Lady A, Luke Bryan, Mitchell Tenpenny, Gene Watson, CJ Solar in the news

Sneak peek at my February country music column!

My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest running monthly country music column in America. Catch the January edition at Nashville Music Guide here, along with photos, videos, links and more.  Meanwhile, here is a sneak peek at just a few of the items I am working on for the upcoming column for February 2022.  Scroll down to read them now…

Lady A’s new single is ‘a love letter to fans’

Lady A launches into the new year with their next single “What A Song Can Do” (BMLG Records), available now and impacting Country radio on January 31. The title track from their eighth studio album serves as a love letter to fans that is steeped in music’s power to get us through and has already garnered nearly 4 million on-demand streams.

Written by the group’s Charles Kelley with Ryan Hurd, Sam Ellis and Laura Veltz, “What A Song Can Do” also illustrates the patience and optimism the trio has taken from their years together and is available at all digital retailers here.  “We have been overfilled with gratitude after releasing this album and we don’t take it lightly that after eight albums our music still resonates with so many people,” Kelley said. “This song is the summation of where our hearts are right now and how much music can really pull us through in times of need. We love writing songs about lost love and things like that, but I feel like our favorite material comes with a strong positive message.” More information here.

Luke Bryan gets personal with new video for “Up”

Continue reading “Lady A, Luke Bryan, Mitchell Tenpenny, Gene Watson, CJ Solar in the news”

CMA Awards, Christmas songs, new music and more

Preshias and Jon on this week’s Y’all Show

Preshias Harris joined Jon Rawl again this week on the Y’all Show for another look at what’s happening on Music Row. Among the items they discuss…

  • The new Barry Gibb album, Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1, with some of country music’s biggest stars, including Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Carlile and more.
  • It’s CMA Awards time! Gabby Barrett sings her hit duet with Charlie Puth – and this is the first time they’ve met in person.
  • Dan + Shay are saying “Take Me Home For Christmas” with their first-ever original Christmas song.
  • Platinum-selling Blackhawk are releasing a two-disc greatest hit project, Just About Right: Live From Atlanta.
  • CJ Solar’s new single “The Only Present I Want” arrives while he is still celebrating his second No. 1 as a songwriter.
  • Plus a Q&A from “I Know Country” and some country music birthdays to celebrate this week.
Jon Rawl and Preshias talk Country on the Y’all Show

Catch the show at Y’all’s website 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

Inside Track on Music Row March 2020

by Preshias Harris

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  “Songs write themselves, we just hold the pen” – Garth Brooks on stage at the 2020 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, TN.

My column, Inside Track on Music Row, is the longest-running country music column in the USA and now worldwide on the Internet! Send me music stuff, I love to get it!

Preshiaswriter@hotmail.com TN/USA. Google “Preshias”

Here, below, are just some of the news items in the March 2020 column that is published by Nashville Music Guide. Scroll down to continue reading…

  • Lauren & Thomas Rhett welcome baby Lennon Love
  • Love Lives On tells stories of fallen warriors’ survivors
  • Cody Purvis on “Drinkin’ Terms” with Billboard Indicator chart
  • Brandy Clark: “Love Is a Fire” can warm you or burn you
  • “Copper Coil” new song from duo Band Steele
  • CJ Solar’s “Watered Down Whiskey” heralds new EP
  • Outlaw music from Billy Don Burns
  • Chris Bandi’s first step on hallowed Opry stage
  • Tin Pan South tix going fast: grab yours now
  • Scroll down to read these news stories from Inside Track on Music Row
BABY NEWS
Thomas * Lauren Akins

County singer Thomas Rhett and wife Lauren Akins welcomed their third daughter last month. Her name is Lennon Love Akins, and she weighed 9lbs 2oz and a head full of dark hair and blue eyes. His father Rhett Akins and his wife Sonya are expecting a boy in March… More baby news… Shay Mooney (Dan+ Shay) and wife Hannah welcomed their second child, another boy, named Ames Alexander on February 21st in Nashville. He joins big brother, three-year-old Asher James.

Continue reading “Inside Track on Music Row March 2020”

September’s ‘Inside Track’ ready to read

Sheryl Crow’s ‘last album’ + more news

In case you missed it, the September edition of my monthly column, ‘Inside Track on Music Row,’ is now posted at Nashville Music Guide’s website.  It is the longest continually-running monthly country music column in the USA.

As always, my thanks to Amanda and the NMG staff for making ‘Inside Track’ the best looking (and most read) country music feature on the Web!

Among this month’s 30+ music news items in the column…

  • Sheryl Crow says Threads will be her last album
  • Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver record album Live in Prague
  • Maui Songwriter Fest set for Dec 5 – 7
  • FGL launch own record label
  • CJ Solar debuts at Opry
  • Scroll down for brief summaries and links

Continue reading “September’s ‘Inside Track’ ready to read”

Aldean, Ballerini top MusicRow Awards

CountryBreakout winners hailed for radio spins

The MusicRow CountryBreakout Awards were once again the unofficial kickoff to the Country Radio Seminar (CRS).  Air personalities, program directors, radio execs, recording artists and record label folks gathered at the Listening Room in Nashville, Wednesday, February 12 for the 17th annual MusicRow CountryBreakout Award show.

(L to R): Alex Kobrick MusicRow Chart Director, Kelsea Ballerini, Sherod Robertson, MusicRow Publisher. Photo: Preshias Harris

Each year, MusicRow magazine recognizes the artists and songwriters who have made the greatest impact on the secondary-market radio stations whose airplay reports provide the statistics for MusicRow’s weekly charts.

Attendees were treated to performances from CJ Solar, who opened the proceedings with an energetic and rockin’ full-band set, and Chase McKinney who closed the show with a cool acoustic set.  In between, MusicRow owner and publisher Sherod Robertson announced the winners for 2018 and presented the awards.

CJ Solar

CJ Solar performs at the 2019 MusicRow Awards. Photo: Preshias Harris

CJ Solar was called back to the stage to receive the Independent Artist of the Year Award. CJ’s two singles, “Airplane” and “American Girls,” together totaled 38,689 spins. Both singles entered the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart, and appear on his five-song EP, Get Away With It (Sea Gayle Records).  An accomplished songwriter, CJ scored his first No. 1 as a writer in 2018 with “Up Down,” recorded by Morgan Wallen featuring Florida Georgia Line. Continue reading “Aldean, Ballerini top MusicRow Awards”