Universal Universal Music Group Nashville Pressroom

Jon Pardi celebrated not one, but two, of his recent chart-toppers at a party in his honor this week at local Nashville watering hole, Winners Bar & Grill. “Heartache Medication,” which was written by Jon, Natalie Hemby and Barry Dean, went to No. 1 in February of 2020, so he wasn’t really able to celebrate its success until three years later following the global pandemic. He also helped “Last Night Lonely” songwriters – Dylan Marlowe, Jimi Bell and Joe Fox – celebrate their very first No. 1 (which just so happened to be their first single they’d written, as well).

“’Heartache Medication’ is literally like probably one of our biggest songs we play live. The crowd just like, once they hear the fiddle go off, you kick it off and then the crowd goes wild. It’s really cool,” he told media prior to the party. “‘Last Night Lonely’ is a big one too. ‘Heartache Medication’ is getting over someone, moving on, having a good time and getting out and doing the things you’ve got to do to move on. ‘Last Night Lonely’ is almost like a continuation of ‘Heartache Medication.’ He’s moved on and found a girl he wants to settle down with. But for me, a good song, whether I write it or not, has to move people. It’s got to make people tap their feet and it’s got to be powerful, and you’ve got to be remembered, and I feel like a lot of these songs will be remembered for a long time.”

Jon should soon be celebrating another No. 1 song. His latest smash, “Your Heart Or Mine,” which was written by his producer Bart Butler, along with Justin Ebach and John Pierce, is making its way to the top of the country charts.

Sam Hunt has joined the list of performers at this year’s Canadian Country Music Awards. He is joined by Dallas Smith, James Barker Band, Jade Eagleson, Tenille Townes and Train. Previously announced performers for the show include Carly Pearce, Dean Brody and Josh Ross. The CCMAs will air live from Hamilton, Ontario’s First Ontario Centre September 16th on CTV, CTV.ca and the CTV App beginning at 8pm ET/PT.

We're excited to announce that the incredible @SamHuntMusic will be performing at the 2023 CCMA Awards presented by TD. Prepare to be blown away! #CCMAAwards #CCMAs pic.twitter.com/J1U4D1bRt5

— CCMA (@CCMAofficial) July 12, 2023

Jordan Davis is featured in CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown this weekend, along with Taylor Swift and others. Check out all the action beginning at 9am ET/8am CT on both Saturday (July 15th) and Sunday (July 16th).

https://twitter.com/cmtHot20/status/1679264807692763139

Eric Church , along with close friends and family, celebrated the opening of his new exhibit, Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul, during an invite-only reception on Wednesday night (July 13th). The new display explores North Carolina native’s unique path to stardom, from his early years playing late-night gigs in bars and writing songs in Nashville to his bigger-than-life stage presence and career.

“I have such respect, immense respect for this place, for this room that we’re in,” says Eric, says of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “For what’s been built here, not just in country music, but in all of music history. It is very special and very unprecedented. I am honored to be here.”

The collection includes stage costumes, tour memorabilia, handwritten lyrics to such songs as “Smoke A Little Smoke” and “Monsters,” guitars, awards, handwritten notes from George Strait and Bruce Springsteen, as well as a gold record plaque from Taylor Swift with a note thanking him for playing too long after he was kicked off the Rascal Flatts tour in 2006.

“The best part for me, both of my kids you know from two and three months old, they grew up on the tour bus. And when you’re in the tornado and you’re going through it, you forget all these things that happened. And to beside my boys tonight as we walk through and went through those tidbits, but when they were one or two or three, they don’t remember that, that was my favorite part of this entire exhibit — experiencing it again with them,” he says. “This is an unbelievable honor for me. The people that I love and respect are here and have been very incremental to me being here. I will say that there is something to doing it your own way, and you can still get to where you want to go if you do it that way.”

The exhibit runs through June 2024 and is included with regular museum admission.

Eric will also be the latest Artist-in Residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame–only the 18th–and he’ll curate one-of-a-kind performances over two shows on August 29th and August 30th.

The superstar returns to his Outsiders Revival Tour on Friday (July 14th) in Cincinnati and in St Louis on Saturday (July 15th).

Reba McEntire will celebrate the release of her upcoming lifestyle book with a one-night-only special event, “Not That Fancy: An Evening with Reba & Friends” set for November 5th at 7:30 pm at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium.

Reba’s former Reba co-star Melissa Peterman will host the event, which will be an evening of stories with Reba at the Mother Church. All tickets will include a complimentary copy of Reba’s new book: Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots. Tickets go on sale HERE on Friday (July 14th).

https://twitter.com/theryman/status/1678808837908725780

Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots is set to release Tuesday, October 10. It is an enchanting collection of funny, poignant, and deeply personal stories, photos, tips, and recipes from Reba McEntire.

Not That Fancy includes over 50 recipes (desserts, meats, sides, and cocktails) from Reba’s family traditions and her restaurant Reba’s Place (Atoka, Oklahoma); never-before-seen photographs and never-before-told stories from Reba’s personal and professional life (ranching with her Daddy, pranks with Brooks & Dunn, falling in love over a plate of tater tots); and simple, not-that-fancy lifestyle tips (how to achieve Reba’s signature hairstyle, design a down-to-earth date night, play a mean game of cards). Learn more at NotThatFancy.com.

George Strait has been tapped to headline the second night of ATLive at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (home to the Atlanta Braves) on Saturday, October 21st. Sharing the bill with King George is Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town and Willie Nelson & Family.

Atlanta! George is heading to ATLive 2023 at the @MBStadium this October with @carrieunderwood, @WillieNelson & Family, and @littlebigtown!

Sign up now for presale access at: https://t.co/Wmifxk2yYK. Tickets on sale Friday, July 21. pic.twitter.com/WZWm3PBOlL

— George Strait (@GeorgeStrait) July 11, 2023

On Friday, October 20th, the lineup will deliver a roster of Latin superstars including headliners Grupo Firme, as well as J Balvin, Farruko and sibling trio Yahritza Y Su Esencia.

Tickets for each night go on sale next Friday (July 21st) at 10am ET thru Ticketmaster.

To learn more about the two-night event, visit mercedesbenzstadium.com/ATLive.

Taylor Swift dropped her “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” on Friday (July 7th) at midnight. The 22-song album features new versions of the 16 tracks originally on the 2010 collection and six additional songs “from the vault,” which includes collaborations with Fall Out Boy and Paramore.

In a post on her socials, Taylor wrote, “It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours. It’s an album I wrote alone about the whims, fantasies, heartaches, dramas and tragedies I lived out as a young woman between 18 and 20. I remember making tracklist after tracklist, obsessing over the right way to tell the story. I had to be ruthless with my choices, and I left behind some songs I am still unfailingly proud of now. Therefore, you have 6 From The Vault tracks! I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and the memories it brought back filled me with nostalgia and appreciation. For life, for you, for the fact that I get to reclaim my work. Thank you a million times, for the memories that break our fall.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) set a record as Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2023 so far on its release date. The project also became the most-streamed Country album in a single day in Spotify history.

All “from the vault” tracks are solely written by Taylor, which marks Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is a complete, self-written album, just like the original version she wrote from ages 18-20.

The release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) follows Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both released in 2021.

It’s here. It’s yours, it’s mine, it’s ours. It’s an album I wrote alone about the whims, fantasies, heartaches, dramas and tragedies I lived out as a young woman between 18 and 20. I remember making tracklist after tracklist, obsessing over the right way to tell the story. I had… pic.twitter.com/I2cLH76EIH

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 7, 2023

Brad Paisley is set to perform this Friday (July 14th) on the TODAY Show for their Citi Concert Series.

On July 14, Brad Paisley is performing live on the TODAY Plaza as part of the Citi Concert Series on TODAY!https://t.co/DAvV29WS7U pic.twitter.com/2eYWTJPWkF

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 3, 2023

Sam Hunt will perform September 1st as part of Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series in Central Park.

SEPTEMBER 1: @SamHuntMusic will be bringing the party to Central Park in our GMA Summer Concert Series on Sept. 1! https://t.co/aEFIgFrMbB #SamHuntOnGMA pic.twitter.com/nKoLIH0n5S

— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 7, 2023

Maddie & Tae‘s Maddie Font has entered the third trimester of her pregnancy, and while she hasn’t had any weird food cravings, she says she has been treating herself quite a bit.

“We are mostly prepped. Pregnancy has been good. It has been hot, so that’s kind of difficult with a big belly. I haven’t had any weird cravings, but I have been indulging,” says Maddie. “I’m in my third trimester, so I really only get to eat like crap for the next 12 weeks (laughs), so I’m just kind of going ham on the (TAE: “I, as your best friend, have been indulging too, so thank you for the honor of getting to…”) regular Oreos, ice cream, sno cones, ahh, all the good things.”

In April, Maddie announced she and husband Jonah Font are expecting their first child — a son — in September, and the pair couldn’t be more excited.

“We found out in early January that we were expecting. I surprised Jonah with a little card and the positive tests once he came home from work,” Maddie tells PEOPLE of how she shared the big announcement with her husband.

Baby boy Font will join the duo family as Maddie’s partner Taylor Kerr gave birth to her first child, daughter Leighton Grace Kerr, in January 2022.

The pair recently released their new song, “Heart They Didn’t Break.”

Darius Rucker and the Hootie & The Blowfish just celebrated the 29th anniversary of their 1994 debut album Cracked Rear View on July 5th.

29 years of @HootieTweets 'Cracked Rear View'!!!! How is that even possible?!? Who had a copy way back when? https://t.co/AYIeR21MK7

— Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) July 5, 2023

Following yesterday’s premiere of “CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair” on Hulu, the Country Music Association revealed the documentary will make its broadcast debut  July 18th at 9pm ET/8pm CT on ABC. The 75-minute special, which features Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Wynonna Judd, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and many others, explores the festival’s 1972 debut of Fan Fair.

https://twitter.com/CountryMusic/status/1676969763548037123

Keith Urban has been announced as one of the nominees for the 2023 class for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He’s nominated alongside Steven Curtis Chapman, Martie Maguire and Gillian Welch and David Welch (nominated as a team) in the Contemporary Songwriter/Artists category. The 53rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala will take place October 11th at the Music City Center. The nominees for the Contemporary Songwriters category are Casey Beathard, Shawn Camp, Jim Collins, Don Henry, David Lee Murphy, Leslie Satcher, Darrell Scott and Victoria Shaw.

Jordan Davis released his Apple Music Sessions live EP on Thursday (July 6th). You can watch him perform “Tucson Too Late,” “Church In A Chevy” and a cover of Foy Vance’s “Guiding Light” (which features special guest Sam Hunt).

.@JordanCWDavis and @AppleMusic have teamed up to bring you an exclusive Live EP bundle featuring special performances of "Tucson Too Late," "Church In A Chevy," and "Guiding Light" that you don't want to miss!

Watch here: https://t.co/XJstYvw3mz pic.twitter.com/3SZMf9l97E

— Universal Nashville (@UMGNashville) July 6, 2023

Thank ya @SamHuntMusic for singing on one of my favorite songs with me for my #AppleMusicSessions..y’all check out our version of “Guiding Light” exclusively on @AppleMusic. https://t.co/ughSnBkzrI pic.twitter.com/dnfOBqSeYq

— Jordan Davis Music (@JordanCWDavis) July 6, 2023

Eric Church has been announced as part of a new group of Nashville city leaders of a 16-person Music City Host Committee whose goal is to book high-profile events for the upcoming enclosed Tennessee Titans stadium in Nashville. The committee includes former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, Tennessee State University head football coach Eddie George and many others, to look at a potential Super Bowl, the 2031 NCAA Men’s Final Four and a college football National Championship game reportedly on the list, according to the Nashville Business Journal.

Bill Anderson will be celebrated by the Grand Ole Opry as the longest-serving Opry member in the show’s history on July 22nd. Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Jeannie Seely, Ricky Skaggs are scheduled to perform.

The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate member @WhisperinBill as the longest-serving Opry member in the show’s history on Saturday, July 22. pic.twitter.com/VvAsWT24Hv

— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) July 6, 2023