Clifford Curry
Funeral services for Nashville’s soul music mainstay Clifford Curry were held in Knoxville on Saturday (Sept. 17).
Best known for his evergreen hit “She Shot a Hole in My Soul,” Curry became a star on the “beach music” circuit in the 1980s and 1990s. He toured with such R&B greats as Maurice Williams, Percy Sledge, Archie Bell, Clarence “Frogman” Henry and his fellow Nashvillians Earl Gaines and Roscoe Shelton.
Clifford Curry Jr. was born in Chicago on Nov. 3, 1936 and was raised in Knoxville. He originally gained local notoriety in 1956 in East Tennessee as a member of the doo-wop group The Echoes.
In 1959-63, Curry sang lead for the touring Bubba Suggs Band. Suggs dubbed him “Sweet Clifford.” For years thereafter, Clifford Curry commuted between Knoxville and the Nashville area trying to further his music career.
He sang with a variety of groups, including The Five Pennies, The Bingos, The Hollyhocks, The Fabulous Six and The Midnights. Curry became popular on the Southern fraternity-party circuit in the early 1960s. Billed as “Sweet Clifford,” he released singles on Nashville’s Excello Records in 1963 and 1965.
Music City songwriters Mac Gayden and Chuck Neese co-wrote “She Shot a Hole in My Soul.” After Curry recorded it in Nashville, Buzz Cason put it out on his Elf Records label. It topped the charts on many radio stations in Tennessee, Kentucky and other Southern states, was a hit on the national R&B charts and also became a minor pop success in 1967.
Curry followed it with recordings of such Nashville tunes as Arthur Alexander’s “We’re Gonna Hate Ourselves in the Morning,” Bobby Russell’s “I Need a Little Help, Girl” and Cason’s “Good Humor Man.” He continued to record in Nashville throughout the 1970s.
As a songwriter, Curry tasted gospel success with “He’s Gonna Smile on Me,” which became a hit for The Oak Ridge Boys in 1974.
Meanwhile, Clifford Curry records such as “The Natives Are Restless Tonight” and “Soul Ranger” became popular on the “Northern Soul” scene in England.
It turned out that his oldie “She Shot a Hole in My Soul” had a longer shelf life than expected. Its loping, easy-rocking tempo made it an ideal single for a dance called The Shag, which steadily grew in popularity in the beach-resort culture of the Carolinas. As a result, during the 1980s, Clifford Curry found himself in demand as an entertainer in the nightclubs of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the surrounding area.
He became a permanent Nashville resident in 1985. Curry reignited his recording career with such Music City albums as Then and Now, Cold Beer and Hot Women, The Soul of Clifford Curry, Blues I Can’t Lose, The Provider, Clifford’s Blues and She Shot a Hole in My Soul Again!
He also recorded a tune called “Shag With Me” to capitalize on his “beach music” notoriety. His 1986 single “Mr. Lonely”/”25 Hours a Day” was also aimed at the beach-music market.
Clifford Curry eventually became known as “The King of Beach Music.” He was regularly honored at the annual Carolina Beach Music Awards (known as The Cammys). He was inducted into the Beach Music Hall of Fame in 1995. His version of Joe Turner’s “Boogie Woogie Country Girl” was named Beach Music Record of the Year at the same ceremony.
This musical genre was notably saluted in the group Alabama’s 1997 country hit “Dancin,’ Shaggin’ on the Boulevard.” Around this same time, Curry saluted his hometown and his UT loyalty with his single “Pat Summit, Dad Gummit.”
Clifford Curry recorded blues albums in Nashville during the 1990s. He toured Europe to promote these in 1995 and 1997.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001. The Nashville music community organized a benefit show for Curry’s medical expenses. Billed as “An Evening of Classic Rock ‘n’ Roll,” the event starred Cason, Dobie Gray, Bruce Channel, Dennis Yost, Dickey Lee, Ray Peterson, Bucky Wilkin, Troy Shondell, Robert Knight, Larry Henley, Gene Hughes, Freddy Weller, The Sons of the Beach and more.
Curry came back into the spotlight via the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Night Train to Nashville exhibit in 2004. “She Shot a Hole in My Soul” was included on the exhibit’s companion CD, which won a Grammy Award.
Clifford Curry suffered a stroke on Aug. 29 and was hospitalized at UT Medical Center in Knoxville. He died there on Sept. 7 at age 79.
He is survived by sons Tony, Jackie and Clifford III, by daughters Deborah Curry, Jessica Blaylock and Lydia Holmes, by brother Floyd and by several grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was buried in Knoxville’s Highland Memorial Cemetery.
Jennifer Nettles Plans Christmas Album, Nashville Symphony Show
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Julian Raymond-produced project welcomes Idina Menzel on “Little Drummer Boy,” and Andra Day on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Dolly Parton wrote the track “Circle of Love.”
“I’m such a lover of this season and all of the magical feelings that surround us during the holidays so it will be exciting to share it with fans at our live shows,” Nettles said. “Especially since the birth of my son, who arrived to us in December, I’ve found even more joy Christmas traditions and music. Having both Idina and Andra lend their idyllic voices to some of my favorite songs is the bow on top!”
In celebration, Nettles is also set to perform a Christmas concert with the Nashville Symphony on Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. CT.
No stranger to holiday music, Nettles and Sugarland cohort Kristian Bush released the 2009 project Gold and Green. She also guested on Michael W. Smith’s 2014 album The Spirit of Christmas and on Kenny Rogers’ 2015 album Once Again It’s Christmas.
Nettles will also return to television this holiday season to star in the NBC television special Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, the holiday-themed sequel to Coat of Many Colors.
TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS TRACK LIST:
1. “Go Tell It On The Mountain”
2. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (featuring Andra Day)
3. “Little Drummer Boy” (featuring Idina Menzel)
4. “Celebrate Me Home”
5. “Circle Of Love”
6. “Do You Hear What I Hear”
7. “Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep”
8. “O Holy Night”
9. “Merry Christmas With Love”
10. “The First Noel”
Music City Food + Wine Festival Illuminates Music and Menus
/by Eric T. ParkerHarvest Night finale. Pictured (L-R): Kings of Leon’s Jared Followill, Caleb Followill; Cage The Elephant’s Matt Shultz; alongside Chris Coleman. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman
Maturing like a fine wine, the fourth annual Music City Food + Wine Festival has become a must-experience destination for Nashville. Taking place Saturday–Sunday (Sept. 17-18, 2016), afternoon events featured more locally-centered purveyors at the Bicentennial Mall State Park. By contrast, the sold-out Harvest Night evening on Saturday showcased globally-known chefs and music artists in the Walk of Fame Park.
Well-known Nashville band the Long Players backed a slew of talent including Charles Kelley, Lee Ann Womack, Hunter Hayes, Holly Williams and Aaron Lewis, among others.
Grand Taste tasting session cheers. Photo: Cambria Harkey
Pictured (L-R): Editor in Chief of Food & Wine Magazine, Nilou Motamed with Adele’s Nashville/Bajo Sexto restaurateur Jonathan Waxman. Photo: Cambria Harkey
Artists turned to the ’80s for inspiration to create the setlist after guests were had finished grazing throughout the park. Among the tasteful tributes were Williams’ cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” Womack’s version of John Waite’s “Missing You,” and an appearance from Men at Work’s Colin Hay, who ‘covered’ his own “Down Under” and “Overkill.”
Holly Williams (R) with husband, musician Chris Coleman (L). Photo: Cambria Harkey
Kelley’s charisma paired well on Wham!’s “Careless Whisper” in addition to a reverb-saturated stab at Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing.” Hayes electrified guitar rocked a cover of Bruce Hornsby and the Range’s “The Way It Is” before tearing up Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Dot Records artist and STAIND frontman Lewis delivered The Cars’ “Drive” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”
Charles Kelley. Photo: Cambria Harkey
Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon—the band that produced the festival alongside chef Jonathan Waxman, Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and Andy Mendelsohn, and Austin-based C3 Presents—took to the stage to cover Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire.” Jessie Baylin, wife of Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill, performed Sade’s “Smooth Operator” and was a guest vocalist for Langhorne Slim‘s cover of the Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle with Care” and the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” Nashville-based Cage the Elephants‘ Matt Shultz took aim at The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” before the finale welcomed all artists for Modern English’s “I Melt With You.”
Gale Mayes and her Gospel Brunch. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman
Saturday’s rainy afternoon broke for a blue-sky Gospel Brunch on Sunday presented by phenomenal Gale Mayes and friends. The semi-impromptu annual dance party ensued around the DJ booth to wrap the 2016 event. Among those sampling the sounds and flavors this year were actor Chace Crawford, Taylor Swift, and Caleb Followill’s wife and Victoria Secret Angel Lily Aldridge.
Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followill lends a hand during a chef demo. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman
Grand Taste Highlights: Jim ‘N Nicks Bar-B-Q alternated between a pulled pork slider and taco. Mangia’s offered hot Italian sausage sandwiches. And local tastes in Williams-Sonoma’s USA Pan tent included Utterly Nashville’s gold leaf macaron and Sweet 16th’s brownies and cookies. For beverages, Ferrari-Carano’s Spirit of Italy red blend and Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay rum were featured.
Harvest Night Highlights: Ludo Lefebvre served crispy tapioca, parmesan and passion fruit chili. Tony Mantuano presented polenta and sunny side up quail egg, garnished with summer truffle and grana padano. Alternatively, Florida’s 30A chef Scott Plumley offered a fantastic chocolate truffle, in the newly-added and much needed dessert section of Harvest Night.
Chef Nick Pellegrino of Mangia Nashville. Photo: Cambria Harkey
Chef Ludo Lefebvre with his Passion Fruit Tapicoa. Photo: Cambria Harkey
Proper Bagel and brewery selections. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman
Grilling at the Martins Bar-B-Que and Friends. Photo: Nathan Zucker
Grilling at the Martins Bar-B-Que and Friends. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman
Chris Young Enlists Boyz II Men, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley For Christmas Album
/by Jessica NicholsonChris Young welcomed some talented friends for his upcoming Christmas album, It Must Be Christmas, set to release Oct. 14.
Alan Jackson appears on “There’s A New Kid In Town,” which originally appeared on Jackson’s first Christmas album in 1993 as a duet with Keith Whitley. Brad Paisley joins Young for a rendition of “The First Noel,” while soul trio Boyz II Men lend their voices to the Christmas classic, “Silent Night.”
In addition, the project includes two originals Young co-wrote, “Under The Weather” and the title track “It Must Be Christmas.”
Young will launch the fall leg of his headlining I’m Comin’ Over Tour this month, joined by Dan+Shay, Dustin Lynch, and Cassadee Pope.
It Must Be Christmas Track List
1. “The Christmas Song”
2. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
3. “Under the Weather”
4. “There’s a New Kid in Town” (feat. Alan Jackson)
5. “Holly Jolly Christmas”
6. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
7. “The First Noel” (feat. Brad Paisley)
8. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
9. “Silent Night” (feat. Boyz II Men)
10. “It Must Be Christmas”
Weekly Register: Jason Aldean Debuts At No. 1 With ‘They Don’t Know’
/by Jessica NicholsonBroken Bow Records artist Jason Aldean secures his third consecutive No. 1 album on the overall sales chart this week with They Don’t Know. The project debuted atop the overall, country, and digital album charts. The project achieved 138K combined units of sales and streaming (131K album only).
Also debuting in the Top 10 on the overall chart is Nashville’s Jack White. His Jack White Acoustic Recordings moved 32K combined units (29.7K album only), to land at No. 8 on the Top 200.
The country albums chart had plenty of its own debuts. In addition to Aldean taking the top spot, Thirty Tigers-Goldie artist Whiskey Myers lands at No. 4 with Mud selling 7.4K. The Dolly Parton/Linda Rondstadt/Emmylou Harris triple-disc Trio Collection landed at No. 7 on the country albums chart, with 5.2K sold, while Chely Wright‘s I Am The Rain sold 4.1K to land at No. 13. The Time Jumpers‘ Kid Sister lands at No. 25 with 1.7K sold.
The top 5 country albums this week include Aldean’s They Don’t Know at No. 1, followed by Florida Georgia Line‘s Dig Your Roots at No. 2 (20.5K sold), Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller at No. 3 (9.5K), Whiskey Myers at No. 4, and Keith Urban‘s Ripcord at No. 5 (6.5K).
Overall album sales have declined 14.4 percent year to date, while overall digital album sales have decreased 19 percent. Country album sales are down 7.9 percent year to date, while country digital album sales have decreased 13 percent.
Kenny Chesney (featuring Pink) is at the top of the country track sales rankings this week, with “Setting The World On Fire” selling 34K this week, and ranking at No. 10 overall. Keith Urban‘s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” lands at No. 2, with 29K. Kelsea Ballerini‘s “Peter Pan” lands at No. 3 with 28K. Miranda Lambert‘s “Vice” is at No. 4, with 23K. Florida Georgia Line‘s “H.O.L.Y.” holds its ranking in the Top 5, selling 21K.
Luke Bryan‘s “Here’s To The Farmer” is this week’s top country track debut, landing at No. 8 on the country tracks chart and No. 43 overall, selling 14K.
Overall track sales have declined 24.8 percent year to date, while country track sales have decreased 23.1 percent.
Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.
ASCAP, NSAI, UMPG Respond To BMI Rate Court Decision
/by Jessica NicholsonExecutives from ASCAP, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) have issued statements regarding the latest court ruling regarding fractionalized licensing.
On Friday (Sept. 16), federal judge Louis Stanton issued an order rejecting the US Department of Justice’s recent interpretation of the consent decree. The order concludes that fractional licensing of musical works is allowed under the consent decree that BMI operates under.
Organizations representing songwriters have responded to the order.
Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, stated, “We are delighted that our songwriters received a great victory today.”
“Finally, someone got this right, thank you Judge Stanton,” said Nashville Songwriters Association President Lee Thomas Miller. “100% licensing would have been devastating and unfair to American songwriters, forcing us to choose collaborators based on their PRO affiliation rather than creative chemistry. As a BMI songwriter, this allows me to go back to writing songs with whomever I wish without the interference of the justice department. I trust that this is the first step in closing the door on this ridiculous notion all together.”
“BMI’s team, from CEO Mike O’Neill to everyone involved is to be applauded,” said NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison. “If this ruling had held, I’m not sure if there would have been a songwriting profession as we know it. It is time to now begin a serious discussion about DOJ sunsetting these ridiculous 75 year-old decrees.”
“As our CEO Beth Matthews said in ASCAP’s public statement on the ruling, this is terrific news for our community of songwriters, composers and music publishers,” said ASCAP president Paul Williams. “I know many of you are wondering what this means for ASCAP. As we review the potential impact of this ruling on ASCAP, we hope it will provide support for our ongoing work with BMI to modernize the regulatory system so that music creators and publishers can effectively compete in the global music marketplace. The fact is songwriters and other music creators are struggling to keep up under an outdated regulatory system that is out of step with how the rest of the world works. We need laws that work in today’s music marketplace. Laws that work for both music creators and the businesses who use our music. And laws that enable us to compete in a global music economy. Change won’t happen overnight. But we’re encouraged by this recent BMI rate court ruling. That’s why we’re going to keep charging ahead, working closing with BMI, other music industry stakeholders and our allies in Congress – of which, I assure you, there are many – to keep moving the music licensing system forward. Together, I know we can protect songwriters, composers and the music we all love.”
As previously reported, BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill, ASCAP CEO Beth Matthews, NMPA President & CEO David Israelite and Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Chairman & CEO Martin Bandier also offered statements.
LifeNotes: Beach Music Kingpin Clifford Curry Passes
/by Robert K OermannClifford Curry
Funeral services for Nashville’s soul music mainstay Clifford Curry were held in Knoxville on Saturday (Sept. 17).
Best known for his evergreen hit “She Shot a Hole in My Soul,” Curry became a star on the “beach music” circuit in the 1980s and 1990s. He toured with such R&B greats as Maurice Williams, Percy Sledge, Archie Bell, Clarence “Frogman” Henry and his fellow Nashvillians Earl Gaines and Roscoe Shelton.
Clifford Curry Jr. was born in Chicago on Nov. 3, 1936 and was raised in Knoxville. He originally gained local notoriety in 1956 in East Tennessee as a member of the doo-wop group The Echoes.
In 1959-63, Curry sang lead for the touring Bubba Suggs Band. Suggs dubbed him “Sweet Clifford.” For years thereafter, Clifford Curry commuted between Knoxville and the Nashville area trying to further his music career.
He sang with a variety of groups, including The Five Pennies, The Bingos, The Hollyhocks, The Fabulous Six and The Midnights. Curry became popular on the Southern fraternity-party circuit in the early 1960s. Billed as “Sweet Clifford,” he released singles on Nashville’s Excello Records in 1963 and 1965.
Music City songwriters Mac Gayden and Chuck Neese co-wrote “She Shot a Hole in My Soul.” After Curry recorded it in Nashville, Buzz Cason put it out on his Elf Records label. It topped the charts on many radio stations in Tennessee, Kentucky and other Southern states, was a hit on the national R&B charts and also became a minor pop success in 1967.
Curry followed it with recordings of such Nashville tunes as Arthur Alexander’s “We’re Gonna Hate Ourselves in the Morning,” Bobby Russell’s “I Need a Little Help, Girl” and Cason’s “Good Humor Man.” He continued to record in Nashville throughout the 1970s.
As a songwriter, Curry tasted gospel success with “He’s Gonna Smile on Me,” which became a hit for The Oak Ridge Boys in 1974.
Meanwhile, Clifford Curry records such as “The Natives Are Restless Tonight” and “Soul Ranger” became popular on the “Northern Soul” scene in England.
It turned out that his oldie “She Shot a Hole in My Soul” had a longer shelf life than expected. Its loping, easy-rocking tempo made it an ideal single for a dance called The Shag, which steadily grew in popularity in the beach-resort culture of the Carolinas. As a result, during the 1980s, Clifford Curry found himself in demand as an entertainer in the nightclubs of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the surrounding area.
He became a permanent Nashville resident in 1985. Curry reignited his recording career with such Music City albums as Then and Now, Cold Beer and Hot Women, The Soul of Clifford Curry, Blues I Can’t Lose, The Provider, Clifford’s Blues and She Shot a Hole in My Soul Again!
He also recorded a tune called “Shag With Me” to capitalize on his “beach music” notoriety. His 1986 single “Mr. Lonely”/”25 Hours a Day” was also aimed at the beach-music market.
Clifford Curry eventually became known as “The King of Beach Music.” He was regularly honored at the annual Carolina Beach Music Awards (known as The Cammys). He was inducted into the Beach Music Hall of Fame in 1995. His version of Joe Turner’s “Boogie Woogie Country Girl” was named Beach Music Record of the Year at the same ceremony.
This musical genre was notably saluted in the group Alabama’s 1997 country hit “Dancin,’ Shaggin’ on the Boulevard.” Around this same time, Curry saluted his hometown and his UT loyalty with his single “Pat Summit, Dad Gummit.”
Clifford Curry recorded blues albums in Nashville during the 1990s. He toured Europe to promote these in 1995 and 1997.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001. The Nashville music community organized a benefit show for Curry’s medical expenses. Billed as “An Evening of Classic Rock ‘n’ Roll,” the event starred Cason, Dobie Gray, Bruce Channel, Dennis Yost, Dickey Lee, Ray Peterson, Bucky Wilkin, Troy Shondell, Robert Knight, Larry Henley, Gene Hughes, Freddy Weller, The Sons of the Beach and more.
Curry came back into the spotlight via the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Night Train to Nashville exhibit in 2004. “She Shot a Hole in My Soul” was included on the exhibit’s companion CD, which won a Grammy Award.
Clifford Curry suffered a stroke on Aug. 29 and was hospitalized at UT Medical Center in Knoxville. He died there on Sept. 7 at age 79.
He is survived by sons Tony, Jackie and Clifford III, by daughters Deborah Curry, Jessica Blaylock and Lydia Holmes, by brother Floyd and by several grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was buried in Knoxville’s Highland Memorial Cemetery.
Nashville Music Series ‘AURORA Live’ Launches Wednesday Night
/by Jessica NicholsonThe series launches Wednesday (Sept. 21) with Sony Music Nashville band LANco. Also slated to perform during the series are Sarabeth Taite, Muddy Magnolias, Lauren Alaina, Loving Mary, Jerrod Niemann, and Kane Brown.
Each week starting at 8 p.m. CT, the series will feature a new artist with a 30-minute performance segment, followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. Radio and television personality Storme Warren will host the majority of the AURORA Live dates, with guest emcees also stepping in throughout the inaugural schedule.
Fans can view each episode of AURORA Live for free on the exclusive hi-resolution audio web platform www.AuroraNashville.com.
“Streaming video is increasingly the go-to platform for music fans,” says Rebecca Abrahams, Executive Producer at AURORA. “AURORA Live combines award-winning production with the interactivity of today’s digital world for an experience that rewards both artists and fans. We are proud to bring the future of entertainment to Nashville, where it belongs.”
Dates for AURORA Live:
Sept. 21 – LANco
Sept. 28 – Sarabeth Taite
Oct. 5 – Muddy Magnolias
Oct. 12 – Lauren Alaina
Oct. 19 – Loving Mary
Nov. 1 – Jerrod Niemann
Nov. 9 – Kane Brown
*Additional dates and artists to be added
BMI Rate Court Federal Judge Rejects DOJ’s 100 Percent Licensing Decision
/by Jessica NicholsonBMI rate court federal judge Louis Stanton has issued an order rejecting the US Department of Justice’s recent interpretation of the consent decree. The order concludes that fractional licensing of musical works is allowed under the consent decree that BMI operates under.
That interpretation from the DOJ stated that the consent decrees that govern both BMI and ASCAP required full-works licensing. The Department of Justice also gave BMI and ASCAP one year to adopt full-works licensing. Members of the music publishing industry express grave concern earlier this year, after the Department of Justice’s announcement.
“As we have said from the very beginning, we believed our consent decree allowed for the decades-long practice of fractional licensing and today we are gratified that Judge Stanton confirmed that belief,” BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill said via a statement. “Our mission has always been to protect the interests of our songwriters, composers and publishers, and we feel we have done just that. Today’s decision is a victory for the entire music community.”
ASCAP CEO Beth Matthews said, “This is terrific news for all of us in the songwriting community as we continue to work on modernizing the consent decrees to reflect the real world.”
Also reacting to the ruling this afternoon was the National Music Publishers Association.
“Thanks to the courage of Mike O’Neil, BMI, and the entire songwriting and music publishing community, the DOJ’s disastrous views on 100% licensing have been rejected by a federal Judge,” said NMPA President & CEO David Israelite. “This is a huge win for songwriters and a huge win for the rule of copyright law.”
Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Chairman & CEO Martin Bandier responded, “We are thrilled with Judge Stanton’s common sense interpretation of the consent decree which clarifies that BMI is not required to grant 100% licenses. His statement that “nothing in the consent decree gives support to the division’s views” could not be clearer. While the DOJ’s interpretation would have upended decades of licensing practices and caused uncertainty and disorder to everyone in the marketplace, Judge Stanton’s ruling is in the public interest and will benefit all interested parties in the music industry, including songwriters, music publishers and licensors. We can now focus once again on working on behalf of our songwriters.”
Mike Ryan Brings Texas Radio Success To Sea Gayle Music
/by Jessica NicholsonMike Ryan. Photo: Molly Hannula
Mike Ryan has unleashed multiple hits at Texas radio and now the Sea Gayle songwriter hopes to keep his upward momentum going with his new project.
Signed to the Nashville publishing company since 2013, Ryan has collaborated with Sea Gayle’s Brent Anderson, along with Ben Phillips. Bad Reputation was recorded at several studios in Nashville, including Sea Gayle co-founder Brad Paisley’s home studio, and was released in 2014. He’s currently writing material for a new album.
“I consider myself a very fortunate person to have the ability to write with these guys. It’s been a great three years so far that I’ve been with Sea Gayle,” he says. “I feel like they are some of the best writers around.”
The deal with Sea Gayle came as a welcome surprise for Ryan. Sea Gayle co-founder Chris DuBois first heard Ryan’s name through former Billy Bob’s Entertainment Director Robert Gallagher while taking in a show from Jerrod Niemann and Wade Bowen. “He asked Robert if there was anyone around town that he needed to hear about and Robert gave him a copy of my record,” Ryan said.
The record made its way into DuBois’ CD player and he invited Ryan to visit Nashville. “I thought it was going to be just a handshake, ‘nice to meet ya,’ type of thing. But he offered us a publishing deal that day.”
Since then, the Fort Worth resident has traveled to Nashville nearly every month to write songs.
During a visit with MusicRow, Ryan previewed a batch of new songs he has written for his yet-untitled fourth album, including “The Devil’s Got His Jacket On” (a co-write with Anderson and Brandy Clark), “The Rewrite,” “Ghost Town,” and “New Hometown,” a song about small-town love gone wrong that is slated as the project’s first single.
“When it doesn’t work out, it’s never a great thing,” says Ryan, “but being from a small town, it’s that much more difficult because you can’t go hang out at the same places. You have to find new ones, but the thing is, there are not new ones in a small hometown. You have to find a new hometown all together.”
Anderson returns to produce and collaborate on the album, which is slated for a 2017 release. Ryan and his team are currently pursuing a major label deal.
Mike Ryan with MusicRow staff. Photo: Molly Hannula
Garth Brooks Talks Target Exclusive Boxed Set, New Album
/by Jessica NicholsonBrooks and Target announced a partnership on Thursday (Sept. 15) that will give Garth fans a fresh look at material from a career that has spanned 25 years. Brooks will release an exclusive, 10-disc boxed set dubbed Garth Brooks: The Ultimate Collection, on Nov. 11.
The boxed set will include an exclusive version of his upcoming album, as well as nine discs of curated music from his catalog with bonus tracks exclusive to Target.
“It’s twice the size of any box set we’ve ever put out, and the first time we’ve gotten to put a new record in that box. I’m excited about this fall,” says Brooks, who released previous boxed set collections The Limited Series in 1998, a second boxed set collection (also named The Limited Series) in 2005, as well as the four-CD collection of covers Blame It All On My Roots: Five Decades of Influences in 2013.
“We’ve done box sets before but they’ve always been restricted to the first half of the career or second half of the career,” Brooks explains. “This is all 25 years of selected music and they are in their own playlists. Like, I’ve always wanted to do just a cowboy CD where ‘Much Too Young’ can be put up there with ‘Rodeo,’ so it’s a pretty neat little playlist.”
Those playlists/track listings for the project have not been released, as Brooks says they are still curating them.
One new track he confirms will be part of the boxed set has already been previewed for fans, during Brooks’ recent debut full-band concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 8. The show was aired live as part of the launch of The Garth Channel on SiriusXM.
While Brooks spent the majority of that concert paying homage to his favorite iconic country songs such as George Strait’s “Amarillo By Morning” and entertaining the energetic crowd with hit after hit, he did take the time to welcome one of country music’s top vocalists, his wife Trisha Yearwood, to the stage for a debut performance of “Whiskey To Wine.”
“Anytime you sing with Ms. Yearwood, it’s going to be powerful,” Brooks says. “You’re always scared of how someone’s going to accept this new music, especially the older you get, so I felt very lucky at the reception we got.
“I love ‘Whiskey To Wine’,” Brooks continued. “Very much like the promise that I told people that I would keep, that’s the most Garth piece ever.” Brooks co-wrote the song with Wynn Varble and Bryan Kennedy. “It’s got a tribute to a George Jones/Tammy Wynette kind of approach on it. I was scared that it was too country, but they sure acted like they were fine with it.”
He says the new music is in response to fan feedback he’s received during current The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood. The tour launched with 11 sold-out shows at Chicago’s Allstate Arena, and is approaching five million tickets sold. The fan attendance over the past nearly two years matches the attendance of his previous tour, which ran from 1996-1998, before Brooks temporarily retired in 2001.
“I’m enjoying the talent Nashville has in my generation and the next generation,” he says. “I hope fans know that I heard them when during the whole first year of the tour they said, ‘Where’s your pen? Where’s Garth stuff?’ To tell the truth I was scared to death that hustle was gone. I hadn’t used it in 14 or 15 years, so you force yourself to hole up, probably since November, and just start writing. It’s been a wonderful process. Whether it’s any good or not, the people will be the deciding factor on that.”