National Music Acts

NELLY

Ranked as the fourth best-selling rap artist of all time by the Recording Industry of America, Nelly has become a symbol of rap’s crossover success in mainstream pop music. With over 21 million albums sold in the US alone, his pop-infused hip hop and unique vocal delivery have earned him six Top 10 albums and made him a live concert favorite. His seventh studio album, 2012’s M.O., features hit singles “Hey Porsche” and “Get Like Me,” a collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Pharrell. Born Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. in 1974, Nelly got his first taste of musical success with the St. Louis hip hop collective St. Lunatics. In 2000, he launched his solo career with No. 1 debut album Country Grammar, which showcased his signature Southern drawl mixed with a Midwestern twang. 2002 follow-up Nellyville also peaked at No. 1 and included the international smash ” Hot in Herre,” which earned him a Grammy in 2003 for Best Male Rap Solo Performance.

Mark Chesnutt

Mark Chesnutt is one of Countrys true musical treasures.
Critics have hailed him as a classic Country singer of the first
order and some of Country musics most elite entertainers from
George Jones to George Strait echo this sentiment. Mark
Chesnutts stature is easily gauged; he has 14 No. 1 hits, 23
top ten singles, four platinum albums and five gold records.
Country music critics and fans alike need look no further when
it comes to Country music basics. If you ask Mark Chesnutt hell
tell you, Its the music that has kept me around this long. In a
world that sometimes confuses style with substance, Mark
Chesnutt possesses both.
.

David Lee Murphy

Million-selling singer-songwriter David Lee Murphy had no plans to make a new record until a country superstar made them for him.

“I’ve been friends and written songs with Kenny (Chesney) for years,” Murphy reflects. “I sent him some songs for one of his albums a couple of years ago, and he called me up. He goes, ‘Man, you need to be making a record. I could produce it with Buddy Cannon, and I think people would love it.’ It’s hard to say no to Kenny Chesney when he comes up with an idea like that.”

Murphy, whose songs “Dust on the Bottle and “Party Crowd” continue to be staples at country radio, could have easily filled the album with hits he’s written for Chesney (“’Til It’s Gone,” “Living in Fast Forward,” “Live a Little”), Jason Aldean (“Big Green Tractor,” “The Only Way I Know How”), Thompson Square (GRAMMY-nominated “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”), Jake Owen (“Anywhere With You”), or Blake Shelton (“The More I Drink”).

TRACE ADKINS

A Nashville icon for more than two decades, Trace Adkins has made his mark on the country music industry. 11 million albums sold. Time-honored hit singles. Momentous, fiery and always memorable live performances. GRAMMY nominations. CMT and ACM awards. Nearly 200 million plays on YouTube. Hell, even a slew of movie and TV roles have come the Grand Ole Opry member’s way. But ask Adkins what’s left to prove in his career and the small-town Louisiana native says it’s simple: the itch remains. To create. To collaborate. To continually feel the excitement that comes after whipping up a new song out of thin air and laying it down to tape. It’s what, after all these years, he says he still craves. “It’s an adrenaline rush and I love it,” says Adkins, who is back in the studio working on a new project. “There’s nothing else like that,” the Louisiana naive offers. “That is still my favorite thing to do in this business. Go into the studio with some lyrics and a melody and then let the finest musicians in the world help turn it into something magical. It liberates me. I just dig it!”

SPECIALTY ACTS

Justin “Rump” Rumford as the barrel-man

The Cowgirl Sweethearts

Bobby Reid