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 Former American Idol finalist Bucky Covington has joined forces with charitable organization Help The Good Guys to honor and support our country’s injured fire fighters, police officers and their families. Together the two work to raise awareness and funds for the more than 130,000 fire fighters and law enforcement officers who experience a financial crisis due to work related injuries each year.
“‘Help The Good Guys’ perform an amazing service for our police officers and fire fighters across the country and I’m honored to join them in their efforts,” shares Bucky. “It’s rewarding for me to recognize these hard-working men and women and help bring some financial relief to these families in their time of need.”
In addition to raising awareness for the cause, Bucky recently lent his talents to fundraising events in Birmingham, AL and Detroit, MI to support injured heroes in their local community. Coming up on April 21, Bucky will host a motorcycle ride and concert in Chattanooga, TN to benefit injured fire fighters and police officers in the city.
Bucky Covington signed a record deal with Entertainment One Music Group/Nashville in 2011 and will be releasing a new album this year, his first new music in five years.
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 When The Band Perry takes the stage at the historic Ryman Auditorium on February 20th for their first headlining show in Nashville, they’ll be playing to a sold out crowd. Kimberly says, “We actually put the tickets on sale for our Ryman show in February six months in advance because we were like, ‘We’ve gotta sell every one of them.’” Little did they know all of the tickets would sell out in a matter of minutes. According to Kimberly, “Folks keep saying, ‘What was like your favorite moment of the whole year?’ and I’ll have to say we’ve had a lot of beautiful ones but the morning that we got the wake-up call that we had sold out the Ryman was probably, hands down, my favorite of the whole year.” Since selling out the show their biggest challenge has been dealing with family and friends who are begging for tickets because they weren’t able to buy any. Most people are out of luck but Kimberly Reid and Neil say the one person they did get tickets for was their grandmother. Just in time for the show The Band Perry is celebrating their latest #1 song, “All Your Life.”
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and Justin Moore admits, “I’m kinda notorious for being terrible at Valentine’s Day . . . My wife, Kate, is all into that stuff and does a great job. And she deserves for me to be a little more romantic but I’m just not that good at being romantic.” Justin says he’s not great at remembering dates like February 14th, but the last couple of years have been a little easier since his daughter Ella was born on February 11th (and he has her birthday tattooed on his forearm), it’s kind of a reminder that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. But remembering the day is only half the battle. Justin confesses he’s also not great when it comes to thinking up something special for his wife. “I need to get better at it honestly. It’s not for a lack of wanting to do good, I just, I pretty much just suck honestly. (Laughs) I need to get better at it.”
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 Pictured L - R: ASCAP's LeAnn Phelan, Jonathan Singleton, BMG Chrysalis' Taylor Lindsey and Sara Johnson, David Nail and ASCAP's Ryan Beuschel. Photo by Ed Rode ASCAP Nashville toasted the creative team behind David Nail’s #1 single “Let It Rain” this week with a #1 Party at ASCAP. Not only does this mark the Grammy-nominated vocalist’s first #1 single, but it also makes history as the longest rising #1 since the inception of the country radio charts. Nail co-wrote the song with Jonathan Singleton who has penned several other #1 hits and another David Nail Top 10 Single “Red Light”. Producers Chuck Ainlay and Frank Liddell and publishers BMG Chrysalis and Carnival Music were also honored at the event.
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 Thomas Rhett may just be starting out as an artist, but he has the fortune of having a dad, Rhett Akins, who has been down the path he’s starting down and can offer him a lot of advice based on experience. “It’s very cool having somebody who has hit, he has done pretty much everything you can do in the business. From starting out as an artist. Being on top with ‘That Ain’t My Truck’ and ‘Don’t Get Me Started’ to being the very lows and not even having a record deal,” says Thomas. “And, you know, my dad is a big believer in God and he knows that what ever’s supposed to happen is gonna happen. And, you know, when I’m on the road, I’ll call him a lot and be like, ‘Dad, what do I do about this?’ I mean, he gives me the best advice and he’s always like, ‘Man, you just gotta go out every night and kill it. No matter if there’s twenty people or if there’s twenty thousand people, you gotta go out there, be yourself and kill it every single night.’” Thomas is currently traveling around the country performing and promoting his debut single, “Something To Do With My Hands.”
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 Event entertainment booking service GigMasters.com today revealed its fifth annual ‘Rising Star Award’ winners for 2011. The award recognizes the nation’s top-earning entertainers in over 125 performer and vendor categories. Six new event-based award categories were added this year to recognize the performers who booked the most weddings, children’s parties and corporate events in 2011.
The Nick Carver Band won two Rising Star Awards: Top Cover Band and Top Wedding Band. The band, which is based in Murfreesboro, Tenn., is led by singer Nick Carver and includes Tony Hartman, Al Janelle, Taylor Lonardo, and Michael Sharp.
A native of Covington, Tenn., Carver is a 2007 graduate of MTSU’s Recording Industry Management program. He worked at the Country Music Association from 2008-2010, and at Webster and Associates PR from 2007-2008.
“We are honored to receive these two Rising Star Awards from GigMasters,” said Carver. “To be recognized as their top-earning entertainer in two categories is very humbling, especially when you consider they book thousands of acts.”
The Nick Carver Band has performed at clubs, events, and private parties all over the Southeastern United States. They also fulfilled a longtime goal in 2011 when they made their debut at the legendary CMA Music Festival in Nashville with a performance in the Power Zone
“The Rising Star Award is GigMasters’ highest honor and our way of recognizing our finest party entertainers,” said GigMasters’ VP of Marketing, Marissa Latshaw. “It’s a real point of pride among our members and a testament to their hard work, talent, and professionalism.”
For more information on the Nick Carver Band, contact Scott Stem here.
 Eric Church kicks off the new year with a career first – “Drink In My Hand” from his critically acclaimed album, CHIEF, topping the Country radio charts. The number one single joins a string of career firsts and accolades for Church including his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album of the Year, CHIEF debuting at the top of the Billboard Top 200 and spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Country albums chart, a Gold certification by the RIAA forCHIEF after only 10 weeks, the ACM Award for New Solo Vocalist of the Year and the announcement of his first arena headline tour – The Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour.
“This is the 10th single we have released to radio,” explains Church. “It is truly the greatest example of belief, dedication, determination and plain old hard work that we have achieved this milestone. I can’t thank the EMI staff and country radio enough for making this happen and believing in the music, but the real gratitude must go to our fans. I’ve heard countless stories from hundreds of fans of how they have gone above and beyond to get our songs heard and demand that people pay attention to what’s going on in our world. I can’t think of a better way to kick off a tour!”
CHIEF has been recognized as one of the Top Albums of 2011 by Rob Harvilla’s SPIN List, NPR, Rolling Stone and Amazon. iTunes named Church 2011 Country Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 The guys in Eli Young Band say their latest album, Life At Best, is the most autobiographical album of their career and they say it’s because a lot of the songs talk about where they’ve been the last ten years. “Between [our current single] “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” being about dreaming to be a musician and dreaming to do this thing,” says Mike, “to the song “Life At Best” and trying to keep a positive attitude … “there’s a lot of other things with this record that make it feel autobiographical.” Chris says part of that has to do with the fact that the songs were written over a long period of time. “The majority of the songs that we wrote for this record were written over the past, almost eight years, so just from a writing stand point, there’s really an autobiographical timeline represented in our careers.”
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 Music City’s finest student musicians will once again take to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center’s stage during CMA’s Third Annual Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert on Tuesday, Jan. 31 (6:30 PM/CT). Hosted by RCA recording artist and two-time CMA Award nominee Chris Young, CMA’s Keep the Music Playing All Stars Concert will honor several of the brightest music groups from Metro Nashville Public Schools that have benefited from CMA’s Keep the Music Playing program.
The event will feature performances from five Nashville school groups including Bellevue Middle School Band; Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet Theatre and Orchestra Departments; McGavock High School Wind Ensemble; Nashville School of the Arts Pop Ensemble; and a special duet with 1992 CMA Horizon Award winner Suzy Bogguss and the Glengarry Elementary Orff Ensemble and Singers. Young will also perform with Nashville School of the Arts students Mignon Grabois and Charley Woods who dazzled television viewers with their rendition of “If I Die Young” during “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” last November.
“This event is an inspiring reminder of what students can achieve if given the right tools and support,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore. “We’re extremely grateful to the artists who played during the 2011 CMA Music Festival for giving the next generation of musicians the opportunity to learn the joys of music and shine on this exquisite stage.”
Since 2006, half the net proceeds from CMA Music Festival have been donated to Keep the Music Playing to provide Metro Nashville Public Schools with much needed musical instruments and music labs. To date, CMA has donated $4.7 million to the cause on behalf of the artists who make appearances and perform at the Festival for free. CMA will announce the 2011 CMA Music Festival financial contribution to Keep the Music Playing during a private reception for Metro Nashville Public Schools music and choir directors preceding the concert.
Young, a Middle-Tennessee native, understands the importance of music education in Music City and has supported the cause by appearing at the CMA Music Festival for the past eight years. “Keeping the arts alive in schools is influential on their growth as students and young adults. Music education played an important role in my childhood and I’m proud to be a part of this Keep the Music Playing event.”
Bogguss has made music education a personal mission with her latest project, American Folk Songbook. The CD and companion songbook were created to help educate a new generation of fans about the classic American folk tradition.
“One of my favorite memories is the image of my grade school teacher pounding on the piano and leading us in rousing renditions of folk songs,” said Bogguss. “I think every child should have the opportunity to learn music in school.”
The Keep the Music Playing Concert is free and open to the public with seating available on a first-come first-served basis.
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
 Scotty McCreery’s debut album, Clear As Day, has been certified platinum for sales of more than 1 million in just three months after its release.
In addition, he was named No. 1 on Billboard magazine’s list of Top New Country Artists for 2011. He also won New Artist of the Year at the American Country Awards in December.
Scotty says the platinum certification marks a major milestone in his career.
“It means the world to me,” he says. “It’s one of the highest honors you can get with your album and it’s a huge testament to the loyalty of country music fans and how great they have been to me this year. 2011 was absolutely an incredible, life-changing year for me. I want to say a huge thanks to the fans for this.”
Clear As Day debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making him the youngest man in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release. It also garnered the highest sales of any country solo album released last year. It held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for six weeks.
The album’s first single, “I Love You This Big,” has also been certified gold. His current single, “The Trouble With Girls,” is approaching gold status as well.
The album, which was released Oct. 4, was certified gold for sales of 500,000 in November. The platinum certification followed about seven weeks later.
“Never in a million years did I dream that the album would go platinum in three months,” he says. “Never in a million years did I dream that the album would go platinum. It’s wild! It’s going to take me a few months or years to really wrap my head around it.”
He is also grateful to be included in Billboard’s Dec. 17 year-end issue. In addition to being named No. 1 in its list of Top New Country Artists, he ranked No. 9 on its list of Top Country Albums Artists. Clear As Day ranked No. 12 on its list of Top Country Albums. He is No. 15 on Billboard’s Top Country Artists list.
“That is a huge honor,” he says. “I’m honored to be included in that list of great artists.”
On Thursday, he begins his first country music tour when he joins Brad Paisley’s “Virtual Reality Tour 2012” presented by Chevrolet. The tour, which also features the Band Perry, kicks off in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“I’m looking forward to having a great time,” he says. “It’s going to be a fun, jam-packed set. We are including a lot of the fun songs on the album, and both of the singles are in there. It will be a good chance to see the fans and just enjoy a good show with Brad Paisley and The Band Perry.”
He is well aware of Paisley’s reputation as a great prankster. “The band and I were talking about pranks yesterday in rehearsals. It has to be good pranks, but know-your-place pranks, so we are figuring out what we’ll have in store for Brad. But he has to get us first. We’ll wait!”
His second single, “The Trouble With Girls,” is about to break into the Top 20. “It’s great to see it doing well,” he says. “Still hearing it on the radio is something else, when you hear your voice coming across the other side of the stereo. It’s a pretty incredible feeling. I want to say a huge thanks to country radio for their support and for believing in me. I am looking forward to seeing them while on tour.”
Contact: jerry@nashville.com
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