South Dakota Takes On Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Music City
You might have noticed that part of the team from "Andy and Christine in the Morning" was missing earlier this March.
For the time, KXRB took listeners on the road to the annual Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a week full of music, country stars, and, yes, believe it or not, radio education.
I was so honored to be part of this event. CRS is a wonderful opportunity to network with my radio colleagues, learn how to balance technology and real voices, refresh my skills, hear from leaders in the industry, and even learn about the great country music we love from the artists themselves.
The Mission of CRS
We bring Country radio and music industry professionals together to educate each other, enhance skills, facilitate business, and promote the growth of the industry.
We encourage professionalism and ethics within our industries and our organization.
We embrace humanitarian endeavors that improve the quality of our lives, and the lives of Country music consumers.
I didn't know what to expect. This was my first CRS and first trip to Nashville. I was ready for anything and kept an open mind. There were even some big surprises during the trip!
Luckily, I wasn't alone on my Nashville adventure! My husband, Chris joined me on the trip. Our first full day exploring downtown was on St. Patrick's Day. It was also his first time in Nashville!
This is the official badge that gave me access to all the upcoming CRS seminars, shows, and interviews. I'd be lost at CRS without it!
Before the first day of CRS, my husband and I had an evening at the historic Grand Ole Opry on St. Patrick's Day. We were so excited to see our first Opry show.
Our show featured the Nashville Irish Step Dancing Team for St. Patrick's Day, T. Graham Brown, Skip Ewing, Sunny Sweeney, actor Charles Esten, comedian Chonda Pierce, Gene Watson, and Lauren Alaina. What a line-up!
The Nashville Irish Step Dancing Team opened the show. How appropriate for St. Patrick's Day!
T. Graham Brown was up first!
Sunny Sweeney
Skip Ewing
Actor and Singer Charles Esten. The ladies at the Opry loved him!
Comedian Chonda Pierce made the crowd laugh and then gave us a special surprise guest...
Nope, you're not seeing things. Chonda Pierce brought out her friend...Gretchen Wilson!
Gretchen heard there was a party happening at the Grand Ole Opry. She gave us a treat by performing her 2004 hit song "Here for the Party."
Gene Watson
Steve Earle
The wonderful Lauren Alaina closed out the night.
It is a must to go see a show at the Grand Ole Opry. We had such a fun night!
It was an eventful first day in Music City. Day 1 of CRS was next!
I was ready for anything at CRS. The first day was dedicated to interviews.
One of my first interviews of the day were Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire of Shenandoah! It was great to catch up with some old KXRB friends in person.
From the Grand Ole Opry stage to the CRS Press Room, T. Graham Brown stopped by to say hello. This interview wasn't even planned!
This was another big surprise from the Press Room at CRS, the "Honky-Tonk Superman" himself, Aaron Tippin, stopped by! He is also the "King of Selfies," ha! He made me laugh.
In between interviews, I walked around other sessions for CRS. One of the record labels, Big Loud, had a room to showcase their artists, like Hardy! He did an acoustic set while he was at CRS.
I did not think I would get a picture with Hardy! He was super nice and gave a shoutout to South Dakota. After meeting Hardy, I spent the day sitting in workshops and then grabbing dinner with my husband.
Day two of CRS started with more interviews and updates from the seminar. Lunch was a special moment. It is a dedicated day to have lunch at the heart of country music...The Ryman Auditorium. The record label MCA Records sponsored the lunch entertainment. They showcased some of their rising stars in country music and some longtime favorites.
Jon Pardi got the "party" started at The Ryman Auditorium.
Artists only performed one or two songs each. Jon Pardi did a newer song off of his album "Honkytonk Hollywood" called "Boots Off." Yes...another boot song for Jon Pardi, ha!
Brothers Osborne announced they have a new record coming that's inspired by their home state of Maryland. You know, the "birthplace of country music."
The brothers performed one of the new songs off their upcoming album called "Watertown," which is not a song about the South Dakota town. By the way, the backup choir was amazing!
This was something special...MCA Records announced that country star Vince Gill just signed a lifetime deal with the label. The crowd stood on their feet as soon as the icon took the stage.
Country radio and fans gave him "hope" throughout his career. He said it was hard to figure out what to sing during the lunch. So he settled on "The Whole World," a song to heal all souls.
Last but not least...one of my favorites. Keith Urban ended our lunch hour and gave us a little insight into his next album. It's his first album full of cover songs dedicated to "Yacht Rock."
There is one original song on Keith Urban's new album. He gave us a sample of that song and some of the covers featured.
Here's a bonus video from Keith Urban's performance. Recognize this song?
After lunch, I had a few more interviews, and I had time for a quick power nap before dinner. I had a great cheerleader with me.
The big event on Thursday night was a surprise show from BBR Music Group. Who was taking the stage?
In honor of 31 #1 hit songs on the radio, BBR Music Group honored country singer Jason Aldean! A lot of surprises were in store, including a cover performance of "When She Says Baby" from Jason's friend, Blake Shelton. PS: I might have been a little excited at the start of the show (ha).
I was right in front of the stage, just smiling from ear to ear.
Jason Aldean had no clue this night was a celebration for him. When BBR Music Group was planning the night, it was for 30 #1 hits on the radio. All the signs and decorations were ready to go, and then his song "How Far Does a Goodbye Go" reached #1. It was a surprise to BBR Music Group how fast he got to 31! This is Jason with all his songwriters.
One of Jason's favorite groups is Alabama. Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry came on stage to surprise Jason!
Alabama gave us a treat of their 1983 hit song "The Closer You Get.." This was a big surprise I didn't see coming.
Another big surprise of the night? Travis Tritt! He performed his rendition of Jason's song "Night Train." I didn't take a video of this performance. I stayed in the moment. You can tell Travis was having fun on stage.
For the first time in four years, country duo Florida Georgia Line reunited on stage. They wanted to be there for their other "brother," Jason Aldean. Tyler Hubbard also mentioned that he's happy to have "BK" (Brian Kelley) back in his life.
Florida Georgia Line performed "You Make It Easy," which they also wrote for Jason Aldean.
The man of the hour...Jason Aldean ended the night with a performance of his 31st #1 hit song.
Here's a little bit of his performance of his newest #1 song, "How Far Does a Goodbye Go."
This picture was probably the biggest surprise of the entire trip. BBR Music Group invited all the country radio DJs to come on stage for a group picture with Jason. There was a lot of people on stage. Somehow, Jason Aldean turned towards me, and I grabbed his attention. He loves South Dakota and looks forward to coming back to the 605!
After a big night with BBR Music Group, Friday was a slower day. I met some incredible women in country radio during the CRS Women's Networking Breakfast. I got some advice from them and made connections along the way. It's surreal that some ladies I met started their careers in TV as I did, and then came to radio. Full circle moment for me.
Before my flight back to Sioux Falls, the last big event I attended was seeing Jelly Roll accept the Humanitarian Award. It was a beautiful moment. You can tell Jelly Roll is genuine and so kind. By the way, during his speech, he made another $500,000 donation to the Judge Dinkins Educational Center in Nashville. Wow!
I could go on about my time at CRS or how we landed in Nashville at 1 AM (whole other story). The trip was educational and exciting. I guess this is what they mean by having a work-life balance.
I'm already looking forward to next year's CRS!
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