Now Hear This Entertainment

He wrote the R&B standard, “Some Kind of Wonderful,” and is still today singing, writing songs, and playing guitar. He earned a GRAMMY nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year, and, he received no fewer than five BMI lifetime achievement awards, was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame, is about to be inducted into the Rochester (New York) Music Hall of Fame, and received three Canadian Lifetime Achievement Awards. He has played with, written for, and performed alongside the likes of Nina Simone, James Brown, The Temptations, Wilson Pickett, Grand Funk Railroad, Huey Lewis & the News, Buddy Guy, Joss Stone, and more. In late January he released a 12-song album.

Professional touring multi-instrumentalist currently performing in Las Vegas as Trombonist/Keytarist with Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple. She has performed on the GRAMMY Awards, “Good Morning America,” and “The Voice,” and over her career in music has worked with a variety of artists ranging from Musiq Soulchild to CeeLo Green to Fantasia and even Oprah Winfrey! She has also served as Music Director for Melanie Fiona and Janelle Monáe, and, she is a Roland artist and Ultimate Ears brand ambassador.

Singer, songwriter, guitar player who has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe. Highlights of the original music he has released include international hits on the iTunes charts, a Spotify editorial playlist, and the Top 40 Roots Music Report and IndieWorld Report. In addition, videos from two of his songs have been nominated and selected for numerous film festivals. His top five songs on Spotify alone have gotten a combined 1.2 million streams and a single that he released last August won Favorite Mainstream Single in the 2023 Independent Music Network Awards.

Arkansas-based award-winning independent music duo who have toured internationally in over seven countries. They perform over two hundred shows per year, captivating audiences with their piano, fiddle, and guitar performances. They have a repertoire of over two thousand songs spanning multiple genres and just under two years ago opened for ZZ Top for an amphitheater show. Last October they released a twelve-song album that made it to No. 39 on the Apple US Country Album Chart. They also have co-founded a production company, an entertainers academy, and a music and arts festival.

Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who is signed with Sony Music Publishing Nashville and Droptine Music Publishing. He earned chart success with his first No. 1 single “My Boy” by Elvie Shane as well as with cuts by Drew Green. His latest hit “Whiskey On You” by Nate Smith has topped the Canadian charts and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay. As a performer he has been on countless stages at a wide range of venues and events and will be performing later this year in Denmark.

New York City-based singer, songwriter, piano player who released her debut album just over three weeks ago and, fittingly, did an album release party at the popular music club called Pianos, there in The Big Apple. She has upcoming shows IN New York, March 28th and May 11th in the city and April 24th in Brooklyn. A music video for one of the songs from her new album was just released on February 23rd, and she currently has close to 66 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top track has over 1.2 million streams.

Nashville-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has had over 30 independent cuts. He was originally a drummer and toured the southeast before focusing his career on songwriting. He has performed all the way down in Key West, Florida, lots of shows here in Music City, out west in places like Arizona, and even overseas in Europe. He is also a business partner in Nashville Nights, which he talks about here. And his songs have been described as they, “will have you laughing then crying as he takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.”

Nashville-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who is also the founder of Nashville Nights, which is discussed during this interview. He has written thousands of songs and had several publishing deals, and his story includes overcoming surgery on his vocal cords. He is a multiple GRAMMY-ACM-CMA-Golden Guitar and Dove-nominated songwriter and had 23 singles in the last year alone. During the month of May, he will be in Europe performing a number of shows in Denmark. He was previously a guest on this show back on Episode 434 almost two years ago, in June 2022.

A content creator and keynote speaker who was a Las Vegas nightclub promoter for more than eleven years and now coaches musicians on how to establish themselves and make a career, saying, “All musicians know how to be creative, but not all know business and marketing.” He is also a practitioner in Positive Psychology, which he says is done so his clients don’t end up joining the 27 Club. Over the years he has been a part of events that have included the likes of Tiesto and Steve Aoki, among other notable names in entertainment. He even attended the Billboard Awards and tells that story during this interview.

L.A.-based multi GRAMMY nominee and multi-talented platinum-selling producer, songwriter, composer/arranger, educator, and instrumentalist. He co-produced and wrote “Good Kisser” for R&B singing sensation Usher, which climbed to No. 1 on the US R&B/Hip Hop charts and garnered his first nomination for Best R&B song at the 2015 Grammy Awards. His songwriting and arranging were also featured on the 2020 Grammy nominated Album of The Year, “Thank U, Next,” by Ariana Grande, and he is a voting member of the Recording Academy. He is a Los Angeles College of Music Songwriting and Music Business faculty member who has also worked with Lizzo and with H.E.R.

Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, guitar and piano player who just last month released a new music video that already has more than 6,500 views on YouTube. Last year she released an EP in November after having put out an EP in October, both following a deluxe 18-song album that she’d released in September after having put out a 14-song version of it in August. Her releases have drawn acclaim from various publications, and she has amassed more than 1.5 million streams for her top five songs on Spotify alone, where she currently has 74 thousand monthly listeners. She also is putting up really big numbers on TikTok, and, she is working on more new music this year, as she discusses here.

Australia-based multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has a new single coming out this Friday, February 9th. She achieved back-to-back number one iTunes charting singles and her singles have graced popular playlists like Spotify’s Fresh Country and Apple Music’s Today’s Country, to name just two. She has premiered on CMT and her success went global when country music star Thomas Rhett raised a glass celebrating the movement for one of her songs. She has over six thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top five songs alone have a combined total of well over 800 thousand streams, and her official YouTube channel has a combined total of 2.1 million video views.

Ohio-based singer, songwriter, guitar player who, over the past four decades, has compiled a long list of country hits and chart-toppers on both domestic and international sales and radio airplay charts, including two Number 1 iTunes chart singles. He has been in Billboard magazine, on FOX TV, and has recorded popular duets with legendary artists like Ronnie McDowell and GRAMMY-winner Rhonda Vincent. He has been inducted into both the Indie Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame. He is currently recording a new album, which he talks about during this interview.

Nashville-based recording artist who has a new single coming in just over two weeks, and last November put out her rendition of the classic holiday song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which followed the eight-song EP she’d released in August. On stage, she has opened for the likes of Morgan Wallen, Sara Evans, and Sam Hunt, among others, and she already has shows booked from February to July that will take her from Washington, DC, to Maryland to Florida to Virginia and New York. Between Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok alone she is closing in on a half-million followers, and she has gotten a combined total of over seven million video views on her official YouTube channel. She currently has 22 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, where her top five songs alone have a combined 1.7 million-plus streams.

Music director and producer, recording and performing artist, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has a new EP coming out this Friday, January 19th. She is also part of a duo act and the co-founder of Minx & Maestro Productions, which she talks about here. In addition, she has held the position of Specialist of Vocal Casting and Music Production with Royal Caribbean Entertainment after music and vocal directing for them for almost nine years. She is also the creator of The Journey: A New Indie Musical, and has been an active performer in bands, piano bar, and theater for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Berklee College of Music and a Master’s Degree in Music Production from Berklee Online, having graduated with a 4.0 GPA. She was the recipient of the award for Outstanding Graduate Student of the Class of 2022, as well as the iZotope Award, which honors innovation in music production.

Composer and an acclaimed jazz pianist, and the founder of Open Studio, which is the world’s leading jazz education platform. His newest album was just released on December 1 and features his brand-new quartet. His touring career has taken him to six continents numerous times, and he played in the White House by invitation from President Obama several times. He performed on and arranged Dianne Reeves’ GRAMMY-winning release, “A Little Moonlight,” and appeared in George Clooney’s 2005 film “Good Night, and Good Luck,” as well as being the featured pianist and an arranger on the GRAMMY-winning soundtrack. He has also performed, toured, and recorded with names like Wynton Marsalis and Chris Botti, as well as the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.

Athens, Greece-based singer, songwriter, guitar player, and composer who just released a remix single at the end of November. He is a working on a new album that he talks about here and has performed not only in his home country but in Turkey, France, Russia, Germany, Poland, and here in the U.S., including having at one point opened for Moby in Greece. He has also worked on soundtracks for TV spots and ads here in the U.S. as well as in Canada. He has gotten well over eleven million combined video views on his official YouTube channel and his Spotify numbers are most impressive as well. On that platform alone he has more than 52 thousand monthly listeners and his top song there has gotten more than 4.2 million streams.

Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has released three singles this year, the latest of which came out on September 1st. Plus, he has another new song coming out next week Friday, January 5th. By the age of 12 he had co-headlined international guitar festivals in Mexico and toured around the U.S. After college he moved to Nashville where he continued to tour for other artists at the professional level for years until setting his sights on his own project. His background even includes having recorded with George Clinton.

Singer, songwriter, guitar player who just released a full album of twelve songs at the end of September. In the lead-up to it she had released four singles after having put out six last year. She appeared on Season 14 of “The Voice,” having gotten chair turns from both Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, and since then has shared the stage alongside notable artists including Jason Aldean, Thomas Rhett, Dierks Bentley, Wynonna Judd, and countless others. Plus, she gives an exclusive here about a collab that she has done. Earlier this year she signed a record deal with ONErpm Music Label/Verge Records. Between October 9th and November 20th she released three official music videos that have a combined total of over 260 thousand views on her official YouTube channel, which itself has a combined total of over 1.5 million video views. And, her Spotify Wrapped numbers for 2023 included an amazing 2.2 million streams.

Recorded on-location in Nashville with a singer, songwriter, guitar player who just released a duet of “O Holy Night” with Jay Allen. She had also released two singles earlier in 2023 and her Spotify Wrapped numbers for this year show well over 900 thousand streams of her music on that platform alone. Just announced is that she will be part of country superstar Lee Brice’s tour in February and March. Early 2024 will also mark the release of a duet with another A-lister that she reveals during this interview. She has earned numerous accolades including being named Artist to Watch by People Country Magazine, New Artist to Watch 2023 by Holler Magazine, and Nashville Music Guide’s Artists to Watch 2023, among numerous others.