Bucky Covington photo courtesy of Entertainment One Nashville.

Bucky Covington has released his first new music in nearly two years. “I Wanna Be That Feeling” is Bucky’s first release on his new label home, Entertainment Music Group, which he signed with earlier this fall.

Written by Jimmy Yeary and Ben Hayslip, “I Wanna Be That Feeling” is a song about the excitement of being young and in love. The video for the track was recently filmed in Nashville’s abandoned Tennessee State Prison and will be released in the new year. Continue Reading

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Bucky Covington photo courtesy of Entertainment One Nashville.

Bucky Covington has signed a new record deal with Entertainment One Music Group and has plans to release new music as early as winter of this year. While eOne represents artists from a range of genres, Bucky joins the label as its premier country talent.

“After getting to know everyone at eOne, they are a perfect fit for me,” Bucky said. “Being a part of eOne is such a great opportunity, and I truly believe it will be a winning combination. I love these guys! I am very excited and can’t wait to get the party started and share my new music with my fans.” Continue Reading

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Craig Morgan photo courtesy of Monarch Publicity.

Craig Morgan has announced the lineup for his 5^th annual Charity Ride and Concert to be held August 6 and 7 in his hometown of Dickson, Tennessee. The event, which benefits Billy’s Place, a home for temporarily displaced children in Dickson, will include a celebrity dirt bike ride, a sporting clay shoot and a concert.

The event kicks off on Saturday, August 6 with a celebrity dirt bike ride. Kevin Windham, Cowboy Kenny Bartram, Fred Andrews, Randy Hawkins, Ricky Carmichael, Andrew Short and Bucky Covington have been confirmed for the ride.  On Sunday, Craig will perform along with Bucky, Pam Tillis and Sarah Darling. Continue Reading

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Laura Bell Bundy photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Laura Bell Bundy will host the Fifth Annual Country Weekly Fashion Show & Concert, Tuesday, June 7 at 9 p.m. at Nashville’s Rocketown. She will also perform during the show along with previously announced Joe Nichols and Steel Magnolia. GAC’s own Suzanne Alexander will emcee the show.

“I am thrilled to participate in this awesome event and to share the stage with one of my favorite people, Suzanne Alexander,” Laura Bell said. “I am excited to perform for the fans and can’t wait to watch my friends strut their stuff. And yes, I am going to be pulling out my inner Simon Cowell.” Continue Reading

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Joe Nichols photo by Jon Smith, courtesy of Universal Records South.

Joe Nichols and Steel Magnolia are set to headline the Fifth Annual Country Weekly Fashion Show & Concert. The event, which will be emceed by GAC’s Suzanne Alexander, takes place  June 7 at Nashville’s Rocketown and will benefit Musicians On Call, an organization that brings live and recorded music to patients in healthcare facilities.

“The Country Weekly Fashion Show is a fun way to kick off CMA Music Fest,” Joe said. “Music fans can sit back, relax and see their favorite artists doing something a little different. Of course, some have that catwalk fashion show strut down a little better than others! But no matter who struts their stuff better, it’s always a fun evening of music and fashion. Continue Reading

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Gary Allan photo courtesy of UMG Nashville.

Gary Allan will kick off the Daily Concerts on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage during this year’s CMA Music Festival with a 10:00 a.m. CT show on June 9. Reflecting 40 years of country music, the stage’s daily lineup will feature past, current, and future superstar artists. The Riverfront Stage concerts are free and open to the public.

“Gary Allan will provide a dynamic start to 2011 CMA Music Festival at the Daily Concerts on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “This stage is packed with great hit-makers from the ’70s through today, spotlighting all the decades of CMA Music Festival’s existence. And it’s free! We invite everyone to come and enjoy the great music on the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage.”

Darryl Worley will close the Daily Concerts on Friday, June 10, Billy Ray Cyrus on Saturday, June 11 and Terri Clark on Sunday, June 12. Terri last performed at CMA Music Festival in 2007, Billy Ray in 2008 and Darryl in 2010.

The current daily artist lineups in alphabetical order:

Thursday, June 9: Gary Allan, Emerson Drive, Colt Ford, Jack Ingram, Sammy Kershaw, Craig Morgan, James Otto, Jake Owen, Randy Rogers Band, and Steel Magnolia.

Friday, June 10: Frankie Ballard, Bucky Covington, Brett Eldredge, Jo Dee Messina, Randy Montana, Heidi Newfield, Sawyer Brown, Phil Vassar, James Wesley, and  Darryl Worley.

Saturday, June 11: Crystal Bowersox, Jason Michael Carroll, Billy Ray Cyrus, Steve Holy, Lonestar, David Nail, Corey Smith,  Mel Tillis, and Chuck Wicks.

Sunday, June 12: The Bellamy Brothers, Terri Clark, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Josh Kelley, LoCash Cowboys, Jerrod Niemann, Troy Olsen, and Sunny Sweeney.

Performance order will be listed on CMAfest.com, the official website of CMA Music Festival, closer to the event. Additional artists will be announced. Artists and dates subject to change.

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Rascal Flatts photo courtesy of Big Machine Records. Photo credit Chapman Baehler.

A dismal, sluggish economy was central to every part of American life in 2010, and it certainly had an effect on Music Row. Nowhere was it more obvious than when Disney shut down the Lyric Street Records office in April, creating turmoil in the lives of several artists, including Rascal Flatts.

The Lyric Street closing and all that it represented is the No. 12 story among country music’s one dozen most important stories of the year.

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The 48th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards were handed out on September 14, 2010 at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium. Pictured (l-r): Dierks Bentley, Artist/Songwriter of the Year; Josh Kear Song of the Year for “Need You Now,”; Chris DuBois, Publisher of the Year, Sea Gayle Music ; Brett James, Songwriter of the Year and Tim DuBois, ASCAP vice-president and managing executive, Nashville. Photo by Kay Williams.

Dierks Bentley won Songwriter/Artist of the Year, Josh Kear took Song of the Year for co-writing “Need You Now” with Lady Antebellum, and Brett James walked off with Songwriter of the Year during the star-studded ASCAP Country Music Awards for songwriters Tuesday at Nashville’s War Memorial Auditorium.

Dierks picked up the Songwriter/Artist trophy after two of his songs — “Sideways” and “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes” — were recognized among the performing rights agency’s most performed songs of the year.

Dierks played a bluegrass version of “Sideways” during the two-hour presentation in which each of ASCAP’s Top 5 songs was rendered live. Chris Young sang “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song),” songwriter David Lee Murphy played “Big Green Tractor,” Darius Rucker offered “Alright” and Josh Kear teamed with Lady A for a dramatic acoustic version of “Need You Now.” Josh was cheered heavily by the songwriting community when he sang some of the lines that Charles Kelley usually sings — Josh proved he was an admirable singer in addition to being an ace songwriter.

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Kevin Costner photo courtesy of Universal Republic/Universal Records South.

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of a devastating natural disaster that killed a fan and injured members of Billy Currington’s band when a storm whipped through the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta.

The Big Valley producers halted the 2009 festival after the stage collapsed, though they didn’t fold up their tent permanently. The Jamboree was back at the same site this weekend, and attendance for the first two days was up over last year by 10%, according to The Edmonton Journal.

Not that last year was forgotten. During that edition of the Jamboree, a freak storm amassed with little or no warning while Billy was onstage Aug. 1. He was hospitalized briefly with a concussion. His bass player, Alex Stevens, was pinned underneath the stage for 30 minutes and required surgery for a severed artery in his left arm. Two members of Kevin Costner’s band, Modern West, were injured at the side of the stage, one fan was crushed to death when speakers toppled on her, and about 75 other concert-goers were injured.

So when the Jamboree resumed this year, “Amazing Grace” was played Saturday, CBC News reported, to remember Donna Moore, the fan who died. And when lightning started snapping in the distance during Miranda Lambert’s set on Friday, producers had her take a break just four songs into her set. Ultimately, they erred on the side of safety and shut down the show for the night.

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Chely Wright & SHeDAISY at the 10th Annual Reading, Writing and Rhythm benefit concert, held at TPAC’s James Polk Theater in Nashville, Tenn. on June 8, 2010. Photo by Melinda Norris, courtesy of Wortman Works Media & Marketing.

Chely Wright’s 10th Annual Reading, Writing and Rhythm benefit concert, held at TPAC’s James Polk Theater in Nashville on June 8, 2010 during the CMA Music Festival, raised thousands of dollars for local Kingston Springs Elementary School, which was devastated by flood waters. The concert also donated over one ton of food to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.  

With over 800 in attendance, the star-studded event included performances by Trisha Yearwood, Rodney Crowell, SHeDAISY, Jamey Johnson, Bucky Covington, Justin Moore, Buxton Hughes, Jann Arden, and of course, Reading, Writing & Rhythm’s Founder, Chely.  Items were auctioned off throughout the evening, including a shopping spree with Chely to Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams furniture store and a Fly Away trip to a Keith Urban show. 

Chely signed her last autograph at 4:40 a.m. Continue Reading

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