“Ramble At Ryman” Wins Emmy; Tues. Night Opry Returns

Pictured (L-R) Jed Hilly, Americana Music Association; Edie Hoback, High Five; Dylan Petraitis (accepting for late father Danny Petraitis); and Martin Fischer, High Five.

Levon Helm: Ramble at the Ryman recently garnered two Mid South Emmy Awards. The program, produced by the Americana Music Association, Dirt Farmer Music and High Five Entertainment took home the Entertainment trophy and Nic Dugger took home the Technical Achievement award.

See a video from PBS’s Ramble at the Ryman below.

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The Grand Ole Opry® presented by Humana® kicks off the Tuesday Night Opry tonight (3/2) at the Grand Ole Opry House with Del McCoury Band, Aaron Tippin, and Chris Young. 

Among those slated for Opry appearances later in March are Montgomery Gentry, Danny Gokey, David Nail, Terri Clark, Lee Greenwood, Justin Moore, Trace Adkins, Easton Corbin, John Anderson, Charlie Daniels Band and Eric Church. Gokey and Corbin are also set for autograph sessions. Opry Country Classics will return for its sophomore season On Thurs., March 25 at Ryman Auditorium. 

Also set to return in April is Pickin’ & Grinnin’ With Mike Snider: A Grand Ole Comedy Revue, with Opry member and HEE HAW alum Snider.

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Gill Joins Clapton Onstage; Cash’s Birthday Celebrated in Black

Pictured APA staffers L-R: Kylen Sharpe, Hannah Garber, Kara Chambers, Bonnie Sugarman, and Ashley Wentz.

Last week marked the release of Johnny Cash’s final album American VI: Ain’t No Grave, as well as what would have been his 78th birthday on Feb. 26.

The Cash family, Rick Rubin/American Recordings and Lost Highway Records wanted to celebrate the Man in Black’s life by encouraging fans to wear black on that day. Among the Nashville offices participating was APA (Agency for the Performing Arts), the agency which represented him for 34 years.

In other Cash news from last week, the iTunes 10 billionth song purchase was his song “Guess Things Happen That Way.”

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Eric Clapton invited surprise guest Vince Gill to join him onstage during his Saturday night concert at the Nashville arena. Gill played four songs including “Layla,” the Bessie Smith blues standard “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” his own “Running on Faith,” the 80’s hit “I’ve Got a Rock and Roll Heart,” and the show’s encore, the Robert Johnson/Cream classic, “Crossroads.”

Gill is currently working on his next studio release and will appear with Clapton and nearly 30 other guitarists including Jeff Beck, Sheryl Crow and Buddy Guy at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival on June 26 at Chicago’s Toyota Park.

ACM Plans Vegas Events, Honors Montgomery Gentry

Columbia Nashville duo Montgomery Gentry will be the 2010 recipient of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award, to be presented during the 45th Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas on Sun., April 18, 2010. Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry are strong supporters of the U.S. military and numerous charitable organizations including the TJ Martell Foundation, Camp Horsin’ Around, and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The duo also works with St. Jude’s Research Hospital, ACM’s Chairman’s Ride benefiting ACM Lifting Lives, USO Tours to the Persian Gulf, Hospice of the Bluegrass and Multiple Myeloma Foundation, David Dickens Melanoma Research Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Patient Advocate Foundation. As recipients of the Humanitarian Award, Montgomery Gentry  will receive a KaBOOM! playground built in their honor by The Home Depot and a beautiful crystal trophy designed by Tiffany & Co. during the live ACM telecast on CBS.

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Today the Academy of Country Music also announced events celebrating what has come to be called “The Week Vegas Goes Country®”— the week of the ACM Awards.

Friday & Saturday, April 16 & 17, 2010

ACM Concerts at Fremont Street Experience featuring headlining performances by Lady Antebellum on Friday and Miranda Lambert on Saturday. Free and open-to-the-public concerts start at 6:30pm on two stages in downtown Las Vegas. For the second year in a row, winners in each of the newcomer categories Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Group and Top New Vocal Duo will have the chance to perform during these concerts.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

ACM Chairman’s Ride: An invitation-only event for artists and industry VIPs to experience a scenic motorcycle ride through the Nevada landscape. Montgomery Gentry will host the ride for the sixth time this year. The event benefits ACM Lifting Lives.

USO Concert in Partnership with ACM Lifting Lives: For the first time ever, ACM Lifting Lives (the Academy’s charitable arm) is partnering with the USO to bring a free, private concert to the service men and women of Nellis Air Force Base just outside of Las Vegas, NV. USO tour veterans Montgomery Gentry and Randy Houser are scheduled to perform.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

45th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS – Hosted by Reba McEntire for a record 12th time and featuring the hottest performances by today’s superstars of country, the Awards will once again take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

ACM All-Star Jam – This no-holds-barred jam features impromptu performances from the artists who participate in the Awards.

Monday, April 19, 2010

ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn – The Last Rodeo: Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn, the best-selling duo in the history of country music, will receive the Academy’s Milestone Award in recognition of their 20-year, record-breaking career during this tribute concert special. They will be honored for holding the record for the most wins of any artist in the Academy’s history with 26 awards. Artists already scheduled to perform at the taping include superstars Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Tickets are still available for this show, which benefits ACM Lifting Lives and will air at a later date on CBS Television Network from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. For information on tickets visit Ticketmaster.com.

NOTE: The Annual Academy of Country Music Celebrity Golf Classic is on a hiatus for 2010.

ACM Noms: Industry, Musician, Radio

MUSICIAN/BANDLEADER/INSTRUMENTALIST (MBI) AWARDS (MBI awards are presented to honorees at “ACM Honors,” an annual event held in Nashville in the fall.)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Buddy Cannon

Nathan Chapman

Dann Huff

Frank Liddell

Frank Rogers

AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Ben Fowler

Steve Marcantonio

Justin Niebank

Ed Seay

Clarke Schleicher

TOP BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Dennis Crouch

Mike Brignardello

Mark Hill

Michael Rhodes

Jimmie Lee Sloas

TOP PERCUSSIONIST/DRUMMMER OF THE YEAR

Eddie Bayers

Mark Beckett

Chad Cromwell

Shannon Forrest

Chris McHugh

TOP GUITARIST OF THE YEAR

Pat Buchannan

J.T. Corenflos

Kenny Greenberg

Brent Mason

Bryan Sutton

TOP FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Stuart Duncan

Larry Franklin

Rob Hajacos

Deanie Richardson

Jonathan Yudkin

TOP PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Tim Akers

John Hobbs

Charles Judges

Steve Nathan

Michael Rojas

TOP SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Nashville String Machine

Randy Scruggs

Bryan Sutton

Ilya Toshinsky

Jonathan Yudkin

TOP STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Bruce Bouton

Paul Franklin

Mike Johnson

Gary Morse

Russ Pahl

INDUSTRY AWARDS (Industry awards are presented to honorees at “ACM Honors,” an annual event held in Nashville in the fall.)

VENUE OF THE YEAR

BOK Center – Tulsa, OK

Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion – Gilford, NH

Sommet Center – Nashville, TN (effective March 2, 2010, this venue was renamed the Bridgestone Arena)

Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO

Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion – Raleigh, NC

NIGHTCLUB OF THE YEAR

Billy Bob’s Texas – Ft. Worth, TX

Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace – Bakersfield, CA

Cotton Eyed Joe – Knoxville, TN

George’s Majestic Lounge – Fayetteville, AR

Wild Bill’s – Duluth, GA

CASINO OF THE YEAR

Agua Caliente Casino – Rancho Mirage, CA

Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino – Las Vegas, NV

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel – Prior Lake, MN

Peppermill Casino – Wendover, NV

WinStar World Casino – Thackerville, OK

DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR

Todd Boltin – Variety Attractions, Inc.

Jimmy Jay – Jayson Promotions, Inc.

Gary Osier – Gary Osier Presents

David Snowden – Triangle Talent, Inc.

Suzanne Wilson – Wilson Events, Inc.

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

Brad Garett – Police Productions

Ali Harnell – AEG/The Messina Group

Darin Lashinsky – Outback Concerts of TN, Inc.

Brian O’Connell – LiveNation

John Ruffino – Red Mountain Entertainment

RADIO AWARDS (NOTE: Radio awards nominees were previously announced. Winners will be presented awards at a reception in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 17, prior to the ACM Award telecast.)

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – NATIONAL

Blair Garner After MidNite with Blair Garner

Cody Alan  CMT Radio Live with Cody Alan

Crook & Chase Crook and Chase Countdown

Kix Brooks   American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks

Lia The Lia Show

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET

KNIX-FM (Phoenix, AZ)    Ben Campbell & Matt McAllister

KSONFM (San Diego, CA)  Cliff & Company: Cliff, Morgan, Tanner       and Tori

KYGOFM (Denver, CO) Kelly Ford & Rider

WIL FM  (St. Louis, MO) The Cornbread Show featuring: Cornbread, Pat James, Annie Henson, Harry Schroeder, Mac Douglas

WSOC-FM  (Charlotte, NC)                       Catherine Lane

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET

KUBL-FM (Salt Lake City, UT) Tommy & Joe Johnson

WFMSFM  (Indianapolis, IN)  Jim Denny, Deborah Honeycutt & Kevin    Freeman (Jim, Deb & Kevin)

WSIX-FM  (Nashville, TN) Gerry House, Mike Bohan, Al Voecks, Duncan Stewart, Richard Falken

WTQRFM (Greensboro, NC) The Jeff Roper in the Morning Show (Jeff Roper, Angie Ward & Adam “Flash” Dellinger)

WUBEFM (Cincinnati, OH) Chris Carr & Company (Chris Carr, Statt &  Maverick)

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET

KIIM-FM   (Tucson, AZ)   Buzz Jackson

WBBSFM   (Syracuse, NY) Tom and Becky B104.7 Morning Show (Tom Owens and Becky Palmer)

WKSJ-FM  (Mobile, AL) Dan Brennan & Shelby Mitchell, The 95 KSJ Breakfast Club

WPCV-FM  (Lakeland, FL)  Roger Todd, Tom O’Brien & Melissa Moran

WYRK-FM (Buffalo, NY) Clay and Dale

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET

KCLR-FM (Columbia, MO) Scotty & Carissa in the Morning

KKNU-FM  (Eugene, OR) Barrett, Fox & Berry

WFRE-FM  (Frederick, MD)  Jess Wright

WGSQ-FM  (Cookeville, TN)  Gator & The Styckman

WKSF-FM (Asheville, NC) Eddie Foxx and Sharon Green

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET

KKGO-FM                 (Los Angeles, CA)                  Southern California’s Country Station

KMPSFM                  (Seattle, WA)                          Today’s Country

KSCS-FM                   (Dallas, TX)                            The Texas Original

KYGOFM                 (Denver, CO)                         Denver’s #1 For New Country

WUSN-FM                 (Chicago, IL)                          America’s Country Station

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET

KNCI-FM                   (Sacramento, CA)                   News Country 105.1

WFMSFM                 (Indianapolis, IN)                   The Country Station

WQDRFM                 (Raleigh, NC)                          Today’s Best Country

WUBEFM                 (Cincinnati, OH)                     Cincinnati’s Country!

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET

KIZN-FM                   (Boise, ID)                              Kissin’ 92

KUZZ AM/FM           (Bakersfield, CA)                   Bakersfield’s Best Country

WGNAFM                (Albany, NY)                          Country 107.7

WKSJ-FM                   (Mobile, AL)                           95 KSJ

WYRKFM                 (Buffalo, NY)                                     Today’s Country & Your All Time Favorites

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET

KMDL-FM                 (Lafayette, LA)                       Acadiana’s Best Country

WGSQ-FM                 (Cookeville, TN)                     The Country Giant

WKSF-FM                  (Asheville, NC)                       99.9 Kiss Country

WKXCFM                 (Augusta, GA)                        Number One for New Country and More Variety

WUSY-FM                 (Chattanooga, TN)                  Chattanooga’s Best Country & The Legends!        

Lady A Leads ACM Noms

With seven nods, Lady Antebellum leads the Academy of Country Music Award nominations, announced this morning (3/2). The trio is up for Album of the Year, Top Vocal Group, Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Video of the Year for “Need You Now.” They were also nominated as a producer for the Single award and as a composer for Song.

Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton read the nominations live this morning during CBS’ The Early Show broadcast from New York City.  McEntire will return for an unprecedented 12th time to host this year’s awards show when it is broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 18 on CBS.

Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are nominated for six awards each, followed by Taylor Swift who is up for five awards, including her first nod for Entertainer of the Year.

Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band are up for four apiece, with Brown being nominated for an additional two.

For the third year, fans will select the winner of the Academy’s most prestigious honor, Entertainer of the Year and for the second year, the three newcomer categories for the annual Academy of Country Music Awards —Top New Solo Vocalist, Top New Vocal Group and Top New Vocal Duo — will also be opened up to fan voting. The winner in each Top New category will then move on to compete for Top New Artist which is also a fan voted category. Online voting for all fan voted categories will be available at www.voteACM.com.

Following is the list of final nominees. Winners in each of the following categories, except where noted, will be presented with an ACM Award during the live television broadcast. Click here for a list of Off-Camera (musician, radio, and industry) nominees.

(L-R) Blake Shelton, Executive Producer of The ACM Awards R.A.C. Clark, Executive VP Specials Music and Live Events CBS Jack Sussman, President of Dick Clark Productions Orly Adelson, Reba McEntire and Executive Director of ACM Bob Romeo at the 45th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards Nominations at CBS Early Show Studio Plaza on March 2, 2010 in New York, New York. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for ACM)

Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
Zac Brown Band

Top Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Darius Rucker
George Strait
Keith Urban

Top Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Lee Ann Womack

Top Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Randy Rogers Band
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band

Top Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland

TOP NEW SOLO VOCALIST of the Year *
Luke Bryan
Jamey Johnson
Chris Young

TOP NEW VOCAL DUO of the Year *
Bomshel
Joey + Rory
Steel Magnolia

TOP NEW VOCAL GROUP of the Year *
Eli Young Band
Gloriana
The Lost Trailers

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]
American Saturday Night – Brad Paisley (Arista Nashville)
Produced by: Chris DuBois, Frank Rogers

Lady Antebellum – Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville)
Produced by:  Victoria Shaw, Paul Worley

Play On – Carrie Underwood (19/Arista Nashville)
Produced by: Mark Bright
“Quitter” Produced by Max Martin & Shellback for Maratone Productions and Mark Bright

Revolution – Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville)
Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke

The Foundation – Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground / Bigger Picture / Atlantic)
Produced by: Keith Stegall, Zac Brown

Single Record of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company(s)]
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum (Capitol Records Nashville)
Produced by: Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley

People Are Crazy – Billy Currington (Mercury)
Produced by: Carson Chamberlain, Billy Currington

Red Light – David Nail (MCA Nashville)
Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke

Toes – Zac Brown Band (Southern Ground / Bigger Picture / Atlantic)
Produced by: Keith Stegall, Zac Brown

White Liar – Miranda Lambert (Columbia Nashville)
Produced by: Frank Liddell, Mike Wrucke

Song of the Year [Awarded to Composer(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
Cowboy Casanova – Carrie Underwood
Composers:  Mike Elizondo, Brett James, Carrie Underwood
Publishers:   Brett James Cornelius Music (ASCAP), Carrie Okie Music (BMI), Rincon Ave Music
(ASCAP), Stage Three Songs (ASCAP)

Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
Composers:  Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott
Publishers: EMI Foray Music (BMI), Darth Buddha (ASCAP), Dwhaywood Music (BMI), Hillary Dawn Publishing (SESAC), Radiobullets Publishing (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Year Of The Dog Music (ASCAP)

People Are Crazy – Billy Currington
Composers:  Bobby Braddock, Troy Jones
Publishers:  Crozier Music Enterprises LLC (BMI), Mighty Nice Music (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Tiltawhirl Music (BMI)

White Liar – Miranda Lambert
Composers:  Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert
Publishers:  Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Tiltawhirl Music (BMI)

You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
Composers:  Liz Rose, Taylor Swift
Publishers:  Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Taylor Swift Music (BMI)

Video of the Year [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] (Off Camera Award)
Boots On – Randy Houser
Producer: Eric Welch
Director: Eric Welch (Drake footage: Vickie Vaughn)

Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
Producer: Clarke Gallivan
Director: David McClister

Welcome To The Future – Brad Paisley
Producers: Mark Kalbfeld, Jim Shea, Peter Tilden
Director: Jim Shea

White Liar – Miranda Lambert
Producer:  Tameron Hedge
Director: Chris Hicky

You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift
Producer: Randy Brewer
Director: Roman White

Vocal Event of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company] (Off Camera Award)
Hillbilly Bone – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins (Reprise Records / Warner Music Nashville)
Producer: Scott Hendricks

Honky Tonk Stomp – Brooks & Dunn featuring Billy Gibbons (Arista Nashville)
Producer: Ronnie Dunn, Terry McBride

I Told You So – Carrie Underwood featuring Randy Travis (19/Arista Nashville)
Producer:  Mark Bright

I’m Alive – Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews (Blue Chair/BNA)
Produced by: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney

Seeing Stars – Jack Ingram featuring Patty Griffin (Big Machine Records)
Produced by: Jack Ingram, Jeremy Stover

The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers, Barry Adelman is producer and Bob Bardo is executive in charge of production.

Blaine Larsen

“Chillin'”

Treehouse Records

While most know Blaine Larsen as a serious guy whose songs often dig a little deeper than most, it doesn’t mean the 20-something singer/songwriter/guitarist doesn’t know how to kick back and have a good time. As he likes to say, “I promise… I’m just like any other 24 year old guy who’s trying to get by in today’s world: you gotta work hard for what you get, but you also have to enjoy the life you’ve got.”

That was the inspiration for Larsen to start “Chillin’” with regular writing buddies Ed Hill and Phil Odonnell. “We were just sitting around, talking about what we do when we’re just sitting around,” Larsen says, “and we didn’t have time to quite finish it, but we knew it felt good… and we thought we were maybe saying it in a way that hadn’t been quite like that, and I think we all knew the melody felt really good…” The song will appear on Larsen’s upcoming Treehouse Records album Not Too Bad.

With early response being strong – including out of the box adds from KASE in Austin, KYGO in Denver, WWYZ in Hartford, KAJA in San Antonio and KRTY in San Jose – “Chillin’” is an antidote for this chilly winter.

“I know it’s not what people maybe expect from me, but ‘Chillin’” is definitely a big piece of who I am,” Larsen explains. “You know, life is fun if you decide to enjoy it… and me and my friends, we do! I think as you’re making your way, it’s the single best thing you do – and when I’m out on a boat with friends, or just hanging out around the house, that’s really what it all comes down to: kicking back, having a good time, being happy right where you are.

“The funny thing is: it’s a lot simpler and easier than most people think. Heck, that was a lot of why we wrote the song the way we did.”

http://www.blainelarsen.com/

Gordie Sampson Inks With Bug Music

Front (L-R): Bug Music CEO John Rudolph, and Gordie Sampson; Back (L-R): Sheri Jones, Jones & Co. Artist Management; Betsy Anthony, Bug Music Sr. Mngr, Creative/Writer Services

Bug Music Publishing has signed a new co-publishing deal with songwriter Gordie Sampson, the award winning co-writer of “Jesus, Take The Wheel” and other charttopping hits.

Sampson has had cuts by Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Bon Jovi, and Martina McBride. Among his numerous national and international awards are the 2007 Grammy for Best Country Song, Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year, and ASCAP Song of the Year Award for “Jesus, Take The Wheel.” He is also a 2010 Grammy nominee for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for “Swan Feathers” (Leslie Mendelson), and was recently honored by ASCAP for Underwood’s “Just a Dream.”

Bug Music CEO John Rudolph announced the new agreement which includes Sampson’s future works. Previously, Bug had handled Sampson through his co-publishing agreement with Windswept.

Bug’s catalog has over 250,000 copyrights including the classics “What a Wonderful World,” “Fever” and “Happy Together,” as well as songs from Johnny Cash, Pete Townshend, Woody Guthrie, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ashley Gorley (Carrie Underwood, Trace Atkins), Kara DioGuardi (Pink, Jonas Brothers, Celine Dion), Ryan Adams, and Kings of Leon.

Industry Toasts White-Hot Hit From Lambert/Hemby

Pictured are (l-r): Carnival Music’s Matthew Miller, BMI’s Jody Williams, Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Troy Tomlinson, Miranda Lambert, producer Mike Wrucke, co-writer Natalie Hemby, producer Frank Liddell, ShopKeeper Management’s Marion Kraft, Columbia Nashville’s Jimmy Rector. Photo by Rick Diamond

Miranda Lambert is no stranger to critical acclaim and her recent third album is boosting her appeal to the commercial masses. BMI saluted Lambert’s first No. 1 hit “White Liar,” co-written with Natalie Hemby, with a 1940s-themed gala on Friday, Feb. 26. The single is the first chart-topper for both songwriters who celebrated with friends and industry guests donned in black and white ‘40s duds. A live swing band provided the musical backdrop at trendy downtown Nashville event space Cellar One.

Among the partygoers cheering Lambert and Hemby were team members pictured above, as well as Blake Shelton, Steve Moore, Tracy Gershon, Joey Lee, Henry Glascock, Katie Nelson, Jon Freeman, Christie King, Kay Clary, Michelle Goble and tons more.

Lambert’s albums have all debuted at the top of the charts, and followed with Platinum or Gold certification, but “White Liar” is her first radio charttopper, and one of the 11 songs she wrote or co-wrote for her latest album Revolution.

Carnival Music’s Hemby has also been on a hot streak. She has writing credits on recent albums from Lee Ann Womack (“The Bees”), Eli Young Band (“Mystery In The Making”) and the title track to Carrie Underwood’s latest, Play On.

“White Liar” was her first country single though, and she says she and Lambert wrote it in just 30 minutes. She also co-wrote three other songs for Revolution: “Only Prettier,” “Airstream Song” and “Virginia Bluebell.”

Rowdy Times: Bryan Plans “Spring Break” EP; Hank Jr. Hits Nashville

Luke Bryan will release his second Spring Break EP, Spring Break 2…. Hangover Edition, exclusively on the iTunes Store tomorrow, March 2. The EP from the Capitol Nashville artist includes three never-before released, self-penned tracks “Wild Weekend,” “Cold Beer Drinker” and “I’m Hungover.” The album is currently being offered on iTunes for pre-order, $2.49.

Bryan will promote the release with his second mini Spring Break Tour, set for March 7-8 in Florida. He is also currently on the road as the opening act for Jason Aldean’s Wide Open Tour.

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Hank Williams Jr.’s Rowdy Friends 2010 tour will stop in Nashville Fri., April 23. Joining Hank for the party at the Arena are Jamey Johnson, Eric Church and The Grascals.

City Paper: WKRN Dismisses Brad Schmitt

By: Ken Whitehouse

Brad Schmitt, who has served as an entertainment reporter for both The Tennessean and more recently for WKRN-Channel 2, was dismissed from the station on Monday (2/22) following a weekend DUI arrest. This was Schmitt’s second DUI in three years.

Matthew Zelkind, news director and station manager, told The City Paper that “Schmitt and News2 have parted ways.” He declined to comment further on personnel matters.

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