MAY 20, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Blake Shelton announced the return of his Heroes and Friends tour yesterday. He is picking up right where he left off. The tour was postponed last year while he was in Omaha getting ready for that show. Now he is kicking off the new tour in Omaha. Martina McBride, Trace Atkins, Tracy Byrd, and Lindsay Ell will be joining him on tour. Tickets go on sale June 10th.
Jimmie Allen is headlining his own festival this summer in his hometown of Milton, Delaware. The Bettie James Festival, named after his grandmother and his late father, will kick off on August 7th. Jimmie will be joined by some special guests, while showcasing his new EP. Tickets go on sale this Friday.
The performers for the 2021 CMT Music Awards were announced yesterday. Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs are set to perform. Mickey Guyton, Gladys Knight, Brothers Osborne and Dierks Bentley will be performing a collaboration. Miranda Lambert, JP Saxe, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall are also set to perform a collaboration. The show will air live on June 9th at 8pm on CMT, MTV, MTV2, TV Land, and the Paramount network.
The Jonas Brothers are going on tour with Kelsea Ballerini this summer. The Remember This tour will include Kelsea I most of the shows. The tour kicks off on August 20th in Las Vegas, and tickets go on sale May 27th.
Jana Kramer will be paying her soon to be ex husband Mike Caussin over half a million dollars to settle their divorce. Jana will get the house, while Mike gets some furniture and his truck. Neither of them will pay the other any alimony and Jana is responsible for any additional court fees. The custody of their two children has not been revealed yet, but Jana is filling for primary custody.
MAY 19, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
George Strait will be returning to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2022. This his first appearance there since 2019. George is set to perform on the last night of the rodeo, with a concert only performance at the NRG Stadium.
Scotty McCreery announced his You Time tour yesterday that will kick off on June 18th in California. Scotty was able to have some you time with his wife over quarantine now he wants some you time with his fans. He will be playing some shows with Chris Young and Old Dominion.
Old Dominion will be setting seven dates in ballparks, and they will start in a ballpark in Jackson, Tennessee. Scotty McCreery, Matt Stell and Blanco Brown will be joining them.
Country music songwriter Patsy Bruce passed away this past weekend. She is known “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys”, which she wrote with her husband Ed and “Texas before I Die”.
MAY 18, 2021
Country Music News With Lindsey B!!
Jordan Davis and his wife Kristen are expecting their second child! Jordan made a sweet post on Instagram of he and his wife holding their daughter Eloise and a sign saying “welcome baby, it’s a boy!”. He captioned the post, “Add a fee more limbs to the family tree, add me to the list of artists putting out new music and having kids during quarantine.” Jordan’s new EP “Buy Dirt” comes out this Friday.
Ashley McBride announced the This Town Talks tour yesterday. The tour is set to kick off in Roanoke Virginia on June 12th. Ashley will also be headlining at the Ryman Auditorium for the first time for two nights on August 26th and the 27th. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10am.
Vince Gill, Carly Pearce, and the Brothers Osborne will be performing at the Grand Ole this weekend.
Good Morning America announced their summer concert series lineup for 2021. Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley and Jimmie Allen are set to perform. The concert series kicks off on May 28th.
MAY 17, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Jason Aldean announced his tour for 2021 at his live set in Manchester, Tennessee this past Saturday. The Back in the Saddle tour is set to kick off on August 5th in Virginia Beach and go through to October. Jason said that it was “emotional being back onstage with [his] band for the first time in a year.”
Alan Jackson’s new song “Back” in his new album Where Have You Gone had an interesting inspiration. His kids were joking about Justin Timberlake’s song “Sexyback” which Alan had never heard of the song. He just got the idea that he was going to being country back. This fun song is about honoring country music and its roots.
The Academy of Country Music Awards announced that in 2022 things will be going back to normal at least for the venue. The ACMs will return to Las Vegas on April 24th, 2022. The awards show has been recorded in Nashville for the past 2 years due to the pandemic.
Dolly Parton made her first visit to Dollywood since receiving both of her vaccinations. She performed “Coat of Many Colors” and joined Robin Roberts on Good Morning America from the park.
MAY 5, 2021
Raelynn celebrated her 27th birthday yesterday and shared some big news along with it. She announced that she and her husband Josh Davis are expecting a baby girl this fall! Realynn says she is, “excited for our world to turn upside down in September,” and announcing it on her birthday is “the best birthday present”.
Bad Paisley announced official summer and fall tour dates yesterday. The tour kicks off in Panama City on June 5th and tickets are on sale now. We have him coming to After Hours on September 23rd.
Joe Nichols released a single after 3 years, that stays true to his roots in country music, but also carries a great message. The song touches on the changing priorities of the world and wishing for a time before the pandemic was a reality. Joe says, “We could all use a reminder of what home feels like”.
There is quite the outlandish rumor going on with Luke Bryan and Maren Morris. A British magazine misprinted who the father of Maren’s baby was. Luke was on the Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday and says his mother gave him grief over the story.
Maren and her husband Ryan Hurd will be on the Late show with Seth Myers to no doubt joke about this gossip. And Thomas Rhett will be on Ellen today.
MAY 4, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Dolly Parton took to Twitter last night to express her grief for the loss of a friend and costar this past Saturday. Olympia Dukakis was 89, she was known for her work on Steel Magnolias with Dolly and the movie Moonstruck. Dolly said she was “a quality human being” and one of her favorite people to work with.
Miranda Lambert hinted that fans may be getting some new music from her band with Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley the Pistol Annies. Ashley just released a new album called Rosegold, Miranda posted on Instagram about the release. After a fan asked when the Pistol Annies would be working together again, Miranda replied, “We’ve got something up our sleeve”.
Jordan Davis will be releasing an EP on May 21st, and the title track, “Buy Dirt” will feature a collaboration with Luke Bryan. Jordan says that Luke is not only a great entertainer but also a great; dad, husband and friend. Jordan thought Luke would be able to relate to the song so he asked and he said yes.
Old Dominion posted a picture on Instagram of the band doing a photoshoot for 2 hours and only meaning one thing, new music!
Luke Bryan will be on Ellen today
Happy birthday to Rand Travis, he is 62 today.
MAY 3, 2021
Ronnie Milsap released an album this past Friday and his first single off of the album is a track he worked on with Vince Gill called “Big Bertha”. After 50 years in the industry, this is his first solo album in a decade.
Tim McGraw turned 54 this past Saturday, and Faith Hill took to Instagram to share a sweet throwback pic of the couple on stage together.
Trisha Yearwood got her first dose of vaccine for the Coronavirus after recently recovering from the virus. Trisha says she is “grateful” as she smiles while the nurse administers the shot.
Coming up on late night television, Taylor Swift is going to be on Stephen Colbert. Jason Aldean will be on Jimmy Kimmel to play his song “Blame It On You”.
Happy birthday to Eric Church! Eric is celebrating his 44th birthday.
APRIL 30, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Gabby Barrett is nominated for nine categories at the Billboard Music Awards. She is also the most nominated woman this year at the awards. Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen, and Dan + Shay are also nominated for awards.
Jake Owen’s 2-year-old little girl Paris spends her birthday at the hospital yesterday. Jake posted a picture of her sitting in the hospital, smiling next to a bunch of balloons. The reason behind her hospital visit was not revealed. Little Paris had some bruising around her eye and some abrasions on her above her lip. Jake did mention in the post that she was feeling better.
Thomas Rhett’s first part of his double album “Country Again (Side A)” dropped today.
APRIL 29, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Trisha Yearwood says that Garth Brooks should get the Husband of the Year award. When she was sick with the Coronavirus in February, Garth would not leave her side. He did not quarantine from her even when she told him to, he simply said, “We’re in this together”. They are both free of the virus, and Garth is currently touring. While Trisha is still trying to get her sense of smell and taste back. As a cooking show host and cookbook writer this is not easy. She says she can only tell if something is spicy right now. So she’s been having Garth taste test her food to see if it needs more salt or pepper.
Dolly Parton joins Rory Feek on his song, “One Angel” a tribute song for his late wife Joey. The song was originally supposed to be a solo, but once Dolly heard about it she asked if she could accompany Rory on the track. It was a perfect duet in many ways, because Joey found Dolly to be such an inspiration. Her first performance was of Dolly’s song “Coat of Many Colors”. She wanted to make her mark in country music the way that Dolly did. Dolly reached out on Joey’s last days to say that she was praying for her.
The Cadillac Three announced the dates for their 10th anniversary show that will begin in June. The band will celebrate 10 years together on the road starting June 11th in Iowa with 31 cities in the books.
Reba will be guest-starring on the show Young Sheldon tonight on CBS. This is her second appearance as the character June, she first played the character on The Big Bang Theory.
Happy birthday to Willie Nelson who is celebrating his 88th birthday. And Michael Ray who is celebrating his 33rd birthday.
APRIL 28, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Morgan Wallen posted a picture on Twitter last night, of him fishing with Eric Church. He captioned it, “Hang a sign on the door of my life,”. Which is the lyrics of a song from Eric’s first album called, “Livin’ Part of Life”. The song is about getting caught up in the craziness of life, and taking time off to just go fishing.
Tenille Arts’ song “Somebody Like That” hits number one on the Mediabase/ Country Aircheck country radio chart. It is the first number one hit in country music to be written, performed, and produced by women. It is also the first time since 2007, that a Candian born artist has had a number one.
Rascal Flatts felt a lot of pain in 2020 when they had to cancel their Farewell Life Is a Highway Tour, due to the pandemic. They announced their retirement in January of 2020, and some fans even joked that if they came out of retirement the world would go back to normal. The pandemic put things in perspective for the band about life and doing the things you love. They are talking about still doing music, and touring around 10 times a year. While it’s only theoretical thoughts at the moment, fans are still hopeful that it isn’t the end of the band.
APRIL 27, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Morgan Wallen posted a picture on Twitter last night, of him fishing with Eric Church. He captioned it, “Hang a sign on the door of my life,”. Which is the lyrics of a song from Eric’s first album called, “Livin’ Part of Life”. The song is about getting caught up in the craziness of life, and taking time off to just go fishing.
Tenille Arts’ song “Somebody Like That” hits number one on the Mediabase/ Country Aircheck country radio chart. It is the first number one hit in country music to be written, performed, and produced by women. It is also the first time since 2007, that a Candian born artist has had a number one.
Rascal Flatts felt a lot of pain in 2020 when they had to cancel their Farewell Life Is a Highway Tour, due to the pandemic. They announced their retirement in January of 2020, and some fans even joked that if they came out of retirement the world would go back to normal. The pandemic put things in perspective for the band about life and doing the things you love. They are talking about still doing music, and touring around 10 times a year. While it’s only theoretical thoughts at the moment, fans are still hopeful that it isn’t the end of the band.
APRIL 26, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Luke Bryan has announced the cities and dates for his Proud to Be Right Here tour for 2021. Dyan Scott will be taking Morgan Wallen’s place since he is taking a break from touring. The tour kicks off on July 8th, and presale tickets go on sale Wednesday.
Tim McGraw posted a picture of his trophy from a fishing trip in the Bahamas. Tim proudly holds a wahoo fish. He captioned the Instagram post, “Got a wahoo!”
Chris Janson and his family are thanking God after a close call the other night. A fire started in his music studio right below the master bedroom. The only smoke alarm that went off was the one in the studio. His wife Kelly was asleep but somehow she heard the beep. She got the kids out safely while Chris tried to put out the fire. There was minimal damage, and Chris says he is thankful “God woke up his wife,”.
APRIL 22, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Lauren Alaina is not very good at keeping secrets. She has been in Canada working on a film, and she was not supposed to talk about it. A recent interview that was pre recorded spills the beans on her recent acting escapades. While this is not her first time acting; she also guest starred on the show Nashville, and a movie based on her song Road Less Traveled.
Jana Kramer is filing for divorce from her husband Mike Caussin after being married for 6 years. Jana indicates that he may have cheated on her again. They had separated back in 2016, but they renewed their vows in 2017. She made a post on her Instagram writing to her fans that she fought hard for the marriage, but “it’s time to heal.”
On a happier note, Sam Hunt and his wife Hannah Lee recently celebrated 4 years of marriage. He made a “How it started, How it’s going” post; with an old picture of Sam with a clean shaven baby face, and a then a more recent picture of them laughing. They were off and on again for years, and she was the inspiration for a lot of his music. His album Montevallo is named after her hometown. Congrats to the happy couple!
Mickey Guyton will be appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres show today, no doubt to talk about her hosting at the ACMs. As well as all of the other records she has been breaking recently.
APRIL 21, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Maren Morris announced that she is halfway done with her next album. She said it is the first time she has not been touring while working on an album so she wants to enjoy it. Kelsea Ballerini has also been working on new music. She posted that she recently went on a writer’s retreat with some songwriter friends. She then posted that the retreat was a success after writing 6 new songs.
George Strait’s summer show in the University of Notre Dame football stadium has been cancelled. The show was originally scheduled for August of 2020. His residency in Las Vegas has been postponed indefinitely. While George’s show in Minneapolis for July has been moved to November 13th. The show will feature Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town.
Trisha Yearwood has announced the release of her own pet collection. The Trisha Yearwood Pet Collection includes pet bedding, treats, collars, pet shampoos and conditioners.
APRIL 20, 2021
County Music News with Lindsey B!!
Thomas Rhett has announced the dates for his Centerpoint Road Tour. The tour will kick off on August 13th in Orange Beach Alabama. Gabby Barrett will be opening for him on a few of those dates.
Luke Combs will be performing at the Grand Ole Opry this weekend with Niko Moon. Tickets are sold out, but the show will be available live on the Circle Network.
Luke Bryan is “feeling great” after recovering from the Coronavirus. His Entertainer of the Year win probably helped his recovery along.
Members of Eric Church’s fan club, the Church Choir are able to listen to new music from him today. The three part album “Heart & Soul” will be released on three dates. The “Heart” part one of the albums dropped this past Friday. The “&” part two will be available exclusively to the Church Choir today. And the “Soul” part three of the albums will be released on April 23rd.
APRIL 16, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Little Big Town’s Philip Sweet tested positive for the Coronavirus. The band will be missing a member on Sunday at the ACMs. The rest of the band say he is recovering, however he is not well enough to be in public yet. It would also go against the careful protocols set in place for the ACMs.
Congratulations to Lee Brice and Carly Pearce for winning the Music Event of the Year award for their song “I Hope You’re Happy Now”. Carly posted a video of her and Lee accepting the award, and he even teared up a bit. She opens up that the song helped her year come full circle in her personal life. While the two were not familiar before they did the song together, Lee was there for her a lot this past year.
Dan and Shay have been getting into trouble when they are up on stage accepting their awards during the pandemic. They don’t plan on winning so they don’t prepare. When they get on stage, only one of them is supposed to use the microphone. Shay admits, “our excitement has taken over in the past, and we’ve gotten in trouble a little bit.” So on Sunday, be on the lookout if they follow the rules during a possible acceptance speech.
APRIL 15, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Yesterday during an interview on CBS Kane Brown got the news that he won his first ACM award. He won the Video of the Year award for his music video for “Worldwide Beautiful”. This song is off of his latest album Mixtape Vol. 1 EP which is also nominated for Album of the Year.. This is Kane’s first major country music award win, after two previous nominations at the ACMs.
A few artist have rescheduled their tours set for 2021 for this week. Reba McEntire announced yesterday that 12 of her Arena Tour dates would be rescheduled for January of 2022. Chris Stapleton announced that his All-American Road Show would be moved to October of 2021 to June of 2022. While Chris Janson announced the Back at It tour that will kick off this Friday in Mississippi. It will run until December, and will stop at 30 cities.
Brantley Gilbert has stayed busy with his band and crew over the pandemic. They built a man cave, a tree house for his kids and even a songwriting retreat in Texas that included some night hog hunting from a helicopter. This Saturday Brantley gets to perform again with an acoustic show in Tennessee. Brantley is just itching to get back on stage and perform for fans.
Happy birthday to Chris Stapleton today, he’s 43.
APRIL 14, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Morgan Wallen finally breaks his silence after two months since his controversy in the media. He posted a four page letter on his socials, saying how grateful he is for the success of his album, and his fans. He also wrote that he would not be touring this summer with Luke Bryan. But he encouraged fans to go to the shows because “County Music is back. — And that’s a beautiful thing”. Morgan says he has more work to do on himself, but his story is far from over.
Gabby Barrett has earned her second number one on the Billboard charts with her song, “The Good Ones”. And it’s been almost a year since her first song, “I Hope” went number one back in April of 2020. She is the first female artist to have both her first and second single to hit number one on the Country Airplay charts in five years. Kelsea Ballerini did back in 2015 with her first two singles. Gabby says it is the “cherry on top” with her ACM win that was announced last Thursday. She says she is grateful for her husband Cade who inspired the song
Chris Young surprised Kane Brown during his concert on Monday in Memphis to support frontline workers. Chris took to social media to reveal his plan backstage, before stepping out to surprise his friend. He said, “You don’t know I’m here yet, but you’re going to.”
The staff from Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center have been invited to attend the ACM Awards this Sunday. Since healthcare workers were the first to receive the Coronavirus vaccine, they all are vaccinated and will be wearing masks. While last year, the ACMs did not have an audience, this year, there will at least be a small audience. They are taking every safety precaution, and following the Coronavirus protocols. They have even decided to not serve alcohol at the awards show. However, the artists can have it on their tour busses, so the celebrating will not be totally limited. The ACMs will air on CBS at 8pm ET.
APRIL 13, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Luke Bryan tested positive for the Coronavirus. He shared an update yesterday to inform fans he would not make it to the first live show on American Idol. Luke says he is doing well though, and looking forward to being back at it soon. Paula Abdul will fill in for Luke while he recovers.
In a recent interview with Chris Stapleton about his four nominations at the ACM Awards, he looks back on one of the biggest moments in his career. He said, “It was a big deal to me” when George Strait chose to record “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” back in 2011. Chris had cowrote that song with Nashville songwriter AL Anderson, and George took it to number three on the Billboard charts. The song was even reviewed to be similar to George’s hits “Write This Down” and “Check Yes or No”.
The debut of Dolly Parton’s ice cream on Jenni’s Splendid Ice Creams crashed the website, because fans were so eager to try Strawberry Pretzel Pie. The company says it may not be available to buy for a while. However it is for sale on Ebay for $1000 and even the “low” price of $35. Wow, ice cream sure has gotten more expensive these days.
Blake Shelton made a new friend last night, a opossum paid him a visit last night. Blake posted a video of the animal not only getting into his food wrapped in foil on the grill, which he captioned with, “Guess I’m eating a frozen pizza.” But he also posted a video of him petting the opossum. He does not recommend petting wild animals, but he has “vodka reflexes of a rattlesnakes!”
APRIL 12, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Tracy Lawrence is celebrating 30 years in country music by performing a livestream show on April 27th. The Hindsight 2020 concert will feature all of his old hits, and even new music from his upcoming album that is set to release on the 23rd. Tickets are on sale now, and the show will be available on the platform StageIt.
Blake Shelton went fishing this weekend in his home state of Oklahoma. He posted a picture on Instagram of a huge fish that he caught, called a paddlefish that is supposedly native to Oklahoma. Blake explained this in the caption, and even added that “the outdoors are always open’ in Oklahoma.
Maren Morris celebrated her 31st birthday this past Saturday, and her husband Ryan Hurd posted a sweet tribute to her. He wrote, “you are an incredible mom, partner, artist, and you make my life better every day.” They celebrated with cake and margaritas.
Luke Bryan’s mom has 200,000 followers on Instagram. With various posts with the Bryan family and even a picture of Luke when he was a kid, it seems she has this social media thing down. Luke is worried because, “there’s no telling what she might wake up and do”. Maybe Luke is afraid she will post an embarrassing picture from his childhood?
APRIL 9, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Taylor Swift’s new album Fearless (Taylor’s Version) dropped today.
Kane Brown announced tour plans of 35 dates that will start October 1st in California. The Blessed and Free tour will hit both the East and West coast, 29 of the shows will be in NBA stadiums. Kane will be the first country artist to play every pro basketball venue in one single tour. Joining him on tour on various dates will be, Jordan Davis, Restless Road, and Chace Rice. Tickets go on sale April 16th.
The ACMs announced two early winners yesterday. Gabby Barrett as New Female Artist of the Year, and Jimmie Allen as New Male Artist of the Year. This is both Gabby and Jimmie’s first ACM Awards. The show will air on April 18th with performances by both New Artists of the Year.
People magazine did a recent interview with Brad Paisley and his wife actress Kimberly Paisley on the keys to the success of marriage. They have been married for 18 years, and Brad says “Focusing on laughter” is one of the most important things. The two really enjoyed their quarantining together. The magazine hit the stands today so go check out the rest of that article.
APRIL 8, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Eric Church announced a tour that will kick off this fall, in Kentucky on YouTube yesterday. The Gather Again tour is going to stop at 55 cities, before it ends next Spring in New York. The seats for the upcoming shows will be sold at full capacity. Tickets go on sale May 7th.
Songwriter Bill Owens and Dolly Parton’s uncle who helped her launch her career passed away this week. Dolly says “it is hard to know all you owe somebody for your success”, but she owes her Uncle Billy “an awful lot”. They wrote songs together when Dolly was just 13. He started bringing her to Nashville to pitch her songs to record labels and publishing companies. Bill also wrote for Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Kris Kristofferson, and Porter Wagner.
Zac Brown Band will perform their first livestream performance on May 8th at Nashville’s Southern Ground Studio. The livestream will be available on Sessions Live, a live streaming music platform. The band plans to make an announcement during the concert, and fans are hoping for some new music. The concert will also include a VIP encode set, and a Q&A session from the fans.
Kelsea Ballerini is working on a new single with fellow Knoxville native Kenny Chesney. The song is called “Half of My Hometown”
APRIL 7, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Carrie Underwood’s album My Savior has knocked Morgan Wallens double album Dangerous out of the number one spot on the Billboard country charts. It is also number four on the all genre chart. This marks Carrie’s ninth straight album to go to number one.
In an interview with Blake Shelton, he hints that he may leave The Voice “sooner than later”. This is in hopes to spend more time with his current fiancé Gwen Stefani. He says a simple life with Gwen is something he really wants, and ten years from now is too long. He feels like they have both reached a limit in their careers, with television and touring. He hopes they are able to get a chance at living some life before too long.
Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line revealed the release of his debut EP as a solo artist yesterday. BK’s Wave Pack is set to be released next week, April 13th. The EP will have four tracks that were co-written and co-produced by Brian. He says that the EP is a snapshot his world and the how he lives his life. Brian says you don’t have to live by the beach to have the vibe with you, wherever you go. He says it is a way of life and a state of mind.
Five years ago yesterday Merle Haggard passed away. His birthday was on the same day, and he would’ve been 84. We miss you Merle.
APRIL 6, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Carrie Underwood’s livestream of her album My Savior this past Easter Sunday, raised $100,000 for the Save the Children charity. Carrie’s performance was off the charts in the presentation to showcase her amazing voice at the Ryman. She made sure the multi camerawork and fully produced livestream was worth every penny. Carrie even had a full choir join her from a balcony.
Blake Shelton is not worried about the new judge that will be taking the spot from Nick Jonas after Season 20. Ariana Grande will start on the judge panel next season on The Voice. While he is a fan of Ariana, Blake is pretty confident she won’t be much competition, because “They pay us to win, they don’t pay us to lose.”
Jason Aldean is set to perform two dates at festival venue Bonnaroo Farm in Manchester, Tennessee. The concert dates are in mid May. Jason says he would perform at a gas station at this point if they let him.
The performers for the ACMs have been announced! There will be 25 performers who perform more than 30 songs in the three country music venues; the Bluebird Cafe, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Grand Ole Opry. Just a few are, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Chris Young, Alan Jackson, and Keith Urban. In their press release, the ACM awards made note that “additional details” and “unprecedented collaborations and surprising moments” will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The 56th ACM Awards will air on CBS live on April 18th at 8pm ET.
APRIL 5, 2021
Alan Jackson is releasing a new album called Where Have You Gone set to release May 14th. Alan dropped three tracks from the album last Friday at midnight. His last album Angels and Alcohol came out in 2015. The new album will include the songs he wrote for his daughters’ weddings, and the song he wrote for his mother’s funeral. It even pays tribute to Merle Haggard.
Blake Shelton reveals in a recent interview the possible date for the wedding. While his answer is vague, he says “Hopefully this summer”, it’s a timeline nonetheless. With the Coronavirus, the plan is tentative at this point for the couple. They want to make sure they get some time together as newlyweds, before they both have to jump back into their busy careers. Blake even joked that the artists offering to play at their wedding are starting to sound like a Coachella lineup. They are still unsure of who will play at the wedding just yet.
Jimmie Allen makes a comeback on American Idol, working on a duet with one of the contestants Alanis Sophia. Jimmie was on the show back in 2011. He made it to the Hollywood rounds, but just missed making it into the Top 24. He says it was a major learning experience. He even posted a video of his elimination to inspire others to not give up after rejection.
Taylor Swift revealed the track list of her re-recorded Fearless album on Saturday via Instagram. The album will have 27 tracks and will feature songs with Maren Morris and Keith Urban. Taylor is known for her cryptic music teases, giving her “Swifties” fans puzzles to figure out what she will do next. The album was originally recorded when Taylor was signed with Big Machine Records, and each song is labeled “Taylor’s Version”. It is meant to show the fans an uncut version of Taylor’s songs. The album will be coming out on April 9th.
APRIL 1, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Luke Bryan updated fans on his fishing hook injury on Instagram. The hook was taken out, and Luke gives a thumbs up once it’s out. He then goes right back to fishing without even a Band-Aid on his thumb.
Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley has signed with Warner Music Nashville as a partnership for his solo career. Brian took down everything from his Instagram, and wrote in his bio “Beach Cowboy”. He then posted a video that was similar to a movie trailer. Music with a southwestern vibe plays in the background as Brian saunters around in a cowboy hat on a beach. He plans to release new music this spring, and an album before the end of the year.
Chris Young and Jimmie Allen went on a fishing trip in Louisiana with Dallas Cowboys player Dak Prescott and a few others. They brought home a ton of fish. A picture was posted of them all standing next to a huge pile of fish.
Kip Moore is 41 today, and Hillary Scott of Lady A is 35. Happy birthday Kip! Happy birthday Hillary!-
March 31, 2021
Luke Bryan had an interesting fishing trip yesterday. He posted on his Instagram a picture of a fishing hook embedded in his thumb. He was worried it may be in his bone.
Blake Shelton announced the release of his 12th career album called Body Language. This 12 track album is coming out on May 21st. The title track will feature one of his success stories from Team Blake on The Voice, the Swon Brothers. Blake’s most recent number one with Gwen Stefani, “Happy Anywhere” will be featured on the album as well. This project has been two years in the making, and Blake made sure to include some classic country in the album. It will be available for pre-order on April 23rd.
Dolly Parton has her own flavor of ice cream! The company Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams teamed up with Dolly to recreate a Southern treat. The flavor is strawberry pretzel pie, and the sales from the ice cream will support Dolly’s Imagination Library. The flavor will be launched online and at Jeni’s locations on April 8th.
Kane Brown is loving fatherhood, his little girl Kingsley had taught him that there is true love. He says when he gets home and holds her in his arms, it just makes his day better. She even is recognizing his music on the radio. She walked over to the speaker when she heard her dad singing. Kane and his wife Katelyn want to have more children, but little Kingsley is such an easy baby, they’re a little weary that the next one will give them a run for their money.
March 30, 2021
Mickey Guyton has earned her first number one on the charts. Her song with Candian country artist, Dean Brody called “Boys” hit number one on the country radio airplay charts in Canada. She is the first Black woman to have a number one song on Canadian country radio.
Blake Shelton announced the release of his 12th career album called Body Language. This 12 track album is coming out on May 21st. The title track will feature one of his success stories from Team Blake on The Voice, the Swon Brothers. Blake’s most recent number one with Gwen Stefani, “Happy Anywhere” will be featured on the album as well. This project has been two years in the making, and Blake made sure to include some classic country in the album. It will be available for pre-order on April 23rd.
Dolly Parton has her own flavor of ice cream! The company Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams teamed up with Dolly to recreate a Southern treat. The flavor is strawberry pretzel pie, and the sales from the ice cream will support Dolly’s Imagination Library. The flavor will be launched online and at Jeni’s locations on April 8th.
Kane Brown is loving fatherhood, his little girl Kingsley had taught him that there is true love. He says when he gets home and holds her in his arms, it just makes his day better. She even is recognizing his music on the radio. She walked over to the speaker when she heard her dad singing. Kane and his wife Katelyn want to have more children, but little Kingsley is such an easy baby, they’re a little weary that the next one will give them a run for their money.
Today is Thomas Rhett’s birthday, he is 31. And today is also Justin Moore’s birthday, he is 37. Happy birthday to Thomas and Justin!
March 29, 2021
The video for Chris Young and Kane Brown’s song “Famous Friends” dropped this past Friday. The video features the real everyday heroes that are in the lyrics. This is the second song Chris and Kane have worked on together.
Maddie and Tae released a song last Friday, called “Woman You Got”. This sassy song is about a girl confessing her supposed flaws to her guy before it’s too late.
Luke Combs teased an acoustic version of an unreleased song called “See Me Now” on his Instagram to give fans a sneak peak of his third album.
Lauren Alaina updated her fans on her health, saying she is recovering from the Coronavirus. But she was “Pretty Sick” with a bad headache and shortness of breath.
It’s been a year since Joe Diffie died from the Coronavirus. Hard to believe he has been gone for a year already.
MARCH 26, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Brett Young and his wife are having their second baby girl. He shared the news by showing his little girl Presley in a tub of pink colored plastic balls on Kelly Clarkson’s show yesterday. Brett also joked that he may have to get some boy dogs, or something since he will have two little girls now.
Justin Moore announced that he will be releasing his sixth studio album Straight Outta the Country, on April 23rd. His most recent single, “We Didn’t Have Much” will be the lead single of the album. A song called “More Than Me” that honors his wife and kids was revealed in a press release. The rest of the album will have a country and rock sound, with an acoustic track at the end. The vocals from this album were recorded in Justin’s pool house in his hometown of Poyen, Arkansas during the pandemic.
Carrie Underwood will be performing with David Bisbal on the Latin American Music Awards on April 17th. Carrie released a duet with David last December, called “Tears of Gold”. The pop song features Carrie singing in Spanish for the first time ever. Carrie said that she had to brush up on her Spanish, since her only knowledge is from high school. She is interested to learn more of the language, and she believes having a musical brain will make it easier.
Brad Paisley, Old Dominion, Ashley McBride are just a few artists that will be performing at a virtual benefit concert for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on March 31st. Most of the AZA Zoos and Aquariums are closed because of the pandemic. Old Dominion shared on their Instagram, that it costs $30,000 to feed the animals per day per zoo. The concert is at 8 pm ET on Wednesday.
Kenny Chesney is 53 today. Happy birthday Kenny!
MARCH 25, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Gwen Stefani revealed in a recent interview, why Blake Shelton leaves the song writing up to the professionals. Even though they have written three songs together, Blake is not very fond of writing. It bugs her that he won’t write more, because he is a talented writer. Although, Gwen says he has an ear for hit songs, and she really trusts his judgement.
Jason Aldean says that he hopes Morgan Wallen returns “sooner rather than later” from his hiatus. Morgan has been quiet since he apologized for his mistakes back in February. Jason says that Morgan is his favorite current artist. Morgan’s talent in his voice and songwriting abilities has really impressed Jason. And he hopes Morgan is able to get everything straightened out, so he can get back to his music.
Brett Young will be doing his gender reveal with his wife Taylor on the “Kelly Clarkson Show” today. Their first little girl Presley was born in 2019. Their second baby is due this summer, and the show will air on NBC at 2pm ET.
MARCH 24, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
BJ Thomas announced yesterday that he is battling stage four lung cancer. He is asking for prayers, and for his music to live on through his fans. He is known for country and pop hits like, “Hooked on a Feeling” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”. He is receiving treatment in a facility in Texas, and hopes for a full recovery.
Kelsea Ballerini will be filling in for Kelly Clarkson on the Voice, while she is out sick. Kelsea surprised the other judges by simply sitting in Kelly’s chair during the Battle Rounds. She told them to just pretend she is Kelly, and if she makes a mistake, they can blame it on Kelly! The Battle Rounds were pre-recorded in 2020.
Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, and Loretta Lynn will be teaming up for a new song that will be featured on Loretta’s new album. This sassy song called, “Still Woman Enough” also the album’s title, helps bring the three country powerhouse women together. Carrie said she loved being able to lift each other up and stand together with singing this song.
Netflix will be releasing Dolly Parton’s MusicCares tribute concert on April 7th. The concert was filmed back in 2019, after Dolly was named MusicCares person of the year. Many stars honored Dolly that night, such as Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt.
MARCH 23, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Carrie Underwood will be performing live from the Ryman Auditorium this Easter. This livestream will showcase her new gospel album, My Savior. The My Savior: Live From the Ryman will air on Facebook at noon ET, and will be available for 48 hours after it airs. The other artists that helped Carrie on this album will also be performing in the live concert. CeCe Winans, Needtobreathe lead singer, Bear Rinehart, Mac McAnally, and Buddy Greene are all scheduled to perform with Carrie.
Kenny Chesney postpones his Chillaxification tour again. It was originally scheduled for Summer of 2020, and it was rescheduled for this coming summer. Kenny decided to move it to 2022, due to the restrictions from the Coronavirus guidelines. He doesn’t want to play at limited capacities, and have to turn away his fans when the venue is full. Kenny says, “That’s just not fair”. The tour is set to stop at all of the same stadiums as originally scheduled, but the dates have not been set.
Mickey Guyton has finally announced the release of her first full-length album this summer. Mickey has been signed with Capitol Nashville for 10 years, and she has released 3 EPs. She says she has so many songs that it may be a double album.
Today is Brett Eldredge’s 35th birthday. Happy birthday Brett!
MARCH 22, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
The Grand Ole Opry will be releasing a vinyl of the performances from during the pandemic. On March 14th of 2020, the Opry closed for the public, and more than 60 artists performed to an empty room during that time. The Unbroken: Empty Room, Full Circle album will have 10 tracks of iconic performances that deserved an audience, and it will be released on June 24th. The only time the live Saturday night show at the Opry has ever been canceled was back in 1968 after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On Saturday, Lauren Alaina announced that she had to postpone an acoustic show in Kentucky, because she tested positive for the Coronavirus. She is quarantining and working on getting better.
Kelsea Ballerini explained in an interview that she thinks Reba would be a great President. She said Reba has her stuff together, and that she could run the world. She named Dolly Parton as her Vice President, because she has already basically run the world and she can just be there to help. Kelsea named Shania Twain as Secretary of Treasury and Trisha Yearwood as Secretary of Education.
MARCH 19, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Ashley McBride will be receiving the Yellow Rose of Inspiration from the Song Suffragettes. She is only the third woman to win the award from the weekly all-female singer-songwriter showcase in Nashville. The seventh anniversary for the show is March 29th, and it will be held in the Listening Room. Tenille Arts will be performing that night as well. The performance will be available to stream on the Song Suffragettes YouTube page.
Reba will be singing a new song in the upcoming film, Four Good Days. The film stars Glenn Close and Mila Kunis, and is based on a true story by the Pulitzer prize winning author Eli Saslow. Reba teased the song on her Twitter with a trailer to the movie. It will be released in theaters on April 30th, and available on demand on May 21st.
Darius Rucker just released a new single called “My Masterpiece”. This love song describes love as a work of art. Darius also has some tentatively scheduled tour dates this year from May to October. Tickets are on sale now.
MARCH 18, 2021
Country Music with Lindsey B!!
Chris Stapleton has postponed his All-American Road Show yet again. The show was originally scheduled back in 2020. It was rescheduled for this April, however it has been moved to April 2022 now. Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Margo Price and Yola have been scheduled since last year, and they are still performing with Chris on the new dates.
Gwen Stefani has been welcomed with open arms by the songwriting community in Nashville. Blake and Gwen have two number one songs together, and Gwen feels blessed just to be recognized. On an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Gwen says that never in her wildest dreams would she have thought she would even sing a country song, let alone have two number ones and an ACM nomination.
While others posted about their green beers and Irish car bombs yesterday, Chris Young proudly tweeted, “But did YOUR niece make you St. Patrick’s Day cookies?”
MARCH 17, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Jimmie Allen reveals in an interview, that he reached out to Morgan Wallen after the video surfaced of him using a racial slur. Jimmie felt the need to try and help Morgan, instead of writing him off. Jimmie said, –“just because I don’t agree with what he said doesn’t mean I should banish him.” Two very public outbursts that have negatively affected Morgan have been related to alcohol. Jimmie has 2 kids, and wants Morgan to be better for his son, Indigo Wilder. He says they talked every day before Morgan went off the grid.
George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson and Kacey Musgraves are just few of the Texas natives who are playing at the “We’re Texas” benefit concert on March 21st. The concert will benefit those affected by the snowstorms that hit Texas last month. The virtual concert was led by Matthew McConaughey and his wife, and it will be available on his YouTube channel. This is not just a country event though, even New York native Post Malone is performing for the good cause.
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy is a new grandpa! He couldn’t be more excited, after sharing it on Instagram. He says that everyone else has dropped in his ranking since his grandson was born.
MARCH 16, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Kane Brown revealed in an interview that while he is not only recording his new album. But he is also releasing a duet with his wife Katelyn, called “Mad At This World”. They wrote the song together, about their background, how they met and connected with each other. Katelyn is musician herself, who graduated Berklee College of Music back in 2019. Kane also revealed that the album will have a “Sam Cooke vibe”.
Brendan McLoughlin is a proud husband, after Miranda Lambert performed and took home a Grammy the other night. He shared from the night on Instagram, praising his wife. Brendan also wrote, “I cannot wait to be a part of the magic you create.”
The Texas Rangers will be honoring Charley Pride, by naming their spring training field after him. Charley owned part of the team, and the team said he will be greatly missed.
Blake Shelton says he has no regrets after spending 10 years on The Voice. Between meeting his fiancé Gwen Stefani, and his bromance with Adam Levine it seems he has enjoyed these past 10 years.
MARCH 15, 2021
Country Music with Lindsey B!!
Last night at the Grammys, Miranda Lambert won album of the year with Wildcard. This is Miranda’s second time winning this award, after winning it in 2014 with her album Platinum. Dolly Parton and Zach Williams won Best Country Christian Song/Performance. Dan+Shay and Justin Bieber won Best Country Duo/Group Performance with their song “10,000 Hours”. Vince Gill and the Highwomen were the other country artists that took home awards.
As for the performances, Maren Morris performed her song “The Bones” with John Mayer last night. Lionel Richie performed his song “Lady” as a tribute to Kenny Rogers. The song made Kenny a multi-genre crossover artist back in 1980. Lionel ended the song saying, “I miss you Kenny.” As the first black solo country artist to be nominated at the Grammys, Mickey Guyton performed an elegant and powerful performance of her song, “Black Like Me”. Miranda Lambert performed her song “Bluebird”
Larry Gatlin was diagnosed with the Coronavirus after getting his second dose of the vaccine. Larry says, “I made it 361 days without getting COVID-19.”
MARCH 11, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Maren Morris will be doing a collaboration with John Mayer at the Grammys this Sunday, on CBS. She took to Instagram to share the news, posting a picture with John that looks like they are backstage. The caption reads, “We’ll see you at the Grammys.”
Carrie Underwood shared the gifts she received from her husband and her little boys yesterday. Her sons Isaiah and Jake made her scribbled construction paper cards that are definitely refrigerator worthy. And Mike got her flowers, a cake and a t-shirt. The shirt says, “I don’t need Google, my husband knows everything.” Carrie took a selfie with the shirt making a strange face, so it seems if Mike was making a joke it was not very funny to Carrie. She wore the shirt though, so I guess she liked it?
Tim Davis, mural designer in Nashville, plans to create a mural dedicated to Taylor Swift. Despite the controversy that happened after she was taken off the mural and replaced by Brad Paisley. Tim says he is working on a piece that will have a “stained glass” look and it will incorporate both her country and pop roots.
Cary Pearce swears off men in the music industry, however she does have one exception and it is Brett Eldredge. When asked about her in another interview, he had nothing but good things to say about her. So another country power couple, maybe?
MARCH 10, 2021
Darius Rucker was named Southerner of the Year by Southern Living magazine. In an interview with the magazine, Darius talks about his his mom taught him to always care for and help others. His mother’s compassion showed through the fact that she used her abilities as a nurse, not just in her job but for her home, and community. The Coronavirus has made Darius think about his mom, and how she would be dealing with it all as a nurse. His mom’s inspiration is why he donated more than 2 million to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Justin Moore’s 3 year old son recently broke his leg on a trampoline. Justin’s wife was out of town, so he was in charge. He ran inside for a minute and it was enough. His 9 year old daughter double jumped her brother South. Justin says he really hates that it happened on his watch.
Parker McCollum tweeted back at a fan who asked when he was dropping new music. Parker simply wrote July, and it seems he wasn’t kidding. Parker is known for his honesty on his social media with his tweets about life and random song lyrics.
And happy 38th birthday to Carrie Underwood.
MARCH 9, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Trisha Yearwood tested negative for the Coronavirus, after almost a month of being sick. She took to Instagram to share the good news, calling Garth “Superman” for not catching the virus. Trisha also shared the cover of her new cookbook that comes out September 28th.
Dolly Parton’s rendition of “Amazing Grace” may become Tennessee’s state hymn. Politicians are trying to pass a bill to take “one of the most celebrated songs in modern history” and recognize it as a state song. This bill came to light not long after the bill that Dolly rejected to have a statue built of her in the state capitol.
Kane Brown said in an interview with his label that he really wants to do a song with Shania Twain. He grew up listening to her, because his mom was a big fan. So it sounds like it would be a dream come true for him. This is not the first time he has mentioned it. Shania tweeted at him “Let’s do it!” when Kane brought it up before in an interview. Since he is working on a new album, he’s serious about the the collaboration.
Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous album spends another week at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. The eighth week for Morgan, he also earned 82,000 equivalent album units this past week. Seems like his fans are not giving up on him, despite the controversy he caused.
MARCH 8, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Miranda Lambert, Mickey Guyton, and Maren Morris will be performing at the Grammys this Sunday the 14th. All three ladies are nominated for different categories, and Miranda is nominated for 3 awards. There a few other country artists that made it into the nominations as well. Ingrid Andress is nominated for Best New Artist, Vince Gill is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance, and Old Dominion is nominated for both Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Song. Just to name a few. While Taylor Swift is nominated for six awards.
Trisha Yearwood was a little active on Twitter this weekend since the announcement that she was diagnosed with the Coronavirus. She posted a few throwback videos of herself, and it is leaving fans a little hopeful that she is on the mend from the virus.
Tenille Townes and Chris Young stopped by the Grand Ole Opry this past Saturday. Tenille tweeted that it had been exactly a year ago that she played her last show in Amsterdam before the pandemic. The Opry is allowing small audiences, so it was a special night for Tenille to perform with an audience. Chris performed his new song, “Famous Friends” for the first time at the Opry.
MARCH 5, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Miranda Lambert took to Instagram yesterday to announce the release of her new album, The Marfa Tapes. The album is named after the city Marfa in Texas, where the album was written and recorded. Miranda worked with her usual group of cowriters, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall on the project. The album is coming out May 7th, but the first single, “In His Arms” that came out today.
Thomas Rhett confirmed new music last night on his socials, with previews of two songs. The two new tracks will be released midnight tonight, “Want it Again” and “Growing Up”. Both songs are acoustic and were recorded during quarantine. Thomas also announced a double album called Country Again, that will include these new songs. Side A of the double album, will be released April 30th.
Reba will be making a comeback into television, in two Lifetime movies. The first one will be a Christmas movie that may come out as early as this fall. The movie is called, Christmas in Tune and will feature a new original Christmas song from Reba as well. The other film has not been revealed, except that it is not a Christmas movie and it will be coming out in 2022.
MARCH 4, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Thomas Rhett teases the possibility of new music or at least news of new music on his Instagram yesterday. The picture was a simple date for March 5th and the caption read, “That’s a Friday, y’all.” New music is usually released on Fridays, so I think it’s a safe bet that Thomas will be releasing a new song at least.
Dolly Parton has earned her 50th nomination for a Grammy award. Dolly is being nominated for best contemporary Christian music performance, for her song with Christian Rock artist, Zach Williams called “There Was Jesus”. Dolly has won 8 Grammys, and her first was 51 years ago for her duet with Porter Wagner, “Just Someone I Used to Know”. Dolly said, “It’s always special. You always loved to be acknowledged. [But] Like I’ve always said, ‘I don’t work for awards and rewards.'”
Miranda Lambert is about to become the first female country artist to open her own bar on Broadway in Nashville. The building for the bar is under renovations as we speak. Miranda will be partnering with TC Restaurant Group for the bar, the company confirmed the news yesterday in the Nashville Business Journal.
Brett Eldredge revealed in an interview that he and Shay Mooney have gotten to be better friends over the course of the pandemic. Brett and Shay started playing video games virtually, and it gave them a way to bond despite social distancing rules. Brett says he and Shay have always been buddies, but he realized how much of a great guy Shay is and how much they have in common.
MARCH 3, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
The CMA Fest is cancelled for 2021, after “thoughtful deliberation” because of the coronavirus. The organization is “deeply disappointed” to have to cancel the multi-day music festival again this year. Dates are already set for June 9th through the 12th in 2022.
Dolly Parton took to Instagram yesterday to share with the world that she got the vaccine for the Coronavirus. In the picture, the country diva sits in a mask that matches her blouse, as the doctor administers the vaccine at Nashville’s Vanderbilt Medical Center. Dolly also posted a video where she says she is, “old enough– [and] smart enough to get it”. She even rewrote the chorus to her hit “Jolene” to rhyme with vaccine.
Luke Bryan’s current single, “Down to One” hits number one on the Billboard Country airplay charts. This makes 26 number one hits on the Billboard charts for Luke. It is also the fourth consecutive number one from his latest album Born Here Live Here Die Here.
Garth Brooks delays a stadium show in Charlotte, North Carolina for the fourth time. The show sold out in less than 2 hours, and fans are going to have to wait until the fall for the show. While the first 3 times the show was postponed, were because of the coronavirus; Garth did not state the reason for the delay.
MARCH 2, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Despite the controversy surrounding Morgan Wallen, his Dangerous album broke another record on the Billboard charts. That album has been number one for seven straight weeks on the Billboard 200. No country artist has ever done that with a new project.
Willie Nelson is 87 years old and he is doing the most. He just released an album of Frank Sinatra cover songs called That’s Life on the 26th of February. He also just announced that he will be releasing a book on June 29. Letters to America is a collection of letters that Willie wrote to his fellow Americans.
The Voice season 20 started last night on NBC with a bit of country twang to it. The first artist to perform, named Kenzie Wheeler stepped out with a mullet and a Keith Whitley song. His rendition of “Don’t Close Your Eyes” had all of the coaches turn their chairs. Kelly Clarkson used her block to block Blake Shelton, and ended up with Kenzie on her team.
Brett Young’s new song “You Got Away With It” might need its own genre. With a hint of jazz and reggae, Brett is entering new territory with this play on words track.
MARCH 1, 2021
Country Music B!!
The Academy of Country Music Awards nominees were announced on Friday, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton are up for Entertainer of the year. Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton are each nominated for six awards. Miranda Lambert is up for five awards, and that adds to her record of being the most nominated woman in ACMs history. The link to the full list of nominees is up on our website.
Miranda Lambert’s collaboration video with Elle King dropped on Friday. Their song “Drunk(And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” did not disappoint with the 80s themed tease both artists posted on their social medias.
Miranda also revealed in an interview Thursday, how she and her husband Brendan McLoughlin got together. They met on the set of Good Morning America back in 2018. He was a New York City police officer, and her band mates from the Pistol Annie’s set it up. Miranda says it didn’t take them long to realize they wanted to be together.
Brett Eldredge’s new single is perfect for what is going on in the world right now. Brett says “It’s a song for the moment,”. The hopeful track was just part of a self-discovery process that Brett went through in 2020.
FEBRUARY 26, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Trisha Yearwood tested positive for the coronavirus. Garth Brooks says she is “on her way out of the tunnel”. Garth has tested negative for the coronavirus.
Luke Combs announced on Instagram that his song “Forever After All” will be his next single on country radio. In the post, Luke posted a picture of the day of his wedding. He and his wife Nicole stand on the beach smiling at each other with the sunset behind them.
Kane Brown has started his own publishing company called Verse 2 alongside his launch of his record label 1021. Kane says he wants to provide opportunities. He quoted, “As an entertainer, I love being able to take people I believe in out on the road with me or be able to help them find a moment that makes a difference in their career.”
Brett Eldredge recorded him singing an acoustic version of the Fugees classic, “Killing Me Softly” and posted it on Instagram. Many of his fellow artists such as, Carly Pearce, Morgan Evans, and Jimmie Allen praised his vocal talents in the comments.
During Carly Pearce’s live stream of her album 29, she showed off her 100k subscriber plaque from YouTube. Congratulations Carly!
FEBRUARY 25, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Travis Tritt will be releasing his first album in 14 years this coming Spring. The name of the album is “Set in Stone”, and the first single “Smoke in a Bar” will be released on May 7th. Travis helped write all but 3 of the songs on the 11-track album, and Travis is sticking with his sound in this new album.
Scott McCreery takes the polar plunge for charity in this cold February. He posted a video of him jumping in his pool to show his support for Special Olympics North Carolina’s Plunge in Place campaign. His lab Moose even jumps in with him.
Luke Bryan shares in an interview that he will be emotional when he is able to get back on stage and tour. He says, “No one will be more emotional than me. Getting back to doing what you love is going to be really powerful.”
Brett Young and his wife are planning to get really creative with the gender reveal of their second child. Their first little girl, Presley was revealed by Taylor pitching a ball to Brett only to have it break open and spray pink dust. The couple posted a poll on their Instagram stories to see if fans thought it was going to be a girl or a boy. The baby is due this summer.
FEBRUARY 24, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Thomas Rhett announced tour dates at Billy Bob’s Texas for May yesterday. Thomas will be performing May 6th through the 8th, tickets will go on sale this Friday.
Taylor Swift’s song “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” is number one on Billboard’s Hot Country charts for the second time. The original version of the song hit number one back in 2008, and marks Taylor’s 8th number one on the Hot Country charts. The only other song in history break this record on the country charts, was Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” in 1974 and 1982.
Kane Brown’s wife Katelyn posted a cute video on Instagram of their 16 month old little girl Kingsley laughing at her dad. Kane falls down chasing a ball, and Kingsley cannot get enough of it.
Carly Pearce opens up in an interview that despite the sad songs on her new EP 29, she still believes in love. The EP was created as a result of her divorce with Michael Ray, but she hopes to be better for the next relationship and she deserves love.
This Saturday night on the Opry, guests include Chris Jansen, Travis Tritt and Carly Pierce.
FEBRUARY 23, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Miranda Lambert teased the possibility of a collaboration with Elle King yesterday on her Twitter. The two are dressed up in 80s wedding clothes, Miranda as the bridesmaid and Elle as the bride. This wouldn’t be the first time Elle and Miranda have worked together. In 2019 they toured together.
In 2018 Chase Bryant wrote a letter to his fans, apologizing for letting his fame get to him. He recently opened up in an interview with People magazine that he had attempted to commit suicide. Chase says he realized, “–life’s too short, don’t make it any shorter. — There is hope.”
Kenny Chesney’s newest single could not have been timed better with the recent death of his good friend Maria Rodriguez. The song, “Knowing You” is a simple tune with Kenny reminiscing of the people who have touched his life. The song is about no regrets, and appreciating the time with the people that cross your path. No matter how much time they are in your life.
Blake Shelton pokes fun at Luke Bryan’s new commercial with Jockey underwear. Blake says the idea of Luke in underwear is disgusting. He even goes as far to say Luke probably wears pee stained underwear around the house. The commercial also features Luke’s wife, which Blake thinks makes the commercial better.
FEBRUARY 22, 2021
Singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey announced that she will be releasing a country cover album on March 19th.
Carly Pearce surprised a fan with a Zoom call after she was in an accident on her way home from Carly’s concert. Danielle Sparkman was coming home from the Listening Room, when she hit a tree and broke her shoulder. Carly talked with Danielle and even donated to her Gofundme page.
Ashley McBryde gave a strong performance at the CRS New Faces of Country Music showcase in Nashville on Friday. She stood out above the rest with grace and maturity as an artist.
Jordan Davis released the music video for “Almost Maybes” this weekend. Jordan says that it was cool to recreate the moments in his life where his love life didn’t work out, in a tasteful way, while “not really bashing anybody”.
Shania Twain tweeted a picture of herself sitting on a patio with her breakfast and her horse. The horse is stealing a grape from her, while she sits on the couch, she captioned it “My breakfast buddy”.
FEBRUARY 19, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
In a statement yesterday Dolly Parton says she is “humbled and honored by their intention” to build a statue of her at the Tennessee State Capitol. However she asks lawmakers to stop the bill proposal for the time being, she does not think it is a good idea right now.
Reba will be making a cameo in the new film, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar. The comedy stars Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Reba’s character Trish is a storm chaser that turns into a mythical water spirit. She had to go through a bit of a transformation to become the character of Trish for the movie. She posted pictures on Instagram of her in character.
Carrie Underwood will be performing on Cece Winans livestream concert, “An Evening of Thanksgiving” on February 21st. Carrie will be promoting her gospel album through this performance in this gospel concert. Tickets are available at CompassionLIVE.com.
Chris Young tweeted a picture of his radio last night, with the Keith Whitley song “Between an Old Memory and Me”. He captioned it, “Lord thank you for Keith Whitley songs”. Chris has talked about Keith being an inspiration for him many times. And most of his concerts, he does a cover of one of Keith’s songs.
FEBRUARY 18, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Vince Gill speaks out in an interview about how women and black country music stars “haven’t been made to feel welcome” in the industry. Vince says that country music is a “white man’s industry” and he wishes there was a way to make eliminate the issues of inequality in country music.
Luke Combs and Maren Morris talked about the issues of racial inequality in another interview. A music video of Luke playing a guitar with a confederate flag on it have recently caused some backlash. Luke says, “There is no excuse” however he explains that he was much younger when the video was filmed. And since then, he has learned the pain that image brings to others.
Kelly Clarkson revealed Wednesday that she will have the opportunity to be the first to interview Dr. Jill Biden. This is the first solo interview of the First Lady since Joe Biden was sworn in January. Kelly shared the news on her show and said, “I’m going to the White House y’all!” barley able to contain her excitement. The interview will air on her talk show on the 25th.
FEBRUARY 17, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards was announced yesterday in a press conference to be set in Nashville. The ACMs will be filmed live at the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Bluebird Café on April 18th on CBS. This is similar to the way it was done last year after it was postponed and originally set in Las Vegas.
Russell Dickerson is loving fatherhood. In an interview he explains how the pandemic has made him be able to slow down and enjoy his time with his 5 month old son. Russell says his son’s smile makes up for the dirty diapers and the lack of sleep. When little Remington gets fussy, his dad’s music is something that calms him, and Russell says “it’s the craziest thing!”
Tracy Lawrence is releasing new music! The 90s country crooner will be releasing a new album with nine of the ten tracks written by him. Tracy will also be releasing two collaboration albums of his hits this year. The first album, named Volume 1: Stairway To Heaven Highway To Hell will be released April 23rd, the title track was released this past Thursday.
FEBRUARY 16, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Luke Bryan says he misses hugging the contestants on American Idol since the pandemic guidelines prohibit hugging.. Luke says it’s “pretty heartbreaking” that he can’t show his support and comfort the contestants after they perform.
Brad Paisley finally releases a new single, for fans who have been anticipating some new stuff from him. His new song is called, “Off Road” and it’s about a woman going out to make her dreams come true in her own way. This is not the first time Brad has taken to his music to empower women, his song “Shattered Glass” had the same message.
Kenny Chesney is mourning the loss of a dear friend, a helicopter pilot who was involved in the crash in the Virgin Islands on Monday. Maria Rodriguez and Kenny Chesney had been friends for 15 years. Kenny says, “We shared a lot of laughs and a lot of life together.”
FEBRUARY 15, 2021
Luke Combs honored Dale Earnhardt in his performance at the Daytona 500 yesterday, wearing a Earnhardt themed letterman jacket. Luke paid tribute to Earnhardt days ahead of the 20th anniversary of his death back in 2001. Luke also met Richard Petty before the race.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood had to cancel their appearance on Ellen due to a possible exposure to the coronavirus. Garth said, “The Queen and I will be quarantining and –living on love”.
Kacey Musgraves speaks out in an interview about her divorce with Ruston Kelly. Kacey said they “ Simply didn’t work out” and that their “season changed” after a 4 year long relationship.
Dolly Parton is planning to reunite with her 9 to 5 costars, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda on their show Grace and Frankie. As soon as it is safe to do a production, Dolly says she will be ready to be in the show and work with her old friends. Dolly says the three of them worked so well together on their movie, and that their show is “crazy wonderful”.
Maren Morris announced in an interview that she is recording her third studio album. It seems the duet she just released with her husband Ryan Hurd, is not the only thing she has been working on.
FEBRUARY 11, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Morgan Wallen took to Instagram to break his silence since the video of him was released. He explains that he was on a 72 hour bender when the video took place, and that he is 9 days sober. He also discouraged fans to take up for him, and he takes full responsibility for what he has done.
Sam Hunt posted on Instagram yesterday to tell fans he is in the studio and working on new music. No word on when we can expect new material from Sam.
Carrie Underwood’s little boy Isaiah is a cowboy in the making. Mike Fisher, Carrie’s husband shared a photo on Instagram of Isaiah at a horseback riding lesson.
Thomas Rhett celebrated his little girl Lennon’s first birthday yesterday!
Kane Brown has started his own record label, called 1021 Entertainment, joining with Sony Music Nashville. Kane has also signed his first band named Restless Road. The Nashville based group has already released a single called “Took One Look at Her Momma”.
FEBRUARY 10, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Dwight Yoakum is suing Warner Music over the rights to his music. The suit is based on the Copyright Act that allows artists to reclaim their works after 35 years. The music Dwight is trying to reclaim was released back in 1986.
Luke Combs dropped a music video of his song with Jameson Rodgers “Cold Beer Calling My Name” last night. Luke posted a clip of the music video on Twitter, and it’s up on Lindsey B’s Twitter page! Go check it out!
Kenny Chesney’s song “Happy Does” marks his 54th top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. While the song sits at the number 2 spot on Country Airplay.
The country star couple Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd will be dropping their first duet this Friday called, “Chasing After You”. On top of that, the couple will be celebrating their second year of marriage, and their son’s first birthday at the end of March. Major milestones ahead for this couple and their little boy Hayes.
FEBRUARY 9, 2021
Kelsea Ballerini is sticking with her New Year’s resolution word, “healthy”. Kelsea turned off the comments on her Instagram. She says she is very sensitive, and wants to continue to share her life on social media. But she doesn’t care what other people think, and she doesn’t want to see the negative comments.
It’s no secret that Thomas Rhett has stayed busy with his music during the pandemic. He’s been teasing new songs on social media, and keeping his fans happy. His most recent new music tease is called “Your Momma’s Front Door”. This past Friday, he released a song with Christian artist Chris Tomlin, called “God Who Listens”.
Miranda Lambert announced her first concert dates in over a year since the pandemic began. The shows will take place at Billy Bob’s in Texas, Miranda’s home state. She made sure to include that the shows will be done safely and right to follow COVID protocols.
Mickey Guyton and her husband Grant Savoy welcomed their first child, Grayson Clark Savoy yesterday. She took to Twitter to share the news, saying it was the hardest and most beautiful thing she has ever done.
FEBRUARY 8, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Shania Twain took to Instagram yesterday to reminisce about her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show 18 years ago. It was the last time the Buccaneers made it to the Super Bowl. Shania also made a point to give a nod to the history being made with women on-field roles at the Super Bowl. There were 6 women with on-field roles this year.
Happy belated birthday to Garth Brooks. Garth turned 59 yesterday.
Rodney Crowell, Keith Urban, Ronnie Dunn, Rosanne Cash and a few others team up for a project called Songs from Quarantine. The project’s proceeds will go to the nonprofit organization Music Health Alliance. The 13 track album will only be available on Bandcamp for the next two weeks.
Chris Jason’s son made it onto a Super Bowl commercial last night for Bass Pro Shops. Chris took to Twitter after the commercial aired to share his pride and excitement for his son.
FEBRUARY 4, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Morgan Wallen has been “indefinitely” suspended from his record label Big Loud Records. He is also ineligible for any ACM Awards this year. This all happened in less than a day, and the backlash is not over yet.
T.J Osborne of Brothers Osborne, comes out in an interview and is proud to share his story. His family and friends have known for years, but this is his first time speaking publicly about it. His brother John, along with many other country artists have taken to social media to praise him sharing his personal life.
Taylor Swift is being sued by Evermore, a fantasy amusement park in Utah for trademark infringement. Her most recent album has the same name and has caused confusion with being searched on Google. The suit also accuses Taylor of using the same designs from their merchandise for her album.
FEBRUARY 3, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Dolly Parton recreates her song “9 to 5” for a Squarespace Super Bowl commercial. She even changes up the lyrics a bit, and Dolly says she was happy to bring back the song and make it more relevant.
Dan + Shay will release a new song on Friday, called “Glad You Exist”. The title of the track was released yesterday, along with the meaning behind it. This song will be dedicated to their fans, and it is a message of “gratitude and hope”.
Morgan Wallen says there are “No Excuses” for his behavior on the video that reached the media last night. Kelsea Ballerini took to Twitter and said, “The news out of Nashville tonight does not represent country music.”
Kenny Chesney reveals in an interview that his love for the island life started 22 years ago when he was filming the video for “How Forever Feels”. He walked into a bar in the Virgin Islands and heard a George Strait song playing. He says it all started there.
FEBRUARY 1, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Stagecoach and Coachella have been canceled yet again this April because of the coronavirus.
Kris Kristofferson performed his last concert on Saturday, it was covered by Rolling Stone. Kris ended his concert with a final performance of “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends”. The concert is available online.
Miranda Lambert took to Instagram to tease her fans that she was on the road again. But she’s not touring her music, she’s simply road tripping in her Airstream with her hubby and her dogs.
Florida Georgia Line revealed in an interview that their name for the band was almost Orange Peach. The name came from the fruits that represent the states Florida and Georgia. Seems like a good decision to omit this name from the idea bank for a band.
JANUARY 29, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Jay DeMarcus from Rascal Flatts released a solo single yesterday in tribute to his late father. The song called “Music Man” was written and produced by Jay. It’s a beautiful song.
Morgan Wallen announced on Twitter on Thursday that he ran out of patience and would be releasing 2 more bonus songs for his new album. The new songs dropped this morning, “Bandaid on a Bullet Hole” and “This Side of a Dust Cloud”.
Morgan Wallen’s new album is still breaking records, and is number one on the Billboard 200 for the second week in a row.
Jason Aldean goes back in time with his video for his new single “Blame It On You”. The video takes place in the 1940s. He debuted the video last night on an interactive livestream.
Chris Young tweeted last night, “Why do parking meters only take quarters? Who carries a roll of quarters????” He’s got a point there.
Tonight on Jimmy Kimmel, Ashley McBride stops by.
JANUARY 28, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Chris Young unveiled his own café with a mural of the people who have made a difference in his life. The Chris Young Café is located on campus at Middle Tennessee State University, Chris’s alma mater in his hometown. The café will be a place for students to perform, and showcase their music. Chris was able to christen the stage with his new single, “Famous Friends”.
Brett Young took to Instagram yesterday to announce that he and his wife Taylor are expecting their second child. The baby is due this summer, and the couple along with their little girl Presley could not be more excited.
Kris Kristofferson has officially retired from the music business. Kris stepped out of the spotlight last year, however Music Row announced yesterday that his son John will take over his indie record label KK Records.
Shania Twain tweeted yesterday, “In new music mode”. She hasn’t released new music since 2017, so hopefully she’ll be releasing a new album soon.
JANUARY 27, 2021
Rory Feek from Joey + Rory says he will be releasing an album this spring called, Gentle Man. It’s the first album he’s released since his wife passed in 2016. The album will feature a duet with Vince Gill, and a cover of a Bob Dylan classic.
Miranda Lambert and her husband Brendan McLoughlin celebrated 2 years of marriage yesterday. The couple took to social media to share with their fans their happiness.
Jimmie Allen and Brad Paisley’s song “Freedom Was a Highway” is gaining popularity on country radio, out ranking “Undivided” and “Minimum Wage”. It’s a great song, go give it a listen!
Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line announced that the “May We All” musical that was postponed in production due to the pandemic, will now be a movie adaptation as well. Andy Fickman has been brought into the project to direct the film. The movie will be filled with music from other country artists; Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw. Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, and Miranda Lambert just to name a few.
JANUARY 26, 2021
Country music news with Lindsey B!!
Gabby Barrett posted on Instagram last night that her baby girl Baylah May was born on the 18th. She and her husband Cade got to spend this past week with their newborn. Congrats to the new parents!
Dolly Parton recently revealed in an interview that her dad used to clean the statue of her in her hometown. When she told him about it, he said that her fans may see her as an idol, but to pigeons she was just an outhouse. So he would go down to the courthouse at night and clean her statue.
On February 6th Parker McCollum will make his Grand Ole Opry debut. Dierks Bentley asked the “Pretty Heart” singer if he was doing anything that day over FaceTime. The video is up on the Grand Ole Opry YouTube page. Go check it out!
Randy Travis and his wife Mary sat down for an interview recently and tell the journey that Randy had to go through to perform his last performance. After his stroke in 2013 that took away his speech and performance abilities, the country music world missed his live performances. Back in 2016 when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Randy spent 6 hours a day trying to relearn the verses of “Amazing Grace”. His wife said he became Randy Travis again as he took the stage. It was such an iconic and meaningful moment for Randy and anyone that was present that night.
Brett Young is set to perform at Fort Lauderdale Airport. The performance will be livestreamed on Spirit Airlines YouTube channel. That’s coming up on February 4.
JANUARY 25, 2021
Blake Shelton was asked in an interview what he thought of Morgan Wallen’s mullet, he said, “It’s pretty weak”. Blake says that Morgan’s so-called mullet is more of a “bob haircut” right now. He says he wants to see Morgan’s mullet grow out a bit more like Tracy Lawrence or even the way he used to have it.
Morgan Wallen’s new track “Sand in my Boots” on his new Dangerous album was almost Luke Bryan’s. Luke loved the song as soon as he heard the demo. One of the writers HARDY, who is known for his collaborations with Morgan, wanted him to record it. Neither of them knew Luke wanted the song until after Morgan had already cut it. Maybe they’ll sing the song together this summer when they go out on tour together.
Darryl Worley leads a Rewind tour of ‘90s artists with Wade Hayes and Bryan White. The tour kicked off this past weekend in Florida. The tour will go through the end of April, and it will surprisingly go through quite a few places in the US. However, sadly there are no dates in Virginia as of yet.
Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany spent 5 hours in the emergency room last week, for some bad chest pains. She was diagnosed with Pleurisy, which is easily treated with Advil and rest. Jason poked a little fun at his wife for spending so much time in the ER for something so simply treatable.
And Ingrid Andress is making her debut on The Ellen Show. She’ll perform her new song Lady Like.
JANUARY 22, 2021
Dolly Parton’s brother Randy Parton died yesterday, he lost his battle to cancer. Dolly said that, “heaven gained another star”. Randy sand with Dolly and was known for appearances in Dollywood. He released his own music in the 70s and 80s, and actually released the song “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” two years before Alabama did.
Last night during the taping of their performance on the NBC Grand Ole Opry special, Lady A was asked to join the Grand Ole Opry. The invitation was given by fellow member of the Opry Darius Rucker. This iconic and special moment for the band will be aired on the show February 14th.
Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard’s song “Undivided” is the most added song at country radio this week. Tim took to Twitter yesterday to share the news with fans.
Eric Church released the track listing of the 3 albums titled Heart and Soul he will be releasing this April. All 24 songs were written and recorded in the mountains of North Carolina over a span of 28 days. The albums will be available for pre-order on the 28th of January.
Chris Young took to Twitter yesterday to reveal that he has been spending some time in the studio with songwriter Josh Gleave. Fans are eager to see if Chris will release an album this year.
JANUARY 21, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous album reaches number one on Billboard’s Top Country Albums. His song, “Wasted on You” also reaches number on on Billboard’s country chart. Morgan is the first artist to ever have a number one album and song simultaneously.
Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley will host the Grand Ole Opry’s 95 years of music on February 14th.
Carrie Underwood announced the release date of her gospel album, March 26th.
Luke Combs announced that he will be performing at NASCAR’s Daytona 500 Pre-Race concert on February 14th. It’s his first time performing since the pandemic shut down.
JANUARY 20, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Chris Young has joined TikTok, yesterday he made his first video and reposted it through his socials. Fans and myself included are eager to see Chris make some silly videos in his everyday life.
Luke Combs receives his 10th consecutive number 1 song with his hit “Better Together” on the Billboard charts. This isn’t just a historic moment for Luke. It’s also the first time in history where every single an artist has released hits number one on the country airplay charts.
Yesterday, Dolly Parton took to Facebook to ask fans for a birthday wish. She asked for this year to be a “Call to Kindness”. Dolly wants us to work on “unearthing love”. I don’t know about you but I think we should do what Dolly says.
Eric Church announced yesterday that he will be singing the National Anthem at the 2021 Super Bowl on February 7th. He will be accompanied by contemporary R&B artist Jasmine Sullivan.
Ashley McBride will be performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. Be sure to tune in!
JANUARY 19, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Garth Brooks announced in a Zoom press conference yesterday that he will be performing for Joe Biden’s inauguration tomorrow. Garth will be performing alongside Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. He says that the decision to perform tomorrow “–is not a political statement. It is a statement of unity”.
Hunter Hayes debuted a new song on Good Morning America the other day called, “The One That Got Away”. Hunter says the song is about “moving on and freedom”. He even references another one of his songs in the lyrics. The single will be a part of his upcoming album Red Sky, which is a part two from his album Wild Blue from 2019.
Kelly Clarkson puts a positive spin on her own rendition of the Chick’s song “Sin Wagon” and took to her daytime show to share it with the world.
Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan were talking the other day in an interview and Blake told Luke that he wants to lose weight before his wedding. He said he would like the lose 20 but knowing himself he said that shooting for 10 pounds was more likely. Especially since he was telling people that is is goal. Blake even said he’s rearranged his mirrors in his house to just give him the angle of a selfie because of his weight gain.
And happy birthday to Dolly Parton. Dolly celebrate her 75th birthday today.
JANUARY 18, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
Earl Thomas Conley has been gone for almost 2 years, and Blake Shelton recently received a gift from him. Earl had a rare plaque of his greatest hits album from 1985 that went gold in 1989, that he had saved for Blake. This small memento meant so much to him, and Blake shared the kind gesture on Twitter.
Loretta Lynn revealed on Instagram this past Saturday that she got the vaccine for the Corona virus. Loretta even made a day of it with her daughter Peggy Jean and is ready to put the virus in her rearview mirror.
Kip Moore announces that he will be holding a social distancing concert at the Ryman Auditorium on February 12 to kick off his new album. The Wild World Deluxe concert will also be available for live streaming, while tickets go on sale January 19th. The concert will also benefit ACMs Lifting Lives charity.
Alan Jackson’s rendition of “The Old Rugged Cross” is the song that made Morgan Wallen want to be a musician. Morgan shares in an interview after the release of his new album, a playlist on Spotify of songs that made him who he is today.
Be sure to check out my review of Morgan’s new album on our website thunder1045.com.
ALBUM REVIEW-MORGAN WALLEN’S “DANGEROUS”
By Lindsey B
Morgan Wallen’s “Dangerous” 30 track album is filled with different themes, one clear theme is regret. Many of the tracks are based on a reflection with hurt in many of the lyrics. Wallen’s name has been through the media in a very negative light this past year. Fans can see that this album was a form of therapy for the artist. The track “Livin’ The Dream” alludes to how he really feels about his actions since he hit the mainstream of fame. Wallen brings Chris Stapleton and Rock songwriter Ben Burgess on the album.
The first 15 tracks on the album have more of a melancholy theme. The tracks “7 Summers” and “More Than My Hometown” that were released before the album are included in the first 15 tracks. It seems that these songs along with the rest of the regret themed songs, that Wallen dug deep into his feelings for this part of the album. Another track that dropped before the album is “Somebody’s Problem”, a song written about a girl that will most likely bring regret and pain, but the guy wants her anyway. The song begins with a simple guitar before crescendoing into this simple hook in the chorus that Wallen’s songs always have. This one will be stuck in your head for a long time.
“Only Thing That’s Gone” is the track with Stapleton; it’s a play on words that takes place in a bar where the lyrics are addressed towards a bartender that keeps refilling his drink. The lyrics are, “my last drink ain’t the only thing that’s gone”, this line pulls at the heartstrings of the listener. While this song is a stereotypical country song, it is written in a soulful light that Stapleton is known for in any song he has a part of.
The second part of the album has a much more positive sound, with more uptempo music and Wallen’s quick tongue. “Somethin’ Country” is a fast song with Wallen’s pride for being a good ole country boy while showing a girl a good time. The second part of the album also includes the tracks “ This Bar” and a different version of “Heartless” both tracks that were released before the album.
The title track “Dangerous” has a faster tempo and it is about the destructive behavior that the singer is well-known for. Wallen must really want his fans to know he is aware of his demons, and the women that have hurt him made him this way.
One of my favorite tracks is, “Blame it On Me” which is a fun song about the effect a country boy can have on a girl’s life. It is a classic Morgan Wallen song, with southern charm and a catchy hook that is accompanied by a modern country twang. My favorite track on the album, “Silverado For Sale” is about selling a truck to buy a ring for the girl he loves. The song reminds me of Alan Jackson’s “Wanted”, where a man professes his love for a woman through an ad in the paper.
This album contains many facets with feel-good summer songs, along with some heart clenching lyrics that really hit home in the sad songs. Wallen outdid himself with this album, and fans have a lot to unpack with each and every track.
JANUARY 15, 2021
Country News with Lindsey B!!
Blake Shelton opens up about the story behind his song “Minimum Wage” in an interview with CMT. Blake talks about some of his minimum wage jobs when he first moved to Nashville and how money was tight with making $40 a demo. Blake says that after his first record came out, money was not tight again and he feels fortunate since he started with very little when he got out on his own.
Willie Nelson gets the vaccine for the Coronavirus, and is trying to use it to encourage everyone else to do the same.
Florida Georgia line dropped the title track to their new album today, called “Life Rolls On’’. This is not the only sneak peak fans have gotten to their new album, they also released an EP of some of the new tracks. Fans who are concerned about the band breaking up will be happy to know that they plan to tour with this album in 2021.
A new bill was passed to create a monument of Dolly Parton at the Tennessee Capitol, based on her contributions to the state and the fact that everyone loves Dolly. There is also an online petition that already has 25,000 signatures to replace all Confederate statues with statues of Dolly.
Gabby Barrett gushes about her husband in an interview, about how he rubs her feet every night and has been very understanding and patient with the craziness of pregnancy. Gabby is in her third trimester and explains that it has been the hardest, but she is due at the end of the month so it won’t be much longer.
JANUARY 14, 2021
Garth Brooks has been announced as a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honors award. The 2021 class was announced yesterday. The 43rd Kennedy Center Honors ceremony has been delayed until May.
For the second year in a row, South By Southwest will take place virtually due to the Coronavirus pandemic. “Rolling Stone” reports the online film and music conference will take place in March. Texas native Willie Nelson is announced as the 2021 keynote speaker.
Brett Young has a special fitness goal he wants to reach before his 40th birthday, and he’s inviting fans to join him in the journey. On January 25, Brett is launching the “BY40 Challenge” that sees him devoting 10 weeks to a fitness program curated by celebrity trainer Don Saladino, leading up to Brett’s 40th birthday on March 23.
JANUARY 13, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B!!
The 2019 country rap crossover “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus is the most Platinum certified song in the history of the Recording Industry Association of America. The song reached 14 times platinum, which is more than any song in history.
Carrie Underwood explains in an interview that the gospel album that she will be releasing around Easter has been on her bucket list along with her Christmas album. She wants to focus on more positivity with both albums, especially considering the negativity from 2020.
Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser announced their own tour called the Country Cadillac Tour yesterday. They will be co-headlining an acoustic tour that is going to be more than just songs. There are 13 dates on the tour, and the first show is in Texas on February 5th. Tickets go on sale today on their websites.
Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley opened up in an interview he has been able to explore his creative side during his break from the band. He has been working on learning new songs on guitar and even stopped using a pick.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter at LindseyB on Thunder for more country music news!
JANUARY 12, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B
Brett Eldredge’s dog Edgar has retired, and his Instagram has been deleted. Fans of the singer’s pup can still find him on Brett’s Instagram. However, apparently the spotlight was too much for the cute Weimaraner Vizsla mix.
Luke Combs’ wife now has the Corona virus and says the virus is brutal. Luckily she is on the mend. But there is no news of Luke having it himself.
Country songwriter, Jamie O’Hara, who wrote the famous Judds song, “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Ole Days)” died at age of 70 last Thursday. His wife wrote that she was grateful that he was no longer suffering, after his battle with cancer.
Runaway June’s Jennifer Wayne got married to Austin Moody on Saturday, not even two weeks after their engagement. The wedding had a western flair, and the couple asked their guests to get tested for the Corona virus before attending with less than 20 guests.
JANUARY 11, 2021
Country Music News with Lindsey B
Country singer-songwriter Ed Bruce, who co wrote “Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be Cowboys” and had 35 Billboard hits died at Friday. Ed Bruce was 81.
Jake Owen will be making his film debut in the movie “Our Friend”, also starring Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck. It will be available in theatres and to stream on the 22nd. Owen posted a preview of the movie on his Instagram, excited to share his movie skills with his fans.
Clay Walker became a 51 year old father of his seventh child on January 5th. Chirstiaan Michael Walker was welcomed into the world in Houston Texas, this is Walker’s fifth child with his wife Jessica. Little Christiaan’s siblings and parents couldn’t be more excited, and Walker says “He will grow up a tough little cowboy Texan.” –Country Now
Morgan Wallen’s sophomore 30 track album includes a song called “865” that is about a drunken Jack Daniel’s night where the lyrics include a 10 digit number. He apologized in an interview for anyone who has this number, and that the area code reminds him of home. The number has no significance.
JANUARY 8, 2021
Here’s the latest Country Music News with Lindsey B.
Thomas Rhett leaked a little bit of a new song coming soon. Thomas dropped the tease on Instagram earlier this week for his new song “Where We grew Up.”
January 7th 1967, the late and great Charley Pride became the first black singer to perform on the Grand Ole Opry stage. During his debut, Pride had just received his first top 10 single “Just Between You and Me”.
Gwen Stefani reveals in an interview on The Tonight Show, how Blake Shelton finally popped the question. And just like the rest of their fans, even Stefani was wondering when the country crooner was going to ask. On a trip to Oklahoma that almost didn’t happen, and with their family surrounding them, Shelton asked her to open a cabinet to get something for him. In the cabinet was the ring, and then came the waterworks because no one knew.
JANUARY 7, 2021
Here’s the latest Country Music News with Lindsey B.
Many artists are putting out albums in 2021, Morgan Wallen with “Dangerous” set to release Jan 8th, Carrie Underwood will release both a studio album and a gospel album “My Savior”, Florida Georgia Line are releasing “Life Rolls On” on Feb 12th amidst their current break from the band.
Tyler Hubbard is also releasing a collaboration with Tim McGraw on Jan 13th “Undivided”.
Carly Pearce debuted “Didn’t Do” in the Listening Room in Nashville that may give fans an idea of just what happened to her marriage with Michael Ray.
Loretta Lynn’s new album set to release March 19th will feature fellow country music queens like, Reba, Carrie Underwood, and Tanya Tucker.
Country Music News happens weekday morning at 6:10 and 8:10 on Thunder 104.5