Stars on the rise at Country Radio show
Jimmie Allen, Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell, LANCO, Dylan Scott will strut their stuff for radio honchos
The 2019 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) is just around the corner, set for Feb. 13-15, 2019 at the Omni Hotel in Nashville. CRS is an annual convention that brings together thousands of Country radio air personalities, program directors and consultants. They are joined by record label executives, A&R staff and artist management teams, eager to expose their acts to radio’s decision makers.
A highlight at every CRS is the New Faces of Country Music® show. The ‘Class of 2019’ will consist of: Jimmie Allen (Stoney Creek), Russell Dickerson (Triple Tigers), Lindsay Ell (Stoney Creek), LANCO (Arista), and Dylan Scott (Curb). The annual new artist showcase event officially closes out the seminar and remains one of the most anticipated events each year at CRS.
I have attended CRS for many years and always look forward with excitement to the New Faces show. Here is an overview of the artists that will be part of the ‘Class of 2019.’
Jimmie Allen
With such an amazingly successful 2018 in his rearview mirror, we have to keep reminding ourselves that Jimmie Allen is still technically a newcomer. But he’s definitely not new to Nashville. Reinforcing the maxim that ‘Nashville is a ten-year town,’ Jimmie arrived in Music City in 2007 at the age of 22 with a bank balance of $21.00. Virtually broke, Jimmie was reduced to sleeping in his car at first, so he could send money from paychecks back to his mom in Delaware.
Working a variety of jobs over the years, he was determined to follow his dream in music. Developing his skill as a songwriter, he signed a publishing deal with Wide Open Music in 2016. Then, in 2017, he was signed to Stoney Creek Records by Jon Loba, Executive VP of BBR Music Group. Jimmie’s debut album, ‘Mercury Lane,’ was named after the street he grew up on in Delaware. The album’s lead-off single, “Best Shot,” topped Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. With that song, Jimmie made history as the first black artist to launch their career with a No. 1 at Country radio.
In an interview with The Tennessean in December, Jimmie said he always carries $2.00 in his pocket every day with the promise that he must have given it away before bedtime. The reason: back when he first came to Nashville, someone gave him a dollar. He bought a chicken sandwich at McDonalds that he tore in half to make it last for two days.
“It made every sacrifice worth it. I got to look my son in the eyes and tell him, ‘If you work hard and are good to people, eventually you’ll get an opportunity to make your dreams happen.” – Jimmie Allen, speaking of his success in an interview with the Tennessean, December 28, 2018
Music and tour dates at Jimmie Allen’s website and on Facebook.
Russell Dickerson
It’s also been a good year (or two) for Russell Dickerson. A fan favorite, he currently has over 200 million streams on Spotify and approximately 30 million YouTube views. He graduated from Belmont University with a degree in music and signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 2010, releasing an EP, “Die to Live Again,” the following year.
His first full-length studio album, “Yours,” dropped in the fall of 2017 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The album included the title song written by Dickerson with Parker Welling and Casey Brown. “Yours” and “Blue Tacoma” (another track from the album) both topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart and also charted on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs.
But Dickerson knows that his success derives largely from his live performances. He has built his fan base on tours supporting Thomas Rhett, Billy Currington and Darius Rucker over the past two years. In 2019, Russell and Carly Pearce will be hitting the road on The Way Back Tour, in addition to headlining his own solo dates. See his current tour schedule at his website.
“Since day one, all I’ve ever known is music. I love touring, I love playing the shows…I love connecting with every single person. At the end of the day, it’s all about the fans. I want them to leave my shows feeling changed. I live to make them smile.” – Russell Dickerson, quoted at his website.
Lindsay Ell
Lindsay Ell’s musical influences encompass just about every genre, and it shows in her unique songwriting and performance. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, the Canadian singer-songwriter is currently signed to Stoney Creek Records (as is fellow New Faces act, Jimmie Allen). Lindsay says she fell in love with the guitar at early age, learning to play on her father’s guitars.
She was discovered by Randy Bachman (The Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive) when she was fifteen. Bachman recorded and released her first album on his own label in 2006. Two years later, she was touring with Chicago blues guitar legend Buddy Guy.
Moving to Nashville full time when she was 21, she has now released two albums on Stoney Creek: “The Project” (2017) and “The Continuum Project” (2018), in addition to her breakout EP, 2017’s “Worth the Wait.” Ell has toured North America and Europe with the likes of The Band Perry, Jennifer Nettles, Brad Paisley, Sugarland and Keith Urban. She is now headlining her own (suitably named!) Monster Energy Outbreak Tour.
The only female act on the year’s New Faces show at CRS, Lindsay should see major Country radio airplay in the months ahead. Tour updates at Lindsay’s website on Facebook and Twitter. Lindsay is also featured on the new Brantley Gilbert single, “What Happens in a Small Town.” Check out the lyric video on You Tube.
LANCO
Figuring that ‘Lancaster and Company’ was kind of too long for a band name, Brandon Lancaster, Chandler Baldwin, Jared Hampton, Tripp Howell and Eric Steedly opted for LANCO. Playing as a band since 2015, they were signed to a recording deal at Arista the following year, releasing a 4-song EP.
2018’s studio album, ‘Hallelujah Nights,’ included the single “Greatest Love Story” that topped both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. The track has been certified 2x Platinum by RIAA and was followed by “Born to Love You,” another track from the debut album. LANCO spent the closing weeks of 2018 – in between tour dates – tracking their followup album with producer Jay Joyce.
In the past year, LANCO have earned a reputation for putting on a great live show, with audiences growing from a few dozen in a bar to multi-thousands in arena shows. They quickly became fan favorites as a supporting act on ‘Dierks Bentley’s Mountain High Tour’ and their own headlining ‘Hallelujah Nights Tour.’ LANCO know how to give an audience their money’s worth. Find LANCO tour updates at their website, and follow them on Facebook here.
Dylan Scott
Louisiana native Dylan Scott signed with Curb Records in 2013 but chart success eluded him until 2016’s “My Girl” spun to the top of the Country Airplay chart in 2016, earning RIAA Platinum status.
That song, and the followup single “Hooked,” helped propel his self-titled album into the Top 5 of Billboard’s Country Album charts. (Note: “Hooked” was added as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of the album.)
Dylan has made his mark on the tour circuit, adding fans at every venue and building his fanbase along the way. Part of 2018 was devoted to opening for Justin Moore’s 40-city ‘Hell on a Highway Tour’ and playing a bunch of solo dates. His new single, “Nothing to Do Town,” dropped in December.
Dylan hits the ground running in January with his headlining ‘Nothing to Do Town Tour.’ The tour kicks off January 17 in New York City with Seth Ennis – co-writer of “Hooked” – as the opening act. Much of Dylan’s success can be attributed to his focus on building his fanbase with a strong emphasis on social media. At CRS, his job will be to show Country radio that he’s a fan magnet on-air, too. Tour dates and more at Dylan Scott’s website and on Facebook.
“As a kid I wanted to explode. I wanted just to go to the top. Now, that it’s not happened that way and I’m sitting here on a couple of hits, I’m kind of glad it did not happen that way because when you build it slow, the fans you gain along the way tend to have your back a little better so it’s actually good thing it’s happened like this.” – Dylan Scott in a Billboard interview with Chuck Dauphin in November 2018.
The New Faces of Country Music® show is an ‘industry only’ event and is not open to the public.
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