BBR Music Group artist Jimmie Allen made history with his debut single, and he has big plans to expand on that success.
His debut single, “Best Shot,” punched up the country radio chart to No. 1, making Allen the first black artist to launch his career with a No. 1 debut single on country radio. “Best Shot” held the No. 1 spot for three weeks (including two consecutive weeks). Allen co-wrote the track with Josh London and J.P. Williams.
The song’s success has been a high point for the singer, who moved to Nashville in 2007, and has been open about his early struggles to balance supporting his family and chasing a dream—an ambition that found Allen at one point living in his car, so he could send the money from his various odd jobs back to his family in Delaware.
Now, heading into the ACM Awards, Allen is one of the five finalists for the New Male Artist of the Year honor, alongside Luke Combs, Michael Ray, Jordan Davis, and Mitchell Tenpenny.
“It’s a great feeling because you realize people in your same genre support what you are doing,” Allen says, calling from the set of his upcoming music video. “And to me, that means the most. Of course, I would love to win! Do I think Luke Combs is gonna kick our butts? Of course, I think Luke Combs is gonna kick our butts! But he’s a great guy. He deserves it. And if he takes it, I’m so happy for him.”
A win in the ACM category would make Allen the first black singer to win the honor.
“It means we’re going in the right direction as far as inclusion for everyone,” he explains what a win would mean for him and for country as a whole. “No matter your race, your gender, sexual orientation. We’re all different, and to me, music is supposed to be the thing that brings us together.”
While the earnest R&B-flavored “Best Shot” has become Allen’s signature, he’s eager to share a wider representation of his live show with his follow-up, “Make Me Want To.”
“In my show, I might have one ballad, and that’s ‘Best Shot.’ Most of the time, I’m jumping, running around, doing flips off the speakers, running through the crowd. I felt like going into the summer with a sing-a-long, up-tempo song.”
The song’s lyrics, which center on a guy who sees a girl in a bar, and, enthralled, begins contemplating a future together, are as dreamy as the production is sleek and animated.
“I’m pretty sensitive and a lot of times in relationships I catch feelings fast. That’s what this song is about. It’s about a guy that catches feelings, but he’s confident in his vulnerability. I feel like it’s very important, as men, we show that side. I think if you can show your vulnerable side that makes you cool, you know?”
Allen wrote “Make Me Want To” alongside Paul Sikes and Jennifer Denmark, approximately eight months after that same group penned Allen’s breakthrough viral track from 2017, “Blue Jean Baby,” a track inspired by an ex-girlfriend.
Only recently has he divulged “Blue Jean Baby” was about her.
“She knows now,” Allen says. “I told her like, I think six months ago.”
“Make Me Want To” draws from his early days in Nashville after relocating in 2007. Allen played his first Nashville shows at the now-defunct Fiddle & Steel Guitar Bar, and hung out at karaoke bar Lonnie’s Western Room (his favorite karaoke song: Ricochet’s “Daddy’s Money”).
“The second verse—you’re the center of the world on a bar stool—I pictured someone sitting on a bar at Lonnie’s, kinda laughing at her friends singing karaoke. I was trying to paint visuals ’cause I see a picture first in my head.”
Allen is constantly searching for and receptive to new song ideas—a magpie drawn to the brightest of intriguing phrases or melodies. He recalls watching multiple TV shows the evening leading up to a writing session, or listening to a mix of country, Christian, pop, and hip-hop on the way to the studio. Books also inform his ideas (his latest read? The Alchemist), and he takes inspiration from artists who have earned success by following their own unique paths.
“I admire how much love Kacey Musgraves has gotten. Her first album came out in 2013, she worked at it and never quit. I always call her the Katy Perry of country music. I’m a huge fan of her and her team, how they attack different avenues to get her music out. She’s everywhere and she’s done it by being herself.”
Hometown Hero
References to his life growing up in Milton, Delaware are littered throughout Allen’s debut album, Mercury Lane. He takes the album’s title from the street he grew up on. An album track, “21,” references his alma mater Cape Henlopen High School. The video for “Best Shot” features numerous family videos and photos, while the song was inspired by his late grandmother, Bettie-Ann Snead, who died in 2014, just months before Allen’s own son, Aiden, was born.
“She never got a chance to meet him, and that’s what crushed me the most,” he says.
Allen keeps in his back pocket the purple scarf Snead regularly wore, and his guitar strap bears her name.
“She was everything,” Allen recalls. “When my mom moved, I stayed with her as a kid, because I wanted to stay in the same school. I remember right after she died, I was in Los Angeles. My music wasn’t going anywhere, I had three jobs at the time, and my son was about to be born. I was frustrated and I was like, ‘Alright god, if you want me to keep chasing this music dream, give me some tangible sign.’ I walk in to the L.A. Kings game and they are celebrating winning the Stanley Cup, so as soon as I walk in, they gave me this replica Stanley Cup ring. I wear it to remind me that somewhere, there’s someone that needs to hear what I have to say.”
Despite an ever-increasing tour schedule, Allen remains deeply committed to his hometown.
Allen’s cousins are involved with youth basketball team the Delaware Phenoms. Allen also supports the team, helping to pay for the players’ shoes and uniforms. He’s currently in the process of buying the team a sprinter van.
Each December, he returns to Milton music venue Bottle and Cork to perform two benefit shows—an all-ages show in the afternoon, followed by a 21+ show in the evening—which benefits a different elementary school each year.
“I sell out bigger places in Delaware, but I want to keep it small and personal, so every year, each school is making the same amount. I don’t want anybody to feel like, well, our concert was at a smaller venue than this one was at a bigger one. The concert is my way of giving back, ‘cause I have so many friends that are still in the community.”
Giving It His Own Best Shot: Books, Movies And A Clothing Line
Allen is taking advantage of his burgeoning career and radio success to diversify his brand, with plans for books, a clothing line, and a movie already in place. He says the movie will begin filming this summer, with Allen portraying a military character. For this multi-hyphen creator, these plans are simply long-held dreams coming closer to fruition.
“Everything I wanted to do, I planned it like five years ago,” he says. “The clothing line comes out next year. I’m writing two books right now—one about my life and the other one is this cartoon character I developed.”
Ever the entrepreneur, Allen views each new output as a way to not only create revenues for his own family, but aims to create ways to enrich others.
“You have other families relying on you—my band, my tour manager, my crew. I feel like a lot of us musicians, we’re head of companies without even realizing. In a way, it really helps you push the envelope more because you realize, ‘What if I take this chance here? It’s not only better for myself but it’s better for everyone else around me.’
“I have a cousin that’s a great cartoonist. This is me creating a job for him. And it’s something that he can build upon for his family. So everything I do, it’s to start something. And hopefully, it trickles down, grows into this big empire. Not only for me and my family, but for every else involved.”
But first, Allen’s deep in the creative process for the next step in building what he hopes will be a second No. 1 single—the music video for “Make Me Want To.” Again, he’s taking the opportunity to do something a little different, showcasing two of his personal favorites.
“I’m a huge Disney fan and a huge Harry Potter fan, so the video is a mix of both,” says Allen, who wrote the video treatment himself and presented it to his label.
One thing the video won’t have—a performance segment.
“I didn’t wanna really do a performance spot,” he says. “Because I feel like that just takes away time we could get more creative with the video, and I’m like, ‘Everybody knows I’m not singing for real, anyways,’” he says, laughing.
Jimmie Allen Talks “Best” Success, Expanding His Brand, And Staying Committed To His Hometown (Exclusive)
/by Jessica NicholsonBBR Music Group artist Jimmie Allen made history with his debut single, and he has big plans to expand on that success.
His debut single, “Best Shot,” punched up the country radio chart to No. 1, making Allen the first black artist to launch his career with a No. 1 debut single on country radio. “Best Shot” held the No. 1 spot for three weeks (including two consecutive weeks). Allen co-wrote the track with Josh London and J.P. Williams.
The song’s success has been a high point for the singer, who moved to Nashville in 2007, and has been open about his early struggles to balance supporting his family and chasing a dream—an ambition that found Allen at one point living in his car, so he could send the money from his various odd jobs back to his family in Delaware.
Now, heading into the ACM Awards, Allen is one of the five finalists for the New Male Artist of the Year honor, alongside Luke Combs, Michael Ray, Jordan Davis, and Mitchell Tenpenny.
“It’s a great feeling because you realize people in your same genre support what you are doing,” Allen says, calling from the set of his upcoming music video. “And to me, that means the most. Of course, I would love to win! Do I think Luke Combs is gonna kick our butts? Of course, I think Luke Combs is gonna kick our butts! But he’s a great guy. He deserves it. And if he takes it, I’m so happy for him.”
A win in the ACM category would make Allen the first black singer to win the honor.
“It means we’re going in the right direction as far as inclusion for everyone,” he explains what a win would mean for him and for country as a whole. “No matter your race, your gender, sexual orientation. We’re all different, and to me, music is supposed to be the thing that brings us together.”
While the earnest R&B-flavored “Best Shot” has become Allen’s signature, he’s eager to share a wider representation of his live show with his follow-up, “Make Me Want To.”
“In my show, I might have one ballad, and that’s ‘Best Shot.’ Most of the time, I’m jumping, running around, doing flips off the speakers, running through the crowd. I felt like going into the summer with a sing-a-long, up-tempo song.”
The song’s lyrics, which center on a guy who sees a girl in a bar, and, enthralled, begins contemplating a future together, are as dreamy as the production is sleek and animated.
“I’m pretty sensitive and a lot of times in relationships I catch feelings fast. That’s what this song is about. It’s about a guy that catches feelings, but he’s confident in his vulnerability. I feel like it’s very important, as men, we show that side. I think if you can show your vulnerable side that makes you cool, you know?”
Allen wrote “Make Me Want To” alongside Paul Sikes and Jennifer Denmark, approximately eight months after that same group penned Allen’s breakthrough viral track from 2017, “Blue Jean Baby,” a track inspired by an ex-girlfriend.
Only recently has he divulged “Blue Jean Baby” was about her.
“She knows now,” Allen says. “I told her like, I think six months ago.”
“Make Me Want To” draws from his early days in Nashville after relocating in 2007. Allen played his first Nashville shows at the now-defunct Fiddle & Steel Guitar Bar, and hung out at karaoke bar Lonnie’s Western Room (his favorite karaoke song: Ricochet’s “Daddy’s Money”).
“The second verse—you’re the center of the world on a bar stool—I pictured someone sitting on a bar at Lonnie’s, kinda laughing at her friends singing karaoke. I was trying to paint visuals ’cause I see a picture first in my head.”
Allen is constantly searching for and receptive to new song ideas—a magpie drawn to the brightest of intriguing phrases or melodies. He recalls watching multiple TV shows the evening leading up to a writing session, or listening to a mix of country, Christian, pop, and hip-hop on the way to the studio. Books also inform his ideas (his latest read? The Alchemist), and he takes inspiration from artists who have earned success by following their own unique paths.
“I admire how much love Kacey Musgraves has gotten. Her first album came out in 2013, she worked at it and never quit. I always call her the Katy Perry of country music. I’m a huge fan of her and her team, how they attack different avenues to get her music out. She’s everywhere and she’s done it by being herself.”
Hometown Hero
References to his life growing up in Milton, Delaware are littered throughout Allen’s debut album, Mercury Lane. He takes the album’s title from the street he grew up on. An album track, “21,” references his alma mater Cape Henlopen High School. The video for “Best Shot” features numerous family videos and photos, while the song was inspired by his late grandmother, Bettie-Ann Snead, who died in 2014, just months before Allen’s own son, Aiden, was born.
“She never got a chance to meet him, and that’s what crushed me the most,” he says.
Allen keeps in his back pocket the purple scarf Snead regularly wore, and his guitar strap bears her name.
“She was everything,” Allen recalls. “When my mom moved, I stayed with her as a kid, because I wanted to stay in the same school. I remember right after she died, I was in Los Angeles. My music wasn’t going anywhere, I had three jobs at the time, and my son was about to be born. I was frustrated and I was like, ‘Alright god, if you want me to keep chasing this music dream, give me some tangible sign.’ I walk in to the L.A. Kings game and they are celebrating winning the Stanley Cup, so as soon as I walk in, they gave me this replica Stanley Cup ring. I wear it to remind me that somewhere, there’s someone that needs to hear what I have to say.”
Despite an ever-increasing tour schedule, Allen remains deeply committed to his hometown.
Allen’s cousins are involved with youth basketball team the Delaware Phenoms. Allen also supports the team, helping to pay for the players’ shoes and uniforms. He’s currently in the process of buying the team a sprinter van.
Each December, he returns to Milton music venue Bottle and Cork to perform two benefit shows—an all-ages show in the afternoon, followed by a 21+ show in the evening—which benefits a different elementary school each year.
“I sell out bigger places in Delaware, but I want to keep it small and personal, so every year, each school is making the same amount. I don’t want anybody to feel like, well, our concert was at a smaller venue than this one was at a bigger one. The concert is my way of giving back, ‘cause I have so many friends that are still in the community.”
Giving It His Own Best Shot: Books, Movies And A Clothing Line
Allen is taking advantage of his burgeoning career and radio success to diversify his brand, with plans for books, a clothing line, and a movie already in place. He says the movie will begin filming this summer, with Allen portraying a military character. For this multi-hyphen creator, these plans are simply long-held dreams coming closer to fruition.
“Everything I wanted to do, I planned it like five years ago,” he says. “The clothing line comes out next year. I’m writing two books right now—one about my life and the other one is this cartoon character I developed.”
Ever the entrepreneur, Allen views each new output as a way to not only create revenues for his own family, but aims to create ways to enrich others.
“You have other families relying on you—my band, my tour manager, my crew. I feel like a lot of us musicians, we’re head of companies without even realizing. In a way, it really helps you push the envelope more because you realize, ‘What if I take this chance here? It’s not only better for myself but it’s better for everyone else around me.’
“I have a cousin that’s a great cartoonist. This is me creating a job for him. And it’s something that he can build upon for his family. So everything I do, it’s to start something. And hopefully, it trickles down, grows into this big empire. Not only for me and my family, but for every else involved.”
But first, Allen’s deep in the creative process for the next step in building what he hopes will be a second No. 1 single—the music video for “Make Me Want To.” Again, he’s taking the opportunity to do something a little different, showcasing two of his personal favorites.
“I’m a huge Disney fan and a huge Harry Potter fan, so the video is a mix of both,” says Allen, who wrote the video treatment himself and presented it to his label.
One thing the video won’t have—a performance segment.
“I didn’t wanna really do a performance spot,” he says. “Because I feel like that just takes away time we could get more creative with the video, and I’m like, ‘Everybody knows I’m not singing for real, anyways,’” he says, laughing.
Tim McGraw To Headline Free Concert at NFL Draft In Nashville This Spring
/by Lorie HollabaughTim McGraw is headlining a free outdoor concert on April 26 as part of the 2019 NFL Draft celebration at the Draft Main Stage in downtown Nashville, the NFL and Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today. Additional performers for the event will be announced in the coming weeks, and Gospel music great CeCe Winans will sing the National Anthem to help kick off the NFL Draft activities on Thursday, April 25.
More than 20 Nashville-based acts will perform during the three days of activities on the Draft Main Stage and at the NFL Draft Experience presented by Oikos Triple Zero, a free admission football festival held outside Nissan Stadium. McGraw serves on the Nashville Local Organizing Committee for the Nashville Draft, and no other NFL Draft has integrated free live music to the extent that will be included in the Nashville Draft.
“Each year, the NFL strives to make the Draft weekend a memorable experience for our fans,” said NFL Executive Vice President, Events & Club Business Development, Peter O’Reilly. “The passionate fan base and iconic location will ensure a unique experience that is unlike anything fans have ever seen. We want to thank the Tennessee Titans and the city of Nashville for being a gracious host for the 2019 NFL Draft. We would also like to thank Tim and CeCe for generously giving their time to our fans to make their experience even more memorable.”
“Tim is a world-class musician who will no doubt elevate the fan experience that the NFL and the city are bringing to downtown for the Draft,” said Nashville Mayor David Briley.“Tim’s performance will be a showcase of the talent and charisma we have in our city. Come April, the country will once again see why Nashville has become the international destination it is today.”
Admission to the 2019 NFL Draft is free and open to the public. The Draft Main Stage location will be at First and Broadway, and it is free and open to the public to view Draft selections and the McGraw show. Draft picks on Main Stage will take place evenings of April 25 (Thursday) and April 26 (Friday) and during the afternoon of April 27 (Saturday). The Schermerhorn Symphony Center will be host to Selection Square, which features the team tables where representatives from each club will make their Draft selections. The NFL Draft Red Carpet will take place on April 25 (Thursday) at The Green at Riverfront Park.
The NFL Draft Experience will include an autograph stage with current NFL players and NFL Legends, interactive games, play football clinics, a PLAY 60 Zone presented by Danimals for the smallest NFL fans, a photo opp with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the NFL Shop presented by Visa at Draft with exclusive NFL merchandise, Taste of Tailgate with Nashville restaurants and Bud Light Bars, the NFL Draft Experience Draft X stage with 1 Nashville-based artists of all genres, the Look Like a Pro experience where fans can step inside a replica NFL Draft Main Stage bearing a draft day jersey of your favorite NFL team and have your photo taken, and more.
The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville is expected to be the largest event in Nashville and the State of Tennessee given the anticipated attendance over three days, national networks and media coverage.
Chris Tomlin Releases Live Album, ‘Holy Roar: Live From Church’
/by Sherod RobertsonGrammy winning and Platinum selling artist-songwriter Chris Tomlin launched his Holy Roar Tour with sold-out shows last week and Friday (March 15) he released a new live album Holy Roar: Live From Church. The album, recorded at a church in Nashville in front of 200 worship leaders, contains seven songs from his earlier Holy Roar album released last fall, including the new radio single and rising worship song “Is He Worthy?,” plus a song by Pat Barrett, who is signed to Tomlin’s imprint label Bowyer & Bow.
“I’m so excited to be releasing this live music today and to be performing these songs on tour this spring,” says Tomlin. “I want to write songs that give people a voice to sing and fill the churches. It’s not just a studio recording, but you hear all the people and the life that’s in that. I think this is so important to have this because you hear the songs in the truest form in which they were written.”
Tomlin’s 2019 touring year will also include the third-annual Good Friday Nashville concert at Bridgestone Arena on April 19, his first concert at the iconic Hollywood Bowl on his birthday May 4, and his first-ever trip and concerts in Israel. Chris Tomlin Worship Nights in Israel – A Journey Through the Holy Land is a 7-day destination concert event (June 20-27) that will tour Galilee, the Dead Sea, Nazareth, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, the Garden Tomb, and other stops.
Later this summer, Tomlin will return for two shows to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where in 2017 he became the first Christian artist to play back-to-back concerts at the historic venue.
Holy Roar: Live From Church track listing:
1. Is He Worthy?
2. Holy Roar
3. Goodness, Love And Mercy
4. Build My Life (feat. Pat Barrett)
5. Praise Him Forever
6. Impact
7. Nobody Loves Me Like You (feat. Ed Cash)
8. Praise Is The Highway
2019 Holy Roar Tour:
3/15/19 Sacramento, CA (Golden 1 Center)
3/16/19 San Diego, CA (Viejas Arena)
3/17/19 Glendale, AZ (Gila River Arena)
3/21/19 St. Louis, MO (Saint Louis University-Chaifetz Arena)
3/22/19 Wichita, KS (INTRUST Bank Arena)
3/23/19 Omaha, NE (Baxter Arena)
3/24/19 Milwaukee, WI (UWM Panther Arena)
3/28/19 Amherst, MA (Mullins Center)
3/29/19 Portland, ME (Cross Insurance Arena)
3/30/19 Lowell, MA (Tsongas Center UMass Lowell)
3/31/19 Baltimore, MD (Royal Farms Arena)
4/4/19 Tampa, FL (Yuengling Center)
4/5/19 Tampa, FL (Yuengling Center)
4/6/19 Gainesville, FL (Exactech Arena in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center)
4/7/19 Greensboro, NC (Greensboro Coliseum Complex)
4/11/19 Grand Prairie, TX (Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie)
4/12/19 Grand Prairie, TX (Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie)
4/13/19 The Woodlands, TX (Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
4/14/19 San Antonio, TX (Freeman Coliseum)
4/17/19 Rogers, AR (Walmart AMP)
4/18/19 Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)
Additional 2019 concerts:
4/19/19 Nashville, TN (Good Friday Nashville)
5/4/19 Los Angeles, CA (Hollywood Bowl)
6/20-27/19 Israel (Worship Nights in Israel – A Journey Through The Holy Land)
7/29/19 Denver, CO (Red Rocks Amphitheater)
7/30/19 Denver, CO (Red Rocks Amphitheater)
Tickets available at www.christomlin.com.
Industry Ink: Rodney Atkins At Opry, BMI At SXSW, ASCAP At Bluebird
/by Jessica NicholsonRodney Atkins Feels The Love Following Opry Performance
Pictured (L-R): Greg Hill, President, Hill Entertainment Group; John Clore, VP Marketing, Curb Records; Jim Ed Norman, CEO, Curb Records; Sally Williams, GM, Grand Ole Opry / SVP, Programming & Artist Relations, Opry Entertainment; Ry Atkins, Rose Falcon Atkins; Rodney Atkins; Ryan Dokke, SVP/General Manager, Curb Records; and Benson Curb, SVP Revenue & Marketing, Curb Records. Photo: Chris Hollo/Opry.
Following Rodney Atkins’ March 12, 2019 Grand Ole Opry performance, his Curb Records team presented him, wife Rose Falcon, and son Ry with an Opry baby care package in anticipation of Rodney and Rose’s upcoming baby, due August 2019.
BMI Celebrates Ray Benson’s Birthday At SXSW
Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters (center) performs with Ray Benson and his band Asleep at the Wheel during the BMI Howdy Texas presents Ray Benson’s Birthday at SXSW on March 12, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring for BMI
BMI highlighted the work of several performers during the 2019 SXSW Music Conference and Festival, with the BMI Howdy Texas Presents: Ray Benson’s 68th Birthday Bash on March 12.
Performers included Katie Pruitt, Robert Ellis, Wade Bowen, Dale Watson, Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters, Ed Roland of Collective Soul, Randy Houser and Robert Earl Keen.
The event benefited the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) and was sponsored by Delaware North, Topo Chico, the Texas Music Office, Austin Music Movement, Sugar & Dude, Chevron, Judy & Patrick Cantilo, Husch Blackwell LLP, Castletop Capital, St. David’s Foundation, Seton Family Healthcare and Quest Diagnostics.
ASCAP Presents at the Bluebird Cafe
Pictured (L-R): ASCAP VP of Membership Michael Martin, Michelle Pereira, Cecilia Castleman, Johnny Dailey, ASCAP Membership Manager Holly Chester, Cross Atlantic
On Wednesday, March 13, ASCAP hosted its long-running monthly showcase series at the Bluebird Cafe. The round featured ASCAP songwriter-artists Cecilia Castleman, Cross Atlantic, Johnny Dailey and Michelle Pereira. Dailey made his Bluebird Cafe debut at the showcase, curated by ASCAP Membership Manager Holly Chester.
Hillsong United’s New Album ‘People’ Coming In April
/by Jessica NicholsonHillsong UNITED will release a new 12-song album, People, on April 26. The live album will feature the single “Another in the Fire.” Recorded live in Sydney, Australia, the album includes three previously-released tracks, “As You Find Me,” “Good Grace,” and “Whole Heart (Hold Me Now).”
“So Will I (100 Billion X),” one of UNITED’s biggest songs to date, has been certified Gold by RIAA with over 108 million career streams.
The group will return to the United States for the first time in nearly three years for their The People Tour MMXIX, which launches April 25 in Austin, Texas and wraps July 2 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Official track listing for PEOPLE:
SESAC, Tony Arata, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Rivers Rutherford Hold Benefit Concert For Gilda’s Club
/by Jessica NicholsonSongwriters Tony Arata, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Rivers Rutherford have teamed with SESAC for a benefit concert to aid Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee. The event will be held Wednesday, April 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at SESAC (35 Music Sq. E.)
The event will help fund Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee’s free cancer support program, which serves anyone impacted by cancer, including those diagnosed and their family and friends. Gilda’s Club’s evidence-based programming includes support groups, healthy lifestyle workshops, mind-body classes, social activities, educational lectures and community resource information. Offering approximately 60 professionally-led support and networking groups, and more than 50 educational workshops and lectures each month, Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee is able to make a tangible difference in the lives of those impacted by cancer.
Tickets to the event are $100, and available at gildasclubmiddletn.org. Attire is business casual, or casual with a touch of red.
Acmeville Records Teams With Blank Range
/by Jessica NicholsonBlank Range
Acmeville Records has partnered with Nashville rock band Blank Range for the band’s latest record. The album, titled In Unison, will be released on vinyl in April. Acmeville Records will release a limited edition, 300-copy run of the album, available at theacmevillenashville.com, and at select Nashville-based stores including The Groove in East Nashville.
Acmeville Records was founded as the in-house record label for Acme Feed & Seed in order to empower Acme’s mission of the discovery and preservation of Nashville’s music and history. When the Acme team discovered that Blank Range was going on infinite hiatus to pursue solo projects, they sprang into action to ensure that the band’s final album would be memorialized on vinyl in order to preserve this essential chapter in Music City history.
In Unison which was recorded in a home north of Nashville, showcases three Blank Range members taking turns delivering lead vocals throughout the 10 tracks of the album.
Since Blank Range formed in 2013, the avant-garde indie group has been a force to be reckoned with on the Nashville music scene. The band won The Road to Bonnaroo competition in 2014, they went on to open for the likes of rockers Alice in Chains, Spoon, and Drive-By Truckers. In 2018 they toured with Margo Price and Tyler Childers.
Blank Range has also been an integral part of the Acme Radio Live family, appearing on Acme Radio Live since 2017.
Before the Blank Range members transition into individual projects, they’ll be performing the last three shows on the books this year as a group in conjunction with Acme Radio Live and Acme Feed & Seed. On April 13, Blank Range will perform at Acme Radio Live’s Record Store Day at The Groove, followed by three encore performances throughout the summer which will take place on the Acme Feed & Seed stage (dates to come).
“While we’re coming to the end of one chapter in the Music City, we’re also welcoming the next chapter of the individual artists in Blank Range and continuing to preserve their legacy,” said Carl Gatti, Director of Entertainment and Radio at Acme Feed & Seed.
“Acme has provided a platform for musicians, and especially Blank Range, to get their craft out into the world for years,” said the band’s manager, Hampton Howerton. “The first vinyl pressing on Acmeville Records is a natural extension of their mission and it’s a testament to the songs the band wrote and recorded that the folks at Acme felt the desire to preserve In Unison on wax.”
In Pictures: BMI At SXSW
/by Jessica NicholsonBMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) brought several top singer-songwriters for day two of SXSW with the Yeti x BMI Day Party. Soul, country, indie, pop and alt-rock converged when Logan Ledger, Willie Jones, Billy Strings, Illiterate Light, Katie Schecter, Wafia, JP Saxe, Jackie Venson, Republican Hair and Tomar & the FCs took stages both inside and outside of the Yeti Flagship store in Austin, Texas.
Katie Schecter and her band pose for a shot at Yeti’s Flagship Store in Austin before their set at BMI / Yeti Day Party during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring
BMI / Yeti Day Party takes place on two stages at the Yeti Flagship Store during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring
Pictured: BMI’s Josh Tomlinson (second on Left) poses with Austin-based Tomar & The FCs at the BMI / Yeti Day Party during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring
Willie Jones perform at the BMI / Yeti Day Party during SXSW on March 13, 2019, in Austin, TX. Photo: Erika Goldring
Weekly Chart Report (3/15/19)
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, Luke Combs Earn Top iHeartRadio Music Awards
/by Lorie HollabaughTaylor Swift on stage at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for iHeartMedia
The 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards offered up plenty of great music and moments at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Thursday night (March 14) with artists like Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys and Halsey receiving special honors during the festivities. Among the big winners were “The Middle” for Song Of The Year by Maren Morris, Zedd, and Grey, “Meant To Be” by Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line for Country Song Of The Year, Luke Combs as Country Artist Of The Year, Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town for Country Album Of The Year, and Jordan Davis for Best New Country Artist.
Garth Brooks performed a medley of his hits and received the first-ever Artist of the Decade Award from actor Chris Pratt, Alicia Keys was honored during the show with the iHeartRadio Innovator Award, Halsey accepted the iHeartRadio Fangirls Award presented by L’Oréal Paris, and Taylor Swift was given the Tour of the Year Award during the star-studded night of music.
Broadcast live on FOX, on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide, and on iHeartRadio and hosted by T-Pain, the fan-fueled awards featured performances and incredible collaborations including Alicia Keys, Ariana Grande, Backstreet Boys, Ella Mai, Garth Brooks, Halsey with special guests Yungblud and Travis Barker, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves backed on piano by special guest Chris Martin, lovelytheband and Marshmello with special guest Lauv.
For the first-time ever, the iHeartRadio Music Awards presented an AI (Artificial Intelligence) voice assistant with an award. The iHeartRadio Game Changer Tech Award, which honors the most innovative use of technology that brings fans closer to the music they love, was awarded to Amazon’s Alexa. Garth Brooks and Bobby Bones spoke to Alexa, who gave a tongue-in-cheek acceptance speech.
In addition, iHeartMedia partnered with leading short-form mobile video app TikTok to present seven awards in the seven days leading up to the telecast. Beginning Thursday, March 7, winning artists were presented their awards and gave acceptance speeches that aired exclusively on the TikTok app each morning at 8:00 AM ET. Winners included Panic! At The Disco for Alternative Rock Album of the Year, Jason Aldean for Country Album of the Year, twenty one pilots for Rock Album of the Year, Marshmello for Dance Artist of the Year, Imagine Dragons for Most Thumbed Up Artist of the Year, the Chainsmokers for Dance Album of the Year and Lauren Jauregui’s dog, Gracie, for Cutest Musician’s Pet.
Song of the Year: “The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
Artist of the Year: Ariana Grande
Female Artist of the Year: Ariana Grande
Male Artist of the Year: Drake
Best Duo/Group of the Year: 5 Seconds Of Summer
Best Collaboration: “Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B
Pop Album of the Year: Sweetener – Ariana Grande
Best New Pop Artist: Marshmello
Alternative Rock Song of the Year: “High Hopes” – Panic! At the Disco
Alternative Rock Artist of the Year: Imagine Dragons
Alternative Rock Album of the Year: Pray for the Wicked – Panic! At The Disco
Best New Rock/Alternative Rock Artist: lovelytheband
Rock Song of the Year: “Safari Song” – Greta Van Fleet
Rock Artist of the Year: Three Days Grace
Rock Album of the Year: Trench – twenty one pilots
Country Song of the Year: “Meant To Be” – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
Country Artist of the Year: Luke Combs
Country Album of the Year: Rearview Town – Jason Aldean
Best New Country Artist: Jordan Davis
Dance Song of the Year: “The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
Dance Artist of the Year: Marshmello
Dance Album of the Year: Sick Boy – The Chainsmokers
Garth Brooks performs on stage at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Kacey Musgraves performs at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Maren Morris speaks on stage at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Garth Brooks at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartMedia