October 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Matthew BerinatoKane Brown will be taking the stage for a good cause this Thanksgiving, when he plays the halftime show at the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Washington Football Team.

It’s an especially meaningful performance, as the Thanksgiving Day halftime show marks a Cowboys tradition of kicking off their participation in the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign. Each year, the initiative helps raise money for the homeless and hungry, as well as providing Christmas toys for children affected by poverty.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, need is greater than ever, and Kane has a personal connection to the cause.

“There were times growing up when my family did not have enough to eat, or a roof over our head, and today, there are so many people in need,” explains the singer. “2020 has been a hard year, but every small act of generosity helps. I am honored to have the opportunity to help raise awareness to the ways people can help during this holiday season and beyond.”

Kane announced his plans to play the halftime show during a recent stop on CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden. The same night, he also delivered a performance of his new single, “Worship You,” on the show.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAAfter a decade of marriage, Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher are still as devoted to each other as they were when they first tied the knot.

In fact, Carrie can point to one particular quarantine moment when she realized that she and her former hockey pro husband were stronger than ever. It all started with something Mike told her after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to pause their busy lives and focus solely on spending time with each other and with their two sons, five-year-old Isaiah and one-year-old Jacob.

“We were a couple of months in and had been very much in quarantine just with each other for a little while,” Carrie recounts to Yahoo Entertainment. “He said, ‘You know what? I like you.’”

At first, Carrie admits she was a little baffled by her husband’s statement.

“I was like, ‘What does that? You like me?’” she goes on to say. “He was like, ‘I know I love you — we’ve been married ten years this year and have two kids together. But this experience has shown me I like you, too.’”

The “Drinking Alone” singer adds that she felt the same way about Mike, describing the realization as “such a nice moment.”

Despite the fact that she’s unable to tour, Carrie has found plenty of ways to keep busy when she’s not spending time with her family. She released a Christmas album called My Gift, and is taping a special to go along with it.

The singer’s also celebrating the five-year anniversary of her activewear brand, CALIA, with three pop-up shops in Nashville, Austin and Santa Monica for the holiday season.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Connor DwyerDustin Lynch is giving his current single, “Momma’s House,” the acoustic treatment in a new performance video that’s just as seething as the original, if a little quieter.

The live acoustic clip opens with Dustin onstage, backlit by a red glow and strumming a guitar. The singer’s searing vocals take center stage in the song’s chorus, which builds to emotional lyrics about burning down all the memories of a failed relationship — that is, except for the family homestead that sits in the middle of it all.

“Momma’s House” is currently a top 30 hit, coming off of Dustin’s early 2020 album, Tullahoma. It follows previously-released singles “Good Girl” and “Ridin’ Roads,” both of which hit number-one on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

Dustin also recently announced plans to return to touring in 2021. He’ll make up for the time spent off the road during the COVID-19 pandemic this year with an epic, three-day pool party in Las Vegas next June.  Called the Dustin Lynch Pool Situation: Vegas, the event will also feature appearances from Hardy and Jordan Davis. Tickets are on sale now.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Rick Kern/WireImage for Shock InkBilly Joe Shaver, the pioneering singer-songwriter whose songs were recorded by the legendary likes of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley, has died after suffering a stroke, Rolling Stone reports. He was 81 years old.

In addition to writing classic outlaw country songs for some of the genre’s biggest names, the Texas native enjoyed a cult following as a performer in his own right. He released his debut album, Old Five and Dimers Like Me, in 1973, and is especially well-known for his song “Live Forever,” which actor Robert Duvall performs in the movie Crazy Heart.

Shaver became a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004, and was recently included in a Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit dedicated to outlaw country.

Known for living a life every bit as raw and colorful as his songs, Shaver was charged with shooting a man in the face outside a Waco, Texas bar in 2007. He was ultimately acquitted at a trial attended by both Robert Duvall and Willie Nelson.

Following his death, Shaver was remembered on social media by performers such as Josh Abbott and Jason Isbell., the latter of whom tweeted, “Billy Joe Shaver might’ve been the only true outlaw who ever made his living writing about the inner workings of his heart.  The realest of them all.”

Billy Joe Shaver might’ve been the only true outlaw who ever made his living writing about the inner workings of his heart. The realest of them all.

— Jason IsBOO (@JasonIsbell) October 28, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 28, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAMaren Morris, The Highwomen and Yola have joined the all-genre, all-star lineup of CBS’ just-announced benefit concert Play On: Celebrating the Power of Music to Make Change.

The one-hour special will benefit the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund as well as non-profit organization WhyHunger. The concert will aim to support causes fighting for racial, social and food justice.

Hosted by actor Kevin Bacon and rapper and talk show host Eve, the Play On Benefit will also feature performances from Snoop Dogg, Slick Rick, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Jon Batiste and Machine Gun Kelly, with more acts to be announced.

The line-ups will air from iconic stages in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, with the show’s country artists performing from Music City’s Bluebird Cafe.

It’s not the first time in recent weeks Maren has signed on to perform for a concert enacting social change. She recently endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden during the “I Will Vote” concert, offering an impassioned speech that laid out her reasons for voting for Biden in this year’s general election.

You can watch the Play On Benefit by tuning into CBS on Sunday, December 5 at 9PM ET.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.