Jewel Awarded For Career Sales

Sarah Skates – 06/06/2008

Photo: Alan Mayor

The RIAA surprised Jewel yesterday (6/5) at the CMA Music Festival with a career milestone plaque commemorating domestic sales in excess of 18 million albums. The elaborate plaque, presented in front of a crowd of fans at The Valory Music Co. booth inside the Nashville Convention Center, showcases the jacket covers of each of her previous six studio albums. Jenny Alves, RIAA Coordinator of Gold & Platinum Program/Artist Industry Relations, made a special trip to Nashville for the ceremony. After the presentation, Jewel signed autographs and posed for photographs with fans at the booth. Last night she performed at the Festival’s stadium show at LP Field.

Artist News Friday (6/6/08)

The participants in the inaugural Porter Wagoner Memorial Artists & Anglers Memorial Fishing Tournament and about 500 fans gathered at Bass Pro Shops to hear the results of the weigh-in. Dale Wallace, keyboard player for...

Gail Davies Celebrates 60

Sarah Skates – 06/05/2008

Singer-songwriter Gail Davies will celebrate her 60th birthday tonight (6/5) with a 9 PM performance at the Station Inn. Special guests are expected to join her onstage throughout the evening. Her band for tonight will consist of son Chris Scruggs (steel guitar), Rob Price (bass), Scott Neubert (electric guitar), Patty Mitchell (vocals, mandolin) and Fran Breen (drums).

Davies has penned Top 10 hits including "It's A Lovely, Lovely World," "Grandma's Song," "Round The Clock Lovin'" and "Jagged Edge Of A Broken Heart." She was also one of the first female producers in country music.

Superstars Return To Fan Fair Roots

Sarah Skates – 06/05/2008

Alan Jackson will greet fans at a CMA Music Festival booth for the first time in ten years tomorrow (6/6) from noon – 2 PM. He will be with wife and author Denise Jackson who will be signing copies of her bestsellers It’s All About Him and The Road Home. They will be in the Alan Jackson Fan Club booth at the Fan Fair Hall. Jackson is set to perform Saturday night at LP Field. Also returning to the event after about a decade is Faith Hill who will perform at Friday’s nightly concerts. Sunday night Dwight Yoakam makes his ﬁrst appearance at the event in 20 years.

As previously announced, Wynonna will appear at the Fan Fair Hall at the Nashville Convention Center tomorrow from noon – 6 PM. In her first booth appearance since 1999, Wy will give fans a sneak peek of music from her new album due out this Fall.

Simpson—Instantly Addicting

David M. Ross – 06/05/2008

Jessica Simpson entertained radio programmers with some discussion about her Nashville ambitions, an audio snapshot of her upcoming Columbia CD including new single “Come On Over,” and a huge helping of celebrity at the Musician’s Hall of Fame & Museum (6/4). In person Ms. Simpson’s personality is instantly addicting. She is warm and attentive. In the few brief moments we met she recalled excitedly meeting Amy Grant by chance in the BMI Country Songwriter Awards valet car line this past year (your Scribe was coincidentally present talking to Vince). Jessica also gushed about writing with Nashville songsmiths, and later from the stage told the crowd she loved being able to go places in Nashville without a load of cameras “staring up my butt.” Simpson’s brand—a ditzy, but glamourous blonde—has launched a business empire that includes cosmetics, fashion, jeans, perfume, handbags, reality TV show, makeup, DVDs, movie roles, shoes and more. Forbes lists her as earning about $7 million in 2007, but the true value of her business assets is in the hundreds of millions. Consider that the retail value of the entire country music industry in 2007 was $1.2 billion (RIAA), and you can see how the enormity of her brand compares. Her new album is scheduled for Fall release.

(L-R): Tom Baldrica, VP Mktg. SBMG; Joe Galante, Chairman SBMG; CA’s Lon Helton; Simpson; Butch Waugh, Exec. VP SBMG; Jimmy Rector, VP Promotion Columbia Nashville; and David Friedman, Natl. Dir. Promotion Columbia Nashville.

Artist News Thursday (6/5/08)

Rascal Flatts will appear and perform in Hannah Montana: The Movie, starring Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus. Filming is going on now in Tennessee, and the project is scheduled for release in 2009.

Keith...

Lifenotes Tuesday (6/3)

Sarah Skates – 06/03/2008

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Bo Diddley, 79, died yesterday (6/2) of heart failure at home in Archer, Fla. Hailed as a rock pioneer and one of the genre’s most influential guitarists, Diddley was known for creating what grew to be called “the Bo Diddley beat.” His 1950’s hits included "I'm a Man," "Who Do You Love?," "Mona," and "Road Runner." Following a lengthy fight with hypertension and diabetes, Diddley had a stroke in May 2007, and then a heart attack in August. He had never fully recovered.

•••••

Hugh Jarrett, a one-time member of Jordanaires, died Saturday (5/31) in an Atlanta area hospital. He was 78 and had suffered complications from a March automobile accident. His bass vocals can be heard on some of Elvis’ most famous recordings including "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender," "All Shook Up," and "Jailhouse Rock," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jarrett worked with Elvis as part of the Jordanaires from 1954-1958, and again in 1970 with the Hugh Jarrett Singers, the newspaper reports. Jarrett was a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Georgia Music Hall of Fame and Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. He acted in movies, including some of Elvis’ films, and in the television series In the Heat of the Night. His funeral will be at 11:30 a.m. ET, Fri., June 6 at Northside Chapel Funeral Directors in Atlanta.

Flatts Family Welcomes Baby

Sarah Skates – 06/03/2008

Rascal Flatts member Joe Don Rooney and wife Tiffany Fallon welcomed their first child on Sat., May 31. Son Jagger Donovan Rooney, to be called Jagger, weighed in at 6.45 pounds and 20 inches long. Mother and child are doing well.

The proud parents issued this statement: "We are absolutely blown away by this little miracle gift that God has given to us. We can't wait to see what the future has in store for baby Jagger and our new family!"

Celebs Set For Tonight’s Softball Fundraiser

Sarah Skates – 06/03/2008

Vince Gill, Andy Griggs, members of Carolina Rain, and Julie Roberts are among the artists playing in the 9th Annual Cops and Jocks Celebrity Softball Game tonight (6/3) at Mundy Memorial Park in Mt. Juliet. The 7 PM game is presented by The Big 98 WSIX (“the jocks”), Providence Marketplace and the Mt. Juliet Police Department (“the cops”). Proceeds benefit Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD). Also participating are Linda Davis, Damien Horne, Laura Bryna, Jeremy McComb, Rhett Akins, members of Bomshel, and new artist Derek Sholl, who played in the Kansas City Royals’ minor league farm team. Several Tennessee Titans players are also on board.

Gretchen Wilson Celebrates Graduation

06/03/2008

Yesterday (6/2), Columbia Nashville’s Gretchen Wilson celebrated earning her high school diploma, at Sony BMG’s Chet Atkins Place in Nashville. Industry insiders, Sony BMG staff and Bernadine Nelson from the Adult Learning Center in Lebanon, TN all came out to congratulate her. Surprising Wilson were labelmates Montgomery Gentry who were not just there for the party. The duo recently teamed with the University of Phoenix Online Education program and in honor of Wilson’s achievement, gave a gift to her charitable foundation that will allow a lucky recipient to pursue their college degree all expenses paid. Guests were treated to some down home Southern BBQ, spiked punch and red velvet cake, which was baked into the shape of one of Wilson’s guitars.