Guitar icon and longtime Nashville-area resident Lonnie Mack passed away on Thursday, April 21, in Smithville, Tennessee. He was 74 years old.
He was initially a rockabilly instrumentalist with such 1963 hits as “Memphis” and “Wham!” Later in his career, he was also widely respected as a blue-eyed soul singer.
Born Lonnie McIntosh in 1941, he came of age in rural Indiana. He listened to both the Grand Ole Opry and R&B radio as a boy and began playing guitar at age 7. His family formed a bluegrass band.
Mack dropped out of school at age 13, obtained a fake I.D. and started playing in the roadhouses of Cincinnati, Ohio. His first records were country performances on small local labels. Mack’s early hits were on the Cincinnati label Fraternity Records.
He also recorded as a session musician. Mack’s distinctive guitar sound achieved its twang from him hitting the whammy bar of his Gibson Flying V. He influenced virtually every rock guitarist who followed him — Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Mike Bloomfield among many others.
His emotional singing combined elements of both country and soul music. In 1968, he signed with Elektra Records in Los Angeles. His albums for the label mixed blues, country and rock elements. He also continued to work as a studio sideman, notably on The Doors LP Morrison Hotel.
Mack was hired by Elektra in A&R. But he became frustrated with corporate life and resigned. He moved to rural Kentucky.
In the 1970s, he leaned more toward country sounds. His 1971 LP The Hills of Indiana was a particular highlight. He relocated to Texas and reemerged in the 1980s as a blues-rock artist. He began collaborating with Stevie Ray Vaughan, who produced the Lonnie Mack comeback LP Strike Like Lightning on Alligator Records.
In 1988 Lonnie Mack landed at Epic Records, for whom he recorded the rockabilly album Roadhouses and Dance Halls. He guested on Saturday Night Live in 1989.
He retired to Middle Tennessee in the 1990s, but occasionally toured Europe and performed at benefit concerts and special events in the U.S.
Lonnie Mack died of natural causes at Centennial Medical Center in Smithville. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Dolly Parton Reveals Dates For Pure & Simple Tour
/by Jessica NicholsonDolly Parton
Dolly Parton has revealed the tour dates for the first leg of her upcoming Pure & Simple Tour, which will cross the United States this year. Stops for the first 14 dates of the tour will include performances in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, New York, and more.
Parton’s Pure & Simple Tour coincides with the summer release of her double-disc album Pure & Simple with Dolly’s Biggest Hits. The collection will include some of Parton’s most popular singles as well as a few new tracks.
Additional U.S. dates will be announced soon, including her first trek into Canada in more than two decades. For the last 20 years, Parton has only played select dates in the U.S., but her 2016 tour will cover numerous cities across North America.
Dolly Parton Pure & Simple Tour Dates
June 3: Greensboro, North Carolina; Greensboro Coliseum
June 4: Duluth, Georgia; Infinite Energy Center
June 7: Charleston, West Virginia; Charleston Civic Center
June 8: Vienna, Virginia, Wolf Trap
June 10: Northfield, Ohio; Hard Rock
June 11: Cincinnati, Ohio; Horseshoe Casino
June 12: Lewiston, New York; Artpark
June 15: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mann Center
June 17: Lenox, Massachussets; Tanglewood
June 18: Bangor, Maine; Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
June 22: Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania; Mohegan Sun Arena
June 25: Forest Hills, New York; Forest Hills Stadium
June 26: Holmdel, New Jersey; PNC Bank Arts Center
June 28: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Consol Energy Center
George Strait Opens Las Vegas Concert Series
/by Jessica NicholsonGeorge Strait performs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Essential Broadcast Media
George Strait entertained 19,222 fans at Las Vegas’ new T-Mobile Arena this past weekend with songs from his catalog of No. 1 songs, including “All My Ex’s Live In Texas,” “Ocean Front Property,” and more.
“I’ve missed you guys and I’m looking forward to being here a few more nights this year,” Strait told the crowd.
Strait also honored the late Merle Haggard with a medley of Haggard hits, including “Mama Tried,” “Fightin’ Side Of Me,” and “My Life’s Been Grand.”
“We’ll never get to hear Merle play live again, but his music will live on forever,” Strait said.
Kacey Musgraves opened the show.
The show is the first of several Strait concerts at the T-Mobile Arena slated for 2016 and 2017, with additional sold-out shows set for Sept. 9-10, Dec. 2-3, and Feb. 17-18, 2017.
Weekly Register: Sturgill Simpson Steers To Top Of Country Albums
/by Jessica NicholsonSturgill Simpson‘s A Sailor’s Guide To Earth ranks No. 1 on the country albums rankings and No. 3 overall, selling 52.5K. It’s the Nashville musician’s first release with Atlantic Records.
Simpson is followed by Chris Stapleton‘s Traveller (29K), Joey + Rory‘s Hymns (13K), Thomas Rhett‘s Untangled (5.6K), and Sam Hunt‘s Montevallo (5.3K). Marie Osmond makes a Top 10 debut this week on the country album rankings with Music Is Medicine entering at No. 10 with 3.9K in sales.
Prince‘s music takes the two top spots on the overall album rankings, with The Very Best and Purple Rain ranking at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, with 179K and 69K units (album sales, song sales and streaming figures combined). Santana‘s Santana IV debuts at No. 5 on the overall chart, with 42K units. Nashville’s Thirty Tigers/Sony Red is distributing the project. Thirty Tigers/Sony Red was also behind Simpson’s previous release Metamodern Sounds In Country Music.
Overall album sales YTD have decreased 16.5 percent, while country album sales have declined 4.8 percent. Overall digital album sales have shrunk 23.5 percent, while country digital album sales have declined by 13.7 percent.
Tim McGraw continues to top the tracks rankings with “Humble and Kind” (40K), followed by Dierks Bentley‘s “Somewhere On A Beach” (33K), Maren Morris‘ “My Church” (25.5K), Thomas Rhett‘s “T-Shirt” (25K), and Chris Young (featuring Cassadee Pope)’s “Think Of You” (25K). The Voice contestant Adam Wakefield makes this week’s highest country debut, with “Soulshine” ranking at No. 12 on the country rankings and No. 42 on the overall rankings (18.5K).
Lukas Graham‘s “7 Years” returns to the No. 1 spot on the overall digital tracks rankings this week.
Track sales have decreased 25.1 percent YTD, while country track sales have decreased 20.2 percent.
Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.
New Kris Kristofferson Double Album Announced
/by Craig_ShelburneKris Kristofferson. Photo: Marina Chavez
Kris Kristofferson will issue a new, two-volume album titled The Cedar Creek Sessions on June 17, just five days before his 80th birthday.
He recorded the album at Cedar Creek Recording in Austin, Texas, over three days in 2014, using some of his favorite musicians and giving the session a live feel.
The ensemble includes Shawn Camp on lead guitar, Kevin Smith on bass, Michael Ramos on keyboard, and Mike Meadows on drums. Camp and Tamara Saviano co-produced the session.
Track Listing for The Cedar Creek Sessions:
Volume One
1. “Duvalier’s Dream”
2. “The Loving Gift” (with special guest Sheryl Crow)
3. “The Sabre and the Rose”
4. “The Law is for the Protection of the People”
5. “It No Longer Matters What I Do”
6. “Stagger Mountain Tragedy”
7. “The Wife You Save”
8. “Lay Me Down and Love the World Away”
9. “The Bigger the Fool (The Harder the Fall)”
10. “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”
11. “Spooky Lady’s Revenge”
12. “Forever In Your Love”
13. “Winter”
Volume Two
1. “Darby’s Castle”
2. “Me and Bobby McGee”
3. “Broken Freedom Song”
4. “Casey’s Last Ride”
5. “Billy Dee”
6. “Easter Island”
7. “For the Good Times”
8. “Help Me Make It Through the Night”
9. “Jody and the Kid”
10. “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)”
11. “Risky Business”
12. “To Beat the Devil”
Kenny Chesney Launches Spread The Love Tour To 50,000+ Fans
/by Craig_ShelburneKenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney kicked off his 2016 Spread the Love Tour in Auburn, Alabama, on Saturday night (April 23) with an attendance of 50,430. It was the first-ever concert held in the 75-year history of Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn University.
The show was billed as the Music & Miracles Superfest in honor of the late Kevin Brown, who co-founded the Chicken Salad Chick restaurant chain with his wife, Stacy. Before his death from cancer in November, he came up with the concept of the concert to raise money for cancer-related organizations. One of the beneficiaries was Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
To honor Brown’s memory, Chesney played “My Home’s in Alabama” on piano. Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt and Old Dominion were also part of the concert lineup.
“Sometimes you can feel the energy long before you hit the stage,” Chesney said. “It’s gathering, and you can sense it. This was one of those shows, one of those times. It was so intense, it was so there, this is the reason we do this: to play music and feel all that energy coming at us.”
An aerial view of Chesney’s concert in Auburn, Alabama. Photo: Allister Ann
Rhapsody Music Names First CEO
/by Jessica NicholsonDavis joins after the service after his most recent post as Sr. Operating consultant for The Gores Group. He also served in a CEO role for Alliance Entertainment and at Gavin De Becker & Associates, before a Executive VP of Universal Music Enterprises role.
“I am thrilled to join Rhapsody at such a dynamic time for both the company and the music industry,” said Davis. “For 15 years, Rhapsody has led innovation in streaming music and remains a best-in-class streaming music service. Thanks to the biggest and best partners in the world and a roadmap of innovative new features, we are primed for continued global growth during one of the most pivotal years in music.”
Reviver Records Songwriter Michael Tyler Notches First Chart-Topper
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael Tyler with Dierks Bentley. Photo: Jeremy Westby / Webster Public Relations
Reviver Records singer-songwriter Michael Tyler has gained his first No. 1 single, as a co-writer on Dierks Bentley’s latest hit “Somewhere on a Beach.” After remaining on Billboard Hot Country Song chart for 13 weeks, the single arose to the top of the Billboard chart ranking and reached No. 1 status the week of April 30.
The song is the lead single from Bentley’s eighth studio album, Black, due out on May 27.
“Michael is a hugely talented young songwriter,” said Reviver Records President David Ross. “Since signing with Reviver Records, we’ve mentioned time and again that the industry would quickly find out about Michael’s talents as both a writer and musician, and it looks as though it’s already happening!”
Tyler, a descendant of Jimmie Rodgers, is a singer-songwriter/musician hailing from Thayer, Missouri. Since moving to Nashville, he has had a hand in writing “Shipwrecked” and “Ain’t Startin’ Tonight” for Reviver Records label mates LOCASH. He also co-wrote “Laid Back” from Jason Aldean’s Old Boots, New Dirt album.
Tyler is signed with peermusic for publishing.
Jason Aldean Sells Out Fenway Park Concert In 90 Minutes
/by Jessica NicholsonJason Aldean. Photo: Jim Wright
After previously breaking attendance records set by Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews Band at Boston’s Fenway Park, Jason Aldean will return to a sold out crowd at the home of the Red Sox on Sept. 9. Fans made the show a sell-out within 90 minutes Friday morning (April 22). The “Lights Come On” singer will co-headline the stop with multi-Platinum award-winner Kid Rock as part of his Six String Circus Tour.
Aldean’s Six String Circus Tour launches May 19 in Rogers, Arkansas, with continued support from Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses.
Listen: Dallas Davidson Collaborates With Big Boi, Mannie Fresh, Maggie Rose
/by Jessica NicholsonDallas Davidson
Songwriter-publisher Dallas Davidson has penned approximately two dozen No. 1 singles for artists such as Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean, but on Friday (April 22), the singer-songwriter released his own music, with the single “Laid Back.” The song is a collaboration with hip-hop recording artists Mannie Fresh (Cash Money Records) and Big Boi, as well as Davidson’s own Play It Again Music Publishing artist Maggie Rose.
“That’s been knocking around in my brain for a long time,” Davidson tells MusicRow of “Laid Back.””I’ve gotten a bunch of record deal offers over the years, but I chose not to do that. I chose to write songs, and just do my thing. So, if I was going to do something, it had to be something crazy.”
He called Catherine Brewton in BMI’s Atlanta office, who suggested hip-hop producer Mannie Fresh as a collaborator. “I said, ‘I’m gonna be me and be country,'” says Davidson. “Instead of a country record with a rapper on it, we did a hip-hop record with me singing country in a feature. [Mannie] flew in and it was one of the most rewarding, entertaining, creative things I’ve ever done. Mannie is so chill. His beats he plays…words were just flying out of my mouth. Melodies I’ve never used before. Words I’d never said before. He was just so chill to write it. He’s a pro. I hope people like it, I know we are proud of it.”
Mannie Fresh and Big Boi will join Rose and Georgia native Davidson onstage to perform the song live as part of the upcoming third annual Georgia On My Mind Concert, slated for May 10 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Davidson shared a snippet of the track on social media via a tweet earlier today:
Excited to share #LaidBack feat. the talented @BigBoi @IAmMaggieRose & @manniefresh: https://t.co/D3BsELyZ82 pic.twitter.com/aFhMYTj6Mx
LifeNotes: Guitarist Lonnie Mack Dies At 74
/by Robert K OermannGuitar icon and longtime Nashville-area resident Lonnie Mack passed away on Thursday, April 21, in Smithville, Tennessee. He was 74 years old.
He was initially a rockabilly instrumentalist with such 1963 hits as “Memphis” and “Wham!” Later in his career, he was also widely respected as a blue-eyed soul singer.
Born Lonnie McIntosh in 1941, he came of age in rural Indiana. He listened to both the Grand Ole Opry and R&B radio as a boy and began playing guitar at age 7. His family formed a bluegrass band.
Mack dropped out of school at age 13, obtained a fake I.D. and started playing in the roadhouses of Cincinnati, Ohio. His first records were country performances on small local labels. Mack’s early hits were on the Cincinnati label Fraternity Records.
He also recorded as a session musician. Mack’s distinctive guitar sound achieved its twang from him hitting the whammy bar of his Gibson Flying V. He influenced virtually every rock guitarist who followed him — Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Mike Bloomfield among many others.
Mack was hired by Elektra in A&R. But he became frustrated with corporate life and resigned. He moved to rural Kentucky.
In the 1970s, he leaned more toward country sounds. His 1971 LP The Hills of Indiana was a particular highlight. He relocated to Texas and reemerged in the 1980s as a blues-rock artist. He began collaborating with Stevie Ray Vaughan, who produced the Lonnie Mack comeback LP Strike Like Lightning on Alligator Records.
In 1988 Lonnie Mack landed at Epic Records, for whom he recorded the rockabilly album Roadhouses and Dance Halls. He guested on Saturday Night Live in 1989.
He retired to Middle Tennessee in the 1990s, but occasionally toured Europe and performed at benefit concerts and special events in the U.S.
Lonnie Mack died of natural causes at Centennial Medical Center in Smithville. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.