Industry Ink: City of Hope, SOLID, Don Cusic, 95.3 The Bull

Celebrity Players Named For City of Hope Game

Confirmed artists for this year’s City of Hope Celebrity Baseball Game are Charles Esten, Vince Gill, Chris Lane, Scotty McCreery, Bret Michaels, David Nail, RaeLynn and Jamie Lynn Spears. Artists will compete on teams sponsored by the Grand Ole Opry and iHeartCountry. The game will take place on June 7 at 3 p.m. at First Tennessee Park in downtown Nashville. Support from the Nashville community and its country music artists directly benefit City of Hope’s mission to find cures for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

SOLID Renames Annual Auction

SOLID (Society of Leaders in Development) announced this week that the Music Row Yard Sale & Auction has officially changed its name to the Nashville Music Market. The annual event hosts a sale and auction of music items, memorabilia, meet & greets, autographed guitars and more during the week of CMA Music Festival. This year’s 14th annual event will take place Saturday, June 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (location TBD).

Don Cusic Releases Hank Williams Book

Author, country music historian and Belmont University professor Don Cusic has released Hank Williams: The Singer and the Songs, which recounts Williams’ legendary recording career. The lyrics to all of Williams’ songs are featured, well as the stories behind some of those songs.

During his career, Cusic has served as Country and Gospel Editor for Record World and Cashbox, a columnist for Music City News, album reviewer and special correspondent for Billboard and book reviewer for MusicRow Magazine. He has worked for the Country Music Association, Monument Records, and more.

95.3 The Bull Hires Steve Summers

Steve Summers with Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks

MusicRow reporting station 95.3 The Bull in Rockford, Illinois, has hired radio personality Steve Summers to join their staff as morning show host, effective Aug. 23. The delayed start dates is due to a non-compete clause with his previous employer.

Summers has more than 30 years experience at Rockford stations WZOK and WXXQ with roles as Program Director, Operations Manager, and Morning Show Talent.

“When I returned from vacation in February, I was informed I was no longer employed. I considered other opportunities outside of the stateline, but my passion for the Rockford area and helping out charities mirrored the attitude of 95.3 The Bull,” said Summers. “This is home. I couldn’t be more excited to join a locally-owned and operated company in Mid-West Family Broadcasting. Over the last two years, they have shown a commitment to making a difference with local businesses, local residents, and country music fans. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement.”