Music Providing in New Ways Rumble Delivers the Hits
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March 4, 2019, Issue 642 Music Providing In New Ways For 10 years, Henry has lived in a nursing home as one of the estimated 5.7 million Americans with Alzheimer’s. A man who once loved singing and dancing, who would regularly take his kids on walks to perform “Singin’ In The Rain” – complete with jumping and swinging around poles – was reduced to barely speaking. That changed the day Music & Memory set up an iPod program at his nursing home. Launched in 2006, the New York-based program is on a mission to bring personalized music to the elderly and infirm nationwide. Not surprisingly, the country community has jumped in with support. Little Big Town headlined a 2017 ACM Lifting Lives event benefiting the non-profit organization. “The reason we all fell in love with music in the first place is because it reaches you at a depth that nothing else does,” noted LBT’s Jimi Westbrook at the time. To that point, back to Henry, whose once unresponsive face lights up with expression upon hearing his favorite music. (A 2012 video clip went viral. See it here.) The effect lasts beyond taking the A Bout Time: WKHX/Atlanta’s Scott Gaines (l) and Pearl’s headphones off, as Henry is able to recall listening to music and Chris Waters (r, who won) leave it all in the ring at the 15th Annual Ringside: A Fight For Kids gala Friday (3/1). learning dances when he was younger. “Cab Calloway was my number one guy,” says. The results are more than anecdotal. “In some sense, Henry is restored to him- Rumble Delivers The Hits The 15th Annual Ringside: A Fight For Kids gala was held self,” says Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist. Friday (3/1), and as Saturday Night Live’s Stefon would say, “This “He has remembered who he is and he’s reac- place has everything!” Box- quired his identity for a while through the pow- ing matches, formal wear, er of music.” Music & Memory Founder Dan seated dinners, a DJ spin- Adam Cohen witnessed similar reactions in dementia ning ‘80s hits, a giant disco Davis Dan Cohen patients one after another but, when he started, ball, silent auction items, an none of the 16,000 long-term care facilities in open bar, a cigar lounge, Ja- the U.S. were utilizing iPods. So, he personally volunteered at a local son Aldean without a hat, the nursing home, creating personalized playlists for patients. guitarist from Matchbox 20 “After watching nursing home residents ‘light up’ after re-connect- and kids dressed as Michael ing with their music, I was motivated to work towards every person, Jackson were all gathered in no matter how challenged cognitively or physically, having access to one room to raise money for their favorite music,” Cohen says. (continued on page 9) The Charley Foundation, ©2019 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] March 4, 2019 Page 4 ing this year, we will have given over a million dollars to children’s Sony Nashville crew at Rumble on the Row charities,” notes Miller. “I can’t believe we are hitting that mile- stone.” Anyone interested in participating in future Rumble on the Row events may contact Miller here. –Monta Vaden Dan + Shay Hit A Triple Hot on the heels of a Grammy win for Best Country Duo/ Group Performance, Warner Bros./WAR’s Dan + Shay launched The Tour Feb. 28 in New Orleans. “These are just two guys coming to hang out with their fans for a couple hours,” says WNOE/New Orleans PD Ashley Wilson, who attended the opening night. As the duo’s career continues to accelerate, so too does the rabidity of their fan base, all of whom were singing along throughout the entirety of the evening, Dan + Shay according to Wilson. which supports charitable organizations addressing the critical The show is divided into three acts, each with its own unique needs of children. feel, Wilson tells Country Aircheck. “The first act was high The evening’s main attraction – music biz boxing (seriously. it’s energy,” says Wilson. “Between the first two acts, the band left a thing.) – found Pearl’s Chris Waters defeating WKHX/Atlan- the stage and a video played showing where it all began – from ta’s Scott Gaines, Sony/Nashville’s Adam Davis knocking out signing their record deal, to radio tour, to their first big hits, to MGC Sports founder Alan Bullington, artist Andy Velo reigning now – including picking up their Grammy a couple weeks ago.” supreme over Riser House/Song Factory’s Brandon Perdue and When the duo returns for the second act, a set change transforms Phivestarr Productions’ Jenny Sciullo beating Loeb & Loeb’s the stage into a living room. “The guys were seated on a couch Farrah Usmani. The real winners, however, were the children. surrounded by lamps with a tapestry background on the video Warner Chappell VP/A&R and Ring Announcer Ryan Beuschel board,” explains Wilson. “Even though there were about 3,000 noted that the matchup between Usmani and Sciullo raised the most people in the room, it felt like they were having a one-on-one money in the history of the event, with Sciullo herself holding the conversation with you.” The final act is the encore, where Dan + record for highest Shay roll out “Speechless, “19 You + Me” and “Tequila.” total of donations “If I’m not mistaken, they played every single song from the lat- for The Charley est album,” notes Wilson. “Observing the crowd, all of them have Foundation. potential to be radio hits, because many of the fans knew every Final numbers single word. There were lots of girls, but it wasn’t just a girls’ night are not yet in, out. There were couples slow dancing all over the room, and there but The Char- were many families. I spoke to a mom who brought her 17-year- ley Foundation old son and 14-year-old daughter. While they made their way up founder Carolyn to the front to take it all in, mom hung toward the back, but she Miller tells Coun- was also singing to every song.” try Aircheck Opener Morgan Evans was the perfect complement, says that preliminary Wilson. “While Dan + Shay’s video board made the show a numbers show a spectacular production, it still remained intimate, and Morgan Chuck Wicks, Kasi Aldean, Jason Aldean net of more than introduced this element,” she explains. “Fans are getting to and Brittany Aldean at Rumble on the Row $100,000. “Add- know Morgan, but after he involved them in almost every song, ©2019 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] March 4, 2019 Page 7 MY TUNES: HARDY he’s made a connection that I’m certain they will follow up on in weeks to come.” Dan + Shay’s The Tour rolls on with a full Big Loud’s Hardy discusses his most slate of shows in coming months; see a full list of dates here. influential music: –Monta Vaden 1. Aerosmith: It was the first concert I went to — the Nine Lives Tour in Birmingham. It was dope. It was super dope. Seeing Steven Tyler Chart Chat on stage being a boss made me think being a Congrats to Jordan Davis, Royce Risser, rock star was really cool. Katie Dean, David Friedman and the 2. Lynyrd Skynyrd: My dad had me on all MCA promotion staff on landing this week’s Hardy rock ‘n’ roll, and that was the first band I really No. 1 with “Take It From Me.” The song is the took a big liking to. I swear, “Free Bird” is the first song I can second consecutive chart-topper from Home ever remember hearing. That’s where a lot of my southern rock State. Writers are Jacob Davis, Jason Gantt influences come from musically, lyrically and melodically. and Jordan Davis. 3. Kid Rock: He is a huge influence. With albums like Devil With- And kudos to Chris Palmer and the Jordan Davis out A Cause, I dig any music that is completely fresh and something Valory staff for notching 130 adds on that no one has ever done before. I think Devil Without A Cause Thomas Rhett’s “Look What God Gave Her,” topping this followed that trend, so I respect that a lot and I look up to his “don’t week’s board. give a shit attitude” and bad assness. If there’s any way that I can follow in that same category, I will. 4. Eminem: I listened to him a lot growing up. His phrasing News & Notes and the way that he rhymes words — I think he kind of subcon- The Peach Pickers (Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson and sciously taught me how to do that. When I’m writing, something Ben Hayslip) will host Gretsch Presents the 6th Annual Georgia that I kind of pride myself on is phrasing and being able to On My Mind benefit concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium July rhyme really weird words and fit words where you don’t think 17. More here. that they’d be able to fit and making it work. Industry vet Mitch Ballard has been named Sr. Dir./Creative 5. Chris Cornell/Soundgarden: I wanted to learn to sing of BMI’s Austin office, reporting to VP/CreativeJody Williams like him [Cornell], so that’s how I started developing my kind of and AVP/Creative Mason Hunter in Nashville.