October 1, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAReba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn won’t be headed to Sin City this December after all.

The two superstar acts announced this week that they’re cancelling the final dates of their 2020 Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegas residency, due to continued concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who purchased tickets for the show can receive a full refund at the point of purchase.

The residency was first announced late last year; Reba and Brooks & Dunn planned four different batches of concert dates in April, June, October and December of 2020. Unfortunately, all four of those legs of their Vegas residency were ultimately canceled after the pandemic began affecting U.S. artists’ tour schedules in March.  Both acts also had to scrap solo tours that were slated for this year.

The 2020 Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegas shows would have marked the three friends’ fifth year performing in Vegas, making their residency the longest-lasting from a country artist in the city’s history. Reba and Brooks & Dunn first toured together in 1993.

While most artists are continuing to stay off the road, some venues are beginning to find ways to reopen as the end of 2020 nears. Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium has recently begun hosting live audiences again, with strict social distancing measures. This weekend, the Grand Ole Opry will once again welcome in-person fans back to its shows, also with added safety precautions in place.

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

October 1, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Mark LevineTwenty Years of Rascal Flatts: The Greatest Hits comes out Friday, ahead of the trio’s Farewell Tour, which they plan to reschedule post-COVID-19.

Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox, and Joe Don Rooney agree two songs helped put them on the map: “Life Is a Highway” from the Disney movie Cars; and “I Melt,” which sparked a groundbreaking video with an infamous shot of Joe Don’s backside. 

“Highway” is on the collection; “Melt” is not — and we may know the reason why: It almost broke up the band.

“I didn’t even know there was a nude scene in it,” Jay says of the video. “I stormed off the set because I was very angry that we were gonna put nudity in our video. That is the truth. I almost quit the band that day because our manager… did not tell me.”

“They sprung it on me at the shoot,” Jay reveals. “And I thought, ‘My Lord, I’ll never be able to go back to Lee University again or stick my head back in a Baptist church anywhere once this comes out.'”

The finished clip, however, softened Jay’s approach.

“It came out and it was tastefully done,” he explains, “and it was okay and you could go, ‘Oh, that’s not as bad.'”

Once the guys lapse into their easy banter, it’s clear no permanent damage was done.

“I just appreciate art,” Gary jokes.

“And a good butt…” Joe Don interjects.

“God handcrafted that thing…” Gary offers.

“Hand-cracked it?” Jay asks.

“…It took Joe Don’s butt to blow ‘I Melt’ up and get us on late night TV,” Gary continues. “So we’ve been kissing his butt ever since.”

“That’s actually the title of Joe Don’s memoir, Lightning McQueen and My A**,” Jay says, as they share a laugh.

By Stephen Hubbard
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABC/Image Group LAAs usual, Dolly Parton outsmarted just about everybody: In early 2020, she hid a clue about her then-unannounced Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, in plain sight on her Instagram feed.

Way back in January, months before she let fans in on her plans to drop a Christmas record, Dolly got the ball rolling on a soon-viral meme challenge that has been dubbed “LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder.” Challenge participants upload a mosaic of four photos of themselves, each image corresponding to a different social media platform.

Dolly was apparently the first person to take part in this challenge. Her four-image grid consisted of a buttoned-up picture of herself with her hair pulled back and a pencil behind her ear for LinkedIn, a wholesome photo of herself wearing a Christmas sweater for Facebook, a casual black-and-white image of a young Dolly with guitar in hand for Instagram and an image from her iconic 1978 Playboy shoot for Tinder.

But while everyone was busy putting together their own versions of the meme, they missed something important: The Christmas sweater she’s wearing in her “Facebook” image actually says “Holly Dolly Christmas” on it.

The country star came clean about her sneaky Easter egg this week, asking fans if they caught the clue she dropped more than eight months ago.

For those wishing to copy Dolly’s “Facebook” look, the Holly Dolly Christmas turtleneck is now available at her merch store. A Holly Dolly Christmas comes out this Friday.

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

Who caught this #AHollyDollyChristmas clue from January?! Shop for your very own turtleneck, crewneck or t-shirt version of my sweater from the #DollyPartonChallenge now! https://t.co/2VzsbKgeo5 pic.twitter.com/R2XYYkAFxZ

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) September 30, 2020

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September 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of Amazon MusicTim McGraw is revisiting one of his classic hits, “Something Like That,” in a brand-new Amazon Original version of the tune.

“Something Like That” originally came out way back in 1999, where it became a number-one hit for Tim on country radio. According to Nielsen, the song also became the most-played radio single of the 2000s — of any genre.

Even though it’s been over 20 years since the song came out, it’s still a big crowd-pleaser to this day, and that’s a big part of the reason why Tim chose to re-record it.

“This is one of my favorite songs to play live,” the singer explains. “It always takes the energy level up a notch and it’s just a lot of fun. We let the fans pick a closing song from our Here on Earth livestream experience, and this was their choice.”

Like many artists, Tim has been staying connected with fans during the COVID-19 pandemic by performing virtually, and often in a more pared-down setting, instead of his usual full backing band. The new version of “Something Like That” is more in line with that kind of performance, the singer goes on to say.

“It’s a stripped-down acoustic version of the song, something you don’t get to hear us do very often with this one. We hope you like it,” he adds. 

Here on Earth, Tim’s 16th solo studio album, came out this August.

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

September 30, 2020 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of SpotifyOn the latest episode of her podcast, Living & Learning with Reba McEntire, Reba McEntire enlists none other than actor and activist Jane Fonda to share some tips on how to thrive while growing older.

During their conversation, the 82-year-old shared some personal stories about aging, including her discovery of how important it is to keep a positive mental outlook.

“When people tell me that I look good for my age, I know that a large part of that is because I am at peace. I feel good, you know?” Jane points out. “I feel proud of myself for having worked so hard to become what I am today. To become a better person, and to be able to forgive so many things.”

Of course, not all of her tips for aging well are quite so abstract.

“I use this lotion, it’s Uncle Buds hemp lotion with CBD, and it is cannabis, doesn’t make you high though, but it’s great for aches and pains,” Jane continues, also citing posture and exercise as two more important reasons why she’s feeling good well into her ‘80s.

“I didn’t realize this until I was old. I thought it was more important when you were younger to exercise a lot ‘cause it was more important to look good,” she continues. “Now it has nothing to do with how you look. It has to do with being able to pick up your grandchildren…being able to drive a car and look back over your shoulder while you’re backing up.”

Reba’s Living & Learning with Reba McEntire podcast is available on Spotify. The country superstar co-hosts the show with Melissa Peterman.

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