Funeral and burial services were held last week for one of Nashville’s classic r&b figures, James “Nick” Nixon.
Nixon was laid to rest on Monday, March 5. He was a singer, guitarist, producer, educator and songwriter who endured as a leading light of Music City’s soul scene for more than 50 years.
He sang gospel music as a child, but became enthralled with rhythm & blues and rock & roll as a teenager in the 1950s. He joined a local teen group called The Bear Lairs.
In the mid-1960s, he formed his own band, King James & The Sceptres and became a full-time music professional. This band became a popular nightclub and campus attraction throughout the South.
His next group was NTS Limited. It featured bass player Billy Cox, who went on to join Jimi Hendrix on records, on tours and at the Woodstock Festival. During the 1960s, the three top r&b guitarists in Nashville were Nixon, Hendrix and Johnny Jones. At one time or another, all three worked in the legendary Jefferson Street r&b band The King Casuals.
Nixon replaced Jones in the popular group The Imperial 7 when Jones went on tour with Bobby Blue Bland. He continued to perform intermittently with this group for the rest of his life. The ensemble was eventually billed as The New Imperials.
In 1974, Nixon signed with Chess Records with his group Past, Present & Future. Their records were produced in Nashville by future country and rock star Charlie Daniels.
Nixon tried his hand at record producing, himself. He worked with the legendary Fairfield Four gospel group on its 1979 LP Dig a Little Deeper.
Nixon, Cox, Jones, D.J. Hoss Allen and guitar great Scotty Moore collaborated on a novelty record titled “Over 50 Blues,” which garnered some sales and radio airplay during the 1980s.
In the 1990s, James Nixon returned to gospel music. He signed with Ted Jarrett’s Nashville label T-Jaye Records and issued Me, Myself & The Lord in 1997. The title tune to his 1999 CD Stand Up became a gospel hit single.
He also continued to perform with The Imperials and worked as a session guitarist for Mac Gayden, Richard Julian and others.
A resurgence of interest in Nashville’s heritage r&b artists occurred in the late 1990s. Artists such as Marion James, Roscoe Shelton, Earl Gaines, Clifford Curry and Johnny Jones enjoyed comeback careers. The Country Music Hall of Fame celebrated the scene with its Night Train to Nashville exhibit and Grammy-winning reissue CD of 2004.
James Nixon joined the trend with his comeback CDs No End to the Blues (2002), Back Down South (2005) and Live In Europe (2010). He appeared in the 2010 film Redemption Road and sang “Rising Sun Blues” on its soundtrack. He was given the “Keeping the Blues Alive” award by the Blues Foundation in 2000.
He joined The Andy T Band in 2011. The group was signed to the national blues label Blind Pig Records and issued the CDs Drink, Drank, Drunk (2013), Livin’ It Up (2014) and Numbers Man (2015) while Nixon was its lead singer and guitarist. Health issues caused him to retire from the band in 2016.
In addition to maintaining his performing and recording career for decades, James Nixon taught music for 35 years in Nashville’s Parks & Recreation Department. In 2010, he co-founded the Nashville Blues Society. He was also a board member of The Blues Foundation.
James Nixon died on Feb. 28 at age 76. He is survived by his wife Birdie, by sons David, Jeff, Jonathan and Jeremy and by 10 grandchildren.
Tenille Arts Inks With Reviver Records
/by Lorie HollabaughTenille Arts has signed with Reviver Records. Her debut single is set to launch following a national tour at country radio.
The 23-year-old raised in the small prairie town of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, picked up the guitar and penned her first song at the age of 13, and has been performing across the US and Canada ever since. She made the move to Nashville almost three years ago, and her music has already tallied over two million streams in 2017 and over three million overall. Arts’ Rebel Child album was released in October 2017.
“We are thrilled to have Tenille join our family,” said Reviver Executive VP/GM Gator Michaels. “She is a fantastic singer, writer and player. The Reviver team is honored to introduce country music’s next triple-threat artist!”
In addition to Reviver Entertainment, Tenille’s team includes Dreamcatcher Management, Noble Vision Music Group, Campbell Entertainment Group, with Jay Williams and Alex Luebbert handling bookings at WME.
“I’m so excited to be signing with Reviver Records,” said Tenille. “I’ve been building my team in Nashville for a couple of years now, and when I combine those incredible people – Hal Oven, Adam Wheeler, Matt Rovey, Craig Campbell, Michael Emery, Powell Hedley, Jim Mazza, Debbye Scroggins and CeCe Dawson – with everyone at Reviver Records, it’s my dream team. It’s the best feeling in the world as an artist to feel like every single person involved is passionate, genuinely excited about the music and always thinking about the long-term career. Everyone is already hard at work, and it feels great to be a part of something so special.”
WME Announces Bash At The Beach Lineup For Las Vegas
/by Jessica NicholsonThe lineup has been announced for WME’s second Bash at the Beach. The two-night concert will take place at the Beach at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14. Concert-goers are invited to bring blankets, sit on the beach, or wade in the surf while enjoying the music from the cool confines of Mandalay Bay’s 1.6-million-gallon wave pool.
Chris Young is set to close out the two-night event with a performance on Saturday night. Chris Janson will headline Friday night’s show. Cam, Dee Jay Silver, Granger Smith, Jordan Davis, LANCO, Lindsay Ell, Morgan Evans, Morgan Wallen, Parmalee, RaeLynn and Scotty McCreery are also set to perform.
Proceeds will benefit ACM Lifting Lives, the charitable arm of the Academy of Country Music.
This event is the latest to be announced in connection with the 6th Annual ACM Party for a Cause festivities, and it will be the place to be during “The Week Vegas Goes Country.”
Home Free Signs With CAA
/by Jessica NicholsonHome Free
A cappella country group Home Free has signed with CAA for booking. The group was previously represented by Paradigm and continues to be managed by Luke Pierce and David Britz at WORKS Entertainment.
The group found an audience following its win on NBC’s The Sing-Off. They later signed with Columbia Records.
The group is currently on their fifth sold-out national theatre tour, to support Timeless, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Albums chart in September 2017.
Dates Announced For UK’s Country Music Week 2018, C2C Festival 2019
/by Jessica NicholsonThis year’s event welcomed more than 50,000 fans who enjoyed performances on numerous stages, including Festival Stages, BBC Radio 2 Stage, Late Night Stage, CMA Screenings, The Bluebird Cafe and the newly introduced C2C Close Up.
2019’s full performer lineup will be announced later this year.
Early bird tickets for 2019’s festival are available from Friday 16 March at 9 a.m. and can be purchased from AXS.com and gigsandtours.com.
Later this year, Country Music Week will return for 2018, taking place Oct. 21-Oct. 28 for a weeklong series of shows at numerous London venues. Darius Rucker, Kacey Musgraves, Drake White and Russell Dickerson are among the performers this year, with more shows to be announced. Along with artist performances, Country Music Week will include a songwriting series, daytime programs, onstage interviews, and meet & greets.
Announced shows:
Oct. 24: Drake White, KOKO, London (on sale Thursday 15 March 10 a.m.)
Oct. 27: Kacey Musgraves, The SSE Arena, Wembley, London (on sale Friday 16 March 10 a.m.)
Oct. 28: Darius Rucker, supported by Russell Dickerson, Royal Albert Hall, London (on sale now)
Weekly Register: Kane Brown Continues Chart-Topping Streak
/by Jessica NicholsonChris Stapleton has two albums in the Top 5 this week, with Traveller remaining at No. 2 (15K) and From A Room Vol. 1 moving up one spot to No. 4 (12K).
Thomas Rhett‘s Life Changes returns to the No. 3 spot this week, with 12.5K, while new American Idol judge Luke Bryan‘s What Makes You Country album drops from No. 3 to No. 5 this week, with 11K.
On the country digital songs chart, Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line also continue their chart domination, with “Meant To Be” moving 34K this week, for 716K to date. Jason Aldean‘s “You Make It Easy” is at No. 2 with 27K, followed by Kane Brown’s “Heaven” at No. 3 with 18K. Thomas Rhett’s “Marry Me” is at No. 4 with 16K, followed by Luke Bryan’s “Most People Are Good” at No. 5 with 16K.
Industry Ink: Music Health Alliance, Riser House, Mary Chapin Carpenter, ACM
/by Lorie HollabaughMusic Health Alliance Moves Offices
Rider Exits Riser
April Rider-Helm
April Rider has exited as VP of Promotion at Riser House Entertainment. Rider joined Riser House Feb. 1, 2018 after six years as GM/President of RPM Entertainment Group. Her resume stops also include General Manager at Broken Bow Music Group’s Stoney Creek Records and over a decade at Curb Records rising to VP of Promotion. She can be reached at aprilriderhelm@me.com or at (615) 714-1749.
Mary Chapin Carpenter To Celebrate New Album With CMA Theater Show
Mary Chapin Carpenter will perform at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame And Museum with Matt Rollings and Glenn Worf on April 6. The concert celebrates the release of her new album, Sometimes Just The Sky, which goes on sale March 30. The album features new versions of some of Carpenter’s most beloved songs from her acclaimed 30-year recording career. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m. CST. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cmatheater.com.
Shawn Parr And Elaina Smith To Announce ACMs
90’s Unplugged Benefit For Anita Cochran Sold Out, Gofundme Page Launched
/by Lorie HollabaughLed by her good friend Terri Clark, the show, which sold out in just a week, will include Crystal Gayle, Clay Walker, Wade Hayes, Ty Herndon, Jamie O’Neal, Lorrie Morgan, Steve Wariner, Mandy Barnett, Bryan White, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss, The Lynns, and special guests.
Those unable to attend the benefit who would still like to help can go to the A Journey to Healing gofundme page which was launched on March 11 at gofundme.com/AnitaCochran.
Nashville R&B Mainstay James Nixon Laid To Rest
/by Robert K OermannFuneral and burial services were held last week for one of Nashville’s classic r&b figures, James “Nick” Nixon.
Nixon was laid to rest on Monday, March 5. He was a singer, guitarist, producer, educator and songwriter who endured as a leading light of Music City’s soul scene for more than 50 years.
He sang gospel music as a child, but became enthralled with rhythm & blues and rock & roll as a teenager in the 1950s. He joined a local teen group called The Bear Lairs.
In the mid-1960s, he formed his own band, King James & The Sceptres and became a full-time music professional. This band became a popular nightclub and campus attraction throughout the South.
His next group was NTS Limited. It featured bass player Billy Cox, who went on to join Jimi Hendrix on records, on tours and at the Woodstock Festival. During the 1960s, the three top r&b guitarists in Nashville were Nixon, Hendrix and Johnny Jones. At one time or another, all three worked in the legendary Jefferson Street r&b band The King Casuals.
Nixon replaced Jones in the popular group The Imperial 7 when Jones went on tour with Bobby Blue Bland. He continued to perform intermittently with this group for the rest of his life. The ensemble was eventually billed as The New Imperials.
In 1974, Nixon signed with Chess Records with his group Past, Present & Future. Their records were produced in Nashville by future country and rock star Charlie Daniels.
Nixon tried his hand at record producing, himself. He worked with the legendary Fairfield Four gospel group on its 1979 LP Dig a Little Deeper.
Nixon, Cox, Jones, D.J. Hoss Allen and guitar great Scotty Moore collaborated on a novelty record titled “Over 50 Blues,” which garnered some sales and radio airplay during the 1980s.
In the 1990s, James Nixon returned to gospel music. He signed with Ted Jarrett’s Nashville label T-Jaye Records and issued Me, Myself & The Lord in 1997. The title tune to his 1999 CD Stand Up became a gospel hit single.
He also continued to perform with The Imperials and worked as a session guitarist for Mac Gayden, Richard Julian and others.
A resurgence of interest in Nashville’s heritage r&b artists occurred in the late 1990s. Artists such as Marion James, Roscoe Shelton, Earl Gaines, Clifford Curry and Johnny Jones enjoyed comeback careers. The Country Music Hall of Fame celebrated the scene with its Night Train to Nashville exhibit and Grammy-winning reissue CD of 2004.
James Nixon joined the trend with his comeback CDs No End to the Blues (2002), Back Down South (2005) and Live In Europe (2010). He appeared in the 2010 film Redemption Road and sang “Rising Sun Blues” on its soundtrack. He was given the “Keeping the Blues Alive” award by the Blues Foundation in 2000.
He joined The Andy T Band in 2011. The group was signed to the national blues label Blind Pig Records and issued the CDs Drink, Drank, Drunk (2013), Livin’ It Up (2014) and Numbers Man (2015) while Nixon was its lead singer and guitarist. Health issues caused him to retire from the band in 2016.
In addition to maintaining his performing and recording career for decades, James Nixon taught music for 35 years in Nashville’s Parks & Recreation Department. In 2010, he co-founded the Nashville Blues Society. He was also a board member of The Blues Foundation.
James Nixon died on Feb. 28 at age 76. He is survived by his wife Birdie, by sons David, Jeff, Jonathan and Jeremy and by 10 grandchildren.
Black River’s Abby Anderson To Perform At MusicRow’s Rising Women Event
/by LB CantrellBlack River’s rising neo-soul influenced artist Abby Anderson is scheduled for a special two-song performance at MusicRow’s seventh annual Rising Women on the Row celebration. Sponsored by City National Bank, Loeb & Loeb LLP, and Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group, the ceremony will salute six music businesswomen on Tuesday, March 27 at 8:30 a.m. at Omni Nashville Hotel.
The 2018 honorees have been announced as Faithe Dillman (Founder/CEO, Marbaloo); Leslie DiPiero (General Manager, Tree Vibez Music); Becky Gardenhire (Partner, WME); Lynn Oliver-Cline (President/Founder, River House Artists); Annie Ortmeier (VP, Marketing-Digital Accounts, Universal Music Group Nashville); Janet Weir (President/42 Entertainment; Manager, Red Light Management).
A four-speaker panel will include Tracy Gershon (Co-founder of Change The Conversation, Manager, Consultant), Mary Hilliard Harrington (Manager, Red Light Management), Rose Palermo (Attorney), and Ann Powers (NPR Music Critic and Correspondent).
Click Here For More Details About Rising Women On The Row 2018
Twenty year old Texas native Abby Anderson has spent much of her youth behind a piano singing the songs of her favorite artists such as Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Elvis, Stevie Wonder, and K.T. Oslin. In 2014, her unique arrangement of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” renamed “Let Freedom Ring,” caught the attention of radio journalist/host Glenn Beck who had Anderson perform the patriotic song on his show, gaining her immediate national attention. The song made the Billboard Top 100 and iTunes Country Music Chart Top Ten, with all proceeds from the song going to charity.
With momentum from her national debut and the encouragement of CAA agent Kylen Sharpe, Anderson graduated early from high school and moved to Nashville three years ago to chase her dream of a career in music. Upon arriving in Music City, Anderson began paying her dues in clubs by playing gigs in local favorites, including The Bluebird Café, The Listening Room Café and the Tin Roof, while working as a nanny. A few years later Anderson was presented with a publishing and recording deal with Black River Entertainment while on stage during a charity event at the Ryman Auditorium.
Already named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country for 2018 and a CMT Listen Up Artist—#18for2018, the industry is taking notice of Abby Anderson with Pandora naming her as one of “2018 Country Artists to Watch” and The Boot listing her among their “2018 Artists to Watch.” She has also had the opportunity to share the stage with music icons such as Peter Frampton, Lee Greenwood, Angela Johnson, and Peter Cetera.
Anderson is currently in the studio writing and recording for her debut single and forthcoming album on Black River.
Photo: David Bean/Provided courtesy of Black River Entertainment
Crowd Surf Announces Three New Team Members
/by Jessica NicholsonCrowd Surf co-founders, Cassie Petrey and Jade Driver, announce the addition of three team members to the Nashville office, Brittany Finley as Publicist and Michael Fogarty and Channing Wisz as Marketing Account Managers.
“Jade and I are excited to welcome all three of our new employees to the Crowd Surf team,” said Petrey. “Brittany, Michael and Channing all bring unique experience and will be outstanding additions to our Nashville office.”
Prior to joining Crowd Surf, Finley worked on publicity campaigns for Florida Georgia Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Chris Lane and more during her time at Sweet Talk Publicity. In her new role, she will oversee publicity efforts for Crowd Surf’s country and Nashville-based clients.
Fogarty comes to Crowd Surf from Capitol Christian Music Group where he acted as Digital Content Coordinator, managing creative strategies and content for artist such as Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe and Passion. He graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with a degree in Music Business and has been a long-time volunteer for Musicians On Call.
Wisz makes her return to Crowd Surf, where she was previously a Digital Marketing intern, following stops at RPM Entertainment and Miles High Productions. During her posts she gained valuable experience in social media strategy and digital market research.
Finley will report to Publicity Director, Nina Kolb, while Fogarty and Wisz will report to Marketing Vice President, Elise Stawarz. They can be reached at brittany@crowdsurf.net, michael@crowdsurf.net and channing@crowdsurf.net.
Crowd Surf has offices in Los Angeles, Nashville and New York, and provides specialized marketing services to some of the biggest names in music and entertainment including Britney Spears, Fifth Harmony and the Backstreet Boys.