Cole Swindell will kick off his new headlining “Happy Hour Sad Tour” on September 4 in Toledo. Priscilla Block will join as direct support for all dates, with Logan Crosby and Greylan James each joining on select dates.

Named after a new song on his upcoming fifth album for Warner Music Nashville, Spanish Moss, the new tour will visit Lexington, Macon, Cedar Rapids, St. Augustine and more through Oct. 26.

“I cannot wait to get out on the road this year for the ‘Happy Hour Sad Tour’,” shares Swindell. “Getting to write songs and make music for a living is a dream come true, and there are so many folks that make that happen! I hope the fans that spend their hard-earned money to come out and support us know how much we appreciate it and how much we love seeing them out there having fun. It’s always a new level of excitement to be touring with a new album out so I expect this fall to be one to remember. I’m pumped to have Priscilla, Logan and Greylan out there with us, 3 artists I really believe in, getting the crowd fired up for a great night.”

Spanish Moss features Swindell’s current top five single, “Forever To Me,” which he co-wrote with James and Rocky Block to celebrate his engagement and wedding to his wife Courtney last year. The track holds even greater significance now, as it also honors the upcoming birth of their first child, a daughter, this fall. The proud husband and soon-to-be father released a special digital-only remix of “Forever To Me (Our Version)” last month.

Pre-sale tickets for Swindell’s fan club will be available beginning tomorrow (April 8), with general sale on Friday (April 11).

Amy Smartt

After nearly two decades of service, the Country Music Association’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, Amy Smartt, has announced she is retiring. Her last day will be Wednesday (April 9).

Throughout her tenure at CMA, Smartt has played a vital role in CMA’s growth and impact, overseeing key departments including Finance, Accounting, IT and Operations. She has provided strategic leadership for both CMA and the CMA Foundation by guiding financial planning, overseeing budgeting processes, managing long-range forecasting and more.

Smartt shares, “I’m deeply thankful for the incredible CMA team, whose dedication and excellence make this organization what it is. The past 11 years working alongside Sarah Trahern have been especially meaningful, and I’m beyond grateful for her partnership and friendship. And our Board members guidance and support have been instrumental in CMA’s success. I will always cherish those partnerships.

“To quote an unknown author, ‘Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway,'” she adds. “While I will miss my wonderful coworkers and the incredible relationships I’ve built, I’m looking forward to embracing this next chapter and am excited about the new possibilities ahead. It’s been an incredible ride, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything! Country Music is built on storytelling, and I’m forever grateful to have been part of this incredible story.”

After April 9, reach Smartt at afsmartt@gmail.com.

Ben Balch, CMA Vice President of Finance and Administration has assumed Smartt’s finance and accounting responsibilities, effective immediately.

Little Big Town. Photo: Blair Getz Mezibov

Little Big Town is set to embark on their “Summer Tour ’25,” which kicks off July 24 in Rogers, Arkansas.

The tour marks the band’s first full summer headline run since 2019, and will feature direct support from Wynonna Judd, Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde and Russell Dickerson, with Carter Faith and Shelby Lynne opening select shows.

The 22-city tour will visit St. Louis, Saratoga Springs, Toronto, Cincinnati, Tampa, Salt Lake City and more through Sept. 13, and tickets will be available starting with the Little Big Town pre-sale April 8-10, with additional pre-sales running throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning April 11 at littlebigtown.com.

Little Big Town “Summer Tour ’25” Dates:
July 24 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP *
July 25 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater *
July 26 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre *
July 31 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC †
August 1 – Syracuse, NY – Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview †
August 2 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater †
August 7 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion ‡
August 8 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center *
August 9 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre *
August 14 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage †
August 15 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre †
August 16 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center †
August 21 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre §
August 22 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre ‡
August 23 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater §
August 28 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre †
August 29 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre †
August 30 – Colorado Springs, CO – Ford Amphitheatre †
September 4 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre #
September 5 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre #
September 6 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre #
September 11 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center †
September 12 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live †
September 13 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion †

*With support from Carly Pearce and Carter Faith
† With support from Wynonna Judd and Shelby Lynne
‡ With support from Carter Faith
§ With support from Ashley McBryde and Carter Faith
# With support from Russell Dickerson and Carter Faith

Trace Adkins performs hits from Songs About Me on Y2Kountry at SiriusXM in Nashville.

Trace Adkins is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his 2x Platinum album Songs About Me with a special SiriusXM Session performance and interview.

Adkins visited SiriusXM in Nashville appearing on Y2Kountry for the session and interview with host Danielle Peck. In front of a crowd of fans, he delivered renditions of tracks from Songs About Me such as “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and the emotional “Arlington,” and also performed his latest single “What Color’s Your Wild.”

Adkins originally released Songs About Me in March 2005. It peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums Chart in addition to picking up a double Platinum certification. It includes the 3x Platinum anthem “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” Gold-certified “Songs About Me,” and “Arlington,” and has garnered hundreds of millions of streams.

SiriusXM and Pandora’s Johnny Chiang, Vice President of Music Programming – Country at SiriusXM and Pandora, also surprised Adkins with a Billionaire plaque in recognition of over 1 Billion streams for his music on Pandora. Only a handful of artists have reached this milestone, including Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, Ed Sheeran, and more.

“The incredible thing about Trace and his career is the consistency. Whether he has new music or not, Pandora fans are screaming for Trace,” shared Chiang during the milestone presentation. The event will air on on the SiriusXM app for two weeks.

Last week, Adkins dropped his new song “That Someday” via Verge Records to coincide with his role as “Big Buck” in the new film Day of Reckoning. He recently kicked off his headlining “What Color’s Your Wild Tour.”