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In 2017 The Washington Post noted Ashley McBryde’s “blue-collar storytelling and straightforward singing set her apart” and NPR’s World Cafe opined, “after a decade of being the best unknown performer in those dive bars, it's all paying off.” Fast-forward to March 2018, The New York Times dubbed Girl Going Nowhere a “vivid and accomplished major-label debut,” later including it on the year’s ‘best of,’ and in April the Los Angeles Times raved McBryde “is making country music without a safety net.” Her album sparked appearances on CBS’ coveted Saturday morning stage (later garnering an Emmy nomination for the performance), The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers and more. It was a whirlwind two years for the Arkansas native.

Since joining the company as Talent Buyer in early 2017, Chandler has executed the robust programming strategy for Ole Red, booking nearly 10,000 hours of music and 175 different artists among the brand’s three locations. She has also played an instrumental role in the development of Ole Red’s new “Neon Light Program,” which supports up-and-coming artists by hosting artist performance residencies across the Ole Red network. The platform also boosts these artists’ goals by providing promotional and content creation support.    

650 AM WSM hosted its second annual "Music for Kids" event on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Studio A in the Grand Ole Opry House. WSM’s Music for Kids event provided a day-long family event packed with activities designed to make music accessible and fun for youth from all over Middle Tennessee. The event centered around providing children ages 5-16 with free, age-appropriate music lessons from local professionals and opportunities to engage, learn, and get inspired in fun new ways. Over the course of the day, the historic station donated over 1000 lessons to young musicians with an overall value of $25,000.

When Brantley Gilbert wrote “What Happens In A Small Town,” the lead single from his new, chart-topping fifth studio album Fire & Brimstone, via The Valory Music Co., the southern rocking songwriter quickly knew he needed an equally as hard-rocking female to portray both perspectives of a break up in a small town. After playing the song for Lindsay Ell, there was an immediate connection with the notion. Adding not just vocals but guitar, the result was one of the most-added songs at Country radio upon its debut.