Papa Surf Burger Bar Partners Jason Aldean, Brittany Aldean, Brittney Kelley, Brian Kelley, Tom Glavine And Chris Glavine. Photo: Justin Mrusek

Brian and Brittney Kelley, Jason and Brittany Aldean and baseball Hall Of Famer Tom Glavine and his wife Chris have partnered to open a new restaurant in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, the Papa Surf Burger Bar.

The group hosted a private celebration on Sunday (Oct. 29) for the grand opening of the restaurant, which marks the second business owned by the Kelleys in the area, who also opened the brick-and-mortar location for their Tribe Kelley line, Tribe Kelley Surf Post, in 2018.

Welcoming family and close friends to an intimate menu sampling of made-to-order burgers like “The Beach Cowboy” and “Burnin’ It Down,” the 50 guests raised a toast with a signature house drink called “Papa’s Punch” and champagne. In addition, Brian treated the crowd to a full band show live from the Cortney Bishop-designed restaurant, performing songs including his new single “See You Next Summer” and “Dirt Cheap,” plus previewing some unreleased tracks from his upcoming debut album with Big Machine Records. Jason also joined Kelley for his hit “Burnin’ It Down,” which Brian co-wrote.

“My wife Brittney and I are just so fired up that the Papa Surf Burger Bar is officially open,” shares Brian. “There will be so many special moments and memories made there. The vibe is real, the energy is great, and the burgers are next level. We’re so thankful to our partners for dreaming this all up together, and our team for working so hard to bring our vision to life.”

Papa Surf Burger Bar is now open to the public.

Brent Maher. Photo: Rod McGaha

Reservoir has signed a new publishing deal for the future works of seven-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-Platinum writer-producer Brent Maher. This deal builds on the company’s 2018 acquisition of rights to Maher’s full catalog.

Maher is best known for his work with The Judds, whom he discovered in 1983 and would go on to produce all 10 of their albums. He co-wrote and produced the duo’s “Why Not Me,” which topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and earned the ACM’s Song of the Year award. Maher has also worked on many of The Judds’ other hits such as “Girls Night Out,” “Rockin’ with the Rhythm of the Rain,” “I Know Where I’m Going,” “Let Me Tell You About Love” and “Born To Be Blue,” among others.

Maher was recently a part of The Judds’ 40th anniversary tribute album, collaborating on all tracks but one for the project. The album features stars from country music and beyond, including Wynonna Judd, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Gwen Stefani, Jelly Roll, Reba McEntire and more.

Beyond his work with The Judds, Maher has also co-written several hits by Johnny Reid, including the CCMA Single of the Year “A Woman Like You” and Juno-nominated Single of the Year “Let’s Go Higher.” He is also an award-winning engineer, with notable credits including Ike & Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” and The 5th Dimension’s “Age of Aquarius,” plus titles by Willie Nelson, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Sammy Davis Jr. Gladys Knight, Sly and the Family Stone and more.

“Brent has worked on so many iconic country records and continues to produce, write, and engineer some of the genre’s best music. His work on A Tribute To The Judds and the star-studded features on the album showcase just how meaningful his influence is to artists in country music and beyond,” shares John Ozier, Reservoir Executive Vice President of Creative. “We are honored to be working with him and look forward to supporting the legacy of his music, old and new.”

Maher adds, “I’m very happy to be in business with John and the entire staff at Reservoir on my new endeavors and back catalog.”

Pictured (L-R): Dan Rogers (Vice President and Executive Producer, Grand Old Opry), Seely and Kella Farris (Partner, Farris, Self & Moore, LLC and CMA Board President). Photo: Chris Hollo Photography/Grand Ole Opry

During a Grand Ole Opry performance this weekend, country legend Jeannie Seely was surprised with the Country Music Association’s Joe Talbot Award. CMA Board President Kella Farris made the special presentation, which elicited a standing ovation from the Opry house crowd.

The CMA Joe Talbot Award is presented in recognition of outstanding leadership and contributions to the preservation and advancement of country music’s values and tradition. Since its creation in 2001, the award has been presented to 12 individuals, including Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, Janette Carter, Kitty Moon Emery, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, George Jones, Charlie Monk, Louise Scruggs, Marty Stuart and Talbot himself.

“How wonderful to be honored for doing what you love to do and love to share with others! My surprise was obvious since I am rarely at a loss for words, but this caught me totally speechless!,” said Seely. “While country music will always, and must always evolve, we must always remember the Grand Ole Opry is the cornerstone our industry was built on with music that represented the people. My sincere appreciation to CMA and the folks who recognized how much I care, and I’m proud to be in such great company! Thank you!”

As a long-time mentor for many female artists in the genre, Seely’s influence on the format has been undeniable. She took to the stage during the inaugural Fan Fair in 1972 and has remained a devoted supporter and advocate for country music. Seely was recognized last year for having the most performances in the Grand Ole Opry’s 98-year history with over 5,000 shows. Since 2018, she has hosted her own weekly program, Sunday with Seely, on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse channel. Seely continuously strives to positively represent country music and promote its traditions to generations of fans.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) held its third annual Membership Meeting last week.

Of the key metrics highlighted during the meeting, the organization shared that, in the last two and half years since inception, The MLC has distributed over $1.5 billion in royalties. As intended by Congress in the Music Modernization Act, The MLC has effectively illuminated the “black box” for digital audio mechanicals by giving members the ability to search all the unmatched data and propose matches for their works using The MLC’s Matching Tool. To date, The MLC has received and approved more than one million proposed matches submitted by members through the Matching Tool.

The organization also highlighted that The MLC now has more than 32,000 members, having added more than 9,000 to date in 2023. It has over 33 million works in its public database, with data for more than three million new works added in 2023 alone.

“We are proud of these accomplishments, particularly in reaching the milestone of distributing over $1.5 billion in royalties,” says The MLC’s CEO, Kris Ahrend. “We have effectively illuminated the black box by empowering our members with several tools that enable them to take actions intended to eliminate the black box. We look forward to continuing our work to fulfill our mission of ensuring songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers receive their mechanical royalties from streaming & download services in the United States accurately and on time.”

During the meeting, the result of The MLC’s recent Class B Board Seat election was also announced. Alisa Coleman was re-elected by The MLC’s Class B Members to serve on The MLC’s Board of Directors for a second three-year term. The MLC’s Class A Members selected Troy Verges to fill the open seat as a Songwriter Director of the Board, which was previously held by Craig Wiseman, whose initial term expired this year. Additionally, the Class A Members selected Kevin Kadish to serve a second three-year term as a Songwriter Director of the Board.

Finally, The MLC announced that the make-up of the Class C Members will not change in 2024. More information on The MLC’s Board of Directors and Advisory Committees can be found here.

“Concert For Gratitude,” a live concert event from America Salutes You is set for Dec. 15 at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

Dustin Lynch and Chrissy Metz will co-host and perform during the show. Other performers include Lecrae, Clint Black, Lisa Hartman Black and daughter Lily Pearl Black, Charles Esten, Lee Greenwood, Jo Dee Messina, Craig Morgan, Walker Hayes and Chasing DaVinci.

The event, which is being taped for airing in January, honors and raises awareness and financial support for our veterans and first responders, and also supports the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Mental Wellness Campaign. Concert For Gratitude will air on network affiliates, national cable channels and streaming services across the U.S. and internationally.

Tickets are on sale now at thefishercenter.com and americasalutesyou.org. Additional ticket information can be found at the Belmont Box Office at 615-460-2255 or tickets@belmont.edu.

“What an honor it is for the America Salutes You Benefit Concert Series 2023, now in its eighth season, to kick off at this premiere venue the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts,” says Bob Okun, Executive Producer, America Salutes You. “This live to tape for broadcast, cable and streaming distribution show will be distributed nationally to raise awareness and funds for the best-in-class nonprofit charities assisting our front line heroes. It is going to be a rocking, patriotic night of music and gratitude.”

Over the past seven years, America Salutes You has supported over 30 charities with all public donations going to the nonprofits.  This year’s charitable beneficiaries include No Greater Sacrifice, Pursuit of Purpose, Veterans Tennis Corps and Adaptive Tennis Programs of the JTCC and The Outreach Program. Sponsors include the Ross Glickman Family Foundation, Robert and Susan Wright, the Davis Elkins Foundation, International Protective Serviced, Virgin Hotels, Farm East Foundation and more to be announced.