Pulse – Country Music News

Jimmie Allen's third studio album, called Tulip Drive, will be released on June 24th. Its first single, "Down Home," is currently climbing the charts at country radio. Jimmie performed the song last night (Monday, April 4th) on CBS' The Late Late Show with James Corden and on Sunday (April 3rd) on the Grammy Awards.

Tulip Drive is the name of the street Jimmie's late grandmother grew up on. His 2018 debut album, Mercury Lane, was named for the street that he grew up on. Jimmie's 2020 & 2021 releases, Bettie James & Bettie James Gold Edition, were named for his grandmother, Bettie Snead, and father, James "Big Jim" Allen, who passed away in 2014 and 2019, respectively.

Jimmie said, "A lot of the songs on this album are from that time period. This is the first album where a lot of the songs are actually written based off a lot of my own personal life experiences – from relationships, the hardships of life, to the parties & the good times. A lot of these songs are based off things I went through when I was in later in high school and college, at a place where I was just learning a lot of life lessons from my grandmother. I wanted to honor her by naming this album Tulip Drive, after the street she lived on in Lewes, DE."

Jimmie will appear on CBS Mornings on Monday (April 11th) for a one-on-one sit down with co-host Nate Burleson.

The lineup of performers at the CMT Music Awards is growing with the additions of Carrie Underwood, Old Dominion and Mickey Guyton + Black Pumas. They join previously announced performers Kane Brown, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Maren Morris + Ryan Hurd, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell + Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban, The Judds and Kelsea Ballerini.

Priscilla Block, BRELAND, Jessie James Decker, Parker McCollum, Elvie Shane and Caitlyn Smith will all perform from the Ram Trucks Side Stage.

The finalists for Video of the Year have been whittled down from 12 to just six. The nominees are:

Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood – "If I Didn't Love You"
Kane Brown – "One Mississippi"
Kelsea Ballerini feat. Kenny Chesney – ‘half of my hometown"
Luke Combs – "Forever After All"
Cody Johnson – "Til You Can't"
Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson – "Never Say Never"

The fan-voted CMT Awards will air on Monday (April 11th) on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET. It will be co-hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and actor Anthony Mackie.

Dierks Bentley will hold his Seven Peaks Music Festival in San Luis Valley in Villa Grove, CO on Labor Day weekend (September 2-4). This is Dierks' third time to host Seven Peaks, which was postponed for the last couple of years due to the pandemic. More information on the upcoming event including lineup and ticket details will be revealed on April 13th.

Dierks tells us: "I'm so excited for Seven Peaks, I guess you could call it 2.0. You know we had a successful launch those first few years – in '18 and '19 – but obviously the pandemic messed up a lot of things. But the new location is killer. (It's) right down the street from the old spot. The lineup is incredible, and I'm so excited for the launch, the re-launch of Seven Peaks, and so excited to see how the fans respond to it."

Dierks' Beers On Me Tour kicks off on June 3rd in Wilmington, NC with special guests Ashley McBryde and Travis Denning.

He's climbing the charts with "Beers On Me," featuring BRELAND and HARDY.

Lauren Alaina has parted ways with her longtime record label, she announced on social media yesterday (Monday, April 4th). She wrote, in part, "I have made the tough decision to spread my wings and close a very important chapter of my life. There are more exciting things happening in my career right now than ever before, and I just can't wait to see where it all leads. Much more to share soon."

Lauren has been signed with Universal Music Group Nashville for the past 11 years. She joined the roster in June of 2011 after being named runner-up on season 10 of American Idol.

Over the years, Lauren released three studio albums, her latest being 2021's Sitting Pretty On Top of the World. She has three Number One hits to her credit including "Road Less Traveled," "What Ifs," a duet with Kane Brown, and "One Beer" with HARDY and Devin Dawson.

Lauren is currently appearing on Beyond The Edge on CBS. The show airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.

Eric Church upset many fans when he decided to cancel his scheduled show on Saturday (April 2nd) in San Antonio, TX just last week in order to attend Saturday night's Final Four game between his favorite team, the UNC Tar Heels, and their longtime rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, which was played in New Orleans. On Friday (April 1st), Eric announced a free show for anyone impacted by the cancelation taking place on September 2nd in New Braunfels, TX.

Eric announced the show on social media writing, "Thank you San Antonio for letting me take my family to this game. It took a minute to figure out how and when I could properly express my thanks. I will be coming to Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, TX on Friday, September 2, 2022 for a ONE of a kind FREE show for those of you who bought tickets and were planning to attend our cancelled San Antonio show." The post ends by stating that more details will be coming soon.

UNC beat Duke 81-77. The Tar Heels go on to play Kansas tonight in New Orleans (Monday, April 4th) on TBS at 9:20 p.m. ET for the NCAA Championship.

Kelsea Ballerini will release a new song called "Heartfirst" on Friday (April 8th). She shared the news on social media last Friday (April 1st) writing, "for those wondering, it is a bop."

Kelsea co-wrote "Heartfirst" with Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and Alysa Vanderheym.

Kelsea was a presenter at last night's (Sunday, April 3rd) Grammy Awards.

She is set to co-host the CMT Music Awards with actor Anthony Mackie on April 11th in Nashville. The show will air live for the first time on CBS.

Sam Hunt claims the Number One spot on the country charts this week with his latest hit, "23." He co-wrote the song, which Sam tells us had been a work in progress for quite a while. "That's one that I've had and tried to work up for several years. A lot of times you're just one word or one little change away from an idea turning into a song. We were down at the beach, we happened to be at the beach; that may have had something to do with it. We were down there and it's easier to tap into that nostalgia when you're at the beach, thinking back to trips you know from your youth. But who knows? But I'm glad that it worked out that day because we wrote it in probably two hours, which is pretty rare for me."

"23" will be included on Sam's upcoming album.

He returns to the road on April 28th to play the Sunfest Festival in West Palm Beach, FL.

Kane Brown's wife, Katelyn, is in the wine business. She announced the new venture, called Allen Rose, on social media recently. with Kane commenting, "So proud of ya babe." The name was created by combining Katelyn and Kane's and middle names.

In her post, Katelyn said she has been working on the new company for two years. She wrote, "I am launching my white wine and my rose, both named after my daughters; Kingsley Rose and Kodi Jane. I am thrilled for you guys to try it and share the moments y'all create with your loved ones . . ."

The collection is now available for pre-order at allenrosewine.com. Shipping begins on Wednesday (April 6th).

The Judds are set to reunite for the 2022 CMT Music Awards on April 11th where they will perform together. This marks the first time in over 20 years the duo will sing as a duo on national television. The fan-voted CMT Awards will air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.

Wynonna and Naomi will perform "Love Can Build A Bridge" in front of the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, where they will officially be inducted in May in the modern era category, according to CMT.com.

Kacey Musgraves is scheduled to introduce The Judds on the show.

The duo join previously announced performers Kane Brown, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Maren Morris + Ryan Hurd, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell + Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban and show co-host Kelsea Ballerini, among others. Actor Anthony Mackie will join Kelsea in co-hosting.

Thomas Rhett releases his latest album, Where We Started, today (Friday, April 1st). The project features his current hit, "Slow Down Summer," which is a Top 11 song and climbing on the Mediabase country chart.

Almost one year ago, Thomas released Country Again: Side A, which featured the hits "What's Your Country Song" and the album's title track. He is also scheduled to release its followup, Country Again: Side B, before the end of the year.

It's unusual to release three full-length albums in less than two years, however Thomas tells us it was important to let the fruit of these particularly creative years be heard by fans. "You get into 2020 and that's like a forced year off the road where I think you either had the choice of watching Netflix or really pouring into your songwriting (laughs), cause I really tried to write almost every day of 2020. Between the end of 2019 and today we probably wrote 300 songs and I couldn't handle sitting back and watching 190 songs just have to wait for four years to come out, and so that is the reason that there is so much music coming out. It's not just cause I'm trying to put content out but it's because these songs deserve a chance to be heard,"

Thomas will be live streaming with Amazon Music tonight at 9 p.m. ET to celebrate the release of Where We Started. Fans can watch for free on the @amazonmusic Twitch channel and Prime Video.

Jason Aldean has decided that four kids is plenty. He recently told Audacy's Josh, Rachael and Grunwald that he and his second wife, Brittany, are done having kids after welcoming son Memphis and daughter Navy within the past four years. He said, "I think we're good. I think she probably would go one more time, but I'm like, ‘we got one of each and they're awesome and you know… I'm good."

He added, "They're getting to the age now where its getting a little easier. They're three and four and so it's not like you got a newborn at the house and you're not sleeping — that's the part I don't like."

Jason also has two teenage daughters, Kendyl and Keeley, from his previous marriage.

The 90-minute concert DVD/CD, Kenny Rogers: All In For The Gambler, will be released on May 20th. Filmed at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville before Rogers' death, the live concert features performances by Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Chris Stapleton, Idina Menzel, Lady A, Little Big Town and Reba McEntire.

Some of the songs included in Kenny Rogers: All In For The Gambler are "Lady," "She Believes in Me," "Through the Years," "Lucille," "We've Got Tonight" and, of course, "The Gambler."

The CD/DVD combo is available now for preorder at AllInForTheGambler.com and KennyRogers.com.

Rogers died on March 20, 2020 at the age of 81.

Cole Swindell has released the title track from his upcoming fourth album, Stereotype. The song "Stereotype" was co-written by Cole, Michael Hardy (HARDY) and Jordan Schmidt. The Stereotype album will be released on April 8th and includes Cole's 10th career chart-topping hit "Single Saturday Night," along with his current single and duet with Lainey Wilson, "Never Say Never."

Walker Hayes has released a live music video for the track "Drinking Songs." The clip captures scenes from a recent concert at The Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown, Ohio. Walker shared a snippet on Instagram stories writing, "Thank God for drinkin and drinkin songs…also thank god for this rowdy bunch at the legendary @dustyarmadillo that made this music vid so fun to shoot."

Former country singer and Franklin, Tennessee Police Department Officer Jeff Carson's funeral is set for Saturday (April 2nd) at Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee at 10 a.m. Carson, best known for 1990s hits like "Not On Your Love" and "The Car," died last Saturday (March 26th) at the age of 58. According to his publicist, Carson suffered a heart attack and died at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin.

Carson's family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Franklin Police Department's Law Enforcement Assistance Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to Franklin Police Officers during unexpected life events, and college scholarships to officers' children.

Carson was born Jeffrey Lee Herndon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on December 16, 1963. He signed with Curb Records in 1995 and released three studio albums along the way. The last one, Real Life, was released in 2001.

Miranda Lambert is the latest entertainer to head to Las Vegas for a headlining residency. "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency" opens on Friday, September 23rd for a run of 24 shows at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. So far, Miranda has 2022 dates booked in September, October, November, December and March and April of next year. Tickets go on sale to the public starting Thursday, April 7th at 10 a.m. PT at ticketmaster.com/mirandavegas.

Miranda said, "When you've been touring as long as I have, there's something really creative about imagining a residency in a city like Las Vegas. I've had a lot of fun designing our sets, merchandise and clothing and boot lines – and even my place on Broadway in Nashville, Casa Rosa – so, this opportunity allows me to lean in a bit more into that side of myself and think about how to really bring country music to life in this room. I think everyone will like what we've dreamed up. I'm really excited about this!"

iHeartMedia will present iHeartCountry LIVE with Miranda Lambert from Casa Rosa Nashville on Wednesday, April 6th at 7 p.m. local time. Hosted by Amy Brown, the event will feature an intimate performance and exclusive interview that will stream on iHeartRadio's YouTube and broadcast across iHeartMedia's Mainstream Country radio stations.

Miranda will release her new album, Palomino, on April 29th.

Justin Moore co-wrote his latest single, "With A Woman You Love," based on his own experience of getting married at a young age and the relationship he has with his wife, Kate. He tells us: "I had the title idea for a while, but it kinda got me thinking about all the conversations that you have, whether you be in high school or whether you're the first one to get married, as I was in my group of friends. We all give each other crap, and at the time I was gettin' most of the crap. ‘Why are you gettin' married,' and doing all this and that? ‘Man, before you know it, you're gonna be missing football games to go to the mall and you're gonna have a dog sleeping in your bed' and all this kind of stuff. And they were right. I do those things now, but it certainly is worthwhile when you have a partner like I do in my wife Kate."

"With A Woman You Love" is the first taste of new music from Justin's upcoming studio album.

Justin returns to the road this weekend with a show on Saturday (April 2nd) in Lafayette, AL.

Carrie Underwood has been added to the lineup of performers at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, taking place on April 3rd in Las Vegas and airing live on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Other newly announced performers include J Balvin, John Legend, Maria Becerra and Silk Sonic. Carrie is nominated for two Grammys -- Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Jason Aldean for "If I Didn't Love You," and Best Roots Gospel Album for My Savior.

Garth Brooks has added a stop in Birmingham, AL on his Stadium Tour. The concert will be Saturday, June 4th at Protective Stadium. Tickets go on on sale on Friday, April 8th at 10 a.m. CT at ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks.

Keith Urban is releasing a new song today (Thursday, March 31st) called "Nightfalls." He teased the music on social media earlier this week from backstage during his latest Vegas residency run of dates in a two-part video message.

Keith continues performing at The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas residency through Saturday (April 2nd). Later next month, he heads to the U.K. for a string of shows before returning to Vegas for three dates in May.

Keith's The Speed of Now Tour kicks off on June 17th in Tampa, FL with special guest Ingrid Andress.

Eric Church has pulled the plug on his scheduled concert on Saturday (April 2nd) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas to take in the Final Four game between his beloved University of North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils being played in New Orleans. Countrynow.com reports that Eric sent a letter to his Church Choir fanclub members who purchased tickets for that show writing in part, "As a lifelong Carolina basketball fan, I've watched Carolina and Duke battle over the year but to have them matchup in the Final Four for the first time in history of the NCAA Tournament is any sports enthusiast's dream . . ."

Eric's letter said that he will be with his family to watch the big game, adding, "This is also the most selfish thing I've ever asked the Choir to do: to give up your Saturday night plans with us so that I can have this moment with my family and sports community. However, it's that same type of passion felt by the people who fill the seats at our concerts that makes us want to be part of a crowd at a game of this significance. Woody Durham always said, 'go where you go and do what you do,' thanks for letting me go here and be with the Tar Heels."

Refunds will automatically be processed.

Eric is set to perform on Friday (April 1st) in Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena on his Gather Again Tour.

Kelsea Ballerini is the new face of CoverGirl. She shared the news on social media yesterday (Tuesday, March 29th) writing, "EASY, BREEZY, BEAUTIFUL Y'ALL!!! Being a @covergirl has been on my bucket list since I was a little girl. They've always felt approachable to me through every age, phase of life, or occasion. From playing with makeup in middle school to getting ready for some of the biggest stages I've been lucky enough to perform on. It's a full circle moment and I'm so happy to officially join the CG family."

Via a release, Kelsea said, "I've always had an iconic tube of CoverGirl mascara in my makeup bag, and I even wrote in my journal at age 14 that one day I dreamed of being a CoverGirl."

Kelsea's partnership with CoverGirl is a multi-year deal. She will be the face of an as yet unnamed collection from the brand set to launch this spring.

Brad Paisley will kick off his World Tour 2022 on May 27th at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. This summer, he will head overseas on his ninth European tour and will end the run with his first-ever tour in Australia this fall. Special guests on the tour will include Tracy Lawrence, Scotty McCreery, Morgan Evans, Tenille Townes and Caylee Hammack. Tickets go on sale on April 1st and April 8th for select dates at bradpaisley.com.

A portion of ticket sales will go to The Store, a nonprofit free-referral based grocery store which aims to empower low-income individuals and families in the Nashville area co-founded by Brad and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. The Store is currently serving 450 families a month.

Parker McCollum is a married man! He and Hallie Ray Light tied the knot on Monday (March 28th) at Boxwood Manor in Tomball, Texas. People.com reports they were surrounded by "dozens of friends and family members." Both Parker and Hallie shared the big news yesterday (Tuesday, March 29th) morning on social media by posting a picture from the wedding with him writing, "Took me 3 years, but she is officially Hallie Ray Light McCollum," while she simply captioned the photo with "Mr. & Mrs. McCollum" followed by a heart emoji.

The newlyweds also shared a picture of their wedding rings, with Parker's being a gold horseshoe-shaped ring with nine diamonds.

The couple are enjoying their honeymoon -- from the looks of Hallie's latest Instagram story it's somewhere tropical -- but Parker returns to the road with a concert on Thursday, April 7th at the House of Blues in Orlando.

Parker McCollum, Elvie Shane, Priscilla Block, BRELAND, Jessie James Decker and Caitlyn Smith have all been added as performers on the Ram Trucks Side Stage at the CMT Music Awards on April 11th in Nashville. These six artists are also nominated for Breakthrough Video of the Year at the fan-voted show. Tenille Arts rounds out the Breakthrough category, but she performed on the Side Stage at last year's show, according to People.com.

Previously announced main stage performers include Kane Brown, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Carly Pearce, Cole Swindell, Lainey Wilson, Keith Urban and Kelsea Ballerini, to name a few.

Kelsea and actor Anthony Mackie will co-host the CMT Music Awards airing live on CBS from the Bridgestone Arena in Music City. The show begins at 8 p.m. ET.

Fan voting continues through Monday (April 4th) at 10 a.m. ET at vote.cmt.com.

Elle King has covered Joe Cocker's "Feelin' Alright" for the new DreamWorks Animation action comedy, The Bad Guys. The song is available now, and the movie arrives in theatres on April 22nd. "Feelin' Alright" is featured at the end of the film over the main end credits.

The movie is based on the New York Times best-selling book series in which a criminal crew of animal outlaws are about to attempt their most challenging con yet – becoming model citizens, according to a release.

Earlier this month, Elle released a new track to Country radio called "Out Yonder."

Elle wrapped her headlining Drunk And I Don't Wanna Go Home Tour on Monday (March 28th) night at Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. She'll be joining Chris Stapleton for select dates on his All American Roadshow Tour, with dates in Canada kicking off next month.