In case you missed it, Tyler Hubbard made a stop on NBC's TODAY this week to perform his single, “5 Foot 9.” You can watch his performance now.
Randy Rogers Band celebrated the beginning of football season Wednesday with “Heart For Just One Team,” a new song that's a tribute to their favorite football team: the Dallas Cowboys.
Danielle Bradbery has a new song, called “A Special Place,” coming out on Friday.
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Ashley Judd takes an unflinching look back at the traumatic final moments of Naomi Judd's life in a new op-ed penned for The New York Times.
In it, she recounts the experience of finding her mother, who died by suicide: “The trauma of discovering and then holding her laboring body haunts my nights.”
She recalls feeling forced into cooperating with an investigation in the immediate aftermath of that devastating experience — never realizing, at the time, that the information she divulged could be made public.
“I felt cornered and powerless as law enforcement officers began questioning me while the last of my mother's life was fading,” she writes, saying that she was forced to give four interviews to police the same day that Naomi died.
In the wake of the country legend's death, her family members headed to court in an attempt to keep the records of Naomi’s death investigation sealed from the public. At the time of the op-ed’s publication, the family was still awaiting the court's decision.
In the Times, she explains that privacy surrounding the day of Naomi’s death is an important part of preserving her dignity.
“And for those left behind, privacy avoids heaping further harm upon a family that is already permanently and painfully altered,” she continues.
Naomi died by suicide on April 30 at the age of 76. She used a firearm to end her life, a detail that Ashley subsequently shared during an emotional Good Morning America interview. The day after her death, Naomi and her daughter Wynonna were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame for their work as The Judds.
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When Jon Pardi drops his Mr. Saturday Night album on Friday, he'll likely turn some heads with one song on the album: There's a track on the project called “Reverse Cowgirl.”
According to CMT, however, Jon says that the song's subject matter isn't what some fans might think.
“It's the best, dirtiest, cleanest thing you can have,” the singer describes. “It's got a funny, humorous twist to it, but it's also really pretty and really romantic in a way.”
The song's also a big favorite with other country artists, Jon continues. “Jake Owen made sure he called every three months until he knew I recorded that song,” he remembers. “He's like, Well, if you don't want it, you know I want that song!'”
Jake's not the only one. “Chase Rice texts me like, Dude, did you record Reverse Cowgirl' yet? I cannot wait!'” Jon goes on to say.
Mr. Saturday Night also contains Jon's latest chart-topping hit, “Last Night Lonely.”
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Kelsea Ballerini, Zac Brown Band, Brooks & Dunn and Little Big Town have been announced as the first round of performers scheduled to take the stage during Nashville's big New Year's Eve concert this year, according to Billboard.
The event, called New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash, will take place at various locations across downtown Music City. The event promises a five-hour set of 50+ performances on a variety of stages, including the main stage in the city’s Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
The Big Bash has been a Nashville tradition for many years, but last year was the first time it was televised. In 2022, the event will air live for the second time at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Additional performers will be announced at a later date. Last year, acts like Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley rocked the stage as Nashville counted down to the new year.
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Dolly Parton's newest venture is made specifically with her four-legged friends in mind.
On Wednesday, the country legend announced her new pet apparel and accessories line called Doggy Parton. Including everything from a Microphone Plush Dog Squeaky Toy With Rope to a Blonde Bombshell Wig, the collection features an array of pet-centric items with a signature Dolly twist.
Doggy Parton, a partnership with SportPet Designs, sends part of the proceeds to Willa B. Farms, a Tennessee-based rescue organization that provides a home for all kinds of animals in need.
“‘Puppy Love’ was my very first record and six decades later, my love for pets is stronger than ever,” Dolly explains. “This inspired me to start my own line of Doggy Parton apparel, accessories, toys and more with a little Dolly' flair.”
The Doggy Parton collection will be available on Amazon and the line's own website, with more retailers to be announced soon.
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Jon Pardi is celebrating his fifth #1 hit Wednesday with “Last Night Lonely,” the lead single from his upcoming Mr. Saturday Night album.
But even though he always suspected the song would be a big hit, Jon says he actually didn't cut it right away after he heard it.
“I had Last Night Lonely' for two years before I even recorded it,” he remembers of the song's long journey to country radio. “We've always loved that song. We loved the tempo, the lyrics, the melody, the chorus — everything about it.”
In fact, he adds, the song reminded him of another radio hit off his 2016 California Sunrise project. “It reminded me of Night Shift' a little bit,” he goes on to say. “It just had that thing, and we just knew it.”
But there's one thing about “Last Night Lonely” that's not like Jon's releases to date — it's a ready-made pickup line, a vibe that he played into when he decided to shoot the song's music video in Las Vegas.
“We chose Vegas to shoot the video because [the concept was about] trying to find somebody in this city of people looking for people, you know?” the singer continues.
“And I'm damn well pretty sure that was probably a new pickup line, at some point of … being played on the radio,” he jokes. “You know some guy was like, Could be your last night lonely.'”
Mr. Saturday Night arrives in full on Friday.
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Luke Combs' hometown rendition of “Any Given Friday Night,” from his Apple Music Live performance, is available to watch now.
Jon Langston just released the music video for his new song, “Beers Got Drank.”
Country traditionalist Luke Bell has died at age 32 after being missing in Arizona since August 20. During his career, he held support slots for Willie Nelson, Dwight Yoakam and more.
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After Hardy dropped his much-buzzed-about duet with Lainey Wilson, “Wait in the Truck,” on Friday, the song saw an immediate impact at country radio — and the singer hopped on social media to express his excitement.
“Country radio, you guys are freaking incredible,” Hardy said in his video message.
“I'm very, very excited about the song. I'm just excited to see the run it's gonna have, to see the impact it's gonna have on people's lives,” the singer continued.
“Wait in the Truck” grapples with themes of murder and domestic violence, with Hardy playing the role of a guy who runs into a girl — Lainey — on the side of a road after she's been beat up. He finds the man who hurt her, kills him and eventually goes to jail — but still, he doesn't regret changing the girl's life for the better.
“[I'm] excited for the song to give people a platform to maybe speak out about stuff that might be going on in their own homes,” Hardy said when he first released the song.
Fans will get their chance to see Hardy sing “Wait in the Truck” live when he hits the road this December for his four-date Wall to Wall Tour.
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
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Walker Hayes might be known as the good-timing “Fancy Like” guy, but fans of the artist's deeper cuts already know that his song catalog is full of tear-jerking ballads, too.
For example, Country Stuff (The Album) includes a searing track called “Briefcase,” which Walker wrote about his complicated, loving relationship with his dad.
The song's lyrics remember how his father sold real estate and was often too busy to spend time with the family. Once Walker grew up and became a father himself, he gained new perspective on the sacrifices his dad had to make to provide for his kids.
“He died right before this hit the rocket ship,” Walker explains in an interview on Southern Living‘s Biscuits & Jam podcast. “And it's been perplexing to me this year. Honestly, I still text him. I texted his number from the Grammys, and said, You know, I'm nominated for a Grammy.”
Though he never lived to see his son's biggest musical successes, Walker says that his dad was an instrumental part of his early days in music.
“My first gig was at the yacht club on Mobile Bay. The only reason I played that show is because he booked it. He called me and said, You're already signed up to play,' and he didn't ask me, he didn't ask if I wanted to, he didn't say practice,' he said, You're playing on Friday,'” Walker remembers.
“I played that gig and it truly changed my life, and he is the reason,” he added.
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Garth Brooks is ending his Stadium Tour in style next month, heading over to Dublin for five sold-out nights at the city's Croke Park.
It's been more than two decades since Garth played in Ireland, but he says he still remembers how playing in the country elevates his live show.
“No matter how much you know or don't know about Garth Brooks, you go to Ireland, you see what they do over there, it's a whole new chapter,” the singer said in a recent installment of his Facebook Live series, Inside Studio G.
“People think they know who we are, they think they know the music. It takes on a whole different world when you hit Ireland,” he continued. “It's something to behold.”
The singer says he's particularly excited for fans who've seen him in other cities, who are now planning to make a trip to Ireland to catch one of his Croke Park shows. “Because get ready: You're about to see what I saw for the first time, and cried like a baby the whole time,” he recounted.
Though this string of shows concludes his Stadium Tour dates for the year, Garth added that he's hopeful he'll get to return sooner rather than later, saying he'd like it to be “one of many trips” he'll make to Ireland to perform in the future.
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