If you’ve been to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, you probably have seen Thomas Hart Benton‘s The Sources of Country Music painting in the Hall of Fame Rotunda. Now, the museum’s giving you a chance to be a pro with its Sketching Like the Masters family program.
On Saturday, January 20, visitors will get the chance to sketch this stunning piece from 360 degrees. Don’t worry about bringing anything or having prior experience because tools and guidance will be provided.
The one-hour event will take place in the Taylor Swift Education Center and will be free for visitors, museum members and children under 18 from several Tennessee counties.
For more information, head to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s website.
Living legends, icons and today’s superstars sit atop Parker McCollum‘s list of dream duet partners.
“I hope that at some point in time in my life I get to do a song with George [Strait]…,” says the Texas native. “I'd love to do a song with Tim McGraw or Kenny Chesney. I'd love to do a song with [Jason] Aldean.”
“Dolly [Parton]? That's never going to happen,” Parker continues. “But if I was writing names to throw in a hat and draw them, I'd put hers on there.”
Parker’s approaching the top 15 of the country charts with “Burn It Down,” the second single off Never Enough.
His headlining Burn It Down Tour kicks off January 18 in Spokane, Washington. For tickets and a full list of dates, head to Parker’s website.
If you’re still reeling from the drinks over the holiday season, Eric Church might have the perfect hangover remedy for you.
“The best hangover cure – I've got two. One is 5-hour Energy [bottles], because of all the B-vitamins that are in it,” shares Eric. “You can start pounding those, and it's either gonna work, or it's gonna keep you up and prolong your misery.”
“But the other one I have is just take two Advil and a beer in the morning,” adds the “Drink in My Hand” hitmaker. “Hair of the dog, man – that works every time.”
Eric and Morgan Wallen are approaching the top 25 of the country charts with their collab, “Man Made a Bar.”
Jason Aldean and his wife, Brittany, recently bought a beachside home in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and now, fans get an exclusive peek of it.
Brittany recently shared an Instagram Reel, taking fans around their new vacation crib. “Y'all asked for it, so here's our Turks and Caicos home,” Brittany captioned the post.
The house features a turquoise front door with its living room, open concept kitchen and most of the bedrooms boasting a neutral-toned aesthetic. A stunning chandelier sits right above the dining table.
Jason and Brittany’s new spot also has a swimming pool and overlooks the scenic beach.
You can check out the full virtual tour now on Brittany’s Instagram.
Could 2024 be the year Chris Young rolls out a new album?
Chris recently shared two photos of him in the recording studio on Instagram. “Kickin' off the year the best way I know how [eyes emoji],” he captioned the post.
The first is a monochrome shot of Chris looking serious in front of the microphone, while the second is a colored one of Chris smiling with headphones on.
Chris is approaching the top 40 on the country charts with “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” the first preview of his forthcoming project.
Coming up, he will open for Kane Brown on select dates of his In The Air Tour. For tickets and the full schedule, head to chrisyoungcountry.com.
Do you love trucks, ducks, bucks and beer? Then Brian Kelley might have your next favorite song.
Brian’s set to drop his new song, “Trucks, Ducks, Bucks, & Beer,” on Friday, January 12.
“10 days. All our favorite things in one song how bout it?! 1/12 ‘Trucks, Ducks, Bucks, & Beer is available everywhere!” Brian captioned his Instagram Reel, which featured a snippet of the soon-to-be-released track.
“Talking about truck, ducks, bucks and beer/ Fishing when it ain’t that time of year/ Yeah we keep it rods and reel round here/ It’s all jon boats and John Deeres/ We like our songs with a steel and a banjo/ Spend out checks on camo and ammo,” goes the celebratory chorus.
“Trucks, Ducks, Bucks, & Beer” will follow Brian’s earlier releases, which include “How We’re Livin’,” “Dirt Cheap” and his latest single, “See You Next Summer.”
Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations, as well as the backlash over her response to anti-Semitism on campus. Gay said she is resigning to allow the Harvard community to navigate the controversy “with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”
Gay wrote in her resignation letter Tuesday: “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president. My deep sense of connection to Harvard and its people has made it all the more painful to witness the tensions and divisions that have riven our community in recent months, weakening the bonds of trust and reciprocity that should be our sources of strength and support in times of crisis. Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor — two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am — and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.”
Gay’s resignation follows a complaint reported by the Washington Free Beacon detailing six new accusations of plagiarism in Gay’s scholarly work, bringing the total to nearly 50. Alan M. Garber, the university provost, will serve as interim president during the search for a replacement for Gay, who according to The Harvard Crimson served the shortest presidency in the university’s history (Gay’s tenure began in July). Gay will resume her faculty position at Harvard.
Further controversy arose surrounding Gay after criticism that she, and the university, failed to forcefully condemn the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Gay faced investigations by the Harvard Corp. and the U.S. House of Representatives after her Dec. 5 testimony before the House Education and the Workforce Committee related to antisemitism on campus, and received backlash for appearing to evade questions about antisemitism and whether students would be disciplined for calling for the genocide of Jews.
A statement from Harvard’s governing board read: “While President Gay has acknowledged missteps and has taken responsibility for them, it is also true that she has shown remarkable resilience in the face of deeply personal and sustained attacks. While some of this has played out in the public domain, much of it has taken the form of repugnant and in some cases racist vitriol directed at her through disgraceful emails and phone calls. We condemn such attacks in the strongest possible terms.”
Police in Rochester, New York say there is no evidence of terrorism in the New Year’s Day crash that killed two people and injured several more after a concert in Rochester, New York. The suspect, 25-year-old Michael Avery of the Syracuse area, died Monday night from injuries sustained in the crash, officials said. Avery’s SUV was stashed with gas canisters when he sped toward the pedestrians, and collided with another car.
The crash happened shortly before 1 a.m. as police officers were directing traffic after a concert by the band “moe” at the Kodak Center theater complex. At 12:52 a.m., Avery drove his Ford Expedition on West Ridge Road toward where police officers were stopping traffic to allow pedestrians to cross, however “at this time, Avery sped up, crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and appears to have intentionally been driving towards the pedestrian crossing.” Avery crashed into the Outlander, sending both vehicles “through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk.” The two passengers in the Outlander were killed and the driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The collision also caused an explosion and a large blaze that took the fire department more than an hour to extinguish.
In an update on Tuesday, Rochester Police Chief David M. Smith said that they have spoken with Avery’s family and they believed he “may have been suffering from possible undiagnosed mental health issues,” but said that “we have not recovered any information that his actions were motivated by any form of political or social biases,” adding that they believe that Avery acted alone. Avery’s motive is not clear and police urge the public to come forward with information. The FBI Buffalo Field Office confirmed they are assisting the Rochester Police Department in the investigation.
Police say that Avery had traveled to Rochester in his personal vehicle on or about Dec. 27 and checked into the WoodSpring Suites in Greece, a suburb of Rochester. Two days later, he rented a Ford Expedition from a car rental agency at the Rochester airport and left his personal car in the airport parking garage. Between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Dec. 30, he made “at least half a dozen purchases of gasoline and gas containers at different locations” throughout Monroe and Ontario counties.
Editorial credit: Paul Brady Photography / Shutterstock.com
Hot on the heels of his first #1 single “Mind on You,”George Birge is recounting the journey the song has taken – which includes almost being recorded by Jason Aldean.
“I wrote [‘Mind on You’] in 2020 with a couple of my best buddies, one of which was Colt Ford, who’s also a country artist. And I was between record deals. I didn’t have a lot going on, and I originally pitched it to Jason Aldean and got an email back the next day being like, ‘Don’t play this song for anybody else. Jason wants it for his new record,'” George recalls to ABC Audio.
“At the time that was like the biggest thing to ever happen to me. A because he’s one of my biggest influences, but B, he’s fresh off [receiving his ACM Artist of the Decade award in 2019],” George says. “Having him record one of your songs is a [life-changer].”
However, the real serendipitous life-changer happened after Jason decided to not record “Mind on You” and return it to George just as he launched his artist career.
“Fast forward like six months, I had some of my own stuff start taking off, and I had dropped a little preview of [Beer Beer, Truck Truck] on my social media and it just took off and I was able to get a record deal and get the song on the radio,” the Texas native shares.
“Jason was able to give me the song back, which was the coolest thing anybody’s ever done for me. He was super kind and gave me a chance to put it out myself. And here we are,” adds George. “It’s completely turned my world upside down.”
You can find “Mind on You” on George’s debut album, George Birge: Mind On You.
Amy Grant and Vince Gill marked huge career milestones by celebrating the 100th ‘Christmas at the Ryman’ performance, taking place at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The Christmas at the Ryman shows ran from Dec. 13-23 in 2023, with a set list including such holiday classics as “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a Big Band arrangement of “Jingle Bells,” “Winter Wonderland” and more, as well as a number of original songs from the duo.
The famous husband and wife also had a surprise guest on hand to help mark the occasion, when Grammy-nominated comedian Nate Bargatze took the stage alongside Ryman Auditorium Director of Concerts Chrissy Hall to present Grant and Gill with a Hatch Show Print commemorating the occasion. A portion of the Christmas at the Ryman proceeds goes to support Room in the Inn, which helps provide winter shelter, housing placements, educational and workforce development and more support services for unhoused people.
