Toby Keith
It all begins with a song.
The thing that unites all of the standout records this week is that they all feature the craftsmanship that good country music has always boasted.
Whether it’s Zane Williams’s outstanding story lyric, Chris Stapleton’s road tune, Rich Karg’s cool description of momentary love without commitment, Toby Keith’s meditation on decaying society or Steve Azar’s musing about lost innocence these discs contain writing that makes me proud to be a country fan.
Throughout the career of Toby Keith, the consistent excellence of his songwriting has beamed brightly. He wins the Disc of the Day.
The DisCovery Award goes to Rich Karg. His CD is full of unexpected pleasures.
DIANA UPTON-HILL/Do Love Well
Writers: Mitchell T. Goudy; Producer: Bryan White; Publishers: Bread N Pants, ASCAP; Third Floor (track)
-Sunny and sugary. Sorry, I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth.
LADY ANTEBELLUM/Long Stretch of Love
Writers: Dave Haywood/Charles Kelley/Hillary Scott/Josh Kear; Producers: Nathan Chapman/Lady Antebellum; Publishers: Beards and Bullets/30A Getaway/Hobbs Hill/Kobalt/Global Dog/Book of Spells, ASCAP/SESAC; Capitol Nashville
-The multiple audio layers make it sound like there are a lot more than three voices on this. Dense sounding, but highly commercial.
RICH KARG/Beautiful Distraction
Writers: Weston Burt/R. Karg/S. Mitchell; Producer: Rich Karg; Publishers: Rich Karg/Green Hills Music Group/Grin Like Dog, SESAC; RK (track)
-This Nashville singer-songwriter is selling a CD titled U Turn at his gigs. It contains this deliciously melodic power ballad about hooking up with no strings attached. You big-time stars and producers out there need to be mining this and the other tunes on this collection for gold. Recommended listening.
JOSH GOODLETT/Why You Gotta Be That Way
Writers: Bobby E. Boyd/Brad Wolf/Phillip Moore; Producer: Bobby E. Boyd; Publishers: Boyd Where Prohibited/Green Dog, BMI; Good
-The country-rocking production is on the money, and he is a fine country singer. The song doesn’t do much for me, but overall this is a perfectly OK effort.
TOBY KEITH/35 MPH Town
Writers: Toby Keith/Bobby Pinson; Producers: Toby Keith/Bobby Pinson; Publishers: Tokeco/Bobby’s Lyrics Land & Livestock/Do Write, BMI; Show Dog (CDX)
-This is an extremely well written song about a mother who doesn’t like what she sees around her these days. She cautions her boy that things aren’t like they used to be. Toby’s vocal is a masterpiece of urgent phrasing, and the dramatic production totally kicks butt. Play it again.
STEVE AZAR & SOPHIE YOUNG/The Sky Is Falling
Writers: Steve Azar; Producer: Steve Azar; Publishers: Steve Azar, BMI; Ride (CDX)
-Their duet about lost youth and forgotten innocence glides on wafting wings of sound. Ear catching.
CASEY JAMES/Fall Apart
Writers: Will Bowen/Joshua Carter/Zach Carter; Producers: Chris Lindsey/Casey James; Publishers: Vaughn Fenwick/Little Extra/Ten Thousand Hours/Petite-T/Music of Parallel, BMI; Columbia (CDX)
-Pleading with a broken heart, he sings the fire out of this. But I’m sorry: “Every time I run into you, I fall apart” is not exactly the most original idea in songwriting history.
TYLER HAMMOND/Wild One Tonight
Writers: Chris Jones; Producer: Chris Jones; Publishers: Chris Jones, ASCAP; Milley (CDX)
-I like the moody, thumpy production and the up-close-and-personal quality in his singing. I also like the way it builds in sonic complexity. I’m intrigued. Send more.
CHRIS STAPLETON/Traveller
Writers: Chris Stapleton; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: WB/Ken Tucky, ASCAP; Mercury (CDX)
-He remains one of the most gripping vocalists on today’s scene. This lonely-wanderer song is right up his alley. The tempo rolls along appropriately. Super listenable.
ZANE WILLIAMS/Jayton and Jill
Writers: Zane Williams; Producers: Zane Williams/Tom Faulkner; Publishers: Born Into Love/Be Original, ASCAP; Be (CDX)
-I love a good country story song, and this one is a pip. Jayton is an everyday guy working at a filling station and feeling suicidal. Jill is preacher’s daughter gone wild. They meet, talk all night and save one another’s troubled souls. A dandy, an instant classic.
LifeNotes: Singer-Songwriter Sandy Mason Passes
/by Robert K OermannSandy Mason Theoret
Nashville singer-songwriter Sandy Mason died in Ormond Beach, Fla., on Wednesday afternoon, April 1.
She is best known for writing the 1979 Crystal Gayle hit “When I Dream” and for co-writing the Garth Brooks 1998 No. 1 smash “Two Pina Coladas.” She was 71 years old.
Sandy Mason Theoret was a native of Birdsville, PA, a town near Tarentum northwest of Pittsburgh. She was a child performer on Pittsburgh radio and TV. By the time she was in her teens, she excelled as a pianist, comic, singer, guitarist and ventriloquist. She became an alumnus of The Pittsburgh Playhouse, Western Pennsylvania’s top venue for training stage performers.
By the age of 20 in 1963, Mason was in New York recording for Roulette Records and working as a ventriloquist at a club called The Boulevard Room. During her 1963-64 booking at The Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago, she revamped her act from ventriloquist to singer. Returning to Pittsburgh, she landed her own local television show in 1965.
She first attracted attention in Nashville by being signed to Hickory Records in 1966. Her Hickory single “There You Go” appeared on the country charts in 1967. She subsequently released singles for Epic, Mercury and JMI in the early 1970s.
Her songwriting career took off in the late 1970s. After Gayle sang Mason’s “When I Dream,” the song was recorded by more than 70 other artists. Mason’s “Only Love” was popularized by Don Williams, Roger Cook and John Prine, the latter two of whom were her co-writers on the song. Another perennial favorite was “All I Want to Do in Life,” which was recorded by George Jones, Jack Clement, Gayle and Marianne Faithfull. Mason co-wrote it with Allen Reynolds, her most frequent collaborator.
Debby Boone and Paul Anka both recorded her “I’d Even Let You Go.” Pat Alger co-wrote and recorded “You’ll Come Back to Me.” Petula Clark recorded Mason’s “Feel the Love Go Round.” Johnny Cash recorded “After All.”
Others who recorded her songs include Lynn Anderson, Eddy Arnold, Roger Whittaker, Nanci Griffith, Julie Andrews, Floyd Cramer, Tompall Glaser, Mac Davis, Willie Nelson, George Hamilton IV, Trisha Yearwood, Helen Reddy and several European and Japanese artists.
Sandy Mason sang backup on records by Cash, as well as Gayle, Prine, Brooks and others. Her own recording career resumed with the 1982 LP Only Love.
She co-wrote “Two Pina Coladas” with Shawn Camp and Benita Hill. It became her biggest hit and again led to recording her own albums. There Goes That Song Again (2001), Romance (2003), Angels in Disguise (2004) and Out There and In Here (2008) captured her distinctive performing style.
Sandy Mason’s music was never easily classified. Roger Cook described her songs as being “between The Beatles and George Gershwin.” Her amusing, self-deprecating, pixie-like musical personality frequently charmed audiences at The Bluebird Cafe, Douglas Corner and other local venues.
Sandy Mason left Nashville after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several weeks ago. She reportedly declined aggressive chemo therapy, opting to let the disease take its course as she reposed in Florida.
No funeral arrangements have been announced.
Kellie Pickler, Billy Ray Cyrus To Star In CMT Comedies
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Darius Rucker, Brian Phillips, Josh Wolf, Billy Ray Cyrus, Cyma Zarghami, Kellie Pickler, Kyle Jacobs, Philippe Dauman, and Joey Logano attend the Annual 2015 CMT Upfront at The Times Center on April 2, 2015 in New York City. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for CMT
CMT revealed a new slate of programming in the midst of a company-wide restructuring. CMT, which is now part of Viacom’s new kids and family division, is focusing on more original programming. Among the new offerings are two comedies featuring Billy Ray Cyrus and Kellie Pickler.
I Love Kellie Pickler (working title) will follow the daily life of country singer and former Dancing With the Stars winner Kellie Pickler, along with husband and producer/songwriter Kyle Jacobs. The series will be produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions. I Love Kellie Pickler will premiere Sept. 18.
Executive VP of Development for CMT Jayson Dinsmore speaks onstage at the Annual 2015 CMT Upfront at The Times Center on April 2, 2015 in New York City. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for CMT
Billy Ray Cyrus will star in Still The King, a comedy that features the singer-songwriter as Vernon Brown, a washed up country singer who becomes an Elvis impersonator. After crashing into an old country church, he is sentenced to return and perform community service. He pretends to be the congregation’s new minister and discovers he has a 15-year-old daughter he’s never met.
Hideout Pictures, a division of Average Joes Entertainment, will produce Still The King with Cyrus serving as executive producer and writer. Average Joes’ CEO/President, Shannon Houchins, Hideout’s Potsy Ponciroli, and Travis Nicholson will also executive produce. Ponciroli will serve as Showrunner. Julia Silverton and Jayson Dinsmore will executive produce for CMT. Still The King will premiere in 2016.
These were just two of the new series announced today (April 2) in New York City during the annual 2015 CMT Upfront, held at The Times Center. The event featured a performance from Darius Rucker. Billy Ray Cyrus, Kellie Pickler and husband Kyle Jacobs were also in attendance.
American Speed: The True Story of NASCAR, an account of the story behind NASCAR, will be narrated by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. American Speed is executive produced by Stephen David of Stephen David Entertainment and Zane Stoddard for NASCAR. Jayson Dinsmore, Lewis Bogach and John Miller-Monzon executive produce for CMT. American Speed will debut in 2016.
CMT will launch its first-ever nightly talk show, The Josh Wolf Show, starring comedian Josh Wolf and produced by Chelsea Handler. the show will feature panel discussions, interviews, and sketches with artists from country music, Hollywood and more.
Also coming are The Ed Bassmaster Show, starring Ed Bassmaster, as well as the docu-series Gainesville, from the producers of Brick City. Gainesville, produced by Wheels Off Entertainment, is set to premiere May 14 and follows a group of friends in small town Florida as they transition into adulthood.
Additionally, the entire series of the highly lauded ensemble drama Friday Night Lights starring Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton will begin airing in May.
This spring CMT will premiere new seasons of Party Down South, Party Down South 2, and Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge, as well as the music events CMT Music Awards, CMT Artists of the Year, and CMT Championship Kickoff Party.
Pictured (L-R): Kyle Jacobs and Kellie Pickler. Photo: Getty Images for CMT
Industry Pics: SOURCE Welcomes Marcie Allen; In The Studio with Producer Mickey Jack Cones
/by Kelsey_GradySOURCE held its monthly Members Luncheon at ASCAP on March 26, 2015. Marcie Allen, President and Founder of MAC Presents, was this month’s guest speaker. MAC Presents is an award-winning New York City-based music sponsorship and activation agency. For nearly a decade, they’ve been creating dynamic partnerships and unforgettable live events with top tier artists and the world’s leading brands.
(L-R): Susan Myers Woelkers, GW Entertainment; Shauna Collins, Boys and Girls Club of Benton County; Marcie Allen, President and Founder of MAC Presents; Bebe Evans, Charlie Daniels Band; Wendy Crosby York, Major Bob Music. Photo: Denise Fussell
• • •
Nashville-based producer Mickey Jack Cones is currently in the studio with Joe Nichols, Trace Adkins and Thompson Square recording new projects for each artist at Westwood Studios. The studio, a log cabin in Nashville’s Berry Hill area, is owned by Cones.
Cones, a native of Texas and a graduate of Belmont University, has previously produced Dustin Lynch, Jeff Bates, Randy Houser, Exile, and the Act of Valor soundtrack.
In the studio with Joe Nichols
Thompson Square with Mickey Jack Cones
In the studio with Trace Adkins
Nashville Entrepreneur Center Names New President and CEO
/by Jessica NicholsonStuart McWhorter
John R. Ingram, Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Nashville Entrepreneur Center, has announced Stuart McWhorter, Chairman and Co-founder of Clayton Associates, as The Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s new President and CEO, beginning April 9.
McWhorter will succeed Michael Burcham, who announced plans to leave the nonprofit for the private sector in December. Burcham was the EC’s founding President and CEO since 2010.
McWhorter has been Chairman of venture capital firm Clayton Associates, and will continue as a member of its board of directors. His background is in venture capital, business planning, and finance. He is a graduate of Clemson University, and earned his masters in health administration fro the University of Alabama-Birmingham. He and wife Leigh Anne Hendrix have five children and attend Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood.
Additionally, McWhorter serves on the boards of directors at FirstBank of Tennessee, the Tennessee Business Roundtable, and Nashville’s Agenda Steering Committee.
“We have searched far and wide to identify the right CEO for the next phase in the EC’s growth and service,” Ingram said. “We knew it was critically important to assess where the EC is in its development – and in light of its stature now as a known and successful organization. It was important first to understand the requirements of this next phase and then to identify and recruit the best possible leader for what the EC needs now. Stuart McWhorter is the right CEO for this dynamic next period.”
McWhorter says he is “excited to become part of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center family and ecosystem. A strong foundation of success has been established, and I look forward to building off of its platform to make this the gold standard locally, regionally and nationally.”
“Nashville’s entrepreneurial spirit is easy to see in the many innovative and creative individuals in music, healthcare and other sectors in our city, and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center has established itself and our city as a leading locale for start-ups and their founders,” Mayor Karl Dean said. “Stuart McWhorter knows what it takes to lead and develop companies from bright ideas into thriving companies, having done exactly that for several industries in the Middle Tennessee region.He has a keen eye for budgets, planning and simply making businesses better at filling niches and serving their customers. I know Stuart, and he is an excellent choice to lead the EC into its next phase of growth and continue our city’s momentum as the best place to start a new business.”
Publishing Deal For SESAC-Represented Josh Helms
/by Eric T. ParkerPictured (L-R): Meld Music’s Chad Segura, Fair Trade Music Publishing’s Mark Nicholas, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Helms, Fair Trade Music Publishing’s Jeff Moseley and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Bev Moser
Songwriter/artist Josh Helms has signed a publishing deal with Meld Music/Fair Trade. Helms is a SESAC writer.
Based in Nashville, Helms’ songs are slated to be included on the upcoming album from Craig Wayne Boyd.
Industry Ink: Nine North, City of Hope, Holly Williams
/by Jessica NicholsonNine North/Turnpike Music Name Seiple Director, Promotion & Marketing (NE Region)
Stephanie Seiple
Nine North/Turnpike Music has named Stephanie Seiple as its new Director, Promotion & Marketing for the Northeast Region. Seiple will be based in Philadelphia. Her career includes stops in the promo departments of Wind-Up, RCA, Jive, Epic and Columbia. She also worked remotely as a marketing coordinator for sony Music Entertainment, working with brands including Best Buy, FYE, and Barnes & Noble. In 2014, she was elected Advisor to The Recording Academy’s Philadelphia Chapter’s board.
Seiple is based in Philadelphia.
“I’m honored to join such a seasoned, well respected and talented team,” Seiple says. “Many thanks to Jeff and Larry (Pareigis, NNRLG President) for offering me this opportunity to work together! See you on the road soon!”
“I’m very excited to add Stephanie to our team,” says Nine North/Turnpike/Edgehill Music’s Jeff Davis. “Her experience, energy, and innovative thinking make her the perfect fit for what we are doing here at Nine North! I can’t wait for radio to meet their new favorite rep!”
Tickets On Sale For City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game
Nashville, Tennessee – (April 2, 2015) – A fan favorite event and longstanding tradition of CMA Music Festival, the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game will commemorate 25 years of striking out cancer on June 13 at 9am from the new First Tennessee Park in Nashville.
Tickets for the 25th annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game are on sale now at Ticketmaster. The full line-up of celebrity players stepping up to the plate on the Grand Ole Opry and iHeartRadio teams will be announced in the coming weeks.
City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
Singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur Holly Williams‘ 12South shop White’s Mercantile is now offering online shopping, including a range of items for men, women, and children, as well as accessories. The store is located at 2908 12th Ave. S.
Williams is also behind the Nashville clothing boutique H. Audrey.
For more, visit whitesmercantile.com.
Sky Creative Entertainment Group Launches in Nashville
DeShawn Oravetz
Middle Tennessee State University graduate DeShawn Oravetz has launched creative and music agency Sky Creative Entertainment Group in Nashville.
The company’s catalog of services focuses on aspects of branding, marketing, music, design, and project management. Sky will also partner with local creatives to collaborate on client projects, building working relationships in the Greater Nashville creative community.
For more information, visit skyceg.com.
Granger Smith To Follow Chart Success With Frank Rogers-Produced EP
/by Troy_StephensonOn the Soundscan country tracks chart, indie artist Granger Smith recently scored the top single debut with “Backroad Song” sliding in to No. 4 with 32K downloads.
He’s following up that success with the announcement of his upcoming EP, 4X4, available May 4, 2015 via Thirty Tigers. Producer Frank Rogers was at the helm of the four-song project, which includes a track by Granger’s alter-ego, Earl Dibbles Jr.
The project includes “Backroad Song,” as well as “Tonight,” “Tailgate Town,” and “City Boy Stuck” (feat. Earl Dibbles Jr.).
“After years of making music in my home studio, it’s an honor to collaborate with my long-time friend, Frank Rogers on this new EP and full-length album,” said Smith.
“I have been a friend and fan of Granger Smith for a long time,” added Rogers. “He is a uniquely talented artist who has an amazing way of connecting with his fans through his music.
Granger’s current “YEE YEE NATION” national tour has sold out and broken attendance records and merchandise sales records at nearly every venue.
DISClaimer: A Celebration of Songwriting
/by Robert K OermannToby Keith
It all begins with a song.
The thing that unites all of the standout records this week is that they all feature the craftsmanship that good country music has always boasted.
Whether it’s Zane Williams’s outstanding story lyric, Chris Stapleton’s road tune, Rich Karg’s cool description of momentary love without commitment, Toby Keith’s meditation on decaying society or Steve Azar’s musing about lost innocence these discs contain writing that makes me proud to be a country fan.
Throughout the career of Toby Keith, the consistent excellence of his songwriting has beamed brightly. He wins the Disc of the Day.
The DisCovery Award goes to Rich Karg. His CD is full of unexpected pleasures.
DIANA UPTON-HILL/Do Love Well
Writers: Mitchell T. Goudy; Producer: Bryan White; Publishers: Bread N Pants, ASCAP; Third Floor (track)
-Sunny and sugary. Sorry, I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth.
LADY ANTEBELLUM/Long Stretch of Love
Writers: Dave Haywood/Charles Kelley/Hillary Scott/Josh Kear; Producers: Nathan Chapman/Lady Antebellum; Publishers: Beards and Bullets/30A Getaway/Hobbs Hill/Kobalt/Global Dog/Book of Spells, ASCAP/SESAC; Capitol Nashville
-The multiple audio layers make it sound like there are a lot more than three voices on this. Dense sounding, but highly commercial.
Writers: Weston Burt/R. Karg/S. Mitchell; Producer: Rich Karg; Publishers: Rich Karg/Green Hills Music Group/Grin Like Dog, SESAC; RK (track)
-This Nashville singer-songwriter is selling a CD titled U Turn at his gigs. It contains this deliciously melodic power ballad about hooking up with no strings attached. You big-time stars and producers out there need to be mining this and the other tunes on this collection for gold. Recommended listening.
JOSH GOODLETT/Why You Gotta Be That Way
Writers: Bobby E. Boyd/Brad Wolf/Phillip Moore; Producer: Bobby E. Boyd; Publishers: Boyd Where Prohibited/Green Dog, BMI; Good
-The country-rocking production is on the money, and he is a fine country singer. The song doesn’t do much for me, but overall this is a perfectly OK effort.
TOBY KEITH/35 MPH Town
Writers: Toby Keith/Bobby Pinson; Producers: Toby Keith/Bobby Pinson; Publishers: Tokeco/Bobby’s Lyrics Land & Livestock/Do Write, BMI; Show Dog (CDX)
-This is an extremely well written song about a mother who doesn’t like what she sees around her these days. She cautions her boy that things aren’t like they used to be. Toby’s vocal is a masterpiece of urgent phrasing, and the dramatic production totally kicks butt. Play it again.
STEVE AZAR & SOPHIE YOUNG/The Sky Is Falling
Writers: Steve Azar; Producer: Steve Azar; Publishers: Steve Azar, BMI; Ride (CDX)
-Their duet about lost youth and forgotten innocence glides on wafting wings of sound. Ear catching.
CASEY JAMES/Fall Apart
Writers: Will Bowen/Joshua Carter/Zach Carter; Producers: Chris Lindsey/Casey James; Publishers: Vaughn Fenwick/Little Extra/Ten Thousand Hours/Petite-T/Music of Parallel, BMI; Columbia (CDX)
-Pleading with a broken heart, he sings the fire out of this. But I’m sorry: “Every time I run into you, I fall apart” is not exactly the most original idea in songwriting history.
TYLER HAMMOND/Wild One Tonight
Writers: Chris Jones; Producer: Chris Jones; Publishers: Chris Jones, ASCAP; Milley (CDX)
-I like the moody, thumpy production and the up-close-and-personal quality in his singing. I also like the way it builds in sonic complexity. I’m intrigued. Send more.
CHRIS STAPLETON/Traveller
Writers: Chris Stapleton; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: WB/Ken Tucky, ASCAP; Mercury (CDX)
-He remains one of the most gripping vocalists on today’s scene. This lonely-wanderer song is right up his alley. The tempo rolls along appropriately. Super listenable.
ZANE WILLIAMS/Jayton and Jill
Writers: Zane Williams; Producers: Zane Williams/Tom Faulkner; Publishers: Born Into Love/Be Original, ASCAP; Be (CDX)
-I love a good country story song, and this one is a pip. Jayton is an everyday guy working at a filling station and feeling suicidal. Jill is preacher’s daughter gone wild. They meet, talk all night and save one another’s troubled souls. A dandy, an instant classic.
Artists Added to 3rd Annual ACM Party For A Cause Festival
/by Jessica NicholsonThese artists join previously announced performers including, Dierks Bentley, Clint Black, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Sam Hunt, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Ronnie Milsap, Darius Rucker, Dwight Yoakam, Alabama, Eli Young Band, and Florida Georgia Line. Over 50 music acts will participate. A full lineup including additional performers and duet collaborations will be announced in the coming weeks.
ACM Presents: Superstar Duets is produced for television by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro, Mike Mahan and R.A. Clark are executive producers. Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman and Tom Forrest are co-executive producers. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music.
Weekly Register: Solid Debuts From ‘Nashville,’ ACM ZinePak
/by Sarah SkatesThe ACM is celebrating the big 5-0 with this ZinePak, as well as an upcoming “Now That’s What I Call…” set.
Info from Nielsen Soundscan
The “Girl Crush” controversy was much ado about nothing, but all the hype translated to a sales boost. The Little Big Town single moved from No. 4 to No. 1 (+137%) on the country tracks chart, selling 60K TW for a RTD total of 330K. The song also gave album Pain Killer a shot in the arm. Adding 6.1K units this week (+113%) it moved from No. 15 to No. 7 on the country album chart. After 23 weeks, it has a RTD total of 162K.
Making solid debuts on the country albums chart were Nashville: On The Record Volume 2 (Live From The Grand Ole Opry House) with 13K, and the 2015 ACM Awards ZinePak with 8.7K, entering at No. 3 and 4, respectively. The ZinePak, available at Walmart, includes two compilation CDs, a 96-page magazine, an ACM Awards nominee ballot, and a window decal.
Other key debuts include Canaan Smith’s EP (2.9K) and the first album from Striking Matches (1.8K).
Luke Bryan (18K) and Sam Hunt (15K) hung tight in the No. 1 and 2 country album positions.
On the country tracks chart, Granger Smith scored the top single debut with “Backroad Song” sliding in to No. 4 with 32K downloads. It is from his Frank Rogers produced EP, 4X4, available May 4 via Thirty Tigers.
A few upcoming albums
March 31
• Darius Rucker/Southern Style/Capitol
• Various/NOW That’s What I Call The ACM Awards 50 Years/UMG-Sony Music-ACM
• Cam/Welcome to Cam Country [EP]/Arista Nashville
April 7
• Kristian Bush/Southern Gravity/Streamsound Records
• Will Hoge/Small Town Dreams/Cumberland-Thirty Tigers
April 14
• Reba McEntire/Love Somebody/Nash Icon
April 28
• Zac Brown Band/Jekyll + Hyde/Southern Ground-John Varvatos Records-BMLG-Republic Records
• Tyler Farr/Suffer In Peace/Columbia Nashville