Category: Go Country 105

Carrie Underwood is back on top. 

Following the release of her new studio album, Denim & Rhinestones, on June 10, the project has debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #10 on the all-genre Billboard 200, marking her 10th consecutive album to debut inside the top 10 on both charts. 

The project sold 31,000 equivalent album units in its first week. The American Idol winner began her chart-topping streak with her 2005 debut album, Some Hearts. Prior to Denim & Rhinestones, Carrie led both the Top Country Albums chart and Billboard Top Christian Albums chart with My Savior in 2021. 

Denim‘s lead single, “Ghost Story,” is also climbing the charts and is currently inside the top 15 on country radio. 

She’ll embark on the Denim & Rhinestones Tour from October through March with opening act Jimmie Allen.

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Wine connoisseur Kelly Clarkson will not be standing for red wine slander — even if it’s from Maren Morris.

Kelly welcomed “The Middle” singer onto her daytime talk show Tuesday and confronted her about a 2018 tweet in which she said, “Guys, I hate to tell you this, but red wine is gross.”

The Grammy winner had fired back, “#Blasphemy …..I mean, maybe you haven’t had the right glass of Pinot Noir is all I’m saying. This calls for a winery tour!  Seriously, we have to fix this.”

It’s been three years since that infamous exchange, and Kelly begged to know if Maren had a change of heart.

“I’m trying to get cooler with reds,” Maren admitted, adding she is still a “white [wine] girl.”

That wasn’t good enough for Kelly, so she wheeled out a full wine tasting to convert “The Bones” singer. Maren was handed a glass of Pinot Noir — as well as a complete description of what it was going to taste like.  

Maren only had one question before taking a sip –“Will it get me drunk?” 

“Yes!… I mean, people have told me,” Kelly joked. She was then vindicated when Maren said she not only liked the wine, she makes an exception for Pinot Noirs because they’re “not gritty.”

It shouldn’t shock fans that Kelly is a staunch supporter of red wines. She once had a web series titled Minute and a Glass of Wine and previously said she prefers drinking red wine to working out.

“This just in…. I still hate working out. I'm sweaty, red, and not any thinner,” she had tweeted. “People say it's good for your heart…. but people also say red wine is good for your heart. I mean, I'm just stating facts here people. Who am I to ignore science?!”

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ACM Party for a Cause is drawing several country stars to its lineup. 

Darius Rucker and Brothers Osborne — who were named Duo of the Year at the 2022 ACM Awards — are among the performers who will take the stage at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville on August 23. The annual live event benefits ACM Lifting Lives, the ACM’s charitable arm that provides aid to members of the country music community through grants, health programs and more. 

Travis Denning, Sara Evans, Blanco Brown and Caylee Hammack will also perform.

Party for a Cause will take place in Nashville for the second year in a row the night before the ACM Honors, which will be at the Ryman Auditorium on August 24. Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert and Shania Twain are among the honorees.  

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Scotty McCreery is going to be a dad! He and his wife, Gabi, are expecting their first child this year.

The hit country singer says that after they wed in June 2018, the couple wanted to spend a few years traveling and experiencing life before welcoming children. Gabi is now pregnant with a baby boy that’s due in November.

“We got a little man on the way,” Scotty tells People. “We’ve gotten to live a lot of life and do some cool things, so seems like now’s a good time to settle down a little and expand the family.”

Gabi says it took her a few tries to inform her husband of the exciting news because her original plan of telling him on the car ride back home after picking him up from the airport didn’t pan out, as his flight was delayed. She ended up telling him the next morning after they’d attended a hockey game. 

“I’m over there drinking beers, having a good time, and she’s like, ‘I think I’ll just lay low tonight,’ so I was like, ‘Okay.’ I didn’t think anything of it,” the singer recalls. 

Gabi, who is a pediatric nurse in their home state of North Carolina, says that her job has helped prepare her for motherhood.

“Even just down to changing diapers multiple times in a day, and figuring out how to soothe the baby when they’re upset, for sure has helped,” she explains. “I definitely feel like it’s prepared me in many ways.”

After the baby arrives, Scotty does plan to equip his tour bus with a nursery so his son and wife can join him on the road. “[This is] uncharted waters for us, but we can’t wait to dive in and meet the little man,” Scotty shares.

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Lady A is tapping into a “Summer State of Mind” with their new single. 

The breezy bop references Yeti coolers, Ray-Bans and tiki bars, while paying tribute to the person in one’s life who puts all their worries at ease. “You put the blue back up in my sky/I’m the beach/You’re the breeze/Yeah you put me in my summer state of mind,” Lady A sings in the chorus.

Hillary Scott co-wrote the track with band mate Dave Haywood, along with Laura Veltz and Sam Ellis, in anticipation of summer. The trio debuted it during CMA Fest when they performed at Nissan Stadium, and can be heard when the CMA Fest special airs on ABC on August 3. 

“When we got together and wrote this song a few months ago it almost started writing itself. We were all looking ahead to the warmer months and those easygoing moments that we enjoy most,” Hillary shares in a statement. “When we had a chance to perform the song for the first time during CMA Fest, the fans really got in the spirit. It was the perfect way to kick off the summer.”

Lady A’s Request Line Tour launches on August 13 with two shows at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

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It feels good to be country again for Thomas Rhett and Riley Green! 

Since striking up a friendship the past couple of years, the two have grown from hunting companions to musical collaborators with their hit duet, “Half of Me,” which is in the top 40 and climbing on country radio. But Riley says that despite the friendship, he’s still a fan first. 

“It’s crazy for me because I’m not too far removed from just being a fan, and hearing these people on the radio that I’m getting to hang out with now. I’m a big fan of Thomas,” Riley praises. “He’s a Georgia boy, I’m from Alabama, so we grew up pretty well the same way. So we got along well.” 

One of the many ways they bonded is through their mutual love of hunting. The two went on their first hunting trip in 2019; Riley reveals he had to refresh the superstar on tricks of the trade. 

“He’s been doing the dad thing for a while, so I had to coach him up a little bit on the hunting. But he picked up pretty quick, and he has a little fancier camouflage than I do, but I gave him a little hard time about that,” Riley quips. “I’m sure we’ll go back again and he’ll be a hunter before too long.” 

“Half of Me” is featured on Thomas’ latest chart-topping album, Where We Started. 

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Keith Urban will perform on the Today show’s Citi Concert Series on June 30. 

Carrie Underwood is honoring Barbara Mandrell‘s 50th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member and will perform two shows at the Opry on July 30. Barbara will be in attendance. 

Tiera Kennedy has officially released “Found It In You” to country radio as her debut single. The song is inspired by her love story with husband Kamren Kennedy. 

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Keith Urban is giving the people what they asked for — a live version of one of his biggest hits. 

In honor of the kickoff of his Speed of Now World Tour, the country superstar is releasing a live version of “You’ll Think of Me.” The new rendition captures the essence of his live performance, including the sounds of the cheering crowd, along with an intro from Keith where he explains that his father, Bob, is a fan of the “grooving songs” while his mother, Marienne, loves ballads, leading into the song’s opening guitar chords and lyrics. When he hits the chorus, the crowd can be heard echoing the lyrics in the background; at one point he says “I love you, too” to a fan.

“This song has become such a special moment during our shows and sooooo many of you have been asking for this version over the years. Now…it’s yours,” Keith shares on Twitter with a clip of him performing the song live. 

“You’ll Think of Me” was released in 2004 as the final single off Keith’s Golden Road album. It became a crossover hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the top 30 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart.   

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Blake Shelton‘s birthday consisted of two of his favorite things: his wife, Gwen Stefani, and country music. 

Blake was headlining Country Summer Music Festival in Santa Rosa, CA on his 46th birthday, June 18, when his wife surprised him on stage with a cake. Gwen’s appearance sent the packed crowd into an excited uproar as she walked out with a chocolate frosting-covered cake in hand.

“Let’s do this!” she shouted into the mic, encouraging fans to show her husband some “birthday love.” She led them in a group sing-a-long of “Happy Birthday,” Blake laughing all the while before pretending to blow out the unlit candles on the cake.

“Thank y'all for all the birthday wishes this past weekend and for y'all who came out to party at Country Summer!!! What a damn time we had.. also.. I love you @gwenstefani!!!!” Blake raved on Twitter.

The famed The Voice coach also spent his birthday weekend performing back up for his wife when Gwen hopped on stage during his set to perform No Doubt’s smash hit “Don’t Speak,” with Blake playing guitar in the background.   

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Chris Stapleton is using his headlining set at Pilgrimage Festival to draw attention to a cause close to his heart. 

The hit singer and Pilgrimage have partnered with Fandiem for a fundraising campaign in benefit of Chris and his wife Morgane Stapleton‘s foundation, Outlaw State of Kind. Fans can enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win the VIP Journey to Pilgrimage experience that includes two VIP passes to the festival in Franklin, TN along with round-trip travel and hotel coverage, a Gibson guitar signed by the hitmaker himself, a tour of the Gibson Garage in Nashville and more.

Donation levels start at $10, which equates to 100 entries, and goes up to $500, which is worth 10,000 entries. The proceeds go toward Outlaw State of Kind, a charitable fund the couple founded in 2016 that provides grants to a variety of organizations, including MusiCares Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Habitat For Humanity and more. 

The sweepstakes are open until September 7. Pilgrimage Festival takes place September 24 and 25.  

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