Pictured (L-R): Belmont President Bob Fisher and Brenda Lee.
Thanks to the generosity of the
Mike Curb Family Foundation, the students at Belmont University now have four vintage studios in which to learn the crafts of engineering and producing records.
The fourth of them, Columbia Studio A, was officially opened with a breakfast reception on Friday (May 9). It joins RCA Studio B, The Quonset Hut and Ocean Way, all of which have been previously restored by Curb.
“Our Curb College is now the largest stand-alone music-business program in the nation,” said Curb at the event. He recalled that when he was a kid in California, he marveled that so many hits could come from Studio B and the Quonset Hut, alone.
“What you did in this studio is beyond what any of us could dream,” he told the attendees, many of whom were veteran Nashville music figures. “While I’m alive, I want to see this happen again…..Thank you, thank you for building this and making it what it is. We’re just proud to be restoring it.”
Striking Matches’ Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann.
Striking Matches – Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis – met as Belmont students. The duo began the event by singing “She’s Got You,” which Patsy Cline recorded next door in The Quonset Hut.
“Striking Matches is literally on fire,” quipped Belmont president Bob Fisher. “Their presence today reflects the aura of this place – the past, the present and the future.” He recognized Harold Bradley, who created the original facility with his brother, the late Owen Bradley, in 1955. “Today we’re celebrating,” Fisher added. “Mike Curb has been the most active person in preserving Nashville’s recording history.”
Curb is leasing the studio to Belmont for the next 40 years, which Fisher said amounts to a $10 million behest. The Belmont chief introduced several denizens of Columbia Studio A who were in the crowd. In addition to Harold Bradley, they including Lou Bradley, Ron “Snake” Reynolds, Jerry Kennedy, Bill Walker, Wayne Moss, Dickie Lee, Laing Martine Jr., acoustic designer Dave Rochester, Hoot Hester, Jim Ed Norman and Word president Rod Riley.
“There’s a story for every one of you in this room,” Fisher said.
Charlie McCoy recalled playing the harmonica intro on Roy Orbison’s “Candy Man,” which kick-started his session career. He was later invited to New York to play on Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.”
“That was [producer] Bob Johnston’s way of luring Bob Dylan to Nashville,” McCoy recollected. Dylan block-booked Columbia Studio A to record Blonde on Blonde, writing its songs during the sessions. He returned to record John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline on Music Row as well. The result: “Nashville was certified as a recording center by people who would have never come here to record,” McCoy said.
Pictured (L-R): Linda Curb, Mike Curb, Harold Bradley and Charlie McCoy. Photo courtesy of Belmont University
Pop luminaries who have recorded in Columbia Studio A also include Leonard Cohen, The Byrds, Boz Scaggs, Simon & Garfunkel, Elvis Costello, Dan Fogelberg, REO Speedwagon and Manhattan Transfer.
“We have heroes in this town, and one of them is Mike Curb,” added McCoy. “I’m honored to be here. And I’m still playing, by the way!”
“This is a magical building for me,” said
Brenda Lee. “Owen and Harold had a vision when they bought a house and built a studio. This little patch of ground where we stand was the foundation of the sound heard ‘round the world.”
“These walls can and will talk to a new generation. And for that, we can all be grateful.”
Pictured (L-R): Justin Davis, Brenda Lee, Sarah Zimmermann and Belmont’s Wes Bulla.
Striking Matches closed the reception with another performance. “We’re surrounded by music royalty,” Davis observed. “We’re honored and humbled. If you recognize any licks we play, it’s because we stole them all from you.”
It really was an A-list crowd. Schmoozing fabulons working the room included
Troy Tomlinson, Buddy Miller, Mark Ford, Debbie Linn, Pat McMaken, Ronnie Shacklett, Alan Stoker, Pete Fisher, Michael Gray, Shelby Kennedy, Jeff Balding, David Wykoff and Belmont’s
James Elliott, Wes Bulla, Don Cusic, Bo Thomas and studio manager
Michael Janus.
Coffee, cookies and assorted breakfast items were served.
Bobby Karl Works The Columbia Studio A Re-Opening
/by Bobby KarlPictured (L-R): Belmont President Bob Fisher and Brenda Lee.
Chapter 454
Thanks to the generosity of the Mike Curb Family Foundation, the students at Belmont University now have four vintage studios in which to learn the crafts of engineering and producing records.
The fourth of them, Columbia Studio A, was officially opened with a breakfast reception on Friday (May 9). It joins RCA Studio B, The Quonset Hut and Ocean Way, all of which have been previously restored by Curb.
“Our Curb College is now the largest stand-alone music-business program in the nation,” said Curb at the event. He recalled that when he was a kid in California, he marveled that so many hits could come from Studio B and the Quonset Hut, alone.
“What you did in this studio is beyond what any of us could dream,” he told the attendees, many of whom were veteran Nashville music figures. “While I’m alive, I want to see this happen again…..Thank you, thank you for building this and making it what it is. We’re just proud to be restoring it.”
Striking Matches’ Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann.
Striking Matches – Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis – met as Belmont students. The duo began the event by singing “She’s Got You,” which Patsy Cline recorded next door in The Quonset Hut.
“Striking Matches is literally on fire,” quipped Belmont president Bob Fisher. “Their presence today reflects the aura of this place – the past, the present and the future.” He recognized Harold Bradley, who created the original facility with his brother, the late Owen Bradley, in 1955. “Today we’re celebrating,” Fisher added. “Mike Curb has been the most active person in preserving Nashville’s recording history.”
Curb is leasing the studio to Belmont for the next 40 years, which Fisher said amounts to a $10 million behest. The Belmont chief introduced several denizens of Columbia Studio A who were in the crowd. In addition to Harold Bradley, they including Lou Bradley, Ron “Snake” Reynolds, Jerry Kennedy, Bill Walker, Wayne Moss, Dickie Lee, Laing Martine Jr., acoustic designer Dave Rochester, Hoot Hester, Jim Ed Norman and Word president Rod Riley.
“There’s a story for every one of you in this room,” Fisher said.
Charlie McCoy recalled playing the harmonica intro on Roy Orbison’s “Candy Man,” which kick-started his session career. He was later invited to New York to play on Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.”
“That was [producer] Bob Johnston’s way of luring Bob Dylan to Nashville,” McCoy recollected. Dylan block-booked Columbia Studio A to record Blonde on Blonde, writing its songs during the sessions. He returned to record John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline on Music Row as well. The result: “Nashville was certified as a recording center by people who would have never come here to record,” McCoy said.
Pictured (L-R): Linda Curb, Mike Curb, Harold Bradley and Charlie McCoy. Photo courtesy of Belmont University
Pop luminaries who have recorded in Columbia Studio A also include Leonard Cohen, The Byrds, Boz Scaggs, Simon & Garfunkel, Elvis Costello, Dan Fogelberg, REO Speedwagon and Manhattan Transfer.
“We have heroes in this town, and one of them is Mike Curb,” added McCoy. “I’m honored to be here. And I’m still playing, by the way!”
“This is a magical building for me,” said Brenda Lee. “Owen and Harold had a vision when they bought a house and built a studio. This little patch of ground where we stand was the foundation of the sound heard ‘round the world.”
“These walls can and will talk to a new generation. And for that, we can all be grateful.”
Pictured (L-R): Justin Davis, Brenda Lee, Sarah Zimmermann and Belmont’s Wes Bulla.
Striking Matches closed the reception with another performance. “We’re surrounded by music royalty,” Davis observed. “We’re honored and humbled. If you recognize any licks we play, it’s because we stole them all from you.”
It really was an A-list crowd. Schmoozing fabulons working the room included Troy Tomlinson, Buddy Miller, Mark Ford, Debbie Linn, Pat McMaken, Ronnie Shacklett, Alan Stoker, Pete Fisher, Michael Gray, Shelby Kennedy, Jeff Balding, David Wykoff and Belmont’s James Elliott, Wes Bulla, Don Cusic, Bo Thomas and studio manager Michael Janus.
Coffee, cookies and assorted breakfast items were served.
Hunter Hayes Breaks Guinness World Record
/by Troy_StephensonHunter Hayes celebrates breaking a Guinness World Record.
Hunter Hayes teamed up with ConAgra Foods to end child hunger and celebrate the release of his brand-new album Storyline this week by breaking the Guinness World Records® record for Most Concerts Played in multiple cities in 24 hours.
The “24 Hour Road Race to End Child Hunger” kicked off Friday, May 9 on Good Morning America in Times Square and hit Boston; Worcester, Mass.; Providence, R.I.; New London, Conn.; New Haven, Conn.; Stamford, Conn.; South Orange, N.J.; Asbury Park, N.J. and culminated in Philadelphia.
The multi-talented entertainer played 10 shows in 10 cities in 24 hours, breaking the Flaming Lips’ world record of eight shows in 24 hours.
Support acts that helped keep the momentum going included breakout country duo Dan + Shay, critically-acclaimed newcomer Charlie Worsham, up-and-coming country band The Railers, and singer/songwriters Dean Alexander and Matt Sucich, with the official music playlist powered by “The Country Club with Dee Jay Silver.”
ABC's 'Nashville' Renewed for Season Three
/by Jessica NicholsonABC’s Country music-centric drama Nashville featuring Connie Britton and Hayden Pannettiere has been renewed for a third season. ABC’s co-president Ben Sherwood made the announcement late Friday (May 9) via Twitter.
The renewal will bring back the characters of Nashville for a full 22 episodes in season three.
Nashville cast members Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Chris Carmack and Will Chase recently hit the road for a brief multi-city tour in support of multiple soundtrack releases.
Lambert To Give 'Platinum' Album Preview To Fans in Seven Cities
/by Jessica NicholsonMiranda Lambert is giving fans a chance to listen to her forthcoming album in Platinum style. Lambert’s vintage 1954 Flying Cloud Airstream will visit seven cities across the country on the “Platinum Across America” tour, offering listening sessions for select fans to preview her fifth studio album, Platinum.
Those fans will be chosen through a sweepstakes via Lambert’s online community and through Country radio. Additionally, all fans are invited to join the complimentary Platinum Park activities in each city that will include a platinum hair salon, sun tea stand, corn hole, a leather workshop, vintage postcard photo ops and more activities. Fans who pre-order Platinum onsite (or provide proof of their previous Platinum pre-order purchase) will also be invited to tour the airstream trailer and listen to the album’s title track.
Fans who aren’t able to make it to a “Platinum Across America” date can follow the airstream’s journey online, where they can also register to win a trip to see the singer-songwriter in concert, with a meet and greet that includes a private tour of the airstream trailer.
“Platinum Across America” launches May 20 in Los Angeles and wraps in Philadelphia on May 31, before heading to Nashville for CMA Music Fest and release week for the album.
Platinum Across America stops include:
May 20 – Los Angeles
May 23 – Denver
May 26 – Dallas
May 27 – Oklahoma City
May 29 – Chicago
May 30 – Indianapolis
May 31 – Philadelphia
Education Notes (5/9/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonReba
Country Music Hall of Fame member Reba McEntire will participate in a special Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum educational program for Middle Tennessee middle and high school students on Tuesday, May 13, at 10:00 a.m. CDT. All Access: Reba McEntire will take place in the museum’s CMA Theater. Students will have a chance to ask Reba questions about her rise to stardom, her business enterprises, and her career.
Although the program is not open to the public and the school registration period is closed, the event will be live-streamed at: countrymusichalloffame.org/streaming on May 13.
The 75-minute program will be moderated by WSM-AM’s Bill Cody.
• • •
MercyMe’s Bart Millard
Grand Canyon University is teaming with MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard to offer a Worship Arts program to prepare students for careers ranging from national recording artist to church worship leader. The program will combine a ministry component and a performance component and will be based in the University’s College of Theology.
The bachelors program will include 32 credits of theology, and will offer four emphases including digital media, worship production, worship ministry and worship management.
“Anyone can sing the message, but first you have to get the message right,” said Millard, who will serve as Director of the Center for Worship Arts and expose GCU students to some of the top influencers in the music industry. “Parents who might be concerned their son or daughter wants to perform for a living will know that they will be able to follow their dream and still earn a four-year degree. We will equip students for worship leadership that is relevant and theologically sound.”
The program will welcome its first class in fall 2014.
• • •
In addition, MI will begin to deliver more study materials digitally, with the institution of a paperless “Bring Your Own Device” (B.Y.O.D.) policy.
MI’s 360-degree approach to music education will include revised certificate and degree programs for bass, drums, guitar, keyboard technology, and vocals. The program is centered on harmony, theory and ear training as well as core subjects in reading, technique and performance, which will be synchronized on a weekly “micro” basis.
Students will utilize the latest mobile phones, tablets and laptops on any platform of their choosing (iOS, Android, OSX, or Windows) to foster an efficient, 24/7 learning environment.
Nashville Artists Ready for GMA Summer Concert Series
/by Eric T. ParkerOn May 23, Lady Antebellum will kick off the multi-genre events, which are planned in Rumsey Playfield each Friday through the end of August. Paisley will wrap the summer series on Aug. 29.
Additional superstars booked for the ABC-TV events include Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Jason Derulo, Demi Lovato, Robin Thicke, and more. Full line-up below.
Concerts are free and open to the public and will take place live during ABC-TV’s Good Morning America broadcast, from 7-9 a.m. ET.
Concert Schedule:
May 23: Lady Antebellum
May 30: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson*
June 6: Demi Lovato
June 13 Paramore
June 20: Jennifer Lopez*
June 27: Afrojack
July 4: Jason Derulo
July 11: Keith Urban
July 18: Zedd
July 25: Kings of Leon
Aug. 1: Enrique Iglesias
Aug. 8: Luke Bryan
Aug. 15: Florida Georgia Line
Aug. 22: Robin Thicke
Aug. 29: Brad Paisley
*Requires free, advance tickets to become available closer to the performance date
Artist Pics (5/9/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonCMT Radio’s Cody Alan chatted with Dierks Bentley at his last Riser Tour rehearsal in Nashville, Tenn. The Riser Tour kicks off today (May 9) in Charlotte, N.C., and will continue through the summer with special guests Chris Young, Chase Rice and Jon Pardi.
Pictured (L-R): Dierks Bentley, Cody Alan
• • •
Natalie Stovall and The Drive made their Grand Ole Opry debut on Tuesday (May 6). Lead singer Stovall first graced the Opry stage for the first time in the Spring of 1995 at the age of 12.
Pictured (L-R): Natalie Stovall and the Drive at the Grand Ole Opry. Photo: Rachel Black, Hollo Graphics, Inc.
• • •
The cast of ABC’s Nashville completed its four-city concert tour Tuesday evening (May 6) in New York City. The performance included Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, Chris Carmack, Will Chase and Chaley Rose. Previous tour stops included sold-out shows in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
Pictured (L-R, back row): Scott Edwards, tour manager; Gary Craig, drums; Colin Linden, guitar; Steve Buchanan, President Opry Entertainment Group; Tim Lauer, keyboard, Jim Hoke, steel guitar/harmonica/guitar; John Dymond, bass. (middle row, L-R): Chris Carmack, Sam Palladio. (front row, L-R): Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Will Chase, Chaley Rose, Jonathan Jackson. Photo By ©2014 Heidi Gutman/ABC
Dot Records Adds Promo Staff
/by Jessica Nicholson“I look at the team that we have assembled here at Dot and the entire Big Machine Label Group and I know that we cannot only compete, but win. Newly named Director of National Promotion Kris Lamb is such a perfect fit to spearhead this team, where we have such an amazing balance of experience, relationships, intelligence, promo skill and hustle. I cannot wait to unleash this team on our first single!” exclaimed Stacey.
Under Stacey’s leadership, the Dot Records’ team will consist of staff members with multi-genre backgrounds as well as internal hires within the Big Machine Label Group:
Kris Lamb (Director of National Promotion) is upped in the label group family, where he most recently served as the West Coast Regional for Big Machine Records and was integral in the careers of Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Danielle Bradbery and The Cadillac Three. He will relocate to Nashville and can be reached 615.846.7750.
James Marsh (Director of Southwest Promotion) joins the team from Warner Bros. Records, where he served as Southwest Regional Promotions Manager. Based in Dallas, TX, he is available at 615.846.7747.
Bill Lubitz (Director of West Coast Promotion) will remain based in Las Vegas, Nev., where he was most recently at Black River Entertainment in National Radio Promotion and West Coast Regional. He can be contacted at 615.846.7752.
Michelle Tigard-Kammerer (Director of Midwest/Northeast Promotion) previously Sr. Director of Brand Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at Country Radio Broadcasters and will be located in Nashville. She can be reached at 615.846.7751.
EJ Bernas (Director of Southeast Promotion) comes from Curb and Universal, where he served as Sr. Director of Promotion. Remaining in Nashville, he can be contacted at 615.846.7749.
Rachel Dobson (Promotion Manager) joins the label from Capitol Records Nashville & EMI Records Nashville, where she served as Promotion Coordinator. She will be based in Nashville and is available via 615.846.7748.
Garrett Hill (Executive Assistant) previously interned with the company and is working as the Traffic Coordinator for the label group. He can be reached at 615.846.7746.
Comparably, Dot Records will be headquartered in Nashville and will utilize the combined resources of Big Machine and Republic Records.
No artist signings have been announced.
Weekly Chart Report (5/9/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonApple Close To Acquiring Beats Electronics For $3.2 Billion
/by Sherod RobertsonIf the deal closes, this would be Apple’s largest acquisition and would position the company in the music streaming subscription arena competing with rivals such as Spotify.
Beats Electronics produces audio products and equipment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. The company was founded by rapper and hip-hop producer Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine.
Beats Music‘s streaming service launched January 2014. The service was spun out of Beats Electronics, receiving a $60 million investment to bring the product to market. The core of the streaming service was formed by Beats’ $14 million acquisition of digital music company MOG in 2012.