Country
The Chicks Remember Olivia Newton-John With Cover of ‘Grease’ Classic ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’
The Chicks paid tribute to late singer/actress Olivia Newton-John during their concert at the Gorge Amphitheater in Washington on Saturday (Aug. 13). Prior to performing a heartfelt rendition of Newton-John’s Grease classic “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines shared a few words with the audience about the impact the late singer/actress had on her childhood. “We lost a worldwide sweetheart last week, Olivia Newton-John,” Maines said. “I thought I was Olivia Newton-John from, like, 4 to 12 (years old), and then I only wished I was Olivia Newton-John. So we worked up today at soundcheck a little Olivia Newton-John song.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Newton-John, best known for her role as Sandy Olsson in 1978’s Grease...
Maren Morris & Zedd Tease a Follow-Up to ‘The Middle’
Is a new Maren Morris and Zedd collab on the way? The country singer and dance producer seemed to indicate that possibility on social media this weekend, where they both teased that a follow-up to their 2018 pop earworm “The Middle” (with Grey) might just be in the works. “Round 2?” Morris wrote Saturday (Aug. 13) on Twitter, where she shared a photo of the pair. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Should we do it again?” Zedd asked in his own tweet, sharing the same picture. “The Middle” was a hit on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, where it held strong at No. 1 for an impressive 33 weeks. It also made it onto the top 10 on the Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at No. 5. “It was one of the fastest sessions I’ve ever done,” Zedd said of recordin...
Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney Expecting Third Baby With Wife Hannah
Dan + Shay vocalist and songwriter Shay Mooney and his wife Hannah Billingsley are expecting their third child and are set to add another boy to their family. The couple shared the happy news via a video on social media Friday (Aug. 12), captioning the post: “Mooney Baby #3! Thankful. Excited. Tired.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news They are already parents to two boys, Asher and Ames — and judging by the sweet video clip, it seems the two brothers were hoping for a little sister. Asher, 5, made his wishes clear, but took the news in stride. “Do you remember when mommy told you they were going to call us this week and tell us if we’re having a boy or girl? Do you think you’re going to have a baby brother or a baby sister?” Hannah is heard askin...
Makin’ Tracks: Miranda Lambert Navigates a Pandemic-Era House of Mirrors in ‘Strange’
It’s a little early to be thinking about trick-or-treaters, but Miranda Lambert’s “Strange” is perhaps a good soundtrack for ultra-organized planners considering this year’s Halloween costume. “It does sound like this creepy carnival in a cool way,” she says with a laugh. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Strange” is a reaction to the pandemic, an out-of-balance period in American life that threw the population into uncertainty, battling a creepy virus that — particularly in its infancy — was novel and dangerous. Lest we forget how odd it was, Lambert and her co-writers, Luke Dick (“Burning Man,” “Don’t Come Lookin’”) and Natalie Hemby (“Heartache Medication,” “Pontoon”), wrote “Strange” at Lambert’s Tennessee farm in 2020, when vaccines...
Amy Grant ‘Making Progress Every Day’ After Bike Accident That Left Her Unconscious for 10 Minutes
Amy Grant‘s bike accident left her unconscious for nearly 10 minutes and with a concussion, but her team says her recovery is going well. Grant was hospitalized on July 27 after she fell while on a bicycle ride with friends in Nashville. “She is making progress every day,” a rep for Grant told Billboard on Sunday (Aug. 7). “As Vince has announced during his concerts at the Ryman, she has a concussion and has needed a lot a lot of downtime and peace and quiet to recover. When she hit the pothole she was thrown from her bike and hit her head hard and was knocked out for about 10 [minutes] before being transported to the hospital by ambulance. Every day she gets stronger and more alert/energetic.” Vince Gill, the singer’s husband, addressed Grant’s accident Saturday night (Aug. 6), durin...
Jewel Says ‘Everybody Is Safe’ After Tour Bus Catches on Fire
Jewel and her tour crew are safe after a bus fire, the singer-songwriter said in an update to fans. “We had a full bus fire,” Jewel, who’s been on the road playing shows with Train and Blues Traveler, revealed on her official TikTok account. “Nobody was hurt. It happened on an off day in the parking lot of a hotel. The fire department came. Everybody is safe.” “We saved the vintage guitar and guitar amp,” she added. “All’s well that ends well, but how ’bout this bulls—?” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Text on the video clip noted that “the front desk saw the fire and called our bus driver and the fire dept.” Jewel’s tour with Train stops at Red Rocks in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday night (Aug. 6). Her latest album, Freewheelin’ Woman,...
‘CMT Giants’ to Honor Vince Gill
Since earning his breakthrough hit “When I Call Your Name” in 1990, Vince Gill has become known as a triple threat, ace vocalist, songwriter and guitar picker, with hits including “Whenever You Come Around,” “One More Last Chance,” “Go Rest High on that Mountain” and more. He’s a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, and has 18 CMA Awards wins to his credit (not to mention 12 years as host for the venerable awards show, with a decade spent as a solo host, in addition to co-hosting stints with Clint Black and Reba McEntire). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Sept. 16, Gill will be honored during the 90-minute special CMT Giants: Vince Gill, which airs exclusively on CMT, starting at 8 p.m. CT. The special will also mark the first te...
Watch Wynonna Judd & Carly Pearce Honor Naomi Judd During ‘CMA Fest’ Special
During Wednesday night’s (Aug. 3) CMA Fest special, which aired on ABC, one of the highlights was undoubtedly Wynonna Judd teaming with Carly Pearce to perform The Judds’ 1984 hit “Why Not Me” at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. During this year’s CMA Fest, the Country Music Association’s annual four-day, fan-fueled music party held June 9-12 in downtown Nashville, the two country artists paid homage to the legacy of the late Judds vocalist Naomi Judd, who alongside her daughter Wynonna amassed 14 No. 1 Billboard country hits in the 1980s. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “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 the...
Woman Falls to Her Death at Kenny Chesney Concert
A woman fell from an escalator to her death at the end of a July 30th Kenny Chesney concert in Denver, The Denver Post reports. Chesney was performing at Empower Field at Mile High when a woman who was sitting on the railing of an escalator fell to the concourse below and died of her injuries, Denver police said. The incident happened at about 10:52 p.m local time. Police spokesman Nate Magee said the woman’s death was being investigated as an accident. Magee said he did not know whether alcohol was a factor in the fall, but based on witness reports, he did not believe the woman was pushed or jostled. Advertisement Related Video “To my understanding there was none of that, it was just an accidental fall, I don’t think anyone pushed her or anything like that,” Magee said. Chesney offer...
Makin’ Tracks: Luke Bryan Cheers the ‘Country On’ With an Optimistic Message
“Hey, hey, U.S.A./ We ain’t seen our better days.” In a divisive era with many Americans skeptical about the future of the democracy, Luke Bryan’s new single, “Country On,” is a timely elixir, a four-minute reminder of the nation’s proud middle class, its work ethic and the sense of community that comes from simply doing what they do. “When I’m onstage, and when I’m singing ‘Most People Are Good,’ I feel that most people are still that, and I feel like most Americans really support the American dream,” Bryan says. “There’s a lot of forces out there really trying to interrupt that, but the day that we wake up and feel like the United States can’t have better days, I think the whole spirit of the country is lost.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts a...
Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning to Co-Host 2022 CMA Awards
Two-time CMA Awards entertainer of the year winner Luke Bryan and NFL star Peyton Manning will host the 56th annual CMA Awards on Nov. 9 on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. This will mark Bryan’s second year hosting the show, after first hosting the CMA Awards in 2021; it will be former Colts/Broncos superstar Manning’s first time serving as CMA Awards host. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Manning, who has made four Super Bowl appearances and won two Super Bowls during his 18-season career, is no stranger to the CMA Awards. In 2016, Manning was part of a comedic skit with then-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, and also presented the CMA’s pinnacle award to Kenny Chesney. “Being a part of such a historical night that honors...
Gary Allan Leaving Longtime Label Home UMG Nashville
Gary Allan is exiting his longtime label home, UMG Nashville. The “Watching Airplanes” hitmaker revealed the news on social media Friday (July 29), saying, “For the last 25 years plus, UMG Nashville has been my record label home. I’m very thankful to the staff members at [UMGN imprints] 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.” Over the past 25 years, Allan has earned 11 top 10 Billboard Country Airplay hits, including four chart leaders. Allan earned his first No. 1 Country Airplay hit with “Man to Man” in March 2003, followed that same year by the two-week chart leader “Tough Little Boys.” He also notched No. 1s including “Nothing on But The...
