The Legal Aid Society hosted its 3rd Annual Music Row breakfast yesterday (5/17) at Cabana. The newly-named Bob Sullivan Memorial Breakfast was held to facilitate a time for socializing, hearing about its services, and sharing how people have found hope for a new life with the help of the organization.
(L-R): Kevin Doherty, Richard Green, Lucinda Smith, Cathy Sullivan
The gathering of the Music Row community honored Richard A. Green, EVP & General Counsel, EMI Christian Music Group with the Bob Sullivan Service Award for over a decade of pro bono legal assistance. The event also provided an opportunity to reflect and remember the many contributions the late Bob Sullivan had made throughout his life and career and in particular to the Legal Aid Society.
The Legal Aid Society has provided free civil legal services to families with nowhere else to turn for more than 40 years. Sponsors for the breakfast included Shackelford, Zumwalt & Hayes; Burr & Forman; KraftCPAs; Loeb & Loeb; Milom, Horsnell, Crow, Rose & Kelley; and SunTrust.
The event host committee included Vic Alexander, Jeff Bradford, John Briggs, Kevin Doherty, Bob Doyle, Tim DuBois, Tiffany Dunn, Richard Green, Chris Farren, Craig Hayes, Daniel Hill, Kyle Lehning, Steve Markland, Mike Milom, Robert K. Oermann, Sherod Robertson, Thom Schuyler and Jody Williams.
Legal Aid Society is a private, non-profit organization that provides free legal services to people with low income. The members do not take criminal cases, only civil cases.
LAS has eight offices that serve 48 Tennessee counties. Offices are located in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. Information about the organization’s financials and programs can be found here and at www.las.org.
BMI Will Bring Tailgate Party To LP Field For CMA Fest
/by Sarah SkatesThe BMI Tailgate Party is free and open to the public. A limited amount of parking will be available at LP Field each night for $15 cash-only on a first come, first serve basis.
For fans who want to attend the Nightly Concerts at LP Field (see line-up here) after the BMI Tailgate Party, tickets are still available, but will likely sell out. Fans can purchase their tickets through Ticketmaster.com.
The BMI Tailgate Party Lineup
Thursday, June 7: Brent Cobb, Peach Pickers (Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson)
Friday, June 8: Kristen Kelly, Chuck Mead and His Grassy Knoll Boys, Trent Summar and the New Row Mob
Saturday, June 9: Florida Georgia Line, Chancie Neal, Mo Pitney
Sunday, June 10: Hogslop String Band, Kenny Vaughan, World Famous Headliners (Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp, and Pat McLaughlin)
Doug Dillard Passes Away
/by contributorPhoto: Alan Mayor
Banjo player Doug Dillard passed away yesterday (5/16) at a Nashville, TN emergency room. He was 75 years old.
Dillard was born in Salem, MO in 1937. Signed to Elektra Records in the early 1960’s, Dillard and his band (The Dillards) appeared multiple times on The Andy Griffith Show as fictional family band the “Darlings.”
After that, Dillard joined the Byrds on the group’s European Tour, eventually partnering with former Byrds member Gene Clark to perform as the duo Dillard & Clark.
He was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2009.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
Lady A Helps Tornado Ravaged Community
/by MichellePhoto: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Lady Antebellum helped raise more than $285,000 at Louisville, KY’s KFC Yum! Center on May 16 to benefit the Henryville, IN community, which had been ravaged by a tornado earlier this year. All proceeds will be distributed through the New Hope/Indiana Bankers Association for the Disaster Relief Fund.
The group also hosted a private prom event with Henryville High School’s Juniors and Seniors where they surprised the students a with an acoustic performance, which was followed by the arena concert open to the public.
“This event started as an idea we had in the studio last year to crash someone’s prom,” explains Lady A’s Hillary Scott. “We had no idea at the time it would fill such a need. We are amazed by the support we’ve gotten from our fans, sponsors and the press. This is one of the proudest moments in our career!”
Lady A and ABC’s JuJu Chang visited Henryville High School where they toured the building that is currently under construction and planning to reopen this fall. The story will be featured today (5/17) on Good Morning America, World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer, Nightline, ABC Radio and on ABC affiliates across the country.
Lady Antebellum presents funds to tornado ravaged Henryville, IN Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Donna Summer Passes, Leaves Disco Legacy
/by Sarah SkatesPhotograph from sessions for Summer's 2008 album Crayons.
Disco diva Donna Summer passed away today (5/17) at age 63 after quietly battling lung cancer for several months. She and husband Bruce Sudano were sometime Nashville residents who were in Florida, reportedly working on her new album, at the time of her passing.
Best known for a string of late-‘70s dance hits, Summer’s music helped define the era with “Hot Stuff,” “Last Dance,” “Bad Girls” and “Love To Love You Baby.” Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte were the producer and songwriter team behind her biggest hits in the ’70s.
Her success continued in the next decade as a singer and songwriter. “Starting Over Again,” which she wrote with Sudano, was a No. 1 country and Top 40 hit for Dolly Parton in 1980. Summer had a hit as an artist with “On The Radio,” which she penned with Moroder, and was covered by Emmylou Harris in 1983. She also scored big as an artist with the 1983 smash “She Works Hard For The Money.” In 1995 Reba McEntire took “Starting Over Again” back to the Top 20.
She later married Sudano. In the mid-‘90s the couple moved to Brentwood with their two daughters. She became integrated with the community, serving on the board of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum from 2003-2005, and developing a friendship with the late legendary songwriter Harlan Howard.
Summer was a five-time Grammy winner and was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on several occasions, including this year.
“I can’t believe we’ve lost another wonderful singer,” Parton said in a statement today. “Donna, like Whitney, had one of the greatest voices ever. I loved her records. She was the disco queen, and will remain so. I knew her and found her to be one of the most likable and fun people ever. She will be missed and remembered.”
ET is reporting that funeral services will be held Mon., May 21 in Nashville.
Artist Updates (5/17/12)
/by Freeman• • • • •
Tim McGraw has teamed with the engineers at sound equipment company JBL to create his own line of headphones. The JBL Tim McGraw Artist Series headphones are available in On-Ear and In-Ear versions, and available for purchase here.
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Gloriana will be featured on the upcoming episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette, set to air Monday, May 21. The group will perform a surprise concert in Charlotte, NC during a date between the star and one of her suitors.
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Legal Aid Hosts Music Row Breakfast
/by Sherod RobertsonThe Legal Aid Society hosted its 3rd Annual Music Row breakfast yesterday (5/17) at Cabana. The newly-named Bob Sullivan Memorial Breakfast was held to facilitate a time for socializing, hearing about its services, and sharing how people have found hope for a new life with the help of the organization.
(L-R): Kevin Doherty, Richard Green, Lucinda Smith, Cathy Sullivan
The gathering of the Music Row community honored Richard A. Green, EVP & General Counsel, EMI Christian Music Group with the Bob Sullivan Service Award for over a decade of pro bono legal assistance. The event also provided an opportunity to reflect and remember the many contributions the late Bob Sullivan had made throughout his life and career and in particular to the Legal Aid Society.
The Legal Aid Society has provided free civil legal services to families with nowhere else to turn for more than 40 years. Sponsors for the breakfast included Shackelford, Zumwalt & Hayes; Burr & Forman; KraftCPAs; Loeb & Loeb; Milom, Horsnell, Crow, Rose & Kelley; and SunTrust.
The event host committee included Vic Alexander, Jeff Bradford, John Briggs, Kevin Doherty, Bob Doyle, Tim DuBois, Tiffany Dunn, Richard Green, Chris Farren, Craig Hayes, Daniel Hill, Kyle Lehning, Steve Markland, Mike Milom, Robert K. Oermann, Sherod Robertson, Thom Schuyler and Jody Williams.
Legal Aid Society is a private, non-profit organization that provides free legal services to people with low income. The members do not take criminal cases, only civil cases.
LAS has eight offices that serve 48 Tennessee counties. Offices are located in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge and Tullahoma. Information about the organization’s financials and programs can be found here and at www.las.org.
Martina Sells Out Midwest Tour Dates
/by MichellePhoto: Becky Fluke
Martina McBride recently sold out all three of her recent Midwest tour stops during the One Night theater tour. The sold-out dates included Shooting Star Casino (Mahnomen, MN); Surf Ballroom (Clearlake, IA) and Honeywell Center (Wabash, IN).
Throughout most of the summer, McBride will be on the One Night tour, but on May 27 she will head to Indianapolis, IN to sing the national anthem at the 96th Indianapolis 500.
A couple weeks later on June 10, she will headline the CMA Music Festival’s LP Field show in Nashville. For more information click here.
UPCOMING DATES:
May 17 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Live
May 18 Houston, TX Arena Theatre
May 27 Indianapolis, IN Indianapolis Motor Speedway
June 8 Winstead, MN Winstock Country Music Festival
June 10 CMA Music Festival LP Field
June 13 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap Filene Center
June 14 Kettering, OH Fraze Pavilion
June 16 Riverside, IA Riverside Casino & Golf Resort
Signing Pics: Troy Olsen, Mo Pitney, Adam Sanders
/by Sarah SkatesTroy Olsen Renews Publishing Agreement
Warner/Chappell Music, together with THIS Music and Rio Nuevo, recently extended its worldwide co-publishing agreement with singer-songwriter Troy Olsen. Olsen has written songs and/or singles recorded by Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Chris Young, Patty Loveless and Kid Rock.
Pictured (L-R): Alicia Pruitt (Sr. Dir. A&R, Warner/Chappell), BJ Hill (Sr. Dir. A&R, Warner/Chappell), Connie Harrington (Owner THIS Music), Steve Markland (VP A&R Warner/Chappell), Rusty Gaston (Owner/GM THIS Music), Janine Appleton (Creative Manager, THIS Music), Troy Olsen, Phil May (GM/VP, Warner/Chappell), and Tim Nichols (Owner THIS Music)
Mo Pitney Joins Curb
Mo Pitney has signed with Curb Records and Curb Publishing. The 19-year-old is a native of Rockford, Illinois and garnered attention by playing steady gigs in Nashville. Curb staffers recently took the singer-songwriter to BMI’s Nashville office to celebrate his signing.
Pictured (L-R): Bradley Collins (BMI), Taylor Childress (Curb Records), Ed Hill, Kelly Lynn (Curb Music Publishing), John Ozier (Curb Records), Pitney, Perry Howard (BMI), Drew Alexander (Curb Music), and producer Billy Lawson. Photo: Drew Maynard
Adam Sanders Signs With Big Yellow Dog
ASCAP member Adam Sanders was recently signed to a publishing agreement with Big Yellow Dog Music as a result of his appearance at ASCAP’s New Crew Writers Round showcase. The regular showcase series exists to help promote and introduce talented, up-and-coming young writers to Nashville’s vibrant music publisher community.
Pictured (L-R): Brooke Arrington (Big Yellow Dog), Ryan Beuschel (ASCAP), Carla Wallace (Big Yellow Dog) and Adam Sanders.
Swift Pledges $4 Million For Hall of Fame’s New Education Center
/by Caitlin RantalaSwift’s gift is the largest capital contribution by an individual artist in the museum’s 45-year history, prompting the museum to name the new space the Taylor Swift Education Center. The gift was made in conjunction with Working on a Building: Country Music Lives Here, the capital campaign that will finance the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s expansion from 140,000 square feet to more than 350,000 square feet.
“Taylor Swift represents country music’s best traditions,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “She is a gifted singer-songwriter whose deeply personal songs resonate with music fans around the world, and a dynamic live performer whose open heart and engaging personality allow her to make even the largest stadium shows an intimate experience. Her many accomplishments – including being the youngest artist to single-handedly write and sing a No. 1 country song – have made music history, and she has been an ambassador for country music, raising awareness of our genre literally around the globe.”
The new education center will increase the museum’s educational capacity up to sevenfold and will include three classrooms and a children’s exhibition gallery. On the third floor, two traditional classrooms and one “wet” classroom space will be used by museum educators for current educational offerings, including the museum’s flagship program, Words & Music; distance learning programs; and family programs such as the Musical Petting Zoo. The “wet classroom” will feature a utility floor, lending itself to the museum’s Make Letterpress Art with Hatch Show Print family program and similar (messy) offerings.
The additional classroom spaces will also allow the museum to develop new educational activities, potentially including after-school programs, teen-centric programs, multi-week workshops for youths, adults and senior citizens, and more. Additionally, the classroom spaces will be adjacent to a visible storage area and design studio; this space will feature thematic displays of artifacts, e.g. dozens of banjos, and allow students to observe museum curators at work. The children’s gallery, situated on the second floor, will be a dedicated exhibit space for young patrons and will be filled with hands-on, interactive exhibits.
1st Annual Rock’n & Reel’n Benefit Gala to be Held in Nashville
/by Caitlin RantalaA gala dinner and concert will follow the tournament at Nashville’s famed Wildhorse Saloon, featuring performances from John Oates, Gary Morris, emerging singer/songwriter Drake White, Professional Angler and country artist Casey Ashley, along with more of Nashville’s finest talents to be announced soon.
“I’m excited to be hosting the event in Music City,” said Tom Bedell, owner of Two Old Hippies and Bedell Guitars. “It’s the perfect place to hold an event that brings together fishing and music enthusiasts to support putting music back in public schools.”
The tournament and gala will pair up celebrities and music industry sponsors with some of the most well-known fishing pros in the bass fishing industry. Proceeds will help the Two Old Hippies Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee support Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that transforms children’s lives by restoring and revitalizing music in public schools with economically disadvantaged kids.
The event kicks off the evening of Monday, July 9 with a special meet-and-greet reception at the Sambuca Restaurant in the Gulch. The following day (July 10), a bass fishing tournament will take place on Old Hickory Lake located on the Cumberland River, just northeast of Nashville. Fishing pros from the bass fishing industry will include two-time Bassmaster champion Hank Parker, as well as veterans Larry Nixon, Paul Elias, Casey Ashley, and NAMM attendees — all for the cause of keeping music in public schools.