Author Archive for Bobby Karl

Bobby Karl Works The Dale Franklin Award Dinner

The speeches were kept to a minimum, and that left more time for music, music, music. The good folks at Leadership Music are going to be hard-pressed to top the talent parade that performed at this year’s Dale Franklin Award ceremony. Staged Sunday evening (8/29) at the Renaissance Hotel ballroom, the event saluted Fred Foster, [...]

MusicRow Readers Name “House” Song of the Year

Bobby Karl Works The Room, Chapter 341 Photos: Alan Mayor Host Clay Bradley has the magic touch: He actually got the capacity crowd of schmoozers to shut up during the presentation of the MusicRow Awards in the notoriously loud BMI lobby on Thursday (6/24). Anthony Smith, Frank Myers, Trisha Walker-Cunningham, Alan Kates, Chuck Thompson, Preston [...]

Bobby Karl Works The Room: Fan Fair Finale

Chapter 340 Inspirational, is what it was. Yes, the 2010 CMA Music Festival was a bounty of sounds. And, yes, it was intolerably hot. But the experience of being with those people, those fans, did my heart good. What spirit. What stamina. What love. I saw these things everywhere, from autograph lines, to concerts, from [...]

Bobby Karl Works CMA Music Fest

Chapter 338 The first celebrity I saw at the CMA Music Festival wasn’t a country star. It was my favorite Tennessee Titan, Cortland Finnegan, playing for the Opry team at the 20th annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge on Monday evening at Greer Stadium (6/7). He was kidding around with Luke Bryan, who was [...]

Bobby Karl Works The Tin Pan Kick-Off Party

Bobby Karl Works Lady Antebellum at The Ryman

Chapter 334 Photo: Jamey Walls Lady Antebellum concluded its two-night stand at The Ryman Auditorium on Thursday (3/11) by demonstrating to a sold-out, A-List crowd that it is one terrific little party band. The set was peppered with bright, tightly harmonized rockers, including the concert opening “Stars Tonight” and such radio favorites as “Love Don’t [...]

Bobby Karl Works The Room: Grammy Nominees Party

Chapter 330 It’s all about the guest list. “Go on in,” I said to late-arriving Tracy Gershon. “It’s everybody you’ve ever met in your life.” “This is one of my favorite parties of the year,” said Tom Baldrica. “It’s January 21st, and I still get to wish everybody Happy New Year.” It’s true. The Grammy [...]

Bobby Karl Works The Room: CMA Awards

Chapter 328 Photographer: John Russell / CMA It’s Taylor’s world; the rest of us just live in it. As surely the entire known universe is aware by now, the country-pop princess bagged four CMA Awards Wednesday night (11/11), including the monumental Entertainer of the Year trophy. That win makes her the youngest person in history [...]

Bobby Karl Works The Room: BMI Awards

Chapter 327 More Stars Than There Are in the Heavens. That was the saying about the MGM lot during Hollywood’s golden age in the ‘30s and ‘40s. If there’s an organization in country music that can say the same in this golden age of country music, it is surely BMI. The performance rights organization’s 57th [...]

Bobby Karl Works the SESAC Awards

Chapter 326 We Are Family. That concept was repeatedly invoked at Monday night’s SESAC banquet on Music Row (11/9). And, my, how the “family” has grown: The event is now double in size what it was just a few short years ago. “I’m proud to be a member of the SESAC family,” said Songwriter of [...]

Bobby Karl Works The MusicRow Awards

The readers have spoken, and they have class. Both Jamey Johnson and James Otto were double winners at this year’s MusicRow awards ceremony. Jamey won the Breakthrough Artist award as well as the Song of the Year prize for “In Color,” co-written with James and Lee Thomas Miller. Because James also co-wrote his big hit [...]

Bobby Karl Works CMA Music Fest (6/14)

Chapter 312-C SUNDAY, JUNE 14 Sunday Fan club activities began in the morning for Jo Dee Messina at The Belcourt Theater and concluded with Pam Tillis at The Wildhorse Saloon that evening. In the Sports Zone downtown, we had the fourth annual Michael Peterson Celebrity Tractor Race, sponsored by New Holland. The man to beat [...]

Bobby Karl Works CMA Music Fest (6/13)

Chapter 312-B SATURDAY, JUNE 13 This was our first really hot day of the fest. Boaters were out in force on the Cumberland behind the Riverfront Stage, and kids were frolicking in the Metro Courthouse fountains. I took Miss Mary with me downtown. “Don’t walk too fast,” she implored. I laughed: “Don’t worry: There are [...]

Bobby Karl Works CMA Music Fest (6/12)

Chapter 312-A FRIDAY, JUNE 12 Friday always seems, to me, to be the busiest day of the CMA Music Festival. On Wednesday and Thursday, the faithful gather. On Saturday and Sunday, they disperse to various Fan Club parties or find other ways to amuse themselves in Nashville “off campus.” But on Friday, they’re still fresh, [...]

Bobby Karl Works Music Fest (6/11)

Chapter 311 Both the start and the finish of Thursday’s CMA Music Festival concerts were marred by weather, but in between it was a blast. Thunder rumbled, and an ominous black cloud descended on Music City as things were about to get underway at Riverfront Park. About 10 minutes before the 10:00 AM show time, [...]

Bobby Karl Works Music Fest (6/10)

Chapter 310 The CMA Music Festival always starts before it’s supposed to. There has already been plenty of activity, including a superstar sighting. Alan Jackson isn’t “officially” playing the fest this year, but Wednesday night (6/10) he took over Cadillac Ranch on Lower Broadway to celebrate his 20th anniversary. It was this month in 1989 [...]