FOCUS on the 615
Nashville's premier entertainment blog including album, song and show reviews and exclusive artist interviews.
Country Radio Seminar wrapped up last week to record attendance, bright new stars, and performances by the biggest names in country music. FOCUS on the 615 was there to catch all the action! Here’s a preview of all the happenings at Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2013!
Read more about all the great performances with exclusive behind the scenes coverage of CRS 2013 here: http://focusonthe615.com/2013/03/06/country-radio-seminar-2013-celebrities-surprises-and-stars-of-tomorrow/
Country Radio Seminar wrapped up last week to record attendance, bright new stars, and performances by the biggest names in country music. The three-day event overtook the Nashville Convention Center as thousands poured in for the annual meeting.
As a media outlet, we have the opportunity to cover the event, and interview some of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the format. We’ll be posting those interviews in the upcoming days; and we’ve also got photo and video coverage of the events, so stay tuned!
So here’s a recap of what our week looked like:
Craig Morgan will headline the post-race concert for the St. Jude Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon presented by Nissan. He will be joined by special guest Sarah Darling to cap the weekend of festivities with a concert at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m.
Nashville’s premier running event attracts more than 30,000 runners, walkers and 6,000 junior racers, who will take on the 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses while passing many of Nashville’s best live bands along the route.
Complimentary concert tickets are provided to all registered runners and volunteers. Runners may purchase additional tickets for $35.
Legendary skater and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton and National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Hall of Famer Verne Lundquist host Kaleidoscope On Ice presented by Carolinas HealthCare System’s Levine Cancer Institute, a skating and song spectacular celebrating cancer survivorship, Sunday, Nov. 25, (5:00-6:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
The star-studded event, features 2010 Olympic champion and gold medalist Evan Lysacek, Olympic silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan, Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen, four-time world champion Kurt Browning and Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie. Country music chart-topper and actress Jana Kramer, the iconic Kool and the Gang and country music star and Grand Ole Opry member Craig Morgan add to the celebration.
“I tell people all the time ‘I’m not a redneck, I’m not a hillbilly and I’m not a cowboy. And I don’t pretend to be,” says Craig Morgan in Origins: Craig Morgan premiering Wednesday, November 14, 10:00 p.m./EST on GAC. “What I am is a country boy.”
Morgan is a native Tennessean who’s raised his family on a five-acre spread in Dickson, TN., west of Nashville. Those who know him best – his wife, his father, his manager, even his Army commander – help tell Morgan’s story of two successful careers, one as a chart-topping country star and one as a respected military man. In fact, he’s the first to admit that he nearly chose to make the Army his career. “When I was in the Army, I caught myself playing guitar and writing songs. I’d come home on a four-day weekend and go to Nashville and do a writer’s night but I was still in the Army fulltime,” Morgan says. “I had a family so I didn’t want to jump out of the Army and go to something that wasn’t going to happen.”
For the second year in a row, the Jack Daniel Distillery will donate more than $100,000 to help service members and their families travel from bases to homes across the U.S. through “Operation Ride Home” this holiday season.
And as with last year’s effort, the famed distillery will be asking its friends to visit www.jdoperationridehome.com and contribute what they can to help in the campaign. Through travel vouchers for plane tickets and pre-paid debit cards for gas, lodging and food, the distillery hopes to surpass the overwhelming success of last year’s effort that helped send 721 Fort Campbell soldiers and their families home last year. In addition to Jack Daniel’s contribution, more than $24,000 was collected from the general public through the donation site.
While I have sometimes criticized artists for being too cliche about their subject matter for their country songs, Craig Morgan has made a career out of writing songs that paint a portrait of life in small towns in the south and he does it well. Puts me in mind of visits to my relatives’ towns in Arkansas during the summertime growing up and a simpler time. This is what he’s known for and he does it right with strong vocals to go along with it. I love the pictures that he paints with his songs. They just make me feel good. Continue Reading →
Nashville, Tenn. – August 13, 2012 – Country music star and award-winning TV host Craig Morgan will release his latest single “More Trucks Than Cars” from his recent album This Ole Boy. Written by Morgan with Phil O’Donnell and Craig Wiseman, the song is an anthem for the southern lifestyle, depicted in stars that light the night sky, biscuits, grits and gravy, ‘Ole Glory’ flying high and a landscape where you’ll sooner spot a truck before you see a car. And Morgan can wholeheartedly relate to his lyric “meanwhile back in Tennessee we’re raising our babies and our own green beans.” Craig Morgan’s “More Trucks Than Cars” is available today via PlayMPE for airplay on country radio with an August 27 impact date.
The song is equally relatable to metropolitan areas of the U.S. where there is no shortage of hard-working Americans ad a touch of the southern lifestyle is a hot commodity. While in New York earlier this year, Morgan was surprised at the number of trucks he spotted amongst the sea of yellow cabs in Manhattan.
The new album This Ole Boy, his first new music in three years and debut release on Black River Entertainment, is co-produced with his longtime creative partner Phil O’Donnell. Morgan co-wrote 6 of the 12 songs on the new record including this latest single release, “More Trucks Than Cars.”
Nashville, TN…(August 15, 2012)…Country Music superstar and award winning television host Craig Morgan is thrilled with the results of his 6th annual Charity Motocross Ride, Concert and Sporting Clay Shoot. The two-day’s events and auction raised more than $73,000, bringing the four-year total to $250,000.
Nashville, TN…(August 7, 2012)…Counting down the final days leading up to Craig Morgan’s 6th annual charity weekend, the country music star and award-winning TV host is excited to announce the final list of music, motocross, and celebrity friends joining him for the weekend’s festivities.
On Saturday, August 11, motocross stars Destry Abbott, Fred Andrews, Cowboy Kenny Bartram, Randy Hawkins, Kevin Windham, and country star Bucky Covington will take part in an exhibition and trail ride in Vanleer, Tennessee. Later that night, country music star Darryl Worley and HLN “Morning Express” host and “Brand New Day” singer Robin Meade along with the evening’s emcee, GAC host and TV personality Nan Kelley, will take the stage in concert with Morgan to support the Craig Morgan Charity Fund.
On Sunday, August 12th the popular Celebrity Sporting Clay Event will take place from the Tennessee Clay Target Complex in Nashville. This year’s event, a 12-station course, will feature an exhibition by “The Ultimate Shooter” Tim Bradley.
Proceeds from the two-day event will benefit the Craig Morgan Charity Fund, a component fund of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. The Craig Morgan Charity Fund continues to raise funds to establish Billy’s Place, an organization that will benefit foster children in Dickson County and throughout Middle Tennessee.
Fans can take part in the event by bidding on auction items via eBay through Friday, August 10th. Items include a Husqvarna for a day experience, allowing fans to ride in style alongside motocross stars at Saturday’s ride. Concert attendees on Saturday night will also have the opportunity to bid on live and silent auction items including a Pre-Owned Volkswagen Passat GLS, high end MAC Tools chest, music, tv, and sports memorabilia, and more!
All events are open to the public with tickets on sale at NowPlayingNashville.com as well as all TriStar Bank locations in Dickson.
Craig Morgan Charity Weekend
Dirt Bike Ride/Trail Ride
Date: August 11, 2012
Location: Paul Allen Farm 1286 Bell Hollow Rd., Vanleer, TN
Registration Opens: 8:00 AM
Ride and Exhibition Start Time: 10:00 AM
Tickets: $40 pre-registration; $45 day-of registration; $15 spectator. All ticket prices incl. lunch
Motocross stars Destry Abbot, Fred Andrews, Cowboy Kenny Bartram, Randy Hawkins and Kevin Windham plus country star Bucky Covington will take part in an exhibition and group trail ride with Craig Morgan
Craig Morgan Concert
Date: August 11, 2012
Location: Dickson Middle School 401 East College St., Dickson, TN
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Concert Start Time: 7:30 PM
Tickets: $25 adult; $10 children 12 and under
Darryl Worley and Robin Meade will join Craig Morgan in concert, hosted by GAC’s Nan Kelley
Sporting Clay Event
Date: August 12, 2012
Location: Tennessee Clay Target Complex 1100 County Hospital Rd., Nashville, TN
First Flight: 9:00 am Registration; 10:00 am Shoot
Second Flight: Noon Registration; 1:00 pm Shoot
Tickets: $100 per competitor with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place competitors
Includes lunch and 12:30pm exhibition with “The Ultimate Shooter” Tim Bradley
ABOUT CRAIG MORGAN: One of country music’s best-loved artists, Craig Morgan has made a name for himself with massive radio airplay of his signature hits: “Bonfire,” “Almost Home,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “International Harvester” and his latest hit, the title track to his new record This Ole Boy. The new album, his first release on Black River Entertainment, boasted a Top 5 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart when it released on February 28, 2012. Craig received one of country music’s highest honors when he was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. Prior to becoming a country music and TV sensation, Craig Morgan spent over 10 years of active duty in the Army and an additional nine years in the Army Reserves. He is an avid supporter of America’s military personnel and a recipient of the 2006 USO Merit Award. In addition to a prolific country music career, he hosts the award-winning show “Craig Morgan: All Access Outdoors” on The Outdoor Channel with season 3 set to debut July 1. For more information on Craig Morgan, please visit www.craigmorgan.com or follow him on Twitter @CMorganmusic.
ABOUT BILLY’S PLACE: The idea for Billy’s Place was born while Craig Morgan was serving as an Assistant Sheriff’s Deputy in Dickson, TN and named for his wife Karen’s father. The organization will support foster children in Dickson County and throughout Middle Tennessee. Craig’s continuing charitable mission is to eventually build and maintain a home called Billy’s Place for temporarily displaced children in Dickson County Tennessee and to provide lasting funding for the home. His long term goal is to start additional Billy’s Place homes around the country. The annual Craig Morgan Charity Weekend, encompassing a motocross ride, concert and sporting clays shoot, raised more than $95,000 last year in support of Billy’s Place and other children’s welfare organizations.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE: The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 840 charitable funds, providing customized philanthropic solutions with flexibility for donors, nonprofit organizations and the community. In the past 20 years, The Community Foundation has distributed more than $596 million to community programs and institutions. It is located at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, #400, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.
