Benefit News Daily (5/8/07)

05/07/2007

The 4th Annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic, held April 27- 28 in Oklahoma City, raised more than $500,000 for Ally's House Charity which benefits children with cancer. This was the highest amount the organization has received from an event. During the live auction, a group of golfers bid $31,000 for Keith to play on their team during the following day's golf tournament. Another package, which originally included dinner for 20 at Keith’s local I Love This Bar And Grill, started a bidding war. To raise the stakes, the superstar invited himself and other VIPs to the dinner. He also threw in dinner for everyone at his own house. In the end, both bidders were awarded the package for a total of $58,000.

Becky Hobbs, Kurt Layton and members of Burrito Deluxe are set to perform at NAMI Nashville's benefit event, "Hope, Not Stigma." The show will be the first in a planned songwriter series to benefit the local mental health organization and will be held at Lyrix, 94 Peabody St. on May 9 from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.

Blake Shelton’s Raindance II fundraiser netted over $100,000 for Project Rebuild, the organization which helps Oklahoma families affected by natural disasters such as wildfires and tornadoes. The event, held April 22-24 in his hometown of Ada, OK, included an archery tournament, team roping and closed with a sold-out concert featuring Shelton, Craig Morgan and Neal McCoy. Shelton is also putting his 2004 Takamine Sunburst EF350 guitar, signed by the Raindance performers, up for auction. Bids can be placed at www.oklahomaraindance.com. Shelton has just released his latest album, Pure BS.

Pictured (L-R): Shelton; Morgan; Lee and Tiffany Lakosky of Gettin’ Close on the Outdoor Channel; Travis (T-Bone) Turner, Pro staff Realtree; and Matt Morrett, Pro staff at Realtree and Hunter’s Specialities. Photo: Carl Dunn

Artist News Daily (5/8/07)

Gretchen Wilson begins an eight-day whirlwind media tour Wednesday (5/9) when she hits New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles for a host of television appearances promoting her third album One of the...

Bobby Pinson Visits CMT Radio

05/07/2007

Bobby Pinson recently stopped by CMT Radio for a performance and to talk about his upcoming album Songs for Somebody, featuring latest single “Past Comin’ Back.” The new project will be released May 22.

Pictured (L-R): Joe Zanger, Sr. Producer/Director CMT Radio Network; Pinson; and Lauren Tingle, Production Associate CMT Radio Network.

Artist News Daily (5/4/07)

Alan Jackson performed "A Woman's Love," on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno yesterday (5/3). The Jackson and Brooks & Dunn 2007 co-headlining tour kicks-off May 10 in Virginia Beach, VA with Jake Owen...

Big Machine Radio Promotion in Jamaica

05/03/2007

Big Machine artists Jimmy Wayne, Dusty Drake and Danielle Peck recently traveled to Jamaica’s Sandals Whitehouse Resort for a radio promotion in conjunction with Jones Radio’s Lia Show. In addition to a live radio broadcast from the resort and an acoustic concert for the 20 winners in attendance, the week’s events included trips to the spa, snorkeling and sailing.

Pictured (L-R): Country Weekly’s Lisa Konicki, Jimmy Wayne, Jones Radio’s Lia Knight, Dusty Drake, Danielle Peck and GAC Country Music Across America host Storme Warren. Photo: Joe Hardwick

Hit Songwriters Play Bluebird For MCTI

05/03/2007

A bevy of hit songwriters performed at the Bluebird Cafe on April 19 as part of activities surrounding the 34th Annual Music City Tennis Invitational (MCTI), presented by Mercedes-Benz of Nashville. Carolyn Dawn Johnson (“Single White Female”), Marcus Hummon ("God Bless The Broken Road"), James Slater ("In My Daughter's Eyes"), and Kent Blazy (“If Tomorrow Never Comes”) all participated. The event benefits the Center for Child Development at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Pictured (L-R): MCTI's Greg Travis, James Slater, Max Abrams holding saxophone, Justin Levenson, MCTI's Dixie Boston, MCTI Co-Chair Patsy Bradley, Kent Blazy, Marcus Hummon, and Carolyn Dawn Johnson. Photo: Rick Warren

Artist News Daily (5/3/07)

CMT will host the multi-platform exclusive premiere of Bon Jovi's new video for "(You Want To) Make A Memory" today, (5/3). The video will air on CMT's Top 20 Countdown and later on CMT...

The Road Hammers Hit BMI

05/02/2007

Montage Music Group recording artists The Road Hammers stopped by BMI’s Music Row offices recently with a few of their closest friends. The band recently started taping season two of its CMT Mobile series which will include the signing with BMI as a glimpse into the music biz. Director Jason Priestley was on hand filming the Canadian-bred southern rockers as they mingled and joked.

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Beth Mason; the Road Hammers’ drummer Corbett Frasz and guitarist/vocalist Jason McCoy; Jason Priestley; BMI’s Jody Williams; and the Road Hammers’ bassist/vocalist Chris Byrne and guitarist/vocalist Clayton Bellamy. Photo: E. Dawson

Icons of Music Auction Raises $2.5 Million

04/30/2007

The "Icons of Music," auction held April 21 in New York to benefit Music Rising raised $2.5 million. Music Rising, a campaign to replace musical instruments lost or destroyed by hurricanes in the Gulf Region, was formed in 2005 by U2’s The Edge, legendary producer Bob Ezrin, and Gibson Guitar Chairman/CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. Among the more than 200 items sold were The Edge's 1975 cream Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar, which was played on every U2 tour since 1985 ($240,000); Bono's autographed guitar ($187,500); former President Bill Clinton's saxophone ($54,000); a pair of John Lennon's round, blue-tinted sunglasses ($30,000); Kurt Cobain's MTV Award ($40,800); Slash's Signature model signed Gibson guitar ($20,000); and a guitar owned by Jimi Hendrix sold for a record $410,000.

Pictured (L-R): Adam Clayton of U2, Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and The Sopranos, the evening's co-host Christy Turlington, The Edge, and Allen Toussaint.

Artist News Daily (5/1/07)

Nashville's Greer Stadium will be the site of the Lynnco Custom Cycles 17th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge. Presented by the Gibson Foundation, the event will feature Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Craig Morgan...