August 2013

Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), global leader in music rights management, honoured the country superstar, Carrie Underwood, with multiple BMI “Million-Air” Awards at a recent reception at the Country Music Hall of Fame. BMI’s Associate Director of Writer/Publisher Relations, Leslie Roberts joined Underwood onstage to present the certificates, honouring the prolific performance records of songs Mama’s Song and Good Girl, with one million performances each, and All-American Girl, with two million to date. Roberts commented: “With a catalogue boasting more than 13 million performances, Carrie has become one of the most successful songwriters in country music today.” BMI’s Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Jody Williams said: “We at BMI could not be more proud and are excited to celebrate these continued incredible achievements with her.” The BMI “Million-Air” Award is given to songwriters, composers and publishers whose songs accumulate over one million U.S. broadcast performances. It has been bestowed upon many of BMI’s iconic songwriters, including Sir Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, Isaac Hayes and Roy Orbison. The acknowledgement is a mark of respect and praise. The three tracks honoured at the reception alone, played back-to-back, would total nearly 23 years of continuous play, indicative of Underwood’s impressive accomplishments. www.bmi.com

Show Dog-Univeral Music recording artist Joel Crouse has digitally released his brand new single Oh Juliet as a thank you to his fans for their support. Crouse said: “Here’s some new music for the patient fans and the new ones I made on the Taylor tour. You guys rock… Hope you enjoy Oh Juliet.” Written by Joel Crouse, Jamie Houston & Marcus Hummon, Oh Juliet further increases the exciting anticipation for the release of his debut album. Crouse recently supported Taylor Swift for her RED Tour and he opened for Darius Rucker at the Williamette Country Music Festival, joining him onstage for Family Tradition. The 21-year-old musician, was hand-picked by Swift herself, like all her opening acts. Course commented on the star:”With Taylor, what you see is what you get. She’s very genuine, down to earth and cool.

Award-winning singer Tim McGraw celebrated his latest number one song in Nashville with friends, industry and press. Highway Don’t Care, featuring Taylor Swift and Keith Urban on guitar, is McGraw’s 34th number one song and second number one from his Big Machine Records debut, TWO LANES OF FREEDOM. Songwriters who celebrated with McGraw included Brett Warren, Brad Warren and Mark Irwin, Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta and Keith Urban. During the party, a video was played for the crowd that offers a look at the evolution of the song, from an idea in the writer’s room to finding its place as one of the most important songs of the year. Interviews from the songwriters (including Josh Kear who was out of the country and unable to attend the festivities), Urban, Taylor Swift as well as industry leaders like Lon Helton were included. Helton commented that McGraw “continues to deliver songs to country radio that are really more than number ones, they’re game changers. They move the needle.”

Adele has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world. The singer publicly endorsed the gothic folk duo The Civil Wars on Twitter, where she urged her 16 million followers to buy the pair’s new album. Adele tweeted to her followers on Wednesday: “Please go and get the new Civil Wars album. They’re my absolute favourite and the new record is beautiful! X,” she tweeted her followers on Wednesday. The Civil Wars is the self-titled second album by cult Grammy-winning US singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White. The album currently stands at No 2 in the midweek album charts but Adele’s endorsement could push it to the top.

The iconic country music group Alabama will be releasing a new tribute album. It is now available for pre-order on iTunes. ALABAMA &FRIENDS features some of country music’s biggest names including Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts and Jamey Johnson. The 11-song collection comprises covers of the band’s biggest hits from an all star cast. It also features two brand new songs from Alabama – the first new tracks they’ve written in over ten years. “All American” was written by Trey Bruce and “That’s How I Was Raised” was written by Charley Stefl, Tony Ramey, Skip Sasser and Trent Tomlinson. Alabama will perform their first-ever concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Nov. 3 as part of the Back to the Bowery tour. Tickets to the Ryman concert go on sale Friday (July 26) via Ticketmaster.

Young country star, Hunter Hayes, is celebrating his third number one single from the platinum-selling album ENCORE. I want Crazy raced to the top of the country chart this week. The hit was written with Troy Verges and Lori McKenna. Hunter said: “I wanted to say that love is what you want it to be when you’ve completely lost your mind, when you’re doing things completely out of character. That’s what we wrote about and I’m really pleased with how it came out.” Hunter’s debut album “Encore” has just been certified platinum by the RIAA. It includes duets with pop singer Jason Mraz and Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe.

The Country Music Association Awards will be hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood for the sixth consecutive year. The two made a video announcement for the CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, which aired in the US on 12th August. “Carrie and Brad are the consummate hosts,” said Ed Hardy, President of the CMA Board of Directors. “They have the respect of our industry, artistic credibility, critical acclaim, and a quick-witted, genuine rapport that makes them popular with our audience and the viewers at home. We are delighted to have them back as hosts for the sixth year.” The 47th Annual CMA Awards will take place at the Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. Nominations will be revealed in September and the awards will be aired on 6th November.

In the wake of sold out shows and insatiable fan demand, superstar entertainers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have announced an encore run of their limited engagement Soul2Soul at The Venetian Las Vegas in its intimate 1,815-seat Venetian Theatre. The run will open on Oct. 25- 26 and cover 10 select weekends through April 2014. Ticket pre-sales will begin Aug. 13 and tickets for the general public will go on sale Aug 16. For a full list of dates, please visit timmcgraw.com. Tim & Faith will also have a live Q&A with fans about the upcoming engagement on their Facebook pages on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 4PM ET: TimMcGraw and FaithHill “Tim and I love performing together, but it’s been such a scheduling challenge the last few years because we have two careers and three teenage daughters’ school and social calendars to coordinate around. The Venetian really rolled out the red carpet and made the whole experience so easy for us,” explained Hill. “It was a treat to be able to take what we’ve done on previous Soul2Soul Tours, shake it up, rework it and create something totally new for that venue. It was a really special moment in time for us and for our fans.” “We made the most out of our short time in Vegas and had a lot of fun on-stage and off-stage, but it seemed like it was over just as we were getting good and warmed up,” added McGraw. “The reaction was impossible to ignore, so it was a total no-brainer to add more shows when the Venetian asked us. It’s been an ideal way for us to be able to perform together.” Critics were unanimous praising Soul2Soul at The Venetian Las Vegas for its authenticity and McGraw and Hill for the undeniable on-stage chemistry first witnessed over a decade ago on the record breaking first run of their Soul2Soul arena tour. That collaboration has gone on to become the top grossing North American tour in country music history, as well as an unrivaled concert experience the pair have successfully reinvented to meet mile-high expectations. “…a high-energy but often intimate show that prompted multiple standing ovations.” USA TODAY “Intimate, sexy and smoldering. All the power of an arena show… squeezed into a concert theater and kept so private and personal, one actually [felt] cherished by both of them.” LAS VEGAS SUN “An electrifying night…packed with powerful moments in an intimate setting.” HUFFINGTON POST “We’re thrilled to announce the return of Soul2Soul at The Venetian,” said John Caparella, president and chief operating officer for The Venetian, The Palazzo and Sands Expo. “Tim and Faith created a really special, up-close-and-personal experience for fans, and there’s no doubt, the show will sizzle again!” Members of The Venetian’s loyalty program, Grazie, as well as the artists’ official fan communities at, TimMcGraw.com and FaithHill.com, will be able to purchase advance tickets through pre-sales starting Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. As the official credit card of Soul2Soul at The Venetian, Citi will offer pre-sale tickets to customers available through CitiPrivatePass.com beginning Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. A limited number of VIP Packages – including preferred seating in the front row, a complimentary pre-fixe dinner at select resort restaurants, two complimentary drinks at the show, a merchandise credit and more – will also be available. Performance dates and times are subject to change. Tickets are available for purchase at any Venetian or Palazzo Box Office, online at venetian.com or by phone at 888-TAF-SOUL. For the best value and convenience, suite packages are available that combine show tickets with a spacious suite at The Venetian or The Palazzo. For more details, visit venetian.com.

Loretta Lynn, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton and Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks are among this year’s 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Barack Obama announced Thursday (Aug. 8). The award is the nation’s highest civilian honour presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the U.S., to world peace or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours. The awards will be presented at the White House later this year. Lynn and Cuban-born jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval are the only musical artists who will be honoured during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Other recipients include women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem, former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee and the late astronaut Sally Ride.

Country music legend Jack Clement lost his fight with liver cancer and died at age 82 on Thursday August 8. His death came just months after Clement learned that he would be joining the Country Music Hall of Fame for his achievements that include writing songs for best friend Johnny Cash and being the first person to record Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. Songwriter, record producer, film maker, record label executive, song publisher and talent spotter, Cowboy Jack Clement had done it all in a career stretching back to the early 1950s. Amongst the artists he either discovered or helped in their music careers were Charley Pride, Don Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, Allen Reynolds, Dickey Lee, Tompall & the Glaser Brothers, Mac Wiseman, the Stoneman Family and dozens more. Amongst the songs he wrote you’d have to mention as “Ballad Of A Teenage Queen” and “Guess Things Happen That Way” for Johnny Cash; “I Know One,” “Just Someone I Used To Know” and “Miller’s Cave.” A full tribute to Jack Clement will be included in the November/December issue of Maverick on sale September 27.