As Cody Johnson readies to sing “Dirt Cheap” on the ACM Awards stage, he’s offering a sneak peek at what fans can or should not expect, which, in this case, is a big onstage production.
“I’ll be upfront with you, it’s very simple. We wanted not a lot of lights, no smoke, no confetti bombs or dancers,” Cody tells ABC Audio. “It’s just me and my band sitting on stools playing ‘Dirt Cheap’ because it’s a story.”
“That song is such an incredible story and I didn’t want any distraction from that. I wanted you to concentrate on the lyrics that I’m singing,” he explains. “It’s going to be very, very toned down, very simple.”
“How would Don Williams sing this? He’d sit on a stool [and] tell you the story,” shares Cody.
You can stream the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, live Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
The uptempo song, which Luke penned with Jonathan Singleton and Jessi Alexander, is the lead track off Twisters: The Album, which will drop alongside the forthcoming movie Twisters on July 19.
“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” features an exhilarating, country-rock production, with Luke chronicling a persona’s fearless and adventure-chasing spirit.
“I keep chasin' that same old devil down the same old dead end highway/ Ridin' that storm runnin' through my veins like a shot down tail spun airplane/ Scared of nothin' and I'm scared to death/ I can't breathe then I catch my breath/ But I keep chasin' that same old devil down the same old dead end highway,” Luke sings in the opening verse.
“Ain't no love in Oklahoma/ Just the whistle of a long black train/ You'll know when it's comin' for ya/ Ridin' in on the wind and rain,” he declares in the spirited chorus.
The accompanying music video weaves clips from Twisters into stormy performance footage of Luke singing his latest single, which he penned specially for the film.
Here’s the star-studded Twisters: The Album track list:
Luke Combs – “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” Miranda Lambert – “Ain’t in Kansas Anymore” Conner Smith – “Steal My Thunder” (feat. Tucker Wetmore) Thomas Rhett – “Feelin’ Country” Warren Zeiders – “The Cards I’ve Been Dealt” Megan Moroney – “Never Left Me” Lainey Wilson – “Out of Oklahoma” Bailey Zimmerman – “Hell or High Water” Jelly Roll – “Dead End Road” Kane Brown – “Country Classic” Sam Barber – “Tear Us Apart” Tyler Childers – “Song While You’re Away” Tucker Wetmore – “Already Had It” Leon Bridges – “Chrome Cowgirl” Benson Boone – “Death Wish Love” Shania Twain & BRELAND – “Boots Don’t” Dylan Gossett – “Stronger Than a Storm” Lanie Gardner – “Chasing the Wind” Jelly Roll – “Leave the Light On” (feat. Alexandra Kay) Wyatt Flores & Jake Kohn – “Before I Do” The Red Clay Strays – “Caddo County” Tanner Usrey – “Blackberry Wine” Tanner Adell – “Too Easy” Mason Ramsey – “Shake Shake (All Night Long)” Tyler Halverson – “New Loop” Flatland Cavalry – “Touchdown” Nolan Taylor – “Driving You Home” Wilderado, Ken Pomeroy, & James McAlister – “Wall of Death” Charley Crockett – “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky”
Chris Stapleton and Parker McCollum have earned an ACM Award trophy ahead of Thursday’s big night.
Chris was named this year’s Artist-Songwriter, while Parker’s “Burn It Down” scored him a Visual Media of the Year win.
Other early winners include Megan Moroney, Nate Smith, Tigirlily Gold and hit songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon?, who won New Female Artist, New Male Artist, New Duo or Group and Songwriter of the Year, respectively.
You can stream the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, live Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Ronnie Varela with the Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management said that the bridge leading to Pelican Island, located just north of Galveston, was hit by a barge around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when a tugboat backing out of Texas International Terminals (a fuel storage operator next to the bridge) lost control of two barges it was pushing. One of the barges also hit two telephone poles. David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District, said “the current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it.”
There was no immediate information on damage to the bridge or if there were any injuries, but officials did say one person on the barge was knocked into the water and quickly rescued. The accident resulted in oil spilling from the barge into the bay and crews were working to clean it up, with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office adding that a large piece of the bridge fell. Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ray Nolen said that the barge is owned by Martin Petroleum, has a 30,000-gallon capacity, but it’s not clear how much leaked into the bay. About 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) of the waterway was shut down as a result of the spill.
Pelican Island, which is connected to Galveston by the bridge, is home to a large shipyard, Texas A&M University of Galveston, and Seawolf Park, a former immigration station that now attracts tourists to its iconic fishing pier and decommissioned U.S. Navy vessels. The bridge has one main steel span that measures 164 feet (50 meters), and federal data shows it was last inspected in December 2021. However, it’s unclear from the data if a state inspection took place after the Federal Highway Administration compiled the data. The bridge had an average daily traffic figure of about 9,100, according to a 2011 estimate.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed to participate in two general election debates, on June 27 and Sept. 10.
Biden and Trump accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on June 27, with Biden sharing in a post on X: “I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place.” Mr. Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, “The answer is yes, I will accept.”
According to a press release from CNN, the first debate will take place at 9 p.m. at its studios in Atlanta, adding: “to ensure candidates may maximize the time allotted in the debate, no audience will be present. Moderators for the debate and additional details will be announced at a later date.”
Biden and Trump also both announced on Wednesday that they had also accepted an invitation from ABC News to hold a second debate on September 10. Biden shared on X: “I’ve also received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday, September 10th. Trump says he’ll arrange his own transportation. I’ll bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years.”
Trump later confirmed his participation in the debates, posting on his Truth Social platform: “It is my great honor to accept the CNN Debate against Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT in the History of the United States and a true Threat to Democracy, on June 27th. Likewise, I accept the ABC News Debate against Crooked Joe on September 10th. Thank you, DJT!”
In a subsequent Truth Social post Wednesday afternoon, Trump pushed for an additional debate on Fox News, which he said would take place on Oct. 2 and be hosted by anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Editorial credit: Muhammad Alimaki / Shutterstock.com
The “Need a Favor” hitmaker is set to perform onstage during Thursday’s ACM Awards. But that’s not all. Jelly will also introduce the follow-up to Whitsitt Chapel with a performance of a new, unreleased track from the album.
“Man, it is different for even me. It is a different look. It’s a different thing,” Jelly teases in an interview with ABC Audio from Dallas, Texas, ahead of the big night. “It’s a new song we’re debuting. I mean, all bets are off, dude. It’s a train off the tracks.”
“I can tell you that the new chapter of music in the Jelly Roll book starts Thursday night on Amazon Prime. Check it out, baby, for sure,” he adds.
A first-time ACM Award nominee, Jelly has earned four nods, including one for the coveted Entertainer of the Year.
You can stream the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, live Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
Tyler Hubbard will embark on the first leg of his headlining Strong World Tour this fall.
The tour, in support of Hubbard’s new album Strong, will kick-off in Indianapolis on September 6th and includes stops in Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, and more before wrapping up with a hometown show at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on November 21st. Alana Springsteen will serve as direct support for the first leg of the Strong World Tour.
Hubbard is also currently on the road supporting Kane Brown on his “In The Air Tour,” and is slated to make various festival and fair appearances this summer. Additional dates on Hubbard’s Strong World Tour will be announced in the coming months; for more information, head here.
Lainey Wilson has revealed her new album Whirlwind, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2022’s Bell Bottom Country, will drop on Aug. 23. Wilson shared on social media: “Whirlwind. That’s what my life has been the last couple years. I hope this record brings peace to your “whirlwind” and wraps its arms around you like it did me when I was writing and recording it. August 23. Pre-order, pre-save, or pre-add it now!”
Lainey also shared in a statement: “I am so excited to finally announce ‘Whirlwind’. This album has been a long time coming and I can’t wait for the world to have this body of work in their hands soon …This new chapter of music is the most cathartic and personal piece of art I’ve ever made. I hope this record brings some peace to your whirlwind and wraps its arms around you like it did for me.”
Per a press release, Whirlwind (produced by Jay Joyce) is “a daringly honest look into the country star’s life and journey around the globe.Whirlwind is an innovative and grounded extension of Wilson’s signature sound. Bridging together a diverse yet sonically cohesive collection of songs, the record bends genres while remaining true to the singer’s Western roots.”
The Céline Dion‘s documentary, titled I Am: Céline Dion is coming to Prime Video globally on June 25.
Dion posted the announcement on her Instagram, celebrating the news: ‘ Get ready!
@AmazonMGMStudio announces release date to the highly anticipated documentary! I AM: CELINE DION will be streaming globally on @PrimeVideo starting June 25!-Team Celine #IAMCelineDion’
Dion continued: “As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans. During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis.”
The documentary will showcase a never-before-seen look into the career and health struggles of Dion nearly two and half years since the singer publicly shared that she was diagnosed with SPS (stiff-person syndrome), in 2022. In the months following her diagnosis, Dion made the difficult decision to cancel her 2023 summer tour dates and reschedule her spring shows to 2024 to focus on her health, marking a crucial moment in the singer’s career and life as she has been touring around the world since 1983.
Symptoms of the SPS affect the central nervous system and can cause debilitating pain and chronic anxiety. In recent months, however, Dion has been making more public appearances, including the 2024 Grammys where she surprised audiences by presenting the ‘Album of the Year’ award to Taylor Swift.
The global streaming premiere for I Am: Céline Dion will take place on Tuesday, June 25 on Prime Video.
Normani shared that she will release her debut solo album, Dopamine, on June 14.
The 27-year-old singer and former Fifth Harmony member shares in the May issue of Elle Magazine how Dopamine will feature both dance tracks and songs exploring her struggles, including her parents’ health issues, heartbreak and public scrutiny: “Dopamine represents the highs and the lows I’ve endured. It’s been such an emotional roller coaster. I worked relentlessly with my creative director, [Kwasi Fordjour]. We did our research. I really wanted to have a title that felt like it definitely encompassed everything that I feel I’ve been through in my journey to get to the point that I’m in right now. [The cover] feels energetic. It feels like a hit, and I feel like people have been waiting — [it’s been] one of the most highly anticipated projects .. This body of work really is just a representation of my resilience.”
Normani also shared her eagerly anticipated track with Gunna, “1:59,” which you can take a listen to: here.
Editorial credit: Ted Alexander Somerville / Shutterstock.com
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