CMA Songwriters Series Returns to NYC

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joesReturning to Joe’s Pub for the fifth year, the CMA Songwriters Series remains one of New York City’s most popular nights of music. Showcasing some of Nashville’s finest songwriters, the series is back for another show on Thursday, May 21. Host Bob DiPiero (“If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Blue Clear Sky,” “Take Me As I Am”); will welcome fellow hit writers including Dean Dillon (“The Chair,” “Unwound,” “Ocean Front Property”); Scotty Emerick (“I Love This Bar,” “Good As I Once Was,” “Beer For My Horses”); and Valory Music Company artist Jimmy Wayne (“Stay Gone,” “I Love You This Much,” “Paper Angels”).

Tickets for the May 21 CMA Songwriters Series at Joe’s Pub are $25 each. For information about Joe’s Pub or to order tickets, visit www.joespub.com or call (212) 967-7555 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM/CT. Joe’s Pub is located at 425 Lafayette St. in New York City.

Hall of Fame Re-elects Steve Turner, Vince Gill

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halloffamelogoAt the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s recent quarterly board meeting, cultural arts activist Steve Turner, founder of Butler’s Run LLC, was tapped for a second term as Chairman; and Hall of Fame member Vince Gill was re-elected to an eighth consecutive term as President. New trustees, elected for three-year terms, include Creative Artists Agency talent agent Rod Essig; Vector Management President Ken Levitan; and Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy President Mary Ann McCready.  Trustees Keel Hunt (Secretary) and Turner were re-elected. New officers include Mark Bloom, Senior VP-investments, UBS Financial Services; and renowned record producer Tony Brown, Tony Brown Enterprises. Country Music Hall of Fame member Frances Preston was named trustee emeritus. Preston joins Trustees Emeriti Nelson Andrews, Jim Foglesong, Richard Frank, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hinton, Kenneth Roberts, Chairman Emeritus E. W. “Bud” Wendell and Janice Wendell.

Remaining trustees include David Conrad, J. William Denny, Randy Goodman, John Grady, Henry Juszkiewicz, Ernie Williams (Treasurer) and Tim Wipperman.  The new officers join re-elected board members Al Giombetti (Executive VP); and VPs Earl Bentz, Connie Bradley, Mike Dungan, Francis Guess, Lon Helton, Kevin Lavender, Don Light, Steve Lynn, Donna Nicely, David M. Ross, Troy Tomlinson and Jody Williams.

CMA Chief Executive Officer Tammy Genovese remains as an ex-officio member. Chris Horsnell and Mike Milom of Milom Joyce Horsnell Crow PLC continue as the not-for-profit educational organization’s legal counsel.

Chicks With Hits Celebrate Tammy Brown

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Songplugger’s collective The Chicks With Hits recently held a luncheon in honor of longtime Music Row executive Tammy Brown to celebrate her recent cancer free status after a year long battle with leukemia. Brown is a former employee of ole Songs and Sony Music. The Chicks released balloons containing prayers and well wishes for Brown’s future.

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(l-r) (front) Robin Palmer, Tammy Brown, (second row) Kim Jones, Whitney Daane, Janie West, Ree Guyer Buchanan, (third row) Shawn Heflin, Celia Froehlig, Judy Harris, Lisa Johnson, (back) Melanie Howard, Debbie Zavitson.

CMA Says “Here Come The Judds”

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cma2Plans continue to come together for the 2009 CMA Music Festival, and now comes the announcement that the CMA will add country stars Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, and Wynonna (with a special appearance by The Judds) to the performance lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field.

“Rascal Flatts remains one of today’s great musical entertainers and we are thrilled to have them at CMA Music Festival,” said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We’re also excited to welcome Darius Rucker to our event for the first time, and to welcome back Wynonna and Naomi. We know our attendees are going to have a fantastic time.”

Artists currently scheduled to appear at LP Field include (in alphabetical order):

Thursday, June 11 – Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Julianne Hough, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker.

Friday, June 12 – Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen, and Zac Brown Band.

Saturday, June 13 – Trace Adkins, Jamey Johnson, Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack, and Wynonna (with a special appearance by The Judds).

Sunday, June 14 – Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, John Rich, and Taylor Swift.

The four-day CMA Music Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 11-14, in Downtown Nashville. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Full Circle Signs Hitmaker Bob Regan

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Full Circle Music Publishing has announced the signing of Grammy-nominated hit-maker Bob Regan. Regan has the current BomShel single, “Fight Like a Girl,” and a 2009 Grammy nomination for “Dig Two Graves,” recorded by Randy Travis. Regan has had over 200 songs recorded, with hits including “You’re Everything” (Keith Urban), “Something About a Woman” (Jake Owen), “Thinking About You” (Trisha Yearwood) and “Soon” (Tanya Tucker). He also played on thousands of recording sessions and performed on the Grand Ole Opry from 1989 to 1996. “I’m very excited to be working with Mike, Lynn and the Full Circle team,” Regan said. “We’ve all known each other and have shared successes over the years so it feels like a natural fit. I look forward to a long and productive relationship.”

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(l-r) Lynn Gann (Full Circle Music), Bob Regan, Michael Hollandsworth (Full Circle Music).

Playboy Presents Jamey Johnson “Uncovered”

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jjYou never know where you’re going to run into ACM Song of the Year winner Jamey Johnson. The editors of Playboy magazine recently caught up with the hirsute singer/songwriter at Music Row watering hole Loser’s Bar. The magazine featured Johnson in an online segment called “Uncovered.” Sitting at the bar — fully clothed — Johnson discusses what inspires him musically before delivering a heartfelt version of the Waylon Jennings classic, “Dreaming My Dreams With You.” When the boss isn’t looking, you can check out Johnson’s stirring solo performance here on the Playboy website. “Dreaming My Dreams with You” is featured on Johnson’s latest album, That Lonesome Song, which was certified gold this week.

Presenting Randy Houser … and Drake!

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randyhouserFor several weeks, country fans have been watching and forwarding a YouTube video of a 4-year-old named Drake lip syncing Randy Houser’s new hit single “Boots On,” (currently  the  fastest climbing single in the Top 25 by a new artist). Drake’s nanny captured the young performer on video when he was in his car seat in the back of her vehicle. The viral video hit was seen by Universal Records South execs and like everyone else, they were amazed by Drake’s unique interpretation complete with facial expressions and tapping boots. You can check out Drake’s car seat performance here. When it came time to shoot the video for “Boots On,” everyone agreed that Drake had to be a part of it. Footage from the nanny’s video was cut into footage of Houser to make a complete video. On the set it was discovered that Houser and rising star Drake share the same birth date.

Debt Load Chafes Clear Channel

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clear-channelClear Channel Communications went private last July after being purchased by THL Partners and Bain Capitol. In the process, the company’s debt load greatly increased. Last week CCC released a preliminary filing stating that its first quarter revenue had fallen 23% to $1.2 billion while at the same time its debt increased trifold to $21 billion. Complete results are scheduled to be unveiled on May 11.

In the meantime, Moody’s Investors Service cut its ratings for Clear Channel Communications by four levels, saying there was an increasingly high probability that CCC would breach its debt covenants. According to the New York Times, Regulatory filings earlier this week (4/20) show that CCC hopes “to exchange two classes of bonds which mature in 2016 by midnight on May 18. Through the exchange, investors would receive new bonds of the same value but they would be senior to existing and future notes.”

Unlike the original bonds, the newly offered version, registered under the Securities Act, could be sold and/or transferred. The bonds to be exchanged total $2.3 billion.

YTD Clear Channel Communications has reduced its work force by about 9%, eliminating 1,850 jobs.

Music City Comes Together For Nashville4Africa

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n4aTomorrow night (4/22), at 7:00 PM, a great lineup of Nashville artists will join the famed African Children’s Choir and The Lost Boys of Sudan for a Night of Hope at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Big & Rich’s Kenny Alphin and Nashville singer/songwriter Damien Horne will host the inaugural Nashville4Africa benefit concert. The event will also include performances by Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Dierks Bentley, Martina McBride, Brad Arnold (3 Doors Down), Third Day, Jars of Clay, Ashley Cleveland, The SteelDrivers and Michael Rhodes.

The Nashville4Africa concert will raise money for charitable causes in Africa, specifically in Uganda and Sudan. Through the Love Everybody Fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a charitable organization benefiting from this event, Alphin will continue his humanitarian missions in Sudan, which have helped start a medical clinic, build a school for girls, and will soon transport much-needed medical and educational supplies to Sudanese villages. A portion of the event’s proceeds will also help build a new school in Uganda for the African Children’s Choir, which cares for and fosters thousands of underprivileged children throughout Africa. For more information, or to make a donation to these organizations, visit www.nashville4africa.com.

CMA Announces Daytime Stage Festival Lineup

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cma1With festivities beginning June 11, the CMA Music Festival is closer than you think. And fans will be clamoring for the opportunity to get up close and personal with a great lineup of artists at the free Daytime Stage at Riverfront Park concerts. Acknowledging the current economic climate, CMA is offering all four days of the Daytime Stage performances for free to the public. Fans can enjoy the music while relaxing on the sloping bank of the Cumberland River. The concerts are within easy walking distance of all the Festival event sites. The first performers to be announced for the Daytime Stage at Riverfront Park are listed below in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 11: Bellamy Brothers, Diamond Rio, Neal McCoy, Heidi Newfield, James Otto, Randy Rogers Band, Ashton Shepherd, Phil Vassar, and Chuck Wicks.

Friday, June 12: John Anderson, Eric Church, Bucky Covington, “The Honky Tonk Tailgate Party” (featuring Trent Willmon, Jeff Bates, Mark Wills), Randy Houser, Oak Ridge Boys, Jamie O’Neal, Aaron Tippin, and Clay Walker.

Saturday, June 13: Bill Anderson, Keith Anderson, Tracy Byrd, Jason Michael Carroll, Emerson Drive, Lost Trailers, Jo Dee Messina, Lorrie Morgan, and Chris Young.

Sunday, June 14:  Eli Young Band, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Gloriana, Josh Gracin, Jessica Harp, Joey & Rory, Joe Nichols, Collin Raye / Restless Heart, and Darryl Worley.

“The Daytime Stage at Riverfront Park is one of our most popular events at CMA Music Festival,” said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We have an outstanding lineup of performers, ranging from current radio favorites to beloved, legendary artists. It is a great place for families and individuals alike to come and hear great music.”

More artists will be announced soon. Artists and schedules are subject to change. Visit www.CMAfest.com for updated performance schedules.