ASHLEY MCBRYDE’S A GIRL GOING SOMEWHERE  Girl Going Nowhere Biggest Debut by a Solo Country Artist This Year Ashley McBryde Album Art | Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen Download

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ashley McBryde has built an unconventional career since a teacher back home in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas suggested the singer/songwriter not get her hopes up about a career in music. Criss-crossing the South, playing any gig, room or biker bar she could find, the raven haired young woman built a foundation fan-by-fan, gig-by-gig over a number of years on her way to a deal with Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville. Today, the artist who was told she’d amount to nothing sees Girl Going Nowhere as the biggest debut by a solo country artist this year. Championed by SiriusXM’s The Highway, McBryde’s “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” found traction; anywhere people heard the voice that’s equal parts real life, unabashed hope and savoring the good parts, they responded, coming to shows, buying music and singing along. "It feels incredible to have this album out in the world," says McBryde who collaborated with producer Jay Joyce on the 11-song album. "It may not seem like it, but I’ve always been a shy person, so to hear stories of how other folks relate to these stories, these lyrics and our songs reaffirms this unconventional path we took creating and releasing it."  McBryde is the latest in a new breed of country music maverick. Rather than wait on country radio, she makes her music, goes out to her fans and connects from the soul and the heart. With her single “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” sitting just outside the Top 30, Girl achieves unprecedented chart position on the strength of her fans seeing themselves in her songs. Whether it’s the second chance of “Little Dive Bar,” the dug-in dreamer of the title track, the hell-bent for love “American Scandal” or the tender “The Jacket,” McBryde’s country is cut from her life – and the lives of many people just like her. With The New York Times proclaiming, “Varied, warm and effortlessly confident,” Rolling Stone opining, “She has a serious gift” and Variety declaring, “An unabashed, Southern-rooted, honest-to-Gawd great country record,” McBryde has touched a nerve amongst music lovers. As Billboard points out, “Unlike Nashville’s current crop,” McBryde’s earthy tenor as a singer and a writer has been described by The Washington Post as “Vivid,” Uproxx as “Prodigiously talented” and Entertainment Weekly as  “…cutting through the cookie-cutter clutter of contemporary pop-country, thanks to her gifts at combining classic storytelling specificity.” In a world/genre where strong women’s voices are hard to find, McBryde stands out, NPR recognized the potency of her work early. Featuring album cut “Radioland” on All Songs Considered, they wrote, “The cheap comparison would be female Chris Stapleton, but Ashley is her own woman. She really does however, combine the energy of rock, the earnestness and simple beauties of prime-era Springsteen or John Mellencamp; her songs are about family, working people, about living your best life when your best life is maybe on the outskirts of town in a ranch house with a manual lawnmower.”

KENNY CHESNEY SIGNS WITH WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE

Blue Chair Records/Warner Bros. Records is Superstar’s New Label Home

L to R: President of  Morris Higham Management, Clint Higham; Chairman and President Warner Music Nashville, John Esposito; Kenny Chesney; and Greenberg Traurig, LLP's Jess Rose

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Warner Music Group and Warner Music Nashville are honored to welcome eight-time ACM winner and CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney to the Warner Music family. As part of WMN, the songwriter/superstar’s music will be released on the Blue Chair Records/Warner Bros. Records label.

Since leaving East Tennessee with a handful of songs and a dream bigger than he understood, Kenny Chesney has developed into the man The Wall Street Journal deemed “The King of the Road” and the Los Angeles Times proclaimed “The People’s Superstar.” With over 30 million albums sold, 30 No. 1s, and countless sold-out stadium tours that sell in excess of a million tickets every time he takes to the road, the 2018 Country Album of the Year GRAMMY nominee is on the verge of yet another creative renaissance.

“It is a big deal to change labels,” said Chesney. “But when you hear Max, Espo, and Cris Lacy talk about music, about what it means and does, when you hear that passion, you can’t help but get fired up. To me, music is only complete when it gets to the fans and becomes part of their lives. The people at Warner understand my commitment to that idea, and they’re just as committed to those ideals as I am.”

“Kenny Chesney embodies the relentless pursuit of artistic freedom and expression,” said WMN Chairman & CEO John Esposito. “An unapologetic free spirit, he has built a career on perseverance, drive, innovation, and most especially, great songs. Everything he does is inspired. It is with deep respect and honor that we welcome Kenny to Warner Music Nashville. We couldn’t be more excited to work with him and his team.”

“Kenny’s not only a country music icon, but an American superstar, who’s still hungry to write, record, and perform amazing music that moves millions of people,” said Warner Music Group CEO, Recorded Music Max Lousada. “The fact that he has chosen Warner Music as his new label home is a huge testament to the culture created by Espo and his team, who have made our Nashville operation a magnet for both emerging talent and established artists. I join Espo in welcoming Kenny into the Warner family, and we’re all looking forward to amplifying his success and taking his music to fans across the globe.”

About Kenny Chesney:
Kenny Chesney is an American musical force. With 30 No. 1 hits, including “American Kids,” “When The Sun Goes Down,” “I Go Back,” “Noise,” and “Pirate Flag,” over 30 million albums and 38 million tracks sold, he has created the soundtrack for coming of age in the heartland in the 21^st century. His commitment to his fans – known as the No Shoes Nation – has seen Chesney succeed as the only Country artist on Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts for the past 25 Years, as well as consistently playing NFL stadiums across the U.S. That commitment to giving his fans songs that hold their lives, and concerts where he consistently breaks records, reflects the passion that fuels the songwriter/superstar.

About Warner Music Nashville
Warner Music Nashville was created in 2009 with the goal of expanding the presence of WMG and its family of labels has had in the Nashville music community for more than 60 years. Under the leadership of Chairman & CEO John Esposito, the division is home to Warner Bros. Nashville, Atlantic Nashville, Elektra Nashville and the LoudMouth comedy label.

About Warner Music Group
With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Elektra, Erato, FFRR, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire, Spinnin’, Warner Bros., Warner Classics, and Warner Music Nashville, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.