Priscilla Block, Jelly Roll, Nate Smith Among CRS New Faces of Country Music Show Nominees

Leading into next year’s Country Radio Seminar, the nominees have been revealed for the New Faces of Country Music Show, which will be held March 15 at Omni Hotel Nashville, capping off the annual radio-focused seminar, which is slated for March 13-15, 2023.

Traditionally there have been five performance slots for the showcase, which provides a platform for rising artists to perform in front of country radio tastemakers. This year’s nominees are Priscilla Block, Callista Clark, Jackson Dean, Ernest, Jelly Roll, Frank Ray, Elvie Shane and Nate Smith.

The upcoming New Faces of Country Music Show will be held March 15 at Omni Hotel Nashville during CRS 2023. Voting for the final round of performers will open Monday, Nov. 28, and will be open through Friday, Dec. 2, at countryradioseminar.com.

Each year, five artists who have earned significant success at country radio during the qualification period (running Nov. 1 through Oct. 31 preceding the show) are selected to perform, based upon industry voting. Eligible voters must be full-time employees primarily involved with programming, promotion and distribution of country music, in the following company categories: broadcast radio, satellite radio, television outlets and digital service providers (persons with vested interests in individual artists or musical works such as labels, managers, agents, and publishers, are excluded from voting).

The first New Faces of Country Music show was held in 1970 and featured Jack Barlow, Jamie Kaye, Karen Kelly, Wayne Kemp, Lynda K. Lance, LaWanda Lindsey, Dee Mullins and Norro Wilson. Since then, a who’s who of country artists have performed on the show early in their careers, including Lefty Frizzell, Eddie Rabbitt, Vern Gosdin and Gene Watson. Reba McEntire, Alabama and Sylvia were among those on the 1980 lineup, while George Strait, Rodney Crowell and Ricky Skaggs performed at the event in 1982. Randy Travis and Marty Stuart were among the 1986 lineup, while Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam, Holly Dunn and Lyle Lovett were on the bill a year later.

Tim McGraw met his wife, fellow country singer Faith Hill during the 1994 New Faces of Country Music Show (that year’s lineup also included Toby Keith, Lari White, Clay Walker and John Berry). Keith Urban and Brad Paisley shared the 2000 lineup, Miranda Lambert and Eric Church were on the 2007 bill, and Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan were on the same bill in 2008.