Pulse – Country Music News

American Idol contestant CJ Harris has died. The singer made his mark on country music when he sang with Darius Rucker at the Grand Ole Opry. He had performed his music hero’s hit song, “Alright” during his television appearance.

Darius posted on Monday afternoon (1-16): “My heart goes out to CJ and his family. Sad Day.”

Following one of his performances, judge Keith Urban told him "You sing because you have to sing, not because you want to sing. That's why it's so believable and real... I just believed it and I felt it." CJ finished sixth place in Season 13 in 2014.

A family member told TMZ that CJ suffered an apparent heart attack Sunday night in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama. He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance where he passed away. He was 31.

Dierks Bentley recently announced that his 10th studio album, Gravel & Gold would be out on February 24. He’s written and recorded 2 others in the last 4 years that he didn’t release, because in his words, “I didn’t feel they were good enough and had to start over.” Dierks tells us, that wasn’t the case with his song..."Same 'Ol Me"... [“I wrote this song with Jon Randall and Luke Dick, and it’s kind of about no matter how much you change and life changes you, at the end of the day, I’m still just the same ol’ me playing the same ol’ guitar, singing the same ol’ country music.”] SOUNDCUE :13 (OC: same ol country music)

Elle King’s musical background includes Grammy nominations in rock and roll categories. She won her first Grammy after her move into country music. She tells us, she’s still getting used to the change of music genres: [“Hearing my music on Country Radio is pretty wild. I mean- you know Different For Girls was incredible, and Dierks brought me into this world. But it’s different when it’s a song that you wrote. So hearing Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home) on the radio and you know hopefully if I should be so lucky to have any of these other songs you know on the radio and I know Worth A Shot is playing it. It just feels so good. And it just fills me up and I just feel very proud. I want to make my son and my family proud. And I want to do right by the fans who have given me a chance. I just want to say thank you so much to Country Radio for continuing to give me a chance and letting me stay in this incredible world that I don’t every really want to get out of. And I just want to say thank you so much."] SOUNDCUE :50  (OC: thank you so much)

Florida Georgia Line's Brian Kelley delivers morning coffee to his wife Brittney wearing nothing but a small thin dish towel.

Calling him, "the naked barista" she told the story on MTV's Cribs, a show that gets inside of stars' homes and reveals their personal lives.

She told the camera as she pointed to a tea towel: "He likes to put this little towel around him and make me coffee in the morning."

Married since 2013, they each shared embarrassing details of the other while showing off their lavish Nashville home.

After teasing new music for a while now, Chris Young dropped two new songs over the weekend. One is his single called "Loving For You." The other is one big tug at the heartstrings called "All Dogs Go To Heaven." We talked to Chris about co-writing the song, and he told use this: "So everybody knows, at least I hope you know that I have a German shepherd named Porter. He's named after Porter Wagner. And I got brought this idea from one of my buddies. He goes, What if we wrote a song called All Dogs Go To Heaven? Basically, from the point of we know we don't get them forever, but hopefully they'll be waiting on us when we get up there waiting at the gates. And I was like, That's awesome. So we sat down wrote this song in I think like less than an hour, and it's been one of those that I've played it places. I played it in an arena the other night acoustic, and people were already singing it back and no one's even heard this yet. So hopefully by the time you're seeing what I'm saying right now, you guys have heard it. If not, go check out All Dogs Go To Heaven." : 49 (OC: go to heaven)

People.com reported over the weekend that Kelsea Ballerini seems to have sparked romance with actor Chase Stokes. The Outer Banks star shared a pic on his Instagram sitting with her at College Football National Championship in Inglewood, California. Several other photos followed of them at the game together. One showed Kelsea resting her head on his shoulder.

While appearing as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, Maren Morris apologized on behalf of country music for the sometimes homophobic attitudes. She told the drag queen contestants on MTV, "Coming from country music and its relationship with LGBTQ+ members, I just want to say I'm sorry. She went on to say, "I love you guys for making me feel like a brave voice in country music." Morris has frequently used her platform to call out anti-LGBTQ behavior.

Chase Rice is making the rounds on national television. Last week he made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and this Thursday, he'll guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show. He's promoting his upcoming album, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell, which comes out February 10.

Priscilla Block has released a new self-penned song and lyric video called "Me Pt. 2." About writing it, she said, "This is hands down one of the most honest songs I've ever written. It was 2 o'clock in the morning - just me, my guitar and a piece of paper." Look for it to be on the Deluxe Edition of her debut album, Welcome to the Block Parry, out February 10.

Dustin Lynch is set to release a new single, "Stars Like Confetti" on January 30, but has already dropped the video.

The clip captures the live stage aspect of Dustin's career. About that he said via a press release: "We really wanted to capture one of my favorite things about Country music and that's getting to play at live shows, festivals, and fairs."

Kenny Chesney and Blue Chair Bay have announced the return of Mocha Rum Cream. The drink features a blend of slow-brewed coffee mingled with a rich chocolate flavor.

Kenny said in press release, "Nothing allows a nice meal with friends to linger a little longer than a nice cup of coffee or an after dinner cocktail."

He says the rum has been so popular that will no longer be a limited flavor and from now on, will be available year round. However, an ice-cream bearing the name will only be available around Valentine's Day.

Elvie Shane has released a version of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." He recorded if for the tribute collection called Stoned Cold Country. The full album will be released later this year for the iconic band's 60^th anniversary celebration.

Some of the other artists on the record include Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, Little Big Town, and Lainey Wilson.

Dierks Bentley made a big announcement on social media yesterday (Thursday, January 12th), revealing that his career 10th studio album, Gravel & Gold, will be released on February 24th. It is expected to include his current Top 20 hit, “Gold.”

Dierks recently told us about this upcoming project and all the work that has gone into it. [“It is the 10th album. I went into the studio three different times, worked with a lot of different producers and finally just ended up putting together my own team. I mean, I’m just thankful. I feel like for me for COVID, it was like a red light. For all of us, we were all just stuck there and I kinda got out of my car and just left it in park for a little bit, and I was able to come back and do it in late ’21 and ’22 and really be focused on finishing the record and getting it done the right way. And I don’t know. Hopefully everyone loves it.”] SOUNDCUE (:27 OC: . . . everyone loves it.)

Dierks' last full-length studio album was 2018's The Mountain.

Kelsea Ballerini will head off on the second leg of her headlining Heartfirst Tour beginning on March 6th in Toronto. The nine-date North American run will conclude on March 18th in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kelsea shared the dates on social media with the caption, "Let's do this again." She will be joined by Georgia Webster.

Kelsea originally launched the Heartfirst Tour last fall in conjunction with the release of her latest album, Subject to Change, in September.  

This year's tour dates also include four shows in the UK next month as well as a few shows on The Judds Final Tour run.  

Keith Urban was among those mourning the death of guitar great Jeff Beck earlier this week. He turned to social media to post a throwback picture with Jeff and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons writing, "I was shocked and saddened to hear that Jeff Beck had ‘portaled into the next realm.’ It’s impossible to label or frame his gift, his music, his ART, or to try and quantify his impact on not only guitarists, but all kinds of musicians, singers, and music lovers all over the world."

Keith continued, "He’s absolutely one of the few faces on the Mt. Rushmore of guitar players, and I am SO grateful to my friend Scott Bradoka for inviting me to come see Jeff play last September. We stood side stage with Billy Gibbons watching Jeff cast the spell that only he could - with nothing more than a Strat, some pedals, a couple of amps, and his ‘otherworldly talent.’"

He concluded the post by writing, "God bless you Jeff. Thank you for your light. RIP brother."

Jeff died on Tuesday (January 10th) "after suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis," according to a statement from his family. He was 78.

Chris Lane turned to social media Wednesday (January 11th) to ask for prayers for his infant son, Baker. He posted a picture of the outside of the emergency Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville to his Instagram stories with the caption, "Need some prayers for Baker to feel better!"

Yesterday (Thursday, January 12th), Chris updated fans via Instagram stories saying that while Baker was home and feeling somewhat better, he wasn't "out of the woods" yet. People.com reports the baby was suffering from RSV.

Chris and his wife, Lauren Bushnell, also share 19-month-old son Dutton, who was also reportedly diagnosed with RSV. Baker was born in October.

Kassi Ashton will make her debut at the Grand Ole Opry on March 15th. She said, “I can’t begin to tell you what this means to me. I grew up on voices and songs that are long past gone, but still echo in that room. I told myself at a young age that if I made it to the Opry stage, I’d sing those songs again. I am honored to get the chance.”

Eric Church will celebrate this summer with his headlining The Outsiders Revival Tour of outdoor venues, set to kick off on June 22nd in Milwaukee. He will be joined on select dates by openers Whiskey Myers, Cody Jinks, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde, Koe Wetzel, Lainey Wilson, Midland, Parker McCollum, Travis Tritt, Elle King and Paul Cauthen, along with newcomers Jackson Dean, Morgan Wade, Muscadine Bloodline, Shane Smith & The Saints, Hailey Whitters, Ray Wylie Hubbard and The Red Clay Strays.

Eric said, "When I approach touring, I'm always inspired by a new experience, a new way to gather, to express ourselves sonically and visually. Whether it's solo, in the round, double down; being able to bring a different perspective has always brought out our best creatively. Well, we have never done an outdoor summer tour. Never headlined amphitheaters. Never brought a summer experience to your town that featured artists we want to share the summer with. Until now. See you in the season of sunshine with some fellow outsiders that shine brightest when the sun goes down."

The Outsiders Revival Tour will play in 26 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Tickets to all dates go on sale next Friday (January 20th) at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.com.

Dustin Lynch is officially a pilot! He updated fans on social media earlier this week sharing a picture of him holding what looks like his license while standing in front of a small plane writing, "Starting this week off with a gratitude post. Grateful for my friends and team that continue to push me. Like getting this done right here. To the sky!"

Dustin joins a small group of entertainers who also have their pilot's license, including Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson.

Perhaps Dustin will be offering Kane Brown rides to dates on the Drunk or Dreaming Tour. He opens for the headliner beginning on March 16th in Grand Rapids, MI.

The video for Scotty McCreery's latest hit, "It Matters To Her," is a personal one for him and his wife, Gabi. The clip features all sorts of footage from Scotty's early days as a contestant on American Idol up through Scotty and Gabi getting ready for the arrival of their first child, son Avery, who was born in October.

He tells us: "I love to share my life and I love to talk about my wife and to share stories about what we're up to with (dog) Moose and with Avery, so she was kind enough to let us film our wedding. I didn't expect her to let us film that for 'This Is It,' and then I was like, 'Hey, can we like film from the whole way through like this journey for a music video,' and she was like, 'Really,' and I was like, 'Look, we'll set the phone in the corner and we'll like build the nursery and we won't even know we're doing it,' and so she was super cool about that so . . . To me it came out better than I could've imagined, for sure."

"It Matters To Her" is the third single from Scotty's 2021 Same Truck album. It follows the previous two Number Ones from the project, "You Time" and "Damn Strait."

Morgan Wallen, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Elle King and Kenny Chesney are among the nominees with multiple nominations at this year's iHeartRadio Music Awards, set to air live from Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre on March 27th on Fox, as well as on all iHeartMedia stations and the iHeartRadio app.

Here is the list of country nominees:

Best Duo/Group of the Year:

AJR
Black Eyed Peas
BLACKPINK
Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
Glass Animals
Imagine Dragons
Måneskin
OneRepublic
Parmalee
Red Hot Chili Peppers

Best Collaboration:

"Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" - Elle King & Miranda Lambert
"Cold Heart" - Elton John & Dua Lipa
"half of my hometown" - Kelsea Ballerini ft. Kenny Chesney
"I Like You (A Happier Song)" - Post Malone ft. Doja Cat
"INDUSTRY BABY" - Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
"One Right Now" - Post Malone & The Weeknd
"Sweetest Pie" - Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa
"Unholy" - Sam Smith & Kim Petras
"WAIT FOR U" – Future ft. Drake & Tems
"You Right" - Doja Cat ft. The Weeknd

Country Song of the Year:

"Buy Dirt" - Jordan Davis ft. Luke Bryan
"half of my hometown" - Kelsea Ballerini ft. Kenny Chesney
"She Had Me At Heads Carolina" - Cole Swindell
"The Kind of Love We Make" - Luke Combs
"Wasted On You" - Morgan Wallen

Country Artist of the Year:

Carrie Underwood
Jason Aldean
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen

Best New Country Artist:

Bailey Zimmerman
Cody Johnson
Elle King
Elvie Shane
Priscilla Block

Fan voting will determine the following categories: Best Lyrics, Best Music Video, Best Fan Army, the Social Star Award, Favorite Tour Photographer, TikTok Bop of the Year, Favorite Documentary, Favorite Tour Style, Favorite Residency and Favorite Use of a Sample. Social voting is already underway and will close on March 20th at 11:59pm PT for all categories. Fans can vote on Twitter using the appropriate category and nominee hashtags or by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.

Nominee Reaction

Kelsea Ballerini: "Music has taken me so many incredible places. It's brought so many people into my life from pop, alternative and contemporary music, but singing with Kenny is going home. I love that people could hear what I heard. He was the only voice for ‘half of my hometown,' and when he comes in, it's just like hitting the Knoxville city limits."

Kenny Chesney: "Post Malone? Dua Lipa? The Weeknd? Doja Cat? That is both amazing company and a testament to the truth a good song can contain. Remembering the way I felt driving down I-40 West, chasing the dream, I knew as soon as I heard that first chorus when Kelsea texted it to me that this song had every last drop of how much you miss where you're from, but all the reasons you have to keep going. I love that iHeart recognized the power of that emotion and that song. It makes me wonder how many of the other nominees know just how ‘half of my hometown' feels, too."

Priscilla Block: "Y'all Not me over here there crying… I'm over the moon!! Thank you @iheartradio #iheartawards"

Elvie Shane: "Well hot damn! certainly didn't see this nomination coming. Thank you for the love, @iheartradio!"

Bailey Zimmerman is the newest addition to Apple Music's Up Next program, the monthly artist initiative geared towards identifying, showcasing and elevating rising talent. In his exclusive Apple Music short film, which was released yesterday (Wednesday, January 11th), Bailey takes fans to some of his favorite spots in Nashville, and shares a window into his world of writing and producing music.

He told Apple Music's Kelleigh Bannen, "Music was my avenue to not freak out every single day. I could just write music and write music. And when you're sad, you write music. When you're happy, you write music. And it's more about the fact that we've gotten these people to love the songs we write. That's what it's about - the love of country music. I am here and so are these people."

The Louisville, Illinois native went from spending long hours at the family car dealership and late nights of roadwork on the gas pipeline to a major label record deal and back-to-back Platinum hits in just under two years. Bailey's Leave the Light On EP, which was released in October, "smashed the record for the biggest country debut EP of all time by first-day streams on Apple Music worldwide," according to a release.

Apple Music subscribers can listen to a newly expanded edition of Leave the Light On that includes three tracks reimagined for Apple Music Sessions.

Chase Rice returns to ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight (Thursday, January 12th) to perform a song called "Way Down Yonder" from his upcoming album, I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell. The project is set for release on February 10th.

Newcomer Megan Moroney has released the music video for her viral hit, "Tennessee Orange." The clip was shot at various locations around Nashville. Megan, a Georgia grad, appears wearing the rival orange of the Tennessee Volunteers with a mystery man, who is presumably a Vols fan. "Tennessee Orange" was recently the Number One weekly streamed song by a solo female artist and has amassed over 92 million total global on-demand streams to date.

Blake Shelton will have had several months off between tours when he hits the road next month on his Back To The Honky Tonk Tour, so he'll be rested and more than ready to go. He tells us: "You know the main thing that I look forward to these days and I guess honestly I always have is my live performances and even though I'm the first to say that too much time on the road can wear me down, too much time away from the road can break my heart . . . to get out there and I just think this is gonna be my greatest tour."

The Back To The Honky Tonk Tour with special guests Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean opens on February 16th in Lincoln, NE. The trek runs through March 25th in Buffalo, NY.

Blake's latest single, "No Body," sits inside the Top 20 and climbing on the country charts.

Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Jelly Roll and Eddie Vedder are among the artists set to perform at an upcoming tribute for the late actor Leslie Jordan. Reportin' For Duty: A Tribute To Leslie Jordan will take place on February 19th at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN. All proceeds from the event will benefit the EB Research Partnership, the largest global organization dedicated to funding research to treat and cure Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). Tickets go on sale this Friday (January 13th) at 10 a.m. CT at axs.com.

"The evening will feature an intimate collection of performances and on-stage storytelling with insights into some of Jordan's lasting lessons of a life well lived," according to a release.

Reportin' For Duty: A Tribute To Leslie Jordan will also feature special appearances by Jim Parsons, Anthony Mason, Mayim Bialik, Cheyenne Jackson, Max Greenfield, Margaret Cho, Robyn Schall, Leanne Morgan and more.

Leslie died on October 24th at the age of 67 after suffering a medical emergency and hitting the side of a building in Los Angeles with his car.

George Strait might have some new music to share when he returns to the road for a few stadium dates this spring. He recently told Cowboys & Indians magazine, "I like making records and plan on doing another one soon. I'm narrowing down my song choices now . . . There is no specific message or mood that I'll be shooting for. I just want to put together a bunch of good songs that stand out individually."

George will be joined by Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town on his upcoming stadium tour which opens on May 6th in Glendale, AZ at State Farm Stadium. They'll stop in Columbus, Milwaukee, Seattle, Denver, and Nashville before wrapping up in Tampa, FL at Raymond James Stadium on August 5th.