The Grand Ole Opry® is joining Women Rock For The Cure™ in the fight against breast cancer on Tues., Oct. 27 with its seventh annual “Opry Goes Pink” show. Grammy, ACM, and CMA award-winner Kacey Musgraves will flip the switch on the Opry’s signature barn backdrop, turning it pink for the night as Musgraves and others including Opry members Terri Clark and Montgomery Gentry  perform in support of breast cancer awareness.

Beginning today, when fans order tickets to the night’s 7 p.m. show, $5 from every ticket sold will be donated to Women Rock For The Cure™.  Tickets are available at (615) 871-OPRY and opry.com.

“We’re excited to mark our seventh year of Opry Goes Pink,” said Opry Vice President and General Manager Pete Fisher. “What began as a partnership to put together a single show to raise funds and awareness to fight breast cancer has become an annual Opry tradition. Like so many others out there, we at the Opry will not stop supporting this fight until not a single life is lost to breast cancer.”

The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®. Opry performances are held every weekend of the year, and the Tuesday Night Opry continues through Dec. 15.

About Kacey Musgraves
Texas-native and Nashville-based singer/songwriter, Kacey Musgraves released her Mercury Records Nashville debut album, Same Trailer Different Park, in the spring of 2013 to massive critical acclaim and recognition.  The album, which she co-produced with Shane McAnally and Luke Laird, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart making her the first solo female in five years to open at No. 1 with a rookie release, and just seventh in the 22-year Nielson SoundScan era.  The gold-certified album includes her top 10, platinum-selling single “Merry Go ‘Round” and gold-certified hit “Follow Your Arrow.” Musgraves has taken home the award for “New Artist of the Year” at 2013’s CMA Awards and also won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song (“Merry Go ‘Round”) and Best Country Album (Same Trailer Different Park), the ACM Award for Album of the Year (Same Trailer Different Park), and most recently the 2014 CMA Award for Song of the Year (“Follow Your Arrow”).

Musgraves released her highly anticipated sophomore album, Pageant Material, on June 23rd where it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart and No.3 on the Billboard 200. Kacey co-wrote all tracks on the album and also co-produced teaming up again with Shane McAnally and Luke Laird. Pageant Material includes debut single “Biscuits” and latest release, “Dime Store Cowgirl” available now at country radio.  The album has been met with massive critical acclaim and recognition from press outlets all over the world.

About the Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry® is presented by Humana®.  Opry performances are held every Friday and Saturday of the year, with Tuesday Night Opry shows through December 15.  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.  Celebrating nine decades of entertainment, the Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, 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.

About Women Rock For The Cure:
Women Rock For The Cure™ is a Nashville-based 501(c)(3) organization committed to connecting and supporting young women facing breast cancer. Founded in 2007, the organization works to build awareness and provide outreach programs through the power of the entertainment industry. Flagship annual events include the Pink Trash Ball and Opry Goes Pink concert, which has featured performances by The Judds, Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood. All proceeds benefit the organization’s outreach efforts, including the Young Survivors Retreat, which brings together young women diagnosed with breast cancer. For additional information on Women Rock For The Cure, upcoming events and how to get involved, please visit www.WomenRockForTheCure.org.

Eric Paslay performed a handful of songs, including “Less Than Whole,” in Washington, DC on Thursday while the Pope was in town. He got the gig because of his producer Marshall Altman and was the only artist to represent country music. Colbie Caillat was also among the performers. Eric stopped by country station WMZQ, where he chatted about the honor of performing for the Pope.

Eric recently released his new single, “High Class,” which will be on his forthcoming album due out next year.

Keith Urban is poised to take over the top spot on the country charts with his latest single, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.” It’s a song from his forthcoming album, and he says he was intrigued about the song when he first saw the title, since he didn’t write it.

“I saw the title of the song first and was curious to what that song would be,” Keith tells Lon Helton, host of the syndicated Country Countdown USA. “Some songs grab me at first listen. Other songs creep up on me. I love those songs too, but this was immediate. I played it maybe three times, and then went and grabbed my guitar and came out and I sort of sang along with it, and I thought, ‘I think this really, really suits me. I love this song, and I think it suits me.’”

Keith will take “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” to Las Vegas October 3rd when he’s scheduled to perform during the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Sam Hunt was able to take a day out of his insanely busy traveling schedule to attend a dual celebration at Nashville hot spot Crying Wolf for his second and third No. 1 songs, “Take Your Time” and “House Party.”

The Georgia native says he didn’t know his career would be this successful, he was just following his own path. “It was hard to predict the way this has played out,” says Sam. “Fortunately, I was able to get around some really talented people who were willing to think outside of the box like me and just kind of follow our own instincts, and we all just hit it off musically and personally and never really thought about the fact that it was potentially gonna be as unique as it has maybe been. So it really goes back to those relationships that I started several years ago when we first started writing.”        

Sam is currently making his way up the country charts with his latest single, “Break Up in a Small Town.”

George Strait releases his new album, Cold Beer Conversation, on Friday (September 25th). The collection, which features 13 songs including the title track, will be available as an exclusive download on iTunes/Apple Music and at Walmart.

Even though he wrapped his last tour, The Cowboy Rides Away, more than a year-and-a-half ago, George isn’t done yet. “I said all along, you know, I wasn’t going to tour anymore, but I also said that I wasn’t retiring by any means and I still wanted to do some dates,” says King George. “So, after we did the last show at the AT&T Center in Dallas, we worked really hard getting the live album out and the CMT special and those kind of things. And then I went in the studio and cut a new record.”

This is the first new studio album in two years from the Country Music Hall of Famer. His last studio album was the Gold-certified Love is Everything, which featured the Platinum-certified No. 1 hit (and 60th No. 1 hit of his career) “Give It All We Got Tonight” as well as the Gold-certified hit “I Got A Car.”

Cold Beer Conversation Track List:
1.  “It Was Love” (Keith Gattis)
2.  “Cold Beer Conversation” (Al Anderson, Ben Hayslip and Jimmy Yeary)
3.  “Let It Go” (George Strait, Bubba Strait and Keith Gattis)
4.  “Goin’ Goin’ Gone” (Wyatt Earp and Keith Gattis)
5.  “Something Going Down” (Jamey Johnson and Tom Shapiro)
6.  “Take Me To Texas” (Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally)
7.  “It Takes All Kinds” (George Strait, Bubba Strait, Bob Regan and Wil Nance)
8.  “Stop And Drink” (Dale Dodson and Troy Jones)
9.  “Everything I See” (George Strait, Bubba Strait, Dean Dillon and Keith Gattis)
10. “Rock Paper Scissors” (Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell and Bubba Strait)
11. “Wish You Well” (Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde and Brice Long)
12. “Cheaper Than A Shrink” (Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson)
13. “Even When I Can’t Feel It” (Dean Dillon, Ben Hayslip and Lee Miller)

During a press conference on Tuesday, he announced he’ll perform a series of concerts at the new Las Vegas Arena opening April 2016. He’ll be among the first entertainers to perform at the new venue, with four shows beginning April 22nd and additional dates scheduled for April 23rd, September 9th and September 10th of next year. Special guest Kacey Musgraves is set to open his shows in Vegas. Tickets for the shows will go on sale October 2nd at 1:00pm ET via www.straittovegas.com.

Sam Hunt’s chart-topping “Take Your Time” has been certified double-platinum by the R.I.A.A. (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales of more than two-million.

Eric Church was the special guest on ESPN’s Gameday at Ole Miss vs. Alabama over the weekend. Check out the video below on who his picks were…and if he was right or not. Also, check out his friend and fellow CMA nominee for Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan, whose song “Kick the Dust Up” appears to be the show’s theme song for now.

Chris Stapleton performed “Might As Well Get Stoned” during his recent appearance on Stephen Colbert.

Kip Moore performed “Come And Get It” during his recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Dierks Bentley was a special guest of Taylor Swift’s during her show in Kansas City show this week. They performed Dierks’ hit, “Every Mile a Memory.”

Easton Corbin sang the National Anthem at the Monday Night Football game on ESPN this week as the Jets beat the Colts 20 – 7.

Kacey Musgraves performed “Dime Store Cowgirl” on the outdoor stage on a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman are the 2015 Artists of the Year at the second annual Women in Music City Awards from The Nashville Business Journal. The Women in Music City Awards recognizes the women who help shape Nashville’s music industry. Both women serve on boards of music associations, Fairchild on CMA and Schlapman on ACM. They both also work with charities, including Bloodwater Mission and TJ Martell Foundation. The two will be honored Thursday (September 24^th) during the event at Nashville’s Omni Hotel.

Lady Antebellum scored their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart with “Something Better” with DJ Audien.

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott has created a scholarship fund for young women interested in a career in the entertainment industry at her alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Sept. 22, 2015) – George Strait, the musical icon who has been reverently referred to as “The King of Country Music,” will release his new album Cold Beer Conversation this Friday, Sept. 25, as announced at a press conference from MGM Grand in Las Vegas today. The album was produced by Chuck Ainlay and Strait for George Strait Productions and features 13 songs including his latest single, “Cold Beer Conversation,” premiering at country radio tomorrow. The album is available as an exclusive digital download on iTunes, available for pre-order now at http://umgn.us/32bH and Walmart.com, and will be available Friday exclusively via Apple Music and at Walmart.

The track list for Cold Beer Conversation :
1.  “It Was Love” (Keith Gattis)
2.  “Cold Beer Conversation” (Al Anderson, Ben Hayslip and Jimmy Yeary)
3.  “Let It Go” (George Strait, Bubba Strait and Keith Gattis)
4.  “Goin’ Goin’ Gone” (Wyatt Earp and Keith Gattis)
5.  “Something Going Down” (Jamey Johnson and Tom Shapiro)
6.  “Take Me To Texas” (Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally)
7.  “It Takes All Kinds” (George Strait, Bubba Strait, Bob Regan and Wil Nance)
8.  “Stop And Drink” (Dale Dodson and Troy Jones)
9.  “Everything I See” (George Strait, Bubba Strait, Dean Dillon and Keith Gattis)
10. “Rock Paper Scissors” (Casey Beathard, Monty Criswell and Bubba Strait)
11. “Wish You Well” (Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde and Brice Long)
12. “Cheaper Than A Shrink” (Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson)
13. “Even When I Can’t Feel It” (Dean Dillon, Ben Hayslip and Lee Miller)

This is the first new studio album in two years from the MCA Nashville recording artist. His last studio album was the Gold-certified Love is Everything, which featured the Platinum-certified No. 1 hit (and 60^th No. 1 hit of his career) “Give It All We Got Tonight” as well as the Gold-certified hit “I Got A Car.” Strait also released The Cowboy Rides Away: Live from AT&T Stadium CD and DVD in 2014, celebrating his mega-successful, two-year final tour.

Strait’s final tour was never meant to convey his final performance, however. Also announced in today’s press conference, Strait will perform a series of exclusive worldwide concert engagements at the new Las Vegas Arena opening in April 2016. The Country Music Hall of Fame inductee will be among the first entertainers to perform at the new venue, with four shows beginning April 22 and additional dates slated for April 23, September 9 and September 10, 2016. Opening for Strait will be GRAMMY, ACM and CMA Award-winning singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves, who recently released her second studio album Pageant Material to critical acclaim.

“I said all along I wasn’t going to tour anymore, but I also said that I wasn’t retiring by any means and I still wanted to do some dates,” Strait said during the press conference. “I’ve been working a little bit here and there, and I’m really proud of this new album that’s coming out. . . I think it’s a great record – I always say this; I think it’s one of the best records I’ve done. I always shoot for that. You’ve got to go in the studio thinking that way, so I’m very excited about that and I’m also very excited to be coming back out and playing for the fans out there. I’m looking forward to it so much, singing those songs that I love so much and haven’t done in a while. I’m really, really looking forward to being able to play in the new Las Vegas Arena. I hear it’s just unbelievable. I can’t wait.”

Tickets for the concert series will go on sale Friday, Oct. 2 at 10:00 a.m. PT via www.straittovegas.com and range in price from $75 to $200 plus applicable fees. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Friday, Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. PT through Thursday, Oct. 1 at 10 p.m. PT.

With 60 No. 1 singles and more than 68.5 million records sold, George Strait is a musical legend and the most-nominated artist in CMA Awards history, with a career spanning more than three decades. He was the first country music artist honored with Billboard’s “Legend Of Live” Award, and he earned 2013’s Entertainer of the Year title from the Country Music Association as well as 2014’s Entertainer Of The Year title from the Academy of Country Music.

To re-watch the press conference, visit georgestraitlive.com.

About Las Vegas Arena
Las Vegas Arena is a privately funded $375 million indoor arena set to open in Spring 2016.  The 20,000-seat venue, located west of the Las Vegas Strip between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, is expected to host more than 100 events annually, including UFC, boxing, hockey, basketball and other sporting events, major headline entertainment, awards shows, family shows and special events.  Las Vegas’ newest landmark will feature 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none.  The Arena has partnered with international iconic brands Coca-Cola, Schneider Electric and Toshiba American Business Solutions Inc., as the venue’s first “Founding Partners.” These Founding Partners will introduce and brand signature fan initiatives, displays and interactive spaces including Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre entertainment space which will feature a performance stage, a variety of video screens and other interactive content and display areas.  Industry-leading architect Populous designed the venue to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for LEED® Gold Certification. Las Vegas Arena is a joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM).  For more information visit the Las Vegas Arena website at www.arenalasvegas.com.

Canaan Smith just wrapped his stint on Dierks Bentley’s Sounds of Summer Tour over the weekend, and he’s looking ahead to his headlining Stompin’ Grounds Tour, kicking off November 6th in Charlotte, North Carolina.

No matter if he’s performing 20 minutes as an opening act or more than an hour as a headliner, Canaan says he puts his all into his shows. ““I leave it all on the stage. I exhaust myself every night,” says Canaan. “I beat the hell out of the drums for the last song, and I hype the crowd. I milk every moment I can. I squeeze the rag as hard as I can in my 20-minute set just to get as much out of the crowd as I can. So, I hope that people notice that, and I think that they do.”

Canaan is currently climbing the country charts with “Hole in a Bottle,” the follow-up to his recent No. 1 single, “Love You Like That.” Both songs are from his debut album, Bronco.