Chrissy Metz performed her new single, “Talking to God,” on NBC’s TODAY Show on Monday (July 27th). Check out the performance below.

She also chatted with the show’s Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hagar about her time in quarantine, performing without an audience at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, and how she almost gave up before her career as an actor took off.

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.

Capitol Nashville’s Mickey Guyton released a new track today titled “Heaven Down Here,” listen HERE. Written by Mickey along with Gordie Sampson, Josh Kear and Hillary Lindsey, “Heaven Down Here” is a plea to God to help our current world.  NPR praises Mickey as “…a poised and galvanizing country-pop conscience, at once consummate pro, steadfast optimist and truth-teller,” which “Heaven Down Here” continues to support alongside her other recent releases – “Black Like Me” and “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?”

“Sitting at home and watching the world burn down around me during this pandemic led me to write ‘Heaven Down Here’”, explains Guyton. “It is a song asking God to spare a little love for this world in need. This song came from the very depths of my heart and has given me a renewed sense of self.  It has real raw emotion and was written with a therapeutic intent of healing my heart.  I hope that everyone can hear that intent and receive the same healing.”

I wrote "Heaven Down Here" asking God that if he has any love left up there to rain it down on us because we need it right now. I hope you can hear my heart and see a little light where there’s a lot of darkness. 💜🌈⛅️😇 https://t.co/Rq3iNtcfm5 pic.twitter.com/O1QPZBfR4B

— Mickey Guyton (@MickeyGuyton) July 24, 2020

In recent weeks, the Texas native was featured on the cover of Pollstar (read HERE) and chatted with CBS This Morning’s (watch HERE) Gayle King and Anthony Mason about the reaction to her powerful autobiographical song “Black Like Me,” which continues to receive acclaim from critics and fans. Written at a cross-genre writing camp in 2019, “Black Like Me” is one of NPR’s 25 Favorite Songs of 2020.  The song is a gut-punch that “nudges America’s conscience with personal truth and gospel fervor” according to HITS.

Mickey’s focus has been on her songwriting through which she has found her voice and continues to speak her truth. This year she also released the honest and unapologetic “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?”, which NPR calls “a cry of the heart by a remarkable singer and writer who deserves to be a full-on superstar.”

Mickey is currently working on an EP to be released this Fall.

For more information visit www.mickeyguyton.com

Luke Bryan made the heartbreaking decision to not proceed with his annual Farm Tour. Making the announcement on his socials, he said, “We have looked at all kinds of ways to continue with the shows this year but couldn’t come up with a solution to give y’all the full Farm Tour experience while keeping everyone safe,” adding, “Until next year. Love y’all.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_7fSolL-d/

His wife Caroline commented on the post, “COVID sucks butt.”

In the meantime, Luke is getting ready to release his new album, BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE, on August 7th.

Capitol Nashville’s Caylee Hammack continues to hold high her reverence for classic country music, today releasing a collaboration with Country music icon Alan Jackson: a special rendition of Don Williams’ “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good.” Produced by Dave Cobb, the new track is available to stream here, Hammack and Jackson’s unique vocals complement each other on the song’s timely message of optimism and hope.

“This song has held a special place in my heart since childhood,” shared Hammack.  “And, during the past few months at home, I have found myself frequently visiting songs I grew up on because of the comfort it has brought me, especially this one.  It has always been a golden classic in my heart and I believe in many others; and it’s message felt much needed today.   Alan Jackson was gracious enough to bring his voice and heart to this song and made it feel like chicken noodle soup for the country music soul. I just feel very honored to be able to send our rendition out into the world today!”

“It’s so nice to be able to finally record one of my favorite Don Williams songs with a great message for today and to be able to sing it with another Georgia native with a sweet voice,” added Jackson.

Hammack just announced her major label debut album IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU will be available on August 14. Currently nominated for two ACM Awards Hammack, who co-wrote and co-produced every song on the 13-track set, takes listeners on an intimate journey. From growing up in Ellaville, GA, braving a medical scare and coming out the other side of a bad love that was the catalyst for her turning down a scholarship to Belmont University and ultimately arriving in Nashville, TN. Some of country music’s most potent women have also thrown in on Hammack’s debut including Reba, Ashley McBryde and Tenille Townes.

About Caylee Hammack: 
Currently nominated for ACM “New Female Artist Of The Year” and “Music Event Of The Year,” Caylee Hammack has been noted as an “Artist To Watch” by outlets including The Bobby Bones Show, Rolling Stone and HITS Magazine for her “voice to move mountains” (Rolling Stone). With her breakout Top 30 single “Family Tree” marking the most-added single at Country radio by a female artist in over three years, Hammack has “created a kind of country music that’s larger—and brighter—than real life”(HITS Magazine). The Capitol Nashville recording artist has previously brought her unforgettable live set to opening slots for Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Trisha Yearwood, Brothers Osborne and some of country music’s biggest festivals. For more information visit www.cayleehammack.com.

About Alan Jackson: A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Alan Jackson’s membership among music’s all-time greats is part of a long line of career-defining accolades that include three CMA Entertainer of the Year honors, more than 25 years of membership in the Grand Ole Opry, a Billboard ranking as one of the Top 10 Country Artists of All-Time, induction to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Heritage Award as the most-performed country songwriter-artist of ASCAP’s first 100 years. The man from rural Newnan, GA has sold nearly 60-million albums worldwide, ranks as one of the 10 best-selling male vocalists of all-time (rock, pop and country). He has released more than 60 singles – registering 50 Top Ten hits and 35 #1s (including 26 Billboard chart-toppers). He has earned more than 150 major music industry awards – including 19 Academy of Country Music Awards, 16 Country Music Association Awards, a pair of Grammys and ASCAP’s Founders and Golden Note Awards. Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music. He’s also the man behind one of Nashville’s most-popular tourist stops, AJ’s Good Time Bar, a four-story honky-tonk in the heart of downtown featuring daily live music and a rooftop view of Music City.

Chrissy Metz will make her Grand Ole Opry debut this weekend. The This is Us star will share the stage with gospel singer CeCe Winans on Saturday (July 25th) beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT. You can tune in to Circle TV on Facebook, YouTube and cable.

Some of Shania Twain’s most iconic songs, including “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” “Any Man of Mine,” “No One Needs To Know,” “You’re Still The One” and many others are being turned into lullabies. The 12-track collection, Lullaby Renditions of Shania Twain, will be released August 14th.

Vince Gill will reunite with longtime friends and collaborators Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry August 1st.

Chris Stapleton’s headline debut at Chicago’s Wrigley Field has been rescheduled from August 29th to July 17th, 2021. Joining him are The Highwomen, Mavis Staples and The Dirty Knobs with Mike Campbell. All tickets will be honored for the new date, and those unable to attend have a little less than 30 days to obtain a refund from point of purchase.

Brothers Osborne announces today they will release their third studio album, Skeletons, October 9th. John and TJ Osborne teamed up with longtime producer Jay Joyce for Skeletons and co-wrote every track on the project along with frequent collaborators Lee Miller, Craig Wiseman, Natalie Hemby, Casey Beathard and more.

“If Pawn Shop was our introduction, and Port Saint Joe was like the first conversation we had with someone over a beer, then Skeletons is the moment where you start getting down to the real stuff and showing who you really are,” says John. “If you really want to get to know us, this is the record to do it.”

October 9, 2020 pic.twitter.com/GDi1F09YQ1

— Brothers Osborne (@brothersosborne) July 22, 2020

The six-time GRAMMY nominees just released their new single “All Night” off the album which has been hailed by Billboard as a “feel-good, rocking ditty” while Rolling Stone calls it “a party-friendly tune that’s equal parts outlaw attitude, disco groove and ZZ Top-style boogie.” The duo recently performed “All Night” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show watch HERE. The duo also performed the track as part of “CMA Summer Stay-Cay,” watch HERE. “All Night” has already cracked Top 40 on the country airplay charts and was the No.1 most added song upon its debut.

The past few weeks have been busy for the singer/songwriter siblings as they recently performed a “Tunes & Teas” livestream for Pandora in partnership with Twisted Tea and hosted a July 4^th special for ABC Radio. They also released an “Off The Road” digital franchise for CMT, watch HERE, and performed as part of “CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special” along with Brandi Carlile, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and more, watch HERE. In addition, last week they appeared as part of ABC’s “CMA Best of Fest” special performing “Hard Workin’ Man” alongside Brooks & Dunn.

Skeletons Track Listing:

1. “Lighten Up”
   (John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk)
2. “All Night”
   (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Andrew DeRoberts)
3. “All The Good Ones Are”
   (TJ Osborne, Lee Miller and Craig Wiseman)
4. “I’m Not For Everyone”
   (John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Luke Dick and Natalie Hemby)
5. “Skeletons”
   (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Andrew DeRoberts)
6. “Back On The Bottle”
   (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Hayes Carll)
7. “High Note”
   (John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Casey Beathard and Dustin Christensen)
8. “Muskrat Greene”
   (John Osborne)
9. “Dead Man’s Curve”
   (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Lee Miller)
10. “Make It A Good One”
    (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Stephen Wilson Jr.)
11. “Hatin’ Somebody”
    (John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Casey Beathard)
12. “Old Man’s Boots”
    (John Osborne)

Earlier this year, Brothers Osborne received their sixth GRAMMY nomination in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for their nostalgic Top 40 hit “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You).” This nomination joins their previously nominated performances for their No.1 Platinum smash hit “Stay A Little Longer,” Top 10 Platinum hit “It Ain’t My Fault” and the Top 25 hit “21 Summer.” All three tracks are featured on their Gold Certified debut album Pawn Shop. In addition, they received GRAMMY nominations for their sophomore album, Port Saint Joe, and the rowdy Top 40 hit “Shoot Me Straight.”

Last fall, the Maryland natives received the ASCAP Vanguard Award recognizing artists whose innovative work is helping to shape the future of music. For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit: www.BrothersOsborne.com

Fans can click HERE to listen to a special “All Night” playlist

Seven-time GRAMMY Award winner and five-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Carrie Underwood, will release her first-ever Christmas album, My Gift, globally on September 25, 2020.  Underwood, who teased the holiday release during her virtual fan club party this summer, now shares a trailer for the album which includes footage from the recording studio, album cover photo shoot, and a personal message about how she arrived at the title, My Gift. Watch the trailer here:

“I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album and it’s been a long time coming,” says Underwood.  “I knew this would be my next music project after wrapping my tour last year, and I think it’s turned out to be the perfect time for an album like this, in this period of such personal and spiritual reflection.  For me, it’s more important than ever to focus on the true meaning of Christmas in a project like this.  Even though it has been a tough year for all of us, sometimes I feel like the greatest realizations can be inspired by the most difficult times, and make us more grateful for the things we do have and for what truly matters.”

On My Gift, Underwood welcomes a stellar list of musical collaborators, led by GRAMMY Award-winning producer, mixer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells, who produced and arranged the album and has written and produced some of the best-selling and highest charting tracks of the past 15 years for such artists as Adele, Celine Dion, Keith Urban, and P!nk, as well as the worldwide smash The Greatest Showman soundtrack.  My Gift features a world-class orchestra, led by the pre-eminent arranger, composer, and conductor David Campbell, whose many credits include iconic recordings by artists including Linda Ronstadt, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Josh Groban, and his son Beck. My Gift is mixed by 14-time GRAMMY Award winning mixer, Serban Ghenea.

Although Underwood has previously recorded several Christmas songs which have become instant classics, her first full-length holiday album has been highly-anticipated by her fans around the world.  The album will feature a combination of beloved traditional favorites celebrating her faith and the spiritual nature of the holiday, as well as original material (track list, songwriters, and special guests will be revealed at a later date).

Pre-orders of the My Gift CD with exclusive merchandise are available here. My Gift will also be released on vinyl on October 30. Pre-orders of the vinyl will be available soon.

Underwood released her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, in 2018, which she co-produced with David Garcia.  Cry Pretty has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, becoming her seventh Platinum or multi-Platinum album, including her Greatest Hits: Decade #1.  The critically-acclaimed album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, cementing her place in history as the only woman to land four country albums at the top of the all-genre chart.  The album was the best-selling all-genre female debut in 2018 and she continues to hold the record as RIAA’s #1 certified female artist for Digital Singles.  Five singles from Cry Pretty have been certified by the RIAA, including the Platinum-certified “The Champion,” and the Gold-certified “Cry Pretty,” “Love Wins,” “Southbound,” and “Drinking Alone.” Additionally, the title track and lead single, co-written and co-produced by Carrie, topped the iTunes Top Songs charts in 12 countries.

In 2019, Underwood packed arenas across North America on her critically-acclaimed Cry Pretty Tour 360, with numerous sold-out shows including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and L.A.’s Staples Center, among many others.  She also brought her UK arena tour, The Cry Pretty Tour UK, to thousands of fans throughout England, Wales and Scotland.

In early March, HarperCollins/Dey Street books published Underwood’s first fitness/lifestyle book, FIND YOUR PATH: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life, which became an instant national bestseller, not only on the prestigious New York Times list, but also hitting #1 on Amazon and #1 on Publisher’s Weekly’s Bestseller lists, Wall Street Journal’s #1 bestselling nonfiction book and debuting at #4 on USA Today’s Bestselling Books list during its first week of publication.  The same week, she launched her new fitness app, fit52, a holistic wellness platform designed to encourage and support users on their personal wellness journey and celebrated her 5^th anniversary as founder and lead designer for her fitness and lifestyle brand, CALIA by Carrie Underwood.

Sam Hunt hit the top of both the Country Aircheck and Billboard country charts with his latest smash, “Hard to Forget.” Written by Sam Hunt, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Ashley Gorley, Audrey Grisham, Russ Hull, and Mary Jean Shurtz, the song features samplings of Country Music Hall of Famer Webb Pierce’s 1953 hit, “There Stands the Glass.”

The Georgia native says “Hard to Forget” is a fun song from his new album, SOUTHSIDE that runs along the same lines as some of his previous hits. “‘Hard to Forget’ is a fun song that is kind of like ‘House Party’ and even ‘Leave the Night On,’ which is the first single I put out on my first record, and then I put out a song ‘Body Like A Back Road’ and then playing these songs live they go over so well in a live setting and are so fun to play live that I started to lean into that lane more on this record. That’s where ‘Kinfolks’ comes from, that’s where ‘Hard to Forget’ comes from. But that song ‘Hard to Forget’ kind of walks this tight rope and balances all these things in one song.”

Named one of US Weekly’s Best Albums of 2020 so far, SOUTHSIDE is Hunt’s second No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart following his 3x Platinum debut album MONTEVALLO. Like MONTEVALLO, Hunt wrote every track on SOUTHSIDE including “Hard to Forget,” the record-breaking “Body Like A Back Road,” and his most recent No. 1 “Kinfolks.”

The New York Times says SOUTHSIDE is “a reminder that Hunt is a Nashville provocateur who can write better songs than almost everyone he’s trying to provoke,” while Rolling Stone pegs Hunt as “an innovator who has remade country in his own image and also figured out how to reclaim its past.” Billboard notes, “his ace storytelling and ability to incorporate hip-hop influence into a more modernized form of country are still intact,” and Stereogum indicates, “Hunt’s formidable charisma and world-building ability” as the through lines of SOUTHSIDE. The album has also earned praise from American Songwriter, Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly, NPR and more. Listen to SOUTHSIDE HERE

For information on Sam Hunt, visit www.SamHunt.com.

Members of both the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame, Vince Gill and Reba McEntire performed together Saturday during the Opry’s 4,933rd consecutive Saturday night broadcast. Gill was inducted in the Grand Ole Opry on August 10, 1991 and McEntire became a member of the Opry on January 17, 1987.

“Every time I see you, I feel like I’m home. You’re like family,” shared Gill to his longtime friend McEntire. During their Opry performance the pair exchanged personal experiences of working together over the years and their special bond as fellow Okies. Both artists performed several of their biggest hits including Gill’s “What The Cowgirls Do” and “Whenever You Come Around” as well as “The Price of Regret” in honor of Civil Rights Leader and Congressman Senator John Lewis. Gill also sang “Little Brother,” a song he’d written about his friend of 50 years, Benny Garcia, who passed away in May. McEntire opened with “How Blue,” before adding “Back To God,” and “Is There Life Out There”, closing the night with “Fancy.” Together the Opry members sang their #1 duet “The Heart Won’t Lie,” a song that also made Country music history with its accompanying cinematic military-themed music video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmppkWNYKj0&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3di7p8ZHgvqC2cfF4p_9OiKbvHOm6zE-DhQdRZZkM2FQudVLkeSCuip-U

The two Oklahoma natives met in Nashville in 1988 when Gill sang background vocals on McEntire’s self-titled studio album, Reba. In 1990, the pair recorded their first of many duets, “Oklahoma Swing,” the second single from Gill’s breakthrough album, When I Call Your Name.

Next Saturday, July 25 EMI Records Nashville’s recording artist and star of NBC’s hit “This Is Us,” Chrissy Metz and multi-Grammy and Dove award winner, Gospel Music Hall of Fame member CeCe Winans as well as one of the most recognizable voices in country music, Tracy Lawrence, will step in the circle for the Grand Ole Opry’s 4,934th consecutive Saturday night broadcast. Metz’s appearance will mark her Grand Ole Opry debut.

About the Grand Ole Opry
To plan an Opry visit, call (800) SEE-OPRY or visit opry.com. The Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn.  The Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP).  For more information, visit opry.com.

PHOTO CREDIT: Photos courtesy Grand Ole Opry LLC. Chris Hollo, photographer