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It’s probably safe to say that “Opry 100: A Live Celebration” is the first three-hour special in the history of country music television to feature nothing but first-rate performances over the course of an entire prime-time block. But then, producers for the show did have a built-in programming advantage in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, with theoretically a century of picks to draw upon and not just a year’s worth of recent radio fodder. That allowed for a whole evening of classic country, classily interpreted, without any freshman artists running laps around the stage in cutoffs dodging fireworks.

Even on a no-skips night, certain segments stood out. Here are 10 highlights from Wednesday night’s NBC/Peacock special:

Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs perform onstage during “Opry 100: A Live Celebration.”

A Vince Gill-led In Memoriam performance of “Go Rest High on That Mountain.

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From Reba McEntire paying tribute to Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, to Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood honoring George Jones and Tammy Wynette, some of country’s most legendary stars will hit the stage for the 100th anniversary of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry during tonight’s Opry 100: A Live Celebration. Hosted by Blake Shelton, the three-hour special airs on NBC and will stream live on Peacock.

Get ready for Grand celebration, NBC honors the 100th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry on March 19 with a live telecast featuring dozens of country legends and superstars. The three-hour telecast for “Opry 100: A Live Celebration” will feature live performances, tributes and special appearances, and the whole star-studded affair is hosted by “The Voice” alum Blake Shelton.

“Becoming a member of the Opry is a highlight of my life and career, and 15 years later I still get that same feeling of reverence and excitement every time I walk out on that stage,” Shelton said in the event announcement. “The Grand Ole Opry has been connecting the country music family for 100 years, and I’m so proud to be part of this historic celebration.”

Live from the Grand Ole Opry and the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, the special event promises to deliver a jam-packed lineup of some of...

NBC is airing a big special – Opry 100: A Live Celebration – tonight instead of their regularly scheduled Wednesday evening lineup!

The live concert will be hosted by Blake Shelton and will honor the Grand Ole Opry’s milestone 100th anniversary. If you don’t know, the Grand Ole Opry is considered country music’s biggest stage.

Tonight, so many country stars will take the stage during the three hour concert event, and we have the full lineup of performers who will be singing.

Be sure to tune in to NBC tonight to catch all the action. By the way, the concert is live and three hours long! It will kick off at 8pm Et and wrap up at 11pm Et.

Keep reading to see the full list of performers…

Scroll down to see the list of performers set to take the stage at tonight’s concert celebration…

Full List of...

A lineup of performances for Wednesday night’s “Opry 100: A Live Celebration” special on NBC has been revealed, with many of today’s top country superstars slated to pay tribute to the legends of previous generations, and some doing their own enduring hits as well.

One First Couple of Country will salute another First Couple when Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood team up to honor the late George Jones and Tammy Wynette on the show, which will also be available for viewing on Peacock.

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash are the other country couple who will be feted with a tribute, delivered by the duo of Jelly Roll and Ashley McBryde.

Reba McEntire will do double-duty, as tributes go, performing in dual appreciation of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, who were close friends before Cline’s career was cut tragically short.

Kelsea Ballerini will sing Barbara Mandrell’s biggest hit,...

Updated, with comments from press secretary: Donald Trump on Monday will make his first visit to the Kennedy Center since he ousted leadership and ensured that he would be chairman of the D.C. arts institution.

While the center has been beset by cancellations of major shows by artists protesting the Trump takeover, the president told reporters that “we have to straighten it out. It is not a good situation. Like everything else in this country.”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president “hopes to restore arts and culture that embrace American tradition, not disparage it, as we have unfortunately seen over the past several years.” She said that Trump would do a tour of the center and would “perhaps be discussing some future plays and musicals and theatrical programs that the center will be hosting under his new leadership.”

The New York Times reported that Trump will address...

NBC’s “Opry 100: A Live Celebration” is adding more performers to the roster for the March 19 special, which will devote three hours to commemorating the 100th anniversary of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The live broadcast will feature performances from Post Malone, Keith Urban, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Ricky Skaggs, Terri Clark, Steven Curtis Chapman, Yolanda Adams and Travis Tritt, it was announced Thursday.

The network also revealed a further slate of longstanding Opry members who will be making appearances on the telecast, including Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Lauren Alaina, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery, Chris Janson and Dustin Lynch.

Blake Shelton is hosting the show from the Opry House in Nashville. Artists previously announced as performing include Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, Brad Paisley, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Dierks Bentley, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Clint Black,...

Entertainment greats Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Steven Spielberg, and the late Selena Quintanilla will be honored by the White House this year. On Monday, Joe Biden’s administration announced the cohort of stars set to receive the 2022 and 2023 National Medals of Arts and Humanities.

Elliott, Latifah, and Spielberg are among the honorees for the National Medal of Arts, along with musicians Idina Menzel, Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, and Herb Ohta, Jr.; actress Eva Longoria; and filmmakers Ken Burns and Spike Lee.

Quintanilla joins a group of three late honorees to be given the award posthumously,...

American Idol's Noah Thompson revealed a fantastic opportunity that could help improve his music career. He first became famous from competing on American Idol, during which Noah covered songs like Rihanna's "Stay" and Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide." After winning American Idol season 20, he signed a contract with an Idol-affiliated record company. Unfortunately, he was eventually dropped by the label and forced to become an independent artist. Noah has vowed to keep pursuing his music career, but it hasn't always been easy to navigate without a big label helping him.

American Idol's Noah Thompson revealed a recent situation that will actually be beneficial for his career as an independent artist.

Amid some setbacks, Noah revealed a recent situation that will actually be beneficial for his career as an independent artist. The American Idol winner posted on Instagram that he participated in the Annapolis Songwriters Festival, which took place from September 12-15 in Annapolis,...

American Idol winner Noah Thompson thrives after parting ways with record label 19 Recordings. A recent Instagram post shows Noah performing with two country legends, proving his success as an independent artist. Despite his setback, Noah's journey continues as he collaborates with top names in the music industry like Luke Combs.

Noah Thompson, the winner of American Idol season 20, recently received an exciting update about his music career after parting ways with his record label, 19 Recordings. Noah emerged victorious during American Idol season 20, with the country music star leading the charge and defeating fellow contestant HunterGirl. However, it was announced in May that Noah would no longer be a part of 19 Recordings. This news came as a surprise, as Noah's win on American Idol was expected to launch his music career. Nonetheless, Noah has remained determined to overcome this setback and continues pursuing his musical passions.

American Idol star Noah...

Ronnie Milsap played what is being billed as his final Nashville concert on Tuesday night at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena. But before he took the stage, a parade of artists from all genres paid him tribute: Keith Urban, Ricky Skaggs, Elizabeth Cook, Los Lonely Boys, and, at the top of the show, Kelly Clarkson.

The pop superstar kicked off the night with a powerhouse rendition of “It Was Almost Like a Song,” the Hal David and Archie Jordan-written title track to his 1977 album. Backed by the house band Sixwire,...

Ronnie Milsap will play his final Nashville concert Tuesday night, a guest-heavy salute to the piano player featuring Kelly Clarkson, Little Big Town, Sara Evans, Parker McCollum, Breland, Ricky Skaggs, and more. Milsap is 80 now and regarded as a pillar of country music — the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him in 2014 — but at heart, he remains an unapologetic pop vocalist.

Listen to “Pure Love,” his 1974 Number One hit, written by Eddie Rabbitt. Only an expert in pop could successfully sell those lyrics about “milk and honey and Cap’n...

When Marty Stuart was growing up in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the Ellis Theater downtown could practically qualify as his second home. He watched the 1969 film Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music in the old movie house, and lived to tell the Man in Black about it after joining his band in 1980.

But today, with decades of success in Nashville to his credit — first as a sideman to bluegrass legend Lester Flatt, then Cash, and finally as a bandleader in his own right — Stuart has reclaimed the 500-seat venue in...

Voters for the Country Music Hall of Fame will be deciding their 2023 inductees in a few weeks. Vote in our poll below for your choice of who should be selected. Last year’s inductees for the class of 2022 were Joe Galante (executive), Keith Whitley (modern era) and Jerry Lew Lewis (veterans era). Other recent modern era inductees have included The Judds (2021), Marty Stuart (2020), Brooks and Dunn (2019), Ricky Skaggs (2018) and Alan Jackson (2017).

Seeacm Awards hosts: Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks will emcee the country music event

Our poll strictly focuses on the modern era category, which includes any artist who first gained national prominence 20 years ago (or longer). Here are the 12 superstars you’ll find in our poll (only one will be chosen):

Clint Black

Kenny Chesney

Faith Hill

Alison Krauss

Martina McBride

Tim McGraw

Brad Paisley

Travis Tritt

Shania Twain

Keith Urban

Trisha Yearwood

Dwight Yoakam

The veterans category...

A cohort of iconic musicians and artists will be receiving the 2021 National Medal of Arts from President Joe Biden Tuesday. On Monday, the White House announced that Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight, and José Feliciano are among the musicians to receive the coveted award.

The event will mark The Boss’ second visit to the White House after being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama back in 2016. Tuesday’s event will celebrate the 2021 distinction after the White House had to postpone numerous ceremonies due to the pandemic.

Among...

The 56th annual CMA Awards made its grand return to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, honoring musical legends, showcasing emerging artists and highlighting collaborations all while celebrating excellence within country music. Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning hosted.

Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood opened the show with with a tribute to Loretta Lynn performing classics that included “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” and “You’re Looking At Country” before concluding with all three coming together to perform “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” Carly Pearce was joined by Musician of the Year winner Jenee Fleenor, Sonya Isaacs and Ricky Skaggs to perform Pearce’s original song, “Dear Miss Loretta.”

Related: CMA Awards 2022 Winners List

Alan Jackson surprised the crowd by performing his hit “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.” Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson and Underwood were on hand to honor...

The 2022 CMA Awards were a mostly predictable affair with a few pleasant little surprises — and we’re so grateful for it. Between the maelstrom known as Ye, the upending of the already chaotic Twitter, and the high stakes of the midterms, there’s enough wacky shit afoot without having to endure some stupid drama unfolding on country music’s biggest night. Sorry Garth, but thank God for answered prayers.

With that in mind, the dream of the Nineties (and some even more distant decades) was alive in Nashville on Wednesday,...

Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll, has died at age 87.

Lewis was known for such iconic rock hits as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On”.

Born in Ferriday, Louisiana in 1935, Lewis melded the various musical influences — including gospel, blues and country — into a unique piano-driven sound, with his incendiary stage performances earning him the nickname “The Killer”.

In 1956, Lewis entered a Memphis recording studio with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins to form the very first supergroup, dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet.

Read More: Jerry Lee Lewis Is ‘Recuperating’ After Suffering Minor Stroke

According to a release issued by the late rocker’s talent agency, Lewis had been in poor health for the past few years, having “abused his body so thoroughly as a young man he was given little chance of lasting through middle age, let alone old age.

Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood are among the artists chosen to celebrate the music of Vince Gill on a new CMT special. CMT Giants: Vince Gill will premiere Friday, Sept. 16 at 9 p.m. Et.

The 90-minute special will focus on the Grammy-winning artist’s career and recordings with one-of-a-kind renditions of his hits by friends and admirers alike. In addition to Stapleton and Underwood, the show will include performances by Brad Paisley, Cody Johnson, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, and Ricky Skaggs. Notably absent from the list are Gill’s Eagles...

The Country Music Hall of Fame has announced a new group of inductees for 2022. Rock & roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis will be inducted in the Veteran category, neotraditionalist Keith Whitley will join the Hall in the Modern category, and former RCA Records executive will become a member in the Nonperforming category.

Brooks & Dunn handled the announcements in the Hall of Fame’s rotunda, marking the first time in two years that they’d been able to gather in person for the new Hall of Fame class. It was also an...

Updated: Performers and a host have been announced for Sunday’s celebration of life for Naomi Judd, with Robin Roberts presiding over the proceedings and Brandi Carlile, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, the Gaithers and Emmylou Harris and Allison Russell singing in honor of Judd.

The memorial will air live and commercial-free on CMT Sunday at 6 p.m. Et/5 Ct with an encore presentation at 10 p.m. Et/9 Ct. On the west coast, it will be shown tape-delayed at 6 and 10.

Bono, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Martina McBride and Salma Hayek will offer tributes, and Judd’s daughters Wynonna and Ashley Judd will appear. Carly Pearce and Cody Alan will host the CMT telecast. .

The program is being co-produced by CMT and Sandbox Live. The show’s executive producers are Margaret Comeaux and Leslie Fram of CMT, Jason Owen of Sandbox Live and Patrizia Dimaria of Ladypants Productions.

Said the CMT producers in a joint statement,...

In spite of Dolly Parton’s initial misgivings about accepting a nomination to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the country music icon is officially going to become a member: Her name was among those in the Class of 2022 announced on Wednesday morning. “I am honored and humbled by the fact that I have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of course I will accept it gracefully,” Parton wrote on social media. “Thanks to everyone that voted for me and to everyone at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Throughout his career, bluegrass banjo master J.D. Crowe selflessly made room in his band the New South for innovators. Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas all played in the group, which, under Crowe’s leadership, tested the limits of tradition-minded bluegrass culture by welcoming electric instruments and embracing songs from the folk and rock worlds.

In the late 1970s, he hired vocalist Keith Whitley and recalibrated the New South around the Kentuckian’s country music inclinations, in effect giving Whitley the platform he needed to launch his Nashville career in the 1980s.

J.D. Crowe, a Grammy winning banjo player whose mastery of the instrument inspired generations of bluegrass fans, died early on Friday morning, his family announced on social media. No cause of death or location was given.

“This morning at around 3 a.m,, our dad, Jd Crowe, went home. Prayers needed for all during this difficult time,” family members said in a post on his Facebook fan club page. Crowe had been active in music until 2019, when Copd forced him to stop performing.

Crowe’s death came a year after another bluegrass legend, guitarist Tony Rice, a former member of Crowe’s New South, died on Christmas a year ago.

Crowe’s career dates to the late 1950s, when he joined the Sunny Mountain Boys at age 19. In 1961, Crowe formed the Kentucky Mountain Boys, changing the name In 1971 to J.D. Crowe & the New South.

Under that name, the group recorded...

J.D. Crowe, a pioneering banjo player with his progressive bluegrass group the New South, died Friday morning, according to a post on the musician’s Facebook page. He was 84.

“This morning at around 3 a.m. our dad, Jd Crowe, went home,” Crowe’s family wrote. “Prayers needed for all during this difficult time.”

A seminal figure in the bluegrass world, Crowe was a disciple of Earl Scruggs and played banjo in Scruggs’ three-fingered style. Yet he was also an experimentalist and pushed the genre outside of its traditional, at times constrictive,...

Blake Shelton, the so-called “king” of “The Voice,” is back at it again after already winning eight championship through the years with Jermaine Paul, Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery, Craig Wayne Boyd, Sundance Head, Chloe Kohanski, Todd Tilghman and Cam Anthony. Can the country superstar win a ninth trophy during this Fall 2021 cycle? Blake finished creating his 12-person team during the October 5 episode, but they’ll soon be pared down in the battles, knockouts and live shows. Which Team Blake Shelton artist do You think has the best chance of winning Season 21? Vote in our poll below and then defend your choice in the comments section.

See‘The Voice’ schedule for Season 21: When will Ed Sheeran appear as Mega Mentor in Knockouts?

Berritt Haynes

Age: 19

Hometown: Pell City, Alabama

Resident: Pell City, Alabama

NBC bio: Berritt spent his early childhood playing every sport, but sadly at 8 years old, he was diagnosed with a heart condition.

This year’s South by Southwest Film Festival has showcased several documentaries about successful musicians, including Tom Petty, Charli Xcx and Sparks. But you could argue that they haven’t had one about a better songwriter than “Without Getting Killed or Caught,” Tamara Saviano and Paul Whitfield’s affectionate and lyrical film about Texas-born songwriter Guy Clark, which finally premiered at SXSW last week, a year after being booked for the canceled 2020 edition of the festival.

A plainspoken poet whose first album, 1975’s “Old No. 1,” contained more classic songs than most people can muster in an entire career, Clark racked up hits for people like Jerry Jeff Walker, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill and the Highwaymen, but rarely showed up on the charts himself until they started measuring the Americana genre, which he pretty much epitomized. He was a songwriters’ songwriter, the mentor to many and the focal point of a...

Jt Gray, the longtime owner of Nashville’s iconic venue of bluegrass and roots music The Station Inn died on March 20 of pre-existing conditions. He was 75.

Gray’s death was confirmed on the official Station Inn Facebook page. “The Station Inn will hold a celebration of life as soon as possible to honor the memory of Jt Gray,” said the Station Inn in a post. “The Station Inn will go dark on Monday, March 22 in honor of our friend and leader. But, just as Jt would want, we will ‘keep the music going,’ and we’ll keep you posted on stationinn.com and social media.”

They continued, “Jt understood and appreciated greatly the love and support of the bluegrass community, musicians and fans who became family over the years.”

Last week, Gray was seen on the Grammy Awards telecast where he presented Miranda Lambert with the trophy for Best Country Album.

Dolly Parton has reimagined her classic 1980 song “9 to 5” as “5 to 9” for a Squarespace commercial celebrating office workers getting their entrepreneurial side hustles going after hours. The minute-long spot, already available for view now, is set to have its broadcast premiere during the Super Bowl telecast on Sunday.

Oscar winning filmmaker Damien Chazelle directed the minute-long commercial, which features choreography by Tony winner Justin Peck.

Parton does not appear in the commercial. But she did record a full-length version of the reconfigured song that is up on Spotify.

Squarespace, a website building and e-commerce service, says it partnered with Parton to come up with the new lyrics.

The full two-and-a-half-minute version of the song heard on digital streaming services starts off with 45 seconds of the original “9 to 5” lyrics — written to open the 1980 workplace-comedy movie of the same name, and reprised for a Broadway musical in the late...

Since 1974, Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam concerts have been a regular fixture on the Music City event calendar for country and Southern rock fans. That was until 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down large events and the concert’s namesake died in July at the age of 83, rendering its September 2020 staging impossible.

The concert was initially rescheduled to go on as a tribute to the musical legacy of Daniels on February 22nd, 2021, but has once again been postponed due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns. The 2021 Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute to Charlie...

The White House confirmed on Thursday that Donald Trump awarded the National Medal of Arts to entertainers including Ricky Skaggs and Toby Keith just as Congress was moving to impeach him for the second time.

The honorees for the medals also included Earl “Rusty” Powell, the longest serving director of the National Gallery of Art, and Mary Costa, the opera singer who provided the voice of Aurora in the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. Another honoree, photographer Nick Ut, best known for his Vietnam era photograph The Terror of War, defended his decision to accept the honor from Trump in light of last week’s siege on the Capitol.

The National Medal of Arts was established in 1984, with recommendations submitted to the president by an advisory committee of the National Endowment for the Arts. Trump gave out his first arts medals in 2019 to a group that included Jon Voight, Alison Krauss,...

Country musicians Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs were reportedly presented with the National Medal of the Arts by president Donald Trump on Wednesday. The presentation took place on the same day the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for a historic second time in the wake of the violent insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th.

Because of Keith’s unwavering military support and jingoistic anthems like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” the Oklahoma native has long been assumed to be a conservative Republican,...

Updated, 1:36 Pm Pt: Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice, as the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed an article citing him for inciting the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol last week.

The 232-197 vote came after just two hours of debate, reflecting the urgency of House Democrats to impeach the president before his term ends. Ten Republicans joined with Democrats to impeach the president.

After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the vote as final, members paused for a moment, then went about chatting among themselves.

All of the news networks covered the vote, and broadcast networks broke in with special reports.

Trump was charged with one article for impeachment, inciting an insurrection stemming from the riot at the Capitol.

It will be up to the Senate to hold a trial. If two-thirds vote to convict, Trump will be removed from office.

Senate...

When guitarist Tony Rice died on Christmas Day in his North Carolina home, bluegrass music bade farewell to a second-generation star who expressed his music in modern terms and embraced bluegrass’s potential to both blend with and influence other genres.

“The music business has lost a true innovator,” says Jimmy Gaudreau, who played mandolin with Rice in the Eighties and Nineties. “As far as the guitar players of today, they name Tony Rice as the number one influence.”

Rice emerged in the vanguard of bluegrass music when he joined...

Tony Rice, the bluegrass guitarist and vocalist known for his elegant, innovative flatpicking, died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina. He was 69. Rice’s death was confirmed by the International Bluegrass Music Association, which inducted him into its Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

Born David Anthony Rice in Virginia on June 8th, 1951, Rice learned about bluegrass from his father, an amateur musician who raised his family in Los Angeles, and Tony’s older brother Larry Rice, who played mandolin. When Tony was 20, he joined his sibling as...

Tony Rice, the master bluegrass picker who drew fans worldwide for the chance to hear the quick, fluid sounds he conjured from his Martin D-28 guitar, has died at age 69.

Rice died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina, according to International Bluegrass Music Association spokesperson Casey Campbell.

Ricky Skaggs, one of the many musicians who revered Rice and performed and recorded with him, called him “the single most influential acoustic guitar player in the last 50 years.”

“Sometime during Christmas morning while making his coffee, our dear friend and guitar hero Tony Rice passed ...

Tony Rice, the master bluegrass picker who drew fans worldwide for the chance to hear the quick, fluid sounds he conjured from his Martin D-28 guitar, has died at age 69.

Rice died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina, according to International Bluegrass Music Association spokesperson Casey Campbell.

Ricky Skaggs, one of the many musicians who revered Rice and performed and recorded with him, called him “the single most influential acoustic guitar player in the last 50 years.”

“Sometime during Christmas morning while making his coffee, our dear friend and guitar hero Tony Rice passed ...

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum found the inspiration for its upcoming fundraising event from an unlikely source: penguins.

At the beginning of the pandemic, when museums and nearly everything else were forced to close down, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium managed to create a viral moment by letting its penguins roam loose in the facility and broadcasting the shenanigans online. The penguins were early quarantine stars. Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young was among those watching.

“They were looking at the fish swimming around,” Young recalls.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will put to use some of the most iconic instruments in the genre’s history for its upcoming “Big Night” fundraiser, set for Wednesday, October 28th. Included among the newly announced instrument and artist pairings are guitars once owned by Johnny Cash, Mother Maybelle Carter, and Jimmie Rodgers.

The artist lineup for the event, which will be hosted by Marty Stuart, runs the gamut from contemporary stars like Miranda Lambert and Kane Brown to Americana favorites like Keb’ Mo’ and Lucinda Williams,...

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will host an all-star virtual event on October 28th to raise funds for the museum and its programming. Among the artists slated to participate in “Big Night (At the Museum)” are Miranda Lambert, incoming Hall of Fame member Marty Stuart, and Rodney Crowell.

The Hall of Fame, located in downtown Nashville, will reopen to the public on September 10th, following several months of being closed due to the pandemic. As a result of the closure, the facility has suffered financial losses and...

Charlie Daniels’ Volunteer Jam concerts have been a country and Southern-rock summit since the very first one in 1974. The 2021 edition will still be shaped around that musically diverse legacy, but will double as a tribute to the Jam’s founder, who died July 6th at 83.

Set for February 22nd in Nashville, 2021 Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels features performances from contemporaries of Daniels and those he influenced, including Alabama, Ricky Skaggs, Old Crow Medicine Show, Chris Janson, Charley Pride, Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich, and Mickey Gilley. The initial lineup for the Volunteer Jam,...

Country artist Terri Clark has enlisted a slate of guests to join her in celebrating the Yuletide season on It’s Christmas… Cheers! Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss, and the Oak Ridge Boys are among those appearing, along with Nashville’s venerable Western swing outfit the Time Jumpers, who offer musical accompaniment on each of the upcoming LP’s 10 tracks.

Arriving September 25th, It’s Christmas… Cheers! marks the Canadian-born artist’s return to Universal’s Mercury Nashville, the label on which she scored her debut hit,...

For his first Spotify Singles appearance, Tyler Childers enlists bluegrass greats the Travelin’ McCourys for a string-band rendition of his hard-charging song “House Fire,” a highlight off his latest album Country Squire. Childers also teams up with Ricky Skaggs for a rousing cover of Skaggs’ 1982 hit “Highway 40 Blues.”

For their take on “Highway 40 Blues,” Childers and Skaggs are joined by the song’s writer Larry Cordle. The trio, all of whom are from Lawrence County, Kentucky, performed that same song as a kick-off to one of Childers’ concerts during his...

Nominations for the 31st annual International Bluegrass Music Association Awards were unveiled Friday in a live event broadcast on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction channel, with an array of talent, from legends to newcomers, recognized in more than a dozen categories. Competition was so tight in the top-prize race this year that Entertainer of the Year features six nominees instead of the usual five.

Musicians vying for Entertainer of the Year are Balsam Range, Billy Strings, Del McCoury Band, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Sister Sadie, and Special Consensus.

With their mention in the category,...

At a time when volunteerism has been crucial to millions of residents of Tennessee, following the tornado and flood outbreak earlier this month and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, country legend Charlie Daniels has revealed that the Volunteer Jam concert will return to Music City’s Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, September 15th.

Currently set to appear alongside the headlining Charlie Daniels Band are a mix of country legends, southern rock acts and relative newcomers including Trace Adkins, Charley Pride, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Justin Moore, Chris Janson, the Gatlin Brothers, Travis Denning,...

In early March 1978, Willie Nelson was atop Billboard’s country albums and country singles charts with friend and frequent duet partner Waylon Jennings. Their Waylon & Willie LP had spawned a massive hit with “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” which enjoyed a four-week run at the Number One spot. Nelson, meanwhile, could be seen as sort of taking that song’s message to heart with his follow-up album which, on the surface anyway, would seem to appeal less to cowboys than to “doctors and lawyers and such.

Although Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium has hosted concerts and events from virtually every musical genre in its 128-year history, its integral role in the birth of bluegrass is one of the hallowed venue’s most important claims to fame. Shortly after its restoration and renovation led to the reopening of the Ryman in June 1994, two of the world’s most influential bluegrass artists, Alison Krauss and Bill Monroe, took the stage for the first of what has become an annual tradition: the Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman concert series.

This...

The Cma Awards may get the lion’s share of the attention in country music this week, thanks mainly to its three hours in primetime on ABC, but Tuesday night’s Bmi Awards exude a certain kind of unmatchable cool.

Only in the confines of Bmi’s Nashville parking garage — where tables, a stage, and multiple bars are set up on the hard concrete — would you see the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, in a black poncho and hat, and Margo Price in a rhinestone suit singing Dwight Yoakam’s “Fast as...

In 2014, the Haden Triplets – Petra, Rachel, and Tanya – released their eponymous debut album on Jack White’s Third Man Records label. A sterling collection of vintage country songs, the LP was distinguished by the siblings’ chill-inducing harmonies. The daughters of jazz bass legend Charlie Haden (who died in July of that year) pay homage to their father’s exceptional music history, first as a singing (and yodeling) 2-year-old member of his family’s country-music act and his later years as one of the most influential jazz instrumentalists from the Fifties...

On Sunday, Brooks & Dunn, Ray Stevens and record executive Jerry Bradley were welcomed as the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at the 2019 Medallion Ceremony, held in the museum’s Cma Theater. Reba McEntire was on hand to induct her Las Vegas co-headliners Brooks & Dunn with the Hall’s Modern Era honor. Ricky Skaggs and the McCrary Sisters sang in honor of musician/country comedian Stevens, who received the Hall’s Veteran Era honor. And Bradley, the record executive who signed Alabama and paved the...