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May 28, 2019, Issue 654 YTD Charts: New Kid In Town Astute readers don’t need analytics to figure out the big story in country music right now. Halfway through the chart year (Nov. 11, 2018 to Nov. 9, 2019), a dominant artist has emerged with the po- tential to shift the label chart share landscape for the first time in a decade. The name, of course, is Luke Combs. He’s the most-heard artist at Country radio with current music, according to data compiled by the good folks at Mediabase 24/7 (titles that start the chart year as recurrents or gold are not included). At the three-quarter mark last year, Combs wasn’t even a top 10 artist, his label wasn’t in the top 10 and he only had one song in the top Luke Combs 20 (“One Number Away”). By year-end 2018 (view here), he’d cracked the top 10, as had his label, Columbia – which goes to show how much can still change before the close of the chart year. Fortunately for Combs, he’s now in I Wear My Sunglasses At Night: EMI Nashville’s Eric Church (l) pole position on the strength of two songs in celebrates 30 million RIAA certifications for singles and albums the YTD top 5: “Beautiful Crazy” and “She Got with UMGN’s Cindy Mabe and Q Prime South’s John Peets The Best Of Me.” And he’s just posted a re- Saturday (5/25) at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. cord-setting add date for his latest single “Beer Jason Aldean Never Broke My Heart.” Rounding out the top 5 artists are Kane Randy Travis Told You So Brown, Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean and Most who’ve been around country music since the ‘80s have a Dan + Shay. Nine of the top 10 airplay artists are solo males (see story about how Randy Travis’ music has affected them. What we page 10), with Dan + Shay as the top duo, Old Dominion as the didn’t have, until now, was the story from Travis’ top group (No. 11) and Kelsea Ballerini as the top solo female perspective. Though his signature baritone at No. 21. The most-heard song of the year so far is Aldean’s “Girl singing (and speaking) voice has been all but Like You,” followed by Scotty McCreery’s “This Is It,” the two silenced since a 2013 stroke, Travis’ ability to Combs titles and Jimmie Allen’s “Best Shot.” See the full top 10 communicate has been bolstered by wife Mary on page 10. Davis Travis and author Ken Abraham. The Last but not least, promotion team bragging rights. As hinted trio collaborated on Travis’ recently released earlier, Columbia has at least temporarily taken a rare lead from Forever And Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, the label of the decade, Capitol. A narrow margin of 0.5% isn’t Faith and Braving the Storms of Life. See ex- much buffer, however, so the potential remains for a photo finish. cerpts below. Also, just before the book’s street Stay tuned! –Chuck Aly date, they spoke to Country Aircheck. (continued on page 10) ©2019 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] May 28, 2019 Page 3 CA: How did you begin the process of collecting and culling these stories, and who did you reach out to? MT: It was a challenge, and I think we all agree that we prob- ably have three or four more books worth of material because Randy has lived a full life in full color. RT: Oh, yes. KA: We wanted to start with Randy in the hospital after his stroke, because we wanted to show how far he has come, tie in the events that brought him to there and have it all link back. MT: As far as who to start with, Ken and I both had lists. As we went down it, the people we talked to would offer names and we’d add to it. It was a team effort. The first call went out to [for- mer Warner Bros. A&R Exec] Martha Sharp. Then, we reached out to [producer] Kyle Lehning and [tour manager] Jeff Davis. The book has multiple references to being nervous about the country music industry accepting you, your music or other projects like acting. Does sharing some of those stories now bring back the nerves? RT: Yes! Yes! MT: He’s told me that he was always nervous, but that’s what kept the passion alive. “If you don’t have nerves, you need to go find another passion,” he would say. Because, nerves don’t have to be a bad thing; it can be about being excited for something and excited to share that with the world. KA: And, he has never assumed that the public would just accept what he did because he was doing it. It always had to be Deeper Than The Holla: Monta Vaden and Randy Travis (l- just right – the right songs, the right albums, the right films or r, front); Mary Davis Travis and Ken Abraham (l-r, back). television roles. Randy and Mary have worked hard to present something they could be proud of and not take for granted. RT: Yes! Oh, yes. We hear you’re considering a move back to Nashville. MT: We are planning a move back. Randy has always been Is that correct? Is the plan to be closer to the industry so supportive of other artists, and he continues to be. He feels and the music? most at home around music, and being able to get out to shows ©2019 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] May 28, 2019 Page 5 MY TUNES: HOSS MICHAELS and see other artists has done wonders for him. We are looking forward to being part of this community for a long, long time. KXKT/Omaha PD Hoss Michaels discusses Excerpt – That’s My Job: While working with United Talent, his most influential music: [agent] Allen [Whitcomb] had gotten to know ... Jeff Davis well. 1. Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen”: Jeff had worked with his dad from the time he was old enough to This was the first song I ever danced to with my jump on a tour bus, traveling regularly with Conway [Twitty] for wife, Reneé. more than eight years and gaining a wealth of practical tour-man- 2. Kool & The Gang with The Gap agement experience. As Jeff tells it, he and his wife, Cori, saw Band, 1985-ish: It was my first live concert Hoss me on Ralph Emery’s show, Nashville Now, and heard me sing experience. I was the only white kid in my Michaels “1982” and “On The Other Hand.” That same night, Jeff called section, and I’m pretty sure it was my first Allen and said, “Allen, let’s get Randy Travis booked on some contact high from other concert goers. dates with Conway.” “We can sure do that,” Allen said. 3. The Garth Brooks World Tour, Manhattan, KS, 1996: Excerpt – A Single Issue: In one meeting with the Warner The first time I saw and felt the power of Garth. He had execs, we were discussing songs that I planned to record. Warner performed multiple shows and stopped at a Dairy Queen off of expressed concern that some of my songs weren’t as good as I-70 outside of Topeka to use a pay phone and call the studio some others we were considering. [Manager Lib Hatcher] coun- for an interview. He then bought a DQ Peanut Buster Parfait for tered with her concern that she, Kyle Lehning, and I didn’t have me. (It was a melty mess, but I didn’t care.) as much say as we used to in which songs were being released as 4. Kenny Chesney’s Songs for the Saints Tour, 2018: singles. One thing led to another, and soon the meeting devolved Awesome lineup that included Brandon Lay, Old Dominion and into a dispiriting discussion of how Warner Bros. was or was not Thomas Rhett. Kenny’s performance that night (while being promoting my music to radio stations. Things got real personal in injured) was amazing! that meeting, and some of the things that were said were offen- 5. KBEQ/Kansas City’s Y’allapalooza, 2002: Less than sive. Lib was irate. “You don’t believe in Randy as a songwriter,” one year after 9/11, 200 military personnel marched in she said. “No, that’s not what we’re saying,” [the label’s] Bill cadence down the isles of Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Mayne responded. “We just want the best songs to win.” Bonner Springs, KS as we unfurled an American flag that was Travis’ Forever And Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith and Brav- the size of the stage. The crowd was on its feet giving them a ing the Storms of Life is available to purchase here. –Monta Vaden standing ovation. I still get goosebumps thinking of that moment standing with Mike Kennedy. Highly regarded music you’ve actually never heard: Chart Chat The Beatles’ White Album. They were great songwriters and had Congrats to Kane Brown, Steve some huge radio hits. I just was never that interested to listen to Hodges, Dennis Reese and the RCA the whole thing. promotion team on securing this week’s No. Important piece or style of music you just don’t get: 1 with “Good As You.” The song is the second Anything from Neil Young.

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