Dierks Bentley just scored a new No. 1 song with “Woman, Amen” this week. The song, which he wrote with Ross Copperman and Josh Kear, naturally asserted itself when it came time to pick a first single from his new album, The Mountain.

“When you’re making an album, which is what I’m trying to make – I’m not trying to make a collection of singles; I’m trying to make an album – and you’ve got to follow the muse, follow the music. The first single really – I know this sounds kind of cheesy in a way, but it chooses you. That song chose me. That song chose us. That song chose to be the first single. You know, when you’re originally looking on making a new album, a title like ‘Woman, Amen’ wouldn’t be something that pops off the page to me necessarily as the first single, but it just asserted itself and it’s just the right song to lead the charge of this album.”

After playing Sunday night (June 10th) at Nissan Stadium to help close out CMA Music Fest, Dierks will take his Mountain High Tour, featuring Brothers Osborne and LANCO, to Pittsburgh on June 15th.

“It’s such an honor to be included with all these people,” a humble and visibly moved Alan Jackson said as he became a member of the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual induction gala in New York City Thursday/last night.

Already a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jackson’s latest career-defining honor places him alongside the greatest composers of all-time – from the likes of Irving Berlin and Cole Porter…to Motown greats Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Eddie Holland…John Lennon and Paul McCartney…film icons John Williams and Henry Mancini…rock greats Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards…R&B legends Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye…and country standard-bearers Merle Haggard, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson.

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 14: Steven Tyler and Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee Alan Jackson pose backstage during the Songwriters Hall of Fame 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner at New York Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 14, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame) *** Local Caption *** Steven Tyler;Alan Jackson

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 14: Keith Stegall and Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee Alan Jackson pose backstage during the Songwriters Hall of Fame 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner at New York Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 14, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame) *** Local Caption *** Keith Stegall;Alan Jackson

“Tonight is special because it honors Alan for his greatest qualities – his words, his music, his imagination, his imagery, his honesty,” said longtime producer, songwriter and friend Keith Stegall, who presided over Jackson’s induction. “He is fearless; nothing is ever off limits.” Alan has a career-spanning partnership with Stegall, who also performed “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” a song the pair co-wrote with Roger Murrah.

“Most people I know are just working, trying to make a living, raise children, have a good time and enjoy life. Sometimes their lives are already hard…and they just want something that makes ‘em feel good or helps them get through a hard time – music is a relief from some of that sometimes,” Jackson noted as he received songwriting’s highest honor. “Keith said I’m just a singer of simple songs. And I am.”

To illustrate his point, the country icon shared a little-known story prompted by a backstage encounter moments earlier. “I ran into Clive Davis; hadn’t seen him in years. He was always real supportive of my writing early on,” he shared, “One day I wrote this song – it was for a woman. I couldn’t sing it. I called Clive [and said], ‘I believe Whitney [Houston] could sing this thing.’ He listened to it…called me back and said, ‘Boy, that’s a sweet song’.” Jackson brought the house down with laughter when he concluded, “He said, ‘But I’ll be honest with you, Alan – I don’t think Whitney has seen a washing machine in 15 years. I don’t think she could sing that’.” With that, the humble inductee noted, “I guess what I’m trying to say is I’ll always be writing about washing machines.” Jackson then offered up another of his signature songs, the simple-yet-stirring self-penned, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”

Jackson’s songwriting credits – saluted with his Songwriters Hall of Fame induction – are part of the fabric of modern country music. Beginning with his debut hit, “Here in the Real World,” and continuing as he began “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” Jackson’s personal observations on the world we live in have resonated – and continue to do so – around the globe. His pen has given us the haunting “Midnight in Montgomery”…the wistful “Remember When”…the life-celebrating “Drive”…the poignant “Little Man”…and the instantly-recognizable “Chattahoochee.” He’s shared life experiences with us in music and words; in fact, he’s been a songwriter on 24 of 35 chart-topping songs he’s recorded, the kind of accomplishment reserved for the likes of Haggard, Lennon and McCartney.

Jackson’s fellow inductees also honored at Thursday’s ceremony were John Mellencamp, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor of Kool & the Gang, Jermaine Dupri, Allee Willis, Steve Dorff and Jackson’s fellow Grand Ole Opry member Bill Anderson. Hall of Famer Neil Diamond, singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and veteran music executive Lucian Grainge were honored with other career awards.

Prior to Thursday’s induction, Jackson reflected on his songwriting in a comprehensive interview with Billboard and with Spotify, where he was showcased in a new installment of their Hot Country profile series.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame is dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of composers and lyricists who create music. It celebrates and honors the contributions of our great popular music songwriters, while developing new writing talent through workshops, showcases, scholarships, and digital initiatives. Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honors those whose work represents a spectrum of the most beloved songs from the world’s popular music songbook. To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs. Jackson is one of just over 400 songwriters so honored.

Jackson’s induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame comes just a year after he was enshrined as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the latest in a long line of accolades that include three CMA Entertainer of the Year honors, more than 25 years of membership in the Grand Ole Opry, a 2016 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. On August 22, Alan will be saluted by the Academy of Country Music at the annual ACM Honors event in Nashville as the recipient of this year’s Cliffie Stone Icon Award, one of the organization’s highest honors, given to artists or industry leaders who have “advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions and other goodwill efforts.”

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ABOUT ALAN JACKSON:
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 in all genres. 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 music industry awards – including 18 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 is in the elite company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon among songwriters who’ve written more than 20 songs that they’ve recorded and taken to the top of the charts. Jackson is one of the best-selling artists since the inception of SoundScan, ranking alongside the likes of Eminem and Metallica. He’s also the man behind one of Nashville’s most-popular new tourist stops, AJ’s Good Time Bar, a four-story honky-tonk in the heart of downtown (along a stretch of Broadway known as the “Honky Tonk Highway”) featuring daily live music and a rooftop view of Music City.

Brandon Lay released his new single “Yada Yada Yada” today. Rolling Stone describes the song as “a breezy, unruffled look at the way young love makes nonsense of all other concerns.” Written by Brandon, Heather Morgan, and Mikey Reaves, the laid-back tune comes just in time for the Summer season. Additionally, Brandon recorded a stripped-down performance of the song in the greenroom of Nashville’s famed Marathon Music Works, which can be viewed HERE.

Brandon shares his inspiration behind the song, “’Yada Yada Yada’ is a song I wrote with Mikey Reaves and Heather Morgan.  I had the melody in my head one day as I was driving home from a gig but I didn’t have any lyrics yet, so I was just humming yada yada yada as dummy lyrics (into my phone). A few days later I was in a writing room with the voice memo and Mikey and Heather thought that would make a pretty good title in itself so we went with it.  It’s a fun tune that I hope people will enjoy.”

Brandon is currently on the road with Kenny Chesney performing on all 19 shows of Kenny’s Trip Around The Sun stadium tour. The remaining shows are listed as follows:

May 19                        AT&T Stadium                                                Dallas, Texas
May 26                        Mercedes-Benz Stadium                                  Atlanta, Ga.
June 2                          Heinz Field                                                      Pittsburgh, Pa.
June 9                          Lincoln Financial Field                                    Philadelphia, Pa.
June 16                        Mapfre Stadium                                               Columbus, Ohio
June 23                        Chase Field                                                      Phoenix, Ariz.
June 30                        Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium Denver, Colo.
July 7                          Centurylink Field                                             Seattle, Wash.
July 14                        Arrowhead Stadium                                         Kansas City, Mo.
July 21                        Busch Stadium                                                 Saint Louis, Mo.
July 28                        Soldier Field                                                    Chicago, Ill.
August 4                     Ford Field                                                        Detroit, Mich.
August 11                   Nissan Stadium                                                Nashville, Tenn.
August 18                   MetLife Stadium                                              East Rutherford, N.J.
August 24                   Gillette Stadium                                               Foxboro, Mass.
August 25                   Gillette Stadium                                               Foxboro, Mass.

Carrie Underwood sat down with the Today Show’s Hoda Kotb to talk about her return to the spotlight, her single, “Cry Pretty,” her injuries from a fall late last year, as well as her ACM Performance, her Calia by Carrie Underwood fitness wear line and her mom, Carole.

Carrie’s new album, Cry Pretty, will be available September 14th.

Little Big Town release the video for their new single, “Summer Fever.” Check it out below.

Leading up to the release of his new album, The Mountain, on June 8th, Dierks Bentley is releasing a few preview videos of some of the songs from the project. He’s released a video for “Living,” which  is the second in a four-part series in a partnership between Dierks and Apple Music to showcase real stories of resilience, persistence and hope. Check out the clip below.

Dierks, who is making his way up the country charts with “Woman, Amen,” will launch his headlining Mountain High Tour May 18th in Columbia, Maryland, and in late August will headline his inaugural Seven Peaks Festival in Colorado, which will also include sets by Miranda Lambert, Brothers Osborne and Dan + Shay, among others.

Dierks Bentley releases his new album, The Mountain, on Friday (June 8th). He co-wrote 10 of the 13 new tracks that are unified by themes of presence and positivity, and range in style from textured rock to acoustic folk.

The Mountain‘s story begins in the Rocky Mountain resort town of Telluride, Colorado, which every summer plays host to a celebrated bluegrass festival. Owing to his well-documented love of the genre, Bentley has attended the festival multiple times over the years, always making a point to slow down and tune back in to the world around him. But after performing on the festival’s main stage in 2017, the idyllic surroundings became more than a much-needed getaway, it reflected where he is in life; his past, present and future.

“I was up in Wyoming with some friends, and we were just hanging out on the back deck and we were watching the sun go down over the Teton Mountains. It was beautiful, and I was with my producer, Ross Copperman, and our wives and kids, just all in a cabin up there. I’m not sure whose idea it was, but my wife actually said on the trip out there, she said, ‘I feel like the idea for the album is going to come out on this trip.’ She really said it,” recalls Dierks. “Maybe it was Ross. ‘A mountain. We’re looking at a mountain.’ Yeah, it just really clicked. It’s not the most clever title in the whole world. I’m sure it’s been used before, but it really was just like The Mountain. I loved the metaphor, but where we spent a lot of the summer was out there and where I’m from. I had a mountain in my backyard. I started climbing when I was four – Camelback Mountain – that I could walk to from my house. So, it’s always been a big part of my life, and it kind of resonated with my desire to something that reflected the West and that world that I loved so much.”

Dierks is currently poised to hit the top of the country charts with the lead single from the album, “Woman, Amen.”

The Mountain Track List:
Burning Man (Feat. Brothers Osborne)

The Mountain

Living

Woman, Amen

You Can’t Bring Me Down

Nothing On But The Stars

Goodbye In Telluride

My Religion

One Way

Son Of The Sun

Stranger To Myself

Travelin’ Light (Feat. Brandi Carlile)

How I’m Going Out

Don’t forget to catch Kacey Musgraves on NBC’s Saturday Night Live this Saturday (May 12th). She is the musical guest, while Amy Schumer will host. Kacey is also scheduled to perform on the Late Late Show With James Corden on May 17th.

Set your DVR for Carrie Underwood on Sunday night’s (May 13th) American Idol, as she performs her new hit “Cry Pretty,” as well as be the superstar guest mentor on the show.

Jordan Davis will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on May 12th.

Lauren Alaina has been added to the lineup for the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game June 9th at Nashville’s First Tennessee Park.