Garth Brooks pulled in a pretty hefty paycheck over the past 12 months, making a whopping $60 million in pretax pay from his ongoing comeback tour which launched in 2014 and has logged 300 dates so far. That number landed him at the top of Forbes Magazine‘s Highest-Paid Country Musicians for 2017, which ranks the biggest earners in the format. Other artists making the elite list and rounding out the Top 5 include Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Dolly Parton, Toby Keith, and Florida Georgia Line.

Chesney filled his coffers with $42.5 million this year not only with touring but also with his affiliations with Apple, Corona, and his own Blue Chair Bay rum. Bryan took in his $42 million chunk from the road but also makes a bundle from his Outdoor Channel reality show Buck Commander as well. Dolly cashed in on her 63-city tour during Forbes‘ scoring period but also enjoys lucrative paychecks from publishing as well as her theme park Dollywood to make her cool $37 million. And Keith and FGL both hauled in $34.5 million from music, touring and various endeavors.

The list was evaluated by compiling touring numbers from Pollstar and record sales data from Nielsen along with independent research on outside business ventures and endorsement deals. The estimates represent pretax income from June 1, 2016 through June 1, 2017; fees for managers, agents and lawyers are not deducted.

The list reflects a slight downswing in earnings across the top ten earners, from $393 million last year to $366 million in 2017, but the difference can be attributed to some artists playing fewer shows in the scoring period this year than last. However, income is apparently more evenly distributed this year. In 2016, only five acts topped the $30 million mark, in 2017, nine topped that mark.

The list can be viewed here.

Logan Mize will release a new 12-track album, Come Back Road, on Big Yellow Dog Music July 28. Produced by Dan Agee, the project’s first single, “Ain’t Always Pretty,” has already racked up more than 20 million streams on Spotify, where it is featured on the Hot Country and New Boots playlists. The song also made Apple Music’s “The A-List Country” and “Cool Country” playlists.

The project includes cuts by writers like Josh Kear, Ross Copperman, Matraca Berg, The Warren Brothers, Rodney Clawson, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and more.

“I’ve never put my voice behind a bigger or better group of songs. I would love to see them connect with a grand scale audience that loves them as much as I do,” said Mize about the collection, which is available for pre-sale here.

The Kansas native’s musical roots run deep: his great uncle was Billy Mize, who was largely known for crafting and evolving the legendary Bakersfield sound of musical pioneers like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens.

Come Back Road Track Listing:
1. Somebody To Thank (Josh Kear / David Frasier / Ed Hill)
2. Life’s a Party (Josh Kear / Mark Irwin / Chris Tompkins)
3. Cool Girl (Logan Mize /Daniel Tashian)
4. Come Back Road (Josh Kear / Rodney Clawson / Ross Copperman)
5. Better Off Gone (Abe Stoklasa / Donovan Woods)
6. All This Night Needs (Daniel Tashian / Matraca Berg/ Dave Berg)
7. Ain’t Always Pretty (Brett Warren / Brad Warren / Chris Stevens / Lance Miller)
8. Drinkin’ Buddies (Chris Gelbuda / Kylie Sackley)
9. Bands Make Her Dance (Logan Mize / Rodney Clawson / Luke Dick)
10. Catch a Fish (Logan Mize / Warren / Warren / Miller)
11. All Time (Luke Dick / Shane McAnally / Josh Osborne)
12. Big City (Daniel Tashian / Troy Verges)

Gibson Brands will offer its Experience Gibson event at the Ryman Auditorium on Wednesday, July 26 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will allow attendees to explore career opportunities with Gibson Brands, including meeting with Gibson employees. Gibson Brands chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz will offer opening remarks. The event will also include appetizers, beverages, and live music.

Attendees can pre-register by signing up at Gibson’s Facebook page or at gibson.com.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Christian Lopez is set to release his sophomore album Red Arrow on Blaster Records on Sept. 22.

The album, produced by Marshall Altman, finds Lopez expressing his views via his own songwriting efforts, and collaborating with writers including Dylan Altman, Gabe Dixon, Dave Berg, Tofer Brown, Mindy Smith, and more. The Milk Carton Kids’ Kenneth Pattengale appears on “Caramel,” which Lopez penned solo.

“So much of the previous record was written at home in West Virginia, long before I had a record deal,” Lopez says. “I had developed into a solo writer just out of circumstance. But touring and sharing a lot of time and miles with so many other inspiring musicians just lends itself to the spirit of collaboration.”

Red Arrow Track Listing:

1. Swim The River (Christian Lopez & Jordan Lawhead)
2. 1972 (Christian Lopez, Marshall Altman & Dylan Altman)
3. Don’t Wanna Say Goodnight (Christian Lopez, Gabe Dixon & Marshall Cunningham)
4. Silver Line (Christian Lopez, Jordan Lawhead & Dave Berg)
5. Someday (Christian Lopez & Marshall Altman)
6. Say Goodbye (Christian Lopez, Marshall Altman, Liz Longley & Jabe Beyer)
7. All The Time (Christian Lopez & Billy Montana)
8. Mexico (Christian Lopez & Tofer Brown)
9. Steel On The Water (Christian Lopez)
10. Caramel (feat. Kenneth Pattengale of Milk Carton Kids) (Christian Lopez)
11. Still On Its Feet (Christian Lopez, Josh Williams & Mindy Smith)

Lee Roy Parnell fans will be thrilled to know that he is releasing his first collection of new songs in 11 years this August with Vector Recordings’ Midnight Believer. The new project, due out Aug. 11, includes 10 tracks Parnell penned with Greg Barnhill, who he attributes with helping get him out of a musical slump of sorts.

“When Greg came to me with the idea of us getting together to write, I was experiencing something of a dry spell,” explains Parnell about the new music. “I hadn’t written anything in months and hoped the fog would lift but when you’re in a dry spell you always wonder, ‘What if the words don’t come…where is my ability to come up with fresh musical ideas?’ Greg saw through all that, lit a new fuse and just like that, we were off to the races. The songs were literally coming faster than we could write them down. Sometimes you just need a little help from a friend, and I certainly got lucky with Mr. Barnhill’s enthusiasm and encouragement.”

The new project includes some help from artists like Parnell’s dear friend Etta Britt and The Fairfield Four, who sang the “Keep On Walking” line repeated in the bridge of the song “Sunny Days.” It marks the second time Parnell has collaborated with the gospel legends.

“Some of you might remember our version of ‘John The Revelator’ for which we got a CMA Vocal Event of the Year nomination back in 1999,” says Parnell. “You can’t hear these four men sing together without feeling the Spirit move you.  ‘Sunny Days’ would not be the same without them.”

Of course the album is infused with plenty of the blue-eyed soul that Parnell is known for as well.

“One of the best things about gaining some maturity is you finally find out ‘Who You Is and Who You Ain’t,’ admits Parnell. “That said, I’d have to say that the song ‘Too Far Gone’ on the new album best describes me as an artist, now. It’s clearly a Blue-Eyed Soul ‘Beat Ballad’ as Barry Beckett (of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and my first producer) would call it. Barry really taught me how to make records. He taught me about groove, soul, vocal delivery and how to make every note count! The message here is in life and love we ebb and flow. We have good days and tough days. What counts is going the distance (or at least as far as you can).”

Pre-order for the new album begins today here. Parnell will debut the new music during a series of dates this Summer and Fall, including several “guitar army” dates with John Jorgensen and Joe Robinson. He’s clearly happy to be back making fresh new music for the fans and is eager to keep the momentum going. “Only now do I feel like I’m truly hitting my stride. Lifers don’t quit, you know.  I’d like to keep making a record every 18 months of so…record with some friends of mine again. I want to keep making music that comes straight from the heart.”