Grand Ole Opry member Del McCoury’s next release will be an album of songs he’s written using rare Woody Guthrie lyrics. Del and Woody will be issued by McCoury Music on April 15.

Guthrie’s daughter, Nora Guthrie, got the idea to approach McCoury about making the album after seeing him perform at Newport Folk Festival in 2009.

“After hearing Del’s show, I remember thinking that if my dad had had a band, it would very possibly have sounded very much like Del’s,” she said.

A few years later, McCoury was sent a few dozen of Woody Guthrie’s lyrics, with the goal of composing music to suit the words.

McCoury said, “When I read them, it seemed pretty easy to me to hear the music that would fit. Nora said, ‘You can change some things if you want to,’ and I said no. He’s a great writer, and I do not want to change anything in his songs. I would just like to put a melody to these words so that maybe folks will accept the songs, and that’s what we did.”

One of the songs, “The New York Trains,” was released on the 2014 audio book CD set, My Name is New York; Ramblin’ Around Woody Guthrie’s Town. The song received a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song.

McCoury was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2003. The Del McCoury Band has won two Grammy Awards for Best Bluegrass Album: The Company We Keep (2005) and The Streets of Baltimore (2013).

Pictured (L-R): Tristan McIntosh, Kellie Pickler

Tristan McIntosh, a 10th grader at the Nashville School of the Arts, is one step closer to becoming the next (and final) American Idol.

McIntosh has made it into the Top 14 so far, advancing into the Showcase Round on Thursday, Feb. 18, on this final season of American Idol. The 15-year-old shared the stage with Season 5’s sixth-place finalist Kellie Pickler, as the two performed Pickler’s “Best Days Of Your Life.”

Two Nashville contestants were eliminated during the episode, including McIntosh’s fellow Nashville School of the Arts student Amelia Eisenhauer, as well as 27-year-old barista Kory Wheeler. During the episode, Wheeler performed Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” (the song he used to audition for Idol), while Eisenhauer also performed with Pickler, in a rendition of Sara Evans’ hit “Suds In The Bucket.”

Other former American Idol contestants that returned to the stage last night included Chris Daughtry (Season 5), Haley Reinhart (Season 10), Jordin Sparks (Season 6 winner), David Cook (Season 7 winner), and Constantine Maroulis (Season 4).

Watch McIntosh and Pickler’s Idol duet below.

BMI, YEP Raise $2,000 For Music Health Alliance

The Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) raised roughly $2,000 for Music Health Alliance on Tues., Feb. 16 at The Basement East thanks to their quarterly benefit show sponsored by BMI, this time themed “YEP Rewind: 80’s Rock Night.”

Nashville singers and songwriters rocked out for the night with performances by Jessi Alexander, Barry Dean, Kree Harrison, Natalie Hemby, Mike Grimes, Dean Alexander, Jillian Jacqueline, Westbound Rangers, Jason Nix and more.

Photo (L-R): Jody Williams (BMI), Natalie Hemby, Andrew Cohen (Suit Music), Barry Dean, MaryAnn Keen (Ten Ten Music/Nettwerk Music), Luke Dick, Mason Hunter (BMI)

Mark and Ivey Childers Welcome Daughter Leona Ivey

Brad Paisley Makes Stop At KWJJ During Crushin’ It World Tour

Brad Paisley and Entercom Director Country Programming & VP Programming/PD KWJJ/Portland Mike Moore share a smile at Paisley’s recent Crushin’ It World Tour stop in Eugene, Oregon.

Pictured (L-R): Brad Paisley, Mike Moore. Photo: Ben Enos

Vince Gill Celebrates Album Release With Free Show In Nashville

Vince Gill celebrated the release of his latest album Down To My Last Bad Habit, with a free concert on Friday, Feb. 12 at Nashville’s Ernest Tubb Record Shop. The shop was transformed into a special Vince Gill pop up store.

Photo Credit: Alan Poizner

Photo Credit: Alan Poizner

Cheap Trick

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will present Cheap Trick the Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement at the Music Biz 2016 Awards Luncheon on May 18 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

The ceremony will also feature the presentation of the Artist of the Year Award to Little Big Town and Breakthrough Artist Awards to Sam Hunt and Halsey, as well as the soon-to-be-announced Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award. The Music Biz  2016 Convention will take place May 16-18.

As 2016 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cheap Trick will release a new album, Bang Zoom Crazy…World, in April via Big Machine Records.

“The Chairman’s Award honors artists who have consistently remained creative long into their careers, and Cheap Trick is a shining example of that,” said YouTube’s Fred Beteille, Chairman of the Music Biz Board. “With more than 40 years in the business, more than 20 million albums sold, and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band easily could have called it a career. Instead, they recorded the new album Bang Zoom Crazy… Hello and are set to release it this April via Big Machine Records. From timeless anthems like ‘Surrender’ and ‘I Want You to Want Me’ to the new single ‘No Direction Home,’ the band’s loud and energetic yet easily accessible music is still winning over fans both young and old. I am thrilled to be celebrating them with this year’s award.”

“What a year! First the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and now this,” said Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen. “It’s great to be recognized for our history, but it’s an honor to be celebrated for what we’re doing now. We’re looking forward to the release of Bang Zoom Crazy… Hello and we can’t wait to share with our fans and the world. So get ready, because we’re coming to your town!”