Attendees were welcomed by a panel of actors and producers including James Dale, Dierks Bentley, Josh Brolan and Brendan McDonough. Photo: CMT/Instagram

Nashville first responders, actors and music industry were among the invited guests to the advance screening of Only The Brave, a film based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighting operation.

Arizona native Dierks Bentley penned and performed an oroginal song, “Hold The Light,” for the project.

“My involvement with this story began back when this tragic fire happened,” said Bentley. “We heard about it and I worked with my manager, Mary Hilliard, and we decided to play some music in Prescott, [Arizona] about three weeks after this fire in hopes of raising money and spirits—just doing what we do as musicians. It had a profound impact on me and where I first met [original Hotshot] Brendan McDonough and some other folks in the community.

“I was so lucky a few years later to sit in a movie next to director Joe Kosinski and I think it was Mike Mitchell and they offered me the opportunity to be part of writing a song.”

Bentley finished “Hold The Light” with Jon Randall after being started from the pens of Sean [S.] Carey and Joe Trapanese. Bentley recorded the song in the studio in Nashville with many of his bandmates and producer and songwriter Ross Copperman.

“The movie and song is not only about honoring these 19 guys and their families, but goes beyond that—certainly in the country music community with Las Vegas,” concluded Bentley. “It is a timely movie about first responders, who are brave enough to head towards danger when the rest of us are trying to head away.”

Only the Brave will hit theaters Oct. 20.

Music Health Alliance Upcoming Events

Music Health Alliance has announced two events for October, including Breast Fest 2017 on Oct. 24 and the What The Health Workshop on Oct. 26. All Music Health Alliance services and advocacy, including these two events, are completely free to members of the music community. Additional information is below and links to both events can be found here.

For those who cannot attend, the session will be live streamed at Music Health Alliance’s Facebook page.

Sandra Lynn Signs with The Kinkead Entertainment Agency

Pictured (L-R): Greg Scott (Kinkead Entertainment Agency), Julie Devereux (Kinkead Entertainment Agency), Christy Walker-Watkins (AristoMedia), Matt Watkins (AristoMedia), Heather Campbell (Vaden Group), Cheri Cranford (AristoMedia), Sandra Lynn, Cole Johnstone (Manager/Johnstone Entertainment), and Bob Kinkead (Kinkead Entertainment Agency). Photo: Chuck Arlund

Country recording artist Sandra Lynn has signed with The Kinkead Entertainment Agency for booking representation. Lynn has also enlisted Johnstone Entertainment for artist management, AristoPR/AristoMedia for public relations and video promotion and Vaden Group for business management.

Lynn said, “I’m so thrilled to be working with such an amazing team, and can’t wait for all that lies ahead with this new music.”

Drew Blakeley Announced as VP of 117 Management

Drew Blakeley

Following the recent announcement of 117 Management, President & CEO Zach Farnum is proud to announce that leading the management division will be artist manager Drew Blakeley.

Blakeley began his career in the country music industry nearly 10 years ago and comes to 117 after a departure from Conway Entertainment Group, where he spent the last three years on management teams for Lorrie Morgan, LOCASH, Randy Travis, Alabama and more.

117 Publicity, headed by VP Bev Moser, represents a wide array of artists including Chuck Negron, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lewis Brice, Logan Mize, Paul Bogart, Max T. Barnes, Scooter Brown Band, Darren Bessette Band, Nashville Association of Talent Directors as well as Bobby Bare.

Blakeley can be reached at drew@117group.com and 615-997-0100 x703.

2017 Production Music Conference Concludes with Record Attendance

Pictured (L-R): PMA Executive Director Morgan McKnight, journalist Jon Burlingame, film composer Mychael Danna, and Konsonant Music composer Andrew Gross.

The Production Music Association (PMA), the leading advocate and voice of the global production music community, recently concluded its 2017 Production Music Conference which drew over 600 attendees from all areas of the music industry. The event was held Oct. 4-6 at the Hollywood Loews Hotel.

Conference attendees enjoyed the third annual Mark Awards event on Oct. 4, as well as keynote speeches from David Israelite, president and CEO of NMPA, and film composer Mychael Danna. A total of sixteen unique industry panels were presented during the three-day conference, including “Production Music is the Record Industry,” “How Big Data Can Double Your Income,” “Writing a Production Music Hit,” and “Trailerizing Your Music.”

Three renowned music industry executives were honored at this year’s Mark Awards:  Romano Di Bari of Italy’s Flipper Music received the “Hall of Fame Award,”  Alison Smith of BMI received the “Ambassador Award,” and Dr. Lynne Lummel, formerly with ASCAP, received the “Visionary Award.”

Adam Taylor, chairman of the PMA and president of APM Music said, “We were delighted with the turnout for this year’s conference. Our panelists and guest speakers were top notch and presented not only compelling and intriguing topics, but also offered practical advice to our members as to where the future of our production music industry is heading, and the hurdles we all must face together as we move further into the digital age.”

Jason Isbell will be artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum for 2017. He will present three performances in the museum’s CMA Theater on Dec. 5, 12 and 19, at 7 p.m.

Isbell has won Grammys for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song. The Americana Music Association named him Artist of the Year in 2015 and has awarded him Album of the Year two times and Song of the Year honors three times. Master songwriter John Prine, a key influence on Isbell, told the Nashville Scene, “I just feel proud that Jason is writing and putting out the kind of music he is.”

After working in the early 2000s as a member of Drive-By Truckers, Isbell left the band in 2007. The Alabama native has recorded six albums under his own name and with his band, the 400 Unit. His latest, The Nashville Sound, is nominated for Album of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards.

“Jason is a tremendously accomplished performer whose songwriting skills have set him on a path to join the lofty ranks of writing legends like Kristofferson and Prine,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “He will be our fourteenth artist-in-residence, and also our youngest, but the stellar work that he has done already in his career proves that he belongs in such august company. We are thrilled to welcome him for what will be three unforgettable performances. It is a bonus that he takes the stage while he is featured in the museum’s exhibit American Currents: The Music of 2016.”

After taking a break last year to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Bob Dylan’s masterpiece album Blonde on Blonde with two sold-out concerts by Old Crow Medicine Show, the artist-in-residence series returns in 2017. The Artist-In-Residence was launched in 2003, and has included Cowboy Jack Clement, Earl Scruggs, Tom T. Hall, Guy Clark, Kris Kristofferson, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Buddy Miller, Connie Smith, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson and 2015 artist-in-residence Rosanne Cash.

Ticket prices for each show range from $49.50 to $85.50 (plus ticketing fees). Ticket sales are limited to four tickets per transaction on a first come, first served basis and are non-refundable. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CDT on Friday, Oct. 27, and can be purchased at countrymusichalloffame.org/air-2017.