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Go Country 105

Lee Brice remixes “Soul” with an amped-up assist from Blanco Brown

Lee Brice's feel-good love song “Soul” gets a pulsing pop treatment in the new “R3HAB” remix of the song, featuring breakout artist Blanco Brown.

The song, which comes off of Lee's Hey World album, crossed genre borders even before the remix came out. The playful, R&B-infused track featured some unconventional lyricism — rhyming “roses” with “toeses,” for instance — but quickly made an impression at radio stations and is now inside the Top 30 on the country radio chart.

Blanco's well known as a modern pioneer in the limits of the country format: His 2019 breakout hit, “The Git Up,” helped establish his signature “trailer trap” sound, blending country, R&B, rap and pop into a new, crowd-pleasing musical style.

Lee will have plenty of chances to try out the new treatment of “Soul” on the road, as he's currently in the midst of his 2022 Label Me Proud Tour. Dates on that trek, plus a string of festival appearances, are keeping Lee busy through September.

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Go Country 105

Brothers Osborne + Old Dominion in, Alan Jackson out on the CMA Fest main stage lineup

Just days before CMA Fest returns to Nashville, more performers have been added to the festival's already massive lineup.

Brothers Osborne and Old Dominion will now take the main stage at Nissan Stadium during the four-day fest on a bill that includes opening acts like Randy Houser, Deana Carter and Shenandoah.

Nissan Stadium headliner Alan Jackson will no longer appear on the stage during the festival, which is set for June 9-12.

A number of performers have also been added to the Platform Stage at Nissan Stadium, including Maddie & Tae, Dylan Scott and Priscilla Block. Over on the CMA Close Up Stage, Russell Dickerson has been added to the bill on Thursday as the Artist of the Day at Fan Fair X.

For ticketing details and more information, visit the festival's website.

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Go Country 105

Mickey Guyton down with COVID, no longer performing at Roots Picnic

Country superstar Mickey Guyton announced she recently contracted COVID-19 and will no longer make her scheduled Saturday performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia this weekend. 

“After 2 1/2 years of dodging this virus, Covid has finally hit my doorstep,” she said in a note shared on Instagram. “I was SO looking forward to playing the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on Saturday, but unfortunately, I’ve tested positive for Covid. It’s going to be such an amazing weekend and I can’t believe I have to miss it.” She added, “Hope to make it back soon, but until then, stay well!! ?? Mickey”

Guyton was among a list of stars and entertainers — like Mary J. BligeSummer WalkerTye Tribbett and G Herbo — who are set to take the stage in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park on Saturday and Sunday.

Although the four-time Grammy-nominated singer won’t make the music festival, she will appear in her CMT Crossroads episode alongside Texas-based band Black Pumpas, which airs on June 15. 

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Go Country 105

Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris mourn the loss of The McCrary Sisters' Deborah McCrary

Carrie Underwood and Maren Morris, two country stars who worked with the late Deborah McCrary in the studio, have posted remembrances of the gospel singer, who was one fourth of The McCrary Sisters.

“I was blessed to have worked with her on so many occasions,” wrote Carrie, who most recently brought The McCrary Sisters into the studio during the recording of her holiday album, My Gift.

“She was always kind…always professional…always the anchor in whatever it was we were singing!” Carrie added. “I know she will be missed by so, so many.”

For her part, Maren posted video of her performance of “My Church” from the 2016 CMA Awards. Not only did The McCrary Sisters join her for that performance, but the foursome also lent their vocals to the studio version of Maren's breakout hit.

“It is such a loss to Nashville and the entire music industry to lose Deborah McCrary today,” Maren wrote. “I'm praying for her family.”

Deborah McCrary died on June 1 at age 67. Along with her sisters Ann, Regina and Alfreda, Deborah was a mainstay gospel performer who appeared on festival and awards show stages, on records for many artists across genres, and was part of the “house band” at the annual Americana Honors & Awards Ceremony at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

Information about services and an honorarium is forthcoming, according to a statement from the vocal group.

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Go Country 105

Luke Bryan catches the biggest fish of his life: “11.6 baby”

Luke Bryan has earned countless awards, accolades and honors for his work in the country music genre, but there's one milestone he's been waiting his whole life to reach — and he just hit it.

That big moment, of course, is catching a fish over 10 pounds. Luke's an avid fisherman, so much so that he recorded a song called “Bill Dance” — named after the famed professional fisherman — for his Born Here Live Here Die Here album in 2020.

Luke posted video of the special moment with a clip of that song playing in the background when he finally caught the fish of his dreams — an 11.6-pound largemouth bass.

“I've been waiting my whole life for this moment,” he wrote in the caption of his post. “11.6 baby.”

Luke's currently taking a well-deserved fishing break after wrapping the latest season of American Idol, where he serves as a judge.

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Go Country 105

Chris Young says duetting with more friends for Famous Friends deluxe album was “pretty organic”

Chris Young returns with the deluxe version of his Famous Friends album today. In keeping with the original theme of collaboration, he's adding three more duets to the track list.

One of those is a revamped version of “Think of You,” Chris' duet with Cassadee Pope, which topped the country charts in 2016. He's also including two new team ups: one with Jimmie Allen and one with Old Dominion.

Both those duets happened naturally, Chris says. The Jimmie collab, “Music Note,” was a long time coming from two musical pals who both love collaboration.

“Jimmie Allen had been yelling at me because we hadn't done a song together, and I'm like, Dude, you didn't ask, so I didn't know you wanted to do one,'” Chris recounts. “And I just sent him Music Note' when we wrote that song. I was like, Hey, this could be cool for the two of us,' and he was down for it.”

As for the Old Dominion duet, “Everybody Needs a Song,” Chris says that was a no-brainer, too, because he wrote the song with one of the band members.

“That one was a co-write between me, [songwriter] Chris DeStefano and Brad [Tursi],” the singer explains. “So Brad just went and asked everybody. So both of them, all three of them if you want to count the third one [with Cassadee Pope], were all pretty organic.”

The new duets join the three collaborations on the original track list, including duets with Mitchell Tenpenny, Lauren Alaina and the smash hit title track with Kane Brown.

The deluxe version of Famous Friends also includes two new solo tracks and an acoustic version of Chris' 2015 hit “I'm Comin' Over.”

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Go Country 105

Nashville notes: Carrie Underwood, Brantley Gilbert + more

Carrie Underwood is planning a one-night-only event to celebrate the release of her Denim & Rhinestones album. On June 9 — one day before the album drops — she'll give a live performance from Nashville's Historic Bell Tower. You can watch by tuning into Amazon Prime Video or Amazon Music's Twitch app at 8 p.m. CT.

Next month, Brantley Gilbert is headlining a benefit concert mounted by Shaquille O'Neal and the Pepsi Stronger Together campaign. The show benefits Atlanta's Henry County Sheriff's Office Foundation and will specifically raise funds for its three-day summer youth sports camp, which is attended by over 780 local children. Tickets are available now; the show is set for June 22.

Alabama, Sara Evans, Jamey Johnson and more artists hailing from Alabama contribute to the new theme song of The World Games 2022, called “Hope of Alabama.” The video is available now.

Deborah McCrary, one fourth of the sibling gospel quartet The McCrary Sisters, died on June 1 at age 67. The group has set their voices to countless recordings with a genre-spanning list of artists, including Carrie Underwood on her My Gift album. The family announced Deborah's death in a statement; information regarding services and an honorarium is forthcoming.

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Go Country 105

Dierks Bentley remembers his dad 10 years after his death: “Think about him every day”

Dierks Bentley is remembering his late father, Leon Bentley, this week on the 10-year anniversary of his death. 

The singer paid tribute to his dad on social media with a special childhood memory, sharing some photos of Leon giving a young Dierks a sip of his beer. The second and third photos show Dierks' reaction to the beer, with a big smile on his face.

“Funny how a good cold beer has always had the same effect on me!” Dierks joked in the caption, before offering some more serious reflections on his father. “Think about him every day. Find myself wanting a little more advice now than I wanted back then!”

In fact, it was Dierks' dad who first introduced him to country music. “I remember him saying he liked that even if you didn't know the song, if it was written right, you could still sing along and guess some of the words,” he said.

“Miss him, wish the kids could have had a little bit more time with Granddude,” Dierks said in the conclusion of his post. “Thanks for being a good dad…Dad!”

Leon died on June 1, 2012, at the age of 88 after a long illness. CMT reported that Dierks — who had already released several albums and achieved considerable country music success — shared the news with his fans in a tweet.

Dierks' 2014 album Riser included some nods to his dad's death, including the song “I Hold On,” which mentions the truck he used to drive to Nashville with his dad at the beginning of his career.

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Go Country 105

Luke Combs shares his Shania Twain fandom, teases 90s-inspired unreleased track

t's no surprise to Luke Combs' fans that he's a huge 90s country devotee: The singer has collaborated with Brooks & Dunn not once but twice, both on their Reboot project and for a Luke-led collab called “1, 2 Many.”

Luke recently got a chance to express his 90s fandom again when he headed out to California to play the BottleRock Napa Valley festival, where he met the queen of 90s country, Shania Twain.

“An honor to hang out with a true LEGEND,” Luke wrote, posting a snapshot of the two of them to his social media. “Pioneer of country music and set the bar high for all of us!”

It seems the fandom is mutual: Shania posted a shot of herself enjoying Luke's set, plus the same photo of the two artists together, writing, “Good music, good people — good weekend!!”

Luke's love of the 90s shows up in his music fairly frequently, including in one unreleased track off his upcoming Growin' Up album. He shared a snippet of track four, called “On the Other Line,” on his socials. It's a true-blue country jam that's sure to strike a chord with fishing enthusiasts.

In the lyrics, Luke is eager to get his love interest off the phone, but not because he doesn't love her — he's out on the water, and he's got a “six pound largemouth on the other line.”

“On the Other Line,” plus the rest of Luke's Growin' Up track list, will be out when the full album drops on June 24.

 

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Go Country 105

Darius Rucker expands entrepreneurial side, open to starting a Nashville bar: “I'm looking into it”


Darius Rucker isn't just a rock-turned-country star who found success both as a solo country act and as the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish — he's a noted entrepreneur, too.

These days, those diverse pursuits are at the forefront: He recently announced his first festival, Riverfront Revival, set to take place this fall in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. He's also set to star in a new Design Network limited series called Rucker's Reno, which will follow his journey toward renovating a historical home in downtown Charleston.

Next month, Darius will be a big part of CMA Fest. Not only is he opening for Brooks & Dunn and playing his own headlining Nissan Stadium set, he's also bringing back his annual Darius and Friends St. Jude benefit show at the Ryman Auditorium on June 6.

In an interview with the Tennessean, Darius says that after all these years, he's still just grateful to be a part of the country music community. “When I arrived in Nashville 15 years ago, I was just happy that they allowed me to make an album,” he said. “Now I have this Darius and Friends event. That's such a cool thing that I love to do.”

As for his next steps in Nashville? Stars like Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley all have bars along the city's Lower Broadway, and Darius just might be next.

“I love what's happening on Lower Broadway,” he adds. “… I definitely want to be a part of the Lower Broadway scene. I'm looking into it; I would love to make a deal with somebody and have a spot there.”

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