BMI, Texas Roadhouse Hang With Jake Owen

BMI’s Mason Hunter attended the Texas Roadhouse Managing Partners Conference last week at The Fontainebleau in Miami, Florida. The event celebrated the annual partnership between BMI and Texas Roadhouse. This year, Texas Roadhouse will sponsor several BMI events including Mountain High Music Festival, Key West Songwriter’s Festival, the Maui Songwriter’s Festival, a CMA Music Festival trip contest and several in-store promotions with BMI artists of the month. Jake Owen will be hitting the main stage at the Key West Songwriter’s Festival and showed up at the conference in support of BMI and Texas Roadhouse. Hunter is an executive director of strategic partnerships and business development for BMI.

Pictured (L-R): Kent Taylor, President of Texas Roadhouse; Mason Hunter, BMI; Jake Owen.

Clare Dunn Makes First NASCAR Appearance

MCA Nashville’s Clare Dunn attended her first-ever NASCAR events over the weekend, performing a full band set in the Bristol Motor Speedway infield following Saturday’s (April 16) XFINITY Series race and singing the national anthem at Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series Food City 500. While there, she met a few of NASCAR’s biggest names including Danica Patrick and Sunday’s race-winner, Carl Edwards. 

Dunn is on tour with Lee Brice on the Life Off My Years Tour. The latest single from her self-titled EP is “Tuxedo.”

Clare Dunn with Food City 500 winner Carl Edwards. Photo: Red Light Management

Artists Light Up The Beach For Tortuga Music Festival

KA Entertainment has announced a record year for the fourth annual Rock The Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival, held April 15-17 at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park in Florida. Nearly 90,000 fans flocked to the beach for three days of performances from Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw and Dierks Bentley, along with Sam Hunt, Elle King, Thomas Rhett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kelsea Ballerini and 25 more musical acts.

“HUKA is honored to produce large-scale destination location festivals—it’s the fierce loyalty of our Tortuga fans who allow us to raise the bar each year,” said HUKA Entertainment CEO, Evan Harrison.

Pictured (L-R): A.J. Niland (Chief Experience Officer, HUKA Entertainment), Evan Harrison (CEO, HUKA Entertainment), Blake Shelton, Chris Stacey (founder, Rock The Ocean/GM, Dot Records), Bennett Drago (Co-Founder, HUKA Entertainment)

Pictured (L-R): Chris Stacey, founder, Rock The Ocean/GM, Dot Records; Evan Harrison, CEO, HUKA Entertainment; Tim McGraw; A.J. Niland, Chief Experience Officer, HUKA Entertainment

Pictured (L-R): Carla Perez, Launa Phillips (WFUS/Tampa), Sammy Cruise (WIRK/West Palm Beach), Thomas Rhett, Rob Morris (WKIS/Miami), Tim Conlon (WKIS/Miami), Ashley Sidoti

Dierks Bentley brought together a little over a hundred people from the Nashville music industry on Monday night (April 18) to introduce his upcoming album, Black. The guest list needed to be select, according to a label staffer, so the weight would not be too heavy on the rooftop of Red Light Management, located in the Gulch.

Bentley posed for photos and chatted with the crowd before, during, and after the party. He was brought to the stage by UMG Nashville Chairman/CEO Mike Dungan, who described Black as “a brilliant example of the way this guy reaches and digs deep to come up with emotions and sounds to convey his message and stay fresh. And he’s done it again. The record you’re about to hear is absolutely a beautiful record that goes in a lot of different directions, and everything says something. Everything is important to him, and it’s just one more step in the evolution of a great music man.”

Although Bentley did not perform, the Capitol Records Nashville artist did take the microphone inside of a elegantly-appointed tent to address the well-wishers.

“I have a long history with Dungan and everyone at Capitol Records,” he said. “I’ve gone through a lot of crazy things. I started off this whole journey being a single guy. That was kind of my thing, you know? Looking back, before Dungan even signed me, I was in a band called Terminally Lonesome. I think the merchandise I was selling on the road had ‘Lonesome’ on it. I don’t even know what that was about.”

He continued, “When I met my wife, my current single at the time was called ‘Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do.’ It was kind of my thing, being the single dude, and I kinda got all thrown off, you know? I fell in love. I feel like we’re still cutting great songs and making really good records, but it’s hard for a producer to work with an artist, a songwriter, or singer who’s trying to find who they are.”

Gazing toward the far end of the tent, Bentley added, “My wife is probably back there crawling in a corner somewhere, but I feel like this record is me fully realizing who I am, feeling comfortable in my skin, and I’m so thankful that she was kind enough to make all of these songs public and share this whole journey that we’ve been on for the last 10 years.

“What I really love about this record is that a lot of it is really autobiographical, a lot of it is really personal, but a lot of it is me as a songwriter exploring ideas and elements of love that I can’t explore, and don’t want to explore, in my real life, like extreme jealousy,” he said with a laugh.

After sharing the back story of a few songs and explaining that the album stretches across different phases of a relationship, he summed up by saying, “I do appreciate everyone sticking with me and getting to this place over the last few years. It’s been a great ride the last 10 years and I don’t know where I go after this record. “

He continued, “I really feel like this is a special album, and it’s really the way it wraps up. The last verse is about my dog Jake, and Jerry Douglas is playing Dobro. The very first song I ever put out, Jake’s on the cover and it’s a big, Dobro-driven song—’What Was I Thinkin’?’ It feels like a complete circle there. I’m really proud of the record. A lot of ‘heartbroken’ went into it, but I feel like there was some magic along the way.”

Although some guests stayed cozy on plush couches, others mingled on the rooftop during the playback. Overall, the vibe was comfortable and casual. Guests were treated to two full bars, a variety of pass-around appetizers, and a black embossed notepad as a souvenir. A substantial portion of the audience stuck around until the end of the party, when Bentley took the microphone again to speak for a few more minutes about what the album meant to him.

During the impromptu remarks, Bentley invited his wife Cassidy (whose maiden name is Black) to come up and speak, but she politely declined. Then he began reminiscing about his transformation from single guy to committed husband, even if it made some of his music video shoots particularly awkward.

“I’m so grateful to be in this time in my life, to be where I am,” he concluded. “I just appreciate my wife so much, and you all just helped me find myself and I really am proud of this record. I am so grateful to all the songwriters and singers. I love the musicians that came out here tonight. I really appreciate everyone from Capitol Records for all the support. I can’t wait to see what happens. It’s been a little weird for this many people to hear the music. I’m grateful and I’m gonna go drink some beer and try to embarrass my wife some more.”

Black will be released on May 27. The project was produced by Ross Copperman and executive producer Arturo Buenahora Jr. Bentley is managed by Mary Hilliard Harrington at Red Light Management.

Frankie Ballard Finds The Blues In Boston

Pictured (L-R): Peter Strickland, EVP/GM, Warner Music Nashvile; Ginny Rogers, WKLB; Ballard; Anna Cage, Regional Promotion Manager, WAR

Frankie Ballard played to a capacity crowd on Friday (April 15) at the House of Blues in Boston. He took a moment to pose with Boston country station WKLB’s Ginny Rogers.

Thomas Rhett Sells Out Two Shows At Same Venue

Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett became the first artist to sell out two headlining shows at Will Bill’s in Atlanta. A Georgia native, Rhett performed on March 18 and April 15, totaling 9,000 fans.

“Playing in Atlanta is something I always look forward to,” said Rhett. “But, to be asked to come back for a second night and for the fans to sell out both nights ahead of the shows is pretty crazy to me. I’d be lying if I pretended there wasn’t something special about Georgia crowds…their energy was undeniable and I’m already looking forward to figuring out when we can go back.”

Brad Paisley Will Host Comedy Night In May

Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley will emcee a night of stand-up comedy featuring comedians Jon Reep, Sarah Tiana and Mike E. Winfield at Zanies Comedy Club on Monday, May 16 at 8:30 pm, as part of the weeklong Wild West Comedy Festival in Nashville. As host, Paisley will introduce and interact with each of the scheduled comedians. Tickets to the Paisley event will go on sale Friday, April 22 at the comedy festival website.

Sammy Kershaw Plans First Blues Album

Sammy Kershaw will release an album titled The Blues Got Me via Big Hit Records/RED on May 13.

This collection features Kershaw’s take on Chuck Berry‘s “No Money Down,” the Allman Brothers‘ “It’s Not My Cross to Bear” and a song made famous by Solomon Burke, “Where’d the Money Go.” Produced by Kershaw, the album also contains seven originals he wrote or co-wrote, including “I’m Going Crazy,” “No Money Blues,” and “I’m Your Huckleberry.”

“This album has been in the works for a long time and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be able to record it and bring it to you,” says Kershaw.

Pictured (L-R): Don Cusic, Brenda Colladay, Bobby Braddock, Michael Kosser

On Monday evening, April 18, Belmont University and the Metro Historical Commission held a special panel discussion titled A History of Music Row.

Metro Historic Commissioner Don Cusic emceed the event. Panelists included Brenda Colladay (former archivist and curator for the Grand Ole Opry Museum), Bobby Braddock (author of A Life on Music Row, and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame) and Michael Kosser, author of How Nashville Became Music City U.S.A.)

The discussion traced Music Row’s history, from Nashville’s founding to the early days of publishers including Tree Publishing and Acuff-Rose, through the Music Row area of today.

Some snippets from the conversation:

Songs and Gatekeepers:

“80 percent of the hit songs in the ’70s were solo writes,” said Braddock. “Now there are hits out there with six or more writers.”

“Publishing companies in the past few year have become the gateway to recording deals,” said Kosser. “Publishing companies are the artist development arm of the record companies, even if they are not related to particular ones. The record companies no longer pay a whole staff of A&R people. Taylor Swift’s recording deal began through what is now Sony Publishing. Kenny Chesney through Acuff-Rose…”

Where Have The Standards Gone?

“We used to have standards, songs that year after year remained popular, even after people forgot what the first recording of that sounded like,” said Kosser. “The way you made a standard, you had the hit come out and then dozens or hundreds of people [cut it]. … Bobby’s mentor is Curly Putman, and his biggest song was ‘Green Green Grass of Home.’ To my knowledge, it has had over 700 cuts. Today, I had a song cut by Josh Gracin years ago on his album, and I go into the publishing company three or four years later and say, ‘Hey, can we pitch this?’ They turn that down because it was out four years ago. It wasn’t a single, but no one wants to touch it because it was out there. This is just to give an idea of how things have changed. Is there such a thing as a standard today?”

The Grand Ole Opry, WSM, and Music Row:

“To get right down to it, the Opry and WSM radio are the entities responsible for Nashville being the center of country music,” said Colladay. “It’s mind boggling, all the side deals and family deals that happened back then. The first publishing company that published country music, the first booking agency that booked country stars out on the road, the first management company, it all came out of the Grand Ole Opry. Acuff-Rose was the first publishing company in Nashville. That was between Roy Acuff, who was the face of the Grand Ole Opry, and Fred Rose, a songwriter on staff at WSM for years. The first recording studio to record commercial music for major labels, was Castle Recording studios which started in 1946 by three radio engineers from WSM. They put it into the old Tulane Hotel and recorded [albums for] most major labels at the time. They recorded Hank Williams there. Jim Denny was at WSM and the Opry and he was one of the pioneers of Music Row. Owen Bradley was one of the staff band leaders for WSM radio. He of course started the Bradley’s recording studios and was the head of Decca Records. Chet Atkins was an Opry member, he became the head of RCA Nashville.”

“I was thinking about that memo that Jack Dewitt [founder of WSM] wrote in 1955,” said Cusic, “that caused people to leave the Opry and WSM, and forced them into building some businesses. At one point, WSM put their foot down and said they either work there or they do their own outside businesses. Jim Denny was running a publishing company, a booking agency. Recording studio engineers running their own separate businesses. So the head of WSM radio had them choose. The Castle engineers stayed with WSM because they were getting into television and everyone wanted to get into television at that time. Jim Denny however left and went on to great things, including Cedarwood Publishing.”

The Bradleys and The Quonset Hut

“According to Harold [Bradley], the studio was co-owned by Harold, Owen [Bradley], and Paul Cohen,” said Kosser. “Harold didn’t have much money at the time, and he was going to work there. Paul and Owen were going to put in the money. Owen cashed in his life insurance and put in the studio. They bought a kit from Sears I think and built a Quonset Hut behind the studio. That was what became Studio B of Columbia, and all that was recorded there was most of Patsy Cline’s hits, Johnny Cash… Eventually, Billy Sherrill cut all those songs that made Bobby Braddock rich on George Jones and Tammy Wynette and Tanya Tucker. Billy Sherrill dominated by cutting things in that studio, that old sheet-metal thing. They also did TV in there. A guy had a TV show in there and he had a barn set with wood, and it did so much good for the acoustics of the place that Harold and Owen asked the guy to leave the barn set, and that became an important part of the acoustics.

“One of the most important things to remember about Music Row in those days, is people flew by the seat of their pants. They weren’t afraid of anything,” said Kosser.