Country
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Many of Nashville’s top songwriters and music publishers were feted Monday evening (April 1) during the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)’s Nashville Country Awards, held at the Ryman Auditorium. The Spotify-sponsored event, which was hosted by Storme Warren, drew a throng of songwriters and industry execs from Nashville’s independent country songwriter and publisher community.
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Jordan Davis, who is independently published by Anthem Entertainment, was named artist-writer of the year, while his song “Next Thing You Know,” which he co-wrote with Josh Osborne, Chase McGill and Greylan James, was named song of the year; the song was independently published by Anthem Entertainment.
“This is amazing,” Davis told the crowd in taking the stage to accept his artist-writer of the year honor, adding, “I moved [to Nashville] in 2012 and dreamed of getting in the room to write songs with some of the people that are sitting right here in these front rows and never in a million years would have dreamed that I would have found the community and the family that I have here in Nashville. I’m blessed to get to say I do this for a living.”
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Big Loud Publishing took home publisher of the year honors, while Morgan Wallen, who is independently published by Big Loud Publishing, was named songwriter of the year. Wallen’s “98 Braves,” written by Travis Wood, John Byron and Josh Miller was named publisher pick of the year; the song was independently published by Creative Nation Music, Big Loud Publishing, and Concord Music Publishing.
Wallen’s “Last Night,” written by Wallen, John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome and JKash, was named AIMP most streamed country song of the year; the song was independently published by Big Loud Publishing and Prescription Songs.
The rising songwriter of the year award went to Rocky Block (who is independently published by Big Loud Publishing), who has co-written songs including Cody Johnson’s “Whiskey Bent,” and Wallen’s “Man Made a Bar” and “Cowgirls.”
“I’ve been to so many of these and dreamt of this,” Block said. “I’ve been independently published my whole career,” Block said, thanking Bob DiPiero for being an early champion and also thanking Big Loud. “I’m thankful to work with everyone of you in this room.”
Meanwhile, Mae Estes, who is independently published by Plaid Flag Music and Kobalt Music Publishing, was named rising artist-writer of the year. Estes is known for songs including “Hell You Raised” and “Roses.”
“I worked three jobs at a time in this town for almost six years and finally got a publishing deal to write songs in Music City and y’all changed my whole life,” Estes told the audience shortly before hit yet another milestone that same evening, performing for the first time on the Ryman Auditorium stage.
“The awards are always a magical night with Artist nominees performing Song of the Year-nominated songs,” says Ree Guyer, owner of Wrensong Entertainment, in a statement. “It is always fun seeing our indie publishers come together to celebrate one another in a laid-back, intimate setting.”
As is tradition for the AIMP Nashville Awards, past and present rising artist-writer of the year and artist-writer of the year nominees were on hand to perform. Each song of the year and publisher picks category nominated songs were performed by someone other than the original artist or writer. This year’s performers included Davis, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Estes, George Birge, Dylan Marlowe and HARDY.
Big Machine Music’s vice president of publishing Tim Hunze was named the 2024 AIMP song champion award honoree, recognizing his contributions to the independent publishing and songwriting community. Hunze offered up advice he received from songwriter Tom Shapiro, saying, “‘If you take care of the creatives and the writers, you’ll always have a job.’ That is the best part of what I get to do, working with the creatives.” He also nodded to earning the song champion award, saying, “Being a song champion is just being passionate and finding something you love. I’ve been doing the same thing since I was a kid; I found a band I liked and I told all my friends and all my buddies.”
The friendship between Beyoncé and Jack White is still going strong. Following the release of her Cowboy Carter album on Friday (March 29), Bey sent a bouquet of flowers to rocker Jack White. The White Stripes songwriter took to Instagram to share the sweet gift, which featured a note that reads, “Jack, I hope you […]
The Red Clay Strays, the quintet behind the recent viral hit “Wondering Why,” are set to launch their inaugural European tour in August.
The group, who just inked a major label deal with RCA Records and are signed with WME for booking, will play five shows, beginning Aug. 18 in Dublin, Ireland, and followed by shows in Glasgow, UK (Aug. 20), Manchester, UK (Aug. 21), London (Aug. 23) and wrapping the trek with a show at The Long Road Festival in Leicestershire, UK, on Aug 24.
The group, hailing from Mobile, Alabama, first released “Wondering Why” in 2022, though the song began surging in late 2023 thanks to social media. The group — which includes lead singer Brandon Coleman, electric guitarist Zach Rishel, guitarist/vocalist Drew Nix, bassist Andrew Bishop and drummer John Hall — has been making music since 2016, blending elements of rockabilly, gospel, soul, blues, rock and country into a sonic mesh Coleman refers to as “non-denominational rock ‘n’ roll.” Coleman, Nix and songwriter Dan Couch wrote “Wondering Why.”
The band is working on a Dave Cobb-produced album. “Since we’ve started, the goal from day one was to work with Dave Cobb,” Coleman previously told Billboard. “The fact that it actually happened is surreal.”
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The Red Clay Strays released their debut album Moment of Truth in 2022, and have since opened shows for artists including Eric Church and Dierks Bentley. In September 2023, they also launched their headlining Way Too Long Tour, and are set to appear on a slate of music festivals this summer, including Moon Crush and Cattle Country Fest.
Tickets for the slate of European shows go on sale April 5 at 10 a.m. local time. Fans can also sign up for a passcode for an artist presale on April 3 beginning at 10 a.m. local time.
Michelle Obama is loving Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album. The former First Lady of the United States took to Instagram on Tuesday (April 2) to share a photo of the recently released album’s cover art, alongside a plea for fans to register to vote for the upcoming presidential election this year. “@Beyonce, you are a record-breaker […]
As CMA entertainer of the year winner, 10-time Grammy nominee and whiskey enthusiast Eric Church has grown his varied business empire to include being a co-owner of the Field & Stream brand, launching his own SiriusXM music channel, “Eric Church Outsiders Radio,” rolling out the drinks line Whiskey JYPSI and his upcoming six-story venue Chief’s in downtown Nashville. Infusing his personal brand into every part of these ventures has been just as critical as it has been in his music.
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For some artists, putting out a whiskey might involve little more than slapping their name on a bottle—but Church has never been most artists. His name doesn’t appear on a bottle of Whiskey JYPSI, yet he’s been intimately involved in crafting its feel and flavor.
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“It’s not a celebrity whiskey,” Church says of Whiskey JYPSI to Billboard via email. “I’m a whiskey and bourbon connoisseur. It’s what I enjoy. I have my whole life and Whiskey JYPSI was built to produce a unique and high-quality product. It’s a true partnership and I happen to be a creative and that’s how I contribute the most.”
In 2020, Church joined forces with Raj Alva to launch Outsiders Spirits, an incubator for whiskey creativity. On April 2, the new Whiskey JYPSI Explorer Series launches, with the first release from the series boasting a blend of two six-year-old bourbons: a Kentucky-distilled low rye, as well as an Indiana high rye. The new offering follows the inaugural Whiskey JYPSI Legacy Batch 001, which released in 2023.
“We created this – Raj, Ari and I – it was important to us that we could be creative; to have creativity not just at the start, but through the whole process,” Church says. “We’re able to look around the world and find unique ingredients – like our initial Explorer release is finished with wood from the Appalachian Forrest in North Carolina, where I am from, and Legacy 001 had Canadian Rye that was very unique to its location. By finding unique ingredients and making smaller batches, you can super serve the product and get highly creative with the flavors. That’s what makes Whiskey JYPSI different as a brand.”
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Church’s imprint is also on every inch of his upcoming venue Chief’s. The 20,000-square-foot establishment at 200 Broadway in downtown Nashville celebrates its grand opening on April 5, and not only features Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ on the rooftop, but a two-story, approximately 350-capacity live music venue called The Neon Steeple.
The Neon Steeple is set to feature upcoming performances from not only the “Chief” himself, but Ray Wylie Hubbard, songwriter Casey Beathard, Jim Lauderdale, Sunny Sweeney, Suzy Bogguss and Radney Foster. Church has been very hands-on in selecting performers for the venue, with some artists in the inaugural batch of performers having ties to Church’s own music. In 2019, Church’s music video for “Desperate Man” featured the song’s co-writer Wylie Hubbard. Beathard has co-written several of Church’s hits including “The Outsiders” and “Homeboy.”
“I have a vision for it – there is a troubadour element, there is a songwriter element, and that will evolve over time like anything else but that has been the fabric of how we want to activate the first year,” Church says. “I’m excited to do my shows and we will have other artists that people will recognize. For a lot of artists, it will be an underplay, and for others it will be a perfect place to play Nashville.”
Also originating April 5, Church will launch the 19-show “To Beat the Devil” residency at Chief’s—one that promises a wellspring of creativity and intimacy with his ardent fanbase.
“Very rarely do I get to walk out with a guitar in a living room setting,” says Church, who notes that it is likely that attendees will see some surprise guests show up at various shows during the residency. “It’s very rare that you get to go out and have a conversation like that. It allows me to turn the show into a full musical piece and not just playing songs. It was conceived that way. I have most of it sketched out and I can’t wait to do it.”
In August 2023, Church performed two nights as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s artist-in-residence program, offering up a two-hour, 19-song set that included both Church’s radio hits as well as rarely-heard live renditions. The set was somewhat of a precursor to the unique nights of music he has planned for the Chief’s residency.
“It will be a lot of unique, new music that pertains to different times in my career; stuff that I wrote and maybe didn’t make an album or a story that nobody’s ever heard,” Church says. “That’s part of the reason we are going restrict cell phone use. That’s the only way people can truly be in the moment and experience the moment. As a parent, I understand the challenges of people being away from their cell phone though, so we are going to use Yondr [a pouch system that allows concertgoers to lock away their phones], which allows you access to your phone by stepping outside if you need to – which is important to me. But there will be no recording. What happens there is for the people that fought so hard to get tickets, and they get to talk about it,” Church says.
“It will be a completely unique show and one of the more challenging and special ones of my career.”
At the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday (April 1) night, Jelly Roll took the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to church. After an introduction from his old touring pals Shinedown, Jelly Roll hit the stage, surrounded by hundreds of glowing votive candles on a stage that resembled a prism-like church. Looking briefly teary-eyed, the […]
Beyoncé‘s new album Cowboy Carter has stirred up some discourse over whether she should be considered “country.” But as far as Carlene Carter is concerned, there’s no question that Bey is in league with her mom: late country icon June Carter Cash.
In a recent statement, Carlene condemned the “negativity” she’s seen in the days since Cowboy Carter arrived on Friday, bringing with it 27 new experimental, country-inspired tracks. “As a Carter Girl myself and coming from a long line of Carter Girls, I’m moved to ask why anyone would treat a Carter this way?” she questioned.
“She is an incredibly talented and creative woman who obviously wanted to do this because she likes country music,” continued the 68-year-old singer-songwriter. “In my book, she’s one of us Carter women and we have always pushed the boundaries by trying whatever music we felt in our hearts and taking spirit-driven risks.”
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Carlene is the daughter of June and Carl Smith, who divorced in 1956. The “Jackson” singer went on to marry Edwin “Rip” Nix in 1957 before splitting in 1966, after which she famously wed Johnny Cash in 1968.
Throughout her career as a country musician, June notched nine hits on the Hot Country Songs chart — a ranking Bey would become the first Black female soloist to top decades later with “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The single, along with “16 Carriages,” preceded Cowboy Carter, which features guest appearances from Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.
“I admire and love her and all she does,” added Carlene, directly addressing the “naysayers.” “I am delighted to know that Carter spunk is in her just like it’s been through nearly 100 years of us Carters choosing to follow ours hearts, hearts that are filled with love not just for country music but for all kinds of music. Here’s a warm welcome to the Carter Girl Club!”
Carlene isn’t the first country star to defend Bey’s right to explore country music. Linda Martell, who is featured on Cowboy Carter, wrote on Instagram that she’s “proud” of the 32-time Grammy winner for “exploring her country music roots,” while Rihannon Giddens said in a recent interview: “People can do what they wanna do. They wanna make a country record? Make a country record. Nobody’s askin’ Lana Del Rey, ‘What right do you have to make a country record?’”
Plus, Queen Bey’s mom, Tina Knowles, reminded critics prior to the album’s release that her daughter grew up in the heart of “cowboy culture” in Houston. “There is a huge Black cowboy culture,” she said at the time. “Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning? … We went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion… It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.”
Magic Johnson continues to be a loyal member of the BeyHive. The former basketball superstar took to Instagram on Friday (March 29) to celebrate the release of Beyoncé’s newest album, Cowboy Carter. “Beyoncé – It’s only fitting that I recognize a living icon as the world tunes in to listen to your newest album, ‘Cowboy […]
Jon Batiste recently reflected on not only what it meant to work on Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter, but also how her country album is dismantling genre barriers.
The five-time Grammy winner co-wrote and produced the album opener, “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” and he broke down the process by sharing a photo to his Instagram on Saturday (March 30) showing him and legendary producer No I.D. (real name Ernest Dion Wilson) in the studio, as well as their text exchange with Batiste writing out the chorus, pre-chorus and part of the first verse.
“This is the moment yall, where we dismantle the genre machine. I was happy to produce and write for AMERIICAN REQUIEM, along with Beyoncé and Dion. When I catch inspiration, the words and chords pour out of me. What an honor to then see how brilliantly Beyoncé made them her own and THEN further enhanced the lyrical statement, synthesizing it into the larger body of work,” he wrote. “After the harrowing vocal prelude that happens to start Cowboy Carter, you get to hear these words that read like a proclaimation. ‘Do you hear me or do you fear me?’ or better yet in our Louisiana vernacular ‘Looka dere, Looka dere.’”
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He continued, saying that he and Dion embarked on a “creative journey” asking questions about “the state of music” today. “We’d been having these conversations for years but something about recent times has felt ripe with the power of actualization. When I picked up my guitar and notebook to write this song I put my trust in God to liberate my creative mind, as I always do when channeling inspiration.”
But Batiste shared another conversation he had with a another legendary producer, Quincy Jones, that Jones even wrote as part of the foreword to Batiste’s 2021 album We Are, which won album of the year at the 2022 Grammy Awards. “‘It’s up to you to de categorize American music!!’ which is what Duke Ellington told him,” Batiste continued. “I really believe that is our generation’s role, led by a few artists willing to take this leap.”
He also praised Cowboy Carter as a “brilliant album, a work of such unimaginable impact and artistic firepower by a once in a generation artist. So glad that we finally got to collaborate with each other at this time,” Batiste wrote. “Producing and writing for AMERIICAN REQUIEM was an example of extraordinary alignment—when many leading artists see a similar vision at the same time, that’s when you know a major shift is happening. A new era, long time coming. Let’s liberate ourselves from genre and break the barriers that marginalize who we are and the art that we create. Grateful and impressed by my brother @dixson and the other collaborators who helped make this album opening statement possible.”
See Batiste’s full Instagram post below.
Country artist Orville Peck has signed with Warner Records – and has already teased new music on the way.
“I was ready for a change,” Peck tells Billboard. “I spent most of last year making several huge changes to all aspects of my life – my career being just one of them. I was ready for a clean start.”
Today (April 1), Peck announced his first release on the label: a collaboration with Willie Nelson. The pair will duet on a cover of “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other,” a song originally released in 1981 by Latin country artist Ned Sublette and covered by Nelson in 2006. Peck himself previously performed a rendition for SiriusXM and at his 2023 Hollywood Bowl show.
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Jeff Sosnow, EVP of A&R at Warner – whom Peck calls “the GOAT” – tells Billboard he met Peck a few years ago and was taken “not only by his musical acumen and knowledge, but also his sense of purpose, ambition and curation of his own world, which all extends from the music.”
“It’s rare to come across an artist who checks so many necessary boxes for a path to success – great songs, singular voice, curation of overall aesthetic and visuals, ambition, communication and work ethic. With [what’s ahead], we have a real opportunity to fortify and grow Orville’s base and reach.”
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In 2019, Peck released his debut album Pony on Sub Pop. The following year, in 2020, he signed with Columbia and released his major label debut EP Show Pony. Two more EPs followed in 2022 leading up to his second full-length that August, Bronco.
“I was drawn to Warner because of their unique emphasis on their artists,” says Peck. “It may seem like it should be the standard but more and more, the music industry invests less and less in artists.” He says in addition to Sosnow being “a genuine fan of music,” he has “great respect” for Warner CEO and co-chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck along with COO and co-chairman Tom Corson. “They have helped me to feel so motivated,” he adds.
Currently, Warner is on a hot streak with its superstars and emerging talent alike. Next month (on May 3), Dua Lipa will release her anticipated album Radical Optimism, while Zach Bryan is currently playing to sold-out arenas on his The Quittin Time Tour. Plus, rising acts like Teddy Swims and Benson Boone occupied the Hot 100’s top two slots last week with “Lose Control” and “Beautiful Things,” respectively.
“The last five years have proven Warner has the patience and ingenuity to work with real artists with vision and songs and grow with them,” says Sosnow. “The structure of the company has put us in a unique place where we do indeed have a special sauce.”
Peck is signed to Brandon Creed’s Good World Management, and is managed by Creed along with Dani Russin and Anika Capozza. The firm says: “Warner has been in Orville’s corner for many years and when the moment arose to work together, they immediately seized the opportunity with incredible support and enthusiasm…We are so excited for this new partnership and couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with them.”
As Peck says, this next chapter can be defined by “evolution and exploration. I have honestly never felt so excited about my career before.”
Adds Sosnow: “The possibilities are really limitless for Orville. He is a generational talent.”
Orville Peck
Ben Prince