Canaan Smith announces today his new headlining LONG WAY FROM THE FREEWAY TOUR presented by Budweiser. With almost 20 cross-country dates, the road warrior kicks off the tour in Des Moines, IA on October 19. Fans can purchase tickets beginning today at www.CanaanSmith.com

The Virginia native has spent the past few years playing extensively through the US, Canada, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and has previously toured with the likes of Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert and Kip Moore. Canaan launched his first UK Headlining Tour earlier this year after opening shows for breakout UK country duo The Shires.

Canaan has been named an Artist To Watch by The Huffington Post, USA Today, Yahoo! Music, Spotify and Rolling Stone. In 2015, the singer/songwriter released his debut album, Bronco, which includes the RIAA Platinum-Certified No. 1 smash hit “Love You Like That.” Bronco debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart and features 10 additional tracks.

Canaan just released a new digital-only track “This Night Back,” listen HERE.

Dynamic newcomers Jackie Lee, Chris Bandi and Eric Van Houten will join Canaan for select dates on the LONG WAY FROM THE FREEWAY TOUR. Jackie recently released his current single “Getting Over You” while Chris Bandi and Eric Van Houten have been named some of the most exciting up-and-coming singer/songwriters in Nashville.

October

19—Des Moines IA—Wooly’s *

20—Champagne IL—The City Center *

21—Geneva IL—Grunt Fest

26—Darlington SC—Carolina Nightlife

27—Myrtle Beach SC—The Boathouse

28—Raleigh NC—Lincoln Theater (w/ Gary Allan and LANco)

November

2—Knoxville TN—Cotton Eyed Joe *

3—Rootstown OH—The Dusty Armadillo

4—Mt Laurel NJ—Prospector’s

9—Bakersfield CA—Crystal Palace

10—San Jose CA—Rodeo Club

11–TBA

12—Dana Point CA—Driftwood Festival

17—Shelby Township NJ—Coyote Joe’s **

18—Indianapolis IN—8 Seconds Saloon **

30—Warrendale PA—Jergel’s ***

December

1—Buffalo NY—VENU Buffalo ***

2—Jordan NY—Keg’s Canalside ***

* with Chris Bandi

** with Jackie Lee

***with Jackie Lee and Eric Van Houten

For more information on Canaan and the Long Way From The Freeway Tour, visit www.CanaanSmith.com.

Shania Twain was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, and she spoke about her life, her husband, writing and recording her new album, Now, available on Friday (September 29th). Check out the entire piece below.

Justin Timberlake headlined the Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin, Tennessee over the weekend, performing many of his hits. The Tennessee native also brought out a couple of special guests — Chris and Morgane Stapleton to perform. The trio sang “Tennessee Whiskey,” which they recreated from the first time they performed the song at the CMA Music Awards a couple of years ago. They also performed “Fire Away” and “Sometimes I Cry,” both of which will assault your senses in the utmost beautiful way.

https://twitter.com/jtimberlake/status/911784602771116033

https://twitter.com/ChrisStapleton/status/911794600557400064

Chris is currently making his way up the charts with “Broken Halos” from his album, From A Room: Volume 1.

Shania Twain will release her new album NOW on Friday (September 25th), and it was a long process to get to this point.

“I took the long, long, long way around. I really didn’t think that I would ever make another album. Starting over in life is hard enough, like I’ll never, music – forget that. I didn’t have my voice back yet, and I never thought I’d sing again anyway, and I just didn’t think it was anything I’d ever do again, even though I was still writing. I was still writing, but I thought I was writing for other people. I thought, ‘Okay, I’m writing songs. I can still write. I’m still a songwriter, and still very much at the core a songwriter, so of course I’m going to write songs, but I’m just not going to be the singer of these songs anymore,’ and I accepted that,” says Shania. “I wrote the autobiography, which was very therapeutic. I did that first, then I did the OWN series, which was very therapeutic, then Vegas, then the tour, so everything was leading up to making the album, but without the courage yet still; they were all courage-builders, until I finally realized, ‘Wow! I really think I can record again. I think the quality is, there’s something still there and I can do it, and I can write it on my own. I’m not going to take on another co-writer. I’m just going to do this myself. And that took the most courage of all. The whole journey, that was the most courageous time for me saying, ‘You’re going to take all the weight yourself and all the risk yourself.’”

The new collection, featuring “Life’s About to Get Good” and more, is offered as both a 16-track deluxe and a 12-track standard album. All songs on NOW were written solely by Shania.

Shania will hit the road next year in support of her new album, NOW.  These dates mark Shania’s first tour since “Rock This Country” back in 2015. The tour kicks off May 3rd in Tacoma, WA and will run through the rest of the summer, culminating in Las Vegas on August 4th at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Shania will appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday, as well.

Throughout his groundbreaking, multi-genre, multi-platinum music career, Darius Rucker has achieved many of the most illustrious goals for a performer: becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry, winning GRAMMY Awards in both pop and country categories, and touring the world with sold out shows at the O2 and Red Rocks. As the “For The First Time” singer prepares to release his fifth country album on Capitol Records Nashville on October 20, Rucker reaches for another “first” as he announces today his October 19 concert at New York’s famed Apollo Theater.

Seeing their name on the Harlem concert hall’s iconic marquee has been a commemorative milestone for generations of African-American music legends, from Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington to Gladys Knight, James Brown and Lauryn Hill, and Rucker joins their ranks as one of only a handful of country artists to ever grace the historic stage. Tickets to Darius Rucker at the Apollo Theater go on sale Friday, September 29 at 10am ET.

“I have so much respect and awe for the history and traditions this stage represents,” explains Rucker. “To perform at the Apollo as I prepare to release this album which means so much tome,feels like the perfect way to commemorate this album.”

The first single from WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME, “If I Told You” has already achieved chart-topping success, and second single “For The First Time,” co-written by Rucker with Derek George and Travis Hill, is available digitally now and currently climbing the country charts.

Rucker has introduced another track from the album, “Don’t,” to his fans during his live shows this summer, which he recently revealed will be offered as an instant grat download to exclusively to fans who preorder the new album.

Complete track listing for WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME:
1. “For the First Time” (Darius Rucker, Derek George, Scooter Carusoe)
2. “Bring It On” (Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson)
3. “Life’s Too Short” (Copperman, Jon Nite, Jaren Johnston)
4. “If I Told You” (Copperman, Shane McAnally, Nite)
5. “Don’t” (Adam Doleac, A.J. Babcock, Pete Good)
6. “Twenty Something” (McAnally, Nite, Zach Crowell, Josh Osborne)
7. “Straight to Hell” with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley (Kevin Kinney)
8. “Count the Beers” (Rucker, Dean Dillon, Josh Thompson)
9. “Another Night With You” (Rucker, Dillon, Josh Thompson)
10. “Hands On Me” (Copperman, McAnally, J.T. Harding)
11. “She” (Chris Tompkins, Rodney Clawson)
12. “Story to Tell” (Copperman, Gorley, Rucker)

For more information about new music, appearances and tour dates, please visit www.dariusrucker.com.

Jon Pardi scored his third chart-topping song this week with “Heartache on the Dance Floor.” The song, which follows in the footsteps of “Head Over Boots” and “Dirt on My Boots,” was written by Jon, Brice Long and Bart Butler.

“It’s been really fun to watch it just kind of soar up, and program directors and fans and country stations across the country just loving it – ‘That’s my favorite song on the record,’ along with every other song they say, ‘I love that too.’ It’s just been really cool,” says Jon. “I pushed for ‘Heartache’ ‘cause I thought it was a cool summer song.”

Jon hits the road with Luke Bryan on Thursday (September 28th) when Farm Tour 2017 kicks off in Lincoln, Nebraska. Following the Farm Tour, Jon will launch his own headline tour, CMT on Tour Presents Jon Pardi’s Lucky Tonight Tour, October 12th in Birmingham, Alabama.

Jon is also up for a few CMA Awards, including New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Dirt on My Boots,” which is also up for Song of the Year. The 51st Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena November 8th at 8pm ET on ABC.

Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton surprised Reba McEntire at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday night (September 22nd) during the 40th Anniversary of Reba’s Opry debut. Not only did Carrie turn in amazing performances of her songs “Wasted” and “I Told You So,” but she also joined Reba on “Does He Love You.” Vince Gill also showed up to honor his friend and fellow Okie.

Carrie shared photos of her with Reba, Dolly and Vince and asked, “How is this my life?”

How is this my life? I got to be part of this crew celebrating @reba 's 40th anniversary of her first @opry appearance! Three legends…and me!!! So many dreams came true tonight! #OnlyAtTheOpry @dollyparton @vincegillofficial ❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) on Sep 22, 2017 at 8:33pm PDT

Ok, just one more pic…❤️❤️ @reba @dollyparton @vincegillofficial at the @opry celebrating Reba's 40th anniversary of her first Opry performance! Pretty sure we're all besties now.

A post shared by Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) on Sep 22, 2017 at 9:06pm PDT

Outdoor enthusiast Easton Corbin received the invitation of a lifetime to join Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris for the Grand Opening gala to open the new Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri Wednesday night (September 20th). The official kickoff of WOW was  presented in honor of former president George H.W. Bush.

Corbin joined an elite list of invited guests that include leaders in music such as Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, hunting, fishing, racing, including Bill Dance and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and conservation, including former Presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.

“I was so honored to be a part of the Grand Opening of the New Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium with all of those prestigious guests,” said Easton Corbin. “My favorite place to be is outside enjoying nature and I have a passion for wildlife and nature conservation. I love what Bass Pro Shops and Johnny Morris does to support wildlife conservation and I’m just happy to have been invited to participate in the opening of this Museum that will also help educate people and give them a little peek at the beauty of the great outdoors.”

The Bass Pro Shops closed for the day to prepare for the evening coat-and-tie gala for conservation leaders and invited guests.

A live televised concert featured Corbin, Oscar-winning actor Kevin Costner and some of country music’s biggest stars and outdoor sports enthusiasts Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, John Anderson, Chris Janson, Tracy Byrd and Craig Morgan performed for the gala crowd.

Simon Roosevelt, the great-great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, joined dozens of hunting, fishing, racing and conservation leaders during a VIP preview tour of the massive aquarium and wildlife museum at 500 W. Sunshine St.

Along with Corbin, fishing legends Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, and Roland and Scott Martin and other top anglers and top hunting legends Jim and Eva Shockey and racing legends Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Martin Truex Jr. and others got a sneak peek at the 350,000-square-foot aquarium and museum.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke joined Sen. Roy Blunt, Congressman Billy Long, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens and many other state and local leaders during the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The gala was billed as a fundraising event for Wonders of Wildlife, which is a not-for-profit charity foundation.

WOW will open to the public today, Friday, Sept. 22.

Little Big Town announced their new tour, The Breakers, via social media and the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, earlier this week. While their album is titled The Breaker, Little Big Town decided to name their new tour, The Breakers (plural) for a variety of reasons.

“I think it represents a lot of things. A lot of the songs – there’s songs about heartbreak, a lot of like Midland, they’re breaking through right now as new artists,” says LBT’s Phillip Sweet.

Karen Fairchild added, “…and definitely rule breakers on this tour. [laughs] Yeah, I think there’s a lot of meaning to it. When we looked at the poster that we shot with Harper, the photographer, we just looked at all of it. We were like, ‘What should the tour be called? What does it look like?’ And because we didn’t want to call it Rehab [laughter erupts], we decided to call it The Breakers.”

The highly-anticipated multi-city run begins February 8th at Chesapeake Energy Arena Oklahoma City and will visit 26 markets, including stops in Austin, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. and New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Additional stops will be announced at a later date.

The band is making their way up the country charts with their current song, “When Someone Stops Loving You,” from their album, The Breaker.