Eric Heatherly
There are 10 records here, but only one really matters.
Eric Heatherly has more talent than any man ought to be allowed. He writes incredibly addictive songs. He sings like an angel and plays guitar like the devil. His rhythmic sense is impeccable. On top of everything else, he’s a superb showman. He also has the completely unchallenged Disc of the Day.
For our DisCovery Award, we cast our eyes northward. Greg
Hanna lives in Nashville now, but he’s originally a farm boy from rural Ontario.
Greg Hanna
JEFF COOK & THE ALLSTAR GOODTIME BAND/Ashes Won’t Burn
Writer: Bert Colwell; Producer: Jeff Cook; Publisher: Friendly Finley, Bert Colwell, BMI; Quest (track) (www.jeffcook-AGB.com)
—Since quitting the road with Alabama, Jeff Cook has been performing what he calls “funtry” with his band. The title tune to their debut album has “beach music” rhythm, horns, R&B guitar, stellar vocal harmonies and a steady pulse. Jeff sings seven of the lead vocals, including a cover of The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine.” Other covers are handled by group members Ronnie Farmer (”Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”), R.K. Brown (”Brick House”), Link Detten (”All Right Now”) and Randall Key (”King Bee”).
TED RUSSELL KAMP/Just A Yesterday Away
Writer: Ted Russell Kamp; Producer: Ted Russell Kamp; Publisher: none listed; PoMo (track) (www.tedrussellkamp.com)
—Kamp is the bass player for Shooter Jennings, but he also makes solo discs. His first, 2007’s Divisadero, was a gem, and the follow-up, Poor Man’s Paradise, is even better. Its single, this track, is a rumbling, rootsy ramble with Chip Davis shadowing Ted’s lead vocal with a tenor harmony throughout.
RODNEY ATKINS/15 Minutes
Writer: Tony Mullins/Jamie Lee Thurston; Producer: Ted Hewitt & Rodney Atkins; Publisher: Almo/Mullintone/EMI Blackwood, ASCAP/BMI; Curb
—“I gave up smoking, women and drinking last night/And it was the worst 15 minutes of my life.” Ya gotta smile at a line like that. The track bops and the steel guitar shimmers. And, for once, a rowdy-crowd sing-along works perfectly.
GREG HANNA/It’s A Man’s Job
Writer: Ashley Gorley/Wade Kirby/Kim Tribble; Producer: Kim Tribble & Greg Hanna; Publisher: Songs of Combustion/Music of Windswept/Steel Wheels/Songs of Category 5/Songs of RPM, ASCAP/BMI/SESAC; Pheromone (www.greghanna.com)
—This guy is apparently already popular in his native Canada. His raucous bid for U.S. acceptance has working-man verses, but in the choruses he shouts that loving you “is a man’s job.” And—guess what?—he doesn’t mind putting in a little overtime to do it.
CLEDUS T. JUDD/Garth Must Be Busy
Writer: Clint Daniels/Michael Heeney/Cledus T. Judd/Christopher Clark; Producer: Cledus T. Judd & Chris Clark; Publisher: Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose, BMI; E1
—Brooks & Dunn put in a prominent appearance on this parody of their well-known hit. It name-checks Garth Brooks tune titles hither and thither.
CLINT MARTIN/West Side Of The Tracks
Writer: Clint Martin; Producer: Tommy Detamore & Clint Martin; Publisher: LinBrooke, ASCAP; Run Wild (www.clintmartinband.com)
—The track is as country as dirt, but his singing is as bland as water.
THE TRACTORS/Up Jumped The Boogie
Writer: Steve Ripley/Leon Russell; Producer: Steve Ripley; Publisher: Time Standing Still/Young Carney, BMI/ASCAP; Koch (track) (www.kochrecords.com)
—They’re back, and they’re as relentlessly rhythm happy and eccentric as ever. The full CD is called Trade Union.
MARK McKINNEY/Middle America
Writer: Mark McKinney; Producer: Rob Dennis; Publisher: none listed; Super Loud Music (www.markmckinney.com)
—This guy continues his country rocking ways on his latest single. It boasts his strongest blue-collar lyric and hookiest melody to date. Well worth your spins.
ERIC HEATHERLY/Things I Could Do To You
Writer: Eric Heatherly; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Publisher: Psychobilly, ASCAP; Eric Heatherly (track) (www.ericheatherly.com)
—Eric’s new CD is called 2 High 2 Cry. On its single, he once again proves that he’s country’s grooviest guitar slinger. This has it all—a terrific vocal, a killer melody, a heartbeat rhythm and some sizzling guitar solos. If you program just one tune from this week’s stack of platters, by all means make it this one. It’s essential listening.
KATE RUSSELL/Better Days
Writer: Kate Russell; Producer: Kate Russell & Rich Mouser; Publisher: Austramusic, ASCAP; Urunga/Spinville (615-302-0072)
—Her credit cards are maxed out, the bills are piling up, her boyfriend has split. She’s got the blues and has, indeed, “seen better days.” But her potent vocal delivery makes being down-and-out sound just fine.
Trailer Choir Gets MusicRow Ready For The Weekend
/by Sarah SkatesTV Time Pays Off
/by Sarah SkatesDolly Parton is set to perform on Sunday night’s Tony Awards on CBS, where she is nominated for Best Original Score for 9 to 5: The Musical. Joining her on the show will be the cast of the musical.
Julianne Hough will host the 2009 CMT Music Awards Video of the Year Special, premiering Saturday, June 13 at 1 PM/CT. Voting is going on now at CMT.com and the final four nominees in the Video of the Year category will be announced at the beginning of the live awards show so fans can vote online and via text on Verizon phones throughout the broadcast.
Dateline: On Tour With Taylor Swift, originally broadcast May 31 on NBC, is being re-broadcast Sunday, June 7, in the network’s All Night time period. The program’s original air time was disrupted in several markets due to NBC’s live telecast of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup.
Cox Promotes Garth Book
/by Sarah Skates(L-R): Terry Stevens, Allen Reynolds, Patsi Bale Cox, Joe Mansfield and Virginia Team. Photo: Alan Mayor
Patsi Bale Cox sold out of copies of her new book, The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country’s Big Boom, at her Davis Kidd booksigning last night. The former Capitol Records staffer, who spent 16 years handling Brooks’ publicity, chronicles his career, the huge popularity surge of country music, boardroom drama, and more in the new book. She details his life from humble beginnings in Oklahoma to becoming the bestselling solo artist of all time with nearly 130 million records sold.
Shane Allen Joins Capitol As VP Promotion
/by Sarah Skates“I’m extremely excited to be returning to Capitol Nashville in this capacity, and am especially grateful to Mike Dungan and Steve Hodges for giving me the opportunity,” said Allen. “I can’t say enough about the people, artist roster and incredible culture inside those halls on West End. I’m also very grateful to Greg Hill and all of my friends at GHM/Red Light Management for teaching me so much.”
Before his time at Capitol Records Nashville, Allen worked as the National Director, West and Southwest Promotion for Universal South Records. Before that Allen held several positions at MCA and Mercury Nashville in the Promotions department. Allen first got his start at San Diego’s KSON radio station.
Universal Republic, Big Machine Launch Republic Nashville
/by Sarah SkatesJimmy Harnen, Scott Borchetta
Big Machine Records and Universal Republic have combined resources to form the new label Republic Nashville, which will be run by President Jimmy Harnen and headquartered on Music Row.
Republic Nashville’s inaugural roster will include honky tonkin’ singer/songwriter Sunny Sweeney and new country duo Fast Ryde, among other artists. A major staff announcement regarding the new label will be forthcoming.
Big Machine and Universal Republic—headed by Scott Borchetta and Monte Lipman, respectively—first worked together in 2007 to promote country superstar Taylor Swift.
Previously, Harnen was Senior Vice President of Promotion for Capitol Records, Nashville. From 2000 to 2003 he was Co-National Director of Promotion for DreamWorks Records in Nashville, working closely with Borchetta, who was a DreamWorks executive at the time. Harnen can be reached at Jimmy.Harnen@republicnashville.com and at 615-324-7777.
S1 Songs Makes Significant Acquisition
/by Sarah Skates(L-R): Jody Williams, BMI; Brett Beavers; Don Rollins; Chip Petree, Attorney/Copyright Exchange; Pat Finch, Sr. VP/GM S1 Songs Nashville; Shaye Smith; Abbe Nameche, VP Creative, S1 Songs Nashville
S1 Songs has acquired the song catalogs, plus future works, of Brett Beavers, Shaye Smith and Don Rollins, and also purchased an interest in the smash hit singles “Whiskey Lullaby” recorded by Brad Paisley and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” recorded by Alan Jackson. The Nashville office of S1 is headed by Sr. VP/GM Pat Finch. Global CEO of S1 Songs, Steve McMellon says the publisher plans to continue acquiring “good quality Nashville copyrights.”
As a producer/writer, Beavers has garnered multiple hit singles for Dierks Bentley, including “What Was I Thinkin’,” “Lot Of Leavin’ Left To Do,” “Come A Little Closer,” “Every Mile A Memory,” and “Feel That Fire” in addition to producing Bentley’s first five Capitol albums. Beavers has also written singles for Lee Ann Womack, Brooks & Dunn, Eric Church and more.
Shaye Smith is a Grammy nominated songwriter with several No. 1 hits in the U.S. and overseas. Her hits include “Songs About Me” (Trace Adkins), “That’s Why I’m Here” (Kenny Chesney), “How Far” (Martina McBride), “There Is No Arizona” and “Somebody’s Hero” (Jamie O’Neal), “One Boy, One Girl” (Collin Raye), “Single White Female” (Chely Wright), “Complicated” (Carolyn Dawn Johnson) and “I Should Be Sleeping” (Emerson Drive). Her songs have appeared on more than 25 million albums sold.
In 2003 Don Rollins wrote “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” with frequent collaborator Jim “Moose” Brown. The song went on to be a multi-week No. 1 for Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett and win the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. In 2006, Rollins scored two cuts on Reba’s Platinum Duets album. Other artists who have recorded his songs include Neal McCoy, Randy Travis, Ronnie Millsap, and Ricky Skaggs.
Lifenotes: Danny Petraitis (Updated)
/by Sarah Skates––––––––––––––
Much loved member of the music community Danny Petraitis died peacefully last night, June 3, around 7:45 PM in his room at Lakeshore Wedgewood assisted living community. He had an extensive fight with brain cancer and is survived by his children Dylan, Carson, Sadie, and Jed. An obituary with arrangements and details about a memorial fund is expected tomorrow.
According to a post on his Caring Bridge site, “Dan’s wishes were to have his body be cremated and his ashes spread at the Jetty at Long Branch New Jersey. There will be no viewing. As of right now tentative plans are to have a church service possibly Sunday afternoon at Benton Chapel on the Vanderbilt campus with a pot-luck/visitation/celebration/guitar pull afterwards at the A-frame of St. Augustine’s Chapel just a short distance away.”
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dannypetraitis/
Sony Onboard With eMusic
/by Sarah SkatesBack catalog from Sony Music Entertainment will soon be available on popular download site eMusic. This is the first major label to partner with the retailer known largely for indie music. eMusic boasts about 400,000 subscribers who can download a set number of MP3s each month in exchange for a monthly fee.
Following the agreement with Sony, eMusic has raised its monthly prices and cut the number of downloads for some plans. eMusic says that many of the independent labels it works with had also been asking it to increase prices.
Sony considers songs more than two years old “back catalog.”
Artist Exposure Comes Through Many Platforms
/by Sarah SkatesMartina McBride’s latest single “I Just Call You Mine” is getting a lot of exposure through NBC’s Today show. The song, written by Ty Lacy, Jess Clayton Cates, and Dennis Matkosky, is being used in conjunction with one of the morning show’s most popular events, “Today Throws A Wedding.” The tune will be featured throughout the three-month promotion and McBride will perform it at the lucky couple’s wedding reception on July 15. “I Just Call You Mine” is the second single from Martina’s chart-topping new album, Shine.
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New Country group Due West is challenging fans to explore the streets of downtown Nashville with a GeoQuest game containing clues which lead players to historic sites. The free, half-hour walking game during CMA Music Festival is Thurs., June 11, from 1:00-3:00 PM. The course ends with prizes and a special event at one of Nashville’s historic music spots. To get the first clue, call 615-656-5636. Due West’s debut single, “I Get That All the Time,” is at Country radio now.
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Kate & Kacey are on Yahoo! Music as “The New Now,” becoming the first country artists selected this year for the feature. The performance was taped recently in Los Angeles and launches live on Yahoo! today. Fans can see how the girls did behind the Yahoo! cameras, beginning this week at http://new.music.yahoo.com/programs/the-new-now/940/a-sucker-for-katekaceycorona
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Steve Azar will join 13-time PGA Champion Kenny Perry on the Golf Channel’s new TV series, Playing Lessons From the Pros on July 6 at 10 pm/ET. The instructional show features top PGA & LPGA Tour professionals and celebrities in a casual round of golf. On Tues., August 4, Azar will release Slide On Over Here, his new album co-produced with Justin Niebank for Azar’s indie label, Ride Records. The project’s lead single, “Moo La Moo,” was co-written by Azar and is airing on Country radio.
DISClaimer (5/15/09)
/by Robert K OermannEric Heatherly
There are 10 records here, but only one really matters.
Eric Heatherly has more talent than any man ought to be allowed. He writes incredibly addictive songs. He sings like an angel and plays guitar like the devil. His rhythmic sense is impeccable. On top of everything else, he’s a superb showman. He also has the completely unchallenged Disc of the Day.
For our DisCovery Award, we cast our eyes northward. Greg
Hanna lives in Nashville now, but he’s originally a farm boy from rural Ontario.
Greg Hanna
JEFF COOK & THE ALLSTAR GOODTIME BAND/Ashes Won’t Burn
Writer: Bert Colwell; Producer: Jeff Cook; Publisher: Friendly Finley, Bert Colwell, BMI; Quest (track) (www.jeffcook-AGB.com)
—Since quitting the road with Alabama, Jeff Cook has been performing what he calls “funtry” with his band. The title tune to their debut album has “beach music” rhythm, horns, R&B guitar, stellar vocal harmonies and a steady pulse. Jeff sings seven of the lead vocals, including a cover of The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine.” Other covers are handled by group members Ronnie Farmer (”Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”), R.K. Brown (”Brick House”), Link Detten (”All Right Now”) and Randall Key (”King Bee”).
TED RUSSELL KAMP/Just A Yesterday Away
Writer: Ted Russell Kamp; Producer: Ted Russell Kamp; Publisher: none listed; PoMo (track) (www.tedrussellkamp.com)
—Kamp is the bass player for Shooter Jennings, but he also makes solo discs. His first, 2007’s Divisadero, was a gem, and the follow-up, Poor Man’s Paradise, is even better. Its single, this track, is a rumbling, rootsy ramble with Chip Davis shadowing Ted’s lead vocal with a tenor harmony throughout.
RODNEY ATKINS/15 Minutes
Writer: Tony Mullins/Jamie Lee Thurston; Producer: Ted Hewitt & Rodney Atkins; Publisher: Almo/Mullintone/EMI Blackwood, ASCAP/BMI; Curb
—“I gave up smoking, women and drinking last night/And it was the worst 15 minutes of my life.” Ya gotta smile at a line like that. The track bops and the steel guitar shimmers. And, for once, a rowdy-crowd sing-along works perfectly.
GREG HANNA/It’s A Man’s Job
Writer: Ashley Gorley/Wade Kirby/Kim Tribble; Producer: Kim Tribble & Greg Hanna; Publisher: Songs of Combustion/Music of Windswept/Steel Wheels/Songs of Category 5/Songs of RPM, ASCAP/BMI/SESAC; Pheromone (www.greghanna.com)
—This guy is apparently already popular in his native Canada. His raucous bid for U.S. acceptance has working-man verses, but in the choruses he shouts that loving you “is a man’s job.” And—guess what?—he doesn’t mind putting in a little overtime to do it.
CLEDUS T. JUDD/Garth Must Be Busy
Writer: Clint Daniels/Michael Heeney/Cledus T. Judd/Christopher Clark; Producer: Cledus T. Judd & Chris Clark; Publisher: Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose, BMI; E1
—Brooks & Dunn put in a prominent appearance on this parody of their well-known hit. It name-checks Garth Brooks tune titles hither and thither.
CLINT MARTIN/West Side Of The Tracks
Writer: Clint Martin; Producer: Tommy Detamore & Clint Martin; Publisher: LinBrooke, ASCAP; Run Wild (www.clintmartinband.com)
—The track is as country as dirt, but his singing is as bland as water.
THE TRACTORS/Up Jumped The Boogie
Writer: Steve Ripley/Leon Russell; Producer: Steve Ripley; Publisher: Time Standing Still/Young Carney, BMI/ASCAP; Koch (track) (www.kochrecords.com)
—They’re back, and they’re as relentlessly rhythm happy and eccentric as ever. The full CD is called Trade Union.
MARK McKINNEY/Middle America
Writer: Mark McKinney; Producer: Rob Dennis; Publisher: none listed; Super Loud Music (www.markmckinney.com)
—This guy continues his country rocking ways on his latest single. It boasts his strongest blue-collar lyric and hookiest melody to date. Well worth your spins.
ERIC HEATHERLY/Things I Could Do To You
Writer: Eric Heatherly; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Publisher: Psychobilly, ASCAP; Eric Heatherly (track) (www.ericheatherly.com)
—Eric’s new CD is called 2 High 2 Cry. On its single, he once again proves that he’s country’s grooviest guitar slinger. This has it all—a terrific vocal, a killer melody, a heartbeat rhythm and some sizzling guitar solos. If you program just one tune from this week’s stack of platters, by all means make it this one. It’s essential listening.
KATE RUSSELL/Better Days
Writer: Kate Russell; Producer: Kate Russell & Rich Mouser; Publisher: Austramusic, ASCAP; Urunga/Spinville (615-302-0072)
—Her credit cards are maxed out, the bills are piling up, her boyfriend has split. She’s got the blues and has, indeed, “seen better days.” But her potent vocal delivery makes being down-and-out sound just fine.