Country music superstar and four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan and multi-Platinum selling Grammy award winner and Opry member Darius Rucker will step into the circle together for the Grand Ole Opry’s 4,937th consecutive Saturday night broadcast Saturday, August 15. The Opry will air on Circle TV and SiriusXM as well as the Opry’s flagship home 650 WSM AM and wsmonline.com.

As the Grand Ole Opry approaches its 95^th year in the midst of a global pandemic, Opry members and special guest artists have kept the music playing from the unbroken circle and is reaching some of its largest audiences to date. The Opry has been reaching millions of fans and making new ones each week as it has logged viewers from over 100 countries worldwide who have been tuning in since shows with a live Opry House audience were paused in mid-March.

Though Opry shows with a live Opry House audience are paused, the show will be broadcast live on Circle and Gray TV stations, DISH Studio Channel 102, Sling TV and other TV affiliates. Opry Live on Circle will be hosted by Bobby Bones. The livestream  on Circle All Access and YouTube channel will be guest hosted by Natalie Stovall, a member of the country trio Runaway June and host of Circle’s Southern Weekend. Opry announcer Bill Cody will be heard on 650 AM WSM and SiriusXM. Prior to the Opry Livestream at 8 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. CT, Circle Sessions: Josh Turner will air at 7:30 ET/ 6:30 p.m. on Circle All Access’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube social channels.

Those tuning into the Livestream on Circle All Access YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels this Saturday can watch a Circle Sessions: Chrissy Metz at 7:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM CT immediately prior to the Opry.

The Opry’s paused shows without an audience since March 14 have included Opry members Trace Adkins, Bill Anderson, Kelsea Ballerini, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Terri Clark, Luke Combs, Dailey & Vincent, Vince Gill, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson, Reba McEntire, Craig Morgan, the Oak Ridge Boys, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Jeannie Seely, Blake Shelton, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, Mark Wills, Trisha Yearwood and Chris Young along with special guests Lady A, Lauren Alaina, Mandy Barnett, Lee Brice, T. Graham Brown, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Jason Crabb, Sara Evans, Amy Grant and daughters Jenny Gill and Corrina Grant Gill, Tracy Lawrence, Ashley McBryde, Chrissy Metz, Keb’ Mo’, Carly Pearce, Kellie Pickler, Michael Ray, The Scott Family, Gwen Stefani, Sam Williams, CeCe Winans, Charlie Worsham, and Brett Young.

Country music superstar and four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan and multi-Platinum selling Grammy award winner and Opry member Darius Rucker performed together tonight for the Grand Ole Opry’s 4,937th consecutive Saturday night broadcast.

Bryan performed a few of his hits and the title track to his new album BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE as well as his recent #1 single “One Margarita.” Rucker performed “Alright,” “Wagon Wheel” and his new single “Beers and Sunshine”, and the good friends sang Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon.” During the #OpryLive show, Bryan crashed a Circle Facebook Watch party, #crashcircle.

Before the Opry, Bryan filmed a new installment of Circle Sessions: Luke Bryan that will premiere on Wednesday, August 19 beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET as part of a Circle Network takeover called Luke Bryan Lives Here. The takeover is in celebration of Bryan’s new album BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE. The half-hour episode of Circle Sessions: Luke Bryan, hosted by Nan Kelley, looks at his musical influences and how they shaped his career.

Next Saturday, August 22, Jon Pardi, Runaway June and Pam Tillis, who will celebrate her 20th anniversary as an Opry member, will step onto the Grand Ole Opry stage at 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT for the 4,938th consecutive Saturday night broadcast.

The shows will be broadcast live on Circle and Gray TV stations, DISH Studio Channel 102, Sling TV, and other TV affiliates in addition to a companion live stream on Circle All Access Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The Opry can also be heard on 650 WSM-AM, wsmonline.com, and SiriusXM. Those tuning into the Livestream on Circle All Access YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels each Saturday can watch a Circle Sessions at 7:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM CT immediately prior to the Opry.

The shows will be broadcast live on Circle and Gray TV stations, DISH Studio Channel 102, Sling TV, and other TV affiliates in addition to a companion live stream on Circle All Access Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The Opry can also be heard on 650 WSM-AM, wsmonline.com, and SiriusXM. Those tuning into the Livestream on Circle All Access YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels each Saturday can watch a Circle Sessions at 7:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM CT immediately prior to the Opry.

In a year meant to be ‘off’ following a 2019 five-country arena sell-out Hootie & the Blowfish blockbuster tour dubbed Billboard’s “Tour of the Summer,” Darius Rucker’s 2020, like the world’s, led the Charleston, South Carolina native to working in a different way. Written via a physically distanced Zoom writing session with producer Ross Copperman and fellow songwriters Josh Osborne and J.T. Harding, Rucker’s new feel-good summer Country single, “Beers And Sunshine,” calls for slowing down to enjoy the simple things in life when the world feels out of control. Listen HERE.

In the song described by ABC News Radio as “a ray of sunshine for fans during what’s been a tumultuous year,” Rucker sings about turning off the divisive headlines on TV and instead focusing on his preferred forms of “BS” – “beers and sunshine / bonfires and summertime / back porch nights in South Carolina.”

“It’s certainly been a hard year so far with a lot of heaviness around us constantly,” the three-time GRAMMY award winner shared. “Like it says in the song, I don’t know how we fix any of these big, real issues that we’re facing, but while we work through this time I think it’s important that we find the silver lining where we can really enjoy the little moments and the simple joys of time spent together with friends and family.”

Rucker also kicked off the month of August with the announcement that his latest “Darius & Friends” event has raised $255,000 and counting for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, adding to the event’s decade-plus total of more than $2 million. Fans who missed the 11th annual concert – featuring a ’90s Country theme with friends Clint Black and Tracy Lawrence – can purchase passes to re-watch the stream and continue supporting the fundraising efforts at LiveXLive.com/Darius through October 28.

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

Three-time Grammy Award winner Darius Rucker continues to give back to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, with the Thursday, July 30 live-streamed edition of his annual “Darius & Friends” benefit concert raising over $255,000 and adding to the event’s overall total of more than $2 million.

“When we first started talking about this year’s concert, which usually takes place during the week of CMA Fest, I had the idea to make it a really fun night of ’90s Country,” shares Rucker. “Even though gathering in person for our normal show wasn’t possible this year, we still wanted to do as much as we could to support the great work happening at St. Jude. I’m so thankful to my friends Clint Black and Tracy Lawrence for helping that ’90s Country vision still come to life, and to the folks at LiveXLive for bringing this concert to everyone’s screens at home.”

Broadcasting from the iconic Grand Ole Opry stage and hosted by WSM’s own Bill Cody, the event began with a moving video package from the hospital known around the globe for treating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases before Rucker kicked off the evening’s festivities with his chart-topper “Alright” and his most recent No. 1 hit “For The First Time.”

Pausing to reflect on the impact of how St. Jude cares for families who face the heartbreaking reality of having a child diagnosed with cancer, Rucker then introduced his first guest of the evening, noting “it’s always special when you meet your heroes and they’re everything you imagined they’d be.”

Strolling on stage to a smattering of applause from Rucker’s band, The Carolina Grey Boys, Black shared his trademark sense of humor as he remarked on the missing Opry House audience before treating fans watching at home to his new single “America (Still In Love With You)” and his chart-topping hit “A Good Run of Bad Luck.”

Rucker then returned to the microphone to share the story of earning his first No. 1 at Country radio with “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” and followed that with yet another chart-topper in “If I Told You.” He then entertained fans with the debut performance of his forthcoming single, “Beers And Sunshine,” and “a pretty good song to be playing with everything going on right now,” his Hootie & the Blowfish smash hit “Hold My Hand.”

Next on stage was multi-Platinum artist Lawrence, who performed his No. 1 hit “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” before inviting Rucker back to center stage. “I’ve played this song in my set for probably 14 years, so this is really special,” noted Rucker as the two joined forces on three-week No. 1 “Time Marches On.”

Rucker then treated fans to a final solo performance with “Come Back Song” before the evening ended according to tradition, as the three artists came together for a high-energy “Wagon Wheel” singalong to close out the show.

Throughout the successful history of “Darius & Friends,” prior guests have included Lauren Alaina, Brooks & Dunn, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Ashley McBryde, A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers and Paul Stanley of KISS, among many others.

The annual fundraising event, made possible with support from generous sponsors CDW, Intel, PNC Bank, Cigna, Hendrix Enterprises and Delta Dental of Tennessee, helps ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

Rucker, who will again perform live from the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday, August 15 for the 4,937th consecutive Saturday night broadcast of the show, is also set to release new music with feel-good summer single “Beers And Sunshine” making a world premiere at Country radio this Thursday, August 6 and available everywhere on Friday, August 7.

For more information, visit www.DariusRucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker. Fans can also continue to donate to St. Jude in honor of “Darius & Friends” HERE and photos from the live stream powered by LiveXLive are available HERE.

Darius Rucker always seems to have great recommendations on what to binge watch on TV. His latest suggestions, especially during a worldwide pandemic, include Ozark and Peaky Blinders on Netflix and Billions on Showtime.

“Season Three of Ozark was just, if you’re an Ozark fan, I’m not gonna spoil it for you, but the ending was just genius. I never saw it coming. It was genius,” says Darius. “Ozark is great. Peaky Blinders, great. Kill Kenny – I watch that show, and I just laugh constantly. It’s a Canadian comedy and it just kills me. Peaky Blinders – my favorite show of all time, the Peaky Blinders. It is some of the best television I’ve ever seen. Billions is friggin’ genius. The writing on that show and the acting and then you throw some music in too, you know, man, it’s such a great show. Billions is such a great show. I’m 54 now, and I think back to my childhood and what TV was like when I was a kid and three channels and now you have 72 million different apps you can watch. It’s crazy, so there’s always something crazy on TV.”

Darius will headline the live stream of his Darius & Friends benefit concert on Thursday, July 30th at 8pm ET. The show will also feature performances from Clint Black and Tracy Lawrence. For more information, go to Live Nation’s “Live at Home” link here.

On Friday, TODAY’s Harry Smith caught up with Darius Rucker, who spoke honestly about the impact of George Floyd’s death on his children and how racism has followed him his whole life.

It’s certainly been a hard year so far with a lot of heaviness around us constantly. Really appreciate the @Todayshow for having me on this morning in the 8AM hour. Looking forward to releasing new music for y'all on August 6! https://t.co/4F6ZiqnaWq

— Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) July 10, 2020

Three-time Grammy Award winner Darius Rucker will be joined by Clint Black and Tracy Lawrence on the iconic Grand Ole Opry stage for a virtual edition of his “Darius & Friends” concert powered by LiveXLive on Thursday, July 30 at 7 p.m. CT, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®.

Together with LiveXLive, a global platform for live stream and on-demand audio, video and podcast content in music, comedy and pop culture, Rucker will bring this year’s show to fans as a pay-per-view live stream event available on LiveXLive.com/Darius and on LiveXLive’s app.

Now in its 11th year, the annual event has raised over $2 million to date. Rucker made a commitment to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2008, after touring the hospital known around the globe for treating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Events like this help ensure families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

“Even though we can’t all get together for a normal concert right now, it’s important that we continue to support St. Jude and the amazing work that they do,” shares Rucker. “I hope we can bring a fun night of music to everyone watching from home while also raising money for this important cause.”

Tickets to the pay-per-view event start at $15 with VIP options offering limited-edition and signed posters priced at $50 and $100 respectively. All tiers go on sale tomorrow, July 10, at 10 a.m. CT via LiveXLive.com/Darius. The event is made possible with support from generous sponsors CDW, Intel, PNC Bank, Cigna, Hendrix Enterprises and Delta Dental of Tennessee.

Rucker will also appear on NBC’s “TODAY” tomorrow, July 10, to discuss his upcoming “Live from the Drive-In” concert at Nissan Stadium as well as forthcoming new music.

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

About Darius Rucker
Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the record industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, he’s enjoyed four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart and nine No. 1 singles at Country radio, earning a whole new legion of fans. In 2014, Rucker won his third career GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his 8x Platinum version of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker is a constant supporter of the MUSC Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. He has also raised millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament, as well as for more than 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation. In 2019, Rucker embarked on the completely sold-out Group Therapy Tour with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates as they celebrated the 25th anniversary of generation-defining smash Cracked Rear View in addition to the November 1 release of Imperfect Circle, their first album in nearly 15 years.

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain. The holiday is commonly associated with fireworks displays, parades, barbecues and concerts. This year with the pandemic still raging across the country, the holiday may look a little different for most people, including musicians. Some of your favorite country stars take time to remember their Fourth of July traditions, memories and what the holiday really means to them.

For liners, click here.

Lauren Alaina and Chrissy Metz will be among the performers on this year’s A Capitol Fourth this weekend. They’ll be joined by a slew of other famous faces, including hosts John Stamos and Vanessa Williams, as well as Trace Adkins, Brantley Gilbert, Patti LaBelle, John Fogerty and Yolanda Adams among others. Chrissy is set to sing “I’m Standing With You” from last year’s film, Breakthrough, as a tribute to first responders and frontline personnel. Celebrating a special 40^th anniversary presentation, A Capitol Fourth will air Saturday (July 4^th) at 8pm ET/7pm CT.

Lauren will also perform on the iHeart Country 4^th of July BBQ on Friday (July 3^rd) at 8pm ET/7pm CT on The CW.

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Eric Church, Brothers Osborne, Darius Rucker, Jon Pardi, Maddie & Tae, Lauren Alaina, Jordan Davis, Brandon Lay, Caylee Hammack, Travis Denning, Kassi Ashton, Kylie Morgan and many others are set to perform during the livestream television special, CMA Summer Stay-Cay, on Wednesday, July 1st, hosted by Jimmie Allen and Lindsey Ell. The event will feature performances, games, Q&As and much more.

Check it all out on Wednesday, July 1st on CMA’s YouTube and Facebook channels at 6pm ET/5pm CT.

The Luke Bryan-hosted CMA Best of Fest will now air July 13th at 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC.