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Sam Outlaw – one of Los Angeles’s only modern country artists – was presented with the International Album of the Year Award for his acclaimed, Ry and Joachim Cooder produced debut album ANGELENO at the UK Americana Awards 2017. He also performed at the ceremony, which took place on Thursday 2nd February at St John at Hackney. On ‘Tenderheart,’ Outlaw offers an extraordinary refinement of the artistic identity laid out on ANGELENO. Sonically, the album elaborates on his “SoCal Country” sound: a sun-bleached, Baja-influenced twang that deftly points to country’s neo-traditionalists and LA’s legendary singer-songwriters. Thematically, ‘Tenderheart’ is a thesis on self-discovery and the power of love – from the cinematic mariachi-laced climax on opener “Everyone’s Looking For Home,” to the determined swagger on side-A highlight “Trouble,” to torch song showstopper “Diamond Ring” – Outlaw meditates on his own conflicted quest for peace amidst the chaos of his chosen path. The 13-track collection of originals was recorded in the San Fernando Valley and co-produced by Outlaw alongside Martin Pradler. Outlaw enlisted many of the same musicians that made his first album, 2015’s ANGELENO an undisputed breakthrough and one of the best-reviewed debuts of that year: harmony singer Molly Jenson, pedal steel pro Jeremy Long and guitarist Danny Garcia, along with Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) and Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket). In addition, ‘Tenderheart’ features local mariachi group Erwin Vasquez and Mariachi Teocuitatlan.

If you are only familiar with Jack Bruce’s legendary work with Cream, you are missing out on a critical part of Rock and Roll history. Now, that legacy is in the spotlight with the release of Jack Bruce and Friends: Live From The Bottom Line, available now at all physical and digital retailers. The release is distributed exclusively by BFD through RED distribution. The two disc set, taken from a March 19, 1980 show is the first album released since Bruce’s passing in October 2014. Growing up in Scotland, Bruce honed his skills in acts such as Graham Bond Organization, Dick Heckstall-Smith’s bands, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Alexis Korner, and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. In 1966, Bruce, along with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, formed the classic group Cream. Though they were only together for a short time, the music the trio made together made a definite mark on the musical landscape, earning them induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. After the group disbanded, Bruce released the first of fourteen solo records, 1969’s Songs For A Tailor. Bruce also recorded with Lou Reed, The Tony Williams Lifetime, and Frank Zappa. This historic Bottom Line performance captures his unique solo take on many of Cream’s classics, as well as his own catalog. And, the band is just as legendary, featuring Mahavishnu drummer Billy Cobham, and original East Street Band keyboardist/guitarist David Sancious (both already had brilliant solo careers), with none other than Clem Clempson, fresh from Colosseum and Humble Pie, on lead guitar.

Hot country newcomer Michael Tyler’s debut album 317 (Reviver Records/distributed by BDG/RED) is available today . Already a No. 1 songwriter, it’s no coincidence that the 23-year-old’s debut album is titled 317 – the number on his odometer after he arrived in Nashville from his hometown in Thayer, Mo. MT’s current single is “They Can’t See” and has already racked up more than 625,000 views. Recently, performing rights organization SESAC awarded Song of the Year to MT for co-writing the multi-week No. 1 platinum-selling Dierks Bentley smash ‘Somewhere On A Beach.’ CMT also included MT in its “17 for 2017” artists for their year-long Listen Up campaign recognizing and supporting country music’s most promising newcomers. MT also penned Jason Aldean’s ‘Laid Back’ on the platinum-selling album Old Boots New Dirt, three songs on the LOCASH album The Fighters (‘Shipwrecked,’ ‘Ain’t Startin Tonight,’ and ‘Moonwalkin’) and a Jason Aldean/Kelsea Ballerini duet ‘First Time Again’ on Aldean’s No. 1 album They Don’t Know. Hailing from Thayer, Missouri, known as a railroad town, it’s ironic MT is the descendant of the late, great Jimmie Rodgers, known as ‘The Father of Country Music’ who learned his craft around the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad. At the age of 13, over a Myspace meeting, MT met award-winning producer Michael Knox (Jason Aldean/Thomas Rhett/Kelly Clarkson/Trace Adkins). After a few years of sending songs and ideas back and forth, MT came to Nashville, Tenn. to play a show at Tootsies Orchid Lounge for their first face-to-face meeting. At that time, Knox was hired by peermusic Nashville to help restructure the creative department. After watching MT play a few shows, Knox felt it was time for him to make the move to Nashville as a peermusic songwriter. The future has just started for this young singer/songwriter who is on the road touring all over the country with his energetic live show.

On Sunday, March 26, Tennessee residents are invited to celebrate the Ryman Auditorium’s 125th anniversary with a daytime tour experience free of charge as part of a Community Appreciation Day sponsored by Ryman partners Nissan and SunTrust Bank, as originally reported by The Tennessean. Complimentary self-guided tours will be available from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. with presentation of a valid Tennessee state ID at the Ryman box office. No reservations are necessary. The Ryman’s self-guided tour includes admission to the state-of-the-art theater experience, “Soul of Nashville.” The show puts the audience at the center of the Ryman’s fascinating history, from its origination as a tabernacle built by a riverboat captain 125 years ago to becoming Nashville’s largest venue for civic gatherings and ultimately evolving into one of the world’s premier concert halls. The multi-dimensional film brings to life historic performances by artists such as Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Hank Williams, Sr. and culminates with a new collaboration featuring Darius Rucker, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill. “Soul of Nashville” envelopes visitors into the Ryman’s story, which they can further experience through five new exhibits honoring the hallowed venue’s 125thanniversary: “Workin’ on a Building,” “Showplace of the South,” “Mother Church of Country Music,” “125 Years of Inspired Performances” and “Ryman Renaissance.” Guests will see genuine artifacts and enjoy videos with hosts Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart, Nicole Kidman, Ricky Skaggs, Robin Roberts and Trisha Yearwood taking them through each chapter of the Ryman’s illustrious history. While at the Ryman, guests are encouraged to enjoy Community Day specials at Cafe Lula and the Ryman Gift Shop. Cafe Lula, open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. will offer a “buy one, get one for $1.25” special on all entrees. The Ryman Gift Shop will offer 20 percent off on merchandise including the Little Big Town at the Mother Church product lines and every purchase will include a free Ryman tote bag. The Ryman gift shop is open daily until 7:00 p.m. (Discount offer excludes media items.) In addition to sponsoring the complimentary tours for Tennessee residents, Nissan and SunTrust Bank will partner with 650 WSM-AM to provide free live music on the Ryman plaza outside Cafe Lula, where visitors will also have the opportunity to view several Nissan cars on display, including a GT-R similar to the one featured in the smash hit movie franchise, The Fast and the Furious. “The community takes great pride in the Ryman so it’s fitting that they’re part of our celebration,” said Sally Williams, senior vice president, Opry Entertainment Group. “We’re grateful to Nissan and SunTrust for providing Tennesseans the opportunity to experience ‘Soul of Nashville’ and our newest exhibit ‘Inspired: 125 Years of Performance’.” In celebration of the building’s monumental 125th anniversary, the newest exhibit, “Inspired: 125 Years of Performance” unveils historical artifacts that illustrate how the Ryman’s construction was born out of divine inspiration. Emmylou Harris is featured as a video host, detailing the building’s origins and sharing stories of the influence the Ryman had on suffrage, civil rights movements and even fashion trends in country music. The exhibit showcases stage attire from Johnny Cash, Jimmy Dickens and Little Big Town; famous guitars played by Jack White and Vince Gill; long-time Ryman manager Lula Naff’s collection of playbills. One of the highlights of the exhibit include the bible used on May 10, 1885 by Rev. Sam Jones. It was a tent revival on that date where Ryman namesake Captain Tom Ryman first became inspired to build the Union Gospel Tabernacle. The name of the majestic tabernacle was changed to Ryman Auditorium in 1904 and Captain Ryman’s funeral. In keeping with its inherent “all are welcome” spirit and celebration of community, the Ryman Auditorium will continue its 125th celebration with special events and performances throughout the year, including the recently-launched, year-long residency of five-time CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town and newly announced five-night run by GRAMMY Award-winning artist Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit from October 10 – 11 and 13-15. Tickets for Isbell’s shows will go on sale Friday, March 17 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $99.50, $49.50 and $39.50. For the most devout Isbell followers, multi-night packages will be available for sale. Packages include: two-night, three-night and five-night bundles that guarantee ticketholders the same seat.

With the release of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Ralph Stanley cemented his place as an American music legend. His iconic voice became the voice of the mountains, and the last fifteen years of his life and career proved to be a celebration of this, with Grammy Awards, all-star collaborations, and induction into the Grand Ole Opry. In a unique piece of musical history, the legacy of Ralph Stanley can be witnessed for posterity’s sake with the release of Ralph Stanley: Live At The Bottom Line, available now at all physical and digital retailers. The release is distributed exclusively by BFD through RED distribution. The live set, recorded at the legendary New York City nightspot on June 12, 2002, features many of Stanley’s signature songs, including “Man of Constant Sorrow,” “Pretty Polly,” and “O Death,” which opens the set. For such a prestigious performance, Stanley carried nothing but the best line-up of musicians with him, with Stuart Duncan (violin), Mike Compton (mandolin), James Shelton (guitar), Dennis Crouch (bass) all lending their award-winning talents to the night’s performance. The evening marked the only time that Stanley played the venue, but the singer was one of many Country / Bluegrass to showcase their talents at the Big Apple hotspot, with others including Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Doc Watson, and Emmylou Harris. The album’s executive producers are Allan Pepper & Stanley Snadowsky, and Bob Frank. Pepper, who was co-founder of The Bottom Line with Snadowsky, remains mindful of the impact a performance there had on the musical world. “You could get the New York Times, and Rolling Stone, and The Daily News, and The New York Post, all covering your gig,” he states. “And the record companies would get celebrities to come to the shows, so suddenly you see Andy Warhol coming to see Dolly Parton, and there’s a picture and a big story about that. There was a buzz factor that played heavily into building this scene nationally. An artist could be on a morning or an evening news show, and could even do a live radio broadcast. In that way, New York was pretty big for the country music scene. Plus at our place, you could sit, and it was comfortable and intimate, and that was very important for getting the fans and press to come out. It was all part of the star-making machinery.” Ralph Stanley: Live At The Bottom Line is the first album released featuring the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor inductee since his passing in June 2016.

Soulful singer-songwriter Ana Cristina Cash has released her latest project, THE TOUGH LOVE EP, featuring co-written material with husband and producer, John Carter Cash. This highly anticipated body of work provides a taste of what is to come on Cash’s full-length album, available this summer.  “I am so proud to have recorded The Tough Love EP at the historical Cash Cabin Studio in Tennessee, where so much amazing music has been recorded over the past decades,” said Cash. “This music is true to my heart, an offering from my very soul. And there is more to come!” THE TOUGH LOVE EP  showcases Cash’s vocal range with brilliant ease and rootsy soul. The title-track, “Tough Love Woman,” written with master songwriter Shawn Camp, displays the seductive energy, distinct creativity, and empowering voice that Cash acquires as an artist.  Cash recently held a release party at Nashville’s Douglas Corner in which she performed THE TOUGH LOVE EP  in its entirety with a six-piece band. Cash also peppered the set with songs from her previous album THE WEST COAST SESSIONS. For an encore, John Carter Cash hopped on stage for a duet of his “mama and daddy’s music” including “Jackson,” “I Got Stripes,” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Ana Cristina Cash was born and raised in Miami, FL. Her parents moved to the United States in the early 1960’s from Cuba during in the midst of the revolution. Throughout Cash’s youth, she was exposed to music from many different genres. Her material exhibits a broad vocal range from an expressive and resonating contralto to an amazingly high coloratura soprano, known to some as the “whistle register”.  Cash, who is bi-lingual, started her professional music career at 6 years of age, quickly becoming an accomplished champion of the singing contests on the variety show, “Sabado Gigante”.  At the age of 16 she signed to Sony Music’s Latin division and released her first album, Ana Cristina, in the Spanish language. In 2005, Cash became the first Hispanic in history to perform the “Star Spangled Banner” at a Presidential Inauguration. She was invited a year later to perform at the White House and sing for the President of the United States, the Crowned Prince of Spain and other notable world ambassadors.  Cash married music producer John Carter Cash on October 29, 2016 and currently resides in the greater Nashville area.