The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has announced the 2017 class of Leadership Bluegrass. In its 17th year, Leadership Bluegrass is an intensive three-day program of advanced-level interactive learning experiences designed to build commitment, motivate talents and instill enthusiasm for addressing the future of the bluegrass music industry.
Leadership Bluegrass boasts more than 400 alums and each year approximately 25 individuals are invited to take part.
The class of 2017 includes: (name/association/hometown)
Erik Alvar – Jim Hurst Trio, Gainesville, FL
Lee Bidgood – East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Jeff Burke – Music Educator, Nashville, TN
Adam Engelhardt – SonyATV Music Publishing, Nashville, TN
Anna Frick – Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO
Barb Heller – North Country Public Radio-NCPR, Canton, NY
Justin Hiltner – Artist, Nashville, TN
Kathryn Jenkins – Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music, Sevierville, TN
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes – Mile Twelve, Jamaica Plains, MA
Irene Kelley – Artist, Nashville, TN
Uri Kohen – Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, Westport, County Mayo, Ireland
Brennen Leigh – High Plains Jamboree, Austin, TX
CJ Lewandowski – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Sevierville, TN
Corrina Rose Logston – Artist, Whites Creek, TN
Laura Mainer – Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Johnson City, TN
John Meyer – Museum of Appalachia, Tennessee Fall Homecoming, Clinton, TN
Ashley Moyer – Rounder Label Group, Nashville, TN
Joe Newberry – Artist, Raleigh, NC
Akira Otsuka – Bluegrass 45, Gaithersburg, MD
Ricky Gene Powell – Artist, Wintergrass, Burien, WA
Craig Reed – Downtown Raleigh Alliance, Younger Brother Productions, Raleigh, NC
Bobby Rymer – Writers Den Music Group, Nashville, TN
John Smith – Free Dirt Records & Service Co., Washington, DC
Bill Thibodeau – Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance, Cumberland, RI
Kris Truelsen – Radio Bristol, Birthplace of Country Music, Bristol, VA
Rachel Whitney – Pandora Media, Nashville, TN
Leadership Bluegrass 2017 takes place March 20-22 at BMI in Nashville. The course will be facilitated by Trisha Tubbs for the seventh consecutive year. Leadership Bluegrass is made possible through the support of its Platinum Sponsors including BMI, the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation and the Wintergrass Music Festival (Acoustic Sound).
Little Big Town Reveals Track Listing, Album Art For ‘The Breaker’
/by Jessica NicholsonLittle Big Town has released the album art and track listing for their upcoming eighth studio album, The Breaker, set to release Feb. 24 via Capitol Nashville. Taylor Swift penned the group’s current single, “Better Man.”
The 2017 project follows Little Big Town’s pop-infused Wanderlust, which released in June 2016 and found the group collaborating with Pharrell Williams.
The Breaker Track Listing
“Happy People”
“Night On Our Side”
“Lost In California”
“Free”
“Drivin’ Around”
“We Went To The Beach”
“Better Man”
“Rollin'”
“Don’t Die Young, Don’t Get Old”
“Beat Up Bible”
“When Someone Stops Loving You”
“The Breaker”
IBMA Announces Leadership Bluegrass Class Of 2017
/by Jessica NicholsonLeadership Bluegrass boasts more than 400 alums and each year approximately 25 individuals are invited to take part.
The class of 2017 includes: (name/association/hometown)
Erik Alvar – Jim Hurst Trio, Gainesville, FL
Lee Bidgood – East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Jeff Burke – Music Educator, Nashville, TN
Adam Engelhardt – SonyATV Music Publishing, Nashville, TN
Anna Frick – Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO
Barb Heller – North Country Public Radio-NCPR, Canton, NY
Justin Hiltner – Artist, Nashville, TN
Kathryn Jenkins – Kentucky School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music, Sevierville, TN
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes – Mile Twelve, Jamaica Plains, MA
Irene Kelley – Artist, Nashville, TN
Uri Kohen – Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, Westport, County Mayo, Ireland
Brennen Leigh – High Plains Jamboree, Austin, TX
CJ Lewandowski – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Sevierville, TN
Corrina Rose Logston – Artist, Whites Creek, TN
Laura Mainer – Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Johnson City, TN
John Meyer – Museum of Appalachia, Tennessee Fall Homecoming, Clinton, TN
Ashley Moyer – Rounder Label Group, Nashville, TN
Joe Newberry – Artist, Raleigh, NC
Akira Otsuka – Bluegrass 45, Gaithersburg, MD
Ricky Gene Powell – Artist, Wintergrass, Burien, WA
Craig Reed – Downtown Raleigh Alliance, Younger Brother Productions, Raleigh, NC
Bobby Rymer – Writers Den Music Group, Nashville, TN
John Smith – Free Dirt Records & Service Co., Washington, DC
Bill Thibodeau – Rhode Island Bluegrass Alliance, Cumberland, RI
Kris Truelsen – Radio Bristol, Birthplace of Country Music, Bristol, VA
Rachel Whitney – Pandora Media, Nashville, TN
Leadership Bluegrass 2017 takes place March 20-22 at BMI in Nashville. The course will be facilitated by Trisha Tubbs for the seventh consecutive year. Leadership Bluegrass is made possible through the support of its Platinum Sponsors including BMI, the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation and the Wintergrass Music Festival (Acoustic Sound).
Jesse Rice Sets Sail With New ‘Pirate Sessions’ January 27
/by Lorie HollabaughJesse Rice, a writer on the Florida Georgia Line debut smash “Cruise,” mixes a concoction of trop-rock and country on his new The Pirate Sessions III CD available on iTunes Jan. 27. Much like the predecessors Sessions I and II, Rice takes listeners on a journey to a paradise filled with copper-tone beach goers sharing umbrella drinks on the new collection.
The project includes tunes co-written by Rice and Trent Summar, Stephen B. Liles, Eric Gunderson, Chase Rice, and Clayton Anderson among others, and a song featuring special guest Michael Ray, “88 In The Shade.”
“The Pirate Sessions is an album series that serves as an escape to a carefree, beachfront good-time for fans,” says Jesse. “I really enjoy not only performing these songs live, but also getting to record them with my friends here in Nashville. Our previous sessions featured Florida Georgia Line and Chase Rice and this one has surprise guests as well.”
Rosanne Cash, Steve Wariner, Frank Rogers, Sonny Curtis To Lead 2017 ‘The First And The Worst’ Event
/by Jessica NicholsonRosanne Cash (“I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me,” “Seven Year Ache”), Sonny Curtis (“I Fought The Law,” “I’m No Stranger To The Rain”), Frank Rogers (“I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” “Alright”) and Steve Wariner (“Long Necked Bottle,” “Holes In The Floor Of Heaven”) will headline 2017’s “The First And The Worst.”
Hosted by Grammy-nominated producer/songwriter/music critic Peter Cooper the event allows the audience to peek inside the brilliant minds of hit songwriters long before they had ever written a chart-topper or had songs recorded by superstar artists. Additional performers for this year’s event will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Sponsor tables start at $1,500 and can be purchased by contacting Music Health Alliance’s Shelia Shipley Biddy at shelia@musichealthalliance.com. In addition, a silent auction will be held at the March 1.
Individual tickets go on-sale beginning Thursday (Jan. 19) at 3 p.m. CT. Tickets are priced at $50 for balcony seats and $75 for floor seats.
CRS, Edison Research Panel to Explore Country Fans’ Mobile Use
/by Lorie HollabaughTo obtain the research data, Edison conducted one-on-one interviews with 1,500 participants to investigate their mobile-usage habits as well as observed a day-in-the-life to fully understand a typical day’s mobile usage and to “put a face with the phone.” With mobile devices playing a central role in so many lives, Edison wanted to explore how country listeners compare to those of other formats, how the smartphone is changing the way users listen to radio and consume music, what other types of things they are using those devices for, and just how radio can capitalize on those behaviors.
More information on this and other CRS panels can be found at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com or on the CRS mobile app, which provides attendees with an expanded agenda, panel descriptions, speaker bios, live performances, CRS after-hour activities and more.
BMLG To Launch Digital Video Platform
/by Jessica NicholsonBig Machine Label Group will soon launch a proprietary digital video platform, Big Machine TV, giving fans direct access to content featuring the label’s roster of artists. Video viewership on the new platform will count toward Nielsen’s consumption charts.
The platform will include music videos, exclusive interviews, announcements, and behind-the-scenes content for all of the label’s artists, including Taylor Swift, Reba, Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, and more. Each artist will have an individual channel on the platform, allowing fans and viewers to search for desired content easily.
“Big Machine has always pushed the envelope, and we found ourselves asking, ‘Is there a better way when it comes to syndicating our online content, pushing it onto social media, protecting it and ultimately monetizing it at the highest rate possible to benefit our artists?’” said BMLG President and CEO Scott Borchetta. “And the answer was ‘yes’. The Big Machine TV platform is an incredible tool to better serve our artists and their fans by delivering content when and how we want, all the while making sure the creators are compensated fairly.”
More details about the launch will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Industry Ink: Darius Rucker, John Esposito, 30A, Nashville Rising Star, Mississippi Hall Voting
/by Lorie HollabaughDarius Rucker Gets Randy Owen ‘Angel’ Honor
Pictured (L-R): Randy Owen; President and CEO of ALSAC Richard Shadyac Jr.; Darius Rucker. Photo: Seth Dixon
Darius Rucker was recently honored with the Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Academy Of Country Music. ACM Lifting Lives surprised Rucker with a $50,000 donation to St. Jude given in recognition of his work with both the hospital and the ACM.
Espo Addresses Monmouth Graduates
(L to R) Henry Mercer, chairman of the Monmouth University Board of Trustees, Paul R. Brown, president of Monmouth University, Olympic gold medalist and Distinguished Alumni Recipient Christie Rampone and Warner Music Nashville Chairman & CEO John Esposito
Warner Music Nashville Chairman & CEO John Esposito delivered the commencement address to over 400 students at Monmouth University on Friday (Jan. 13) before receiving an honorary doctorate of music from the University from Monmouth president Paul R. Brown.
ASCAP Celebrates At 30A
Pictured (L-R): Derek George, Jaren Johnston, ASCAP’s Evyn Mustoe, Cole Taylor, Cale Dodds, Josh Kerr, Abe Stoklasa, Emily Weisband, ASCAP’s Robert Filhart, Josh Kear and Frank Rogers
ASCAP was a major sponsor of the 30A Songwriters Festival for the 7th consecutive year, and this year’s festival included performances from writers like Josh Kear, Jaren Johnston, Jimmy Robbins, Derek George, Josh Kerr, and Brent Anderson. ASCAP showcases were held at The Boathouse in Watercolor, and on Friday night, special guests included Emily Weisband and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley, who performed “Need You Now” with his co-writer Josh Kear.
Nashville Rising Star Launches Open Mic Contest
The semi-finals will be held March 1 featuring 14 preliminary round winners. The audience (at the venue and online) selects one writer, and the music industry panel selects three writers to move on to the final round. The final round will be on March 8 and the grand prize winner will receive $500 cash and other career advancing prizes.
MAX Hall of Fame Voting Open
Artist Pics: Little Big Town, Harlem Globetrotters, Old Dominion, Tucker Beathard
/by Lorie HollabaughLittle Big Town’s Disney Surprise
Little Big Town pose for a selfie with Radio Disney Country correspondent Savannah Keyes and the Wadsworth High School Choir after the group surprised the choir at a music workshop at Walt Disney World. Photo: Greg Newton
Little Big Town surprised students from Ohio’s Wadsworth High School on Friday (Jan. 13) as they finished up a Disney Performing Arts workshop at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort Performance Hall with a visit that was part of Give a Note Foundation’s 2017 Music In Our Schools Tour. The kickoff event was part of the fourth annual Music In Our Schools – Music Inspires Tour founded by the Give a Note Foundation, an affiliate of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). The event continues to grow each year thanks to the generosity of contributors such as Disney Performing Arts, Radio Disney, Radio Disney Country, and the CMA Foundation.
Country Families Have Some Globetrotters Fun
The Harlem Globetrotters and Josh Turner and his family Photo: Frederick Breedon
A group of country artists and their families had a ball when the Harlem Globetrotters came to town Sunday (Jan. 15) at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and enjoyed a meet and greet with the world-famous team, which has been entertaining millions of fans around the globe for the past 91 years. Josh Turner, with wife Jennifer and sons Hampton, Otis and Colby, Allison DeMarcus with children Madeline and Dylan, David Nail with wife Catherine and twin children Lawson and Lillian, and songwriter Bobby Braddock with daughter, Lauren Braddock Havey and his grandson Braddock Havey were all on hand for the fun. Turner’s son Hampton even appeared on the court in the game’s final quarter and swished a long shot, causing the arena to erupt in cheers. For his achievement, Hampton was awarded with a Harlem Globetrotters autographed jersey presented by Globetrotters star, Ant Atkinson.
Old Dominion Pops Up In Nashville
Tucker Beathard Makes His Opry Debut
Tucker Beathard with Pete Fisher
Tucker Beathard made his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday (Jan. 14), walking into the Opry Circle for the first time with just his guitar and performing a reflective rendition of his new single “Momma And Jesus.”
Beathard also played a new song for the Opry audience, “18,” during his debut on the hallowed stage, which also marked the final one for Opry VP/GM Pete Fisher after 17 years of welcoming new artists into the circle.
Keith Urban, Ross Copperman, Joe Fisher Team With Kobalt For New Publishing Venture
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (Front row, L-R): Mike Milom, Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley PLC; Joe Fisher, Partner, BOOM; Keith Urban, Singer/Songwriter, Partner, BOOM; Ross Copperman, Partner, BOOM. Pictured (Back row, L-R): Mary Ann McCready, Flood Bumstead McCready McCarthy; Stephanie Cox, VP Creative, Kobalt; Jesse Willoughby, Kobalt GM, Kobalt Nashville; Willard Ahdritz, CEO and founder, Kobalt; Richard Sanders, President, Kobalt; Laura Alexander, Senior Director Creative, Kobalt; Kimberly Holcombe, Senior Manager Client Relations, Kobalt; Brooke Yancey, (formerly Creative Assistant, Kobalt).
Kobalt has signed a deal with BOOM, the collaborative publishing venture launched by country singer-songwriter Keith Urban, writer/producer Ross Copperman and A&R professional Joe Fisher. Kobalt will be administering and funding the company along with providing creative support. BOOM’s current roster includes Jordan Minton, Cali Rodi and Logan Turner.
Jesse Willoughby, General Manager of Kobalt, Nashville commented, “We’re beyond excited to announce our partnership with BOOM, to be involved with such an extraordinary group including Keith, Joe and Ross means a tremendous amount to the continued growth of Kobalt Nashville. I speak for everyone on the team with great enthusiasm as we help to grow this new venture.”
“We’re honored to be partnering with our friends at Kobalt,” said Urban, Fisher and Copperman in a joint statement. “They’re leaders in the industry with a dedicated focus on technology that makes them one of the best administrative company’s in the world. Their creative team is extraordinary and we’re looking forward to only great things in the future.”
Richard Sanders, President of Kobalt Music said, “When artists, writers and industry professionals of this caliber come together to form their own venture, and choose to partner with Kobalt, it is truly an honor and it speaks volumes to the trust people have in the company.”
Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood Among Grammy Performers
/by Jessica NicholsonKeith Urban and Carrie Underwood are among the first round of performers announced for the upcoming Grammy Awards in February. Other performers revealed include Metallica, The Weeknd, and John Legend.
No word if Urban and Underwood will perform separately or together during the ceremony, as they appear together for “The Fighter” on Urban’s Ripcord project.
Urban is nominated for Best Country Album for Ripcord, as well as for Best Country Solo Performance, for “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” The track also netted a Best Country Song nomination for songwriters Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey and Steven Lee Olsen.
Meanwhile, Underwood is also nominated for Best Country Solo Performance, for “Church Bells.”
The 2017 Grammy awards will be held Feb. 12 at the Los Angeles Staples Center. The ceremony airs live at 8 p.m. on CBS.