Pulse – Country Music News

LoCash made a guest appearance at the Beach Boys' hometown show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday (August 7th). They were among a star-studded lineup of special guests including John Stamos and Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray for the Sixty Years of the Sounds of Summer Tour date. The Beach Boys' Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are featured on LoCash's latest single, "Beach Boys."

David Nail will head out on his Story To Tell Tour featuring special guest Tyler Braden beginning on September 16th in Denver, CO. The trek is set to run through mid-November, and tickets are available now at davidnail.com.

Chase Rice has released the official music video for "Key West & Colorado." The clip was filmed over nine days, and chronicles Chase's trip pulling an Airstream behind his truck, beginning on the beaches of Florida where he wrote the song with childhood friend Brian Kelley along with John Byron, Blake Pendergrass, Corey Crowder and Hunter Phelps. The song will be included on Chase's upcoming album.

He said, "This song is really a story about a man trying to figure his life out – trying to figure out his past, trying to figure out his situation with the woman that was in his life that he lost, and the trip that he took to help him along that journey. That's what this video represents, and it shows me on my own trip across the country. There are no performance scenes because I didn't want it to be about that. I wanted it to be about my journey for something that I just needed to do."

Chase's upcoming album was recorded during a two-week period with a live band at his farm outside Nashville.

Morgan Wallen surprised fans at his concert in Atlanta over the weekend when he brought out Jeezy. The rapper walked out on stage to his song "Put On" being played through the speakers. Morgan and his Dangerous Tour special guest HARDY shotgunned beers while Jeezy poured a shot.

TMZ reports that after the show, Morgan and Jeezy hung out backstage and discussed music, with Jeezy telling Morgan that he's a fan of his hit "Whiskey Glasses."

The Dangerous Tour rolls on to Mansfield, MA on Thursday (August 11th).

Cole Swindell just earned his fastest-rising single to date with "She Had Me At Heads Carolina," which climbs into the Top 10 spot on the Mediabase country airplay chart in just eight weeks. Swindell co-wrote "She Had Me At Heads Carolina" with fellow artist Thomas Rhett as well as Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders and Tim Nichols.

Sanders and Nichols wrote the original song, "Heads Carolina, Tails California," which was recorded by Jo Dee Messina and released as her debut single in 1996. As a fan of Messina's and 90s country in general, Swindell tells us "She Had Me At Heads Carolina" was a labor of love. "Getting the songwriters' blessings and having a song we've now written with them and then reaching out to Jo Dee and her kind words back, it was just a cool process, the most different process I've ever gone through recording a song, but just seeing everybody's reaction. Obviously people think they know it when it gets to that chorus. I mean, they're screaming the song because it's such a big hit from the 90s and I hope someday I get to sing it with her or do something. I want her to be involved because we wouldn't have the song without the writers and without her making it what it is."

Swindell launches his headlining Back Down To The Bar Tour, featuring Ashley Cooke and Dylan Marlowe, on September 23rd. His first headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on November 3rd has sold out and he is adding a second show on November 2nd. Tickets for the new show will go on sale this Friday (August 12th) at 10 a.m. local.

Garth Brooks is set to narrate and executive produce National Geographic's upcoming docuseries, America's National Parks. The show will air over the course of five consecutive nights beginning on Monday, August 29th at 9 p.m. ET, according to theboot.com.

Each episode will spotlight a different park, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Big Bend, Badlands and Hawai'i Volcanoes. All five episodes of America's National Parks will be available to stream on Disney+ beginning on August 31st.

Each episode of America's National Parks will feature opening remarks from First Lady Jill Biden.

Blake Shelton is filling in for Toby Keith at the Veteran's Day concert taking place at Coachella Crossroads in Coachella, California on November 11th. Toby revealed that he has been battling stomach cancer for the last several months and has canceled all appearances this year. Tickets to the concert go on sale Friday (August 12th) at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.com.

Darrell Mike, Chairman of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, said, "Blake's longtime commitment to veterans is what made him an ideal choice to perform at this event honoring those who have served. The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians plans to make this an annual celebration held at Coachella Crossroads."

The event serves as a fundraiser for such organizations as USO, The American Legion, Independence Fund, Riverside and San Bernardino County Deputy Sheriff Relief Funds, CHP 11-99 Foundation.

Carrie Underwood was having a girls' night out with some friends at a Leipers Fork, TN bar on Saturday (August 6th) when the local band playing invited her up on stage to sing Stevie Nicks' part on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Carrie obliged and even encouraged patrons to "visit the tip jar" for the band members.

Someone in the bar recorded the performance and posted it on Facebook writing, "Lookie who showed up at our favorite neighborhood bar tonight."

Carrie shared a picture with her friends that evening writing, "Girls' night! OK, so, the guys were there, too, but we were doing our best to pretend they weren't. I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing ladies!"

She sits at Number 11 on the Mediabase chart this week with her latest hit, "Ghost Story."

Items from the late Kenny Rogers' personal and professional collections will be hitting the auction block this fall. The three-day live auction will take place from Friday, October 21st – Sunday, October 23rd at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills and online on julienslive.com.

The over 1,200 lots will include Kenny's awards, wardrobe, equipment and memorabilia from his recordings, live performances and films, as well as furnishings, artwork, jewelry, household and personal items from his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

A portion of the proceeds of the auction will benefit Music Health Alliance, whose mission is to provide compassionate advocacy and access to life-saving healthcare resources that protect, direct, and connect music professionals with medical and financial solutions.

Kenny died in 2020 at the age of 81.

As a father of three now-grown young ladies, Tim McGraw can sympathize with those parents dropping their kids off at college for the first time. He says that it was tough and emotional every time, but now he and wife Faith Hill are in a different place. Tim tells us: "It's tough, for sure. And it's tough when they go away. I mean, I'm a crier anyway, so every time our girls have left and we've dropped them off somewhere, it's always been tough. But you get used to it. You start getting excited about seeing where their career goes and where their life goes, and it's fun to watch them grow into strong, independent young women. But I'll tell ya, the cool part is Faith and I really have enjoyed our time alone now at home. You know, we see the girls quite often. They come home and visit quite often, but now when they were there for about four or five days, we're like, you know, we kinda want our house back (laughs)."

Tim has a handful of shows remaining this year through October.

Over the weekend, he performed at the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.

Alabama donated $25,000 to help those affected by the devastating flooding in Kentucky during their concert there in the town of Sharpsburg on Saturday (August 6th). While on stage, founding members Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry presented a check to The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, a non-profit organization providing financial help to eastern Kentucky families, farms and businesses that are suffering as result of the catastrophic weather event.

The donation was made possible through the June Jam Foundation, Alabama's non-profit which distributes monies to other non-profit organizations and service groups.

Randy said, "With all the devastation caused by the floods in eastern Kentucky, this is a very emotional time. Alabama wanted to offer help in a small way."

Teddy added, "We hurt for the loss of life and destruction caused by the floods in Kentucky. Hopefully these funds can help the families, farmers and businesses that were affected. They are in our prayers."

At last count, 37 people lost their lives and hundreds of others are unaccounted after record rainfall fell recently in eastern Kentucky.

Newcomer ERNEST has announced his first-ever headlining Sucker For Small Towns Tour, set to kick off in Birmingham, AL on October 6th. Jake Worthington, Lauren Watkins, and Noah Hicks join as support across the fall run. General on-sale begins on Friday (August 12th) at 8 a.m. CT for all dates excluding Chicago, which will be on-sale August 26th.

ERNEST said, "I'm stoked to get out there and take the ERN show on the road. Gonna be playin to rooms I think we can pack! It's an experience we put together specifically for the fans and I think it's going to be special for them to be able to say they were there for it!"

ERNEST just charted his sixth Number One hit as a songwriter with Morgan Wallen's multi-week chart topper "Wasted On You." He is on the road now opening select dates on Morgan's sold-out Dangerous Tour, in addition to playing stand-alone sets at fairs and festivals nationwide.

Kameron Marlowe will head out on a fall tour called the We Were Cowboys Tour. The trek opens in Nashville at the Brooklyn Bowl on September 8th. He will be joined by Wyatt McCubbin on most dates.

The tour will follow the release of Kameron's debut album, We Were Cowboys, due out on August 26th. The project features 16 tracks including his current single, "Giving You Up."

Kameron said, "I'm incredibly proud of this album and getting to hit the road in the fall to play them live is going to be so rewarding. I can't wait to see y'all out there!"

Carrie Underwood will again star in this year's show opener for NBC's Sunday Night Football. She teased the upcoming season opener and theme song on social media on Friday (August 5th) with some retrospective video clips over the last decade and a photo of herself holding a football writing, "10 years and we're still going strong, @snfonnbc!"

The new opener is set to premiere on Sunday, September 11th when the Dallas Cowboys take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Sunday Night Football also posted about Carrie's return sharing the same photo as she did and writing, "We're getting set to celebrate 10 years of @carrieunderwood and Sunday Night Football. Relive some of the best moments as we get closer to kick off this fall."

Also this fall, Carrie will hit the road on her headlining Denim & Rhinestones Tour, featuring special guest Jimmie Allen. The trek launches on October 15 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Luke Bryan is setting the record straight after his wife, Caroline, posted what he says is untrue information about him. Caroline turned to social media on Friday (August 5th) to share a family picture from their visit to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio with the caption, "Another adventure in the books! Luke broke a finger and I twisted another ankle . . . pretty much a normal day for us!" Luke posted a video message on social media on Saturday (August 6th) to dispute her report with the caption "It's not broken," saying, "My finger's not broken. Please stop reporting that it's broken."

The post drew comments from some of Luke's famous friends including Jason Aldean who wrote, "I mean it's not that much of a stretch @lukebryan. We all k ow (sic) u are accident prone," followed by a few laughing crying emojis, and Katy Perry who wrote, "show us or we don't believe you."

Last week, it was announced that Luke will co-host this year's CMA Awards with Peyton Manning. The 56th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville on November 9th on ABC.

Mitchell Tenpenny recently shared the news that he'll be releasing a new 20-track album, called This Is The Heavy, and now he has shared the track list along with a new song from the album, called "Always Something With You." Mitchell co-wrote all the songs on This Is The Heavy, which is set for release on September 16th.

Of the album, he said, "It's big. It's loud. It's in your face and drum heavy." Mitchell jokingly describes the sound of the album as "Farm Emo."

The album includes his hit single, "Truth About You," which currently sits inside the Top 10 at country radio.

Travis Denning will celebrate his new six-song EP, Might As Well Be Me, at Blake Shelton's Ole Red in downtown Nashville tonight (Monday, August 8th) at 6 p.m. CT. Fans can attend in person or join the party through the livestream on Facebook or YouTube.

Might As Well Be Me was released on Friday (August 5th), and as Travis tells us, there's something to suit every mood. "There's some honest songs in there, some reflective songs on where I'm at in my life, and then there's some absolute rockers. There's some songs that I wanna play live and I want people to go ‘Dang! They brought it on that one.' That's what I really learned; ignore everything else, get in the studio with people you love, and just make music that is true to you."

The EP also features Travis' new song,"Buy A Girl A Drink," which he co-wrote.

He continues on the Beers On Me Tour with headliner Dierks Bentley on Saturday (August 13th) in Scranton, PA.

Vince Gill will be honored during the next installment of CMT Giants, it was announced on Thursday (August 4th) during Vince's sold-out concert as part of his residency at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The 90-minute special is set to premiere on Friday, September 16th at 9 p.m. ET on CMT. It will feature tributes and performances from Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Emmylou Harris, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Rodney Crowell and Sting.

CMT.com reports that since 1990 and his breakout hit "When I Call Your Name," Vince has gone on to win 19 CMA Awards and 22 Grammy Awards. He's a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Parker McCollum has released his latest single, "Handle On You," which is available now. He said, "I know I have written quite a few songs about heart break and drinking. So here's another one."

Lee Brice, Jordan Davis, Michael Ray, Jelly Roll, and Niko Moon are among the artists taking part in the Folds of Honor Tennessee's 2nd Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament. The event will be held at The Governors Club Tennessee on August 29th to support Folds of Honor's mission to provide opportunity to the families of our nation's injured and fallen veterans in the form of scholarships. Last year's tournament raised over $334,000.

Craig Morgan has released a new single called "How You Make A Man," which is available on all platforms. The song officially heads to radio later this month. It's the lead track from his upcoming God, Family, Country (Deluxe Edition) set to release on November 11th.

Priscilla Block has released a new song called "Off The Deep End," which is available now. She co-wrote the track which will be included on an upcoming project.

Priscilla said, "We had such a blast creating ‘Off the Deep End.' Hope this one gets you feeling a little wild whether it's at the bar, at the pool, or you found your Boat Daddy for the summer! Life's short - sometimes you gotta let your crazy side show! I'll be right there with y'all, Off the Deep End!"

Priscilla continues on her Block Party Tour with upcoming shows later this month in the UK.

This fall, she joins Jon Pardi for select dates on his Ain't Always The Cowboy Tour.

Lady A has made the decision to postpone their fall Request Line Tour in order to support Charles Kelley's "journey to sobriety." The trio made the announcement via social media yesterday (Thursday, August 4th) writing in part, "We are a band, but more importantly ... we're family. We're proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety. So, right now in order to be the healthiest, strongest and most creative band we can be, Lady A will take the time with the support of our families and team of professionals to walk through this together."

Charles co-wrote a very personal song about his drinking issues called "Be Patient With My Love" for the band's 2019 album, Ocean. At the time he told us: "This past couple years for me has been an interesting journey. I've definitely had a little bit of a 'come to Jesus' with my wife and the band about kind of controlling my drinking. I think anybody that's been around me knows I can go after it pretty good."

The Request Line Tour was scheduled to kick off on August 13th in Nashville. According to Lady A's post, "new ticket information" will be released in the coming days.

Ironically, Lady A is featured on Breland's new song, "Told You I Could Drink." The song is officially out today (Friday, August 5th). Charles shared a post about the song writing, "Fired up for this one @breland @ladya #toldyouicoulddrink . Ironic since I stopped drinking haha"

Michael Ray will release a five-song live EP called The Warehouse Sessions today (Friday, August 5th). The project features four tracks from his Higher Education album and his second No. 1 single, "Think A Little Less."

Michael said, "After two years of connecting solely via our screens and dreaming of being back on the road again, there's nothing like hearing fans sing these songs back to us live. We're keeping that energy going with The Warehouse Sessions."

Michael is set to perform his current chart-climbing single "Holy Water" and a few other favorites on the Fox & Friends All-American Summer Concert Series this morning beginning at 8:50 a.m. ET.

He recently earned his first multi-week Number One hit with "Whiskey And Rain."

Niko Moon and his wife and frequent co-writer, Anna Moon, are expecting their first child together. They will welcome a baby girl in November whom they have already named Lily Anne.

Niko told People.com, "Our path to seeing those two pink lines was one we weren't expecting, and one that led us to doing IVF (in-vitro fertilization)."

Niko and Anna have already written a song about their daughter called "I Can't Wait to Love You." Niko says it's "our favorite song that we have ever written together. It's about this really special time in life where you have this amazing miracle on the way and you're falling in love with someone that you haven't even met yet."

Songwriting organization BMI has renamed their annual Nashville Songwriting Scholarship the Dolly Parton Songwriters Award in honor of the legendary artist. The new program will also establish The Dolly Parton Music Fund, which will underwrite the annual awards to emerging songwriters as well as initiatives to provide or supplement music programs in public schools. The awards can be used as a career grant for study, instrument purchase, recording costs, or other professional expenses and are not restricted to tuition costs. Luke Combs has already contributed to the fund through donated proceeds from the recent BMI Parking Lot Party celebrating his nine Number One hit songs.

Dolly said, "I know how personal and important songwriting is to those that have the talent, and to all the others that enjoy those that have it. I'm proud to be part of a program that will help support songwriting in any way possible. Thanks to Sony Music Publishing, Luke Combs, and all the others that feel the same way and want to help support it. I have been with BMI since I published my first song as a child, so of course I'm very proud and honored to have a BMI Songwriters Award made in my honor."

The Dolly Parton Songwriters Award is an annual, nationwide competition open to aspiring songwriters. The award was established in 2015 as the Nashville Songwriting Scholarship by BMI to celebrate the company's 75th Anniversary year.