Pulse – Country Music News

Carrie Underwood hit the stage at Nissan Stadium at CMA Fest in Nashville on Saturday (June 11th) with some extra excitement as her new album, Denim & Rhinestones, was released the day before (Friday, June 10th). Prior to playing her set, Carrie told us she has one main goal with this project. "We're very excited that Denim & Rhinestones is out in the world. (I) just had so much fun writing these songs and recording these songs and I feel like the takeaway that I really want people to get is just a good time. I want people to be able to listen to this album and it just be an instant mood-booster, the kind of songs that you can just turn up and sing along to, dance along to, like yell in your car like there's not anybody that's gonna see you through your windshield and you're not gonna embarass yourself. Don't worry about embarassing yourself. Just have fun with it, cause I do!"

Carrie sits inside the Top 20 and climbing with "Ghost Story," the debut single from Denim & Rhinestones.

She is set to perform on NBC's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday (June 14th).

Carrie launches her Denim & Rhinestones Tour with special guest Jimmie Allen on October 15th in Greenville, SC.

Zac Brown Band will release a deluxe version of their latest album, The Comeback, this fall, although no official release date has been announced. The band will also release a version of their current single, "Out In The Middle," featuring Blake Shelton, on June 22nd. They debuted the collaboration for fans attending their Warner Music Nashville Nightscape party on Thursday (June 9th) as part of CMA Fest in Nashville.

Zac Brown said, "The Comeback is the best album we've ever made, and to re-record a few tracks with some musical legends was such an honor. Blake Shelton is a country music powerhouse and sharing ‘Out in the Middle' with him, a song that represents our southern roots and country pride, is absolutely unreal. We're so grateful to do what we do and we can't wait to share the full album with our fans."

Blake said, "I've always been such a big fan of Zac as an artist and especially as a songwriter. This song in particular really resonated with me. It reminds me of how I was raised and where I come from – out in the middle!"

The deluxe version of The Comeback will be available to pre-order beginning July 15th.

Zac Brown Band continue on their Out in the Middle Tour.

Sara Evans' estranged husband, Jay Barker, has been placed on probation after being convicted of misdemeanor reckless endangerment not involving a weapon, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. Barker is also on supervised probation for 11 months and 29 days after originally being charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon back in January after attempting to hit the car Evans was riding in with his own vehicle.

Evans filed for divorce from Barker in August of last year citing irreconcilable differences and "inappropriate marital conduct." The couple is still reportedly married however living separately.

Evans and Barker tied the knot in 2008. They have no children together.

Wynonna Judd made a surprise appearance during Carly Pearce's set at CMA Fest in downtown Nashville on Friday (July 10th). She took the stage at Nissan Stadium where the two performed The Judds' 1984 hit "Why Not Me" in tribute to the late Naomi Judd.

The Tennessean reports that Carly addressed the crowd saying, "CMA Fest, we lost one of our absolute pillars in country music earlier this year: Miss Naomi Judd. As a girl growing up in Kentucky, I idolized the Judds and wanted to be like them. My first concert was to see Wynonna. And I've always loved all of the music that the Judds made and feel like it is such a representation of the best of country music, So CMA Fest, please make welcome Wynonna Judd."

Wynonna is gearing up to hit the road this September on what was to be The Judds' reunion tour. She will now perform the 11-date run solo with the help of such Nashville stars as Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde and Trisha Yearwood on select dates.

Naomi Judd took her own life in April at her Franklin, TN area home.

Chris Stapleton surprised the crowd at his concert near Los Angeles on Friday (June 10th) night with an appearance by Justin Timberlake. The two teamed up on "Tennessee Whiskey," a song included on Chris' 2015 album, Traveller. Billboard reports he told the audience, "I guarantee that most of you probably know me because of this man I'm about to bring onstage. He's one of the greatest musical artists that has ever lived."

Vince Gill invited musician Charlie McCoy and songwriter Don Schlitz to become members of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday (June 11th) night. Both artists are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and each will be officially inducted into the Opry later this summer.

Niko Moon dropped his new EP, called Coastin', on Friday (June 10th) along with the music video for his latest single, "Easy Tonight." Niko co-wrote and co-produced all five songs on the EP.

Darius Rucker's annual Darius & Friends benefit concert, golf tournament and silent auction for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital raised $516,000 for the facility earlier this week in Nashville. This brings Darius' total donation to St. Jude to more than $3 million due to this event.

He tells us: "I mean, it's really crazy to see how Darius & Friends how far it's come because we started it 13 years ago now and it's funny, we decided to do it on a Monday because we had nothing going on Monday the week of CMA Fest and so we decided to do it then and now it's kind of like the unofficial kickoff and to raise $500,000 this year and have it to be the biggest year and it keeps getting bigger and bigger every year, that's pretty awesome and that's exactly what we wanted to do."

A sold-out audience at the Ryman Auditorium on Monday (June 6th) was treated to performances by Sheryl Crow, Lindsay Ell, Sara Evans, Caylee Hammack and Rachel Wammack, along with Darius.

Reflecting on his first visit to the hospital in 2008, Darius told the crowd, "I'm talking to one administrator and she said, ‘when you bring your kid to St. Jude, we fly you in, we put you up, we feed you and we never send you a bill.' I started talking to people there and it's true. That day I said, I want to do something to help. I'm doing this for St. Jude – thank you guys for coming out!"

Darius took the main stage at Nissan Stadium last night (Thursday, June 9th) which was the first official night of the four-day event.

Carly Pearce will spend this afternoon (Friday, June 10th) in downtown Nashville as part of CMA Fest when she gives her fans the opportunity to shop her closet. All proceeds from her haul will aid Music Health Alliance's mission to provide free healthcare advocacy and support to more than 18,000 music industry members across 49 states. Carly's Closet: A Pop-Up Shop Supporting Healthcare for the Music Industry opens at Noelle (200 Fourth Avenue North) today from 4-6 p.m. CT.

Carly said, "I recently did some spring cleaning and found that I had so many clothes that need new owners. Who better to pass them along to than my fans!? With so many people coming to Nashville this week, it felt like the perfect time to host a pop-up shop and raise some money for a great cause."

She hand-selected over 100 items of clothing, shoes, and accessories from her personal collection. Fans will have the chance to purchase wardrobe pieces from the "Next Girl" music video, the 2021 ACM Awards, and several media and concert appearances. The event will be cashless so all purchases will be made with credit and debit cards.

Fans across the country can also participate in Carly's Closet online when a few items become available for sale exclusively on the leading live commerce platform TalkShopLive. For more details visit Carly's Instagram.

Following the pop-up, Carly heads to Nissan Stadium for her first solo appearance at CMA Fest's main stage. She continues on Kenny Chesney's Here & Now Tour for the rest of the summer.

Keith Urban recently released a song called "Nightfalls," which he wrote about a venue like Nashville's Nissan Stadium, which he played last night (Thursday, June 9th) at CMA Fest. Prior to taking the stage, Keith explained: "It was really written out of a desire to get back and play places just like this - a summer concert outdoors. The gist of the song and the feeling of it is really what it feels like even for me to go to a concert, not just to be on stage, but to be out there on the lawn if you play the amphitheater or wherever it is, up in the stands, sun's going down, it's warm, everybody's feeling good. 'Nightfalls' was all about that."

Keith launches the North American leg of his headlining The Speed of Now World Tour on June 17th in Tampa, FL.

The Zac Brown Band took a quick break from their Out In The Middle Tour to perform last night (Thursday, June 9th) on the main stage at Nissan Stadium at CMA Fest in Nashville. The guys kicked off their tour in April, and as group member Daniel de los Reyes tells us, there's a new energy amongst the fans and the band post-pandemic. "I think everybody's in a really good space. I think because of the hardship that we just went through, those are your moments to get up, with Covid and stuff. I think as individuals, as men where we're at, everybody's healthy, everybody's just got a new sense of gratitude and we're having the time of our lives out there."

Their tour rolls on to Atlanta, GA on June 17th.

The Zac Brown Band continues to climb the charts with their latest single, "Out In The Middle," the second single from their latest album, The Comeback.

Luke Combs performed for 8,000 fans at the BMI Parking Lot Party in Nashville last night (Wednesday, June 8th). The event was the songwriting organization's biggest Number One Party ever, celebrating Luke's latest nine Number One hits, and he performed each one live.

He was joined by 11 songwriters, co-writers of the hits, which included "Beautiful Crazy," "Beer Never Broke My Heart," "Even Though I'm Leaving," "Does To Me, "Lovin' On You," "Better Together," "Forever After All," "Cold As You," and "Doin' This." He wrapped the night's performance with "Hurricane," an earlier career chart-topper.

Luke's fellow co-writers included Thomas Archer, Wyatt Durrette, Ray Fulcher, Dan Isbell, James McNair, Shane Minor, Randy Montana, Tyler Reeve, Jonathan Singleton and Rob Williford.

Luke's third studio album, called Growin' Up, will be released on June 24th.

Sam Hunt and his wife, Hannah Lee Fowler, have been parents for a "couple of weeks" now, according to Sam, who told the audience at the Stars for Second Harvest charity concert in Nashville on Tuesday (June 7th) night that they welcomed a baby girl named Lucy Lu last month, People.com reports. No other details about the baby have been released.

In a video captured by Mayhem Media, Sam went on to say, "I think being out here, and in the music business and being out on the road, has sort of hardened my heart. My heart's definitely a lot harder in a lotta ways since I left that small town. It's amazing how that little girl melted that all away overnight a couple of weeks ago. I've been filled with a lot of gratitude these past couple of weeks. I just want to say up here on the Ryman stage how grateful I am to have been a part of country music for the last 10 years."

Sam and Hannah Lee filed for divorce earlier this year but recently called it off.

Carrie Underwood is helping the Tunnels To Towers Foundation with every ticket sold at her upcoming Denim & Rhinestones Tour. One dollar from each admission will be donated to the cause, which honors "our military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country," according to their website.

The foundation announced the news recently on social media quoting Chairman and CEO Frank Siller who said, "Tunnel to Towers helps the families of American heroes in their darkest hour. We're only able to do this important work because of the support from great people like Carrie Underwood. Her generous donation will help make 2022 the biggest year yet for the Foundation. We are incredibly grateful to Carrie."

Carrie chooses a worthy cause in conjunction with every tour. Previous charities which have benefited include ACM Lifting Lives, the CATS Foundation in her hometown of Checotah, OK and Danita's Children.

The Denim & Rhinestones Tour kicks off on October 15th in Greenville, SC with special guest Jimmie Allen.

Miranda Lambert has big plans to spend a good part of the summer traveling around the country in her Airstream with her husband, Brendan McLoughlin. Next month, the couple, along with her good friend and backup singer Gwen Sebastian and her husband, will hit the road in their respective Airstreams for 20 days, Miranda told People.com.

She said, "Everyone's like, 'So you're gonna get right off the bus and right into a camper,' but it's such a different way of seeing the world. It's through a windshield, but it's with freedom versus pulling into a parking lot where I wait all day, play a show, then roll the next town. This is like a way to actually see things. I always say I've been everywhere and seen nothing, which is kind of part of what I do."

The glamping trip includes stops in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

Miranda wraps up The Bandwagon Tour with Little Big Town this weekend.

Jason Aldean is among the lineup of superstars set to play the first night of CMA Fest in Nashville tonight (Thursday, June 9th) at Nissan Stadium. He has played the main stage for the past several years, and as Jason tells us, this Festival in particular is a very big deal for both artists and fans. "It has turned into this mega kind of giant thing over here at this stadium that's really cool and high-tech and, I mean, it's like a cutting-edge deal now. For a lot of these people, this is their vacation. Like I go (on) vacation, I go to the beach. These people go on vacation (and) they come here to see this and that's a big deal, so when we get the chance to go out and play for them you want to give them a good show and make it entertaining and make it worth their vacation, you know what I mean, so it's really exciting. It's really cool. I'm glad I get to be a part of it every year and hopefully they'll keep letting me come back."

Joining Jason in tonight's Nissan Stadium lineup are Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Darius Rucker, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell, Gabby Barrett, Brothers Osborne, Brittney Spencer and Deana Carter.

Garth Brooks has set a new ticket on sale date for his concert in Buffalo on Saturday, July 23rd at Highmark Stadium.Tickets will now go on sale, Friday, June 17th at 10 a.m. ET at ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks or on the Garth Brooks line at Ticketmaster, 1-877-654-2784 or through the Ticketmaster App on your mobile phone. Garth postponed ticket sales in the wake of the mass shooting there last month.

Trace Adkins' new TV drama, called Monarch, is now set to premiere on Fox on Sunday, September 11th. The debut of the show, which also stars Susan Sarandon, was postponed from its original air date of January due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Following its premiere, Monarch is scheduled to move to its regular airdate of Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

The 18th annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic raised more than $1,380,000 – the third highest total ever – last month in Oklahoma City and Norman, OK. All in, the event has raised more than $16 million for OK Kids Korral, the cost-free home for families of children being treated at The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center.

Carrie Underwood is celebrating Friday's (June 10th) release of her new album, Denim & Rhinestones, all week long. She kicked things off last night (Tuesday, June 7th) with her Official Fan Club Party as part of this week's CMA Fest, and she also performed two shows at the Grand Ole Opry. Tonight (Wednesday, June 8th), she takes the stage at The Historic Bell Tower in Downtown Nashville for Carrie Underwood: LIVE, a global, one-night-only live performance which will livestream beginning at 8 p.m. CT via the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, the Amazon Music mobile app via Twitch, and on Prime Video globally.

Denin & Rhinestones borrows its title from one of the songs on the album. While the song itself is a personal favorite of Carrie's, she tells it perfectly summed up the entire feel of the album. "I thought there was just something so cool about the title of it that is very me, that I wanted to name my album Denim & Rhinestones. When you think of Denim & Rhinestones, you think of the staples in your closet, the things that are reliable, the things that are comfortable, that you always feel good in them. Then you think of rhinestones and it's all the things that sparkle on top, and I feel like that kind of just sums up me. It sums up this album. It's a little vintage. It's a little shiny, and it just makes you feel good."

Carrie is also set to appear or perform on ABC's Good Morning America and GMA3 on Friday as well as NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on June 14th.

On Saturday (June 11th), Carrie takes the Nissan Stadium stage once again to headline the 49th annual CMA Fest, which will be broadcast on ABC on August 3rd.

The new album is the followup to Carrie's 2018 release, Cry Pretty.

Dolly Parton's best-selling novel co-authored with James Patterson, Run, Rose, Run, is headed for the big screen via Sony Pictures. The film will also star and be co-produced by Dolly along with Reese Witherspoon and her Hello Sunshine media company and James Patterson and his James Patterson Entertainment.

Dolly told The Hollywood Reporter, "I am thrilled to be bringing Run, Rose, Run to Sony Pictures. I'm looking forward to working with Sony and being in the movie as well. It's a good time to be excited, working with some of my favorite people."

The book is about a young woman who makes her way to Nashville to pursue her music dreams. It was released on March 7th.

In addition to the companion album of the same name which was released with the book through Dolly's own Butterfly Records, she will also write original songs for the project.

Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Maren Morris are among the headliners at the upcoming 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival. The two-day festival will be held on September 23rd and 24th in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on June 17th through AXS.com.

Carly Pearce, Chase Rice and Ryan Heard will also be performing on the Daytime Stage at the Festival.

Ryan Seacrest will host the main stage, which also features performances by Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas, Halsey, Lionel Richie, LL Cool J featuring DJ Z-Trip, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Pat Benetar & Neil Giraldo, Sam Smith, and The Black Keys.

The iHeartRadio Music Festival will broadcast live through iHeartMedia radio stations in addition to being live streamed on the CW Network app or CWTV.com.

Trace Adkins is helping the United States Football League (USFL) kick off its first-ever postseason, performing live between games during the inaugural playoff double-header on June 25th at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Game 1 of the USFL's 2022 playoffs airs at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, with Trace scheduled to take the field directly after it concludes. Playoff Game 2 will follow at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Trace said, "I'm really honored to be a part of this. I've been watching the games this year, I've been thrilled with what I've seen… the rule changes that you guys have implemented, for me, it's made everything more exciting. And I'm like why haven't we been doing this forever? It's just great. I've enjoyed every aspect of the game… I'm very proud to be associated with this inaugural season of the USFL."

Trace continues on his headlining The Way I Wanna Go Tour with dates scheduled through November.

Little Big Town have released the official music video for their current single, "Hell Yeah." The band's Phillip Sweet plays the role of the recently broken-hearted and is taken out by friends trying to cheer him up. Tyler Hubbard is a co-writer on the song along with Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook and Corey Crowder. The song is the lead release from LBT's upcoming album.

Karen Fairchild said, "Is there anything better than a found place in the middle of nowhere that is actually the coolest club in town? Throw some tequila and dirty dancing in the mix and it's a party. I love a heartbreak song that can still make you feel good."

Little Big Town is set to wrap up The Bandwagon Tour with Miranda Lambert this weekend before joining the Eagles on all dates of their European stadium tour this summer. This fall, the band will be joining Wynonna on select dates of The Judds: The Final Tour.

Chris Lane and Lauren Alaina have collaborated on a new duet called "Dancin' In The Moonlight," which is due out on Friday (June 10th). The two have been teasing something together on social media since earlier this week.

Trisha Yearwood will be the 2022 CRB Artist Achievement Award recipient, the Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. announced yesterday (Tuesday, June 7th). She will be honored during the Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 30th at Virgin Hotel Nashville. The CRB Artist Career Achievement Award is presented to an individual artist or act that, through their creativity, vision, performance, or leadership, has significantly contributed to the development and promotion of country music and country radio.

Dierks Bentley and Elle King are getting ready for their very first stint as co-hosts of this year's CMA Fest ABC-TV special. The annual four-day event officially launches on Thursday (June 9th) and runs through Sunday (June 12th), so Dierks and Elle will be busy all weekend at Nashville's Nissan Stadium, the main stage for performances at CMA Fest. They are also both set to take the stage on Sunday for their own performances.

Dierks and Elle tell us they're a must-have for ratings this year. "They need us for primetime. (Elle) They do. (Dierks) I mean, come on the two of us together, it's explosive. It's gonna be great. I'm excited. Actually, it's fun because A) we're together. Friends get a chance to hang out for four days together, but it's gonna be huge for Nashville. This is the first time in three years I guess, since they've had the big downtown CMA Fest. (Elle) Yeah, and the only other experience I've had with it is coming up there and singing with you. So yeah, I'm excited to do that again. (Dierks) Well we should do that again for sure."

Dierks has joined Elle on her latest single, "Worth A Shot." The two also teamed up on Dierks' 2016 hit "Different For Girls," which marked Elle's first foray into Country music.

CMA Fest is set to air on ABC on Wednesday, August 3rd at 8 p.m. ET. The three-hour show will feature dozens of performances filmed during this week's CMA Fest event.

Chris Lane and his wife, Lauren Bushnell Lane, will welcome their second child into the world in late October, People.com reports. Their first child, son Dutton, will celebrate his first birthday on Wednesday (June 8th).

Lauren told People, "To be quite honest, I've never been more shocked in my entire life, because this was very much an unexpected surprise. We had planned on having at least two kids, so we're very thankful that it was able to happen for us, even if it wasn't necessarily on our exact timing. We're both just incredibly excited."

Chris and Lauren tied the knot in October 2019.

Chris continues playing fairs and festivals this summer, with his next performance on Thursday (June 9th) at the Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Dustin Lynch has extended his Party Mode Tour into the fall with the addition of some new dates. Beginning on July 15th in Salina, KS, the trek now runs through October 7th in Boston, MA. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 10th at 10 a.m. (local) at DustinLynchMusic.com.

Dustin said, ""We knew we needed to keep this party going, so I'm really excited we can announce this next run of shows and keep the ‘Party Mode' turned up all year. Can't wait to see you out there!"

Dustin sits inside the Top 25 with his latest single, "Party Mode," the song from which the tour borrows its name.