Magnolia, Mullins, Messina, And More

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hazel

Steel Magnolia (Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones) recently taped "CMT Southern Fried Flicks with Hazel Smith."

Capitol Records Nashville recording artist Eric Church joined NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne on Wednesday night for the Budweiser One Night Stand event at Coyote Joe's in Charlotte, NC. Pictured from L to R: Eric Church & Kasey Kahne Photo Credit: HHP Images

Eric Church (L) joined NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne for the Budweiser One Night Stand at Coyote Joe's in Charlotte, NC. Photo: HHP Images


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Megan Mullins has been playing with pop star Shakira lately, adding keyboard, fiddle and background vocals. As part of the gig, Mullins has appeared on Dancing With The Stars, America’s Got Talent, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Saturday Night Live, and will tour Europe and Latin America. In the meantime, her label Stoney Creek is readying her next single for radio, and working labelmate Ash Bowers’ debut single “Stuck.” Bowers is on the road opening for Jason Aldean’s Wide Open Tour, and Eric Church’s Young and Wild (er) Tour.

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Jo Dee Messina is focusing on fan interaction. She has given out her cell phone number (615-866-1681) to followers on Twitter and Saynow, and is inviting them to give her a call. One night she spent an hour and a half chatting with fans on the phone. She kicks her fan involvement up another notch this weekend with the addition of her “Nightcap with Jo Dee” after-show parties following select dates on her Music Room Series Tour. The party will be broadcast live across the Internet.

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Darryl Worley recently visited The Country Vibe with Chuck and Becca on WTVF-Nashville Newschannel 5+. On the show co-hosted by Chuck Long and Becca Walls, Worley discusses his latest project which features Jamey Johnson, Mel Tillis, Bill Anderson, John Anderson, Ira Dean, John Cowan and Steve Harwell (Smashmouth). The Country Vibe with Chuck and Becca reaches 45 million households.

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Country rapper Colt Ford appears on the bonus track of the upcoming Joe Nichols CD release, Old Things New. The song is a remix of Nichols’ No. 1 hit “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,” and will be promoted to dance clubs. Old Things New will be in stores Oct. 27 via Universal Records South.

Ford is also offering 62 customized versions of his hit football song “Tailgate.” The Average Joe’s Entertainment artist spotlights the SEC and select pro teams for the versions at 40 radio markets and online. His debut album Ride Through The Country is No. 31 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and features special guests John Michael Montgomery, Jamey Johnson, and Adrian Young (No Doubt). In addition, Ford’s Wal-mart exclusive CD/DVD release sold 2,276 albums its first week in stores. He’s been opening select dates this fall for Jason Aldean and Larry The Cable Guy.

We’re All For The Hall Nets $500,000 And Counting

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Faith, Taylor, Vince and Hillary - photo by Larry Busacca - Getty Images.jpg

Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Vince Gill and Hillary Scott. Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

9 star acts. 14,000 screaming fans. $500,000 raised and counting. By all accounts Keith Urban’s first We’re All For The Hall concert was a dazzling success. The event benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was held last week (10/13) at the Sommet Center, and featured Urban, Vince Gill, Taylor Swift, Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town. Thanks to the superb line-up and tickets priced around the $30 mark, the show sold out quickly.

Proceeds have crossed the half-million dollar mark and are expected to grow with the addition of corporate donations from 70 companies, and the auction of a Taylor Swift guitar.

Among those donors are Verizon and Samsung who provided an online broadcast of the concert that was seen by nearly a million fans. In addition to watching from home, “Fans came from all over the United States and as far away as Canada,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “Many took the opportunity to visit the Museum. We credit this unprecedented exposure for bringing twice as many tourists into the Museum than is usual on an October Tuesday. Museum attendance during the days following the concert put the week in the ranks of the top ten since we opened in May 2001.”

“To those on the stage and behind the stage, to all of the corporate partners who gave so generously, and to all of the fans who made the night what it became,” said Urban, “thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve never been so moved by the power that music has to bring people together, not only to share an experience, but to do such good in the process.”

The Urban and friends show is becoming an annual fundraiser and a date has already been set for next year’s We’re All For The Hall—Oct. 5, 2010.

Gill, who serves as president of the Museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees, created the All for the Hall fundraising initiative which encourages artists of all levels to donate one night’s take to the institution.

Urban Taxi; Terri Clark Tour; Free Bucky

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Keith Urban (see video above) ended his tour’s North American dates in a taxi. While playing the final bars of “Better Life,” the Aussie guitar hero left the stage at Buffalo’s HSBC Arena, walked through the hallways and into the street where he hopped a cab. The sold out crowd, watching the exit on the digital video screen were unsure at first if it was real or just a stunt but soon realized when the confetti flew that the show had ended.

The-Long-Way-Home-300x300Terri Clark has embarked on a Canadian tour that will visit 22 cities in about six weeks. “For me, I realized the people in Canada, they were the ones with my kind of heart… They taught me how to love music, how to really embrace it without compromise. They come to the shows; they get loud; they’re not afraid to have anything less than the best possible time. That is something to honor… to pay attention to… and so, I’m determined to make The Long Way Home as literal as possible.” The tour, named after her just-released CD available in Canada and the U.S., began in Halifax, Nova Scotia Oct. 19 and will end in Vancouver, BC on Nov. 22. Clark has won the Canadian Country Music Association Fan’s Choice Award more than any other artist.

Bucky Covington will headline a free show following the NASCAR Nationwide Series Kroger On Track For The Cure 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park on October 24. The Lyric Street artist and former American Idol contestant is currently at radio with “Gotta Be Somebody” from his upcoming CD I’m Alright scheduled for release in spring 2010. The single debuted last week on the MusicRow Country Breakout chart.

Mission Management Gets Gokey

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Gokey250Danny Gokey, who placed third on last season’s American Idol, has signed with Nashville-based RLM/Mission Management.

“As a huge fan of American Idol, I couldn’t be more excited,” remarked RLM/Mission Management’s Tracy McGlocklin. “Danny has an amazing gift and Rendy and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to help guide his career.”

“This is our first opportunity as a management team to work with the 19/RCA staff,” said Rendy Lovelady. “In our initial meetings, we have been extremely impressed with their vision and passion for Danny as an artist.”

Gokey, signed to 19 Recordings/RCA Records Nashville, is scheduled to release an album in the coming year.

Buchanan Named CMA Board President

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sbuchanan Grand Ole Opry Group President Steve Buchanan has been named the new Country Music Association Board of Directors President. The election meeting was held earlier this week, but the new Board year will not go into effect until January 1, 2010. At that time, current President AEG Sr. VP Steve Moore will transition to the Chairman of Board role.

“I hoped that someday I would have the opportunity to serve as President or Chairman of the Board,” says Buchanan. “I would say that I only recently understood the overall complexity of that responsibility and the many aspects that go into making this organization tick.

“I feel that I’ve gone through an apprenticeship of sorts over the past year working with Randy Goodman and Steve Moore, attending committee meetings, and weekly leadership meetings, to really get a better understanding of what’s involved, what the important issues are, and hopefully what will serve me in the coming years to do a better job of helping make the right decisions for the organization.”

Buchanan joined the CMA Board in 2003, serving as committee chair for several years, including his current role as chair of TV Marketing Strategies Committee. He joined Gaylord Entertainment as Marketing Manager of the Grand Ole Opry in 1985 before being appointed to the President of the Grand Ole Opry group in 1998.

Directors By Membership Category

Advertising Agency/PR/Marketing
• Jessie Schmidt, Schmidt Relations
• Jeff Walker, AristoMedia/Marco Promotions

Affiliated/Producer
• Connie Bradley, ASCAP
• Steve Buchanan, Gaylord Entertainment Co.

Artist
• Troy Gentry, Montgomery Gentry
• Kix Brooks, Brooks & Dunn

Broadcast Air Talent
• Storme Warren, Different Drummer Productions, LLC

Composer
• Steve Bogard, One Music Group
• Victoria Shaw, AvaRu Music

Entertainment Services
• Frank Bumstead, Flood, Bumstead, McCready, & McCarthy, Inc.
• Mike Vaden, The Vaden Group

International
• Rob Potts, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, Five Dock, Australia
• Ron Kitchener, RGK Entertainment, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Music Publisher/PRO
• Troy Tomlinson, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
• Gary Overton, EMI Music Publishing

Musician
• John Hobbs
• Randy Scruggs, Randy Scruggs Productions

Personal Manager
• Clarence Spalding, Spalding Entertainment, LLC
• Doc McGhee, McGhee Entertainment

Producer/Engineer/Studio
• Mark Wright, Universal Records South

Radio
• Mike Moore, Entercom Communications, Portland, OR
• Becky Brenner, KMPS-FM, CBS Seattle, Wash.

Record Company
• Joe Galante, Sony Music Entertainment
• Randy Goodman, Lyric Street and Carolwood Records

Talent Agent/Promoter
• Tony Conway, Buddy Lee Attractions
• Joey Lee, 360 Artist Agency

Talent Buyer/Venues
• John Juliano, Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, Mass.
• Jeff Krueger, FACE, Inc./WE Fest, Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Television/Video/Media
• Lon Helton, Country Aircheck
• Brian Philips, Country Music Television (CMT)

Lifetime Directors
• J. William Denny
• Ralph Peer II
• Frances Preston

Ex-Officio Members
• Jim Free, The Smith-Free Group, Washington, D.C.
• Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Directors at Large

Jaye Albright, Albright & O’Malley, Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Bruce Allen, Bruce Allen Talent, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Charlie Anderson, Anderson Merchandisers, Knoxville, Tenn.
Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Records/Valory Music Company
Luke Bryan, artist
Barry Coburn, Ten Ten Music Group, Inc.
Pat Collins, SESAC
Charlie Cook, KKGO Radio, Los Angeles, Calif.
Jay DeMarcus, Rascal Flatts
Bob DiPiero, Love Monkey Music
Tim DuBois, Dottore-DuBois Management
Mike Dungan, Capitol Records
Kitty Moon Emery, KittyMoon Enterprises
John Esposito, Warner Bros. Records
Mike Evans, SMG, Philadelphia, Penn.
Karen Fairchild, Little Big Town
Larry Fitzgerald, the Fitzgerald Hartley Company
Craig Fruin, HK Management
Jeff Garrison, KILT, Infinity Broadcasting, Houston, Texas
Ed Hardy, Great American Country (GAC)
Pat Higdon, Universal Music Publishing Group
Clint Higham, Morris Management Group
Greg Hill, Red Light Management
Dann Huff, Dann Huff Productions
John Huie, Creative Artists Agency
Brett James, Cornman Music
Ken Levitan, Vector Management
Luke Lewis, UMG Nashville
Jay Liepis, Apple, Inc., iTunes Store
Scott Lindy, Clear Channel Communications, Atlanta, Ga.
Erik Logan, Harpo, Inc., Chicago, Ill.
Ralph Mastrangelo, Clair Bros. Audio Ent. Inc.
JD May, Ticketmaster Entertainment
Deb McDermott, Young Broadcasting, Inc.
Steve Moore, AEG Live!
John Rich, Big & Rich
David Ross, Music Row Publications, Inc.
Ron Sakamoto, Gold & Gold Productions, LTD., Alberta, Canada
Victor Sansone, Irving, Texas
Rick Shipp, William Morris Agency
Denise Stiff, DS Managment
Trey Turner, Turner & Nichols and Associates
Rusty Walker, Rusty Walker Programming Consultant, Inc., Iuka, Miss.
Jody Williams, BMI
Larry Wilson, Alpha Broadcasting Corporation, Portaland, Org.
Tim Wipperman
Lee Ann Womack, artist
Erv Woolsey, The Erv Woolsey Company

Ty Williams

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“Barn On The Rooftop”

Cherry Heart

tywilliams102609Ty Williams is releasing his single “Barn On the Rooftop” to country radio and the video, shot by Chad Denning, is currently gaining momentum at video outlets and dance clubs around the country. The song is a perfect introduction to the world of Ty Williams. It’s rowdy, loud and most of all… fun. And then there’s that horn section. Williams wrote or co-wrote 8 of the songs on his upcoming album.

See the Video: http://www.tywilliams.com/barnvideo

The Ty Williams story begins near our nation’s capital.

“Music was one of the few things in our life that remained a constant,” recalls Williams. “My grandma played the piano in the Farnham Baptist Church in Virginia, and my sister and I would sit in the choir loft next to her singing out of the hymnals. It was a small town…a farmer’s town… and country music wasn’t just a genre, it was way of life in my family and a soundtrack to our colorful lives.”

Later as a soldier in the Army National Guard, Ty earned the rank of sergeant during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was then Ty seriously began pondering the uplifting power of music.

“For three minutes at a time I could take them somewhere else through one of my songs,” says Williams. “In the middle of a desert and this war, I found hope, I found reason. The music saved my life and I was born again.”

“My live show mixes all genres and feels like a party,” he continues. “I work hard as a songwriter to tell great stories. I admire Garth and Reba for building their careers one handshake, one fan, one song at a time.”

www.tywilliams.com

David St. Romain

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“That’s Love”

Matchless Music Group/Edgehill

dsromain102609America got a taste of David St. Romain’s promising talents when he made the finals of Nashville Star in 2007. Now David is delivering on that promise, releasing a brand-new single called “That’s Love” through newly formed Matchless Music Group that showcases what his followers have been raving about for years.

Hailing from the central Louisiana town of Alexandria, David has steadily built his reputation as an entertainer who plays high energy shows. While on Nashville Star, David struck up a working relationship with one of the producers Shawn Pennington, who has managed acts such as Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Randy Owen (Alabama), and Cowboy Troy.

By 2008, David and Shawn were working together to find songs and beginning the process of recording a new album. David also collaborated on songs of his own with Nashville writers. Out of those collaborations came David’s lead single “That’s Love.” The song tells the story of hard-working peoples’ sacrifices to provide for their families. David’s own clan expanded in early 2009 with the birth of his second daughter, and he wanted to represent that bond in the first single.

“I hope people look at this album as a slide show of my life,” he continues. “Every song holds true with my experiences, and that goes back to how I choose which songs I record. Whether I write it or not, a song has to make me feel something the first time I hear it.”

http://www.myspace.com/davidstromain

RIAA Awards Country Certifications

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darius-albumLoads of Nashville hitmakers received plaques from the RIAA during August and September.

Earning Platinum bling for the first time were Darius Rucker, Zac Brown Band, and Lady Antebellum. The awards were for Rucker’s Learn To Live (Capitol Nashville), ZBB’s The Foundation (Homegrown/Atlantic Records), and Lady Antebellum (Capitol Nashville).

During those months, it’s probably no surprise that Taylor Swift scored the RIAA’s highest album certifications, with her self-titled debut and most recent Fearless both swelling to quadruple-Platinum status.

Rascal Flatts, who already have a multitude of Gold and Platinum Awards, received their sixth Platinum plaque for Unstoppable on Lyric Street.

In August, Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” was certified 2x Platinum for digital single sales. The pop song penned in Nashville is featured on Miley’s Platinum-certified Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack (Walt Disney).

Jason Aldean raked in more brass with three Gold single awards. The Broken Bow artist earned his fourth Gold song cert for “Amarillo Sky,” and Gold mastertones for “She’s Country” and “Big Green Tractor.” Aldean boasts three RIAA-certified albums, his first self-titled album has gone Platinum while his other two Relentless and Wide Open have hit Gold.

Save The GMA Raises $350,000

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Photo: Aaron Crisler

Photo: Aaron Crisler

The Gospel Music Association’s star-studded Save The GMA concert raised over $350,000 last week for the struggling organization. Billed as the Concert of the Decade, performers at the Loveless Barn included the genre’s most-loved figures: Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Kirk Franklin, Point of Grace, Jason Crabb, Martha Munizzi, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Natalie Grant, Bernie Herms and the Booth Brothers.

More than 350 people turned out for the dinner and show to benefit the trade group. The event also drew a good deal of sponsorship support, including Godbeat.com, HearItFirst.com, and 316Networks.com, which hosted a live web broadcast of the show that drew almost 10,000 viewers, making it one of the largest Christian concerts ever streamed.

All the artists and event producers donated their time and expenses, and purchased tickets for the evening. Dove Award winner Brown Bannister headed up production. The GMA Board of Directors is chaired by Ed Leonard, president of Daywind Music.

Chesney Sets Festival Dates

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chesneyKenny Chesney may not be mounting his huge tour in 2010, but he will play several summer dates, including two just-announced festivals. He has signed on for the Enterprise, Alabama Bama Jam & Arts Festival and Baton Rouge’s Bayou Country Superfest.

“For us to be able to get out there and rock at a few of these festivals, it means we can do the big show people expect without having to put 6 months into getting ready for it,” explains the entertainer. “I honestly don’t think people realize how much work goes into one of our tours: I am looking at technical stuff that needs building in November… I am working on video in December and January… then we start rehearsals.”

His 2009 Corona Extra sponsored Sun City Carnival Tour was one of the best selling tickets of the year.

Other artists set for Bayou Country Superfest, the new event at LSU’s famed Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, and Brooks & Dunn. Held over Memorial Day Weekend 2010 (Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30), the two-day celebration will also include Jason Aldean, Kellie Pickler, Jake Owen, David Nail, Gloriana, and Justin Moore.

Also announced for Bama Jam are Jake Owen, and Blackberry Smoke.