Amy Kurland, Kent Blazy, and Erika Nichols. Photo Credit: Howard Ezell

Alive Hospice, Middle Tennessee’s only nonprofit hospice organization, recently honored the Bluebird Café for more than 30 years of support with its Inaugural Legacy Legend Award at the first-ever Alive and Legacy Breakfast.

Celebrating 50 years of care, Alive Hospice honored the longtime partner and Nashville music institution with its inaugural Legacy Legend Award at the special event, which was co-chaired by Alive board member C.T. Stevens and his father Turney Stevens and brought together community members to celebrate the individuals and organizations whose philanthropic contributions have helped advance Alive’s mission. Since 1994, the Bluebird Café has donated proceeds from its January shows to Alive, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to the organization through economic booms and busts, wars, a pandemic, multiple owners and countless rounds of winter weather. More than three decades later, the Bluebird remains a dedicated partner in supporting Alive’s care for patients and families across Middle Tennessee.

The inaugural Legacy Legend Award was accepted by Bluebird Café founder Amy Kurland and Erika Nichols, who now manages the operation on behalf of the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Kent Blazy presented the award, reflecting on the impact of Alive’s care for his wife during her battle with cancer. Blazy also performed “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” the song he co-wrote with Garth Brooks, in a moving tribute to the organization and its mission.

Throughout the breakfast, attendees heard from Alive board members about the organization’s expanding services and continued commitment to meeting the needs of Middle Tennessee patients and families. This includes Alive’s comprehensive grief support services, which are available to adults, teens and children regardless of whether their loved one received care from Alive.

Amir Hamad, President and CEO of Alive proudly shared with attendees of the breakfast, “For over fifty years, we’ve been guided solely by purpose—never by profit. And because of that, it means we show up fully, for as long as we’re needed, in every moment that matters. We’re growing and caring for more and more hospice patients. And we’ve recommitted ourselves to the reason we exist in the first place—to transform lives by honoring the harmony between life and death.”

The 2027 Gulf Coast Jam has unveiled the full lineup for its 15th annual festival set for June 3-6 at Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach.

Along with headliners Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Zach Top and Bailey Zimmerman, the 2027 edition will feature Warren Zeiders, Jon Pardi, Tucker Wetmore, Ian Munsick, Ty Myers, Graham Barham, Laci Kaye Booth, Dylan Marlowe, Chase Matthew, Myles Morgan, Carly Pearce and Emily Ann Roberts. 

The Gulf Coast Jam Presented by Jim Beam is also partnering with the World Famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge for the first time in 2027, presenting four of the venue’s most popular artists from Nashville. Representing Tootsie’s each day will be Deltona, John Stone, PJ Ferguson and the Tennessee Strange and Timmy McKeever.

Local hotspot Ms. Newby’s will also present four artists who call Panama City Beach home and who have created significant followings in the Panhandle area. Kicking off each respective day of the Festival for Ms. Newby’s will be Will Thompson Band, Chandler Flint, Sons of Saints and Mitch Pierson. 

“This lineup includes some of the heaviest hitters in music,” says Gulf Coast Jam Presented by Jim Beam Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady. “From established artists to the top new artists in the business, we have something for all of our Jammers!”

Four-day passes are currently available at GulfCoastJam.com.

NEEDTOBREATHE is releasing The Long Surrender and The Fellow Passengers of Pain, a deluxe edition of their album The Long Surrender, on Nov. 19 via MCA.

In conjunction with the announcement, the band is releasing the first track from the deluxe album, “Can’t Apologize” featuring Jonah Kagen. 

“We’re in a time of overflow in the band and there are some new songs that we are really proud of that we wanted to put out during this season of The Long Surrender,” says NEEDTOBREATHE’s Josh Lovelace. ‘Can’t Apologize’ is one of those songs, and we’re really excited to have our friend Jonah Kagen feature on it. It’s just the band in a room playing together, trying to be present and inspired. We hope you take a listen.”

“As a longtime fan of NTB and the world they’ve built around their music, this was such an amazing experience for me. I’m honored to be a part of this song and can’t wait for everyone to hear it,” adds Kagen.

The new deluxe collection expands on the personal themes of surrender, transformation and renewal. The Long Surrender and the Fellow Passengers of Pain includes six new songs with guest appearances from Kagen, Evan Honer, Ann Wilson, Conner Smith, Bre Kennedy and The Jack Wharff Band.

The Long Surrender and the Fellow Passengers of Pain Track List: 
1. “The Long Surrender”
2. “Say It Now”
3. “Highlands”
4. “Sing To Me Savannah”
5. “Where You Call Home”
6. “Strangeness Of It All”
7. “Take Me Dancing”
8. “The Door”
9. “Growing Slow”
10. “Momma Loves Me”
11. “Take The Blame”
12. “Spread The Ashes”
13. “Last Drink (feat. The Jack Wharff Band)”
14. “Can’t Apologize (feat. Jonah Kagen)”
15. “Past The Gates (feat. Anne Wilson)”
16. “Never Gonna Deserve Ya (feat. Evan Honer)”
17. “Free Fall (feat. Conner Smith)”
18. “Sparrow (feat. Bre Kennedy)”

Zack Bennett.

Zack Bennett has been tapped as permanent host of the nationally syndicated weekly radio program Pure American Country and its companion program, the daily 60-second feature Pure American Country Radio Minute.

Bennett has served as interim host since longtime host Bill Cody passed away in June. He has produced Pure American Country since 2024 and continued to write and produce the program while hosting it in the interim. He also guest-hosted the show during periods in 2025 and early 2026 when illness prevented Cody from recording.

“Bill and I worked together for nearly five years, and I had the privilege of learning from him every day,” Bennett says. “When he wasn’t able to be behind the Pure American Country microphone, he trusted me to sit in his chair and take care of the show and its listeners. That trust means even more to me now. Bill was one of the finest broadcasters I’ve ever known, and Pure American Country will always carry his influence. I’m not here to replace him or imitate him. My responsibility is to honor what he built, carry forward the warmth and love of country music he brought to the show, and take it into its next chapter in a way that would make him proud.”

Bennett began his radio career in 1999 at WANT-FM in Lebanon, Tennessee. During his 27-year career, the Nashville native spent six years working on Nashville’s 95.5 Nash Icon, and has spent nearly five years at 650 AM WSM, where he currently serves as Assistant Program Director and an on-air host. For the past four years, he has also been part of the team responsible for planning and producing every Grand Ole Opry show.

First launched in 2003 as the Country Music Greats Radio Show, Pure American Country is aired on 174 rural radio stations, broadcast over 194 transmission towers and frequencies, with coverage exceeding 40.3 million rural Americans, which is more than half of rural America.

“Whether I have an hour, two hours or 60 seconds, the goal is the same,” Bennett continues. “Give people something familiar, tell them something they may not have known, and remind them that everything in country music is connected.”