Several artists are slated to participate in the AT&T Pebble Beach National PRO-AM Celebrity Challenge from Feb. 4 through Feb. 10 in Monterey, Calif. Jake Owen, Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley will join Josh Duhamel, Chris Berman, Bill Murray, Kenny G, Huey Lewis, Ray Romano, Andy Garcia, Aaron Rodgers, Kelly Slater and others for a good cause.

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Craig Campbell recently taped an episode in Atlanta for HLN’s “Road Warriors” series. Camerascaptured Campbell at home on the road, enjoying a favorite restaurant in Atlanta, performing at Wild Bills and enjoying downtime while traveling on tour.
The episode will air Thursday (Feb. 7) at 9 a.m. ET during Morning Express with Robin Meade on HLN.

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Sugarland’s Kristian Bush and brother Brandon Bush (The Bush Brothers) continued their relationship with Turner Classic Movies by joining the network’s 31 Days of Oscar celebration for a “live-tweet”of the film Cool Hand Luke on Monday (Jan. 5).
The brothers shared their thoughts and observations throughout the screening of the Paul Newman film, including insights from Brandon’s conversation with Oscar-nominated composer Lalo Schifrin.

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Newcomer Joel Crouse is set to release his first single, “If You Want Some,” to country radio and to iTunes on Tuesday (Feb. 5). Crouse penned the up-tempo tune with Luke Laird (Blake  Shelton, Little Big Town) and producer Jamie Houston (Christina Aguilera).

 


 
 
 
 

Rubin Media celebrates 20 years of business in 2013, as one of the longest-established independent PR, project management and events firms in Nashville.
“It’s music that drew me to Nashville and even after all these years, I’m keenly aware of how fortunate I am to continue to make a living surrounded by incredibly talented and creative people,” says founder Ronna Rubin. “Having it all play out in Nashville – a city I loved long before it made everyone’s best-of lists – is perfection.”
Rubin is a voting member of The Recording Academy and is on the advisory board of Gilda’s Club Nashville, the board of the W.O. Smith Music School and is a Room in the Inn volunteer. Prior to opening her own business, Rubin was a national director of press and artist development for Warner Bros. Records Nashville.
Congratulate Ronna here.

The T.J. Martell Foundation Nashville Honors Gala will salute Vince Gill, T. Bone Burnett, Butch Spyridon and Peggy Joyce. The event is scheduled for March 10 at the Hutton Hotel. Actor Charles Esten, who plays “Deacon Claybourne” on Nashville will host the fifth annual ceremony.
The invitation-only affair brings together celebrities with business, medical, sports and entertainment industry leaders to raise awareness and funds for innovative cancer research. Highlights of the evening include performances, a cocktail reception, seated dinner and premium auction items. Presenters and entertainers will be announced soon.

Gill will receive the Frances Williams Preston Lifetime Music Industry Award.  Spyridon, Pres. and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be honored with the Spirit of Nashville Award. Philanthropist Joyce will be saluted with the Spirit of Hope Award and Burnett will receive the Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award.
For information and sponsorship opportunities click here.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced participants in its 2013 class of Leadership Bluegrass.
Leadership Bluegrass is an extensive three-day program of advanced level interactive learning experiences that allows participants to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the current music industry. It is now in its 14th year with more than 300 alumni.
Leadership Bluegrass will be hosted this year at BMI and Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC in Nashville, Tenn. on March 7-9. Trisha Tubbs will be the facilitator.
The 2013 class includes:
Darin Aldridge; Darin and Brooke Aldridge; Cherryville, N.C.
Melissa Armstrong; Detour; Sand Lake, Mich.
Andrea Ball; Make Welcome Entertainment; Washington, D.C.
Katherine Coe; IBMA; Nashville, Tenn.
Jeremy Darrow; The Erin McDermott Band/Freelance Musician; Nashville, Tenn.
John DeMarce; DC Bluegrass Union; Washington, D.C.
Susie Glaze; Hilonesome Music, Susie Glaze & the Hilonesome Band; Burbank, Calif.
KC Groves; Artist & Composer; Lyons, Colo.
Kayla Hotte; Kayla Hotte & her Rodeo Pals; Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada
Caroline Isachsen; Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival; Delmar, N.Y.
Steven Johnson; MerleFest; Wilkesboro, N.C.
Lori King; Bluegrass Music Association of Iowa; Drakesville, Iowa
Jordan Laney; Appalachian State University; Vilas, N.C.
Ron Murphy; Muddy River Band; Wilmington, Ohio
Amy Reitnouer; The Bluegrass Situation; Los Angeles
Carolyn Routh; Nu-Blu; Siler City, N.C.
Sheila Selby; Boston Bluegrass Union; Brookline, Mass.
Carly Smith; International Bluegrass Music Museum; Owensboro, Ky.
Erin Stamper; WAMU’s Bluegrass Country; Washington, D.C.
Shannon Turner; Freelance writer/journalist; Hermitage, Tenn.
Missy Werner; The Missy Werner Band; Liberty Township, Ohio
Jill Wiese; Bluegrass Association of North Dakota; Washburn, N.D.
Kristi Wilcox; Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP; Nashville, Tenn.
Courtney Wothen; PineCone – The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music; Raleigh, N.C.
Please contact the IBMA office for information on future Leadership Bluegrass programs: (615) 256-3222, nancyc@ibma.org.

Heather McBee has been named Sr. Communications Strategist for Nashville start-up, Populr.me. Her role will be to help grow the corporate usage of the newly created micropublishing service.
“Heather was looking for a new perspective and we were looking for someone who had organic connections to the business community in Nashville and abroad. We needed a broad business thinker with a technical mind and she presents the perfect blend of both,” according to Nicholas Holland, CEO and founder of Populr.me.
The move follows McBee’s recent departure from Sony Music Nashville where she helped foster the careers of such artists as Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and many more.
McBee’s technical experience comes from having helped Sony Music Nashville make the transition into digital music distribution in the mid- to late-nineties and growing their artists’ exposure in social media, mobile distribution and website marketing.
Populr.me is a new company that provides an online micropublishing solution. Individuals and businesses needing to communicate more effectively can use the service to create published one-pagers, also referred to as POPs. POPs can range from being very basic online memos to very advanced interactive presentations. Tracking views, clicks and sharing on social networks and collaborative builds and management are just a few of the key components a Populr.me POP can deliver.
Visit Populr.me for additional information.