Iconic Entertainer Reba McEntire to Receive Chairman’s Award at Music Biz 2017 Convention in Nashville
April 6, 2017 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will honor award-winning Country superstar and multimedia entertainment mogul Reba McEntire with the prestigious Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement. The Award will be presented during the Music Biz 2017 convention’s Awards Luncheon, sponsored by BuzzAngle Music, on May 18 at 12:30 p.m. CT at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville. The Luncheon will also feature awards presentations honoring Adele (Artist of the Year), Maren Morris (Breakthrough Artist), Lukas Graham (Breakthrough Artist), the Hamilton Original Cast Recording and Mixtape albums (Outstanding Achievement Award), and Paula Abdul (Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award).
The Chairman’s Award for Sustained Creative Achievement, which recognizes superior and continuing artistic achievement within the industry, is Music Biz’s longest standing honor, dating back to 1964. Past winners include Cheap Trick, The Doobie Brothers, Paul Rodgers, Buddy Guy, Lionel Richie, Brian Wilson, Cyndi Lauper, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Chicago, Kool & The Gang, Quincy Jones, Carlos Santana, Rod Stewart, Liza Minnelli, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Lena Horne, Billy Joel, Nat King Cole, Leonard Bernstein, Benny Goodman, Isaac Stern, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and many more
“Reba fully embodies the essence of the Chairman’s Award, which honors immensely talented artists whose creative contributions truly stand the test of time and keep evolving,” said Fred Beteille of Facebook, Chairman of the Music Biz Board of Directors. “She is the first female Country artist to receive this Award from Music Biz and we are thrilled to honor her. With an inspirational album released this February, and another summer of her classic Las Vegas concert series with Brooks & Dunn queued up for June — not to mention a new TV pilot — Reba is going strong after four decades in the business.”
“I am very grateful, getting to do what I love to do after all these years at the level I get to do it. When I first started out I didn’t have enough imagination to even dream about all the wonderful things I’ve gotten to do along with all the great people I have gotten to meet,” said McEntire. “Thanks so much to Music Biz for this award and to my loyal fans for the support throughout the years that has kept me going. I can’t wait to see everyone in Nashville!”
McEntire’s latest album, Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope, was released jointly through Big Machine Label Group’s NASH Icon Records and the Capitol Christian Music Group in February 2017. The double-disc collection of traditional hymns and contemporary tracks topped both the Billboard Country and Christian/Gospel charts for multiple weeks, also marking McEntire’s 13th ascent to #1. Fans from both genres and beyond continue to embrace the lead single, “Back to God,” whose music video has surpassed 6 million views to date. McEntire also recorded a special duet version with contemporary Christian artist Lauren Daigle, which is available now. McEntire will return as part of the longest-running Country act in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace’s history on June 21 with superstar pals Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn for the third summer of Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegas.
McEntire has achieved a rare pinnacle with 35 #1 singles and over 56 million albums sold worldwide. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Bowl member has won 15 American Music Awards, 14 ACM Awards, nine People’s Choice Awards, seven CMA Awards, and two GRAMMY Awards, in addition to several achievement honors. She also received the first-ever American Country Countdown NASH Icon Award and a National Artistic Achievement Award from the U.S. Congress. The Grand Ole Opry member has also received the Andrea Bocelli Foundation Humanitarian Award and Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award. During her 2011 “All the Women I Am Tour,” McEntire was named Pollstar and Billboard Boxscore’s #1 female Country touring artist with a combined total of over 9 million tickets sold in her career.
The Oklahoma native is also an acclaimed actress with 11 movie credits to her name, including Tremors, North, and The Little Rascals. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut in Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun, which The New York Times hailed as “without qualification the best performance by an actress in a musical comedy this season.” Previously starring in the six-season television sitcom Reba and Malibu Country, McEntire most recently filmed a pilot with Marc Cherry of Desperate Housewives for ABC.
Proving her business acumen, McEntire partnered with Dillard’s to launch her own clothing line in 2005, and the lifestyle brand has since expanded into shoes, bedding, and luggage. Separately, she debuted cosmetic line Reba Beauty, available on www.reba.com. In 2016, McEntire teamed with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store to launch the retail line “Rockin’ R By Reba,” which is available exclusively at stores nationwide and online at www.crackerbarrel.com.
Music Biz 2017, which will return to Nashville from May 15-18, is the music industry’s premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business. This year’s event will feature keynotes from Atlantic Records Group Chairman and COO Julie Greenwald, Spotify’s Global Head of Creator Services Troy Carter, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Music Agents Jeff Krones and Hunter Williams, Cracker Barrel’s VP of Marketing Don Hoffman, Universal Music Group’s Exec. VP of Content Strategy and Operations Barak Moffitt, and more to be announced. A special line-up of Digital Service Workshops from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube/Google Play will mark an unprecedented first for the music industry as Music Biz will bring these companies together in one place for one day packed with information about how to leverage the tools and products that these companies offer to maximize value for artists, labels, managers, creators, and the industry at large.
The eclectic Music Biz 2017 program will also cover topics including Touring, Live Streaming, Vinyl, Messaging, International, D2F, Crowdfunding, e-Commerce, Playlisting, A&R, Social Media, Licensing, Publishing, Hi-Res, VR, Management, and Professional Development. Returning favorite sessions will include the Metadata Summit, Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit, and Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, as well as an encore for Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out and various special interest programs and breakout sessions. Music Biz will celebrate executive and artist achievements with Music Biz awards being bestowed to UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan, Music Millennium’s Terry Currier, Adele, Paula Abdul, Lukas Graham, Maren Morris, the HamiltonOriginal Cast Recording and Hamilton Mixtape albums, and others to be announced. Registration is now open atwww.musicbiz2017.com, and for a full list of currently confirmed programming, visit https://musicbiz2017.sched.org.
About the Music Business Association
The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce — a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry. It provides common ground by offering thought leadership, resources and unparalleled networking opportunities, all geared to the specific needs of its membership. Music Biz brings a unique perspective and valuable insight into the trends and changes that innovation brings. Today, we put our collective experience to work across all delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and more. Music Biz and its members are committed to building the future of music commerce — together.
Music Biz Media Contact
Laurie Jakobsen, Jaybird Communications — laurie@jaybirdcom.com, 646.484.6764
Reba McEntire Contact
Erin D. D. Burr, Big Machine Label Group — erin.burr@bmlg.net, 615.250.6636
