Maren Morris to Host Westwood One’s Labor Day Special

Maren Morris to Host Westwood One’s Labor Day Special

Maren Morris will help say goodbye to summer and hello to autumn as she hosts Westwood One’s Labor Day special: Workin’ Hard Country.

During the four-hour radio special, Maren will share some of her pre-fame stories and help curate a playlist of work songs and summertime anthems that feature many of country music’s top artists, including Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley and more.

Stations can air Westwood One’s Labor Day holiday special Workin’ Hard Country with Maren Morris anytime Saturday, Sept. 1 through Monday, Sept. 3, between 6 a.m. and midnight.

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

Take a Sneak Peek Inside the Opening of The Judds New Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame [Photo Gallery]

Take a Sneak Peek Inside the Opening of The Judds New Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame [Photo Gallery]

Wynonna and Naomi Judd celebrated the opening of their new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum on Aug. 8.

Opening to the public on Aug. 10 and running through July 14, 2019, The Judds: Dream Chasers explores the lives and careers of the Grammy-winning mother-daughter duo. Wynonna and Naomi Judd dominated the country charts during the 1980s and ’90s, selling more than 20 million albums and registering 20 Top 10 hits.

“The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is sacred ground, regarded with reverence and respect,” said Naomi. “I am so overjoyed to have The Judds’ career encapsulated in this new exhibit. I’m so proud of all the success Wynonna has accomplished and we owe everything to the fans who welcomed The Judds music into their homes.”

“I am truly humbled and grateful to partner with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to honor The Judds’ legacy and relive some of the special moments we shared with our fans,” added Wynonna. “What an honor.”

The exhibit features rare artifacts, original manuscripts, unpublished photos and keepsake costumes, including:

  • Velvet jacket embellished with bugle beading and sequins, worn by Wynonna Judd on The Judds’ farewell concert in December 1991
  • Lyrics to the song released by The Judds as “Rockin’ with the Rhythm of the Rain,” handwritten by Don Schlitz, who co-wrote the song with Brent Maher
  • 1996 Gibson Custom Shop ES-336 electric guitar used by Wynonna in her solo concerts
  • Nurse’s uniform worn by Naomi when she worked as a registered nurse
  • Certificate presented to 17-year-old Naomi for her volunteer work as a Candy Striper at King’s Daughters Hospital in Ashland, Kentucky
  • Hohner harmonicas and cigar box owned by Naomi, who began playing harmonica in the 1970s
  • Note to Santa Claus, written by Naomi and her siblings when they were children
  • Grammy for Best Country Song (1991) for “Love Can Build a Bridge,” presented to songwriters John Jarvis, Naomi and Paul Overstreet
  • CMA Horizon Award presented to The Judds in 1984
  • ACM Top Vocal Duet Award presented to The Judds in 1990
  • Silk jacket embellished with beaded stars and worn by Wynonna Judd at the 1991 ACM Awards
  • Kaat Tilley gown worn by Naomi Judd during The Judds’ nine-show residency in Las Vegas, October 2015

Take a sneak peek inside the exhibit, courtesy of photographer Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com.

Brett Eldredge & Meghan Trainor Cross Paths on Upcoming “CMT Crossroads”

Brett Eldredge & Meghan Trainor Cross Paths on Upcoming “CMT Crossroads”

Brett Eldredge and Meghan Trainor recorded an episode of CMT Crossroads at the Liberty Hall in Franklin, Tenn., on April 24. The hour-long episode will premiere on CMT on Sept. 3 at 10 p.m. CT.

After meeting at the CMA Awards in 2014, Brett and Meghan collaborated on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which was featured on Brett’s 2016 holiday album, Glow.

“Brett and I have known each other for a few years now, and I am such a fan of not only Brett’s music, but him as a person, ” says Meghan. “I was thrilled to collaborate with him again on CMT Crossroads. He’s a superstar and I was starstruck during the whole performance.”

“I just love Meghan’s sound—she’s got a funky, swaggy thing to her music that no one else is doing,” Brett says. “She’s one-of-a-kind, and I’m excited to perform with her again, this time on Crossroads. We’re going to make everybody feel alive. We’re going to make them feel it in their hearts and their souls. We’re going to bring big vocals and magic moments.”

The Crossroads collaboration will feature Meghan’s “All About That Bass,” “No Excuses” and “Let You Be Right,” as well as Brett’s “Drunk on Your Love,” “Wanna Be That Song” and “Haven’t Met You.” In addition, the duo will sing Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton’s “Islands in the Stream.”

photo by Jason Simanek

Everything You Need to Know About Tonight’s “CMA Fest” Television Special

Everything You Need to Know About Tonight’s “CMA Fest” Television Special

If you weren’t lucky enough to be one of the thousands of fans that descended on Nashville during the four days of CMA Fest in June, ABC’s three-hour television special, CMA Fest, has you covered.

Date: Aug. 8
Time: 8 pm. ET/7p.m. CT
Channel: ABC
Co-hosts: Thomas Rhett & Kelsea Ballerini
Performers and Songs (in order of appearance):

  • Keith Urban — “Never Comin Down”
  • Jake Owen — “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)”
  • Old Dominion — “Hotel Key”
  • Dustin Lynch — “Good Girl”
  • Florida Georgia Line — “Simple”
  • Morgan Wallen featuring Florida Georgia Line – “Up Down”
  • Jon Pardi — “Head Over Boots,” “Heartache On The Dance Floor,” “Dirt On My Boots” (Medley)
  • Kelsea Ballerini — “I Hate Love Songs”
  • Darius Rucker — “For The First Time”
  • Brett Young — “Mercy”
  • Carrie Underwood — “Cry Pretty”
  • Thomas Rhett — “Life Changes”
  • Kane Brown — “Lose It”
  • Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina — “What Ifs”
  • Cole Swindell — “Break Up in the End”
  • Dierks Bentley — “Woman, Amen”
  • Blake Shelton — “I Lived It”
  • Midland — “Burnout”
  • Keith Urban featuring Julia Michaels — “Coming Home”
  • Dan + Shay — “Tequila”
  • Luke Bryan — “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” & “Most People Are Good”
  • Jason Aldean — “You Make It Easy”
  • Luke Combs — “When It Rains It Pours”
  • Carly Pearce — “Hide the Wine”
  • Dierks Bentley featuring Dwight Yoakam — “Fast as You”
  • Chris Stapleton — “Millionaire”
  • Brett Eldredge — “The Long Way”
  • Sam Hunt — “Downtown’s Dead”
  • Brothers Osborne — “Shoot Me Straight”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Jimmy’s blog: Helton says big challenge is finding playmakers

By Jimmy Hyams

One of Tyson Helton’s biggest challenges in Year One as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator isn’t necessarily what to call on third-and-10 or fourth-and-1.

It’s identifying who can do what.

“The biggest challenge anytime you’re with a new team is trying to find out who are going to be the playmakers and who to trust,’’ Helton said in a one-on-one interview with WNML radio. “It takes time.’’

Helton said he tried to get a feel for that during spring practice, but there is only one certain way to know.

“Not until you get into a game-like situations do you know these are the guys you can trust and these are the talents each guy has to put in a certain spot to do things,’’ said the former pass game coordinator at USC and offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky.

Tennessee is not blessed with an abundance of playmakers, as evidenced by the fact the Vols averaged only 14.1 points, 108.8 rushing yards, 166.1 passing yards and 274.9 total yards in SEC games last season.

Running back Ty Chandler had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and ran for 120 yards in a start against Kentucky, so he has big-play ability. But he ran for just 305 yards on 4.3 yards per carry as a true freshman last year.

Receiver Jauan Jennings has proven he can make huge plays. Just ask Georgia, where he caught a Hail Mary pass at the end of the 2016 game to give the Vols a victory. In 2016, he caught 40 passes for 580 yards and seven touchdowns. He suffered a season-ending wrist injury in Game One last year.

“Very, very excited,’’ Helton said when asked about Jennings’ return. “He’s got a glint in his eyes. He’s very excited about getting back.’’

Receiver Brandon Johnson led all wideouts with 37 catches last season for 482 yards but just one score.

Marquez Callaway averaged 16.9 yards per catch and scored five times, but he had only 24 receptions and seemed to disappear during games.

It’s hard to find another player with big-play ability but perhaps someone will emerge.

“We’ve had several players come in after spring,’’ Helton said, “so we have to be able to plug those guys in, see what they can do.’’

One of those guys is junior-college All-American tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson. The former high school quarterback caught 31 passes last season at Arizona Western Community College.

Another is fifth-year grad transfer Madre London, who came from Michigan State. The 213-pound native of Little Rock, Ark., rushed for 500 yards as a freshman, 120 as a sophomore and 304 as a junior.


Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all

Carrie Underwood to Launch All-Female “Cry Pretty Tour 360” in May 2019

Carrie Underwood to Launch All-Female “Cry Pretty Tour 360” in May 2019

Carrie Underwood will launch an all-female Cry Pretty Tour 360 in May 2019.

The new tour will kick off on May 1 in Greensboro, N.C., and will play 55 arenas across the U.S. and Canada, including stops in Las Vegas, Toronto, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, Boston, Atlanta and more. Carrie will be joined by openers Maddie & Tae and Runaway June.

“I love performing in the round,” says Carrie. “It’s so much fun for me and the band to play in every direction and creates a much more intimate and immersive experience for the audience, even in a larger arena setting. It’s been exciting to introduce audiences to Cry Pretty, and I can’t wait to bring the new album to life on this tour, along with all of the songs we love to play live. I’m thrilled to be going out with an amazing line-up—Maddie & Tae and Runaway June are incredible artists that are going to bring even more electricity to our shows.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Aug. 17 at 10 a.m. local time. Pre-sale for Citi’s Private Pass program begins on Aug. 13 at 12 p.m.

Carrie will release her upcoming album, Cry Pretty, on Sept. 14.

Cry Pretty Tour 360

May 1 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
May 3 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC
May 4 – N. Little Rock, AR – Verizon Arena
May 6 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
May 9 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Arena
May 11 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 12 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center
May 14 – Sacramento, CA – Golden1 Center
May 16 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
May 18 – Bakersfield, CA – Rabobank Arena
May 21 – Portland, OR – MODA Center at Rose Garden
May 22 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
May 24 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
May 25 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
May 28 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
May 31 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
June 2 – Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
June 9 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
June 10 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
June 13 – Hershey, PA – GIANT Center
June 15 – Cincinnati, OH – U.S. Bank Arena
June 16 – Indianapolis, IN – Bankers Life Fieldhouse
June 18 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
June 20 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
June 21 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
June 23 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena
Sept. 10 – San Diego, CA – Valley View Casino Center
Sept. 12 – Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center
Sept. 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
Sept. 16 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
Sept. 18 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena
Sept. 19 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
Sept. 21 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sept. 22 – Lafayette, LA – Cajundome
Sept. 24 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sept. 25 – Oklahoma City, OK – Chesapeake Energy Arena
Sept. 27 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Sept. 29 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
Sept. 30 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
Oct. 2 – New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden
Oct. 4 – Washington, D.C. – Capital One Arena
Oct. 5 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Oct. 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Oct. 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Oct. 13 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Oct. 16 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
Oct. 17 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
Oct. 19 – Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena
Oct. 20 – Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Oct. 23 – Memphis, TN – FedExForum
Oct. 24 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
Oct. 26 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
Oct. 27 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
Oct. 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Oct. 31 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

*Tickets on sale Friday, Aug 24th in Wichita, Kansas City and Sioux Falls

 

Carrie Underwood Announces She Is Expecting Her Second Child

Carrie Underwood Announces She Is Expecting Her Second Child

Carrie Underwood announced via a video on social media that she is expecting her second child.

After Carrie announced that her new Cry Pretty Tour 360 will kick off in May, she revealed her baby news by saying: “You might be wondering and asking, ‘Carrie, why is your tour starting in May?’ Well, yay!”

The camera zoomed out to reveal the word “baby” in silver balloons.

“Mike and Isaiah and I are absolutely over the moon and excited to be adding another little fish to our pond,” she said. “This has just been a dream come true, with album and with baby news and all that stuff. We’re just so excited, and just so glad that you guys can share in this with us.”

Watch Carrie’s announcement below.

Carrie and Mike welcomed their first child, Isaiah, in February 2015.

photo by Tammie Arroyo / AFF-USA.com

Listen to Kenny Chesney’s Hopeful New Single, “Better Boat,” Featuring Mindy Smith

Listen to Kenny Chesney’s Hopeful New Single, “Better Boat,” Featuring Mindy Smith

After topping the charts with lead single, “Get Along,” from his 17th studio album, Songs for the Saints, Kenny Chesney is ready to ship “Better Boat” to country radio.

“Of all the songs on Songs for the Saints, ‘Better Boat’ really captures the emotion of that moment—and the months following Hurricanes Irma and Maria,” Kenny says. “There’s an acceptance it takes to face those challenges and all that uncertainty, something I know I’ve never seen in my lifetime . . . There’s a lyric that goes, ‘I ride the waves I can’t control,’ and that’s exactly how this was, and in some ways, still is.”

Penned by Travis Meadows and Liz Rose, the tune features vocals from Mindy Smith, who has released a handful of albums over the last 15 years on the rock, pop and indie charts.

“Mindy’s voice is so much a part of my life on the islands,” says Kenny. “I remember [Mindy’s song] ‘Come to Jesus’ so many nights, and so many mornings. Her voice would drift in through the windows, across the water, and it would just hold you. She’s like an angel, or a spirit who makes everything feel like it will be alright—and I thought that’s everything this song says beyond the actual words.”

Listen to “Better Boat” below.

photo by AFF-USA.com

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