Artist News: CMA Music Fest on ABC, Kix Brooks’ Steak Out, Chris Young, Dolly Parton

CMA Music Festival TV Special

CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock will air Tuesday, Aug. 4 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. It was filmed during the event in June and features Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Florida Georgia Line, Randy Houser, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Kip Moore, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett, Darius Rucker, Cole Swindell, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Chris Young, and Zac Brown Band.

Reigning CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town returns to host CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock. Photo: Hunter Berry / CMA

Chris Young Smokes Up Stage In Chicago

Chris Young cranked up Chicago over the weekend as he headlined Saturday’s (July 11) Windy City Smokeout. More than 12,500 people crowded downtown, the festival’s largest audience to date. Chicago was the third date on the singer’s four-day run.

Chris Young headlines for a capacity crowd at the Windy City Smokeout in Chicago. Photo: Brent Gibbs

Steak Out With Kix Brooks Tonight

Kix Brooks is premiering his new television series Steak Out with Kix Brooks today (July 14) at 8 p.m. CT on the Cooking Channel.

The half-hour episodes go to Denver, New York City, and beyond, visiting the best traditional and modern steakhouses in the country.

The multi-faceted entertainer is also busy with Reba, Brooks & Dunn: Together in Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Dolly’s ‘Coat of Many Colors’ on NBC

Alyvia Lind and Dolly Parton on the set of Today.

Dolly Parton gave the young girl who will portray her in the upcoming made-for-TV movie Coat of Many Colors a thrill on the Today show yesterday (July 13) when she gave her the news that she had won the coveted part. Alyvia Lind will play Dolly as a young girl in the movie based on Parton’s upbringing and rooted around her autobiographical song “Coat of Many Colors.”

The new movie will be executive produced by Parton and is part of a deal the singer struck with NBC for a series of standalone movies based on her life and songs that she is developing with production partner Sam Haskell of Magnolia Hill Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.

A clip of Alyvia’s grand surprise from Dolly can be viewed here.

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

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