Month: September 2021

Blake Shelton is opening another one of his Ole Red venues in Music City, this time at the Nashville International Airport. Blake announced the good news in a video posted on social media.

“Guaranteed, some of you people are going to be missing your flights,” Blake joked.

Blake, who owns all of the Ole Red locations in conjunction with Ryman Hospitality Properties, is eager to bring Ole Red food and drinks to those traveling in and out of Nashville.

“Folks from around the world come to Nashville lookin' to have a good time and hear some of the best live music around, and now you can make it double with the Nashville airport venue!” says the singer. “I'm excited to give visitors the best fun, food and music like only Ole Red can provide while they wait for their flight.”

Blake will return next week for Season 21 of The Voice. The season will premiere on Monday, September 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

 

 

 

 

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Keith Urban‘s father passed away in 2015, but his influence still permeates almost everything Keith does. It was his father who instilled in him a love of country music, and his father whose approval he still seeks today, even though he has been gone for six years.

“I think that fire has burned in me forever, and probably still does,” Keith tells Billboard. “I think I got my dad’s approval long before I thought I had it.but it’s a strong driving force for me to impress my dad. Still, to this day.”

Urban mentions his father in the opening lines of his current single, “Wild Hearts,” which says, “Saw the man in black / Spotlight in the air / Heard a thousand screams / Saw my daddy stare.”

“When you’re five years old and you see your father mesmerized by something — in a way that I don’t think I had seen that gaze come to me — I’m like, ‘I’m going to do that,'” he says.

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We now know which five artists will be named the 2021 CMT Artists of the Year. Chris Stapleton, Gabby Barrett, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini and Luke Combs will all be honored at a special ceremony that will be held at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday, October 13.

“We are honored to recognize these five incredible artists who have entertained and inspired millions through their music this past year,” says CMT executive Margaret Comeaux. “We look forward to returning to the Schermerhorn with a live show as we celebrate the accomplishments of Chris, Kane, Kelsea, Gabby and Luke.”

After last year’s event celebrated the sacrifices of those working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s 90-minute special promises both performances and collaborations, as well congratulatory moments from several other celebrities.

More information, including collaborations, special guests and additional honorees, as well as performers and presenters, will be announced in the near future.

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Lady A never imagined they would be forced to spend more than a year off the road because of a pandemic, nor did they picture themselves being involved in a contentious lawsuit over their decision to change their name from Lady Antebellum.

Amid all of the heartache, a silver lining appeared when the trio, made up of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, were invited to become members of the Grand Ole Opry.

“After a tough year of feeling like you’ve been a little bit misinterpreted, it was like, OK, our community, everybody knows our hearts here in this town,” Charles tells AZ Central. “They know the legacy that hopefully we’ve made, but that we’re gonna make.”

The invitation was even more sweet because it came from their good friend, and former tour partner, Darius Rucker.

“I grew up listening to Hootie and the Blowfish,” Charles says. “When I was in cover bands, that was some of the first stuff we learned how to play. So that was kind of just a crazy full-circle moment.”

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When Carly Pearce had the idea to tell her truth in the song, “29,” she had no idea that it would become the launching pad for her next album. Carly wrote the song with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, even though at the time she wasn’t sure if anyone would ever hear it.

“I remember when that song was written, being almost fearful that there was no way anybody would ever let me put that song out,” Carly says in an interview held at the Grammy Museum. “And I remember when people first heard it, even some of my band members, when I first played it for them, there was kind of like [a gasp].”

It’s the opening line of the chorus, which calls 29 as the age that she got married and divorced, that became the pivotal moment of the song.

“There’s kind of like that pause,” Pearce says. “All these things that were my reality of owning my story. And I feel like I’m the most proud of that song because that song opened my heart wide open to create the rest.”

29: Written in Stone is out on Friday.

 

 

 

 

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On this day in 1983, a troubled country music star performed a benefit concert in Jackson, Mississippi. More than 6,000 people attended, with the money going to local charities. The show was the result of a plea bargain, after the singer was arrested on drug charges related to his use of cocaine. Who was it? ANSWER: George Jones.

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Dolly Parton is one of only two country artists, along with Kane Brown, who earned a spot on TIME magazine’s list of the most influential people of 2021. Dolly’s own goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, wrote the touching tribute for the country music legend.

“At her core, she is the definition of a humanitarian,” Miley writes of Dolly. “She's also the world's most impeccably purposeful walking contradiction, having developed her iconic look after being inspired by the town tramp. Now she's known as a saintly, even godlike, figure.”

Miley also praised Dolly for her influence, which spans generations.

“But though she created an identity that she downplays as being built on wigs, lots of gingham and silicone, the foundation for this empire is actually her honesty, truth and her faith,” Miley writes.

“People look to Dolly for guidance, and she knows that,” she says of her role model. “She wears that responsibility with the same grace and pride she rocks a two-piece Nudie suit. She recognizes how impactful her choices will be as one of the most iconic and powerful voices in country music, and she leaves no one behind.”

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In the early eighties, Ricky Skaggs topped the chart with “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown.” Now, another Kentucky native’s changed that to “don’t steal from my hometown.”

You see, on September 2, Carly Pearce traveled home to be honored with a sign that read “Welcome to Taylor Mill: Hometown of Country Music Star Carly Pearce.” Within the next week, however, it disappeared. 

And obviously, the “I Hope You’re Happy Now” hitmaker — is decidedly NOT. 

“You know, it honestly pisses me off if I’m completely honest with everyone,” Carly asserts. “If this is a super fan — and I hope that they hear this — but if this is a super fan, just [direct message] me that you want freakin’ tickets to a show.”

“My town spent so much time and money to honor me in this way,” she goes on. “And people are now not really affecting me. They’re affecting my town and I’m pissed.”

“And if I ever figure out who did this, I will put them on blast because it is wrong,” she adds.

While Carly is clearly angry, she seems willing to negotiate some sort of peace with the culprit.

“I will give you tickets,” she offers. “I will give you a large photo of me for your bedroom, if that’s what you need. But don’t steal from my damn hometown.”

“I’m getting mad,” Carly laughs, realizing how outspoken she’s been. 

On Friday, the expanded version of Carly’s CMA-nominated 29 arrives, adding the secondary title Written in Stone. It features her new duet with Ashley McBryde, “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.”

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