New Music Video From Charles Kelley and Maren Morris - "Can't Be Alone Tonight"

New Music Video From Maren Morris - "Beat The Devil"

New Music Video From Maren Morris - "Dancing With Myself"

New Music Video From Maren Morris - "Humble Quest"

New Music Video From Maren Morris - "Background Music"

New Music Video From Maren Morris - "Circles Around This Town"

New Music Video From Maren Morris & Ryan Hurd - "Chasin' After You"

New Music Video From Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris - "Chasing After You"

Eric Church, Luke Combs and Maren Morris Among The 54th Annual CMA Awards Big Winners

It was a celebration of country music during The 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday night in Nashville, Tennessee. 

The Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker hosted ceremony kicked off with an emotional tribute to country great Charlie Daniels, who unexpectedly died in July of a hemorrhagic stroke. Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne and Ashley McBryde delivered a show-stopping medley of Daniels’ songs including “Trudy,” “Texas,” “Long Haired Country Boy” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” 

This year’s CMA Awards presented a mix of in-person and pre-recorded performances in front of a social-distanced audience filled with the biggest names in country music. 

Not only did the night feature performances from country heavyweights like Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, and Eric Church, pop artists took the stage as well. Charlie Puth joined Gabby Barrett to perform “I Hope” and Justin Bieber joined Dan + Shay to deliver vocals from their collaboration “10,000 Hours.”

Hosts McEntire and Rucker also took the stage to honor the late Mac Davis who died in September 2020 following heart surgery. Together, the duo debuted their take on Davis’ timeless piece “In The Ghetto,” which he famously penned for Elvis Presley. Country singer and songwriter Joe Diffie, who died this year of COVID-19 complications, was also honored with a performance of his song “Pickup Man” sung by Jon Pardi. 

Other notable performances included an homage to the 1980’s Western film Urban Cowboy from Old Dominion. The group performed “Looking For Love” from the movie’s soundtrack, which Rucker credited with changing the world by suddenly having “everybody, everywhere wearing cowboy hats and learning to line dance.”

When it came to awards, Maren Morris started off on fire, snagging the first two awards back-to-back for Single of the Year and Song of the Year for her record “The Bones,” which she later performed. She also won Female Vocalist of the Year and, during her acceptance speech, she shouted out the “amazing Black women” in country music, including Linda Martell, Yola, Mickey Guyton, Rissi Palmer, Brittney Spencer and Rhiannon Giddens.

“There are so many amazing Black women that pioneered and continue to pioneer this genre,” she said. “You have made this genre so, so beautiful. I hope you know that we see you. Thank you for making me so inspired as a singer in this genre.”

Luke Combs followed closely behind Morris, taking home two CMA Awards for Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. 

Charley Pride was presented with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award by Jimmie Allen, who first serenaded the crowd with a snippet of his song “Best Shot” and attributed a lot of his success to the country music hall of famer.

The last award of the night was the highly coveted Entertainer of the Year Award, which Eric Church took home — much to his own surprise. 

“I didn’t think I was going to win this,” he said before exiting the stage. “Thank you guys very much.”
He also touched on the current state of the world and shared his belief that music will bring “us out of this.”

“That is the one thing that is gonna save the entire world,” the singer declared.

Entertainer of the Year

Eric Church 

Male Vocalist of the Year

Luke Combs 

Female Vocalist of the Year

Maren Morris 

Album of the Year

“What You See Is What You Get” Luke Combs — winner

Single of the Year

“The Bones” Maren Morris

Song of the Year

“The Bones” Maren Morris (written by Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz) — winner

Vocal Group of the Year

Old Dominion 

Vocal Duo of the Year

Dan + Shay 

New Artist of the Year

Morgan Wallen

Musical Event of the Year

“I Hope You’re Happy Now” Carly Pearce and Lee Brice 

Music Video of the Year

“Bluebird” Miranda Lambert 

New Music Video From Maren Morris - "Better Than We Found It"

Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood & Thomas Rhett Among Big Winners In 55th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards

Winners have been announced for the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards, live from Nashville. 15-time ACM Award-winning artist Keith Urban hosted the show featuring three iconic Nashville venues including Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe. For the first time in ACM Awards history, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood tied for the Academy’s highest honor Entertainer of the Year Award – the first ever tie in that category. This is Rhett’s first win in the Entertainer of the Year category, and Underwood’s third win, making her the most awarded female in the ACM Entertainer of the Year category.

Old Dominion won Group of the Year Award for the third consecutive year and won their first Song of the Year Award for “One Man Band” with Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi each receiving an additional win as songwriters. This marks two overall wins as a group, with Ramsey, Rosen and Tursi leading the night with three individual wins, each.  Miranda Lambert continues her reign as most-awarded artist in ACM Awards history with 35 wins, after taking home this year’s trophy in Music Event of the Year category for “Fooled Around And Fell In Love.” Dan + Shay won Duo of the Year marking their second win in a row in the category.

The evening continued with more first-time wins including Luke Combs earning his first Male Artist of the Year Award and his first-ever win for Album of the Year for What You See Is What You Get. Maren Morris won her first Female Artist of the Year Award and her first Music Event of the Year for “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” alongside Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack & Elle King. Blake Shelton won Single of the Year Award for “God’s Country” making this his first-ever win in the category.

Previously announced, Riley Green won New Male Artist of the Year and Tenille Townes won New Female Artist of the Year. Townes also won her first Music Event of the Year Award and both performed on the telecast and are featured on the newly released “On The Road Again (ACM Lifting Lives® Edition)” single, Willie Nelson’s timeless hit, featuring the ACM New Artist Nominees Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, Jordan Davis, Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell, Caylee Hammack, Cody Johnson, and Morgan Wallen, joined by Nelson. Produced by Ross Copperman and Jimmy Robbins. Proceeds from the single will benefit ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund to be disbursed to individuals in the Country Music community who are currently in need of pandemic relief assistance.

This year’s 55th ACM Awards featured an all-star lineup of collaborations and memorable performances featuring 24 performances, including 41 hit songs. The awards telecast kicked off with Entertainer of the Year nominees performing a medley of each of their greatest hits. Luke Bryan performed “Rain Is A Good Thing,” Eric Church performed “Drink In My Hand,” Luke Combs performed “When It Rains It Pours,” Thomas Rhett performed “It Goes Like This” and Carrie Underwood performed “Before He Cheats.”

Global superstar and two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year, Taylor Swift, returned to the ACM Awards stage for the first time in seven years with a world premiere performance of “betty” off her record-breaking new album Folklore.  55th ACM Awards host Keith Urban performed the world television premiere of his new single, “One Too Many” with international pop icon P!NK, from  Urban’s new album out Friday, Speed of Now. Mickey Guyton made her solo ACM Award performance debut with “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” featuring surprise guest Urban on piano. Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Stefani performed their latest single “Happy Anywhere.” Eric Church opened his performance with “Ragged Old Flag” a poem read by Johnny Cash which led into his single “Stick That In Your Country Song.”

In celebration of the 95th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, newly crowned three-time ACM Entertainer of the Year winner, Carrie Underwood, honored trailblazing female Opry members by performing a medley of songs including Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man),” Barbara Mandrell’s “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” Martina McBride’s “A Broken Wing,” Reba McEntire’s “The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia,” and Dolly Parton’s “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That.”

Additional performances included first-time ACM Awards performer Jimmie Allen (“Make Me Want To”), Kelsea Ballerini (“hole in the bottle”), Gabby Barrett (“I Hope”), Kane Brown (“Worldwide Beautiful”), Luke Bryan (“One Margarita”), Luke Combs (“Better Together”), Dan + Shay (“I Should Probably Go To Bed”),  Florida Georgia Line (“I Love My Country”), Riley Green (“I Wish Grandpas Never Died”), Miranda Lambert (“Bluebird”) featuring Songwriters Natalie Hemby & Luke Dick, Tim McGraw (“I Called Mama”), Maren Morris (“To Hell & Back”), Old Dominion (Medley of “One Man Band,” “Written in the Sand,” “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart,” “Break Up With Him,” “Snapback,” “Song For Another Time,” “Hotel Key” & “Make It Sweet”), Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi (“Beer Can’t Fix”), Tenille Townes (“Somebody’s Daughter”), and Morgan Wallen (“Whiskey Glasses”). Presenters included Lauren Alaina, Lily Aldridge, Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black, ACM National Radio Personality of the Year Winner Bobby Bones, Cam, Darius Rucker, Runaway June and CeCe Winans. Rucker also gave a sneak peek of the National Museum of African American Music, scheduled to open this Fall in Downtown Nashville.

For the first time in the show’s history, the 55th ACM Awards took place in Nashville, broadcasting from three iconic Country Music venues: Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe. Artists who performed from the Ryman include Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Riley Green, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi, and Tenille Townes. Performances from the Grand Ole Opry House included Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Mickey Guyton, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Morgan Wallen. Artists at The Bluebird Cafe included Jimmie Allen, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert featuring songwriters Natalie Hemby and Luke Dick, and Tim McGraw. Fans also enjoyed a virtual collaboration by Keith Urban and P!NK as well as a virtual Bluebird Cafe performance with Blake Shelton featuring Gwen Stefani. Multi-ACM Award winning artist Trisha Yearwood delivered a special performance from the Opry House of “I’ll Carry You Home” from her critically acclaimed album Every Girl for the In Memoriam, paying tribute to those we have lost in the Country Music industry.

Following is the list of winners in the 13 categories voted on by Academy members:

MAIN AWARDS:

Entertainer of the Year:
Thomas Rhett
Carrie Underwood

Female Artist of the year
Maren Morris

Male Artist of the year
Luke Combs

Duo of the year
Dan + Shay
 
Group of the Year
Old Dominion

New Female Artist of the Year
Tenille Townes

New Male Artist of the Year
Riley Green

Album of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs

Producer: Scott Moffatt
Record Label: River House Artists/Columbia Nashville

Single of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
God’s Country – Blake Shelton
Producer: Scott Hendricks
Record Label: Warner Bros. (Nashville)
 
Song of the Year [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
One Man Band – Old Dominion
Songwriter(s): Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Brad Tursi
 
Video of the Year [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award)
Remember You Young – Thomas Rhett
Director: TK McKamy
Producer: Dan Atchison

Songwriter of the Year *(Off Camera Award)
Hillary Lindsey

Music Event of the Year [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)] *(Off Camera Award)
Fooled Around And Fell In Love – Miranda Lambert Featuring Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack & Elle King
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Vanner Records/RCA Records Nashville

TNS Video History - Maren Morris & Alicia Keys - "Angel From Montgomery" (CMT Crossroads)

New Music Video From Alicia Keys and Maren Morris - "No One" (CMT Crossroads)

53rd Annual CMA Awards Celebrates The Women In Country Music - Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde Among Big Winners

The 53rd Annual CMA Awards proved to be an historic night for women in Country Music. Anchored by host Carrie Underwood and special guest hosts Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, the evening began with a once in a lifetime collaboration led by Underwood, featuring McEntire and Parton as well Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, The Highwomen’s Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Morris and Amanda Shires, Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman along with Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles, Tanya Tucker and Gretchen Wilson. The sold-out crowd roared their appreciation as the women performed a decades-spanning medley of iconic songs that have become part of the very fabric of Country Music.

Luke Combs and Kacey Musgraves were the nights big winners, each receiving two wins. Last year’s CMA New Artist of the Year winner Combs took home the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year as well as CMA Song of the Year for “Beautiful Crazy,” alongside songwriters Wyatt B. Durrette III and Robert Williford. Musgraves won two trophies—CMA Female Vocalist of the Year as well as CMA Music Video of the Year for “Rainbow,” alongside director Hannah Lux Davis.

Garth Brooks took home the coveted CMA Entertainer of the Year, extending his reign as the most-awarded CMA Entertainer of the Year with seven career wins. CMA New Artist of the Year was awarded to Ashley McBryde, winning for her first ever CMA Awards nomination.

Maren Morris took home her first CMA Album of the Year win for GIRL, alongside producers Greg Kurstin and longtime collaborator busbee, who passed away in September. In her speech, she shared that she’d be remiss “if I didn’t mention a huge facet of why this album sounds the way it does and we miss him so dearly. He texted me the morning we got the nomination for Album of the Year this year and we were so excited and that’s our friend busbee.”

CMA Single of the Year was awarded to Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country,” alongside producer Scott Hendricks and mix engineer Justin Niebank.

Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus won CMA Musical Event of the Year for their record-breaking hit “Old Town Road (Remix),” along with producers YoungKio, Michael Trent Reznor and Atticus Matthew Ross, all first-time CMA Awards nominees alongside Lil Nas X.

Old Dominion extended their reign as CMA Vocal Group of the Year, while Dan + Shay were awarded their first ever CMA Awards win for CMA Vocal Duo of the Year.

Fiddle player Jenee Fleenor made CMA Awards history, marking the first time a woman received a nomination as well as a win in the CMA Musician of the Year category.

In a year that saw unprecedented exposure to Country Music through Ken Burns’ PBS documentary, “Country Music,” the release of groundbreaking new music and the relentless efforts of Country artists touring the world, this year’s CMA Awards celebrated both the genre’s legends and fresh new faces. Willie Nelson teamed with fellow Texan Musgraves to perform “The Rainbow Connection,” a song Musgraves performed as a child. She even shared a video of an early performance days before the ceremony.

Among the evening’s many highlights was a special tribute to the legendary Kris Kristofferson, the recipient of the 2019 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Dierks Bentley, Sheryl Crow, Chris Janson, Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne and Joe Walsh teamed for a stellar performance of Kristofferson’s classic “Me and Bobby McGee.” Bentley and crew brought the classic lyrics to life yet again through their distinctive vocals and Janson wailed on harmonica.

The CMA Awards have long been known for unique pairings of pop, rock or rap artists with Country Music stalwarts, always resulting in visually explosive moments on stage. This year was no exception. Halsey and Lady Antebellum demonstrated that great songs know no boundaries as they delivered a mashup of Halsey’s “Graveyard” with Lady Antebellum’s “What If I Never Get Over You,” with Hillary Scott and Halsey trading lines at the end in a potent crescendo. P!NK and Chris Stapleton teamed for an electrifying performance of “Love Me Anyway,” which held the audience spellbound as their burlap and silk vocals intertwined resulting in one of the evening’s most affecting performances.

The CMA Awards’ three leading ladies thrilled the crowd with some of the evening’s most memorable moments. Parton joined forces with award-winning Christian music duo for KING & COUNTRY to render an evocative performance of their hit “God Only Knows” and then sang “There Was Jesus” with Christian hitmaker Zach Williams. Her segment ended on a blockbuster note as Nashville’s Christ Church Choir joined the Country legend for a rousing rendition of “Faith.” McEntire belted out fan favorite “Fancy” with all the explosive sass and style long associated with her iconic hit. Underwood took a break from hosting duties to wow the crowd with a sultry performance of her latest single “Drinking Alone,” from her hit album Cry Pretty.

Girl power was evident throughout the night with the ladies of Country Music delivering some of the most talked about performances of the evening. Seated in the midst of the sold-out audience, Kelsea Ballerini delivered a poignant performance of her rising hit “homecoming queen?” and then segued into Little Big Town’s CMA Award-winning hit “Girl Crush” as the mainstage became filled with a who’s who of Country Music’s most exciting young female artists, including Lindsey Ell, Maddie & Tae, McBryde, Carly Pearce and Runaway June. Little Big Town’s Fairchild, Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook took the stage to finish up their groundbreaking hit. After the performance, she introduced every young artist on stage by name and then said, “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re looking at the future of Country Music.”

Although it was a night that celebrated the talented women in Country Music, the genre’s top male vocalists took their turn center stage for some of the evening’s most magical moments. Thomas Rhett delivered a soulful performance of “Remember You Young” from his latest album Center Point Road. As the set glowed with a backdrop of flames, Blake Shelton roared through an incendiary performance of his chart-topping celebration of rural life “God’s Country.” Armed with just a guitar, Keith Urban turned in a riveting performance of “We Were” and in another understated but effective moment, Eric Church shared “Some of It.”

High octane honky tonk fun was also on the evening’s musical agenda. Newly minted Country Music Hall of Famers Brooks & Dunn were joined by Brothers Osborne for a rousing performance of the Brooks & Dunn classic “Hard Workin’ Man.” Combs served up a charismatic rendition of his upbeat hit “Beer Never Broke My Heart.” As the telecast hit the home stretch, Brooks and Shelton had the crowd singing along to their infectious duet “Dive Bar.”

New Music Video - “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” by Miranda Lambert featuring Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack

New Music Video From Maren Morris - "The Bones"

That Nashville Sound Saturday Newsbytes - Lots of New Album Announcements & New Music Videos

Plenty of new album announcements came out yesterday as well as a few new music videos to share- all the news that's fit to print is below:

- Marc Broussard released a new music video for "Lonely Night in Georgia" featuring the Elijah Gospel Choir.
- The Highwomen released a new music video for "Redesigning Women."
- Gwen Sebastian released a new music video for "Rock Stars."
- Midland released a new music video for "Put The Hurt On Me."
- The Mavericks released a new music video for "Come Unto Me."

- The before-mentioned The Highwomen—a new collaborative movement formed by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires—officially launches today with the release of the group’s debut single, “Redesigning Women.” The single is the first unveiled from collective’s highly anticipated self-titled debut album, produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb, which will be released September 6 on Low Country Sound/Elektra Records.

“Anyone can be a Highwoman,” Carlile notes. “It’s about banding together, abandoning as much ego as humanly possible, holding one another up and amplifying other women every chance we get. Shoulder to shoulder. One push, one love.”

The Highwomen track listing:
1. Highwomen (written by Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires, Jimmy Webb)
2. Redesigning Women (written by Natalie Hemby, Rodney Clawson)
3. Loose Change (written by Maren Morris, Maggie Chapman, Daniel Layus)
4. Crowded Table (written by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Lori McKenna)
5. My Name Can’t Be Mama (written by Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires)
6. If She Ever Leaves Me (written by Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Chris Thompkins)
7. Old Soul (written by Maren Morris, Luke Dick, Laura Veltz)
8. Don’t Call Me (written by Amanda Shires, Peter Levin)
9. My Only Child (written by Natalie Hemby, Amanda Shires, Miranda Lambert)
10. Heaven Is A Honky Tonk (written by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Ray LaMontagne)
11. Cocktail And A Song (written by Amanda Shires)
12. Wheels Of Laredo (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth, Phil Hanseroth)

- Corb Lund has announced he's coming back into our lives with a new covers project, taking on tracks by the likes of AC/DC, Bob Dylan and Billy Joel. The EP release is called Cover Your Tracks, and it will arrive on September 13 via New West Records.

The record is made up of eight songs. In addition to taking on tracks by those aforementioned artists, Lund also covers works by Nancy Sinatra, Marty Robbins, the Eagles, and Willie Nelson & Ray Charles.

Says Lund on the project, "Earlier this year I recorded a bunch of cover songs by some of my favoritee artists and writers from various periods in my life, mostly for fun and to get them out of my system. Many of the songs we've been playing live for years. Being re-inspired by this stuff and getting back in the studio to cut it was a great warm up for making another record of my own songs, which I'm working hard on writing as we speak. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy listening to these old favorites as much as we enjoyed recording them."

- Grammy award -inning country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member Crystal Gayle announced the upcoming release of her first new album in nearly 16 years, You Don’t Know Me. Available everywhere September 6, with a pre-sale beginning August 9, the new album is being released by Southpaw Musical Productions, and distributed by BFD in partnership with The Orchard. Co-produced, recorded and mixed by Crystal's son Christos Gatzimos, You Don’t Know Me is a collection that finds the acclaimed stylist exploring the songs of such country legends as George Jones, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens and Eddy Arnold. The album might come as a surprise to those who associate Crystal with an uptown sound that made her a star on both country and adult-contemporary pop charts. But she has known this repertoire of hardcore country standards all her life.

“This wasn’t a stretch at all,” says Crystal. “This project is a labor of love that my son, Christos, and I produced together. It is filled with country classics that I grew up singing. They are very much a part of my history and I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. I feel very lucky to have known and worked with many of the artists who had the original hits.”

New Music Video From Miranda Lambert - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (featuring Maren Morris, Lauren Alaina, Cassadee Pope, Lindsay Ell & Pistol Annies)

See Miranda Lambert perform "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" live at Lakeshake Festival in Chicago with Maren Morris, Lauren Alaina, Cassadee Pope, Lindsay Ell and Pistol Annies.

That Nashville Sound Saturday Newsbytes: Drew Kennedy, Josh Grider, Kate Bowen, Tracy Lawrence, New EPs, New Music Videos & More

Welcome to That Nashville Sound this fine Saturday morning. I'd like to take a quick moment and just thank all of our readers for their continued support through coming to this site for the last 12 years. We're thankful and the opportunity to share in music that moves us is genuinely appreciated. There's lots to share this morning, so without further ado...

- Songwriter Kate Bowen (former Ella Mae Bowen) has traded her former Big Machine Records gig for a brand new music route and has a brand new EP that just came out this week. An accomplished songwriter, her song "I'll Go On" was included on Reba McEntire's chart-topping LP Love Somebody. Now, Bowen has found a new start as a writer and artist, penning a deal with Jay Joyce's Neon Cross Music and Warner Chappell Music. The project is called Waking Up From the American Dream and you can find all the details HERE.

New music videos:

- Aaron Watson - "Old Friend"
- Aaron Watson - "Riding with Red"
- Billy Ray Cyrus - "I've Been Around"
- Billy Ray Cyrus - "Guns, Gold & Guitars"
- Todd Snider - "Like a Force of Nature"
- Jimmie Allen - "Make Me Want To"
- Clare Bowen - "Let it Rain"

- Texan singer-songwriters and best friends Josh Grider and Drew Kennedy have unveiled both the album cover and the release date of their 6/14 album release together, Live at Main Street Crossing. Main Street Crossing, a great little non-profit venue that doubles up as a music hall and a Sunday-morning church, announced that they will be producing their first ever live record. This project will be a follow-up to the critically-acclaimed 2017 release At Home In The Big Lonesome by Kennedy and the terrific release last year by Josh Grider, Good People.

- CMA and ACM-award winner Luke Combs will release his highly anticipated new EP, The Prequel, June 7 via River House Artists/Columbia Nashville. Produced by Scott Moffatt, the EP features five new songs co-written by Combs including lead single, “Beer Never Broke My Heart, which recently premiered worldwide at country radio. The song is currently #2 on Billboard’s Country Streaming Songs chart with 11 million streams—setting the record for the best first week of streaming ever for a country song—and #1 on the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart.

- Maren Morris is also releasing a new EP, this one landing on May 31 called Maren Morris: Reimagined. It features reworked acoustic renditions of three of her biggest hits with influential Nashville producer Dave Cobb. Morris says on the project, "I think the mark of a good song is you can rearrange it up and it still is a very defining song. Dave you know, his production is so--rootsy and very soulful and Americana and he just understands that sound so intensely. I love the way it turned out."

- Tracy Lawrence will also be back with new music this summer, releasing Made in America on August 15, 2019. “I am extremely proud of my new album Made in America. It is possibly the most personal album I have ever released,” states Lawrence. “I co-wrote 8 out of the 12 songs, pouring my heart and soul in each of the songs. I feel it will resonate with my fans and country music lovers across this nation,” elaborates Lawrence. According to the press release,  "The album harkens back to authentic country music. Lawrence’s mixture of rock and blues, and by penning 8 of the 12 tracks himself, this album is one of his most personal and relatable to date." It should be noted that track number 8 is a song titled "Givin' Momma Reason's To Pray" written by none other than Chris Stapleton.

- Songwriter Glenn Martin passed away this month. Martin wrote top hits for such Country Music Hall of Fame members as Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Bill Anderson and George Jones. Among his best-known songs are Pride’s “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” (1970), Haggard’s “It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)” (1972) and Tammy Wynette’s “I Still Believe in Fairy Tales” (1975).

- The last recordings of Troy Gentry will be making it onto a new Montgomery Gentry EP being released on June 14 called Outskirts. The project was recorded in September of 2017 and marks a return to the duo’s signature southern rock sound. Among the tracks on the new album are the title track, which touts the virtues of small town living and common core values, Montgomery’s version of Merle Haggard’s “What Am I Going To Do With The Rest Of My Life,” and Gentry’s take on the Darrell Scott classic “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” Writers contributing to the new project include Ashley Gorley, Darrell Scott, Dallas Davidson, Rodney Clawson, and more.

- Josh Abbott Band will release a new EP Catching Fire on June 28. The band released the first song from the EP, “Little More Of You.”  Produced by Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Frankie Ballard, Aaron Watson), the Catching Fire EP features "four songs of positivity, built on solid country textures and unified by Abbott’s congenial-but-experienced voice. The EP brings a sense of similarity back to JAB’s own foundation. It’s a return to the band’s sonic past, a revival of its bar-bred optimism and fiery individualism. And it’s a reflection of the group’s off-stage cycles as old chapters are closed and a renewed, upbeat storyline comes to life. Catching Fire captures a sense of personal renewal."

“We have a whole new refocused attitude on what we're gonna do now moving forward,” Abbott says. “Catching Fire is a reflection of what's happened over the last year and a half of my life.”

New Live Performance Music Video - Dolly Parton's Grammy Awards Tribute

During Sunday night’s Grammy awards, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris and Little Big Town all took the stage to honor the one and only country superstar Dolly Parton in a tribute performance to the eight-time Grammy winner.

Musgraves and Perry kicked off the tribute with Parton’s hit “Here You Come Again.” Moments into the song, Parton herself took the stage to join Musgraves and Perry, standing out between the two scarlet-clad singers in her sheer, spangled white dress. Next up, Cyrus performed her well-known cover of Parton’s smash “Jolene.”  Morris appeared next onstage, joining Cyrus and Parton to sing “After the Gold Rush.” Parton then performed “Red Shoes Girl” with Little Big Town, a new song from the motion picture soundtrack to Netflix’s Dumplin‘, which tells the story of a small-town girl who turns to Parton’s music for inspiration. Parton was then joined again by Perry, Cyrus, Musgraves, Morris and Little Big Town as they performed her hit “9 to 5.”