Blake Shelton dropped a fiery video for his new single, “God’s Country,” on April 12. The new tune is the first sample of music from Blake’s upcoming 12th studio album. Penned by Michael Hardy, Jordan Schmidt and Devin Dawson, “God’s Country” follows Blake’s previous Top 10 single, “Turnin’ Me On,” which was featured on his…… MORE
Grand Ole Opry to Kick Off CMA Fest Week With Performances by Carrie Underwood, Travis Tritt, Chris Janson & More
CMA Fest officially begins on June 6, but the Grand Ole Opry will be getting things kick-started on June 4 with a free afternoon party on the Opry Plaza, followed by two ticketed shows at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. that will feature Carrie Underwood, Travis Tritt, Chris Janson and more. Additional Opry performances scheduled…… MORE
Earl Thomas Conley’s 1998 Interview in “Country Weekly” Magazine: “Life Is a Spiritual Experience, Music Is the Heart of That”
Earl Thomas Conley passed away at age 77 on April 10. Earl was known for blending different musical styles with deep, intelligent lyrics into what was called “thinking-man’s country,” often bending the rules of what was considered traditional country. Earl recorded 18 No. 1 hits in the 1980s, including “Fire and Smoke,” “Somewhere Between Right…… MORE
Big & Rich Introduced as “Gender-Bending Superstars” Before Singing the National Anthem at Predators Game
Before performing the national anthem at the Nashville Predators playoff game on April 10, Big & Rich got a descriptive introduction. The Preds public address announcer described the duo as “gender-bending, multi-platinum superstars,” which was a gaffe of “genre-bending” (we think). The malapropism is compounded by the fact that John Rich has been outspoken in…… MORE
Country Stars Remember Earl Thomas Conley, Including Blake Shelton, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Young & More
After hearing the news that Earl Thomas Conley passed away on April 10, many country stars—including Blake Shelton, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Young, Toby Keith and more—shared their thoughts and remembrances of the great singer/songwriter via social media. My heart is absolutely destroyed today… I’m sad to report that Earl Thomas Conley passed away very early…… MORE
Old Dominion Celebrates “Whirlwind Weekend” With ACM Award, National TV Performance, Top 5 Hit & Songwriting No. 1
The guys from Old Dominion—Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Geoff Sprung, Brad Tursi and Whit Sellers—are having a heck of a week, to say the least. Not only did Old Dominion win the ACM Award for Group of the Year and perform their current Top 5 single, “Make It Sweet,” during the ACM Awards show on…… MORE
Earl Thomas Conley Dead at 77
Earl Thomas Conley has passed away at age 77. The news, which Blake Shelton announced via Twitter, was confirmed by Earl’s brother, Fred Conley, via the Tennessean, who said Earl died at 12:20 a.m. on April 10 after suffering from a dementia-like condition. Earl was known for blending different musical styles with deep, intelligent lyrics…… MORE
Big Machine Artist Lauren Jenkins Loses Irreplaceable Items After Backpack Theft
Big Machine artist Lauren Jenkins, who released her debut album, No Saint, on March 15, lost a number of irreplaceable items when her backpack was stolen in Nashville on April 10. According to several tweets from Lauren, the backpack contained a number of priceless items, including hard drives with songs from the past 12 years,…… MORE
CMA Fest Reveals Additional Performers for Nissan Stadium, Including Brett Young, Chris Janson, Lindsay Ell, Marty Stuart & More
The Country Music Association has revealed additional performers for its nightly shows at Nissan Stadium on June 6–9. Brett Young will take the stadium stage Saturday night (June 8), while Chris Janson will perform Sunday night (June 9). Nissan Stadium openers include Marty Stuart on Thursday (June 6), Jo Dee Messina on Friday (June 7),…… MORE
Craig Morgan Completes 11th USO Tour Spanning 5 Countries Over 7 Days
Country star Craig Morgan—who spent 10 years on active duty in the U.S. Army in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions—recently completed his 11th USO Tour, which spanned seven days and five countries, including Germany, Afghanistan, Qatar, Iraq and Italy. Craig was joined by a host of celebrities and athletes on the recent tour, including…… MORE
