Rick Elias, a founding member of late CCM artist Rich Mullins’s A Ragamuffin Band, died Tuesday, April 2, following a battle with cancer. He was 64.
Elias was born Jan. 7, 1955 in San Diego, California. He attended Azusa Pacific University. After playing in bands including Harlequin, Vision, and the Rick Elias band, he moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and later signed with Alarma Records in 1990, to release the album Rick Elias and the Confessions; the single “Confession of Love” reached No. 4 on the Christian Top 40 chart.
From 1993 until 2002, Elias worked as a founding member of Mullins’s A Ragamuffin band. He also wrote and produced music that was included in movies such as That Thing You Do!, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Dawsons Creek and more. He produced artists including Mullins, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Aaron Neville and others, and released four solo albums.
A benefit concert was held for Elias in February in Franklin, Tennessee to raise money for medical expenses. The concert featured performers from the original 1998 The Jesus Record, including Elias, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and A Ragamuffin Band (Elias, Mark Robertson, Jimmy Abegg, and Aaron Smith). The Jesus Record had been scheduled as the ninth release from Mullins, before his untimely death in 1997. His foundation, A Ragamuffin Band, and record company determined to move forward with recording the project in his honor, alongside guest artists who were his friends. The project included two discs; Disc One — the nine rough song demos recorded by Mullins, and Disc Two — the studio version of the same songs, produced by Elias.
In addition, Elias’s work has received awards and nominations from the Gospel Music Association, The United Catholic Music and Video Association, and the Nashville Music Awards.
After relocating to Nashville, Elias became an adjunct instructor at the Contemporary Music Center in Brentwood, Tennessee, teaching music business classes, as well as becoming a real estate agent.
He is survived by wife Linda Tollner Elias. Together they have four children, sons Graham Griffith, Zack Elias and Taylor Elias, and daughter Amber Elias Gould (husband Hamilton Gould, and their two children).
Funeral information has not been released at this time.
Florida Georgia Line To Return To Las Vegas For Limited Residency
/by LB CantrellFollowing the success of their Las Vegas shows in December 2018, Florida Georgia Line will return to Las Vegas with their limited residency, Florida Georgia Line Live From Las Vegas inside Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on November 6, 8, 9 and 12.
Tickets for shows will go on sale to the public Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. PT. General ticket prices begin at $39, plus applicable tax and fees, and may be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or in-person at the Planet Hollywood box office. All shows begin at 8 p.m.
FGL’s fan club community, FGL Lifers, have first access to a pre-sale beginning Monday, April 8 at 10 a.m. PT through Thursday, April 11 at 10 p.m. PT. Citi is the official presale credit card for the residency. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, April 9 at 10 a.m. PT until Thursday, April 11 at 10 p.m. PT through Citi Entertainment. For complete presale details visit citientertainment.com. In addition, Total Rewards members, Caesars Entertainment’s loyalty program, Live Nation, and Ticketmaster customers will have access to a pre-sale running Wednesday, April 10 at 10 a.m. PT through Thursday, April 11 at 10 p.m. PT.
Luke Combs, Jonathan Singleton, Tali Canterbury Launch Publishing, A&R Venture
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured: Luke Combs, Tali Canterbury, Jonathan Singleton
Luke Combs and Jonathan Singleton are launching a new publishing and artist development venture alongside A&R executive and publisher Tali Canterbury, who will serve as the company’s President.
Singleton originally launched 50 Egg Music in 2016 with the Big Machine Music (BMM) co-signing of Luke Combs. Also part of the 50 Egg/BMM roster are artist/writer Kenton Bryant and songwriter Reid Isbell.
“We already can’t believe that we get to write songs for a living and are lucky enough to work with some of our best friends” shared Combs and Singleton. “Now that we can officially help launch careers together just makes it all the better.”
Adds Canterbury, “We are thrilled to continue building a team of amazing talent at 50 Egg Music. The idea of the company started with a passion to develop talent, dream big and do things a little differently. I couldn’t be more excited to launch this company with two of the most talented guys in the music business who are also my incredible friends.”
Previously, Canterbury served as Director A&R/Project Management and Manager of Publishing at BMLG. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Nashville School of Law in 2016. Her career also includes time at NSAI and Full Circle Music Publishing.
Brad And Kimberly Williams-Paisley Break Ground On New Nonprofit The Store
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Gina Hancock, Megan Zarling, Dr. Bob Fisher, Brad Paisley Kimberly Williams-Paisley, David Minnigan Photo by: Sam Simpkins
Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley broke ground yesterday morning (April 3) on their new project, The Store, a nonprofit, free, referral-based grocery store they are co-founding. Also on hand for the ceremony were Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher, The Store Board of Trustees Chair Megan Zarling and The Store Trustee member and architect David Minnigan.
In addition to outlining the vision for The Store, the event featured a few surprises, including a commissioned artist’s print depicting Brad, Kimberly and Dr. Fisher in front of a rendering of The Store, and Brad personally jumping onto the backhoe on site to officially break ground on The Store’s location.
The Paisleys have partnered with Brad’s alma mater, Belmont University, on the location of The Store at 2005 12th Ave. South, next to the University’s Ministry Center. Belmont has begun offering Legal Aid Clinics at the center and plans to also offer healthcare services. Both groups will work closely together to serve the broader community in a range of ways. The location is convenient to bus routes and in the heart of Nashville’s ever-growing 12 South district.
Brad Paisley helps break ground on The Store on 12th Ave. S. in Nashville. Photo: Sam Simpkins
“I’m so excited to be here and see this dream come to fruition. In Nashville there are 1 in 7 people and 1 in 5 children that have food insecurity. That means they don’t know where they are going to get their next meal. The Store will be another resource to help families and individuals going through a hard time but working toward self-sufficiency,” says Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
“Our goal is to give dignity to parents,” added Brad. “They can go to The Store and shop in a completely normal way, from choosing the food to checking out, but with no money exchanging hands. The kids can even ride a mechanical pony out in front of The Store – no charge. Kids do not need the stress of wondering how their parents are going to feed them. In Nashville we have the power of the benevolence of the residents to support The Store.”
“Belmont’s mission is to challenge students with an education that empowers them to use their talents and skills to engage and transform the world,” said Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher. “As an alum, Brad Paisley has certainly achieved that mission and more throughout his career, and today’s groundbreaking for The Store marks another milestone in the work he and Kimberly are doing to impact lives for the better. I am especially grateful that Belmont University has been invited to partner with them in this effort, and our current students and faculty are already laying the groundwork to serve Store patrons through legal aid and health care clinics. This is just the beginning—we anticipate The Store being a significant part of the Belmont community for years to come.”
The building has been designed by Nashville-based architectural firm ESa (Earl Swensson Associates) which donated their services. Construction will be done by J&S Construction Company, Inc. The construction is projected to be completed by the end of 2019.
Rendering of The Store.
Opry Entertainment Launches Video Series “The Write Stuff”
/by Jessica NicholsonOpry Entertainment Group is set to launch their newest video series “The Write Stuff,” offering insight into the biggest hits for country’s top stars, as well as exclusive Opry performances. In the coming weeks, episodes of “The Write Stuff” will take deep dives into a number of songs including Little Big Town’s groundbreaking hit “Girl Crush.”
“We just didn’t think it was a song someone would cut,” recalls “Girl Crush” co-writer Lori McKenna, who penned the song with her “Love Junkies” co-horts Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose. “It just seemed like such a personal thing. We didn’t even know if it made sense. It made sense to us because we were all there when it happened but we didn’t know if someone else coming in for the first time would get it right away.”
Other episodes will highlight songs from Lee Brice, Hunter Hayes and RaeLynn.
“We wrote ‘Boy’ because I was pregnant,” recalls songwriter Nicolle Galyon of Brice’s 2017 hit. “I was 39 weeks pregnant and it was my last day to write. This song was really more of a stream of consciousness. We literally wrote it from first line to last line.”
“From the Grand Ole Opry stage to our backstage dressing rooms, we have been fortunate to hear firsthand so many moving stories behind these songs,” shares Sally Williams, SVP of Programming & Artist Relations for Opry Entertainment and General Manager of the Grand Ole Opry. “It is with those moments in mind that ‘The Write Stuff’ was created as part of our continued efforts to preserve the heritage and origins of these great contributions to American music.”
Watch the first episode, highlighting “Girl Crush,” below:
Industry Ink: AIMP, Nashville Pride Festival, T.J. Martell Foundation
/by Jessica NicholsonAIMP Nashville Tracks Performance Trends
Pictured (L-R): AIMP Nashville Board Members Shannan Hatch (SESAC), Michael Martin (ASCAP), and Tim Hunze (ole); AIMP Nashville Vice President Ree Guyer (Wrensong); Barry Massarsky (Massarsky Consulting Inc.); AIMP Nashville President John Ozier (Reservoir Media); Brad Peterson (Regions); AIMP Nashville Board Member Mark Brown (Round Hill Music); and AIMP Nashville Treasurer Dale Bobo (Big Deal Music)
The AIMP Nashville event “Trends in Country Performance Income That You Need to Know!” took place on April 2, at the CMA offices in Nashville. Hosted by Barry Massarsky, President of Massarsky Consulting Inc, the event covered current trends in country performance income and what those lifecycle events look like based on chart position. Attendees discussed an array of topics with Massarsky, who is a recognized economic expert in the evaluation of PRO earnings and in the formal valuation process for music transactions.
Performers Announced For Nashville Pride Festival
1990’s R&B group TLC will headline this year’s Nashville Pride Festival, set for June 22-23 at Public Square Park in downtown Nashville. The event will also include performances from Neon Trees, Madame Gandhi, Cakes Da Killa, Brandon Stansell, and Brody Ray.
Nashville’s own LGBTQ+ artists will be well represented on the festival’s multiple stages, with performances from Taco Mouth, The Blam Blams, Myylo, Spazz Cardigan, Mikala Jones, Jess Coppens, Adam Mac, Shelly Fairchild, Houston Kendrick, Sisters Mann, DJ Remedy, DJ Chris Spear, DJ Aazera, and many more. Rounding out the lineup will be national talent Joy Oladokun, Kate Yeager, and more.
T.J. Martell Foundation Young Professionals Advisory Council To Present Fourth Annual Bed Race Nashville
The T.J. Martell Foundation Young Professionals Advisory Council (YPAC) will present the fourth annual Bed Race Nashville on May 7, 2019 with kickoff at 5 p.m. The event benefits cancer research and netted over $70,000 last year. Team registration is now open at bedracenashville.com.
CCM Artist And Ragamuffin Band Founding Member Rick Elias Dies
/by Jessica NicholsonRick Elias, a founding member of late CCM artist Rich Mullins’s A Ragamuffin Band, died Tuesday, April 2, following a battle with cancer. He was 64.
Elias was born Jan. 7, 1955 in San Diego, California. He attended Azusa Pacific University. After playing in bands including Harlequin, Vision, and the Rick Elias band, he moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and later signed with Alarma Records in 1990, to release the album Rick Elias and the Confessions; the single “Confession of Love” reached No. 4 on the Christian Top 40 chart.
From 1993 until 2002, Elias worked as a founding member of Mullins’s A Ragamuffin band. He also wrote and produced music that was included in movies such as That Thing You Do!, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Dawsons Creek and more. He produced artists including Mullins, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Aaron Neville and others, and released four solo albums.
A benefit concert was held for Elias in February in Franklin, Tennessee to raise money for medical expenses. The concert featured performers from the original 1998 The Jesus Record, including Elias, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and A Ragamuffin Band (Elias, Mark Robertson, Jimmy Abegg, and Aaron Smith). The Jesus Record had been scheduled as the ninth release from Mullins, before his untimely death in 1997. His foundation, A Ragamuffin Band, and record company determined to move forward with recording the project in his honor, alongside guest artists who were his friends. The project included two discs; Disc One — the nine rough song demos recorded by Mullins, and Disc Two — the studio version of the same songs, produced by Elias.
In addition, Elias’s work has received awards and nominations from the Gospel Music Association, The United Catholic Music and Video Association, and the Nashville Music Awards.
After relocating to Nashville, Elias became an adjunct instructor at the Contemporary Music Center in Brentwood, Tennessee, teaching music business classes, as well as becoming a real estate agent.
He is survived by wife Linda Tollner Elias. Together they have four children, sons Graham Griffith, Zack Elias and Taylor Elias, and daughter Amber Elias Gould (husband Hamilton Gould, and their two children).
Funeral information has not been released at this time.
Keith Whitley’s Career Illuminated In New Country Music Hall Of Fame Exhibit
/by Lorie HollabaughKeith Whitley’s brief life and legendary career will be the focus of a new Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum exhibition “Still Rings True: The Enduring Voice of Keith Whitley,” opening May 3, 2019.
Whitley completed only four solo studio albums before his death in 1989, at age 33, but despite the brevity of his career, he produced many significant country hits, and his music continues to exert tremendous influence on subsequent generations of country singers. Many of the groundbreaking artists who expanded country music’s audience in the 1990s—including Country Music Hall of Fame member Garth Brooks, Country Music Hall of Fame member Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss and Tim McGraw cite Whitley as a primary influence. His impact continues into the new century, through the work of acolytes Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton, Chris Young and others.
Items featured in “Still Rings True: The Enduring Voice of Keith Whitley” include stage wear, significant instruments and personal artifacts representative of Whitley’s childhood and music career. Some highlights include:
“Whitley’s haunting and emotional voice represented the resurgence of the traditional sound on mainstream country radio,” said Kyle Young, CEO, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His bluegrass roots and love for honky-tonk music led to his unique, drawling style that continues to inspire and influence today’s country music artists. We are honored to examine the indelible impact of Whitley’s brief but significant career.”
Russell Dickerson Celebrates RIAA Multi-Platinum Certification
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Norbert Nix, Russell Dickerson, John Dennis
Russell Dickerson is celebrating his first multi-Platinum certification with his No. 1 single “Yours,” off the full-length debut album by the same name. “Yours” is also nominated at Sunday’s ACM Awards, for Song of the Year. Dickerson penned the song alongside Parker Welling and Casey Brown.
The hit has earned over 297 million worldwide streams to date, and Dickerson followed it with his sophomore No. 1 “Blue Tacoma.” His current single “Every Little Thing” is approaching Top 30 now. Next, he joins Thomas Rhett on the road for the Very Hot Summer Tour, kicking off next month.
“This is a huge week for us with ‘Yours’ hitting double Platinum and going into ACM’s week with a Song of The Year nomination,” said Dickerson. Adding, “‘Yours’ really is the song that could. It still just keeps on surprising us!”
iHeartMedia Files For IPO
/by Jessica NicholsonTexas-based iHeartMedia Inc. has filed for an initial public offering with the SEC to list its Class ‘A’ common stock, after more than 10 years of private ownership. The news comes as the company prepares to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization it entered a year ago.
The filing does not include the number of shares or price, but includes a placeholder amount is $100,000,000.
The company owns 848 live broadcast stations, and estimates that it reaches 275 million listeners each month.
“Radio continues to offer consumers something different in the form of curated, personality-led audio,” the company stated in the filing. “The medium is able to offer influencers a word-of-mouth style conversation, which propels audience engagement and connection in a very effective way.”
Additionally, iHeart offers digital broadcasting and 20,000 live events per year, and is embracing newer popular technologies such as podcasts.
iHeartMedia acquired Stuff Media in 2018; Stuff Media includes the “Stuff You Should Know” program, which became the first podcast to reach the 500-million download mark on Apple Podcasts.
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are listed currently as underwriters to iHeart’s IPO. Read the full filing here.
Big Machine Music Promotes Michelle Attardi
/by Jessica NicholsonMichelle Attardi
Big Machine Music has promoted Michelle Attardi to Director, Publishing. Joining BMM in 2017, Attardi will continue to represent the independent music publisher’s songwriters including Brandy Clark, Jonathan Singleton, Laura Veltz, Josh Thompson and Jessie Jo Dillon, among others.
BMM General Manager Mike Molinar commented, “Michelle is everything you can hope for in a publisher: great ears, passionate and aggressive. She is a wonderful advocate for our writers, while also supporting so many creatives in our community.”
“I’m thankful to represent such an incredible roster of songwriters and proud of all this team is accomplishing together,” said Attardi. “I’m so grateful to be surrounded by some of the most talented creatives in the world and continue my pledge to support their dreams and do my part in enabling their potential. A sincere thanks to Mike Molinar and Scott Borchetta for their continued confidence and support.”
Attardi can be reached via michelle.attardi@bigmachinemusic.net and 615-846-7739.