Archive for April, 2009
DISClaimer (4/10/09)
I love a good cry. There’s something so purifying and soul-cleansing about it. And it has long been my contention that people love to weep as much as they love to laugh when consuming popular culture. Think of every sad movie you’ve ever cherished. At any rate, Mac McAnally opened my tear ducts this week. [...]
DISClaimer (4/3/09)
Let’s get the necessary stuff over with first. The only clear choice for Disc of the Day is Lee Ann Womack and her great performance of “Solitary Thinkin.’” The clear choice, at least to me, for a DisCovery Award is Mammouth Jack, whoever that is. But the real news of the week is being made [...]
Review: Aldean Anchors Adventurous Collection
California-based Broken Bow Records arguably hasn’t yet done much for the Nashville community, but Wide Open, from its flagship artist Jason Aldean, scored impressive first week sales (109k) and is clearly boosting confidence in country’s fan connection. Radio is on board, too. Music Row named the Macon, Georgia native its Artist of the Year (Mid-Size [...]
Mrs. Paisley Had a Baby!
Reigning ACM and CMA Male Vocalist Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, welcomed their second child, a healthy baby boy today (4/17), at a Nashville area hospital. The Paisley’s firstborn son, William Huckleberry, aka “Huck” was born in February, 2007.
ACM Ratings Jump 21 Percent
The 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards significantly increased its ratings for the second consecutive year. The show’s ratings were up 21% overall from 2008, drawing nearly 15 million viewers and earning the top spot for the night for the CBS Television Network during every hour of the April 5 telecast. The Awards brought [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Organizations, Sales/Marketing
Martina’s Wine, B&D’s M&Ms, Bluebird Gets “Amplified” and More
Following the lead of country star Kix Brooks, Martina McBride has launched her own line of wines. McBride has teamed with Blackbird Vineyards Napa Valley to announce the debut of the 2006 Martina McBride “Signature Series” Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine. “I’ve been able to taste incredible wines while traveling the world on tour,” McBride [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Sales/Marketing
MCN Presents Concert Series & Sweepstakes
MusicCityNetworks (MCN) will present the 2009 MCN Fan Club Concert Series June 10-13 at Nashville’s Rocketown. The annual concert series features performances from some of country music’s biggest performers, connecting fans with their favorite artists and with their fellow fans. This year’s line-up includes Bucky Covington, Emerson Drive, Montgomery Gentry, Josh Turner, Lady Antebellum, Sara [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Organizations, Sales/Marketing
CMA To Unveil Research
The Country Music Association will unveil key findings from its 2008 Country Music Consumer Segmentation Study during a free Town Hall meeting Tuesday, April 28 from 2:00-4:00 PM/CT in the Boone Crockett Room at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Nashville. The meeting is free and open to CMA members and their invited guests. The research [...]
Category: Featured, Organizations
Songwriter Paul Williams Elected ASCAP President
Songwriter Paul Williams, whose long list of hits includes classic songs like “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Just An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “Rainy Days and Mondays,” was elected President and Chairman of the Board of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) today (4/16) by the ASCAP Board of Directors at its [...]
Category: Featured, Organizations, Publishing
Mac McAnally
“You First” Show Dog Nashville Mac McAnally has worn many hats in his storied career—producer, vocalist, guitarist, chart-topping songwriter, member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer band—and his recording artist cap recently earned a nice feather in “Down The Road,” his No. 1 duet with Kenny Chesney. Now, McAnally and his new label Show Dog Nashville [...]
Category: ProgrammerPlaylist
Robert Johnson Blues Foundation Names New Generation Award Winner
The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation has announced that Zakk Knight of Indianapolis, Indiana has been named winner of the 2009 New Generation Award Contest. Knight will receive a Gibson “Robert Johnson” edition guitar, a Robert Johnson harmonica, a certificate signed by Claud Johnson (son and heir of Robert Johnson) and an invitation to perform at [...]
Category: Featured
Leadership Music Names Dale Franklin Award Winners
The Board of Directors of Leadership Music has announced that Garth Brooks, Jim Foglesong and Allen Reynolds have been selected as the 2009 recipients of the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award. The three prominent country music figures, whose careers intertwined when Brooks signed to Capitol Records with Foglesong at the helm, and Reynolds produced his [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Organizations
CMT Nom for Newfield’s “Johnny and June”
It’s not often that a country singer manages to step up to solo stardom after becoming closely identified with a successful group. Wynonna’s post-Judds career comes to mind. And now there’s Heidi Newfield. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the former Trick Pony singer turned to producer Tony Brown, who oversaw Wynonna’s debut, when it came [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Organizations, Touring
IFCO’s Loretta Johnson Passes; Visitation Set
Loretta Johnson died Monday, April 13, following a long battle with multiple myloma. She was 67 years old. With sisters Loudilla and Kay, Johnson was the co-founder of the International Fan Club Organization (IFCO). Begun in 1967, IFCO’s annual concert and get-together was the precursor of Fan Fair (now known as the CMA Music Festival). [...]
Category: Featured
Public TV Show Spotlights Songwriters
Legends & Lyrics, a new Public Television show spotlighting high-profile artist/songwriters alongside some of the not so well known songwriters behind the hits, will air weekly through the months of April and May. In each episode, artists including Kris Kristofferson, Kenny Loggins, Charlie Daniels, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, John Hiatt, 3 Doors Down, Kip Winger [...]
Category: Artist, Featured, Sales/Marketing
Steve Buckingham Exits Welk Music Group
Steve Buckingham, Senior Vice President of A & R for Vanguard Records and The Welk Music Group, is leaving the company after eleven years. With Buckingham’s departure, Vanguard Records will shift A&R responsibilities for the label to the company’s Santa Monica Headquarters. While at Vanguard and sister label Sugar Hill, Buckingham signed, and in some [...]
