Pete Seeger
Folk singer/songwriter
Pete Seeger died Jan. 27 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He was 94.
Born in 1919 in New York City to musicologist Dr.
Charles Seeger and concert violinist
Constance Edson Seeger, Pete Seeger developed interests in music and journalism.
After dropping out of Harvard University (he was in the same class as
John F. Kennedy), Pete Seeger met and traveled with folksong writer
Woody Guthrie in 1940, which inspired Seeger to pen his own songs. In 1942, Seeger was drafted into the Army and sent to the Pacific.
After a stint in the military, Seeger became a member of
The Weavers in the early 1950s; the band’s recording of
Lead Belly‘s “Goodnight, Irene” topped the charts in 1950. In the 1960s, Seeger became a musician on the forefront of protest music; he supported civil rights and various environmental causes.
Seeger adapted a Bible passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes into a No. 1 hit, “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” for
The Byrds in the 1960s; the song was also recorded by
Judy Collins as well as
The Seekers. Other popular Seeger-penned songs include “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?,” which was a Top 40 hit for the
Kingston Trio and a popular anthem during anti-Vietnam War rallies. He also adapted a gospel song to sing for union workers, creating the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” “If I Had a Hammer” was a hit record for
Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962 and for
Trini Lopez in 1963.
Seeger won three Grammy awards, including a trophy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 1996 for
Pete, the Best Traditional Album honor in 2008 for
At 89, and a trophy for his 2010 project
Tomorrow’s Children: Pete Seeger and the Rivertown Kids and Friends. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
Most recently, Seeger performed as part of Farm Aid 2013.
BMLG To Release Motley Crue Country Tribute Album
/by Jessica NicholsonIn conjunction with the tour, Big Machine Records, home to country superstars such as Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts has teamed up in a joint venture with Mötley Records and Eleven Seven music for the summer 2014 release of a Country music tribute to Mötley Crüe. Big Machine Label Group President and CEO Scott Borchetta is among the legion of country music fans who love Mötley Crüe. The tribute album will show off the band’s quality songwriting with fresh takes on their classic hits. Among the artists confirmed for the tribute album are LeAnn Rimes, Florida Georgia Line, Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band and Cassadee Pope.
More artists will be unveiled as the album nears a release date this summer. Borchetta says of the collaboration, “I have been a not-so-secret Crue fan from the beginning. When manager Chris Nilsson called with the idea for a tribute album on Big Machine Records it was an immediate ‘Yes’ from me! Our album will highlight just how great the Motley Crue song catalog is. At the end of the day, that’s what will stand the test of time.”
Borchetta further noted that “the initial response from the announcement of this album has been overwhelming. There are a lot of artists asking to be included and we look forward to finalizing plans for the project over the next few weeks.”
Tin Pan South Partners With Watkins College For Festival Artwork
/by Jessica NicholsonBorn in South Carolina, Sinnett attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, focusing in the visual arts and the metals program. The Fine Arts major strives to integrate her interest in illustration into the fine arts and vice versa.
Produced by NSAI, Tin Pan South reigns as the world’s largest all-songwriter festival. Last year, close to 350 talented songwriters performed over 90 shows at 10 of Nashville’s top music venues. Thousands of music fans attend the event annually to hear songwriters tell stories behind hit songs they have written and perform the songs as they were originally composed. Regions Bank returns for the seventh year as the presenting sponsor of the event.
The full performance schedule will be announced on March 3, the same day that festival passes will go on sale at 10 a.m.
For more information, visit tinpansouth.com.
Clear Channel Networks Group Names President
/by Sarah SkatesDarren Davis
Clear Channel Media and Entertainment has created a new unified Networks group and tapped Darren Davis to lead the effort as President, Clear Channel Networks Group. In his new role, Davis will oversee the close integration of Premiere Networks, Total Traffic and Weather Network, the 24/7 News Network and the iHeartRadio Network.
Davis has a long standing, very successful career within Clear Channel starting at WASH-FM in Washington, D.C. in 1992 as an intern. He worked his way up to eventually becoming the station’s program director and overnight on-air host. He has since served as a Regional Vice President of Programming for Clear Channel Detroit and Chicago, and climbed the ranks to Senior Vice President of Programming and his most recent role as Executive Vice President and General Manager of National Programming Platforms.
Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO for Clear Channel said, “Darren is an innovative and effective leader of teams and has been a success at every role he has played at this company from the beginning as a programmer through his role as EVP and GM for the National Programming Platforms (NPP) group with Tom Poleman. His extensive and diverse experience makes him the perfect candidate for this important new leadership role.”
In his expanded role, Davis will oversee the company’s key Network divisions, including:
• Premiere Networks, which syndicates 90 radio programs and services to more than 5,000 radio affiliates. Julie Talbott will become President of Premiere Networks, reporting into Davis.
• Total Traffic and Weather Network, led by EVP of Sales Gary Larkin and SVP of Operations Kevin Loftus.
• 24/7 News Network, led by Chris Berry.
• The iHeartRadio Network, led by SVP of Programming Chris Williams, which focuses on all the digital music programming, curation, affiliate relations and marketing strategies for Clear Channel’s digital service iHeartRadio.
CMHOF's 'All For The Hall' To Return To Los Angeles
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Heart, Jason Mraz, and Rita Wilson
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s All for the Hall fundraiser will return to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly three years. The event, which will take place on Tuesday, March 4, at Club Nokia, will again follow a “guitar pull” format, featuring performances by Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Heart and Jason Mraz. Actress/singer/film producer Rita Wilson will host the event.
The museum launched All for the Hall, its first-ever non-bricks-and-mortar fundraising campaign, in 2005. The campaign addresses the museum’s need for long-term financial security and will provide a safety net for the institution and its work. This is the seventh year the museum has taken its “annual giving” event on the road, hosting previous All for the Hall events in New York in 2007, 2008 and 2013, and in Los Angeles in 2009-11.
“California, with its rich country music history, has proven to be a supremely appropriate and welcoming location for this event,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “In fact, some of the state’s contributions to our genre are the subject of our very popular limited-engagement exhibition, The Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and California Country, whose run we’ve extended through the end of 2014. Los Angeles has always given our All for the Hall event a very warm welcome, and we look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones in March.”
Last year’s event, held at the Best Buy Theater in New York City, featured performances by Gill and Harris, Jason Aldean, Gregg Allman, Rodney Crowell, Ashley Monroe, Pat Monahan and Joan Osborne.
All for the Hall Los Angeles patrons are offered their choice of VIP tables of 10 for $25,000 or $10,000. Individual VIP tickets are available at $1,000 per seat. At these ticket levels, a cocktail reception and dinner will precede the guitar pull. A full list of VIP table and ticket levels and benefits can be found on countrymusichalloffame.org/afthla. To purchase tickets or for more information, patrons may contact Rachel Shapiro at rshapiro@countrymusichalloffame.org or telephone (615) 416-2069.
McGraw, Esten Added To T.J. Martell Nashville Honors Gala
/by Jessica NicholsonThis year’s honorees, which were announced earlier this month, are Nashville real estate visionary Mark Bloom, music industry icons Dale Morris and Mike Dungan, entrepreneur Beth Dortch Franklin and cancer research pioneer Scott Hiebert.
The T.J. Martell Nashville Honors Gala will be held March 10 at the Omni Hotel in Nashville.
Industry Hirings (1/28/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonMack graduated from Southern Nazarene University and worked at a Fortune 500 Company, Chesapeake Energy, for a few years before leaving to pursue a career in the music industry. Mack can be reached at jessica@duncanpromo.com
• • •
Krista Darting
Krista Darting has been named Director of Sponsorships at Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). In her new position, Darting is responsible for securing and maintaining sponsorships for NSAI and the Tin Pan South Songwriter’s Festival.
The Silver Lake, Kan., native most recently worked as a Sr. Account Executive at AdStaff Media primarily on the Taco Bell and Gigi’s Cupcakes accounts. She also spent two years in Corporate Partnerships with the Orlando Magic as well as one season with the Kansas City Royals. Darting can be contacted at krista@nashvillesongwriters.com
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Sutphen joins the company as Communications Manager. His experience began in Abilene, Texas, working with some of Hearts Bluff’s strategic partners before making the move to Nashville.
Hearts Bluff Music manages a $30 million music-publishing portfolio that includes over 10,000 titles, 50 No. 1 songs, and five Hall of Fame writers. Among the notable copyrights are Elvis‘ “Mystery Train,” Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” Jennifer Lopez‘s “Ain’t it Funny,” the theme to I Love Lucy; as well as Country hits such as “She’s Everything,” “Baby Blue,” “Austin,” “My Best Friend,” and “Waitin’ On A Woman.” For more info on the company, visit heartsbluffmusic.com.
Hertzog can be reached at ashley@heartsbluffmusic.com, and Sutphen can be reached at tyler@heartsbluffmusic.com.
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CountryBreakout Awards To Honor Top Songwriter
/by Eric T. ParkerFor the first time in the history of the CountryBreakout Awards, MusicRow will honor the songwriter who accumulated the most No. 1s from the previous year on the MusicRow Chart.
On Feb. 18, the invite-only 2014 CRS Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards will reveal the Songwriter of the Year, and present long established airplay awards including Male Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Group/Duo of the Year, Breakout Artist of the Year, Independent Artist of the Year, Label of the Year, and Reporter of the Year.
A total of 44 songs reached No. 1 last year, based on reports from MusicRow’s panel of Country stations from across the U.S.
“I am pleased to align two bedrocks of our industry, publishing and radio, at this year’s CRS Meet & Greet and CountryBreakout Awards,” said MusicRow Owner/Publisher Sherod Robertson. “As the MusicRow Chart increases its momentum, it’s an honor to acknowledge a member of the publishing and songwriting community as leading songwriter of the year.”
Subscribe for your invitation to the ceremony, which will feature performances by Native Run (Show Dog-Universal) and Natalie Stovall and the Drive (HitShop Records).
In 2014, MusicRow introduced the No. 1 Challenge Coin to honor the artists and songwriters who have earned a No. 1 song on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart throughout the year. With each new chart, recipients will be chronicled in the “Charts” menu at MusicRow.com.
Artists Added To Tortuga Music Festival
/by Jessica Nicholson“We said when we announced our initial lineup that we were looking to build on the talent of our amazing first year and raise the bar even higher,” says HUKA Entertainment co-founder and CEO A.J. Niland. “With the addition of these six incredible artists to the bill, we have undoubtedly assembled one of the most singular and exciting musical events of 2014.”
Festival tickets are currently on sale, with two-day general admission festival ticket prices starting at just $165. Complete festival details, including pricing for GA, VIP and Super VIP tickets can all be found at tortugamusicfestival.com.
Industry Pics (1/28/14)
/by Jessica NicholsonSeveral Country artists joined together on Jan. 11 for ‘Concert for the Cause,’ a special show at the Ice House in Louisville, Ky., which raised over $200,000 for non-profit, Kids Cancer Alliance.
Hosted by “Listening Room” owner, Chris Blair, the lineup included headliner RCA Recording artist, Jake Owen, with special guests Frankie Ballard, Jana Kramer, Paul Overstreet, Jason Sturgeon, Ilya Toshinsky, Scotty Emerick, Josh Osborne, Ben Bradford, and Olivia Lane. Artists performed in an intimate acoustic setting. A live and silent auction also took place, as well as an after party with Dee Jay Silver.
Pictured (Back Row, L-R): Dennis Kurtz, Paul Overstreet, Josh Osborne, Ilya Toshinsky, Frankie Ballard, Jake Owen, Jana Kramer, Scotty Emerick, Chris Blair and Jason Sturgeon. (Front Row, L-R): Ben Bradford, Olivia Lane and Jay Mackin.
• • •
Warner Bros. Records guitarist-vocalist Frankie Ballard stopped by Nashville’s CMA Office on Jan. 21, to perform a few songs from his upcoming album Sunshine & Whiskey. His set included an acoustic version of his Top 15 hit, “Helluva Life” and “It Don’t Take Much.”
Pictured (L-R): Chelsea Preisler, CMA intern; Carrie Tekautz, Membership and Balloting Assistant; Frankie Ballard; Brandi Simms, CMA Director of Membership and Balloting; and Brenden Oliver, Coordinator of Membership and Balloting. Photo by Kayla Schoen / CMA
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Pictured (L-R): Scott Arnold (manager/producer), Steve Pope (Silvercreek Records V.P.), Kaitlyn Baker, Stafond Seago (Silvercreek Records president) and Kaleb Payne (Silvercreek Records V.P.).
LifeNotes: Folk Singer Pete Seeger Dies at 94
/by Jessica NicholsonPete Seeger
Folk singer/songwriter Pete Seeger died Jan. 27 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He was 94.
Born in 1919 in New York City to musicologist Dr. Charles Seeger and concert violinist Constance Edson Seeger, Pete Seeger developed interests in music and journalism.
After dropping out of Harvard University (he was in the same class as John F. Kennedy), Pete Seeger met and traveled with folksong writer Woody Guthrie in 1940, which inspired Seeger to pen his own songs. In 1942, Seeger was drafted into the Army and sent to the Pacific.
After a stint in the military, Seeger became a member of The Weavers in the early 1950s; the band’s recording of Lead Belly‘s “Goodnight, Irene” topped the charts in 1950. In the 1960s, Seeger became a musician on the forefront of protest music; he supported civil rights and various environmental causes.
Seeger adapted a Bible passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes into a No. 1 hit, “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” for The Byrds in the 1960s; the song was also recorded by Judy Collins as well as The Seekers. Other popular Seeger-penned songs include “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?,” which was a Top 40 hit for the Kingston Trio and a popular anthem during anti-Vietnam War rallies. He also adapted a gospel song to sing for union workers, creating the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” “If I Had a Hammer” was a hit record for Peter, Paul & Mary in 1962 and for Trini Lopez in 1963.
Seeger won three Grammy awards, including a trophy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 1996 for Pete, the Best Traditional Album honor in 2008 for At 89, and a trophy for his 2010 project Tomorrow’s Children: Pete Seeger and the Rivertown Kids and Friends. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
Most recently, Seeger performed as part of Farm Aid 2013.