Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel Parton George are sharing their cherished family recipes and hosting tips in a new book, Good Lookin’ Cookin,’ out Sept. 17 via Ten Speed Press.

The cookbook offers tips for hosting events all year long, including twelve multi-course menus of recipes for New Year’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and more. Filled with more than 80 dishes as well as photos of the sisters, the book also notes how much butter or whipped cream goes into a “Dolly Dollop,” what condiment is almost always on the Parton family table and what special dish Rachel makes at Dolly’s request every year for her birthday.

Featured recipes include country ham and biscuits, barbecue spare ribs, family favorite meatloaf, slaw of many colors, watermelon fruit salad, mac and cheese and strawberry shortcake.

“I love good cooking, but not as much as I love my sister Rachel,” says Dolly. “So, getting to combine the two was a joy beyond belief for me. I do believe you’re going to love all these great recipes, and I think you’re gonna have as much fun reading these stories and things that we put together for you as we did. I can’t wait to get this book in your hands, and for you to get this food on your table.”

“This book has always been a dream of mine,” shares Rachel. “Cooking with my sister Dolly, looking through favorite recipes and recalling stories has been great fun. Through the years, we’ve washed many dishes, cleaned up plenty of spills and shared a lot of laughter. And somehow, we always manage to end up with good lookin’ cookin’! Everyone knows Dolly as a great singer-songwriter–and she is–but she’s also very creative in the kitchen. I’m so excited to share this book with you so you can experience that yourself!”

Good Lookin’ Cookin’ was written with Maurice Miner and will also be available as an audiobook, read by both women, via Penguin Random House Audio.

Miranda McDonald

MCA Nashville has named Miranda McDonald as VP, Promotion.

In her new role, she will now lead the MCA Nashville Promotion staff and oversee all radio initiatives for the label imprint’s roster including Kassi Ashton, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, Sam Hunt, Kacey Musgraves, Parker McCollum, Reba McEntire, Catie Offerman, George Strait and Josh Turner.

McDonald began her career as a radio host and reporter for CMT Radio followed by time with The Valory Music Co. In 2012, she joined MCA Nashville as Director, Promotion where she played a key part in breaking artists such as Davis, Hunt and McCollum at radio. Most recently, McDonald served as VP, National Promotion for UMG Nashville covering radio initiatives across Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville.

“When you put Miranda’s leadership skills and experience together with the MCA team and their iconic roster–a lot of great things will happen,” says UMG Nashville EVP & COO Mike Harris. “I couldn’t be happier for Miranda to take on this new role as I know she is going to crush it.”

McDonald adds, “To quote the great Rodney Atkins, ‘these are my people, this is where I came from.’ In all seriousness, I’m thrilled to continue working alongside this amazing roster and team at the imprint that has been the cornerstone of my career for over a decade now.”

Photo: Courtesy of Big Machine Records

Brian Kelley plans to speak his Tennessee Truth with the release of his full-length debut album on May 10 via Big Machine Records.

Produced by Dann Huff, the project was crafted to incorporate both ’90s country elements and sounds designed to electrify the largest venues. Throughout Tennessee Truth, Kelley attests to the rejuvenation that rural living and everlasting love can provide as well as the power of guitars. He notes, “It’s a way for me to express myself and my family and our values.”

The Diamond-selling artist co-wrote eight of the album’s 12 tracks including single “Kiss My Boots,” which Kelley considers to be the most personal lyrical statement of his songwriting career. He shared the song today (March 6) along with it’s accompanying Ben Christensen-directed video.

“It was healing to write. I feel released now,” says Kelley of the track. “Everyone processes things differently. I went inward. I went to work and stayed busy. I’m proud of myself for doing it that way. It was worth it. Now, I have a song that helped me through a tough time. Hopefully, ‘Kiss My Boots’ can help a lot of people [by] giv[ing] them some confidence [to] help them get their power back.”

Tennessee Truth Track Listing:
1. “Acres”
2. “How We’re Livin'”
3. “King Ranch”
4. “Trucks, Ducks, Bucks & Beer”
5. “Goin’ Places”
6. “Barefeet Or Boots”
7. “Dirt Road Date Night”
8. “10 O’Clock On The Dock”
9. “See You Next Summer”
10. “Doin’ Nothin'”
11. “Dirt Cheap”
12. “Kiss My Boots”

Martina McBride. Photo: Robby Kline

Change The Conversation has tapped country legend Martina McBride for “A Conversation With Martina” on April 17.

“I was fortunate to have some great women in country who regularly encouraged me, and I remember how much it meant to get that compliment or that support or that feeling of ‘I see you,'” shares McBride. “I have the chance now to do that for a new generation of female musicians.”

Change The Conversation Co-Founder Tracy Gershon will lead the event, which will spotlight McBride’s career thus far.

McBride has also been a national advocate for women in country music and has used her platform to address gender inequities in the industry.

“I decided to speak about the lack of gender equality in country music because there’s still so much room for improvement,” she says. “I really believe that country music is so special because it’s about real life for so many people.  Real emotions, real stories…and it’s important to show more than one gender’s point of view.

“I think of the young women country music fans and think, ‘Where are their stories? Where are the things they can relate to?’ If you look back through country music history, so many of the timeless songs, the songs that made the biggest impact, are from women artists singing about their struggles or their pain or saying things with a sense of humor that other women can relate to.” McBride continues. “I think it’s important that we do whatever we can so that we don’t have a significant part of history that is missing from country music. We need to do whatever we can to rebalance these scales. Things can only get better if we’re all willing to come to the table and talk about the real issues.”

Sponsored by Regions, Media Row and The Change Agent·cy, the event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

Meagan Allen

The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development recently wrapped its annual Tennessee Songwriters Week, celebrating the craft of songwriting around the state.

The competition’s sixth year had over 1,200 songwriters participating, performing at qualifying rounds at more than 50 venues, museums, attractions and cafes across the state during February. The showcase events took place last week all over Tennessee, where seven finalists were selected by judges to perform at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Those finalists include Izzy Arthurs, Jacc Moran, Ned Abernathy, Jeremy Wise, Echoing Sunset, Jack Settle and Meagan Allen.

Alex Hall, Adam Sanders and Tigirlily Gold served as judges for the competition in addition to CMT’s Leslie Fram. Tigirlily Gold also performed their song “I Tried A Ring On” at the showcase event in Portland, Tennessee, and Blake Shelton made a surprise video call to the audience and songwriters at the showcase event at Ole Red in Gatlinburg.

Each of the seven finalists earned the opportunity to perform at The Bluebird Cafe during a private event in March with music industry professionals as well as a branded commemorative Taylor guitar, two-night stay in Nashville, $100 gift card for travel and a one-year membership to Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).

Helmed by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Tennessee Songwriters Week was established in 2019 to support music venues, celebrate songwriters with live performances in all genres of music, drive visitation and inspire travelers to experience the state’s music stories, history, attractions and venues. Since its inception, more than 4,000 songwriters have shared their original music across Tennessee stages during the annual celebration.