CMA Songwriters Series Presented By U.S. Bank Announces Houston Show

The Country Music Association's critically acclaimed CMA Songwriters Series Presented by U.S. Bank announces a performance at The Heights Theater in Houston Monday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 PM featuring Josh Kerr, Maddie & Tae and Jon Nite. Maddie & Tae's Maddie Marlow (from Sugarland, TX) and Tae Dye have a strong connection to Texas, with the two first meeting during a music showcase in Dallas prior to becoming a Platinum-selling duo, while Nite was born in Amarillo, TX. Tickets for the performance cost $25 and are on sale now at CMAsongwritersseries.com.

The CMA Songwriters Series Presented by U.S. Bank hosts intimate performances with some of Country Music's most exciting songwriting talent taking turns telling the stories behind their hit songs and performing them in the raw as originally written. During the trip, the songwriters will partner with the CMA Foundation, CMA's philanthropic arm, to visit with students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Last fall, the CMA Foundation made a three-year commitment to invest $500,000 through the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation to ensure all students in the HISD can participate in fine arts, despite limited budgets or resources.

The CMA Foundation and the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation will also team up to host a musical instrument drive in Houston Sept. 14-24, encouraging the community to donate gently used musical instruments at several drop sites located throughout the greater Houston area. Collected instruments will be cleaned, repaired and donated to Houston school music programs. Visit mhopus.org/instrument-drive for more details about drop sites.

Josh Kerr is an award-winning hit songwriter and music producer at Black River Publishing based in Nashville, TN. His multiple U.S. No. 1 songs include the RIAA Platinum-certified "Love Me Like You Mean It" and "Dibs," co-written and recorded by Kelsea Ballerini, and the RIAA Platinum-certified "My Girl," co-written and recorded by Dylan Scott. As a songwriter and producer, Kerr has worked with a variety of artists spanning multiple genres including Abby Anderson, Danielle Bradbery, Camilla Cabello, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, for KING & COUNTRY, Hannah Kerr, Maddie & Tae, RaeLynn, Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban, and George Warburton. Urban's "Never Comin' Down," produced by Kerr and Urban, is the newest single found on Urban's Graffiti U album and was written by James Abrahart, Shy Carter, Kerr and Urban. Kerr began making music early on in life while growing up in upstate New York. He was honored as the top jazz musician prior to graduating from Messiah College where he played collegiate lacrosse in addition to his music studies.

Award-winning duo Maddie & Tae recently released their brand-new single, "Friends Don't," "anchored around their stellar vocal pairings and some of the tightest harmonies on Music Row" (Rolling Stone). Co-written by the pair, "Friends Don't" is the lead track from their forthcoming sophomore album, which will be released on Mercury Nashville. Maddie & Tae first broke out in 2013 with their brilliant "Girl In A Country Song," which took Country radio by storm, skyrocketing to the top of the charts and quickly going Platinum. The duo became only the third female duo in 70 years to top the Country airplay charts, also earning multiple accolades and awards from the CMA Awards, ACM Awards, CMT Awards and the Radio Disney Music Awards. Receiving widespread praise from NPR, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, Glamour and others, Country Music's hottest stars including Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice and Brad Paisley have welcomed Maddie & Tae on the road. Following suit is Carrie Underwood who will have the pair join her for her Cry Pretty 360 Tour next year. For additional information, visit www.maddieandtae.com.

Born in Amarillo, TX, Jon Nite is an award-winning singer/songwriter who has written over a dozen Top 10 Country hits. Nite's songs have been recorded by artists including Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Adam Craig, Dustin Lynch, Tim McGraw, David Nail, Jason Owen, Phillip Phillips, Michael Ray, Chase Rice, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Chris Young and more. Teaming up with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in Nashville, Nite has found a home with hits like "Whatever She's Got" by Nail, "Smoke" by A Thousand Horses and "We Were Us," the 2014 CMA Awards Musical Event of the Year by Urban featuring Miranda Lambert. He is a master of poetically sentimental lyrics, a talent illustrated by his song "Boy" recorded by Lee Brice, written for his son and his co-writer Nicolle Galyon's baby boy days before she gave birth to him. Nite has received two CMA Triple Play Awards for writing three No. 1 songs in a 12-month period. Recently, he co-wrote Cole Swindell's single, "Break Up in the End," which continues to ascend its way up the Billboard Country charts. He also earned an album cut on Dan + Shay's self-titled album with his work on the song "Stupid Love" and Michael Ray's Amos with "Drink One For Me." Nite worked closely on Bentley's album The Mountain, co-writing "Living," "Nothing On But The Stars," "Son of the Sun" and "Travelin' Light." He also co-wrote Maddie & Tae's well-received single "Friends Don't." Nite currently lives south of Nashville with his wife and their two children.

**Suggested Tweet**: Tix for Sept. 17 #CMASongwritersSeries presented by @USBank in Houston, TX with @MaddieandTae, @JoshKerrMusic & Jon Nite are on sale now at CMASongwritersSeries.com. Plus, @CMAFoundation & @HollandsOpusFdn to host instrument drive Sept. 14-24 - find drop sites at mhopus.org/instrument-drive.

About CMA Songwriters Series

Currently in its 14th season, CMA Songwriters Series has presented more than 100 shows in cities including Austin, Belfast, Chicago, Dublin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Park City (at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café), Phoenix, Toronto and Washington, D.C. at the renowned Library of Congress and John F. Kennedy Center. Artists and songwriters who have participated in the series include Jessi Alexander, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brandy Clark, Tom Douglas, Brett Eldredge, Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Little Big Town, Shane McAnally, Lori McKenna, Kacey Musgraves, Tim Nichols, Liz Rose, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Craig Wiseman, Chris Young, and more.

Established in 2011 as the philanthropic arm of the Country Music Association (CMA), the CMA Foundation is committed to improving and sustaining music education programs across the United States, working to ensure every child has the opportunity to participate in music education. Through strategic partnerships, professional development and grant distribution, the CMA Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has invested more than $21 million in over 87 programs across the national public school system, after school programs, summer camps and community outreach organizations. Guided by the generosity of the Country Music community, proceeds from CMA Fest, the four-day long music festival held annually in Nashville, are used to power the CMA Foundation's social impact and unique model of giving.

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