Updated: All For The Hall With Urban And Friends

Keith Urban rocked the Sommet Center Saturday night (8/29) with Sugarland, and announced onstage a special concert to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. On Oct. 13 he will return to Nashville’s arena along with Faith Hill, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town for […]

Dave Ramsey To Give CRS Keynote

Prominent author, radio personality and money management expert Dave Ramsey has been announced as the Keynote Speaker for next year’s CRS 41, to be held Feb. 24-26, 2010 in Nashville, Tenn. Ramsey will deliver the Keynote Address immediately following the Opening Ceremonies on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. “Following in the footsteps of last […]

CMA Music Festival To Rock ABC Tonight

The ABC primetime special CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock airs tonight (8/31) (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) with top-notch performances, interviews, and fan interaction from a plethora of Nashville’s brightest stars. The annual music bash, expanding to three hours for the first time, will have performances by Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, […]

Underwood’s “Play On” Coming In Nov.

Carrie Underwood’s third album, titled Play On, will arrive Nov. 3. She is working on the Sony/Arista/19 Recordings project with producer Mark Bright, who helmed her Carnival Ride collection as well as seven tracks from her debut Some Hearts. Play On draws its title from the name of a song featured on the new album, […]

Sugarland Announces Holiday Album

Sugarland is planning its first holiday-themed album for a fall release. The duo will present a 10-track record titled Gold And Green on October 6, which includes five original songs* co-written by members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. Gold And Green will be sold everywhere—whereas their most recent release was only available at Wal-Mart—and buyers […]

Underwood, ACM Make Surprise Donation

Carrie Underwood’s new hometown foundation, the Checotah Animal, Town & School Foundation (C.A.T.S.) and the Academy of Country Music’s charitable arm, ACM Lifting Lives, partnered to surprise students in Checotah, Oklahoma this week with a gift valued at more than $117,000 in new instruments for their music programs—and a special appearance and performance by ACM […]

Swift, Signings, Suds and More

Happening Back Then: In honor of Edward Kennedy’s passing, MusicRow’s longtime photographic contributor Alan Mayor sent in this photo yesterday with a note: “I went back in my files and found this shot of Teddy Kennedy visiting the Hall of Fame in 1980 when he was running against Jimmy Carter. That’s Bill Ivey standing next […]

Keith’s Latest Riding In Early

Show Dog Nashville has moved up the release date for Toby Keith’s American Ride album to Oct. 6, due to fan and radio response to his new single by the same name. The song lands at No. 5 on this week’s MusicRow Country Breakout chart after just seven weeks on the chart. It is Keith’s […]

Live On the Green Launches Thursday

Live On the Green, Nashville’s new, free outdoor concert series, will take place over six consecutive Thursday nights starting Sept. 3 with performances by rockers the Toadies, American Bang, and the variety of artists featured on this year’s Ten Out of Tenn compilation album and tour. The series runs through Oct. 8 and will take […]

Tube Time

Darius Rucker performed to a packed Grand Ole Opry House on Monday, Aug 24th as a part of the Samsung AT&T Summer Krush concert series with a portion of the performance and excitement airing last night (8/27) on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! During the show at the Opry House, fans were witness to over an […]

Photo Friday: Owen, Brice, Black River, and Bryna

Jake Owen and his twin brother Jarrod stopped by The Big D and Bubba Show in Nashville this week. Big D and Bubba, along with Jake, have been trying to play matchmaker for weeks and finally got the opportunity to surprise Jarrod in studio with a blind date. ————————————– BMI songwriter and Curb recording artist […]

Opry Goes Pink!

The Grand Ole Opry is joining the fight against breast cancer by “going pink” during two performances Fri., Oct. 2. On each of the night’s shows, Opry superstar Carrie Underwood will take the stage to “flip the switch,” turning the Opry’s signature barn backdrop pink in support of the groups Women Rock for the Cure […]

Bill Gentry

“I Want What You Want” Already an underground star across the Southeast with his electrifying stage show, Bill Gentry is now releasing his long-awaited debut single “I Want What You Want” to radio. A revved up and rocking celebration of traditional country values, “I Want What You Want” is the first glimpse of Countrified, Gentry’s […]

Julia Burton

“Party Down” Emerald River/Nine North “Party Down” is the new single release from Emerald River/Nine North artist Julia Burton. “This is a fun song with an encouraging message about how to move on and celebrate life after a relationship has gone awry,” explains the West Virginia-raised Burton. “Lord knows we’ve all been through relationships like […]

Nailing Down A Great Debut

MCA Nashville’s release I’m About To Come Alive by David Nail garners this year’s third highest new artist debut on the country charts. Alive also sits in the Top 20 on the Top 200, and single “Red Light” is Top 40 on MusicRow’s Country Breakout Chart after only eight weeks. Nail met country legends George […]

Leadership Music Elects Board, President Pat Collins

SESAC Pres. & COO Pat Collins has been elected president of the board of directors of Leadership Music. Since joining the board in 2006, Collins has served as President-Elect and on the Executive Committee. Collins came to SESAC in 1995 after a 21-year career at ASCAP, where he held various positions in the licensing division, […]

Artist News: Young, Ingram, Ducas

NASCAR fan and RCA Nashville hitmaker Chris Young was at the Michigan International Speedway recently to kick off the excitement with a national anthem performance prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400. Young’s new album, The Man I Want to Be, featuring his hit, “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)” is set […]

CMA Nominations Coming Sept. 9

The announcement of the final nominees for the 2009 CMA Awards will be carried live on Wednesday, Sept. 9, from the Good Morning America studios in the heart of New York City’s Times Square on the ABC Television Network. The final nominees in select categories will be announced by Darius Rucker, who has quickly established […]

Benefit Concerts, Comedy, Golf And More

Go to the Bluebird tonight (8/27) and support the Miller Harris Foundation’s Asthma Camp for Kids. Carey Barlowe, Nathalie Hemby, Josh Hoge and Stephen Lee Olsen play at 6 PM; the 9 PM show features Sherrie Austin, Jeff Bates and Stephen Dale Jones. www.bluebirdcafe.com The Miller Harris Golf Tournament will be Monday, September 14 at […]

Church Tour Goes “Wild”

Eric Church is set to embark on The Young & Wild(er) Tour, a series of East Coast and Midwest dates, beginning September 3 in Wilmington, DE. The tour features performances at the House of Blues in Cleveland, two nights at Joe’s in Chicago and the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, among others. He is scheduled for […]

New Video, Free Download, Opry Radio Special

From the unlikely pairings dept: Randy Houser is wearing his Boots to the Oprah & Friends Radio Network where he will visit Dr. Maya Angelou’s program airing this week on XM 156 and Sirius 195. During the interview Houser discusses his new album, Anything Goes, family, faith, and why he loves country music. Houser is […]

Reba’s Record Setting Album Enters At No. 1

Reba McEntire’s first new solo studio album in six years—and her first for The Valory Music Co.—debuted at No. 1 today on the Billboard Top Country and Top 200 Albums charts. She sold almost 96,000 units the first week of release. Keep On Loving You is her first solo studio album to reach the pinnacle […]

Sony Courts Kindle Readers

They say “those who do not study history are bound to repeat the same mistakes…” Well someone at Sony Electronics must be paying attention. Especially regarding how Apple came in and pushed Sony’s Walkman music players to the curb. Now Sony is trying to do the same thing to Amazon’s Kindle book reader. Sony has […]

Chesney Pens ESPN Song, Heads For “Austin City Limits”

It’s widely known that Kenny Chesney is a huge football fan, and now he has put pen to paper and written a song about the game that will be used exclusively by ESPN this fall. “It was one of those moments of spontaneous inspiration,” he recalls. “We were talking about how much goes into getting […]

Ingram Sets World Record For Radio Interviews

Country music marathon man Jack Ingram dove headfirst into the release day of his new album Big Dreams & High Hopes by setting the Guinness World Record this morning for “Most Consecutive Radio Interviews In A 24 Hour Period.” Ingram notched 215 interviews across most of the 50 states and parts of Canada, Ireland and […]

Rosanne Cash To Keynote At Americana Conf.

Rosanne Cash will be the subject of the Americana Music Association’s Festival and Conference 2009 Keynote Interview. The interview, conducted by author/journalist Michael Streissguth who recently wrote a book about the artist, will take place Thursday, September 17 from 10:45 until noon at the Nashville Convention Center. Cash has built an acclaimed career over 30 […]

RIAA Reveals Summer Certifications

Capitol Nashville had a great summer where certifications are concerned. Trace Adkins scored a Platinum single (1,000,000 songs sold) for “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.” Keith Urban received three Gold single awards this June and July. Fans purchased more than 500,000 downloads of “Tonight I Wanna Cry,” “Stupid Boy” and “Sweet Thing” to up Keith’s career Gold […]

CMA Names Awards Co-Hosts, Plans Tweet N Greet

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will return as co-hosts of the CMA Awards when the show airs live from the Sommet Center Wed., Nov. 11 on ABC. They are the respective reigning Male and Female Vocalist of the Year. See the full story at People.com. Since Paisley won the Horizon Award in 2000, he has […]

Justin Moore Debuts With 34,000+

Justin Moore’s self-titled debut album for The Valory Music Co. entered the Billboard Country Album Chart this week at No. 3, making it the second highest country debut of a new artist this year. Selling over 34,000 units, it was also the No. 10 release across all genres on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. On […]

Faith Is “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night”

NBC Sports will again feature Faith Hill performing the opening theme for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Hill’s “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” debuts this season on Sunday, Sept. 13, the first Sunday Night Football broadcast of 2009 featuring the oldest rivalry in the NFL as the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears in […]

Willie, Kellie, O’Shea And More

Willie Nelson is working with MySpace Music to promote his latest album, a collection of jazz standards called American Classics being released today (8/25) by Blue Note. He is playing his hometown bar in Maui, Hawaii tonight as part of MySpace’s popular “Secret Show” franchise. The event at Charley’s Restaurant & Saloon will also feature […]

Opry Brings Back Country Classics Series

Opry Country Classics, a special version of the famed Grand Ole Opry, will be presented by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store this fall for an eight-week run beginning Thurs., Sept. 10. Among the award-winning artists already scheduled to perform are Moe Bandy, Terri Clark, Jimmy Dickens, Larry Gatlin, Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, George Jones, Ray […]

House Of Blues Sponsors Gary Allan’s Fall Run

Gary Allan will open his Get Off On The Pain Tour Oct. 14 at the Chicago House Of Blues. The 25 city run is sponsored by House Of Blues, and will include special guests Jack Ingram and Eli Young Band on select dates as well as openers Stoney LaRue and Justin Moore on select Texas […]

TV Time: Mandrell, Gloriana, Reba, Oaks

Barbara Mandrell appeared on Crook & Chase as part of the show’s six-week stint of live tapings at the Country Music Hall of Fame. In the interview, she discussed her passion for gardening and the upcoming public dedication of the Nashville Music Garden on Sept. 29. Located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Demonbreun (in […]

Hot Tickets: Lambert and Chesney Sell-Out

Tickets for Miranda Lambert’s Revolution At The Ryman went on sale Friday and were gone by the end of the weekend. At the Sept. 24 event she will perform her entire new album, Revolution, before it is released on Sept. 29. The new single, “White Liar,” written by Lambert and Natalie Hemby has quickly become […]

Jim Foglesong, Allen Reynolds and Garth Brooks Honored

NASHVILLE – Label executive Jim Foglesong, producer/songwriter Allen Reynolds and artist Garth Brooks were honored with the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award during an all-star musical tribute August 23 in Nashville. Among those saluting the three country music giants were Martina McBride, Steve Wariner, Kathy Mattea, Hal Ketchum, Cowboy Jack Clement, Crystal Gayle, John Conlee, […]

Rucker And Team Toast Platinum Album

Capitol Records Nashville threw a party for Darius Rucker last week to celebrate the success of his country debut album Learn To Live which was just certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of over one million copies. Rucker will continue the celebration tomorrow (8/25) at his No. 1 party for his latest song “Alright.” […]

Carroll Makes Video, Darling Chats, Ingram Tries For World Record

Jason Michael Carroll’s latest video, “Hurry Home,” tells the story of a father anxiously awaiting word from his runaway daughter. Carroll portrays a friend helping search for the missing girl. The story hits close to home because when he was a child, Carroll’s aunt was missing for more than 15 years after running away. “I […]

Love And Theft’s Multimedia Launch Week

With their debut album World Wide Open set for release tomorrow (8/25), Love And Theft’s Brian Bandas, Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles are preparing for a jam-packed launch week. In addition to their Friday (8/21) performance of their Top 20 hit “Runaway” on NBC’s Today Show, Love And Theft can be seen in coming […]

Miley Is Latest To Offer Walmart Exclusive

The new Miley Cyrus album, The Time of Our Lives on Hollywood Records, will be released Aug. 31, 2009, exclusively at Walmart stores and Walmart.com. With an $8 retail price, the offering will have seven tracks – including the single “Party In The USA,” which debuted this week at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot […]

Photos: Artists Visit Industry

Artist Greg Hanna stopped by AristoMedia to show them how to do a “Man’s Job”–with work gloves and beer mugs. The group then celebrated his single “It’s A Man’s Job.” (L-R) Rick Kelley, Bobbe Morhiser, Hannah and Jeff Walker. Recently the MusicRow offices welcomed artist visits from Bill Gentry and Veronica Ballestrini. They are pictured […]

Briefs From Sony, WSIX, and the Hall of Fame

The Big 98 WSIX tower was struck by lightning during yesterday’s storm, damaging equipment and disrupting broadcasts. See the video of the lightning strike here. —————— Sony Music Nashville is looking for a Senior Director – Label Sales following the recent departure of David Fitzgerald. Interested applicants can view the job posting and apply online […]

Americana Awards Adds Artists

Justin Townes Earle, The Flatlanders, and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit are the latest artists to confirm their appearances at this year’s Honors & Awards show. Set for September 17th at the historic Ryman Auditorium, the Americana Honors & Awards ceremony will toast winners in six member-voted categories and bestow Lifetime Achievement Awards on […]

Rodney Atkins Youth Home Dedication

As a baby, Rodney Atkins was adopted from Holston Home in Greenville, TN by Margaret and Allan Atkins. Now the staff, children and Director Charles Hutchinson call him “Our poster boy for Hope.” Atkins returned home to Greenville this week to help celebrate Holston House’s newly renovated campus. He spent part of the day performing […]

Bennett To Exit Warner

It’s unofficial and unconfirmed, but MusicRow has learned that Exec. VP/GM Warner Bros. Records Nashville Bill Bennett is exiting the label. Bennett moved to the Nashville division in Sept. 2004 after previously heading the Geffen and Maverick record labels. During his watch he saw success with Big & Rich, Blake Shelton, The Wreckers, James Otto […]

Rascal Flatts Earn More Platinum, Pass 4 Million Ticket Mark

Rascal Flatts was already the largest selling and grossing group in country music history, and now the band just sold its four millionth concert ticket in a span of four years. Also just announced, the band’s latest album for Lyric Street, Unstoppable, has been certified Platinum for shipments in excess of 1 million. The CD […]

Celebs Helping Charities

Carrie Underwood has established the CATS Foundation (Checotah Animal, Town, and School) to help with causes in her hometown area of Checotah, Oklahoma. She says, “My hometown is extremely supportive of me and I feel blessed to be able to create something as a way of giving back; to say thank you.” The CATS Foundation […]

People Are Crazy; Braddock Is Good

Poet/Scribe Writes On Bobby Braddock? His pen etches comedic lines like “I Lobster But Never Flounder” and co-writes a serious country classic such as “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Quirky might be a good place to start, followed by talented, innovative and compelling. Braddock’s induction into the prestigious Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame is proof […]

GAP Chooses Ballestrini

Veronica Ballestrini, recently profiled in a New York Times article about Country’s new faces has been chosen for an in-store concert by GAP as part of the company’s Born To Fit series. The young singer/songwriter who has been making a name for herself online (No. 70 on MusicRow Twitter chart), will perform at the Waterbury, […]

Block Party Cancelled, Currington On Letterman, Early Reba Sales

Due to severe storms predicted for this evening, the St. Jude folks have had to cancel tonight’s (8/20) 20th Anniversary Country Cares block party. They are hoping to reschedule, but don’t yet have a date. ————————- “Absolute perfection,” is what David Letterman said of Billy Currington’s hit “People Are Crazy,” when the singer played the […]