Country Thunder Festivals For Arizona, Wisconsin

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Country Thunder Music Festivals have been announced for Florence, Arizona (April 7-10/2011) and Twin Lakes, Wisconsin (July 21-24/2011). The Arizona event features Toby Keith as its headliner, plus artists such as Martina McBride and Jason Aldean.

The Wisconsin Country Thunder event in July features Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, Martina McBride plus headliners Rascal Flatts.

General admission tickets for the four-day events start at $99. Tent and campsites are available which range from primitive rugged to rustic and modern amenities. Complete info can be found online. More artists are expected to be announced for both events in coming weeks.

http://arizona.countrythunder.com/
http://wisconsin.countrythunder.com/

Montgomery Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer

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Eddie Montgomery, of duo Montgomery Gentry, has recently been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. He will have surgery to remove the cancerous tumor in December. Montgomery says, “I plan to be back in January ready to rock for all the fans!”

MusicRow wishes Eddie a speedy recovery.

Television Roundup: Year End Specials, Glee Does Lady A

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Jennifer Nettles hosts ABC's "CMA Country Christmas" special.

ABC’s  “CMA Country Christmas” special will air Monday, November 29 at 8:30 pm CT. The 90 minute program will be hosted by Jennifer Nettles and feature performances of holiday favorites by Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Reba, LeAnn Rimes, Darius Rucker, and Sugarland.

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Five of the year’s biggest artists will come together on Dec. 3 for CMT’s Artists of the Year special, which will air December 3 at 7pm CT. Actor/musician Kevin Costner will host the 90 minute event, honoring the 2010 achievements of Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band and Carrie Underwood with celebrity tributes and performances.

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In other Lady Antebellum news, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the Capitol trio will be getting the Glee treatment for the hit Fox show’s post-Super Bowl episode. The episode, which will also feature Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and songs by Black Eyed Peas and Katy Perry, will reportedly be the most expensive in Glee history. Lady A will be only the second country artist to be covered on Glee after Broadway star Kristen Chenowith took on Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name” in Season 1.

Swift’s Momentum Turns To TV

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For her Allure cover shoot, Taylor Swift was photographed by Michael Thompson at Studio Berry Hill in Nashville. This photo is from her April 2009 cover.

Taylor Swift’s million plus magical sales week momentum is soon set to travel to TV. Swift will join NBC’s traditional Thanksgiving lineup on Thurs. Nov. 25, 8-9 p.m. ET with a musical presentation, Taylor Swift: Speak Now.

Taylor’s special event takes fans on a tour of concert stops from New York to Los Angeles including unique locations such as Central Park and a atop a bus on Hollywood Boulevard.

The singer/songwriter will offer nine performances plus behind-the-scenes footage to take viewers along on the making of her Speak Now CD. The show was produced by Todd Cassetty Welding Service, LLC with Swift and Cassetty as Executive Producers.

Swift on the set of her Thanksgiving NBC special, "Taylor Swift: Speak Now."

Swift will also appear on the Tonight show With Jay Leno, Nov. 22 and then on Chelsea Lately on Nov. 24.

On the print front, Ms. Swift graces the Dec. covers of Allure magazine and Seventeen. She is also featured in the Dec. issue of InStyle.

Liz Rose Music Signs Shackelton

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L-R: (Top) Beth Laird from BMI, Scott Ponce with Liz Rose Music and Whitney Daane from Kobalt Music Group; (Bottom) Liz Rose and Emily Shackelton

Recently opened publishing company Liz Rose Music has signed singer/songwriter Emily Shackelton.

“I am thrilled to announce Emily’s signing,” says Scott Ponce, Liz Rose Music general manager/creative director. “We have been fans of her writing for a while and are excited to be working with her in our new venture.”

Shackelton moved to Nashville in 2007 and within a year she had a publishing deal. In the spring of 2008, American Idol winner David Cook performed her song “Dream Big” on the show, which sold over 250,000 copies on iTunes and made it inside the Top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She has had numerous cuts by major label artists worldwide.

Shackelton states, “I am proud to be a part of this new dynamic creative team and look forward to a life full of words and music.”

Trace Adkins To Host ACA Awards

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Multi-platinum recording artist Trace Adkins will host and perform on the American CountryAwards, airing live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Monday, Dec. 6 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. Additionally, Easton Corbin, Steel Magnolia and Uncle Kracker are also set to perform during the two-hour primetime special.

According to American CountryAwards it is the only country music awards show that gives fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite artists in traditional categories and previously unrecognized areas of the business such as touring. Performers previously announced include Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Blake Shelton and Josh Turner, as well as participants Laura Bell Bundy, Rodney Carrington, Jewel,Lady Antebellum, Bret Michaels, Ty Murray, Jeff Dunham, Michael Waltrip and Elliott Sadler.

Fans can still vote once each day for their favorite nominees in the Artist of the Year category, at www.theacas.com until Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. American CountryAwards is executive-produced by Bob Bain (TEEN CHOICE 2010, “Kids’ Choice Awards”). Paul Flattery and Tisha Fein serve as producers; Fletcher Foster is co-producer; and Greg Sills is supervising producer. Michael Dempsey will direct the special.

[updated] Will Tennyson Passes

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[Update] Beloved Music Row executive and friend to many Will Tennyson will be laid to rest on Saturday, November 20th in his hometown of Athens, Tennessee. Will died on Tuesday morning from natural causes.  He most recently was a talent executive at Conway Entertainment Group.  Will is survived by his mother and step-father, several brothers and sisters and their families and a daughter. At a young age, he knew he wanted to spend his career on Music Row.  Upon graduating from Tennessee Wesleyan College and attending Nagasaki Wesleyan University in Japan, he moved to Nashville beginning his career at the Gaylord Entertainment Company. After working several other jobs, including a stint at the Ralph Emery Show, he worked for  CMA CEO Tammy Genovese in the marketing and administration affairs and community relations departments.  Most recently, he served as a talent executive for the newly formed Conway Entertainment Group.

Below is information on the services:
A funeral service will be conducted, 1:00 P.M., Saturday, November 20, 2010 at Keith Memorial United Methodist Church with the Rev. Sam Roberts officiating. Interment will follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday prior to the service. The family suggests memorials be made to the Friendly Fellow Club c/o Daily Post Athenian, P.O. Box 340, Athens, TN 37371-0340

http://www.jerrysmithfuneralhome.com

A Nashville memorial is being planned with details forthcoming.

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Will Tennyson, 41, passed away this morning. He was found unresponsive in his apartment by a medical team, apparently the victim of natural causes. Exact cause of death is unknown.

Tennyson was an employee of Conway Entertainment Group where he had worked since March. Previously, he worked at the Country Music Association.

MusicRow extends sympathy to Tennyson’s family and friends. We will continue to update this story as more details emerge.

Music Mastermind Intros Unique Online Recording Tool

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Independent music entertainment and technology company Music Mastermind has announced its SoundBetter cloud-based technology that, “let’s anyone create studio-quality music.”

SoundBetter provides a creative solution that lets users enhance their voices, transform their voices into instruments, create pro-sounding beats, add studio-quality backing tracks, and even generate and add adaptable licks to collaborate with friends and famous artists. The technology’s entertaining, game-like elements utilize simple visual cues to make the creative process fun and accessible to all. SoundBetter produces truly individualized music that can be shared and discovered across a broad array of social networks.

“We’re at the forefront of the next evolution of music entertainment, and it’s time to break down the barriers that prevent people from expressing themselves musically,” said Matt Serletic, CEO of Music Mastermind. “This company is all about fun and easy music creation for everyone. All people love music, and now absolutely anyone can produce great sounding songs to enjoy and share with the world.”

Serletic, a multi-Grammy Award-winning producer and former Virgin Records Chairman and CEO, founded Music Mastermind in 2007 with his partner, Bo Bazylevsky, a veteran Wall Street bond trader, senior hedge fund portfolio manager, and former Global Head of Emerging Markets Corporate Trading at J.P. Morgan. The company successfully raised its first round of funding in February 2010 with nearly $5 million from angel investors, and is currently in the process of closing its second investment round. Serlectic also owns Emblem Music Group whose roster includes Gloriana, Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty.

Media Appearances; “Greater Together Nashville” Concert Tonight

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Trace Adkins appeared as a special guest on Fox & Friends this morning (11/18). The show was broadcast live from the newly refurbished Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center as part of the hotels reopening celebration.

Tonight, Adkins will co-headline the “Greater Together Nashville” fund raising concert with Craig Morgan. The concert, hosted by The Gaylord Entertainment Foundation, will benefit local nonprofit agencies Hands On Nashville, Second Harvest Food Bank and the Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. Tickets are available only through those outlets and will serve as a direct contribution to that organization.

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Beladroit/Universal Republic’s The Secret Sisters will join Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra to perform on CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman Friday (11/19) with a performance of their self-penned “Tennessee Me” from their current self-titled release.

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Capitol Records Nashville’s Little Big Town and Show Dog-Universal Music recording artist Randy Houser were recently featured on NBC’s Weekend TODAY in a special segment titled “Secrets of Songwriters.” Little Big Town joined co-anchor Amy Robach to discuss the journey of a song and describe the writing process behind their new album, The Reason Why. Later in the segment Robach joined Houser inside the “Man Cave” at his Nashville home where he often writes.

The Roys Sign With Rural Rhythm

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Brother-sister duo The Roys (Lee and Elaine) has signed with Rural Rhythm Records and plans to release a new album in 2011.

“We are thrilled. The Roys are a perfect fit for our Rural Rhythm family,” says label President, Sam Passamano, Jr. “Lee and Elaine have a true love and respect for Bluegrass music and its traditions, alongside a deep appreciation for traditional Country and a strong faith that will help Rural Rhythm to expand their musical boundaries. We can’t wait for Bluegrass lovers to experience The Roys and their band live.”

“Rural Rhythm has a great reputation and we are honored that they believe in our music and believe in who we are as artists,” says Lee Roy. “We are extremely blessed to be joining their roster,” adds Elaine. “We are looking forward to a long journey with them and creating great music in the future.”

The Roys join a roster that includes bluegrass favorites Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band, Bobby Osborne, Grasstowne, Michael Martin Murphey, Lou Reid, Rodney Dillard, Carrie Hassler, Blue Moon Rising, Audie Blaylock, Bill Emerson, Randy Kohrs and many more.

Hailing from Fitchburg, MA, The Roys have been named the Inspirational Country Music Duo of the Year for 2009 and 2010. They also made their television debut on the most recent Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon in Las Vegas.