Tom English Named GM at WSM-AM

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Award-winning radio veteran Tom English has been named General Manager of Nashville’s iconic 650 AM WSM radio station. English fills the vacancy created by Mike Ford who led the Gaylord Entertainent station for the previous two years.

“What an amazing honor to captain the Mother Ship of Country Music Radio,” English said.

English has served in numerous capacities during his 30 year career in broadcasting. Most recently, English served as Vice President/Market Manager for Clear Channel Radio in Nashville (including WSIX). He was with the station for eight years, and was named Clear Channel Innovation Award-winner in 2005 and 2006. He also served as chairman of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters in 2008.

“We are all pleased to welcome Tom to 650 AM WSM,” said Steve Buchanan, Gaylord Entertainment senior vice president. “His past successes speak for themselves, and I am confident he will make immeasurable contributions to the success of this legendary station.”

Congratulate English here.

650 AM-WSM’s programming includes the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, “Coffee, Country, and Cody” and “The Eddie Stubbs Show,” hosted by Country Radio Hall of Fame personalities Bill Cody and Eddie Stubbs, respectively. Additional programming includes “Bluegrass Underground,” “Station Inn Sessions,” “An Intimate Evening with Eddie Stubbs,” and more.

Photo Roundup (4/6/12)

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SESAC hosted a celebration at MGM Grand’s Rouge nightclub after the 47th Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas. A festive assortment of songwriters, publishers and music industry friends gathered to toast country music’s big night and raise a toast to the winners.

(L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Catt Gravitt (writer of Jake Owen’s current No.1 “Alone With You”) and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Randi Radcliff

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Mercury Nashville recording artist Canaan Smith recently visited CMA’s offices to perform in the newly remodeled CMA Atrium. His debut single, “We Got Us,” written by Smith, Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles, and Tommy Lee James, is currently impacting country radio. Smith’s debut album is produced by Brett Beavers and is set for a 2012 release.

(L-R) UMG Nashville Manager of Artist and Media Relations, Fount Lynch; CMA Senior Coordinator of Member Relations and Services, Betsy Walker; Canaan Smith; CMA Senior Manager of Membership and Balloting, Brandi Simms; and CMA Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Sheri Warnke. Photo: Christian Bottorff/CMA.

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SOURCE held its monthly members’ luncheon at ASCAP on March 22. Chris Woods, COO of TuneSat, was the guest speaker. TuneSat’s unique audio fingerprint technology monitors hundreds of TV channels and millions of websites around the world, helping rights holders collect millions of dollars that would otherwise have been lost.

(L-R): Jewel Coburn (Eleven Eleven Music), Celia Froehlig (Black River Music), Chris Woods (COO TuneSat), Laurie Hughes (Hughes-Kessler Consulting) Photo: Denise Fussell

Billy Gilman to Release Single for Charity

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Billy Gilman will make his return to music with the April 16 release of “The Choice,” a charity single that will benefit Soles4Souls. In addition to Gilman, the song features 18 of country music’s top artists, including Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Josh Turner and Keith Urban. Through the strong support of CMT and Regal Entertainment Group, the song’s music video will get great national exposure with its premiere on April 16.

Gilman was in the process of writing material for his upcoming music project with two of his co-writers, Dan Murph and Philip Douglas, when the idea for “The Choice” was born. The group watched a YouTube video in which Soles4Souls challenged people from all across the country to start their own shoe drives in their communities. The trio penned “The Choice” and pitched the idea to the charity organization that every penny generated from the song, including the songwriters’ and publishers’ shares, would go to Soles4Souls.

“This pretty much started out as just a song for Billy,” said Murph. “Then he called and asked a fellow artist to sing on it with him. And that led to another artist. And before we knew it, all of these amazing iconic country artists were lining up to volunteer their time and talent to this song and this amazing cause. The support for Soles4Souls among the country music community has grown beyond our wildest expectations.”

“The Choice” was recorded in a Nashville studio one week following the meeting between Gilman’s team and Soles4Souls. It is being released on the Cotton Valley Records (CVR) label through the generous support of recording studio veteran J. Gary Smith. “Having partnered with some of the world’s finest talent, CVR is proud to participate in this amazing project,” said Smith. “Soles4Souls is a wonderful organization and The Choice a truly inspiring song. One hundred percent of the proceeds go directly to Soles4Souls.”

Vince Gill Sings at Carnegie Hall

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(L-R) Gill, Bruno Mars, Jennifer Hudson. Photo: Wire Images

Vince Gill performed at the Revlon Concert for the Rainforest on Tues., April 3, at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall.

Gill joined celebrities Rita Wilson, Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Meryl Streep, Rosanne Cash, Bruno Mars, Jennifer Hudson, Esperanza Spalding and Bryn Terfel for a program titled “Songs of the Silver Screen.” Former president Bill Clinton also appeared as a special guest.

Gill performed renditions of Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” and joined Wilson for a duet on the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have to Do Is Dream.” Gill’s vocals can also be heard on “Faithless Love,” a track on Wilson’s album, AM/FM, due out May 8.

The entire cast encored with the Rolling Stones’ “You  Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

 

Weekly Chart Report (4/6/2012)

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To support her new single “When You Say My Name,” Show Dog-Universal artist Jessie James recently stopped to visit with WGAR/Cleveland PD Charley Connolly and staff. (L-R): SDU Promo rep Nathan Cruise, James, Connolly

LIFENOTES
MusicRow extends its sympathies to KKAJ/Ardmore, OK PD/Mornings Win Patton on the recent loss of his father. Windell Dean Patton passed away April 2 at the age of 64. Memorial services were held yesterday (4/5) at First Baptist Church in Ardmore. Reach out to Win Patton here.

RADIO NEWS
Syndicated Country radio personalities Tony & Kris, in partnership with Thinking Bee Productions, have launched a new web series. Shot in Nashville, “Tony & Kris TV” features man on the street interviews, visits with country artists, and more. The series will air on tonyandkris.com. See a promo here.

SPIN ZONE
In the post-ACM Awards chart, it’s co-host and Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton who hangs on to the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 spot. Shelton’s “Drink On It” took a tiny dip in spins, but successfully held off Rascal Flatts’ “Banjo” and his other half Miranda Lambert’s “Over You.” Closing out the Top 5 are Lee Brice’s “A Woman Like You” and Jason Aldean’s “Fly Over States.” Carrie Underwood’s“Good Girl,” which opened the ACM show, struts into the Top 10 at No. 9.

Know who else had a good ACM Awards night? Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, that’s who. The superstar pair will be on tour together this summer, and debuted new single “Feel Like A Rock Star” on the ACM telecast. Programmers eagerly devoured the new single, playing it nearly 800 times in the first week for an excellent debut at No. 39. Band Perry’s praised performance of “Postcard From Paris” was also beneficial, as the trio’s latest gained 230 spins to move to No. 20. Dierks Bentley’s“5-1-5-0” is a hot new item, moving No. 67-37 in its second week.

 

Upcoming Singles
April 9
Jerrod Niemann/Shinin’ On Me/Sea Gayle/Arista
Edens Edge/Too Good To Be True/Big Machine
Lathan Moore/Nothin Like A Woman/Render
Dierks Bentley/5-1-5-0/Capitol
Jaida Dreyer/Guy’s Girl/Streamsound
Scotty McCreery/Water Tower Town/19/Interscope/Mercury

April 16
Greg Bates/Did It For The Girl/Republic Nashville
Rachele Lynae/Party ‘Til The Cows Come Home/Momentum
Tammie Davis/It’s a Beautiful Life/ATP Records.
Kellie Pickler/100 Proof/19/BNA

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New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw/Feel Like A Rock Star/BNA — 39
Matt Kennon/You Had To Pick On Me/Roaddawg — 69
Jon Pardi/Missin’ You Crazy/Capitol — 77
Stephanie Grace/If You Asked Me/SMG — 79
Barry Michael/Uncountrify Me/Stockbridge — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw/Feel Like A Rock Star/BNA — 794
Dierks Bentley/5-1-5-0/Capitol — 491
Toby Keith/Beers Ago/Show Dog-Universal — 324
Luke Bryan/Drunk On You/Capitol — 233
The Band Perry/Postcard From Paris/Republic Nashville — 230

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw/Feel Like A Rock Star/BNA — 48
Dierks Bentley/5-1-5-0/Capitol — 29
Justin Moore/’Til My Last Day/Valory — 11
Chris Young/Neon/RCA — 11
Martina McBride feat. Pat Monahan/Marry Me/Republic Nashville — 11
Matt Kennon/You Had To Pick On Me/Roaddawg — 10
David Frizzell/Say Hello To Heaven/Nashville America — 7
Thomas Rhett/Something To Do With My Hands/Valory — 7

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Brad Wolf/Too Many Mondays/Evergreen — 218
Craig Campbell/When I Get It/Bigger Picture — 215
Steve Richard/Toothbrush/Force MP — 174
Josh Abbott Band/Touch/PDT — 173
Randy Rogers Band/Last Last Chance/MCA — 167

Kenny Chesney (center, in hat) recently appeared at a Clear Channel company meeting in preparation for the launch of his forthcoming album Welcome to the Fish Bowl, due for release on BNA Records June 19.

R&J/Emrose Records recording artist Maggie Rose, who previously impacted the CountryBreakout Chart with “Maybe Tonight” (as Margaret Durante), performed a private radio/industry concert at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas on Fri., March 30. (L-R): Scott Siman (RPM Management); Mike Culotta (WQYK/Tampa); Maggie Rose, (R&J/Emrose Records); John Shomby (WGH/Virginia Beach); and Tim McFadden (R&J Records)

 

In the days leading up to the ACM Awards, CMT Radio Live’s Cody Alan welcomed an outstanding visitor lineup that included Rascal Flatts (pictured), Lionel Richie, Jason Aldean, and Lady A’s Charles Kelley. RF is currently at No. 2 on the CountryBreakout Chart with “Banjo.” (L-R): Joe Don Rooney, Alan, Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus. Photo: Dingo O’Brien

Charlie Cook On Air: Who Is Going To Own Radio?

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Last month Clear Channel made more personnel cuts, this time going into bigger markets than in the past. The discussion that followed centered on whether radio companies really care about doing live and local programming any longer.

Let me say that Clear Channel should do whatever they believe works for them. They know what makes their company successful. They know what they need to do to deliver the kind of programming that will create revenue and ratings.

Last weekend someone asked me, “Who is going to own radio stations in five years?” The question came from this person’s belief that the Clear Channel model of eliminating personnel and operating stations with just a few live bodies in house (he was not suggesting the hallways are strewn with dead bodies, by the way) sends a message that the business is not profitable enough to be involved with.

I still have few miles left on this chassis and I hope to drive all the way to the end of the road as a radio person. So this worried me at first.

After I left my friend (making sure he paid for lunch, as he is no longer in radio or records and appears to have a more secure future than me), I started to really think about this. However I became less worried about the future if there would still be owners who:

  1. Believe in the responsibility to serve their local communities.
  2. Believe in presenting programming that gets results for their clients.
  3. Believe that running the local high school football games on Friday night is both a great programming tool and a revenue generator.
  4. Believe that engaging their listeners in contests and discussion throughout the day makes the station an important part of the audience’s day.
  5. Make sure local and national newscasts are more than just once per day part.
  6. Think weather forecasts are programming elements, not just sales features.
  7. Who feel like the people that work for them are not just line items but part of the family.
  8. Who still do public service programs, not because the government mandates it but because they know it’s right for the listener.
  9. Who are not in a race to own the most stations, but the best.
  10. Who believe that live and local morning shows are important.

Not all owners feel the same way about their properties. This does not make them bad guys or wrong. I really have no problem with businesses running their operations however they please. That is not what this article is about.

This is simply the answer to the question my friend posed. His question came from not thinking anyone would want to be in the radio business in five years. I think that, if the big guys decide to sell some of their properties in order to meet their financial goals, there will be people who believe in the tenets above and will be happy to be in the business.

Kathy Mattea Joins Sugar Hill Roster; Plans New Music

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Kathy Mattea

Singer/songwriter Kathy Mattea has signed with Sugar Hill Records. The venerable roots, bluegrass, and Americana label has plans to release Mattea’s new album Calling Me Home, which Mattea describes as a love letter to her home state of West Virginia, later this year.

“Signing at Sugar Hill is like coming home,” said Mattea. “It’s a wonderful fit for the music I am making these days, and I’m so excited to be there.”

Mattea, winner of two Grammys, released her most recent album Coal in 2008 as a rootsy tribute to the mining traditions of Appalachia.

George Jones Released From Hospital

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George Jones is back at his home resting, according to a statement from his publicist. He was hospitalized last week following an upper respiratory infection, but was released on Tuesday (4/3).

“Thanks to all my fans and friends for their prayers and support during this time,” said Jones in the statement.

Jones plans to rest at home until he returns to the stage for a show April 20 in Minnesota. He was also recently nominated  (along with Charlie Daniels) for an ACM Award for Vocal Event of the Year, for his participation in Aaron Lewis’ “Country Boy.”

Bigger Picture Group Signs Rachel Bradshaw

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Songs of Bigger Picture Group Alan Kates; Rachel Bradshaw's mother Charla Bradshaw; Bigger Picture Group chief strategy officer & board member Gary Veloric; recording artist Rachel Bradshaw; NFL commentator and Bradshaw's father Terry Bradshaw; and Bigger Picture Group president & CEO David Robkin

Bigger Picture Group welcomed singer-songwriter Rachel Bradshaw to its artist roster during an intimate cocktail reception and dinner at the stylish Hutton Hotel yesterday (4/4). The Dallas, TX native celebrated her signing with a close group of family and friends including her father, famed football legend Terry Bradshaw, mother Charla Bradshaw, Bigger Picture Group executives Keith Stegall, Michael Powers, Bob Cahill and David Robkin; Gary Veloric, Red Stripe Plane Group; and industry friends Bobby Huff (Ten Ten Music Group); Keith Miller (William Morris Entertainment) and Robert Ellis Orrall (songwriter/producer); among others.

“I’m proud to announce that Rachel will be joining the Bigger Picture Group artist family. She is an amazing talent, amazing singer, amazing songwriter and we are thrilled to be her new home,” said producer and Bigger Picture Group chairman/chief creative officer Stegall. Bradshaw is the first solo female recording artist to join the company.

Bradshaw moved to Nashville in 2006 after finishing high school, and attended Belmont University. During this time she befriended singer/songwriter Jerrod Niemann, who later co-wrote his Top 5 hit “What Do You Want” with her.

Opry Releasing Gospel Favorites Collection

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The Grand Ole Opry has partnered with Rhino Entertainment and Warner Music Nashville for distribution of the new two-CD set Opry Legends: Gospel Favorites, which will appear exclusively in Walmart stores for Easter 2012.

The project features recent recordings of gospel classics by 19 Opry favorites, including Bill Anderson (“Turn Your Radio On”), Crystal Gayle (“In The Garden”), The Oak Ridge Boys (“This Little Light Of Mine”), Ray Price (“Softly and Tenderly”), Charley Pride (“On The Wings of a Dove”), Connie Smith (“There Will Be Peace in the Valley For Me”) and many more. Future Opry releases through Rhino/WMN will include new recordings by Opry artists as well as archival recordings from the past.

“We’re pleased that through this partnership with Rhino and Warner Music Nashville, some of the Opry’s finest artists and many of the show’s greatest musical moments throughout its history will be available to music fans, several for the first time,” said Pete Fisher, Opry Vice President and General Manager.