Country Music

Little Big Town recently took the stage at Rolling Hills Farm in Franklin, TN in an effort to raise money for Blood:Water Mission, a local non-profit committed to empowering communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa. This event is the second house concert that Little Big Town has performed for [...]

Rascal Flatts photo courtesy of Schmidt Relations. Rascal Flatts kick off their Live & Loud Tour on Friday, May 31 in Jones Beach, New York with The Band Perry and Cassadee Pope along as special guests. The band has added new tailgating events for their fans prior to the start of each show. Fans can begin their concert experience by tailgating before the show doors open in the @FarmersFans Zone, which is free. They can see a fully-customized Rascal Flatts off-road vehicle, complete with games that include some of the band’s favorite hobbies like archery and golf. Dance Y’all will also participate in the tailgate experience by teaching fans dance moves and offering them the opportunity to enter a “dance off” for a chance to dance onstage with the Farmers Insurance Dance Y’all Experience Featuring Laura Bell Bundy. Traditional tailgate games like a basketball shootout, ladder golf or a bean bag battle can be found as well. Fans can even test their Rascal Flatts knowledge with LIVE & LOUD tour trivia and sign up to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2013 CMA Awards in Nashville. Once the gates open, fans can visit the Farmers Insurance tents on the concourse for more fun by taking a spin on the Farmers We Plan, You Jam prize wheel, snap a photo at the Farmers Insurance photo booth or Tweet or Instagram a picture using #WeAreFlatts to get a free commemorative printout. The Live & Loud Tour runs through October. ShareThis

Ash Bowers photo courtesy of Loud Mouth Entertainment. The 2013 CMA Music Festival will take pace in downtown Nashville June 6-9 with no less than six free stages featuring live music throughout the day and into the evening as well as countless activities. Tickets for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field sold out a record-setting six weeks in advance of the 2013 Festival, but fans will still have many chances to catch their favorite artists at CMA Music Festival. Performance lineups for the previously announced Chevrolet Riverfront Stage and Bud Light Stage at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza are available at CMAfest.com, but those schedules are just the beginning of what fans can expect from country music’s biggest festival. Everything from autograph signings, meet-and-greets, cell phone charging stations, product demonstrations, auctions, giveaways, and more will take place in Downtown Nashville throughout the festival. Outdoor spaces are free and open to the public. Some of this year’s events include: Transitions Performance Park New in 2013, Transitions® adaptive lenses will host Transitions Performance Park, where fans can get an enhanced view of the CMA Music Festival from atop Transitions’ two-story viewing platform. Fans will be able to test Transitions products, look through customized viewfinders and star in their own professional photo shoot. Additionally, daily concerts will take place with the Marshall Tucker Band making their first-ever CMA Music Festival appearance to kick things off on Thursday, June 6 at 11 a.m. with a performance. Other artists set for performances include Ash Bowers, Holly Williams, Due West, Danielle Peck, Julie Roberts, Jeff Bates, Kristy Lee Cook and many more. The Buckle The Buckle covers three blocks of Broadway and will host a variety of free performances and activities beginning with concerts presented by ASCAP on Thursday, June 6 and Sunday, June 9 from 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Performers include Brent Anderson, Trent Willmon, Chris Cavanaugh and many more. June 7-8, the ABC Television Network returns to the CMA Music Festival with the ABC Summer Block Party. There will be special appearances by ABC fan favorites including Jason Thompson and Nancy Lee Grahn from General Hospital and Chef Carla Hall from The Chew, musical performances, autograph signings, games, photos, free giveaways and much more! The Buckle will also host wall-to-wall activities including The History Channel’s Cross-Country Cookout and appearances by the stars of the network’s hit TV series Swamp People in both The History Channel and Gander Mountain booths. Fans will be able to sample food, enter to win one-of-a-kind trips, sing karaoke and visit several exhibitors. Fan Alley Fan Alley welcomes fans into a community where memories will be shared and friendships made. The Chevrolet Roadhouse Stage will feature daily concerts with two dozen of country’s best rising talent each day. Carolyn Dawn Johnson will kick off the performances with Tyler Barham, Weston Burt, Striking Matches, Dakota Bradley, Kingston and more also scheduled to take the stage. BMI Tailgate Party The BMI Tailgate Party returns for a second year. Located right off the Cumberland River outside LP Field, the stage will feature a selection of BMI’s songwriters, artists, and DJ Du warming up the audience before they enter LP Field for the Nightly Concerts. Performers at the BMI Tailgate Party include Thomas Rhett, Joel Crouse, Josh Thompson, Jon Pardi and more. Ninth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade and Eighth Annual CMA Music Festival Block Party The Ninth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade is set for June 5 at 11 a.m. with Kix Brooks serving as Grand Marshal. In addition to country stars and other celebrities riding in a wide variety of Chevrolet vehicles, the parade will feature the Keep the Music Playing All Stars Marching Band, which is made up of high school musicians representing several Metro Nashville Public Schools, the

Tim McGraw photo by Nigel Parry, courtesy of The Green Room. Tim McGraw will release live tracks from his Two Lanes of Freedom Tour throughout the summer as part of his new program, McGraw Overdrive Series Live. The first track, “Southern Girl,” will be available Friday, May 24 exclusively at timmcgraw.com with four additional live songs to be released on June 7, June 21, July 12 and July 26. Fans will be able to purchase tracks individually or all five together. Watch Tim McGraw’s “Highway Don’t Care” music video » “The sound and energy from a live show gives an entirely new perspective to any song,” Tim said. “I’m always looking for ways to give the fans something extra.  If you’re at the show, it’s a cool memory to add to your playlist. And if you couldn’t get a ticket to the show that night, you can still hear some of what happened and maybe feel like you were there. It’s a first for me to release live tracks this way, and that’s exciting.” McGraw Overdrive Series Live is powered by nugs.net, the premier platform for live music distribution and webcasts. “No major country artist has ever released live tracks direct to fans during a tour like this, and we’re thrilled to help McGraw break new ground,” Founder and CEO Brad Serling said. Tim’s Two Lanes of Freedom Tour continues this weekend with stops in St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati and Darien Lakes, New York. ShareThis

"Begin Again," "Blown Away" [...]

Godard has been with ole for seven years, most recently as its Chief [...]

Looking for a way to kick off 2013 CMA Music Festival? Join 650 WSM-AM and Marty Stuart & his Fabulous Superlatives for the annual Country Music throwdown, hillbilly homecoming rave-up, Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam at the Ryman Auditorium on … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Keith Urban debuted his new lyric video for “Little Bit of Everything.” This is the first single from Keith’s upcoming album. What do you think of the video??

  Shortly after the release of Craig Campbell’s highly acclaimed sophomore album, NEVER REGRET, and in honor of his late father, Craig will host the inaugural Celebrity Cornhole Challenge to benefit the TJ Martell Foundation’s colon cancer research efforts.   The Craig Campbell Cornhole Challenge will take place on Tuesday, June 4th from 2pm-7pm at the Public Square in [...]

Attendees included Governor Bill Haslam and wife Crissy Haslam, [...]