Ray Stevens Unveils CabaRay Showroom Amidst a Who’s Who of Nashville’s Music Industry

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Ray Stevens Concert News

Stevens’ New West Nashville Music Venue Opens to the Public this Week with Live Concerts Set for Thursday Through Saturday Nights Last Wednesday night, January 10, in Nashville, legendary country and comedy music artist Ray Stevens unveiled his two-year labor of love, the Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom. The new 35,000 square foot dinner theatre was packed with artists, music industry execs, media personalities, and politicians who came out to support the man who literally helped to pave the way for Nashville’s music scene. Those in attendance included Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Emery, the Gatlin Brothers, John Berry, Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson, TG Sheppard, Kelly Lang, T. Graham Brown, Jeannie Seely, Sharon White, Don Schlitz, Fred Foster, Bobby Goldsboro, Harold Bradley, Jerry Kennedy, Johnny Lee, Lee Roy Parnell, Williams & Ree, Jeff Bates, Mandy Barnett, Teea Goans, Charlene Tilton, Mark Ford, Bob Clement, Don Sundquist, Charlie Monk, Bill Cody, Larry Black, and more. “I haven’t been nervous on stage since I was a teenager. But boy was I nervous VIP night at CabaRay in front of all my friends,” says Stevens. “It was a big night!” Stevens performed a 90-minute show which included many of his career hits including, “The Streak,” “Mississippi Squirrel Revival,” “Misty,” “Gitarzan,” “It’s Me Again Margaret,” “Shriner’s Convention,” and “Turn Your Radio On.” The music legend received a standing ovation following a performance of his 1970 #1 smash hit, “Everything is Beautiful.” Earlier in the day, Stevens received a proclamation from Nashville Mayor Megan Barry declaring January 10 Ray Stevens Day in Music City, USA. CabaRay opens to the general public this Thursday, January 18. Stevens will perform live three nights (Thursday-Saturday) weekly. Tickets are on-sale now at raystevenscabaray.com or by calling 615-327-4630. The venue is located at 5724 River Road in West Nashville. About Ray Stevens Twelve-time nominated and two-time Grammy® Award winner Ray Stevens has spanned the generations with 60 years of comedic musical talent, including songs such as his multi-million selling hit “The Streak” and his classic pop standard “Everything Is Beautiful.” Throughout his career, Stevens has sold more than 40 million albums and continues daily office operations at his home base, Ray Stevens Music, located on Nashville’s historic Music Row. Stevens hosts Ray Stevens CabaRay Nashville, a 30-minute weekly music/talk show airing on Public Television. The music legend will soon open his very own Nashville entertainment venue, the CabaRay Showroom, a 35,000 square foot music venue set to make its debut in January of 2018. The Ray Stevens: Everything Is Beautiful display is currently featured at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum where museumgoers can view items from Stevens’ storied career. For more information on Ray Stevens, visit raystevens.com.

Mickey Gilley Partners with Tennessee Highway Safety Office

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Mickey Gilley News

Country Music Icon Mickey Gilley Partners with Tennessee Highway Safety Office to Promote Seatbelt Usage after Surviving Recent Rollover Crash Country music artist Mickey Gilley is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to promote seatbelt usage after surviving a rollover crash in Texas on January 3, 2018. At the time of the crash, Gilley’s vehicle was struck by another vehicle whose driver failed to halt at a stop sign. Gilley is currently recovering from several injuries, including a fractured ankle, fractured shoulder, cracked sternum, and cracked rib. He credits his seatbelt for saving his life. Click here to view Gilley’s new public service announcement. Photos can be accessed here. “Had I not been wearing my seatbelt, I’m sure I would’ve been ejected,” said Gilley. “My car rolled about three times over. I want to share my story with Tennesseans to encourage everyone in the South to take pride in wearing seatbelts, because seatbelts do save lives.” According to the Tennessee Integrated Traffic Analysis Network, 80 people died statewide in vehicle over turn/rollover crashes last year. Thirty-two (40%) of those individuals were not wearing seatbelts. Beginning February 1, the THSO will launch its fifth annual Seatbelts Are For Everyone (SAFE) campaign. This statewide initiative is designed to increase Tennessee’s average seatbelt usage rate through community outreach, occupant-protection education, and targeted seatbelt enforcement. “In 2016, Tennessee’s average seatbelt usage rate was 88.95 percent,” said THSO Director Vic Donoho. “Last year, the state’s usage rate decreased to 88.51 percent. Our goal this year is to achieve 100 percent seatbelt usage across Tennessee through the SAFE campaign and other occupant-protection initiatives.” For more information about the THSO or the SAFE campaign, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org. About Mickey Gilley Country music artist Mickey Gilley has been wowing fans with his haunting sound of Louisiana rhythm and blues since 1957. The Mississippi native grew up with his two famous cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart, surrounded by the influence of music. Gilley made his chart topper debut with his song “Is It Wrong For Loving You,” in which Kenny Rogers played the guitar. After moving to Pasadena, Texas in 1971, Gilley opened his world famous Honky-Tonk night club. He continued to show chart success with hits like “City Lights” and “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time” both of which reached number one on the Billboard Country Charts. At age 81, Gilley continues to walk out on stage and sing his hits to share his musical career with audiences across the country. About the Tennessee Highway Safety Office  The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security advocating for traffic safety. The THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by the THSO are 100 percent federally funded. The THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement, Continue reading Mickey Gilley Partners with Tennessee Highway Safety Office→

Hunter Hayes to Headline the 2018 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon

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St Sude's Nashville Marathon

Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Concert Series will take place following the St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & ½ Marathon on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at Ascend Amphitheater at 7:00 p.m. TAMPA, Fla./NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 16, 2018) – On Saturday, April 28, 2018 the annual St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll® Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon will continue its strong tradition of bringing fun to the run with great music at the core. The premier running event in Tennessee will entertain the masses with five-time GRAMMY© nominee Hunter Hayes taking the stage as the Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Concert Series Headliner at Ascend Amphitheater. The post-race concert, which will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night, will also feature country music newcomer Erin Kinsey as the opening act. Hunter Hayes is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who roared onto the music scene with his multi-Platinum, self-titled debut album and chart-topping sophomore album, Storyline. With three No. 1 singles under his belt, Hayes has tallied over 40 award nominations and wins including the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Country Artist in 2015 and the CMA Awards’ coveted New Artist of The Year trophy in 2012. Since the summer of 2014, Erin Kinsey and her band started making waves in Music City with appearances at CMA Fest in Nashville and the C2C Festival in London, as well as numerous acoustic performances at the legendary Blue Bird Café. Fans can expect big things from Erin Kinsey in 2018, as she is one of the up-and-coming country musicians not to be overlooked. “St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon, is a marquee event in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series©,” said Natalia Mendez, Race Director. “We are thrilled that Hunter Hayes will headline this year’s post-race concert at Ascend Amphitheater celebrating the many musical genres that Nashville is known for. We are sure that Hunter, and opener Erin Kinsey, will keep the party rocking for runners and spectators after the race.” The Ascend Amphitheater will be open exclusively to registered runners with friends and family having an opportunity to purchase tickets. The grass park adjacent to Ascend Amphitheater will have speakers and a jumbo screen, serving as overflow and an opportunity for the community to be part of the weekend as it will be open to the public. The musically themed road race is expected to attract more than 30,000 runners who will take on the 26.2 marathon, 13.1-mile half marathon or 5K courses, while 50 of Nashville’s best live bands perform on improved band stages along the route, interspersed with cheerleaders and themed water stations. Participants can move along to more music than ever with all new mile-markers that include speakers and race pacers who will be running with mobile speaker packs. During the marathon, thousands of St. Jude Heroes will run for a reason, hoping to raise more than $2 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. More than $10 million has been raised over the event’s seven-year partnership with Continue reading Hunter Hayes to Headline the 2018 St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon & ½ Marathon→

New Music From Scotty McCreery

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Scotty McCreery News On Country Music News Blog

SCOTTY McCREERY’S LONG-AWAITED ALBUM, SEASONS CHANGE, AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER EVERYWHERE TODAY Surprise Track “Wherever You Are” Available Now Ahead of Album’s Release 3/16 After a five-year wait and a multitude of life changes, Scotty McCreery releases his highly anticipated album, Seasons Change, for digital pre-order everywhere today, ahead of its March 16 release on Sony’s Triple Tigers Records – his first album on the label. The project features his current nearly-Top 10-and-climbing radio hit “Five More Minutes,” which People calls an “emotional walk down memory lane.” Fans are also surprised today with the instant grat track “Wherever You Are,” available now. “Wherever You Are” was co-written by McCreery, Frank Rogers and Dan Isbell.  The song outlines the motivation love gives to do whatever it takes to be with a significant other, and is inspired by McCreery’s recently-engaged fiancée, Gabi Dugal, with lyrics like: Up in Manhattan/ Or way out in some cabin/ In the middle of nowhere/ Well baby I’ll be there/ Wherever you are, wherever it is/ Baby it ain’t too far/ Just give me call or drop me a pin The 24-year old singer/songwriter has a lot to say on the 11-track album, produced by Rogers (McCreery’s See You Tonight, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker), Derek Wells (guitarist for Kenny Chesney, Brett Eldridge, Little Big Town), and Aaron Eshuis (producer for Ryan Hurd, songwriter for A Thousand Horses, Joe Nichols, Cole Swindell). With every song co-written by McCreery himself, Seasons Change marks the first time he’s played a hand in writing his entire album. With songs influenced by true-life events that occurred since he released his last album at 19 — including moving out on his own, going to college, getting robbed at gunpoint, losing his grandfather, changing record labels, releasing a book and proposing to his high school sweetheart — Seasons Change is a true reflection of where the North Carolina native is in life. Among his co-writers on the personal album are Jessi Alexander (Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton), Monty Criswell (Eric Church, Darius Rucker, George Strait), Jason Gantt (Brooks & Dunn, Faith Hill, Alison Krauss, Tim McGraw), David Lee Murphy (Gary Allan, Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton) and more. Seasons Change Track Listing:  1. “Seasons Change” (Scotty McCreery/James McNair/Tommy Cecil) 2. “Wherever You Are” (Scotty McCreery/Frank Rogers/Dan Isbell) 3. “Boys From Back Home” (Scotty McCreery/Dan Isbell/Jason Gantt) 4. “Five More Minutes” (Scotty McCreery/Frank Rogers/Monty Criswell) 5.  “In Between” (Scotty McCreery/Frank Rogers/Jessi Alexander/Jonathan Singleton) 6.  “This Is It” (Scotty McCreery/Frank Rogers/Aaron Eshuis) 7.  “Wrong Again” (Scotty McCreery/Frank Rogers/Phillip White) 8.  “Move It On Out” (Scotty McCreery/Dan Isbell/Aaron Eshuis) 9.  “Barefootin’” (Scotty McCreery/Frank Rogers/David Lee Murphy 10. “Still” (Scotty McCreery/Aaron Eshuis) 11. “Home In My Mind” (Scotty McCreery/James McNair/Tommy Cecil) Album bundles are also available on ScottyMcCreery.com including autographed CDs bundled with a personalized video and various merchandise options for pre-order. The album’s first single, “Five More Minutes,” is closing in quickly on the Top Ten and has already built an impressive history. McCreery performed “Five More Minutes” on the Grand Ole Opry stage in 2016, where it quickly became Continue reading New Music From Scotty McCreery→

Full Nominee List for the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards

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iHeartRadio 2018 Music Awards

iHeartMedia and Turner announced today the nominees for the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Sunday, March 11, 2018 at the historic, “Fabulous” Forum in Los Angeles. The event will be simulcast live on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT; on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide; and the iHeartRadio app, the free all-in-one digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service. TV subscribers can also watch the iHeartRadio Music Awards on the truTV, TNT & TBS Apps. For the fifth straight year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the biggest songs and artists heard throughout 2017 across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app. The 2018 telecast will feature live performances from today’s superstar performers, once-in-a-lifetime artist collaborations, celebrity guest appearances and live award presentations. This is Turner Broadcasting’s third year broadcasting the event. “We have a guiding principle at iHeartRadio that fans rule,” said John Sykes, President of iHeartMedia Entertainment Enterprises. “In our fifth year we are still holding true to our original vision of staging an awards show that truly reflects the music fans loved listening to on iHeartRadio all year long.” Artists receiving multiple nominations include Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber, DJ Khaled and The Chainsmokers. All nominees are listed below. For a full list of categories visit iHeartRadio.com/awards. “We’ve expanded the iHeartRadio Music Awards categories each year to ensure it accurately reflects the tastes of the millions of listeners on our broadcast radio stations and on the iHeartRadio app,” said Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer for iHeartMedia. “We’ve been thrilled with the response from both fans and artists and we can’t wait to celebrate the year in music by honoring its biggest songs and moments.” For the first time ever, this year iHeartRadio will present seven awards in the seven nights leading up to the Sunday, March 11 telecast. Each night at 8 p.m. ET, an artist will be presented their award and give an acceptance speech. In addition to being a compelling celebration of music and artists, the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards will again celebrate the fans, giving iHeartRadio listeners the opportunity to decide winners in several new and established categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s Best Fan Army presented by Taco Bell, Best Lyrics, Best Cover Song, Best Music Video, the Social Star Award, Best Solo Breakout and the first-ever Cutest Musician’s Pet, Best Boy Band and Best Remix awards. In addition, fans will get to vote on social media during the show for winners of the Best Performance and Best Dressed awards, which will be announced immediately after the event. Social voting for the Social Star Award and Best Fan Army presented by Taco Bell award began through iHeartRadio’s social sites and in the iHeartRadio app on January 9. Social voting for all other categories begin today, January 10 and will close on March 4, with voting for the Social Star Award and the Best Fan Army presented by Taco Continue reading Full Nominee List for the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards→

Listen Now: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – You Worry Me

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Tearing at the Seams, the highly anticipated new album from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, will be released March 9 on Stax Records. The lead single, “You Worry Me,” is premiering worldwide today—you can listen/share the track here: http://found.ee/NRNSyouworrymeyt.   On March 9, Stax Records will release Tearing at the Seams, the highly anticipated new album from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. Tearing at the Seams follows the band’s critically and commercially lauded self-titled debut album, which is certified Gold in the U.S., Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, Platinum in Canada and Silver in the U.K. “You Worry Me,” the lead single from the new album, is premiering worldwide today—listen to the track here: http://found.ee/NRNSyouworrymeyt. The album is available for pre-order beginning today, here http://found.ee/NRNStats. In addition to the 12-track standard edition, Tearing at the Seams will be available in a 14-track deluxe edition that features two bonus tracks and exclusive photos. Vinyl editions include the (2-disc, 180gram) 12-track standard edition and the (2-disc, 180gram) 14-track deluxe edition, which features an exclusive photo book and special 7” single. Initial writing and recording sessions for Tearing at the Seams took place in Rodeo, New Mexico where Rateliff & The Night Sweats re-established their dynamic off the stage and in the studio. “For the first record I demo’ed everything up and created most of the parts,” says Rateliff. “This time, I felt like we’ve all spent so much time on the road that we should all go off somewhere together. We should all have that experience together.” The band finished recording with producer Richard Swift—who has helmed records for The Shins and Foxygen in addition to The Night Sweats’ debut—collectively creating a group of songs that capture the band’s emotion and intensity. Of the new album, Rateliff reflects, “I want—and I need—everybody to feel like they’re a part of this band. I want them to feel like they’re contributing artistically and emotionally to the experience of writing and creating this music. We’ve all had to make sacrifices to be in The Night Sweats and I want them all to know that it’s worth something.” Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are: Rateliff (vocals, guitar), Joseph Pope III (bass), Patrick Meese (drums), Luke Mossman (guitar), Mark Shusterman (keys), Andy Wild (saxophone), Scott Frock (trumpet) and Jeff Dazey (saxophone).   For the past two years, the Denver-based band has performed extensively across the globe headlining shows and major festivals including Coachella, Bonnaroo, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Newport Folk Festival, Glastonbury, Monterey International Pop Festival and dozens more. The band also made an immediate and lasting impression on late night television including performances on “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” (twice), “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “CONAN,” “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” as well as on PBS’ “Austin City Limits” and “A Prairie Home Companion.” Most recently, the band released their first-ever full-length concert recording, Live at Red Rocks, featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and their hit single “S.O.B.” is now certified Platinum in the U.S. and Canada and Gold in Switzerland. Continue reading Listen Now: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – You Worry Me→

Fans Pouring Out Support For Loretta Lynn After Hip Injury

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Loretta Lynn News

Yesterday the official Twitter account for Loretta Lynn made the announcement that the people’s queen of country was quietly recovering at her home after suffering a broken hip injury from falling. Since then fans and stars alike have been flooding the platform with love and support for the musical icon. Our hearts and prayers as well go out to Loretta for a comfortable and speedy recovery! American music icon, Loretta Lynn is recovering from a fractured hip after a fall while at home. She is doing well and thanks all her fans for their thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/wBSpJGZBob — Loretta Lynn (@LorettaLynn) January 8, 2018 Love you Loretta, 🙏🙏🙏 — Bellamy Brothers (@BellamyBrothers) January 9, 2018 Ms Loretta, I'm joining my birthday wish with @TheCrystalGayle for everyone to send you healing thoughts and prayers. Love you lots and get well soon!!💗🎶😇 — Deb Cornell (@DebCornell3) January 8, 2018 Feel better soon Loretta! We all love you and our hearts are with you! ❤️ — Sheldon Riddle (@SheldonRiddle) January 8, 2018 Get better soon my friend. Not through with you yet Loretta. Take care of yourself and hope you get better real soon. Be careful my friend, you're one of my only few classic one's left. Don't wanna lose you yet. Get plenty of rest and take it easy my friend. — William Stine, Jr. (@stinejrwilliam1) January 8, 2018

Carrie Underwood Teases “Champion” Track

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Carrie Underwood

Country megastar Carrie Underwood gave fans a quick taste of her upcoming track “Champion” during Saturday night’s Wild Card game between the Atlanta Falcons and the L.A. Rams and those fans are going rabid for more! Check out something special from @carrieunderwood that aired tonight during halftime! #SBLII #TheChampion pic.twitter.com/YBL77YsgbQ — SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 7, 2018 Rumor has it this track will be debuted during the 2018 Superbowl which takes place February 4th. In the meantime Carrie is nursing injuries obtained during a fall at her Nashville home over the holiday season. Those injuries include a broken wrist and an undisclosed amount of cosmetic damage to her face that, according to her social media posts, required 40-50 stitches and will leave her looking quite different than what fans expect. Though we doubt fans give a hoot if she’s got a burlap bag and her favorite sweats hiding her looks completely as long as she still sings the same!

Tune-In Alert: Shania Twain on “Drop the Mic” 1/9/18

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Shania Twain on Country Music News Blog

Shania Twain is set to appear on the show Drop the Mic where stars go head-to-head in an amateur rap battle. The show, which pits the superstar against pop star Megan Trainor, will air Tuesday (January 9th) at 10p ET. Shania is currently gearing up for her record-breaking 2018 tour in support of her new album “Now. You can find tickets to see Shania Twain LIVE at CountryMusicOnTour.com