SOLID Pres. Katie Pope, VP Ian Wolczyk, and Jen Smith with 4000 canned goods.
SOLID joined forces with the Nashville Sports Leagues and 12 music industry companies to collect more than 4,000 nonperishable food items for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, and raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The one-day co-ed flag football tournament known as the Turkey Bowl was won by Show Dog – Universal Music, and CMT took first place in the consolation bracket. Other participating teams included CAA, Capitol Records, EMI Music Publishing, Flood Bumstead McCready McCarthy, Paradigm, SESAC, Sony, Universal Music Group, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and SOLID.
A pre-tournament food drive competition was led by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, with UMG coming in a close second.
SOLID will donate funds raised from each team’s entry fee to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
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For the fifth consecutive year, the Academy of Country Music will host a stage at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR), going on in Las Vegas Dec. 2-11. The ACM Stage will include performances from Bleu Edmondson, Chancey Williams & The Younger Brothers Band, Brett Eldredge, Eli Young Band, Jaron and The Long Road to Love, Reckless Kelly and Thompson Square.
Gecko Music’s David Bradley is also headed to Vegas for events surrounding the NFR. He will perform at “The Mirage Presents Rodeo Vegas,” the official after party of the PRCA, and at MGM Resorts’ “Pro Rodeo Zone.”
Extreme/Watsky Debut Country Music Production Library
/by Sarah SkatesAmong the songwriters on board with Stampede are Matksoky, Travis Howard, and Ty Lacy.
Lacy and Matkosy are co-writers of hits for Keith Urban (“You’ll Think of Me”) and LeAnn Rimes (“I Need You”).
During Matkosky’s 30-year career, he also penned the Grammy winning, Oscar/ Golden Globe nominated track “Maniac,” off the Flashdance soundtrack. His other hits include Martina McBride’s “I Just Call You Mine,” and David Nail’s “Red Light.”
Lacy’s other writing credits include “That’s How Love Moves” from Faith Hill’s Breathe album, and “That’s What Hurts,” recorded by Hall & Oates.
Travis Howard is a frequent co-writer with Miranda Lambert, and their collaborations have resulted in her songs “Famous in a Small Town,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Bring Me Down,” and “Heart Like Mine.”
SOLID Flag Football; ACM Stage At National Finals Rodeo
/by Sarah SkatesSOLID Pres. Katie Pope, VP Ian Wolczyk, and Jen Smith with 4000 canned goods.
SOLID joined forces with the Nashville Sports Leagues and 12 music industry companies to collect more than 4,000 nonperishable food items for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, and raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The one-day co-ed flag football tournament known as the Turkey Bowl was won by Show Dog – Universal Music, and CMT took first place in the consolation bracket. Other participating teams included CAA, Capitol Records, EMI Music Publishing, Flood Bumstead McCready McCarthy, Paradigm, SESAC, Sony, Universal Music Group, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and SOLID.
A pre-tournament food drive competition was led by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, with UMG coming in a close second.
SOLID will donate funds raised from each team’s entry fee to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
••••••
For the fifth consecutive year, the Academy of Country Music will host a stage at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR), going on in Las Vegas Dec. 2-11. The ACM Stage will include performances from Bleu Edmondson, Chancey Williams & The Younger Brothers Band, Brett Eldredge, Eli Young Band, Jaron and The Long Road to Love, Reckless Kelly and Thompson Square.
Gecko Music’s David Bradley is also headed to Vegas for events surrounding the NFR. He will perform at “The Mirage Presents Rodeo Vegas,” the official after party of the PRCA, and at MGM Resorts’ “Pro Rodeo Zone.”
Keith Urban, Garth Brooks Visit Oprah
/by Sarah SkatesKeith Urban performs on Oprah.
Keith Urban’s debut on the Oprah Winfrey show airs today (11/29). He and wife Nicole Kidman sit down with the daytime diva and he performs latest single, “Put You In A Song,” from his new album Get Closer. See the video of the performance here.
Urban spent Thanksgiving Day playing the half-time show of the Dallas Cowboys v. New Orleans Saints game where nearly 30 million fans tuned in. A documentary about the event, Keith Urban: Halftime in Real Time, will air on GAC Wed., Dec. 1 at 10:30pm ET.
Garth Brooks on Oprah.
Garth Brooks has been making the television rounds, visiting Oprah, Jay Leno and more. See a clip of Brooks surprising a fan on Oprah. Among the things he is promoting is Unanswered Prayers, a television movie based on his 1991 No. 1 song of the same name. It will air tonight (11/29) on Lifetime. Unanswered Prayers is executive produced by Brooks and Lisa Sanderson for their Red Strokes Productions.
CRB To Honor Judds and Galante
/by MichelleJoe Galante
Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.® will honor The Judds and Joe Galante at the Country Radio Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards ceremony on March 1 in the Nashville Convention Center Ballroom. The Judds will receive the 2011 CRB Career Achievement Award and industry executive Joe Galante will receive the CRB President’s Award. The event starts at 6 p.m. and also serves as the unofficial kick-off to Country Radio Seminar, held March 2-4, 2011.
“Very few people have made as much of an impact in our industry as Joe Galante,” says CRB President Mike Culotta. “The acts that he has worked with during his almost 40 years in the business have also been some of Country radio’s biggest superstars. He has always been a friend to Country radio, and I have a feeling there are plenty more great things ahead for him in this business. It’s an honor to announce Joe Galante as our 2011 President’s Award recipient.”
The Judds
“Since their arrival on the Country music scene in the early ‘80s, The Judds have been trailblazers, trendsetters and hit-makers, and they are still entertaining millions of fans around the world with their music,” says Culotta. “Country radio would not be the same without these two fantastic ladies, and because of that, we are honoring them with the CRB Career Achievement Award.”
The 2011 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees are Dale Carter, Barry Kent and Lee Rogers in the On-Air Personality category and Charlie Cook, Dene Hallam and Bill Payne in the Radio category.
Advance ticket prices for the Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner are $100 for CRS 2011 registrants and $110 for non-registrants. The $125 on-site ticket price goes into effect on Feb. 15, 2011. Tickets are on sale now at www.CRB.org.
John Esposito’s Sister Janis Hitchings Passes
/by Sarah SkatesCondolences to Warner Music Nashville Pres. and CEO John Esposito and his family on the passing of his sister Janis Hitchings last week. She had been battling cancer.
Funeral services were held today, Nov. 29, at Church Of The Annunciation in Paris, Kentucky.
Memorial donations can sent to:
St Mary’s School Scholarship Fund
St Mary’s School
1121 Main Street
Paris, KY 40361
Hospice Of The Bluegrass
1317 Kentucky Hwy 62E
Cynthiana, KY 41031
Photos: Shaffer and Cannon, Paisley and Clark, Songwriters In Florida
/by FreemanLate Night With David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer stopped by Vibe 56 Recording Studio last week to add keyboard overdubs to a new Willie Nelson project being produced by Buddy Cannon. Shaffer also performed with Marty Stuart on the Grand Ole Opry the following night.
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• • • • •
BMI recently partnered with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association to sponsor the 1st Annual Northwest Florida Songwriters Series. Held in Destin and Sandestin, the inaugural two-day event featured more than a dozen BMI songwriters from Nashville. Pictured (back row): Rodney Clawson, Aaron Barker, BMI’s Dan Spears, Bobby Tomberlin, Candi Carpenter, Jeff Cohen, Bridgette Tatum, Bill LaBounty, Tim James and Danny Myrick; (front row): BMI’s Mason Hunter, Scotty Emerick, Charlie Worsham and BMI’s Tom Annastas.
“CMA Country Christmas” Airs Tonight
/by Sarah SkatesSugarland performs "Winter Wonderland" and "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel" on "CMA Country Christmas."
Martina McBride in a web cartoon promoting "CMA Country Christmas."
CMA is using funny viral videos to promote tonight’s (11/29) Christmas special on ABC. Marketers visited JibJab.com and dropped in the faces of show performers Martina McBride, Darius Rucker and members of Rascal Flatts. See the clips here and here.
Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland hosts CMA Country Christmas, with performances by Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Reba, LeAnn Rimes, and Sugarland.
Some of the show’s highlights include a 12-year-old Paisley singing the first song he ever composed, “Born on Christmas Day.” Also expect Pickler in a red, satin gown singing “Santa Baby.”
The holiday special was taped on Nov. 11 at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville.
Little Big Town, performing a stunning version of "Go Tell It On The Mountain" as well as providing their signature harmonies to a Sugarland performance of "Winter Wonderland."
Swift’s TV Special Showcases New Album
/by Sarah SkatesSwift’s hour-long special was built around live performance segments staged in grand style. Her unlikely venues included Central Park, a New York rooftop, and a surprise performance from the top of her tour bus on Hollywood Boulevard. Interspersed into the special were clips about making her latest album, such as working in the studio with producer Nathan Chapman, and Swift writing songs at home. The television show, produced by Swift and Todd Cassetty Welding Service, also highlighted the launch of her new album, including a fan-filled airline flight where passengers enjoyed a Q-and-A with the star.
Also offering a Thanksgiving night television special was r&b/pop superstar Beyonce. And while examining these female singers is hardly an apples-to-apples comparison, they will both be vying for some of the same dollars at cash registers this holiday season. Beyonce’s 90-minute special focused on her major world tour, revolving around concert footage showcasing her excellent dance moves, and outrageous and revealing wardrobe. Beyonce has a deeper catalog of hits to draw from than Swift, since her career dates back to her days in Destiny’s Child. Starting in the 9 PM/ET time block ABC’s Beyonce: I Am… World Tour came in fourth place with 3.5 million viewers, and moved to second with 4.4 million at the 10 PM hour.
Memorial For Songwriter Linda Hargrove
/by Sarah SkatesHargrove was one of the few female session guitar players in Nashville in the ’70s. She also recorded for three major labels (Elektra, Capitol, RCA) and wrote the hits “Tennessee Whiskey” for George Jones and “Let It Shine” for Olivia Newton-John.
If you plan to attend the service, please RSVP to Mark Ford at NSAI markford@nashvillesongwriters.com.
More about Hargrove here.
Weekend Shopping Up Slightly
/by Sarah SkatesThe number of survey respondents that reported making a purchase, whether in a store or online, is up almost 7 percent over last year. Almost 45 percent told NPD that they did online research before they went shopping. When asked where they did their “homework,” consumers cited TV ads, catalogs and consumer reviews.