Music News (1/7/14)

Dave Berg

ASCAP songwriter, producer and artist Dave Berg will participate in the ASCAP Songwriter Residency, in partnership with America Scores. The Residency is a mentorship program that provides a platform for songwriters to engage and inspire elementary and middle school students in under-resourced neighborhoods.

Berg co-wrote a song with 16 America SCORES Portland 3rd through 5th grade students at Davis Elementary School on Jan. 26-27. Berg took students through the songwriting process, from structure to lyrics, followed by a day of tracking at Kung Fu Bakery Recording Studio on Jan. 28. The finished song will be included on a special compilation album made up of songs created from this year’s six ASCAP Songwriter Residencies throughout the US.

Pictured: Alex Orbison (President, Still Working Music) and Chase Bryant.

Pictured (L-R): From Left To Right: Daniel Lee (BMG Chrysalis, Senior Creative Director); Jeff Stevens; Kevin Lane (BMG Chrysalis, Creative Director); Kos Weaver (BMG Chrysalis, Executive Vice President)

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BMG Chrysalis and Still Working Music have renewed their publishing agreement with Red Bow artist Chase Bryant. Bryant was the late Barbara Orbison‘s final signing to Still Working Music.

BMG Chrysalis additionally announced it has extended its publishing agreement with multi-hit songwriter and producer Jeff Stevens.

Stevens has secured numerous No. 1 singles as a songwriter during the course of his career, which includes producing UMG superstar Luke Bryan and writing his “Someone Else Calling You Baby” and “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.”

Additional hits include George Strait‘s “Carrying Your Love With Me”, “True,” “Carried Away,” and Tim McGraw‘s “Back When.”

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Ed Penney

Veteran Nashville songwriter and producer Ed Penney died peacefully at home on Dec. 29 at age 89.

Penney is best known as the producer and co-writer of 1980’s “Somebody’s Knockin’” by Terri Gibbs. It earned her the 1981 CMA Horizon Award and a Grammy nomination.

Penney also co-wrote and produced the singer’s singles “Ashes to Ashes” (1982) and “Some Days it Rains All Night Long” (1982). In addition, he produced the Gibbs follow-up hits “Rich Man” (1981), “I Wanna Be Around” (1981), “Mis’ry River” (1982) and “Baby I’m Gone” (1983).

He is survived by his wife Patricia and by children Linda Floyd, Edward Penney, Wayne Penney, Diane Penney, Elaine Eskew, Kathleen Penney and Kevin Penney as well as 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.

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Larry Henley

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Larry Henley has died at age 77 following a long illness.

During his varied career, Henley was a pioneer of the Nashville rock ‘n’ roll scene and also provided Music City with some of its most iconic songs. As the lead singer of The Newbeats, he had big pop hits in the 1960s such as “Bread and Butter.” During the 1970s and 1980s, he co-wrote “The Wind Beneath My Wings” and “Til I Get it Right,” among other classics.

Born in Texas in 1937, Larry Joel Henley was the son of country singer “Kewpi” (Helen) Timms. She performed with Cowboy Slim Rhinehart on the widely-heard Mexican-border radio station XERA.

His first No. 1 hit as a songwriter was Wynette’s 1973 version of “Til I Get it Right.” The song has subsequently been recorded by Jean Shepard, Millie Jackson, Englebert Humperdinck, Highway 101, Kirk Whalum, Trisha Yearwood and more. Henley’s second chart-topper was Tanya Tucker’s 1975 version of “Lizzie and the Rainman.”

Henley was the NSAI Songwriter of the Year in 1983. Larry Henley’s health appeared fragile when he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.

He passed away around 1 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18 while in hospice care. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at press time. A celebration of Larry Henley’s life will be scheduled after the first of the year, according to his longtime friend, Charlie Anderson.