Rascal Flatts To Open Kentucky Derby

Superstar trio Rascal Flatts will perform the national anthem at the 136th Kentucky Derby on May 1, and Capitol Records Nashville artists Little Big Town will serve as openers for the Derby’s sister race, Kentucky Oaks. Rascal Flatts’ performance will be broadcast by NBC Sports as part of the network’s live coverage of Kentucky Derby 3:00-6:00 PM CT.

Churchill Downs will initiate a new element within the Kentucky Oaks Day program when Little Big Town perform the national anthem live prior to the running of the Kentucky Oaks, the Derby’s sister race for 3-year-old fillies.

“The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks are world-class entertainment events, and we are thrilled to partner with Rascal Flatts, one of the most popular and successful country music acts in history, on what we know will be an exceptional performance of “The Star Spangled Banner,” said Julie Koenig Loignon, Vice President of Brand Development and Marketing for the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs Incorporated. “The Kentucky Oaks is growing in national prominence, and we are excited to introduce a new musical element to our Oaks Day program with up-and-comers Little Big Town. We welcome these tremendously talented performers to Churchill Downs and look forward to the special contribution they will make to Derby weekend.”

Artist News: Flatts to “Idol,” Worley To Iraq; Taylor To Comics

Rascal Flatts Heading to American Idol
Rascal Flatts is getting ready to make its third appearance on American Idol. The multi-Platinum trio will appear on the show on Wednesday, April 28, performing their latest hit, “Unstoppable.” They will also join Idol guest Shakira on her song, “Gypsy.”

Rascal Flatts previously performed on Idol in May of 2005 as the musical guest of Carrie Underwood, who won the title that same evening. The band also appeared on Idol Gives Back in 2007.

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Darryl Worley Heads Overseas With “Stars For Stripes”
Stroudavarious Records artist Darryl Worley will kick-off his Stars for Stripes military tour next week. Worley’s We’ve Not Forgotten Tour takes place April 29-May 3 and will include several full-band concerts, as well as scaled-down acoustic shows at various Forward Operating Bases in Iraq. A long-time supporter of the Armed Forces, Worley has toured overseas every year since 2002.

Upon returning to the states, Worley will begin working on his new album. Beginning May 14, he will host five songwriter series throughout the summer with the first event, Hitmakers on the Harbor in Pickwick, TN, already sold out. All proceeds from the benefits will go toward the Darryl Worley Foundation.

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Taylor Swift Becomes Comic Book Hero
She’s already appeared on countless magazine covers, and now country superstar Taylor Swift will grace the cover of her own comic book. The multi-Platinum singer/songwriter will become the latest celebrity immortalized in sequential form when her biography comic, Fame: Taylor Swift hits comic shops this July.

The comic, by Bluewater Productions, will trace Swift’s rise from young singer/songwriter to mega-selling recording artist. The 32-page comic will retail for $3.99.

Bluewater Productions line of comics will also feature such high-profile subjects as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Colin Powell, Lady GaGa, 50 Cent, Robert Pattinson and soccer star David Beckham.

Nashville Hosts 41st Annual Dove Awards

The 41st Annual Dove Awards were held in Nashville last night (4/21) and Christian pop group Casting Crowns took home the fan-voted Artist of the Year award for the first time. Also fan-voted was the New Artist of the Year category, and the award went to Sidewalk Prophets. Taking home the most Doves was producer and songwriter Jason Ingram, who won four awards.
Brandon Heath was named Male Vocalist of the Year for the second year in the row, and newcomer Francesca Battistelli won the Female Vocalist title, ending Natalie Grant’s four-year run.

Other winners included Jennie Lee Riddle for Songwriter of the Year and “By Your Side” as Song of the Year.
The Dove Awards will be televised nationwide on the Gospel Music Channel on Sunday, April 25.

41st Annual Dove Award Winners:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Casting Crowns

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Sidewalk Prophets

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Jennie Lee Riddle

SONG OF THE YEAR (song title; writer; publisher – award goes to the writer and publisher)
“By Your Side”; Mike Donehey, Philip LaRue, Jason Ingram; Essential Publishing

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Brandon Heath

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Francesca Battistelli

GROUP OF THE YEAR
NEEDTOBREATHE

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Jason Ingram, Rusty Varenkamp

Dove Awards in Recorded Song Categories are given to the Artist and Songwriter, if other than the artist.
Song: album; artist; writer; label

RAP/HIP HOP RECORDED SONG
“”Movin”; Ordinary Dreamers; Group 1 Crew; Group 1 Crew, Jeremy James, Byron Chambers, Christopher Stevens; Fervent Records

ROCK RECORDED SONG
“Mess Of Me”; Hello Hurricane; Switchfoot; Jonathan Foreman, Tim Foreman; Credential Recordings

ROCK/CONTEMPORARY RECORDED SONG
“Lay ‘Em Down”; The Outsiders; NEEDTOBREATHE; Bear Rinehart, Bo Rinehart; Atlantic Records

POP/CONTEMPORARY RECORDED SONG
“City On Our Knees”; Tonight; tobyMac; Toby McKeehan, Jamie Moore, Cary Barlowe; Forefront Records

INSPIRATIONAL RECORDED SONG
“The Only Hope”; Bebo Norman; Bebo Norman; Bebo Norman; BEC Recordings

SOUTHERN GOSPEL RECORDED SONG
“Born To Climb”; Expecting Good Things; Jeff & Sheri Easter; Wayne Haun, Joel Lindsey; She Loves Music

BLUEGRASS RECORDED SONG
“When We Fly”; Breaking Like Dawn; Little Roy Lewis & Lizzy Long; Joel Lindsay, Wayne Haun,
Ty Herndon

COUNTRY RECORDED SONG
“Somebody Like Me”; Jason Crabb; Jason Crabb; Neil Thrasher, Michael Boggs; Spring Hill Music Group

URBAN RECORDED SONG (tie)
“Close To You”; Still; BeBe & CeCe Winans; BeBe Winans; B & C Records, Malaco
and
“Just Wanna Say”; The Power of One; Israel Houghton; Aaron Lindsey, Israel Houghton, Tommy Sims; Integrity

TRADITIONAL GOSPEL RECORDED SONG
“Justified”; Smokie Norful Live; Smokie Norful; Smokie Norful; EMI Gospel, TreMyles Music

CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL RECORDED SONG
“The Power of One”; The Power of One; Israel Houghton; Israel Houghton, Ricardo Sanchez; Intergrity Music

WORSHIP SONG (award given to writer and publisher)
“Revelation Song”; Jennie Lee Riddle, Gateway Create Publishing, Integrity’s Praise Music

Dove Awards in Album Categories are given to the Artist and Producer, if other than the artist.
Album; artist; producer; label

RAP/HIP HOP ALBUM (album; artist; producer; label)
Five Two Television; KJ-52; KJ-52; BEC Recordings

ROCK ALBUM
Innocence and Instinct; Red; Rob Graves; Essential

ROCK/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
The Outsiders; NEEDTOBREATHE; Rick Beato, NEEDTOBREATHE, Jim Scott, John Alagia; Atlantic Records

POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
The Long Fall Back To Earth; Jars of Clay, Ron Aniello, Essential Records, Gray Matters

INSPIRATIONAL ALBUM
Fearless; Phillips, Craig & Dean; Bernie Herms; INO Records

SOUTHERN GOSPEL ALBUM
Gaither Vocal Band Reunited; Gaither Vocal Band; Bill Gaither, David Phelps; Gaither Music Group

BLUEGRASS ALBUM
The Isaacs…Naturally; The Isaacs; Bill Gaither, Ben Isaacs; Gaither Music Group

COUNTRY ALBUM
The Reason; Diamond Rio; Michael D. Clute, Jimmy Olander; Word Records

TRADITIONAL GOSPEL ALBUM
Shout! Live; Mike Farris & The Roseland Rhythm Revue; Mike Farris, Joe McMahan; INO             Records

CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL ALBUM
Love Unstoppable; Fred Hammond; Fred Hammond; Verity

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Joy Comes In The Morning; Stan Whitmire; Stan Whitmire; Spring Hill Music Group
CHILDREN’S MUSIC ALBUM
Veggie Tales: Here I Am To Worship; Featuring Natalie Grant & Aaron Shust; Steven V. Taylor; Big Idea

SPANISH LANGUAGE ALBUM
Le Canto; Kari Jobe; Ed Cash; Integrity Music Latin

SPECIAL EVENT ALBUM
Glory Revealed II: The Word of God In Worship; Mac Powell, Shane Everett, Jonathan Shelton, Brian Littrell, Trevor Morgan, Mark Hall, Jason Crabb, Bear Rinehart, Matt Maher, Amy Grant, Ed Cash, Geoff Moore, Natalie Grant, Laura Story, Brandon Heath, Mike Donehey, Aaron Shust, Shawn Lewis, Sara Evans, Bethany Dicks Olds, Shane & Shane, Bethany Dillon, Kari Jobe; Mac Powell, David Nasser; Reunion

CHRISTMAS ALBUM
Christ Has Come; Big Daddy Weave; Jeremy Redmond; Fervent Records

PRAISE & WORSHIP ALBUM
Church Music; David Crowder*Band; David Crowder*Band; Sparrow Records/sixsteps Records

Dove Awards in Musical Categories are given to the creator
title; creator; publisher

MUSICAL
A Baby Changes Everything; Deborah Craig-Claar, David T. Clydesdale; Word Music

YOUTH/CHILDREN’S MUSICAL
Christmas Hang-ups; Dennis and Nan Allen; Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing

CHORAL COLLECTION
Travis Cottrell-Jesus Saves Live; Travis Cottrell; Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing

RECORDED MUSIC PACKAGING (product; art director; graphic artist; illustrator/photographer; label)
Long Fall Back To Earth (Limited Edition); Jars of Clay; Tim Parker, Jars of Clay; Tim Parker; Kharyn Hill; Gray Matters, Essential

SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO (title; artist; director; producer; production company; label)
“Free To Be Me”; Francesca Battistelli; Andy & John Erwin; Dan Atchison; Alabama Production Group; Fervent Records

LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO (title; artist; director; producer; production company; label)
A Gospel Journey; Oak Ridge Boys; Doug Stuckey; Bill Gaither, Barry Jennings, Bill Carter; Gaither Television Productions; Gaither Music Group

Artist News: Hayes’ “Turnaround,” Heidi’s “Playlist,” Faith’s “Runway”

Wade Hayes Offers “Place To Turn Around”
He’s been out of the spotlight for over a decade, but on April 21, former CMA  Top New Male Vocalist Wade Hayes will officially return with Place To Turn Around, a new 11-song collection featuring nine songs penned by Hayes himself. The singer/songwriter/guitar slinger first appeared in the early ‘90s with a string of hits of hits including “Old Enough To Know Better,” “I’m Still Dancing With You” and “What I Meant to Say,” and the new project features a similar mix of edgy uptempos and tender ballads.

Place To Turn Around also reflects the experience Hayes gained over the past several years on the road fronting his own band and, more recently, as guitarist for former Alabama lead singer Randy Owen.

“It’s really good to be back out playing on my own again,” Hayes says. “I am really excited about this project, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me.”

Place to Turn Around is now available via www.wadehayes.com as well as  iTunes and at Hayes’ live shows.

• • •

Heidi Newfield’s Performance and Playlist for Music City Marathon
Curb Records artist Heidi Newfield will appear as a special guest at this year’s Country Music Marathon and ½ Marathon Annual Post Race Concert this Saturday (4/24) starting at 7:00 PM at the Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The concert is open to the public and tickets can be purchased at the Bridgestone Arena box office, TicketMaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

In celebration of the 11th annual running of the Country Music Marathon and ½ Marathon, Newfield has put together a playlist for the marathon runners packed with her favorite songs to run to.

“These are just a few of the choices that get me jacked up to get a full workout or run completed,” says Newfield. “I hope this playlist will give some runners the momentum and energy to finish strong.”

Newfield’s playlist is as follows:
1. Slash, Slash (entire album)
2. Beth Hart, “Broken And Ugly”
3. The Black Crowes, “Go Faster”
4. Led Zepplin, “Kashmir”
5. Kings of Leon, Only By The Night (entire album)
6. The Rolling Stones, “Sympathy For The Devil”
7. Kid Rock, “Rock N Roll Jesus”
8. The Verve, “Bittersweet Symphony”
9.  Sheryl Crow, “Steve McQueen”
10. The Who, “Baba O’Riley”

• • •

Faith Hill Graces Project Runway
Country superstar Faith Hill will join host supermodel Heidi Klum and judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia on the season finale of Lifetime Network’s Project Runway this Thursday, April 22nd at 9 PM CT.

“Faith Hill stepped into the toughest Project Runway guest judging seat of the season, the finale, which made her a deciding voice in naming the winner,” said ‘Runway’ Executive Producer Sara Rea. “She took on the task with flying colors. Faith was invested and took the job seriously. She gave constructive, relevant criticism and had a strong point of view. We really enjoyed having her.”

“What I saw was truly extraordinary and it made judging very difficult,” says Hill. “All of the designers were creative and imaginative. But there were some whose craftsmanship was impeccable. The passion that these individuals showed, and their eagerness to learn from feedback and criticism, should prove an inspiration for those that follow them.”

Leibovitz Shoots Swift For “Vogue;” Chesney Flick Opens Tomorrow

Photo by Annie Liebovitz for "Vogue"

Taylor Swift appears in the May 2010 issue of fashion magazine Vogue. In the article titled “The Dazzler,” she poses for famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, and discusses her tour, upcoming fall release, and new condo.

Swift tells the magazine, “Looking back on what these past two years have been for me, it feels like this magical dream of, Really? We toured all over the world? We played an arena in London? This is happening? Readjusting my goals and dreams has been something I’ve had to do a lot lately.”

In more Swift news, American Greetings has expanded the star’s line of greeting cards to include e-cards featuring her music. American Greeting is also a sponsor of her sold-out Fearless 2010 concert tour.

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After almost a year and half from conception to the final edit, Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D is set to open nationwide April 21 for a limited run. To celebrate the film, which captures 6 NFL stadium dates on his 2009 Sun City Carnival Tour, the star returned to his native Knoxville to team with Regal Cinemas for a charity preview screening to benefit Variety: The Children’s Charity of Eastern Tennessee.

The preview screenings ultimately sold more than 1100 tickets and raised close to a quarter of a million dollars.

ZBB Secures Ram Trucks Partnership

ZBB missed last night's ACM Awards because they are overseas on a USO tour. Pictured playing for soldiers at Camp Buehring in Kuwait on April 14, 2010. USO photo by Erick Anderson

A new partnership between Zac Brown Band and Ram Truck Brand will offer free music to fans and boost the morale of U.S. soldiers. Starting in May, the nationwide “Letters for Lyrics” campaign will give participants who write a letter to a U.S. soldier a compilation CD titled, “Breaking Southern Ground,” featuring three new ZBB songs, and tracks from Brown’s Southern Ground Records artists Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan and Levi Lowrey. The goal is to send 1 million letters, in exchange for 1 million CDs.

Viewers will be able to see behind-the-scene footage taped by the band as they document their current visit to U.S. soldiers stationed in the Persian Gulf. Documentary-style segments and concert footage will premiere on RamTrucks.com.

An exclusive live version of the band’s latest single, “Free,” will also be available for download for the first 100,000 fans, only at the RamTrucks.com. For each download, Ram will make a donation to a designated charity on behalf of the brand and Zac Brown Band.

The Ram Truck Brand also joined with the Academy of Country Music to sponsor the first-ever text-to-vote initiative for last night’s fan-voted Entertainer of the Year award.

At Camp Buehring in Kuwait on April 14, 2010. USO photo by Erick Anderson

Veteran Nashville Broadcaster Norm Ray Passes

Noted Nashville instrumentalist and veteran radio and television broadcaster Norm Ray died Saturday, April 17, at age 73.
He is perhaps best remembered for the wit and humor he displayed for 20 years on the Ralph Emery Morning Show, WSM’s The Waking Crew and for the 10 years he spent in the house band on TNN’s Nashville Now. For a time, he was also the host of WSMV’s The Saturday Morning Show.

A native of Hamtramck, Michigan, Norm Ray began playing saxophone at age 5. He started his recording career in the Motown studios in Detroit, backing The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Martha & The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops and other r&b stars. He moved to Nashville in 1965, joining Orchestra XII, one of the city’s last big bands.

In 1967, he broke into recording-studio work on Music Row by performing on the Elvis Presley soundtrack for Clambake. He subsequently recorded with Chet Atkins, Ray Stevens, Boots Randolph and others. He also played saxophone and flute in Randolph’s nightclub band.

Norm Ray is survived by his children Sherry Rau Carver, Norman Rau and Andrew Rau and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.

DVD Rentals On the Decline

Hollywood’s home entertainment business has been looking over its shoulder for some time now, warily watching the steady decline of the music business, with falling CD sales, legal and illegal downloading and the shuttering of former retail giants like Tower Records. And while DVD rentals have helped bolster Hollywood’s entertainment mix, first quarter data released Thursday (4/15) from movie industry trade organization Digital Entertainment Group shows the DVD market on a similar downhill trajectory, with DVD rental revenue falling 14% from a year ago. The decline is worrisome, considering the fact that DVD sales and rentals account for about half the profit for a movie.

In 2009, in the midst of the recession, consumers tended to rent DVDs rather than purchase them. DVD rental revenue rose 4% for the year, with sales dropping 13%. The Digital Entertainment Group report linked the first-quarter decline to the closure of brick-and-mortar outlets by leading retailers Blockbuster and Movie Gallery, with DVD mail subscription service Netflix and kiosk vendor Redbox accounting for nearly all the rise in rentals. But the overall drop in numbers indicates that the rapid growth of those newer outlets may be slowing.

Blu-ray and digital remain bright spots. Sales of high-definition Blu-ray discs were up 74% and rentals rose 36%. Digital distribution revenue, which included download-to-own and video-on-demand rentals, grew 27%. However, those factors weren’t enough to compensate for the 8% drop in sales and rentals for the quarter. Looking ahead, the trend shows that the coming year could be even tougher for Hollywood than 2009, when total revenue fell 5%.

“We are still facing a challenging environment but are very pleased to see positive indicators of stabilization in our overall business,” says Warner Home Video President Ron Sanders, who heads Digital Entertainment Group.

Colt Ford Offers “Chicken and Biscuits”


Average Joes Entertainment artist Colt Ford is planning a month-long celebration in support of his sophomore studio release, Chicken and Biscuits. The album, which features special guests Randy Houser, Joe Nichols, James Otto, Kevin Fowler, Darryl Worley, Josh Gracin, DMC (of Run/DMC), Ira Dean, Ty Stone, and many more, will hit stores on Tuesday, April 20, but CMT and Rhapsody are streaming the album in its entirety here.

Ford will kick-off the celebration with his first album release party at Tucker Plantation in his home state of Georgia on Friday, April 16 with featured guests John Michael Montgomery (who was featured on Ford’s debut 2008 release, Ride Through The Country) and Josh Gracin. On Saturday, April 17, Ford is taking over XM-11 airways from 6:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m CT. On Tuesday, April 20 Ford will host a star-studded Nashville CD release celebration from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at 12th & Porter.

Beginning Tuesday, April 27th fans can watch Ford on GAC’s On The Streets at 12:00 pm, 8:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. CT and on GAC’s Championship Bull Riding at 9:00 p.m. CT, followed by a live online streaming concert event presented by True View Live on Friday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

In addition, fans can download Ford’s single featuring Jamey Johnson, “Cold Beer,” compliments of People Country, and read about him in the April 26 issue of Country Weekly. Ford is also featured on the April 2 cover of Pollstar magazine.

For additional information, visit www.coltford.com.

Ram Truck and ACM Introduce Text-To-Vote

The Ram Truck Brand and the Academy of Country Music announced today the first-ever text-to-vote for the Entertainer of the Year fan-voted category, the highest accolade bestowed on an artist as part of the 45th Annual ACM Awards. 

This text-to-vote powered by Ram Truck will provide fans with the first-time opportunity to utilize texting to vote for the evening’s biggest award, Entertainer of the Year, for which Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Taylor Swift, reigning Entertainer of the Year Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band are all nominated this year.

Voting will begin at the start of the telecast, when codes for each artist are given simultaneously, and will continue until the third hour of the show. Until then, fans may log onto www.VoteACM.com, also powered by Ram Truck, to vote.

“We know every aspect of the Ram truck customer and we know that country is among their favorite genres of music to listen to while driving in their Ram truck or having fun with their family,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO – Ram Truck Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “We made a commitment to connect with our customers and what better way than through music and the iconic Academy of Country Music Awards.”

“The Academy strives to expand the reach of country music by finding new ways to engage fans and consumers,” says Bob Romeo, Executive Director of the Academy of Country Music. “We have had tremendous success incorporating fan voting into our awards show and are thrilled to partner with the distinguishable, country-friendly Ram Truck Brand to give fans an immediate, interactive awards show experience through text voting for Entertainer of the Year.”