January 28, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Per Ole Hagen/RedfernsKris Kristofferson has retired, according to a statement from his PR director Tamara Saviano.

In fact, the “Help Me Make it Through the Night” star and legendary songwriter seems to have stepped away from the music business without fanfare in early 2020, with his last performance taking place in January of that year on the Outlaw Country Cruise.

Kristofferson, now 84 years old, has transferred the management of his estate and independent label KK Records to his son, John Kristofferson, who will work alongside Morris Higham Management and Saviano to further the singer-songwriter’s legacy.

“The name has always been synonymous with songwriting as an art, and we’re excited to reintroduce his work to new and old fans alike,” the younger Kristofferson explains. “We have many exciting projects in the works and I look forward to getting them out into the world.”

In addition to his work as a recording artist, Kristofferson is known for writing some of the best-known songs in country music history. His catalogue includes “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” which was a hit for Johnny Cash, “Me and Bobby McGee,” a posthumous chart-topper for Janis Joplin, and scores of others.

He also joined Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings to form the ‘80s supergroup The Highwaymen, and had an impressive acting career to boot. Kristofferson has been a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame since 2004.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 28, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy of LiveXLive/Essential Broadcast MediaTrace Adkins’ 25th anniversary of being in the music business is just around the corner, and the singer’s planning to celebrate with an hour-long livestreamed show revisiting some of his all-time greatest hits.

Hosted by CMT’s Cody Allan, the show will be Trace’s first-ever livestreamed show with a full band. The event will air live from Franklin, Tennessee. In addition to his performance, Trace will share some of the stories behind his songs.

The show is a partnership with LiveXLive, and tickets are available now. Packages include a 24-hour rewatch pass, as well as an assortment of merch items and a limited number of VIP options that include a virtual meet-and-greet with Trace.

The show takes place on February 27 at 8PM ET.

In addition to a slew of hits that includes “You’re Gonna Miss This,” “Every Light in the House” and many more, Trace recently released his newest EP, Ain’t That Kind of Cowboy. The lead single from the project is “Better Off.”

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 28, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

ABCBack before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down large-scale in-person events, Miranda Lambert was out on the road for her 2019 Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour.

Like the rest of the country music industry, Miranda has now been off the road for nearly a year, with tour plans still on hold until it’s safe to gather in large numbers again. But in the meantime, she’s revisiting the magic of live music by releasing the performance video for “Tequila Does.”

“Filmed this at a show before everything shut down,” Miranda commented on social media. “Miss singing with y’all. But love that you have given this song a life of its own since day one.”

The clip shows every aspect of a live concert, from fan tickets being scanned at the door to the singer taking a shot with her band mates backstage before the show.

“Tequila Does” comes off of Miranda’s latest studio album, Wildcard. The project features her single, “Bluebird,” which was her first chart-topping hit since 2014.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 28, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Andy Heidt/MTSUChris Young dropped an exciting, music-related piece of news this week, while talking to Nashville’s The Tennessean newspaper about the newly-opened Chris Young Café he helped fund on the campus of his alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University.

The singer, who has been regularly sharing clips of himself at work in the studio over the past several weeks, hinted that there is indeed a new project in the works — and it’s more than just one album.

“I’ve got pretty much a double album in the can right now that I’d like people to hear,” Chris revealed. “I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me in 2021.”

Chris has already shared a handful of songs off his upcoming musical chapter, including “Raised on Country,” “Drowning” and, most recently, his “Famous Friends” duet with Kane Brown. That song is currently inside country radio’s Top 40 and climbing.

But “Famous Friends” isn’t the only collaboration Chris is planning to include on his next project. “I’ve got a lot of music I’m working on that I’m ready for it to be out there…I’ve got a lot of other collaborations,” he adds.

If Chris does drop a double album, it would be the third supersized country project to be announced this year. Morgan Wallen dropped his 30-track Dangerous: The Double Album in early January, and later that month, Eric Church announced his triple album, Heart & Soul.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

January 28, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

EMI Records NashvilleEric Church is known for making sure his fans come first, and in the roll-out of his upcoming Heart & Soul triple album, that’s no different.

The middle third of his upcoming musical trilogy — the six-song & album — will be available exclusively to members of his Church Choir, the singer explained last week when he unveiled plans for the project.

But that’s not all: His upcoming lyric video for “Heart on Fire,” one of the tracks off of Heart, is available to Church Choir members now. That’s a full 24 hours before he releases it to the rest of the world on Friday.

Eric has also shared the striking triptych of cover art for his three albums. The art for the first and last projects, Heart and Soul, feature mirror images of the singer’s face in profile, surrounded by abstract clouds lined with red and blue, respectively. The middle project, &, doesn’t bear the singer’s image at all. Instead, it simply displays its title, set against a purple cloud of smoke.

All three discs will be exclusively available to Church Choir members on white vinyl, and the Heart and Soul will also be released on CD and digitally. More purchasing options — including a black vinyl pre-order — will be available beginning Friday.

Eric is rolling out his three new albums one at a time, on April 16, April 20 and April 23.

By Carena Liptak
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.