Runaway June. Photo: Ford Fairchild

Country trio Runaway June has signed a record deal with Quartz Hill Records in addition to signing with Brown Sellers Brown Management for management representation.

“We cannot wait to start this new journey with Quartz Hill Records and the amazing team there,” shares Runaway June. “We couldn’t ask for more passionate, talented, hardworking, true believers fighting for us. Benny Brown signed this band from the beginning, and to be together again is a dream come true. We are counting down the days until we can share the new music we are creating together with the world!”

“It’s so great to be working with Runaway June again,” adds Brown, Managing Partner, Brown Sellers Brown Management. “They’re all so talented and I’ve always been a big believer in them and their music—I think this is some of the best music they’ve ever done and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

The group—made up of Jennifer Wayne, Natalie Stovall and Stevie Woodward—also announced their upcoming single “Make Me Wanna Smoke,” which is set for release on May 19, and exclusively debuted the track on the latest episode of The Bobby Bones Show.

“This is a totally different vibe than what we’ve done in the past and it’s really exciting, very edgy, more rock elements,” Runaway June told Bones of the song. “It has a really cool way of incorporating all of our styles into it. We’re really excited about it.”

Additionally, the band plans to go on tour this summer with stops in California, Colorado, Tennessee and more.

Kenny Chensey. Photo: Danny Clinch

Kenny Chesney will be stepping in as a headliner at the Gulf Coast Jam and Carolina Country Music Fest for Morgan Wallen, who is on doctor-ordered vocal rest for the next six weeks.

Chesney’s “I Go Back 2023 Tour” wraps on May 27 in Orange Beach, so he is able to pick up the Gulf Coast Jam Festival slated for June 1-4 in Panama City and the Carolina Coast Music Fest set for June 8-11 in Myrtle Beach as a sort of extension to his “I Go Back” dates.

“It’s like an extra little bit of something,” Chesney says of the decision to play the add-on events. “We love playing those great big stages, and I think everyone knows that. But this year, in these venues, has been unlike anything we’ve done in years—so much fun, so great, so spur of the moment—and I wouldn’t change a thing.

“I can’t lie, though. I was missing those big stages just a bit. And now, me and the road family get to have our cake and eat it, too. When we got the call, even though we were basically done, I thought it over, and of course we wanted to be there for the fans. They’re the reason we do this—and the opportunity to step in and let even more people see how white hot and awesome these players are is awesome. Funny how life has a way of stepping in!”

Wallen not only had to reschedule six weeks of concert dates and appearances due to his vocal cord injury, but was also forced to cancel his ACM Awards performance.

Photo: Courtesy of ABC News Studios

Jelly Roll: Save Me, a documentary chronicling the singer-songwriter’s journey of redemption and confronting his struggles with mental health and addiction as he rises to stardom, will begin streaming on May 30 only on Hulu. 

The ABC News Studio documentary gives viewers an unfettered inside look as Jelly Roll prepares and performs for his devoted fans on the biggest tour date of his career, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena in his hometown. Featuring exclusive access, never-before-seen tour footage, and interviews with the musician and those closest to him, the documentary reveals a raw and unflinching artist, incarcerated as a teen and adult, now using the power of his platform to raise awareness and funds for at-risk youth across the country.

Jelly Roll shares a behind-the-scenes look at how he balances life on tour with his philanthropic work, including visiting the juvenile detention facility where he was incarcerated multiple times to share his story and inspire positive change. 

The 38-year-old Nashville native became the story of the night at this year’s CMT Music Awards in April, beating out the biggest names in country to sweep the awards as a first-time nominee. Enjoying a meteoric rise to fame with his first country radio No. 1, two weeks at No. 1 on rock radio, and 25 consecutive weeks topping Billboard’s Emerging Artist chart—the most of any artist in the chart’s history—his debut country album Whitsitt Chapel drops on June 2.

CMT Crossroads: The Black Crowes & Darius Rucker is slated to premiere on Tuesday, May 16 at 9 p.m. CT.

The episode has the longtime friends swapping stories and performing each other’s most-celebrated songs, including can’t-miss renditions of The Black Crowes’ “Hard To Handle,” “She Talks to Angels” and “Remedy,” Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” and “Let Her Cry,” along with a rousing delivery of Drivin N Cryin’s quintessential Southern rock anthem “Straight To Hell.” 

The show was filmed outdoors in front of a live audience in the heart of downtown Austin as part of CMT Music Awards Week, and Chuck Leavell (The Allman Brothers and The Rolling Stones) performed alongside The Black Crowes and Rucker on keyboards during the special.

“It was really cool getting to do Crossroads with Darius,” says Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes. “We both come from similar music scenes in the south and we have a shared admiration for a lot of the same music. Darius has such a powerful voice and has written some great songs. I’m glad we finally got to share the stage with our friend!”

“I’ve been a fan of The Black Crowes for decades, and I’m grateful that we’ve also become good friends over the years,” says Rucker. “The first time I heard ‘She Talks to Angels,’ I remember being so moved by the lyrics that I went around Columbia, South Carolina asking every single bar to play it. I went home that night and put on Bonnie Raitt’s Home Plate, and decided I was going to try to write ‘She Talks to Angels’ for her. ‘Let Her Cry’ was what poured out of me. These guys have been so impactful on my career and sharing the stage with them was a blast.”

CMT Crossroads:The Black Crowes & Darius Rucker will also have an encore airing May 16 at 10 p.m. CT, and on Friday, May 19 at 11 p.m. CT. It will also go live on Wednesday, May 17 on CMT.com, CMT VOD and the MTV app (CMT Crossroads), with subsequent premieres on CMT Music and MTV Live.