There wasn’t a dud in this week’s stack of platters, which is unusual.
Faced with a uniformly good smorgasbord of flavors, I’m falling back on songwriting quality as the deciding factor. That means that Ronnie Dunn has the Disc of the Day and that Kira Isabella is the DisCovery Award winner. They both have songs that tell a story. And that’s the not-so-secret weapon of country music.
CARLENE CARTER/Little Black Train
Writer: A.P. Carter; Producer: Don Was; Publisher: Peer, BMI; Rounder (track)
-Carlene’s Carter Girl CD is a former Disc of the Day winner in this column. Now it has a single and video. This apocalyptic Carter Family classic from 1935 becomes a rumbling, atmospheric rocker in her dramatic re-imagining with producer Don Was. Exciting, to say the least.
LEVI RIGGS/I’m Good
Writers: Mark Nesler/Marty Dodson; Producer: Matt McClure; Publishers: Songs of Universal/ole Black in the Saddle/Romantic Fiction/ole, BMI/ASCAP; Windridge (track)
-A bopping pleasure. All he’s asking the Lord for is a girl. Which makes me smile.
RONNIE DUNN/I Wish I Still Smoked Cigarettes
Writers: none listed; Producers: Ronnie Dunn/ Jeff Balding; Publisher: none listed; Little Will-E (track)
-Yearning for lost innocence, lost freedom, lost youth, lost love. No one can make you feel a lyric like this awesome singer. What a mighty, mighty country-music man.
Kira Isabella
-Ear opening. She takes her first drink, has date-rape sex and winds up with her compromising photos on the internet. She’s a freshman, marching-band, no-name nerd and he’s the town’s football star, so she winds up carrying the blame. A brilliant piece of songwriting, delivered with pitch-perfect emotion.
RODNEY CROWELL/Fever on the Bayou
Writers: Rodney Crowell/Will Jennings; Producers: Rodney Crowell/ Steuart Smith; Publishers: Sony-ATV Tunes/Irving/Will Jennings, ASCAP/BMI; New West (track)
-The slapping snare and deep bass form the base of this ode to Louisiana romance. Cool backing vocals, a sawing fiddle and a French-language verse are all pluses. Highly recommended.
DAKOTA BRADLEY/Won’t Be Young Forever
Writers: Dakota Bradley/Lance Miller/Brad Warren/Brett Warren; Producers: Byron Gallimore/ Tim McGraw; Publishers: Red Vinyl/EMI Blackwood/Farmlove/Sagequinnjude/Songs of StyleSonic/Melvin’s Bullets/Melvin’s Pistol, BMI/SESAC; Streamsound
-The nifty choppy rhythm propels him forward as he sings of a life lived well. “I’ll try never to say never: I’ll be forever young, but I won’t be young forever.” Amen to that, bro.
BUCKY COVINGTON/Buzzin’
Writer: Brad Hull; Producers: Bucky Covington/Dale Oliver; Publishers: Offer You Can’t Refuse/Black River, BMI; Bare Footin’ (CDX)
-A languid pace, banjo droplet notes and a dreamy vibe create a heat-wave, summertime mood here. Seasonally perfect.
JOSH THOMPSON/Wanted Me Gone
Writers: Josh Thompson/Brett Warren/Brad Warren; Producers: Mark Wright/Cliff Audretch III; Publishers: Sony-ATV Tree/Songs of Better Angel/Blank Sheet/EMI Blackwood/Sagequinnjude/Farmlove, BMI; Show Dog-Universal
-This upbeat ditty is characterized by babbling, repetitive, rapid-fire lyric delivery in the choruses. Catchy as all get out.
DIERKS BENTLEY/Drunk On A Plane
Writers: Chris Tompkins/Josh Kear/Dierks Bentley; Producer: Ross Copperman; Publishers: Big Loud Songs/Play Animal/Big Loud Bucks/Global Dog/Lunelight/Big White Tracks, ASCAP; Capitol (CDX)
-He’s wasted, traveling and missing her on a trip to Mexico they were supposed to take together. Best line of this roaring rocker: “Kiss my ass.” Actually, I think there are FAA regulations against over-serving airline passengers.
LEAH TURNER/Pull Me Back
Writers: Leah Turner/Jon Nite/Jimmy Robbins; Producers: Jim Catino/Cary Barlowe/Jesse Frasure; Publishers: WB/Rockin T/Thankful For This/EMI April/Jon Mark Nite/Universal/Extraordinary Alien, ASCAP; Columbia
-There’s something kinda cool about her vocal’s liquid, throaty quality. The stomping production keeps steady time while she emotes about her conflicting emotions. Even when she pushes him away, she wants him to pull her back. Super listening.
Opry Star David "Stringbean" Akeman's Killer Up For Parole
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured: the late David “Stringbean” Akeman
Convicted killer John A. Brown, 63, the man who murdered Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw star David “Stringbean” Akeman and his wife Estelle in 1973, appeared before a member of the Tennessee Board of Parole Wednesday morning, April 23, according to The Tennessean.
Brown and his cousin, Doug Marvin Brown, attacked and killed Akeman and his wife on the evening of Nov. 10, 1973 at their cabin home in Ridgetop, Tenn. Both men were sentenced to serve two life sentences in prison; Doug Brown died in prison in 2003.
Past requests for parole by John A. Brown have been denied.
Only one board member will cast a vote for or against parole at the hearing; it could take up to two weeks for an official decision from the entire board.
Brown is being held at the Lois M. DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville.
DISClaimer: Using Country's Not-So-Secret Weapon
/by Robert K OermannFaced with a uniformly good smorgasbord of flavors, I’m falling back on songwriting quality as the deciding factor. That means that Ronnie Dunn has the Disc of the Day and that Kira Isabella is the DisCovery Award winner. They both have songs that tell a story. And that’s the not-so-secret weapon of country music.
CARLENE CARTER/Little Black Train
Writer: A.P. Carter; Producer: Don Was; Publisher: Peer, BMI; Rounder (track)
-Carlene’s Carter Girl CD is a former Disc of the Day winner in this column. Now it has a single and video. This apocalyptic Carter Family classic from 1935 becomes a rumbling, atmospheric rocker in her dramatic re-imagining with producer Don Was. Exciting, to say the least.
LEVI RIGGS/I’m Good
Writers: Mark Nesler/Marty Dodson; Producer: Matt McClure; Publishers: Songs of Universal/ole Black in the Saddle/Romantic Fiction/ole, BMI/ASCAP; Windridge (track)
-A bopping pleasure. All he’s asking the Lord for is a girl. Which makes me smile.
RONNIE DUNN/I Wish I Still Smoked Cigarettes
Writers: none listed; Producers: Ronnie Dunn/ Jeff Balding; Publisher: none listed; Little Will-E (track)
-Yearning for lost innocence, lost freedom, lost youth, lost love. No one can make you feel a lyric like this awesome singer. What a mighty, mighty country-music man.
Kira Isabella
KIRA ISABELLA/Quarterback
Writers: Rivers Rutherford/Marti Dodson/Bobby Hamrick; Producers: Mark Liggett/Jerry Lane; Publishers: Universal/Memphianna/Painted Desert/EMI April, ASCAP; HitShop
-Ear opening. She takes her first drink, has date-rape sex and winds up with her compromising photos on the internet. She’s a freshman, marching-band, no-name nerd and he’s the town’s football star, so she winds up carrying the blame. A brilliant piece of songwriting, delivered with pitch-perfect emotion.
RODNEY CROWELL/Fever on the Bayou
Writers: Rodney Crowell/Will Jennings; Producers: Rodney Crowell/ Steuart Smith; Publishers: Sony-ATV Tunes/Irving/Will Jennings, ASCAP/BMI; New West (track)
-The slapping snare and deep bass form the base of this ode to Louisiana romance. Cool backing vocals, a sawing fiddle and a French-language verse are all pluses. Highly recommended.
DAKOTA BRADLEY/Won’t Be Young Forever
Writers: Dakota Bradley/Lance Miller/Brad Warren/Brett Warren; Producers: Byron Gallimore/ Tim McGraw; Publishers: Red Vinyl/EMI Blackwood/Farmlove/Sagequinnjude/Songs of StyleSonic/Melvin’s Bullets/Melvin’s Pistol, BMI/SESAC; Streamsound
-The nifty choppy rhythm propels him forward as he sings of a life lived well. “I’ll try never to say never: I’ll be forever young, but I won’t be young forever.” Amen to that, bro.
BUCKY COVINGTON/Buzzin’
Writer: Brad Hull; Producers: Bucky Covington/Dale Oliver; Publishers: Offer You Can’t Refuse/Black River, BMI; Bare Footin’ (CDX)
-A languid pace, banjo droplet notes and a dreamy vibe create a heat-wave, summertime mood here. Seasonally perfect.
JOSH THOMPSON/Wanted Me Gone
Writers: Josh Thompson/Brett Warren/Brad Warren; Producers: Mark Wright/Cliff Audretch III; Publishers: Sony-ATV Tree/Songs of Better Angel/Blank Sheet/EMI Blackwood/Sagequinnjude/Farmlove, BMI; Show Dog-Universal
-This upbeat ditty is characterized by babbling, repetitive, rapid-fire lyric delivery in the choruses. Catchy as all get out.
DIERKS BENTLEY/Drunk On A Plane
Writers: Chris Tompkins/Josh Kear/Dierks Bentley; Producer: Ross Copperman; Publishers: Big Loud Songs/Play Animal/Big Loud Bucks/Global Dog/Lunelight/Big White Tracks, ASCAP; Capitol (CDX)
-He’s wasted, traveling and missing her on a trip to Mexico they were supposed to take together. Best line of this roaring rocker: “Kiss my ass.” Actually, I think there are FAA regulations against over-serving airline passengers.
LEAH TURNER/Pull Me Back
Writers: Leah Turner/Jon Nite/Jimmy Robbins; Producers: Jim Catino/Cary Barlowe/Jesse Frasure; Publishers: WB/Rockin T/Thankful For This/EMI April/Jon Mark Nite/Universal/Extraordinary Alien, ASCAP; Columbia
-There’s something kinda cool about her vocal’s liquid, throaty quality. The stomping production keeps steady time while she emotes about her conflicting emotions. Even when she pushes him away, she wants him to pull her back. Super listening.
Weekly Register: Spring Break In Sales Land
/by Sarah SkatesNeedtobreathe
It’s so slow in sales land, chart watchers may as well go on spring break. Just be sure to return from the beach in time for upcoming major releases by Hunter Hayes (May 6), Rascal Flatts (May 13), Brantley Gilbert (May 19) and Miranda Lambert (June 3).
The new live album from Randy Rogers Band moved 5.3k.
In the meantime, Word Label Group’s Needtobreathe brought a breath of life with its debut of Rivers In The Wasteland selling 49k (80% digital) this week.
The Country digital EP from reality star Jessie James Decker entered with 11k via 19 Recordings. Her TV show follows the escapades of her and hubby Eric Decker of the Denver Broncos.
Dustin Lynch’s “Where It’s At” roped in 34k downloads to become the week’s top new country track.
Luke Bryan hangs on to the No. 1 Country track and album spots. He sold 105k of “Play It Again” for a RTD total of 725k, and 33k of Crash My Party for a RTD total of 1.806 million.
Rounding out the Country Top 5 albums list: Florida Georgia Line (19k), Eric Church (18k), Johnny Cash (13k), and Jessie James Decker (11k).
The Frozen soundtrack has been frozen at the top of the album chart for weeks (259k this week, 2.335 million RTD). And Pharrell Williams couldn’t be happier that “Happy” is sitting tight at No. 1 on the tracks list (274k this week, 4.5 million RTD).
In Photos: Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2014
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Country Music Association announced Tuesday (April 22) that Hank Cochran, Ronnie Milsap, and Mac Wiseman will be the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The announcement was made during a press conference in the rotunda of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.
Cochran will be inducted in the rotating “Songwriter” category, while Milsap will join in the “Modern Era Artist” category and Wiseman joins in the “Veterans Era Artist” category. All three will be inducted during the Medallion Ceremony that will be held later this year at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Pictured (L-R): Ronnie Milsap and Mac Wiseman. Photo: Alan Poizner / CMA
Pictured (Front, L-R): Mac Wiseman and Ronnie Milsap. (Back, L-R): Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO; Jo Walker-Meador, former CMA Executive Director; Kix Brooks, CMA Board member; Ed Hardy, CMA Board Chairman; Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Director and CEO; Frank Bumstead, Chairman of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, Inc. and CMA Board President; John Esposito, President and CEO of Warner Music Nashville and CMA Board President Elect; Bobby Bare, Country Music Hall of Fame member; Hunter Hayes; Suzi Cochran, widow of “Songwriter” inductee Hank Cochran; Rob Beckham, Co-President of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Nashville and CMA Board member and Chairman of the Awards and Recognition Committee.
Photo: Alan Poizner / CMA
Pictured (Front, L-R): Ronnie Milsap and Mac Wiseman. (Back, L-R): Victoria Shaw, Owner of Victoria Shaw Songs; Kix Brooks; Troy Tomlinson, President and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing; Jeff Walker, President of AristoMedia Group; Brett James, Owner/CEO of Cornman Music; Ed Hardy, CMA Board Chairman; John Esposito, President and CEO of Warner Music Nashville and CMA Board President Elect; Kerri Edwards, President of KP Entertainment; Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO; Jo Walker-Meador, former CMA Executive Director and Country Music Hall of Fame member; Jody Williams, Vice President Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI; and Ed Benson, former CMA Executive Director. Photo: Alan Poizner / CMA
Jerrod Niemann Celebrates Gold Single
/by Jessica NicholsonSea Gayle Records/Arista Nashville artist Jerrod Niemann dropped by the Sony Nashville office this week to toast his chart-topping, RIAA-certified Gold single, “Drink To That All Night.”
Pictured (L-R): Fitzgerald Hartley’s Steve Emley; Arista Nashville VP Promotion Lesly Tyson; Jerrod Niemann; Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton; Sony Music Nashville Director, Digital Sales, Alaina Vehec; and Niemann’s High Noon album co-producer Jimmie Lee Sloas. Photo: Alan Poizner
Photo 2 – Pictured front (L-R): Fitzgerald Hartley’s Steve Emley, Arista’s Lesly Tyson, Niemann, Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton, Sony’s Alaina Vehec, producer Jimmie Lee Sloas, and Sony’s Rusty Sherrill. Pictured back (L-R): Sony Music Nashville’s RG Jones, Arista’s Ali O’Connell, Andy Elliott, John Sigler, Jenny Shearin, Lauren Thomas, Jeri Cooper, and Ryan Dokke. Photo: Alan Poizner
Jerrod Niemann celebrates the Gold-selling success of “Drink To That All Night” with industry colleagues at Sony Music Nashville, as well as Fitzgerald Hartley’s Steve Emley and Niemann’s album co-producer Jimmie Lee Sloas. Photo: Alan Poizner
Two Exit In Average Joes Restructuring
/by Jessica Nicholson“We are still engaging in radio stations, but not in the traditional record label way,” VP, Marketing & Promotions Tony Morreale tells MusicRow. “It will be more tactical and in market-by-market basis. Unfortunately, that means we don’t need a full promotions staff. When people see a label’s radio promotions department changing, especially a small label, they think the label is closing up shop, and that is certainly not the case here. We have some great things coming up.”
Foster can be reached at 480-495-2209, while Schuld can be reached at 615-497-3892.
Johnny Cash Property Owned By Barry Gibb Sold For $2M
/by Jessica NicholsonJohnny Cash
Barry Gibb and wife Linda have sold the Hendersonville property that Johnny Cash and June Carter owned for more than 40 years, according to The Tennessean. Lakehouse Holdings purchased the property, located at 200 Caudill Drive, for $2 million, according to the Sumner Country Register of Deeds.
The property includes four lots on Old Hickory Lake. The Gibbs purchased the land for $2.3 million in 2006, along with the seven-bedroom home built in 1968 that resided on the property.
Both Carter and Cash lived at the property until their deaths in 2003.
Artist Charity Events: Rascal Flatts, Wynonna, Music For A Cure
/by Sarah Skates• • •
Music for a Cure returns Saturday, May 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Soulshine Pizza. The event will benefit PearlPoint Cancer Support. Performers scheduled include Walker Hayes, Katie Kendall, Jordan Todd, Cassidy Lynn, Lance Carpenter, Jill & Kate, Will King, Jessica Dawn, Carly Pearce, Pete Sallis, Chris Nathan, Jeff Radford and Chris Ketcham. Tickets are available at the door for a suggested donation of $10. For more information visit Facebook.
• • •
Wynonna Judd and The Big Noise will perform at the 24th Annual William Shatner Priceline.com Hollywood Charity Horse Show, Sponsored by Wells Fargo. The event will be held on April 26 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Proceeds will benefit special-needs children’s charities across the city of Los Angeles.
Lindsay Ell Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut
/by Jessica Nicholson(L): Ell performs at the Grand Ole Opry; (R): Ell with Grand Ole Opry’s Steve Buchanan and Pete Fisher.
Stoney Creek Records artist Lindsay Ell made her debut in the famous circle at the Grand Ole Opry recently, performing her debut single “Trippin’ On Us.” Ell performed as part of a bill that also featured Hunter Hayes, Jana Kramer, Nashville actor-entertainer Sam Palladio and more.
In addition to her debut single, the Calgary native performed “Don’t Take Me Home” and introduced “Not Another You” with a 60-second acoustic guitar picking. The singer, songwriter and guitarist penned “Not Another You” for a friend who suffers from muscular dystrophy.
Ell will make her Ryman Auditorium stage debut as part of Opry Country Classics on May 8.
2014 R.O.P.E. Brunch/Show Coming June 4
/by Jessica NicholsonHosted by R.O.P.E. (Reunion of Professional Entertainers), artists featured include Bill Anderson, Razzy Bailey, Baillie & The Boys, Jim Ed Brown, Tommy Cash, David Church, Jim Glaser, Marty Haggard, George Hamilton, IV, Jan Howard, Dickey Lee, Bobby Lewis, Charlie McCoy, Moore & Moore, Jimmy C. Newman, Bobby G. Rice, Rattlesnake Annie, Lulu Roman, Jean Shepard, Jeannie Seely, Dianne Sherrill, Jenny Tolman, Jett Williams, Leona Williams, and newly named Country Music Hall of Fame 2014 inductee Mac Wiseman. The event will take place from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Al Menah Shrine Temple, located at 1354 Brick Church Pike in Nashville.
Tickets are $35.00 per adult and $15.00 for children ages 6-12. Reservations for the brunch should be made by May 29. Checks and money orders can be sent to P.O. Box 2048, Madison, TN, 37116.