Joe Redmond Joins Bullseye

Joe Redmond

Veteran radio promotion executive Joe Redmond has joined Bullseye Marketing Research. “We are excited to have Joe on board,” says Pres./CEO John Hart. “This business is all about relationships, and Joe’s relationships, experience, knowledge and enthusiasm will be an asset as we continue to grow our little company.”

Redmond adds, “I’ve found a home. John’s reputation is stellar in this community, and I am proud to be associated with him.”

Redmond’s other career stops include Edgehill Music and Media, Robbins Nashville, Lofton Creek, and Warner Bros. Nashville.

Reach him at 615-440-5132 or joe@bullsi.com.

NATD To Honor Six Industry Leaders

The Nashville Association of Talent Directors (NATD) will salute six industry leaders at the 2nd annual NATD Honors gala on Wed., Nov. 14 at the Hermitage Hotel. Honorees include Nashville Predator and NHL Foundation Award recipient Mike Fisher, Morris Management Group President Clint Higham, CAA Nashville Agent John Huie, country music icon George Jones and Nashville Symphony President & CEO Alan Valentine.

Robert S. Williams, President of WBA Entertainment, will receive the Hubert Long Award. Named for the influential industry executive, The Hubert Long Award is presented to individuals who have made a significant and positive contribution to the music industry through artist development.

The 2012 Honorees were chosen by the NATD Board of Directors, led by President Steve Tolman of LogiCom. “Our goal is to recognize the work that these individuals have done to better the community around them. Not only are they leaders in their chosen professions but they believe in continuing and supporting education which is one of our main goals at NATD.”

The NATD Honors begins with a reception at 6:00 PM followed by a dinner and ceremony at 7:15 PM. Ticket information can be found at www.ticketfly.com.

Past honorees include Alabama, Tony Conway, Mayor Karl Dean, James H. Gosnell, Jr., and Barry Trotz.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw Join CMA Awards Lineup

Fans of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will be in for a treat at the 46th Annual CMA Awards on Thursday, Nov. 1 (8-11 pm/ET). The superstar country couple has joined the show’s musical lineup and will each get to perform twice during the ABC telecast.

Hill will be singing her newest single “American Heart,” which is climbing the MusicRow chart at No. 47 this week. McGraw will be debuting new music from his forthcoming Big Machine Records album. Later in the show, the couple will return to the stage, along with Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton, for a special musical tribute to the legendary Willie Nelson.

The 46th Annual CMA Awards will be hosted for the fifth year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, both of whom will also perform on the show. Other previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Eli Young Band, Brantley Gilbert, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Shelton, Taylor Swift, The Band Perry, and Zac Brown Band

Performers Set For Nashville New Year’s Eve

A diverse line up is set for Nashville’s New Year’s Eve celebration. The Fray will headline the fourth annual Music City New Year’s Eve “Bash on Broadway” along with performances by Love and Theft, Sixpence None the Richer, and Striking Matches. The show will be emceed by Storme Warren, host of GAC’s Headline Country and SiriusXM radio personality.

Revelers will count down to the New Year as a 15-foot-tall red “Music Note Drop®,” descends from a 115 ft. structure followed by a fireworks display and confetti cannons. The show, which is free to the public, will take place on Lower Broadway between 1st and 5th Aves. beginning at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Family hour, from 7 to 8 p.m., includes the raising of the music note, fireworks and discounted non-alcoholic beverages.

The festivities kick off Sun., Dec. 30 with MusicFest and Battle of the Bands on Broadway featuring the college bands of the teams playing in the Music City Bowl. The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl game will follow on Mon., Dec. 31, at 11 a.m. at LP Field. The Nashville New Year’s Resolution Run 5K Run/Walk will be Tues., Jan. 1. For details visit www.visitmusiccity.com/newyearseve.

For NYE 2011, the hotel occupancy rate was 90.3%, up from 75.7% in 2010. According to city officials, the crowd attendance was 55,000 in 2011, 25,000 in 2010 and 15,000 in 2009.

Josh Doyle Launches Debut Album

Nashville-based Josh Doyle celebrates the release of his self-titled debut album out today (10/23) with a full schedule of media stops this week. Tune in to catch Doyle on Marie (10/23), the Daily Buzz (October 23),  Daytime (10/25), the Better Show  (10/30) and Good Day New York (10/26).  Check local listings for broadcast times.

“I’m excited to share this album with the world,” commented Doyle. “In the space of about three  months, I have gone from being a server in an Italian restaurant in Nashville, to performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. It’s been a whirlwind!”

Featured on October’s Cover of Guitar Center magazine, Doyle recently won Guitar Center’s first Singer-Songwriter competition out of 17,000 entries. The prize included studio time with Grammy-winning producer John Shanks, who has worked with such heavyweights as Bon Jovi and Van Halen. The Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter competition just launched its second season. The competition will offer career-altering opportunities to another round of musicians.

Doyle’s album is available digitally on iTunes, Amazon.com, Spotify and other online outlets. Physical copies are available at www.JoshDoyle.com.

Track list:
1. Everyone’s Alone
2. When Your Heart Can’t Make Up Its Mind
3. Bird of Prey
4. Solarstorms
5. Swallow the World
6. I Figured the World Out
7. Meaning of Life
8. I Want to Break Your Mended Heart
9. This Transcendent Ache
10. My Jerusalem

Fun Fundraisers: This Week’s Events

Crownover Blevins and Merrill Lynch are hosting the 7th annual End of the Row Party on Thurs., Oct. 25, 5 p.m. at The Ruby (2411 Blakemore Ave., Nashville). Set to perform are Don Schlitz, Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall, Tracy Lawrence and more. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. 100% of ticket sales benefit the TJ Martell Foundation. Tickets here.

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Tonight’s (10/23) Rock the Cradle fundraiser features country legend Ronnie Milsap. The event at the Loveless Café Barn includes a cocktail reception and dinner at 6:30 p.m. and performances at 8 p.m. All proceeds will support babies born at Baptist Hospital and the Beaman Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Individual tickets are $250. Visit www.RockTheCradleNashville.com or call (615) 284-2569 to reserve a table sponsorship or purchase a ticket.

Last year’s Rock the Cradle featured Big & Rich and raised $100,000. The event has generated more than $325,000 in proceeds since 2010. Co-chairs Connie Bradley and Troy Tomlinson created Rock the Cradle and have led the effort for the past three years. This year’s Honorary Co-chairs Stefanie Dean Brown and Holly Singletary met while their babies were in the Baptist Hospital NICU together.

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Also tonight (Oct. 23), the Hard Rock Cafe Nashville will host “Jason Sturgeon & Friends Against Breast Cancer” to raise money and awareness as part of Hard Rock’s “Pinktober” campaign. Joining Sturgeon will be Bigger Picture’s Craig Campbell and hitmaker Tim Rushlow. Music begins at 7 pm, and a $10 donation is suggested.

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Papas & Mamas Sing For Healthy Birth will feature Delbert McClinton and friends including Gary Nicholson, Kevin & Yates McKendree, McCrary Sisters and special guests. The concert will be Sat., Oct. 27 at 3rd & Lindsley. General seating is $35. Proceeds benefit Attachment Parenting International, with the goal of improving the well-being of children, and as a result, the well-being of the community. Tickets here.

Artists On the Move (10/23/12)

Footwear and apparel company Ariat International has partnered with Josh Turner for a series of initiatives in 2012 and 2013. Ariat will sponsor numerous dates on Turner’s 2013 Punching Bag tour, and the artist will be featured in the company’s new “Passion” ad campaign which will appear in a variety of publications. “Josh is a true fan of our brand. We have been working with him for several years, and this formal partnership is a natural progression of the relationship,” said Susan Alcala, Ariat’s vice president of partnership marketing. “It is an honor to have Josh join the extended Ariat team.”

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Whisperin’ Bill Anderson and his acoustic trio had a frighteningly close encounter with nature over the weekend, when his bus collided with a moose near Sandpoint, Idaho. The group was traveling to Libby, Montana for a show when the accident occurred. Luckily, Anderson and his band members are all okay.

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Stoney Creek Records’ up-and-coming group Parmalee is offering fans the chance to assist in song selection for its upcoming 2013 album. The foursome will host a show on StageIt Tuesday, October 30 at 8 pm/CT to play new songs and chat with fans to find out which songs they want to hear. Fans can log on to http://smarturl.it/helppickthesongs to purchase tickets for the show.

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Photo: Joel Dennis

Mac Powell made his Grand Ole Opry debut over the weekend, playing country classics like “Ring of Fire” and “I Saw the Light” along with his own “Mississippi,” the first single from his self-titled country album. “I can honestly say that playing the Grand Ole Opry was one of the highlights of my career,” says Powell. “The support we received from everyone there was amazing!” Powell is also the frontman for multi-platinum Christian rock band Third Day.

Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley Announce 2013 Tour

Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley have announced the 2013 Locked & Reloaded Tour set to kick-off January 17.

“Making music for our fans is the best job in the world,” says Miranda. “It’s especially great being able to take to that music on the road with someone I respect as an artist and human being. This will be a tour of ‘epic badassery.’”

“Some of my favorite times on tour over the years were with Miranda and her crew,” said Bentley. “We have a lot in common musically and our fans do too. It’s going to be a killer year.”

Lambert is the reigning two-time CMA and reigning three-time ACM Female Vocalist of the Year, her current album, Four The Record was her fourth album to debut at No. 1. Her headlining ‘On Fire’ Tour played to more than one million fans this year.

Bentley’s sixth studio album Home, debuted at No. 1 earlier this year, spawning three hits to mark 10 career No. 1 songs as a singer and songwriter. Home is currently nominated for three 2012 CMA award nominations including Album of the Year.

Locked & Reloaded Tour will visit:
Columbia, SC
Knoxville, TN
Roanoke, VA
Baltimore, MD
Reading, PA
Atlantic City, NJ
Dekalb, IL
Dayton, OH
Huntington, WV
Ames, IA
Champaign, IL
E Lansing, MI
Rochester, NY
Albany, NY
Portland, ME
Wichita Falls, TX
Oklahoma City, OK
Kansas City, MO
Macon, GA
Jacksonville, FL
Estero, FL
Bossier City, LA
Springfield, MO
Tulsa, OK
Syracuse, NY
Hershey, PA
Uniondale, NY
San Diego, CA
Irvine, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Phoenix, AZ
Albuquerque, NM
Denver, CO

Stars to Celebrate 80 Years of “I’ll Fly Away”

The I’ll Fly Away Foundation will celebrate the 80th anniversary of one of the world’s most recognized Gospel songs, “I’ll Fly Away,” with a special performance this weekend. Vince Gill will join Alison Krauss and Charlie Daniels in an “All Sing” in honor of Albert Brumley’s “I’ll Fly Away,” which he wrote and recorded in 1932. The event will take place at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 at 7 p.m.

“It’s an incredible blessing for the Brumley family to celebrate 80 years of ‘I’ll Fly Away,’” said Betsy Brumley, grand-daughter to Albert Brumley. “I could not think of a better stage in which Vince Gill would give us this tremendous honor.”

For more information on the I’ll Fly Away Foundation go to www.illflyawayfoundation.org.

Jake Owen and Luke Bryan Score With Successful Tours

Jake Owen gets his "Jump" on as he closes a sold out show in Detroit with Van Halen’s classic “Jump.” Photo: Nick Rau

Jake Owen’s first headlining outing is a big success. CMT On Tour: Jake Owen: The Summer Never Ends 2012 is in the midst of the most consecutive sold-out shows since the CMT Tour’s inception eleven years ago. Featuring special guests Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line, the outing kicked off with sold-out shows in New York, NY and Detroit, MI, and is on deck for advance sell-outs in at least six more markets.

Owen’s single “The One That Got Away,” is No. 1 on the MusicRow chart and follows a string of charttoppers including “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” and “Alone with You.”

His new Endless Summer EP was produced by Joey Moi and released following Owen’s run on the Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw blockbuster Brothers of the Sun Tour.

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Luke Bryan's Farm Tour

Luke Bryan wrapped his fourth annual Farm Tour 2012 earlier this month, performing for 100,000 fans during the eight-city run. That is more than double the attendance of last year’s Farm Tour. The outing visited Georgia Southern University, Clemson University, Auburn University, Valdosta State University, University of West Georgia, University of Georgia, Florida State University and Mercer University. Joining him were Peach Pickers Dallas Davidson and Rhett Akins, as well as singer/songwriters Chancie Neal and Cole Swindell.

The tour of outdoor shows celebrates American farmers and proceeds go to scholarships for students from farming families at each college.

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