BOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM
Chapter 588
During the next five days, 10 of Nashville’s finest music venues will be competing for the attention of the hundreds of attendees of this year’s Tin Pan South festival.
But on Monday evening (April 2) the place to see and be seen was the lobby of Regions Bank on the Music Row Roundabout. A merry mob of creative folks mingled there at the fest’s kick-off party. Regions, the event’s presenting sponsor, tossed a first-class bash, as always.
The schmoozing was at maximum decibels at the party’s peak. Rocking the room were Levi Hummon, Marcus Hummon, Marc-Alan Barnette, James Dean Hicks, Michael Peterson, rocking Web Wilder. Pete Sallis, Dave Gibson, Jimbeau Hinson, handsome J.T. Harding, Jamie Floyd, Tony Arata and NSAI prez Steve Bogard. How’s that for a talent lineup?
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Jack Daniels sponsored the bar. That was kinda cool for Miss Mary and me, since we’d finally gotten around to taking the distillery tour in Lynchberg last month. I highly recommend it as a day trip.
Maggiano’s catered. We snacked on Italian beef sliders, cucumber slices topped with herb cheese, mini Italian meatballs, chicken pesto sliders, assorted cheeses and tomato & mozzarella skewers with balsamic glaze. Yum, yum.
The NSAI puts on the event. Its exec, Bart Herbison, positioned himself near the entryway to offer greetings to one and all.
Working the room were Mike Martinovich, Fletcher Foster, Butch Baker, Craig Campbell, Chris Keaton, James Elliott, John Ozier, John Beiter, San Francisco visitor Tom Donald (among the many who travel to Nashville for the renowned fest), Preshias Harris, Larry Weiss, Sherrill Blackman, Steve O’Brien, Stan Moress, Charlie Monk and hostess-with-the-mostest Lisa Harless.
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
“I’m not going to do much club-hopping,” said The Bluebird Café’s Erika Wollam-Nichols with a chuckle. “I like to stay put. I don’t do so well at other people’s clubs. I don’t think they like me shush-ing people.”
Hubby Roger Nichols is manning the soundboard at The Station Inn. The other venues participating are The Listening Room Café, The Commodore Grille, Douglas Corner Café, Hard Rock Café, South, 3rd & Lindsley, The Local and Whiskey Rhythm Saloon.
If you go, and I urge you to, prepare to have your ears pinned back by the likes of Paul Overstreet, Nash Overstreet, Billy Montana, Randy Montana, Emily West, Matthew West, Brennan Leigh, Leigh Nash, Billy Dean, Barry Dean, Krystal Keith, Keith Burns, Josh Kerr, Josh Osborne, Al Anderson, Abby Anderson and Robert Earl Keen.
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Not to mention Eric Paslay, Matraca Berg, Waylon Payne, Keb’ Mo’, Trent Willmon, Lance Carpenter, Larry Gatlin, Aaron Tippin, Charlie Worsham, Jerrod Niemann, Jedd Hughes, Wynn Varble, Carly Pearce, Lindsay Ell, Mike Reid, Bekka Bramlett, Post Monroe, Paul Jefferson, Eddy Raven, Lori McKenna, Dan Tyminski, Desmond Child, Radney Foster, the folks listed in the third paragraph and scads more of the nearly 300 top-tier songwriters who will be showcasing during this extraordinary week.
This is the 26th annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival. Fast-Access Passes are sold out, but at-the-door admission will be available for most shows.
Let the tune fiesta begin.
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
89 Artists Add Names Petitioning Congress To Pass CLASSICS Act
/by Jessica NicholsonCurrently, artists who recorded their work before Feb. 15, 1972 are not required by federal law to be paid when their work is played on digital radio and digital streaming services. The CLASSICS Act would ensure that music creators who made those recordings are compensated.
The CLASSICS Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and will be a part of the music copyright package scheduled for markup by the House Judiciary Committee the week of April 9. Companion legislation in the U.S. Senate, (S. 2393), is sponsored by Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and in recent weeks Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have signed in support of the legislation.
The growing coalition of artists urging passage of the CLASSICS Act is supported by music community leaders including A2IM, American Federation of Musicians, Content Creators Coalition, the Recording Academy, Recording Industry Association of America, SAG-AFTRA and SoundExchange.
The artists recently joining the coalition to pass the CLASSICS Act includes:
Albert Hammond
Janita
Allen Toussaint (Estate)
Jesse Colin Young (of the Youngbloods)
Allman Brothers Band
Jewel
Aloe Blacc
Joe Williams (Estate)
Ann-Margret
John Lennon (Estate)
Anthony Hamilton
Johnny Rivers
Betty Everett (Estate)
Jon “Bowzer” Bauman
Big & Rich
Jonatha Brooke
Big Joe Turner (Estate)
Judy Collins
Bill Gaither
Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues)
Billy Preston (PMGI Billy Preston’s Legacy)
Laurence Corky Laing
Billy Talent
Lionel Richie
Blackwood Brothers Quartet
Louis Jordan (Estate)
Blake Morgan
Mac Davis
Bob Crosby (Estate)
Martha Reeves
Bruce Springsteen
Maurice White (Estate)
Camper Van Beethoven
Mel Schacher
Candi Staton
Michael McDonald
Cathedral Quartet
Mike Curb Congregation
Chris Clark
Milt Jackson (Estate)
Chuck Berry (Estate)
Oak Ridge Boys
Clara Ward (Estate)
Outkast
Claudette Robinson/The Miracles
Pat Boone
Cracker
Patty Smyth
Curtis Stigers
Paul McCartney
Cyrille Aimee
Petula Clark
Danny Hutton
Portugal. The Man.
David Barbe
Randy Crawford
David Lowery
Ricky Nelson (The Ricky Nelson Company)
David Poe
Ringo Starr
David Sanborn
Rob Thomas
Dickey Betts
Rush
Dinah Washington (Estate)
Ryan Cabrera
Dorothy Norwood
Sam Moore
Don Brewer
Shawn Mendes
Duane Betts
Simon Kirke (Bad Company)
Elf Power
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Estate)
Ella Fitzgerald (Estate)
Smokey Robinson
Engelbert Humperdinck
Tennessee Ernie Ford (Estate)
Ethel Merman (Estate)
The Beatles
Frank Zappa (Estate)
The Empty Pockets
Glen Campbell (Estate)
The Nelons
Gunnar Printz “Mert” Madsen
Tracy Bonham
J.D. Sumner (Estate)
Trombone Shorty
Jackie “Moms” Mabley (Estate)
Riley Roth Inks Joint Publishing, Development Deal With Busbee, BMG
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R):Mike Sistad (ASCAP); Ralph Murphy (ASCAP); Stephanie Taylor (Stephanie Taylor Law, PLLC); Riley Roth; Kos Weaver (Executive VP, BMG); Daniel Lee (VP Creative, BMG); busbee
Songwriter and artist Riley Roth has entered into a joint publishing and development deal with hit songwriter and producer busbee and BMG.
A Pennsylvania native, Riley began making regular trips to Nashville when she was 16, at which time she met ASCAP’s Ralph Murphy, who in turn introduced her to BMG’s Daniel Lee. After working informally for almost two years, Daniel introduced Riley to busbee and the three agreed to work together shortly thereafter.
Said VP of Creative Daniel Lee, “Riley represents every positive trait you hope to find in a young artist and none of the negatives that can so often make those situations challenging. She holds her own in every setting: in a writing room, on stage, and interacting with industry professionals at every level.”
Said busbee, “Riley has that rare ability to communicate directly to listeners at every level, and to her peers in particular. It’s a product of her heart, her dedication, her skill, and her work ethic, and when an artist can marry those traits with the right songs and records, anything is possible.”
Said Riley, “All I’ve ever wanted to do was make music. I’m grateful to see that dream come true and to work every day with such an incredible team, and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come!”
CMA Adds Two Staffers
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Country Music Association has hired two staffers to support key strategic initiatives. Milly Olykan will join CMA as Vice President of International Relations and Development, furthering the association’s global expansion initiatives, and Falon Keith has joined CMA as Grant Associate, continuing to support and grow CMA’s philanthropic arm, the CMA Foundation.
“Expanding the reach of country music globally has long been our focus at CMA,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We created this role to help focus and escalate these efforts on behalf of our industry. Our staff, community and Board of Directors have worked closely with Milly since the inception of C2C in 2013. We’re thrilled to welcome her to CMA, where she will no doubt hit the ground running and continue to expand country music to an even larger global audience.”
Olykan comes to CMA from AEG Presents in London, where she was Vice President of Live Music and Major Arena Events. For AEG she developed in-house commercial content for The O2 and was the founding Festival Director and Co-Promoter of C2C Country to Country. Other projects for AEG included her management of Sundance Film and Music Festival, the first Sundance Film Festival outside of the United States, and the launching of numerous events including BRITs Week, Hola! London and Country Music Week. Prior to AEG Presents, Olykan worked in artist management, promotion, and tour management where she produced festivals for IMG Artists and booked tours for Universal Music. She was awarded the Jo Walker Meador International Award in March, and has served on the CMA Board since 2014. She’ll begin her new role at CMA in mid-May where she will report to Trahern and be based in Nashville.
Keith joins CMA from the YMCA of Middle Tennessee where she supported the charitable efforts of the YMCA’s development team as Philanthropy Administrator. Prior to the YMCA, Keith served as Communications Intern at Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee, assisting in social media development. In her new role, she manages the CMA Foundation’s relationships with grant recipients and assists in supporting Foundation efforts and events. Keith is a native of York, Pennsylvania and graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Sales. Keith reports to CMA Director of Community Outreach Tiffany Kerns.
ROAR’s Bernie Cahill, Greg Suess Launch Activist Artists Management
/by Jessica NicholsonBernie Cahill and Greg Suess, founding partners of Roar, along with fellow partner and Head of Roar’s Nashville office Matt Maher have left the company and launched Activist Artists Management, a full-service talent management, integrated media and advisory firm.
Cahill, Suess and Maher comprised the majority of the partners at Roar, and Liz Norris ran the New York Office. Roar’s entire music department and client list under Cahill has also exited and joined Activist, which now employs 23 associates— including 11 managers—with offices in Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta.
Activist new global headquarters is located at the Activist Building located at 8500 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.
“Activist was created for authentic artists that are striving to make a difference through their art – simply put we have the team here that can help them move the world,” said Cahill.
Adds Suess, “we are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together at Roar and are looking forward to continuing to provide our clients with the highest level of forward-thinking representation in this next, exciting endeavor.”
Activist will provide comprehensive management services for its clients including music management, talent and brand management, and film and TV development.
Cahill will continue to represent artists including Dwight Yoakam, Grateful Dead, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ben Rector, Bob Weir, Clare Bowen, Dead & Company (co-managed with Irving Azoff), David Alan Grier, Sal Masekela, and Stephanie Izard.
Maher will head Activist’s Nashville office where he will continue to serve as the day-to-day manager for a number of Activist’s recording artists. Maher was previously a partner at Roar and the head of the Roar Nashville office where he helped to expand the roster and build the music careers of Dwight Yoakam, Ben Rector, and Zac Brown Band in their rise from regional success to a GRAMMY Award-winning stadium act. Maher, along with Cahill and Suess, continue to be partners with Zac Brown in the award-winning Z. Alexander Brown wine label.
Suess will advise clients at Activist across a wide range of transactions, content strategies, seed and growth capital, strategic alliances, joint venture agreements, licensing agreements, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, and marketing and distribution agreements. Previously, Suess was a co-founder at Roar where he established its corporate division and was a strategic advisor to Vice Media, and strategic advisor to, and investor in, Appetize, Cinedigm, Genius Brands, Influential.co, Ticketfairy and Virgin Hotels – Nashville, all of whom have joined Activist as clients. He will also continue to advise Activist’s clients in their non-profit endeavors; while at Roar, he led fundraising initiatives that resulted in more than $50M in funding for their various causes, including $35M for Zac Brown’s Camp Southern Ground where he is still an active advisory board member.
Norris, who was previously Roar’s Head of Media and Brand Strategy, will join Activist as a partner and head their New York office. Norris will focus on media and brand strategies for all Activist clients and will continue to create promotional opportunities and awareness around album releases, book releases, tours, film premieres and product launches.
The Khan family, owners of NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, The Four Seasons Toronto among other holdings, have made a strategic investment into Activist and have separately established the Activist content and venture fund focused on investments in media/entertainment/hospitality/consumer prooducts, services and technologies. Cahill and Suess have a relationship with the Khan family through previous investments and partnerships including The Virgin Hotels – Nashville, Appetize Technologies, Fair, and The Real Coconut.
Jeremy Camp, Matthew West, Rend Collective Unite For Summer Tour
/by Lorie HollabaughJeremy Camp, Matthew West, Rend Collective with special guest Koryn Hawthorne will play Compassion International’s Summer Lights Tour on the East Coast throughout the month of July.
This marks the second year for the popular tour that will visit a mix of venues including amphitheaters and churches in markets such as Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City, Baltimore and more. Ticket pre-order begins tomorrow, April 4, with tickets available nationwide on April 6 at summerlightstour.com.
“Summer Lights Tour” Dates:
* All dates subject to change.
7/12: Detroit, Mich.; Bethesda Christian Church
7/13: Chicago; Centennial Chapel Olivet Nazarene University
7/14: Kansas City, Mo.; Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
7/15: Murfreesboro, Tenn.; *venue to be announced **Jeremy Camp, Rend Collective and Koryn Hawthorne only
7/19: Virginia Beach, Va.; Rock Church
7/20: Baltimore, Md.; UMBC Events Center **Jeremy Camp, Matthew West and Koryn Hawthorne only
7/21: Botkins, Ohio; Only Believe Ministries Christian Church
7/22: Corbin, Ky.; Corbin Arena
Americana Music Association Benefit Concert To Honor Female Songwriters
/by Jessica NicholsonThose appearing include Amy Helm, The Barr Brothers, Cassandra Jenkins, Courtney Marie Andrews, Craig Finn from The Hold Steady, Deva Mahal, Elizabeth & The Catapult, Jade Bird, Kam Franklin from The Suffers, Kanene Pipkin from The Lone Bellow, Lola Kirke, Nicki Bluhm, and Vera Sola, with others to be announced. Each performer will honor the music of pioneering women including Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Bessie Smith, Carole King, Mahalia Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris.
The show is being produced by Jesse Lauter (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Hannah Gold (City Winery/ Luck Reunion) and Drew Thurlow (Sony Masterworks, SVP of A&R), with music direction from Josh Kaufman (Bob Weir, The National). Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be Lola Kirke from Mozart in the Jungle.
All proceeds will benefit the Americana Music Association.
Tickets for the tribute show will be made available for purchase by members of the Americana Music Association® during an exclusive pre-sale on Thursday, April 5 beginning at 9 a.m. EST. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 6 starting at 9 a.m. EST at axs.com.
‘And The Writer Is…’ Podcast Gears Up For Third Season
/by Lorie Hollabaugh“And The Writer Is…” podcast is back for a third season beginning Monday, April 30, with a new set of guests including One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, Nick Jonas, busbee, and more.
Anchored by multi-platinum songwriter Ross Golan (Selena Gomez, Flo Rida, Lady Antebellum, Ariana Grande and others) and produced by Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Joe London (Thomas Rhett, Jason Derulo, Pitbull and others), the behind-the-scenes podcast shines a light on how hits are written, and will feature 12 brand new episodes released every Monday starting April 30.
“We have lined up a group of truly inspiring writers for season three and we can’t wait to release these episodes to our listeners,” said Golan. “Songwriters are often overlooked in the industry and we’re hoping to continue to shine a light on the men and women who craft the soundtrack of our lives.”
“And The Writer Is…” can be downloaded everywhere podcasts are available including Spotify, Apple Music and iHeartRadio. More information can be found at andthewriteris.com.
Bobby Karl Works The 2018 Tin Pan South Kickoff Party
/by Bobby KarlChapter 588
During the next five days, 10 of Nashville’s finest music venues will be competing for the attention of the hundreds of attendees of this year’s Tin Pan South festival.
But on Monday evening (April 2) the place to see and be seen was the lobby of Regions Bank on the Music Row Roundabout. A merry mob of creative folks mingled there at the fest’s kick-off party. Regions, the event’s presenting sponsor, tossed a first-class bash, as always.
The schmoozing was at maximum decibels at the party’s peak. Rocking the room were Levi Hummon, Marcus Hummon, Marc-Alan Barnette, James Dean Hicks, Michael Peterson, rocking Web Wilder. Pete Sallis, Dave Gibson, Jimbeau Hinson, handsome J.T. Harding, Jamie Floyd, Tony Arata and NSAI prez Steve Bogard. How’s that for a talent lineup?
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Jack Daniels sponsored the bar. That was kinda cool for Miss Mary and me, since we’d finally gotten around to taking the distillery tour in Lynchberg last month. I highly recommend it as a day trip.
Maggiano’s catered. We snacked on Italian beef sliders, cucumber slices topped with herb cheese, mini Italian meatballs, chicken pesto sliders, assorted cheeses and tomato & mozzarella skewers with balsamic glaze. Yum, yum.
The NSAI puts on the event. Its exec, Bart Herbison, positioned himself near the entryway to offer greetings to one and all.
Working the room were Mike Martinovich, Fletcher Foster, Butch Baker, Craig Campbell, Chris Keaton, James Elliott, John Ozier, John Beiter, San Francisco visitor Tom Donald (among the many who travel to Nashville for the renowned fest), Preshias Harris, Larry Weiss, Sherrill Blackman, Steve O’Brien, Stan Moress, Charlie Monk and hostess-with-the-mostest Lisa Harless.
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
“I’m not going to do much club-hopping,” said The Bluebird Café’s Erika Wollam-Nichols with a chuckle. “I like to stay put. I don’t do so well at other people’s clubs. I don’t think they like me shush-ing people.”
Hubby Roger Nichols is manning the soundboard at The Station Inn. The other venues participating are The Listening Room Café, The Commodore Grille, Douglas Corner Café, Hard Rock Café, South, 3rd & Lindsley, The Local and Whiskey Rhythm Saloon.
If you go, and I urge you to, prepare to have your ears pinned back by the likes of Paul Overstreet, Nash Overstreet, Billy Montana, Randy Montana, Emily West, Matthew West, Brennan Leigh, Leigh Nash, Billy Dean, Barry Dean, Krystal Keith, Keith Burns, Josh Kerr, Josh Osborne, Al Anderson, Abby Anderson and Robert Earl Keen.
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Not to mention Eric Paslay, Matraca Berg, Waylon Payne, Keb’ Mo’, Trent Willmon, Lance Carpenter, Larry Gatlin, Aaron Tippin, Charlie Worsham, Jerrod Niemann, Jedd Hughes, Wynn Varble, Carly Pearce, Lindsay Ell, Mike Reid, Bekka Bramlett, Post Monroe, Paul Jefferson, Eddy Raven, Lori McKenna, Dan Tyminski, Desmond Child, Radney Foster, the folks listed in the third paragraph and scads more of the nearly 300 top-tier songwriters who will be showcasing during this extraordinary week.
This is the 26th annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival. Fast-Access Passes are sold out, but at-the-door admission will be available for most shows.
Let the tune fiesta begin.
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Photo Credit: Cooper Smith
Neil Young, Van Morrison Added To Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival
/by Lorie HollabaughThe festival lineup already includes Willie Nelson & Family, Sturgill Simpson, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Alison Krauss, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Brandi Carlile, The Head and the Heart, Old Crow Medicine Show, Ryan Bingham, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, The Wild Feathers, JD McPherson, Delta Rae, and Particle Kid.
Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday, April 6. Citi is the official pre-sale credit card of the festival and Citi card members will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning today through Thursday, April 5 at 10PM through Citi’s Private Pass program.
“This started out with a one-show storyboard two years ago. Now, you can hear, feel, smell and immerse locally in that joyous exuberance,” says Geoff Gordon, Live Nation Philadelphia Regional President. “Outlaw is really just a celebration of everything Willie, which the Picnic has been for decades.”
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
BURGETTSTOWN, PA – KEYBANK PAVILION
Willie Nelson & Family
Van Morrison
Sturgill Simpson
Brandi Carlile
The Commonheart
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
Other Artists To Be Announced
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
HERSHEY, PA – HERSHEYPARK STADIUM
Willie Nelson & Family
Van Morrison
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Sturgill Simpson
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
TBA
Other Artists To Be Announced
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
TORONTO, ON – BUDWEISER STADIUM
Willie Nelson & Family
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Sturgill Simpson
Terra Lightfoot
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
Other Artists To Be Announced
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
SCRANTON, PA – THE PAVILION AT MONTAGE MOUNTAIN
Willie Nelson & Family
Van Morrison
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
TBA
Other Artists To Be Announced
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
CAMDEN, NJ – BB&T PAVILION
Willie Nelson & Family
Van Morrison
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Greensky Bluegrass
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
Other Artists To Be Announced
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
HOLMDEL, NJ – PNC BANK ARTS CENTER
Willie Nelson & Family
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Sturgill Simpson
Greensky Bluegrass
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
TBA
Other Artists To Be Announced
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
MANSFIELD, MA – XFINITY CENTER
Willie Nelson & Family
Sturgill Simpson
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Margo Price
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
Other Artists To Be Announced
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Willie Nelson & Family
Neil Young + Promise of the Real
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Lukas Nelson + Promise of the Real
Particle Kid
Other Artists To Be Announced
Jason Isbell, Ashley Monroe, Jamey Johnson, Bobby Bare, Jessi Colter To Play CMHoF Show
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will present a concert, under the musical direction of Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, to mark the opening of the museum’s new major exhibition, Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s. The concert, exhibit and additional programs will explore an era of intense cultural exchange between Nashville and Austin, Texas, in the 1970s, when country music’s Outlaw movement was on the rise.
Outlaws & Armadillos opens May 25, for a nearly three-year run, with the separately ticketed concert set for 8 p.m. that day.
The unparalleled roster of artists slated to grace the stage of the museum’s CMA Theater includes Country Music Hall of Fame member Bobby Bare and a veteran crew of renegades and iconoclasts including Jessi Colter, Joe Ely, Michael Martin Murphey, Gary P. Nunn, Willis Alan Ramsey, Kimmie Rhodes (appearing with Delbert McClinton) and Billy Joe Shaver, all of whom are represented in the exhibit.
From a new generation of torchbearers will come Jason Boland, Jack Ingram, Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson, Ashley Monroe, Amanda Shires, and Colter Wall, ensuring that the audience will experience an unprecedented and historic evening of melody and mayhem.
This special concert is being made possible with support from sponsors Ben Milam Whiskey and Luckenbach Texas, a legendary Texas music venue.
The museum’s new exhibition, Outlaws & Armadillos, spotlights the revolution that took place when Bare, Guy Clark, Tompall Glaser, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, and others took creative control from their record labels, in order to develop new sounds that were as frank as their lyrics.
Co-curated by museum staffers Peter Cooper and Michael Gray with Austin filmmaker Eric Geadelmann, the exhibit includes items such as the still where storyteller Tom T. Hall and the “bootleg preacher” Will D. Campbell made whiskey, the Randall knife that once belonged to Guy Clark’s father, the paintings of Susanna Clark, the outfit worn by Joe Ely when he worked at a circus, the remarkable photography of Leonard Kamsler and Marshall Fallwell Jr., the Gibson guitar played by Cowboy Jack Clement, and the Armadillo art of Jim Franklin.
The concert will paint a vivid picture of the era, in Nashville and in Austin, and its lasting impact.
“We pondered how to put on a concert that would do justice to this spectacular era and to these spectacular artists,” said Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young. “The only possible answer was, ‘Call Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings.’”
Tickets for the May 25 concert are $40.95 and include museum admission. The concert will be recorded for future broadcast on satellite radio SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel. The radio presentation will include additional content related to the museum exhibit. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. CDT on Friday, April 6, and can be purchased here.