Fourth Annual Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards Raises Over $500K

The fourth annual Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards was held at City Winery in Nashville on Oct. 26 with The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project (TCDJHP) raising more than half a million dollars for military veterans.

Hosted by SiriusXm’s Storme Warren, the evening featured live performances by multi-Platinum entertainer Chris Young and the War Hippies, as well as a surprise appearance by Lee Greenwood who performed “God Bless the USA.” This year’s Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards were presented to actor Gary Sinise, U.S. Army combat veteran and TCDJHP Ambassador Joel Pruitt, and Nashville businessman Lee Beaman. Additionally, 97-year-old WWII Navy vet Mathias Gutman and 99-year-old WWII Coast Guard vet Gladys Hughes were honored at this year’s dinner.

“Once again, those who are concerned about the welfare of our returning veterans came to make a difference,” explains TCDJHP co-founder and Daniels’ longtime manager David Corlew. “It was a wonderful evening of patriotism, support, and caring. Chris Young, Lee Greenwood and the War Hippies all joined to make it the biggest night our organization has experienced since we began.”

Special guest speakers included former NYC Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, and retired Col. Jay Powers, a former Commanding Officer, 5th Group (U.S. Army Green Beret – Fort Campbell, KY). Daniels’ wife Hazel and son Charlie Daniels, Jr. were in attendance, as well as Congressman Mark Green.

 

Six New Tennessee Music Pathways Markers Unveiled Across The State

Tennessee Department of Tourist Development (TDTD) honored music icons Howard Armstrong, G.B. Grayson, Jo Walker-Meador, Craig Morgan, and Little David Wilkins with six new markers on the Tennessee Music Pathways. Local and state leaders, family and friends, and music industry executives gathered to celebrate their significant contributions to music history in Tennessee.

Armstrong was a multi-instrumentalist with an extensive repertoire, as well as a multilinguist, painter, and teller of folk tales and anecdotes. He was honored with a marker in downtown LaFollette. Elsewhere, Grayson, who first recorded “Tom Dooley,” earned a marker in downtown Mountain City. His marker is the latest addition to the Musical Heritage Mural Mile walking tour through Mountain City’s downtown area. The self-guided mural tour connects Johnson County to a storied history of Appalachian music, including Clarence “Tom” Ashley, Blind Fiddler, Grayson, Fred Price, and Clint Howard.

In Orlinda, Walker-Meador was commemorated for serving as executive director of the CMA from 1962 until 1991.Under her leadership, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the CMA Awards, and Fan Fair (now known as CMA Fest) were established, in addition to many industry initiatives. Meanwhile, Morgan’s marker sits next door to the Clement Museum Hotel. A longtime resident of Dickson, Morgan is a country music icon, TV personality, celebrated outdoorsman, and patriotic Army veteran. With over 25 charted Billboard songs, Morgan has been a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2008 and has made over 250 appearances on the hallowed stage.

Finally, Wilkins was honored in Parsons. As a country singer, songwriter, and entertainer, he scored 17 country hits. His composition, “Coming On Strong,” was a No. 11 pop hit for Brenda Lee in 1966, and he wrote songs for artists such as soul singer Percy Sledge, country star Conway Twitty, and folk-pop group, the Serendipity Singers.

Ashley Cooke Rings In Ryman Debut With A Pair Of Commemorative Plaques

Ahead of making her Ryman debut as support on Cole Swindell’s “Back Down To The Bar Tour,” Ashley Cooke was surprised with two plaques for her record-breaking accomplishments.

SiriusXM producer Nicholas Elliott presented the plaque commemorating her chart-topping SiriusXM The Highway No. 1 song “Never Til Now.” Additionally, Cooke’s radio team at Big Loud was on hand with a celebratory plaque for notching over 100 million streams.

The achievements come just days after Cooke made her Grand Ole Opry debut last week. Her debut single,”Never Til Now” featuring Brett Young, recently entered the Top 50 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase charts last week

 

Shane Profitt Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut

Shane Profitt made his debut on the historic Grand Ole Opry stage on Tuesday (Nov. 1). After performing his No. 1, most-added country radio single, “How It Oughta Be,” and a stripped-down version of the to-be-released “Good Luck and God,” the rising artist received a standing ovation from the packed crowd.

“I want to thank y’all for coming out tonight,” he shared. “I know what it’s like to save up for months for a ticket to this show, and y’all being here tonight means the world to me.”

The Maury County, Tennessee native’s performance was followed by a celebration in The Circle Room, where management and label employees surprised him by donning “Shane Train” sweatshirts. BMLG CEO Scott Borchetta sounded a vintage train whistle as he thanked everyone for “coming aboard” to rally for Profitt.

 

Granger Smith Headlines Inaugural Coliseum Nights Concert Series At MTSU

After MidNite host Granger Smith recently headlined the inaugural Coliseum Nights concert series at Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Smith and his alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., were joined by fellow music artists Sean Stemaly, Logan Wheat, and Matt Dillon to kick off the new concert series presented by Middle Tennessee State University.

Brantley Gilbert will release his long-awaited new album, So Help Me God, via The Valory Music Co. on Nov. 10.

His upcoming single from the project, “Heaven By Then” with Blake Shelton featuring Vince Gill will head to country radio on Nov. 14. Co-written with Brock Berryhill, Michael Hardy, Jake Mitchell, Randy Montana, Hunter Phelps and Taylor Phillips, the album opener highlights a way of life that can often feel like it’s disappearing.

“We were on a writing retreat in Texas that we do every year, and everybody was out on the porch. I don’t remember who threw a word in here or there and who didn’t, so we ended up with a bunch of writers on ‘Heaven By Then,’” Gilbert notes. “To have Blake Shelton and Vince Gill on the song meant so much to me. Those two brought so much to the table and gave it a voice I didn’t have. We were all in separate places when we recorded, but it was a cool way for everyone to put their spin on it. They just did what felt natural and sonically you hear that.”

Gilbert had other friends join him on the new project as well, including Jason Aldean on “Rolex On A Redneck,” Toby Keith and Hardy on “The Worst Country Song Of All Time,” and Jelly Roll on “Son Of The Dirty South.” Marking three years since his last release, Gilbert is a co-writer on all of the project’s 10 tracks.

“I’ve always taken a little longer than most artists, especially in this genre, to put an album out and that’s partly to do with me being a perfectionist,” Gilbert adds. “We’ve been looking forward to getting this album out for a long time. I’ve been blessed to sit down with some of the best writers in the country, and I feel like we’ve written some wonderful stuff.”

Gilbert will kick off his co-headlining tour with Five Finger Death Punch on Nov. 9 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The tour will run through Dec. 17.

So Help Me God Track List:
Heaven By Then with Blake Shelton featuring Vince Gill (Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Michael Hardy, Jake Mitchell, Randy Montana, Hunter Phelps, Taylor Phillips)
Rolex® On A Redneck featuring Jason Aldean (Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Michael Hardy, Randy Montana, Taylor Phillips)
Miles of Memories (Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Josh Phillips)
She’s The One (Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Taylor Phillips)
The Worst Country Song Of All Time featuring Toby Keith and HARDY (Brantley Gilbert, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Will Weatherly)
Son Of The Dirty South featuring Jelly Roll (Brantley Gilbert, Andrew Baylis, Jason Bradley DeFord)
How To Talk To Girls (Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Brian Wayne Davis, Brandon Day, Chase McGill, Josh Phillips, Taylor Phillips, Michael Ray)
Little Piece of Heaven (Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Greylan James, Taylor Phillips, Cole Taylor)
Gone But Not Forgotten (Brantley Gilbert, Brock Berryhill, Jason Blaine, Jay Brunswick)
So Help Me God (Brantley Gilbert, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Will Weatherly)

The Return Of Tanya Tucker, the film about the exciting comeback of the beloved country singer, is now in theaters nationwide.

Directed by Kathlyn Horan, the motion picture follows Tucker’s reemergence after not making a record in nearly 20 years. Alongside Brandi Carlile—who produced Tucker’s 2019 album While I’m Livin’ with Shooter Jennings—Tucker makes a record that would go on to win a Grammy for Best Country Album in 2020, catapulting the legend back into the spotlight she deserved.

Using rare archival footage and photographs, the film dives into Tucker’s history from her single-wide trailer in Seminole, Texas to becoming a young star.

A highlight of the film includes Tucker taking the idea for the chorus “Bring My Flowers Now,” a tune from the album that won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2020, and forming the centerpiece for the record.

“I had a chorus and I couldn’t get anything else for years. Brandi came in the control room and said, ‘T, let’s finish that song idea you had for so long.’ As soon as we finished writing the song, I think we went right to the vocal booth. The band came in, and they pushed record,” the country star shares of the process.

The Return Of Tanya Tucker has been featured at film festivals in Austin, Toronto, Nashville, and more.

After ten years, countless shows and 12 trips to the top of the country charts, Cole Swindell made his triumphant Ryman debut with a pair of sold out, back-to-back shows on Nov. 2 and 3 as part of his “Back Down To The Bar Tour.”

Preceded by rising singer-songwriter Dylan Marlowe and Big Loud newcomer Ashley Cooke, Swindell hit the stage hard on Wednesday night (Nov. 2), which had all the trimmings of a real bar, including an everglowing open sign, a set of taps and barstools and a full-size pool table which the bass player took up his residency on.

Opening with an explosive performance of his Dierks Bentley-graced “Flatliner” from 2017, the crowd was quickly sent reeling when Bentley appeared seemingly out of thin air to carry his parts of the tune. Promising the Nashville crowd a special night, Swindell ripped into his 2014 debut single, “Chillin’ It,” noting that he could’ve never dreamed that he would be singing the song to a sold out crowd at the Ryman on the day he wrote it.

From there it was off to the races as the south Georgia native fired off into many of his dozen No. 1s and obvious fan-favorites, like “Love You Too Late,” “Single Saturday Night,” “I Hope You Get Lonely Tonight” and more, all of which the crowd roared back with deafening eagerness. He also took a moment to play “How Is She,” one of the radio-ready tracks from his recently released fourth studio album, Stereotype, as well as the project’s title track.

After a swaying rendition of “Middle Of A Memory,” Swindell explained that the night was a full circle moment for him, seeing as he used to play in every bar on always-bustling Broadway street just outside the walls of the Ryman. On the note of bars, Swindell took the opportunity to rip off into some of party songs from over the years, which included a medley of “Brought To You By Beer,” “No Can Left Behind” and “Reason To Drink” before taking a shot with the Nashville crowd.

The Warner Music Nashville recording artist later recounted his journey to Nashville and how he fell in love with songwriting, explaining that he “wouldn’t be here without the songs [he’s] written,” and crediting them with getting his name out there and more than likely landing him his record deal. Giving the audience bits of some of his biggest hits as a songwriter, the multi-Platinum wordsmith shot into Thomas Rhett‘s “Get Me Some Of That,” which earned him his first No. 1 and with whom he’ll be hitting the road with in 2023; Luke Bryan‘s “Roller Coaster;” and Florida Georgia Line‘s “This Is How We Roll.”

To pile on the special moments of the show, Swindell offered up an unreleased track called “Sad Ass Country Song” that is sure to be one of his next big hits seeing as the crowd was eating up every second of the “walkin’, ‘talkin’, honky tonkin'” tune.

However, no moment could top what was to come as Swindell took a second to address the crowd, as well as put a spotlight on the many familiar faces in the audience, including friends, family, his team and more. One person who he noted who not there, though, was his mother who passed away in September of 2021.

“Tonight every song that we’re singing means something and I can promise you that no one here has heard this one. I debated whether or not to do it because I don’t know if I can get through it,” he offered. “If I’m going to sing a song for the very first time ever, I want to sing it right here at the Ryman.”

Written alongside Chase McGill and Bobby Pinson, the gut-wrenching track gives a light-hearted warning of what the man upstairs should expect as Swindell’s mom makes her way there. Aptly titled “Heads Up Heaven,” the piano-backed track ends with the touching “She’s always wanted to meet you face to face / Heads up heaven, there’s a good one headed your way.”

After tearfully making it through the vulnerable song, Swindell gave the Mother Church of Country Music a one-two punch, going straight into the 2016 weeper “You Should Be Here,” which he wrote in honor of his late father. The packed house carried Swindell through the final chorus, armed with their phone flashlights and singing it back to him without missing a beat.

“People ask, ‘How do you get through those songs every night?’ Honestly, it’s because of you guys. You all need to hear it just as much as I do. I know I’m not the only one who’s lost someone I love.” He continued, “For me, country music has always reminded me that I’m not alone. There’s people out there that feel just like I do… I’ve got your back because you’ve had mine for the last ten years.”

Leading in to the last stretch of the setlist, Swindell popped back on stage for his fiery duet “Never Say Never,” with American Idol alum Lauren Alaina filling in for Lainey Wilson. He followed it with a pair of hits from his debut, self-titled album, “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” and “Let Me See You Girl.”

The avid ’90s country fan broke out into a medley of greatest hits from the celebrated decade of country music, including “Neon Moon” (Brooks & Dunn), “Carrying Your Love With Me” (George Strait), “Pickup Man” (Joe Diffie), “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” (Toby Keith), “Be My Baby Tonight” (John Michael Montgomery) and “Ain’t Going Down (Til The Sun Comes Up)” (Garth Brooks), all leading up to the night’s big finale.

After the stage went dark for a moment, the all too familiar sound of Jo Dee Messina‘s “Heads Carolina, Tails California” came through the speakers, earning a shriek of excitement from the crowd. Swindell blasted off into his 12th No. 1 hit, “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” which also marks his fastest trip to the top spot at country radio at just 12 weeks. The five-week No. 1 has racked up more than 250 million streams, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA just before the sold out show.

Ahead of the show, the Warner Nashville team also surprised Swindell with a plethora of certifications, including “Single Saturday Night” (Platinum), “Break Up In The End” (2x Platinum), “You Should Be Here” (3x Platinum), his sophomore project You Should Be Here (Platinum) and his third album All of It (Gold).

Brittney Spencer has signed a label deal with Elektra and released her debut EP, If I Ever Get There: A Day At Blackbird Studio, via her new label home. The project serves as a taste of what’s to come and a gift to her fans as she records her full-length, debut album.

“We were instantly moved by Brittney’s astounding talent and infectious spirit as soon as we met her,” notes Breanna Duncan, Senior Manager of A&R, Elektra. “She has a natural ability to connect with listeners with her brilliant vocal delivery and her gift at capturing emotions through her songwriting is just remarkable. Brittney Spencer is an absolute gem in the music scene and we couldn’t be more excited that she has chosen Elektra as her label home.”

The three-track EP produced by Daniel Tashian includes the lead single, a cover of The Chick’s “Cowboy Take Me Away,” which has become a staple at Spencer’s live shows. The collection also boasts two standout originals, the coy breakup ballad “Better As Friends,” penned by Spencer and Hailey Whitters, and the heart-wrenching “A Hundred Years,” which she co-wrote alongside Ashley Ray and Sean McConnell.

“Last month, I spent a day at Blackbird Studio recording a live EP,” Spencer shared on socials. “These three songs are some of my favorites to perform live, and they reflect a lot of where my head and heart have been lately–a little sad girl fall, a little gleeful nostalgia. I’ve been touring with some of my absolute heroes, getting to partner with brands I love like Victoria’s Secret (like, what?!), and just being a person feeling my way through my ever-changing, stupid life. Still, writing and creating music has been my honest guide, my emotional safety and my best companion this year, my album is close to finished now! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this musical timestamp my friends and I made at Blackbird.”

“Brittney Spencer is a very special artist, songwriter and person. We are honored that she has put her trust in the Activist team to manage her quickly developing career,” says Matt Maher, Founding Partner of Activist Artists Management.

Activist Partner Caitlin Stone adds, “We are excited for Brittney to begin releasing music and are thrilled for Elektra Records to be her label home. She is so incredibly talented, which is more than evident on this EP, and we can’t wait for her full-length debut album.”

The announcement follows a monumental year for Spencer, who was recently unveiled as one of the faces of Victoria’s Secret’s Undefineable global campaign alongside Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Bethann Hardison, Rose Namajunas, and more. The Baltimore native released her breakout single “Sober & Skinny” independently in 2021, which garnered more than 2 million streams.

If I Ever Get There: A Day At Blackbird Studio Track List:
A Hundred Years Old (Brittney Spencer, Ashley Ray, Sean McConnell)
Better As Friends (Brittney Spencer, Hailey Whitters)
Cowboy Take Me Away (Marcus Hummon, Martha Seidel Maguire)