Month: August 2020

Big Machine RecordsTim McGraw is adding another element to his livestream event celebrating the release of his new album Here on Earth. 

Leading up to the Here on Earth EXPERIENCE, Tim will shine a spotlight on opening acts Ingrid Andress and Midland, both of whom will perform as part of a pre-show party leading up to the livestream event on August 21.  

The “Waste of Lime” and “Drinkin’ Problem” artists were tapped as Tim’s openers for the Here on Earth Tour this year, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The country superstar has invited both acts to perform an exclusive 30-minute, pre-recorded set that begins at 8:30 p.m. ET. 

At 9 p.m. ET, Tim will stream live from Nashville alongside a five-piece acoustic band, and perform songs from Here on Earth, along with fan-favorite hits. The country superstar will also host many of the songwriters who penned the tunes on the album, along with a few surprise guests. 

The pre-show is available for free to fans who’ve purchased tickets to the livestream. 

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Shearer/WireImageReese Witherspoon is producing a new country music talent show competition for Apple TV. 

Reese’s media and production company, Hello Sunshine, are behind an upcoming series called My Kind of Country that involves a worldwide search for aspiring country music stars. The show will include a documentary-style element to help share the artists’ stories. 

The Oscar-winning actress will executive-produce the show.  Jason Owen, CEO and president of Sandbox Entertainment, which represents country acts including Kacey Musgraves, Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini and Little Big Town, is also an executive producer, along with Dancing with the Stars showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra.  

Big Little Lies star Witherspoon has also hosted her show Shine On with Reese via the Hello Sunshine channel on Direct TV, featuring interviews with the likes of Dolly Parton, Kacey and Pink.  A native of Nashville, Reese also opened her Southern-style clothing store Draper James in her home city in 2015.  

My Kind of Country is the first competition show order by Apple TV Plus. 

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

BBR Music Group LoCash is helping their fans explore the great outdoors. 

The hitmaking duo has partnered with MTN Dew for its Claim the Outdoors campaign aimed to get fans back outdoors after months of quarantine.

Based on a survey MTN Dew sent to consumers with results that showed their favorite outdoor activities are hiking, biking, fishing and more, the soft drink company created the campaign to offer a series of outdoor-themed prizes, including the grand prize of a 2021 Ford Bronco presented by LoCash. 

Other getaways include a Grand Canyon hike for two, a fishing session with two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Gerald Swindle, and a pair of tickets to attend a race with NASCAR driver Chase Elliott.

Fans can enter on the official website in addition to submitting a photo or video of themselves enjoying the outdoors alongside #ClaimtheOutdoors. 

LoCash recently scored their second number-one hit with “One Big Country Song.”

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

ABC/Image Group LAGabby Barrett and husband Cade Foehner are expecting their first child. 

The couple, who met as contestants on season 16 of American Idol in 2018, disclosed to People that they’re expecting a daughter in early 2021.

They found out the news while visiting Cade’s family in Texas in May. Gabby reveals she was shocked when she saw the two pink lines on the pregnancy test, but the shock faded into elation when she told her husband. 

“I came running out to Cade and was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think I am.’ That’s all that I said, and he knew what that meant. I started crying, and it was very sweet,” she recalls, adding that she and Cade are “very excited” about their child’s arrival. 

Cade reveals that they began considering the idea of having children at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year.  But Gabby notes how the situation has created some challenges in the pregnancy, such as having to go to doctor appointments by herself. 

When it’s safe to do so, the couple is looking forward to bringing their baby out on tour. “It’s always been a dream to take our family out on the road and be able to do the job that we love, surrounded by family and having them experience everything,” Gabby says. 

Gabby and Cade wed in October 2019.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Comstock/ThinkstockOn this date in 2012, a country duo debuted their song, “Cruise,” on the Grand Ole Opry stage. It would go on to become the group’s biggest hit to date, launching them into superstardom. Can you name them? ANSWER: Florida Georgia Line.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

ABC/Image Group LAKeith Urban has lifted the veil on the collaborators featured on his upcoming album, The Speed of Now Part 1. 

After causing a stir among his fan base when he posted the album track list on social media recently, with yellow boxes blocking out the names of his collaborators on two tracks, Keith has filled in those blanks, announcing Pink and rising country-rapper Breland as his special guests. 

Breland appears on opening track “Out of the Cage,” alongside legendary guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Nile Rodgers, who’s performed on hit songs by Madonna, Diana Ross, Lady Gaga and more.

Pink is the CMA Entertainer of the Year winner’s duet partner on “One Too Many,” while “We Were” co-writer Eric Church is featured on an alternative version of the song, included on the album alongside the original. 

Breland went viral earlier this year with his song “My Truck.” The breakout star also announced in July that Keith will appear on one of his new songs that he calls “country twerk,” slated for release later this year. 

Keith and Nile have also collaborated before on a song called “Sun Don’t Let Me Down,” off Keith’s 2016 album, Ripcord.   

The Speed of Now Part 1 will be released September 18.

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Warner Music NashvileA tune called “I Got a Truck” isn’t the first thing you’d expect from a California-born singer/songwriter with a heavy metal background. 

And while Devin Dawson admits the first single from his sophomore album may be a bit of a departure, it turns out he has a lot more country cred than you might imagine.

“I’ve driven the same truck until recently when I bought a new one,” Devin explains. “But I drove this truck from California. This old lady that was a regular at the feed shop I was working at — because I was baling hay — and essentially she sold me this truck because she knew I was moving to Nashville and knew I needed something to pack my s*** in.”

“I’ve driven that truck forever, until I ran it into the ground,” he continues. “And I bought something new and I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. And Leah, my wife, hated it for a while because it was just stuck in the driveway.”

You’ll soon be able to check out Devin’s former ride, once the “I Got a Truck” video drops.

“We actually used it in the music video that we have coming out,” he reveals. “It was really cool to actually get to use that truck, you know, fix it up, drive it out to the location, use it in the music video.”

“There’s just little things about this song all around that are just super meaningful to me,” he says, “and it doesn’t always happen like that.”

“I Got a Truck’s” backstory is actually based on Tim McGraw‘s beginnings in Music City. Devin was inspired to write the song after the superstar gave him some advice backstage, when he was opening Tim and Faith’s Soul2Soul tour a few years ago.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Burke/Triolo Productions/ThinkstockJake Owen and lifestyle brand Salt Life have teamed up for a special edition t-shirt featuring the Jake Owen Foundation. Sales will benefit a host of youth-focused charities and organizations, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Boys & Girls Club of Indian River County.

RaeLynn’s Baytown EP dropped on Friday. She also shared a new lyric video for one of the project’s songs, “Still Smokin’.”

Alt-country singer-songwriter Orville Peck shared his new EP, Show Pony, last week. The project features a duet with Shania Twain called “Legends Never Die.”

Ruston Kelly has released his new song, “Under the Sun.” It comes from of the singer’s forthcoming album Shape & Destroy, which will come out on August 28.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.