Celebrating a night of female empowerment, Maren Morris, Lindsay Ell and Tenille Townes performed a free concert at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works on June 3. The Pandora Live event, which was a call to action for more female representation in the country genre, was broadcast live on SiriusXM’s The Highway channel.
After Tenille and Lindsay warmed up the crowd, Maren took the stage for her headlining set that featured a number of her fan-favorite tunes, including “Girl,” “I Could Use a Love Song,” “My Church,” “80s Mercedes,” “The Bones” and more.
During her rendition of “All My Favorite People,” Maren brought one of her favorites onstage—her husband Ryan Hurd, who co-wrote the song with Maren and Mikey Reaves. The tune appears on Maren’s 2019 album, Girl, with vocals from Brothers Osborne, but without the Brothers in tow, Ryan filled in with his singing chops.
From nominations and notes to performers and presenters, here’s everything a country music fan needs to know about the 2019 CMT Music Awards.
Date: Wednesday, June 5
Time: 7 p.m CT
Location: Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena
Television Station: CMT
Hosts: Little Big Town
Performers: Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, Boyz II Men, Brandi Carlile, Brett Young, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Tanya Tucker, Trombone Shorty, Zac Brown Band, Toby Keith, Cole Swindell, Jimmie Allen, Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, Morgan Wallen, Runaway June and Tenille Townes
Collaborations: Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker; Brett Young and Boyz II Men; Thomas Rhett, Little Big Town and Trombone Shorty; Toby Keith and Cole Swindell; and Sheryl Crow and Maren Morris
Presenters: Bobby Bones, Brantley Gilbert, Carly Pearce, Chris Sullivan, Cody Alan, Hunter Hayes, Jessie James Decker, Jimmie Allen, Julia Michaels, JWoww, Kate Bosworth, Katie Cook, Kiefer Sutherland, Lindsay Ell, Maddie & Tae, Michael Ray, Michelle Monaghan, Midland, Sarah Hyland and Trisha Yearwood
Fan Voting: Closes on June 4, 11:59 p.m. CT.
Notes: Finalists for Video of the Year will be announced on the morning of June 5, with voting taking place via social media.
Nominees
Video of the Year: Best video of the year; awarded to the artist and the video director.
Fan voting via Twitter trimmed the initial 14 nominees down to the five finalists.
Fans can now vote via Twitter for their favorite finalist by using #CMTawards with the artist-specific hashtag below (both hashtags are required for the vote to count). Voting will remain open through the live broadcast of tonight’s show, which begins at 7 p.m. CT.
Finalists
Carrie Underwood – “Cry Pretty” – #VoteCarrie
Kane Brown – “Good as You” – #VoteKane
Keith Urban feat. Julia Michaels – “Coming Home” – #VoteKeith
Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert – “Drowns The Whiskey”
Keith Urban feat. Julia Michaels – “Coming Home”
Sugarland feat. Taylor Swift – “Babe”
CMT Performance of the Year: Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
Boyz II Men and Brett Young – “Motownphilly” (CMT Crossroads)
Luke Combs and Leon Bridges – “Beautiful Crazy” (CMT Crossroads)
Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile – (“You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” (2018 CMT Artists of the Year)
Brett Eldredge and Meghan Trainor – “Let You Be Right” (CMT Crossroads)
Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Gladys Knight – “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (2018 CMT Artists of the Year)
Zac Brown Band and Shawn Mendes – “Keep Me In Mind” (CMT Crossroads)
Jake Owen released his new single, “Homemade,” on June 3.
The new tune, which is featured on his recent album, Greetings . . . From Jake, follows the album’s previous Top 10 single, “Down to the Honkytonk,” and No. 1 lead single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).”
The wistful new single, which was penned by Bobby Pinson, Drew Parker, Jared Mullins and Ben Goldsmith, highlights many of the staples commonly associated with small-town living, including pickup trucks, dirt roads, sweet tea, collard greens and more.
Randy Houser will embark on the Magnolia Tour this fall. The upcoming trek, which takes its name after Randy’s new studio album, is slated to visit a dozen cities, including Dallas, New York, Boston and more. Additional dates will be announced soon.
Randy shipped his new single, “No Stone Unturned,” to country radio on May 20. Penned by Randy and Dallas Davidson, “No Stone Unturned” finds Randy delivering another vocal gem as he bellows out the mid-tempo tune.
“My true passion is being out on the road, playing music,” says Randy. “That’s kind of what ‘No Stone Unturned’ is all about—I’ve always fancied myself a little bit of a traveling man so I’m looking forward to getting back out there and doing what I love.”
Paul Cauthen will join Randy for select dates on the road. Tickets go on sale on June 7 at 8 a.m. CT, with pre-sale begining on June 5.
Magnolia Tour Dates
Oct. 24 | Dallas, TX | Bomb Factory
Oct. 26 | Austin, TX | Nutty Brown Café & Amphitheatre*
Nov. 2 | Chattanooga, TN | Tivoli Theatre*
Nov. 8 | Indianapolis, IN | 8 Seconds Saloon*
Nov. 13 | Athens, GA | Georgia Theatre*
Nov. 14 | Knoxville, TN | Tennessee Theatre*
Nov. 15 | Richmond, VA | The National*
Nov.16 | Charlottesville, VA | Jefferson Theater*
Nov. 21 | Lake Buena Vista, FL | House of Blues*
Nov. 22 | Fort Myers, FL | The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon*
Dec. 11 | New York City, NY | Webster Hall*
Dec. 12 | Boston, MA | Paradise Rock Club*
Red dirt raconteurs Turnpike Troubadurs announced via Instagram that they are taking an “indefinite hiatus” after canceling their upcoming tour dates.
The Oklahoma-based band, which consists of Evan Felker, Kyle Nix, Ryan Engleman, RC Edwards, Hank Early and Gabriel Pearson, has canceled a number of shows over the last year as one of its band members struggles with personal problems.
Turnpike has not specifically mentioned the name of the band member in need of help, although it’s been widely speculated by a number of media outlets.
NCD is choosing not to name the band member.
You can read Turnpike’s official statement below.
To Our Fans,
We want to again apologize for the abrupt cancellations of our shows this past weekend. We can assure you that the situation was not in our control.
We want nothing more than the opportunity for to heal, and to not put all of you through this ever again. To have a chance for any of this, we need to cancel all of our remaining tour dates. Turnpike Troubadours will go on an indefinite hiatus until a time we feel that everyone is of strong mind, body and spirit and can deliver what our fans deserve.
Refunds for all scheduled shows can be made at point of purchase.
To all of you who have given us so much, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You believed in us, you raised us up, you stuck by us and you gave us more unconditional love than any band could ask for. We are humbled.
We ask that you please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we work to support and encourage.
Thank you all for everything. We love you!
A Northfolk Southern train hit a truck in the Ludlow and Milton area Sunday morning. When police arrived on the scene, they found an empty and damaged pick-up truck at the dead end of Watauga Ave.
Police say the driver ran off before the train crashed into the truck. Two hours later police discovered Ronnie Cupp, the suspected driver, walking down the street.
He admitted to driving the truck and leaving it on the tracks. Cupp was arrested for leaving the scene and public intoxication. No one was reported injured.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 22 Tennessee had its memorable season come to an end, falling to No. 14 North Carolina, 5-2, in Saturday night’s regional final game at Boshamer Stadium.
A bad first inning on the mound and a tough night offensively were the difference in the game, as UNC completed a perfect 3-0 weekend in the regional with the victory.
The Vols got off to a rough start against the Tar Heels, allowing four runs on four hits in the first inning. Zach Linginfelter got the starting nod but recorded just two outs before being pulled from the game.
Junior reliever Will Heflin had a stellar relief appearance to keep the Vols in it, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings while allowing just a single hit. He also struck out three batters before Andrew Shultz came in for the Vols in the bottom of the fourth.
Shultz also had a solid outing, surrendering one run through two innings while striking out a pair of batters to keep UT within striking distance.
Richard Jackson was next out of the pen for the Vols and was arguably to best pitcher on the night for either team, limiting the Tar Heels to just one hit in a career-high 3.1 shutout innings. The redshirt senior right hander also tied a career-high with four strikeouts in his final game for the Big Orange.
While Tennessee’s bullpen kept the game close most of the night, the offensive struggles proved to be too much to overcome. Alerick Soularie and Jay Charleston scored the lone runs for the Vols on the evening. Soularie finished the day leading the UT attack with two hits and an RBI to go along with his run scored.
Junior righty Austin Bergner was solid on the mound for the Tar Heels, holding the Vols to just two runs on four hits while striking out eight batters in seven innings of work. Bergner earned the win to improve to 6-1 on the year.
Joey Lancellotti sealed the deal for UNC with two shutout innings to pick up his third save of the year. The Vols made things interesting in the ninth with a pair of two-out walks to bring the tying run to the plate, nut Lancellotti recorded his third strikeout of the game to end the game.
Aaron Sabato and Dallas Tessar both had two hits while Ashton McGee drove in two runs to lead the Tar Heels offensively.
NOTABLE BULLPEN HOLDS IT DOWN: After UT gave up four runs on four hits in the top of the first, the bullpen was able to shut down the Tar Heels’ lineup for the remainder of the game. UNC scored just one run on two hits over the final 8.1 innings.
The duo of Will Heflin and Richard Jackson combined to throw 6.1 scoreless frames with seven strikeouts and only one hit allowed. Jackson set a career high in innings pitched (3.1) and also tied a career high with four strikeouts.
HISTORIC SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE: Tennessee finishes the year with a 40-21 record, the most wins since the 2005 tram had 46. The Vols’ 14-16 SEC record was also with the best for the program since finishing 18-11 in 2005.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 22 Tennessee booked its spot in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional Championship against North Carolina later today after defeating the Liberty Flames 6-5 in an extra-inning thriller on Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.
The Volunteers were unable to hold a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth but were able to limit the damage to just one run despite the Flames loading the bases loaded with nobody out. After a line out to first base, UT turned a 1-2-3 double play to send the game into extras.
Jake Rucker made the Flames pay for a two-out error that allowed the top of the 10th inning to continue. The freshman second baseman singled to left field to score Evan Russell from third and give the Big Orange a 6-5 lead.
Despite allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the 10th, Tennessee closer Redmond Walsh was able to buckle down and retire the next three batters to end the game and send the Vols to their first regional final since 2005.
UT jumped out to an early lead with a run in the top of the first and added to it with two more in the top of the second to pull ahead 3-0. The Vols’ hot hitting from yesterday continued as they cranked out six hits in the first two innings and 14 for the game.
Liberty responded with two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth to tie the game at three before a massive two-run homer by Andre Lipcius put the Vols back on top in the fifth. The homer came off of Flames’ All-American reliever Evan Brabrand after he entered the game in relief of starter Joseph Adametz. Lipcius took the second pitch of his at-bat against Brabrand off the scoreboard in left center for his 17th four-bagger of the season.
The junior from Williamsburg, Va., led the Vols offensively, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI after registering just one hit over the last two games.
Sophomore right hander Sean Hunley got his second start against the Flames this season and went 3.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits before being relieved by Garrett Crochet, who allowed three runs, only one of which was earned, in 3.2 innings. Walsh pitched the final 3.2 innings to pick up his second victory of the season.
NOTABLE BIG BATS BACK ON TRACK: Andre Lipcius and Alerick Soularie got back on track today, going 5-for-10 in the game after combining to go 1-for-15 over UT’s first two regional games. Lipcius blasted a two-run home run off the scoreboard to help put the Vols back in the lead during the fifth inning and finished with two RBI.
OVER THE HILL: With the win over Liberty, the Vols reached the 40-win mark for the first time since 2005, when UT won 46 games and went to the College World Series.
UP NEXT: Tennessee moves on to face North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional Championship at 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening. The game will be televised on the SEC Network and the ESPN App. Fans can also listen live as John Wilkerson call the action for the Vol Radio Network (FM 99.1/AM 990).
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – No. 22 Tennessee got its first win in the NCAA Tournament since 2005 with a 10-3 win over UNC-Wilmington in Saturday afternoon’s elimination game at Boshamer Stadium.
UT and UNCW had met two prior times in the NCAA Tournament with the Seahawks defeating the Vols twice back in the 2004 NCAA Kinston Regional. The Big Orange were able to exact a little revenge on Saturday, eliminating UNCW from postseason play.
Ricky Martinez led the charge offensively for the Vols with a 3-for-4 performance and two RBIs. The Pflugerville, Texas native had RBI singles in the fourth and sixth innings and also scored a pair of runs.
Tennessee’s pitching staff had a solid afternoon, holding the Seahawks to just a single run through the first eight innings before allowing two in the ninth after the game had already been decided.
Freshman right hander Camden Sewell got the start for the Vols and went 4.2 innings, surrendering one run on four hits. Sewell also had four strikeouts on the afternoon before making way for Garrett Crochet.
The sophomore lefty made his first appearance since taking a line drive off the jaw in the final series of the regular season. Crochet earned the win to improve to 5-3 with the win after tossing 2.1 shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four batters.
Jay Charleston provided the Vols with an early spark, scoring the first run of the game on a wild pitch by Landen Roupp in the top of the first. The junior from Longwood, Fla. reached on a bunt single, stole second and reached third on a throwing error before scoring on the wild pitch.
Freshman Connor Pavolony put the game out of reach in the eighth with his first-career grand slam to put UT up 10-1. It was the third grand slam for Tennessee in its NCAA Tournament history and the first since Stevie Daniels hit one in a 6-3 super-regional win over East Carolina on June 3, 2001.
Defensive miscues by the Seahawks also aided the Vols’ offense on the day. UNCW committed five errors on the afternoon allowing the Vols to score three unearned runs while the game was still close.
Roupp was stuck with the loss for UNCW despite a pretty solid performance on the mound. The sophomore right hander had six strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work and scattered five hits. Three of the five runs he gave up were unearned.
Highly touted pro prospect Greg Jones led the Seahawks at the plate with a pair of hits and three RBI.
NOTABLES BIG RICK: Ricky Martinez was the lone Vol with NCAA Tournament experience entering this weekend, playing in two postseason games with Sacramento State in the Palo Alto Regional back in 2017. He had three hits over two games and has added four more hits this weekend over two games.
CHARLESTON SWIPING MORE BAGS: With two steals today, Vols’ junior Jay Charleston is the first Tennessee and SEC player to steal 40 or more bases in a season since Chris Burke stole 49 bags back in 2001.
UP NEXT: The Volunteers will move on to face the loser of the UNC/Liberty game later today. That game is slated for a 12:00 p.m. first pitch on Sunday and will be streamed on ESPN3 and the ESPN App. Fans can also listen live as John Wilkerson call the action for the Vol Radio Network (FM 99.1/AM 990).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Kellie Harper put the finishing touches on her full-time staff on Friday, announcing the hiring of Jessica Jackson, Catherine Green and Tyler Watson.
Jackson will be the program’s director of recruiting operations, Greene will serve as the director of basketball operations and Watson takes over as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.
Harper also noted title and role changes for Alex Varlan and Heather Ervin. Varlan will serve as the director of scouting and analytics, while Ervin becomes the director of player relations and administration. Varlan and Ervin previously filled the positions of video coordinator, and director of recruiting operations and player personnel, respectively.
“I am excited and proud of the staff that we have assembled,” Harper said. “Everyone possesses strong character and work ethic and is committed to our vision and this program’s success.”
Jackson is a former player, graduate assistant and assistant under Harper, spending the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Missouri State’s NCAA Sweet 16 squad.
“Jessica is very sharp, has a terrific understanding of the recruiting landscape and will be able to assist our staff on a daily basis,” Harper said. “She has a great rapport with young players and will be a wonderful mentor for them.”
Prior to joining Harper at MSU, Jackson spent the 2017-18 season at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., where her main responsibilities with the Bulldog women’s program included recruiting, academics and scheduling.
She spent the previous three years (2014-17) at Appalachian State, contributing to a variety of aspects for the program in addition to her coaching and recruiting duties, ranging from equipment to compliance. Jackson was on the staff of head coach Angel Elderkin, who served as a graduate assistant and then video coordinator for the Lady Vols from 2005-07.
Prior to her time at Appalachian State, Jackson was the director of women’s basketball operations at Kent State University for two seasons from 2012-14.
Originally from Roswell, Ga., and a 2016 inductee to the Roswell High School Hall of Fame, Jackson played college basketball for two seasons at South Florida before transferring to Western Carolina prior to the 2007-08 season to play for Harper. She dished out a team-high 117 assists as a starting point guard for the Catamounts’ NCAA Tournament team in 2009, and finished her college career with 475 points and 279 assists in 113 games.
Jackson graduated from WCU in 2010 with a marketing degree and earned her master’s in adult and community college education from North Carolina State in 2012 after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant on Harper’s staff in Raleigh from 2010-12.
Serving stints in operations and student-athlete enrichment, Greene has seven years of full-time experience with NCAA Division I women’s basketball programs at North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
“Catherine brings creativity and organization to our program,” Harper said. “She is thoughtful, sincere and very efficient. Catherine will be able to handle many duties in our office that will benefit both our team and staff.”
In two seasons as the director of student-athlete enrichment at UNC, Greene was responsible for a variety of tasks within the program, including community engagement, community outreach, social media oversight, academics, marketing liaison, team building and career development in preparing student-athletes for life beyond basketball.
Previously, Greene spent five seasons as a member of the Georgia Tech women’s basketball program, the last four years as the director of operations. Greene oversaw all aspects of the program’s day-to-day operations as well as the Yellow Jackets’ team travel, promotional and fundraising efforts, community service initiatives and community relations.
She joined the Tech staff for the 2012-13 season as associate director of basketball operations after spending the previous two and a half years working full-time in event operations at North Carolina.
During her time at UNC, Greene served as director or co-director of more than 10 NCAA or ACC postseason championship events. She also worked as the game day manager for the Tar Heels’ men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse and baseball teams.
A 2008 graduate of North Carolina, Greene earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in sociology and from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a public relations concentration. She earned a Masters of Arts in exercise and sport science with a sport administration specialization in 2010.
A native of Gastonia, N.C., Greene served as a manager for the Tar Heels’ women’s basketball team and was the head manager for three years. During that time, the Tar Heels won four ACC Championships and advanced to the 2006 and 2007 Final Fours. As a graduate student, Greene was a graduate student assistant for the women’s team for one season before serving as the graduate intern for the Dean E. Smith Center.
Watson comes to the Lady Vols from Missouri State, where he worked previously with Harper. He spent the 2018-19 season as assistant strength and conditioning coach with the MSU women’s and men’s basketball programs as well as the women’s and men’s golf teams.
“Tyler is efficient, precise and demanding in his training and will be an asset for our team,” Harper said. “He and I work well together to promote a tough and disciplined culture.”
Watson served from December 2015 to the spring of 2018 as head strength and conditioning coach at Elon University in North Carolina. In that capacity, he oversaw all 16 athletic teams while working directly with men’s and women’s basketball in addition to volleyball, women’s lacrosse and track & field.
He previously served as assistant strength and conditioning coach at both Tennessee State and Clemson. Watson worked with women’s basketball, football and volleyball at TSU and had primary responsibility with volleyball and track & field at Clemson while assisting with football.
He holds a number of professional credentials, including USAW Level I sports performance certification, and has served internships at Southern Miss, Vanderbilt and with the Buffalo Bills.
Watson earned his undergraduate degree in exercise science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2014.
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