Five-time American Music Award winner Kane Brown will serve as the grand marshal for the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 26.

Brown, known for chart-topping hits “One Mississippi,” “Heaven,” “What Ifs,” “Homesick,” and more, will give NASCAR’s top drivers the command to start their engines before the race.

“We can’t wait to welcome Kane Brown to Nashville Superspeedway next month as part of our celebration around the Ally 400,” says Erik Moses, Nashville Superspeedway’s President. “As Middle Tennessee’s home for NASCAR racing and entertainment, we are thrilled to be able to host America’s top drivers and top entertainers at the same time! We look forward to ensuring that Kane experiences the best that #NASHCAR has to offer this June!”

The Chattanooga, Tennessee native first made history in October 2017 as the first artist to lead all five of Billboard’s main country charts simultaneously, and has gone on to amass seven No. 1 hits at country radio.

One of Brown’s most impactful collaborations is “Famous Friends” with Chris Young, which became Billboard’s 2021 year-end No. 1 Country Airplay Song and remained in the top five of Billboard’s airplay chart for 15 weeks. Last June, he and Young won Collaborative Video of the Year at the 2021 CMT Music Awards.

Platinum-selling artist and reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs served as the grand marshal for the inaugural Ally 400 in 2021.

Andrew Stoelzing

Warner Chappell Music, in partnership with Fourward, has signed a global publishing deal with singer-songwriter Andrew Stoelzing.

Stoelzing moved to Nashville in 2016 to attend Belmont University’s Songwriting program. He has since gained the attention of pop artists across the US. His lyrics and pop melodies are inspired by his love for ‘80s rock, Billy Joel, Elton John, Coldplay, The 1975, Lennon Stella, and Lany.

The Texas-born artist has recently penned tunes such as “Lose My Number” by Nightly, “24” by Alexander Stewart, “Bittersweet” by Francisco Martin, and “Kiss My Scars” by August Royals.

Ben Vaughn, President and CEO, WCM Nashville notes: “Andrew’s unparalleled songwriting ability across a wide variety of genres truly sets him apart, and he’s just getting started. We’re thrilled to join him on this journey and help catapult his career to the next level.”

“It’s been incredible working with Andrew so far, from his time as a songwriting student at Belmont University, to now through our joint venture with Fourward,” Jessi Stevenson, Senior Director, A&R/Digital adds. “Andrew is extremely versatile as he can lyrically perform in writing sessions from pop to country to alternative. He has quickly established himself as one of Nashville’s go-to up-and-coming pop writers and I am excited to see that expand in the global market.”

“We are very excited to be partnering with Warner Chappell on Andrew,” Will Ward, CEO and Founder, Fourward says. “He is an insanely talented writer who is one of those rare breeds who can write pop, country, alternative, and more.”

“I feel so honored to be a part of the Warner Chappell and Fourward family and can’t wait for what the future holds. Both companies hold the standard for success, class, and hard work in the music industry and I am exactly where I want to be at this chapter in my life,” Stoelzing shares. “A special thank you to Ben Vaughn, Jessi Stevenson, and Bethany Mako for taking a chance on a young writer in college and pushing me to strive for greatness. And another huge thank you to the Fourward team (Will Ward, Jake Sarno, Joey McCarthy, and Nina Musolino) for believing in me and my vision as a writer and artist. I can’t say enough about the entire team behind me and am ready to make the most of this opportunity!”

Sam Hunt and hit songwriter Craig Wiseman are set to perform at the 2022 Stars for Second Harvest benefit concert on June 7 at the Ryman Auditorium. Ernest and Ben Burgess round out the lineup for the special evening. 

Tickets are available at axs.com, ryman.com, or by calling (615) 889-3060. Proceeds will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in their efforts to provide food to people facing hunger and to advance hunger solutions in the community. 

“I am thrilled to have Sam Hunt headlining for the return of Stars for Second Harvest,” Wiseman shares. “In addition to Sam Hunt, we have an amazing lineup of singer-songwriters. All of this is made possible by the generous support of our show sponsor American Airlines. It’s going to be a great night for a great cause!” 

“At American Airlines, we remain deeply committed to giving back to the communities where we operate, and we are proud to partner with Second Harvest,” adds Griffin Gonzalez, Head of Community Relations at American. “With the incredible talent coming together in support of Second Harvest’s mission, this event will raise critical funds to provide thousands of meals for Middle Tennesseans at risk of hunger.”

The Cadillac Three. Photo: @kitwoodphoto

Hometown favorites The Cadillac Three rang in last call at Nashville’s Mercy Lounge last night (May 18) with a sold out crowd. Only two days before the famed venue closes down, the trio delivered a stacked set of nearly two dozen of their biggest songs and fan favorites.

After an opening set from indie pop band Jive Talk, TC3 hit the ground running with their aptly-titled “Tennessee,” displaying the first taste of what would be an electric guitar-filled night. They followed with “Blue El Camino,” the funky title track from their 2020 record Tabasco & Sweet Tea, and fired off into “Hard Out Here For A Country Boy,” which had the entire room screaming the lyrics back.

The Cadillac Three. Photo: @kitwoodphoto

“We’re gonna try not to talk too much,” Grammy-nominated frontman Jaren Johnston shared from the stage. “I’m gonna take my glasses off and look every one of you in the eye and say that this room right here means a lot to us. This is where we all started. Ever since we played this room, we’ve been all across the world many times. It’s amazing where you get your start and a lot of people forget that shit.”

He continued, “Tonight is the second night before this thing closes down and I just want to say thank you for having us, Mercy Lounge. Thank you for helping us start our career. Thank you Music City for being with us this whole time representing whatever the f**k we’ve been doing for the last 20 years… We are The Cadillac Three and this is Mercy Lounge.”

Johnston, along with drummer Neil Mason and lapsteel/bassist Kelby Ray, brought the heat and the noise as they dove deep into a steady mix of tracks form the last decade, including the slow-rolling “Whiskey & Smoke;” the redneck anthem “Bury In My Boots,” which begged a booming choir from the audience; their signature “Tennessee Mojo;” and more, all fit with plenty of jam sessions and guitar solos.

The three Nashville natives reminisced on the first time they played Mercy Lounge, as well as the way Nashville used to be when they were growing up. “It’s a shame that this happened… It’s getting a little weird,” Johnston quipped. “I might start buying some buildings and try to help out, I guess,” which earned a big cheer from the crowd.

“We’re gonna take it way back to the beginning. The first song we ever played in this room, as The Cadillac Black, we came on and it sounded just like this… and everybody in the room was scared to death.”

The Cadillac Three. Photo: @kitwoodphoto

The band broke out into their rocking “I’m Southern,” from their 2012, self-titled record, setting the tone for the remainder of the show. After a buzzing version of “I’m Rocking,” Johnston showed off his vocal dexterity on “Whiskey Soaked Redemption” before rolling through the last few songs of the night, including the striking love letter in “White Lightning.”

“Thank you Nashville, Tennessee for giving us a great night. We are The Cadillac 3 from Nashville, born and raised. And I’m very proud of that,” Johnson stated simply before ending out the electric night.

The audience fully erupted during TC3’s encore performance of their smash hit “The South,” which provided the perfect high-energy ending to one of the venue’s final shows.

TC3’s “Hillbilly Hypnotized Tour” rolls along this summer with an August run in the UK. For a full list of upcoming dates, click here.