“Love Is Stronger” by Matt Kennon hit the radio airwaves this month and was ranked in The Top 20 Most Downloaded and Streamed on Play MPE. Best known for his emotional, heart wrenching and true to life songs that tug at listeners heart strings, and the fact he is not afraid to bring attention to subjects that are uncomfortable. The accompanying official video was exclusively premiered on Center Stage Magazine and My Jam Music yesterday and available today on YouTube and Facebook, as well as online video platforms worldwide.
Gospel Music Hall of Famer and multi-platinum, GRAMMY® Winner Michael W. Smith has announced plans for his fall headlining tour celebrating 35 years of his groundbreaking, iconic song “Friends”. The 23-city tour will launch in Springfield, Missouri on October 3 and will also feature stops in Atlanta, San Antonio, Phoenix, Sacramento and more before concluding November 17 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Four straight days of sold-out shows and capacity crowds, as well as surprise performances and collaborations, made the 48th annual CMA Fest one for the record books. At Nissan Stadium, Lil Nas X created one of the festival's most talked-about moments Saturday night, joined by Billy Ray Cyrus and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban for an epic surprise performance of “Old Town Road,” the No. 1 song in the country for 10 weeks and running.
In the midst of promoting his memoir, Forever and Ever, Amen, Randy Travis gives fans a reason to celebrate with his first music release in six years. “One In A Row”, is a song about missing someone as much as the world has missed the Country Music Hall of Fame member's one-of-a-kind baritone since a massive stroke in 2013 affected his ability to perform. The song, penned by Buddy Jewell and Thom McHugh, was recorded years before the stroke but never widely released to audiences. It showcases Travis' deep, velvety smooth, signature tone with the traditional country sound that has been a cornerstone of his career since 1986 when he “turned [the country] format 180 degrees from where it's heading, back and made it bigger than it ever was” [Garth Brooks to Rolling Stone Country].
Baillie & the Boys, gained prominence in the late 1980s as the trio (Kathie Baillie, Michael Bonagura, and Alan LeBoeuf) first found work singing harmony vocals on singles for Ed Bruce, Dan Seals, and Randy Travis, and Bonagura co-wrote Marie Osmond's single 'There's No Stopping Your Heart'. In 1987, Baillie & the Boys were signed to a record deal with RCA Records. Their self-titled album was released that year, producing three Top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. Turn The Tide, their second album, was released a year later. It produced four consecutive Top 10 hits on the country charts, including '(Wish I Had A) Heart of Stone', their highest-charting single.
International singer/songwriter Max T. Barnes kicked off his 2019 tour at the Hot Country TV awards in front of 1,100 Irish country fans with a performance of “Love, Me,” which he penned for Collin Raye and spent three weeks at No. 1 in the U.S. He went on to receive an award for “Great Contributions to Irish Music” adding to his 2018 trophy for “International Artist of the Year.” The tour coincides with the release of Barnes' new singles, “If I Didn't Have You,” “I've Loved A Lot More Than I've Hurt” and “Catchin' Up to Do” - all hitting radio now. Visit www.maxtbarnes.com for more information.
35 Years Of Friends: Celebrating The Music Of Michael W. Smith was packed with over 3 hours of performances from singers including: Amy Grant, Wynonna, Randy Travis with Steven Curtis Chapman, Jordin Sparks with Jordan Smith, Rascal Flatts, The Backstreet Boys' Brian Littrell, Charlie Daniels, the Gatlin Brothers, Vince Gill with Wayne Kirkpatrick, Matthew West, Avalon, The Oak Ridge Boys, CeCe Winans, Francesca Battistelli, Sandi Patty with Natalie Grant, Ricky Skaggs with the Isaacs, Jason Crabb, Lee Greenwood, Mark Lowry, Jim Brickman, T. Graham Brown and more.
Legendary country superstar Randy Travis will make a special appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage Saturday, May 4 to celebrate his 60th birthday. The Opry's flagship radio station 650 AM-WSM and its digital counterpart have named Travis their Artist of the Month and will mark the Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame member's 60th with a week of special promotions and programming, including Travis' Opry birthday appearance, beginning Monday, April 29. Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith and Braving the Storms of Life will be released on May 14 and is available for preorder now at foreverandeveramenbook.com.
Billy Ray Cyrus, Charlie Daniels, Gavin DeGraw, Home Free, The Katinas, Wes King, Nicole C. Mullins, Michael Tait, Matthew Ward and Zach Williams have been added to the star-studded lineup to celebrate Michael W. Smith during the once-in-a-lifetime tribute event taking place April 30th at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
On-the-rise country artist and songwriterJustin Kemp has announced the pre-order for his upcoming single co-written with his father and titled a?oeHearts Desire.a?? The single follows his last single, a?oeBetter Man,a?? which stayed on Hot Tracks for 11 weeks on Apple Music and his well received single a?oea??Steppin' Stonea?? released in June 2018. Pre-order the single here.
Iconic, multi-Platinum-selling, three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Michael W. Smithhosted an inclusive, multi-racial, multi-denominational and multi-generational gathering of 14,000 people at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN last August. The energy, passion and unity of the event was captured as it happened on AWAKEN: The Surrounded Experience releasing today (Feb. 22) from Rocketown Records and The Fuel Music. Available now athttp://fanlink.to/michaelwsmith, the album features Smith along with special guest CeCe Winans and the voices of all those who attended the evening.
Inspired by his Good Morning America-featured live worship album Surrounded, which is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album–his eleventh GRAMMY nomination,Michael W. Smith hosted “A Night to Pray, Worship and Be Awakened” at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN last August. The energy, passion and unity of the event was captured as it happened on AWAKEN: The Surrounded Experience releasing Feb. 22 from Rocketown Records and The Fuel Music. The album features the multi-Platinum, three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning artist along with special guest CeCe Winans and the voices of 14,000 that attended the evening.
Neo-Traditional Country singer and songwriter Shane Owens will be making his return to Country Radio Seminar (CRS), February 13-15, at the Omni Nashville Hotel. The Alabama-native, and 2018 Music Row Independent Artist of the Year, is currently promoting his latest single 'Love To Try Them On,' the second single from his latest album, It's A Southern Thing.
homas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins, announced the cover for the upcoming memoir by country music legend Randy Travis today in an exclusive with People.com. The book is available now for preorder on Amazon and other retailers.
When the stars align, they surely align, and that is exactly what is happening as country music's chart-topping group Rascal Flatts, award-winning CCM icons Point of Grace and Phil Keaggy, and comedians Henry Cho, Nate Bargatze and John Crist have all signed on to perform and honor Michael W. Smith during the once-in-a-lifetime tribute event taking place April 30th. '35 years of Friends: Celebrating The Music Of Michael W. Smith' will take place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and will also include performances by Amy Grant, Bob Goff, Brian Littrell from the the Backstreet Boys, CeCe Winans, Chonda Pierce, Danny Gokey, Donnie McClurkin, Francesca Battistelli, The Gatlin Brothers, The Isaacs, Jars of Clay, Jason Crabb, Jim Brickman, Jordan Smith, Jordin Sparks, Justin Flom, Laura Story, Lee Greenwood, Mac Powell, Matt Maher, Matthew West, MercyMe, Natalie Grant, Newsboys, The Oak Ridge Boys, Phillips, Craig and Dean, Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs, Russ Taff, Sandi Patty, Scott Hamilton, Vince Gill, Wayne Kirkpatrick and the Original MWS Band, and Wynonna.
Dunn, North Carolina, native Clint Alphin is set to release his fourth album, Straight to Marrow, on March 29th. A collection of bluesy, folksy, and straightforward American roots music, Straight to Marrow finds Clint's easy tenor vocals and down-home guitar picking entwined in his most eclectic album yet. Part of what makes Alphin's new record ebb and flow with ease is producerNeilson Hubbard (The Apache Relay, Matthew Perryman Jones) and his careful song-by-song approach, allowing Clint's skill set to shine as each new tune unfolds. Today, Glide Magazine premiered Straight to Marrow's first single, “Out to California.' Glide praises the release and notes that “Alphin explores moments in life that move you to the bone, as he embraces and celebrates risk taking and dream chasing.” Glide also nods to Hubbard's work, noting that “the production is carefully constructed to suit each song.”
At the annual Wheeling Jamboree Christmas show, headliner Tim Atwood was surprised during his performance with a very special invitation. An invitation to become an official member of The Wheeling Jamboree, one of the last remaining country music shows of its kind, second only to The Grand Ole Opry. This honor came as a total surprise to Tim as Dave Heath, president of the organization, interrupted him between songs and made the formal announcement.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Randy Travis was honored with the Lee Greenwood Award by the 501(c)3 organization, Helping A Hero, at their Lee Greenwood & Friends concert in Houston on Monday. The concert celebrated Christmas and patriotism while honoring and raising money to build homes for wounded warriors.
