More than 20 songwriters and music industry professionals are set to participate in the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s (NSAI) longest-running educational event, Tin Pan South Songwriting Seminar on March 27 and 28, 2023!  This year’s event is presented by Belmont University and to round out the already-impressive list speakers, NSAI is proud to announce songwriter-artist Tyler Hubbard as the closing guest interview!

While certainly recognized as one half of the multi-platinum selling duo Florida Georgia Line, a slightly lesser-known fact about Hubbard is that he has penned over 100 songs recorded by artists including Jason Aldean, Chris Tomlin, Zac Brown, Kane Brown, and his own duo Florida Georgia Line. Hubbard was also a writer on “Cruise,” which earned the genre’s first RIAA Diamond single certification, and he was a writer on the Diamond-certified “Meant To Be.” Hubbard’s passion and honesty with his songwriting ultimately inspired him to begin recording works for a solo project, leading to the release of his debut solo single and 20^th No. 1 hit, “5 Foot 9,” which is also certified Platinum by the RIAA. Co-written by Hubbard, Jaren Johnston and Chase McGill, “5 Foot 9” is one of 18 songs written on Hubbard’s self-titled album Tyler Hubbard which was released January 27, 2023.

The closing interview with Hubbard on Tuesday will wrap up two days at Belmont’s Fisher Center For the Performing Arts filled with educational panels, Q&A Sessions, and interviews where top members of the music industry will cover topics including publishing, sync, co-writing, demo sessions, streaming, and more. Participating guests include: Mike Molinar (Big Machine Music), Courtney Crist (Anthem Entertainment), Jamie Rodgers (Essential Music), Kate Shirley (Liz Rose Music), Milk & Honey Music and Teri Nelson Carpenter (Reel Musik Werks). Hit songwriters Hillary Lindsey and Brett James will be the final interview segment for day one of the seminar, and throughout the event several other chart-topping songwriters will take the mic to share their experiences and advice. Additional participating songwriters include: Kelly Archer, Emily Shackelton, Steve Seskin, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins, J.T. Harding, Laura Veltz, Lauren McLamb, Tracey and Vance Marino, Allison Veltz Cruz, and Taylor Cain.

Country legend and Urban Cowboy Johnny Lee, known for his dynamic stage presence and countless hits including, “Hey Bartender,” “One In A Million,” “Pickin’ Up Strangers,” “Prisoner Of Hope,” “Bet Your Heart On Me,” “Cherokee Fiddle,” “Could’ve Heard A Heart Break,” and his No. 1 crossover hit “Lookin’ For Love,’‘ is announcing his ‘Hey Bartender, Last Call: The Farewell Tour.’ Throughout his career, Lee has achieved 26 Top 20 singles and became an integral part of the ‘Urban Cowboy’ movement that took the world by storm in the early 80s. Along with the announcement for the ‘Hey Bartender, Last Call: The Farewell Tour,’ Johnny Lee is also celebrating the 40th anniversary of his 1983 Top 10 hit “Sounds Like Love,” which was written by Tommy Rocco and Charlie Black.

“The good Lord has given me a wonderful life and the absolute most loyal fans in the world,” shares Johnny. “The music and fans have meant everything to me. Over the last couple of years, Parkinson’s has been a pain in the…butt. This is a big announcement and one I am not making easily. So come on out and join us for a night of music and memories as we kick off the ‘Hey Bartender, Last Call: The Farewell Tour.’ This isn’t the end…this is only the right now.”

Johnny Lee, known for his dynamic stage presence and No. 1 smash crossover hit “Lookin’ for Love,” recently released his highly anticipated album, Everything’s Gonna’ Be Alright by BFD/Audium Nashville distributed exclusively through The Orchard. Everything’s Gonna’ Be Alright consists of fourteen songs, some written or co-written by Johnny, that he has saved throughout the years for the perfect album that truly reflects his life. Each of the fourteen tracks showcases a different side of Lee, allowing his listeners to experience a journey that draws on his past, but more importantly highlights the future. Everything’s Gonna’ Be Alright was premiered by Taste of Country and is available on all streaming platforms at orcd.co/JohnnyLeeEverythingsGonnaBeAlright.

About Johnny Lee:
Johnny Lee was born in Texas City, Texas, and is a member of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1968 he began a working relationship with Mickey Gilley at the world-famous Gilley’s nightclub in Pasadena, Texas. In 1979, Lee’s first screen role was in a 1979 TV movie ‘The Girls in the Office’ starring Barbara Eden and Susan St. James. He was then asked to perform in the Urban Cowboy film, starring John Travolta and Debra Winger. “Lookin’ For Love” was included in the movie’s soundtrack, and became Lee’s first gold record. The song spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard country music chart, and #2 on the pop music chart, later becoming one of their Top 100 Best Country Songs of all Time.

When not traveling and performing, Johnny can be seen on many celebrity hunting and fishing shows, as well as on Larry’s Country Diner and Country’s Family Reunion. Lee has had a string of Top 10 hits including “One In A Million,” “Bet Your Heart On Me,” “Cherokee Fiddle,” “Sounds Like Love,” “Hey Bartender,” “You Could’ve Heard a Heart Break” and more.

For more information, visit thejohnnyleemusic.com.

About Bob Frank Distribution (BFD):
Bob Frank Entertainment (BFE) was formed in 2012 as a multi-faceted entertainment company with current ownership interests in Damson Lane Productions (Film & TV), Red River Entertainment & BFR (Record Labels), Admiral Lane Songs (Music Publishing), BFD (Distribution) and Fusion Entertainment (Agency & Management). In 2021 BFE launched Red Shark Ventures (RSV) as its private investment division with a focus on catalog master acquisitions.

Visit www.bobfrankent.com for more information.

Chart-Topper “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Carly Pearce Named
Best Country Duo/Group Performance by The Recording Academy
Marking the First Win in the Category by Two Women

Praised by the Los Angeles Times as “one of Nashville’s most emotionally incisive songwriters with a voice that can channel pain as vividly as defiance,” Ashley McBryde earns her first award from The Recording Academy for her chart-topping duet “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Carly Pearce, marking the first win in the category by two women.

“It’s Carly’s first [GRAMMY] nomination and it’s my first number one at Country radio,” the six-time nominee beamed while receiving the award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. “We’ve performed this song so many times on stage together, and it’s been so nice for our friendship. We did it together. Thank you, thank you.”

Written by Pearce, McBryde and co-producer Shane McAnally, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” is from the perspective of two women – the single girl thanking the guy who helped change her flat tire and the wife at home – discovering the man they’re involved with has someone else. The shattering truth in a text – for McBryde – and the reality of where he’s been when he gets home – for Pearce – finds the two women reeling as they consider their own blind spots in a painfully sobering moment. As the second female duet to top the Country radio charts in 30 years, “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” was also named the 2022 Music Event of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

McBryde also received a 2023 nod for her critically acclaimed collaborative project Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, which marked her third consecutive nomination for Best Country Album and garnered recognition as one of the best albums of the year, earning a spot as the only Country album on NPR’s “The 50 Best Albums of 2022” and one of five on Rolling Stone’s all-genre “The 100 Best Albums of 2022,” along with landing on the best-of lists from Variety, PAPER Magazine, Billboard, Los Angeles Times, Stereogum, Slate and Tennessean, among many more.

Cited by NPR as “a mischievous, and mightily pleasing, departure from the prescribed progression of a mainstream country career,” Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville was produced by John Osborne and features performances from Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, Aaron Raitiere, Pillbox Patti, Caylee Hammack and Benjy Davis, as Variety observes, “The very existence of an album like Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville is enough to restore your faith in Nashville, however far afield it might have wandered,”

Summed up by Stereogum, “There’s a whole lot of beautiful writerly vision at work on Lindeville, but it wouldn’t matter if the songs weren’t great. Guess what? The songs are great… A lot of people put a lot of work into this record, and they made something that resonates on a deep, emotional level. Give it up for them.”

The Arkansas native is set to perform Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville Live for two sold-out nights at the historic Ryman Auditorium February 15 and 16, featuring the cast of collaborators and special guests. Livestream tickets are available at AshleyMcBryde.com.

Just-Released Tune, “Revival,” Impacting Radio Now

GRAMMY® Award-winning country band Shenandoah is hitting the road on its 2023 cross-country trek, the Revival Tour. The tour name compliments the group’s new single, “Revival,” released Friday, January 27, via 8 Track Entertainment/Fame Records.

Stunning music video directed by Witt’s 17-year-old daughter, Ashlyn

 Nicole Witt, creator and founding member of Nashville’s Six One Five Collective, releases “Everywhere I Wanna Be” today — her first-ever solo effort.

The acclaimed singer-songwriter wrote the “pedal down, open road, drive time cruiser” with Skip Black and Aaron Goodvin, her longtime friends and collaborators. The track’s picturesque music video was directed by her 17-year-old future-film-student daughter Ashlyn Witt (@filmedbycash), capturing Witt’s love of the desert, driving fast, and the breathtaking Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas.

“Filming the video for ‘Everywhere I Wanna Be’ is one of my favorite memories ever,” Witt shares. “We got up that morning before sunrise and drove about an hour out of the city.  We ended up filming the majority of the video in Red Rock Canyon. Getting to watch Ashlyn in action and see her vision come alive for this song was pure magic.”

Releasing “Everywhere I Wanna Be” marks a major dream-fulfilled milestone for Witt, who was previously signed to Curb Records but never released. A self-described “late bloomer,” she promised herself that she would, one day, release a solo project. Through writing and recording this project, she has found her most authentic, creative self.

Nashville producers Gabe and Gideon Klein collaborated with Witt on the album, titled Clear, which is slated for release later this year.

Witt is currently recording new music with Six One Five Collective and will set out on a solo European tour next month, before hitting the road with the Collective for the Six One Five “Good Vibes” summer/fall 2023 tour.