A swarm of cicadas couldn't keep Recording Academy members from celebrating the beginning of summer on May 20, when the Nashville Chapter held its annual Block Party.
Held at Nashville's 6th & Peabody, the 23rd iteration of the event was another evening of live music and joyful reunions for the Nashville Chapter (which also represents Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina) as well as members from the Memphis Chapter and other markets. Attendees enjoyed food from White Duck Taco Shop and Daddy's Dogs, and libations from Yeehaw Brewing Co, Ole Smoky Moonshine and Music Water, and furthered the camaraderie by helping each other fend off cicadas — whether in the crowd or on the stage.
The three-hour Block Party was also a celebration of the wide array of talent the Chapter boasts. The lineup offered country, jazz/funk guitar and gospel — along with tunes in between from Nashville favorite DJ Smoke — as well as a mix of independent and major label artists, all of whom had career milestones or GRAMMY memories to share.
Kicking things off was Brittney Spencer, a rising country star whose acclaim earned her a guest appearance on Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER earlier this year. Her enchanting five-song set featured tracks from her debut album, My Stupid Life, which arrived in January.
"Thank you so much to everybody that is here who is helping make artists' dreams come true every day," she said, commending the hard work that goes on in the backend of the industry. "I worked at a label for, like, a month, and I was like, 'Oh my god, no," she added with a laugh. "We appreciate y'all very much."
Independent country artists Hannah Dasher and Rissi Palmer served as emcees as well as performers, each offering two songs. Dasher teased her forthcoming new project, Don't Wanna Be An Outlaw, with its twangy title track, while Palmer celebrated the 2024 re-release of her 2007 track "Country Girl," which she recently issued on her own label.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard brought love and light to the event with her powerful gospel tunes, including "Break Every Chain," the song that won her a GRAMMY for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance in 2014. She shared that she had lost her father just one week before that momentous win ("I was on a mountaintop but I was also in a deep, dark place," she reflected). Yet, as she added, the song has helped people experience breakthroughs, and that was apparent by the impassioned reactions in the crowd.
Shortly after Cory Wong set the sunset vibes with his electric guitar grooves, Carly Pearce closed out the night with a 30-minute set that included her latest single, the Chris Stapleton-featuring "We Don't Fight Anymore," and her GRAMMY-winning hit with Ashley McBryde, "Never Wanted To Be That Girl." As she gushed to the audience, the performance was a full-circle moment in many ways.
"I moved here 15 years ago because all I wanted to do was sing country music… Any time I play in Nashville I think of that 19-year-old girl with big dreams," she said. "I feel like I've been coming to the GRAMMY Block Party, or, like, aware of it, and wanting to be a part of it for so long, so I'm so grateful to be here."
Pearce stuck around to give hugs to fans and friends before heading out, with many other attendees doing the same as the event wrapped — a sweet sendoff to another celebration of Nashville's thriving, tight-knit musical community.
