Vince Gill will launch a new 30+ city summer tour beginning May 8 in Rochester, New York. The trek has him returning to some cities where he hasn’t performed with his band in many years.

The tour will include shows in Baltimore, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Savannah, Detroit and more, and will wrap with a a four-night stand at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in August. All shows go on sale Feb. 21, with the exceptions of Feb. 28, March 7 and March 28, and ticket information can be found at vincegill.com.

Gill has spent most of the last eight years as a touring member of the Eagles. The iconic band is currently in the middle of a lengthy run, performing before sellout crowds at Sphere in Las Vegas. It was officially 50 years ago this summer when Gill left his home in Oklahoma and began touring for the first time.

“I left home 50 years ago to try and become an accomplished musician and perform in front of whoever would show up,” recalls Gill. “All these years later, it feels as special today as it ever did.”

“An Evening with Vince Gill”:
May 8 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center Main Theater
May 9 – Wilkes-Barre, PA – The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
May 10 – Reading, PA – Santander PAC
May 15 – Baltimore, MD – The Lyric Baltimore
May 16 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Oakdale Theatre
May 17 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
May 22 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
May 23 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre
May 24 – Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater
May 29 – Tulsa, OK – River Spirit Casino Resort – The Cove
May 30 – Thackerville, OK – WinStar Casino – Lucas Oil Live
May 31 – North Little Rock, AR – The Theater at Simmons Bank Arena
June 5 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
June 6 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston PAC
June 7 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theater
June 12 – Durham, NC – DPAC
June 13 – Spartanburg, SC – Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
June 14 – Chattanooga, TN – Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
June 19 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center
June 20 – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium
June 21 – Evans, GA – Columbia County PAC – Ron C. Cross Theatre
July 10 – Tysons, VA – Capitol One Hall
July 11 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
July 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Hall
July 24 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
July 25 – Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre
July 26 – Louisville, KY – The Kentucky Center – Robert S. Whitney Hall
July 31 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
Aug 1 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
Aug 2 – Cleveland, OH – Playhouse Square – Connor Palace
Aug 8 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Aug 9 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Aug 15 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
Aug 16 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium

The Grand Ole Opry has announced the 2025 class for its Opry NextStage program, presented by Tecovas, which spotlights country’s rising talent on the Opry stage and across Opry Entertainment Group platforms. The new Opry NextStage class includes Avery Anna, Chayce Beckham, Dasha, Kaitlin Butts, Kashus Culpepper, Tigirlily Gold and Tucker Wetmore.

Opry members Ashley McBryde and Pam Tillis, along with 2019 Opry NextStage alum Riley Green and host of the annual “Opry NextStage Live From Texas” Jelly Roll, appeared at an industry event hosted by WSM’s Kelly Sutton to announce the Opry NextStage class of 2025. 

“For 100 years, the Grand Ole Opry has been the cornerstone of country music, championing artists at every stage of their careers,” says Jordan Pettit, Vice President of Artist & Industry Relations for Opry Entertainment Group. “Opry NextStage continues this rich tradition by showcasing country music’s next generation through Opry platforms that connect these amazing artists to country music lovers worldwide.”

For the remainder of the year, the Opry NextStage class will receive support from Opry Entertainment Group and presenting sponsor, Tecovas, through Opry performances, NextStage shows and heightened promotion to fans across brand platforms.

Since its launch in 2019, Opry NextStage artists have achieved a combined 33 No. 1 hits, spending a total of 43 weeks atop the Country Aircheck/Mediabase airplay chart. The program has introduced fans to rising stars such as Green, Hailey Whitters, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, Nate Smith, Parker McCollum and Tenille Townes—all of whom went on to win ACM New Male or Female Artist of the Year after their NextStage inclusion. Wilson also made history as the first Opry NextStage alum to become an Opry member.

Tennessee Songwriters Week wrapped its qualifying round with more than 1,200 songwriters performing at nearly 50 qualifying round venues across the state from Jan. 26-Feb. 8. Select artists who have been chosen will now compete at one of seven showcase events for the chance to perform their original music at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

Selected songwriters will move on to one of seven Tennessee Songwriters Week showcases:
Feb. 25 – Lafayette’s Music Room in Memphis
Feb. 25 – The Bijou in Knoxville
Feb. 26 – Ole Red in Gatlinburg
Feb. 26 – Paramount Bristol in Bristol
Feb. 27 – Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga
Feb. 28 – The Temple Theatre in Portland
March 1 – Franklin Theatre in Franklin

Led by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, the seventh annual Tennessee Songwriters Week promotes music venues, offers songwriters live performance opportunities across all music genres, encourages visitation and inspires travelers to explore the state’s rich musical heritage, history, attractions and venues. Since its debut in 2019, over 4,000 songwriters have showcased their original music on Tennessee stages as part of the celebration each February.

Grammy Museum Mississippi Adds Three New Members To Board Of Directors

The Grammy Museum Mississippi has added three new members to its Board of Directors, including Betsy Aguzzi of the Mississippi Limestone Corporation, music publicist/entrepreneur Zach Farnum and artist manager Gaines Sturdivant. Aguzzi, Farnum and Sturdivant have been elected to three-year terms. The Board of Directors is responsible for governance, oversight and major decision-making for the Grammy Museum Mississippi, and establishing a strategic plan so that the Museum can fulfill its educational mission.

“We are thrilled to welcome Betsy Aguzzi, Zach Farnum and Gaines Sturdivant to our Board of Directors,” says Emily Havens, Executive Director of Grammy Museum Mississippi. “Each of these talented new members are experts in their individual fields and will be exceptional additions to our Board. We’re looking forward to working with them and the rest of our Board to continue to enhance our music education programming and other inspiring events that we offer here at Grammy Museum Mississippi for the next several years and beyond.”

 

Combustion Music Celebrates 11th Annual Hope Town Music Festival

Combustion Music celebrated its 11th annual Combustion Music Hope Town Music Festival in Elbow Cay on Dec. 6-8, raising over $400,000 for three local charities: Every Child Counts (ECC), Friends of the Environment and the Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue. This year’s three-day festival featured performances by hitmakers Kendell Marvel, Chris DeStefano, Chris Farren and Payton Smith, and many other special guests, including local favorites Donella and Journey Higgs and her father. The annual festival was established by Combustion Music Founder and President Chris Farren, who has owned a home on the island for over 20 years.

“Each year, I worry that we might have overstayed our welcome, and that my great friends and writers from Nashville, as well as the hundreds of festival goers, are a bit tired of giving…Boy, am I glad my worries were unfounded again this year,” shares Farren. “Once again, everyone stepped up, and we raised a boatload of money…and had a bunch of fun doing it. Thank you to everyone involved!”

 

Kristina Murray Inks With Normaltown/New West Records

Kristina Murray has signed to Normaltown/New West Records and will release her new project Little Blue on May 9. The nine-song set was produced by Misa Arriaga (Kacey Musgraves, Wyatt Flores) and Rachael Moore (T Bone Burnett’s longtime engineer). Murray has announced a new tour in support of Little Blue. Prior to her album release celebration on May 9 in Nashville, she will appear at this year’s SXSW Music Festival in Austin.

 

Green Hill Productions Expands Relationship With The Piano Guys

Primary Wave Music is expanding its partnership with The Piano Guys as Green Hill Productions, a member of Sun Label Group, acquires a additional stake in the group’s master catalog. As part of this growing relationship, Green Hill will continue working with The Piano Guys through a new distribution deal.

The Piano Guys (pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer Paul Anderson and music producer Al van der Beek) have amassed over two billion YouTube views and topped Billboard charts across multiple genres.