62-week climb to the top for writers Josh Thompson and Jesse Frasure
By Preshias Harris
It was ‘party time’ on April 21 in Nashville: specifically, the Number One party celebrating the chart-topping success of “Whiskey and Rain,” recorded by Michael Ray. The event was held at the popular music venue The Local and hosted by BMI Senior Director David Preston.
Ray was there to share his appreciation for Jesse Frasure and Josh Thompson, the writers of “Whiskey and Rain.” The song represented Frasure’s twentieth No. 1 and the seventh for Thompson. The song was produced by Ross Copperman and is the lead single from Ray’s next album.
Pictured (L-R, back row): Big Machine’s Mike Molinar, MV2’s Tony Harrell, Warner Music Nashville’s Ben Kline, BMI’s David Preston, Rhythm House’s Vanna Moua, Rhythm House’s Stevie Frasure; (L-R, front row): Josh Thompson, Michael Ray, Jesse Frasure. Photo: Steve Lowry / BMI
During the presentations, it was noted several times that “Whiskey and Rain” was an ‘outside’ song (a song not written by or with the artist or producer or someone closely tied to the project). Outside songs have become more infrequent in recent years – as have songs with only two songwriters.
CMA Music Festival lineup set for Nissan Stadium and stages
By Preshias Harris
It has been two long years since Nashville could welcome fans to Nashville for the CMA Fest. Now, The Country Music Association has released the artist lineups for the multiple stages that will part of CMA Fest ’22, June 9-12. Outdoor daytime stages are free and open to the public.
“We’ve been waiting two years to host Country Music fans from coast to coast and every corner of the world. Sarah Trahern, the CMA’s CEO. Now we’re two months out and the excitement is palpable! We can hardly wait to bring the Country community back together in June.” – Sarah Trahern, CEO, Country Music association
A limited number of four-day passes are available, plus the newly-announced single night tickets for the Nissan Stadium nightly concerts, at https://cmafest.com/tickets/ or the CMA Box Office: 1-800-CMA-FEST.
Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Russell Dickerson, Alan Jackson, Lady A, Parker McCollum, Carly Pearce, Thomas Rhett, Darius Rucker, Cole Swindell, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson and Zac Brown Band are already set for the Nissan Stadium shows.
The Chevy Riverfront Stage, Dr Pepper Amp Stage at Ascend Park, Chevy Vibes Stage at Walk of Fame Park and the Maui Jim Reverb Stage at Bridgestone Arena Plaza will also give fans a chance to see both established stars and emerging artists on the rise. Among the many artists already booked to appear on the stages: Jimmie Allen, Ingrid Andress, Tenille Arts, Priscilla Block. Mitchell Tenpenny, Elvie Shane, Rodney Atkins, Sara Evans, Chris Bandi, Caylee Hammack, Maddie & Tae and many more. Additional acts will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Visit https://cmafest.com to check out the hour-by-hour schedule for each of the stages and details on each of the artists already set for the Stadium and stages. @CMAmusicfest
I’m looking forward to seeing you again at the CMA Fest 2022!
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
World’s largest songwriter fest back in-person after pandemic hiatus
By Preshias Harris
The 30th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival is now one for the history books and will be long remembered by the enthusiastic audiences that enjoyed the shows and the songwriters who entertained them across Nashville.
(L to R) Songwriters Shane Minor, Caitlyn Smith, Chase McGill, Brad Tursi of Old Dominion, appearing at The Listening Room. Photo credit: Preshias Harris
Tin Pan South – the largest songwriter festival in the world – was established in 1993 by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). The Festival was once again presented by Regions Bank and back on track after a two-year pandemic-related hiatus. Over 400 uniquely talented songwriters spanning multiple genres played live, showcasing their hit songs, sharing the stories behind them, and premiering new and unreleased songs in intimate settings over nine venues across Music City.
To truly pick ‘highlights’ from this year’s Festival is an impossible task: the phrase, “You had to be there” really applies to Tin Pan South. With multiple shows running concurrently at different venues around Nashville, I was forced to make some difficult choices, zipping between venues via Uber and Lyft.
One of the many shows on Night One was the Songs for Sound Benefit show at the Elliston Place Soda Shop. Songs for Sound is the official charity of the 30th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriter’s Festival 2022 – they use a passionate and compelling story about hearing loss and music to create awareness, increase access, and encourage action surrounding hearing loss. SFS aims to serve 250k people by 2025. The lineup included Eric Dodd, Makayla Lynn, and Jason Tucker. More info about Songs for Sound here at their website.
No foolin’! The April edition is posted and ready to read now!
It’s full of the latest news from Music Row and beyond… info about emerging artists and songwriters as well as the stars and icons of country music, plus photos and links to songs, music videos and more. My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest continuously-running monthly country music column in the USA and you can find it here at Nashville Music Guide.
Here are the headlines of just a few of the featured news items…
Multi-Platinum hitmakers Eli Young Band have revealed plans for a full-length album of the same name as the current single: Love Talking (The Valory Music Co.) is set for release Friday, June 3…
Garth Brooks is adding a brand new opening night in Nashville. The new opening night concert will be Friday, April 15th, 7:00 PM at Nissan Stadium. The second night show will be Saturday, April 16th, 7:00 PM…
The Les Paul Foundation, whose mission includes honoring and sharing the life, spirit and legacy of Les Paul has launched “Les Paul Thru the Lens,” an exclusive traveling gallery of photos highlighting the life and career of Les Paul, the inventor, musician and icon…
As more dates are added to Riley Green’s We Out Here Tour, including a stop at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on July 3 to kick off one of the largest Independence Day weekends in the country, the Alabama-raised singer/songwriter is set to deliver those same concert vibes to playlists…
Singer songwriter Jenny Tolman has released a new video for the title track of her sophomore album “Married in a Honky Tonk.” The Tennessean exclusively premiered the video, which was shot at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson, Wyo…
COJO Music / Warner Music Nashville Platinum recording artist Cody Johnson landed the first No. 1 of his career in March as “’Til You Can’t” topped the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase charts…
The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating one of country music’s most influential artists, Merle Haggard, on the anniversary of both his birth and his death, Wednesday, April 6…
Dierks Bentley has announced details behind the Live Nation produced summer leg of his Beers On Me Tour. Bentley will host over 31-cities to an “all-night sing-along party”…
The best-selling duo of all time, Brooks & Dunn are returning to arenas, with their Reboot 2022 Tour, kicking off in Evansville, IN on 5/5…
And that’s just scratching the surface of this month’s column. Read the full stories teased above as well as many more news items along with the accompanying photos, videos, links and more in Inside Track at Music Row posted now here at Nashville Music Guide.
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
If Gavin Lee feels totally at home in the Great Outdoors, the stage is quickly becoming his second home.
Gavin spent his formative years with his stepfather, working their farm under the hot summer sun in Florida, and hunting and fishing together in the Fall. It was during these years that Gavin developed his love of music, learning to play guitar in his early teens and listening to the local rock and country radio stations.
This is one of a series of interviews conducted during the 2022 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville.
“The songs that influenced me were a lot of Brooks & Dunn, Travis Tritt, definitely a lot of Hank, Jr.,” said Gavin about his musical influences. “A lot of older country, but definitely a lot older rock as well. I’m kind of a big Poison and AC/DC fan and all that. As far as pushing me in one direction, so to speak, one song that stands out in my mind in particular was “Check Yes Or No” by George Strait. That was the song that pushed in the direction of country. Before that I was listening more to rock, because my parents were both big fans of rock and roll, but my mom was a huge fan of Alan Jackson, so I listened to a little bit of Alan Jackson and a whole lot of rock and roll!”
He graduated from Molly Hatchett and Lynyrd Skynyrd to feeling an affinity with the Country artists of the 1990s and the storytelling that was relatable to the everyday working man and woman.
New novel, co-written with James Patterson, drops March 7
by Preshias Harris
Dolly Parton has seen the music industry from both sides – the good and the bad – during her many decades as a performer, recording artist, hit songwriter and business entrepreneur. Now Dolly has joined forces with bestselling author James Patterson to write a novel, Run, Rose, Run, published March 7, 2022.
Dolly Parton and James Patterson appearing CBS Sunday Morning
The book is about a young singer-songwriter named Rose with her eyes set on fame and fortune in Nashville. However, she finds there is a darker side to the journey towards success in the world of entertainment and must guard a secret that could derail her blossoming career.
Interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning on March 6, Dolly revealed that she has experienced this ‘dark side’ in her own career, stating that there are: “people that will rip you off, they try to steal your songs, they’ll con you, they’ll do whatever. I have seen it all.”
Dolly will also be releasing an album of songs inspired by Run, Rose, Run, and (joined by Kelsea Ballerini) sings one of the songs from the album while hosting the 57th Annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, streaming live on Amazon Prime Video, Monday, March 7 at 7:00 pm CST. Dolly hosts the ACM Awards with co-hosts Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett.
Find Run, Rose, Run at Amazon here and other book retailers. More about Dolly Parton at her official website here. @DollyParton #RunRoseRun
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 here. Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
Hands up everyone who received their college diploma from Sir Paul McCartney? Anyone? Anyone? Step forward Alyssa Bonagura.
Attending the Paul McCartney Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts – and having the diploma placed in her hands by Macca himself – is just one of the notable moments in the unique career of Nashville-area native Alyssa Bonagura, an accomplished singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Her current release, “New Wings” is being followed by her newest song, the evocative “Paper Airplane.”
“It was three of the best years of my life,” said Alyssa, recalling her time in Liverpool. “I was looking for a school that specialized in music production, but I didn’t really find any in America that I was excited about. One day I was at a Christmas party with my parents and we met the English singer-songwriter Siobhan Kennedy who is from Liverpool. We were talking at the party and Siobhan said, ‘Have you heard of the Paul McCartney School?’ I said, ‘Are you kidding me? Paul McCartney has a school?’ She told me about it and the next day I applied. I told myself that if I was accepted that I would go. Well, I got accepted and I received a full scholarship from Sennheiser, the German audio electronics company. It was such a blessing.”
This is one of a series of interviews conducted during the 2022 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville.
Kenny Chesney joined with friends and members of Nashville’s music business community to honor the writers of his 34th Number One hit, “Knowing You.”
It seems like forever ago, but Number One parties were a regular occurrence in Music City – sometimes several in a month – but concerns for the coronavirus put an end to the festivities. For those gathered at The Sutler in Nashville on January 25, it felt like a chance to reconnect and celebrate together.
(L to R) Kat Higgins, Kenny Chesney, Brett James, Adam James. Photo credit: Alister Ann
Clay Bradley, Vice President of Creative at BMI Nashville, opened the proceedings saying that Number One parties celebrate the milestones in the lives of songwriters and there would be more such celebrations as the music industry returns to normal.
Released in March 2021 on Blue Chair/Warner Nashville, “Knowing You” was written by Adam James, Brett James and Kat Higgins, and produced by Chesney and Buddy Cannon. It was the fourth single release from his 2020 album, Here and Now. The song marks the 26th Number One country hit for Brett and a first chart-topper for both Adam and Kat.
My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest running monthly country music column in America. Catch the January edition at Nashville Music Guide here, along with photos, videos, links and more. Meanwhile, here is a sneak peek at just a few of the items I am working on for the upcoming column for February 2022. Scroll down to read them now…
Lady A’s new single is ‘a love letter to fans’
Lady A launches into the new year with their next single “What A Song Can Do” (BMLG Records), available now and impacting Country radio on January 31. The title track from their eighth studio album serves as a love letter to fans that is steeped in music’s power to get us through and has already garnered nearly 4 million on-demand streams.
Written by the group’s Charles Kelley with Ryan Hurd, Sam Ellis and Laura Veltz, “What A Song Can Do” also illustrates the patience and optimism the trio has taken from their years together and is available at all digital retailers here. “We have been overfilled with gratitude after releasing this album and we don’t take it lightly that after eight albums our music still resonates with so many people,” Kelley said. “This song is the summation of where our hearts are right now and how much music can really pull us through in times of need. We love writing songs about lost love and things like that, but I feel like our favorite material comes with a strong positive message.” More information here.
Grammy Award-winning southern rock, blues and country group The Kentucky Headhunters have officially made their debut on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.
Wait, what?!
That has to be a misprint, surely. Three decades at the top of their game and it wasn’t until December 2021 that the Headhunters made it to the Opry? Well, it might be hard to believe but yes, it’s true.
However, they almost played the Opry way back at the beginning of the band’s climb to stardom. Apparently, bluegrass icon Bill Monroe was impressed with their debut album, Pickin’ on Nashville, and suggested that the Opry invite them to appear. In an interview with the Nashville Tennessean, Headhunters co-founder Richard Young said, “I wasn’t there, [but] it was said that Roy Acuff said, ‘They’re probably pretty good boys. They’ll do a fine job, but let’s get ’em a haircut first.”
Much as they would have loved to appear at the Opry, those long-haired country boys weren’t about to get a haircut, even for Mr. Acuff. They weren’t asked again – at least, not for thirty years. They finally stepped onto the Opry stage as 2021 drew to a close, long hair still uncut but a little greyer than it used to be.
