Pictured (L-R): Perry Howard, Dixie Hall, and Jody Williams. Photo: Alan Mayor
Award-winning bluegrass songwriter and former top country-music journalist Dixie Hall has passed away at age 80.
The wife of Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tom T. Hall died on Friday, January 15, following a long illness. She and her husband won Songwriter of the Year honors from SPBGMA (the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) for 10 consecutive years. She also co-wrote songs with Jeanette Williams, Billy Smith and Country Music Hall of Fame member Maybelle Carter, among others.
Dixie Hall founded the record label Blue Circle Records, the publishing company Good Home Grown Music and a recording studio. In the 1960s, she was the editor of country music’s biggest periodical.
Born Iris Violet May Lawrence in a town near Manchester, England, she wrote poetry as a youngster. During the 1950s, she became a country-music fan and began working as an overseas representative for Tex Ritter, Starday Records and other Nashvillians.
She moved to Music City in 1961 and was adopted by the legendary Maybelle Carter. Iris Lawrence adopted “Dixie Dean” as her Nashville pen name. She and Carter co-wrote the Johnny Cash songs “A Letter From Home” and “Troublesome Waters.”
Bobby Cyrus with Tom T. and Dixie Hall. Photo: Bev Moser
Also as “Dixie Dean,” she co-wrote the 1965 Dave Dudley hit “Truck Drivin’ Son-of-a-Gun.” Under this same byline, she wrote celebrity profiles for the Music City News fan magazine and eventually became its editor. She met Tom T. Hall at a BMI awards banquet in 1964. They married in 1968. For many years, she raised and trained award-winning basset hounds while her husband became a country superstar.
Dixie Hall reactivated her songwriting in the 1990s. Tom T. Hall wanted to retire, but she urged him to continue writing by becoming his collaborator. This is also when she established their record label, song-publishing company and recording studio, all headquartered at their Williamson County home, Fox Hollow.
She subsequently wrote or co-wrote more than 500 recorded bluegrass songs. They were sung by a who’s-who of the genre, including The Grascals, Special Consensus, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Don Rigsby, Josh Williams, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, James Monroe, Dale Ann Bradley, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Little Roy Lewis and Paul Williams.
She produced the all-female ensemble Daughters of Bluegrass. The group’s Pickin’ Like a Girl record was totally comprised of Dixie Hall songs and won an award from the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) in 2010.
Carlene Carter included Dixie’s co-written “Troublesome Waters” on her 2014 CD Carter Girl. Miranda Lambert placed Dixie’s co-written “All That’s Left” on her million-selling 2014 CMA Album of the Year winner Platinum.
Dixie Hall’s funeral will be private, according to The Tennessean. Tom T. Hall reportedly plans a celebration of his wife’s life and music at a later date.
Rascal Flatts To Launch Riot Tour 2015 in May
/by Troy_StephensonRascal Flatts has announced their headlining Riot Tour 2015. The first show will launch May 29 in St. Louis, and the tour will continue throughout the summer.
Scotty McCreery is named as the opener on the tour.
Prior to their summer tour, the trio will be the be the first country act to play a residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The shows are scheduled from Feb. 25 to March 14. The Voice winner Craig Wayne Boyd will handle the opening slot.
“2014 was such a great year for us on the radio and on tour,” said Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus. “Now we’re getting ready for the first-ever country residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock in Vegas. We’re having a blast with it, and we’ll be counting the days til the buses pull back out of Nashville for opening night.”
Cities for the Riot Tour 2015:
Cozumel, MX
Atlanta, GA
Forest City, IA
St. Louis, MO
Indianapolis, IN
Hershey, PA
Virginia Beach, VA
Washington, DC
Hartford, CT
Columbus, OH
Cadott, WI
Dallas, TX
Pittsburgh, PA
Charlotte, NC
Raleigh, NC
Holmdel, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Boston, MA
Detroit, MI
Brownsville, OR
Toronto, ON
Cleveland, OH
Darien Center, NY
Jones Beach, NY
Cincinnati, OH
Chicago, IL
Albuquerque, NM
Phoenix, AZ
Irvine, CA
Mtn. View, CA
W. Palm Beach, FL
Tampa, FL
Kenny Chesney Confirms Two Nights at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena
/by Eric T. ParkerKenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney has added an additional Nashville date for his The Big Revival Tour. The outing opens at the Bridgestone Arena on March 26. The new date, March 27, will accommodate the demand seen prior to the on-sale date, which remains Friday, Jan. 23.
“When you take a year off and you’re as far into a career as I am, you don’t wanna assume they’re still as hungry for you,” said Chesney. “But I’ve also always said I never want a real fan not to be able to come to the show, so I’m glad I’m able to do two nights in Nashville.”
The country superstar’s two Foxboro Stadium shows saw sell-out times in 12 minutes. The summer tour will hit 20 stadiums, multiple arenas, the occasional amphitheater and a few festivals.
“I’m glad we were able to make it work so everyone who wants to come can!” he continued. “That’s always been the way we’ve tried to do this – and I see no reason to change now.”
His Grammy-nominated “American Kids” recently spent two weeks at No. 1 while his latest single, “’Til It’s Gone,” marks his 26th career No. 1.
BBR Music Group’s Dustin Lynch Signs with Sweet Talk Publicity
/by Jessica NicholsonDustin Lynch. Photo: Justin Nolan Key
BBR Music Group recording artist Dustin Lynch has signed with Jensen Sussman‘s Sweet Talk Publicity for indie PR representation. Sweet Talk’s artist roster includes Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen, Frankie Ballard, Kristian Bush, Will Hoge, Craig Campbell, Dallas Smith and Chris Lane.
Prior to opening Sweet Talk Publicity, Sussman held publicity positions at Warner Music Nashville, Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records and Equity Music Group. She handled publicity for artists including Gretchen Wilson, Jessica Simpson, Montgomery Gentry, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, James Otto and Frankie Ballard.
Sussman is the CEO and co-founder of Women Rock For The Cure, the Nashville-based 501(c)(3) organization committed to connecting and supporting young women facing breast cancer. She is also an active member of the Country Music Association (CMA) and Academy of Country Music (ACM), and an alumna of Society of Leaders In Development (SOLID).
Alabama To Perform With Nashville Symphony
/by Sarah SkatesAlabama. Photo Credit: Ed Rode
Alabama will perform with the Nashville Symphony in 2016. The three-night stand is part of the symphony’s FirstBank Pops Series and is scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 12, 13 and 14 2016 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
As of now, this concert series is on sale as part of a subscription package only. Single tickets go on sale to the public June 27. Details here.
Other noteworthy concerts in the newly revealed Pops Series line up include The Music of the Eagles (Feb. 25, 26, 27, 2016), Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Best of Broadway, Pink Martini, Cirque de la Symphonie, The Irish Tenors, and Chris Botti. The price for a subscription to eight concerts starts at $414.
27th Annual Folk Alliance Conference & Music Fair Set For February
/by Jessica NicholsonThe program’s Winter Music Camp, to be held Feb. 19-21, will include performances from Bela Fleck, Sam Baker, Hal Ketchum, and others.
The featured speakers at this year’s conference include astronaut/folk singer Commander Chris Hadfield, two-time Grammy winner Rita Coolidge, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) David Israelite, audience diversification expert Donna Walker-Kuhne, singer and Flyers’ Rights advocate Dave Carroll, and folk music performer Sylvia Tyson.
The 27th annual Folk Alliance Conference & Music Fair will take place at the Westin and Sheraton Crown Center hotels in Kansas City.
For more information, visit folkalliance.org.
Black River Entertainment Celebrates Ronnie Milsap’s 72nd Birthday
/by Troy_StephensonRonnie Milsap with Black River Entertainment’s Gordon Kerr, Dawn Delvo, and Burt Stein. Photo: Getty Images
Black River Entertainment hosted a celebration at Ronnie’s Place Studio in Nashville for Ronnie Milsap’s 72nd birthday on Friday, Jan. 16. Guests were welcomed into the very studio that Milsap and several other Country legends have recorded music. The recently renovated space has been preserved to keep the unique atmosphere and vibe that is home to the recordings of many. Black River Entertainment CEO Gordon Kerr sat with Milsap over a year ago to get his consent on officially naming it “Ronnie’s Place.” According to Kerr, Milsap was excited about the honor but had just one request. “He wanted to sit in the studio and hear his music coming from the speakers inside the studio,” says Kerr. “Once we played it for him, he was good.”
Kerr welcomed the attendees by saying that the celebration was not only for Milsap’s birthday, but for the countless hours of music that has been made at that studio. He then presented Milsap with a plaque commemorating all the hits he recorded there, with each title written in brail.
As Milsap ran his fingers across the plaque, he named a few songs that were included and proceeded to express how great it was to be back at “Ronnie’s Place.” He thanked Kerr and his staff and expressed love to those in attendance, which included several of his family members.
Also on hand were members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Starting Feb. 6, 2015, the exhibit “Ronnie Milsap: A Legend In My Time” will be featured and will run through August 2015.
A birthday cake created for Ronnie Milsap’s 72nd birthday party. Photo: Getty Images
Industry Pics: Arista Nashville, BMI, Momentum Label Group
/by Jessica NicholsonArista Nashville’s newest artist, Cam, performed new music including her debut single “My Mistake” for Sony Music Nashville employees and guests on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Pictured (L-R): Michael Bryan (VP Programming iHeartMedia Nashville), Cam, Gary Overton (Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville), and Lesly Simon (VP Promotions, Arista Nashville)
• • •
Craig Wayne Boyd, the winner of The Voice, stopped by the Broadcast Music, Inc. Nashville office before getting ready to head out on tour, including a residency in Las Vegas opening for Rascal Flatts. The season seven winner was part of BMI songwriter Blake Shelton’s team and debuted at the top of the country charts with his single “My Baby’s Got a Smile on Her Face.” Boyd is hard at work on an album to be released in 2015.
Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Perry Howard and BMI songwriter Craig Wayne Boyd
• • •
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Momentum Label Group’s Rachele Lynae made a stop at the Cumulus Radio offices in Atlanta where she celebrated her birthday and the Jan. 19 release of her new single, “Whole Lotta Nothin’.”
Pictured (L-R): John Kilgo (Cumulus), Cat Collins (in2une), Jamice Jennings, (in2une), Rachele Lynae, Mike Mcvay (in2une), Dale Connone, (in2une)
Third Coast Talent Signs James Carothers
/by Kelsey_GradyPictured (L-R): Seated: Debbie Moore, James Carothers, Carrie Moore-Reed. Standing: JoAnn Berry (Manager) and Perry Howard (BMI Director,Writer/Publisher Relations).
Country newcomer James Carothers has signed an exclusive worldwide booking agreement with Nashville-based Third Coast Talent. His current CD, Honky Tonk Land, features seven original songs. Carothers will showcase several of those tunes during the DRX Showcase stage at 3rd & Lindsley tomorrow evening (Jan. 20) beginning at 6 p.m. CT.
“It was important to me to get back to my roots,” says the Tennessee native about his recent move to Nashville. “And this is still where the rubber meets the road on the business end of things.”
MusicRow magazine’s Robert K. Oermann, who recently reviewed Carothers’ single “I Must Be Alive,” saying, “This moaning ode to a lost love has a super deep resonance and burning passion. As a song, it’s quite well crafted, with admirably dynamic melodic range as well as sturdy lyrics.”
TackleBox Films Adds Carey Nelson Burch As Executive Producer
/by Jessica NicholsonCarey Nelson Burch
TackleBox Films owner Shaun Silva and Head of Production Kevin Wilson have added Carey Nelson Burch in an Executive Producer role.
Burch previously worked William Morris Agency, where she represented Shaun Silva in 2005. Under her own banner, My Own Shingle, Burch has a roster of producers, screenwriters, authors and filmmakers that she will bring into the TBF fold.
“So much of our industry is based on connecting the dots between like-minded creatives and industry leaders, this is a major strong point for Carey,” says Shaun Silva.
Burch replaces Nicole Flammia, who recently joined Big Machine Records.
Burch can be reached at carey@tackleboxfilms.com, or by phone at 615-340-9555 (office) or 615-430-3363 (cell).
LifeNotes: Bluegrass Song Great Dixie Hall Passes
/by Robert K OermannPictured (L-R): Perry Howard, Dixie Hall, and Jody Williams. Photo: Alan Mayor
Award-winning bluegrass songwriter and former top country-music journalist Dixie Hall has passed away at age 80.
The wife of Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tom T. Hall died on Friday, January 15, following a long illness. She and her husband won Songwriter of the Year honors from SPBGMA (the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) for 10 consecutive years. She also co-wrote songs with Jeanette Williams, Billy Smith and Country Music Hall of Fame member Maybelle Carter, among others.
Dixie Hall founded the record label Blue Circle Records, the publishing company Good Home Grown Music and a recording studio. In the 1960s, she was the editor of country music’s biggest periodical.
Born Iris Violet May Lawrence in a town near Manchester, England, she wrote poetry as a youngster. During the 1950s, she became a country-music fan and began working as an overseas representative for Tex Ritter, Starday Records and other Nashvillians.
She moved to Music City in 1961 and was adopted by the legendary Maybelle Carter. Iris Lawrence adopted “Dixie Dean” as her Nashville pen name. She and Carter co-wrote the Johnny Cash songs “A Letter From Home” and “Troublesome Waters.”
Bobby Cyrus with Tom T. and Dixie Hall. Photo: Bev Moser
Also as “Dixie Dean,” she co-wrote the 1965 Dave Dudley hit “Truck Drivin’ Son-of-a-Gun.” Under this same byline, she wrote celebrity profiles for the Music City News fan magazine and eventually became its editor. She met Tom T. Hall at a BMI awards banquet in 1964. They married in 1968. For many years, she raised and trained award-winning basset hounds while her husband became a country superstar.
Dixie Hall reactivated her songwriting in the 1990s. Tom T. Hall wanted to retire, but she urged him to continue writing by becoming his collaborator. This is also when she established their record label, song-publishing company and recording studio, all headquartered at their Williamson County home, Fox Hollow.
She subsequently wrote or co-wrote more than 500 recorded bluegrass songs. They were sung by a who’s-who of the genre, including The Grascals, Special Consensus, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Don Rigsby, Josh Williams, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, James Monroe, Dale Ann Bradley, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Little Roy Lewis and Paul Williams.
She produced the all-female ensemble Daughters of Bluegrass. The group’s Pickin’ Like a Girl record was totally comprised of Dixie Hall songs and won an award from the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) in 2010.
Carlene Carter included Dixie’s co-written “Troublesome Waters” on her 2014 CD Carter Girl. Miranda Lambert placed Dixie’s co-written “All That’s Left” on her million-selling 2014 CMA Album of the Year winner Platinum.
Dixie Hall’s funeral will be private, according to The Tennessean. Tom T. Hall reportedly plans a celebration of his wife’s life and music at a later date.