CMA Fest back with a bang for 2022

Country music stars and fans happy to be back at CMA Fest

By Preshias Harris and Judy Mayes

I had an incredible CMA Music Fest week.  I had my good friend Judy Mayes join me for some super media fun and Catrina Engelby helping us with photos!  

Nissan Stadium filled with fans for CMA Fest 2022. Photo: Caitlin Harris/CMA

The CMA Music Festival came in like a “Hurricane” (no pun intended) with 2022 CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs. Luke invited 9,000 of his closest friends and fans to celebrate his number one songs (this makes thirteen in a row) and kicked it off Wednesday night – “CMA Fest Eve” – at BMI Nashville’s parking lot.

Luke Combs and songwriters celebrate at BMI’s biggest No. 1 party the day before CMA Fest started. Photo: Erika Goldring/BMI

Luke brought his friends and co-writers to celebrate and perform with him. His special guests were; Drew Parker, Randy Montana, James McNair, Dan Isbell, Tyler Reeve, Rob Williford, Jonathan Singleton, Hailey Whitters, Thomas Archer, Wyatt Durrette, Ray Fulcher and Shane Minor.

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Fans join Craig Campbell and celebs for Cornhole Challenge

Fight Colorectal Cancer benefit kicks off CMA Fest, raises $25,000

By Preshias Harris

Country music fans and celebs gathered to support a great cause and enjoy fun in the sun, Tuesday, June 7, for the 8th Annual Craig Campbell Celebrity Cornhole Challenge. Again, the event served as an unofficial precursor to the CMA Music Festival, with so many country artists already gathering in Music City.

Craig Campbell and the contestants gather for a group photo before the Cornhole Challenge gets under way. Photo credit: Tracie Moore

Fans were invited to bid for the opportunity to be part of sixteen teams and play alongside celebrity contestants, with all the proceeds benefitting Fight CRC, a leading advocacy organization of relentless champions of hope in the fight against colorectal cancer. The result: The event raised more than $25,000 for the national nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC)

The location for this year’s event was Loser’s Bar and Grill in Nashville, followed by a performance by Craig Campbell and fellow artists in the Whiskey Jam parking lot.  This year’s winners were Andrew Millsaps, half of music duo Neon Union, and John Smyth, a loving caregiver for his sister Denise who was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Craig Campbell (l.) with Craig Campbell Celebrity Cornhole Challenge winners Andrew Millsaps (c.), half of music duo Neon Union, and John Smyth (r.), a loving caregiver for his sister Denise who was recently diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC)
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Mikayla Lane, rising teenage country star, signs with Brown Lee Entertainment

Mikayla Lane visits CMT with her next single, “Ambush”

By Preshias Harris

June is proving to be a busy month for emerging artist Mikayla Lane who is partnering with Red River Publishing and Brown Lee Entertainment ahead of her upcoming single, “Ambush,” set for release on July 29.

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Brown Lee Entertainment and Red River Publishing!” Mikayla shared. “Dewayne has played such an important role in the development of many artists’ careers and I am honored to be next in line to learn and benefit from his industry expertise.”

Mikayla Lane, center, with Dewayne Brown and Nancy Lee of Brown Lee Entertainment

The folks at Brown Lee were equally excited to join forces with Mikayla and Red River Publishing and embark on releasing her new material. “When we first saw her perform at The Local, we knew right then and there she was exceptional. Her writing and performance skills swept me off my feet,” said Dewayne Brown.

Brown Lee is a fully functional independent record label and artist development company based in Nashville.  Established in 2021, Brown Lee Entertainment specializes in artist development, digital marketing and more.

Written by Mikayla and John Conrad and produced by Jimmy Ritchey (Jake Owen, Clay Walker, Mark Chestnutt), “Ambush” brings a spunky, cowgirl-themed tale of unexpected love on the range and offers up a western-esque vibe. 

Pre-save “Ambush” here.

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Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd celebrate No. 1 with songwriters

“Chasing After You” written by Brinley Addington and Jerry Flowers honored at No. 1 party

By Preshias Harris

First of all, Hayes Andrew Hurd is the sweetest, cutest two-year-old you could ever meet!  And speaking of babies… Nine months is a fairly standard gestation period – if you are parents, anticipating the arrival of your bundle of joy.  But if you are a recording artist or a songwriter, nine months can seem like a lifetime, from the moment your song cracks the chart, going for adds, increasing spins, streams and sales, until it finally rises to the top. 

A scene from the official music video for “Chasing After You”

A nine-month chart climb is by no means a record-setter, but it was doubtless a nail-biter for Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris who recorded “Chasing After You” and also for Brinley Addington and Jerry Flowers, the writers of the hit song.

The song’s success was celebrated Tuesday, May 31 at a Number One party on the rooftop of BMI’s offices in Nashville.  Hurd and Morris (with son Hayes) joined friends, music publishers and industry execs to fete Addington and Flowers.

MaryAnn Keen, Associate Director of Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI, was the party’s ‘hostess with the mostest’ and introduced Jerry Flowers and Brinley Addington to the partygoers. Keen noted that she and Addington have been friends since 2008 and have often said, “Cannot wait until we are celebrating [Addington’s] first Number One,” and now it had come to fruition. She also pointed out that this song was the first chart-topper for both Addington as writer and Ryan Hurd as artist.

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The Isaacs stay busy with “Humpty Dumpty Heart” and tour

IBMA, GMA Dove award winners The Isaacs continue to ride the road

By Preshias Harris

The multi-GRAMMY-nominated group, The Isaacs, don’t like to let the grass grow under their feet and a glance at their current schedule proves it.

One of the most in-demand family acts in any music genre, they are currently continuing on a long string of tour dates, already stretching into October, interspersed with frequent stops on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.  Additionally, there’s a charting single and their newest album to keep them busy, along with leading annual guided tours to the Holy Land.

Multi-Grammy-nominated group, The Isaacs

Their current single, “Humpty Dumpty Heart”, has been welcomed by their legion of fans and is steadily climbing the charts.  “Humpty Dumpty Heart” is the second single from the group’s 2021 album The American Face. See the official music video for the song here.  Written by members Sonya and Becky along with hitmaker Ronnie Bowman, the song is out everywhere now. Listen to a preview here.

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Elle King, Martin Johnson, Miranda Lambert celebrate No. 1

“Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” hailed at No. 1 party

By Preshias Harris

One thing is for sure: Nobody wanted to go home from the Number One party for “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”.  The party was held May 25 in the lobby of BMI’s Nashville offices, having moved inside from the planned rooftop locale due to the approaching rainstorm. The chart-topping hit, performed by Elle King and Miranda Lambert, was written by King and Martin Johnson.

The song had the distinction of being the first by a female duo to top the charts since Reba McEntire and Linda Davis hit No. 1 with “Does He Love You” way back in 1993. Yes, almost thirty years ago, or in a previous century, to put it another way. 

Lambert and King are close friends as well as collaborators: In 2019, Lambert invited King to be part of her Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour with the goal of bringing powerful female voices to the forefront. 

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Ryman Auditorium named Rock & Roll HoF landmark

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hails Ryman as rock venue

By Preshias Harris

The new Historic Marker. Photo: Linda Wyatt for NML

The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville is known as “the Mother Church of Country Music.” However, the Ryman has been a favored venue for acts from every genre of music including Rock & Roll. More than one hundred members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have played the Ryman over the decades.  That connection has now been made official. Bonnie Raitt and members of Old Dominion were among the musicians, celebrities, politicians and members of the Nashville music industry who were on hand to mark the momentous event.

Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium has been designated as an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In a dedication ceremony held May 26, Mark Fioravanti, President of Ryman Hospitality Properties, and Greg Harris, President and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, made the announcement at the Ryman, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary. 

(L to R): Geoff Sprung, Brad Tursi, Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen of Old Dominion speak during the announcement  at the Ryman. Group member Whit Sellers was unable to attend.  Photo: Preshias Harris
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Elvie Shane wraps his first headlining tour

Set to play Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

By Preshias Harris

A few days ahead of appearances at the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, Wheelhouse Records singer/songwriter Elvie Shane wrapped his first-ever headlining run on April 21 with a sold-out show at Nashville’s Basement East. 

Elvie Shane plays to a sold-out crowd at The Basement East in Nashville. Photo credit: Garrett Rizan

Shane brought his My Kinda Trouble Tour with Frank Ray to a close, playing songs from his critically acclaimed debut album Backslider as well as surprising the capacity crowd with guest appearances by Lainey Wilson who joined Shane for a rendition of her ACM Song of the Year winning “Things A Man Outta Know” and Tenille Townes as she and Shane sang their duet “Nothin’ Lasts Forever.”

Elvie Shane sings a duet with guest Lainey Wilson. Photo credit: Garrett Rizan
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Michael Ray joins songwriters, publishers to celebrate No. 1 for “Whiskey and Rain”

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.

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CMA Fest 2022 brings stars and fans back to Nashville

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