Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town will appear during the NBC TV special, Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music. The two-hour anniversary special, which also features special performances by Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, Marty Stuart, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, Old Crow Medicine Show and hosts Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley.

In addition to original songs, the special features one-of-a-kind Opry member collaborations and incredible covers including Kelsea Ballerini singing “When You Say Nothing At All” and  Dierks Bentley and Marty Stuart’s duet of “Pancho & Lefty,” as well as special moments such as when Darius Rucker recently invited Lady A to become Opry members. All performances were recorded at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.

“Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music” will also feature archival footage including interviews, performances, and appearances by many more of today’s Opry members and legendary artists.

“This special is going to capture so much of what makes the Opry a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience,” said Dan Rogers, Opry Vice President and Executive Producer. “10-year Opry member Blake and 20-year member Brad guide us through a powerful Opry debut, an Opry membership invitation given to one of country’s most awarded vocal groups, performances of some of today’s chart-topping hits and timeless songs that have rung out from the Opry stage for decades, and a look back at cherished members of the Opry family and musical moments that have come to define the Opry we know today.”

Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music will air Sunday, February 14th at 9pm ET/PT on NBC.

Billboard Magazine’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s, Luke Bryan, exclusively premiered the music video for his fast rising, top 5 hit single “Down To One” with Facebook on Monday (February 1st). Watch the “Down To One” music video here.

The video was directed by Michael Monaco of FlyHigh Films making it his 17th for Luke since 2013. That catalogue of music videos includes two CMT Music Awards in the Male Video of The Year category for “Play It Again” and “One Margarita.”

“Down To One” was written by Dallas Davison, Justin Ebach and Kyle Fishman and is the fourth single off Luke’s sixth consecutive #1 debuting album, BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE.

Media praised the song as a “swaying, one-on-one jam” and as “catchy, fun and has Bryan leveling up by blending country elements with sharp and crisp electronic sounds, steady backbeats and keyboards for a song that also feels like an ’80s classic.”

“Down To One” is the follow up to the album’s three previous #1 singles, “Knockin’ Boots,” “What She Wants Tonight,” and “One Margarita,” which landed as Luke’s 25th career #1 single, has more than 269 million streams and the song’s video has nearly 30 million views on You Tube.

On Valentine’s Day, Luke will return to the judge’s table alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie for the premiere of the fourth season of American Idol on ABC.

About Luke Bryan
Luke wrapped 2020 as Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s by reigning on their charts with 11 #1s on the Hot Country Songs chart and nine #1s on the Top Country Albums chart during the last decade.

Since his debut in 2009, Luke has garnered 25 #1 hits and has more RIAA certified digital singles than any other country artist with 54.5 million. Luke has also tallied 14.6 Billion streams, 12.5 million albums sold with four Platinum albums, two 4x-Platinum albums, seven RIAA certified albums, 22 Platinum singles and 12 Multi-Platinum singles.

Luke’s seven headline concert tours have played for 12 million fans including 36 stadium concerts, 11 Farm Tours, six years of Spring Break shows and six sold-out Crash My Playa concert events.

He was recognized as a CMT Artist of the Year six consecutive times, was twice named the Entertainer of the Year by BOTH the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association and was honored as a NSAI Artist/Songwriter of the Year. In total Luke has won over 40 music awards including seven ACM awards including his honor as the first-ever recipient of the ACM Album of the Decade Award for Crash My Party, seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, two CMA awards, an iHeart and a Teen Choice award and more. Luke was also named the Most Heard Artist of the Decade by Country Aircheck.

Visit www.LukeBryan.com or follow Luke on Twitter (@LukeBryanOnline), Instagram and Facebook.

Mickey Guyton makes her late-night television debut to perform her song, “Black Like Me,” on CBS’ Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ts5QRXek9A

Mickey made Grammys history with her nomination for best country solo performance for her song, “Black Like Me.” The recognition made the mother-to-be the first Black female solo artist to ever be nominated in a country category at the Grammys.

Country music superstar Luke Bryan will perform as part of The Big Concert for Small Business, Verizon’s after-party for Super Bowl VW on Sunday, February 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET. Hosted by Tiffany Haddish, the event will also feature performances by Alicia Keys, Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Christina Aguilera, Eric Church, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, and Miley Cyrus. The concert will be livestreamed on Yahoo, Fios, @Verizon on Twitter, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok, and broadcasted on BET, CBS Sports Network, CMT, MTV2 and MTV Live, as well as aired on iHeart and Sirius. The event is curated and produced by RocNation.

“I am excited to be a part of Verizon’s The Big Concert for Small Business,” shared Luke. “Small businesses are such an important part of our communities. I was honored to participate in their Pay It Forward Live series back in March of 2020. We need to make sure we are continuing to support them, and I love that Verizon has stayed committed to raise awareness on their behalf.”

 What you need to know:

• Verizon is making a multi-year commitment to bring one million small businesses forward by 2030 with resources to help them succeed in the digital economy
• The Verizon Big Concert for Small Business, the ultimate livestreamed Super Bowl LV after-party on Sunday, February 7. Using #BigConcertSmallBiz viewers can tag their favorite small businesses or text SMALLBIZ to 20222 to make a one-time donation of $10 to LISC
• Verizon is committing $10 million to small business support through the nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), focusing on business owners in historically underserved communities
• Verizon has partnered with select Tampa-area small businesses to equip them with 5G connectivity and tools to accelerate their digital transformation and aid in their recovery

As small business owners across the country continue to face uncertainty amid the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Verizon announces a number of initiatives to support their recovery and aid in their survival through the pandemic and beyond. The company is committing $10 million to provide grants to small businesses through LISC, a national nonprofit that invests in affordable housing, economic development, health, education and jobs nationwide, and will launch a customized multi-week training program for small business owners and entrepreneurs, offering tools, technology and resources. These initiatives are part of Citizen Verizon, the company’s responsible business plan for economic, social and environmental advancement.

“For small business owners today, we know that opening a digital front door is as important as a physical one,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “This multi-year effort underscores the role financial assistance, technology and training will play in rebuilding small businesses for both short-term and long-term economic recovery.”

“When we launched Pay It Forward Live, the weekly entertainment series that supported small businesses last March, we had no idea the need for help would still be so critical almost a year later,” said Diego Scotti, CMO, Verizon. “We made magic happen by collaborating with the entertainment industry and mobilizing the public, impacting thousands of businesses. We’re doing it again, in an even bigger way, with the Big Concert for Small Business, bringing people together after Super Bowl LV to help the small businesses that are the heart of the American economy.”

Verizon’s training program will provide in-depth assistance through end-to-end resources – including curriculum, mentorship, networking and incentives, such as 5G products and services and connection to affordable capital – with the goal of engaging 100,000 businesses per year. Full details will be available in May. For the latest information, please visit Verizon.com/smallbusinesstraining.

To rally support, Verizon is asking the public to share what local small businesses they can’t live without. From February 1-7, individuals can tag their favorite small business on Twitter using #BigConcertSmallBiz for a virtual spotlight during Verizon’s Big Concert for Small Business Super Bowl after-party concert. Verizon is also supporting a text-to-give campaign. Wireless users on any carrier can text SMALLBIZ to 20222 to make a one-time donation of $10 to LISC.

As 5G technology continues to advance, Verizon is helping small business owners realize the potential of 5G to revolutionize the way they operate, increasing productivity and lowering operational costs. In a recent Verizon Business 5G Enterprise Report, 63% of small business decision makers felt that businesses that do not adopt 5G will fall behind their peers. Additionally, nearly a third (31%) are either currently or planning to, within the next six months, provide employees an allowance or stipend to upgrade their wireless device and service to 5G.

Coinciding with Super Bowl LV, Verizon Business has partnered with select small businesses in Tampa and other markets to empower them with connectivity, security and support with the power of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network. This program will provide small businesses with customized Verizon Business connectivity, tools and products to digitally transform their businesses and help them navigate today’s business landscape.

These efforts to impact the long-term survival of small businesses and the kick off concert the night of the game are part of Verizon’s actions to bring the Super Bowl LV experience forward with 5G built right. After a year like no other, innovation to move the world forward and bring people together safely is more important than ever. More information here.

GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Mickey Guyton is set to make her late-night debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight airing on CBS at 11:35pmET/10:35pm CT. Mickey will perform her powerful and autobiographical track “Black Like Me” which was just named one of the Top 10 songs of 2020 by Billboard, The Associated Press, Rolling Stone and NPR noting, “…her song started many necessary conversations and will be remembered as a milestone in the genre’s evolution.” “Black Like Me” was recently nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the upcoming 63^rd Annual GRAMMY Awards making Mickey the first Black female solo artist to earn a nomination in a country category.

Mickey previously performed “Black Like Me” during her NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert (watch HERE), as well as, NBC’s TODAY (watch HERE).  She also spoke with CBS This Morning regarding the song’s impact, watch HERE. “Black Like Me” is featured on Mickey’s acclaimed EP Bridges which includes five additional tracks all co-written by Mickey and was named by Billboard, Slate, The Tennessean and Sounds Like Nashville as one of the Best Albums of 2020.

Mickey was just named Artist of the Year as well as Female Vocalist of the Year as part of the Nashville Scene’s 21^st Annual Country Music Critics Poll. Additionally, “Black Like Me” was named the year’s Best Single. In partnership with CMT, the Nashville Scene’s Annual Country Music Critics Poll is the genre’s most respected measure of critical consensus comprising of 95 voting journalists. Voters write for outlets including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone and more.

Last year, Mickey also made history as the first solo Black female country artist to perform on the ACM Awards, watch HERE. Accompanied by labelmate Keith Urban, Mickey performed “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” which was hailed as one of the best performances of the night with Rolling Stone noting, “Guyton knocked it out of the park demonstrating that she’s got a world-class set of pipes as well as something important to say.”

To view a special video highlighting Mickey’s historic accomplishments, click HERE.

Jordan Davis is sitting inside the Top 20 on the country charts with his latest single, “Almost Maybes.” The song, which he  penned alongside songwriting heavy-hitters Hillary Lindsey and Jesse Frasure, is a retrospective, light-hearted salute to the things in life that don’t work out in exchange for those that do.

“I think that that song resonates with a lot of people, just because we’ve all had those relationships that kinda got you where you need to go and you learn something from those,” says Jordan, who “got where he needed to be” after meeting his wife, Kristen. The couple added to their family in November 2019 when their daughter, Eloise Larkin, made her way into the world.

“Almost Maybes” is the follow-up to three No. 1 songs and is from his self-titled EP, Jordan Davis, which was released last year.

Mickey Guyton is scheduled to perform on CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Monday (February 1^st).

Luke Bryan will appear on Live With Kelly & Ryan on Monday (February 8^th), alongside his American Idol judges, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

Travis Denning is on the growing bill for this year’s Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam. Right now, it’s scheduled for August 18^th at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Also tapped to perform are Alabama, Marshall Tucker Band, .38 Special, Trace Adkins, Chris Young, Lorrie Morgan and many more.

Looking forward to this one! #VolunteerJam

Tickets: https://t.co/DkITAnzMDi pic.twitter.com/yFRdpNXZvk

— Travis Denning (@Travis_Denning) January 29, 2021

After confirming plans for his highly anticipated three-part project, Heart & Soul, in a video message directly to fans in his Church Choir last week, reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and current GRAMMY nominee Eric Church continues to reveal elements of the collection with today’s release of a new song off the Heart album. Listen to “Heart On Fire” HERE.

Preorders for Heart (set for release Friday, April 16) and Soul (set for release Friday, April 23) begin today HERE. The middle album, &, is set for release Tuesday, April 20 as a vinyl record available exclusively to Church Choir members.

“‘Heart On Fire’ is the first song on the Heart album, and normally if we had four songs about heart, with the way we used to do this we would cut three of them out and we’d do one,” explains Church of the heartland anthem characterized by a greasy, southern stomp. “It started to be cool that this time we could lean into that sameness and the themes where you can put the songs together and know we wrote these within this much time of each other.”

The new release offers a further glimpse at the results of Church’s marathon writing and recording session in the mountains of North Carolina early last year, which produced a three-part, 24-song collection produced by Church’s longtime collaborator Jay Joyce, featuring his touring band as well as backing vocals by Joanna Cotten (full musician credits listed below).

In addition to releasing new music, Church will also take to the field at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium next Sunday, February 7 to perform the National Anthem with R&B star Jazmine Sullivan ahead of Super Bowl LV.

For the latest information and to learn how to join the Church Choir, visit www.EricChurch.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter @ericchurch and Instagram @ericchurchmusic.

Heart Track List
Lyrics & full credits linked HERE, songwriters in parentheses

1. Heart On Fire (Eric Church)
2. Heart Of The Night (Eric Church, Jeremy Spillman, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell, Travis Hill)
3. Russian Roulette (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
4. People Break (Eric Church, Luke Laird)
5. Stick That In Your Country Song (Davis Naish, Jeffrey Steele)
6. Never Break Heart (Eric Church, Luke Dick)
7. Crazyland (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Michael Heeney)
8. Bunch Of Nothing (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde)
9. Love Shine Down (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Jeffrey Steele)

& Track List
Lyrics & full credits linked HERE, songwriters in parentheses

1. Through My Ray-Bans (Eric Church, Luke Laird, Barry Dean)
2. Doing Life With Me (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Jeffrey Steele)
3. Do Side (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
4. Kiss Her Goodbye (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
5. Mad Man (Eric Church, Casey Beathard)
6. Lone Wolf (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell)

Soul Track List
Lyrics & full credits linked HERE, songwriters in parentheses

1. Rock & Roll Found Me (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Driver Williams)
2. Look Good And You Know It (Eric Church, Jonathan Singleton, Travis Meadows)
3. Bright Side Girl (Eric Church, Jeff Hyde, Scotty Emerick, Clint Daniels)
4. Break It Kind Of Guy (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Luke Dick)
5. Hell Of A View (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell)
6. Where I Wanna Be (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Jeremy Spillman, Ryan Tyndell)
7. Jenny (Eric Church)
8. Bad Mother Trucker (Eric Church, Casey Beathard, Luke Dick, Jeremy Spillman)
9. Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones (Casey Beathard)

Heart & Soul Musician Credits
Vocals: Eric Church
Additional Vocals: Casey Beathard, Craig Wright, Jason Hall, Jay Joyce, Jeff Hyde, Jeffrey Steele, Joanna Cotten, Jonathan Singleton
Acoustic Guitar: Bryan Sutton, Casey Beathard, Charlie Worsham, Eric Church, Jay Joyce, Jeff Cease, Jeff Hyde, Jeffrey Steele, Kenny Vaughn, Luke Dick
Electric Guitar: Charlie Worsham, Driver Williams, Eric Church, Jay Joyce, Jeff Cease, Kenny Vaughn, Luke Dick, Rob McNelley
Steel Guitar: Luke Dick
Slide Guitar: Jeff Cease
Banjo: Charlie Worsham, Jeff Hyde
Mandolin: Bryan Sutton, Charlie Worsham, Jeff Hyde
Dobro: Bryan Sutton
Resonator: Bryan Sutton
Bass: Lee Hendricks
Synth Bass: Billy Justineau
Drums: Craig Wright
Percussion: Craig Wright
Tambourine: Jay Joyce
Piano: Billy Justineau, Moose Brown
Mellotron: Billy Justineau
Electric Organ: Billy Justineau, Jay Joyce, Moose Brown
Keyboards: Jay Joyce
Synthesizer: Billy Justineau, Jay Joyce
Programming: Jay Joyce
Hand Claps: Billy Justineau, Brian Snoody, Casey Beathard, Charlie Worsham, Craig Wright, Driver Williams, Eric Church, Jason Hall, Jaxon Hargrove, Jay Joyce, Jeff Cease, Jeff Hyde, Jimmy Mansfield, Joanna Cotten, John Peets, Lee Hendricks, Luke Dick

About Eric Church
Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and current GRAMMY nominee Eric Church has spent the past year releasing new music at a relentless pace; providing a glimpse into the results of a marathon writing session during which he spent nearly a month writing and recording a song per day – including current single “Hell of a View” – while sequestered in a rural North Carolina cabin, and fueling speculation around his highly anticipated new three-part project, Heart & Soul, set for release this April.

Just as unique as Church’s approach to recording and releasing music is his tenacity on the road. During his most recent outing, 2019’s Double Down Tour, Church played back-to-back nights of two unique shows in each market sans opening act, giving every city’s fans six-plus hours of his iconic music. The tour also featured a massive stop at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, where he broke the venue’s concert attendance record with more than 56,000 fans in attendance and became the first artist to sell out the venue with a solo lineup. Church will also take to the field at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, February 7 to perform the National Anthem with R&B star Jazmine Sullivan ahead of Super Bowl LV.

A seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner, and 10-time GRAMMY nominee, Church has amassed a passionate fanbase around the globe known as the Church Choir as well as a critically acclaimed catalog of music. His most recent album, Desperate Man, earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album (his third nod in the category) and produced his most recent No. 1 hit, “Some Of It.” Previous releases include the Platinum-certified Sinners Like Me (“How ’Bout You,” “Guys Like Me”), Carolina (“Smoke a Little Smoke,” “Love Your Love the Most”) and Mr. Misunderstood (“Record Year,” “Round Here Buzz”), the Double-Platinum certified The Outsiders (“Like a Wrecking Ball,” “Talladega”) and the 3x Platinum-certified Chief (“Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand”), as well as 22 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified singles.

Priscilla Block has been singing and performing ever since she can remember, including church performances and even “shows” in front of her four siblings. There’s something about singing that gives the North Carolina native confidence in herself.

“I would make my siblings sit down and they had to listen to me sing songs growing up,” says Priscilla. “But yeah, I mean when I started singing and performing in front of people, whether it was in church or any of the first little shows that I played, it was a feeling that I never felt before. I felt good enough. I felt just kind of like in a different world, and I loved it. I loved it, ‘cause I’ve gone through times where I don’t feel good enough, but when I get up and sing, all that goes away and I feel so good.”

Priscilla, who was just named as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, is currently scaling the country charts with her single, “Just About Over You.”

Jordan Davis has a pair of wonderful role models in his two grandfathers. He has precious and priceless items from each of them that give him inspiration on a daily basis.

“I have a pair of my grandpa’s boots that are in the closet. That to me, I’ll never get rid of ‘em. I’ll never wear ‘em, but wherever I’m at, they’ll be in my closet,” says Jordan. “There’s a lot of stuff like that – there’s a picture of me and my (other) grandpa fishing. I think it’s kind of those things that kind of sparks those memories. Whether it be the boots that my grandpa wore, or just in my office I have that picture up of me and paw paw fishing and it’s just kind of that daily reminder of they are my role models. I want to be like those guys. They were the best. That’s the kind of the person I want to be, and it’s good to have those two reminders every day when you walk past something.”

Jordan gives inspiration to others, as well, in his music, which includes his latest single, “Almost Maybes.” The tune follows up three consecutive No. 1 songs – “Singles You Up,” “Take It From Me” and “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot.”