Pulse – Country Music News

Walker Hayes will be joined by MercyMe's Bart Millard to perform the song "Craig" on NBC's Today show this morning (Friday, August 5th) during their Citi Concert Series. MercyMe is featured on the recording of "Craig" included on Walker's 2021 release, Country Stuff the Album.

Lauren Alaina will perform at the 2022 Dominion Energy Charity Classic on Friday, October 21st following the first round of competition at The Country Club of Virginia, James River Course. Tickets for the tournament and concert are on sale now.

Brian Kelley has announced 20 more dates on his Second Wave of Summer residency at his and wife Brittney Kelley's Tribe Kelley Surf Post in Grayton Beach, FL. He'll kick things off on September 2nd, closing out in costume with a Halloween bash on October 31st. Tickets are on sale now.

Brian said, "After five intimate sold-out shows, it was easy to see that this was the wave I wanted to ride this fall. This allows me to write and record new music during the week, play shows on the weekend, sleep in my own bed, and soak up as much fun and inspiration as I can. I feel really free and in my own element, and this allows me time to focus and set up for an even bigger 2023 . . ."

In the days following the recent devastating flood in eastern Kentucky, native son Chris Stapleton has been spotted around some of the counties most in need of help. He was seen buying supplies from a Walmart store in Prestonburg, and as well as helping with cleanup efforts in Knott County, according to reports.

Chris was willing to take pictures with fans along the way, and they posted their encounters on social media.

His Outlaw State of Kind Hometown Fund is donating funds to the Kentucky Red Cross and Appalachia Crisis Fund to aid those in need. The Fund is accepting any donations.

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

Lainey Wilson updated fans on the condition of her father via social media on Tuesday (August 2nd), saying that he "has a very long road ahead but he is fighting," and that she has "seen the power of prayer start to work miracles." After bowing out of a few shows to be with her father, Lainey added that she is returning to the road beginning tonight (Thursday, August 4th) where she'll join headliner Jon Pardi in Inglewood, CA. The weekend rounds out with shows in Santa Barbara, CA on Friday (August 5th) and Las Vegas on Saturday (August 6th).

Lainey canceled last weekend's shows via social media "due to a family emergency."

Lainey's sister, Janna Wilson Sadler, shared their father's condition via Facebook where she explained that he is suffering from Diabetic Ketoacidosis, resulting in fungus spreading through his system. His treatment has included "extremely high" doses of anti-fungal medication and surgery to remove dead tissue.

Tim McGraw will be the headliner at this weekend's Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville. He is excited to perform, but also hoping that he'll get some time in one of the race cars. He tells us: "I've driven NASCAR before, which was so exhilarating that you're shaking when you get out of it. You're so fired up. And I'm sort of an adrenaline junkie, so I'm hoping they'll let me get in one of those cars. I doubt they'll let me do that. All of my people are looking at me saying no, no, no, because they know I want to. But I'm gonna try my best to get behind the wheel of one. My biggest fear would be to crash it. I wouldn't want to go mess up somebody's car."

Other performers at this weekend's Big Machine Music City Grand Prix include Carly Pearce, Brantley Gilbert, Midland, Jackson Dean and Callista Clark. For more information, visit MusicCityGP.com.

Cody Johnson is partnering with Get Your Teach On for the Clear the List campaign as a way to support teachers and help purchase items on their supply lists for the upcoming school year. #CoJoClearTheList Invites everyone to support educators across the country online at getyourteachon.com.

Cody said, "My wife, Brandi, and I have personally encountered the profound impact that a school teacher has on the future of a child's life. Please consider joining us in supporting these wonderful humans that give so much of their time, effort, and energy to the future by inspiring the children of the present. Our hope is to make preparation exciting for both teachers and students! And what is more encouraging than having community support, as well as the necessary tools and classroom supplies to kick off a new school year?! We're giving back in honor of the educators that, quite literally, changed our lives."

Cody is set to make two appearances on NBC's Today show in the coming weeks, first performing "Human" on August 17th and then on Labor Day, September 5th, fans will also have a chance to tune in for a performance of his chart-topping hit "'Til You Can't." Both songs are on Cody's sophomore major-label release, Human The Double Album.

Reba McEntire is giving fans a first look at the upcoming season of Big Sky, where she will be a regular on the show's third season. Reba voices the newly released trailer of Big Sky which premieres on ABC on September 21st.

The forthcoming season of the show is called "Deadly Trails." Reba will reportedly play the role of Sunny Brick, a "successful backcountry outfitter with a secret history of missing customers."

Gary Allan has parted ways with his longtime record label, Universal Music Group Nashville. On July 29th, Gary shared the news via a social media post writing, "For the last 25 years plus, UMG Nashville has been my record label home. I am very thankful to the staff members at Decca, MCA, and EMI for the belief and support they have had in me, but it is now time for a new adventure. I am excited for what the future holds and look forward to sharing more news soon."

The Grand Ole Opry announced the latest addition to its Opry NextStage Class of 2022 is Restless Road, who will be the first band to be part of the NextStage program. Restless Road is the fourth act to join the 2022 class that includes Elvie Shane, Morgan Wade and BRELAND. The group will make their NextStage debut with an Opry performance on August 20th.

Dierks Bentley and Elle King's co-hosting chops will be on display tonight (Wednesday, August 3rd) as ABC airs CMA Fest, a three-hour special highlighting 30 performances from this year's four-day CMA Fest event in downtown Nashville in June. The CMA Fest special will include performances from the likes of Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, and Kelsea Ballerini, to name just a few.

This was Dierks and Elle's first time to co-host the show, and as Dierks tells us, he's grateful for the gig. "It was so great to be back (in person) at CMA Fest especially hosting it. After two years of CMA being away, CMA Fest being gone, those fans came back with a vengeance, so excited to party and hang out, so loud. So, for me to get a chance to not only play the show, but actually host it with my buddy Elle King, that is just, I just feel so lucky. That was so much fun and so looking forward to seeing the show air on ABC, and just so truly lucky to have a chance to host it."

CMA Fest airs at 8 p.m. ET. It will stream on Hulu beginning on Thursday (August 4th).

The Coda Collection and Verizon have teamed up to offer fans a free, interactive Jimmie Allen concert which may currently be streamed via the Verizon Multi-View Experience App. Viewers can take in the show from five high-definition camera angles for a personalized experience which enables them to toggle between cameras and re-watch their favorite moments from a different angle. The Verizon Multi-View Experience is a free app that consumers can download on iOS or Android-based devices.

Jimmie performance was filmed during the June 3rd concert stop of his Down Home Tour at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, PA.

He continues climbing within the Top 30 on the country charts with his latest single, "down home."

Kenny Chesney has partnered with global sandal leader REEF to create a special edition No Shoes Reefs sandal to help support Pigeon Key Marine Science Camps. Based in the Florida Keys, it provides young people with knowledge about the ocean, coral reefs and marine life. Thirty percent of the proceeds are earmarked for the Camps.

The men's sandal strap is embossed with a skull and crossbones, plus No Shoes on one and Reefs on the other, and the women's thongs featured a rose gold-colored Jolly Roger stud with the No Shoes Reefs logo embossed on the sole. Both are available in palomino or saddle-colored leather

Kenny said, "I've worn their sandals for years, as have a lot of my friends down in the islands. When they wanted to work with us through No Shoes Reefs, I was delighted to have them become part of this work that's been so focused on local projects."

The first batch of limited-edition No Shoes REEF sandals sold out before last weekend's Los Angeles SoFi Stadium show due to demand.

Lee Brice recently surpassed 1 Billion streams on Apple Music worldwide. In the past three years, his Apple Music streams have more than tripled (+219%). This milestone, combined with all other platform streams, places Lee's total digital streaming imprint at over 5 Billion.

He said, "This is absolutely incredible! I am so honored and humbled that folks connect with my music. I never would've dreamed that my songs would be listened to by so many and I want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way."

Lee has had 17 songs hit the Apple Music Daily Top 100 Chart in 22 countries worldwide.

He is out on his headlining Label Me Proud Tour. The 23-market tour, which kicked-off last month, features special guests Michael Ray and Jackson Dean, with Tyler Farr and Tim Montana on select dates.

Shania Twain and Steve Wariner will be among this year's Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees. Shania enters in the contemporary songwriter/artist category while Steve joins in the veteran songwriter/artist category. They, along with Hillary Lindsey, Gary Nicholson and David Malloy, will be inducted during the 52nd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Sunday, October 30th at the Music City Center.

The five inductees-elect will join the 223 previously inducted members of the organization.

Jake Owen reacted to his 10th career Number One hit, "Best Thing Since Backroads," on social media with a video to fans, country radio, and his team on Monday night (August 1st). The song claims the top spot on the Mediabase chart this week. Jake said in part, "I have 10 #1 songs - I can't even wrap my head around that. It took me seven years to get my first #1, and to think all these summers later we're still cranking them out. To the fans - oh my gosh, the fans. You are the best thing since backroads, you have given me this life, I love you guys. You make country music what it is and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Joe Nichols will return to Fox & Friends' "All American Summer Concert Series" on August 12th to share music from his recently released album, Good Day For Living. The concert series is free to the public and will take place on Fox Square in the heart of New York City. The album's title track climbs into the Top 40 on the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart this week.

CMA Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan and one of the biggest names in NFL history, Peyton Manning will join forces to host The 56th Annual CMA Awards. Luke made the announcement on Monday (8-1) while guest hosting Live with Kelly and Ryan.

Through a press release, Luke stated, "We have become great friends through the years and what he brings to the table is gonna make it even more of a blast."

Manning, has attended the show in the past and commented, "I am such a huge fan of Country Music, so to have the chance to stand among so many incredibly talented artists is an absolute honor."
The star-studded event will air live from Nashville on November 9^th on ABC. This will be Luke's second consecutive year to host the CMA Awards and Manning's first.

Ahead of his headlining performance at the Boots & Hearts Music Festival, Sam Hunt has been denied entry into Canada.

The festival's Twitter page posted his announcement along with broken heart emojis.

Sam's post stated that the cancelation was due to ongoing government Covid restrictions. It read: "We were hopeful these restrictions would be lifted as the date got closer, but it's apparent now that won't happen. Boots & Hearts Music Festival has secured a great replacement, and we all hope you can continue to have a great weekend in Burl's Creek."

Throughout the pandemic, Sam never commented on whether or not he got vaccinated, but has appeared at numerous events requiring proof of vaccine or a negative Covid test.

There's also the question of his DUI from 2019. In some instances, Canadian policy restricts entry into the country if convicted of DUI.

Jake Owen, who was already scheduled to play, will now become the headliner..

Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, and Dwight Yoakam are among the country artists just announced for the ATLive Concert Series in Atlanta.
The third annual weekend event will also feature performances by the legendary Billy Joel, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Lionel Richie and nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow.

The two day fest is sponsored by Ticketmaster and will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 11 and 12th.

Tickets go on sale on Friday (August 12).

Lady A will have two performances featured on Wednesday night's (8-3) CMA Fest television special on ABC. Along with their new single, "Summer State of Mind," they'll perform with Breland on their hit song, "Need You Now." Charles Kelley explains how that idea came about: "Breland and I became buddies just backstage, and I had told him I was a fan. I just think he's got one of the best voices in our genre, I mean right up there with like Shay Mooney. So anyway, I was like, ‘Let's write sometime. And so, we wrote a song and he asked if Lady A would feature on it, and so we went in the studio and we did that. And then while we were there, I was like, ‘Well, we've gotta do a song, you know, for the fans.' And so, we did ‘Need You Now.' He told me he grew up on that song – he's super young, we're gettin' older. But, I just think it's fun to give that song a new twist, and I really truly think he's one of the most talented artists, up-and-coming, that we have. And so, any time you can kind of be a part of that energy after doing this for 15 years now, we like to feed off that youthful energy and that excitement. And I guess that CMA Fest had seen that and was like, man, this would be a great moment in the show." :43 (OC: great moment in the show)

Over the weekend, Carrie Underwood was front and center in celebrating Barbara Mandrell's 50^th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The country legend retired from singing several years so she didn't perform. Carrie said, "Everyone talks about Barbara's beauty. But, as gorgeous as she is, she is just as beautiful inside." In her honor, Carrie sang "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool."

Brett Eldredge will kick off his Glow Live tour with 3 shows at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Tickets go on sale Friday (8-5). So far, those are the only dates of his Christmas shows that he has revealed. On Monday, (8-1) he posted to "stay tuned" for more news.

Shania Twain is featured in EPIX HD's four-part docuseries called Women Who Rock. Airing now, she's represented in good company. Among those that will be singing her praises will be Sheryl Crowe, Margo Price and Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast. Other artist featured include Pat Benatar, Etta James, and Heart.

Parker McCollum had a memorable weekend in Kansas opening a show for his childhood idol, George Strait. Parker says that it's something that he'd been dreaming about.

Through a press release he stated: "Regardless of what anyone thinks of me or my music, I strive to do my absolute best on my terms. But honestly, I've always had this secret hope that 'The King' approves of what I'm doing. He is the standard and it's an honor to share the stage with him."

It's a big week for Parker, on Friday (8-5) he'll release his new single, "Handle On You."

Jake Owen has been sober for the last 10-plus months, he revealed in a social media post on Friday (July 29th). Jake wrote, "317 days ago I embarrassed myself after drinking too much alcohol one night. It wasn't the first time either. The next day I told myself, ‘never again.' I am better than that, and the people I love the most deserve better. My family, my little girls, and my friends . . ."

He continued, "Just wanted to share my journey in case anyone woke up this morning and wants to make a change. None of us are perfect . . . I'm just trying to be the best version of myself these days. Have a great weekend. Happy Friday."

Jake claims the Number One spot on the Mediabase chart this week with "Best Thing Since Backroads." The song will be featured on an upcoming project.

Season six auditions for American Idol kick off Wednesday (August 3rd) with the return of "Idol Across America," the live virtual nationwide search for the next superstar. Auditions take place across all 50 states plus Washington, D.C, and complete information is available online at americanidol.com/auditions. Of course, many of those contestants will get to show off their skills for celebrity judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, who will all be returning for the upcoming season, it was announced late last week.

Luke says that being a part of the show continues to be nothing but fun, which is why he keeps returning. He tells us: "We love the role – me and Katy and Lionel and Ryan – we're having a great time doing this. If we weren't having a good time, it would change the whole dynamic. To be able to facilitate these kids' dreams is very special."

Luke will be the guest co-host on Live! With Kelly & Ryan today (Monday, August 1st) alongside Ryan Seacrest. Check local listings.

Tyler Hubbard's debut solo album will be released early next year but fans will be able to get their hands on a limited number of his new songs on August 19th when he releases a six-song EP called Dancin' In The Country. The EP will feature three of the songs he has already released -- "5 Foot 9," and "35's" and "Way Home." Tyler's yet untitled debut album is set for release on January 27th.

He said, "We've been releasing new music throughout this summer, and now I'm so pumped to be sharing even more of my new project – these songs have been waiting to be heard! Though the album is coming early next year, I put together this collection of music especially for the fans, as I get ready to go on tour. I can't wait to hear the crowd sing these songs with me as I hit the road for the first time as a solo artist."

Tyler will join Keith Urban this fall on his The Speed Of Now World Tour. The two co-wrote the title track of Dancin' In The Country.