Global country music superstar Brad Paisley is releasing the first four songs off his upcoming album Son Of The Mountains together today for the first time with Son Of The Mountains: The First Four Tracks. Brad wants listeners to experience these four songs in this specific sequencing to help paint the journey involved in writing the music for this record. An album whom Brad says, “doesn’t shy away from reflecting real life and real situations going on in America and in our world today. This is what I think country music is about, which is truth.”

LISTEN TO SON OF THE MOUNTAINS: THE FIRST FOUR TRACKS | HERE 

Son Of The Mountains: The First Four Tracks is available now and includes the previously released tracks “Same Here” featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “So Many Summers” plus the newly released title track “Son Of The Mountains” and “The Medicine Will.” The full studio album is anticipated for release in early 2024.

Brad spoke with Variety about the new music in a compelling new interview.

Brad premiered the two new music videos in a live stream event on Friday (September 29th) in partnership with YouTube and journalist Chris Willman of Variety.

Each of the new songs released, “Son Of The Mountains” and “The Medicine Will,” are representations of the Appalachian region including Brad’s home state of West Virginia, reflections of the beautiful and the painful. Brad has created poignant videos, directed by Jim Shea and edited by Brad himself, to encapsulate the sentiment of each song. “Son Of The Mountains” recording and video both feature Dan Tyminski and Jerry Douglas and include beautiful and colorful scenery of the state. “The Medicine Will” focuses on the opioid epidemic and was shot in black and white and in the depths of a coal mine featuring real life-stories of addicts, survivors and first responders.

As a proud West Virginian who was able to make a life for himself outside of the issues facing the people of his home state, Brad is continually returning to use his platform to bring awareness not only to the opioid crisis, but also to the hope that these people have.

Brad recently returned to West Virginia to participate in the grand re-opening and dedication of Herbert Hoover High School in Elkview after the historic flood of 2016 that destroyed the school. Brad toured the school, participated in the dedication ribbon cutting ceremony, attended the football scrimmage (against his alma mater John Marshall High School) and performed after the game in the stadium’s end zone. Nightline exclusively covered his visit, watch the story here.

About BRAD PAISLEY:
Brad Paisley has earned his place in country music history as one of the genre’s most talented and decorated male solo artists. For more than 20 years, his songwriting and unmatched showmanship have won him numerous awards, including three GRAMMYs, two American Music Awards, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, and 14 Country Music Association Awards including a highly coveted Entertainer of the Year honor and recognition as the most successful CMA Award co-host in history, alongside Carrie Underwood, for 11 consecutive years. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, Paisley has written 21 of his 25 No. 1 hits, and in 2008 became the first artist to achieve 10 consecutive Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 singles. The superstar’s past works have amassed nearly 5 billion career streams.

PLATINUM-certified, GRAMMY-nominated artist and songwriter Anne Wilson boldly transcends musical boundaries with the release of her latest offering, REBEL (The Beginning). The transformative three-pack, available now, marks the start of her new chapter seamlessly blending the Country and Christian genres. Featured on today’s brand-new three-pack is the title track “REBEL,” Christian radio single “Strong” and forthcoming Country radio single “Rain In The Rearview.” Wilson will release dual singles at Christian and Country radio with impact dates of today, 9/29, and 10/9 respectively.

LISTEN: REBEL (The Beginning)

“I am beyond excited to send this new music out into the world,” shares Wilson. “These three songs felt like the perfect way to begin the next chapter of my musical journey. And I’ve got a lot more songs I’ve been writing, so this truly feels like the beginning of something special.”

They’re HERE!! My new singles REBEL, Strong, and Rain in the Rearview are out now! I’m so thrilled to share these songs with you all, stream wherever your heart desires https://t.co/oR1PyiAVQM pic.twitter.com/LwQ7r6VvwJ

— Anne Wilson (@Annewilsonmusic) September 29, 2023

Kicking off the new chapter of music is the loud-and-proud title track “REBEL,” in tribute to the original counter-culture movement that finds Wilson taking an “against the grain” approach. Backing defiant, almost dangerous-feeling vocals with roaring guitars, pounding drums and a gospel spirit, she delivers an up-tempo country-rock stomp that showcases her unwavering spirit.

Weary but never broken, Wilson lifts spirits with Christian radio single “Strong.” Released today with an all-new lyric video, the epic ballad leaves listeners feeling empowered to face whatever challenge comes next.

With emotions gathering like a distant storm, Wilson belts her eyes-to-the-sky Country anthem, “Rain In The Rearview,” determined to leave the past behind and chase a fresh start. Matching the dark, intricate Country sound is Wilson’s hurricane-force vocal, set to impact radio waves on October 9th.

Y’all!!! The response to these three new songs has been incredible. We worked so hard to bring these songs to life in hopes they would impact you, fill you with hope, and encourage you to leave the rain in the rearview. Thank you to my producers and co writers for making this… pic.twitter.com/Smh5BnyLHC

— Anne Wilson (@Annewilsonmusic) September 30, 2023

REBEL (The Beginning) track list:

1. “REBEL” (Anne Wilson, Matthew West, Jeff Pardo)
2. “Strong” (Anne Wilson, Matthew West, Jeff Pardo)
3. “Rain In The Rearview” (Anne Wilson, Matthew West, Zach Kale, Jaren Johnston)

Wilson is taking her new music on the road as part of her first-ever headlining My Jesus Tour, accompanied by special guest Josh Baldwin. The 20-stop, sold-out tour kicked off last night (9/28) in Houston, Texas and is set to captivate audiences this fall in major cities nationwide including Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis and Chicago.

Earlier this month, Wilson hit yet another milestone with her debut chart breaker “My Jesus” earning certified PLATINUM status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The celebrations continued as she made her debut Country award show performance at the 15th Annual ACM Honors at the historic Ryman Auditorium, joining Jordan Davis to perform “Buy Dirt.” Watch it here.

She also secured another Dove Award nomination for her 2022 Christmas project, The Manger, recognized in the category of Christmas/Special Event Album of the Year at the upcoming 54th Annual GMA Dove Awards. The recent Dove recognition adds to her already impressive collection of Dove honors which includes 2022 wins for New Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded song of the Year for “My Jesus.” For dates and more information, visit www.annewilsonofficial.com and keep up with her on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Today (September 29th), Boy Named Banjo has released their major label debut album Dusk via Mercury Records Nashville. Produced by longtime collaborator Oscar Charles (Caroline Spence, Charlie Worsham), Dusk finds the Nashville-native group showcasing their razor-sharp storytelling and expansive sound they’ve honed for over a decade, featuring late-night party anthems and stripped-down meditations including the driving “Feel For You (Dusk)”. To date, the highly-anticipated new album has already garnered praise from Garden & Gun, American Songwriter, Holler, MusicRow and more.

LISTEN TO DUSK | HERE

Boy Named Banjo has also announced a special hometown show in Nashville on November 24th. Tickets go on sale here today at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT.

As shown on the wistful “Lonely In This Town,” Boy Named Banjo’s songwriting on Dusk is as incisive as ever, dealing with themes of lust and longing as well as hope and heartbreak. Sonically, the band’s performances on the record capture the high-octane energy of their beloved live shows while blurring the lines between Music Row and Laurel Canyon with lush harmonies and cinematic arrangements. The end result is a masterfully crafted, larger-than-life major label debut from a group that continues to grow by leaps and bounds with every release.

Dusk Track List

1. “Something ‘Bout A Sunset” (Barton Davies, William Reames and Stephen Wilson Jr.)
2. “Heart Attack” (Barton Davies, William Reames, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell)
3. “Feel For You (Dusk)” (Barton Davies, William Reames, Daniel Fernandez and Michael David Whitworth]
4. “Young Forever” (William Reames, Luke Preston and Jonathan Sherwood)
5. “Whiskey Dreams” (Barton Davies, William Reames and Angelo Petraglia)
6. “Mama, I’m Misbehavin’” (Ethan Bryan Baumgarner, Oscar Charles, Olivia Rudeen and Jonathan Sherwood)
7. “Goodbyes Are Sad” (Barton Davies, William Reames, Oscar Charles and Stephen Wilson Jr.)
8. “Lonely In This Town” (Barton Davies, William Reames, Marv Green and Chris Stevens)
9. “Opposite Directions” (Barton Davies, William Reames and Jonathan Sherwood)

Boy Named Banjo is currently on the coast-to-coast Dusk Til Dawn Tour with upcoming shows in Los Angeles, Houston, Brooklyn and more cities this fall – tickets can be found here and a full list of dates can be found below. In 2021, their genre-defying EP Circles landed them a performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium alongside dates supporting Kip Moore, Hank Williams, Jr., Old Crow Medicine Show, and The Cadillac Three. The following year, Boy Named Banjo made their CMA Fest debut as well as a sold-out hometown show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl.

This spring, the group released their uplifting anthem “What Keeps Me Going” which earned support from CMT, Taste of Country, Whiskey Riff and more. 2023 has shaped up to be another banner year for the band following their Grand Ole Opry debut, a momentous milestone that was documented at People.

Expertly melding an array of musical influences, Boy Named Banjo is a fusion of contemporary country, Americana and folk-rock stacked on a foundation of bluegrass. Formed in their teens, the band includes Barton Davies (banjo), Ford Garrard (bass/upright bass), Sam McCullough (drums), Willard Logan (mandolin/dobro/electric guitar), and William Reames (acoustic guitar/harmonica).

Boy Named Banjo – Dusk Til Dawn 2023 Tour Dates:

October 6 – Monterey, CA – Rebels and Renegades Music Festival
October 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge ^
October 8 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues (Voodoo Room) ^
October 12 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub ^
October 13 – Houston, TX – Last Concert Cafe ^
October 14 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas (Cambridge Room) ^
October 19 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm ^
October 20 – Savannah, GA – Saddle Bags Savannah ^
October 21 – Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat ^
October 26 – Jackson, MS – Duling Hall ^
October 27 – Memphis, TN – Growlers ^
October 28 – Oxford, MS – Proud Larry’s ^
November 2 – Chattanooga, TN – Barrelhouse Ballroom %
November 3 – Birmingham, AL – Zydeco %
November 4 – Knoxville, TN – Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria %
November 16 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theater ^
November 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl ^
November 18 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live ^
November 19 – Washington, D.C. – The Atlantis ^
November 24 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl ^
November 30 – Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe +
December 1 – Columbus, OH – Natalie’s Grandview +
December 2 – Wyandotte, MI – District 142 +

^ with support from Brother Elsey
% with support from Will Jones
+ with support from Cassandra Lewis

For tickets, please visit boynamedbanjo.com/tour.

Named a Pandora 2023 Artist to Watch, an Amazon Music 2023 Breakthrough Artist to Watch: Country Class and a member of CMT’s LISTEN UP 2023 Class, Dalton Dover releases his eight-song collection Never Giving Up On That via Mercury Records/UMG Nashville, featuring two new songs including “Dirt Roads and Jesus” and an alluring cover of “If I Ain’t Got You.” Listen to Never Giving Up On That HERE.

“This has been such an exciting time in my life, and it means so much to be able to share it with all of you,” shares Dover. “So many milestones and memories have been made with these songs and what better way to celebrate that than putting them all together and adding some new ones. We can’t wait to bring more new music to you soon.”

Along with “If I Ain’t Got You,” a staple and fan-favorite in his live set, “Dirt Roads and Jesus,” written by Dover with his producer Matt McVaney and Alex Maxwell, is a striking ballad, expressing where he feels closest to God. As he debuted the song during his first performance at the Grand Ole Opry, he explained he’d faced some tough times throughout his life, but his faith has always brought him out the other side to better days.

Today’s release follows barn-burner “Night To Go,” praised by MusicRow as Dover “has already proved himself to be a masterful country balladeer, a story-song teller, a heartache prince and a heart-tugging sentimentalist…He can also spit out a country rocker with the best of ‘em: this kicks hillbilly butt,” asserting the song is “more proof that stardom should knock on his door.”

I’m releasing my very first ever EP THIS FRIDAY featuring 2 brand new songs “Dirt Roads an Jesus”
and my cover of “If I Aint Got You”! ⚡️ feels like a new chapter for me, & I can’t wait for y’all to hear the new music on there! 💥https://t.co/LjAmL7t2hq#NeverGivingUpOnThatEP pic.twitter.com/Rj0Zyazyf4

— Dalton Dover (@DaltonDover3) September 21, 2023

Dover’s first official single “Giving Up On That” debuted as the most-added song at Country radio and continues to climb the charts. The official music video, filmed near Dover’s hometown in Rome, Georgia, will premiere next Wednesday, Sept. 27 on CMT, CMT Music, CMT.com and Paramount’s Times Square Billboard.

He made his international debut earlier this year at C2C: Country to Country Festival’s CMA Songwriters Series before joining Chase Rice on the Way Down Yonder Tour. This summer, Dover performed across four stages at CMA Fest, including the Nissan Stadium Platform Stage, and played Luke Combs’ Whiskey Jam Bootleggers Tailgate Party at Gillette Stadium in July. He has been on the road with select dates supporting Tyler Hubbard, Parker McCollum, Justin Moore and Priscilla Block among festival performances. For more information and tickets, visit DaltonDoverOfficial.com.

Never Giving Up On That Track List:

1. Giving Up On That (Dalton Dover, Adam Craig, Josh Pierce)
2. You Got A Small Town (Adam Craig, Jamie Paulin, John Pierce)
3. Damn Good Life (Dalton Dover, Alex Maxwell, Jackson Free)
4. Baby I Am (Jason Gantt, Dan Isbell, Nate Smith)
5. Night To Go (Cole Taylor, Trea Landon, Shane Minor, Michael Carter)
6. Hear About A Girl (Adam Craig, Michael Carter, Jim McCormick)
7. If I Ain’t Got You (Alicia Keys)
8. Dirt Roads and Jesus (Dalton Dover, Alex Maxwell, Matt McVaney)

 Dalton Dover Upcoming Tour Dates:

 Sept. 23           Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre (w/ Justin Moore)            Greenwood Village, CO

Sept. 26           CMT Equal Access Showcase                                    Nashville, TN

Sept. 27           Pasadena Rodeo                                                          Pasadena, TX

Oct. 8              WPOC Sunday in the Country                                   Columbia, MD

Tyler Hubbard is set to hit the road with Old Dominion tonight (September 28th) at the Credit One Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. On Friday (September 29th), they are in Charlotte, North Carolina, followed by a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday (September 30th).

Tyler says he’s excited about going on the road with the group, and he’ll hopefully get some songwriting done while out on tour with the guys. “I love those guys, and I’m excited about spending time together and play some shows,” says Tyler. “We’ve already talked about writing songs while we’re out there on the tour. I know we’ll write some songs and love working with those guys, so yeah it’s gonna be a fun fall.”

Tyler is making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Back Then Right Now.”

Brad Paisley is set to release two new songs — “Son Of The Mountains” and “The Medicine Will” — on Friday (September 29th), and he will premiere the music videos for those songs ahead of the launch with an exclusive YouTube Live stream event set for Noon CT.

Brad, who is from West Virginia, wanted to tell the stories of these people who are in dire straits, but telling them without judgment on the side of the people. He wrote “Son Of The Mountains” first, and it in turn laid the groundwork for the rest of the songs he’s been working on for the last several months.

“The first song I wrote for this record was ‘Son of the Mountains,’ which was – kind of started out as a fun thing, but then I – you know – I say some things in that. It goes by you, but I say some stuff. This song is really about freedom, and my home state’s motto is ‘Montani semper liberi’ I think that’s how you say it. It’s Latin; I don’t know, but it means ‘Mountaineers are always free,’ and so freedom at all costs is the type of thing, and that’s kind of the point of that song, especially,” says Brad. “My cowriter on it is Lee Miller, and his great uncle – like when we were writing this song, we had this first verse that was a whole different verse than what it ended up being. He’s from Kentucky. I’m from West Virginia, obviously, and I said what would be the thing that says it’s like a – I don’t – we don’t listen. When they make rules, we don’t agree with, we don’t do it. (laughs) That’s kind of the West Virginia thing. And he said, ‘Well, I have an uncle that went to prison running moonshine,’ and I said, ‘Why in the hell didn’t you say that in the first place? That’s the coolest.’ He’s like ‘Well my family doesn’t talk about it. We’re not really proud of it.’ That would be bio line one for me if I had that in my family. So, it’s a true story. His uncle was hauling jugs across state lines into Tennessee and spent years in the federal prison, so that’s that song. And it’s like yeah try and – you know Prohibition didn’t work in that area of the world. We didn’t listen to it, you know. It was disorganized crime there. In Chicago, it was organized crime, and West Virginia was disorganized, but it was just moonshine stills.”

“The Medicine Will” is a song he wrote about the devastating opioid crisis that has affected that part of the country, where coal mining and timbering were about the only jobs available, but with that came injuries and severe pain. The residents of these towns were prescribed opioids to relieve the pain, but it created an epidemic of major proportions of addiction and in many cases, death. There are a few different statistics from different towns receiving MILLIONS of pills. In Kermit, West Virginia, 12 Million pills were delivered to the town of less than 280 people and 30 Million pills were delivered to just three pharmacies in Mingo County, one of the poorest counties in America.

“I spent a couple of days in West Virginia interviewing survivors and first responders and people that have been working on this, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Brad. “I mean, I come from a town that’s changed since I left it. From ideal to – there’s this underbelly of things that are scary that weren’t there. And that is really near and dear to my heart this cause of holding the companies responsible that targeted that area, and they did. They targeted them. They knew that these people that power our country digging coal are – they need pain killers to do what they do.”

Brad, along with his band and musicians Dan Tyminski and Jerry Douglas, filmed “The Medicine Will” music video in a coal mine in Bluefield, West Virginia. Brad says, “I’ve never felt anything like what was like – you know with like ‘bout a six foot ceiling and coal everywhere and just like dug out.”

Watch the livestream with Brad and journalist Chris Willman at noon right HERE.

Presenters have been announced for the first-ever People’s Choice Country Awards, taking place tonight (September 28TH). Brothers Osborne will present the Country Champion Award to Wynonna, while Blake Shelton will present the Country Icon Award to Toby Keith. Additional presenters include The War And Treaty, Mickey Guyton, Josh Ross, Carly Pearce, Dustin Lynch, Scotty McCreery, Leanne Morgan, Lady A  and others.

The People’s Choice Country Awards, hosted by Little Big Town, will air live from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT on NBC and Peacock.

Chris Stapleton has been announced as one of the performers for the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, along with Elton John, Dave Matthews, Brandi Carlile and H.E.R. This year’s class includes Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott and Sheryl Crow. The event will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on November 3rd and will be livestreamed and broadcast on Disney+ and ABC.

Little Big Town spent time with TODAY’s Dylan Dryer on a tour of Nashville, for a cowboy boot fitting, a taste of hot chicken and live music ahead of the very first People’s Choice Country Awards tonight on NBC and Peacock. Check it out below.

Brad Paisley appeared on ABC’s Nightline on Wednesday (September 27th) as he returned home to West Virginia where he’s giving back to the community. He shared his love and heartbreak for his home state and the inspiration behind the songs “Son of the Mountains,” “The Medicine Will” and “Same Here.”

Luke Bryan and The War And Treaty will be featured on CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown this weekend. The show will air Saturday (September 30th) and Sunday (October 1st) at 9am ET/8am CT.

This weekend, @lukebryan heads to Wisconsin to celebrate 14 years of Farm Tour! Plus, we talk to stars @ashleymcbryde, @MissMargoPrice, @warandtreaty & more from @PilgrimageFest & bring you this week’s hottest hits! The fun begins on #cmtHot20, Sat & Sun, at 9a/8c @CMT! pic.twitter.com/gcmlu4mAsP

— CMT Hot 20 Countdown (@cmtHot20) September 27, 2023

Alan Jackson will release a special green vinyl edition of his 1993 holiday release, Honky Tonk Christmas on October 6th. You can pre-order it now at https://alanjackson.lnk.to/HTC.

https://twitter.com/OfficialJackson/status/1707409868758429864

Darius Rucker will release his new album, Carolyn’s Boy, next Friday (October 6th); his first since 2017’s “When Was The Last Time.” He co-wrote 10 of the 14 tracks on the album with such prominent songwriters as Ed Sheeran, HARDY, John Osborne, Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne, Lady A’s Charles Kelley and many more.

He named the new album after his mother, a nurse at Medical University of South Carolina and who raised him with his three sisters and two brothers. “I wanted to name the record Carolyn’s Boy because Mom never got to see any of my success,” Darius explained during a recent “TODAY” interview. “She died before any of this happened, so it’s just another homage to the greatest woman I’ve ever known.”

Coming up with the title for an album is often difficult for artists, but for Darius, the title came to him in the studio as sort of an epiphany when he was having a bad day.

“She was my biggest supporter. You know, she was always in my corner, you know, back when I was a real young kid trying to get in the rock and roll and country and being told that wasn’t the music I was supposed to be listening to, she was my biggest supporter; my biggest ‘leave him alone person. Let him listen to what he wants to listen to,’” says Darius of his mom who passed away in 1992. “I remember when I told her I was dropping out of college to play in Hootie, and I thought she was going to kill me. I really thought she was going to kill me. And she didn’t. She said, ‘If that’s what you need to do…’ you know, because she always believed that I was going to make it probably a lot more than I did. And it was funny because I was in the studio having, and the only way I can explain it is, I was just having a bad day, a bad mental health day. And I sat down at one point, I just said to myself that really, at the end of the day, I’m just my Mama’s boy, and that was the day that’s when I decided to name it Carolyn’s boy. And that was an epiphany for me, and that helped a lot.”

Darius tells us Carolyn’sBoy is probably his most personal album to date. “It’s probably the most personal I’ve ever written. So many things have been going on in the world and in my life in the past six years that I just kept writing songs about what was going on,” he says. “And once I decided to name it Carolyn’s Boy, the personal songs seemed to rise to the top of the heap. And so, (this is a) pretty personal record, but, you know, I love that. I love telling the truth.”

Carolyn’s Boy Track List:

Kacey Musgraves is the latest artist to receive a wax doppleganger at Madame Tussauds in Nashville. It’s pretty uncanny how closely the wax figure mirrors the singer-songwriter down to the last detail, even wearing the white lace jumpsuit, jewelry (hoop earrings and rings) and heels she wore for her performance at the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Took a trip to uncanny valley lol @MadameTussauds Go see me in Nashville Xx pic.twitter.com/5GGfJstqEM

— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) September 28, 2023

The wax figurine took approximately six months to create by a team of 20 London-based artists, who worked very closely with Kacey and her glam team to encapsulate her exact measurements, hair color, eye color, skin tone and more.

“What an honor, I never even knew I wanted this to be a bucket list moment,” said Kacey in a press release. “You all did an amazing job.”

Guests can visit Musgraves’ new figure beginning Friday (September 29th), and in a completely interactive experience can sing along with some of her songs.

In a first reveal video posted by a fan account (trying to locate the original video at this time), Kacey marvels at the likeness of her wax figure.

Madame Tussauds unveils the first-ever @KaceyMusgraves wax figure.

— The figure mirrors her iconic look from the 2019 Rodeo Houston and will be available to view beginning Friday, September 29 at Madame Tussauds Nashville. pic.twitter.com/ULbjlGV2Hu

— Kacey Musgraves Access (@KaceyAccess) September 27, 2023

Kacey recently topped the Billboard Hot 100 with a duet with Zach Bryan on “I Remember Everything.”