News From Willie and Wynonna…and Fred

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Fred Eaglesmith To Perform at the Bluebird
Singer/songwriter Fred Eaglesmith is back in Nashville to celebrate his recent success with a show at the Bluebird Cafe on Friday, March 19. The acclaimed Canadian has enjoyed some mainstream country success of late with cuts from Miranda Lambert (“Time To Get a Gun”) and Alan Jackson (“Freight Train,” the title song from Jackson’s upcoming release).
Following up on the success of his critically critically lauded Tinderbox release, the Eaglesmith is set to release a new album, Cha-Cha-Cha on June 1. Tickets for the Bluebird gig will go on sale March 15.

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Wynonna Plays The Horses
Wynonna Judd will deliver a special performance at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The 2010 Games will feature world championship competitions in eight equestrian sports at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky from September 25 through October 10. The Games will be the largest sporting event in America this year and are renowned to be the world’s most prestigious equestrian competition.

“I could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to return home to my roots,” Judd says. “Kentucky holds such a sacred place in my heart and to have this honor to share the home I so dearly love with my friends and family brings me great joy.”

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Willie Serves Up “Country Music”
Rounder Records is set to release Willie Nelson’s classic country collection, the aptly titled Country Music, on April 20. The album was produced by Grammy winner T Bone Burnett, who also picked up a “Best Original Song” Oscar last week for “The Weary Kind,” from the award-winning film Crazy Heart. Burnett co-wrote the song with Ryan Bingham.

Nelson will be performing songs from the new album on tour this spring and summer.

March
3  The Pageant  St. Louis, MO
12  Ameristar Casino  Kansas City, MO
13  Black River Coliseum  Poplar Bluff, MO
14  Peoria Civic Center  Peoria, IL
15  Embassy Theatre  Fort Wayne, IN
16  Overture Hall  Madison, WI
18  La Crosse Center  La Crosse, WI
19  Shooting Star Casino  Mahnomen, MN
20  Fox Cities PAC  Appleton, WI
21  Genesee Theatre  Waukegan, IL
23  Grand Theater on Artsblock  Wausau, WI
24  Rialto Square Theatre  Joliet, IL
25  Northern Lights Theatre  Milwaukee, WI
26-27  Mystic Lake Casino Hotel  Prior Lake, MN
28  7 Flags Event Center  Clive, IA

April
15  Grove of Anaheim  Anaheim, CA
17  Country Thunder Festival-AZ  Florence, AZ
20  Topeka Performing Arts Center  Topeka, KS
21  Memorial Auditorium  Wichita Falls, TX
22  Dos Amigos Cantina  Odessa, TX
23  Whitewater Amphitheater  New Braunfels, TX
24  Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater  College Station, TX
30  Morgantown Event Center  Morgantown, WV

May
8  Seneca Allegany Casino  Salamanca, NY
14 -15  L’Auberge du Lac Casino  Lake Charles, LA

Stars To Pay Tribute To Brooks & Dunn 

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The Academy of Country Music has announced that Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Jennifer Hudson, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Taylor Swift, and Sugarland will perform at the television taping of the all-star concert special, ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn – The Last Rodeo on Monday, April 19. The show will tape the day after the 45th Annual ACM Awards, and will air on Sunday, May 23 at 7:00 PM CT on CBS. Tickets are available now for the live concert event.

These country music stars will join the previously announced performers Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.

During the concert special, Brooks & Dunn will receive the Academy’s Milestone Award in recognition of their 20-year career. They will be honored for holding the record for the most wins of any artist in the Academy’s history with 26 awards in total, including three Entertainer of the Year awards. They will also be honored for holding the record for most Top Vocal Duo wins, with 15 awards, eight of which are consecutive from 2000-2007.

Fogerty To Be Named “BMI Icon”

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BMI will honor John Fogerty as a BMI Icon at its 58th Annual Pop Awards, slated for Tuesday, May 18 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Barbara Cane, BMI Vice President & General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles, the invitation-only event will also honor the songwriters and publishers of the past year’s most-performed pop songs. The capstone of the evening will be an all-star musical tribute to Fogerty.

BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” As a BMI Icon, Fogerty will join the likes of  Gamble & Huff, Kris Kristofferson, the Jacksons, the Bee Gees, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Carlos Santana, Dolly Parton, and Hall & Oates.

From his legendary recordings with Creedence Clearwater Revival to his solo work and recent return to his more country side with The Blue Ridge Rangers, Fogerty is an acclaimed Grammy winner and member of both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame. In honor of Fogerty and his friend Keith Urban (and the onset of spring training), here’s a video, courtesy of CMT, of a rocking version of Fogerty’s “Centerfield.”

Gill Joins Clapton At Sommet

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Eric Clapton and his band hit the stage at Nashville’s Sommet Center on Saturday night, February 27. Among the concert attendees was Country Music Hall of Famer and longtime Clapton fan Vince Gill, who brought his guitar to the party and sat in with the British rock/blues master. The two traded licks on acoustic versions of “Layla” and current T-Mobile theme, “I’ve Got a Rock ‘N‘ Roll Heart.” You can’t hear the music here, but the smiles on their faces say it all.

Photo: Danielle Pope

Adams Named Robertson Taylor VP 

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Reba Adams

London-based insurance broker Robertson Taylor International has promoted Reba Adams to Vice President of the company’s Nashville operation. Adams has been an entertainment, film and live event insurance specialist for over thirty years.

Founded in 1977, Robertson Taylor International provides insurance and risk management services specifically for the music and live event industries. In addition to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the company has a Nashville office located on Music Row.

Jeffrey Steele’s “Alex LeVasseur” Benefit Tonight

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Jeffrey Steele

Tonight (3/11), the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Scholarship Program will present Jeffrey Steele and Friends, an intimate evening with Jeffrey Steele, Danny Gokey, Heidi Newfield, Sarah Buxton, Bob Dipiero, LoCash Cowboys and Pearl Heart at Nashville’s Rocketown.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Fund of The Community Foundation and its scholarship program, which helps overlooked and underprivileged youth in Nashville by motivating them in school and in life.

Jeffrey Steele and family created the Alex LeVasseur Memorial Scholarship Program at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, in conjunction with Rocketown/Sixth Avenue Skate Park in Nashville, after Steele’s 13-year-old son, Alex LeVasseur, passed away January 28, 2007 in a tragic accident. Steele and his family are very involved with this program, which has already made a significant impact on its participants.

This intimate event will include table seating, with a limited VIP section. VIP tables are $2,500 and $1,500; VIP tickets are $150 each; and limited single seats are available for $100 each. Wine and hors‘d oeuvres will be served. The event will also feature live and silent auctions. To purchase tickets, click here.

This is the first of two events the LeVasseur family puts on each year in memory of Alex. The second is an outdoor skate and music festival, which is scheduled for June 2010.

Source Joins Lee at Hall of Fame

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Country and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Brenda Lee got together with members of Source, Nashville’s music business executive women’s group, to conduct a personal tour of Brenda Lee: Dynamite, the Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit dedicated to the long and successful career of the legendary singer. The exhibit, which runs through June, features artifacts and multimedia encompassing Lee’s career.

Each month the non-profit organization hosts a luncheon and invites an influential member of the industry as a guest speaker. Lee has been a longtime friend and supporter of the organization.

In other Source News, the Source Awards, an annual celebration honoring women in the music business, is scheduled for Thursday, August 26 at Nashville’s Noah Liff Opera Center. The evening will pay respect to women who helped establish the foundation of the music industry, and will also honor women in today’s music business who continue to contribute their knowledge and talents to the industry and Nashville community.

Frances W. Preston will receive the esteemed Jo Walker Meador Lifetime Achievement Award. Preston, who has been called “the most influential and powerful person in the country music business” by Esquire magazine, served as the President and CEO of BMI for 18 years before stepping down in 2004.

Brenda Lee (center, with scarf) is pictured at the Hall of Fame with Source members (Photo: Denise Fusilli)

Washington Dignitaries Turn Out For CMA Board

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Library of Congress photo: David Ross

Yesterday (3/9), the Library of Congress and the Country Music Association hosted a day-long program for the CMA Board of Directors at the nation’s library, including a comprehensive tour of the historic Jefferson Building; an extensive orientation to the Library’s music, sound recording, and folk collections; a reception with members of the House of Representatives, Senate, and invited dignitaries; followed by a concert in the Coolidge Auditorium.

Attending the reception in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress were nearly 400 Washington luminaries including U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; members of the Tennessee delegation including U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn,

Library of Congress interior detail Photo: David Ross

Steve Cohen, Jim Cooper and Bart Gordon; and the Ambassador of New Zealand, Roy Ferguson, to name a few.

“The purpose of our events here at the Library of Congress are meant to bring attention to these fine collections and help this incredible institution build on the Library’s already unparalleled archive of sound recordings,” said Steve Moore, Chairman of the CMA Board of Directors. “The foundation has been laid for future programs and educational opportunities for country music lovers around the world”

To commemorate the events, CMA donated a leather-bound DVD collection of four decades of CMA Awards broadcasts, anniversary specials, and the CMA Music Festival television specials to the Library’s archive. In addition, Steve Buchanan, President of the CMA Board of Directors, presented Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington with an autographed first printing of Marty Stuart’s photo journal Country Music: The Masters.

“These donations are a complete musical journal of the country music format: the music, the stars, the themes that have defined the genre for 40 plus years,” said Moore.

Alabama Music Hall Honors Johnson, MacAnally

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Jamey Johnson

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame Board has announced the selection of seven people to be inducted during the 13th Induction Banquet and Awards Show to be held in the Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday, March 25. Included among this year’s inductees is Mercury Records artist Jamey Johnson, who will be honored with the Alabama’s Rising Star Award.

David Johnson, Executive Eirector of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, said, “We are proud to be returning to Montgomery for this celebrated event honoring our state’s great music achievers and unmatched musical heritage. During this event, the audience will be entertained by some of the most successful and talented Alabamians in the music industry as well as witness seven achievers being awarded with our most prestigious honor – induction into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.”

The inductees and their categories are:

Performing Artist/Group
The Blind Boys of Alabama and Eddie Levert, (lead singer of the O’Jays.)

Alabama’s Rising Star Award
Jamey Johnson

Jerry Wexler Award
Former Muscle Shoals recording artist Mac Davis

Arthur Alexander Songwriter’s Award
Singer/songwriter Mac McAnally

Music Creator
Songwriter/producer Buddy Buie and  session musician Jerry Carrigan

Entertainment Industry
Record producer/musician Paul Hornsby

John Herbert Orr Pioneer Award
The late Muscle Shoals musician Terry Thompson and State Senator Bobby Denton.

Governor’s Award
A. Nugent

Music industry Award
Integrity, Inc. Chief Executive officer Michael Coleman

Sam Phillips Innovator’s Award
Concert promoter Tony Ruffino

Media Award
Original MTV veejay Alan Hunter

Martina Joins With SunnyD To Helps Kids

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Martina McBride is partnering with Cincinnati-based Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SunnyD) for Time To Shine, a national marketing campaign designed to encourage “the shining moments of children.” This marks SunnyD’s first music and entertainment partnership, and the company promises a sponsorship that will “connect with Martina’s fans who share an optimistic and youthful outlook with the brand.” The campaign will include a national TV, print and retail campaign, national consumer promotion, and concert tour sponsorship.

As part of the promotion, consumers can pick up a bottle of SunnyD, go to www.sunnyd.com and share a brief story about how their child shines. The grand prize winner receives $10,000 and a VIP trip to meet McBride at a performance in Nashville. Monthly winners are also chosen to receive gifts (scholarships and/or other prizes) to encourage them to continue achieving excellent results. Each entrant will receive a free three-month Martina McBride fan club membership and access to exclusive behind the scenes footage from the SunnyD Shine All Night Tour.

McBride has also recorded a “SunnyD” jingle and will be featured in SunnyD TV commercials as well as in print ads in magazines such as People and Better Homes & Gardens.

“SunnyD is delighted to be partnering with Martina McBride for the Time to Shine promotion,” says Mark Ozimek, Assistant Brand Manager for SunnyD. This partnership is a great fit as it brings together two enduring, spirited brands that encourage children to achieve their best.”