Dwight Yoakam and Jeff Walker

Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. have announced Dwight Yoakam as the recipient of the 2015 CRB Artist Career Achievement Award, and Jeff Walker as the recipient of the 2015 President’s Award. Both awards will be presented during the Country Radio Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards ceremony, which will be held on Wednesday, June 24, at the Omni Hotel in Nashville. A cocktail reception will take place at 6 p.m. with the induction ceremony to follow at 7 p.m.

“Dwight Yoakam’s career achievements are too numerous to list here, but perhaps most impressive is that he accomplished every one of them by never wavering; never flinching from his musical vision and belief system,” said CRS Hall of Fame Chairman, RJ Curtis. “He re-popularized ‘Hillbilly’ or ‘Honky Tonk’ music in a time when the format was arguably in a pop cycle and in the doldrums. His ongoing commitment to deliver a daring, bold sound to Country radio makes Dwight Yoakam an easy selection as 2015 Artist Career Achievement Recipient.”

“It would be hard to imagine the CRS without Jeff Walker. That’s because for the past 35 years, Jeff has played a vital leadership role, serving on both the executive committee of the Board and as Treasurer of the organization. His unwavering dedication and stead counsel have helped lead the CRS to the great success we enjoy today and it is my privilege to recognize that service with the 2015 President’s Award,” commented CRS Board President, Charlie Morgan.

Previously announced Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees include Joel Raab, Sammy George, Mike Kennedy, Randy Carroll and Karen Dalessandro.

The debut album by Maddie & Tae, Start Here, is set for release August 28, which is later than initially scheduled. With the rush of success following No. 1 debut single “Girl In A Country Song” the duo had little time left in their schedules to concentrate on the album. “What we had was good,” Maddie affirms, “but we knew it could be so much better. Our label understood when we went to them to say we needed more time.”

“We wanted to get the feel, the sound of it, and the music right,” says Tae. “You only make your first album once. We’d put so much heart into this, so many writing trips to Nashville when we were kids, building this music to be something special. We knew we were close, but we needed the time to step back and breathe, and get it right!”

The album features 11 tracks produced by Dann Huff.

Maddie & Tae also revealed the album’s cover art, captured by California photographer Allister Ann, known for her work with the Civil Wars. For the easygoing photo shoot, the girls spent the day wandering around Nashville to snag the front and back cover shots.

“The thing about us that really defines Maddie and I,” says Tae, “is we’re not those girls who want to spend a lot of time getting our hair done… We’d rather be out on a four-wheeler, playing guitar or just hanging out, having fun. That’s what the songs are made of. We thought the pictures should look like that, too—and it’s harder and easier than you’d think.”

“We did our own make-up, threw some clothes in a duffle bag and took off,” recalls Maddie. “Allister is so fun and easy, it was like a slumber party—except we were moving all day. We went to an ice cream stand, got out a friend’s old Bronco, just whatever struck us. You can see it in the pictures. Suddenly, there were shots where it really looked like us, and it was super-fun and awesome and just the best day!”

The upcoming BMLG album has already yielded a gold single, “Girl In A Country Song,” and a video which racked up 23 million VEVO views. The duo is up for three CMT Awards next week, for Breakout Video of the Year, Duo Video of the Year and Video of the Year.

Eric Church, Jake Owen, Sam Hunt and Zac Brown Band are the latest acts confirmed to take the stage at the 2015 CMT Music Awards, airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00 PM CT.

The star-studded lineup includes previously announced performers: Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum and Luke Bryan.

Among the nominees, Carrie Underwood is the frontrunner with five awards nominations. Lady Antebellum and Kenny Chesney followed with four nominations each. Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean earned three nominations apiece, while Keith Urban and Luke Bryan both scored two nods. There are more than 45 nominated artists/groups.

Fans can vote via CMT.com through June 7 at 11:59 PM ET to determine the winners. The six finalists for Video of the Year will be announced at the beginning of the live show and fans can then vote at CMT.com throughout the live telecast (ET/CT only) to determine the night’s big winner.

Brian and Brittney Kelley

Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and wife Brittney have taken inspiration from their extensive travels and channeled it into a new fashion line they designed together. The couple will sell pieces from the new collection at a popup store in Nashville during CMA Music Fest. Dubbed Tribe Kelley, the collection of bohemian chic clothes and accessories will be available for purchase at the Lucchese Bootmaker shop on June 11 from noon to 4 p.m.

“As for the inspiration for Brian and I to start a clothing line together, that was obvious when we caught ourselves altering and cutting basically every piece of clothing we own,” wrote Brittney on the brand’s website. “Both Brian and I are blessed enough to be modern day nomads, venturing out to experience all walks of culture and vogue. We figured we would be missing an opportunity if we didn’t create a small capsule collection of our own.”

Kelley will be modeling some of the men’s collection from the new line at the event, which will also feature women’s suede pants, printed T’s, unisex caps, and much more. The clothing can also be purchased on the website.

Eric Decker and Jessie James Decker will host the 1st Annual “On Deck With The Deckers” to benefit their namesake foundation at The Rosewall in Nashville, TN on Tuesday, June 16. Scheduled to participate are Chuck Wicks, NFL’s Demaryius Thomas, Jana Kramer, Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts, JT Hodges, Nashville Predator’s Mike Fisher, RaeLynn, and Tennessee Titan’s star Wesley Woodyard.

The event will be a casino night theme with several table games and a Texas Hold’em tournament. There will be raffle prizes including vacation and sports experience packages.

The Eric & Jessie Decker Foundation strives to positively impact the lives of United States military service members and veterans as well as animals.

For more information, visit www.ejdeckerfoundation.com.

“On Deck with the Deckers” is by invitation only or with purchased ticket. Individual tickets may be purchased here.