Little Big Town
On Tuesday (April 25), the Grand Ole Opry’s backstage area was transformed into a party space filled with twinkling lights, crawfish, wine and whiskey bars, an airstream and plenty of southern charm as Opry Entertainment celebrated its exclusive, artist-curated merchandise line with Grand Ole Opry members Little Big Town.
The collection’s title, Boondocks, is taken from the group’s first hit and is the first of four capsule collections Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment plan to release this year. Other Little Big Town songs will similarly inspire the three additional collections.
“This looks like a dream Saturday night,” said Karen Fairchild as she took in the surroundings. “I wish this was my backyard, with a wine bar and a whiskey bar, and an airstream trailer.”
The Boondocks line incorporates southern, woodsy elements into pieces such as greeting cards, wine tumblers, shirts, coffee mugs, totes, guitar straps, and clothing pieces, all emblazoned with lyrics from Little Big Town’s songs, especially “Boondocks.”
The capsule includes a red lacy jacket from Fairchild’s separate Fair Child clothing line, as well as denim and camo jackets. The capsule collection also offers fun patches emblazoned with Little Big Town song titles such as “Girl Crush” and “Happy People” to accessorize clothing.
The collection expands on the ties between Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment. Earlier this year, Little Big Town launched the Ryman Auditorium’s first residency.
“It’s like a tasting room tonight,” said Fairchild, who revealed they were quite thorough in testing products from the Boondocks line. “The wine glasses in the Boondocks collection, we practiced to see if they really will break or scratch. We bounced them off the floor several times, and the Opry knows how to make a good wine glass.”
A leather journal has the set list of the first night of the Ryman residency in the back of it and the chorus to “Boondocks” in the front.
“Hopefully it will inspire everyone to journal and maybe write some songs,” said Fairchild.
“Their vision and love of putting beautiful things together, their creativity, their passion for reaching their fans through merchandise and every form possible, has made this a beautiful collection,” said Kim O’Dell, VP of Retail for Opry Entertainment Group. “It was each of them giving me feedback for months on end to find things they want to get to fans.”
Fairchild and her fellow Little Big Town members Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook each spoke of their favorite pieces from the Boondocks capsule. Sweet favored the leather journal, while Fairchild preferred a sturdy water bottle. Westbrook favored a coffee mug, while Schlapman also claimed a coffee mug emblazoned with the lyrics Old Camp Creek as her favorite.
“We live and die by coffee. I have a newborn,” said Schlapman, who recently announced she and her family had adopted a new baby girl. “I grew up on Camp Creek Road and that’s why we put that line in ‘Boondocks,’” said Schlapman.
“When we wrote [“Boondocks”], we were in a place in our musical journey, that we wanted to speak about our lives and who we were,” Sweet said. “That really was a defining moment for us. We had just been dropped from a major label, but then that was the first song we had success with. It took us to the party.”
“It was the perfect song to launch a lifestyle collection,” remarked Fairchild. “Our days start, because we have babies, with a cup of coffee— “
“Lots of coffee,” Westbrook interjected.
“And because we [also] have babies, it ends with a glass of wine,” said Fairchild. “All of that in between, from things that are fashionable to the jewelry to the journals because we are songwriters, Boondocks was the perfect correlation to show fans how we live our lives through really beautiful things.”
The evening also featured merchandise from the group’s recent retail ventures.
The backstage area at the Grand Ole Opry offered turkey sliders and Crazy Daisy bars from Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, as well as red wine and chardonnay from the group’s new line 4 Cellars, a partnership with Browne Family Vineyards in Walla Walla, Washington. Schlapman, in 2015, partnered with Cracker Barrel for a product line as well.
Previously, Karen Fairchild spun her love of fashion into the clothing line Fair Child. In addition to Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, she has a new kitchen line, dubbed Love & Daisies, in the works with the Home Shopping Network. Fairchild said those previous business experiences allowed them to come into the new project with wisdom about the retail process.
“It influences us by knowing what a cohesive collection feels like, down to the way the leather feels on the leather guitar strap. The colors of the bracelets match The Breaker album. We are kind of crazy control freaks, but if you are going to do something like this, you have to be or it’s not cohesive. When you pick up some of those items, you think, ‘Yeah, this a whiskey glass Phillip would have in his house.’ That’s how I’ve learned. And the Opry/Ryman team has been incredible to work with.”
The Boondocks collection marks the second time Opry Entertainment Group has partnered with an artist to launch a line of merchandise, following their work on the Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler line of home goods that launched with Pickler in 2015.
“We did research to find those attributes that fans most relate to,” says O’Dell. “Once we defined those attributes, we started to build lifestyle products inside our stores that gave fans who come through our doors an opportunity not just to buy a memento of their trip here, but the opportunity to incorporate themselves into a country lifestyle and take a piece of it home with them that they couldn’t find anywhere else.”
O’Dell says fans can expect Opry Entertainment collaborations on new collections from additional country artists in the near future.
“We are looking at making sure we grow this to include up and coming artists, A-list artists like Little Big Town and legacy artists. We are working on that simultaneously and every year will include a mix of that.”
The Little Big Town Boondocks collection is exclusively available on Opry Entertainment websites (ryman.com and opry.com) and in Opry Entertainment retail stores in Nashville.
Jake Owen Showcases Horns, Hits Beyond Radio, At Ascend Show
/by Eric T. ParkerPhotos by John Shearer/Getty Images
As part of a touring schedule keeping Jake Owen busy until at least October, the RCA Nashville star took to Music City’s Ascend Amphitheater on Thurs., April 27.
For his first headlining concert in Nashville, Owen showcased a high-energy set-list of fan-favorites alongside radio hits.
After a string of upbeat songs, Owen slowed the tempo with the memorable, “Alone With You.” Without losing the standing crowd’s enthusiasm, Owen teased with a prelude of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” complete with a 3-piece horn section, before leading into a rearranged cover of “8 Second Ride.”
Offering more hits, including “Beachin'” and “Days of Gold,” complete with flamethrower pyrotechnics, the singer then covered Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire,” emphasized by the backing brass section.
Owen again slowed the 90-minute set with another mega-hit, “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You,” accented by the dynamic horns.
“In a town filled with so much talent, I’m so flattered you would see the guys and I come out and play,” said a humble Owen with heartfelt gratitude for the capacity crowd, adding that he moved to Music City 13 years ago to follow his dream.
Owen even threw it back to 2006 with “Yee Haw,” the lead single from his debut album, and also played his hit “The One That Got Away.” If there were anthems that filled the venue, “Anywhere With You” and the encore “American Country Love Song,” were them.
For a rare acoustic highlight, Owen gave a tribute to the late Merle Haggard with “Footlights.” He next welcomed show opener Eric Paslay back to the stage for a mash-up of “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” (co-written by Paslay) and Will Smith’s “Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.” The night’s wall of sound concluded with dazzling fireworks.
LANco and Paslay were featured as special guests for the outing. Paslay said he felt, “like we’re in the back yard.” The UMG Nashville hitmaker donned sun shades for “High Class,” following the remarkably written “She Don’t Love You.” Paslay wrapped with Eli Young Band’s No. 1, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” another hit he co-wrote.
To catch all the action, see Owen on the recently-announced Good Company World Tour, expected to hit arenas and theaters in America, Canada and Europe in 2018.
(L-R): Dennis Reese (SVP Promotion, RCA Nashville), Keith Gale (Good Company Entertainment), Rob Beckham (WME), Randy Goodman (Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville), Jake Owen, Ken Robold (COO, Sony Music Nashville), John Zarling (SVP Marketing & New Business, Sony Music Nashville), Jim Catino (SVP A&R, Sony Music Nashville), Lauren Thomas (Director National Promotion, Sony Music Nashville)
Jake Owen and Eric Paslay.
Jim Lauderdale Finds Inspiration Across The Pond On Latest CD
/by Lorie HollabaughProduced by Neil Brockbank and Robert Trehern in two sessions at London’s Gold Top Studios, and due out June 30, London Southern is Lauderdale’s 29th album. Yesterday (4/27) American Songwriter premiered the first song from London Southern, “You Came to Get Me” a track that is available for instant download with every album pre-order.
“I wanted a different sound, kind of a throwback to the early ’60s. All the players had the same sort of experience I did, only from where they were. So it was that thing of how much British musicians loved American music, and how they interpreted our roots, then we interpreted them. They love a lot of the same things I do, only from a very different perspective…it was very American to British to America to Britain to America to, well, here. And sonically, I really put myself in Neil’s hands. He got things that were very unique, and fresh, and captured that feeling I was after.”
1. Sweet Time (Lauderdale)
Cheap Trick Plans New Big Machine Project
/by Lorie HollabaughThe band co-produced the new project, their 18th studio album, with longtime collaborator Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell, Fastball). The album will be available in standard and deluxe editions, with the deluxe version including three bonus tracks, including a kaleidoscopic cover of The Move’s “Blackberry Way.”
WE’RE ALL ALRIGHT! Track List:
1. “You Got It Going On”
2. “Long Time Coming”
3. “Nowhere”
4. “Radio Lover”
5. “Lolita”
6. “Brand New Name On An Old Tattoo”
7. “Floating Down”
8. “She’s Alright”
9. “Listen To Me”
10. “The Rest Of My Life”
Deluxe Tracks
11. “Blackberry Way”
12. “Like A Fly”
13. “If You Still Want My Love”
Rising Stars Brett Young, Luke Combs Earn RIAA Gold
/by Sarah SkatesThe BMLG artist is on the road with Justin Moore and Lee Brice, and will soon head to Canada to open for Thomas Rhett before spending the summer on tour with Lady Antebellum.
Luke Combs’ debut single “Hurricane” has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Continuing its meteoric rise, the single peaked at No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout chart and continues to rise on the major-market charts. It is No. 2 on the country streaming charts this week with over 74 million streams.
Combs’ debut album This One’s For You will be released June 2 on River House Artists/Columbia Nashville. The project features twelve tracks co-written by Combs. Fans who pre-order it will immediately receive five tracks: “Hurricane,” “Out There,” “Memories Are Made Of,” “Beer Can,” and “This One’s For You.” On May 19, previously unreleased track “One Number Away” will also be available as part of the pre-order.
Combs has played over 110 sold-out headlining shows, and continues on the Devil Don’t Sleep Tour with Brantley Gilbert through September.
Exclusive: Reba Teams With Clarence Spalding, Maverick For Management
/by Jessica NicholsonMcEntire will still serve as president of Reba’s Business, Inc. Her team includes Carolyn Snell (Associate Manager / Tour Manager), Justin McIntosh (VP, Creative & Marketing), Leslie Matthews (Brand Manager) and Eric Steiger (Executive Assistant).
Spalding also oversees the careers of Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Kix Brooks, Darius Rucker, Brooks & Dunn, Terri Clark and Seth Alley.
Little Big Town and CMA Recognize Local Music Teachers
/by Lorie HollabaughLittle Big Town (center) join CMA and CMA Foundation Board members at CMA Music Teachers of Excellence Wednesday at Nissan Stadium. Back (l-r): Victoria Shaw; Kix Brooks; Ron Samuels; Blair Garner; Sally Williams, CMA Board Chairman; Frank Bumstead; John Marks; Everett Lybolt; Bob DiPiero; Rob Potts; Biff Watson; John Huie; Jim Beavers; Mike Dungan; and Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. Front (l-r): Tiffany Kerns, CMA Director of Community Outreach; Little Big Town’s Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Karen Fairchild; Jennie Smythe; and Joe Galante, CMA Foundation Chairman. Photo: Dusty Draper / CMA
Little Big Town and the CMA honored local Metro Nashville educators as the CMA Music Teachers of Excellence Wednesday night (4/26) at a special ceremony at Nissan Stadium. More than a dozen artists were on hand to celebrate with the teachers, as well as CMA Board members, community leaders, and CMA Foundation beneficiary programs.
Twenty-five Metro Nashville Public School teachers were recognized during the ceremony, along with six recipients from other cities, who were acknowledged by the Give a Note Foundation’s “Music In Our Schools Tour” presented by Radio Disney. Each honoree receives a stipend from the CMA Foundation in recognition of their commitment and teaching excellence.
“These educators are building and inspiring a generation, equipping students with tools they will continue to use throughout their lives,” said Joe Galante, CMA Foundation Chairman.
In a special pre-event gathering, Little Big Town were surprised with an emotional reunion with their childhood music teachers Sarah Glover and Jim Walker of Alabama (Jimi Westbrook), Billy Jack Green of Georgia (Karen Fairchild), and Julia Lansford of Arkansas (Phillip Sweet). Earlene Rentz of Kentucky and Robert Ivey of Georgia, who taught Kimberly Schlapman, shared heartfelt video and written messages in their absence. Fairchild serves on the CMA Foundation Board of Directors.
Entertainers also shared videos of well-wishes throughout the evening, with Cam, Brad Paisley, Cassadee Pope, Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band, and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” announcer Dicky Barrett and musical director Cleto Escobedo III all sending messages of support.
The City of Nashville also showed its support for the special event by lighting up downtown landmarks Ascend Amphitheater, Bridgestone Arena, Korean Veterans Boulevard Bridge, Omni Hotel, and the Westin Hotel in CMA blue lights.
“Music City is Music City because of the Country Music Association,” said Dr. Shawn Joseph, MNPS Director of Schools. “[The CMA Foundation] has set the bar high and established new standards for public/private partnerships between Metro Schools and business partners in Nashville and Davidson County.”
Now in its second year, the CMA Music Teachers of Excellence program honors music educators and their indelible impact on students and school communities. The program was created in partnership with Metro Schools’ “Music Makes Us” initiative, which was formed as a result of a 2015 study that highlighted the challenges of local music teachers.
musical.ly Integrates With Apple To Allow Full Song Streaming
/by Lorie HollabaughSince debuting in 2014, musical.ly has grown to over 200 million users.
The company recently launched the #FirstListen and #FirstLook series featuring exclusive sneak peeks of songs and videos. Its popularity among 13 to 25-year-olds has made musical.ly one of the leading destinations for fans to discover new music and for creators to launch careers. Among the stars who have already been created via the musical.ly platform are 15-year-old Baby Ariel who began uploading videos to songs by Justin Bieber and Drake and now has nearly 19 million followers, and 14-year-old Jacob Sartorius, who has garnered 16 million musical.ly fans.
Weekly Chart Report (4/28/17)
/by Troy_StephensonClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Kobalt Adds Kevin Lane As Director, Creative
/by Jessica NicholsonKevin Lane
Kevin Lane has joined Kobalt Music Publishing as Director, Creative. In his new role, Lane will be responsible for pitching songs, setting up co-writes, developing and signing talent.
Lane spent the last seven years at BMG, functioning as a Creative Manager at BMG Chrysalis, and Creative Director at BMG, The New Music Company. Lane worked with the following catalogs while at BMG: Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson, Tony Lane, and Will Hoge. Lane personally worked with and developed writers like Jamie Moore, Andrew DeRoberts, Russell Dickerson, Jason Mizelle, and John Paul White.
Lane will be responsible for handling Kobalt’s catalog, while working creatively with publishers and directing writers in various capacities. He will be overseeing calendar management, co-writing opportunities, and pitching songs while focusing on developing and signing new talent.
“I’m a big fan of Kobalt’s work and progress as a major disruptor in the music industry, and I know this is the case because of the artistic talent that Kobalt attracts,” said Lane. “I’m excited to begin working as a Creative Director with a company that truly values creativity, artistic independence, and integrity.”
Jesse Willoughby, GM of Kobalt Nashville, said, “I’m very excited to have Kevin joining the Kobalt team. Kevin has an incredible passion and knowledge of songs and the creative community, he’ll be a perfect addition to the creative team we’re building at Kobalt.”
Little Big Town, Opry Entertainment Celebrate ‘Boondocks’ Merchandise Collection Launch
/by Jessica NicholsonLittle Big Town
On Tuesday (April 25), the Grand Ole Opry’s backstage area was transformed into a party space filled with twinkling lights, crawfish, wine and whiskey bars, an airstream and plenty of southern charm as Opry Entertainment celebrated its exclusive, artist-curated merchandise line with Grand Ole Opry members Little Big Town.
The collection’s title, Boondocks, is taken from the group’s first hit and is the first of four capsule collections Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment plan to release this year. Other Little Big Town songs will similarly inspire the three additional collections.
“This looks like a dream Saturday night,” said Karen Fairchild as she took in the surroundings. “I wish this was my backyard, with a wine bar and a whiskey bar, and an airstream trailer.”
The Boondocks line incorporates southern, woodsy elements into pieces such as greeting cards, wine tumblers, shirts, coffee mugs, totes, guitar straps, and clothing pieces, all emblazoned with lyrics from Little Big Town’s songs, especially “Boondocks.”
The capsule includes a red lacy jacket from Fairchild’s separate Fair Child clothing line, as well as denim and camo jackets. The capsule collection also offers fun patches emblazoned with Little Big Town song titles such as “Girl Crush” and “Happy People” to accessorize clothing.
The collection expands on the ties between Little Big Town and Opry Entertainment. Earlier this year, Little Big Town launched the Ryman Auditorium’s first residency.
“It’s like a tasting room tonight,” said Fairchild, who revealed they were quite thorough in testing products from the Boondocks line. “The wine glasses in the Boondocks collection, we practiced to see if they really will break or scratch. We bounced them off the floor several times, and the Opry knows how to make a good wine glass.”
A leather journal has the set list of the first night of the Ryman residency in the back of it and the chorus to “Boondocks” in the front.
“Hopefully it will inspire everyone to journal and maybe write some songs,” said Fairchild.
“Their vision and love of putting beautiful things together, their creativity, their passion for reaching their fans through merchandise and every form possible, has made this a beautiful collection,” said Kim O’Dell, VP of Retail for Opry Entertainment Group. “It was each of them giving me feedback for months on end to find things they want to get to fans.”
Fairchild and her fellow Little Big Town members Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook each spoke of their favorite pieces from the Boondocks capsule. Sweet favored the leather journal, while Fairchild preferred a sturdy water bottle. Westbrook favored a coffee mug, while Schlapman also claimed a coffee mug emblazoned with the lyrics Old Camp Creek as her favorite.
“We live and die by coffee. I have a newborn,” said Schlapman, who recently announced she and her family had adopted a new baby girl. “I grew up on Camp Creek Road and that’s why we put that line in ‘Boondocks,’” said Schlapman.
“When we wrote [“Boondocks”], we were in a place in our musical journey, that we wanted to speak about our lives and who we were,” Sweet said. “That really was a defining moment for us. We had just been dropped from a major label, but then that was the first song we had success with. It took us to the party.”
“It was the perfect song to launch a lifestyle collection,” remarked Fairchild. “Our days start, because we have babies, with a cup of coffee— “
“Lots of coffee,” Westbrook interjected.
“And because we [also] have babies, it ends with a glass of wine,” said Fairchild. “All of that in between, from things that are fashionable to the jewelry to the journals because we are songwriters, Boondocks was the perfect correlation to show fans how we live our lives through really beautiful things.”
The evening also featured merchandise from the group’s recent retail ventures.
The backstage area at the Grand Ole Opry offered turkey sliders and Crazy Daisy bars from Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, as well as red wine and chardonnay from the group’s new line 4 Cellars, a partnership with Browne Family Vineyards in Walla Walla, Washington. Schlapman, in 2015, partnered with Cracker Barrel for a product line as well.
Previously, Karen Fairchild spun her love of fashion into the clothing line Fair Child. In addition to Schlapman’s cookbook Oh Gussie, she has a new kitchen line, dubbed Love & Daisies, in the works with the Home Shopping Network. Fairchild said those previous business experiences allowed them to come into the new project with wisdom about the retail process.
“It influences us by knowing what a cohesive collection feels like, down to the way the leather feels on the leather guitar strap. The colors of the bracelets match The Breaker album. We are kind of crazy control freaks, but if you are going to do something like this, you have to be or it’s not cohesive. When you pick up some of those items, you think, ‘Yeah, this a whiskey glass Phillip would have in his house.’ That’s how I’ve learned. And the Opry/Ryman team has been incredible to work with.”
The Boondocks collection marks the second time Opry Entertainment Group has partnered with an artist to launch a line of merchandise, following their work on the Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler line of home goods that launched with Pickler in 2015.
“We did research to find those attributes that fans most relate to,” says O’Dell. “Once we defined those attributes, we started to build lifestyle products inside our stores that gave fans who come through our doors an opportunity not just to buy a memento of their trip here, but the opportunity to incorporate themselves into a country lifestyle and take a piece of it home with them that they couldn’t find anywhere else.”
O’Dell says fans can expect Opry Entertainment collaborations on new collections from additional country artists in the near future.
“We are looking at making sure we grow this to include up and coming artists, A-list artists like Little Big Town and legacy artists. We are working on that simultaneously and every year will include a mix of that.”
The Little Big Town Boondocks collection is exclusively available on Opry Entertainment websites (ryman.com and opry.com) and in Opry Entertainment retail stores in Nashville.