COUNTRY SUPERSTAR BIG KENNY AND BIG MACHINE RECORDS PRESIDENT SCOTT BORCHETTA ROUND OUT JUDGING PANEL FOR CMT’S “CAN YOU DUET”
05/28/09
BIG MACHINE RECORDS TO PRODUCE ALBUM FOR SHOW WINNERS
NASHVILLE – May 28, 2009 – Music superstar Big Kenny¸ of the multi-platinum duo Big & Rich, and Big Machine Records’ President and CEO Scott Borchetta will join Naomi Judd as judges on the second season of CMT’s, CAN YOU DUET. Hosted by Lance Smith, the weekly music competition series from “American Idol” producers FremantleMedia North America is looking to find country music’s next great duo and award them a record deal with Big Machine Records.
Best known as one half of country megastars Big & Rich, Big Kenny was a solo artist before joining John Rich to create Big & Rich in 2003 and together they signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. From their first studio album, came the duo’s signature song “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” as well as three other top 40 singles. In 2005, the duo released “Comin’ To Your City” and added another top-20 single and two other top-40 songs to their roster. The duo’s third studio album, “Between Hell and Amazing Grace,” produced their first Number One single, the wedding ballad “Lost in This Moment.” Big Kenny recently took time away from music to document his visit to Sudan, which debuted at the Nashville Film Festival last year.
Scott Borchetta recently accepted the 2009 Academy of Country Music Award for executive producing “Fearless,” the ACM Album of the Year from Taylor Swift. For years, Borchetta has been the driving force behind the some of music’s most successful careers. He is currently known for his position as the founder and CEO of Big Machine Records, which he opened in 2005. In three short years the label has accomplished unprecedented success. Under Borchetta’s leadership, Big Machine Records has become the #1 selling country music label, with artist Taylor Swift ending 2008 as the highest selling artist across all genres.
Prior to starting Big Machine Records, Borchetta was Senior Vice President of Promotion & Artist Development for all three of Universal Music Group’s country imprints: DreamWorks, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville. During his tenure at UMG, Borchetta was instrumental in the careers of George Strait, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna, Toby Keith, Darryl Worley, Jimmy Wayne, Jessica Andrews and Randy Travis.
In addition to Swift, Big Machine Records’ current artist roster includes Trisha Yearwood, Jack Ingram, Sunny Sweeney, Adam Gregory and season one CAN YOU DUET finalists Kate & Kacey. In 2007, Big Machine Records became the exclusive radio promoter for Garth Brooks’ new music and the two made history with his new single “More Than a Memory,” when Brooks became the first artist in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart, making him the highest Country debut leader of all time.
Unlike other talent competition shows, each contestant on CAN YOU DUET will compete as part of a duo, sometimes working with different partners as the competition progresses. As a result, viewers will witness first-hand all the on and off-stage drama to be had in creating a dynamic musical duo. In addition critiquing each performance, the three judges will decide who will advance to the next round, be sent home, and ultimately be crowned country music’s next great duo.
CAN YOU DUET is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Jeff Boggs (Nashville Star, Spy TV) and Borchetta are executive producers. Bob Kusbit, John Hamlin and Melanie Moreau serve as executive producers for CMT.
Visit CMT's press-only Web site www.cmtpress.com for more information and downloadable photos on all of CMT's programming.
CMT, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and Heartland entertainment, reaching more than 88.5 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.
FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative television programs for network, cable and syndicated platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon “American Idol" (FOX), “American Idol Rewind” (syndicated), “American Idol Extra” (Fox Reality), “America’s Got Talent” (NBC), “Celebrity Family Feud” (NBC), “The Osbournes: Reloaded” (FOX), “Hole In The Wall” (FOX), “Farmer Wants A Wife” (The CW), “The Phone” (MTV), “Rock The Cradle” (MTV), “Can You Duet” (CMT), “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” (Oxygen), “Match Game” (TBS), “Family Feud” (syndicated), “Million Dollar Password” (CBS), and the longest-running game show in television history, “The Price Is Right” (CBS).
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Tanya Taylor 615-254-9389 tanya@triple7pr.com
Cindy McLean 615-335-8404 cindy.mclean@cmt.com
Manfred Westphal 818-748-1148 manfred.westphal@fremantlemedia.com
