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Grace Kelley, the 28-year-old daughter of country star Wynonna Judd, was arrested in Georgia last week on three misdemeanor counts. Per Carroll County Jail records, Kelley was booked on Aug. 3 for driving while license suspended or revoked, motorcycle equipment not used properly and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. She was released a day later on $2,750 […]
Luke Bryan is set to release his eighth studio album, Mind of a Country Boy, on Sept. 27.
For the 14-song album, he reunites with producers Jeff and Jody Stevens. Four years have elapsed since the Georgia native released his previous album, and the new project delves into his priorities, including family, music, hunting and fishing. In celebrating the album announcement, Bryan has also released the new song “Closing Time in California,” timed to some of his upcoming shows in San Diego and Los Angles.
“I’ve been able to take my time and really compile songs for this album,” Bryan said in a statement. “If it’s a song that I cut two or three years ago, and I still love it, and it still sounds fresh, then I feel like it’ll stand the test of time.
“I think this album, as I’ve tried to do with all my albums, just has a little bit of everything,” he continued. “I do some things different vocally on this one that I’ve not done before. It’s about each song having its place and having its meaning. It’s trying not to be overly redundant with songs. I think that’s why I’ve been blessed to have a long career and what I feel like this album’s going to do.”
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In addition to his headlining shows and his Farm Tour, Bryan is set to continue his role as an American Idol judge (alongside incoming judge, fellow country artist Carrie Underwood), while his Crash My Playa destination concert in Mexico will celebrate its 10th year in 2025 with performances from Jason Aldean, Kane Brown and more.
“I’m still having a lot of fun in my concerts, and it’s still a big ole party,” Bryan said in a statement. “But I think as you grow older and mature, subject matters change and things that you can sing about change. But the love of trying to find the right song and a song that moves people is still at the forefront of what I want to do as an artist.”
See the full tracklist for Bryan’s Mind of a Country Boy below:
“Mind of Country Boy” (Luke Bryan, Ben Hayslip, Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins)“Love You, Miss You, Mean It” (Ben Hayslip, Jacob Rice, Jordan Minton, Rhett Akins)“Country Song Came On” (Ryan Beaver, Dan Alley, Neil Medley)“Pair of Boots” (Bobby Pinson, Taylor Phillips, Tofer Brown, Jaxon Free)“But I Got A Beer in My Hand” (Chase McGill, Matt Dragstrem, Geoff Warburton)“Kansas” (Chase McGill, Hillary Lindsey, Matt Dragstrem)“Country On” (Mark Nesler, David Frasier, Mitch Oglesby, Styles Haury)“Fish on the Wall” (Dallas Davidson, Chris Tompkins, Ben Johnson)“She’s Still Got It” (Rodney Clawson, Heather Morgan, Will Bundy, Jim McCormick)“Closing Time in California” (John Byron, Mark Holman, Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill)“For the Kids” (Luke Bryan, Justin Ebach, Brad Tursi)“Southern and Slow” (Matt Dragstrem, Josh Thompson, Chase McGill)“I’m on a Tractor” (Neil Thrasher, Lee Thomas Miller)“Jesus ‘Bout My Kids” (Jeff Hyde, Tucker Beathard, Ben Stennis, Brad Rempel)
CMA Award winner and four-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping artist Jelly Roll will soon see his new song serve as the music anthem for ESPN’s college football coverge during the 2024-2025 season on ESPN platforms, starting Saturday, Aug. 24.
Jelly Roll’s new single “Get By,” which will also be featured on his upcoming new album, serves as the soundtrack for ESPN’s season-long college football coverage across ESPN networks and ABC. This marks the 11th season that ESPN has partnered with an artist to create an anthem for ESPN’s college football coverage. Previous artists ESPN partnered with include Post Malone, Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Yungblud, Lauren Alaina and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Curtis Friends, ESPN vice president of marketing, said in a statement, “There’s a powerful connection between music and college football and for more than a decade, the ESPN college football music anthem has been integral to the promotion of the sport while its release has marked the unofficial start to the season. Jelly Roll is a talented, award-winning artist whose music speaks to the passion of college football fans across the country, and we’re excited ‘Get By’ will soundtrack the sport all season long.”
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The college football officially kicks off on Aug. 24, as ACC rivals Florida State and Georgia Tech face off starting at noon ET on ESPN at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Additionally, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will make its season debut, onsite, prior to the game.
Jelly Roll has been a ubiquitous persona of late, including taking part in this year’s WWE SummerSlam on Aug. 3, participating in a recent Nashville television taping honoring the late country entertainer Toby Keith, teaming with MGK for the new song and music video “Lonely Road,” and even offering a surprise show in Tampa, Florida last month after fellow country artist Morgan Wallen was forced to postpone his stadium show due to illness.
Jelly Roll also recently extended his headlining Beautifully Broken Tour again, adding even more tour dates to the trek.
Language, like music or fashion, evolves — and as a result, the use of some words or phrases makes it look like the speaker has not.
“Groovy,” “makin’ whoopee” and “the cat’s meow” had their day, and even earlier, so did “Heavens to Betsy,” an exclamation associated with older Southern ladies that seems more appropriate for the Roaring ‘20s than the 2020s. Etymologists don’t know for certain who Betsy is or when she first arrived in the lexicon, though the phrase has been traced back to the 19th century. Thus, word nerds can be forgiven if they’re skeptical of Jackson Dean’s new single, “Heavens to Betsy,” which sounds dated to anyone familiar with the title.
But the phrase is also old enough that many listeners may not have heard it before; Dean had not when the title first came up in a March 2021 songwriting session. “That line has never been used around me growing up or anything,” Dean notes. “I took it very literally.”
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“Heavens to Betsy” came up during a March 2021 songwriting session with Benjy Davis (“The Painter,” “Made for You”) and Driver Williams (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Hang Tight Honey”) at Little Louder Music in Nashville. Williams floated the “Heavens to Betsy” title, assuming they could give it a classic sort of twist.
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“My original thought was more country and lighter,” Williams recalls. “In subject matter, it was more like, you know, this girl named Betsy doesn’t need all the finer things in life. She just needs a home and a good man. That’d be Heaven to Betsy.”
That only worked, though, if they could shave the “s” off “Heavens,” but without that one letter, it no longer referenced the original phrase. Dean’s literal interpretation took it in a different direction – he pictured a father in Heaven communicating with his daughter, Betsy, via walkie-talkie or C.B. radio. They all found that idea intriguing.
“It had to be dark,” Williams says, “because whoever was in Heaven, you know, he’s obviously dead. And it’s just like, ‘Man, how dark can we get with this?’ And we went really dark with it.”
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The title became the opening line. Davis started strumming a guitar as the father reveals just enough in the first verse to let a first-time listener know the protagonist is communicating to someone about a drinking problem that “put you through hell.” That brooding stanza then opened into a brighter-sounding chorus that fully reveals the man is reaching out from the afterlife.
“I feel like the verses are the apology,” Davis says. “The chorus is sort of like the redemption, trying to make good on it.”
Verse 2 gave even more character clues, recalling a memory of Betsy when she was “knee high to a stump” – another dated phrase that was new, this time, to Davis. He injected a line about pink rain boots that made that verse even more vivid while drawing on his own past.
“I lived next to a family with some kids, and one day, the dad’s truck stopped showing up,” Davis remembers. “Over time, it became obvious that they were having some sort of issues. But [pink rain boots], that’s a really, really specific image. But that’s kind of what I had.”
Dean related to father abandonment from his own experience. “Both of my best friends growing up slept on my couch for probably two years, on and off,” he says. “I remember Dylan’s dad never being in the picture until we were 16, 17 years old, so I had that little bit of connection with it. And I’ve seen so many situations like that.”
“Heavens To Betsy” came together quickly, though it took longer for the sound to fully evolve. They cut a guitar/vocal work tape that day. Dean would later bring the song to Boy Named Banjo banjoist Barton Davis, who brought a bluegrass undercurrent to it. Dean later worked it up again with his band, who gave it an edgier sound that Williams compares to Kings of Leon.
Dean’s performance of “Betsy” on the 2023 album Live at the Ryman received play on SiriusXM’s The Highway and emerged as a fan favorite. Thus, as Dean went to work on his next album – On the Back of My Dreams, due Sept. 6 – Big Machine Label Group president/CEO Scott Borchetta suggested he record a studio version. Producer Luke Dick (Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town) assembled a group of session players to re-cut it last fall at Nashville’s Blackbird Studios, intent on keeping the same slow-building spirit as the Ryman release.
“I had worked loosely with Jack on the live record,” Dick says. “I was familiar with the arrangement, and when they said they wanted to record it, I felt like the arrangement had an energy to it that I didn’t want to stray too far from or rethink what should be or shouldn’t be. It already had movement to it that I liked.”
After attempting it first with a metronome-like click track, they dropped that crutch and let drummer Fred Eltringham carve out the rhythm and pace in conjunction with Dean’s vocals. The track gets just a hair faster as it evolves, reflecting the intensity as Dean and the musicians worked together.
“I love when Jack is in a booth with a song that he has played a lot, a song that he knows in his bones,” Dick says. “That allows him to emote on the day and to communicate with the band without speaking. That’s what I feel like was the most compelling thing about recording that song is Jack being able to get his visceral energy into the song. It’s what you’re shooting for as a producer.”
The end product splices parts of that recording with previous versions. Studio guitarist Rob McNelley’s slide guitar solo was melded with a solo previously played by Dean’s road guitarist, Brandon Aksteter. Dean recorded his final vocal this spring, emphasizing the distinctions between the verses’ heavy mystery and the chorus’ hopeful promise.
“I wanted the changes to be not only noticed, but drastically felt,” he says. “You get to right after the first chorus and you get to the hold, and then you drop right into the second [verse], it’s a completely different dynamic change. And then you get to the build, I mean, all those changes are physically moving you.”
Big Machine released “Heavens To Betsy” to country radio via PlayMPE on Aug. 2 with an Aug. 19 add date, with high expectations. Dean had it edited for broadcasters, snipping a reflective ending so that it ends cold on an ascendant high note. It’s a sonic cliffhanger, mirroring the dramatic uncertainty in the “Betsy” plot. It’s a twist that, unlike fashion or language, rarely grows old.
“Every PD in the country that I’ve ever been in contact with has heard that song and knows it and has asked me about it,” Dean says. “It kind of seems like a no-brainer: Just give them what they want and see what this does for the people.”
Kelsea Ballerini is set to release her upcoming fifth studio album, Patterns, on Oct. 25. The four-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter will preview the album with a new song, “Sorry, Mom,” which arrives Friday (Aug. 9) at midnight. “let’s start unpacking…,” Ballerini captioned the album’s cover art on Instagram. That image depicts her seated atop a […]
Blake Shelton, a 28-time No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay musician, and current Post Malone collaborator on the current Country Airplay top 20 song “Pour Me a Drink,” is bringing his slate of hits and signature humor to Las Vegas.
The Oklahoma native will take over The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, with six performances from Feb. 5 to 15, 2025.
“We’ve been talking about a Vegas residency for a few years, and all the pieces just came together for a run next year,” Shelton said in a statement. “The Colosseum is such an iconic venue, and I’m excited to bring some honky-tonk neon to the Palace.”
Shelton’s Vegas performances will take place Feb. 5, 7, 8, 12, 14 and 15, with all shows scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
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The country star has previously made appearances on stage during Gwen Stefani’s residency concerts. Shelton told People that his setlist will include a mix of his own hits and personal favorite songs, and that he took inspiration from Garth Brooks’ residency shows.
“[Brooks] played songs that he grew up loving and made him fall in love with music. I don’t want to just rip somebody off, but I do love the idea of doing something that you wouldn’t normally get to see out on tour,” Shelton told the magazine. “So I got to figure out what that is, and now I’m going to start thinking about how it would be different than something I would do on tour.”
Tickets for Shelton’s residency go on sale Friday, Aug. 16, at 10 a.m. PT, with Shelton fans gaining access to a presale beginning Friday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. PT. Citi/AAdvantage cardmembers will gain access to presale tickets Friday, Aug. 9 at 10 a.m. PT through Citi Entertainment. A Seated presale will begin Friday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m. PT. In addition, Caesars Rewards members — Caesars Entertainment’s loyalty program — as well as Ole Red, Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers will have access to a presale beginning Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 10 a.m. PT. All presales will end Thursday, Aug. 15, at 10 p.m. PT.
See Blake Shelton’s announcement below:
Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at Zach Bryan’s concert in Philadelphia on Wednesday (Aug. 7) after the previous night’s wild weather saw his Tuesday (Aug. 6) show delayed.
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The “Pink Skies” singer had quite the surprise in store for fans who attended his The Quittin’ Time Tour concert at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, bringing out guest performers Bruce Springsteen, The Lumineers, and Shane Gillis, who performed with Bryan throughout the show.
Springsteen, who recently collaborated with Bryan for “Sandpaper” on his latest album, The Great American Bar Scene, joined Bryan on stage to perform “Atlantic City”.
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Fans were delighted over the surprise appearances, with one taking to Twitter to write, “Hearing that Bruce Springsteen, The Lumineers, and Shane Gillis got on stage for Zach Bryan’s finale tonight in Philly and lightning could have struck me down leaving in the parking lot and that would’ve been a-okay with me.”
Another added, “Witnessed Bruce Springsteen and Zach Bryan blow up the Chicken man in Philly tonight. Then we had an all night Revival with Zach, Bruce, and The Lumineers—it was Spotless.”
It’s not the only time The Boss has joined Bryan for a surprise performance. He also joined the rocker on stage at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on March 27, where they performed two tracks, including the pair’s collaboration “Sandpaper”.
Following the album’s release on July 4, the country crooner thanked Springsteen for his feature.
“Thank you for the day @springsteen. thank you for your kind words. thank you for letting me take this picture,” Bryan captioned a photo of Springsteen on X (formerly Twitter). “thank you for making my whole life a dream of a younger me. a reason to believe.”
Fans of Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” will instantly recognize the chugging beat on “Sandpaper,” which is identical to the feel of his 1984 hit.
Bryan has also previously covered Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. classic “I’m on Fire” on several occasions, live and in the studio.
Carly Pearce isn’t here for the hecklers. During a recent interview with iHeartCountry’s Ashley Morrison at US 103.5 in Tampa Bay, Fla., Pearce discussed a recent incident when she called for a disrespectful concertgoer to be removed from the audience during her set at WE Fest, held at Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Minn.
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The Kentucky native said during the interview, “I guess people are learning a new side of me, but the boys do it all the time. This is no different. If somebody’s going to show disrespect at my show, get out.” She also added, “So many people think that they’re not gonna be reprimanded for their actions … He hit me in a moment where my ‘Kentucky’ came out full-force, and I just, I’m so tired of being afraid of standing up for myself.”
In video clips from the show on social media, Pearce can be seen asking for the removal of an audience member who had been unkind during her performance, with Pearce saying, “Somebody get him out of here. I don’t want him at my show. Get out of my show.” Pointing at the offending audience member, Pearce said, “If you’re gonna be an a–hole, you’re gonna have to say it to me and get the f–k out of my show. I do not have time for d–ks. See you later!”
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As the audience applauded the removal of the heckler, Pearce said on stage, “I don’t care if it’s to me. I don’t care if it’s to somebody sitting next to you. I don’t care if it’s on the internet. I don’t care if it’s texting. Words hurt. That hurt me. That was not nice and I’m just here to tell you guys to be kind. Do not say mean things to people just to be mean. Don’t think that there aren’t consequences for it. It is not kind. It is not right, and I do not believe that he should have been at my show if he’s gonna speak to me like that … That is the first time I have sent somebody out of one of my shows, but if somebody’s gonna be that mean and disrespect me, you are not welcome. So, thank you for being so kind to me tonight and for showing up. And seriously, just be nice to people. Do not be mean. It’s not worth it.”
Earlier this year, Pearce released her new album Hummingbird and just revealed her upcoming headlining Hummingbird World Tour, which launches Oct. 3 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Watch a clip from Pearce’s interview below:
This year’s Academy of Country Music Honors will air on Dr. Phil’s new Merit Street Media in the first step of a new broader partnership between the two entities.
Airing Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, the annual ACM Honors will recognize previously announced honorees including ACM Lifting Lives Award recipient Luke Bryan, ACM Poet’s Award recipient Alan Jackson, ACM Triple Crown recipient Lainey Wilson and ACM Icon Award recipient Trisha Yearwood, as well as executives Walt Aldridge, Tony Brown and Shannon Sanders.
Hosted by multiple ACM Award winner Carly Pearce and reigning ACM song of the year winner Jordan Davis, the ceremony will take place Aug. 21 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and feature performances from Eric Church, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Tyler Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde and Keith Urban, among others. Hubbard will also present the ACM studio recording and industry awards.
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“We’re excited to partner with Merit Street Media to bring one of my favorite nights of the year, ACM Honors, to households across North America through this growing network,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, in a statement. “With so many great performances honoring some of country music’s biggest stars, we can’t wait for fans to tune in to this event on Merit Street, and in the months ahead, we plan to bring even more content focused on Country Music to the Merit Street viewers.”
Though Whiteside declined to provide specifics, according to a press release, the two entities will explore programming opportunities around country music performances, behind-the-scenes and lifestyle moments, documentaries and more.
“For our first step into music programming, we can’t imagine a better marriage than Merit Street with ACM,” said Merit’s EVP/COO, Joel Cheatwood. “To kick this off with such an amazing celebration as ACM Honors is exactly what we aspired to deliver to viewers, and we look forward to creating additional original country music content for fans everywhere.”
Merit Street Media, which launched in April, dubs itself as a “destination for news and entertainment that respects your intelligence,” and is a partnership with Trinity Broadcasting Network. According to Merit Street Media, its programming reach extends to more than 80 million television homes through cable, satellite, streaming and free over-the-air platforms, including DirecTV, Dish, U-Verse and Samsung TV Plus, as well as Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, and Roku. Also among its programming are Professional Bull Riders events, which air live.
The previous two years, the ACM Honors — which are in their 17th year — aired on Fox.
Limited tickets for ACM Honors are available through AXS, including VIP packages which include a ticket in the VIP artist section of the Ryman, a ticket to the VIP pre-party reception, a commemorative Hatch Show Print poster, parking and drink tickets.
Elle King is opening up about her controversial performance on the Grand Ole Opry stage in January.
The star sat down with Kaitlyn Bristowe for her Off the Vine podcast, where she opened up about the difficulties that she was going through, and noted that she “went to a different type of therapeutic program” after the incident.
“I was very sad, and nobody really knows what I was what I was going through behind closed doors,” King explained. “And I just took that as, if it wasn’t this, it’s gonna be something else.”
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During the Grand Ole Opry’s tribute concert for Dolly Parton’s 78th earlier this year, King appeared on stage, where she declared that she was “f–king hammered” while trying to cover Parton’s song “Marry Me.” When she struggled to remember the lyrics, King sang, “I don’t give a s–t” and “I don’t know they lyrics to these things in this f–king town… Don’t tell Dolly ’cause it’s her birthday.”
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She continued that she’s a “different person” now. “I’ve had to heal and deal and go through things and, someone said to me, I think you might find a silver lining or something good that comes out of your experience with that,” she shared. “Ultimately, I couldn’t go on living my life or even staying in the situation that I had been going through. I couldn’t continue to be existing in that high level of pain that I was going through at the time.”
Following King’s performance, the Grand Ole Opry issued an apology via X, responding to one disgruntled attendee’s comment, and saying, “We deeply regret and apologize for the language that was used during last night’s second Opry performance.”
Parton quickly forgave King and offered empathy. In an interview with Extra, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee shared. “Elle is a really great artist. She’s a great girl. She’s been going through a lot of hard things lately, and she just had a little too much to drink.”