#PreshiasHarris Archives - Page 2 of 6

Walker Montgomery’s whiskey has some “Work To Do”

“Lonely For a Livin'” arrives June 23

by Preshias Harris

Walker Montgomery has some “Work To Do,” but the song of that same title is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for him as it impacts fans following its recent release.

However, Walker co-wrote “Work To Do” back in 2021. “Some buddies of mine, Adam Wood, Mark Irwin and me,” Walker told me when we met up during the 50^th annual CMA Fest in Nashville. “We just got in the writing room and Adam had this idea which was, ‘whiskey’s got some work to do’ and he already had some stuff worked up. I was like, ‘dadgum, that’s cool!’ We knew we wanted to write it, but we didn’t know the angle which we wanted to write it as.”

It quickly became apparent, as the write progressed, that “Work To Do” would be a ‘breakup’ song with lyrics such as: “Yeah tonight this bottle better roll up its sleeves / Cause neither one of us is gonna get any sleep / I’m on the rocks / So he’s on the clock / Until the job gets through / When the weekend rolls around I get to missing you / So this whiskey’s got some work to do.”

Play / stream / download “Work To Do” here. And… Pre-add / pre-save Walker’s new song “Lonely For a Livin'” (released June 23) here.

*Click image to pre-add / pre-save* *“Lonely For a Livin'”*

Bryan Martin heals painful life with music

Fans relate to his blue-collar, hard-working background

By Preshias Harris

Bryan Martin came up working hard for everything he has achieved. Along the way, he has faced almost overwhelming challenges – many of which, he admits, have been what he calls “self-inflicted.”

During CMA Fest, Bryan and I sat down to talk about his recent album, Poets & Old Souls, and the connection between his hard life and his music.

Just days after CMA Fest, Bryan released his latest single titled “Goin’ For Broke” (Average Joes Entertainment), available on all major digital platforms. Listen to “Goin’ For Broke” here and watch the gritty B&W music video (directed Julian Mendoza) here.

Bryan Martin’s hardscrabble music is obviously resonating with his fans. Poets & Old Souls has already garnered over sixty million worldwide streams, and one of the album tracks, “We Ride” recently broke the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Michael Ray thrills fans with ‘Dive Bars & Broken Hearts’

Debuts entire 6-song EP at live show for fans

By Preshias Harris

What better place than a dive bar to launch a project titled Dive Bars & Broken Hearts? That’s exactly what Michael Ray and his Warner Music Nashville team did at The 5 Spot during the 50^th CMA Fest in Nashville.

To be fair, The 5 Spot is more of a casual live music hangout than a true grungy dive bar, but it provided the ideal atmosphere to match the event. The venue was packed to capacity (and then some) with fans, some of whom had been lining up outside since before daybreak.

*Michael Ray walks up the steps to take the stage at The 5 Spot. Photo: Preshias Harris*

The six-song EP, Dive Bars & Broken Hearts, is available everywhere June 23 (pre-add / pre-save here) with the title track released June 9.

In the nearly two years since the release of his 2021 EP, titled Higher Education, Michael spent much of the time since then reflecting on the kind of music that he wants to make moving forward. He began talking with renowned producer Michael Knox, a CMA Album of the Year-winning producer. Knox best known for producing all of Jason Aldean’s albums as well as projects for Montgomery Gentry and Trace Adkins, among others.

Pat Boone shows he’s got “Grits”

Celebrates 70 years in showbiz at CMA Fest

By Preshias Harris

You can often hear some artists described as ‘living legends’ and in a lot of cases that title is somewhat overstated. But there is one living legend whose description as such is indisputable: Pat Boone.

Pat’s career has been phenomenal, beginning in the early 1950s. In fact, had he retired from show business in 1960 he would still be considered an influential star: he was the second-biggest-charting artist of the 1950s (only Elvis Presley was ahead of him) and, beginning at the age of 23, he hosted the nationally-broadcast musical variety show Pat Boone Chevy Showroom on ABC-TV from 1957 to 1960. (By the way, in 1955, Elvis was the opening act for the Pat Boone show in Brooklyn, Ohio!)

He has sold more than 45 million records worldwide including 38 Top 40 hits. Over time he progressed from pop music to both Country and Gospel, finding success in those genres and attracting new generations of fans.

I met up with Pat in Nashville during the 50^th Annual CMA Fest and we sat down to catch up with what’s new in his busy life. Now 89 years old, Pat shows no sign of slowing down, continuing to make personal appearances and host his SiriusXM satellite radio show. He is also a best-selling author and an entrepreneur with his own record label. We talked about his latest project, a self-penned song titled “Grits” now released as his new single.

Dolly Parton set to release ‘Rockstar’ album

Interprets rock classics plus originals in 30-track project

By Preshias Harris

Nobody can deny that Dolly Parton has conquered Country. Co-hosting the 58^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, May 11 with Garth Brooks, Dolly even poked a little fun at being call a GOAT – Greatest Of All Time – pulling a pink wagon onto the stage with a live goat sitting in it!

So yeah, Dolly’s a Country GOAT… but Rock? You might remember that when her name was put forward as a nominee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she initially declined the nomination saying, “I don’t feel that I have earned that right.” However, Dolly was persuaded to accept the nomination and was inducted into the Rock Hall in November 2022.

So, what’s a country girl to do when she is officially recognized as a rock star? Well… record an album titled Rockstar, of course. The 30-track project will be available November 17, 2023 in effectively all media from vinyl to streaming via Butterfly Records. (Find links and more details in my article posted here at Center Stage Mag.)

Alex Miller says, “Girl, I Know a Guy”

New single from American Idol alum

By Preshias Harris

For Alex Miller, it all began with his fan-favorite appearance on American Idol. But it was a beginning that was a decade in the making for an artist who had been performing since he was nine years old.

Now with a new single – “Girl, I Know A Guy” – impacting radio April 21 and a new EP scheduled for later this year, Alex is on the way up. In March, Alex and I sat down at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) to catch up on what’s going on in what he calls his “crazy” life. Read the full interview at Center Stage Mag here.

The new single follows previous releases, “When God Made the South”, “I’m Over You, So Get Over Me”, “Don’t Let the Barn Door Hit Ya” and “Through With You” – the latter peaking in the Top 35 of the Billboard Indicator Chart and at No. 1 on The Country Network.

*Alex Miller and his grandfather GB Miller visiting the Ernest Tubb Record Store in Nashville.*

In our interview, Alex shared a touching story about the unflagging support he received from his grandfather. “He’d say, ‘You’re gonna play at the Grand Ole Opry someday. I’m gonna make that happen,’” Alex told me.

Garth Brooks: “Friends In Low Places” almost didn’t happen

Garth Brooks tells the story behind the song at CRS

by Preshias Harris

Garth Brooks became the inaugural recipient of the Country Radio Broadcasters’ Garth Brooks No Fences Award, named after Brooks’ ground-breaking No Fences album. It recognizes an individual in the country music industry who boldly demonstrates innovation, creativity and tenacity.

During this year’s Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in March, Brooks was interviewed by CRB’s RJ Curtis. Read my full report of the in-depth interview at Center Stage Mag here.

*Garth Brooks talks with Country Radio Broadcasters at CRS 2023. Photo: Preshias Harris*

At one point, Curtis put up a screenshot showing a string of Garth Brooks hit songs in a thirteen-month period across 1989 and 1990. The songs were: “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)”, “If Tomorrow Never Comes”, “Not Counting You” and “The Dance”.

However, Brooks was not among the rising artists selected to appear at the New Faces of Country Music show at the 1990 CRS. To the amazement of the ‘standing room only’ audience, Brooks never played the New Faces show.

In the interview, Brooks frankly described how his monumental hit “Friends in Low Places” very nearly became Mark Chesnutt‘s hit single, rather than his. Brooks had actually cut the demo for the songwriters while he was a shoe salesman in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, moonlighting as a demo singer.

He went on to explain his prolonged absence from music to be with his family and how: “it was probably the most selfish move I ever made in my life.”

Read my full report of the in-depth Garth Brooks interview in the ‘Preshias On The Row’ section of Center Stage Mag here. #CenterStageMag

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

David Adam Byrnes gotta “Keep Up With A Cowgirl”

Scores SEVEN No. 1 songs on Texas radio charts

David Adam Byrnes came to Nashville from his native Arkansas seeking success as a singer-songwriter. But it wasn’t until he left Nashville that he found success.

That success came to him in Texas where it felt “just like a glove that fit perfectly,” as he said, in an interview with me during Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in March. He found a true connection with the culture and the music in the Lone Star State – and an audience that embraced his genuine love of traditional country music.

In the interview, Byrnes told me that, as a songwriter in Nashville, he seemed to be on the edge of success when five songs he had penned were on hold or about to be released by recording artists. But all those potential cuts evaporated, forcing him to reevaluate his career path.

You can read my full interview with David Adam Byrnes at Center Stage Mag here. He talks about how that potential career-end became a golden opportunity with a string of No. 1 hits in Texas and a new album, Keep Up With a Cowgirl. #DavidAdamByrnes

It’s “That Summer” for Southbound 75

Seasoned road warriors talk about their new single

by Preshias Harris

Southbound 75 have been described as “Old Dominion meets Maroon 5” which may be true but does not quite encompass their wildly popular live shows.

As seasoned road warriors – hence the band’s name – they entertain audiences all across the country. They stood still long enough to talk to me in Nashville during Country Radio Seminar (CRS).

We talked about their just-released single, “That Summer” (Brown Lee Ent/Sony Orchard) — an upbeat song about living in the moment — and about their life on the road. They even revealed their “gotta-go-to” eatery when they are burning up the miles between gigs!

Read my full interview with Southbound 75 in the Preshias on the Row section of Center Stage Magazine here.

Sam Phillips, Sun Records celebrated

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates Sam Phillips’ 100^th birthday

by Preshias Harris

2023 marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of one of the most influential people in the realms of virtually all popular music – country, blues, R&B, rock n’ roll and pop. Sam Phillips was born January 5, 1923 in Florence, Alabama, but made his indelible mark on music in Memphis, Tennessee.

It was there, in 1950, that he set up the Memphis Recording Service and then Sun Records that would launch the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and many more.

*(L to R) Jay McDowell, Jerry Phillips talk at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Photo: Preshias Harris*

In February, The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum honored the legendary Sam Phillips at a special event marking what would have been his 100^th birthday. In attendance was Sam’s son Jerry Phillips who took the podium for an informal Q&A, led by the Museum’s multimedia archivist Jay McDowell.

Read my full story and interview at Center Stage Mag here.

“Lonely For a Livin'” arrives June 23

Fans relate to his blue-collar, hard-working background

Debuts entire 6-song EP at live show for fans

Celebrates 70 years in showbiz at CMA Fest

Interprets rock classics plus originals in 30-track project

New single from American Idol alum

Garth Brooks tells the story behind the song at CRS

Scores SEVEN No. 1 songs on Texas radio charts

Seasoned road warriors talk about their new single

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates Sam Phillips’ 100th birthday

Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum celebrates Sam Phillips’ 100^th birthday