The CMA Songwriters Series will return to Nashville Tuesday, Nov. 8 at Limelight. The event is part of Country Music Month’s 45 days of promotions, events and activities leading up to the  CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

This year’s CMA Songwriters Series will feature Deana Carter, Kelley Lovelace, Eric Paslay and Rivers Rutherford, who will provide insight to the stories behind their songs.

Carter is a CMA Single of Year nominee this year for co-writing Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter’s “You and Tequila.” She also won Single of the Year in 1997 for her song “Strawberry Wine.”

Lovelace wrote “He Didn’t Have To Be” recorded by Brad Paisley, which was nominated in 2000 for CMA Song of the Year. His writing credits also include “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” recorded by Carrie Underwood, and “The Impossible” recorded by Joe Nichols.

Paslay recently had his first No. 1 single with Jake Owen’s “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” Lady Antebellum and the Eli Young Band have also recorded his songs. Paslay recently signed with EMI Records Nashville and released his debut single, “Never Really Wanted.”

Rutherford was a 2006 CMA Song of the Year nominee for Paisley’s “When I Get Where I’m Going.” He also wrote “Real Good Man” recorded by Tim McGraw, “Ain’t Nothin’ Bout You” recorded by Brooks & Dunn and “If You Ever Stop Lovin’ Me” recorded by Montgomery Gentry.

Tickets for the Nov. 8 CMA Songwriters Series are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and are available at www.limelightnashville.com or by calling (615) 780-3099. Limelight is located at 201 Woodland St., Nashville, TN 37213.

CMA Songwriters Series at Library of Congress
On Wednesday, Nov. 16, the CMA Songwriters Series will visit the Library of Congress’ Coolidge Auditorium in D.C. Hosted by Bob DiPiero, the showcase will feature Clint Black, Tim Nichols and Patty Loveless. The show is free but requires a ticket, which can be attained through www.ticketmaster.com. For more details, visit www.loc.gov./concerts.

For more information on the CMA Songwriters Series, visit www.cmasongwritersseries.com.

Gwen Yearwood Passes
Trisha Yearwood’s mother, Gwen Yearwood, passed away Sat., Oct. 1 in Tifton, Ga. following an extended battle with cancer. She was 73. Gwen Yearwood spent most of her life in Monticello, Ga., where she worked as a teacher and raised daughters Trisha and Beth Yearwood Bernard with husband Jack. In recent years the three Yearwood women penned two cookbooks. Gwen is preceded in death by Jack, who passed in 2005. In lieu of flowers, family members request donations to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.

Joshua Scott Jones Enters Rehab
Steel Magnolia’s Joshua Scott Jones has entered a rehabilitation and treatment facility to address alcohol and substance abuse issues. Meanwhile, fellow Magnolia and fiancee Meghan Linsey will be remaining on the road, performing previously scheduled dates which include the Reba tour with The Band Perry and Edens Edge.

Colt Rich Arrives
John Rich and wife Joan welcomed son Colt Daniel Rich on Sept. 29. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 14 ozs, and joins big brother Cash Rich. Proud papa shared the news via Twitter, exclaiming “He’s a real ‘Son of a Gun!’ VERY Proud!”

Luke Bryan’s sold-out concert on a farm in Athens, Georgia will be broadcast live tonight (9/30) at 9/8 pm ET on Sirius XM’s The Highway. The show is part of Bryan’s “Farm Tour,” a series of six shows from which proceeds will be donated to fund a scholarship in each city for a local student. “We just wanted to have a little fun in the fall,” says Bryan. “I think what’s cool about the ‘Farm Tour’ is these things are a big event for these towns. It’s a fun experience all around. I want to do what I can to keep it rocking.”

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(L-R): Jim Beavers, Dierks Bentley and Jon Randall. Photo: Eric England

Dierks Bentley recently celebrated the success of his eighth career No. 1 song, “Am I The Only One.” Industry friends joined Bentley, along with co-writers Jon Randall and Jim Beavers, at Losers in Nashville for the event. In the spirit of the song, Bentley presented personalized bottles of Patron.

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Trace Adkins is donning his actor’s cap as he joins the cast of supernatural thriller The Healer, which also includes Isabelle Fuhrman, Joel Courtney, James Le Gros, Peter Bogdanovich and Natalia Dyer. Currently filming in North Carolina with writer/director Giorgio Serafini, The Healer is the story of teenage twins who go on a camping trip with their father and become lost in the forest while trying to repair old emotional wounds. Adkins plays The Truck Driver, a transporter of souls destined to hell, and his truck is a prison for eternity.

Photo: Brian Ormiston

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Toby Keith celebrated his premium mezcal Wild Shot last week by signing bottles for fans at Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago. Toby was in Chicago for a standing room only stop on his Locked & Loaded Tour Presented by Ford F-Series. Keith’s “Made In America” also recently hit No. 1 on the CountryBreakout Chart.

Darren Elrod

Provident Music Group Pres./CEO Terry Hemmings has announced the promotion of Darren Elrod to Sr. VP of Finance and Operations for Provident.

Elrod was most recently the label’s VP Finance & Operations. In his new role, he will report to Hemmings and continue to oversee all aspects of finance and operations with added duties in business affairs, IT and artist services, and Provident Distribution’s sales and warehouse operation.

“I am pleased to announce the promotion of Darren Elrod to Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations,” says Hemmings. “Darren’s experience and countenance are well suited for this role and he has become a trusted ally to me as we navigate the path ahead for our organization.”

Elrod began his career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen LLP, and was the Controller and VP of Finance at Provident from 1999-2006. He left the label in 2006 to become Controller and Treasurer of the National Federation of Independent Business, before returning to Provident in 2009.