Watch Morgan Wallen & Florida Georgia Line Kick Things Up a Notch on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” With “Up Down”

Watch Morgan Wallen & Florida Georgia Line Kick Things Up a Notch on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” With “Up Down”

Posted on April 27, 2018

Sneedville, Tenn., native Morgan Wallen got his first taste of the spotlight as a 3-year-old, singing during church services for his father’s congregation. Now the 24-year-old is entertaining crowds on late-night TV.

Morgan made his late-night TV debut on April 26, teaming with Florida Georgia Line to perform his hit single, “Up Down,” which is currently No. 13 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

The new tune, which was penned by Michael Hardy, Brad Clawson and CJ Solar, is featured on Morgan’s debut album, If I Know Me.

Check out Morgan and FGL’s performance below.

photo by Arroyo/\’Connor/AFF-USA.com

Get Your “Weekend” Started With Radio Romance’s Debut Single

Get Your “Weekend” Started With Radio Romance’s Debut Single

Posted on April 27, 2018

After five months of competition that included more than 1,500 entrants from across the country, Radio Romance earned the title of Nash Next Champion in October 2017.

As part of their spoils, the four-piece Nashville band—consisting of Sam Hayes (lead singer), Josh Gramling (lead guitar), Moises Padilla (drums) and Adam Smithwick (bass)—was awarded a recording contract with Nash Next Records under the Big Machine Label Group and exposure on Cumulus radio stations nationwide.

On April 27, Radio Romance dropped their debut single, “Weekend,” a groovin’ tune with a fusion of ’90s country and rock that has recently become a staple of their live shows. The group’s new single pulls from the sounds of their varied musical influences, including Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence, Alabama, Pink Floyd, Metallica, Buddy Rich, Eric Church, Jason Aldean and more.

“Our musical influences definitely play a key role in our sound,” says Sam. “We pull from all genres of music, whether it was stuff we grew up on or stuff currently out now. We believe it truly shows through our songwriting, live performances and style of music.”

“We looked at a lot of different songs for our debut, but ‘Weekend’ is song we knew was special right after we wrote it,” says Josh. “It’s a song that helped us win Nash Next and we think it fits perfectly with what’s on country radio right now.”

Listen to “Weekend” below.

Single Art Courtesy of Big Machine Label Group

Maddie & Tae Give Fans First Glimpse of Sophomore Album With New Single, “Friends Don’t” [Listen]

Maddie & Tae Give Fans First Glimpse of Sophomore Album With New Single, “Friends Don’t” [Listen]

Posted on April 27, 2018

It’s been almost four years since Maddie & Tae strummed their way into country music consciousness with their breakout No. 1 hit, “Girl in a Country Song.” The duo found success with subsequent songs from their debut album, Start Here, including Top 10 single, “Fly,” and Top 25 single, “Shut Up and Fish.”

Maddie & Tae gave fans their first taste of their upcoming sophomore album by releasing new single, “Friends Don’t,” on April 27. The new tune, which was penned by Maddie, Tae, Jon Nite and Justin Ebach, was co-produced by Jimmy Robbins and Derek Wells.

“I hope our fans love this song as much as we do,” said Maddie. “Anything we ever do we have them in mind and want to always create music they can connect with. We have a big story to tell on this album, and ‘Friends Don’t’ is the beginning of it all.”

“It feels so good to be back with a song like ‘Friends Don’t,'” added Tae. “This song is everything we’ve always been. Honest, vulnerable and confident. We can’t wait for our fans to hear the rest of the record.”

Listen to the new song below.

Analysis of Vols players entering NFL Draft including team fits

Analysis of Vols players entering NFL Draft including team fits

Posted on April 26, 2018
Vols players invited to NFL Combine / Credit: UT Athletics

By Vince Ferrara / @VinceSports

Friday and Saturday will be the more anxious and exciting days for former University of Tennessee football players and Vols fans keeping a close eye on the NFL Draft.

Friday (Day 2) will be rounds 2 and 3 of the draft, which is the earliest and VFLs are expected to be taken. Saturday (Day 3) is for rounds 4 through 7 where there could be more UT players selected. There will be a number of undrafted free agents that will sign quickly after the draft with NFL clubs.

Here’s a list of Tennessee Volunteers players to watch for the NFL Draft and a potential free agents or tryout opportunities as well as 5 teams to watch as good fits for the most likely players to be drafted from UT.

Likely To Potential Draft Picks
DB Rashaan Gaulden (6’1, 197)
4.69 forty at Pro Day
4.61 forty at NFL Combine
Range projection: Rounds 3 to 5
Teams To Watch: Chiefs, Titans, Browns, Buccaneers, Raiders
Vince’s View: Gaulden has impressed some draft analysts and scouts with his versatility and toughness. Two questions that an NFL scout brought-up to me was that he ran a slower forty-yard dash at UT’s Pro Day despite being at a lighter weight and the unknown of a true position in the secondary. You can flip that to a positive of the versatility he can bring, but each team will view that differently. He’s smart, plays stronger than his size and was productive without a ton of healthy help around him at Tennessee.

RB John Kelly (5’10, 216)
4.64 forty at Pro Day (reported times 4.5 to 4.65)
Range projection: Rounds 3 to 5
Teams To Watch: Lions, Raiders, Steelers, Eagles, Giants
Vince’s View: Kelly is listed by the NFL heavier and taller than what we saw at UT’s Pro Day. I think he’s 5’9 and 209-ish unless something’s changed recently. The NFL comp that I think is most complimentary of Kelly and most accurate is Falcons RB Devonta Freeman. Both rack-up yards after contact, run bigger than their size, can catch the ball out of the backfield and play with an edge. He can be a role back as part of a duo or trio backfield.

DL Kahlil McKenzie (6’3, 314)
Range projection: Rounds 5 to 7
Teams To Watch: Raiders, Colts, Chiefs, Bears, Dolphins
Vince’s View: With his dad as GM of the Raiders and Jon Gruden as head coach, Oakland is easily the most likely destination. There will be other teams that feel like they can work with his size and family genes. Even though he worked out some at offensive line for some teams, that’s a really rare transition entering the NFL.

P Trevor Daniel (6’2, 230)
23 bench press reps at NFL Combine
Range projection: Rounds 6 to FA
Teams To Watch: Texans, Eagles, Falcons, Steelers, Vikings
Vince’s View: He was among the nation’s best punters the last two years with the Vols. There’s punting depth in this draft, which could push the big, strong punter out of the draft. He’ll absolutely sign with someone after the draft at the very least. The NFL is also looking to save dollars by going to younger punters to replace vets.

CB Emmanuel Moseley (5’11, 184)
4.42 forty at Pro Day (reported low of 4.36)
38.5 vertical at Pro Day
10 feet 8 inches broad jump at Pro Day
21 reps in bench press at Pro Day
Range projection: Rounds 6 to FA
Teams To Watch: Browns, Bills, Cardinals, Bengals, Texans
Vince’s View: This would surprise many Vols fans if he’s drafted. Those fast forty times have caught the attention of some NFL teams. He played a ton of football at UT. He wouldn’t be the first highly criticized UT DB to get an NFL look (see Justin Coleman and Malik Foreman.) Coleman has stuck. Foreman has not.

QB Riley Ferguson (6’3, 212) *transferred to Memphis
Range projection: Rounds 6 to FA
Teams To Watch: Panthers, Falcons, Texans, Vikings, Redskins
Vince’s View: Ferguson has the arm talent and huge production with the Tigers to take a flyer on late in the draft as competition for your 3rd quarterback or develop on the practice squad.

Possible Undrafted Free Agent Signings
TE Ethan Wolf (6’6, 258)
Teams To Watch: Saints, Bills, Titans, Jaguars, Giants

DT Kendal Vickers (6’3, 290)
Teams To Watch: Giants

LB Colton Jumper (6’2, 235)
Teams To Watch: Colts

WR/RS Evan Berry (5’11, 202)
4.65 forty at Pro Day
Teams To Watch: 49’ers

Possible Tryout Candidates That Are Draft Eligible
OL Jashon Robertson (6’2, 292)

OT Brett Kendrick (6’6, 305)

OL Coleman Thomas (6’6, 322)

CB Justin Martin (6’2, 192)
4.56 forty at Pro Day

CB Shaq Wiggins (5’9, 171)
4.63 forty at Pro Day

WR Josh Smith (6’0, 204)
4.52 forty at Pro Day

WR Jeff George (6’5, 191)
4.75 forty at Pro Day

TE Jakob Johnson (6’3, 253)

LB Elliott Berry (5’11, 204)

PK Aaron Medley (6’1, 199)

 

Lady Vols add Grad Transfer Lou Brown

Lady Vols add Grad Transfer Lou Brown

Posted on April 26, 2018
Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Lou Brown, a graduate transfer from Washington State, has signed an SEC Grant-In-Aid with Tennessee and will be eligible to play during the 2018-19 season, Lady Vol head basketball coach Holly Warlick announced on Thursday.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, the 6-foot-3 forward started 71 of 95 career games for the Cougars. She averaged 5.6 points and 5.6 rebounds while knocking down 80 three-pointers during her time in Pullman. She will graduate from WSU in May with a degree in sport management after twice earning Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention distinction and will have one season to play at UT.

Brown becomes the second international player to don a Lady Vol uniform, following in the footsteps of rising redshirt senior Cheridene Green, who hails from London, England. She also is the second graduate transfer to join the program. Schaquilla Nunn, who came from Winthrop and averaged 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds for UT in 2016-17, was the first.

“We are very pleased to welcome a multi-dimensional player like Lou to our program,” Warlick said. “At 6-3, she has great size, can stretch the floor with her shooting range, can shoot over the top of defenders, gets on the glass, runs the floor and plays well without the ball.

“She brings great experience, not only from the college ranks but also from playing internationally with Australia. Adding a veteran player of her caliber to our front court and a 12th player to our roster will not only provide us more depth, it should also lead to more competitiveness. We are very excited to add all of our newcomers to our group of returning players and continue our preparations for the 2018-19 season.”

As a junior in 2016-17, Brown notched career highs of 16 points vs. Nebraska and 16 rebounds vs. Oklahoma State en route to averaging 10.4 points and a team-leading 6.9 rebounds. Her season ended prematurely after seven games, however, due to a foot injury suffered during that OSU game.

She returned to the court in 2017-18 as a redshirt junior, starting 23 of 28 contests and averaging 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds for WSU. She was the team’s leading rebounder and fifth-leading point-producer, scoring in double figures nine times and tallying six games with double digits in rebounds. She had four double-doubles to lead the squad.

Brown connected on a single-season career-most 29 threes in 87 attempts (.333) last year. She tallied her most field goals and attempts, hitting 62 of 171 (.363), and shot a team-best 78.1 percent from the free throw line (25-32). She also posted a career high for assists in a season with 49.

She didn’t waste any time contributing during her first two seasons at WSU, either. Brown played in all 32 games as a freshman, starting the final 16, while averaging 3.9 points and 6.5 rebounds, the second-highest ever by a Cougar rookie. She blocked 29 shots, third-most by a freshman at the school. As a sophomore, she started 25 of 28 contests, tallying 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per outing.

Brown has experience in international play, as well, helping Australia to fifth place at the FIBA U17 World Championships in 2012 and to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championships in 2013.

The addition of Brown, who was prospectnation.com‘s No. 2-ranked international player coming out of high school, gives Tennessee an influx of five new players and brings the roster count to 12. The latter number ties for the highest total of active players UT has had during the Warlick era (2014-15 and 2015-16). Her arrival will provide an experienced rebounder and offensive option on the inside as well as a highly-capable threat at mid-range and beyond the arc.

Brown joins a 2018 signing class ranked No. 4 by ProspectsNation.com and No. 6 by HoopGurlz/espnW.  That group includes Zarielle Green (6-0 guard from Duncanville, Texas), who is ranked No. 10 by ESPN and No. 26 by ProspectsNation; Jazmine Massengill (6-0 point guard from Chattanooga), who is ranked No. 11 by ProspectsNation and No. 25 by ESPN; Amira “Mimi” Collins (6-3 forward from Waldorf, Md.), who is ranked No. 9 by ProspectsNation and No. 49 by ESPN; and Rae Burrell (6-1 wing from Henderson, Nev.), who is rated No. 43 by ESPN and No. 119 by ProspectsNation.

Green, Massengill and Collins were McDonald’s and Jordan Brand Classic All-Americans, and Collins was a top-five finalist for Naismith Girls’ High School Player of the Year.

 

UT Athletics

Parker Henry Named H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Winner

Parker Henry Named H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year Winner

Posted on April 26, 2018
Credit: UT Athletics

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — University of Tennessee football player Parker Henry has been named the male recipient of the 2017-18 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced on Thursday.

LSU volleyball player Kelly Quinn joins Henry as the female recipient of the honor.

Henry and Quinn were chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC universities and each will receive a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by AT&T, an SEC official sponsor.  The pair will be honored at the annual SEC Awards Dinner during the SEC Spring Meetings in Sandestin, Fla., the last week of May.

“Kelly and Parker are outstanding representatives of the student-athletes in the SEC who make a commitment to the total student-athlete experience by excelling both in competition and in the classroom,” Sankey said.  “Each of them are superior performers in their sport and high achievers in their academic pursuits.  The H. Boyd McWhorter Award is the highest honor for a student-athlete in the SEC and I congratulate Kelly and Parker as well as their families and respective institutions on their achievements.”

Henry is the seventh Tennessee student-athlete to win the prestigious honor, joining John Young (track and field, 1986), Patty Wiegand (track and field, 1991), Lang Wiseman (basketball, 1993), Lauryn McCalley (swimming and diving, 2005), Christine Magnuson (swimming and diving, 2009) and Phoebe Wright (track and field, 2010).

“I am honored to be named the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar Athlete of the Year,” Henry said. “Being at Tennessee has been an amazing experience both on and off the field, and I am extremely grateful to all of the Tennessee faculty, professors and coaches that made this possible. Without their support and guidance, I would not have been a candidate for such a prestigious award. By being pushed as both a football player and as a student, I am moving forward confident in the foundations provided by Tennessee. I hope to make the faculty, professors, coaches and the University proud as an alumni.”

Henry, a Finance and Political Science double major with a 4.0 grade point average at Tennessee, earned second team CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in 2017 and is a three-time Academic All-District selection.  A three-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Henry is only the sixth Tennessee football player ever to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and the second Volunteer football player to earn Academic All-District honors in back-to-back years, joining Peyton Manning in 1996 and 1997.

“I am delighted that Parker Henry has been selected by the SEC Faculty Athletics Representatives as this year’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Postgraduate Scholarship Award winner,” said Dr. Donald Bruce, Tennessee’s Faculty Athletics Representative. “He represents exactly what this prestigious honor is all about:  excellence in both athletics and academics.  What is particularly impressive about Parker is that he has earned this recognition through his own hard work and dedication, with unfailing humility and class.

“Parker embodies what it means to be a Volunteer:  to hold the torch and shadow himself so that others may see.  We are so fortunate to have had him on Rocky Top for the past few years, and we wish him great success in the next stages of his life.  I’m glad to know that he plans to continue his education at the graduate level, and I know that this scholarship is a very sound investment in his future.”

Henry started 24 games as Tennessee’s primary holder during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, joining the Volunteer football team as a walk on in 2015 after serving as an equipment manager.  He was part of 22 victories including two bowl wins as he never missed a hold.  He helped placekicker Aaron Medley make 17 field goals in 2016-17 and true freshman Brent Cimaglia drill two field goals of 40+ yards in 2017.

Henry was awarded the University of Tennessee Medallion for Community Service for having over 100 hours of community service.  His service projects included volunteering with Habitat for Humanity from 2015-17 and he led underprivileged middle school kids for a two-day weekend at Sevier Heights Baptist Church every February.

He will attend Vanderbilt University and pursue a Master of Science in Finance. Henry has aspirations of becoming an investment banker on Wall Street and later becoming a Professor of Finance.

Past recipients (Tennessee recipients in bold):
1986 – John Young, Tennessee (track)and Virginia Diederich, Georgia (swimming)
1987 – Jeff Noblin, Ole Miss (football) and Julie Estin, Alabama (gymnastics)
1988 – Danny Hoskins, Ole Miss (football) and Linda Leith, Georgia (swimming)
1989 – Mikael Olander, LSU (track) and Deanne Burnett, Georgia (swimming)
1990 – Burke Masters, Mississippi State (baseball) and Janice Kerr, Florida (gymnastics)
1991 – Al Parker, Georgia (tennis) and Patty Wiegand, Tennessee (track and cross country)
1992 – Jeff Laubenthal, Alabama (baseball) and Jenifer Kleyn, Auburn (volleyball)
1993 – Lang Wiseman, Tennessee (basketball) and Aimee York, Mississippi State (volleyball)
1994 – Peter Duitsman, South Carolina (soccer) and Tammy Newlon, Mississippi State (basketball)
1995 – Michael Blanchard, LSU (football) and April Ecke, Mississippi State (cross country)
1996 – Martin Nyberg, LSU (swimming) and Michelle Palmisano, Vanderbilt (basketball)
1997 – Andrew DeVooght, Georgia (swimming) and Meredith Willard, Alabama (gymnastics)
1998 – Jeremy Jackson, Mississippi State (baseball) and Shani Abshier, South Carolina (volleyball)
1999 – Jeff Zurcher, Kentucky (football) and Jessica Field, Arkansas (volleyball)
2000 – Joey Pitts, Georgia (tennis) and Lisette Lee, LSU (golf)
2001 – Scott Westerfield, Mississippi State (football) and Kim Black, Georgia (swimming)
2002 – Trey Dyson, South Carolina (baseball) and Tiffany Woolley, Arkansas (softball)
2003 – Matt Bonner, Florida (basketball) and Kristin Sterner, Alabama (gymnastics)
2004 – Caesar Garcia, Auburn (swimming & diving) and Lauren Imwalle, Alabama (soccer)
2005 – Rob Robertson, Ole Miss (football) and Lauryn McCalley, Tennessee (swimming & diving)
2006 – Rudy Niswanger, LSU (football) and Sarah Lowe, Florida (basketball)
2007 – Emeel Salem, Alabama (baseball) and Erika Schneble, Vanderbilt (track & field)
2008 – Joseph Sykora, Alabama (golf) and Kristen Hastrup, Auburn (swimming & diving)
2009 – Bram ten Berge, Ole Miss (tennis) and Christine Magnuson, Tennessee (swimming & diving)
2010 – Jordan Anderson, Auburn (swimming & diving) and Phoebe Wright, Tennessee (track & field)
2011 – Dan Mazzaferro, Auburn (swimming & diving) and Erica Meissner, Auburn (swimming & diving)
2012 – Michael Roth, South Carolina (baseball) and Wendy Trott, Georgia (swimming & diving)
2013 – Barrett Jones, Alabama (football) and Chelsea Oswald, Kentucky (track & field/cross country)
2014 – Cory Whitsett, Alabama (golf)  and Shannon Vreeland, Georgia (swimming)
2015 – Nathanael Franks, Arkansas (track & field) and Maddie Locus, Georgia (swimming)
2016 – Forrest Gamble, Ole Miss (golf) and Haylie McCleney, Alabama (softball)
2017 – Anton McKee, Alabama (swimming) and Sarah Gibson, Texas A&M (swimming)

 

UT Athletics

Kane Brown Teams With Camila Cabello for Rebooted Duet of “Never Be the Same” [Listen]

Kane Brown Teams With Camila Cabello for Rebooted Duet of “Never Be the Same” [Listen]

Posted on April 26, 2018

While country stars collaborating with artists outside of the country genre isn’t exactly a new concept, it sure has gained a lot of momentum in the past year, including Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha (“Meant to Be”); Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake (“Say Something”); Maren Morris, Zedd and Grey (“The Middle”); and Carrie Underwood and Ludacris (“Champion”).

Add Kane Brown and Camila Cabello to the list.

The pair is rebooting “Never Be the Same,” a tune Camila released in January that is currently No. 2 on the Billboard Pop chart. Interestingly enough, “Meant to Be” is No. 3 and “The Middle” is No. 1 on the aforementioned chart.

According to a post on Camila’s Instagram page, the new song will be released at midnight ET on April 27.

“When we were writing this song, @frankdukes kept telling me “the melodies you’re doing make it feel like this could be a country song” !!!!! ever since we finished writing it i always thought this could be reimagined with a country artist, and i heard Kane brown’s song “What Ifs” one day and freaked out!!!! I was like he’s the PERFECT artist to do this with…. i’m so so excited about this and hope you love it as much as i do and thank you Kane for your magical voice, this song tells a different story now @kanebrown_music 💞💞💞💞 => Out tonight everywhere at Midnight ET!”

Kane responded on Instagram by saying: “This song drops tonight at midnight! I’m so pumped and thrilled to be apart of this! Thank you so much @camila_cabello for letting me be apart of this 🙌🏽 LETS GOOO!!!!!!!”

Camila is a singer/songwriter who initially rose to fame as a member of Fifth Harmony, a quintet that formed during the second season of The X Factor in 2012. Camila left the group in December 2016 to focus on her solo career.

Kane is no stranger to collaborations or chart success. His duet with Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs,” landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in October 2017. Kane’s new single, “Heaven,” is currently No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Listen to the new song below.

Kane Brown Teams With Camila Cabello for Rebooted Duet of “Never Be the Same” [Listen]

Kane Brown Teams With Camila Cabello for Rebooted Duet of “Never Be the Same” [Listen]

Posted on April 26, 2018

While country stars collaborating with artists outside of the country genre isn’t exactly a new concept, it sure has gained a lot of momentum in the past year, including Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha (“Meant to Be”); Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake (“Say Something”); Maren Morris, Zedd and Grey (“The Middle”); and Carrie Underwood and Ludacris (“Champion”).

Add Kane Brown and Camila Cabello to the list.

The pair is rebooting “Never Be the Same,” a tune Camila released in January that is currently No. 2 on the Billboard Pop chart. Interestingly enough, “Meant to Be” is No. 3 and “The Middle” is No. 1 on the aforementioned chart.

According to a post on Camila’s Instagram page, the new song will be released at midnight ET on April 27.

“When we were writing this song, @frankdukes kept telling me “the melodies you’re doing make it feel like this could be a country song” !!!!! ever since we finished writing it i always thought this could be reimagined with a country artist, and i heard Kane brown’s song “What Ifs” one day and freaked out!!!! I was like he’s the PERFECT artist to do this with…. i’m so so excited about this and hope you love it as much as i do and thank you Kane for your magical voice, this song tells a different story now @kanebrown_music 💞💞💞💞 => Out tonight everywhere at Midnight ET!”

Kane responded on Instagram by saying: “This song drops tonight at midnight! I’m so pumped and thrilled to be apart of this! Thank you so much @camila_cabello for letting me be apart of this 🙌🏽 LETS GOOO!!!!!!!”

Camila is a singer/songwriter who initially rose to fame as a member of Fifth Harmony, a quintet that formed during the second season of The X Factor in 2012. Camila left the group in December 2016 to focus on her solo career.

Kane is no stranger to collaborations or chart success. His duet with Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs,” landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in October 2017. Kane’s new single, “Heaven,” is currently No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Listen to the new song below.

photo by AFF-USA.com

CMA Fest Announces More Than 80 Additional Performers for Free Daytime Shows

CMA Fest Announces More Than 80 Additional Performers for Free Daytime Shows

Posted on April 26, 2018

The Country Music Association revealed more than 80 additional artists slated to perform FREE daytime shows during this year’s CMA Fest, which takes place in downtown Nashville on June 7–10.

The Maui Jim Broadway Stage

Adam Craig, Ray Fulcher, Trea Landon, Drew Parker, Faren Rachels, Payton Smith, 17 Memphis, Ryan Beaver, Logan Brill, Brennley Brown, Austin Burke, Davisson Brothers Band, Travis Denning, Jeffrey East, Hannah Ellis, FILMORE, Noah Guthrie, Levi Hummon, Brett Kissel, Tegan Marie, Josh Mirenda, Hudson Moore, Hayley Orrantia, Meghan Patrick, Stephanie Quayle, Jordan Rager, Brandon Ray, Restless Road, Tyler Rich, Adam Sanders, Scooter Brown Band, Kalie Shorr, Natalie Stovall, Sweet Tea Trio, Temecula Road, Mitchell Tenpenny, The Last Bandoleros, Tyminski, and Carter Winter.

Located at the Hard Rock Cafe, the Maui Jim Broadway Stage will entertain crowds daily from 10:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free.

The Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage

Max Camp, Hannah Dasher, Austin Jenckes, Parker McKay, Steven Lee Olsen, Riley Roth, Steel Union, Matt Stell, TRAVLRS, Sarah Allison Turner, Spencer Crandall, Ben Danaher, Erin Enderlin, Livy Jeanne, Jordyn Mallory, Tom O’Connor, Jake Rose, Seaforth, SZLACHETKA, Jenny Tolman, Baylou, Craig Wayne Boyd, Lewis Brice, Emily Brooke, Kenton Bryant, Dallas Caroline, Ruthie Collins, Dalton & the Sheriffs, Sarah Darling, Haley & Michaels, Halfway to Hazard, Lucas Hoge, House Whiskey, Madison Kozak, Kendell Marvel, Ian Munsick, Ray Scott, George Shingleton, Sons of Daughters and Tara Thompson.

The Nashville Acoustic Corner Stage is located inside the NCVC Visitor Center at Bridgestone Arena and will run daily from 11 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Free.

Previously announced performers include:

Nissan Stadium Stage

Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Charles Esten and Friends, Florida Georgia Line, Dustin Lynch, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Charley Pride, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Lee Ann Womack and Brett Young. In addition, Lauren Alaina and Bebe Rexha will make guest appearances.

Stadium gates open daily at 6 p.m. with performances starting at 8 p.m. A limited number of four-day tickets for the nightly performances at Nissan Stadium are still available at CMAfest.com/tickets or through the CMA Box Office at 1-800-CMA-FEST.

Riverfront Stage

A Thousand Horses, Lauren Alaina, John Pardi, Frankie Ballard, Lee Brice, Chase Bryant, Cam, Craig Campbell, Easton Corbin, Jordan Davis, Devin Dawson, Gavin DeGraw, Russell Dickerson, Drake White and The Big Fire, Lindsay Ell, Tyler Farr, Hunter Hayes, Walker Hayes, High Valley, Home Free, LANCO, Chris Lane, LOCASH, Maddie & Tae, Scotty McCreery, William Michael Morgan, Parmalee, Eric Paslay, Carly Pearce, Cassadee Pope, RaeLynn, Michael Ray, Dylan Scott, Canaan Smith, Corey Smith, Granger Smith, The Cadillac Three, Morgan Wallen, and Aaron Watson.

The Riverfront Stage runs from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. each day. Free.

Breakout Stage

Jimmie Allen, Abby Anderson, Kassi Ashton, Drew Baldridge, Chris Bandi, Big Smo, Ashley Campbell, Crowder, Jacob Davis, Delta Rae, Cale Dodds, Adam Doleac, Clare Dunn, Brooke Eden, Riley Green, Trent Harmon, Sundance Head, James Barker Band, Jillian Jacqueline, Krystal Keith and Lance Carpenter, Jon Langston, Love and Theft, Ashley McBryde, Logan Mize, Steve Moakler, Muscadine Bloodline, Jerrod Niemann, Luke Pell, Josh Phillips, Radio Romance, Maggie Rose, Runaway June, Dylan Schneider, Sister Hazel, SmithField, The Wild Feathers, Michael Tyler, Walker McGuire, Waterloo Revival and Charlie Worsham.

Located in Walk of Fame Park, the Breakout Stage will entertain crowds from 10:30 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. each day. Free.

Budweiser Forever Country Stage

Keith Anderson, David Ball, John Berry, BlackHawk, Terri Clark, Mark Collie, Billy Dean, Joe Diffie, Exile, “Forever Country, Never Forgotten: A Tribute to Those Lost from Country Music,” Andy Griggs, Wade Hayes, Ty Herndon, Honky Tonkin’ with Tracy Lawrence (and special guests), Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, Little Texas, Lonestar, Mila Mason, Terry McBride, Lorrie Morgan, Heidi Newfield, Jamie O’Neal, Lee Roy Parnell, Restless Heart, Shenandoah, Doug Supernaw, The Bellamy Brothers, Mark Wills, Darryl Worley, and Michelle Wright.

The Budweiser Forever Country Stage will take place from 11 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. each day. Free.

Outdoor daytime performances at Budweiser Forever Country, Riverfront and Breakout stages are free and open to the public. All artist lineups are subject to change.

Additional stage lineups, Fan Fair X activities and more will be announced in the coming weeks

photo by Arroyo/O\’Connor/AFF-USA.com

No Rest for the Weary as Luke Combs Scores Another Top 10 Hit, Caps Headlining Gig & Preps to Join Jason Aldean’s Tour

No Rest for the Weary as Luke Combs Scores Another Top 10 Hit, Caps Headlining Gig & Preps to Join Jason Aldean’s Tour

Posted on April 26, 2018

Since storming onto the country landscape in 2016 with his breakout No. 1 single, “Hurricane,” Luke Combs has embarked on a frenetic schedule.

In addition to supporting Brantley Gilbert and Darius Rucker on their tours, the North Carolina native headlined his own 55-city Don’t Temp Me With a Good Time Tour in late 2017/early 2018, while his sophomore single, “When It Rains It Pours,” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. In between, he’s netted nominations at the ACM Awards, CMA Awards and Billboard Music Awards.

Luke’s third single, “One Number Away,” cracked the Top 10 this week, just as he caps his headlining gig and gears up to join Jason Aldean’s 34-city High Noon Neon Tour, which kicks off on May 10 and runs through September 29.

There’s no rest for the weary, but, according to Luke, he’s living the dream.

“You know, there’s so many different things that you don’t think are gonna be a part of this job that are part of this job, and they’re so many people who would love to be doing them,” says Luke. “So, my advice to anybody if you could get in this position is to try to keep your head up even when it gets busy. You’re gonna be busy, man, and you’re gonna be tired all the time, but that part of the gig—that’s the dream.”

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of his No. 1 debut album, This One’s for You, Luke will release a deluxe edition on June 1.

This One’s for You Too will feature 17 tracks, including the 12 originals from his debut album and five news songs: “Must’ve Never Met You,” “Houston, We Got a Problem,” “Beautiful Crazy,” “A Long Way” and “She Got the Best of Me.”

“As a songwriter, I’m always writing and adding new songs to our set lists,” says Luke. “Some songs I haven’t released have even become staples in our shows because the fans request them. As we’re working on the next record, the deluxe gives me the chance to say thank you to the fans for supporting my debut album and share with them some of the new music they’ve fallen in love with on the road with us.”

photo by Jason Simanek

Country News

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