Teddy Gentry’s Best New Nashville CD Goes Live, Literally, at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store®

The release of Teddy Gentry's Best New Nashville CD on May 16 by the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store^® exclusive music program sets the stage for an exciting introduction of original music from 12 talented new artists. Each artist was hand-picked by country music star Teddy Gentry, who is committed to fostering up-and-coming talent in the Nashville music scene. Cracker Barrel guests in nine states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee - will have a chance to meet the Best New Nashville artists when they play, sing and sign autographs on the front porches of select Cracker Barrel locations between May 18 and June 7.

"We appreciate the time and effort Teddy Gentry dedicates to discovering and mentoring fresh talent and we’re pleased to provide these aspiring artists with a way to share their music and provide them with an opportunity to build their fan base through our exclusive music program,” said Julie Craig, Marketing Manager for Cracker Barrel. "We hope our guests will enjoy the CD and the live performances.”

Teddy Gentry is the bass player in the well-known group Alabama, and one of Best New Nashville’s co-founders. In an effort to ensure that the best new voices in Nashville have a chance to be heard by a wider audience, Gentry teamed up with music industry executive Bernard Porter to mentor talented music hopefuls.

Music fans can read bios on the 12 Best New Nashville performers and preview their music at http://bestnewnashville.com/home. The Teddy Gentry's Best New Nashville CD is available exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations. Tour dates, times and locations for individual artists, including appearances at Cracker Barrel stores, are listed on this site. Fans can vote at bestnewnashville.com for their favorite Best New Nashville artist and enter the "Your City to Music City” Sweepstakes. The act receiving the most votes will win $3,000. The sweepstakes winner will win a trip to Nashville and spend some time with Teddy Gentry and their favorite Best New Nashville artist.

Teddy Gentry’s Best New Nashville is the latest in Cracker Barrel’s exclusive music program. On May 2, Cracker Barrel released Randy Travis’ self-titled album Randy Travis. In March of this year, Cracker Barrel released Kenny Rogers’ The Love of God, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the Top Christian Albums chart. In January 2011, Cracker Barrel released The Grascals & Friends - Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin, which debuted at #1 on Billboard magazine’s Bluegrass Albums chart and at #26 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. In November of 2010, Cracker Barrel released Smokey Robinson’s Now & Then, which debuted at #19 on Billboard magazine’s R&B chart and was nominated for an NAACP IMAGE AWARD. September saw the release of the self-titled Rodney Atkins, which includes four #1 hits, and also the release of Mandy Barnett’s Winter Wonderland, which offers up all the authentic sounds of holiday traditions. In July, the company released Craig Morgan’s That’s Why-Collector’s Edition, and in May the release of Wynonna’s Love Heals debuted at #7 on the Billboard Magazine Top Country Albums chart. February’s release of Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart, where it spent nine weeks in the top position and 18 weeks overall in one of the three top positions. One of its songs was nominated for a Grammy award^®. Over the last few years, Cracker Barrel has released exclusive CDs with Alan Jackson, the Zac Brown Band, George Jones, Montgomery Gentry, Dolly Parton, Bill Gaither, Ricky Skaggs, Aaron Tippin, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Josh Turner, Amy Grant, Kenny Rogers, Sara Evans, and Charlie Daniels.

Tracks on Teddy Gentry’s Best New Nashville:

About Cracker Barrel

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store provides a friendly home-away-from-home in its old country stores and restaurants. Guests are cared for like family while relaxing and enjoying real home-style food and shopping that’s surprisingly unique, genuinely fun and reminiscent of America’s country heritage…all at a fair price. The restaurant serves up delicious, home-style country food such as meatloaf and homemade chicken n’ dumplins as well as its made from scratch biscuits using an old family recipe. The authentic old country retail store is fun to shop and offers unique gifts and self-indulgences.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) was established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn. and operates 600 company-owned locations in 42 states. Every Cracker Barrel unit is open seven days a week with hours Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m. – 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. For more information, visit crackerbarrel.com.

About Best New Nashville

An industry executive, Bernard Porter, and an industry legend, Teddy Gentry, had a vision that started with mentoring up and coming talent from all ages and genres. The two joined forces and created Best New Nashville, a division of Porter-Gentry Productions, LLC. (PG Productions, LLC).

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