Former Nashville concert, management and radio mogul Joe Sullivan died on Friday, June 22, at age 76. During the 1970s and 1980s, Sullivan’s Sound Seventy Corporation was a leading concert-promotion firm in the Southeast. His artist-management clients included Charlie Daniels, Wet Willie, Bobby Bare, Dobie Gray, Nicolette Larson and Dickie Betts.
Sullivan was a native of Manchester, Tennessee. He began his show-business career as a disc jockey on that city’s WMSR radio station. He spent 15 years in the radio industry. It was said that every station he was affiliated with earned its market’s No. 1 rating. By 1969, he was program director at WMAK, then Nashville’s top rock broadcaster.
At the time, most major rock acts bypassed Music City on tour. Sullivan booked Steppenwolf into Municipal Auditorium in early 1970, which launched Sound Seventy. The firm soon changed the face of live music in Nashville.
In 1973, Sullivan brought headliners such as The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, Leon Russell and Alice Cooper to Nashville. Five years later, Sound Seventy was also promoting shows in Birmingham, Huntsville, Shreveport, Montgomery, Chattanooga, Dallas, Johnson City, Louisville, New Orleans, Knoxville, Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Mobile and Pensacola.
But Nashville remained the impresario’s main focus. In 1978-79, alone, he brought to the city such superstars as David Bowie, Van Halen, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers, The Jacksons, Elton John, The Eagles, Queen and Billy Joel. In addition to management and concert promotion, Sullivan expanded into song publishing, record promotion and tour merchandising. By the mid 1980s, Sound Seventy was a multi-million dollar Nashville company.
Journey, Tom Jones, Elvis Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Buffett, Rod Stewart, Kiss, Linda Ronstadt, Muhammad Ali, Bob Seger, The Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Dylan, Chicago, James Taylor, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper, Don Henley and Heart had all enjoyed huge box office successes with Sound Seventy by the time the business celebrated its 15th anniversary in 1985.
So had such country superstars as Willie Nelson, Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Anne Murray, Emmylou Harris and Hank Williams Jr.
In the 1990s, Joe Sullivan moved to Branson, Missouri, and formed The Sullivan Company. In the 2000s, he worked with Larry Gatlin, Rick Springfield, The Fifth Dimension, The Lawrence Welk Orchestra, Billy Ray Cyrus and others in this new show-promotion venture. He had reportedly been in ill health for the past several years.
According to Nashville music industry veteran Steve Greil, Joe Sullivan’s body is being donated to a research hospital in Memphis. Services will take place in Branson and burial will be n Manchester.
Faith Hill, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt Getting Stars On Hollywood Walk Of Fame
/by Jessica NicholsonFaith Hill and Trio members Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt are among the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s Class of 2019. They join fellow musicians and/or industry members Michael Bublé, Cypress Hill, The Lettermen, Tommy Mottola, P!nk, Teddy Riley, Jackie Wilson (posthumous), Idina Menzel, Cedric “The Entertainer”, Judith Light and Paul Sorvino.
“The Walk of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce our newest honorees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Committee always tries to select a group of talented honorees that appeal in various genres of the entertainment world,” Chairman and Walk of Famer Vin Di Bona. “I feel the Committee has outdone themselves and I know the fans, tourists and the Hollywood community will be pleased with our selections. We are excited to see each and every honoree’s face as they unveil that majestic star on Hollywood’s most famous walkway!”
Dates have not been scheduled for the star ceremonies at this time.
The full list of 2019 inductees include:
MOTION PICTURES:
Alan Arkin, Kristen Bell, Daniel Craig, Robert De Niro, Guillermo del Toro, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong’o, Tyler Perry, and Gena Rowlands.
TELEVISION:
Alvin And The Chipmunks, Candice Bergen, Guy Fieri, Terrence Howard, Stacy Keach, Sid and Marty Krofft, Lucy Liu, Mandy Moore, Dianne Wiest, and Julia Child (Posthumous).
RECORDING:
Michael Bublé, Cypress Hill, The Lettermen, Faith Hill, Tommy Mottola, P!nk, Teddy Riley, Trio: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, and Jackie Wilson (Posthumous).
LIVE THEATRE/LIVE PERFORMANCE:
Idina Menzel, Cedric “The Entertainer”, Judith Light, and Paul Sorvino.
Top Grammy Categories To Expand Number Of Final Nominees
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Grammys’ additional 80 categories will continue with five nominations in each division.
Other approved changes include a move to allow music supervisors of nominated albums to be considered Grammy nominees in the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album category. Supervisors will no longer be eligible for consideration as album producers, unless they produced at least 51 percent of the album in question.
Grammy Award nominations for the World Music Field will now be determined through its own Nominations Review Committee. The top 15 selections from the general voting membership’s first ballot will be sent to a Trustee-ratified committee of Voting Member experts who will listen to the recordings and vote via secret ballot to narrow the selections to five nominations.
To reflect evolving technology, new formats and current industry practices, the Best Surround Sound Album category and Field name have been changed to Best Immersive Audio Album and Field.
Also, the Best Alternative Music Album category has redefined as: Alternative is defined as a genre of music that embraces attributes of progression and innovation in both the music and attitudes associated with it. It is often a less intense version of rock or a more intense version of pop and is typically regarded as more original, eclectic, or musically challenging. It may embrace a variety of sub-genres or any hybrids thereof and may include recordings that don’t fit into other genre categories.
Garth Brooks’ Latest Single “All Day Long” Slaying At Radio
/by Lorie HollabaughGarth Brooks’ recently released single, “All Day Long” has already become the most-added song at country radio this week and also claims the biggest add week for any song since August 2015. The track debuted at No. 21 on Billboard and No. 28 on the Mediabase chart. “All Day Long” is also available to stream on Amazon Music.
Co-written by Brooks with Bryan Kennedy and Mitch Rossell, the instantaneous hit follows the momentum of his recent No. 1 “Ask Me How I Know,” which was also penned by Rossell. “All Day Long” is the first track from Brooks’ upcoming studio album, which is set for release next year.
Brooks is the first artist in history to receive seven Diamond awards for seven albums certified by the RIAA at over 10 million album sales each, and he remains the No. 1-selling solo artist in history with over 148 million album sales.
Weekly Register: Jason Aldean Tops Country Albums Chart
/by Jessica NicholsonJason Aldean
Jason Aldean‘s Rearview Town returns to the top of the country albums chart this week, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Rearview Town moved 38K this week in total consumption. Luke Combs‘ This One’s For You is at No. 2, with 26K, followed by last week’s No. 1 album, Dierks Bentley‘s The Mountain, which falls to No. 3 this week with 18K.
Kane Brown‘s self-titled album is at No. 4 with 16K, followed by Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller at No. 5 with 11K.
Florida Georgia Line‘s “Simple” tops the country song sales chart this week, with 21K, as the duo also takes the No. 2 spot with their smash hit “Meant To Be,” with 17K.
Dan+Shay‘s “Tequila,” from their newly released, self-titled album, is at No. 3 with 16K. Jason Aldean’s “Drowns The Whiskey” ft. Miranda Lambert is at No. 4, with 13K. Kenny Chesney rounds out the Top 5 with “Get Along.”
Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum Promotes Ali Tonn
/by Jessica NicholsonCMHOF Leadership headshots and group shots on June 22, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Donn Jones Photography
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has promoted Ali Tonn to Senior Director of Education & Public Programs.
Tonn directs educational programming at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, including all content developed and provided in the Museum’s Taylor Swift Education Center. Tonn began work at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the fall of 2005. Since then, the education division has seen a 350 percent increase in participation with current engagement reaching over 100,000 individuals each year. The opening of the Taylor Swift Education Center in 2013 enabled the creation of new programs and services for students, teachers, and family audiences. A videoconference lab in the center allows for long-distance support to schools and community organizations far from Nashville, with partnerships for schools in New York City and Los Angeles.
Locally, Tonn helped develop the partnership with Nashville Public Library’s Wishing Chair Productions with the joint-creation of String City: Nashville’s Tradition of Music and Puppetry, showcasing Nashville’s traditions of country music and puppetry arts. She played a key role in the creation and launch of the 2017 Community Counts: Museum Admission Program for Locals enabling wider museum access for area residents. Tonn’s work has been recognized through awards from the American Alliance of Museums, Tennessee Association of Museums, and the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society of Key Women Educators.
Tonn holds a B. A. in Music and Music History from the University of Kansas and a M. A. in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining the museum, she worked with the Madison Civic Center in Wisconsin where she directed children’s programs; the Manhattan School of Music where she supported the Graduate Program in Orchestral Performance and administered the Conservatory’s Community Outreach efforts; and the W.O. Smith Community Music School in Nashville where she taught flute, piano, and music theory, created instructional materials, managed volunteers music teachers and assisted with various other operational needs.
SXSW 2019 Accepting Submissions For Panels, Music Performers
/by Jessica NicholsonSouth by Southwest Conference and Festivals has launched its 2019 season with the opening of PanelPicker programming proposals, Film Festival submissions, and Music Showcasing Artist applications for next year’s event. SXSW will be held March 8-17, 2019, in Austin, Texas.
PanelPicker, an online tool that allows the SXSW community to have a significant voice in programming conference activities through an open proposal and voting process, will accept proposals through Friday, July 20, 2018. Community voting begins Monday, Aug. 6, 2018 and continues through Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018.
Programming tracks that feature sessions from beginner to advanced-level include: Blockchain & Cryptocurrency; Brands & Marketing; Coding & Development; Design; Entrepreneurship & Startups; Future Workplace; Health & MedTech; Intelligent Future; Style & Retail; Tech Industry & Enterprise; Entertainment Influencers; Film & TV Industry; Making Film & Episodics; Making & Marketing Music; Music Industry & Culture; Touring & Live Experience; Cannabusiness; Cities, Government, & Politics; CLE; Experiential Storytelling; Food; Media & Journalism; Social & Global Impact; Sports; and VR/AR/MR.
The SXSW Music Festival is also accepting artist applications to showcase at the 2019 Music Festival. The application period closes on Oct. 25.
The SXSW Music Festival showcased 2,057 artists on 100 stages, featuring 569 international acts representing 66 countries. The 7-day SXSW official music showcase attendance totaled 161,000 at 2,729 total performances. Performers were selected from 6,678 applicants.
Shadowboxers Join Select Justin Timberlake European Tour Dates, Release ‘Shadowboxer’ Remix
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Shadowboxers
The Shadowboxers (Adam Hoffman, Matt Lipkins and Scott Tyler) will also be joining Justin Timberlake’s Man Of The Woods Tour for select dates on the tour’s European leg beginning July 3 in Paris. The group received plenty of critical praise during the Spring US run, where they opened 30+ dates from March to early June.
In celebration, the group will release a remix of “Shadowboxer” by French DJ/producer Hugel on June 29. The song originally appeared on the band’s debut EP APOLLO, which was released in March via Villa 40/Sony/Red Music.
Tickets for the tour are on sale now, with VIP information coming soon.
Originally creating buzz with their YouTube cover of Timberlake’s “Pusher Love Girl,” the trio have since garnered over 4.5 million streams of original material on Spotify and Apple Music to date and growing.
Craig Wiseman’s 14th Annual Stars For Second Harvest Benefit Achieves Record-Breaking Evening
/by Lorie HollabaughCraig Wiseman. Photo: Peyton Hoge
Craig Wiseman‘s 14th Annual Stars For Second Harvest Benefit, held June 5 at the Ryman Auditorium, raised a record-breaking total of $180,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. The Big Loud Party featured all Big Loud artists and writers including Jake Owen, Morgan Wallen, Jillian Jaqueline, Mason Ramsey, Chris Tompkins, Rodney Clawson, Matt Dragstrem and Wiseman as host.
Funds raised at this year’s benefit bring the 14-year total to $1.3 million which goes to support the hungry in Middle Tennessee. Presenting sponsor O’Charley’s, along with stage sponsor Nissan North America and Second Harvest supporter Steve Pariso, all made generous donations to help reach the record-breaking total.
“It’s astounding that in year 14, we’ve exceeded all previous years with the amount raised. I am so grateful for all of the fans, artists and supporters of this incredible event. Each and every one of them has helped us year after year to support this great cause,” said Wiseman. “It is a blessing to work alongside our generous sponsors O’Charley’s and Nissan North America and a special shout out to Steve Pariso for his generosity. With their help we are able to touch the lives of so many who struggle to find a meal.”
Since its inception, the annual event has raised enough to provide over 5.2 million meals to Middle Tennesseans at risk of hunger.
Jake Owen. Photo: Peyton Hoge.
Mason Ramsey. Photo: Peyton Hoge
Concert Impresario Joe Sullivan Passes
/by Robert K OermannFormer Nashville concert, management and radio mogul Joe Sullivan died on Friday, June 22, at age 76. During the 1970s and 1980s, Sullivan’s Sound Seventy Corporation was a leading concert-promotion firm in the Southeast. His artist-management clients included Charlie Daniels, Wet Willie, Bobby Bare, Dobie Gray, Nicolette Larson and Dickie Betts.
Sullivan was a native of Manchester, Tennessee. He began his show-business career as a disc jockey on that city’s WMSR radio station. He spent 15 years in the radio industry. It was said that every station he was affiliated with earned its market’s No. 1 rating. By 1969, he was program director at WMAK, then Nashville’s top rock broadcaster.
At the time, most major rock acts bypassed Music City on tour. Sullivan booked Steppenwolf into Municipal Auditorium in early 1970, which launched Sound Seventy. The firm soon changed the face of live music in Nashville.
In 1973, Sullivan brought headliners such as The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, Leon Russell and Alice Cooper to Nashville. Five years later, Sound Seventy was also promoting shows in Birmingham, Huntsville, Shreveport, Montgomery, Chattanooga, Dallas, Johnson City, Louisville, New Orleans, Knoxville, Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Mobile and Pensacola.
But Nashville remained the impresario’s main focus. In 1978-79, alone, he brought to the city such superstars as David Bowie, Van Halen, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers, The Jacksons, Elton John, The Eagles, Queen and Billy Joel. In addition to management and concert promotion, Sullivan expanded into song publishing, record promotion and tour merchandising. By the mid 1980s, Sound Seventy was a multi-million dollar Nashville company.
Journey, Tom Jones, Elvis Costello, Bob Hope, Jimmy Buffett, Rod Stewart, Kiss, Linda Ronstadt, Muhammad Ali, Bob Seger, The Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Dylan, Chicago, James Taylor, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper, Don Henley and Heart had all enjoyed huge box office successes with Sound Seventy by the time the business celebrated its 15th anniversary in 1985.
So had such country superstars as Willie Nelson, Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Anne Murray, Emmylou Harris and Hank Williams Jr.
In the 1990s, Joe Sullivan moved to Branson, Missouri, and formed The Sullivan Company. In the 2000s, he worked with Larry Gatlin, Rick Springfield, The Fifth Dimension, The Lawrence Welk Orchestra, Billy Ray Cyrus and others in this new show-promotion venture. He had reportedly been in ill health for the past several years.
According to Nashville music industry veteran Steve Greil, Joe Sullivan’s body is being donated to a research hospital in Memphis. Services will take place in Branson and burial will be n Manchester.
Centricity Music’s Lauren Daigle Celebrates Platinum Album
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Centricity Senior VP of A&R John Mays, Centricity VP of Publishing Chad Segura, Lauren Daigle, Centricity General Manager Steve Ford
Centricity Music artist Lauren Daigle’s debut album, How Can It Be, has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Released in 2015, How Can It Be is one of only five albums in the Christian genre to attain Platinum status since 2003, and the first from a female artist since 2001.
Daigle’s album has received two Grammy nominations and earned her two Billboard Awards and an American Music Award. Three songs from the album, “How Can It Be,” “Trust In You,” and “O’Lord,” have also been certified Gold by RIAA.
“There are moments in life that show you years worth of time and hard work. When they told me ‘How Can It Be’ has been certified platinum, I was overcome with the awareness that every year of my life has built up to this moment and led to this first milestone,” says Lauren. “It could only be made possible by people willing to open up their heart and share their vulnerability with others through music. I’m so incredibly grateful. To all who have supported, you made this happen!”
“Having How Can It Be reach Platinum status shows the hard work and dedication from Lauren and her ability to connect with so many people from all over the world,” Centricity CEO Caren Seidle said. “When I first heard Lauren sing in a small church six years ago, she made me sit up and appreciate the sound and the message- it was as if I was the only one in the room. I think everyone who hears Lauren feels that way, like she is speaking to them personally.”