HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE

Dierks Bentley

DIERKS BENTLEY AND KRISTIAN BUSH Local 257 members Dierks Bentley and Kristian Bush joined other artists and musicians for Hope 4 Hope Town, a benefit concert held at the Ryman Sept. 16. The event was organized by songwriter Patrick Davis to raise funds to assist in relief efforts for victims of hurricane Dorian, which caused devastation in the Bahamas earlier in the month. The annual Songwriters in Paradise (SIP) festival was a fixture on the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas for the last eight years. Davis and others with the SIP organization have already raised around $400,000 with a GoFundMe campaign. Money raised from the benefit concert and accompanying auction will especially benefit those on the outer Bahamian Islands who may not be the first to receive government aid. For more information go to Hope4HopeTown.com.

Kris Kristofferson

ANDY REISS Guitarist Andy Reiss was honored with the Jazz Heritage Award during Jazzmania Oct. 19. The annual event is a fundraiser for the Nashville Jazz Workshop, and includes performances, dinner, and a silent auction. Reiss has been an important part of the Nashville jazz scene for decades — working sessions, teaching, and performing locally with a variety of ensembles including the Time Jumpers and the Lori Mechem Quartet. He is also a life member of Local 257 and a longtime member of the executive board. The Nashville Jazz Workshop is a nonprofit organization that supports jazz musicians, jazz fans, and the jazz community with classes, public performances and special events.

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON AFM Local 257 life member Kris Kristofferson received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the CMA Awards Nov. 13. Dierks Bentley joined Sheryl Crow, Chris Janson and John Osborne for a tribute performance of Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” during the show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The Country Music Hall of Famer won CMA Song of the Year in 1970 for “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” first released by Ray Stevens in 1969, then Johnny Cash in 1970. By 1987 over 450 artists had recorded his tunes, including “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and “For the Good Times.” He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy in 1977 for his work in A Star Is Born, which costarred Barbra Streisand. Kristofferson has also won three Grammys and a host of other accolades, including CMT’s Johnny Cash Visionary Award, BMI’s Icon Award, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an iconic artist who has attained the highest degree of recognition in country music, and achieved international prominence through performances, humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, record sales, and public representation at the highest level. Previous recipients include Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton.

HEARD ON THE GRAPEVINE BLAKE SHELTON Blake Shelton helped increase visibility in digital streaming credits for those who contribute to the track. The Recording Academy launched an initiative in October called Behind The Record to correct the lack of credit documentation that has been displayed with digital streaming in the past. Tech companies have made attribution easier, which in turn allows for more accurate payments to musicians who play on the recordings. During the recording process, information flows from the record label using a standardized format and is delivered to streaming platforms like Pandora and others who have made a commitment to feature credits.

In a recent Twitter post Shelton said “The power of song is unbelievable, and this year #GodsCountry (Shelton’s new record) has been just that for me. Join me in celebrating and #GiveCredit to all those who work #BehindTheRecord. It’s been a damn good year.”

The accompanying image shows the new display that was used for Shelton’s latest release on digital streaming with credits for musicians, engineers and producers.

COWBOY JACK CLEMENT Cowboy Jack Clement’s J-200 Gibson guitar was donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in a ceremony held Nov. 19. The gift was made possible by a grant from the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Organization. Clement's daughter Allison gave a humorous induction speech from the viewpoint of the guitar, and there were performances by Local 257 members John Prine and Shawn Camp, along with Charley Pride and Crystal Gayle. The house band included Local 257 members Pete Abbott, Lloyd Green, Dave Roe, Michael Rojas, and Billy Sanford.

Clement purchased the guitar in Washington D.C. in 1952, when he was in the Marines. The instrument he referred to as “My baby,” stayed with Clement his whole life and appears on countless records, including “Big River” and “Ring of Fire” for Johnny Cash. During the mid-50s Sun sessions in Memphis, Clement once lent it to Elvis Presley, who played it during a performance at the Eagle’s Nest. His oversized belt buckle left scratches on the guitar’s back, and the story became one of many involving the instrument. In the ‘70s it was the guitar Clement used while composing the Waylon Jennings hit “Let’s All Help the Cowboys (Sing the Blues)” and “Just Someone I Used to Know,” which became a hit for Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton.

The guitar was always present at Clement’s studio — Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa — and many artists played it on sessions over the years, including John Hartford, John Prine, Bobby Bare, Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, Tim O’Brien, Waylon Jennings, and hundreds of others. Clement was a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined Local 257 in 1965. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, and was also a member of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

The guitar was always present at Clement’s studio — Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa — and many artists played it on sessions over the years.