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Exclusive: Thomas Rhett Builds On Stateside Success With UK Touring, Radio

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Thomas Rhett performs as part of C2C in 2016. Photo: Hunter Ney

Since earning his first No. 1 song in 2013 with “It Goes Like This,” Thomas Rhett has become known as one of country music’s most successful and talented newcomers. In addition to co-writing his own chart-toppers including “Star of the Show,” “Get Me Some Of That,” and “Crash and Burn,” he’s penned hits for Florida Georgia Line (“‘Round Here”), Jason Aldean (“1994”), and Michael Ray (“Think A Little Less”), among others.

In 2016, his career skyrocketed as “Die A Happy Man” spent six weeks atop the country charts and earned him the CMA Single of the Year honor. Earlier this year, he was named the Academy of Country Music’s Male Vocalist of the Year.

In the midst of building his career stateside, the Big Machine Label Group artist, along with his team, has been steadily building his draw with audiences in the United Kingdom.

In 2016, Thomas Rhett performed at C2C: Country 2 Country, a festival developed by 02 Arena and SJM Concerts, in conjunction with the Country Music Association.

“[C2C organizers] are providing a platform globally and that helps for country music to gain exposure, for us to make a commitment to go overseas and tour,” says Thomas Rhett’s manager, G Major Management founder Virginia Davis. “We took that initial opportunity and built around it.”

Davis, along with BMLG’s international director Jimmy Chapin, WME’s Akiko Rogers, and Live Nation UK’s Anna-Sophie Mertens, will discuss the process and strategy behind focusing on overseas markets during the panel “Thomas Rhett: Breaking An International Act” for the 2017 Music Biz Conference. The panel will take place Wednesday, May 17 at 12:15 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel Nashville.

In May 2016, Thomas Rhett followed his debut Country 2 Country appearance with a full-fledged media trip to the UK, where it was announced he would be returning to the UK for a series of shows in November, including stops in Dublin, Ireland; London, England; Glasgow, Scotland; Antwerp, Belgium; and more.

By the time Thomas Rhett returned for the series of headlining shows, his singles such as “Crash and Burn” and “Die A Happy Man” had gained traction and the groundwork had been laid with nearly a full year of promotion.

“We ended up selling out our headlining UK shows in November, so we knew the UK market was something we could really build,” says Davis.

G Major Management’s Virginia Davis

New Opportunities, New Challenges

According to 2016 research findings from the Country Music Association, the UK market represents roughly 5 million listeners. Forty percent of adults in the UK/London listen to country music, and the UK was among the markets with the highest levels of listeners who rank the country music genre as their favorite.

Mertens names the popular television show Nashville as a catalyst for catching the eyes and ears of music fans in the UK in the past several years.

“I think people saw some background into the songwriting and everything that goes on in Nashville,” Mertens says. “The show has a great storyline and great songs they use in the show. I think people who would normally say, ‘I don’t like country music,’ began to realize that their tastes might be aligned a little bit more with what country music has to offer.”

Working radio in the UK can also offer artists the ability for different and additional radio singles, as the UK’s cycle for a radio single can last from six to eight weeks, compared to approximately 20 weeks for a radio single in the United States.

In addition to key radio stations, Mertens lists daytime television segments and playlists, including top Spotify playlists, among the top ways to reach UK fans. “We don’t have as many digital radio stations in the UK, it’s not quite as much of a thing here. There is only one mainstream station, BBC Radio2, that really embraces some country acts, and then, only some of them, not all of them. It is a publicly funded station, which means you can’t advertise on it, so it’s all about getting artists on their shows, or getting them on key playlists.”

Not that those playlists or stations need to be strictly country. Mertens names another client, The Cadillac Three, as an example. “They aren’t classed as country in the UK. They are classed as southern rock/classic rock, so we suddenly have all these avenues across the rock stations, and the Download Festival, a huge rock festival. They were on that bill. They will play to huge numbers of people, so it’s almost about finding an angle that isn’t just straight country but that you can do something with. That isn’t to say a straight country angle won’t work, but you’ve got an added bonus. And that’s why Thomas Rhett has worked so well.” The Cadillac Three will return to the Download Festival this year.

Mertens says that some of the most well-received audience targeting for UK fans of Thomas Rhett found that those fans were also strong fans of artists such as Maroon 5, Train, Jason Mraz and John Mayer, in addition to other country artists.

“He’s not that dissimilar in terms of audience profile,” says Mertens. “The age group might be 25+, they are female-heavier for sure, and lots of couples, but the range does go into older audiences as well.”

Davis says that UK fans share a deep love for country music. During her time working with Thomas Rhett in UK markets, she noticed that UK fans tend to gravitate toward an album’s deeper cuts earlier in an artist’s career. She also noticed how the fans reacted to singer-songwriter (and Thomas Rhett’s father) Rhett Akins, who opened the shows. “It was amazing seeing Rhett Akins open these shows in the UK this past November. They knew all of Rhett’s songs, they knew the Luke Bryan cuts, the Blake Shelton cuts. They were singing along to these songs that Rhett was performing, and then later the same for Thomas Rhett’s set.”

Davis calls C2C: Country 2 Country a great launching pad for artists, but stresses the key to success is international markets comes from consistency. “You have to have an artist that wants that international success and is dedicated to doing what it takes to build it.”

Davis says they are looking at 2018 to continue shows globally—hoping to build a similar career arc in Australia, as well as an additional round of UK shows in even larger venues.

“The goal is for Thomas Rhett to be able to play his music for as many fans as he can,” Davis says. “It’s about finding the best ways to reach all his fans and serve that demand with an incredible live performance.”

 

Downtown Music Publishing Nashville Promotes Danny Berrios

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Danny Berrios

Danny Berrios has been promoted to Director, A&R at Downtown Music Publishing’s Nashville office. In his new role, Berrios will continue to serve the company’s Nashville roster while functioning as the liaison between the Nashville office and the company’s creative counterparts worldwide. Berrios was previously Manager, A&R for Downtown Music Nashville. Prior to his work with Downtown, he began his career in publishing at EMI CMG Publishing in 2011.

Berrios has worked closely with songwriters Marc Beeson, Sara Haze, Jillian Jacqueline, Kelly Archer, Andy Albert, Kendell Marvel, Sam Ashworth, and Tony Esterly, among several others. He has been an essential part of writer signings in the company’s Nashville, Los Angeles, New York, and London offices and has helped to create opportunities for Downtown’s writers in multiple genres as well as in the sync world.

“Danny has played a major role in the startup of Downtown Music Nashville,” says Steve Markland, VP A&R for Downtown Music Nashville. “His knowledge of the music business as well as his understanding for all genres of music makes him invaluable to our existence here in Nashville as well as Downtown worldwide. We are very fortunate to have Danny on our team.”

Berrios is an alumnus of Belmont University.

Weekly Register: Chris Stapleton Takes Top Two Spots On Country Albums Chart

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Chris Stapleton reigns atop this week’s country albums chart, taking the top two spots. His latest album, From A Room: Vol. 1, debuts atop the chart with 202K. Its predecessor Traveller, which released on May 5, 2015, is at No. 2, with 15K. That puts Traveller at 1.931 million in album-only sales to date.

Last week’s No. 1 album, God’s Problem Child from Willie Nelson, lands at No. 3 this week, with 9.8K units sold this week, for 44K sales to date. Colt Ford‘s Love Hope Faith debuts at No. 4 with 9.6K, while Keith Urban‘s Ripcord rounds out the Top 5 with 7.4K this week.

On the digital country tracks rankings, Sam Hunt‘s “Body Like A Back Road” is again at No. 1, with 48K sold this week. That puts “Body Like A Back Road” at 905K in sales to date. Brett Young‘s “In Case You Didn’t Know” is at 30K (530K to date).

Stapleton’s new single “Either Way” is at No. 3, with 23K, followed by Luke Combs‘ “Hurricane” at No. 4, with 22K. Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood‘s “The Fighter” rounds out the Top 5 with 21K.

Other top debuts this week include Scotty McCreery‘s “Five More Minutes” at No. 6 (20K), and Zac Brown Band‘s “Roots” at No. 10 (11K).

Information provided by Nielsen Soundscan.

Weekly Chart Report (5/12/17)

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

DISClaimer: Old Crow Medicine Show Takes Disc Of The Day Honors

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Old Crow Medicine Show. Photo: Laura Partain

Americana music is in the news this week, what with the genre announcing its 2017 award nominees.

So what better time to survey some current records of the style?

The stand-out, Disc of the Day here is the new project by Old Crow Medicine Show. It is a blast.

The DISCovery Award goes to Ana Cristina Cash. In addition to our award-winners, don’t miss Tommy Emmanuel, Kelly & Ellis, David Starr and Dion.

ANA CRISTINA CASH/”Tough Love Woman”
Writers: Ana Cristina Cash/Shawn Camp; Publisher: none listed; Producer: John Carter Cash
– This swampy, bluesy track has a very cool retro-rockabilly vibe that is super catchy. Her alto voice is loaded with pent-up power and a confident swagger. A recording artist since age 15, Ana Cristina married John Carter Cash last fall, and her uniformly excellent Tough Love EP is her first Nashville project.

SUSAN ANDERS/”My Parachute”
Writer: Susan Anders; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Susan Anders & Tom Manche
– The forte of this Music City artist is harmony singing, which she teaches and writes books about. This pop-folk track from her Loop De Loop CD is a moody reflection on living with uncertainty. The unusual chords on guitar and piano give the track an appealing off-balance quality.

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW/”Rainy Day Women #12 & 35″
Writer: Bob Dylan; Publisher: none listed; Producer: none listed
– The new CD by these Opry stars is a rousing, rollicking string-band re-imagining of Bob Dylan’s historic Blonde on Blonde Nashville LP. Recorded live, it kicks off with this terrifically energetic arrangement of the collection’s 1966 hit single. “Everybody must get stoned,” indeed.

 DAVID STARR/”The Head and the Heart”
Writer: David Starr; Publisher: David Starr, ASCAP; Producer: John Oates
– Wow. This folkie can really sing. This is classic, acoustic, songwriter/troubadour stuff that harkens back to the best of the James Taylor/Joni Mitchell era. I love the “heart” in his tenor tones. Produced in Nashville by the esteemed John Oates, this is the title tune of a EP that is unreservedly recommended.

ANGIE & THE DESERTERS/”Stay”
Writer: Guy Griffin; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Jeff Huskins
– Very well executed. The mandolin-focused arrangement compliments her teardrop-notes delivery perfectly. Her slight vibrato adds to the intrigue. The group’s six-song EP is titled You.

SON VOLT/”Back Against The Wall”
Writer: Jay Farrar; Publisher: Grain Elevator, BMI; Producer: Jay Farrar
– These longtime Americana favorites continue their roots-rocking ways on the new Notes of Blue CD. This, the collection’s single, has a stripped-down, blue-collar Springsteen-ish vibe. Recorded in St. Louis, which group leader Jay Farrar calls home.

KELLY & ELLIS/”Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight”
Writer: C. Kelly; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Dave Rivers
– The “Kelly” in this duo is Nashville singer-songwriter Casey Kelly, whose hits include Tanya Tucker’s “Soon,” T.G. Sheppard’s “Somewhere Down the Line” and more. He recorded a pair of fine Elektra LPs back in the 1970s. His return to disc finds him still in mightily expressive voice as the duet partner of scintillating singer Leslie Ellis. They reprise his 1978 Kenny & Dottie hit in a lively, almost bluegrassy arrangement. Elsewhere on their acoustic CD The Long Road to You, they revive his 1985 George Strait classic “The Cowboy Rides Away” and the Cats show tune “Memory,” which she performed back in her Broadway days. How Nashville is this? The two met at an in-the-round show at The Bluebird Cafe.

 TOMMY EMMANUEL & STEVE WARINER/”Workin’ Man Blues”
Writer: Merle Haggard; Publisher: Sony ATV, BMI; Producer: Tommy Emmanuel
– The 14 tracks on Tommy Emmanuel Live at the Ryman are mostly dazzling guitar instrumentals (”Classical Gas,” “Blood Brother,” “Windy & Warm,” etc.). Steve Wariner provides vocal support on this Haggard cover, but it’s the team’s fleet-fingered guitar workout on it that will melt your mind. Stay tuned for the following track, “Eva Waits,” the only studio recording on the collection. It will haunt you.

DION/”Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound”
Writer: Tom Paxton; Publisher: none listed; Producer: Tom Wilson
– Kickin’ Child is the “lost” album by this Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame member. Recorded in 1965, it falls between his “Runaround Sue” and “Abraham, Martin & John” eras, but was shelved by Columbia because the label didn’t understand the transition he was undertaking. Now released for the first time, it sounds like the classic folk-rock that producer Wilson was creating with Simon & Garfunkel (”Sounds of Silence”) and Bob Dylan (”Like a Rolling Stone”) at the same time. In addition to Dion’s originals, the CD includes this classic Tom Paxton tune, plus an early cover of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Baby Blue.” As a lifelong Dion fan, I consider this an essential record.

 NELL ROBINSON & JIM NUNALLY BAND/”Baby Let’s Take The Long Way Home”
Writers: Nell Robinson/James Nunnally; Publisher: Jim Nunnally/Nell Robinson, BMI; Producer: Peter Berkow, Jim Nunally & Nell Robinson
– These folkies harmonize nicely together. The steel-dominated accompaniment is spare and simple. Pleasant, if not exactly life changing.

Exclusive: Key West Songwriters Festival Celebrates 22 Years

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Natalie Hemby performs at San Carlos Theater during Key West Songwriters Festival

Today, numerous singer-songwriters descend on Key West to celebrate the 22nd annual Key West Songwriters Festival.

A massive lineup that includes Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Cam, Lauren Alaina, Shawn Camp, William Michael Morgan, Michael Ray, Luke Combs, Aaron Watson, Steve Cropper and Robert Earl Keen play alongside a party of Nashville luminaries and rising writers. The five-day festival, slated for May 10-14, will feature more than 50 free shows at various venues around the area, incorporating performances from more than 200 songwriters.

Key West Songwriters Festival founder Charlie Bauer has been managing venues in Key West since 1988, when he opened Hog’s Breath Saloon. The venue featured three shows a day, featuring singer-songwriters. A struggling songwriter presented him with the idea of offering performing rights organizations the chance to bring writers to Key West to play shows. Key West Songwriters Festival’s first year came in 1995, and featured six songwriters, including Shel Silverstein and Mickey Newbury.

Performing rights organization BMI stepped in as a partner and sponsor in 1996, helping to grow the festival into one of the country’s most unique songwriter festivals.

“At the time Mark Mason was with BMI and he offered for me to come back to Nashville with him, to introduce me to publishers and really crank it up to the next level,” Bauer recalls. “I was also booking songwriters to play the Hog’s Breath, so I was well-received in Nashville. I had a bar in Key West where songwriters could come down and play some of their original stuff and kind of get feedback on their original music and make some money too, so I was pretty popular when I came up to Nashville.”

Though the festival has attracted top artists over the past two decades, Bauer says the emphasis is still on the songwriters, and that the event’s growth has been organic.

“If you follow the chronologic lineups of our show over the years, a lot of the major artists were down here performing as singer-songwriters either on their own or with publishers. Everybody from Lee Brice to Randy Houser to Florida Georgia Line to Maren [Morris] and Kacey [Musgraves], all these people were down here sometimes four or five years in a row. Almost all of them have been down here performing. Our alumni is pretty much everyone who has been around the past 25 years or so.

Wendell Mobley performs at Sloppy Joe’s during Key West Songwriters Festival.

“We want the singer-songwriters here. We don’t try to get the big name acts. What has happened is a lot of them became big name acts and it’s cool that they will still come down, because they are not getting paid for these shows.”

Bauer says 90 percent of the festival is made of free concerts. Additionally, there are seven larger theater shows throughout the event. Each day will feature music at venues including Pier House Resort Beach, Sloppy Joe’s, Green Parrot Bar, and special events including the NSAI “Bluebird at Blue Heaven” show and the closing concert at Casa Marina Resort.

“It’s one of the few festivals where you can see so much free music. I’ve tried to keep it as a local event. I get a lot of tempting offers for people to come in and have outside vendors for food and other things, but we try to keep it local for local businesses.”

As word of Key West Songwriters Festival has spread over the past several years, Bauer says the festival has continually attracted more of Nashville’s music industry.

“It used to be kind of a way for writers to get away from Nashville to have some more fun, and now the industry’s kind of followed them down here.”

Charlie Feldman (BMI), Robert Earl Keen, and Charlie Bauer.

As country music and Nashville’s songwriters have incorporated various musical styles into their work over the past several years, so has the Key West Songwriters Festival. “We are following along with the lead that country music is heading. There’s a lot of pop involved and a lot of Nashville writers are not necessarily country writers. They go there to co-write and to work on their craft. When they come down to the festival, it’s fun to hear them perform songs that you wouldn’t necessarily hear on the country station, and maybe not on radio at all. It’s fun to let them cut loose and hear them play stuff they have written.”

Given the long-running popularity of Key West Songwriters Festival, Bauer says he is considering launching a new festival in late 2017 or early 2018.

“We are thinking of going a little more pop-oriented, and there is a lot of Latin influence here, too. Some of those performers are coming down from Miami and LA, too, and mixing up the genres a bit. “

Proceeds from the Key West Songwriters Festival will benefit the BMI Foundation, which supports creation, performance, and study of music via awards, scholarships, grants and commissions.

Bob DiPiero, Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Worsham

Grammys Officially Set For NYC In 2018

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The 60th annual Grammy Awards will take place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018. The telecast will be broadcast live on CBS at a new time: 7:30–11 p.m. ET and 4:30–8 p.m. PT. The 60th Annual Grammy Awards will mark the 46th consecutive year that CBS will broadcast the show, and the network has a commitment in place to host it through 2026.

Most recently, Madison Square Garden hosted the 45th GRAMMY Awards in 2003. Music’s Biggest Night has been broadcast from Staples Center in Los Angeles for the past 14 years.

The Grammy telecast’s return to Madison Square Garden is estimated to bring $200 million in economic benefit to the city.

“Playing host to the music industry’s marquee awards show is a unique creative, artistic and economic boon to the rich cultural fabric of our city,” said NYC mayor Bill de Blasio. “We welcome the Grammy Awards back to New York City with open arms and we look forward to continuing to partner with a music industry that supports access and empowerment in the arts.”

“MSG has been the site of many of the most legendary and enduring moments in music history — and we think the 2018 Grammys will be a perfect addition to that great legacy,” said James L. Dolan, executive chairman, The Madison Square Garden Company. “We are thankful to Mayor de Blasio and all of those who worked so hard to make this return possible.”

Exclusive: Liz Rose Offers Her Life In Song On Upcoming Solo Album

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Nashville songwriter Liz Rose, who helped Taylor Swift craft many of her early hits, and who co-wrote Little Big Town’s Grammy-winning and CMA 2015 Song and Single of the Year “Girl Crush,” will soon release her own stories for the world to hear.

Rose’s first solo album, Swimming Alone, is essentially her autobiography in song. The album, produced by Nashville luminary Mac McAnally, will release May 12 via Liz Rose Records.

“First I never thought I would do it,” Rose says. “All these ideas started coming to me and I think ‘Swimming Alone’ was the first title. I also had ‘Grocery Money’ and ‘Yellow Room.’ I thought, ‘These are such good titles, but they are really my story,’ and I just don’t think I could use those titles and write about anything but me.”

Each title is intriguing, a gateway into a vignette from Rose’s coming-of-age in small-town Texas, a patchwork of love, pain, devotion, and yes, some rebellion and regret.

Rose welcomed a who’s-who of her closest songwriting friends, including Lori McKenna, Stephony Smith, Caitlyn Smith, Natalie Hemby, Lisa Carver, and more, to help her bring her intimate stories into song.

“Sacred Ground,” which Rose co-wrote with her Love Junkies cohorts McKenna and Hillary Lindsey, recollects the yellow brick house where Rose grew up, with the backyard where her sister married.

Originally, the trio intended to pitch the song to other artists, but Rose fought to keep the song centered on her own childhood story.

Rose says, “Really, these songs are all so personal, so everyone was really patient with me, to be able to say, ‘I need to write this, but we are not going to pitch it, because if we try to make it pitchable, it won’t be my song anymore.’ Everyone was really amazing to hang in there and do that with me.”

Several tracks trace Rose’s childhood, from the dreamy, innocent “Five & Dime,” and the wistful “Woodstock,” to the coming-of-age track “Tulsa,” with its line about being a California dreamer in a hot Texas town.

“I was a wild kid,” Rose says. “I wanted to run away and be a hippie. I was 13 and I got a wild hair, got mad at my parents, got scared that my best friend was running away and I thought, ‘I have to go and take care of her.’ With Corey [Crowder] and Lisa [Carver], we drank wine and beer one night and they were like, ‘Tell that story of Tulsa.’ So I got some nerve up and told the story.”

“Letters From Prison” details a teenage relationship with an ex-boyfriend who ended up in prison. “I was 14 or 15 and we were going to run away and get married,” Rose recalls. “He was a sweet guy, but he ended up in prison. He would write letters and send them here to the office.”

“Ex-Husbands,” a light-hearted take on her own marriage history, is at once unflinchingly honest and hilarious, with the punch line: I don’t have ex-boyfriends, just ex-husbands to my name.

“That tends to be the song everybody gravitates toward,” says Rose. “My husband and I hang out with one of my ex-husbands and we are very close. My current husband and my ex-husband think it is hysterical.”

“Yellow Room” began as an ode to a simple room, and ended up a tribute to Rose’s late father.

Rose credits collaborators Stephony Smith and Lisa Carver with kickstarting the recording process. “They made me go into the studio and begin recording. Stephony was the first person to make me get in front of a mic. She said, ‘Just sing.’” BMI’s Jody Williams also encouraged Rose to be the one to sing the songs to life.

Those instructions were no easy thing to accomplish in Nashville, which Rose calls “a songwriter’s town, but it’s also a singer’s town, and I’m not a singer.”

Smith, who stopped by Rose’s office during MusicRow’s recent interview, countered the notion: “I thought that you kind of sold yourself short and you had a sweet, innocent sound that’s kind of heart wrenching.”

Today Rose says she is at peace with where her life’s path has taken her; though in her stunning album closer, “My Apology,” she apologizes to anyone she may have hurt along the way, including herself.

“You go through those years where you go, ‘Oh, I can’t believe I did that. What are people thinking of me?’ Now it’s like, ‘That’s how I got here. I haven’t killed anybody. I hope I haven’t hurt anybody. And I hope I’m a good person, and truly, it’s my truth.

“I’m not going to lie about it now. I have to laugh at myself, and if my kids aren’t mad at me, I’m ok. All my brothers and sisters and my mom are talking to me. All my exes that are living don’t despise me.”

As for the prospect of more solo albums, Rose says, “This may be it. I feel like I’ve told my story. After I wrote ‘My Apology,’ I never thought, ‘I wish I could write this other song and put it on there.’ I feel like it’s finished and it tells a story. I’m good with it for now.

“I’m not trying to get cuts, and I don’t want anyone to think I’m trying to get a record deal or be a touring artist. I just had to do this for me, and I’m lucky enough to have the best songwriters, producers, musicians and friends around me. I just want to get it out and see what happens. I want people to discover it.”

Rose will celebrate the album’s release with a party at Nashville venue The Country on May 17 at 6 p.m. She also has hopes to perform some one-woman shows to share her songs and stories.

Rose’s willingness and fearlessness to spontaneously try new ideas seems to encompass her approach to most things, be it writing songs, starting publishing company Liz Rose Music, or opening her clothing and accessories outpost Castilleja, in Nashville’s Edgehill area.

“Everything I do, it’s like, ‘Oh that sounds like a good idea, let’s figure out how we do that.’ Just the fact that [Swimming Alone is released on] Liz Rose Records…if I had a plan, I would have thought of cooler names.”

 

 

 

Tin Pan South 2018 Dates Announced

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(L-R): ASCAP’s Michael Martin, Frank Rogers, Kellie Pickler, Kyle Jacobs, Ben Glover, Dave Baker, and ASCAP’s Suzanne Lee, Robert Filhart and Kele Currier at Tin Pan South 2017

Tin Pan South 2017 has just wrapped, but those eager to get in on next year’s fun can make their plans and mark their calendars with the dates for next year’s festival, which will take place April 3-7, 2018. 

The songwriters festival recently celebrated its 25th birthday, and continues to grow at a record pace, with the 2017 festival hosting more than 100 shows and more than 400 writers for the event at 10 music venues around the city. Among those performing at this year’s special anniversary festival were Keith Urban, Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally, Rodney Clawson, Rhett Akins, Jonathan Singleton, Lori McKenna, Keb’ Mo’, Jeffrey Steele, Bobby Braddock, and many more.

 

Weekly Chart Report (5/5/17)

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