NASHVILLE, Tennessee- When I listened to songs from Devon Beck’s first EP, One Sided Expectations, the first thing I thought was she sounds like an American version of Adele. Not only that, Beck’s songwriting ability is mature beyond her years and is reminiscent of the songs in Adele’s 21 album. I found out that Beck is just 18 years old and has only been performing for a little over two years.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Playing music is as natural to Rhonda Vincent as breathing air. She was born into a musical family from Kirksville, Missouri. The Sally Mountain Show, then later the Bluegrass Festival was hosted by her mom and dad and grandparents and aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. She picked up the mandolin at eight and the fiddle at twelve and was performing with the family band at festivals on weekends. They also had a TV and radio show that she sang in as a child.
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A Metro Nashville School Board member said she wonders if school system officials are doing thorough background checks on school system employees, and she said knows of one instance where they did not. Board member Fran Bush told The Tennessee Star this week that Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Executive Director of Security Reginald Young lied on his resume. Young said he previously served in Florida as the Gadsden County School District’s chief of police and its Emergency Management Coordinator.
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Thieves throughout Nashville are stealing firearms from other people’s vehicles and even stealing the vehicles themselves because the owners aren’t locking their vehicle doors. “This, according to a press release that members of the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) published this week.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Reared in Santa Barbara, California, Crystal Leigh hails from a vibrant musical family. Her dad played in bands all around town. Her mom loved to dance and was an avid supporter of music.
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Members of Americans for Prosperity — Tennessee (AFP-TN) have scheduled an event where they will host U.S. Mark Green (R-TN-07) and AFP President Tim Phillips to discuss what they say are significant problems with U.S. President Joe Biden’s $4 trillion infrastructure proposal. The event, which AFP officials have titled the End Washington Waste Event, is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Monday, May 24, at the Bold Patriot Brewing Company at 410 39th Ave. N. in Nashville.
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Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed The Huey Reports, Craig Huey to the studio who revealed the combination of left-wing groups conspiring to aid business elites and top corporations to destroy the small business owner.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed CEO and Founder of the Glockstore.com Lenny Magill in studio to reflect on last Saturday’s successful event and how their new Nashville location differs from the rest.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Halle Kearns is an artist who always knew what she wanted to do. Her family usually had country music playing in her house and she remembers singing along to 90s country in her car seat.
She stated, “I grew up on Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride, Faith Hill (Ladies of the 90s). The very first song I ever got caught singing on video was the Dixie Chicks song, “If I Fall.”
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced that Bob Cooper will resign as Metro Director of Law to return to private practice with a planned departure date in early June. Mayor Cooper has appointed Nashville attorney Wallace W. Dietz as Metro’s next legal director.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed attorney Jim Roberts of 4goodgovernment.com to the newsmakers with the good news of Davidson County Election Commission’s vote to put the referendum on the July ballot.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper (D) announced Friday that the city will no longer require residents or visitors to wear masks, and announced an end to capacity restrictions on businesses.
“As of this morning, Nashville has lifted the mask mandate and all capacity restrictions. 301,700 Nashvillians have received a vaccine, which is life-saving and economy-saving. Together we weathered the storm of the last 14 months, and Nashville is ready for the rebound,” he said on Twitter, attaching a public service video announcement.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- The first time I heard Tyler Kohrs sing was on an Instagram video. He has a beautiful, bright voice and his country covers were spot on. But that wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was that he sounded country and talked with a slight southern accent, but is actually Asian-American. That piqued my interest so much that I contacted him directly.
Those of you who watch The Voice may recognize Tyler Kohrs from his tryout this past March. He didn’t get through, but he still did very well where people remarked about it. The story he shares about his experience is one you will want to hear.
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Tennessee officials will reportedly supply the private company Oracle with more than $100 million in incentives. This according to The Nashville Business Journal, which reported the news Friday.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- With both of Alex Kline’s parents being attorneys, writing/playing country music wasn’t even on the radar for the teen growing up in California. No one she knew even listened to country music.
Kline’s grandmother was a skillful classical pianist and her father grew up playing piano as well. Her dad would occasionally play classical pieces for the family and her grandmother encouraged her to play as well.
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Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer in studio to discuss the influx of blue state refugees into Tennessee and signs of economic growth in Metro government decisions.
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Nashville Mayor John Cooper announced Tuesday that he’d appointed 11 individuals to an advisory board tasked with addressing Metro violence. According to the mayor’s press release, these newly-appointed members will determine how $1.5 million in grants should be spent to prevent and reduce community violence.
The members of the Community Safety Partnership Advisory Board are Katina Beard, chair of the mayor’s Behavior Health and Wellness Advisory Council; Christiane Buggs, chair of Metro Nashville Public School Board of Education; Sheila Calloway, judge in the Metro Nashville Juvenile Court; Jennifer Gamble, chair of the Metro Council Public Safety Committee; Dwayne Greene, deputy chief of the Metro Nashville Police Community Services Bureau; Nawzad Hawrami, public safety chair of the mayor’s New American Advisory Council; Dr. Christopher Jackson, reverend for the Pleasant Green Baptist Church; Dr. Alex Jahangir, chair of the Metro Nashville Public Health Board; Andres Martinez, chair of the Metro Community Oversight Board; and Tom Turner, president and CEO of the Nashville Downtown Partnership.
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A Chinese National this week pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Nashville to conspiring to commit evidence tampering in relation to an international human trafficking investigation. This, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Mary Jane Stewart.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss Oracle’s big move to Nashville’s East Bank and the consequences of a real estate boom in Middle Tennessee.
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Monday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Metro Council Member-at-Large Steve Glover in studio to discuss the Davidson County budget proceedings and referenced a debilitating Wall Street Journal article that puts Nashville in a fiscally negative light.
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Monday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Metro Council Member-at-Large Steve Glover to the studio to weigh in on the overspending by Metro Government, the failures of Mayor Coopers State of Metro address issues, and recent Wall Street Journal piece.
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Federal authorities this week charged an Antioch man who worked for the FBI with sexual exploitation of children and receiving child pornography. According to a press release, that man, Justin D. Carroll, 38, worked for the FBI as an electronics technician.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Metro Council Member-at-Large Steve Glover to the newsmakers line who outlined the inequities promoted in Mayor Cooper’s State of the Metro address Thursday morning.
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A Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officer on Saturday morning shot and killed a man who charged at the officer while carrying two butcher knives. The incident happened during a routine traffic stop at Clarksville Pike and Ed Temple Boulevard, said MNPD spokesman Don Aaron at a press conference Saturday.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- When I interviewed the Nashvillains I mentioned that they were like a modern country music supergroup. Turns out they agree. Signed to Fate Entertainment, the newly formed country-rock-infused band is made up of veteran musicians Troy Johnson, Brett Boyett, and Scott Lindsey.
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New Nashville Country Soul Duo EXIT 216 find harmony in their debut song, “Brothers.” Also listen to their newest song, “Robbery” and learn what they have planned for the future.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee “You Can Thank Me Later” is being exclusively premiered in The Tennessee Star today. The introspective song from Dani Taylor’s self-titled EP (also released today) is a message reminding her (and the listener) not to continue making poor decisions especially when it comes to dating someone who should be avoided.
The lyrics of the sassy song are reminiscent of a young Taylor Swift but her voice has the sweetness of Alison Krauss mixed in with Emmy Lou Harris’ intentionality.
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Thursday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed State Rep. Chris Todd from Jackson, Tennessee in studio to discuss court-packing, Keepnine.org, and working with House members.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed Conservative Journalist and Author Andy Ngo on the newsmakers line to discuss his disinvitation from the upcoming Culture Summit Christian conference in Nashville and the trending critical race theory in the evangelical community.
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Nashville Chancellor Patricia Moskal ruled Monday that members of the Tennessee Education Lottery (TEL) do “not have the unilateral right” to take punitive measures against the Tennessee-based Action 24/7 concerning a matter she’s already ruled upon. Action 24/7 officials operate an online sports-betting site based out of the Volunteer State.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed direct marketing expert Craig Huey in studio to speculate on the 2022 Davidson County congressional race and the campaign strategies Odessa Kelly may employ.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Since my “other” job is working with educators, I am keenly aware of bullying and the effects it has on a person.
Tera Townsend is a singer, songwriter, and musician from small-town in Tennessee. She grew up with a speaking disability and ADHD and was mocked and bullied as a child/teen because of her disability.
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A Justice Democrats-backed candidate has come forward to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05). Members of the Knoxville-based Justice Democrats announced in an email Monday that Nashville resident Odessa Kelly will oppose Cooper. Her platform calls for the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
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Metro Nashville Police this week said the city has a persistent problem with thieves stealing guns from other people’s vehicles. “A review of stolen gun reports in Nashville from Sunday, March 21, through Saturday, March 27, shows that 12 guns were stolen from cars and trucks, five from unlocked vehicles,” MNPD officials said in a press release.
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A man wanted in the mass shooting five people, three of them fatally, in Memphis on March 26 took his own life after being located by police in Nashville Thursday.
“Authorities on scene say the U.S. Marshals tracked a wanted fugitive out of Memphis to the [La Quinta] motel,” according to WKRN.
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Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee late last week unsealed a federal indictment charging 27 individuals with a host of federal crimes relating to a large scale conspiracy to distribute drugs. Those drugs, according to a press release, include distribute heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine.
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Davidson County Elections Administrator Jeff Roberts updated new developments with the proposed referendum for the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and when and if election commissioners will permit voters a chance to have their say. “We are in the process of verifying the 14,000 signatures turned in last week. The Charter states the number of signatures needed is based on the preceding general election,” Roberts told The Tennessee Star in an email Wednesday.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Nashville is famous for its writers’ rounds. The Song Suffragettes is the only all-female writers’ round and they have been consistently performing at the Listening Room on Monday nights for seven years.
Todd Cassetty founded Song Suffragettes for the simple reason of giving female singer-songwriters a place to play their music and be heard. Those who follow country music know that it is not an even playing field when it comes to women getting record deals and having their music played on country radio.
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If there were ever a darling of the Canadian Country Airwaves, it would be Brett Kissel. Not only has the 30-year-old won numerous Canadian Country Music Association Awards, but he also has three number one hits and numerous top-tens on Canadian Radio.
But the main reason I wanted to interview him was because his music really is that good. His songs are all over the spectrum sonically but they resonate with the listeners.
Kissel admits that absolutely no one in his family is musical. “Not a grandpa, not a dad, an uncle, an auntie, nobody ever played music, period.”
The fact that he picked up a guitar, the fact that he can sing, the fact that he can write songs, and the fact that he moved to Nashville and made a go of it, is nothing short of remarkable.
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The people behind the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act say they need supporters to contribute money to help educate Davidson County residents about the proposed referendum. Nashville attorney Jim Roberts said they also need the money to fight the likely counteroffensive from Metro Nashville government officials, many of whom may try to discourage people from supporting the referendum. And many of Nashville’s establishment media outlets could wage their own information campaign against the referendum, Roberts said.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Even though I often interview up-and-coming artists, Craig Campbell has been on my radar for a while and he has an interesting story as well.
The Georgia boy is a self-taught pianist. He recalled, “I was captivated by the piano and every spare minute I was at it. After church on Sunday, I would go and pick out the melodies to the songs we sang in church that day.”
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Officials with the Tennessee-based Action 24/7 on Monday filed a suit seeking a temporary injunction that would require members of the Tennessee Education Lottery to reinstate the company’s sports gaming operator license. TEL suspended Action 24/7’s license late last week due to an investigation.
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Members of a Davidson County Grand Jury have indicted a six-person robbery crew allegedly linked to 150 holdups of primarily Latino families throughout Nashville between 2017 and 2019. According to a press release, grand jurors indicted these six individuals on 126 criminal counts.
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The first time I saw Sam Hatmaker was with the Song Suffragettes before COVID. Every songwriter who is part of the Song Suffragettes collective is amazing, but Hatmaker was unique and different. I knew even back then, I wanted to interview her.
It turns out that Hatmaker is from Knoxville, Tennessee. Her mom did theater and her dad was a performer too. It was natural for her to want to be on stage. When she was ten-years-old, she auditioned and was cast in a Christmas show at Dollywood. That ended up with her working at Dollywood for three years.
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As of this week, any records of former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s criminal behavior during her time in office are officially expunged from the record. This after she spent nearly $175,000 in taxpayer money on an extra-marital tryst.
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Like me, Amanda Cooksey was not raised on country music. Cooksey started playing piano at the early age of six and began learning classical music. Later on, she took voice lessons and started singing in church in middle school. However, this “super shy” kid did not want to be in the spotlight.
Even though being in front of people wasn’t easy for her, Cooksey always loved music. As a young girl, she found a piano/vocal instructor, Ron Feldman, who changed her life.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed conservative firebrand Candace Owens to the newsmakers line to discuss the latest on Joe Biden’s prime time appearance, Derek Chauvin hearing, and the Meghan Markle, Prince Harry interview.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed conservative Candace Owens host of the new Daily Wire show ‘Candace’ to the newsmakers line to talk about becoming a Nashvillian and the context of her new evening talk show.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the president of the Network of Enlightened Women in Nashville, Allison Santa Rita to the studio to discuss the bias she and her fellow conservative women members have received on Belmont’s campus.
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee- No one in Emily Brooke’s family was musical. Young Brooke was a cheerleader, not a singer. But like many preteen girls twelve years ago, Brooke was super into Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana. She wanted to learn to play guitar as they did.
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