George Jones University Launching Wed. January 17.2007 6:55 PM EST
George Jones University, described as a "no-nonsense, straight-ahead institution dedicated to teaching students the basics of how the music industry works," will convene its first three-day instruction session in late March. Nashville music industry veteran Tandy Rice will serve as head of the university and will be assisted in the venture by Jones' wife, Nancy, and tour merchandising executive Matthew Wilkes. The sessions will take place quarterly in the Nashville area, but no venue has been announced. Although George Jones endorses the program, it's unclear how much direct involvement he will have with the classes. "This is not about George but about lessons learned the hard way," Rice says. "It's about life lessons he wishes he'd known when he fell into the industry." David Ball, Brad Cotter Sign New Deals Wed. January 17.2007 6:55 PM EST A number of country artists have signed new record deals with independent record labels. David Ball's Heartaches by the Number will be released on Shanachie Records on March 20 and will include a mix of original and cover songs. Shanachie has similar albums planned for Daryle Singletary on Feb. 27 and Confederate Railroad in April. In related news, Brad Cotter is the first artist to sign with Adobe Road Records, a new Nashville label founded by Gary Cotton. An album is expected in the spring. James Stroud Leaves UMG Nashville Wed. January 17.2007 6:55 PM EST James Stroud has exited his position as co-chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville to return to producing, according to The Tennessean, Nashville's daily newspaper. Four other UMG employees reportedly left the company with Stroud, who previously headed DreamWorks' Nashville division prior to its purchase by UMG in 2004. Stroud has already been tapped to produce Billy Currington's next album. His past production credits include Clint Black, Toby Keith and Clay Walker. After Stroud's departure, Luke Lewis was named UMG Nashville's chairman and CEO, and Brian Wright was promoted to vice president of A&R. UMG's imprints include MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville and Lost Highway Records. The company's artist roster includes George Strait, Shania Twain, Josh Turner, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Sugarland, Gary Allan, Lee Ann Womack, Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams. Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs to Tape CMT Crossroads Wed. January 17.2007 12:46 PM EST Bruce Hornsby and Ricky Skaggs will tape an episode of CMT Crossroads on Thursday (Jan. 18) near Nashville for an invitation-only audience. The show will air Feb. 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Hornsby's hits include "The Way It Is," "Mandolin Rain" and "Every Little Kiss." Skaggs has won a total of 11 Grammys in six different categories. They have completed an album together, which will be released March 20 on Sony BMG/Legacy. Kay __._,_.___ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Access the Recipes And More list archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/recipesandmore%40googlegroups.com/ Visit the group home page at: http://groups.google.com/group/RecipesAndMore -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
