Nashville Music Line - Page 17 of 47 - for singers and songwriters

Justin Moore celebrates 8th No. 1

Remembers “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home”

By Preshias Harris

Justin Moore remembered “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” (Valory Music Group) at a No. 1 party in Nashville on 05 February. Justin was joined by his co-writers Jeremy Stover, Chase McGill and Paul DiGiovanni. Stover produced the song with Big Machine Records chief, Scott Borchetta.

The song is Justin’s eighth No. 1 single. For the other writers, it was Jeremy’s seventh No. 1, Chase’s fourth and Paul’s second chart-topper. It was also Jeremy’s thirteenth No. 1 as a producer. Paul is also lead guitarist with the rock band, Boys Like Girls.

Before the award ceremony, I sat down with other members of the music media as we talked to Justin, Jeremy, Chase and Paul.

Pictured L to R: Chase McGill, Paul DiGiovanni, Justin Moore, Jeremy Stover. Photo credit: Preshias Harris

The story behind the song

Justin began by talking about how audience reaction to one of his earlier No. 1 songs, combined with his admiration of his grandfathers’ military service, inspired the creation of “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home.”

Four singer-songwriters talk about their journey to Nashville

Years of hard work builds on talent

By Preshias Harris

Nashville attracts songwriters like bees to a sunflower. For many, it takes a giant leap of faith to leave home, family and friends – and often a good job – to move to Nashville with the hope of becoming a songwriter.

“I was here about eleven or twelve years before I had a song that was doing well at radio.” – Ashley Gorley

Recently, Chris Lane took a day off from touring to celebrate his second No. 1 song, “I Don’t Know About You” (on Big Loud Records) and talk about his new single, “Big, Big Plans,” that he wrote with Jacob Durrett and Ernest K. Smith.

During the roundtable media meeting before the presentation of the awards for “I Don’t Know About You,” Chris and that song’s writers – Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers – opened up about coming to Nashville and how their songwriting careers developed.

“I wrote 12 terrible songs!”

“For me, I never knew that I wanted to do anything with music,” Chris admitted. “I was always involved with sports growing up. I felt that was what I was great at.” An outstanding athlete, he played baseball at the University of North Carolina and had plans to pursue a career as a professional baseball player. However, sports-related injuries made that dream impossible and he turned to music.

“When I graduated college, I was learning how to play the guitar and trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time,” he continued. “I started a cover band and I guess I became extremely passionate over the touring side of things and being an artist. I don’t think at that time I was thinking, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna be a country artist one day that will have a song on the radio,’ or any of that kind of stuff. Songwriting was kind of an afterthought. I would go out and play all my favorite artists’ [songs], Kenny Chesney Keith Urban, Aldean, Eric Church. I mean I would just cover their songs every night and play for four hours.”

“To be able to sing a song… that connects with the crowd, that’s super special.” – Chris Lane

Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” feted at No. 1 party

By Preshias Harris

“What’s your name, what’s your sign, what’s your birthday? / What’s your wrist tattoo bible verse say? / Tell me this, do you kiss on the first date? / Don’t hold anything back.” – lyrics from “I Don’t Know About You”

It took 45 weeks to climb to the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay charts, but Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” (Big Loud Records) finally made it to No. 1 on October 01, 2019. On Tuesday, January 28, Chris celebrated that achievement with the song’s writers at a Number One party in Nashville, hosted by the performing rights organizations, BMI and ASCAP.

Receiving plaques to mark the occasion were songwriters Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers. The event was extra special for Phelps and Rodgers as “I Don’t Know About You” marked the first No. 1 for both songwriters. For Ashley, it was his forty-fourth No. 1. (To make things more complicated, last week Ashley celebrated his forty-fifth No. 1 for co-writing “Good Vibes” for Chris Janson, and since then has already scored his forty-sixth and forty-seventh chart-topper!)

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP Songwriter Jameson Rodgers, BMI Songwriter Michael Hardy, Chris Lane, ASCAP Songwriter Hunter Phelps, ASCAP Songwriter Ashley Gorley. Photo: Ed Rode

Song struck a chord with listeners

“I Don’t Know About You” really struck a chord with listeners as it is built around typical questions that a guy will ask a girl when they first meet, hoping for a date.

During the media roundtable before the presentation Lane and the songwriters talked about the song. “Lyrically, it had really cool lines in it,” said Lane. “For whatever reason, people just gravitated towards that. And even fans. I mean, a line as simple as, ‘Girl I know your favorite beer because you told me and I bought it.’ I’ve watched people scream that line! Obviously with the ‘wrist tattoo’ line. I’ve had people come up to me in the grocery store and say, ‘I love your bible verse tattoo song.’ That’s what they refer to it as, they don’t call it by its name! People took to it because of really great lines and a great melody as well.”

John Rich expands Redneck Riviera brand, launches “Pursuit” TV show

Performs at party with Cowboy Troy

By Preshias Harris

John Rich has gained international stardom, first as a member of the band Lonestar, then as a solo artist and as one half of the duo Big and Rich with Big Kenny with hits such as “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” He’s also a successful music producer and songwriter and part of a loosely formed group of artists known as The MuzikMafia.

Perhaps less well-known is the fact that Rich is a successful entrepreneur who has developed an entire line of products under the Redneck Riviera brand. This includes the Redneck Riviera Bar and BBQ, a restaurant and live music venue on Nashville’s Lower Broadway. He is also a generous philanthropist who has raised millions of dollars for charities, including Folds of Honor.

John Rich and I have known each since 1991. We met at a storage locker facility when he was a member of Texassee, a group that would evolve into Lonestar. I needed to get a special dress out of my locker that I wanted to wear to the CMA Awards. John was at a nearby locker getting the band’s drum kit out of storage. He graciously climbed over everything to get my dress for me – almost splitting his jeans as he did so!

Redneck Riviera brand expands

John Rich gets excited as he talks about his Redneck Riviera products. Photo: Preshias Harris

On January 11, John held a party at his Nashville home, named Mount Richmore, to celebrate the second anniversary of his Redneck Riviera whiskey that has proved to be a remarkable success in a crowded liquor market.

I joined John and members of the media as he introduced his newest products, a beverage named Howdy Dew and a line of meat snacks named Redneck Riviera Jerky. He also announced more details about his new show, set to run on Fox Nation, titled “Pursuit! With John Rich.”

Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell celebrate “What Happens in a Small Town”

First No. 1 for Lindsay Ell

By Preshias Harris

Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell got together with co-writers and members of Nashville’s music community to celebrate their Number One hit, “What Happens in a Small Town” on 08 January.

Number One parties are frequently held in one of Nashville’s many bars and honky tonks, but not this one. The celebration was held at Music City Indoor Karting, a go-kart track. There was a good reason for choosing this location. “I like to go fast. I like to go real fast!” said Gilbert with a grin. “December 18th was eight years without having a drink for me. I can still go to bars and it’s not a problem but it’s not quite as fun for me as it is for most. But this place, everyone can still drink and have a good time and I can run people into the wall!”

The story behind the song

Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell. Photo: Joseph Llanes

At the media meeting before the award presentation, Brantley, Lindsay and co-writers Josh Dunne, Rhett Akins and Brock Berryhill, talked about how the song, “What Happens in a Small Town,” came about. Brantley said he had recorded and delivered to the label (Valory Music Co / Big Machine Label Group) what he thought was everything needed for the new album, Fire’t Up.

Steeldrivers’ new album is Bad For You – in a good way

Album review by Preshias Harris

Outlaw bluegrass with a gritty, bluesy edge

All music genres seem to have sub-genres that are either extensions of the main genre or a fusion of two different but similar genres (Think: Rockabilly, for example). The Steeldrivers are a band that straddles different genres, creating music that is unique and doesn’t fit easily into any category.

They have sometimes been described as “goth-grass,” a blending of bluegrass and goth-rock. Their music is certainly anchored in the traditions of bluegrass with the familiar sound of banjo and fiddle. At the same time, their music often taps into some of the darkest depths of human emotion, giving a gothic edge to the songs.

Now comes their latest album, Bad For You (Rounder Records), set for release on 07 February, 2020, their first album since 2015’s The Muscle Shoals Recordings that won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

Tracy Lawrence helps the hungry with Mission Possible

By Preshias Harris

Sold-out concert follows turkey fry

Tracy Lawrence is a country star with a big heart. On Tuesday, November 26, Tracy and an army of volunteers took over the parking lot at the Nashville Rescue Mission where they were deep-frying hundreds of turkeys in row upon row of propane-fueled turkey fryers.

It was part of his 14^th annual Mission Possible that has served over 84,000 meals to the homeless and hungry in Nashville, Tennessee, and also in Dallas, Texas, and Louisville, Kentucky. Mission Possible also raises money (more than $500,000 so far) to help the homeless and hungry.

Stars join Tracy for Wildhorse fundraiser

Tracy Lawrence performs at The Wildhorse. Photo: Catrina Engelby

After the final turkey was fried to perfection, Tracy was going over to Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon for the (sold out) Mission Possible Charity Concert. In addition to Tracy Lawrence, fans were treated to performances by Tracy’s friends Justin Moore, Rhett Akins, Clay Walker and the band Halfway to Hazard.

I caught up with Tracy as he was frying yet another turkey. The weather was fine this year, cool but sunny; ideal weather for deep-frying hundreds of turkeys outdoors. I asked Tracy about previous years when the weather hadn’t been so good. “I don’t remember the year, but it was raining and sleet and cold,” he said. “It was probably down [near freezing]. It was absolutely miserable! It was one of the worst ones! But we still had lots of volunteers. Everybody was still here, nobody turned away. But this is a good day today.”

He turned to look at the Nashville Rescue Mission. “I love this place,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of great friends here. This is such a special event for them. It’s grown to be like their Super Bowl every year.”

14th annual turkey fry and concert

Matt Stell celebrates “Prayed For You” at No. 1 party in Nashville

Joined by co-writers Ash Bowers and Allison Veltz-Cruz

By Preshias Harris

It was a lot of “firsts” when Nashville’s music industry came out to celebrate on 19 November. It was the Number One party for “Prayed For You,” recorded by Matt Stell who wrote the song with Ash Bowers and Allison Veltz-Cruz.

It was Matt Stell’s first No. 1 as an artist. And it was the first No. 1 as songwriters for Stell, Bowers and Velts-Cruz. Additionally, the song was recognized as the only artist debut single to top the Country Airplay chart in 2019. “Prayed For You” has been certified Gold (and will receive a Platinum certification) with more than 125 million streams.

(L to R): Ash Bowers, Matt Stell and Allison Veltz-Cruz field questions during the media meeting. Photo credit: Preshias Harris

(On behalf of Kyser Musical Products, I presented Stell with an ASCAP-branded Keyser Capo, awarded to an ASCAP writer on the occasion of writing his or her first No. 1.)

From medical career to music

During the media meeting before the Award presentation, I reminded Matt that he seemed to be set for a medical career until he met up with Ash Bowers. I asked him what it was about that meeting that changed his career course.

Inside Track on Music Row

November 2019 ‘Inside Track’ posted at Nashville Music Guide

My column, ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ is the longest-running country music column in the USA. The November 2019 edition is now posted at Nashville Music Guide. You can read the full column here.

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

Jason Aldean’s new album, 9, set for release November 22. Jason says, “Early on I always thought if we ever got to make nine albums, I’m going to call it 9. It was my baseball number growing up, and it’s just kind of always been my lucky number”…

Chris Young made his directorial debut with the music video for his newest hit, “Drowning.” Co-directed with Native 31 Films Producer and Director Jeff Johnson, the video opens with Young holding a photo of Adam Carnes, his longtime friend whose loss is memorialized in the song’s lyrics…

Steven Curtis Chapman, Gospel music’s most awarded artist, continued bringing home the hardware with his 59th Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Bluegrass / Country / Roots Album of the Year, Deeper Roots: Where the Bluegrass Grows…

Clint Black has released Still Killin’ Time featuring eight live recordings of Clint’s hits and two studio recordings of songs that nearly made it onto his debut album Killin’ Time…

Tracy Lawrence’s Mission: Possible Charity Concert will be held on Tuesday November 26 at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon. This year marks the 14th year that Tracy has hosted his Mission: Possible event that assists feeding homeless men, women and children…

2019 Christmas 4 Kids concert headliner is “Just Another Day in Paradise” hitmaker Phil Vassar. He is the face of the nonprofit fundraising event, with Matt Ramsey of Old Dominion, Lonestar, Eddie Montgomery, Craig Wiseman, Jeffrey Steele and more set to appear…

Read the full versions of the news items listed above and many more. Click here to go to the full column at Nashville Music Guide.

Syndicated shows spread country music worldwide

Hope Nation Radio Founder Nile Peaytt lands international success

By Preshias Harris

Nile “Big Daddy” Peaytt

One of the most caring and inspiring people I have ever met is Nile Peaytt, known to his friends (including me!) as “Big Daddy” who co-founded a wonderful organization known as Hope Nation Radio (HNR). Scroll down to read more about the programming on HNR, including shows that can be enjoyed by kids in hospital. But here is news about Nile spreading Nashville’s music worldwide.

“By doing these shows overseas, we have a chance to bring a taste of Nashville to places that are hungry for country music. Having a chance to be that voice means the world to me. We’re about to paint the world redneck.” – Nile “Big Daddy” Peaytt

Nile “Big Daddy” Peaytt of Hope Nation Radio has recently launched two brand new weekly syndicated radio shows, 90’s Country Flashback and 615 The Grind. 90’s Country Flashback, as the name alludes to, focuses on playing the best country hits from the 90’s while 615 The Grind is geared towards today’s country, new country artists and country news. Though the shows have only been around for a short amount of time, both have already been picked up internationally.

Shows airing in Ireland and Australia

90’s Country Flashback has seen success in Dublin, Ireland where it has been picked up on Total Country FM (listen online here via TuneIn) on Tuesdays at 6PM, Wednesdays at 7AM, Thursdays at 1PM, and Sundays at 6PM (GMT). “I love doing this show!” says Nile. “These artists blazed a trail and their music set the charts on fire. 90’s country was something special.” Continue reading “Syndicated shows spread country music worldwide”