Warner Music Ups Nashville Focus; Tammy Wynette To Be Inducted Into Songwriters Hall Of Fame; Country Music Still Golden On Tv
- Warner Music Group is shifting resources and focus to Nashville. The company will create a new division, Warner Music Nashville, which will house Warner Bros. Nashville, Word Entertainment (headed by Mark Bright) and a new incarnation of Atlantic Records. Joe Esposito, formerly COO of WMG’s Sales & Marketing division, will helm the new division and be based in Nashville.
- The shakeup at Warner has left one power player homeless–Bill Bennett, EVP and General Manager of Warner Bros. Nashville, is exiting. Bennett has seen some major successes during his tenure at Warner Bros. (including the rise of Big & Rich), but has also come under fire (as told to The 9513 in various interviews) by a number of artists for his handling of the label’s artist development.
- Tammy Wynette, Kye Fleming (”Smokey Mountain Rain,” “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”) and Mark D. Sanders will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame during an Oct. 18 celebration at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Tickets to the event are a measly $200 each.
- ABC’s CMA Music Festival broadcast won the Monday night ratings contest with a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, up from a 1.4 average the previous year. ABC finished only 0.1 ahead of CBS, but the broadcast increased the network’s viewership by 62 percent over last week.
- A musical based on the famed 1956 Sun Records jam session featuring Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash will open on Broadway. The show, titled Million Dollar Quartet, has been running in Chicago for a year.
The impromptu recording session became the stuff of legend. Lewis was in the studio playing for Perkins when in walked Presley, whose hits that year that included “Hound Dog,” “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” Phillips called Cash to join them, and the quartet, for the first and last time, played together.
- In other theatrical news, Austrilian producer Jim McPherson will debut The Man in Black in a scheduled two-week run at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne. The show will star Aussie rocker Tex Perkins as Cash. A press release described the show as “two hours of Cash’s magnificent music interwoven with the story of his rise to stardom, his fight for survival and his eventual redemption.”
- On Oct. 17th, Garth Brooks will be inducted into the Oklahoma State University Alumni Hall of Fame. He’ll enter with running back Barry Sanders and former Major League Baseball player Robin Ventura.
- Nickelback covered Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places” at a concert Monday night, but it “didn’t quite come off as the departure intended,” wrote the Sacramento Bee’s Carla Meyer.
“That’s because Nickelback always has been a rock band with country-music sensibilities. After all, the Canadian hit-makers offer sing-along-ready odes to experiences common to many of us, whether it’s attending high school (”Photograph”) or dreaming, for a moment, of enjoying a lavish rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle (”Rockstar”).”
- Dierks Bentley brings his 1977 Jeep CJ7 (and his hockey equipment) on the road with him.
- Big Kenny will release his first solo effort since partnering with John Rich on Oct. 27th. The album will drop via Kenny’s Glotown/Love Everybody, LLC label, and will be called The Quiet Times Of A Rock And Roll Farm Boy.
- I smell OSCAR!
Country star Trace Adkins has landed the role of a TV talent show judge in a new indie movie. The “Chrome” singer will play music know-all Jimmy Knox on fictional competition Teen Starquest in new film Lifted. American Idol winner Ruben Studdard and Dash Mihok also star in the film, which is currently shooting in Alabama.
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September 1, 2009 at 1:07 pm Permalink
Interesting about Million Dollar Quartet – one of the things those guys shared, as documented in the recordings, was a fondness for BIll Monroe’s music, evidenced by the fact that they sang at least bits of 4 or 5 of his songs – and I’m not talking about “Blue Moon Of Kentucky,” either. Unfortunately, there’s no mention of any of them in the WashPo piece, leading me to suspect – surprise – that they’re omitted from the show. Too bad.
September 1, 2009 at 1:21 pm Permalink
Nickelback also was recently covered by Bucky Covington and the song will be on his upcoming album. “Gotta Be Somebody.” It likely will be a radio single as well. How long before Nickelback decides to release their own stuff on the country charts…
WB refocusing their efforts in Nashville is good fir the industry. Also, the actual re-creation of a Nashville office for Atlantic was bound to happen with the success of Atlantic’s Zac Brown Band and the signing of Jesse Lee.
September 1, 2009 at 1:38 pm Permalink
How long before Nickelback decides to release their own stuff on the country charts…
Unleash not release. The word to use in that context in unleash.
September 1, 2009 at 1:54 pm Permalink
Who wants to bet that “This Afternoon” from Nickelback’s latest album “Dark Horse” will be serviced as a single to Country radio in 2010? :P
September 1, 2009 at 2:03 pm Permalink
Since this is Tuesday, the new CD releases on sale at Best Buy this week include: Chris Young’s “The Man I Want To Be” ($ 7.99), The Drive By Truckers “Fine Print” ($ 9.99), Cross Canadian Ragweed’s “Happiness & All The Other Things” ($ 9.99), and Jogn Fogerty’s “Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again” ($ 11.99). We don’t ever have Wal-Mart ads in our newspaper, so I have no idea what they are doing (and don’t care).
Opry Alert! Tonight’s Opry will include Gretchen Wilson, Del McCoury, Hal Ketchum, and the Bellamy Brothers with the Bacon Brothers. Should be a fun show!
Link: http://www.opry.com/TicketsAndInformation/ThisWeek.aspx
Oh, was that CMT thingie on TV last night? Somehow it slipped by my consciousness! (lol)
September 1, 2009 at 2:36 pm Permalink
Thanks for the cd reminder Rick. Just ordered Chris Young from Best Buy Online. Same price, with free shipping!
September 1, 2009 at 3:17 pm Permalink
If Bon Jovi can do it, anyone can! I’d like to hear Three Days Grace give it a shot!
September 1, 2009 at 4:20 pm Permalink
1. johnny cash musicals…I think they’re missing the point
2. nickleback has about as much country sensibilities as Steve Earle has republican tendencies. It should say “Nashville sensibilities”. and yes, unleash is the proper context
September 1, 2009 at 6:12 pm Permalink
Rick,
“Obamanation-Mart” doesn’t put CD’s “on sale.” They “Rollback” prices or ‘match’ prices from stores nearby. If best buy isn’t nearby, they don’t have ‘em on sale, unless the CD comes shipped with the 10.00 or 9.88 price point already…
September 1, 2009 at 7:10 pm Permalink
Someone review Chris Young’s new album please
September 1, 2009 at 7:39 pm Permalink
If Obama were a store he would be Whole Foods
September 1, 2009 at 7:47 pm Permalink
Corey, there are reviews of it elsewhere.
Stormy,
I know this but was referencing something Rick said about Walmart before so that’s where that reference comes from. Although the CEO of Whole Foods is against the Health Care reform so I suspect Rick might like that guy…
September 1, 2009 at 8:02 pm Permalink
I really like the direction this thread has been heading! (lol) Matt, I love the name “Obamanation Mart”! You’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head with that one! Now Matt, you should have given Corey a link to your review at Roughstock, like this:
http://www.roughstock.com/reviews/chris-young-the-man-i-want-to-be
I shop at Whole Foods even with its outrageous prices! (Its well earned nickname is “Whole Paycheck.”) I’m glad to hear the CEO opposes socialized “single-payer” Obamacare, but I can’t forgive him for buying out Wild Oats, a chain I much preferred. Fortunately Sprouts and Henry’s Ranch Market carry many of the items I like.
September 1, 2009 at 10:41 pm Permalink
Actually, the Nickelback boys are huge fans of country music. Growing up in rural Alberta, they were a Country covers band playing the bar circuit up here. They have been doing Joe Nichols’ “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” in their sets for awhile, and it’s not surprising to hear them do Garth’s “Friends…” Regarding their cut “This Afternoon”, it is not the first time I’ve heard it mentioned that it’s a very Country-Radio-ready song. Wouldn’t put it past them!!
September 2, 2009 at 6:40 am Permalink
If Nickleback likes country music at all they will not inflict themselves on it.
September 2, 2009 at 9:20 am Permalink
What Stormy said.
September 2, 2009 at 9:42 am Permalink
I think Tammy Wynette being inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame is deserving. One of her best known hits is Til I Can Make It On My Own. I love the way she sings it! Of course, a few years later it becomes a hit for Kenny Rogers and Dottie West. D.W. sings it with the same conviction as Wynette, even with the same ‘tear’ we hear about in Tammy’s music. I am sure T.W. and D.W. are singing this song right now in heaven!
September 2, 2009 at 12:04 pm Permalink
These probably need to be confirmed, but our internal calendar lists other new releases from Terri Clark, Radney Foster, John Evans, Casey Donahew Band and Seth James.
September 2, 2009 at 12:29 pm Permalink
Rick shops at Whole Foods? That is odd.
September 2, 2009 at 12:50 pm Permalink
Brody,
Radney, Casey Donahew and Seth James did release yesterday.
September 2, 2009 at 12:51 pm Permalink
Rick shops at Whole Foods? That is odd.
Yeah, I thought so too.
September 2, 2009 at 1:02 pm Permalink
me, too
September 2, 2009 at 1:52 pm Permalink
Urban’s not kidding about those Skaggs records. I’ve heard him play stuff off them note for note.
September 2, 2009 at 2:16 pm Permalink
Terri’s new disc is self-produced and is called “The Long Way Home” and came out up here in The Great White North yesterday. Our radio station had her at a local establishment yesterday to a packed house, as she played songs from it; sounds pretty dern good!
September 2, 2009 at 3:43 pm Permalink
The Opry show last night was great. For those who expected the Bacon Brothers to disgrace the Opry stage, sorry for the huge disappointment. They were gracious and rocked it with Bellamy Brothers, even joinging them for “Let Your Love Flow.”
September 2, 2009 at 3:57 pm Permalink
Amazon has 10/6 listed as the American release date for the Terri Clark record.
September 2, 2009 at 4:30 pm Permalink
as far a nicklebacks go i think blake gideon, earl thomas, or christian scott are all viable candidates.
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