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Opry Launches Artist-Curated Collection With Kellie Pickler

April 15, 2015/by Sherod Robertson

The Grand Ole Opry launched its first artist-curated merchandise collection– Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler home goods collection– at a special launch party backstage at the Grand Ole Opry House yesterday evening (April 14). The collection of home goods, inspired by Kellie Pickler’s great-grandmother Selma Drye, includes Pickler’s touch on unique frames, candles, pillows, dishes, aprons, canisters and select furniture pieces. The country artist was on hand between performances on two Opry shows last night to talk about her great-grandmother Selma Drye and how she inspired the various items in the collection.

(L-R): Kim O’Dell, Director of Retail, Opry; Kellie Pickler; Pete Fisher, Vice President/General Manager, Opry, celebrating the launch of “Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler” home goods collection backstage at the Grand Ole Opry.

“When you get a house, it takes a while to make it feel like a home,” said Pickler. “My great-grandmother had a simple, loving touch that made her house a home like no other. It’s really nice being able to take things I know she would have loved and create a line inspired by her.”

“When we began thinking about working with artists on curated Opry collections and spoke with Kellie about the opportunity, we immediately fell in love with the stories she told of her great-grandmother, Selma Drye,” said Kim O’Dell, the Opry’s Director of Retail. “We knew the way Kellie described Selma’s unique style and authentic way of living was perfectly in line with the types of product experiences true to the Opry. We’re excited to work with Kellie, and more artists in the future, all of whom will have their own influences and unique connections to the Opry.”

Selma Drye by Kellie Pickler is available online and in both Grand Ole Opry retail stores.

Alan Jackson’s 25th Anniversary Tour Visits Nashville

April 13, 2015/by Sarah Skates

Alan Jackson onstage in Nashville Saturday night.

“I came to Nashville in 1985 to play real country music,” Alan Jackson told the audience at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night (April 11). Mission accomplished. The entertainer is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his debut album with a tour and more country music, coming this summer.

Onstage, music videos playing in the background showed the evolution of Jackson’s career (and the simultaneous evolution of video technology). His set went from 1991’s “Midnight In Montgomery” to 2008’s “Country Boy” and beyond. What hasn’t changed much is Jackson’s image and penchant for quality songs. Two and a half decades later, he’s still a classic in a cowboy hat, a laid back performer who mostly lets the songs speak for themselves. He played hit after hit: “Little Bitty,” “Summertime Blues,” “Livin’ On Love,” “Small Town Southern Man,” “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” “As She’s Walking Away,” and too many others to list.

“Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning),” is just one example of Jackson’s knack for poignant observation. “I’m just a singer of simple songs, I’m not a real political man,” he wrote in the Grammy-winning, post-9/11 song. It hit home with the crowd in Nashville, which was largely populated with NRA conventioneers who cheered loudly for the lyric “did you go out and buy you a gun?”

Throughout the night Jackson offered brief glimpses into how his personal experiences relate to his music. He explained that after his father died he wanted to honor him but didn’t want to write a sad song, so he wrote “Drive (For Daddy Gene).” He dedicated “Remember When” to his mother-in-law who recently passed away. And he introduced “Here In The Real World” by recalling how it saved his career at a pivotal point. An early single “died a miserable death on the chart” around the same time wife Denise found out she was pregnant, but “…Real World” became the hit he needed.

“I had more hits on the radio,” he said. “I can’t even remember all the hits anymore… And I sold more records than I could have ever imagined.” Jackson thanked his fans, band and the people who helped him along the way, and he previewed “You Never Know,” from his forthcoming album Angels and Alcohol, set for release July 17.

Openers Jon Pardi and Jeff Foxworthy revved up the crowd with lively entertainment.

Brad Kennard Named Razor & Tie Music Publishing VP

April 10, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Brad Kennard

Razor & Tie Music Publishing has announced the addition of Brad Kennard as Vice President Music Publishing/Creative. Kennard will be based at the company’s new Nashville offices located in SoBro.

Sharon Tapper, Razor & Tie Music Publishing Senior Vice President, comments, “Brad brings to Razor & Tie a wealth of expertise and unstoppable energy which makes him a creative force to be reckoned with. We look forward to reaping the benefits of his strong relationships in the Nashville and music communities.”

Kennard joins Razor & Tie Music Publishing from Big Yellow Dog where he was Vice President A&R. There he worked with such artists as Meghan Trainor, as well as multi-Grammy winning Josh Kear, multi-Grammy winner Shawn Camp, “Big” Al Anderson, Logan Mize (Arista), Nikki Williams (Island-Def Jam), producer/writer Paul Ebersold (Three Doors Down/Sister Hazel), Jessie James Decker, Adam Sanders, and others. Prior to Big Yellow Dog, Kennard spent over six years with Grammy-winning producer Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Faith Hill) at Violator Nashville Artist Management and Red Vinyl Music, as well as four years as General Manager for Song Garden Publishing. He also served as Vice President at Full Circle Music Publishing, three years as the Creative Director at Frank Liddell’s Carnival Music Publishing, and nearly seven years at Curb Music Publishing.

Kennard has helped cultivate chart-topping songs such as Rodney Atkins‘ “If You’re Goin’ Through Hell,” Reba McEntire‘s “Somebody,” George Strait‘s Top 10 “Desperately,” and Rascal Flatts’ Top 10 “Unstoppable.” He has facilitated cuts by Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Lee Brice, Billy Currington, Tyler Farr, Dustin Lynch, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, and worked with developing artists Brett Eldredge and Logan Mize.

Kennard is a graduate of the Jack C Massey MBA program at Belmont, with an emphasis in Music Business. He also holds an undergraduate business degree from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Kennard can be congratulated here: bkennard@razorandtie.com.

Weekly Chart Report (4/10/15)

April 10, 2015/by Troy_Stephenson

Click here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report

Music Exec. Turned Author: Ron Fierstein Captures Portrait of The “Original” Steve Jobs

April 9, 2015/by Sherod Robertson

Entertainment executive Ron Fierstein is venturing down a different path with the release of his new book about Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera. Fierstein, also known as the protective older brother of Broadway superstar Harvey Fierstein, shines a deserving spotlight on Land, whose innovation as the father of instant photography ultimately paved the way for another revered visionary: the late Steve Jobs.

Fierstein’s successful career in artist management included work with notables Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Terri Clark. Prior to that, he had a successful career in law which led him to Land’s story. With the recent release of his book, A Triumph of Genius: Edwin Land, Polaroid, and the Kodak Patent War, Fierstein tells MusicRow he is checking off an item on his “bucket list”—which was to research and write about Land’s incredible story of technological innovations.

MusicRow sat down with Fierstein to discuss the book, his famous brother and why everyone should know Edwin Land’s name.

Before transitioning into the music business, how did your career in law begin?

I always wanted to be in entertainment but decided law school would be more practical. I went to law school to get a background to take into the music business. I went to the best New York firm in intellectual property, Fish & Neave, expecting to work on copyright and trademarks which would be relevant to the entertainment business. When I got there, I found out they mostly did patents because that was the lucrative part of intellectual property law. I ended up working on the famous Polaroid Kodak lawsuit and it was a fantastic experience. Law was a bit of a diversion, but I use my legal background everyday in my entertainment career.

During your entertainment career, you went through Nashville’s Leadership Music program. How was that experience?

Leadership Music was fantastic! I was so impressed with that organization and still am to this day. What I love about Nashville is the sense of community and the people. The Leadership Music component really created that sense of community for me. I love its dedication to learning and sharing experiences in the different areas of the music business. I haven’t seen anything like it anywhere else.

The original cast of “Kinky Boots.” Photo: Facebook.com/KinkyBootsBway

And speaking of community, describe your strong bond with your brother, Broadway’s Tony Award winner, Harvey Fierstein.

I’m very close to my brother. He’s my little brother and I’ve been looking after him since we were teenagers in the sense of “him against the world.” When we were teenagers, he came down to dinner one night and announced to my parents that he was gay, although in those days, the term was “homosexual.” I’ve been out front, looking after him ever since, and now in a more professional way since I handle of all of his business and legal affairs. Harvey’s been proclaiming the message, “I am who I am,” since the ‘80s. I’m also co-producer of the musical, Kinky Boots and its message is really important. It started with Torch Song Trilogy and Kinky Boots is the latest embodiment of that message.

After all of your experience in the entertainment industry and working with your brother, you set out to write a book about inventor and scientist Edwin Land. What is the theme of A Triumph of Genius?

Ron Fierstein

Actually, there are two themes of the book. One is Land and his story because he is a tremendously interesting guy. The second is the relationship between Polaroid and Kodak which is almost like an opera in the sense that the companies started out as mentor and protege and ended up arch enemies over 60 years.

In the beginning Polaroid was just selling plastic polarizers which were used to make camera filters. This was Land’s first invention at only 19 years old! When Polaroid got into photography, Kodak manufactured the negative for every Polaroid film used. By the mid ‘60s, Polaroid was Kodak’s second largest customer, second only to the cigarette manufacturers as Kodak made little plastic tubes that were made into cigarette filters. The companies had a very successful and beneficial relationship until 1968, when Land showed his friends at Kodak the prototype of what was to become the SX-70, the Polaroid camera and film that most people are familiar with. The picture comes out of the camera and it develops in your hand. All the previous generations involved a peel-apart technology which required coating the print with a chemical to stabilize it. When Land showed his invention to Kodak, Kodak knew they might lose around $6 billion in film sales over the next 10 years and ultimately, the companies went their separate ways.

How did that result in you establishing a relationship with Land?

SX-70 Model 2 with film cartridge protruding from the front. Photo: Wikipedia

In 1972, Polaroid put out their SX-70 camera and film. In 1976, Kodak came up with their own camera. It used a lot of Polaroid technology and Polaroid owned the patents. Polaroid was forced to sue Kodak for patent infringement and Kodak was found guilty and liable for infringing on seven Polaroid patents, three of which Land was the inventor.

The firm I worked at had around fourteen lawyers on the case and at some point, Land sort of picked me out of the group of young lawyers buzzing around Polaroid. I was selected to be the guy who dealt with him directly, spending a lot of time with him and helping him prepare for the trial. Kodak ultimately had to pay Polaroid almost a billion dollars in damages and they had to take their cameras and film out of the stores. Even though there were 13 million Americans who had Kodak instant cameras in their homes, the court still ordered Kodak to get out of the business and those customers were left high and dry with cameras without any film.

Why was it so important for you to tell Edwin Land’s story?

Land was the most impressive, amazing inventor and technology entrepreneur, but no one has ever heard of him. From WWII until President Gerald Ford, he worked for seven American Presidents doing top secret intelligence work. He was responsible for so many things: the U-2 spy plane, the camera that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon with, the CORONA, the nation’s first photo reconnaissance satellite, and the Polaris missile launching site. All of these, he did in total secret, taking advantage of America’s technology, marshalling the resources and bringing these things to reality. His life story is incredible. He was a little bit of a recluse and had all of his personal papers destroyed when he died.

Can you tell me about the relationship between Steve Jobs and Land?

Steve Jobs admitted he idolized Land. During the beginning of his career, Jobs did an interview and went on and on about Land and how he modeled his career after him. It’s well known that Steve Jobs would introduce his new products to his shareholders from a stage. Land was doing that 30 years before him. Land introduced the SX-70 in 1972 to the Polaroid shareholders sitting on a desk chair with a Saarinen Tulip table to his right. If you Google Steve Jobs and look for images, you’ll find a picture of Steve Jobs sitting on the chair in front of the Apple shareholders with that same exact table to the right of him when he was introducing the iPad. Tim Cook has said that Apple’s role in life is to give you something that you didn’t know you wanted. Cook obviously continued that from Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs got that from Edwin Land. That was Edwin Land’s credo. He would say, “My job is not to ask the public what they want. My job is to give them what they can’t even imagine.” Edwin Land was the original Steve Jobs. There’s no doubt about it.

To purchase A Triumph of Genius, click here.

VIP Ticket: Tortuga Music Fest Preps For 85k

April 9, 2015/by Eric T. Parker

AJ Niland. Photo: Chad Riley.

This weekend (April 11-12), Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., will host Rock The Ocean’s Tortuga Music Festival. The country music event will double in size for its third year, reaching its maximum attendance record of 85,000 over the course of the weekend, according to AJ Niland, co-founder and chairman of HUKA, the entertainment company behind the festival.

HUKA came in as the creative visionary to curate talent and develop the event alongside Dot Records’ GM Chris Stacey, who is also founder of the non-profit conservation organization, Rock the Ocean—a stakeholder in the event.

“The conservation aspect of Tortuga was conceived by [Chris’] passion,” said Niland via phone from the festival site in Florida. “Chris and his team execute the programming for the Conservation Village [exhibitions throughout the weekend] and distribution of conservation funds.”

Last year $100,000 was raised for conservation efforts.

This year VIP ($799) and Super VIP ($1,299) attendees will be treated to the largest menu of luxuries available. For 2015, those include a swimming pool, art displays, and furniture, and stadium suite-style cabanas overlooking the main stage. Full commercial waterslides will also be available.

The artist catering tent will feature a glass wall looking out on the beach stocked with jet skis available for use. Artists enjoying those amenities this year include Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Jake Owen, The Band Perry, Little Big Town, Trace Adkins, Josh Turner, David Nail, The Mavericks, Colt Ford, Chase Rice, Sam Hunt, Frankie Ballard, Will Hoge, Chase Bryant, The Cadillac Three, Old Dominion, Maddie & Tae, Brooke Eden, Dylan Scott and Drake White.

“Even though Tortuga is a country music festival, we also tapped acts outside the country genre that we feel complement the lineup,” said Niland. Those acts include Nikki Lane, Doobie Brothers, Judah The Lion, Sublime with Rome, Dirty Guv’nahs and The Big Fire.

Niland continued to discuss the origins of his company, the festival’s environmental impact, and what the future may hold in the Q&A below.

On improving operations year after year:

Niland: We’re constantly making tweaks to improve the operation. We make a pretty big investment into year-one. As an organization, we generally don’t start very organically. We tend to launch projects with very large talent and very expensive site builds. This year we’re adding the pool.

The lessons we’ve learned is from feedback from artists and fans or internal. We’ve got festivals in their sixth year, and we don’t ever stop tweaking. The first couple years of a festival, cash is tight. You’re planning for a loss to hopefully rapidly grow attendance. The goal is to become profitable between years 3-5. In those times you can start to spend more, but until you’ve reached a point that you’re sold out, it’s difficult to call your site set. Until you reach the maturity of the festival, your goal is to make tweaks to accommodate more sales.

Background and HUKA:

I’m the co-founder of HUKA, chairman of the company and the Chief Experience Officer. HUKA started in 2004 and is based in New Orleans, La. Our first major festival was the Hangout Festival in 2010. My job is to run the direction of the company as a whole. We do an average of four major festivals a year in addition to regional concert promotion for all genres, mostly club and theater level. We have a full-time staff of 30, and a myriad of part timers. Our core festival staff travels to manage security and specific projects. At each site, we’ll have upwards of 1,000-1,500 hourly laborers during the events.

On last minute concert site preparations:

We’re pretty far along from a week ago. The site is pretty much deconstructed from a public beach/city park to a concert venue. Steel and scaffolding is moving around—a lot of heavy lifting. We’re moving light posts, signage for parking lots. Stages are going up.

On planning a festival:

It starts about 12 months out. We’re already on next year—booking talent. It starts with stage layout. Then we build out to cover event needs and cool features. We’ve been known for quite some time for having pretty crazy amenities that go above and beyond other festivals. Hangout Fest was the first time we implemented features with VIP and elevated the GA experience. We have full commercial water slides and zip lines at various events. Then we place bathrooms, concessions, bars, etc. At the end we have the design site. The next step is programing the stages. Marketing is all done in-house. Then it comes to implementing. We’ll arrive anywhere from three weeks to three months to do land work if needed.

On hiring outside consultants:

The very first year we bring in safety and traffic engineers from experienced firms. Those engineers are part of the initial design with production management (sound, stage lighting, stage labor), site management (fences, porta-potties, trash cans). The safety liaison is over security and medical. There’s also a festival relations staff for handling our own festival staff lodging, travel, etc. in addition to artist hospitality.

On environmental challenges:

For any site, we make sure we leave it as we found it. Tortuga (Spanish word for a turtle) is even more challenging because this area happens to be a turtle habitat. Tortuga is a benefit for ocean awareness and turtles are protected species. We go the extra mile to make sure nothing on site endangers their habitat, working very closely with local wildlife authorities as well as universities and research institutes. For example, structures and fences are built in such a way to accommodate any turtle who has come ashore—we’ve got a whole emergency plan built around those scenarios. It is still early in the season for turtle nesting, but we have a team who searches the shoreline through the night before giving us the all-clear each morning.

On future plans:

The idea was to grow this to multiple sites for the same cause. The priority right now is to make sure Tortuga succeeds. Once we feel comfortable at Tortuga’s maturity, we’ll look forward to other events. In a lot of respects, we’re going into this year with a new sense of sight. This year is when we can really take our notes and tweak for the future because we can’t go any larger than we are now.

DISClaimer: Americana Packs Musical Firepower

April 9, 2015/by Robert K Oermann

Liz Longley

The Americana genre is bringing out its big guns this spring.

Such core artists as Steve Earle, former spouse Allison Moorer, the duo of Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, the late Jack Clement and such stalwarts as the McCrarys and Mike Henderson are all bringing forth new albums.

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Liz Longley has evidently released three prior CDs, but her Sugar Hill debut is the first I’ve heard. This week’s DisCovery Award winner is booked at City Winery on April 22. Let a word to the wise be sufficient.

The Disc of the Day prize goes to the divinely gifted McCrary Sisters. Their record is out now, and as soon as May 12 rolls around, I urge you to also buy the latest by Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell.

EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL/The Traveling Kind
Writers: none listed; Producer: Joe Henry; Publishers: none listed; Nonesuch (track)
-Their new CD drops on May 12, but is available digitally now. Its title tune and lead-off track finds their iconic voices harmonizing flawlessly throughout a wistful, loping, gently swaying ode to wandering spirits. As if their singing and the beautifully poetic song weren’t enough, the acoustic track ripples like a breeze-kissed pond.

SUGARCANE JANE/Home Nights
Writers: Crawford/Cason; Producer: Buzz Cason; Publishers: Dirt Roads End/Buzz Cason, BMI/ASCAP; ArenA (track)
-This haunting, minor-key gem gleams with sonic polish. It can be found on Dirt Road’s End, the debut CD by Sugarcane Jane. Nashvillians with good taste and long memories will recall this duo’s Anthony Crawford as a solo artist and as the ultimate sideman for folks like Neil Young, Steve Winwood, Dwight Yoakam, Steve Forbert, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill and more. After leaving Music City, he settled on Alabama’s Gulf Coast with the other half of Sugarcane Jane, his wife Savana Lee.

STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES/You’re The Best Lover That I Ever Had
Writer: Steve Earle; Producer: R.S. Field; Publishers: Exile on Jones Street, ASCAP; New West (track)
-Earle’s new Terraplane CD is a blues collection. On this low-key moaner, he sings in a brushy, husky, soft drawl that ranks among his most expressive performances in years. The whole collection is essential listening.

AMY SPEACE/Better Than This
Writers: Amy Speace/Kate Kim; Producer: Neilson Hubbard; Publishers: Amy Speace/Katherine Kim, ASCAP/BMI; Windbone (track)
-Baltimore-bred Speace is a Nashvillian who purposefully recorded her new That Kind of Girl in three days, live with such stellar Americana sidemen as Will Kimbrough, Dan Mitchell, Garrison Starr and producer Hubbard. She wished to capture the emotional immediacy of its song cycle about a failed romance and its aftermath. Here, she offers herself hope in a rushed, breathy vocal that seems to be a chin-up message to a bruised heart.

THE FAIRFIELD FOUR/Rock My Soul
Writers: traditional; Producers: The Fairfield Four/Lee Olsen; Publishers: public domain; Fairfield Four
-Established in 1925, this a cappella Nashville institution’s current lineup is Levert Allison, Larrice Byrd, Bobbye Sherrill and Joe Thompson. Without an instrument in sight, they stir up a mighty, rhythmic, urgent sound on the lead track of their Still Rockin’ My Soul CD. With a legacy that includes a 1997 Grammy Award and a high-profile appearance in the 2001 movie O Brother Where Art Thou, the “new” Fairfield Four carries the name forward in triumph with this disc. Lee Ann Womack drops by to sing soulfully with the fellows on “Children Go Where I Send Thee.” Buy and believe.

LIZ LONGLEY/Outta My Head
Writer: Liz Longley; Producer: Gus Berry; Publishers: Luckelizz/Welk; ASCAP; Sugar Hill (track)
-I think I’m in love. As she spooled out this wafting, pulsing saga of romantic regret, I got completely lost in its delicious melody and her hooky chorus. Her supporting instrumentalists include such Nashville A-listers as Tom Bukovac, Michael Rhodes, J.T. Corenflos and John Hobbs. This lady has it all — tense vocal finesse, songwriting chops, dynamite production. Also check out “Bad Habit” and “Memphis.” Along with this track, they’re available as downloads on iTunes. I guarantee you’ll be as smitten as I am.

COWBOY JACK CLEMENT/I’ve Got A Thing About Trains
Writers: none listed; Producers: none listed; Publishers: none listed; I.R.S. (track)
-Recorded just before his death in 2013, For Once and For All finds Clement in surprisingly robust form singing versions of his songwriting classics “Miller’s Cave,” “Just a Girl I Used to Know,” “I Know One” (my favorite), “Just Between You and Me,” “Let the Chips Fall” and the like. The collection leads off with this baleful bit of nostalgia from the legendary Hall of Famer.

The McCrary Sisters

THE McCRARY SISTERS/By The Mark
Writers: Gillian Welch/David Rawlings; Producer: Buddy Miller; Publishers: Cracklin/Irving/Say Uncle/Buddy Miller, BMI; MCC/Thirty Tigers (track)
-If these gals can’t give you goosebumps, you must be clinically dead. Harmonizing as only siblings can, the four McCrarys are arguably — individually and collectively — the greatest soul singers in Music City. Their new Let’s Go collection finds them simply and sympathetically produced by Americana star Buddy Miller. Choosing listening tracks among these 16 gems is a fruitless enterprise, since each one captivates. Just play ‘em all.

THE MIKE HENDERSON BAND/I Wanta Know Why
Writer: Mike Henderson; Producer: Kevin McKendree; Publishers: none listed, BMI; EllerSoul (track)
-He’s in the running as World’s Coolest Human, since Henderson used to play ace bluegrass music in The SteelDrivers while still holding down his Monday-night residency at The Bluebird Cafe as our favorite blues rocker. It is in this latter guise that he has recorded the simmering slab of sound If You Think It’s Hot Here. The comeback collection leads off with this scorcher and doesn’t let up from then on. By the time you hit the halfway point, your ears are sweating. In addition to a clutch of new Henderson originals, the band covers Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters and other bluesmen. We’re so lucky to have this group in our community.

Weekly Register: Rucker Rockin’ At No. 1

April 8, 2015/by Sarah Skates

Darius Rucker’s Southern Style debuted at No. 1 on the country album chart today, with sales of 52K. It’s his fourth consecutive solo album to enter at No. 1, fueled in part by the success of No. 1 lead single, “Homegrown Honey.” He penned the hit with Charles Kelley and Nathan Chapman. Southern Stylewas produced by Frank Rogers and Keith Stegall.

In recent weeks Rucker visited Today and Ellen, and he is set for ABC’s The Chew on April 16, before heading out on the Southern Style Tour May 14 with Brett Eldredge, the Brothers Osborne and A Thousand Horses.

Elsewhere on the country album chart, NOW That’s What I Call ACM Awards 50 Years scored a nice debut with 11K, landing at No. 4. There is also a 2015 ACM Awards Zinepak compilation, which fell to No. 6 in its second week of release, moving 8K/17K RTD. Luke Bryan’s Spring Break…Checkin’ Out swam to No. 2 (17K/154K RTD) in its fourth week at sea. Rounding out the country top 5 are Sam Hunt, Montevallo, at No. 3 (16K/427K RTD) and Jason Aldean, Old Boots New Dirt, at No. 5 (8K/897K RTD)

Jon Wolfe debuted Natural Man with sales of 2.2 K.

Top 5 Country Tracks TW
Sam Hunt, “Take Your Time,” 60K
Little Big Town, “Girl Crush,” 51K
Cole Swindell, “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey,” 46K
Zac Brown Band, “Homegrown,” 42K
Eric Church, “Like A Wrecking Ball,” 27K

On the all-genre Top 200 chart, rapper Wale debuted at No. 1 with The Album About Nothing with total activity of 100K.

Overall album sales were up 14 percent week over week, but the year-to-date stats are still slumping.

YTD Albums
Overall -1.5%
Overall digital +2.7%
Country -12.9%
Country digital -7.4%

YTD Tracks
Overall -10.1%
Country -16.4%

Off-Camera ACM Award Winners Revealed

April 7, 2015/by Eric T. Parker

The Academy of Country Music (ACM) today announced winners of awards that will not be televised during the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards, due to time constraints.

Special Awards honorees will be feted during the 9th Annual ACM Honors event on September 1, 2015 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Special Award recipients include Alabama, Barry Adelman, Luke Bryan, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, Eric Church, Tim DuBois, Loretta Lynn, Bob McDill and more. Full list below, including Industry Award, Studio Recording Award and Songwriter of the Year Award winners.

The 50th ACM Awards will be telecast live from AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, April 19 at 8:00PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

• • •

SPECIAL AWARDS (voted by the ACM Board of Directors and specific categories are awarded during years where the Board feels there are clear and deserving candidates)

Career Achievement Award—Alabama (honoring an individual artist, duo, group or multiple artist collaboration that has advanced the popularity and acceptance of country music through their endeavors in the entertainment industry in multiple areas during the preceding calendar year).

Crystal Milestone Award—Loretta Lynn (given to an artist or industry leader to commemorate a specific, remarkable achievement).

Gene Weed Special Achievement Award—Luke Bryan (acknowledges unprecedented, unique and outstanding individual achievement in country music).

Jim Reeves International Award—Eric Church (presented to an artist for outstanding contributions to the acceptance of country music throughout the world).

Mae Boren Axton Award—Barry Adelman and Tim DuBois (given in recognition of years of dedication and service by an outstanding individual to the ACM).

Adelman, EVP of Television for dick clark productions, has been a champion of the ACM Awards as the show’s long-time writer and executive producer, and has served on the ACM Board of Directors. He is one of the most prolific producers working in Hollywood today, with credits including the Golden Globes, American Music Awards, So You Think You Can Dance and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, among many other high-profile live broadcasts. He has received multiple Emmy nominations in his role as a producer and has written speeches for Presidents Clinton, Bush and Reagan. Early in his career, he also wrote for The Sonny & Cher Show and wrote the eulogy for Elvis Presley’s funeral.

DuBois enjoyed a significant songwriting career before developing Arista Nashville into a powerhouse label in the ’90s. His writing credits include ACM-nominated songs such as Alabama’s “Love in the First Degree,” Vince Gill’s “When I Call Your Name” and Jerry Reed’s “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).” Under his leadership at Arista, artists like Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley and Pam Tillis picked up numerous platinum albums and industry awards. DuBois has served as an ACM officer and a member of the Board of Directors for more than 30 years, currently as ACM board’s Sergeant-at-Arms.

Poet’s Award—Felice and Boudleaux Bryant (awarded posthumously) and Bob McDill (honors songwriters for outstanding musical and/or lyrical contributions throughout their careers in the field of country music).

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant moved to Nashville in 1950 and helped established the city’s songwriting industry. Boudleaux Bryant as a professional fiddler matched with his wife’s poetry for a catalog including the Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love” and “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” as well as Eddy Arnold’s “How’s the World Treating You,” Jimmy Dickens’ “I’m Little But I’m Loud,” Roy Orbison’s “Love Hurts” and the Osborne Brothers’ “Rocky Top.” Boudleaux died in 1987; Felice died in 2003. They were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1991.

McDill weaves stories with vivid language, memorable melodies and a wise, relatable perspective. The Texas native has written 30 No. 1 country hits since moving to Nashville in 1970. His catalog includes Alabama’s “Song of the South,” Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country,” Waylon Jennings’ “Amanda” and Don Williams’ “It Must Be Love.” In addition, his ACM-nominated songwriting credits are Mel McDaniel’s “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” John Schneider’s “I’ve Been Around Enough to Know,” Dan Seals’ “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold),” Pam Tillis’ “All the Good Ones Are Gone” and Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”

INDUSTRY AWARDS
(voted on by all professional members of the Academy and for the first time ever this year’s ballot included the ACM Festival of the Year category. The Academy wanted to recognize the growing festival industry, a platform that has helped raise awareness and appreciation for country music)

CASINO OF THE YEAR:
SMALL CAPACITY – Hard Rock Live – Biloxi, MS
MEDIUM CAPACITY – MGM Grand Casino – Las Vegas, NV

FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR: Country Thunder USA: East – Twin Lakes, WI

NIGHTCLUB OF THE YEAR: Joe’s Bar – Chicago, IL

VENUE OF THE YEAR:
SMALL CAPACITY – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
MEDIUM CAPACITY – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
LARGE CAPACITY – Hollywood Bowl – Hollywood, CA

DON ROMEO TALENT BUYER OF THE YEAR: Sally Williams – Ryman Auditorium

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR: Ed Warm – Joe’s Live

STUDIO RECORDING AWARDS
(formerly the MBI Awards is voted by professional members of the Academy who are classified in the Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist category and the Producer-Engineer-Studio Manager sub-category (contained within the Affiliated category)

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Glenn Worf
DRUMMER OF THE YEAR: Greg Morrow
GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tom Bukovac
PIANO/KEYBOARDS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Michael Rojas
SPECIALTY INSTRUMENT(S) PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ilya Toshinsky
STEEL GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dan Dugmore
AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR: Chuck Ainlay
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR: Jay Joyce

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: Luke Laird (voted on by professional members of the Academy in the following categories: Artist-Entertainer/Musician-Bandleader-Instrumentalist, Composer, Music Publisher/PRO, Record Company, and the Producer-Engineer-Studio Manager sub-category (contained within the Affiliated category)

Celebrity Stylist Trish Townsend Debuts Men’s Boutique

April 7, 2015/by Jessica Nicholson

Trish Townsend of Townsend Style

Trish Townsend, a celebrity stylist whose superstar clients include Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood, can now add store owner to her resume. Townsend recently opened the boutique men’s clothing and accessories store Townsend Style in Brentwood, just south of Nashville.

Having styled Shelton, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, and other male celebrities during her career, Townsend saw a need for quality male clothing in Music City. “There is a limited selection for men. They don’t have big sizes here, which is something I wanted to start working on,” Townsend said. “Nashville has a Nordstrom, and there’s a Haymakers & Company, but for young guys that are really into clothes, I want to give them a place to land.”

Townsend Style carries clothing and accessories from a range of designers such as John Varvatos, Ted Baker, Chrome, Age of Wisdom,Edwin Jagger, Nikki Lund, Vincent Peach, Matsuda, Stella McCartney and more.

“I’ve been styling for so long and I’ve styled a lot of bigger guys, but some of these designers I learned about through styling for Carrie Underwood,” Townsend explains. “When I was pulling items for Carrie, I kept pulling pieces that I thought men would love, too. It has a little swagger, an attention to detail, and it’s a good price point.”

Pieces from those designers will be on display during Townsend Style’s grand opening on Thursday, April 9, from noon until 5:30 p.m., in conjunction with Nashville Fashion Week. Los Angeles-based designer Nikki Lund and Nashville-based jewelry designer Vincent Peach will be on hand to showcase their new lines.

Inside Townsend Style

Townsend Style not only offers high-end clothing for men, but a little something for their significant others as well. A space Townsend affectionately titled “The Dog House,” is a corner of the store with jewelry, purses and other accessories for women. “My clients know they can come in really quickly and get a great gift for their wife, girlfriend, daughter, friends or family,” says Townsend.

Additional services include made-to-order suiting and closet redesign.

Between special appearances, awards shows, taping episodes of The Voice, and touring, Townsend estimates Shelton goes through at least 100 outfits per year, but has little time to worry about clothing in the midst of a busy schedule.

Townsend realizes that many of her male clients, regardless of celebrity status, have similar needs.

“With women, we have plenty of little black dresses we can style differently each time. It’s the same with guys,” explains Townsend, who counts doctors, attorneys, and other Brentwood locals among the store’s first customers since its soft launch earlier this year. “If men find a shirt they like and that fits, they buy it in every color. Blake likes the line Age of Wisdom, which is great for a guy like him. We buy one set for The Voice and one for me. Clothes shopping is sometimes more of an event for a man, something they do maybe four times a year.”

Townsend Style offers a range of clothing selections.

To that end, Townsend’s clients appreciate the intimate, relaxing vibe of the boutique, and the personalized style guidance they receive. “I think men like the privacy of a place like this. For a lot of men, it’s not cool to care about what you’re wearing. But when they are alone, they open up more and get more serious. Although, we get many women who come in shopping for their husbands, too!

“We don’t sell, we style,” Townsend adds. “That’s a motto for us. As a stylist, when an artist goes down a carpet or to a photo shoot, you are judged by that. That will trickle over into this retail. I won’t let someone leave here in something that isn’t them or doesn’t look good on them. I always encourage clients to try something new and let yourself be complimented.”

Townsend Style is located at 7110 Town Center Way, Brentwood, TN 37027. Regular store hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For more, visit townsendstyle.com.

Inside Townsend Style.