Country Instrumental Great Mike Auldridge Passes

/by
Photo Credit: Matt McClain/The Washington Post

Photo Credit: Matt McClain/The Washington Post

Dobro master Mike Auldridge, famed for his work in The Seldom Scene and Chesapeake, has died at age 73.

A role model for such Nashville resophonic guitarists as Rob Ickes and Jerry Douglas, Auldridge passed away near his home in Maryland on Saturday, Dec. 29, following a long battle with cancer. The instrumentalist was a key participant on the Grammy Award winning 1994 album The Dobro Sessions, which was co-produced by Douglas.

Noted for his poetic, fluid touch on the Dobro, Auldridge was a 2012 National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellow. The ceremony, staged in October, marked his final performance.

His band, The Seldom Scene, brought a modern tone to bluegrass music and incorporated the songs of Bob Dylan, John Prine and other contemporary composers into the style. He also released a series of acclaimed solo albums.

Mike Auldridge can be heard as a sideman on records by Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Linda Ronstadt and Lyle Lovett. But he never pursued a Nashville career as a studio instrumentalist.

His final album will be released next year. It will be a trio collection with his admirers Douglas and Ickes.

Martina McBride Wraps Christmas Tour

/by
Martina McBride on stage at the Chicago Theatre. Photo: RKN Photo

Martina McBride on stage at the Chicago Theatre. Photo: RKN Photo

Country Artist Martina McBride‘s 2012 16-city The Joy of Christmas Tour ended with a sold-out crowd at the Chicago Theatre last week. Martina and her 12-piece band brought their love of the holidays to theaters and other intimate venues across the country.

At each stop, an athlete, popular radio personality or local celebrity read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas while Martina sang, “You’re A Mean One, Mr Grinch.” Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was the perfect Grinch on the final night of the tour. Green Bay Packer Jordy Nelson, Pittsburgh Steeler Brett Keisel, TV personality Storme Warren, hockey great Jim Dowd and others also shared the stage with the Grammy winner during the tour.

Martina McBride is presented with a plaque depicting a photo of her sold-out concert at the Chicago Theatre. Pictured with McBride (c.) are (l. to r.) Brandon Gill, Morris Artists Management; Don Kronberg, President of NiteLite Promotions; Mike Betterton, Morris Artists Management; Rod Essig, CAA. Photo: RKN Photo

Martina McBride is presented with a plaque depicting a photo of her sold-out concert at the Chicago Theatre. Pictured with McBride (c.) are (l. to r.) Brandon Gill, Morris Artists Management; Don Kronberg, President of NiteLite Promotions; Mike Betterton, Morris Artists Management; Rod Essig, CAA. Photo: RKN Photo

“I had so much fun this year bringing back The Joy Of Christmas,” said Martina. “I felt like I was spreading the Christmas spirit to so many people! We are already booking dates for next year and I can’t wait to do it all again!”

Young ballerinas from local studios and schools danced at each concert. A large video screen behind the stage depicted wintery street scenes, busy shoppers, snowy mountains and a home video of the McBride’s on Christmas morning.

Don Kronberg, President of NiteLite Promotions, summed up the tour: “The most powerful voice in Country Music wraps up the biggest Christmas tour on the road with an exclamation! Congrats Martina!”

Chicago Bears' Brian Urlacher on stage with Martina McBride at the Chicago Theatre. Photo: RKN Photo

Chicago Bears’ Brian Urlacher on stage with Martina McBride at the Chicago Theatre.
Photo: RKN Photo

Kelly Clarkson Spreads Holiday Cheer

/by

kellyclarksonRecording artist Kelly Clarkson stopped by Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt last week to sing and celebrate the season with patients, staff and families through Musicians On Call (MOC) Nashville.

Clarkson visited with the children and performed an acoustic set in the Children’s Hospital Theatre. The songstress led the packed room in a sing-along of her favorite holiday carols including “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,” “White Christmas,” and “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Clarkson encouraged singing and dancing, and the children were happy to oblige. Following the show, the kind-hearted entertainer generously offered to visit the rooms of patients unable to attend.

Steven Webber, Chair of Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, presents Kelly Clarkson and her band special thank-you gifts made by patients. Photo: Joe Howell

Steven Webber, Chair of Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, presents Kelly Clarkson and her band special thank-you gifts made by patients. Photo: Joe Howell

“This is such a special time of year and I’m so happy to be able to share it with all of these great kids. I’m probably having just as much, if not more, fun than they are,” said Clarkson. “I heard about Musicians On Call from a friend of mine and I thought this would be the perfect way to get involved with a hospital music program here in Nashville. I love playing for the kiddos!!”

MOC Nashville is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year and since its inception, the Music City branch has grown to provide 11 weekly bedside performance programs throughout six area healthcare facilities and has played for over 60,000 patients. Other artists that have participated in the programs include Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Martina McBride, Jerrod Niemann, Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, and others.

For more information on MOC, click here.

(L-R): MOC Nashville volunteer Shane Tarleton, MOC Board of Directors Chairperson Scott Welch, Kelly Clarkson, MOC Director of National Expansion and Nashville Program Director Katy Brown Epley, MOC Manager of Volunteers and Programming Dana Brim.Photo: Glenn Sweitzer

(L-R): MOC Nashville volunteer Shane Tarleton, MOC Board of Directors Chairperson Scott Welch, Kelly Clarkson, MOC Director of National Expansion and Nashville Program Director Katy Brown Epley, MOC Manager of Volunteers and Programming Dana Brim.
Photo: Glenn Sweitzer

Rewind: 2012 MusicRow Events

/by

MusicRow looks back on its 2012 events including the MusicRow Chart Annual Airplay Awards during CRS, the inaugural Rising Women On The Row breakfast and the reader-voted MusicRow Awards.

••••

The 10th Annual MusicRow Chart Awards were presented during the unofficial kick-off event to CRS in February. This year’s 2012 Awards honored Brad Paisley, Thompson Square, Eric Lee Beddingfield, Capitol Records Nashville and Jim Quinton, Program Director for WPPL/Blue Ridge, Ga. The event featured performances by JT Hodges, The McClymonts and Marlee Scott, with a special appearance from Joanna Smith.

(L-R): Jon Freeman, Gary Overton, Brad Paisley, Sherod Robertson, and Lesly Tyson

(L-R): Jon Freeman, Steve Hodges, Shane Allen, John Trapane, Diane Lockner, Brent Jones, Sherod Robertson. Photo: Isabel Ross.

Thompson Square

••••

MusicRow’s inaugural Rising Women On The Row event honored five women from different segments of Nashville’s music industry during a sold-out breakfast last March. The honors were created to recognize women who are quickly becoming visionary leaders in Nashville’s music industry through their dedication, innovation and contributions. The 2012 honorees were The Greenroom’s Mary Hilliard Harrington, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Loeb & Loeb’s Denise Stevens, Sony Music Nashville’s Heather McBee and Big Yellow Dog’s Carla Wallace. Journalist and women’s advocate Kay West served as guest speaker.

(L-R): Sarah Skates, Shannan Hatch, Sherod Robertson, Mary Hilliard Harrington, Heather McBee, and Denise Stevens. Not pictured: honoree Carla Wallace.

(L-R): Sherod Robertson, Kay West, David Ross

••••

The 24th annual MusicRow Awards were presented in front of a packed house at BMI in June. The event honored recipients of our reader-voted awards including Eli Young Band (Breakthrough Artist); Johnny Bulford and Phil Barton (Breakthrough Songwriter); Matraca Berg and Deana Carter with publishers UMPG and Warner/Chappell (Song of the Year for “You and Tequila”) and Frank Liddell (Producer of the Year). Additionally, Top Ten Album All-Star Musicians were recognized for appearing on the most album credits during the year.

Eli Young Band’s Mike Eli and Jon Jones.

MusicRow Awards Attendees fill BMI Nashville’s Lobby. Photo: Isabel Ross

(L-R): Sherod Robertson, Warner/Chappell’s Alicia Pruitt, Matraca Berg, publisher Pat Higdon, UMPG’s Kent Earls and Cyndi Forman.

 

Rewind: 2012 MusicRow Chart No.1s

/by

Little Big Town

For 10 years, The MusicRow Chart has anointed weekly No. 1 songs in the country radio marketplace and in 2012, thirty-three different songs climbed to the top position. Congratulations to all the artists, songwriters and labels for these 2012 radio achievements.

Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley

Noteworthy accomplishments were made by both Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan who tied for bringing three titles to the No. 1 position in 2012, more than any other artist this year. The longest reigning No. 1 song this year was Little Big Town’s “Pontoon,” which remained atop the MusicRow chart for 5 consecutive weeks– the entire month of August.

The 11th Annual MusicRow Chart Awards, based on radio airplay reported by members of MusicRow‘s CountryBreakout radio panel, will be held during CRS in February.

MusicRow Chart: No. 1 Songs of 2012

1/5-12         Luke Bryan “I Don’t Want This Night To End” Capitol Nashville
1/19-26       The Band Perry “All Your Life” Republic Nashville
2/2               Keith Urban “You Gonna Fly” Capitol Nashville
2/9-16         Dierks Bentley “Home” Capitol Nashville
2/23             Keith Urban “You Gonna Fly” Capitol Nashville
3/1               Martina McBride “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” Republic Nashville
3/8               Taylor Swift “Ours” Big Machine
3/15-22        Lady Antebellum “Dancin’ Away With My Heart” Capitol Nashville
3/29-4/5       Blake Shelton “Drink On It” Warner Music
4/12-26        Rascal Flatts “Banjo” Big Machine Records
5/3-10           Eric Church “Springsteen”   EMI Records
5/17              Luke Bryan “Drunk On You” Capitol Nashville
5/24              Carrie Underwood “Good Girl” 19 Recordings/Arista
5/31              Eli Young Band “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” Republic Nashville
6/7-14           Toby Keith “Beers Ago” Show Dog – Universal
6/21-7/5        Dierks Bentley “5-1-5-0” Capitol Nashville
7/12              The Band Perry “Postcard From Paris” Republic Nashville
7/19              Kenny Chesney “Come Over” Blue Chair/Columbia
7/26              Keith Urban “For You” Capitol Nashville
8/2-30           Little Big Town “Pontoon” Capitol Nashville
9/06              Lady Antebellum “Wanted You More” Capitol Nashville
9/13              Miranda Lambert “Fastest Girl In Town” RCA Nashville
9/20              Carrie Underwood “Blown Away” 19/Arista Nashville
9/27              Jason Aldean  “Take A Little Ride” Broken Bow
10/4-11         Luke Bryan “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” Capitol Nashville
10/18            Jake Owen “The One That Got Away” RCA Nashville
10/25            Eric Church “Creepin’” EMI Nashville
11/1-8           Florida Georgia Line “Cruise” Republic Nashville
11/15            Greg Bates “Did It For The Girl” Republic Nashville
11/22            Rascal Flatts “Come Wake Me Up”  Big Machine Records
11/29            Dierks Bentley “Tip It On Back” Capitol Nashville
12/6              Brad Paisley “Southern Comfort Zone” Arista Nashville
12/13            Zac Brown Band “Goodbye In Her Eyes” Southern Ground/Atlantic

Stellar Gospel Music Awards in Nashville

/by

Kirk Franklin and Tina and Ericka Campbell of Mary Mary will co-host the 28th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards. The event returns to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House Saturday, January 19, 2013.

With more than 30,000 fans voting online, Mary Mary leads the list of nominees with nine nominations based on their latest album, Go Get It. 

Charles Jenkins earned a Best New Artist nomination for his debut CD The Best of Both Worlds, and garnered recognition in seven additional categories including Artist of The Year and Song of The Year.

Other multiple nominees include Marvin Sapp and Fred Hammond with six each, and Andre Crouch and Isaac Carree with five apiece.

The Stellar Gospel Music Awards will feature live performances by Tamela Mann, Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago, Israel Houghton, Marvin Sapp, Tye Tribbett and Le’Andria Johnson, among others.

The Stellar Awards will air in broadcast syndication on 150 stations in over 125 markets around the country and on the GMC network from January 19 to March 3, 2013. Tickets to the awards ceremony at the Grand Ole Opry House are available through Ticketmaster. Related events include The Stellar Awards Pre-Show on Friday, January 18 and the Stellar Gospel Radio Awards and Showcase on Saturday, January 19.

For additional details, visit www.thestellarawards.com.

MusicRowPics: John Karl Artist Visit

/by

Earlier this month John Karl stopped by MusicRow headquarters to play an acoustic set, which included Karl’s first and current single, “Redneck Rich.”

“Your first single is important,” Karl said. “It’s like your first handshake with your audience.”

The New York native also played two songs he is considering for his second single, “Old River Road” and “I Believe.”

For more information on Karl, visit www.johnkarl.net.

[slide]

SiriusXM Radio To Air Live NYE Concerts

/by

SiriusXM Radio will present a lineup of live concerts, DJ sets and a New Year’s Eve music channel to usher in 2013. Listeners can hear a wide range of live concert music from across the country from entertainers including Willie Nelson, Gregg Allman, Widespread Panic, The Lumineers, Southside Johnny and Little Feat.

The live concert broadcasts will include: Willie Nelson from Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas (Willie’s Roadhouse, channel 56); Gregg Allman at the House of Blues in New Orleans, La. (Classic Vinyl, channel 26); Widespread Panic at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. (Jam_On, channel 29); The Lumineers at Ogden Theatre in Denver, Colo. (The Spectrum, channel 28); Southside Johnny at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, N.J. (E Street Radio, channel 20); and Little Feat’s concert at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. (Radio Margaritaville, channel 24).

Additionally, Real Jazz (Channel 67) will present NPR’s annual “Toast of the Nation” featuring coast to coast live jazz performances from Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, Dee Alexander and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.

The Pulse (Channel 10) will broadcast performances from the “Live in the Vineyard Concert” in Napa, Calif. featuring performances by Alanis Morissette, Gavin DeGraw, Grace Potter and Paloma Faith. The Spectrum (Channel 28) will air The Avett Brothers’ New Year’s Eve performance at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N.C., immediately following the live Lumineers broadcast.

New Year’s Nation (Channel 3), will feature upbeat party songs from various music genres. The channel will launch at 3:00 p.m. ET on Monday (Dec. 31) and will air through Tuesday (Jan. 1) at 6:00 p.m. ET.

For more information on SiriusXM Radio’s New Year’s Eve programming, visit siriusxm.com/holiday.

American Voices Accepting Ensemble Applications

/by

American Voices, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is now accepting ensemble applications for the American Music Abroad 2013-2014 touring season. The deadline for applications is Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. PST.

To represent the full spectrum of the American musical landscape, musical ensembles from across the United States that specialize in Hip Hop, Rock & Roll, Jazz, Country and other American roots music including but not limited to Native American, Latin, Afro-Caribbean, Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun, Gospel and Zydeco are invited to apply for this international exchange program.

The American Music Abroad program offers the opportunity to conduct musical exchange tours overseas, particularly to countries not often visited by American musicians, to foster cross-cultural engagement and understanding. American Voices will produce a series of month-long, multi-country cultural exchange programs for approximately 10 ensembles drawn from a wide variety of American musical genres.

On Feb. 8, 2013, American Voices will announce up to 40 ensembles that will be invited to audition March 21-26. On April 9, the American Music Abroad finalists will be announced.

More information and applications for the 2013-2014 tours are available here.

 

Bluegrass Legend Comes To Nashville For NYE Concert

/by

The Del McCoury Band

Del McCoury and his band of ace musicians will help ring in 2013 in Nashville with plenty of Bluegrass music. The Del McCoury Band will perform at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31. Joining them for the evening will be the Travelin’ McCourys and Keller Williams.

The Del McCoury Band includes Del and sons Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Rob McCoury (banjo), as well as, Alan Bartram (bass) and Jason Carter (fiddle).

The concert begins at 8 p.m. CT and doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $35-$60.

The Del McCoury Band will kick off 2013 by joining fellow bluegrass heavyweights J.D. Crowe, Bobby Hicks, Jerry McCoury and Bobby Osborne for concerts in St. Bristol, Tenn. (Jan. 24) and in Bowling Green, Ky. (Jan. 25).