Music superstar Glen Campbell was laid to rest on Wednesday (Aug. 9) during a private ceremony in Delight, Arkansas, according to a statement on his official Facebook page. A private memorial is set to follow.

“The Campbell family would like to thank everyone for their enormous outpouring of love and support,” the statement continued.

News broke earlier this week that the Country Music Hall of Fame member had died at age 81, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He entered a Nashville memory-care facility in 2014.

Campbell’s final television appearance came when he was honored with the 2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His final recorded song, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” earned a Grammy honor in 2014 for Best Country Song. Campbell’s final album, Adios, was released June 9, and produced by his longtime sideman Carl Jackson.

For Robert K. Oermann’s official MusicRow obit, click here.

When it came time for singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lindsay Ell to begin work on The Project, her full-length album for BBR Music Group that releases today (Aug. 11), she connected with her own musical roots and chiseled out her own brand of music by taking a deep dive into the work of another singer/songwriter/guitarist: John Mayer.

Ell’s producer on the album, Kristian Bush, known for his work with Sugarland as well as his own solo projects, challenged Ell to completely recreate one of her all-time favorite albums, Mayer’s blues and soul-infused 2006 project Continuum. Bush’s challenge came with a few stipulations.

“He said I had to play all the instruments on the album and recreate the whole thing myself. I had two weeks,” Ell told MusicRow during a visit to the MusicRow offices.

Ell cleared her schedule for two weeks, secluding herself in the studio from 8 a.m. until 3 a.m. each day and painstakingly dissecting and reassembling every guitar lick, every vocal, and every drumbeat.

“I thought I knew the album, but when you are recording all these different parts and recreating them in your own voice you learn something on a different level. Fast forward two weeks and I handed him this disc. I learned so much about John’s guitar playing and my own and about how I loved to hear a band recorded in the studio. Kristian was like, ‘Now it’s time to say that with your own music.’ It was such a crazy way for a producer helping me find my own voice.”

Ell paid homage to her studio experimentation, including one of her Continuum remakes, “Stop This Train,” on her Worth The Wait EP, which released in March. Ell hopes to release her full rendition of Mayer’s Continuum project later this year.

During a visit to the MusicRow offices, Ell offered a preview of The Project, including performances of “Waiting On You,” “Criminal,” and “Champagne.”

Ell contributed writing credits on nine of the album’s 12 tracks, collaborating with writers including Bush, Justin Ebach, Andrew DeRoberts, Walker Hayes, Josh Kerr, Travis Meadows, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne.

On the three tracks she didn’t have a hand in writing, Ell highlights work from some of her fellow top Nashville female artists and songwriters, including Caitlyn Smith, Heather Morgan, Kelsea Ballerini, and Carly Pearce.

“As a songwriter it’s hard to find other things that are what you want to say,” Ell said. “Kristian said cutting outside songs would help me complete the story and say things I didn’t know how to say. I’m so happy that I’m able to showcase some of the female artists I look up to while making this album because there are so many in this town.”

Ell’s unorthodox approach to making the album gave her the courage to step out of her comfort zone, and to record songs she said she wouldn’t have recorded a year ago. Songs like the relaxed, sultry rocker “Waiting On You” or the soaring, confident vocals and guitar fuzz-fueled “Wildfire.” She name checks actress Jessica Biel as she lavishes praise on her lover on pop-flavored “Champagne.”

“I probably would have looked at half these songs and thought, ‘We can’t put it on the record.’”

Now, she offers a voice and perspective that is as self-assured as her guitar playing.

“I feel like the music we recorded for the project is the closest to the music that I was playing before I moved to Nashville,” says the Canada native. “I was listening to a couple of demos that I recorded when I was 19 years old and it’s pretty similar. It’s those vulnerabilities and imperfections as artists that make you who you are. It’s like putting them under a magnifying glass to make them stand out.

“I feel like I finally made the record I’ve always wanted to make. It’s crazy how sometimes you need to wait for things or wait a little longer than you thought you would, or work a little harder.”

THE PROJECT TRACK LIST:
1) “Waiting On You” (Lindsay Ell, Adam Hambrick, Andrew DeRoberts)
2) “Champagne” (Lindsay Ell, Walker Hayes, Fred Wilhelm)
3) “Castle” (Lindsay Ell, Abbey Cone, Josh Kerr)
4) “Good” (Lindsay Ell, Adam Hambrick, Andrew DeRoberts)
5) “Wildfire” (Lindsay Ell, Kristian Bush)
6) “Mint” (Lindsay Ell, Justin Ebach)
7) “White Noise” (Kelsea Ballerini, Josh Kear, Ross Copperman)
8) “Criminal” (Lindsay Ell, Chris Stevens, Fred Wilhelm)
9) “Just Another Girl” (Lindsay Ell, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
10) “Space” (Caitlyn Smith, Heather Morgan, Maggie Chapman)
11) “Always Kiss The Girl” (Bobby Hamrick, Jarrad Kritzstein, Carly Pearce)
12) “Worth The Wait” (Lindsay Ell, Travis Meadows)

Black River Entertainment recording artist Kelsea Ballerini excitedly hosted an impromptu dance party with fan club members post-show in Darien Center, New York, to celebrate the midnight launch of her much-anticipated sophomore album, Unapologetically, available for preorder today. The long-awaited track listing was creatively unveiled in a groundbreaking partnership with Foursquare Swarm, while the cover art was revealed on Instagram.

Ballerini revealed her Unapologetically track listing via a first-ever personalized “Kelsea Ballerini Bonus” inside Swarm. All week long, users of the life-logging mobile app have actively kept watch on her social media accounts for special clues on which locations to visit. Upon checking in, they then received an interactive pop-up to swipe – which promoted an exclusive clip of a must-hear album track and Ballerini talking about the highly anticipated tunes.

Unapologetically is produced by Forest Glen Whitehead and Jason Massey and features 12 tracks all written or co-written by Ballerini. Releasing November 3, Unapologetically takes listeners on an intimate, behind-the-scenes journey of the past few years of the country singer’s life. Filled with “blood, sweat, and heartbeats,” the debut single, “Legends,” penned by Ballerini, Whitehead, and Hillary Lindsey, continues its steady climb on country radio.

Unapologetically Track Listing:

1. Graveyard (Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead, Shane McAnally; *Produced by Whitehead, Massey, McAnally)
2. Miss Me More (Kelsea Ballerini, David Hodges, Brett McLaughlin)
3. Get Over Yourself (Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally)
4. Roses (Kelsea Ballerini, Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley)
5. Machine Heart (Kelsea Ballerini, Greg Wells, James Abrahart)
6. In Between (Kelsea Ballerini, Jimmy Robbins, Shane McAnally)
7. High School (Kelsea Ballerini)
8. End Of The World (Kelsea Ballerini, Hillary Lindsey, Lindsay Rimes; *Produced by Lindsay Rimes)
9. I Hate Love Songs (Kelsea Ballerini, Trevor Rosen, Shane McAnally)
10. Unapologetically (Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead, Hillary Lindsey)
11. Music (Kelsea Ballerini, Jimmy Robbins, Nicolle Galyon, Jennifer Denmark; *Produced by Whitehead, Massey, Robbins)
12. Legends (Kelsea Ballerini, Forest Glen Whitehead, Hillary Lindsey)

Ballerini will co-host ABC’s CMA Fest: The Music Event of Summer alongside Thomas Rhett, airing August 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

Lecrae heads up the star-packed lineup of Christian artists set to perform at this year’s Winter Jam West Tour, which kicks off Nov. 9 at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

In addition to Lecrae, Winter Jam West will feature Third Day frontman Mac Powell, Andy Mineo, Building 429, Family Force 5, NewSong, Moriah Peters presenting TRALA, and evangelist Nick Hall. The West Coast Pre-Jam Party is set to showcase Mallary Hope and Westover.

“For the past seven years, we’ve been honored to bring Winter Jam to the West Coast,” said Eddie Carswell, tour creator and NewSong co-founder. “Every year has been a step of faith, as we are committed to sharing these great artists and the Gospel message nationwide.”

Created and hosted by NewSong, Winter Jam exploded from a single show in 1995 to become Christian music’s benchmark tour. Throughout the past 20 years, the tour has provided a powerful platform for the Gospel in major arenas nationwide, consistently showcasing the genre’s top artists.

Luke Combs is launching his first headlining tour, with the Don’t Tempt Me With A Good Time Tour, kicking off Oct. 3 in L.A. The tour will hit 25 cities through Dec. 16 including Atlanta, Boston and his hometown of Asheville, N.C., where he will headline his first-ever arena at US Cellular Center. Special guests for Combs’ tour include Ray Fulcher, Josh Phillips and Faren Rachels.

Performing more than 200 shows a year as an indie artist, Combs first began building the foundation of his career on the road touring while in college. He was tapped in 2017 to join Brantley Gilbert for his Devil Don’t Sleep Tour and also played notable music festivals including Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and CMA Fest.

Pre-sale tickets for the Don’t Tempt Me With A Good Time Tour go on sale August 15, with general on-sale beginning August 18. 

Don’t Tempt Me With A Good Time Tour

October 3, Los Angeles, CA, The Roxy^*
October 4, Bakersfield, Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace^*
October 12, Milwaukee, Wis., The Rave^*
October 13, Des Moines, Iowa, Wooly’s^*
October 14, Wichita, Kan., The Cotillion^*
October 19, Tulsa, Okla., Cain’s Ballroom^*
October 20, Columbia, Mo., The Blue Note^*
October 21, Springfield, Ill., Boondocks^*
October 26, Fayetteville, Ark., George’s Majestic Lounge^*
October 27, Kansas City, Mo., The Truman^*
October 28, Denver, Colo., Grizzly Rose^*
November 2, Baton Rouge, La., Texas Club^*
November 3, Houston, Texas, House Of Blues^*
November 4, Fort Worth, Texas, Billy Bob’s Texas^*
November 9, Oxford, Ohio, Brick Street Bar⁺
November 10, Columbus, Ohio, Newport Music Hall⁺
November 16, Boston, Mass., House of Blues⁺
November 17, Baltimore, Md., Rams Head Live⁺
November 18, Asbury Park, N.J., The Stone Pony⁺
December 1, Atlanta, Ga., The Tabernacle⁺
December 7, Columbia, S.C., Township Auditorium⁺
December 8, Charlotte, N.C.^,  Coyote Joe’s⁺
December 14, Orlando, Fla.^, House of Blues⁺
December 15, Jacksonville, Fla.^, Florida Theatre⁺
December 16,  Asheville, N.C., US Cellular Center⁺
Bakersfield, Cali. & Oxford, Ohio,  on-sale August 19^th
Jacksonville, Fla, on-sale August 25^th
Columbia, S.C., Charlotte, N.C. & Orlando, Fla., on-sale Sept. 22^nd
 *Ray Fulcher & Josh Phillips
+Josh Phillips & Faren Rachels