Darius Rucker returns to the historic Ryman Auditorium on Monday, June 3rd for his 15th annual “Darius & Friends” concert benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. The event, which unofficially kicks off the week of CMA Fest in downtown Nashville and has raised more than $3.6 million to date, will feature a surprise all-star roster of friends as has become tradition at the annual celebration.

Rucker, who was honored as the 2023 CMA Humanitarian of the Year for always prioritizing philanthropic work throughout his career, made a commitment to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital nearly two decades ago after taking an inspiring tour of the hospital. Through this meaningful experience, Rucker learned how St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Reflecting on his 2008 visit to the hospital to the Tennessean, Rucker noted, “You see these kids who are sick, and they’re so happy to be there, because their caregivers are so loving and giving to them. And then you find out that nobody ever gets a bill. That blew me away. I was just like, ‘We’ll figure out some way to help you guys as much as I can.’”

Now, a decade and a half later, that effort has become an annual tradition. Friends performing with Rucker in past years have included Lauren Alaina, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Jelly Roll, Charles Kelley of Lady A, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Megan Moroney, Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers and Tommy Thayer of KISS, among many others.

Tickets to the 15th annual “Darius & Friends” benefit concert start at $69 with VIP package options up to $249, available via AXS.com. Pre-sale access begins tomorrow (April 30th) at 10am CT, with tickets on sale to the general public this Friday (May 3rd) at 10am CT. The event is made possible with support from generous sponsors AMD, CDW and The Law Office of Jennifer McCoy.

The announcement of this year’s “Darius & Friends” event adds to an exciting season for the three-time GRAMMY winner, who on Friday released a reimagined duet version of his Carolyn’s Boy album standout “Never Been Over” featuring Jennifer Nettles and on May 28 will release his first book, a memoir titled “Life’s Too Short” that explores the story of his life through the lens of the music that defined it. Rucker also returns to the road with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates in May for the Summer Camp with Trucks Tour. Tickets are on sale now HERE.

For more information, visit DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.

Reba McEntire surprised attendees at this past weekend’s Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California when she walked out during Miranda Lambert’s set. They performed Miranda’s hits “Mama’s Broken Heart” and “Gunpowder and Lead,” as well as Reba’s “Fancy.”

What a night!!! Thanks @mirandalambert for asking me to be part of @Stagecoach last night. And thanks to all the #Countrymusic fans for sticking with us in that wind! #badasssisters #bas #stagecoach
📸: @JeffJohnsonFilm pic.twitter.com/r488TObeJc

— Reba McEntire (@reba) April 28, 2024

Two queens of country @mirandalambert @reba

Tune in to the @AmazonMusic Stagecoach livestream, hosted on @PrimeVideo and the Amazon Music Twitch channel. https://t.co/f1vz7Ez3bl pic.twitter.com/Amh3v9KBou

— Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach) April 28, 2024

Eric Church headlined Stagecoach on Friday (April 26th) and was backed by a full church choir.

Right to the soul @ericchurch

Tune in to the @AmazonMusic #Stagecoach livestream, hosted on @PrimeVideo and the Amazon Music Twitch channel. https://t.co/YiNi69SWnm pic.twitter.com/ETlETsqVZQ

— Stagecoach Festival (@Stagecoach) April 27, 2024

Brad Paisley surprised the Stagecoach crowd when he came out during Post Malone‘s ’90s country set during the festival over the weekend. They performed Brad’s hit “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” which Posty covered in a viral moment a couple of years ago.

You belong here Posty. 🤠 @PostMalone @Stagecoach #thelostpaisley pic.twitter.com/6lvT4M3Zwr

— Brad Paisley (@BradPaisley) April 28, 2024

While Maddie & Tae performed their own electric set, they also came out during Jelly Roll’s set to perform a new song together, “Fire.”

@laurenedelstein

Brought it @stagecoach @Jelly Roll @Maddie & Tae

♬ original sound – Lauren Edelstein

Tyler Hubbard‘s “Back Then Right Now” is spending its second week at the top of the Canadian Country chart this week. The song is from his latest album, Strong, which was released earlier this month.

So excited to announce the Strong World Tour this Fall! @alanaspringsteen and I are hittin’ some of our favorite cities, and may even add a few more along the way😏 Tickets on sale Friday 5/3🧡 #stronghttps://t.co/n8dhOWSDS8 pic.twitter.com/IrTKsiQTEY

— Tyler Hubbard (@tylerhubbard) April 29, 2024

Keith Urban‘s Oscar-winning wife, Nicole Kidman, was honored at the 49th AFI (American Film Institute) Life Achievement Award Gala held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday (April 27th). Keith, their two daughters Sunday and Faith, Nicole’s sister Antonia and her niece Sybella were also in attendance, as well as celebrity friends Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Miles Teller, Morgan Freeman, Mike Myers and many more.

Darius Rucker is squeezing in some sightseeing while he’s on his European tour. A big Peaky Blinders fan, he stopped by “Uncle Charlie’s Yard” — one of the locations on popular Netflix series — to snap a pic.

Chilling at Uncle Charlie’s yard. By The Order of the Peaky Blinders. ⁦@ThePeakyBlinder⁩ pic.twitter.com/29kr3aeueU

— Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) April 29, 2024

Coming off the release of his new album Strong multi-PLATINUM country hitmaker Tyler Hubbard announces the first leg of his headlining Strong World Tour, which includes stops in Houston, Boston, Philadelphia and more.

The tour kicks off in Indianapolis on September 6th and is set to wrap with a hometown show at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium on November 21st. Alana Springsteen will serve as direct support for the leg. Tickets are on-sale this Friday (May 3rd), at 10am local time, here: tylerhubbardofficial.com/tour

Fans can expect a high-energy performance and Hubbard’s “well-seasoned star power” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) as they hear songs from the new album — which was praised by Billboard, GRAMMY.com and more — including his current Top 3 radio single “Back Then Right Now.” He’ll also perform hit songs including “5 Foot 9” and “Dancin’ In The Country,” which have been certified 2x PLATINUM and PLATINUM, respectively.

He will headline festivals and fairs across the US this Summer before heading out on the Strong World Tour.

More dates for the Strong World Tour will be announced in the coming months. For more information, visit tylerhubbardofficial.com.

Strong World Tour Dates:

Fri., Sept. 6 | 8 Seconds Saloon | Indianapolis, IN+

Sat., Sept. 7 | The Sylvee | Madison, WI+

Thurs., Sept. 12 | The Signal | Chattanooga, TN+

Fri., Sept. 13 | The Blue Room (Outdoor Show) | Statesboro, GA+

Thurs., Sept. 19 | Avondale Brewing Company | Birmingham, AL+

Fri., Sept. 20 | Blind Horse Saloon | Greenville, SC+

Sat., Sept. 21 | Coyote Joe’s | Charlotte, NC+

Thurs., Oct. 24 | Haute Spot | Cedar Park, TX+

Sat., Oct. 26 | House Of Blues Houston | Houston, TX+

Thurs., Oct. 31 | GLC Live at 20 Monroe | Grand Rapids, MI*

Fri., Nov. 1 | History | Toronto, ON, CA+

Sat., Nov. 2 | Roxian Theatre | Pittsburgh, PA+

Thurs., Nov. 7 | Citizens House of Blues | Boston, MA+

Fri., Nov. 8 | The Fillmore Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA+

Sat., Nov. 9 | The Fillmore Silver Spring | Silver Spring, MD+

Thurs., Nov. 14 | The Moon | Tallahassee, FL+

Fri., Nov. 15 | Abacoa Amphitheater | Jupiter, FL+

Thurs., Nov. 21 | The Ryman | Nashville, TN+

+support from Alana Springsteen

*support TBA