief provided by the Paycheck Protection Program.  

Second, Congress must fix an unintended error in the CARES Act by passing the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Act.  Mixed earners, or gig workers with a minimum amount of W-2 income, have been excluded from Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and overly burdensome PUA documentation requirements are out of step with the workplace realities of the gig economy.

Third, with no clear direction on when safe public gatherings may resume, Congress must expand the current form of the Save Our Stages Act and pass it to provide sufficient assistance for small venues and multi-use publicly owned venues.  77% of people in the live events industry have lost 100% of their incomes, including 97% of 1099 workers.  These people work at venues of all sizes and in a variety of capacities – whether it be full-time, part-time, or on the side as a gig worker.  With uncertainty surrounding the resumption of live events, most of these workers are still struggling to make ends meet.  Providing direct financial relief to the workers of all venues is critical to keeping local communities afloat.  Indeed, dollars spent to keep venues open have a multiplier effect, as live music brings patrons to hotels, restaurants, and other small businesses that are also struggling to survive.  Expanding Save Our Stages to include all different types of live events workers – and not excluding them simply for where they work – will help revitalize our economy at the ground level.

Fourth, Congress must do more to ensure workers can keep their job-based healthcare plans during this pandemic.  We believe Congress should expand employer retention tax credits and pass a 100% COBRA premium subsidy to ensure that job disruptions through no fault of their own don’t cost Americans their health as well as their livelihoods.

Finally, Congress must ensure that tax relief reaches musicians and workers in the performing arts by passing the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act and the HITS Act.

Like many in 2020, our community has come together to speak with one voice to ensure that we all can enjoy better days in the future together.  We hope that with your leadership, Congress, in the upcoming lame duck session, will take this clear opportunity to save American music, culture, and countless small businesses.  Thank you for your consideration.

 Academy of Country Music
Artist Rights Alliance
Broadcast Music, Inc.
Christian Music Trade Association
Church Music Publishers Association Action Fund
Country Music Association
Gospel Music Association
Music Artists Coalition
Music Managers Forum – US
National Music Publishers Association
Production Music Association
Recording Academy
Recording Industry Association of America
SESAC
Society of Composers & Lyricists
Songwriters of North America
SoundExchange
Southern Gospel Music Guild
The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers
The Living Legends Foundation, Inc
The Rhythm & Blues Foundation, Inc