Inside Music Row

Jeffrey Steele is well known in Nashville as one of today’s hottest songwriters, but many don’t know about his huge heart.  Seven years after his son’s untimely death, Jeffrey still hosts a benefit concert in his honor.  We caught up with Jeffrey and a few of his friends before an incredible show at the Franklin Theatre.  Here’s Kelly Lynn with more!

Hey everybody!  I'm Kelly Sutton!  So glad you’ve joined us for another Inside Music Row!  We’ve got plenty of entertainment headlines for you, so let’s get started!  After a wild weekend in the southwest that saw almost five-thousand funnel cakes eaten, seventeen-thousand t-shirts bought, and 67-thousand bottles of water consumed…organizers of the Country Thunder Arizona music festival deemed it a success with their highest attendance to date.  The record setting crowd was treated to performances from Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, and many more.  Fans can now look forward to the 20-15 festival, which is set to kick off April ninth of next year.

When a New York fine jewelry designer comes to Nashville…you know there will be a country spin on it.  Country artist Dustin Lynch was on hand at Nashville’s Green Hills Mall to celebrate the launch of the David Yurman “Frontier” collection.  Guests were invited to preview the new jewelry and timepieces, with a portion of the proceeds from the night benefitting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Jesse Whitley is honoring his father’s memory this week by bringing back the Keith Whitley Homecoming Concert.  When Keith first achieved major success in the early 1980s, he began returning to his hometown of Sandy Hook, Kentucky with a show to give back to the people he loved and cherished.  The new show date will mark the 25th anniversary of Keith’s passing.

Sara Evans has partnered up with the makers of Hidden Valley Original Ranch products for “Crunch Time.”  This is a new program to help get kids involved in making dinner through games and activities.  Sara even helped design the “Twist On Tonight” activity box, available for a limited time through Surprise Ride.  With a blended family of nine…she knows about crunch time all too well.

Now it's time to go “Inside The Song.”  Jo Dee Messina’s latest single “Me” is all about living up to our individual responsibilities in life.  We talked with Jo Dee a little about how that can be a scary feeling at times.

     Ashliegh Lisset has always enjoyed music, and her father encouraged her to follow her dreams.  She never took that advice very seriously until after he was killed in action while serving in the U-S Army deployed to Iraq.  Six months later, music started bringing her world back together…a little at a time.  Now this Texas native has released her first single “Kill The Headlights” from her forthcoming E-P.  We were able to visit with Ashliegh to learn more about her musical journey.

     John Rich has done a little bit of everything in his career.  From putting out great albums with Big Kenny Alphin to commanding the board room on Donald Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice,” John really has an incredible business sense to him.  When he started a new lifestyle brand called “Redneck Riviera,” we headed over to Mount Richmore to learn more about it.

With a legacy that stretches across six decades, you might assume that the Oak Ridge Boys have released plenty of live projects.  We were quite surprised ourselves that they’ve never before done that.  With classics like “Elvira” and “American Made”… it’s easy to sing along at one of their live shows.  After selling over forty million albums, they’ve finally circled back and decided to put out a live album.  Kelly Sutton caught up with the “Boys” to talk all about that new project.

Hey there!  I'm Jennifer Vickery… we are so glad you’re here for another Inside Music Row.  We've got lots in store for you today, so let’s get started.  Country comedian Ray Stevens has been called lots of things in his career, but this is the first time he’s been referred to as a ‘rayality star.’  He just launched the first ‘webisode’ of his new web sitcom ‘Rayality TV.’  In the debut episode, he gets a speeding ticket and is sentenced to serve time at The Encore…a retirement home for entertainers.  Check out Ray Stevens dot com for the latest episodes.

If more artists keep getting added to the 2015 Country Music Cruise…they just might have to get a bigger boat!  Martina McBride, Charley Price, Lorrie Morgan, John Anderson, The Roys, and many more artists have been added to the seven-day cruise through the Caribbean.  To book your cabin, which gives you access to all the main stages, activities, and gourmet meals, check out Country Music Cruise dot com.

One year after the death of country music legend George Jones, a new book about his life is now available.  “The Legend of George Jones” is a collection of stories spanning many decades, five marriages, and an unequaled career in country music.  Written by family friends Charlene and Earl “Peanutt” Montgomery, the stories are told without excuse, documenting the real heart and soul of an icon.  Peanutt wrote a total of 73 songs for George, including some of his best loved number one hits. 

“Mystery Girl Deluxe” is the 25th anniversary edition of Roy Orbison’s final album masterpiece.  The original “Mystery Girl” included the hit “You Got It,” which was a worldwide smash for Roy.  Many incredible artists and musicians performed on the original project, and you’ll see rare archival footage in this anniversary DVD, including clips with Roy and Tom Petty, Barbara Orbison, George Harrison, Bono, T Bone Burnett, Steve Cropper, and many more.  Several versions of the new package will be available on Legacy Recordings May 20th, which include some unreleased studio and work-tape demos.  

Chet Atkins once bestowed the title of “Certified Guitar Picker” on his good friend Steve Wariner.  Steve has held close to that through the years, and is releasing a special version of his instrumental album “Steve Wariner C-G-P…My Tribute to Chet Atkins” in Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores.  In an interesting twist…Chet was also an early investor in Cracker Barrel, so this brings the project full circle.

Now it's time to go Inside The Song.  “Until I Met You” is a cool new track from Kentucky duo Sundy Best.  We caught up with Kris and Nick to learn what that song is all about.

Texas and Nashville don’t always see eye-to-eye when it comes to country music, but I think we can all agree on great music when we hear it.  Ross Cooper recorded his unique sound at a studio in Lubbock, Texas, which you can find on his soulful new album “Give It Time.”  The project includes eleven tracks, all of which he wrote or co-wrote.  We hooked up with Ross to hear how his life experiences are reflected in his music.

Rachele Lynae is a brand new young country artist, originally from the state of Alaska.  Many aspiring singers travel a long road to get to Nashville, but not quite that long.  From the sound of her voice and her commanding stage presence, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot from her in the coming years.  Rachele’s debut album was produced by her mentor Jamie O’Neal, and hits stores this week.  We caught up with Rachele in the studio to talk about that self-titled project.

The 49th annual A-C-M Awards was a blast out in Vegas, with lots of amazing fan opportunities to see their favorite artists throughout the weekend.  We were able to hook up with tons of artists making their way into the M-G-M Grand Garden Arena for the main event.  Here’s Kelly Lynn on the red carpet.

Hey everybody!  I'm Jennifer Vickery… so glad you’ve joined us for another Inside Music Row.  We have lots in store for you today, so let’s get started.  The guys from Florida Georgia Line are giving new meaning to their six time platinum hit song “Cruise.”  Instead of a Chevy with a lift kit, they’re moving on up with their own “This Is How We Cruise” music festival at sea.  Look for Nelly, Thomas Rhett, Colt Ford, and plenty of other special guests to get in on the “Cruise.”  Fans are welcome to join them by signing up at F-G-L Cruise dot com. 

Legendary newsman Dan Rather recently spent some time in Music City, and was welcomed by the Grand Ole Opry as a special guest announcer.  After taking the microphone, he recalled growing up as a fan of the Opry and country music in Texas.  The Opry is currently looking ahead to the 90th anniversary celebration next year, so I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him back soon.

Charlie Daniels is celebrating the release of his new “Off The Grid” album with a new national tour.  Look for the music legend to perform about a hundred dates around the country through the end of the year.  Charlie says that ‘having new material to play on the live show is like pouring a little hot sauce on your morning eggs, just adds a little extra zest to the set.’

Cassadee Pope didn’t waste any tears as she was presented with a platinum plaque at the Grand Ole Opry.  She performed her debut hit “Wasting All These Tears” on the hallowed Opry stage as well as her new single “I Wish I Could Break Your Heart” before being surprised backstage with a plaque and special heart-shaped cake.  Look for Cassadee on the road this summer when she joins Tim McGraw’s “Sundown Heaven Town 20-14” tour.

Top wedding website The Knot dot com has posted its “twelve hottest wedding songs for 20-14,” and Lee Brice’s “I Don’t Dance” was the number one pick.  The song was originally written as a wedding gift to Lee’s wife Sara when they were married last April.  Written about a shy groom’s first dance, they say the song is perfect for dancing, despite the title.

Now it's time to go “Inside The Song.”  Rob Crosby co-wrote a cool track with Rose Falcon and Eric Paslay, which Eric took all the way to number one.  Rob told us all about how “Friday Night” got started.