It was party time for Chris Young and co-writers Corey Crowder and Josh Hoge on Monday, April 29, as they were feted at a Number One party for “Hangin’ On.” This was a party with a slight difference: it was a lunchtime event, instead of the usual afternoon or early evening get-togethers. The party was co-hosted by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.
(Left to right) Front row: Liz Rose (Liz Rose Music), Corey Crowder, Chris Young and Josh Hoge. Back Row: Michael Martin (Vice President ASCAP Nashville), Beth Brinker (Associate Creative Director ASCAP), Scott Ponce (Liz Rose Music) and Mike Sistad (Senior Creative Director ASCAP). Photo credit: Preshias Harris.
In answer to a question at the press briefing before the party, Young spoke about the unusual timing of the party. “It’s the only time when all of us can get together,” he said. “It’s not like it’s not a huge, huge deal and people don’t dream of getting up one day and writing a song that goes to number one. That’s why these [No. 1 parties] are so important, no matter what form they take. It’s something so special for all that stuff to come together at once and you’d have a number one. I had a [number] 37, a 52 and a 37 at the start of my career, so a number one feels really, really good and we should celebrate it.”
“Hangin’ On” is Young’s eleventh No. 1 as an artist and his ninth as a songwriter.
“The first place I wrote a song”
(L to R) Corey Crowder, Chris Young, Josh Hoge at the press briefing. Photo credit: Preshias Harris
The celebration took place at BMI’s Nashville office, and Young noted that it seemed to be the perfect location as it marks a special place on his career trajectory. “This building we’re in right now [BMI Nashville]; this was the first place I wrote a song,” he revealed. He went on to explain how that first writing session came about. Continue reading “Chris Young “Hangin’ On” for eleventh No. 1”
Sammy Sadler was an emerging artist in the late 1980s on the brink of a successful career with a record deal at Evergreen Records. He was full of optimism and high hopes when he and his friend Kevin Hughes were walking along Music Row in Nashville on March 9, 1989.
Hughes was a chart researcher at Cash Box magazine. While still a student at Belmont University, he had worked as an unpaid intern before being put on the magazine’s payroll by Richard “Tony” D’Antonio, Cash Box’s director of Nashville operations.
Hughes had become suspicious that money was changing hands in order to push certain records up the charts. He had voiced his concerns to friends and family and was considering leaving Music City and returning home to Illinois.
Marty Brown is truly an irrepressible and unique personality in the world of Country music as anyone who has seen him play live can tell you. The Maceo, Kentucky, native came to Nashville and recorded several albums in the 1990s that garnered a lot of critical acclaim.
He then took a break from recording but was co-writing songs for other artists including Brooks and Dunn, Trace Adkins and Tracy Byrd.
America’s Got Talent brought him new fans
Marty Brown. Photo credit: America’s Got Talent
Marty found an entire new audience with his appearance on the eighth season of America’s Got Talent. The YouTube clip of his audition generated more than 11 million views. He reached the semi-finals, endearing himself to viewers and listeners with his voice and his lovable character.
Scotty McCreery turned his own love story into a No. 1 hit. “This Is It” became Scotty’s second No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts, following 2017’s smash hit, “Five More Minutes.”
(L to R) Aaron Eshuis, Scotty McCreery, Frank Rogers. Photo: Ed Rode
He celebrated the success of “This Is It” at a Number One party on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, with co-writers Aaron Eshuis and Frank Rogers. The song was produced by Eshuis, Rogers and Derek Wells. The party, co-hosted by ASCAP and BMI, was held at ASCAP’s Nashville offices.
“If you’d told me a couple of years ago that I’d be here, I’d have told you you’re crazy,” said Scotty as he began his remarks at the party. “It’s been an incredible ride.”
A very personal song
Scotty and Gabi’s engagement day selfie
“This Is It” has become a very personal song for Scotty. He and long-time girlfriend, Gabi Dugal, had known each other since kindergarten and dated for about six years before Scotty proposed while on a hike to a romantic spot near Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
“I wrote it a couple of days before our engagement,” Scotty revealed during the No. 1 party. He played the song to Gabi just an hour after he proposed. He sang the song to her at their wedding and says that he sees Gabi in his mind when her performs it on the road every night. “It’s easy to write love songs about you, baby,” Scotty said to Gabi during the presentation ceremony. “I appreciate you saying yes and marrying me, otherwise this song probably wouldn’t have made it to radio!” He added, “’This is NOT It’ is not a good title!”
Scotty thanked co-writers Eshuis and Rogers for being by his side. “Frank, you’ve been a mentor to me for years now. I feel you really ‘get’ me and what I want to say, and you help me say it. I appreciate you, brother.” Continue reading “Scotty McCreery’s romance inspired “This Is It””
The March edition of my column, Inside Track on Music Row, is now ready to read at Nashville Music Guide. Inside Track is the longest-running monthly Country music column in America. This month’s column includes dozens of news items about upcoming tours, new releases and music industry news.
Among this month’s 30+ music news items…
Johnny Lee’s tell-all autobiography
Marty Brown’s new single from upcoming album
LA trio Honey County is ‘High On The Radio’
Brooks & Dunn share more details on Reboot album
Music Biz 2019 convention set for May 5–8
Tin Pan South hits Nashville March 26-30
Johnny Lee
BOOK NEWS: Johnny Lee racked up 17 Top 40 country hits in the early and mid 90s. His 1980 single “Lookin’ For Love” became a crossover hit, making it to the Top 5 of Billboard’s pop charts and No. 1 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Now, Lee has written “STILL Lookin’ For Love: Johnny Lee: An Autobiography” with Scot England. In it, he tells of the highs and lows of his life as a country artist… continue reading here.
Marty Brown
CD NEWS: Marty Brown returns to Country radio via Play MPE with “Umbrella Lovers,” a hypnotic new single from his upcoming CD, AMERICAN HIGHWAY (Plowboy Records). The track combines a laid-back, big-city vibe with Brown’s distinctive vocal. Jangling guitars, a slight “island vibe” and easy vamps keep the track moving along with a “live” room sound. Fans can hear “Umbrella Lovers” on SoundCloud now… continue reading here.
Honey County
CD RELEASES: LA-based trio Honey County’s new EP, ‘High on the Radio,’ is loaded with six tracks of California cool and southern spice. The EP showcases the girls’ stacked harmonies and layered musical styling. The girls of Honey County, Dani Rose, Devon Jane and Katie Stump, have released a plethora of videos throughout the past two years leading up to this release… continue reading here.
Reboot
DUO NEWS: The best-selling duo of all time Brooks & Dunn have revealed more details regarding their upcoming album REBOOT. The duo shared with fans their collaborator for each timeless track, with each artist contributing their own unique spin. Available on April 5, the 12-track release will see the duo team up with… continue reading here.
INDUSTRY NEWS: Entertainment Industry’s Convention– Music Biz 2019 is set for May 5 – 8 in Nashville. Every year, these efforts to support the business culminate at the Music Biz conference, four days of insightful presentations and powerful discussions on the most pressing topics affecting our industry… continue reading here.
TIN PAN SOUTH NEWS: The 27th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival just bumped the scheduled show count up to triple digits. Fans will have the opportunity to choose between over 300 songwriters performing at over a 100 shows at ten of Nashville-area music venues featuring hit-makers from all genres of music. The popular week-long Fast Access passes are now on sale… continue reading here.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
The songs of three of country music’s best-known artists are among the twenty-five works to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame this year.
Dolly Parton‘s “Coat of Many Colors,”Brenda Lee‘s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” and Jeannie C. Riley‘s “Harper Valley P.T.A.” are among the 2019 class. Some of the other recordings to be inducted are: “I’m Walking” (Fats Domino), “Full Moon Fever” (Tom Petty), “Walk This Way” (Aerosmith), “Wild Thing” (The Troggs), “Move On Up” (Curtis Mayfield) and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (The Platters).
Dolly Parton
“Coat of Many Colors,” originally released in 1971, has been a fan favorite for decades. The song also inspired the TV movie, “Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors” that aired in December 2015.
Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee’s 1958 holiday song, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” can be heard on radio and in shopping malls every Christmas. In December 2018, the song racked up more than 32 million on-demand streams.
Jeannie C. Riley
Jeannie C. Riley achieved a ‘first’ with her recording of “Harper Valley P.T.A.” The song made her the first female artist to reach No. 1 on both the country and all-genre pop charts with the same song.
1,088 recordings in Grammy Hall of Fame
The selections in the Class of 2019 include singles and albums that are at least 25 years old, and show “qualitative or historical significance.” A total of 1,088 recordings (including the new inductees) are now part of the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame is proud to be a pillar of musical excellence and diversity year after year, honoring some of the most iconic recordings of all time,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “We are proud to acknowledge the ever-changing landscape and evolution of musical expression for which the Academy has become known. We’re honored to add these masterpieces to our growing catalog and are delighted to celebrate the impact they’ve had on our musical, social, and cultural history.”
The sixty-first Grammy Awards show airs Friday February 10 on CBS at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
Songwriters, artists: sign petition to support MLC to collect streaming royalties. Take action now!
Nashville, TN (February 4, 2019) – The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the Songwriters of North America (SONA), National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), today unveiled broad endorsements for their industry-consensus Music Licensing Collective (MLC) submission to the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO).
The submission, which will be filed by March 21st, creates the collective required by the Music Modernization Act (MMA) to license and administer mechanical rights. Additionally, the groups announced the MLC Board and Committee appointments and launched a website for all of the songwriters and artists who support the MLC to sign an official petition: SupporttheMLC.com and a site for music publishers to add their endorsements: SongConnect.org.
“We’ve worked for decades for the benefits the MLC will bring songwriters/composers, including licensing their digital mechanical royalties at no cost since the streaming music companies have agreed to fund the collective.” – Steve Bogard, President, NSAI
Increased royalty payments from streaming services
Personal note: The Music Licensing Collective (MLC) needs your support to ensure its success on your behalf. It will create and maintain a thorough database of music composition copyrights (and the copyrights’ owners), collect mechanical royalties from digital music streaming services, and transmit those royalties to copyright holders based on the ownership claims set forth in the database.
Streaming services will pay mechanical royalties to the MLC based on the number of streams each song has racked up. This a major benefit for both artist and songwriters. The MLC will also set up a blanket mechanical license for streaming of music compositions, replacing the unwieldy Notice of Intention (NOI) that is currently filed when a streaming service cannot track down a copyright owner. This will result in significantly higher royalty payments for copyright holders in the MLC’s master database.*
All you have to do is join. And its free.
“The U.S. Copyright Office will choose who runs the MLC this Summer. The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Songwriters of North America (SONA) and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) helped passed the MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT, working on the legislation for years. We are asking for your support for the MLC being created by us. We KNOW we can do the best job when it comes to licensing your songs and protecting your royalties because we’ve been doing it for decades.” – quote from the MLC website.
‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ my monthly music news column appears in Nashville Music Guide. The February edition will drop any day soon – a special edition for Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2019. Here are some Country news items that just missed the NMG print deadline. Check back here later for an excerpt from the February column and a link to it at NMG.
Garth Brooks’ new album: a FUN project
Ray Stevens: 60 years in music
John Berry asks for prayers, God’s healing
Maxine Brown passes
Scroll down to read these news items
Garth Brooks’ new album: a FUN project
Garth Brooks Inside Studio G
Garth Brooks revealed the title of his upcoming studio album is FUN. Garth divulged the information during “Inside Studio G,” a weekly Facebook Live series airing every Monday on Garth’s Facebook page at 7:00 PM EST. Garth fans have been given a teaser of what to expect from his anticipated studio album, with Garth releasing “All Day Long.” The much-awaited record is available to preorder now.
“The title of the album was sparked because making it has been such a fun process to go through,” explained Garth. “Being able to go in and out of the studio while being on the tour, working with the same guys, it’s been amazing. The album will be available this spring and I want the fans to just have fun with this, because that’s what this has been.” More at Garth’s website and Facebook page.
Carrie Underwood and her husband Mike Fisher are now parents to their second child, another boy, named Jacob Bryan, born in the early hours of January 21. The good news came after a number of setbacks for the couple. Carrie had suffered several miscarriages in addition to injuries as a result of a fall.
Former pro hockey player Fisher, 38, posted details on Instagram post on Wednesday following the Monday birth. He also posted photos of baby Jacob with both himself and Carrie.
Photo: People magazine
Say Hi to the “Littlest Pistol!” Angaleena Presley and her husband, Jordan Powell, welcomed daughter Phoenix Joeleena Jean Powell on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. Weighing in at 7.8 lbs., and measuring 17.5 inches, Phoenix made her debut at 7:49 a.m. CST. The baby’s name is especially meaningful, as it merges family monikers with homages to both a beloved matriarch and a late friend.
“We chose Phoenix all together, Joeleena is a combination of my friend Tony Joe White who passed away a few months ago and ‘leena,’ which is family name from Angaleena’s side,” Jordan explains. “Jean is my grandmother’s name — she’s 92 and helped raise me.” The details were first revealed in People magazine.
Jason & Brittany. Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty
Jason Aldean and wife Brittany are expecting the birth of the second daughter that they have named Navy Rome. In fact, they are expecting the birth at any minute. The new baby will join brother Memphis who celebrated his first birthday in December 2018.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
Number One party toasts Evans, DeStefano, Osbourne
“Kiss Somebody” is the first No. 1 in the USA for Morgan Evans, both as a songwriter and as an artist.
(L to R): Josh Osbourne, Evans, Morgan Evans, Chris DeStefano. Photo: Preshias Harris
Australian-born Morgan and his label Warner Brothers along with ASCAP, BMI and APRA AMCOS (Australia’s PRO) came together to celebrate for the three songwriters. Morgan, his producer Chris DeStefano (also a co-writer) and Josh Osbourne were at Sound Check January 17 to receive awards, kudos and plaques.
The single is off of his Top 10 US debut album, “Things That We Drink To.” Morgan’s artistic vision came full circle with his producer and hit songwriter Chris DeStefano. The eclectic country album arrived at #1 on the ARIA Top Country Albums Chart and scored a Top 5 debut on the all-genre ARIA Top Albums Chart in Australia. Evans’ current single “Day Drunk” has held the #1 spot on Australia’s Music Network Country Airplay Chart for 21 consecutive weeks. That track also topped the all-genre TMN Hot 100 Airplay chart for two weeks in Australia, almost unheard of for a Country act. The album has garnered critical acclaim and it looks like 2019 is not even going to slow down.
From 2007 talent show to 2018 No. 1
Morgan Evans. Photo: Joseph Llanes
Back Story: Morgan Evans moved to Nashville two years ago from his native Australia, where his career was already flourishing. He won a talent show in 2007 where the prize was a trip to Nashville to record a single. He is married to Black River’s Country star Kelsea Ballerini. He signed with Warner Bros in 2017 and released his U.S. debut “Kiss Somebody.”
Evans is supporting Old Dominion on the MAKE IT SWEET TOUR to kick off 2019, before joining the first leg of Dan + Shay THE TOUR beginning in February. At a NSAI fundraiser with Evans and his album’s co-writers and friends, they revealed that Evans and DeStefano had both co-written each of the album’s 11 songs (including the duet song with wife Kelsea)!
“Whenever I see the city skyline, I remember the first time I came to Nashville and I looked at that skyline and I imagined being a part of that community. And every time I have that thought, I get that rush of memories, especially on a day like today when we get to stop and look back and celebrate things. These guys have sat up here a lot of times, but for me, it’s the first I’ve experienced this. And I guess, more than anything, it means that I get to keep doing this for a long time.” – Morgan Evans
