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page 1 Friday, September 11, 2009Friday, September 11, 2009

When Nashville is

playing at the top of its

game, there is no other

music center that can

touch it.

That was the take-away

message of Wednesday’s

Grammy Salute to Country

Music Honoring Vince Gill

at the Loveless Barn (9/9).

The evening was one

musical thrill after

another—real singers,

real players, no auto-

tuning, no trickery.

“This town, it’s

probably the most vibrant

music community in the world,” said

emcee Amy Grant. She wasn’t the only

transcendent figure on stage that night.

Michael McDonald first met Vince

when he was in The Doobie Brothers and

Vince was singing lead in Pure Prairie

League in 1980. Michael took the stage

and raised the roof with soul-drenched

performances of “When I Call Your Name”

and “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”

Like all of the evening’s saluters, he was

backed by Vince’s awesome band, led by

John Hobbs.

“What a gift all of these

artists are giving, singing

Vince’s songs,” said Amy.

“Michael McDonald, that

was pure ecstasy and joy

on his face, the whole

time.” Her grace and

eloquence warmed us

throughout the event.

Alison Krauss, a 26-

time Grammy winner, was

next up. She sang an

exquisite version of

“Whenever You Come

Around,” then raised

further goose bumps with

“These Days.”

“That is about as tender as it gets,”

commented Amy.

“One of the special things about the

Grammy Award community is that it

brings people together,” she added,

before relating an anecdote about Eric

Clapton introducing himself to Vince at a

Grammy party.

Brad Paisley met Vince as an 11-

year-old attending a Steve Wariner concert

where Vince was the opening act. “Singing

these songs to you is so stupid,” Brad

wisecracked, “a kamikaze mission.”

Bobby Karl Works The Grammy Salute To Country Music Honoring Vince Gill Chapter 317

©2009, MusicRow Communications, LLC—ALL RIGHTS RESERVED news@musicrow.com

page 2 Friday, September 11, 2009

Nevertheless, he worked his

way admirably through the ballad

“Tryin’ to Get Over You,” then

took “Oklahoma Borderline” at

breakneck speed, punctuating it

with an astoundingly blazing

guitar solo. “I’m proud to be

here, buddy,” Brad said.

Steve Martin’s banjo record

The Crow features an appearance

by Vince. The comedian had them

rolling in the aisles with one droll

quip after another. “I guess when

you think about Vince Gill, one

word comes to mind—tantrums,”

Steve remarked about the

famously laid-back star.

“I hope that my being here

tonight to honor you proves there

are some things you can’t get

out of.”

Recording Academy CEO

Neil Portnow responded to

Steve by practically inviting him

to host next year’s Grammy

show. He also congratulated

Brad on having received six CMA

nominations earlier that day.

After introducing a career-

overview video, Neil presented

Vince with the NARAS President’s

Merit Award.

“This is a very humbling

experience, to be in this room

with so many people I care so

much about,” said Vince. “It’s

such a gift to get to share music

with people.

“I’ve never lost sight of the

fact that I just wanted to be a

part of it. I didn’t have to be the

center. I just wanted to be in it. I

just wanted to be one of those

guys whose name was on the

back of a record jacket.

“I’m tied to this whole room. This night is so much

more about all of us, rather then just me.”

He thanked each performer personally, saving a

special quip for his wife: “I’m married to a Spice Girl.

People don’t believe me. I married Bible Spice,” he

remarked about his Christian-music superstar spouse.

Vince then rocked the house with “Liza Jane.” Amy

joined him for a sweet duet of “Faint of Heart.” Daughter

Jenny Gill sang lead on the moving child-abuse song

“Forever Changed.” The proud pop announced her

engagement to EMI Publishing’s Josh Van Valkenburg.

Steve Martin reappeared, toting his banjo for a

bluegrass romp through “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.”

Then Vince performed the stunning “(Threaten Me with)

Heaven.” Brad and Vince traded

guitar licks on a rocking “One

More Last Chance,” and silver-

voiced Michael McDonald dueted

with the Country Music Hall of

Famer on “I Still Believe in You.”

“I’ve got chill bumps on my

TOES!,” exclaimed Allison

Jones. She and the other

women I was sitting with all

proclaimed that Vince was ultra

cute with his new look, wearing

glasses.

The evening began with a

cocktail party featuring margarita

varieties. Servers mingled with

trays of crab cakes, goat-cheese

toast points and beef tenderloin

biscuits. Did I mention that the

Loveless is a property of Tom

Morales, of TomKats movie-

catering renown?

He joined us at the V.I.P.

after-party, a halibut-and-

scallops cocktail supper. So did

Terry Elam, Terry Hemmings,

John Styll, Jody Williams,

Clay Bradley, Denise Stiff and

Lori Badgett. Larry Fitzgerald

said he’s practically doubling the

size of his building with an

addition, right next door to the

Recording Academy’s office.

Charlie Monk is celebrating his

fifth anniversary as a satellite-

radio personality.

The gala’s crowd of fabulons

also included Justin Niebank,

Ben Fowler, Wynonna,

Fletcher Foster, Pete Fisher,

Shelby Kennedy, Gordon

Kennedy, Ralph Emery, Tracy

Gershon, Ron & Regina Stuve,

Jeff Hanna & Matraca Berg,

Carla Wallace, Joanna Carter,

Darrell Brown, Drew Alexander, Roy Wunsch &

Mary Ann McCready, Pat Collins, Dan Rogers, Dan

Hill, Chuck Flood, Doug Howard, Scott Hendricks,

Ken Robold and Jim Hester.

Our own George Flanigen was introduced as the

new Recording Academy chair. He reminded the audience

about the organization’s accomplishments with its

Foundation and MusiCares divisions, and pointed out that

the Nashville chapter’s Producers & Engineers Wing had

developed the standards and practices for music delivery

that are now used worldwide.

This was the first Grammy Salute to Country Music.

Vince suggests that the next one should honor Alison

Krauss. Sounds good to me.

Steve Martin and Vince Gill

Vince Gill and Brad Paisley

Amy Grant and Vince Gill

Photos: Courtesy of The Recording Academy®/Wireimage.com/

Frederick Breedon © 2009

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page 3 Friday, September 11, 2009

Source Honoree Margaret Parker Passes by Robert K. Oermann

One of July’s Source Foundation Award winners died

suddenly this week.

Margaret Parker delighted banquet attendees with her

warm, witty and entertaining acceptance speech. She passed

away on Sunday, September 6, at her weekend home in

Dover, TN at age 84.

Margaret Parker went to work for National Life in 1943

and moved through WSM, Opryland, the Opryland Hotel and

Gaylord before retiring in 1993 after 50 years. She then

worked part-time until fully retiring in 2005 after 62 years of

service in the same organization.

While at WSM she served as Irving Waugh’s administrative

assistant for 10 years. During that time, Waugh conceived

the idea for Opryland U.S.A.

The Source Foundation which honored Margaret Parker

is dedicated to saluting pioneering women in Nashville’s

music industry. Its plaques are displayed in the Musicians

Hall of Fame.

A memorial celebration is being held for family and friends

at the Opryland Hotel on Sunday (9/13) from 3-5 p.m.

BMI Foundation Board ElectsNew Members David F. Bills, Richard A. Garza and Camellia Petty

have been elected to the Board of Directors for the BMI

Foundation. Nashville-based Petty is the Assistant VP of

Information Technology, and is responsible for all application

systems and database administration. Prior to joining BMI

as a Project Manager in 1995, Petty worked for Schneider

Electric and as an IT professional for several Middle

Tennessee retailers and manufacturers. She is also a

member of the Nashville CIO Council and Nashville

Technology Council Board with recent speaking

engagements for Oracle, Women of Technology Tennessee

and Gartner. Bills is the Sr. Dir. of Online Communications,

overseeing BMI’s web presence and Garza is the Dir. of

Legal Affairs for Performing Rights. Both are based in New

York. The non-profit BMI Foundation was formed by BMI

employees in 1985 and sponsors programs in support of

music education and study for young musicians.

Andi Zack has signed a publishing agreement with Zavitson Music Group.

Zack co-wrote John Thompson's current single "Beer On The Table" with

Thompson and Ken Johnson. (L-R): BMI's David Preston; ZMG's Jenny

Gill; Zack (seated); and ZMG's Debbie Zavitson and Carrie Bleitner.

David F. Bills Richard A. Garza Camellia Petty

©2009, MusicRow Communications, LLC—ALL RIGHTS RESERVED news@musicrow.com

page 4 Friday, September 11, 2009

Young Leads Country Sales For The Week The best selling new album

of last week was Whitney

Houston’s comeback effort,

which moved 305K units

according to Nielsen SoundScan,

a division of The Nielsen

Company. RCA Nashville’s Chris Young enjoyed a double Top

10 week, as his single, “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress

Song),” powered into the country radio Top 10 while his new

album, The Man I Want to Be, debuted at No. 6 on Billboard’s

Top Country Albums chart with 26K (15% digital). Cross

Canadian Ragweed had the next highest country debut

with 14k, followed by George Jones’s Cracker Barrel

exclusive with 5.4K, Texas act the Casey Donahew Band

(3.7K), and Radney Foster (1.3K).

Country seemingly got a limited spike from the ABC

television special CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To

Rock, with a 4% increase in total country album sales this

week over last week.

More Artist Showcases Added to IEBA Conference Phil Vassar, Michelle Branch and Joey + Rory have

been added to the list of artists who will showcase during

the 2009 IEBA Conference October 11-13 at the Hilton

Downtown Nashville. The three artists join a lineup of special

guests for the IEBA Conference that includes Chubby

Checker, Boyz II Men, Don Felder, The Wailers, Jamey

Johnson, Randy Houser, Chris Young, Jessie James

and Bob Lefsetz. The annual conference and IEBA Honors

at the Ryman Auditorium have become must-attend events

for those in the touring business and features over 40

showcases from top artists to rising stars.

World’s Largest No. 1 Party Set For Sept. 21 NSAI’s World’s Largest No. 1 Party, presented by Avenue

Bank and CMA, will take place Monday, September 21

between 4:30pm - 6:30pm. The annual outdoor gathering

celebrates some of the past year’s top songwriters in

Nashville and will be held in the NSAI parking lot at 1710

Roy Acuff Place, with food and drink provided.

Radio-Info.com To Carry Nielsen BDS-monitored Chart Info Radio and music industry website Radio-Info.com has

announced a partnership with the Nielsen Company to publish

Nielsen’s chart information in more than 20 radio formats.

Effective immediately, Nielsen’s BDSradio.com chart data

will be added to Radio-Info.com’s new Programming & Music

Section, where it will be updated weekly. Every BDS-monitored

format will be represented, including country, Top 40, urban,

AC, smooth jazz, multiple rock formats and several Christian

formats. The charts will continue to be managed by Billboard’s

chart department.

“One of the most prominent requests from our Radio-

Info.com community has been the addition of content

relating to programming and music,” says Radio-Info.com

publisher/CEO Diana Fleming. “In partnership with

Nielsen, we are now launching 25 charts that will update

continually. We will also continue to increase our editorial

content surrounding the charts with news and analysis

written and edited by our staff of experienced journalists.

We invite all those interested to visit our site and explore

its rich radio content.”

"We feel this is the perfect partnership that's a win-win

for not only Nielsen and Radio-Info.com, but for radio and

label professionals,” says Catriona McGinn, General Manager

BDSradio, The Nielsen Company. “This new alliance combines

the industry's leading chart service, Nielsen BDS, with the

superior music and programming editorial content from

Radio-Info.com all on one easy-to-use, ‘must bookmark’ portal."

Hellard Signs With Big Loud Bucks Ron Hellard, the writer of chestnuts

like “I’m No Stranger To The Rain” by Keith

Whitley and “I Tell It Like It Used To Be”

by T. Graham Brown, has signed with Big

Loud Bucks for the administration of his

catalog. Artists who have recorded Hellard’s

songs include George Jones, Jerry Lee

Lewis, Toby Keith, Lee Greenwood, Tammy

Wynette, Tom Jones, Tanya Tucker and

Conway Twitty. Most recently, Hank

Williams, Jr. cut Hellard’s “Forged By Fire”

for his 127 Rose Avenue CD.

MusiCares Offers Free Mammograms MusiCares will offer free mammograms to women in the

music industry during the week of October 12-16. The

service is for the uninsured or for those who have not had a

mammogram in more than one year. Screenings will take

The Country Music Association announced its association with MS&L at

an event in New York City on Wednesday (9/9). MS&L will work with

CMA primarily on entertainment marketing, branding and sponsor

partnerships. (L-R): Bruce MacKenzie, Sr. VP/head of MS&L’s entertainment

marketing, branding and sponsorship sales group; Sheri Warnke, VP

Strategic Partnerships; RCA Nashville recording artist Chuck Wicks;

Tammy Genovese, CMA CEO; Steve Moore, CMA Board Pres.; and Dan

Bowen, CMA VP Mktg. and Communications. Photo: Stuart Ramson

Ron Hellard

©2009, MusicRow Communications, LLC—ALL RIGHTS RESERVED news@musicrow.com

place at the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center

(1035 14th Ave. N., Nashville). Please contact MusiCares at

615-327-0050 or email cortney.bailey@grammy.com to

schedule an appointment.

Muzak’s New Plan Muzak has announced that it is filing a Plan of

Reorganization and Disclosure Statement with the U.S.

Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Silver Point

Capital Advisers L.P., a committee representing Muzak’s

unsecured creditors, supported the plan. Under the current

terms, Muzak’s outstanding debt would be reduced by more

than half to $230 million and its annual interest expense

would get a significant reduction. A hearing to consider

approval of the Disclosure Statement is scheduled for

October 27.

DISClaimerby Robert K. Oermann It’s country collaboration

day!

Ronnie Milsap is singing

with Trace Adkins. Bruce

Springsteen turns up as a

guest on John Fogerty’s

album. Billy Gibbons meets

Brooks & Dunn in a roadhouse

rumble. And in the most

unlikely scenario of all, Hank

Williams Jr. takes a ride in

Appalachia with The Grascals.

And mostly the match-up

listening is good.

Among our other discs

today are fine outings by

Buddy Jewell, Phil Vassar and

Miranda Lambert. And then

there is that impossibly hooky

new item from Gloriana, which wins the Disc of the

Day prize. “How Far Do You Wanna Go?” All the way to

Number One.

In the absence of any other contenders, West Virginia’s

The New Relics take home a DisCovery Award by

default. But I do think they still need a little polishing.

BROOKS & DUNN/Honky Tonk Stomp

Writer: Ronnie Dunn/Terry McBride/Bobby Pinson;

Producer: Ronnie Dunn & Terry McBride; Publisher: none

listed, BMI; Arista (track)

—The deep twang and a cameo vocal are provided by ZZ

Top’s Billy Gibbons. Alas, the song is otherwise pretty

dull, a party-hearty attempt that falls flat while making

plenty of noise.

BOMSHEL/19 And Crazy

Writer: Kelley Shepard/Kristy Osmunson/Mark Irwin/

Josh Kear; Producer: Chuck Howard; Publisher: Getting

Grown/KupKake/Osmunson/Oceans One/Year of the

Dog/Big Yellow Dog/Darth Buddah, BMI/ASCAP; Curb

—Their bright voices are mixed too far down in the

thumping production to be able to hear the clever lyric.

The energy level, however, is terrific.

Taylor Swift and tour openers Gloriana surprised country radio

programmers during a recent dinner in New York City before her sold-

out Madison Square Garden show. (L-R): Gloriana’s Mike Gossin and

Cheyenne Kimball; WKLB’s Ginny Rogers; Swift; and Gloriana's Tom

Gossin and Rachel Reinert. Swift's Fearless 2009 Tour makes a stop at

Nashville's Sommet Center tomorrow night (9/12).

Rascal Flatts made their second appearance on Oprah yesterday

(9/10). As part of the show’s 24th season kick-off the band performed

live for crowds on Michigan Ave. Black Eyed Peas, James Taylor and

Jennifer Hudson also performed.

RCA Nashville's Chris Young recently appeared on RFD-TV’s Crook & Chase

performing his Top 10 single “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)”

from his new album, The Man I Want to Be. The episode also featured

Wynonna. (L-R): Lorianne Crook, Wynonna, Charlie Chase, and Young.

page 5 Friday, September 11, 2009

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page 6 Friday, September 11, 2009

THE NEW RELICS/Beautiful

Writer: M. Arbogast/J. Swiger/B. Martin/J. Bidwell;

Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BMI; Blues

Alley/Spinville (www.thenewrelics.com)

—Jaunty, sunny and young sounding. It is somewhat

wordy and takes way too long to get to the hook: “What

are you doing when you’re not being beautiful?”

PHIL VASSAR/Everywhere I Go

Writer: Phil Vassar/Jeffrey Steele; Producer: Phil Vassar;

Publisher: Phylvester/Jeffrey Steele/BPJ, ASCAP/BMI;

Universal South

—She is gone, and her memory is everywhere he turns.

Phil turns on the passion in the nearly shouted choruses

at the top of his range.

BUDDY JEWELL/Somebody Who Would Die For You

Writer: Mark Narmore/Adam Wheeler; Producer: none

listed; Publisher: Sony-ATV Tree/Care Taker/Noble

Vision, BMI/ASCAP; O’Reilly International

—That homeless vet you rushed past is somebody who

would die for you. So is the father whose feelings you

hurt. You can see where this is going, can’t you? The

religious conclusion may be obvious, but this is a singer

who can wring every drop of meaning from every line.

Extremely well done.

GLORIANA/How Far Do You Wanna Go

Writer: Matt Serletic/Jeffrey Steele/Danny Myrick;

Producer: Matt Serletic; Publisher: Melusic/Primary Wave

Emblem/Jeffrey Steele/Soulride/BPJ, ASCAP/BMI;

Emblem/Warner Bros.

—I am crazy about this band. The harmony-soaked

rocker is an open-road song if I’ve ever heard one. And

this particular highway leads straight to stardom.

RONNIE MILSAP & TRACE ADKINS/My First Ride

Writer: Shannon Lawson/John Phillips; Producer: Rob

Galbraith; Publisher: Muzik Mafia/Do Write, ASCAP;

Bleve (www.blevemusic.com)

—This must have been a thrill for Trace, because he is a

huge Ronnie Milsap fan. He even asked for Ronnie to

induct him into the Opry cast. Both of them sing this

frothing rocker with growling urgency.

MIRANDA LAMBERT/White Liar

Writer: Miranda Lambert/Natalie Hemby; Producer:

Frank Liddell & Mike Wrucke; Publisher: none listed,

BMI; Columbia Nashville (CDX)

—What a terrific country singer she is. I love every drawl

and twang in this snarky vocal performance. The rolling

song is superbly written and loaded with melodic hooks.

Catchy to the max.

JOHN FOGERTY & BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

When Will I Be Loved

Writer: Phil Everly; Producer: John Fogerty; Publisher:

Sony-ATV Acuff-Rose, BMI; Verve Forecast (track)

(615-251-0905)

—I have always said that John Fogerty was a country

singer trapped in a rock band. And it goes without saying

that Bruce has more blue-collar cred than half the

country stars in this town. The two harmonize splendidly

on this rollicking Everly Brothers twang fest. Do yourself

a favor and buy John’s Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again

for one of the finest country-music listening experiences

of the year. It even comes on vinyl.

HANK WILLIAMS JR. & THE GRASCALS

All The Roads

Writer: Hank Williams Jr.; Producer: Doug Johnson &

Hank Williams Jr.; Publisher: Bocephus, BMI; Curb (CDX)

—Bocephus goes acoustic in this delightful mountaineer

romp. The song is a hillbilly smile-a-minute. What a

wonderfully fulfilling change of pace.