In anticipation of the 10th Anniversary of the CMA Songwriters Series, PBS is going to feature two country acts on their concert program, Front and Center. Lady Antebellum and Dierks Bentley will be the featured artists on two separate specials set to air this fall. The hopes of the series is to show fans everyone involved in the music making process, not just the mainstream names.
The episode featuring Lady Antebellum will have Lady A, their band, and a few guests performing songs from their new album, ‘Golden,’ along with some of their older hits. The group will have commentary on the songs as well so fans can learn the actual story behind the song.
Dierks Bentley’s hour long episode will have a similar feel to the CMA Songwriter Series concert, as it will be Bentley, plus song writers Jim Beavers, Ross Copperman, Brett James, and Jon Randall. The group will perform Bentley’s hits, and will also perform songs they’ve written for other country artists. For anyone who has been to a CMA Songwriters Series concert before, you know how intimate and entertaining these sessions are. Hearing the songs in context gives them a different meaning for listeners.
Bringing country music to Front and Center came about when the show’s executive producer, Don Maggi attended a CMA Songwriter Series in New York City. Maggi is hoping to create an intimate show while letting artists tell their stories.
In it’s ten year span, the CMA Songwriter series has had more than 75 shows in 13 cities including Austin, Boston, Dublin, Los Angeles, New York, and Paris. The list of artists that have participated isn’t lacking as big names like Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Randy Houser, Patty Loveless, Ronnie Milsap, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and the Band Perry have been a part of the series.
The 10th anniversary kicked off at the Sundance Film Festival in January, followed by stops in New York, Chicago, and Nashville with more dates to be announced. We’ve been lucky enough to have a show in Boston for the past three years so here’s to hoping we get a fourth!
This was written by Christina Coleman! Contributing writer for NECM. You can follow me on Twitter- @CLColeman