Pulse – Country Music News

Carly Pearce will be recognized as one of the five CMT Artists of the Year in a ceremony taking place tomorrow night (Wednesday, October 12th) in Nashville. Each year, CMT recognizes the five artists who have had the most dominant year in country music, and as Carly tells us, this honor is definitely a highlight of her year. "I just always wanted to feel like I was a part of the country music family in a big way. And I think that of all the things that have happened this year, I do think that that's one of the biggest, most memorable nights that I think I will have, and one that I really hope that I can be present for. Sometimes it's hard to be present in the moment when we're all trying to think about the next move to keep us on top. But I really do hope that that's a night that I can shut all of that out and really understand where I am in this moment of 2022."

In addition to Carly, CMT Artist of the Year honorees include Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Walker Hayes and Cody Johnson. The special will premiere this Friday (October 14th) at 9 p.m. ET on CMT.

The video for Carly's latest single, "What He Didn't Do," is set to premiere today (Tuesday, October 11th) on CMT.

Scotty McCreery was presented with the Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award by Randy himself at the Country Cares Seminar, an annual gathering of music artists and industry professionals who come together to learn how to help raise funds and awareness for St. Jude, which was held over the weekend. The event precedes the launch of the #ThisShirtSavesLives promotion in support of the #MusicGives to St. Jude Kids initiative.

The award is given to a Country artist each year for outstanding commitment and service to the mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Finding cures. Saving children.

Scotty said, "The patients and families here have been an inspiration to me, just as I know they are to so many other Country artists as well. With continued support from country radio and our loyal listeners, who pitch in to play their part for this wonderful cause, we can make a difference together by helping ensure that no family receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food, so they can focus on helping their child live. That's a beautiful thing to me, and I'm happy to lend my voice in support of such an amazing cause. And then to receive this award from the legendary Randy Owen himself is a moment I'll treasure always."

Past recipients of the Angels Among Us award include namesake Randy Owen, Florida Georgia Line, Lady A, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, and Darius Rucker.

Brett Eldredge has announced all the dates on his annual Glow Live holiday tour. He will perform 14 shows, beginning on November 25th with the first of three shows at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and wrapping up with the second of two shows in Boston. Tickets to all shows go on sale on Friday (October 14th) online at bretteldredge.com.

The third and final night of Brett's shows at the Ryman -- on November 27th -- will be livestreamed.

The Glow Live Tour dates back to his 2016 abum, Glow. That year, Brett played one local show in Music City which has since turned into a tradition.

On the heels of her invitation to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry, Ashley McBryde has announced a special concert at the Ryman on February 15th and 16th. Tickets to Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, featuring the cast of collaborators and special guests performing songs from her new album, go on sale this Friday, (October 14th) at AshleyMcBryde.com.

At the time of the album's release late last month she told the AP, "In a perfect world, it needs to be a live show. In my heart, it would be at the Ryman, done in the style of a community theater, kind of Prairie Home Companion it. To deliver those performances in that way I think would be really beautiful and a lot of fun."

Produced by Brothers Osborne's John Osborne, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville includes performances from Ashley, Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, Aaron Raitiere, Pillbox Patti, Caylee Hammack and Benjy Davis.

HARDY will follow up his 2020 debut album, called A Rock, with the release of his sophomore project called the mockingbird & THE CROW, on January 20th. Described as a marriage between country and rock, the two-part album will feature 17 tracks.

HARDY said, "the mockingbird & THE CROW is, in my opinion, the best thing I've made so far. I had a lot of time to get in the weeds making this record with some of my favorite people in Nashville, and it truly captures every part of who I am as an artist. I'm honored that I get to share it with you next year; can't wait to hear what you think about it."

On Sunday (October 9th) night, HARDY took to social media to surprise fans with the news, announcing a miniature album preview available immediately and releasing three brand new songs - "here lies country music," "the mockingbird & THE CROW," and "TRUCK BED."

Keith Urban's Nashville tour stop on his The Speed of Now Tour on Friday (October 7th) featured a musical tribute to the late Loretta Lynn and a surprise appearance from Luke Combs. Keith performed both "Blue Kentucky Girl" and "If You're Looking at Country," as images of Loretta were projected on the screens around him. He later welcomed Luke, who performed his hit "When It Rains It Pours," as well as taking Eric Church's part on the 2015 duet with Keith, "Raise ‘Em Up," according to The Tennessean.

He also invited Kayley Green, a regular performer at the Nashville bar called The Stage, to sing Martina McBride's "Independence Day" as well as take Miranda Lambert's vocal part on "We Were Us."

The Speed of Now Tour rolls on to Savannah, GA on Thursday (October 13th) with special guest Ingrid Andress and Tyler Hubbard.

Loretta Lynn was laid to rest during a private graveside burial on her Hurricane Mills, Tennessee ranch on Friday (October 7th). The Tennessean reports that about 100 guests were present when Loretta was buried next to her husband, Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn, in the family cemetery.

The country icon died on Tuesday (October 4th) morning at the age of 90.

Based on Loretta's wishes, a public memorial service will be held in the near future.

Kelsea Ballerini got a big surprise midway through her concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles last Thursday (October 6th). She was suddenly joined on stage by Kenny Chesney, her duet partner on her recent hit, "Half of My Hometown," which they then performed for the crowd.

On Friday (October 7th), Kenny told People.com, "Singing 'Half of My Hometown' with Kelsea is always magic, because she grew up where I did... and she knows all those places, too. So proud of her, especially at the Greek last night."

That same day, Kelsea shared severa pictures from the performance on social media writing, "half of my hometown showed up in los angeles last night. @kennychesney WHAT A SURPRISE IM STILL LOSING IT?!?" Kenny replied, "Very happy your team kept it a secret. Haha. Love you and very proud of you."

Kelsea's Heartfirst Tour continues tomorrow night (Tuesday, October 11th) with a show at The Eastern in Atlanta, GA.

Walker Hayes has joined rapper Flo Rida on his new song called "High Heels," which is available now, along with a lyric video which was created by the two artists.

While recording the song, Flo Rida realized something was missing and he tapped Walker to add a verse with his own take on how he has handled the last year of his life and the crossover success of "Fancy Like."

On the track, Walker sings, "I almost got that GRAMMY, but I guess they don't do fancy like me . . . but it's ok, I got low miles on my Prius, rollin' down the road with Jesus, and my food at Applebee's is for free."

Walker continues climbing the country charts with his latest release, "Y'all Life."

Trisha Yearwood will celebrate the Grand Ole Opry's annual observation of Breast Cancer Awareness Month by taking part in "Opry Goes Pink" night on Friday (October 14th). That night, Trisha will flip a switch changing the Opry's iconic red backdrop to pink.

Breast cancer awareness is especially important to Trisha because her mom died from the disease. She tells us: "You know, I lost my mom to breast cancer, and it was an early diagnosis and a very aggressive cancer. The more you delve into breast cancer and cancer in general, the more you don't know, and the more you realize nobody really knows. What I do in my life is I'm just trying to shine the light, especially to remember people. You know, to remember these people and what they've been through and who loved them. That's the big part for me."

Five dollars from every ticket sold will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the fight against breast cancer.

Trisha's 2014 song "Prizefighter" is frequently dedicated to cancer survivors and those currently in the fight against it.

Justin Moore has enlisted Priscilla Block for his next radio single, "You, Me, And Whiskey," which is available everywhere now. The song follows Justin's 11th Number One hit, "With A Woman You Love." "You, Me And Whiskey" will be featured on Justin's upcoming sixth studio album, due out sometime next year.

He said, "You read ‘You, Me, and Whiskey,' and you think spring break, hookup, whatever, but for me, as a guy who's been married for 15 years with four beautiful children, it's about making time for your romantic relationship. Our children are priorities in our lives, but we also have to make ‘us' a priority. That's what the song represents to me but the best thing about Country music is that it can mean many things to many different people."

Priscilla added, "Anyone can relate to it because it's about taking time to work on the things you really need to as a person and in your relationships."

Justin will be in Las Vegas on Thursday (October 13th) to perform at Red Rock Casino.

Tyler Hubbard has released a new music video for the song "Baby Gets Her Lovin'," off his six-song project Dancin' In The Country. Tyler incorporated his high school passion for roller skating in the new video, which was shot in Nashville. He's even sporting the very same roller skates that he kept from his teenage years.

Mickey Guyton has released a new song called "How You Love Someone." She said, "This song touched my heart in the best way . . . it literally brought tears to my eyes when I heard it. Since becoming a mother, love has taken on an even greater meaning, so this song really resonated with me. I'm so happy I got to record it and support songwriters in Nashville."

Ashley McBryde has been invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.

McBryde received the surprise invitation from Garth Brooks during an appearance on CBS Mornings on Thursday (October 6th).

While speaking on her new album, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, Garth gave a slight intermission where he extended the invite to McBryde, who was completely surprised by the request.

Garth said, "Miss Ashley, this is part of a family that keeps growing. You know where we're at. We're at the Grand Ole Opry. I'm standing in the circle of wood right now where you stand. Miss Ashley McBryde, on behalf of the Opry and myself as an Opry member, I'm gonna try not to cry, we would love for you to consider becoming the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry."

Ashley, who became emotional instantly, accepted, saying, "It would be the great joy and the great honor of my life. Thank you, Garth."

Garth added, "It's the longest-living family in music history. You belong in it. We need you. You will make us strong for decades to come. I love you, congratulations. It couldn't happen to a sweeter person."

In response to the honor, Ashley said, "This is a lifelong…this is, I mean, there's Grammys and there's being a member of the Grand Ole Opry are the two greatest things that could ever happen to you as an entertainer. I've always said I will earn it and this is a pretty surreal moment."

Jimmie Allen hosted The Jimmie Allen PBA Challenge Presented by Bowlero on Wednesday (October 5th) at Bowlero Matthews in Matthews, North Carolina.

Celebs who attended the bowling event included NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, rapper Nelly, comedian Hannibal Burress, and country music duo Leo Brooks and Andrew Milksops of Neon Union.

His fellow PBA stars Bella Castillo, Kyle Troup, Sean Rash, Ronnie Russell and AJ Johnson were in attendance as well.

The full event will air on Fox on October 16th.

Kane Brown's next show will be in the Metaverse.

According to Taste of Country, Brown is one of three artists set to perform at Walmart Land's Electric Fest this weekend.

Since the show is in the Metaverse, it is all digital.

Brown, who is new to virtual world concept, shared on his Instagram a behind-the-scenes of what went into putting the show together.

He said in an IG video, "I feel like an alien."

The video also shows Brown working the room as if he were actually performing while singing his song, "Grand."

He captioned the post, "I'm doing my first virtual show on @Roblox in Walmart Land for Electric Fest this Friday, Saturday, & Sunday at 7PM ET each night."

The festival will take place from October 8-10.

Toby Keith will be receiving a top honor at the BMI Country Awards next month.

Clay Bradley, VP, Creative, Nashville was quoted saying, "We are honored to present Toby Keith with this year's BMI Icon Award. Since the release of his single ‘Should've Been A Cowboy' in 1993, Toby has been the gold standard of songwriting in the modern era of Country music. Toby is not only a stellar songwriter, musician, and producer whose songs have amassed millions of performances; he is also a true humanitarian. With 11 USO tours under his belt, he continues to commit to honoring and serving our troops worldwide. No one is more deserving of this honor."

The ceremony will be hosted by BMI President and CEO Mike O'Neill alongside Bradley.

The 2022 BMI Country Awards is scheduled to take place on November 8th at BMI's Nashville office.

BMI will also award the Country Songwriter, Song and Publisher of the Year, in addition to the writers and publishers of the 50 most-performed songs of the year from BMI's country catalog.

Wynonna Judd says she still can't wrap her head around her mother's death and not sure she ever will. In an interview with People, she talked about how baffling Naomi's mental illness was and said, "You have to make peace with the fact that you don't know. Sometimes there are no answers."

She continued by saying that her mom was as determined to live, as she was to die. And that it's hard to comprehend how someone can be so strong and yet so vulnerable.

In the weeks leading up to Naomi's suicide, Wynonna was touring with her husband, drummer Cactus Moser. And her mom was spending a lot of time by herself.

Wynonna said, "One of my regrets is that I was so busy. She often talked about how lonesome it is in that house without us."

The last time Naomi and Wynonna saw one another was during the CMT Awards on April 11, where they sang "Love Can Build a Bridge." Naomi died on April 30.

In Naomi's last days, she and Wynonna were planning The Judds reunion tour, which has now launched with the help of friends like Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride and Little Big Town.

Following the news of Loretta Lynn's death, Carrie Underwood posted a tribute and told a story about her first encounter with her. She was at the Opry and said Loretta walked behind her and "smacked me on the rear end!" Not knowing who did it, Carrie turned around, and there she was in a big sparkly dress…laughing as she continued to walk down the hall at what she had just done.

Carrie said that meeting summed up her personality pretty well. She described her as "A cantankerous little pistol…friendly and sweet…never afraid to be herself and to speak her mind."

Over the years, Carrie got to know her and even sang with her and said, "She is irreplaceable. She will be incredibly missed."

Last month Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) voted Carly Pearce's "Never Wanted to Be That Girl" as one of the annual "10 Songs I Wish I'd Written." So in return, we asked Carly to choose a song she wishes she had written. She immediately mentioned a Patty Loveless song: "I always say, if people ask me in interviews, what song you wish you'd written, what song do you wish could've been yours, the answer is always ‘You Don't Even Know Who I Am'. Because I feel like that song doesn't need all the bells and whistles. It doesn't need anything except her voice, that melody and those lyrics." :15 (OC : and those lyrics)

In other Carly Pearce news… Following the announcement of Loretta Lynn's death, Carly performed "Dear Miss Loretta," on the Opry stage on Tuesday night (10-4}. She shared a voice message the legend had left her after she heard the song bearing her name.

Following his sold out show in Nashville this week, Adam Doleac announced his headlining tour and has named it after his album, Barstool Whiskey Wonderland. The new release features 18 songs, in which Adam wrote 17 of them.

With Alana Springsteen as opening act, the tour will stop in 27 cities, beginning with Dallas, Texas on Feb. 9.

Lainey Wilson has been announced as the CMT Breakout Artist of the Year. She'll be on hand for the upcoming ceremony.

She commented through a press release: "This past year has been a wild ride. To be considered for this award reinforces that the years of hard work my team and I have put in was all worth it."

Lainey is the fifth artist to earn the recognition. In years past, the winners were Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, and Mickey Guyton.

The 90 minute special will also recognize Artist of the Year honorees Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Walker Hayes, Cody Johnson, and Carly Pearce.

Alan Jackson will pick up the Artists of a Lifetime award.

The show will air on CMT on October 14.

Country Music Hall of Fame member, Loretta Lynn passed away in her sleep on Tuesday (10/4) at her home in Hurricane Mills, TN at the age of 90.

She was the first woman to ever receive CMA's Entertainer of the Year award as well as Female Vocalist of the Year. Her self-penned "Coal Miner's Daughter" became one of her biggest hits in 1970, and 10 years later it became an Oscar winning movie about her life and starred Sissy Spacek.

A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1962, Loretta Lynn also won four Grammy awards, seven American Music awards and eight CMA awards. She was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

She published two autobiographies, recorded over 50 studio albums, charted 51 Top 10 singles, and sold over 45 million albums worldwide.

For four weeks straight, Cole Swindell has held on to the #1 spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with "She Had Me At Heads Carolina." That makes him the only artist this year to do so. Cole tells us more about the song: "We all grew up on nineties country and that's what…to me this song is…I think it's special because it's from the first guitar lick, it takes you right back to hearing the original Jo Dee Messina one, so I'm just thankful that we have that one." :13 (OC: we have that one)

Kelsea Ballerini is opening up about her split with husband Morgan Evans.

She told CBS Mornings, "When there's a big life decision like that, it's not a sudden one. There's a lot that happens before that becomes public." Kelsea went on to say that she is on an "active healing journey."

She wasn't specific about what led to their decision, but did point out that it was not chaotic or volatile and said, "It just didn't work."

The couple got married in 2017 and filed for divorce in August.

As for what the future holds, she says she's already writing new songs and processing her emotions through them.