Texas country maverick Aaron Watson released a unique passion project today (Oct. 27) with a selection of cover songs by female artists and songwriters who have inspired him. Honoring artists such Taylor Swift, Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash and more, Watson is also collaborating with female artists that he believes to be the next generation of country music’s superstars.

Reimagining iconic songs that span several different genres, Watson worked with rising female artists to create fresh new takes on each track. For Dolly Parton‘s “9 To 5,” Watson features Kylie Frey, while Jenna Paulette lends her voice to Cash’s “Seven Year Ache.”

“This record was about teaching my daughter about all the wonderful, truly talented musicians in the world. I wanted to show her that her dreams are achievable,” shares Watson. “As we were sitting there talking about music and how so many of these artists we were covering got their start, it showed her that those dreams that she is chasing, they’re not so far off.”

A special moment on Cover Girl happens on the last track of the album, when Watson’s daughter Jolee Kate, a huge Swift fan, sings with her dad on “Never Grow Up.”

“If you don’t write it, it has to be something that you believe in and for me, I write 99% of my songs but after 25 years, I am making an album of songs I didn’t write. It’s different but at the same time I really enjoyed it. I can sing these songs and I truly feel it. After countless hours of listening to Taylor Swift with Jolee, I told her ‘Your old man can’t pull off singing ‘Reputation’ but when we listened to ‘Never Grow Up’ I told her that was exactly how I felt as a dad watching my daughter growing up far too fast.”

Tracklist For Cover Girl:
1. “Seven Year Ache” feat. Jenna Paulette – (Rosanne Cash)
2. “Million Reasons” feat. Morgan Myles (Stefani Germanotta, Hillary Lindsey, Mark Ronson)
3. “Back On the Chain Gang” feat. Twinnie (Christine Hynde)
4. “Love at the Five and Dime” feat. Jamie Lin Wilson (Nanci Griffith)
5. “Can’t Cry Anymore” feat. Bri Bagwell (Bill Bottrell, Sheryl Crow)
6. “All Through The Night” feat. Leigh Nash (Jules Shear)
7. “9 To 5” feat. Kylie Frey (Dolly Parton)
8. “You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma” feat. Kimberly Kelly (Boudleaux Bryant, Felice Bryant, Larry Collin, Sandy Pinkard)
9. “Grandpa Tell Me About The Good Ole Days” feat. Courtney Patton (Jamie O’Hara)
10. “Two More Bottles of Wine” feat. Alyssa Micaela (Delbert Ross McClinton)
11. “Never Grow Up” feat. Jolee Kate Watson (Taylor Swift)

The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) hosted its annual Gold & Platinum Gala at the Country Music Hall of Fame Wednesday night (Oct. 25). With throngs of songwriters and publishers fellowshipping together, the night was abuzz with reunions and celebrations.

The NMPA Gold & Platinum Program honors the songwriters of RIAA-certified singles. In an exciting carousel of honors, NMPA gave out plaques to 85 multi-Platinum songwriters Wednesday night, including hitmakers such as Luke Laird, Natalie Hemby, Chris DeStefano, Dallas Davidson and many more. As each songwriter joined the stage to receive their plaque, their peers and colleagues hooped and hollered as the hit song they wrote played over the speaker.

Flanking the plaque presentations were some awesome performances, with Ian Munsick kicking off the show with his Gold-certified single “Long Live Cowgirls,” which got a big reaction. Newly-inducted Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member, Keith Urban, gave a rousing performance of his “Blue Ain’t Your Color”—and was subsequently presented with a plaque for his 18 Gold and Platinum certifications.

The event culminated with the honoring of the top male and top female songwriters of the past year. Over the eligibility period, Ashley Gorley achieved an astounding 26 certifications, making him the Top Male Songwriter of the Year.

When speaking about Gorley, NMPA President & CEO David Israelite compared his success to that of star footballer Tom Brady, sharing that as a Kansas City Chiefs fan, he used to feel that he hated Brady because of his success, but eventually realized he admired his excellence. Rightly so, he encouraged those in the room to acknowledge the privilege of working with Gorley.

“Appreciate this moment. If you got to see Tom Brady play, or if you have gotten to see Ashley Gorley write, you are witnessing something that is greatness,” Israelite said.

Gorley was honored with a performance of “Rumor” from Lee Brice.

Top Female Songwriter of the Year went to Hillary Lindsey, who scored 10 certifications overall. Israelite spoke about Lindsey’s impact as one of the most succesful country songwriters of her generation.

“She has been such an inspiration to all songwriters, [especially] to all women songwriters. What she’s done with Liz [Rose] and others, I don’t think we’re going to see much in our lifetimes.”

Lindsey was honored with a hair-raising rendition of “Girl Crush,” performed by Brittney Spencer.

During the event, Israelite officially launched the Gold & Platinum (G&P) Club. The Club encompasses all songwriters who have achieved Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum certifications. Israelite also announced that the Club’s Co-Chairs are Rose and Ryan Tedder.

Israelite said, “The NMPA Gold & Platinum Program is the most definitive measurement of a song’s success. We are thrilled with the growth of the Gala and the opportunity to recognize the most elite songwriters in Nashville. The unprecedented number of honorees at this year’s event demonstrates the expansion and dominance of country music. We congratulate the brilliant minds behind these songs and are excited about the launch of the Gold & Platinum Club which will foster community among them.”

Country artist Dylan Marlowe has announced his 2024 headlining “Dirt Road When I Die Tour.”

The trek will kick off in Mobile, Alabama on Feb. 1. Marlowe has only declared dates for the first two weekends of the tour so far, with plans to surprise fans with the additional stops later on. The tour is named after his debut EP, Dirt Road When I Die, which released over the summer. The collection features “You Were Right (Nat’s Song),” a song he released as a surprise for his now-wife on their wedding day in May, as well as his single “Record High.”

Marlowe is currently on the road serving as support for Hardy‘s “The Mockingbird & The Crow Tour” alongside Lainey Wilson. He will open for the country rocker tonight at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium as part of their three-night run in Music City, which began yesterday (Oct. 26). Marlowe also recently toured with Jordan Davis and Scotty McCreery, and will open a show for Morgan Wallen this fall.

Additionally, he just released his new single “Boys Back Home,” featuring his friend and former tour-mate Dylan Scott.

“I wrote ‘Boys Back Home’ with Joe Fox and Seth Ennis because I got homesick when I moved to Nashville and missed all of my friends back home,” says Marlowe. “Dylan Scott took me on my first tour and I ended up showing him the song on the road. He loved it and I ended up asking him to sing on it with me. A year and a half in the making and I’m excited for the fans to finally have it!”

ACM’s Damon Whiteside Leads ‘Future Of Country’ Panel At Club CMO Fall Summit

Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside hosted a panel about the future of country at the Club CMO Fall Summit at Conrad Nashville on Oct. 24, joined by mtheory CEO Cameo Carlson and Capitol Nashville’s Mickey Guyton. Club CMO is a community for senior marketing executives with a membership of more than 900 Chief Marketing Executives representing both B2B and B2C brands.

Whiteside highlighted the record-breaking success country has seen this year and brought out Carlson for a look at trends across the industry and impactful efforts to make the business more inclusive and diverse, including the ACM’s successful LEVel Up and OnRamp professional development programs. Guyton then took the stage for a live performance before joining the panel for a discussion about her experience in the industry, career highlights and what she’s looking forward to in the year ahead.

 

Song Suffragettes Perform At London’s Bush Hall

All-female singer-songwriter collective Song Suffragettes celebrated their return to Britain’s Country Music Week with a show on Saturday night (Oct. 21) at London’s Bush Hall. The sold-out show included performances from BMG Nashville’s Brooke Eden and Curb Records’ Harper Grace along with respected U.K. artists Catherine McGrath and Simeon Hammond Dallas.

Produced by AEG Presents UK and presented by C2C (Country to Country), the Song Suffragettes show was their 15th performance in the U.K. to date.

 

Carissa Bauman Joins Perkins Publicity As Director

Carissa Bauman has joined Perkins Publicity as Director of Publicity. In this newly appointed role, Bauman will lead the strategic development of publicity campaigns, media relations and promotional opportunities for the firm’s clients. Proir to joining Perkins, Bauman spent the last 10 years in management working with artist Dylan Jakobsen.

“We are excited to welcome Carissa Bauman to our team as the new Publicity Director,” shares Trevor Perkins, CEO of Perkins Publicity. “Her impressive track record and passion for the industry align perfectly with our commitment to providing top-tier publicity services to our clients. With Carissa leading our publicity efforts, we are confident that we will continue to deliver exceptional results and expand our presence.”

 

Johnny Gates Extends Publishing Deal With Deluge Music

Singer-songwriter Johnny Gates has extended his exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with Deluge Music. Gates signed his original deal with Deluge in May 2020, releasing his LP East Music Row in 2021.

He recently released his indie-rock EP Nervous Wreck under the alt-name Johnny Was Here. In addition to his writing and performing, Gates hosts a monthly residence at Soho House Nashville, where he provides live show opportunities for up-and-coming artists. His solo-penned song “Loretta Lynn” will be released this week by Average Joe’s artist Sam Grow.

 

Jake Bush Inks With Four17 For Management

Jake Bush has signed an exclusive management deal with Four17. The U.S. Army Veteran has seen six of his songs rise to number one on the Texas Radio Chart since 2020. The Pasadena, Texas native’s upcoming single “My Country,” featuring Glen Templeton and Jesse Raub Jr., will be released to all streaming platforms on Nov. 10.

In addition to his new management deal, he has released a new cover of the Keith Whitley song, “Kentucky Bluebird,” featuring Lorrie Morgan. An acoustic version will be released to all streaming platforms on Nov. 3.

“I have been following Jake and his music for quite some time now and am excited to add him to the Four17 roster,” says Four17’s Brandyn Steen.

 

Hunter Metts Signs Label Deal With Position Music

Hunter Metts has signed a label deal with Position Music. Metts has previously released tracks such as ”The River,” “Open” and “Paper Moon,” and will release his next single “Thread” in early December. He will be releasing more tracks eventually leading up to his first full-length LP in 2024.

“In Hunter, we have a true artist in every sense of the word; a writer, producer, and performer of the highest caliber. I’m honored to be able to play a part in the next chapter of his career. When I first heard Hunter’s voice, I was instantly captivated and put the work in motion to sign him as I knew he would be a great fit for Position Music,” says Position Music’s Joe Brooks.