March 2, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesDolly Parton has received her first round of the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Tuesday, the superstar shared an Instagram video from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville that she was “so excited” to be getting the vaccine.

“I’ve been waiting a while. I’m old enough to get it, and I’m smart enough to get it,” she quipped. She even offered an updated version of her hit “Jolene” to encourage others to get vaccinated by singing, “Vaccine/Vaccine/I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate.” 

“I just wanted to encourage everybody because the sooner we get to feeling better, the sooner we are going to get back to being normal,” she advised. 

Dolly donated $1 million to VUMC last year in honor of her friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, reports later showing that her donation help fund research for the Moderna vaccine, which she received a dose of administered by Dr. Abumrad.  

Leave it to Dolly to make getting a vaccine look fun, joking about needing to “look good” for the doctor and playfully remarking that “it didn’t take this long to film 9 to 5” as the doctor prepared the vaccination. 

The singer didn’t even flinch when the needle pierced her arm, remaining still throughout the process. “I did it, I did it!” she squealed with excitement after the shot was complete.  

Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine. @VUMChealth pic.twitter.com/38kJrDzLqC

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) March 2, 2021

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 2, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Time Life Generations of country music artists are coming together for Austin City Limits. 

Time Life has compiled five decades of performances from the long running Texas-based music show into a 10-DVD set, Austin City Limits Country.

The collection features performances pulled from the archives of Johnny Cash‘s “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Whoever’s in New England” by Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying” and much more, along with performances by modern country acts including Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves and Chris Stapleton.  

Charley Pride, Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton are also featured, in addition to many collaborative performances such as Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson‘s duet of “Crazy” from the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame 2014 event and Sheryl Crow and Kris Kristofferson singing “Me And Bobby McGee” during ACL‘s 40th anniversary special in 2014. 

Austin City Limits Country is available now. 

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 2, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Todd Williamson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty ImagesGarth Brooks has postponed his show at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On Monday, it was announced on Garth’s website that the sold-out show has been postponed from April 10 to September 25.

This is the fourth time the show’s date has been changed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Originally scheduled for May 2, 2020, the show was then moved to dates in June and October. Tickets purchased for the previous dates will be honored at the September show. 

When tickets went on sale in 2019, 74,000 tickets were sold in the span of an hour and a half, marking the biggest paid crowd in the stadium’s history. A statement on the website says this is the only venue Garth will perform at in North Carolina and South Carolina on The Stadium Tour. 

Garth announced last week that he and wife Trisha Yearwood have been quarantining after she tested positive for COVID-19. “Officially, she’s diagnosed as ‘on her way out of the tunnel’ now, though, which I’m extremely thankful for,” Brooks said in a statement. “Anyone who knows me knows my world begins and ends with Miss Yearwood, so she and I will ride through this together.” 

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 2, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Country Music Association CMA Fest 2021 has been canceled. 

The Country Music Association announced on Tuesday that the festival will not be taking place for the second consecutive year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“After thoughtful deliberation, we are saddened to share that CMA Fest will not take place in 2021. We know our fans near and far have hoped that the festival could safely return this summer, and while we are encouraged to see COVID-19 vaccines becoming more widely available, we still face several challenges that prevent us from bringing our fans around the world the CMA Fest experience they have come to expect,” CMA says in a statement. 

As of now, CMA Fest 2022 is scheduled to take place June 9-12 in Nashville in what CMA refers to as “the most EPIC celebration of country music.” 

Four-day passes purchased for 2020 CMA Fest that were part of the rollover option will be honored at the 2022 festival. Fans who purchased tickets through the box office or Ticketmaster will receive an update within the next couple of days. 

“We appreciate your patience, understanding and ongoing support of CMA Fest and Country Music as we look forward to the days when we can come together again,” CMA adds.

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 2, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Jeremy Cowart Lindsay Ell is kicking off Music In Our Schools Month in a heartwarming way. 

The “wAnt me back” singer joined forces with the CMA Foundation to lead a virtual songwriting workshop for a fourth grade class at Mt. View Elementary School just outside of Nashville. 

The singer instructed the young students that the first step in the songwriting process is to select a topic. The children decided to focus on the trials of 2020, Lindsay singing, “2020 got deep/Millions of people were crying.”

But the song also offers a sense of hope, with one student suggesting the lyric “we can still get through this.” Some of the students played along to the song on their pianos at home, including Jesiah as he sang “we won’t give up/Let’s keep on trying.”

“Having music in my school has had an impact on my life by helping me find my inner self and helping me know that I do have talent,” remarked fellow student Joyce about the power of music education. 

“The kids had such beautiful ideas and we wrote a song together. And some of the lyric ideas were like, ‘Wow, you’re in grade four and this is what you guys are thinking? You guys are brilliant,'” Lindsay praised. “I have such a newfound respect for what teachers have been through this past year. I just thank you for doing such a great, great job because it is a difficult one.” 

Lindsay is an artist ambassador for the CMA Foundation. 

By Cillea Houghton 
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.