The Tennessean reports that Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard are set to create a multi-use space in Nashville’s Hillsboro Village.

The duo, along with their wives, Brittney Kelley and Hayley Stommel-Hubbard, purchased two buildings located at 1910 and 1912 21st Ave. S., for $3.18 million. Plans for the spaces include a Tribe Kelley Trading Post retail store, including space for Brittney Kelley’s clothing line, and a coffee shop. The spaces will also include room for the duo’s recently-opened publishing outfit Tree Vibez Music, as well as a recording studio.

The project is set for completion in mid-2016.

The purchase was completed through business management operation Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group.

NARAS Holds Music Industry Panel Series at Nashville’s Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School

Sony ATV’s Tom Luteran and SESAC’s Tim Fink joined The Recording Academy Nashville Chapter executive director Alicia Warwick at the Music Industry Panel Series Publishing/PRO session at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School.

The Academy has organized a series of speakers to cover different facets of the music industry with Pearl-Cohn’s students in their music studies programs. Other topics have included intellectual property, branding, and music in film and TV.

 

ACM Welcomes Leslie Cours Mather

The Academy of Country Music welcomed singer/songwriter Leslie Cours Mather to the office in Los Angeles recently. While at the Academy, she performed a few songs off of her debut album including, “Countrified” and “Hell Hath No Fury.” Mather also signed up for professional ACM membership as part of the Academy’s complimentary one-year membership offered to support emerging artists.

 

Nancy Cardwell Erdos Begins Work For Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, Continues Freelance Writing and PR Gigs

Nancy Cardwell Erdos, who left the staff of the International Bluegrass Music Association last April after 20 years, announced this week that she has taken a job with Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. In the newly-created position of Membership Specialist for the Hispanic Community, Cardwell will work to provide increased Girl Scout programming for Spanish-speaking girls in 39 counties served by the Nashville-based council.

During the 1980s in Missouri, Cardwell worked as a Field Executive and Assistant Camp Director for the Dogwood Trails Girl Scout Council and she taught high school Spanish, so the new position combines two areas of interest.

Cardwell is also working with Tom T. Hall and the team at Fox Hollow, handling publicity for future events and programs currently being planned to honor the memory of bluegrass songwriter and philanthropist Miss Dixie Hall, who passed away in January, 2015.

She continues to work as a freelance writer for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. “Publisher Pete Kuykendall printed the first article I wrote in the early 1980s for a magazine writing class in college,” Cardwell said, “and I’m thrilled to still be writing for B.U. after all these years.”

Cardwell also recently joined the tutoring staff of Learning Matters, a Nashville-based non-profit that serves students in grades K-12, and she will be playing acoustic bass in a new local trio with Bell Buckle recording artist Valerie Smith. She is the executive producer for a new album to be recorded this fall by her younger brother, Ray Cardwell.

“At this stage of my career,” Cardwell says, “I’m enjoying the opportunity to do a combination of things that interest me greatly, and that I hope will have a positive impact in various ways. Any one of these projects may develop into something more full-time in the future, but for the present I’m enjoying the variety and freedom to pursue several interests.”

 

Amy Grant To Be Inducted Into Nashville Business Hall of Fame

Singer-songwriter Amy Grant is set to become the first woman inducted into the Nashville Business Hall of Fame, which was established in 1991 by Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee.

“Amy Grant is a perfect selection as this year’s hall of fame laureate,” said Rob McCabe, the 2013 Nashville Business Hall of Fame laureate and chairman of Pinnacle Financial Partners. “While successful in business, Grant is also beyond generous with her talent and resources to this community. She has remained grounded and connected throughout the fame that comes with her stature in the music profession.”

“Amy is a great addition to the Business Hall of Fame because she represents the business of music and what it can do for a community,” said Trent Klingensmith, president of JA of Middle Tennessee. “Her love for music and people has brought Nashville and organizations together to triumph in an array of situations.”

The induction ceremony will be held Oct. 29 at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and the ceremony at 7 p.m. Tables of 10 are available for $2,500, half-tables available for $1,250, and individual tickets are $250. For tickets, contact Kelsey Rush at kelseyr@janash.com

The Earls of Leicester claimed four International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards last night (Oct. 1) in Raleigh, N.C. The all-star ensemble is comprised of Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Tim O’Brien on mandolin, Shawn Camp on guitar, Johnny Warren on fiddle, Charlie Cushman on banjo, and Barry Bales on bass.

Their self-titled album pays tribute to pioneering bluegrass duo Flatt & Scruggs. The project also won a Grammy for best bluegrass album earlier this year.

The Earls of Leicester also won IBMA trophies for Album of the Year, Instrumental Group of the Year, and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year. In addition, Douglas picked up Dobro Player of the Year and Camp won Male Vocalist of the Year win.

Additionally, North Carolina’s own Balsam Range took home Vocal Group of the Year and Song of the Year for “Moon Over Memphis,” and the group’s Tim Surrett earned Bass Player of the Year. Bill Keith and Larry Sparks were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Rhonda Vincent won Female Vocalist of the Year and Becky Buller won Emerging Artist of the Year, as well as Recorded Event of the Year for “Southern Flavor,” a collaboration with Peter Rowan, Michael Feagan, Buddy Spicher, Ernie Sykes, Roland White, and Blake Williams.

Hosted by The Gibson Brothers, the show featured performances by The Earls of Leicester, Flatt Lonesome, Hot Rize, The Del McCoury Band, The Gibson Brothers, and a surprise performance by Sparks and Alison Krauss.

 

Winners of the 26th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards are:

Entertainer of the Year: The Earls of Leicester
Female Vocalist of the Year: Rhonda Vincent
Male Vocalist of the Year: Shawn Camp
Vocal Group of the Year: Balsam Range
Instrumental Group of the Year: The Earls of Leicester
Song of the Year: “Moon Over Memphis,” Balsam Range
Album of the Year: The Earls of Leicester, The Earls of Leicester, Jerry Douglas, producer
Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year: “Who Will Sing for Me,” The Earls of Leicester
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year: “The Three Bells,” Jerry Douglas, Mike Auldridge, Rob Ickes
Emerging Artist of the Year: Becky Buller
Recorded Event of the Year: “Southern Flavor,” Becky Buller, with Peter Rowan, Michael Feagan, Buddy Spicher, Ernie Sykes, Roland White, and Blake Williams
Banjo Player of the Year: Rob McCoury
Bass Player of the Year: Tim Surrett
Dobro Player of the Year: Jerry Douglas
Fiddle Player of the Year: Michael Cleveland
Guitar Player of the Year: Bryan Sutton
Mandolin Player of the Year: Jesse Brock
Inductees into the Bluegrass HOF: Bill Keith and Larry Sparks
Distinguished Achievement Award: Alison Brown, Murphy Henry, International Bluegrass Music Museum, “Bashful Brother” Oswald Kirby, Steve Martin