Mid-May music roundup

Music news you can use now

By Preshias Harris

My monthly column – Inside Track on Music Row – has graced the pages (and now the website) of the Nashville Music Guide longer than any other continuously-running country music column.  The full column will be at NMG in a few weeks. Meanwhile, check out some special news items I couldn’t wait to share…

Loretta Lynn celebrates her 90th at Opry… Chris Stapleton adds “Concert for Kentucky”… Garth Brooks honky-tonk set for Nashville’s downtown… Morgan Wallen‘s album sets chart record… The Judds head out on tour… Struts sign with BMLG… Scroll down to read more!

Opry celebrates Loretta Lynn’s 90th birthday

The Grand Ole Opry celebrates the 90th birthday of one of its most beloved and iconic Opry members, Loretta Lynn on Opry Country Classics on Thursday, April 14 at the Grand Ole Opry House. Lynn’s 90th birthday celebration will feature performances by Lynn’s sister, Opry member Crystal Gayle, The Gatlin Brothers, Elizabeth Cook, Maggie Rose and the Opry debut of duo Twitty and Lynn, the grandchildren of famed duo Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty.

Lynn, born on April 14, 1932 in Butcher Holler, KY, made her Opry debut on October 15, 1960 and was officially inducted as a member on September 25, 1962. She went on to become one of the Opry’s most celebrated legends. Her countless accolades include three Grammy Awards and eight Country Music Association Awards. In 1972, she became the first female artist to win the Country Music Association’s coveted Entertainer of the Year award. Now a member of the Country Music and Songwriters Halls of Fame, she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

The show can be heard on https://www.opry.com and wsmonline.com, SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse, and the show’s flagship radio home, WSM Radio.  

Continue reading “Mid-May music roundup”

CMA Awards nominees announced

Eric Church, Chris Stapleton lead with 5 noms apiece

By Preshias Harris

Mark your calendar and set your DVR for the 55th Annual CMA Awards set to air live from Nashville, Wednesday, November 10, 8:00 pm EST (7:00 CST) on ABC.

Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton and Eric Church lead the pack with five nominations each; Gabby Barrett, Jason Hall (mix engineer) and Jay Joyce (producer) each have four nominations. With three noms each: Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris and Chris Young.

Among the first-time CMA nominees: Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, Ryan Hurd, Jordan Davis and more.

Eric Church

Here are the nominations in each category. Make your predictions now and keep this list handy during the broadcast on November 10 to see how often your picks match the votes of the eligible CMA members! If you are like most country fans, you’ll have some ideas about who should win and who probably will win!

Entertainer of the Year
  • Eric Church 
  • Luke Combs  
  • Miranda Lambert   
  • Chris Stapleton 
  • Carrie Underwood  
Continue reading “CMA Awards nominees announced”

Chris Stapleton, Tim McGraw, LANCO and more in the news

‘Inside Track on Music Row’ May 2021 now posted!

The May 2021 edition of ‘Inside Track on Music Row’ is now posted at Nashville Music Guide! It’s the longest continuously-running monthly country music column in the USA, and as always Amanda and her team at NMG have added all the ‘bells and whistles’ with links, videos, photos and music you won’t find anywhere else. Read the entire column here at NMG.

Among the content you will find there…

  • Chris Stapleton takes home Album of the Year Award at the ACM Awards for Starting Over, produced by Dave Cobb…
  • Share a “First Beer” with LANCO as their current single reminisces about “our first drink and the people we were with”…
  • Alan Jackson asks Where Have You Gone with his first studio album of new music in six years, set for release May 14…
  • Kolt Barber is on the road, combining his traditional brand of country with rodeo on The American Cowboy Showdown
  • Larry Gatlin reveals that he was the ‘unnamed country singer’ with a cocaine addiction in Matthew McConaughey’s new memoir Greenlights
  • Exile – my favorite Kentucky group – announced a VIP live online concert set for May 20, 2021…

…plus a whole lot more, ready for you to read right now. Hop on over to Nashville Music Guide’s website here and catch up with the news on my ‘Inside Track on Music Row.’

 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

‘Inside Track on Music Row’ January 2021

Check out this month’s Nashville Music Guide

Kickin’ off the New Year with a whole bunch of country music news in my column, Inside Track on Music Row, the longest continuously-running monthly country music column in the USA. Click here to read it in the January edition of Nashville Music Guide.

Among the many news items in this month’s column:

  • New albums from Brandy Clark, Chris Stapleton, Alex Hall and Bill Anderson
  • A look at Shenandoah’s 2020 all-star project, Every Road
  • The Grammys are set for Jan 31 and here’s a glance at all the nominations in the country music categories
  • Two new syndicated radio shows from Hope Radio: 90s Country Flashback and 615 The Grind
  • 2020 was a great year for Curb’s ‘golden boy’ Lee Brice. Or should that be ‘platinum boy’?
  • Dates announced for Tin Pan South 2021
  • Brady Seals (Little Texas) releases new autobiography, God Blessed Texas and Me Too
  • Plus Matt Stell, Eric Church, Blane Howard, Old Dominion, Chris Young and more. Catch the entire column in the January 2021 Nashville Music Guide.

Preshias Harris  is an advocate for songwriters and a 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

@PreshiasHarris #PreshiasHarris

Hal Ketchum dies, Chris Stapleton album, Vince & Amy

Preshias and Jon talk about what’s happening in country music this week

The Y’all Show is back after the Thanksgiving break, and Preshias and Y’all Show host Jon Rawl have plenty to talk about, including:

  • 90s country artist Hal Ketchum passes
  • Vince Gill and Amy Grant plan Christmas at the Ryman – for 2021
  • Chris Stapleton’s new album Starting Over debuts at No. 1
  • Collin Raye co-writes all the songs on his new album
  • New dates for Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival
  • Bluegrass music celebrates 75 years
  • Grammy nominees in Country categories announced
  • Dennis Quaid releases ‘unifying’ single
  • This week’s “I Know Country” Q&A from Preshias’ ebook and more

Watch the entire show at the Y’all show website (complete with all the background notes, links and info) or at the Y’all Show YouTube channel.

 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

Preshias talks about this week’s Nashville news

Mac Davis passes, new albums from Chris Stapleton, Shenandoah and Dolly, the Opry at 95 and more

Watch the show on YouTube here.

Among the topics they discussed:

  • The sad loss of singer-songwriter Mac Davis at age 78
  • “Cold,” the new song from Chris Stapleton’s upcoming album, Starting Over
  • Every Road is the title of the new album from Shenandoah – their first album of all-new music in 26 years
  • The Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 95th year with a lot of stars but not much of a ‘live’ audience
  • Carrie Underwood is set to perform songs from her Christmas album, My Gift, on an HBO Max Special
  • Time-Life is releasing a 19-DVD deluxe set titled Dolly: The Ultimate Collection, and Dolly Parton’s Holly Dolly Christmas album arrives October 2nd
  • An “I Know Country” Q&A from Preshias’ book of the same name, and more!

Find this week’s Y’all Show on YouTube here or see the show and read the program notes at the Y’all website 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

Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam 2016

Star-studded show benefits ‘Journey Home’ Project

Charlie Daniels surrounded by his special guests
Charlie Daniels surrounded by his special guests

A sell-out event, the Charlie Daniels 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam hit a capacity of 15,784 patrons in the building and was a star-studded show with a portion of the proceeds benefitting The Journey Home Project. The event featured guests 3 Doors Down, Luke Bryan, Kid Rock, Larry The Cable Guy, Chris Stapleton and Travis Tritt with the Charlie Daniels Band for another historic jam. The jam featured a variety of the artists singing standards like “Can’t You See” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Surprised by award

Charlie Daniels was surprised with the Rare Country Humanitarian of the Year Award by Randy Travis and Lt. General Keith Huber before playing his mega-hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” to a sold out crowd at his 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday evening.

“Looking back over my 50 plus year career, this is among the top five shows I have ever done in my entire life, Volunteer Jam 2016,” said Charlie Daniels of the momentous occasion.

Charlie Daniels, Kid Rock and Travis Tritt
Charlie Daniels, Kid Rock and Travis Tritt

Since 1974, Daniels has commissioned his musical friends and peers to come together on a “volunteer” basis to hang out, “jam” together, and entertain crowds in an unconventional, laid-back fashion unknown to any other concert event — all while dedicating concert proceeds to worthy causes. This year’s event featured extra special “jam” sessions with some of Charlie’s most prolific friends who celebrated the Country Music Hall of Famer, his birthday, and his many accomplishments.

A portion of the proceeds from the night went to the The Journey Home Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit co-founded by Daniels and manager, David Corlew, to help Veterans of the United States Armed Forces. For more info on The Journey Home Project, please visit: thejourneyhomeproject.org.

Charlie Daniels’ 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam was produced by Mike Smardak of Outback Concerts in association with David Corlew & Associates and Webster & Associates.