Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. However, by the turn of the 20th century, Memorial Day honored Americans who have sacrificed their lives in all wars.

Luke Bryan surprised and paid tribute to a nurse on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday (May 14^th).

Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Jordan Davis, Caylee Hammack and Kylie Morgan will join Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and many others for CMT’s Feed the Front Line Live virtual benefit concert on Wednesday (May 20th). Feed the Front Line LIVE, Presented By CMT is a multi-hour, star-studded virtual benefit concert in support of Feed the Front Line’s mission to provide free meals to frontline COVID-19 employees, essential workers, and other people in need, while also supporting struggling local restaurants. The streaming event will air across CMT’s Facebook and YouTube channels  with three separate mealtime streams airing throughout the day: breakfast (10am ET), lunch (2pm ET) and dinner (8pm ET). Before, during and after each stream, fans will have the opportunity to make donations directly to Feed the Front Line.

George Strait has had to reschedule two of his upcoming concerts until next year. His Strait to South Bend show in South Bend, Indiana, which was set for August 15^th, 2020, will now take place August 7^th, 2021 with special guests Chris Stapleton and Brothers Osborne. His show in Minneapolis on August 22^nd, 2020 has now been scheduled for July 31^st, 2021 with special guests Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town. Original tickets will be honored for the rescheduled shows. Fans unable to attend the new shows are able to get a refund at the original point of purchase within the next 30 days.

Darius Rucker will perform the national anthem ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series at the Darlington Raceway in South Carolina on Sunday (May 17th). “I’m excited and honored to perform the National Anthem for NASCAR’s return to racing at Darlington Raceway in my home state of South Carolina,” he said. The race will air live on Fox at 3pm ET.

Jordan Davis, Brothers Osborne, Jon Langston and many others join previously announced headliners, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Lynyrd Skynyrd for the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam. The three-day festival, taking place September 4^th-6^th in Panama City Beach, will also feature performances by Cole Swindell, Billy Ray Cyrus, Shy Carter, Lindsey Ell, Tenille Townes, Riley Green and many more. Tickets are available here.

American Idol” rounds out its all-new innovative and critically celebrated season on ABC, crowning its next singing sensation live during the epic grand finale event, SUNDAY, MAY 17th (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT). Kicking off the finale event following America’s last nationwide vote, the road comes to an end for two contestants in the Top 5 reveal. The Top 5 will then each perform two songs as they fight to win the coveted “American Idol” title. The first song will celebrate their induction into the Top 5, and the second will be a previously performed song and their new official “American Idol” single. Before America’s real-time vote determines the winner live on the East Coast broadcast, don’t miss special performances from music legends including “Idol”’s very own superstar judges, the return of the Top 11 and a fan favorite from this season! In the first TV performance of “We are the World” in 35 years, former Idols and judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan join Lionel Richie to close the show with an Idol family performance dedicated to all the families at home around the world. (TV-PG, L) Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu.

Grand finale performances include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Academy Award^® nominee Cynthia Erivo and Top 11 to perform a medley of iconic Aretha Franklin songs
• GRAMMY winner Lauren Daigle and Top 5 to perform 3x platinum hit “You Say”
• Superstar vocal group Rascal Flatts and Doug Kiker to perform “Bless The Broken Road”
• Luke Bryan to perform his new single “One Margarita”
• Katy Perry to perform her new single “Daisies” in its first-ever TV debut
• Lionel Richie to perform “We are the World” joined by Idol judges and members of the “American Idol” family, including Alejandro Aranda aka Scarypoolparty, Gabby Barrett, Jordin Sparks, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Laine Hardy, Lauren Alaina, Phillip Phillips, Ruben Studdard and Scotty McCreery

“American Idol”‘s Top 7 finalists include the following:

• Arthur Gunn – Wichita, KS
• Dillon James – Bakersfield, CA
• Francisco Martin – Daly City, CA
• Jonny West – Studio City, CA
• Julia Gargano – Staten Island, NY
• Just Sam – West Hollywood, CA
• Louis Knight – Narberth, PA

Lauren is currently making her way up the country charts with her single, “Getting Good.”

Four-time Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan will appear during this year’s 2020 NFL Draft performing “Play It Again” as part of Verizon’s #PayItForwardLIVE Series. Luke’s performance will air during the Draft broadcast at 12pm ET this Saturday (April 25th).

“I was honored to be included in the partnership with Verizon #PayItForwardLIVE supporting small businesses,” shared Luke. “They are such a vital part of our communities and it is important we continue to raise awareness for them so they can sustain themselves and keep their doors open. My boys and I look forward to watching the NFL Draft ALL weekend.”

In 2019, Luke joined the GameDay hosts live on set during their prime-time coverage of the 2019 NFL Draft as it broadcast from the heart of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The evening before Luke, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and Music City, Inc. hosted a charity fundraiser at LUKE’S 32 BRIDGE FOOD + DRINK raising money for the Predators Foundation, Tennessee Golf Foundation, Titans Foundation and Vanderbilt Children’s Foundation.

The 2020 NFL Draft will be fully virtual and will be held remotely with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, league personnel and club staff working from their individual locations due to COVID-19. ESPN, NFL Network and ABC are joining forces to present the Draft across their broadcast networks. It will also be live streamed on the ESPN app and NFL app as well as streaming on Sling TV and YouTube TV.

Luke will release his seventh studio album BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE on August 7th. The collection features his latest smash hit, “One Margarita.”

Luke Bryan will perform a concert live for Verizon’s PAY IT FORWARD LIVE on Thursday (April 16th) beginning at 8pm ET on Twitter, Yahoo, Verizon’s Facebook and YouTube pages, AXS TV, FOX NOW, SiriusXM, iHeart and more. The special is aiming to raise funds for fans’ local businesses by encouraging viewers to shop online, buy gift cards or order a meal. In addition, Verizon will donate $10, up to $2.5 million, to support small businesses when the hashtag #PayitForwardLIVE is used.

Lots of local businesses that I care about, and right now they need our help. So I’m thankful for the opportunity to help support them by performing on #PayItForwardLIVE, this Thursday 4/16, 8pm ET/5pm PT on @Verizon’s Twitter. See y’all there. pic.twitter.com/3YIYprrTi8

— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) April 15, 2020

Little Big Town will perform during ABC’s THE DISNEY FAMILY SINGALONG TV special on Thursday (April 16th) beginning at 8pm ET.

Shania Twain will headline a show on Monday (April 20^th) for Canada Together to support Food Banks Canada and the Unison Benevolent Fund’s relief efforts.

https://twitter.com/ShaniaTwain/status/1250411174182649857

A note from Luke Bryan… 

Nashville- April 7, 2020 – “I wanted to reach out myself and let you know that we have decided to push back the release of my next album, BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE to August 7, 2020 as well as the start of my PROUD TO BE RIGHT HERE tour to July 10, 2020. What an incredibly confusing and scary time our world is facing right now, and it is important we continue to follow the guidelines we have been given and do our part to keep everyone safe. With that in mind, we are choosing to stay home at this time so we can have fun sharing this music and tour with you this summer. I truly believe that music can provide all forms of emotional connections for everyone and I can’t wait to get on the road and share these new songs with you soon.”

Luke Bryan

NEW SCHEDULE FOR “PROUD TO BE RIGHT HERE TOUR”

7/10/20            Orange Beach  AL       The Amphitheater at the Wharf+

7/11/20            Brandon           MS       Brandon Amphitheater

7/12/20            Saint Louis       MO      Hollywood Casino Amphitheater*

7/16/20            San Diego        CA       North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre*

7/17/20            Mountain View CA      Shoreline Amphitheater*

7/18/20            Sacramento      CA       Toyota Amphitheater*

7/23/20            Bend                OR       Les Schwab Amphitheater*

7/24/20            Bend                OR       Les Schwab Amphitheater*

7/25/20            Ridgefield        WA      Sunlight Supply Amphitheater*

7/30/20            Nashville         TN       Bridgestone Arena*

7/31/20            N. Little Rock   AR       Simmons Bank Arena*

8/4/20              New York        NY       Madison Square Garden

8/5/20              Gilford             NH       Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

8/13/20            Hartford           CT       XFINITY Theatre*

8/14/20            Bangor             ME       Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion

8/16/20            Darien Center   NY       Darien Lake Amphitheater*

8/21/20            Virginia Beach VA       Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre

8/22/20            Atlantic City     NJ        Atlantic City Beach

8/23/20            Bristow             VA       Jiffy Lube Live

8/28/20            Charlotte          NC       PNC Music Pavilion

8/29/20            Raleigh             NC       Coastal Credit Union Music Park

8/30/20            Columbia         MD      Merriweather Post Pavilion*

9/24/20            Des Moines      IA        Wells Fargo Arena

9/25/20            Saint Paul         MN      Xcel Energy Center

9/26/20            Green Bay        WI       Resch Center

10/1/20            Cincinnati        OH       Riverbend Music Center*

10/8/20            Fresno              CA       Save Mart Center

10/9/20            Los Angeles     CA       Staples Center

10/10/20          San Bernardino CA      Glen Helen Amphitheater

10/22/20          Charleston       WV      Charleston Civic Center Coliseum

10/23/20          Lexington        KY       Rupp Arena

10/24/20          Evansville        IN        Ford Center – Evansville

10/28/20          Lafayette          LA       Cajundome

10/29/20          San Antonio     TX       Alamodome

10/30/20          Bossier City     LA       Centurylink Center

Morgan Wallen is the special guest on the tour with openers Caylee Hammack and Runaway June. For tickets and more information go to www.lukebryan.com

+additional opener TBD

Runaway June on all dates except *

*Caylee Hammack appears on these dates

The Academy of Country Music® and dick clark productions revealed today the complete list of chart-topping hits and fan-favorite songs that will be performed during ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, a new two-hour special hosted by CBS THIS MORNING’s Gayle King, to be broadcast Sunday, April 5 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT and 7:00-9:00 PM CT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBS All Access. The special will feature intimate conversations and at-home acoustic performances with Country Music’s biggest stars, along with clips from past ACM Awards® moments. It will be a night filled with entertainment, hope and reflection, bringing the healing power of music to Americans at a time when they need it most.

Fans are invited to enjoy more performances by favorite Country Music artists on the official ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY Pre-Show on the Academy of Country Music’s Facebook page as well as the Amazon Music Twitch channel on Sunday, April 5 at 7:00 PM ET / 6:00PM CT. Lauren Alaina, Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, Lee Brice, Blanco Brown, Lindsay Ell, Riley Green, Mickey Guyton, Caylee Hammack, Ashley McBryde, Jake Owen, Carly Pearce, Tenille Townes and more will appear from their homes to share heartfelt messages with their fans and perform acoustic versions of their hits. The Pre-Show will also pay tribute to 6-time ACM Award nominee Joe Diffie with a special performance by Chris Young. Fans can gear up for the main event with the ACM Presents: Our Country Playlist on Amazon Music. Starting Monday, fans will be able to re-watch the full Pre-Show and the individual performances via the ACM Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, as well as on the newly launched ACMOurCountry.com website.

Beginning today, the Academy invites Country Music artists and fans alike to share a musical moment by posting their own performances to social media, tagging an official Academy social media handle, and using #ACMOurCountry to participate in a celebratory curated feed of performances featured on ACMOurCountry.com! This campaign will continue throughout the weekend leading up to ACM Presents: Our Country special on Sunday.

“The Country Music community came together in an incredible way – and very quickly – for “Our Country,” and that outpouring of immediate artist support led us to develop a digital pre-show so that we could include even more artists in the Country Music celebration Sunday night,” said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “This allows more artists to share the positive messages of support and togetherness with the fans.”

ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY performances will include:

• Kelsea Ballerini – “homecoming queen?”
• Dierks Bentley – “I Hold On”
• Kane Brown & John Legend – “Last Time I Say Sorry”
• Luke Bryan – “Most People Are Good”
• Brandi Carlile – “The Joke”
• Eric Church – “Never Break Heart”
• Luke Combs – “Beautiful Crazy”
• Sheryl Crow – “I Shall Believe”
• Florida Georgia Line – “Blessings”
• Lady Antebellum – “What I’m Leaving For”
• Miranda Lambert – “Bluebird”
• Little Big Town – “Next To You”
• Tim McGraw – “Humble And Kind”
• Old Dominion (Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen) – “Some People Do”
• Brad Paisley & Darius Rucker – “Mud On The Tires” & “Wagon Wheel”
• Thomas Rhett – “Be A Light”
• Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani – “Nobody But You”
• Shania Twain – “Honey, I’m Home” & “Man! I Feel Like a Woman”
• Carrie Underwood – “Drinking Alone”
• Keith Urban – “Wasted Time”
• Kenny Rogers Tribute – featuring Brad Paisley & Darius Rucker performing “Lucille” & “The Gambler” and Luke Bryan performing “Coward Of The County”

As previously announced, iHeartMedia’s leading country radio host and ACM Radio Award National On-Air Personality of the Year Bobby Bones, a long-time ACM Lifting Lives® supporter, will introduce the ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund during the telecast. ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music, created this fund to assist individuals working in the Country Music industry who are suffering a financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. Those in need can apply for funds at ACMLiftingLives.org.

For more information on ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, visit ACMcountry.com. You can also like Academy of Country Music on Facebook or follow on Twitter at @ACMawards, follow on Instagram at @ACMawards and sign up for the FREE ACM A-List for more immediate updates.

Luke Bryan has just scored his 24th No. 1 single with his latest smash, “What She Wants Tonight.” The song, written by Luke, Ross Copperman, Hillary Lindsey and Jon Nite and produced by Jeff and Jody Stevens, is the follow up to Luke’s No. 1 single “Knockin’ Boots” and is the second release from his upcoming studio album, Born Here, Live Here, Die Here, due out later this year.

Luke says he was really excited about the “infectious” song as it was coming together. “Ross came in, and he had the track and that drum loop in the front kind of dialed in, and the second I heard it, it was just really, really infectious. And then we were able to just really put a really great lyric (together) with a high energy track. When we came up with the hook – ‘She gets what she wants/and I get to be what she wants tonight,’ I was just, it just felt like something that could be played on the radio and it felt like something like that’s what women want to hear. They want to have a confident guy kind of singing to them in that way, and I hadn’t been this excited about a song in some time.”

Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Little Big Town, Darius Rucker (with Brad Paisley), Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are among the all-star lineup of performers for ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY, a two-hour special featuring intimate conversations and at-home acoustic performances with Country Music’s biggest stars, along with clips from the Academy of Country Music Awards’™ 55-year history. Kelsea Ballerini,Kane Brown & John Legend, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani will also perform. The special will be broadcast Sunday, April 5th at 8pm ET/PT; 7pm CT on CBS and CBS All Access.

ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY will also honor 10-time ACM Award® winner Kenny Rogers with performances by Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker. As previously announced, artists will appear from their homes to share heartfelt thoughts and perform acoustic versions of Country hits. Additionally, video clips from previous ACM Award broadcasts will highlight favorite ACM moments from the past. It will be a night filled with entertainment, hope and reflection, bringing the healing power of music to Americans at a time when they need it most.

The special will broadcast during the time slot previously scheduled for the 55^th Academy of Country Music Awards, which will now be broadcast Wednesday, Sept. 16 (live 8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network and streaming live and on demand on CBS All Access. The 55^th ACM Awards, hosted for the first time by reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year and 15-time ACM Award winner Keith Urban, honors the biggest names and emerging talent in the Country Music industry.

About ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY
ACM® PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY invites fans to join their favorite superstars for a new kind of entertainment special featuring at-home acoustic performances with top Country artists along with clips of their favorite moments from the Academy of Country Music Awards’™ 55-year history. ACM PRESENTS: OUR COUNTRY is produced for television by dick clark productions. R.A. Clark, Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco and Amy Thurlow are executive producers. Damon Whiteside is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music®.