After a detour that took her to Somalia, Jo Smith is back with her debut full-length album, ‘Wyoming,’ a sweet and somber record that will bring you all the feels.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Jo Smith
Author: Bethany Bowman
Holiday Organization and Wellness Tips from The Home Edit
NASHVILLE, Tennessee –I interviewed Netflix’s dynamic duo Clea and Joanna, from the Emmy-nominated show Get Organized with The Home Edit, to get their organization and wellness tips for the upcoming holiday season. And even though Clea is in the process of finishing her cancer treatment at Vanderbilt, they were gracious enough to speak to me for a few minutes.
The Home Edit was founded in 2015 by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin in Nashville, Tennessee. Brought together by a mutual friend, it was friendship at first text, and a business partnership immediately thereafter.
Read the full storyWhistlePig and Brothers Osborne Release Limited Edition Whiskey
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – WhistlePig Whiskey and Grammy Award-winning country music duo and reigning CMA Duo of the Year Brothers Osborne are celebrating 100 for all, all for 100 this holiday season with the launch of their new whiskey collaboration. The WhistlePig PiggyBack Legends Series: Brothers Osborne Barrel is a single barrel, limited-edition 100% Rye Whiskey, created for and selected by John and TJ Osborne, to celebrate those who give 100% in the name of greatness.
Read the full storyJamie O’Neal Releases Debut Holiday Album ‘Spirit & Joy’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Those who follow Jamie O’Neal know she is from a musical family and has grown up in the business. Her first studio album, Shiver, went gold in 2000-2001 and she has been a household name in the country music industry ever since. That’s why I was surprised when I learned that she is just now releasing her debut Christmas album, Spirit & Joy, in 2022. The record is a compilation of new and familiar with several original songs co-written by some of the best in the business along with O’Neal herself.
Read the full storyProject Supergroup to Air on MTV
Project Supergroup is a first-of-its-kind music competition series that implements a new and innovative “build a band” from scratch concept that showcases exceptionally talented musicians who play, write, and sing. It will soon be premiering on MTV and Fave TV.
Read the full storyDaniel Borge Releases ‘Backseat Backroad’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- One of my previous Music Spotlight artists, Norwegian-born Daniel Borge, has one of the most interesting “how I got to country music/Nashville” stories of anyone I have ever interviewed.
Unfortunately, when the ball had just begun rolling, the pandemic hit, and he could not travel and pursue his dream.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Julie Roberts
Julie Roberts returns to country music with a powerful new album on ONErpm’s distribution and marketing services. Listen to ‘Ain’t In No Hurry’ available now.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Colony House
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – When I got the press release that a Nashville-based rock band, Colony House, was releasing their fourth studio album on February 3, 2022, I was intrigued, because in this town we don’t have a lot of modern rock bands. All four band members are from Tennessee, with two being from Franklin.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Mackenzie Carpenter
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Those who follow my column know I find a lot of my new artists from the Song Suffragettes or SiriusXM’s The Highway. On The Highway, They feature new artists who are often named as their “Highway Finds.” And while I’m not always crazy about every new musician they feature, when I heard Mackenzie Carpenter’s “Can’t Nobody” a few months back, it was love at first listen.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Leah Marie Mason
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Leah Marie Mason is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter from North Carolina. She comes from a musical family, and her dad was a drummer.
“We were always around music. My dad loves rock music,” she said.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Erin Kinsey
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Although she only vaguely remembers it, I met Erin Kinsey at a Writer’s Round in a side room at the Bavarian Bierhaus at Opry Mills in March of 2021 and we still weren’t sure if we should even be gathering.
Long before Kinsey officially launched her country music career, the Texas girl was already a full decade into it. Her parents had her in every sport, club, and extra-curricular activity they could think of. She played tennis, basketball, and soccer and even took piano lessons. They wanted to help her figure out what she loved. Their goal was to help her find a career born out of passion.
Read the full storyEdi Callier Wins The Road to Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- When I was invited to attend a reception that celebrated one of King Charles’ charities, The Unity of Faiths Foundation, (TUFF) who are co-organizers of The Road to Nashville songwriting contest, I knew it was going to be a spectacular event.
Read the full storyDuke Spirits Launches The Masters Music Series
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Launched on October 7, Duke Spirits teamed with a talented group of artists for its latest project, The Masters Music Series. Hosted by Runaway June’s Jennifer Wayne, The Masters Music Series is a live performance video series that unites an accomplished group of musicians and writers, showcasing and supporting both emerging and established artists through various programs and initiatives. The series will release two videos each week on Duke Spirits’ YouTube channel.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Ian Munsick
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Ian Munsick comes from a musical ranching family. They were and are real-life singing cowboys. Under the tutelage of their fiddle-playing father, Munsick and his two older brothers grew up playing everything from bluegrass to The Beatles.
Ranching was how their father provided for them, but in the evenings, the family would often play music around town. They did rodeos and private events while traveling around the Rocky Mountain region.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Taylor Edwards
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Taylor Edwards has been singing since she was a toddler. Her parents remembered that at age 3 she would jump on a table in a restaurant and start singing.
Her parents thought, “Oh goodness, this one, she likes the attention.”
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Chapel Hart
NASHVILLE, Tennessee –Before the rest of the world discovered Chapel Hart this summer on America’s Got Talent, I was a fan. They had come across my newsfeed, and I sent an email inquiring about a possible interview in 2021. When I never heard back, other artists got pushed to the forefront.
This summer Chapel Hart electrified America with the original hit “You Can Have Him, Jolene.” Multiple people contacted me asking if I had heard them sing. I determined then that I had to interview this dynamic trio because they truly were unlike any other group I had ever featured.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Noah Hicks
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- If there is one thing that means something to me in country music, it is authenticity. Are you singing your truths or just latching onto the newest country fad?
Noah Hicks is probably the most authentic country guy I have ever interviewed. He is a fifth-generation farmer from Carrolton, Georgia. The land he tilled with an air-conditioned tractor is the land his grandfathers plowed with a mule.
Read the full storyExclusive: Cory Singer Premieres ‘Chance of a Lifetime (The Truth)’
Before I discovered my love for traditional country music, Americana, and bluegrass, I loved big-band and Broadway music. I prided myself on knowing the big show tunes from all the famous musicals.
When I heard Cory Singer’s song “I Still Love You,” I thought, “Wow, I wonder which musical this song is from. How have I missed it before now?”
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Brei Carter
Brei Carter has established herself in the songwriters’ community as a smooth and sometimes edgy songstress who melds country, soul, and southern pop into one fused style as shown in her debut album ‘Brand New Country.’
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Chase Wright
NASHVILLE, Tennessee –In the past few years, a name that kept showing up in my feed was Chase Wright. (Not to be confused with another country singer/songwriter, Chase Rice.) Recently, as I was driving to work, I heard SiriusXM The Highway’s Storme Warren talking to Chase Wright. He invited him to become SXM The Highway’s next “Highway Find,” a platform that has launched many artists’ careers from Florida-Georgia Line to Carly Pearce.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: AmericanaFest
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – To be honest, I am overwhelmed by the number of talented artists who perform daily in Nashville. I find I must carefully schedule who I see and what I write about.
A genre of music that often gets overlooked by mainstream media is Americana. Each September the best of the best gather in Nashville with free or mostly free shows all over the city, with the highlight being the Americana Music Awards.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: The Buckleys
The Buckleys family band from Australia is a distinctive, original trio whose music brings hope back to the currently stale popular music scene with their newest EP, ‘Take It As It Comes.’
Read the full storyLittle Kids Rock Rebrands as ‘Music Will’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- As part of a five-city tour to promote their new branded non-profit Music Will (formerly known as Little Kids Rock) founder Dave Wish spoke to me about their latest adaptation.
The former first-grade teacher started Little Kids Rock because his students didn’t like their current music program. He asked them what they wanted to play and at the time, they said, “Ricky Martin” and “Selena.” He began to teach the kids to play the music they wanted to hear and eventually it led to teaching other teachers to do the same.
Read the full storyOpry Member Gene Watson Releases ‘Outside the Box’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Known among country fans and fellow artists as the “singer’s singer,” Gene Watson is celebrating 60 years in the music business – and shows no signs of slowing down.
Watson has more than 75 charted titles, 23 Top 10 hits, six Number 1 country singles, and five Number 1 gospel hits. I asked the Opry legend why, at age 78, he felt the need to make another record.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Drake Milligan
Not only is Drake Milligan a finalist on American’s Got Talent, his full-length debut album Dallas/Fort Worth’ is coming out September 15th.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: CHLSY
A 90s-inspired dark-rock band, CHLSY, presents original music on their latest record, ‘Quantum Entanglement.’
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: The Imaginaries
Accomplished musicians, Maggie McClure and Shane Henry have formed a duo known as the Imaginaries. Married for 11 years, the chemistry and deep commitment they share are evident in their music.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Beasley Brothers
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- The Beasley Brothers are a country duo formerly from North Alabama but now based out of Nashville. They are comprised of Lawson and Jackson Beasley. Being only 18 months apart, the pair grew up doing everything together.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight Artist Devon Beck Releases ‘Homewrecker’
I first featured Devon Beck in April of 2021, after being immediately drawn to her developed sense of songwriting. At the time, she was 18 years old and had only been performing publically since she was 16. But to hear her songs, it was like she was born to be a singer/songwriter from the get-go.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Bri Bagwell
From the time she began writing poems in her childhood, on to teaching herself how to play a dusty old piano and guitar, Bri Bagwell has followed a singular path toward music.
She began playing in the bars with her older twin brothers, who were 21 when she was just 14.
Read the full story‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star Tom Wopat to Appear at Cooter’s in Nashville on Labor Day Weekend
Tom Wopat first entered the national consciousness as “Luke” in the iconic TV series The Dukes of Hazzard. He has been performing in stage musicals since the age of 12. Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm and educated at UW-Madison, Wopat has enjoyed a multi-faceted career in film, television, on the Broadway stage, and singing in venues as varied as Carnegie Hall, The Grand Ole Opry, and the Hollywood Bowl. He has also recorded 12 albums in the last 35 years, the most recent being his 2017 release, the eponymous singer/songwriter-styled Wopat.
Read the full storyBailey James Releases ‘Don’t Need Ya’
Bailey James’ new single “Don’t Need Ya,” was written and produced by the incredible Nolan Neal Seals of The Voice and America’s Got Talent, who recently passed away.
Read the full storyErnie Haase and Signature Sound Release ‘Decades of Love’ Record
Those acquainted with gospel music are sure to be familiar with the celebrated music of the Ernie Haase and Signature Sound quartet. After a young Haase completed his debut with the popular Cathedrals in the 1990s, he formed his own gospel quartet in 2003 whose familiar heartfelt sound is well known by the Gaither set and Christians worldwide.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Donny Van Slee
Donny Van Slee is a Florida boy from the rural town of Weeki Wachee Springs, home of the famous live mermaids. Growing up, Van Slee was shy and his dad bought him a guitar to help him. Later, influenced by the bands he loved – Led Zeppelin and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – he took lessons, but his main focus in school was soccer.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Grace Leer
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Grace Leer is a country music singer from Danville, California. She is an American Idol alumnus who started singing at the young age of six. She recalls entering a talent show and singing Selena’s “Dreaming of You.” That was when she fell in love with being on stage.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Charly Reynolds
NASHVILLE, Tennessee -When I discovered Charly Reynolds on Instagram nearly two years ago via live stream, she had an infectious energy that made me want to learn more about her.
Now on the cusp of her newest release, “Rodeo,” I was able to learn more about this charismatic country artist.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Mikayla Lane
Mikayla Lane is originally from rural Kentucky. But when she was 10, she and her family moved to Oklahoma where the young artist began to make her mark in country music.
Lane admits she is not from a musical family but started singing and performing in Kentucky as a child.
Read the full storyLove and Theft Releases New EP, ‘Better Off’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- It’s been seven years since singers Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles, collectively known as country duo Love and Theft, released a record or EP.
Liles talked to me and told me that they are “back in action.”
Read the full storyMusic/Author Spotlight: Alisa Childers
Earlier this year, my brother told me about Alisa Childers, who recently wrote a book about Christian apologetics. Not only that, she was a former member of the contemporary Christian music group ZOEgirl back in the early 2000s and she was married to someone with whom we attended college.
Read the full storyRandy Houser Announces Sixth Studio Album, ‘Note to Self’
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Randy Houser has earned four Number One singles, including three consecutive hits: “How Country Feels,” “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” and “Goodnight Kiss.” “We Went” marked his fourth number one song. He has also had two Top 5 hits: “Boots On” and “Like A Cowboy.”
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Lauren Monroe
Lauren Monroe is an accomplished musician, healer, noted author, and speaker. As a globally recognized advocate for mental health awareness, PTSD therapies, Suicide Prevention and Crises Healing, these themes are echoed in her music.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Karine Hannah
The incomparable pop diva, Karine Hannah, turns rock ballads on their heads with her unique twists on the songs. Her voice evokes emotion like none other as is evinced in her latest single, “Hysteria.”
Read the full story21 Pineapples Raises Awareness for Down’s Syndrome
The 21 Pineapples Shirt Company is a brand with a mission to spread love and acceptance, raising awareness for those who have Down syndrome and others who are differently-abled.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Johnny Day
As much as I may like an artist’s music, their story often intrigues me more. When I heard that Johnny Day recently left a job working in the Colorado oil fields to move to Nashville, I wanted to learn more.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Katrina Burgoyne
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- When I first heard Katrina Burgoyne’s song, “I Wanna Get Away With You,” there was something infectious about the spirited song that made me want to learn more about the artist.
Australian-born Katrina Burgoyne is from a musical family. Both of her grandfathers were performing musicians.
Read the full storyTrain Strikes Pure ‘AM Gold’ in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – June 21 marked the summer solstice, hence the first official day of summer. For the many who braved the extreme heat and high humidity at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Summer began precisely at 7:00 p.m. central time. That is the moment John Popper and Blues Traveler took the stage and ignited an amazing night of music, with John Popper and company bringing the groove to the party.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Sweet Tea Trio
When I interviewed Sweet Tea Trio earlier this year, I knew they had a new EP in the works, but they were unsure of the release date. So I waited until Sugar Rush was released to share their story.
Alabama natives Victoria Camp, Kate Falcon, and Charity Bowden make up an all-female harmony group called Sweet Tea Trio. They met through a mutual vocal coach in Alabama.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: The Singing Contractors
With over 100 million views on YouTube and counting, Indiana natives Aaron Gray and Josh Arnett have combined their innate musical ability with their strong work ethic to create the viral sensational duo known as ‘The Singing Contractors.’
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Michael Shaw
NASHVILLE, Tennessee- After interviewing nearly 200 artists, you think I would learn not to be surprised when I delve into someone’s “How they got to Nashville” story, but hearing country-western singer/songwriter Michael Shaw’s story even stunned me.
Michael Shaw was born in Indiana but remembers growing up in Kentucky and Michigan, and later, Ohio.
Read the full storyMusic Spotlight: Scott Stevens
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Once my friend told me about a tribute that Scott Stevens had written about his grandfather and uncle, I knew I had found the perfect song to share on Memorial Day.
Scott Stevens is a country music singer/songwriter from East Tennessee who recently released the single “Missin’ You” to country radio off his debut country record Every Hat Is A Cowboy Hat. He is also a Civil Rights attorney and lawyer.
Read the full story