Pulse – Country Music News

Kimberly Perry, former lead singer of The Band Perry, has signed to RECORDS Nashville / Columbia Records as a solo artist. Via a release, Kimberly said, "Everything came together so organically, and it felt right from the very start. I have wanted to live in Nashville since I was eight-years-old, but I only recently got to officially plant roots here. Being in this town of amazing, creative people for the past year brought me full circle to my original passions – country music and sharing meaningful stories. I am so lucky to have found such a wonderful and welcoming community here, and I feel equally lucky to have found the perfect partner in RECORDS to get my new music out to the fans."

Kimberly and her brothers, Reid and Neil, emerged on the country scene as The Band Perry in 2005 and racked up hits like "If I Die Young," "Better Dig Two," "You Lie," "All Your Life," and "Done." The trio earned a Grammy Award in the category of Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

There is no word yet on when Kimberly's solo music will be released.

Following the death of co-founder, Gary Rossington and lots of speculation from fans, Lynyrd Skynyrd has made some decisions about the future of the band.

In a press statement on Monday (4-3) they announced that the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour featuring ZZ Top will go on as scheduled. It will kick off July 21 in West Palm Beach, Florida and run through the end of September. After that, they'll tour in Brazil.

The current members of the band, led by Johnny Van Zant, the singer for the past 36 years, were unsure if they would continue following Rossington's death. After much discussion with the band, the families of Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, and Dale Rossington, the collective feel that keeping the music alive, is in the best interest of the fans and everyone involved.

Dale Rossington stated, "I recently lost my husband and partner of over 41 years. He was an amazing father, grandfather, brother and friend, but most importantly was a world class musician and songwriter."

She said, that at every chance, he expressed how timeless the music was, and "it was always his goal to keep the music alive for his brothers, because that was always their dream."

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ryman Auditorium performance in Nashville on Nov. 13, 2022, will be theaters across the U.S. in August. After that, it will air on PBS. The show was Gary Rossington's final performance with the band.

Skynyrd is scheduled to do some shows outside of the tour and the next one will be at Jubilee Days in Brandon, Mississippi on April 29.
TL;DR:

• Lynyrd Skynyrd announced that the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour featuring ZZ Top will go on as scheduled.
• It will kick off July 21 in West Palm Beach, Florida and run through the end of September.
• Skynyrd is scheduled to do some shows outside of the tour and the next one will be at Jubilee Days in Brandon, Mississippi on April 29.

Kelsea Ballerini was in the midst of performing in Wichita, Kansas on Thursday (March 30th) night on Kenny Chesney's I Go Back Tour when she paused the show to admit to the audience that her nail popped off and she had to retrieve it. In a post-show TikTok video, Kelsea explained she was playing electric guitar while performing "Yeah Boy" when a string got caught under her nail and popped it off, ruining her fresh manicure. She picked the nail up and brought it to a crew member to hold backstage so she could "glue it on later."

Kelsea explained to the crowd at the INTRUST Bank Arena, "So, I'm hosting the CMT Awards in a couple of days . . . so, I just got my nails done for the show, because there's cameras and stuff and I gotta be honest, I was just playing guitar so hard that the guitar string went under one of my nails. But I don't have time to get them done and the nail is on the stage, so I'm gonna pick it up and you're not gonna say a word about it and I'm gonna bring it right on back there so I can glue it on later."

Kelsea admitted this was not the first time this has happened, but fortunately, the nail landed on the stage this time instead of flying into the crowd.

Darius Rucker is bringing the first taste of music from his upcoming album to Country radio with "Fires Don't Start Themselves," which debuted across all platforms on Friday (March 31st). The song is the debut single from Carolyn's Boy, due out sometime this year.

Darius said, "When I first heard ‘Fires Don't Start Themselves,' the hook immediately got me. The beginning of the chorus, ‘Let's drink what's left of this…' is classic ‘90s Country. I love it!"

Darius will kick off his Starting Fires Tour on June 15th in Roanoke, VA. The 21-city tour will also feature openers Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, with rising star Drew Green as direct support on select dates. Tickets are on sale now via DariusRucker.com.

Parker McCollum has added six dates to his upcoming fall tour. He will now play in Beaumont, Lubbock and Houston, TX, as well as Allentown, PA and both Fairbanks and Anchorage, AK. The general ticket on-sale for the new shows will begin Friday (April 7th) at 10 a.m. local time.

In other Parker news, he threw out the first pitch at the Houston Astros game over the weekend.

He made his The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon debut on Thursday (March 30th) to perform his hit single, "Handle On You," which just received its RIAA Gold Certification. To date, the track is Parker's fastest growing single (both in streams and on the radio chart) surpassing 120 million global streams and is currently Top Five and climbing at Country Radio.

Vince Gill and Amy Grant will return to Nashville's Ryman Auditorium this holiday season for their "Christmas at the Ryman" residency. The 12-concert run is scheduled for December 13-14, 16-17, 19-20 and 22-23 and will once again feature matinee performances of the show. Openers for all "Christmas at the Ryman" shows will be announced at a later date. Tickets are on sale now and are only available for purchase at ryman.com.

Amy said, "'Christmas at the Ryman' has become one of our favorite holiday traditions. This is our 13th year doing these shows and it is always so special to celebrate the season with you all. We can't wait to create more holiday memories this year."

LoCash's Preston Brust and Chris Lucas earned platinum certification Recording Industry Assofor their 2015 hit "I Love This Life." The duo were presented with plaques from the RIAA before their performance at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Friday (March 31st) as part of Kane Brown's Drunk or Dreaming Tour.

Caylee Hammack has released a new song called "History Of Repeating." She co-wrote the song with Ashley McBryde and Nicolette Hayford (Pillbox Patti) and co-produced it with Dann Huff. She said, "Love is my weakness, my kryptonite even . . . This song is a very honest admission of some bad decisions that I think anyone can relate to making… those decisions sometimes we repeat, even though we know it's not what is best for us. The humanness of our habits and hearts and a swig of Jack Daniel's for flavor."

Elvie Shane has released a new song called "Forgotten Man," which he calls "the song I've been trying to write since I started all this." "Forgotten Man" is Shane's first original solo release since 2021's Backslider album.

The most sought-after recognition of the CMT Music Awards, Video of the Year, went to Kane Brown and his wife Katelyn Brown for their performance of "Thank God." Emotional and admittingly nervous, she thanked her husband and gave him a kiss. The category started out with 16 nominees and fan voting was narrowed down to three, just hours before the winner was announced. Kane also served as co-host alongside Kelsea Ballerini.

Jelly Roll was the night's big winner as he seemed to be, not only a fan favorite, but well respected among his peers. He took home Best Male Video, Digital-First Performance, and Breakthrough Male Video for "Son of a Sinner." Joined by a choir of 16 people, his performance of "Need A Favor (I Only Talk To God)" had most of the audience standing.

Lainey Wilson, who started the evening with four nominations, won Female Video for "Heart Like A Truck" and shared Best Collaboration with HARDY for "Wait in The Truck". Megan Moroney won Female Breakthrough Video for "Tennessee Orange."

Along with performances by some of country music's biggest stars, the night consisted of artists from several genres of music, including a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, a performance my Alanis Morissette, and a presentation by Megan Thee Stallion to Shania Twain for her Equal Play Award.

After being held in Music City for decades, this year's show had a new home in Austin, Texas.

WINNERS

Video Of The Year

• Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – "Thank God"

Female Video Of The Year

• Lainey Wilson – "Heart Like A Truck"

Male Video Of The Year

• Jelly Roll – "Son Of A Sinner"

Group/Duo Video Of The Year

• Zac Brown Band – "Out In The Middle"

Breakthrough Female Video Of The Year

• Megan Moroney – "Tennessee Orange"

Breakthrough Male Video Of The Year

• Jelly Roll – "Son Of A Sinner"

Collaborative Video Of The Year

• HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – "Wait In The Truck"

CMT Performance Of The Year

• Cody Johnson – "‘Til You Can't" (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)

CMT Digital-First Performance Of The Year

• Jelly Roll – "Son of A Sinner" (from CMT All Access)

CMT Audio

Shania Twain accepts Equal Play Award

• "Let me start by saying let's go, girls. Listen, when I wrote the phrase "Man, I feel like a woman," I had no idea it would become an undercurrent of a decades long career. It's amazing how just one statemet can empower so many. "Man! I feel like a woman" has been adopted by an array of fantastic communities all around the world and become a genuine path of power and progress for women. Women in country music. Which brings me so much joy. Thank you to CMT for pushing the equal play agenda and thank you for always supporting me. In fact, you know what, you may not know this. But the CMT rising star award was my very first award ever. 30 years ago. That was in 1993. CMT holds a very special place in my heart. And I promise I will continue to champion the many outstanding country artists who are not currently played. They are not streamed, tours signed or awarded at the level they deserve so I believe in an all-inclusive country music. We are a family. This is a genre of music with a rich history that raised and nurtured my own songwriting and performance and recording career from childhood. Currently the industry standard does a real disservice to this. Let us, the country music industry, do our part to close work space for all talent. This year, I'm takinmany amazing artists on my queen of knee tour robin, Priscilla, several more. My hope is that this opportunity and spotlight impresses you mu much. And lifts up the careers of these very talented people on their journey. I will continue to do my best as a trailblazer and together, let's ensure that all our fellow artists get equal play regardless of gender, age, or race. Thank you again for honoring me. Special thank you to all my fans. I am truly touched by this moment. Thank you. Cheers and applause" 3:35 OC...moment thank you Cheers and applause

Lainey Wilson accepts for Female Video of the Year

• "Whoo! My heart is about to be tried out of my chest, I'll be honest with y'all. This song is about finding freedom and strength. It's about not being afraid of the scratches and the dents on the bumps along the way we've all got a story to tell and I'm so proud of this music video. It was filmed, produced, written and directed by all women. Can I get to "Come on now let's roll." Cheers and applause" :30 OC...now let's roll Cheers and applause

Cody Johnson accepts for Performance of the Year for "Til You Can't"

• "I will say this. Tonight it's great to be in my home state of Texas. Cheers and applause Before I thank Warner music Nashville, before I think my band, my crew, this is performance of the year. My band and my crew, they have worked to their tail off for this. What I personally would like before I do the same old speech most people do is what I would like is for everybody in here all at once, are you having fun at the CMT awards? Make some noise. That's what performance is about and that's what my performance is about, your pleasure. Thank you so much. God bless you. Cheers and applause" :48 OC...god bless you Cheers and applause

Jelly Roll accepts for Male Video of the Year

• "I hope y'all give me a second here. I'm a little emotional. I started drinking. I didn't think I was going to win again. It may have looked like it was only 30 yards, but it took me 39 years to walk from over there to write here. In I want you to know that I don't know what you're going through and I don't know what you've been through but I know you can overcome it. I promise you you can. And you can be whatever you want to be. I promise you that. I told them I wanted to be a country music singer and I've seen here at the CMT awards with the male video of the year, baby! When god has got something for you, nothing can get in your way. Mama, I know you're watching. Mama, look at your baby boy. I'm fixing to get drunk do downtown. Cheers and applause" 1:10 OC...drunk do downtown Cheers and applause

Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown accept for Video of the Year

• "Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. First off, I am so nervous. This is so new to me. When we recorded the song a year ago, I never in my life would ever think that this was ever going to happen. But I just want to say thank you so much to my amazing husband. I love you. This is a special that we get to share this together every night and I love you so much. I'll be quick. I want to say thank you to the fans that voted. Thank you to Sony, my awesome manager, this is Alex. He moved here from Barcelona. He wanted to be a video director. He has done all of my music videos. He is making the American dream come true. I love you! Cheers and applause" :53 OC...I love you Cheers and applause

Cody Johnson, Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Paul Rodgers, Slash, and Warren Haynes will pay tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd and late founding member Gary Rossington during the CMT Music Awards on Sunday (April 2nd). LeAnn Rimes and Wynonna Judd will fill the role of The Honkettes, according to People.com. Rossington died on March 5th.

Rossington's wife and band member, Dale Krantz Rossington, will reportedly attend the show as well as Lynyrd Skynyrd band members Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlock.

The fan-voted CMT Music Awards will air live on CBS from the Moody Center in Austin, TX for the first time. The show starts at 8 p.m. ET. It is also available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

With a father who played Major League Baseball, Tim McGraw can't help but be a baseball fan. He's one of the millions who is thankful the MLB season is underway again, and while he's all about the game, he's also a fan of the food served at ball parks.

Tim tells us: "Oh, I gotta have a hot dog, or two or three. Yeah, I love hot dogs, especially a good chili dog, if I can find it."

Tim recently released his new single, "Standing Room Only." It's the title track of his upcoming album, due out later this year.

Tim will be performing at the NCAA Final Four Fan Fest this Sunday (April 2nd) in Houston.

Miranda Lambert and Lone River premium brewed beverages have joined forces for a multi-year partnership. Lone River was founded by fourth generation Texan Katie Beal Brown and features beverages "inspired by classic tequila cocktails."

Lambert said, "I don't do a ton of partnerships, but I was drawn to Katie's story, and found so many similarities with my own, so working with Lone River is really special for me. I'm a storyteller first and foremost, and that's exactly what Katie set out to do with this brand. Lone River was built on honoring her family's roots and sharing an authentic way of life in West Texas. I'm excited to see what kind of noise us Texas women can make together!"

Throughout the partnership, Lambert and Beal Brown will team up to empower like-minded entrepreneurial women (21+) in various cities through a series of luncheons, networking events and beyond. More details will be unveiled in the coming months.

Jimmie Allen is gearing up to release a new single called "be alright" in April. It's the third single off his Tulip Drive album which was released in June. The song is the followup to his chart-topping hit "down home," which is his career fourth Number One hit.

Jimmie announced the single on social media writing, "This is the summer of feeling free knowing no matter what life throws at you it will BE ALRIGHT!! Enjoy Summer 2023"

"be alright (15 edition)" – a special version of the song – will be released to Country radio on Monday, April 10th and be available digitally on Saturday, April 15th.

Jimmie performed "be alright" on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Wednesday (March 29th).

Morgan Wallen tossed a fan from his recent concert in Melbourne, Australia after that person threw a drink on him while he was performing. Morgan located the group of concertgoers from where the cup was thrown and said, "One of y'all own up to it or I'm gonna throw your whole f--king group out." A fan video shows the exchange after which the responsible party was escorted out of the venue.

Morgan's One Night at a Time Tour rolls on to Milwaukee where he'll do two shows on April 14th and 15th.

He sits inside the Top 20 and climbing on the country charts with "One Thing At A Time."

They say when one door closes, another one opens, and that certainly holds true for Bailey Zimmerman. He got his start in music after what most would consider an unfortunate circumstance. "It actually started (with) I got laid off. I strung pipe on the pipeline. I built gas pipelines, you know, all over America, and I've done that since I was 18 and I got laid off, and I never looked back from day one I knew I was gonna make it work somehow, someway."

And make it work, he did! Bailey tops the Billboard chart this week with his second single, "Rock And A Hard Place." It follows up his first chart-topper and debut single, "Fall In Love."

Both songs will be featured on his debut album, Religiously. The Album., due out on May 12th.

Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks are teaming up to co-host the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 11th at 8 p.m. ET, which will stream live exclusively on Prime Video from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The full rebroadcast of the ceremony and performances will stream the next day for free on Amazon Freevee.

This is the first time that Garth has ever hosted an awards show. This is Dolly's second year in a row to take on ACM Awards hosting duties.

She said, "I am thrilled to return to host the ACM Awards, this time with my friend Garth. While I've had the pleasure of spending time with him throughout the years, I can't believe we've never had the chance to work together. In addition to getting to see all this great new talent in country music, I am excited to have the chance to premiere the lead single from my upcoming rock album on the show!"

Garth added, "Anyone with Dolly Parton makes a fantastic couple."

Nominees, performers, and presenters for this year's ACM Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.

Parker McCollum has collected another RIAA plaque with the gold certification of his current hit single, "Handle On You." The track is his fastest growing single to date, surpassing 120 million global streams and currently Top Five-and-climbing at country radio.

Parker said, "Another Gold record – what an awesome thing to be able to say. I can't thank the fans enough for always showing up. Y'all keep this whole thing going and I couldn't do it without you."

He will perform the song as he makes his debut on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight (Thursday, March 30th). The track is the lead single from his upcoming album, Never Enough, due out on May 12th.

Bailey Zimmerman's current single, "Rock And A Hard Place," claims the Number One spot this week on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. According to Billboard, his three-month, three-week span between this and his first Number One hit, "Fall In Love," is "the quickest for any act's first two in nearly a quarter-century."

Parker McCollum will be making his debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday (March 30th) where he will perform his latest hit single, "Handle On You." To date, the track is Parker's fastest growing single (both in streams and on the radio chart) surpassing 119 million global streams and currently Top Five and climbing at Country Radio. "Handle On You" is the lead single from Parker's upcoming album, Never Enough, out on May 12th.

Cody Johnson and Carrie Underwood have recorded a duet for Cody's upcoming album, he revealed during an interview with CMT Hot 20 Countdown with Cody Alan. The duet was reportedly recorded earlier this week.

Cody said, "So, getting to know her, man she's such a pro and everybody that she surrounds herself with are all very professional as well. And I don't mean this to sound bad, but it's kind of hard to compete with that."

Both Cody and Carrie are set to perform separately during the 2023 CMT Music Awards, airing on CBS on Sunday, April 2nd. The show, co-hosted by Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Cody has not announced a release date for his next project.

Old Dominion are forced to reschedule this weekend's three shows in Key West, FL after lead singer Matthew Ramsey fractured his pelvis during an ATV accident. The shows have already been rescheduled for March 22, 23 and 24 of next year.

Matthew shared the news on social media yesterday (Tuesday, March 28th) writing that his pelvis was "fractured in at least three places," adding, "The good news is it's gonna heal just fine. The bad news is I'm gonna have to stay home and recover for a little while."

Ticketholders for this weekend's shows in Florida will automatically be granted admission to the rescheduled dates. Those unable to attend the rescheduled shows will be refunded at their point of purchase for the next 30 days.

The star power at Sunday's (April 2nd) CMT Music Awards continues to grow with the additions of Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, and Gwen Stefani. The fan-voted show airs live from Austin, TX on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Shania will recieve the CMT Equal Play Award which "recognizes an artist who is a visible and vocal advocate for elevating diverse and underrepresented voices in country music." Alanis will join Ingrid Andress, Lainey Wilson, Madeline Edwards and Morgan Wade, plus Austin native Jackie Venson on guitar for a performance of Alanis' hit "You Oughta Know." Gwen will team with Carly Pearce for their first live collaboration.

They join previously announced performers Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Keith Urban, co-host Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood, and co-host Kane Brown with his wife, Katelyn Brown, among others.

The finalists for this year's CMT Music Awards Video of the Year have been whittled down after fan-voting and the category has tightened to just six. The nominees are:

Blake Shelton, "No Body"
Carrie Underwood, "Hate My Heart"
Hardy featuring Lainey Wilson, "Wait in the Truck"
Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown, "Thank God"
Cody Johnson, "Human"
Morgan Wallen, "You Proof"

Fans can cast their votes online for their favorite via vote.cmt.com.

The 2023 CMT Music Awards air on Sunday, April 2nd on CBS and stream on Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The show, hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, will take place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas for the first time ever.

Country artists who are also Nashville residents turned to social media yesterday (Monday, March 27th) to express their sadness, heartbreak and anger over the latest school shooting which occurred in Music City at a private elementary school called The Covenant School. Three children under the age of nine and three school employees were gunned down by a female shooter who was killed by Nashville Metro police.

Here are some reactions posted yesterday:

Brett Young: "We are praying with our Nashville community for everyone involved in today's horrific shooting"

Carly Pearce: "Pray for Nashville. A shooting at a school has occurred. Three children dead. Praying for these babies & their families. Absolutely devastating"

Sheryl Crow: "No words… The Covenant School. Our children deserve better. Praying for all affected. Tragic America."

Randy Houser: "God Bless all the parents of children at The Covenant School. Horrific and sickening."

LeAnn Rimes: "there are no words, just rage and heartbreak for these children and their families. i can't even fathom what is this doing to the psyches of every child and parent in this country. absolute terror every time a child goes to a place that should be safe. #Nashville"

Chris Janson: "My heart is broken and prayers for all involved in todays horrible school shooting in Nashville."

Priscilla Block: "I have no words right now. My prayers are with my Nashville community and everything family affected by today's tragedy. Something HAS to change. Schools should be a safe place for our teachers and children. This world is getting scary. Hug your people a little tighter and a little longer. Gosh, my heart hearts."

As far as Justin Moore is concerned, he is successful. He's a great husband, a great father and has achieved more than most where it relates to the music business, including 11 chart-topping hits.

He tells us: "You know, success is defined differently by a lot of different people. For me right now, success is defined by being the best son of God I can be, and the best dad I can be, and the best husband I can be. If I can sing pretty good, that's pretty cool too. But as long as my kiddos look up to me and my wife's happy with me, I'm pretty happy."

Justin's new album, Stray Dog, will be released on May 5th.

His latest single, "You, Me, And Whiskey," featuring Priscilla Block, is a Top 30 hit and climbing on the country charts.

Justin will celebrate his 39th birthday on Thursday (March 30th).

For the second year in a row, UScellular is launching its "Locally Grown, Locally Live" music campaign to showcase prominent recording artists and the people and places that have shaped who they are today. This year's campaign features Scotty McCreery, along with newcomers Morgan Wade and Hailey Whitters, among others.

Scotty said, "I love how UScellular is creating an opportunity for me and other artists to stay connected with fans in communities across the country. The amazing people in my hometown of Garner, North Carolina, helped give me my start in music, and it's great to see that UScellular is working in a similar way to show how they are committed to enriching the communities they serve."

The campaign kicked off yesterday (Monday, March 27th) with the "Locally Grown, Locally Live" VIP Fan Experience Sweepstakes which runs through May 28. There will also be special appearances from all the "Locally Grown, Locally Live" artists at the UScellular Connection Stage, headlined by Scotty, at Summerfest music festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 8th.

On April 5th at 8 p.m. CT, Scotty will host an "Ask Me Anything" Instagram Live session where fans will have a chance to ask questions and interact with him.