January ‘Inside Track on Music Row’ posted now

Tour info, new releases, artist news and more

by Preshias Harris

New year… new music column! The January 2023 edition of my Inside Track on Music Row column is a mix of the good news from 2022 so we can reflect on happy times and also look ahead to some wonderful things coming up as we move into 2023.

You can read the entire column, along with photos, graphics and video links, at Nashville Music Guide here. The new year marks another milestone for Inside Track on Music Row... still the longest continuously-running country music column in the USA. My eternal thanks to you, the reader, for your support… and the artists, songwriters and publicists who alert me to music news that I can share with you!

Here is a taste of just some of the news items you can find in the January column…

  • ERNEST celebrated his fifth, sixth and seventh Number One as a songwriter in 2022 while his debut single (feat. Morgan Wallen) reached Platinum certification. Now his ‘Deluxe” album is due February 10…
  • Cole Swindell racked up two Platinum multi-week Number Ones and received a Pandora Billionaire plaque for surpassing 3 billion lifetime spins. He’ll be joining Thomas Rhett for his Home Team Tour 23
  • The Cadillac Three have announced their upcoming Bandana Tour as they take their country-fuzz spirit on the road with Koe Wetzel joining TC3 on select dates…
  • Miranda Lambert was surprised with $5,000.00 from Tractor Supply Company, in honor of her MuttNation project, to donate to area animal shelters to help senior pets and pets with special needs…
  • Springer Mountain Farms Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman returns to Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium starting on Thursday, June 22 and continuing each Thursday night through July 27…
  • Eddie Montgomery has released the deluxe edition of his debut solo album Ain’t No Closing Me Down via Average Joes Entertainment saluting his lost Montgomery Gentry bandmate, Troy Gentry, who was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in 2017…
  • George Jones will be remembered and celebrated – by fans and fellow artists – at a concert, titled Still Playin’ Possum, set to take place April 25 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL, one day before the tenth anniversary of Jones’ passing…
  • Willie Nelson and Family, the first authorized work exploring the life and career of the Country outlaw icon, will debut at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, taking place January 19–29, 2023, in Park City, Salt Lake City…
  • Plus so much more about The Oak Ridge Boys, Randy Rogers Band, The lineup for New Faces of Country Music at the 2023 Country Radio Seminar, Craig Campbell, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, upcoming music festivals, Opry news and more.

Read the entire Inside Track on Music Row column at Nashville Music Guide 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 here.  Follow her blog and read her regular ‘Preshias On The Row’ news stories at Center Stage Magazine.

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. 

Continue reading “Elle King, Martin Johnson, Miranda Lambert celebrate No. 1”

‘Inside Track’ mid-month music roundup

Sneak peek at April’s Inside Track on Music Row

By Preshias Harris

Lots of news about Country artists and songwriters, record labels, upcoming albums, singles and tracks, and all of it will be in the April 2022 edition of my column, Inside Track on Music Row, the longest-running country music column in the USA, published by Nashville Music Guide.  Scroll down for a sneak peek at some of the news items already scheduled for the April column – and check out the March 2022 column, posted here at Nashville Music Guide, with my thanks to Amanda and her crew at NMG for always making the column look SO good!

Opry to celebrate life of Merle Haggard April 6

Merle Haggard in 21971. Photo: Wikipedia

The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate one of country music’s most influential artists, Merle Haggard, on the anniversary of both his birth and his death, Wednesday, April 6. Haggard was born on April 6, 1937 and passed away April 6, 2016.

The special Wednesday Night Opry will feature performances by just a few of the countless artists who have been influenced by the legend including Suzy Bogguss, his son Marty Haggard, Cody Johnson, Joe Nichols, Eli Paperboy Reed, and ACM New Female Artist winner Lainey Wilson, among others. Artists will perform Haggard classics as well as their own hits influenced by the Country Music Hall of Famer.  Tickets for the “Opry Salutes Merle Haggard” Wednesday Night Opry are on sale at (615) 871-OPRY and https://www.opry.com.  The special Wednesday night show is part of a special three-week run of Wednesday Night Opry shows during the spring break period. Wednesday shows are scheduled to return for an extended run this summer. The special Wednesday Night Opry can be heard on opry.com and https://wsmradio.com,  SiriusXM Willie’s Roadhouse, and the show’s flagship radio home, WSM Radio.  

Continue reading “‘Inside Track’ mid-month music roundup”

‘Inside Track on Music Row’ now posted

Monthly column in NMG has run for more than 25 years

For more than a quarter of a century [!] I’ve written “Inside Track on Music Row,” a monthly column that runs in Nashville Music Guide and on websites around the world. The special CMA MusicFest print edition of NMG will be available in a few days. Visit NMG’s website here. You can also catch the full column at my other websitewww.iknowcountry.comand maybe buy a copy of my country music trivia Q&A book, “I Know Country.”  Here’s a teaser of some of the items in the June 2017 column.

Morgan Evans [left] with WMN’s John Esposito
INDUSTRY NEWS:  WMN CEO John Esposito was happily smiling for a photo opp recently. They have signed Singer/songwriter Morgan Evans to Warner Music Nashville. Evans has a power team around him. Morgan is managed by Fitzgerald Hartley in Nashville and Rob Potts Entertainment Edge in Australia. He’s currently in the studio working on new music with songwriter/producer Chris DeStefano. Find Morgan Evans’ Facebook page here.

Maren Morris receives ‘Breakthrough’ Award from Jim Donio

MUSIC BIZ 2017 AWARD NEWS: Maren Morris and Lukas Graham were the two recipients of the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at Music Biz 2017, presented by the Music Biz Association (formerly known as NARM), during their 4-day seminar in Nashville, May 15-18. Reba McEntire received the Chairman’s Award; the Artist of the Year Award went to Adele; Paula Abdul won the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award; Terry Cutler of Music Millennium received the Independent Spirit Award; and the Presidential Award went to Mike Dungan of UMG Nashville. Awards were presented by Music Biz chief Jim Donio.

NSAI’s Bart Herbison

MUSIC BIZ 2017 NEWS: Bart Herbison Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association said it best: “Music Biz 2017 is one the top Music Conferences around the globe.” Around 1,500 music pros attended the event that annually brings together the influential decision makers from the world of music. More at musicbiz.org

Miranda to host march for shelter pets, June 8

Miranda Lambert

MUTT NATION NEWS: Over the top animal lover and activist Miranda Lambert will host the inaugural MuttNation March June 8, where Lambert and her rescue dogs will walk from Nissan Stadium, over the Nashville Pedestrian Bridge, and end in downtown Nashville. “So many shelter pets need a home, so we are going to march to raise awareness,” says Lambert. “Country music has the best fans in the world and together we can help so many animals find amazing homes.” Fans and their mutts are encouraged to join the walk. Details and registration info here. Additional related events include the MuttNation Foundation Adoption Drive inside CMA Fan Fair X and the MuttNation Shelter Day Sweepstakes, which gives one winner and a guest the chance to win a day with Lambert making over an animal shelter in need.

Read the entire June 2017 column at http://www.nashvillemusicguide.com and  www.iknowcountry.com

Stars come out for CMA Music Festival

Don’t miss chance to see Nashville’s rising stars, too

2016-CMAMusicFestival-Logo-Badge-4C-1It’s June in Nashville and that means it’s time for the CMA Music Festival. And as usual, it looks like the weather will be HOT and maybe a little stormy, but if it’s anything like last year, fans will be happy to brave the heat for a chance to get in front of their favorite acts.

One of the great things about the CMA Music Festival is that, in addition to the headliners, music fans get to see the rising stars and the breaking acts; often up close and personal.

Yes, Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) will be the place to see headliners such as Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Charlie Daniels, Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Clint Black, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Kelsea Ballerini to name a few. But there is SO much more talent to be seen and heard around town. Many of the clubs and bars in downtown Nashville will be hosting shows all week, offering an unbeatable opportunity to see and listen to some amazingly gifted bands, singers and songwriters.

Plus… there are the ‘free’ stages! The seven ‘no ticket required’ stages allow visitors to enjoy music from legends to up-and-comers. The free concert stages include Chevrolet Riverfront Stage (gates open at 9:00 am for Festival four-day ticket holders, and 9:45 am for the general public), Chevrolet Cruze Park Stage located at the Park between Hilton Suites and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the AT&T Skyview Stage and the Budweiser Acoustic Stage (both at the Ascend Amphitheater), and the Gildan Broadway Stage at the Hard Rock Café, located at Broadway and First Avenue.

Where to start? Best bet: go to the CMA Music Festival website to see who’s playing when and where. And be sure to check out those bars and clubs where some of my favorite singer-songwriters will be playing!

Rain can’t douse the Flame…

The storm clouds burst over Miranda's May 13 show in Maryland Heights, Mo, but the fans didn't leave.
The storm clouds burst over Miranda’s May 13 show in Maryland Heights, Mo, but the fans didn’t leave.

You can schedule a show, you can schedule a tour, but you can’t schedule the weather. Just ask Miranda Lambert whose ‘Keeper of the Flame Tour’ kicked off mid-May at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Mo., with openers Kip Moore and Brothers Osborne. And a storm rolled in just an hour into Lambert’s set; mother nature’s way of offsetting the heat radiating from the seven-time Female Vocalist of the Year’s first tour stop of the season. The Tour continues at multiple locations through the rest of 2016. Updated tour info and more here