Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw Rock to the Top with “Rock Star”
April 4th, 2012
Hearing a lot of Chesney and McGraw “Rock Star” music on the radio? It’s designed that way. And according to Billboard, it’s the hottest new song on the charts in years!
In preparation for the June launch of their Brothers of the Sun co-headlining tour, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw premiered a new duet, “Feel Like a Rock Star,” on Sunday’s CBS telecast of the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Just two days later, the song is the most-played title on country radio.
Should “Rock Star” maintain its post-ACM momentum, it could challenge for just the second No. 1 bow since Hot Country Songs adopted BDS data the week of Jan. 20, 1990. Garth Brooks’ “More Than a Memory” soared in at No. 1 the week of Sept. 15, 2007
via Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraws Rock Star Headed for Historic Hot Country Songs Debut | Billboard.biz.
McGraw, Underwood, and Alabama Headline New Canadian Festival
April 3rd, 2012
The inaugural three-day Boots and Hearts Music Festival is set for August 10-12, 2012 and expected to be the largest Canadian country music festival to date.
Bowmanville, Ontario’s Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will host the event, which features superstars including Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, Alabama, and Kid Rock. Additionally, more than 20 international and Canadian artists will perform on two stages, among them are Big and Rich, Lauren Alaina, Canaan Smith, Paul Brandt, Jason McCoy, Dallas Smith, and High Valley.
ACM Awards Results with Notes for Songwriters
April 2nd, 2012
Here are some ACM Awards results, plus a couple of notes especially for songwriters. Like check out the writers (composers) on Song of the Year.
Song of the Year-“Crazy Girl” — Eli Young Band Composers: Liz Rose, Lee Brice [Publishers: Cake Taker Music BMI, Mike Curb Music BMI, Sony/ATV Tree Publishing BMI, Sweet Hysteria Music BMI
Note: Liz Rose had a big hand in Entertainer of the Year Taylor Swift's fast-start career by lending a hand with co-writing. Neither of them knew at the time what a huge star Taylor would become, and of course the pairing turned out a lucky stroke for Liz as she gets royalties from some huge hits.
Note: Four different publishers and only two writers? How could that be? Easy. The writers are highly accomplished, so publishers are happy to work with them for only a portion of the publishing. The writers form their own publishing companies for the other part.
Entertainer of the Year- Taylor Swift
Female Vocalist of the Year-Miranda Lambert
Male Vocalist of the Year-Blake Shelton
Vocal Group of the Year-Lady Antebellum
Vocal Duo of the Year-Thompson Square
New Artist of the Year-Scotty McCreery
Album of the Year-Four the Record — Miranda Lambert RCA [Producer: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell]
Single Record of the Year“Don’t You Wanna Stay” — Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson Broken Bow [Producer: Michael Knox]
Vocal Event of the Year“Don’t You Wanna Stay” — Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson Broken Bow [Producer: Michael Knox]
Video of the Year-“Red Solo Cup” — Toby Keith [Producer: Mark Kalbfeld; Director: Michael Salomon]
Bluegrass Legend Earl Scruggs Passes
March 29th, 2012
True legends in music are rare. Earl Scruggs, who passed yesterday, was one. Reports of his passing were all over the news spectrum; we pass a long the report of Nashville’s Music Row.com.
Bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs died March 28, 2012 in a Nashville area hospital at age 88. When asked about the banjo pioneer’s career, most who knew him site his kindness first and his musical achievements second.
From early commercial success with The Beverly Hillbillies theme “The Ballad of Jed Clampett,” to a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in more recent years, Scruggs captivated generations of musicians and music lovers.
Earl Eugene Scruggs was born in Flint Hill, NC on Jan, 6, 1924 and by his teens had developed a unique three-finger style of banjo picking that would revolutionize the genre. In 1945 he met future duo partner Lester Flatt, when both were members of the landmark group Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys.
In a recent column for The New Yorker, Steve Martin wrote, “Some nights [Earl] had the stars of North Carolina shooting from his fingertips. Before him, no one had ever played the banjo like he did. After him, everyone played the banjo like he did, or at least tried. In 1945, when he first stood on the stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and played banjo the way no one had ever heard before, the audience responded with shouts, whoops, and ovations….There aren’t many earthquakes in Tennessee, but that night there was.”
‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack with Taylor Swift, the Civil Wars and Miranda Lambert Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200
March 28th, 2012
By Norm Daniels
It’s a rare moment when a film and its soundtrack debut at no. 1 at the box office and on the Billboard album chart. This time it’s with the help of 3 Nashville artists, 2 of whom not only perform, but provide writing for the track. The singer-songwriters are Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars duo. Miranda Lambert lends her vocal talents to the project.
As reported by Billboard.biz, “The Hunger Games” soundtrack debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, having sold 175,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan.
It’s the first theatrical film soundtrack to top the chart since “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” bowed at No. 1 on the list dated Nov. 14, 2009. “The Hunger Games” is the first multi-artist film soundtrack to reach No. 1 since one week before Jackson, when “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” rose from No. 2 to No. 1 in its second week on the tally.
All told, “The Hunger Games” is only the 16th soundtrack to debut at No. 1 in the history of the Billboard 200 chart. (Those soundtracks include film, TV and straight-to-video efforts.)
“The Hunger Games” set boasts an array of artists, including Taylor Swift, the Civil Wars, Arcade Fire, Maroon 5 and Miranda Lambert. It’s the companion album to the film of the same name, which grossed $152.5 million at the U.S. and Canada box office last weekend (March 23-25).
via ‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 | Billboard.biz.