Gretchen Starts Her Own Label

(Nashville, Tennessee...) -- October 2, 2009  -- ACM, CMA, AMA, Billboard and Grammy-award winning Country Music artist Gretchen Wilson has launched Redneck Records. Based at Studio 27 in Lebanon, TN, the first release on the label will be Wilson's "Work Hard, Play Harder." Written by Wilson, John Rich and Vicky McGehee, the single will impact radio on October 26, 2009. The "Work Hard, Play Harder" music video will begin airing mid-October, and her I Got Your Country Right Here album will hit stores in early 2010. "My management and I looked at a lot of different options over the last couple of months, and starting Redneck Records made the most sense to continue the relationships I've built with radio, retail and the fans," said Gretchen. "This is a really exciting time in my life, and I'm looking forward to everyone hearing my new music." As president of Redneck Records, Wilson will oversee virtually all operations of the label. Gretchen is managed by industry powerhouse Morris Artist Management. Day-to-day activities are overseen by innovative manager Marc Oswald. Morris Artist Management is a division of Front Line Management, whose principals include Dale Morris, Irving Azoff and Howard Kaufman. The company provides representation services for artists such as Aerosmith, Alabama, Big & Rich, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, The Eagles and others. Redneck Records has inked a distribution agreement with RED Distribution. RED is widely recognized as the industry leader in independent distribution and artist development. A division of Sony Music Entertainment, RED handles sales and marketing for 50+ independent record labels, as well as repertoire from parent company Sony Music. RED has been named Distributor of the Year/Medium Division three of the past four years by the National Association of Retail Merchandisers (NARM). Joining Redneck Records in the role of strategic consultant for radio promotions is promotion veteran Bob Mitchell, who will be relocating to Nashville by year's end. Bob's diverse background in the music business includes 15 years in record promotion for Sony Music, DreamWorks and the Smith Music Group, as well as experience in radio, and as a talent buyer for Billy Bob's and Six Flags. His new contact info is: (615) 720-7467,thegardenrow@yahoo.com Radio promotion efforts will also be spearheaded by CO5 Nashville, a full service radio promotion staff regionally based throughout the country. Led by VP Promotion Denise Roberts, one of the company's most recent successes is taking Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" hit to Top 3 on the national country charts. The "Work Hard, Play Harder" single will be available on Play MPE on Monday, October 5, 2009. The "Work Hard, Play Harder" music video can be viewed by visiting http://www.gretchenwilson.com/playharder Gretchen's personal appearances are booked by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (formerly the William Morris Agency), one of the world's largest and most diversified entertainment agencies. Her responsible agent continues to be Greg Oswald. Music video marketing and promotion will be handled by AristoMedia's AristoVideo division. Started in 1983, the company's music video promotion and marketing business has established long-term relationships with national, regional, closed circuit / pools and new media video programs. Publicity for Redneck Records and Gretchen Wilson will be managed by the Campbell Entertainment Group. The company's president Craig Campbell was Gretchen's first publicist when she signed with Epic Records. Gretchen Wilson exploded onto the country music scene in 2004 with her smash hit "Redneck Woman" and has since scored three #1 albums with Here For The Party, All Jacked Up, and One Of The Boys. Her first book, the autobiographical "Redneck Woman: Stories from My Life," landed her on the prestigious New York Times Best Seller List. The critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter has won virtually every award for which she's been nominated, including Female Vocalist of the Year from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, two awards each from the American Music Awards and Billboard Music awards, and a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Last year, Gretchen, who voluntarily left school as a teenager to pursue music, accomplished a long-time goal of receiving her G.E.D. Her friend and mentor, fellow musician Charlie Daniels, was a guest speaker at her graduation ceremony. In May of this year, she had the honor of speaking to a Congressional panel about the importance of continued funding for adult education. She recently received a 2009 Literacy leadership Award from the National Coalition for Literacy and The Center for the Book. Gretchen is teaming up with Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor GED students and organizations dedicated to the advancement of literacy. www.GretchenWilson.com