T.J. Martell Foundation Nashville Honors Gala Offers Inspiration

Pictured (L to R): Brian Philips, Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., Kenny Rogers, Aubrey Harwell, FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith; Back row (L to R): Jackie Wilson, Laura Heatherly, Dave Berryman, Scott Borchetta, Joe Walsh, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Leslie Fram, Chris Young, Charles Esten

Pictured (L -R): Brian Philips, Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., Kenny Rogers, Aubrey Harwell, FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith; Back row (L-R): Jackie Wilson, Laura Heatherly, Dave Berryman, Scott Borchetta, Joe Walsh, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Leslie Fram, Chris Young, Charles Esten. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

The T.J. Martell Foundation raised $500,000 to benefit leukemia, cancer and AIDS research at last night’s (Monday, Feb. 29) 8th annual Nashville Honors Gala, for a total of nearly $3 million raised since 2009.

Hosted by Charles Esten, the gala brought an array of outstanding performances and tributes to recognize the efforts of dedicated individuals who have provided inspiring leadership to our community.

Ronnie Milsap performs onstage at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on February 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Ronnie Milsap performs onstage at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on Feb. 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Honorees were treated to performances by Esten, Don Henley, Ronnie Milsap, Joe Walsh, Jackie Wilson and Chris Young and special presentations were made by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Hal Moses, Ph.D. and industry executive Scott Borchetta.

This year’s honorees included Aubrey Harwell, Co-Founding Partner of Neal and Harwell receiving the Spirit of Nashville Award, while Brian Philips, President of CMT, received the Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award. Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, received the Medical Research Advancement Award, and Grammy award-winning Kenny Rogers received the Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award. Fred W. Smith, founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Fedex Corporation, was also in attendance to accept the Outstanding Global Citizenship Award on behalf of more than 350,000 team members around the world.

Don Henley performs at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on February 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Don Henley performs at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on Feb. 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Honoring Aubrey Harwell, highlights included Milsap’s performance of Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart” before peforming his hit, “Smoky Mountain Rain,” one of Tennessee’s state songs, both which greatly pleased the enthusiastic crowd.

Young delivered an acoustic version of his hit “Voices” to honor Dr. Pietenpol while Walsh honored Brian Philips with “A Life of Illusion,” a favorite song of Brian’s children. Rounding out the performances, Henley performed the first song he ever wrote with the late Glenn Frey, “Desperado” to honor Kenny Rogers. The rendition brought everyone to a standing ovation.

Joe Walsh peforms at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on February 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Joe Walsh performs at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on Feb. 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Big Machine Label Group's Scott Borchetta (right) presents Brian Phillips with the Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on February 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta (right) presents Brian Phillips with the Frances Preston Outstanding Music Industry Achievement Award at the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on Feb. 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Chris Young, T.J. Martell Foundation's Tinti Moffat, and WME's Rob Beckham attend the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on February 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Chris Young, T.J. Martell Foundation’s Tinti Moffat, and WME’s Rob Beckham attend the T.J. Martell Foundation 8th Annual Nashville Honors Gala at the Omni Nashville Hotel on Feb. 29, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell)

Granger Smith To Recite Pledge Of Allegiance In 13 Original Colonies, Washington D.C.

Granger SmithWheelhouse Records artist Granger Smith is set to embark on a two-day tour on Sunday, March 6, through this trek doesn’t involve musical performances. Instead, Smith will recite the Pledge of Allegiance at each stop at all 13 original colonies, plus Washington D.C.

The Granger Across Merica Pledge Of Allegiance Tour Powered By Yee Yee Energy will coincide the release of Smith’s album Remington (available March 4).

“I’ve always felt compelled to voice my love of this country,” said Smith. ” My granddad and so many countless others have fought for our freedom. That freedom allows us as Americans to pursue our dreams and I am proof they can come true. I feel blessed to have a platform that may inspire others to remember what this nation was founded on. I hope folks will join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as a symbol of our thanks for those who defend our God-given rights.”

Smith has shown a strong support for military men and women in a variety of ways. He personally founded the 100-Mile Boot Walk to raise awareness surrounding the challenges and needs troops face upon returning home and has benefitted the Boot Campaign. He has also performed several shows overseas for troops. Granger’s popular country boy alter-ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., even pays homage to the United States with his new song, “Merica,” featured on the new album.

Granger Across Merica Pledge of Allegiance Tour Powered by Yee Yee Energy is built into Granger’s album release week activities, which include appearances on the Today Show, Fox & Friends, AOL Build, KTLA and more.

In February, Smith celebrated his first national No. 1 country single with “Backroad Song.”

GRANGER ACROSS MERICA PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TOUR POWERED BY YEE YEE ENERGY TOUR SCHEDULE:

Sunday, March 6

7:00-7:30 a.m.: Atlanta, Georgia (Georgia State Capitol)
9:20-9:50 a.m.: Greenville, South Carolina (Liberty Bridge)
11:15-11:45 a.m.: Charlotte, North Carolina (Bank of America Stadium)
1:40-2:10 p.m.: Norfolk, Virginia (USS Wisconsin)
4:15-4:45 p.m.: Washington, D.C. (Washington Monument)
5:45-6:15 p.m.: Baltimore, Maryland (Baltimore City Hall)
TBD: Wilmington, Delaware (Rodney Square/Horse Statue)

Monday, March 7
7:15-7:45 a.m.: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Liberty Bell)
10:00-10:30 a.m.: Hartford, Connecticut (Hartford State Capitol Building)
12:00-12:30 p.m.: Providence, Rhode Island (Mile End Cove across from Dominion Energy Manchester Street Station)
2:30-3:00 p.m.: Boston, Massachusetts (USS Constitution/Old Ironsides Ship)
4:30-5:00 p.m.: Portsmouth, New Hampshire (North Church at Town Square)
7:00-7:30 p.m.: East Rutherford, New Jersey (MetLife Stadium)
8:15-8:45 p.m.: New York, New York (Battery Park)

Mark Your Calendar — March 2016

Single Add Dates

SteveMoaklerSuitcaseMarch 7
Jake Owen/American Country Love Song/RCA Nashville
Tucker Beathard/Rock On/Dot Records
Iron Cowboy with Cathy Paty/Love Me Alone/SMG Nashville
Allie Louise/Stillettos/Sixth Beat

March 14
Granger Smith/If The Boot Fits/Wheelhouse Records
Courtney Dickinson/Young Forever/Graffiti Peace Records
Brian Collins/Healing Highway/Blue Light
Kayla Calabrese/Happily Never After/Burning Ground Entertainment
Farewell Angelina/Hillbilly 401K/in2une Nashville
Steve Moakler/Suitcase/Creative Nation Records

March 21
Josh Abbott Band/Wasn’t That Drunk/Sixteen-08
Matt Stillwell/Hey Dad/723 Entertainment
Lauren Lizabeth/To Be Young/Nine North Records

Industry Events

sxswMarch 7
Final Round Ballot for ACM Awards closes

March 11-20
SXSW in Austin, Texas (Interactive, March 11–15; Film, March 11–19; Music, March 15–20)

Album Releases

Randy-Houser-Fired-UpMarch 4
Loretta Lynn/Full Circle/Legacy Recordings
Granger Smith/Remington/Wheelhouse Records

March 8
Various/Opry 9.0, Vol II: Discoveries From The Circle

March 11
Randy Houser/Fired Up/Stoney Creek Records
Shooter Jennings/Countach (for Giorgio) [on vinyl].
Jamie Floyd/Sunshine & Rainbows [EP].
Steve Moakler/Steve Moakler [EP]/Creative Nation Records

March 15
James Robert Webb/Pictures/Bison Creek Records

March 18
Various/Southern Family/Low Country Sound-Elektra Records
Bobby Bones and The Raging Idiots/The Critics Give It 5 Stars/Black River Entertainment
William Michael Morgan/William Michael Morgan [EP]/Warner Bros. Records-Warner Music Nashville
Jordan Smith/Something Beautiful/LightWorkers Media-Republic Records
Various/The Passion: New Orleans Soundtrack/dick clark productions-Virgin Records-Deep Well Records

Agenda Committee Applications Being Accepted For CRS 2017

CRS 2017 Logo

Country Radio Broadcasters is accepting applications from interested parties seeking to be considered for the 2016-2017 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) Agenda Committee.

The application deadline is March 16.

The CRS Agenda Committee is made up of volunteer professionals from all areas of the Country radio and record industries. The committee is primarily responsible for planning events for the upcoming year’s Country Radio Seminar. Prospective applicants must be available to attend agenda meetings in Nashville on June 22-24. Applicants are also expected to attend CRS 2017, held Feb. 22-24.

Visit www.countryradioseminar.com to fill out the application by March 16. Email Sheree Latham with any questions at sheree@crb.org or call the CRB office at (615) 327-4487.

Penny Gattis Joins Round Hill Music, Kari Smith Starts Management Company

Pictured (L-R): Penny Gattis, Kari Smith

Pictured (L-R): Penny Gattis, Kari Smith

Round Hill Music has added Penny Gattis to the position of Senior Director of A&R in the company’s Nashville office. Gattis is the former Director of Writer/Publisher Relations in BMI’s Nashville office.

While at BMI, Gattis developed new opportunities for BMI songwriters and publishers. She launched Sync THIS!, an exclusive, two-day networking and musical discovery gathering designed to connect Nashville talent and tastemakers with top music supervisors in 2013. Also, she helped create and coordinate BMI’s substantial calendar of local and national songwriter-focused showcases, seminars, and other events including Lollapalooza, Hangout, ACL, Key West Songwriter Festival, Fontanel Winter Songwriter Retreat, Maui Songwriter Festival, East Side Sounds and many more.

Before joining BMI, Gattis served as Creative Director at Tom-Leis Music and Love Monkey Music. A Wisconsin native, Gattis graduated from Nashville’s Belmont University with honors with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Music Business degree.

Gattis can be reached at pgattis@roundhillmusic.com.

Additionally, Kari Smith has exited Round Hill Music to launch management company Hear Candy Music. Smith continues to work with Round Hill Music on behalf of Marti Frederiksen’s joint venture, Riding Songs. Hear Candy’s roster includes Frederiksen, Lindsey Lee, and band Loving Mary, as well as Riding Songs.

Smith can be reached at kari@hearcandymusic.com.

Leadership Music Accepting Applications For Class Of 2017

Leadership-Music-Logo570Leadership Music is now accepting applications from established music industry leaders for the Class of 2017 and will accept them online through March 31.

The eight-month, Nashville-based program begins in October and is designed to expose participants to every phase of the music industry, build channels of communication between established leaders, and explore the challenges facing the music industry. Participants first attend an orientation and alumni welcome reception in September and the Opening Retreat in October, followed by six all-day sessions once a month, ending in May with graduation at Closing Retreat. One-time tuition for the program is $1,000.

According to Debbie Schwartz Linn, executive director of the 27-year-old organization with more than 1,100 alumni, “For the Class of 2017 only, we are trying a concept new to Leadership Music. After 27 years of Friday-only program days and in response to the changing landscape of the business, we will have three program days on Tuesday and three on Friday. The board will re-evaluate the process at the end of the program year.”

Application forms, program dates, policies and FAQ’s are available at leadershipmusic.org/apply/

According to Linn, “When we enter into the selection process, our uppermost goal is to select a passionate, balanced and diversified class of professionals, who are, individually and collectively, the best and brightest leaders in their field and represent all segments of the music industry. Each year, the selection committee has the difficult task of determining the class slate from far more qualified applicants than we have slots. Last year we had a record number of applicants and expect the same this year, the 28th class. That’s a good problem to have, but it is often frustrating for those who have applied multiple times. We strongly encourage applicants to keep applying if not selected. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and well worth the effort.”

 

UMG Nashville Signs ole Songwriter Jordan Davis

Front Row (L-R): UMG Nashville Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan; Jordan Davis; UMG Nashville Vice President A&R Stephanie Wright. (Back Row, L-R): UMG Nashville Senior Vice President A&R Brian Wright; UMG Nashville Vice President Business and Legal Affairs Rob Femia; UMG Nashville Senior Vice President Promotion Royce Risser; UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe; UMG Nashville Senior Vice President and COO Mike Harris. Photo: Alain Poizner

Pictured (Front Row, L-R): UMG Nashville Chairman & CEO Mike Dungan; Jordan Davis; UMG Nashville Vice President A&R Stephanie Wright. (Back Row, L-R): UMG Nashville Senior Vice President A&R Brian Wright; UMG Nashville Vice President Business and Legal Affairs Rob Femia; UMG Nashville Senior Vice President Promotion Royce Risser; UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe; UMG Nashville Senior Vice President and COO Mike Harris. Photo: Alain Poizner

Universal Music Group Nashville has signed singer/songwriter Jordan Davis.

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Jordan attended LSU where he studied resource conservation. He moved to Nashville after graduating and in 2015 signed a publishing deal with ole.

Davis has been touring non-stop the past year and has opened for Chase Rice, Josh Abbott Band, Tracy Lawrence, David Nail and more. He is currently working on his debut album.

LifeNotes: City National Bank’s Bram Goldsmith

IMG_2416

Pictured (L-R): Diane Pearson, Bram Goldsmith, Lori Badgett

Bram Goldsmith, who led City National Bank for 20 years, died Sunday, Feb. 28. He was 93.

As chairman and CEO from 1975 to 1995, he grew the company’s assets more than five-fold, to $3.2 billion. Bram was a director of the company for 50 years, chairman of City National Corporation for over 40 years, and an active member of the company’s Strategy and Planning Committee up to and through its most recent meeting.

Bram was born in Chicago in 1923.  His parents were Bertha and Max Goldsmith. Bram attended the University of Illinois, where he studied finance and business administration, and in 1942, he joined the U.S. Army, and married his wife of more than 70 years, Elaine. He served in Burma during the war. Following World War II, Bram returned to Chicago, but moved to Los Angeles in 1952. In 1953, a small group of local businessmen, including his father-in-law Ben Maltz, decided to open a bank that would cater to entrepreneurs, real estate professionals and the city’s growing entertainment industry. A year later, City National Bank opened its doors. In 1964, he replaced his father-in-law on the board.

Bram developed a close relationship with the bank and in 1975, he bought a 19 percent stake in the company from its retiring CEO Al Hart, and for the next 20 years he served as its chairman and chief executive officer. Before joining City National full-time in 1975, Bram served for 20 years as president and chief executive officer of Buckeye Realty and Management Corporation, the company he co-owned with his partner George Konheim.

A public memorial service is planned for 3 p.m. Friday (March 4) in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The service will be followed by a reception in the same location.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bram’s name to The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center or the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Today, City National has more than $36 billion in assets, and its 3,700 colleagues deliver banking and investment services through 75 offices in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville and Atlanta.

Exclusive: WME Signs Maddie & Tae

Maddie & Tae

Maddie & Tae

Dot Records duo Maddie & Tae have signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME).

The duo’s debut album, Start Here, featured the platinum-selling single “Girl In A Country Song,” as well as their current single “Shut Up And Fish.” They are currently on the road with Lee Brice’s Life Off My Years Tour through April, and will join Brad Paisley this summer on his Crushin’ It World Tour.

The duo is nominated for Vocal Duo Of The Year and New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year at the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards, set for April 3.

Mac McAnally, Muddy Magnolias To Headline Grammy Museum Mississippi Benefit

Mac McAnally

Mac McAnally

Following the opening of the Grammy Museum Mississippi on Saturday (March 5), a benefit concert dubbed “Back Where I Come From” will be held at Delta State University’s Bologna Performing Arts Center. Singer-songwriter Mac McAnally, duo Muddy Magnolias, and The Williams Brothers will headline. Also set to perform are Mississippi-born slide guitarist Sonny Landreth and friends.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to pay respect to the people who have brought us so much enjoyment through their music than to have them perform during this exciting weekend,” said Lucy Janoush, President of the Cleveland Music Foundation. “There will also be special guests in attendance who will be recognized for their lasting contributions to the music we all love.”

“As native Mississippians, we are truly honored to be a part of this grand opening,” said The Williams Brothers’ Doug Williams. “The heritage of gospel music has very deep roots here in Mississippi and many gospel greats came from this state. We would like to personally thank the Grammy Museum for recognizing the rich musical heritage of this state, and for opening only the second museum of this nature here on these grounds.

A Grammy Museum Gallery at Nashville’s Musicians Hall of Fame will celebrate its opening with a ribbon cutting on March 29, followed by a grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.