Month: April 2022

Jimmie Allen will perform a pre-race show ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series at the Dover Motor Speedway in his home state of Delaware. The event will take place on May 1; tickets are available now.

The Grand Ole Opry has announced its new “Opry Loves the 90s” experience. Kicking off May 16 and running through the end of the year, it'll feature themed parties, an interactive tour exhibit and, of course, special programming.

A new concert venue is coming to the Nashville area. According to The Tennesseean, the 1,000-capacity Timberhawk Hall is expected to open in 2023.

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TJ Osborne, one half of the sibling duo Brothers Osborne, is one of the Grand Marshals in this year's Nashville Pride Parade.

He'll share the role with Leslie Jordan, who recently starred in the music video for Brothers Osborne's “I'm Not for Everyone,” as well as Greg Cason — who's held board positions on an array of LGBTQ+ Nashville organizations — and Alberta Hardison, whose activism work with the HIV community dates back to 1998.

TJ came out as gay in early 2021 and, in so doing, became the first openly gay act signed to a major country label. Subsequently, Brothers Osborne put out their song “Younger Me,” which they wrote in part as a reflection on TJ's experience of growing up and moving into an industry that he never thought would accept him.

The Nashville Pride Parade will be held on June 25. It's free to attend.

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Zac Brown Band's recent single, “Same Boat,” shares a message of unity, reminding listeners that — no matter where you come from or what kind of life you lead — people are more similar than they are different.

That's an especially pressing message now, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and during a time when political divides seem wider and more intractable than ever before. But as they look toward a return to the road with their Out in the Middle Tour, the band is hoping to cut through all the noise and division.

“It's like sipping on poison,” frontman Zac Brown tells Rolling Stone, speaking about the temptation to get sucked into the constant, combative voices from the far ends of the political spectrum.

“Mark Twain had a quote about travel being lethal to ignorance and racism,” Zac muses. “After you've been out and you've seen a lot of things, you realize we're all the same. We all have the same human condition — we fall in love, we have heartbreak, we have hard times, we have adversity.”

By creating unity through their live shows, ZBB hope they can provide a little bit of healing. “Music is one of those powerful things that unifies those through the stories,” Zac points out. “…And if it's done the right way, other people can relate to it and feel that and just be reminded that, yeah, other people feel those things, too.”

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Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes and Miranda Lambert are just a few of the artists getting the spotlight in a new Grammy Museum exhibit celebrating the genre's female superstars.

“I was thrilled to have my very own exhibit at the Grammy Museum a few years ago. They are fantastic at bringing music memorabilia to the fans,” Dolly says. “So, of course I wanted to support the Women in Country exhibit. I hope you enjoy a little glimpse into my world, from one country fan to another.”

Called The Power of Women in Country Music, the exhibit launches May 27 and will run into October. Tickets for the general public go on sale April 30, but Museum members can pick up their tickets starting April 28.

The items on display include Shania's outfit from her 1997 “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” music video — including the top hat — Reba McEntire's pink dressing gown from her “Does He Love You” video, and Dolly's custom, butterfly-inlaid Gibson banjo, which she used to perform “Joshua” on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in 1971.

The genre's current superstars are represented, too: Ingrid Andress, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce, Maren Morris and Caylee Hammack all have artifacts featured in the exhibit.

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Keith Urban is busy hearing blind auditions as a coach on this season of The Voice Australia, and one contestant, Kaylee, shocked the country superstar with a song she wrote just for him.

Aptly titled “Keith,” the song name drops more than 10 of Keith's biggest hits, including “Somewhere in Your Car,” “Long Hot Summer” and “We Were.”

Kaylee's tribute to the country superstar didn't hurt her case, but it was her powerhouse voice and guitar skills that earned her a four-chair turn. Keith was the first to decide he wanted her on his team, of course, with fellow coaches Jess Mauboy, Rita Ora and Guy Sebastian quickly following suit.

It seemed like a no-brainer that Kaylee would choose Keith to be her coach, but there was a twist: Jess hit the block button, preventing Kaylee from joining the country superstar's team, in an attempt to woo her into joining her team instead. The cut-throat move paid off: Ultimately, Kaylee joined Team Jess.

But Keith still shared some kind words for his superfan contestant, according to The Daily Mail's recap.

“I've never had any song written about me before,” he professed. “That's so touching, Kaylee. It really is. I can't thank you enough for that.”

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Luke Combs is filling in some of the blanks about his upcoming third studio album.

On Thursday, he shared the album's title, which is Growin' Up. That's a phrase that will make many listeners' ears perk up, since it all but confirms that the track list will include Luke's unreleased fan-favorite song, “Growin' Up and Gettin' Old.”

The singer also shared the cover art for the project. Like Luke's previous albums, Growin' Up features artwork that looks hand-drawn. This time around, it's a scene of people bellying up to a bar, chatting with friends and ordering drinks. Meanwhile, Luke's picture is overlaid in the foreground of the image, with the album's title written on his ball cap.

Hung behind the bar in the scene depicted on the album cover is a neon sign that reads “Ice Cold.” Luke didn't say for sure, but that could perhaps be a nod to the lyrics of “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” one of the singer's biggest hits ever.

Growin' Up will have 12 tracks, Luke confirmed on social media. One of them, a track he's been teasing called “Tomorrow Me,” will be out on Friday.

The singer previously shared that his next album will arrive in full on June 24.

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It's always exciting to have a song go number-one at country radio. Dierks Bentley should know: He's been at the top of the chart 21 times.

But his latest hit, “Beers on Me,” is extra-special: It's a collaboration with two younger artists, Hardy and Breland, and marks Breland's first-ever number-one hit.

“That was a big point of pride for me, helping an artist get their first number one,” Dierks says. “You know, I've had a lot of firsts in my career. You're always looking for something new or exciting to get excited about. For me, that was huge.”

Breland wrote the song's third verse, which he also sang. Without his contributions, the song wouldn't be anywhere near what it wound up becoming, Dierks points out.

“I don't think it would be a number-one song without the third verse he wrote and sang. He really took the song somewhere totally new,” insists Dierks.

It's tradition in country music to celebrate a number-one hit with a big party, but after two years of pandemic shutdowns, it's been a while since Dierks has been able to gather with his friends and team in person. His last chart-topper, “Gone,” never got an in-person party. But Dierks says that it's important to him to give “Beers on Me” its moment.

“We need to plan some sort of party. We really do,” he asserts. “I'm not sure where it'll be, but I'm sure there'll be some free beer handed out, as the song says.”

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