Month: May 2022

A new round of guest artists has been announced for Brian Kelley's May We All musical; among them are Michael Ray, Breland, Lainey Wilson and Lindsay Ell.

Josh Turner is celebrating the 19th anniversary of the release off his “Long Black Train” music video, and he rereleased it in high definition to mark the occasion.

Craig Morgan has been inducted into the U.S. Field Artillery Hall of Fame. A 17-year Army and Army Reserves veteran, Craig has scored country hits with songs like “Redneck Yacht Club” and “The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost.”

It's officially been 30 years since Billy Ray Cyrus released his debut album, Some Gave All, featuring the hit “Achy Breaky Heart.” He marked the occasion on social media, giving special thanks to military service members who inspired the album title.

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Brad Paisley may be a big country star these days, but like a lot of his peers in the music business, he got his start as a young kid playing in bars before he was even old enough to drink.

Brad was 13, but his bandmates were on the opposite end of the age spectrum, he said during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week. “I was this little guy that had a band of senior citizens,” he said.

“We were named the C-Notes, because that was our fee, $100,” Brad explains. “And my friends called them The Seniles. They were all Korean War veterans that were playing with me. It was an amazing experience.”

While the music was incredible, Brad admits that the onstage fashion left a lot to be desired. “They dressed me, too, which was kind of the problem. I sort of dressed like them,” he said.

Brad is one of several country stars making one final visit to the Ellen stage before the show ends at the conclusion of this season. For Brad, it's a sentimental visit: He's been going on the talk show ever since its first season.

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1883, the Paramount+ prequel to Yellowstone, might be complete, but the world of the show lives on — not only in its original Yellowstone setting, but also in a newly announced prequel, called 1932.

Still, fans of the show probably won't see Tim McGraw or Faith Hill on screen anytime soon. The country superstars recently told Entertainment Tonight that their characters, James and Margaret Dutton, are probably best left back in 1883.

“Oh, I don't know,” Tim said. “I think we like Margaret and James to sort of live in that atmosphere they created for 1883.”

That doesn't mean they're not sad to say goodbye — both Tim and Faith have spoken at length about how much they loved being a part of the show. But now it's time to make room for a new cast of characters, and for 1932, that means welcoming new stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

“They should know it's going to be one of the most incredible experiences of their lives — of their careers,” Faith said. “The people that work on the set, behind the scenes — they're gonna be well taken care of. It's the best of the best.”

The next Yellowstone prequel, 1932, will debut on Paramount+ in December.

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Jimmie Allen earned back-to-back chart-topping hits with his last two singles — “Make Me Want To” and the Brad Paisley duet “Freedom Was a Highway.” As he reflected on the achievement, he said he hopes he can be a source of inspiration.

“It feels great,” he said at an event celebrating the two hits, according to CMT. “Hopefully, it's motivation for people not to be afraid to chase things, even when it's different.”

As a Black country artist who's not afraid to mix other styles and genre influences into his work, Jimmie knows that he doesn't always fit the mold of what people expect a country star to be. But he's found success by following his inner muse, he said, and that sometimes means taking a song's chart placement with a grain of salt.

“No matter where the song is on a chart, it's not a real representation of what the song is doing for people because I know a lot of songs that were #1 but not hit songs,” he said. “I know a lot of hit songs that never reach #1.”

The true measure of success, he said, is in the fan engagement.

“I just kind of grade the song based off when I play shows, how many people sing it back?” he adds. “How many messages do I get?”

This summer, Jimmie will apply that approach to a whole new musical chapter. His next album, Tulip Drive, is coming out in June, and he'll take its songs on the road when he goes on tour with Carrie Underwood for her Denim & Rhinestones Tour.

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Dierks Bentley and Elle King dive into the world of an 1800s-era Wild West town in the music video for their new duet, “Worth a Shot.”

The pair play a husband and wife drawn apart by Dierks’ gambling and outlaw ways. Elle catches wind of his misdeeds while she's at home with their baby — played by her real-life 8-month-old son, Lucky — but it turns out she's not quite the demure housewife she seems.

Cue a fun, 3 1/2-minute mini movie, which features a seedy saloon, Elle in disguise as a man and — ultimately — a reunion for the pair.

Elle came up for the concept of the music video in collaboration with directors Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone. At the end of the video, a director calls “cut,” and Elle and Dierks snap out of their Wild West selves, going back to being the artists and pals who collaborated on the song.

“Can we drink now?” Elle says, cracking up. “Was yours real whiskey or water?” Dierks says, referencing the shots they'd taken in a drinking contest in a prior scene. “I have actually been drinking alcohol this whole time,” Elle jokes.

“I'm going back to the brothel,” Dierks responds, standing up and walking out of the frame.

Dierks and Elle may not be real-life outlaws, but they are real-life pals: “Worth a Shot” is their second collaboration, following 2016's “Different for Girls.

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Before Naomi Judd's unexpected death in late April, she and her daughter Wynonna had made plans to launch a fall 2022 tour as legendary country act The Judds.

At Naomi's public memorial concert last weekend, Wynonna announced that The Judds: The Final Tour will continue, adding that it's what her mother would have wanted. Now, new details are emerging about the lineup for the re-imagined tour dates, which are scheduled to begin September 30 and last through the month of October.

The show is being reimagined as an all-star girls' night, with performances from Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Trisha Yearwood and Brandi Carlile. Martina McBride — who was originally scheduled to be the opener on the tour — is still on the bill, and she'll perform a set of her own music during the supporting act slot each night.

Additionally, a final arena stop in Lexington, Kentucky has been added to the tour for October 29. That's a particularly meaningful spot to close the show, as Kentucky is Wynonna and Naomi's home state. Faith Hill will join the bill for that date.

In a statement, Wynonna thanked fans for their outpouring of support and interest in attending the shows, even though the lineup will look very different than originally planned.

“I am humbled, once again, by the loyalty of the fans who have been with us for 38+ years, who continue to show up for me when I need them the most,” she said. “I am grateful that we will continue to honor the Judds legacy together.”

“I am so happy that in this time of grief for us all, Wynonna has agreed to move forward with this tour,” added Larry Strickland, Naomi's husband of 30+ years, “as my sweet wife Naomi would have wanted her to do.”

A limited number of tickets are still available for stops on The Judds: The Final Tour. Tickets for the Lexington, Kentucky show go on sale May 21.

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