28 April 2014

With driving artistic instinct, a trademark husky voice made for storytelling, polished showmanship and effortless charisma, Kenny Rogers conquered radio, television and film en route to becoming a beloved American icon. The Country Music Hall of Fame®and Museum will pay tribute to Rogers with the cameo exhibition Kenny Rogers: Through the Years, which opens in the museum’s East Gallery on August 15, 2014, and runs through June 14, 2015. “Kenny Rogers redefined and elevated country music superstardom in every sense,” said Museum Director, Kyle Young. “He blurred traditional genre lines and substantially expanded the core demographics of country music’s audience, all by being true to his unique artistic vision. His versatility is astounding. We could not be more thrilled to share this detailed presentation of his story.” Rogers has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. What’s more, he has charted a single in each of the last seven decades—including 21 Billboard#1 country hits. According to the RIAA, he has one diamond album, 19 platinum albums, and 31 gold albums. He has earned three Grammys, six Country Music Association awards (including a 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award), eight Academy of Country Music awards—including Entertainer of the Year in 1978—and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. From the enduring wisdom of ‘The Gambler’ and the forlorn tales of ‘Lucille’ and ‘Ruby (Don’t Take Your Love to Town),’ to the success of his collaborations with Dottie West, Dolly Parton and others, Rogers took hallmarks of classic country music, such as rich storytelling and iconic duets, and made them larger than life—and very much his own. That’s just skimming the surface of his musical contributions alone. In the 1980s, he starred in the five-part ‘Gamblers’ series that attracted more than 100 million television viewers. In addition to his achievements as vocalist and actor, his accomplishments as musician, photographer, author, Off-Broadway star, entrepreneur, and humanitarian round out his résumé. Rogers was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the CMA Lifetime Achievement Award the same year, but he shows no signs of slowing down. In 2013, he released his latest album, YOU CAN’T MAKE OLD FRIENDS, and the title cut, a duet with Parton, earned the pair their third Grammy nomination. Rogers is currently performing on his Through the Years World Tour, which has included performances at such popular festivals as Bonnaroo, Stagecoach and Britain’s Glastonbury Festival. Kenny Rogers: Through the Years will be accompanied by an ongoing series of programs throughout the exhibit’s duration.

Australia’s undisputed queen of Americana, Kasey Chambers, ‘Spirit of Americana’ recipient Steve Earle and the Mastersons (Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore) took time to meet with Americana Advisory Group members Brian Taranto and Jeremy Dylan at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. The Australia Americana Advisory Group was formed earlier this month to create awareness of the genre in and foster two-way street opportunities for artists from Australia and North America. The group is comprised of Brian Taranto (Love Police), Marty Jones (Rhythm Magazine), Jeremy Dylan (Seven Shells Media), Dan Biddle (TCO Artists) and Dobe Newton (Bushwhackers, CMAA President). Nashville based Australian producer and AMA Board President Mark Moffatt will chair the group. “We are honoured for the support that Kasey and Steve have given our organisation over the years,” says Moffatt, “and thrilled they are willing to wave the flag of Americana on their current tour.” Since 2011, Australian participation at the Americana Music Associations annual Festival and Conference has steadily increased. Nationally funded programs, like Sounds Australia, have produced events at the annual Americanafst fete ranging from a kickoff ‘Aussies In The Round’ event at the Bluebird Café, annual Bar B Q and has paved the way for relationships, like the Nashville / Tamworth Sister City initiative. Americanafest 2014 will take place September 17-21 in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information visit americanamusic.org

Tickets for Americana’s Cross-County Lines are on sale now! Don’t miss this great day of music with Patty Griffin, John Hiatt, Parker Millsap, Brandy Clark, Joe Pug, Ashley Monroe and Luther Dickinson. We hope to see you on May 31 at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm. Â Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, phoning Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or visiting the Franklin Theatre Box Office. There are two ticket options: General Admission for $35 and VIP for $150. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

Oak Ridge Boys’ award-winning singer, songwriter and producer, Duane Allen, paid a visit to his hometown in the Cunningham Community near Paris, TX, where a bridge and road have been dedicated in his name. The singer’s family also made the trip to the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial in Paris, TX to support the memorial and honor military family members.
 
Duane and his family began their day with a tour of Red River Valley Veterans Memorial. During their visit, The Allen family donated a granite bench with markers in the Memorial to honor their family members who have served in the armed forces. “It was a very special event, and I encourage all of you to visit this wonderful place that pays tribute to Veterans of all wars that have served our country,” stated Oak Ridge Boys’ singer.
 
Following the Veterans Memorial, the Allen family traveled to Lamar County, where the bridge and road dedication ceremony was presented by Lamar County Judge Chuck Superville, and elected County Commissioner for Pct. 1, Lawrence Malone. The ‘Duane Allen Memorial Bridge’ crosses Big Sandy Creek and is located just a few hundred yards away from where Allen was born.  Two blue signs reading ‘Duane Allen Road’ were placed on each end of the County Road. At Duane’s request, the new signs were placed in conjunction with the previous road signs, so local residents will not have to change their address.

Country singer Kevin Sharp died on April 19 at his mother’s home in California. He was 43. His sister Mary Huston said Sharp died from complications from past stomach surgeries and digestive issues. “He had a strong heart, that’s what kept him alive, [but] I’m so happy for him, that there’s no more suffering,” Huston said through tears and exhaustion. She had cared for her brother since his return home to Northern California last Friday after 10 weeks in the hospital. Sharp gained fame with the release of Nobody Knows, a single on his 1996 debut album, Measure of a Man. He released two other albums,Love Is in 1998 and Make A Wish in 2005. Born in 1970 in Redding, Calif., Sharp was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, as a high school senior. He overcame it after two years of chemotherapy and radiation. The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Sharp’s wish to meet Grammy Award-winning music producer David Foster, who gave him tips to help jump-start his career. Sharp also became a motivational speaker, a spokesman for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and wrote Tragedy’s Gift, a 2004 book about fighting cancer. For the last several years, Sharp had struggled from past stomach surgery and residual issues from his aggressive cancer treatment. “His dream came true through music, and he touched thousands of lives, and he helped heal the soul of people dealing with cancer,” Huston said. Sharp is survived by five brothers, two sisters and his mother.

Los Angeles film and production companies, SkipStone Pictures and Risen Media, celebrate the presentation of its newest independent film entitled ‘Like A Country Song’–featuring the multi Grammy-nominated, American country and rock musician, songwriter and actor, Billy Ray Cyrus. The official motion picture premiere is scheduled to take place during “country music’s biggest week” (CMA Fest-2014) on Thursday, June 5, 2014 at the Regal Cinema (3815 Green Hills Village Dr.) in Nashville, TN. The evening will commence with a cast/celebrity red carpet event at 6:00 PM; the film is scheduled to screen at 7:30PM. Produced and directed by Johnny Remo, alongside Daniel Backman (co-producer) and Tammy Hyler (co-producer/music supervisor) and executive producers Megan and Allan Camaisa (CEO of Risen Media and Risen Magazine), ‘Like A Country Song’ explores “life happens” experiences of a talented and emerging country singer and reveals the personal character flaws, hurdles and unexpected challenges hindering the momentum of a hopeful career. “The story premise alone makes for a solid country song and we filmed in Nashville, so we thought it most appropriate to celebrate the release in Music City as part of our multi-city premiere schedule,” says Johnny Remo, Director and Producer, SkipStone Pictures. “The film was shot at some of Nashville’s “must-see” entertainment venues (such as The Listening Room Cafe and The Station Inn) and at the Music Row sound/production studio The Tater Shack, while the soundtrack features a collection of songs from a select group of Music Row publishing companies. We are pleased to introduce the piece before our friends in the country music entertainment sector and its fans.” Billy Ray Cyrus is poised to make a special appearance at Nashville’s world premiere event, joined by the starring cast and music and film executives, to walk to the red carpet before media, fans and film enthusiasts. In company with Cyrus, the film boasts a decorated cast featuring Joel Smallbone [lead singer of the Christian Rock duo For King & Country (named Billboard Magazine’s 2012 ‘New Artists To Watch’ the reigning Dove Awards ‘New Artist Of The Year’ and Australia’s TRAA “Artist Of The Year”) and co-producer/star of the movie Taken] and Booboo Stewart of the critically acclaimed series ‘Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Breaking Dawn Part I and Part II and the upcoming major motion picture ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’ (set for a May 2014 release). The ‘Like A Country Song’ leading actors and other cast members will be available for red carpet interviews and media opportunities prior to the movie premiere event. The ‘Like A Country Song’ premiere is scheduled to debut in Nashville on Thursday, June 5, 2014 and will be featured in select theaters in Music City and around the nation beginning Friday, June 6, as official. The film will be available in Walmart, via Redbox, Netflix and On Demand following the theater schedule. Billy Ray Cyrus will cap off the momentous ‘Like A Country Song’ celebration with a live performance at the Hard Rock Café outdoor stage in downtown Nashville (100 Broadway) on Friday, June 6 at 5:30PM during CMA Fest week.

The Country Music Association announced has announced that Hank Cochran, Ronnie Milsap, and Mac Wiseman will become the newest members of the revered Country Music Hall of Fame. Milsap will be inducted in the Modern Era Artist category, while Wiseman will be inducted in the Veterans Era Artist category. Cochran will be inducted in the Songwriter category, which is awarded every third year in a rotation with the Recording and/or Touring Musician Active Prior to 1980 and Non-Performer categories. Cochran, Milsap, and Wiseman will increase membership in the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame from 121 to 124 members. “Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honour achievable for a Country Music artist, songwriter, or industry leader and this year’s inductees are all highly deserving,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Hank’s songs have been recorded by everyone from Burl Ives to Etta James, George Strait to Ella Fitzgerald. Mac is a revered figure in the world of bluegrass and a founding Board member of the Country Music Association. And Ronnie is an incredibly gifted pianist and performer who is also one of the most successful and versatile crossover artists in our genre.” “When you start listening to the radio as a kid, you want to hear your songs on there, because songs are bits of people’s lives, including your own,” said Milsap. “Then you dream that your songs and your music will mean enough to the people that, one day, they’ll put you in the Hall of Fame. Not for you, exactly, but for all the songwriters and musicians and especially the fans who tell you their life is in your songs. To me, that’s what the Hall of Fame is all about: how many people’s lives were held in your music. So many people I admire and have heard my story in their songs are already in the Hall, and I love the idea that maybe my music meant – to others – what those artists have meant to me.” “Being a founding member of CMA, I have always been proud of my role in helping make Country Music popular,” said Wiseman. “Being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the icing on the cake and certainly a highlight of my career.” Induction ceremonies for Cochran (who passed away in 2010), Milsap, and Wiseman will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the CMA Theater later this year. Since 2007, the Museum’s Medallion Ceremony, an annual reunion of the Hall of Fame membership, has served as the official rite of induction for new members. CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognise noteworthy individuals for their outstanding contributions to the format with Country Music’s highest honour. “All these distinguished Southerners overcame serious hardship before finding the opportunity to hone their talents to professional levels and make the inspired Country Music that has led to this moment,” said Kyle Young, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “Their indelible mark has earned them Country Music’s highest honour, membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame.”