Photo (L-R): Inductees Wayne Kirkpatrick, Byron Hill and Joe Melson; NaSHOF Executive Director Mark Ford; Inductees K. T. Oslin and Ronnie Dunn.
The latest inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame were announced during an event this morning (Aug. 7) in Nashville.
K.T. Oslin, Ronnie Dunn, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Byron Hill, and Joe Melson will be inducted during the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame gala slated for October 28 at Nashville’s Music City Center, according to an announcement from Pat Alger, chair of the organization’s board of directors.
These five writers and artists will join the current 208 members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Oslin signed to Elektra in 1981, which yielded two modestly-successful singles. By 1987, she had moved to Nashville and signed with RCA Nashville. Her self-penned song, “’80s Ladies” would earn the CMA Song of the Year in 1988. The same album also launched the singles “Do Ya” and “I’ll Always Come Back.” Her second album produced the singles “Money,” “Hey Bobby” “This Woman,” “Didn’t Expect It To go Down This Way,” and “Hold Me,” which earned a Grammy for Best Country Song in 1988. She was named SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year in 1988, 1989, and 1991. In 2014, she was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Hill moved to Nashville in 1978 and was signed with ATV Music group, where he wrote the songs “Pickin’ Up Strangers” (Johnny Lee) and penned George Strait’s first No. 1 “Fool Hearted Memory.” He left ATV in 1984, but continued writing hit songs, including “Born Country” (Alabama), “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous” (Tracy Byrd), “Nothing On But The Radio” (Gary Allan) and more. To date, his songs have generated more than 700 recordings, he’s earned 91 RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum Awards, 10 ASCAP Awards, and more.
Kirkpatrick spent his early songwriting career penning hits including Michael W. Smith’s “Place In This World,” and Amy Grant’s “Takes A Little Time,” and “Every Heartbeat.” In 1996, Wayne’s “Change The World,” co-written and recorded by Eric Clapton, earned a Grammy for Song of the Year. In 1999, he played, sang, and co-wrote 8 of the 10 tracks on Garth Brooks’ Chris Gaines project. In 2001, Kirkpatrick began collaborating with Little Big Town, resulting in songs such as “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” and “Little White Church.”
Melson’s early writing career was launched in the mid-1950s, when he met a then-unknown Roy Orbison. In 1960, their co-written “Only The Lonely” launched Orbison into stardom; the single would be entered into the Grammy hall of fame in 1999. In 1961, they co-wrote the smash hit “Crying,” with Orbison’s recording being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2002, Melson was also inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Dunn recorded with Kix Brooks as part of Brooks & Dunn from 1991-2011. Together, they earned the CMA Vocal Duo of the Year 14 times. Dunn is the sole writer on hits including “Neon Moon,” “Hard Workin’ Man,” “She Used To Be Mine,” “She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind,” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” which earned the ACM’s Song of the Year honor in 1992. Dunn was BMI’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1996 and 1998. Dunn was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2003.
Former SESAC Headquarters Purchased
/by Jessica NicholsonIn 2016, SESAC moved its headquarters to another building in the Music Row area, at 35 16th Ave. S.
Industry Ink: IBMA Foundation, Smith & Wesley, AristoPR
/by Jessica NicholsonIBMA Foundation Partners with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to Establish Endowment
The IBMA Foundation awards $15,000 in grants annually, including $3,000 in mini-grants that help pay bands who present educational bluegrass music programs for children at schools and camps.
Smith & Wesley Sign With BFD
AristoPR Signs Kings Dining & Entertainment
Located at CoolSprings Galleria, Kings Dining & Entertainment is a 25,000 square foot, 625 person-capacity-venue home to Kings Bowl, The Draft Room, The Royal Room, and The Whiskey Room Live. The venue offers guests unique entertainment experiences featuring luxury ten-pin bowling, table games, adult-geared “low tech” social games such as hoops and air hockey, and more. The Whiskey Room Live, Kings Bowl & The Draft Room feature an award-winning menu paired with upscale décor. Their executive-chef designed menu is brought to life by “best-in-industry” service and various venue features, such as live music, karaoke, DJ’s, nightly promotions and deals for any size group.
Nashville Songwriters HOF To Welcome K.T. Oslin, Ronnie Dunn, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Byron Hill, Joe Melson
/by Jessica NicholsonPhoto (L-R): Inductees Wayne Kirkpatrick, Byron Hill and Joe Melson; NaSHOF Executive Director Mark Ford; Inductees K. T. Oslin and Ronnie Dunn.
The latest inductees into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame were announced during an event this morning (Aug. 7) in Nashville.
K.T. Oslin, Ronnie Dunn, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Byron Hill, and Joe Melson will be inducted during the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame gala slated for October 28 at Nashville’s Music City Center, according to an announcement from Pat Alger, chair of the organization’s board of directors.
These five writers and artists will join the current 208 members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Oslin signed to Elektra in 1981, which yielded two modestly-successful singles. By 1987, she had moved to Nashville and signed with RCA Nashville. Her self-penned song, “’80s Ladies” would earn the CMA Song of the Year in 1988. The same album also launched the singles “Do Ya” and “I’ll Always Come Back.” Her second album produced the singles “Money,” “Hey Bobby” “This Woman,” “Didn’t Expect It To go Down This Way,” and “Hold Me,” which earned a Grammy for Best Country Song in 1988. She was named SESAC’s Songwriter of the Year in 1988, 1989, and 1991. In 2014, she was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Hill moved to Nashville in 1978 and was signed with ATV Music group, where he wrote the songs “Pickin’ Up Strangers” (Johnny Lee) and penned George Strait’s first No. 1 “Fool Hearted Memory.” He left ATV in 1984, but continued writing hit songs, including “Born Country” (Alabama), “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous” (Tracy Byrd), “Nothing On But The Radio” (Gary Allan) and more. To date, his songs have generated more than 700 recordings, he’s earned 91 RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum Awards, 10 ASCAP Awards, and more.
Kirkpatrick spent his early songwriting career penning hits including Michael W. Smith’s “Place In This World,” and Amy Grant’s “Takes A Little Time,” and “Every Heartbeat.” In 1996, Wayne’s “Change The World,” co-written and recorded by Eric Clapton, earned a Grammy for Song of the Year. In 1999, he played, sang, and co-wrote 8 of the 10 tracks on Garth Brooks’ Chris Gaines project. In 2001, Kirkpatrick began collaborating with Little Big Town, resulting in songs such as “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” and “Little White Church.”
Melson’s early writing career was launched in the mid-1950s, when he met a then-unknown Roy Orbison. In 1960, their co-written “Only The Lonely” launched Orbison into stardom; the single would be entered into the Grammy hall of fame in 1999. In 1961, they co-wrote the smash hit “Crying,” with Orbison’s recording being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2002, Melson was also inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Dunn recorded with Kix Brooks as part of Brooks & Dunn from 1991-2011. Together, they earned the CMA Vocal Duo of the Year 14 times. Dunn is the sole writer on hits including “Neon Moon,” “Hard Workin’ Man,” “She Used To Be Mine,” “She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind,” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” which earned the ACM’s Song of the Year honor in 1992. Dunn was BMI’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1996 and 1998. Dunn was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2003.
Jordan Feliz Hit “The River” Certified Gold
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Centricity VP of Finance Ben Stauffer, VP of Publishing Chad Segura, Senior VP of A&R John Mays, Jordan Feliz, manager Adam Taylor, Centricity General Manager Steve Ford
Centricity Music artist Jordan Feliz is celebrating the most recent milestone for his hit “The River,” which has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Since its release, the track has also been honored with a GMA Dove Award nomination for Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year, a K-LOVE Fan Award nomination for Breakout Single of the Year, and the New Release Today We Love Christian Music Awards trophy for Song of the Year.
“I’m just really grateful,” said Feliz, who recently celebrated the milestone with his record label Centricity Music, family, bandmates, and other industry partners. “It’s always an honor with something you’re a part of creatively, to see it resonate with so many people. It’s incredible to see what it is the Lord does with music, and to be part of what He’s done with this song is amazing.”
Feliz wrote “The River” with Colby Wedgeworth and Josh Silverberg, with Wedgeworth also producing the track. The song, Feliz’s first-ever release to Christian radio, served as the title track for his 2016 album, which solidified Feliz as one of CCM’s fastest rising artists and earned him the Dove Award for Best New Artist. This year he followed up with his sophomore album, Future.
This fall Feliz heads out on the 28-city Big Church Night Out tour with Crowder.
In Pictures: Kenny Chesney, Carly Pearce, Watershed Festival
/by Lorie HollabaughKenny Chesney And Espo Visit Backstage At The Tonight Show
Pictured (L-R): Kenny Chesney; John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, WMN)
Kenny Chesney appeared on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week (July 31). With friends and team members joining him backstage, including Warner Music Nashville Chairman & CEO John Esposito, Chesney swapped stories with Fallon and performed his 30th No. 1 single, “Get Along.”
Carly Pearce Thrills Hometown Fans On Rascal Flatts Tour Date
Carly Pearce. Photo: Rachel Deeb
Carly Pearce made her debut at Riverbend Music Center Sunday night (Aug. 5). The Taylor Mill, KY native made an impressive return to her Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky hometown area on Rascal Flatts’ Back To Us Tour. “Last night was an absolute dream! I literally sat in those seats watching Rascal Flatts on stage for one of my first concerts,” shared Carly. “Next to the Grand Ole Opry, Riverbend has been on a pedestal ever since I was a little girl and throughout the years seeing shows with my best friend Kara, who I reminisced with all day! This area shaped me into the person I am and the music that’s made so many memories.”
Watershed Wraps Successful Three-Day Run
Walker McGuire, Dillon Carmichael, Abby Anderson Set For Dierks Bentley’s Seven Peaks Festival
/by Jessica NicholsonWhen Dierks Bentley’s new Seven Peaks Music Festival hits Buena Vista, Colorado over Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 2), several talented newcomers from the country and roots genres will come along for the ride. Abby Anderson, Boy Named Banjo, Brown & Gray, Cody Canada, Dillon Carmichael, Travis Denning, Walker McGuire, Mipso and Rapidgrass will perform on the “Whiskey Row Stage,” named for Bentley’s bar and grills.
Friday, Aug. 31, dubbed Hot Country Night, will feature performances from Clint Black, Sawyer Brown, Terri Clark, David Lee Murphy, and Bentley’s own Hot Country Knights. Main Stage artists for the Seven Peaks Music Festival include Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Brothers Osborne, Sam Bush, Dan+Shay, Elle King, LANCO, Del McCoury, Lucie Silvas, The Cadillac Three, and Kiefer Sutherland.
Passes for the Labor Day weekend destination experience are available now at sevenpeaksfestival.com.
Industry Ink: Sony Music Nashville Staffing Changes
/by Jessica NicholsonSony Music’s Fount Lynch Exits
Fount Lynch
Sony Music Nashville’s VP, Media Fount Lynch will exit the company for an as-of-yet undisclosed new role. No word on plans for a replacement at Sony Music Nashville at this time. Lynch started his role at Sony in 2014, after 14 years with UMG, where he began his career as an intern in the label’s marketing/PR department in January 2001.
Sony Music Nashville Adds Assoc. Director, Promotion and Artist Development
Olivia Laster
Meanwhile, Sony Music Nashville EVP of Promotion and Artist Development Steve Hodges has announced the appointment of Olivia Laster to Associate Director, Promotion and Artist Development, Sony Music Nashville.
Prior to accepting the position of Associate Director Promotion and Artist Development, Laster worked at Sony Music Nashville as Promotion Specialist for Arista Nashville. While in this position, she aided in the facilitation of brand partnerships with Sarah Cannon’s Band Against Cancer, Sandals Resorts and Hard Rock Hotels, as well as incorporated radio promotion into various label departments’ strategies. She worked on artist projects including Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, LANCO and Seth Ennis, among others.
Olivia Laster graduated from Tennessee State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. She is a member of SOLID.
Downtown Music Publishing Acquires Rights To Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight”
/by Jessica NicholsonDowntown Music Publishing has added a classic hit to its catalog, having acquired 100 percent of the rights to “Dixieland Delight,” which was written by Ronnie Rogers and appeared in 1983 as the lead single from Alabama‘s The Closer You Get album.
The track has been covered by Tim McGraw and Old Crow Medicine Show, and has become a staple of football games around the Southeast.
“Modern music publishing is often equated with chasing the charts or signing a new artist,” said Andrew Sparkler, Downtown’s SVP Business Development. “While we’re extremely enthusiastic about our roster of active songwriters and the work of our global A&R team, we will always be humbled by the opportunity to represent iconic songs like “Dixieland Delight;” words and music that have stood the test of time and become such an integral part of the fabric of America’s diverse popular culture.”
Downtown’s Nashville office has been aggressively expanding its catalog in the past year, with the signing of John Prine, acquiring the catalogs of Major Bob Music and launching Songs Without Borders. In the past year, Downtown has had 11 singles on the country radio charts, including three No. 1 singles.
Weekly Register: Kenny Chesney, Cody Jinks Offer Top Country Debuts
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Cody Jinks, Kenny Chesney
Warner Music Nashville/Blue Chair artist Kenny Chesney‘s Songs For The Saints crowns this week’s top country albums rankings, according to Nielsen Soundscan. As reported earlier today, the project moved 77K in total consumption in its debut week.
Triple 8 Management Expands Staff, Reveals Relocation
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (Clockwise, from top left): Avery Bashaw, Aaryn Cantu, Jen Dalton, John Smalt, Kelly Kresen, and Alec Edmonds.
Triple 8 Management partners George Couri and Bruce Kalmick have made staff additions in both the company’s Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee offices. The staff changes include five new hires and one promotion in management and marketing, creating a total of 35 Triple 8 team members. The Triple 8 Nashville team has also moved their offices from Music Row to a newly renovated space in Wedgewood-Houston.
Joining the company are Aaryn Cantu, Jen Dalton, Alec Edmonds, Kelly Kresen and Jon Smalt. Additionally, former Marketing Assistant Avery Bashaw will take on a new role as Marketing Manager.
“Bruce, Jesse, Paul, and I are always looking to serve artists in more ways, and we have made it a priority to find driven, smart, dedicated professionals who share our vision” said Couri.
Jon Smalt joins Triple 8 Management as a Manager in the Nashville office. He is bringing with him artists Devon Gilfillian and Becca Mancari. He has drummed professionally for 10+ years, managed artists and produced records. He also owns two boutique music festivals.
Kelly Kresen joins the team as Day-to-Day Manager for Kaleo and will work out of the Nashville office. Kresen comes to Triple 8 from her role as VP of Partnerships and Strategy for Los Angeles-based music management company, Gin + Tonic. Prior to relocating to Nashville in July 2017, Kresen was a business and legal affairs executive at APA.
Jen Dalton joins Triple 8 Management as a Marketing Director. She has spent the last 13 years as a Regional Promotion Manager for Concord Music Group, RCA Records and Epic Records. Prior to that, she was the Music Director at KUBE-FM/Seattle, the Marketing, Events and Music Director at KKRZ-Portland and the Promotions Director for KNRK-Portland. Dalton will work out of Triple 8’s Austin office, where she has lived for eight years.
Aaryn Cantu joins the team as Marketing Assistant. Cantu has interned for Triple 8 on two separate occasions and will be based out of the Austin office.
Alec Edmonds completed internships at Triple 8 Management and Universal Music Group. Edmonds joins the team as a Day-to-Day Management Assistant in the Nashville office.
Avery Bashaw has been promoted from Marketing Assistant to Marketing Manager. In her new role, she will continue to work out of Triple 8’s Austin office.