Month: June 2022

In case you missed it, Miranda Lambert made a stop on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Wednesday night to perform her new song, “Actin' Up.”

Hank Williams Jr. has released a new song called “Fireman Ring the Bell.” The track comes off his forthcoming album, Rich White Honky Tonk Blues, which will be out in full next Friday.

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When Jimmie Allen takes the CMA Close Up Stage Thursday, he won't be alone: a group of music students from Nashville’s Mountain View Elementary will perform alongside him.

According to a news story from ABC affiliate WKRN News 2, the children have been practicing for weeks ahead of taking the big stage. They can be seen in a clip practicing “Best Shot,” Jimmie's hit song from 2018.

Jimmie's commitment to furthering music education is longstanding. Back in 2020, he was an artist ambassador for the CMA Foundation's Unified Voices for Music Education, an initiative that deputized a cast of country stars — also including Lindsay Ell and Ashley McBryde — to get involved with music education programs.

Jimmie, who's a father of three, also recently released his first children's book, My Voice is a Trumpet, which celebrates diversity and the importance of everyone using their voice.

The singer is also booked to perform on the Chevy Riverfront Stage during this year’s CMA Fest. His next album, Tulip Drive, arrives later this month.

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Dustin Lynch has seen some pretty wild fan hijinks on the road, but the most unforgettable encounter he ever had was with a woman at his show who found a creative use for her prosthetic limb.

“This young lady took her prosthetic off, and poured her beer in it, and chugged out of her prosthetic,” the singer recounts to CMT, as part of a compilation of country stars sharing their craziest fan stories.

But Dustin was as impressed as he was surprised by the sight, he says.

“That's just a flex,” he says. “If you can do that at a party, I don't know how you can be topped. That beats the hell out of a funnel, so hats off to you, girl in Georgia.”

Check out the full video — which also features Carly Pearce and Thomas Rhett sharing their craziest fan experiences — on Twitter.

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Earlier this week, Darius Rucker once again brought his Darius & Friends event to Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, enlisting a lineup of stars to help him raise funds to benefit a good cause.

The annual pre-CMA Fest concert benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and its lifesaving mission to end childhood cancer and other catastrophic diseases. In 2022, the event raised an all-time high amount of money to benefit St. Jude, bringing in $516,000.

Darius described this year's lineup as “ladies' night” before kicking off an all-star roster of performances from Sheryl Crow, Lindsay Ell, Sara Evans, Caylee Hammack and Rachel Wammack. The event also featured an onstage appearance from Addie, a St. Jude alumna and cancer survivor who has been in remission from leukemia for five years.

The event sold out the Ryman, and also featured a live auction and donation round, which added thousands to the fundraising total.

Not only did Darius' event bring in more money than any one single Darius & Friends show ever before, it also pushed his cumulative total over a major milestone. Now in its 13th year, the event has raised over $3 million in total for St. Jude.

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Miranda Lambert made a trip to New York City this week to perform at the 2022 Time100 Gala, which took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Not only is she a performer this year, but she's also one of Time's “100 Most Influential People of 2022” and the only country star to make that list. On the red carpet ahead of the show, Miranda reflected on her role repping country music at the gala and shared her gratitude for her musical community.

“That's what country music is, is three chords and the truth, and that's all I've ever wanted to do,” the singer says. “And I'm one of the lucky ones that's gotten to do that for almost two decades now in country music. So I'm just gonna continue to share my message and hope that it helps others.”

A mainstay and traditionalist within the genre, Miranda's also been at the forefront of pushing country music forward, especially in terms of pushing for inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community, with songs like “Y'all Means All” and using her platform to support fellow female artists.

“I definitely feel like the tide's turning and I'm so thankful that I was part of that. And I hope I continue to be,” Miranda notes. “All of us girls stick together, and I think it's really important. So if I can be holding up the arms of my sisters, I'm so happy to do that.”

The Time100 Gala will air this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Kenny Loggins' revealing new memoir, Still Alright, sheds light on several little-known details of the singer-songwriter's life, including a feud with Garth Brooks that led to a lawsuit.

According to Page Six, Kenny says it started in 1993, when Garth had a top-five country radio hit with “Standing Outside the Fire.” It reminded Kenny of a song he'd co-written with guitarist Guy Thomas two years earlier, called “Conviction of the Heart” — so much so that the two called Garth and confronted him about it.

Kenny goes on to say that he hoped to reach an agreement without suing, alleging that Garth freely admitted to him that he'd copied the song. But things went south when Kenny suggested that he and Guy should earn a percentage from the song.

“Garth didn't like that idea at all,” Kenny writes. “His tone grew steely and defensive.”

Eventually, they wound up filing suit against Garth to the tune of $5 million; the country star agreed to settle in court. “Garth actually showed up in the courtroom with an acoustic guitar, ready to play the song live for the judge,” Kenny recounts.

The amount that Garth agreed to settle for is anybody's guess: The settlement stipulated that the price not be disclosed. For his part, Loggins says he's putting the whole experience behind him.

“I let that one go. I haven't seen him since,” he writes.

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Keith Urban headlines Nashville's Nissan Stadium during the city's CMA Fest this week, an event that he's expecting will be extra exciting this year after two years of pandemic cancellations.

“Electric, I think. Electric,” he says of the onstage experience he's anticipating. “CMA Fest is unlike anything I've ever played, and I think the fact that it's been absent for two years, I think you're gonna feel that in the audience that night. Whole weekend, too.”

But that's just the beginning for Keith: After his CMA Fest show, he's jetting out to Tampa, Florida, where months of tour rehearsals will pay off with a June 17 stop on his Speed of Now Tour.

For this tour, Keith is as involved behind the scenes as he is with his role as a headliner. He's using his lighting background to help dream up a production plan that will be truly spectacular.

“I love lighting. I love the fact that it's an emotional support and an energy support for the song,” he says. “And I always prefer when they're used in that way, to heighten the emotion of the energy or the drama.”

Drama is a major component of Keith's show, he points out, such as with songs like “Tumbleweed,” his set list-opening song.

“That song is all drama: absurd, heightened, over-the-top drama,” he describes. “And so we were here till, like, 11 o’clock last night shaping all of that. Lighting cues and openings and various things. So yeah, [I'm] fairly involved.”

Head over to Keith's website to see a full list of his upcoming Speed of Now Tour dates.

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