Kenny Chesney wrapped his Sphere residency in Las Vegas over the weekend by announcing he’ll return to the venue in 2026 for another set of shows for his No Shoes Nation.

“I got a little carried away,” Chesney admitted after one of the shows, “but after all the guests, all the songs we hadn’t planned on, all the people who came from all over, I just didn’t want to keep it a secret. I knew we were coming back, and if No Shoes Nation had half as much fun as we did, I wanted them to know we’d see them right here next summer. What could be better?”

The last two performances of the 15-show residency also included more surprises, as songwriter/sometime Coral Reefer and dear friend Mac McAnally joined Chesney onstage during the special shows. The duo delivered their No. 1 duet “Down The Road,” originally recorded on McAnally’s Simple Life, then treated the crowd to a rendition of Shenandoah’s “Two Dozen Roses” which was penned by McAnally. After talking about performing with James Taylor to singing their friend Jimmy Buffett into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and mentioning the presence of Buffett’s sister Lucy on Saturday night, the pair reprised the classic “Come Monday” for the eager crowd.

“When we said we were taking No Shoes Nation into another dimension, no one truly knew what that meant,” admits Chesney about the whole Sphere experience. “Now that we do, we can’t wait to come back and do it all over again.”

Details for next year’s shows will be revealed in a few weeks.

The latest edition of The MusicRow Weekly brings a flurry of industry achievements, strategic shifts and milestone celebrations. Click here to see the full edition.

Big Loud Records and Mercury Records have jointly named Wes Donehower as Senior Vice President of A&R.

Songwriters took center stage in New York last Thursday (June 12), as Ashley Gorley was formally inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Gorley, one of country music’s most prolific hitmakers, joined an illustrious class that included The Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons, George Clinton, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Mike Love of The Beach Boys, and Tony Macaulay. The evening also honored Stephen Schwartz with the Johnny Mercer Award and Gracie Abrams with the Hal David Starlight Award.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has announced a special exhibit honoring Lainey Wilson. Opening July 18 and running through June 2026, the display will feature a curated selection of Wilson’s personal and professional memorabilia, including her childhood saddle, teenage journal, and iconic outfits from red carpets and milestone performances, such as her Grand Ole Opry debut.

Luke Combs has earned 34 new RIAA certifications, bringing his career total to more than 155.5 million certified units. This achievement places Combs second only to Garth Brooks in country music RIAA certifications.

Triple Tigers Records is doubling down on its promotional efforts with the launch of a second promotion team, Akando Music. Industry veteran JC Coffey has been appointed Senior Director of National Promotion at Akando and will lead the team’s day-to-day operations. Raffaella Braun, VP of Promotion at Triple Tigers, and Co-President Kevin Herring will provide executive oversight.

Kate Bowling has joined The Core Entertainment as Director of Creative, bringing her expertise to the growing company’s artist roster and creative direction.

Musicians On Call (MOC) has announced the addition of nine new team members as it scales its nationwide footprint. New hires include Hailey Gilleland (Director of Development), Kathryn Bennett (Director of Individual Giving), Katie Trent (Development Coordinator), Danys Coronel (Digital Content Manager), Christopher Anthony (PR & Talent Coordinator), Emiley Roye (Northeast Program Coordinator), Abby Tannler and Ella Hunt (Program Coordinators) and Delaney McBride (Executive Assistant).

On the publishing front, Liz Rose Music and Sheltered Music Publishing have partnered to sign Eric Paslay. Sydney Quiseng has inked a worldwide agreement with BMG, while Ryan Kohn has signed a global publishing deal with Concord Music Publishing in partnership with John Dennis’ InDent Music, marking another strong collaboration in the songwriting and publishing space.

Brothers Ocie and Wes Crowe, better known as The Crowe Boys, reached a career high on June 10 with their debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry stage.

Meanwhile, Go West Creative has promoted Jeremy Vaughn to Director of Entertainment & Experiential, expanding his leadership role within the company’s growing live entertainment and brand experience initiatives.

This week also features a look at 100 Years of Grand Ole Opry, a new hardcover book offers fans and industry insiders a deeper understanding of the institution that helped shape country music itself with Craig Shelburne. Grammy-nominated songwriter Sandy Knox also talks about Weighting: My Life If It Were A Musical, a first-of-its-kind audiobook musical set for release June 24.

In addition, the latest MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart is included. Nate Smith takes the No. 1 spot with “Fix What You Didn’t Break.” Explore more chart data here.

The MusicRow Weekly is delivered every Friday, featuring Nashville’s top music industry news, exclusive interviews, song reviews, radio and songwriter charts and more. Sign up for free here.

As the Grand Ole Opry celebrates its centennial, a new hardcover book offers fans and industry insiders a deeper understanding of the institution that helped shape country music itself. 100 Years of Grand Ole Opry, released by Abrams Books this spring, is a visually rich, narrative-driven look at the venue’s remarkable history, crafted through archival materials, exclusive interviews and untold stories spanning generations.

Spearheaded by longtime music journalist Craig Shelburne, the book captures the Opry’s evolution from a live radio experiment in 1925 to a modern-day cultural touchstone. “The Opry itself is the main character,” Shelburne tells MusicRow. “Like a movie, we found the plot twists and built the story around them.”

Shelburne—whose writing credits include CMT.com, The Bluegrass Situation and MusicRow—first approached the Opry team about the project in 2017, knowing the 100-year milestone was on the horizon. After several years of conversations, the concept took shape and was officially greenlit in 2023. From there, he worked closely with Opry historian Brenda Colladay and a full team to bring the idea to life.

The book’s structure follows key eras across the century, organized loosely by decade. Shelburne and his team leaned into the idea that each ten-year span brought pivotal changes, whether in membership, sound, technology or audience engagement.

“We started with 1925 to 1940 and closed with 2019 to 2025, because so much has happened in just the last six years,” he explains. “We wanted to give space to the newer members and moments that are shaping the next chapter.”

Throughout the process, the project remained deeply collaborative. The Opry opened its archives, giving access to rare photos, artifacts and memorabilia. Their talent division helped connect Shelburne with dozens of current and former members. The result is a layered portrait of the Opry’s legacy told through multiple voices, perspectives and memories.

“I didn’t want it to be a quick, ‘I love the Opry’ kind of thing,” Shelburne says. “I wanted to ask, ‘How did you get here? Why does this place matter to you?’ A lot of people got emotional. They were thinking about the history, but also realizing they’re part of it now.”

From those conversations came vivid stories—some moving, others just plain fun. Reba McEntire’s memories of attending as a child, and Marty Stuart’s tale of arriving at the Ryman by bus as a kid from Mississippi, wide-eyed and alone, ready to join Lester Flatt’s band on the Opry stage.

Shelburne also highlights moments of resilience, like the 2010 Nashville flood. “At one point, they took the podium from the flooded Opry House and brought it to War Memorial Auditorium, where the Opry had performed in the ’40s,” he says. “That night was historic. They hadn’t been back there in decades.”

What’s remained consistent across the years, he notes, is the focus on quality and community. “You really have to be good to play the Opry,” Shelburne says. “They don’t hand that out. And they’ve kept it going nearly every Saturday night for 100 years. That kind of consistency is rare.”

Still, the book doesn’t ignore how the Opry has changed. One shift Shelburne sees as promising is the renewed investment in younger artists and broader genres. Where the mid-century cast was tight-knit and member-heavy, today’s Opry features more balance between members and guests, bringing in Americana acts, comedians, Christian artists and newcomers making their debut.

“They make a big deal out of those debuts now,” he says. “Younger artists get really excited, and they bring their fans into it, too. That’s the ticket to the future.”

The Opry’s livestreams during the pandemic introduced the show to new, international audiences for the first time. And yet, for those who grew up with it—like Shelburne, who watched weekly broadcasts on TNN with his grandparents—it remains deeply personal.

“I didn’t realize at the time that the Opry was my first real resource for understanding country music history,” he says. “You’re discovering a new generation while learning the roots. And now with this book, someone can pick it up and see how we got here.”

100 Years of Grand Ole Opry is as much a collector’s item as it is a storytelling vessel. Richly illustrated and carefully written, it preserves the past while offering a window into what’s next. For readers steeped in the business or simply fans of the format, it’s an invitation to walk through a century’s worth of moments, on stage and behind the curtain.

For Shelburne, the experience has also been full circle. “Once I started working on the book, I was out there all the time—doing interviews, research, you name it. Seeing it that often made me realize what a massive operation it is,” he says. “They really go the extra mile. Nothing is done halfway. It’s a special place.”