Reba McEntire, Bobby Bare and Loretta Lynn will perform at this year’s Johnny Cash Music Festival, according to an announcement made by concert producer and festival founder Bill Carter. Additionally, legendary singer and comedian Mark Lowry will host the fourth annual event. The concert is set for August 15th and will once again take place at Arkansas State University’s Convocation Centre in Jonesboro, Arizona. Showtime is 7:00 pm and tickets go on sale Feb 28th (see box office info below). “If we had any one of these four individuals on the bill, we would have an extremely successful event, but having all four at once is a real coup for the Johnny Cash Music Festival,” Carter said. “The reputation of the event and generosity of the people at Arkansas State and in Jonesboro continue to grow each year. This is going to be a great show.” “I am extremely honoured to be part of such a great event and worthwhile cause,” Lowry said. “Johnny Cash is a legend and this concert pays homage to that and all of the great things he stood for. I am especially pleased to be hosting an event that stars not one, not two but three Country Music Hall of Fame members. Reba, Bobby Bare and Loretta Lynn on the same bill– that’s a lot of star power in one room.” “When I was asked to perform at the Johnny Cash Music Festival, there was absolutely no hesitation,” McEntire said. “I have always had a great deal of respect for Johnny Cash, and not just because he was one of the finest entertainers, performers and recording artists this industry has ever known. It is also because of his compassion and generosity. The fact that some of the money raised from these concerts goes into a scholarship fund to help deserving kids further their education is something I know would make him very proud. I’m also really happy that I will be playing on the campus of Arkansas State again– we had a great time when I performed there years ago. Jonesboro is a very hospitable town, and I look forward to being there again.” As in years past, proceeds from this year’s event will fund the restoration of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home in Dyess, Arkansas, as well as support a scholarship fund established in the international superstar’s name. Tickets for the Johnny Cash Music Festival will go on sale February 28th and are available at Arkansas State’s Central Box Office and online at www.tickets.astate.edu. Tickets can also be purchased by logging onto the official website of the Johnny Cash Music Festival, www.johnnycashmusicfest.com.

Dolly Parton has topped the New Zealand all-genre album chart with the release of her latest album BLUE SMOKE. In addition it has topped the Australian Country album chart for four consecutive weeks and reached number 7 on the overall all genre album chart. After returning from a busy schedule in New Zealand and Australia, Dolly also announced that she will make an appearance at the legendary Glastonbury Festival while touring Europe this summer. Achieving 25 RIAA certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, Dolly has had 25 songs reach number 1 on the Billboard Country charts, a record for a female artist. She has 41 career top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career charted singles over the past 40 years. All-inclusive sales of singles, albums, hits collections, paid digital downloads and compilation usage during her Hall of Fame career have reportedly topped a staggering 100 million records worldwide. She has garnered 7 Grammy Awards, 10 Country Music Association Awards, 5 Academy of Country Music Awards, 3 American Music Awards and is one of only five female artists to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award. Dolly was inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. And the litany goes on.

Distributor 30 Tigers will, on 1st April, digitally release, on Millsap’s Oklahoma imprint, the three-song OLD TIME RELIGION EP featuring two songs from his forthcoming album PARKER MILLSAP plus a live rendition by this Oklahoma bred musician of You Gotta Move. 20-year old Parker’s ten-song album will be released in the U.K. this summer. Parker was raised in the Pentecostal Church. Though no longer a member he draws on his experiences in Old Time Religion, the portrait of a “full-grown man” who “buries his cash in a coffee can,” and “makes his decisions down on his knees” and more. Much more! While the latter character’s approach is “submit to your husband,” The Villain confides “I don’t want to be the one that lets you down anymore.” The best known rendition of the traditional and spiritual You Gotta Move appeared on the Rolling Stones’ STICKY FINGERS (1971) attributed to Mississippi Fred McDowell. Millsap’s slow-burning Fire and Brimstone rendition was recorded during a late October 2013 appearance on NPR’s syndicated show eTown broadcast from Boulder, Colorado. Don’t take my word for it, simply taste and see that Parker Millsap’s music is good

Maverick is sad to announce that songwriter Lorna Flowers passed away on March 5th. Lorna was featured within the magazine on several occasions. Originally from England, Lorna moved to the United States a few years ago but kept in contact with everyone at Maverick. Lorna was diagnosed with cancer several years ago, but had been in remission. Lorna constantly gave her time and experience to songwriters of every description trying to navigate their respective paths in the crazy music industry, and strongly supported Maverick Magazine. Her advice and counsel helped countless others move toward achieving their musical goals. We are all deeply saddened today and will remember Lorna as part of our family.

Calling all CMA Music Fest Fans! The lineup for LP Field will be revealed to the world in a couple of weeks! Since CMA Fest is all about the fans, they are giving you first crack at guessing the artists playing the big stage in 2014. Clues for LP Field artists will be posted each weekday, Monday, March 3rd until Tuesday, March 18th, on CMA’s official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. What you have to do is pretty simple: 1. “Like” CMA on Facebook and “Follow” CMA on Twitter and Instagram. 2. Check every weekday for clues. 3. Tag and retweet to get a little help from your friends. 4. Use the hashtag #CMAFestGuess 5. Kick back and relax with a confident smile on your face.

On February 27th, Maverick Magazine attended Music Week’s Evening Sessions at the Barbican Centre on Silk Street in London. Among the guest speakers was Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, who took part in a Q&A with the guests in his only UK visit of 2014. He was joined on stage by Live Nation’s EU President of Concerts, John Reid. The evening was a great success, and gave an insight into the the business of the music industry, as well as providing a superb opportunity for networking with some key decision-makers.

From a young age, Danni Nicholls soaked up American folk, country and rock n roll music from her Grandmother’s record collection which included Patsy Cline, Elvis, and Willie Nelson. When she inherited her uncle Heathcliff’s electric guitar aged 16, it all came pouring back out in the form of her own original material and has been flowing ever since. Danni Nicholls will be touring the UK to promote her critically acclaimed, crowd-funded debut album A LITTLE REDEMPTION which was recorded in Nashville, TN with Chris Donohue (Emmylou Harris, The Civil Wars, Robert Plant). Danni will bring an eclectic musical style which moves between alt-country, folk and soul to performances throughout March and April.

Showcase submissions for the 2014 Americana Music Festival & Conference are now open, and will be accepted through Friday, March 28th. There are two ways to submit: AMA Members can submit for free by printing the submission application and mailing it to the Americana office at PO Box 628, Franklin, TN 37065. Non-members can submit via the digital platform, Populr, for a small fee of $25. Are you an AMA member, but prefer to submit online? You’ll still have to pay the $25 fee. Sorry, there’s no way around that. Not a member, but want to submit via standard mail? You can join the Americana Music Association and take advantage of free submissions. All applicants will be notified by Friday, June 27th, 2014 as to whether or not they have been selected for this year’s event. Selected artists will showcase Wednesday, September 17th through Saturday, September 20th at many premiere venues in Nashville, TN. Each year, the Americana Music Festival & Conference brings together legendary artists, the next generation of rising stars and industry professionals for four days of music and education. The event will take place September 17-21, 2014, gathering thousands of artists, fans and industry professionals from all over the world in Nashville. The Americana Music Conference features numerous panels, seminars and much more, proudly providing Nashville’s most educational music industry forum. This special event covers the interests and needs of artists, managers, labels, radio stations, publishers, agents, promoters, retailers, legal and business affairs executives, merchandisers and new media professionals – all enthusiastically attended and presented by music industry leaders.

The Radio 2 Folk Awards 2014 took place last night. The event celebrated its 15th Anniversary and was presented by Radio 2 Folk Show host, Mark Radcliffe, and folk singer Julie Fowlis live. It was broadcast live from London in front of an audience of over 4,500 people. The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards are an annual celebration and bringing together some of the biggest names in folk music to recognise their achievements over the past 12 months as well as giving awards to honour outstanding lifetime contributions. Folk icons and new talent gathered for the event. A highlight performance came from American folk singer Peggy Seeger. She held tribute to her late half-brother Pete Seeger, who died last month. Joined on stage by a number of performers, Peggy sang one of his most well-known songs, Quite Early Morning. Other exciting performances were heard from a variety of artists including Bellowhead, Suzanne Vega, Clannad, Martin Simpson, Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer and The Full English. The Fisherman’s Friends performed for the first time since the tragic deaths of their band member Trevor Grills and Tour Manager, Paul McMullen, in 2013. Bob Shennan, Controller of BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music says: “Congratulations to everyone who won an award. It was a wonderful celebration and a reflection of just how vibrant the UK folk music scene is. As a genre, folk continues to be an important part of Radio 2’s schedule and we remain committed to broadcasting distinctive and specialist music content.” Folk super group The Full English received two awards, recognised for Best Group and Best Album; Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin were awarded with Best Duo and contemporary folk musician; and singer/songwriter Bella Hardy scooped the accolade for Folk Singer of the Year. The awards will be available to watch in full on the BBC Red Button until 7.45am the following morning (Thursday 20 February). There will also be chance to watch highlights from the event on the Radio 2 website –bbc.co.uk/radio2. The BBC Red Button will also have highlights from Tuesday 25 February until Saturday 29 February. Full list of BBC Radio 2 Folk Award 2014 winners: Folk Singer Of The Year – Bella Hardy Best Duo – Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin Best Group – The Full English Best Album – The Full English – THE FULL ENGLISH Horizon Award – Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar Musician Of The Year – Aidan O’Rourke Best Original Song – Two Ravens from Lisa Knapp Best Traditional Track – Willie of Winsbury from Anaïs Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award – The Mischa Macpherson Trio Lifetime Achievement Award – Martin Carthy Lifetime Achievement Award – Clannad Good Tradition Award – Cambridge Folk Festival Hall Of Fame – Cecil Sharp

The Folk Alliance International Conference is an annual event that draws together music industry professionals from throughout the world to share ideas, network and celebrate traditional music and dance. It is an event of celebration, education and entertainment. The Americana Music Association will once again partner with Folk Alliance International. The Folk Alliance is pleased to announce the final list of its 2014 Music Camp instructors. The Music Camp is designed for players and songwriters of all ages, styles, and levels of ability. In addition to group sessions, the Music Camp will provide master classes for accomplished players, jam sessions for all levels, staff & camper concerts, a general store for music items, and a fun environment to share music. Plus, Camp attendees will have access to select Folk Alliance Conference features including the opening night events and the Graham Nash Keynote Interview on Thursday morning. All conference registrants have full access to all music camp events. The Winter Music Camp will take place from today – Sunday, February 19-23, 2014 at The Sheraton Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City. The full schedule can be found at: www.folkalliance.org/camp/winter-music-camp-schedule