Adam Sanders has inked with Liz Rose Music.

As a songwriter, Sanders is known for penning hit radio singles for Cole Swindell, Dustin Lynch and Drew Baldridge. Additionally, his songs have been recorded by top country artists including Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley. The Lake City, Florida native has independently garnered more than 200 million global streams and toured with Bryan, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett, Swindell and Lynch, among others.

“I’m beyond excited about this next chapter in my career. Signing with such a powerhouse as Liz Rose Music is the foundation for lots of great things to come,” says Sanders. “Aside from the successes that Dave, Scott, Kate, Gracie and Liz have had, the culture of the company is what truly drew me to want to partner with them.”

“Adam Sanders’ undeniable depth and versatility as a songwriter and unrelenting dedication to his artistry made it an easy decision to join forces with him at such an exciting time in his already distinguished career,” shares Dave Pacula, Senior VP of Creative at Liz Rose Music. “We look forward to celebrating many more milestones with him in the coming years.”

Riley Green packed out FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin on Thursday (June 19) for another sold-out night of his “Damn Country Music Tour.” With a set full of fan-favorites, iconic covers and a sneak peak at new music, Green kept the crowd locked in from start to finish.

Before Green took the stage, newcomer Preston Cooper kicked off the show, setting the tone for the night ahead with a mix of originals and a cover of Chris Stapleton’s “Parachute.” Nashville-native Lauren Watkins followed, with a stand-out hometown performance including her most recent release “Lose My Cool,” fan-favorites “Anybody But You” and “Stuck In My Ways,” and more.

As the sun set over the amphitheater, the crowd jumped to their feet as Ella Langley took the stage, kicking off with a crowd singalong of her current radio single “Weren’t For The Wind.” Langley moved forward with energetic performances of “Better Be Tough,” “Country Boy’s Dream Girl,” “Nicotine” and more before wrapping her time on stage with “Paint The Town Blue.”

With the crowd fired up, the lights dimmed down as Green made his entrance with “Damn Country Music” before launching into his No. 1 hit, “Different Round Here.” From there, Green moved into the reflective “If It Wasn’t For Trucks,” unapologetic “Damn Good Day To Leave” and rowdy “Half Of Me.”

Green slowed it down with a cover of Jamey Johnson’s “In Color,” “Georgia Time,” “Rather Be” and “When She Comes Home Tonight.” He surprised the crowd with his bus driver Greg on bass guitar for “There Was This Girl,” as the energy climbed back up.

The crowd roared as Green broke into covers of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” and “Courtesy Of The Red White And Blue.”

“Theres a lot of time on the road, being away from home and that’s what is tough about doing this for a living. But, one thing I never get tired of is playing country music for folks who really love country music,” Green expressed before moving into “Jesus Saves,” a solo-penned, emotional ballad telling the story of a homeless man Green encountered in Nashville.

With another surprise up his sleeve, Green decided give fans a live debut of the unreleased track “My Way” before bringing Langley back to the stage to perform their hit duet, “Don’t Mind If I Do.”

“[My Grandaddy] loved three things in this world. He loved Alabama football, he loved bass fishing and he loved my grandmother. I know if he was to leave this world either watching Alabama play, fishing on the lake or just sitting in the carport with my grandmother, he would have been a happy man. So, I wrote this song about him,” Green explained before moving into “Hell Of A Way To Go.”

Kicking the energy up to an all-time high, Green brought Langley out once again to perform their No. 1 single “You Look Like You Love Me,” earning the loudest cheers of the night, before he finished the set with “Change My Mind” and “Worst Way.”

After a short break, he returned for an encore of the fan-favorite “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and brought the openers out again for a crowd-singalong of “Dixieland Delight” to wrap the night.

The “Damn Country Music Tour” will continue in July.

Kenny Chesney’s first book HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, written with award-winning journalist Holly Gleason, is due Nov. 4 from William Morrow.

The new book captures the life and essence of the superstar and ventures to places far and wide, as Chesney makes music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drifts across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, encounters and collaborates with heroes, and forges transcendent friendships in the islands and beyond. Chesney offers up an introspective look at the songs and sound that defined No Shoes Nation in the book, which was written from 200 hours of interviews in California, Key West, the Islands, Tennessee and beyond.

“We have been working on this since last fall,” says Chesney, “and we’ve been so busy doing the work of bringing this book to life, neither of us has slowed down to really think about what it means. So now that we’re in the final phases of HEART*LIFE*MUSIC, it seems like a great time to not just talk about it but respond to the people’s questions about this story.

“I always said I’d never write a book, and now here we are,” he adds. “And I have to admit: I’m really glad I did it. I remembered moments, connected dots and laughed a lot about some of the places I’ve been. When you’re so busy going forward, you don’t always realize. Being in the revision and copy-editing part of the process, I am so grateful and fired up for the journey.”

To celebrate the book’s completion, Chesney and co-author Gleason are going to engage in a spirited conversation about the Nov. 4 release via TalkShopLive on June 24 at 6 p.m. CT. Not only will the 2024 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards’ Independent Journalist of the Year lead a conversation with Chesney, she will take questions from the people watching the livestream – and pose them to Chesney.

“Now that we’re done, I wanted to talk about it,” Chesney enthuses. “I wanted to tell people, but even more, I wanted to know what they wanted to know or were thinking about this book. TalkShopLive gave us an opportunity to have a two-way conversation and share how genuinely excited I am. I’ve known Holly a long time. Nobody pushes me like she does, so she was the perfect person for this job – and we can’t wait for Tuesday night to share the experience, as well as see what the people in No Shoes Nation are thinking about this. After months in silence, we’re ready.”

Luke Combs Becomes First Country Artist With Two Songs In The Spotify Billions Club

Luke Combs has become the first country artist to have two songs reach one billion streams on Spotify, marking his entrance into the Spotify Billions Club. Combs was presented plaques honoring the accomplishments of “When It Rains It Pours” and “Beautiful Crazy” at his Bonnaroo set last Thursday (June 12).

 

Dierks Bentley Releases Limited Edition Whiskey

Dierks Bentley is releasing his limited edition Row 94 Broken Branches whiskey later this month in partnership with Lofted Custom Spirits at the Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro, Kentucky. Bottled at 100 proof and aged five years, the bourbon also underwent “Branch Aging,” where time-worn, fire-toasted Oak staves seasoned for up to 24 months rested in the barrels to deepen the whiskey’s complexity.

“The new album Broken Branches is all about the cracks and scars that make us who we are, and I wanted this bourbon to carry that same spirit,” says Bentley. “We added seasoned oak staves to deepen the flavor and give it a little more character… kind of like the stuff life throws at you.”

Register for a chance to purchase one of the 1500 bottles produced here.

 

Marcus King Partners With Gibson To Launch Custom Guitar

Marcus King and Gibson have teamed up to launch the Gibson Marcus King ES-345 electric guitar in sixties cherry, based upon a family heirloom guitar King has played on stages across the world.

“Big Red has always been a grounding instrument and comforting reminder of where I come from,” says King. “This guitar always brings me back home to the joy, curiosity and obsession I had for guitar from the beginning. I’m always tremendously honored and humbled when I take Big Red out of the case. It still feels like my grandfather’s guitar, and I approach it with the same respect as I did when he first let me play the guitar when I was a young boy. I know he’d be very proud to know that Gibson and I were delivering this feeling to a new audience of players, and I am so excited for another generation of players to feel what I feel; seeing and playing this guitar always feels like taking your dad’s car out for a Sunday drive. A hot red Coupe Deville with the top down, baby.”

 

ASCAP Hosts Songwriter Showcase At The Basement

ASCAP hosted a songwriter showcase on Monday (June 16) at Nashville’s The Basement. The event featured performances from Denitia, Cheyenna, JB Somers, Nell Maynard and Gina Venier.

 

Country For A Cause Raises $90,000 For Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital

This year’s annual Country For A Cause concert celebrated its 11th anniversary and raised $90,000 for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Hosted by T.G. Sheppard and Kelly Lang, the event featured The Oak Ridge Boys, Moe Bandy, Mandy Barnett, John Berry, T. Graham Brown, Tim Atwood, Trey Calloway, Lacy J. Dalton, Billie Jo Jones, Jimmy Fortune, The Malpass Brothers, The Kody Norris Show, Mark Wills, Michelle Wright and Billy Yates, along with surprise appearances by Grayson Russell, Ruby Leigh and John Schneider.

“The entire team at Country for A Cause remains a dedicated supporter of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt,” said Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, President of Monroe Carell. “We are so grateful for their incredible gifts of time, talent and music industry connections to raise necessary funds to support our mission. It is community support like this that make possible everything we do to care for our young patients and their families. This dedication helps to advance our mission of compassionate care, game-changing research and innovative clinical training.”