Kalie Shorr
25-year-old singer-songwriter Kalie Shorr has revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19.
Shorr called into The Bobby Bones Show this morning (March 31) to talk about her experience.
“About a week ago I woke up in the morning and felt completely fine. I was already self-quarantining, so it was just business as usual that day. At the middle of the day I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I needed to fall asleep. I’m a pretty high-energy person, I haven’t felt that tired in so long,” Shorr told Bones.
Shorr said she soon developed a fever and body aches. She was tested the next day.
“I think that there might be a misconception, at least in the greater Nashville area, about how difficult it is because I went in and I was probably out in 45 minutes. I just went to the Urgent Care through Vanderbilt [Hospital],” Shorr said.
Shorr suspects that she contracted the virus at the CMT’s American Red Cross Telethon for Tornado Relief, where there was a confirmed case.
“I did the tornado telethon and then they found out that somebody had had coronavirus there. I hadn’t interacted with him directly, I hadn’t been in the general vicinity as him but we’re still learning how contagious this is and that’s the one person I know that was confirmed to have it that I saw within a two-week period,” she said.
Shorr said that her roommates, songwriters Taylor Acorn and Emma Lynn White, also had it, but that all are recovering.
Shorr released her first full-length album Open Book in 2019, which includes the singles “Lullaby” and “F U Forever.”
Hear Shorr’s call to The Bobby Bones Show below:
Dolly Parton Donates $1 Million To Vanderbilt To Aid Coronavirus Research
/by Jessica NicholsonDolly Parton. Photo: Rob Hoffman
You can add country legend Dolly Parton to the list of celebrity personalities pledging to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parton announced she is donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund research to help eradicate the virus. According to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, there have been more than 887,000 confirmed cases around the world.
“My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure,” Parton said via Twitter. “I am making a donation of $1 million to Vanderbilt towards that research and to encourage people that can afford it to make donations.”
Parton, who launched the Imagination Library in 1995 to help encourage a love of reading in children, recently revealed she will be reading bedtime stories through an online series, starting April 2 at 7 p.m. ET. To date, the initiative has mailed more than 133 million books to children.
Live Nation Establishes Crew Nation Fund To Support Live Music Crews
/by Lorie HollabaughLive Nation has committed $10 million to Crew Nation, split between a five million dollar donation directly to the fund and another five million to match contributions by artists, fans and employees dollar-for-dollar. Crew Nation is powered by Music Forward Foundation, a charitable nonprofit organization, that will be administering the fund.
“Concerts wouldn’t be possible without the crew working behind the scenes to bring them to life. To help out live music crews while concerts are on pause, LiveNation has committed $10 million to the #CrewNation,” Live Nation president and CEO Michael Rapino said in an Instagram post Tuesday. In Rapino’s post he reveals his family will personally donate $250,000 to the cause.
Over the next week, Live Nation will be reaching out to crew members from tours across the globe whose income has already been affected due to the cancellation or rescheduling of a Live Nation event. Music Forward Foundation will be selecting recipients based on a determination of need, and the company will be releasing an application for crews across the industry in the coming weeks.
Live Nation has also launched an exclusive Crew Nation merchandise line that includes shirts and sweaters with all the proceeds going straight to the Crew Nation fund. Those products are available for a limited time and can be found here.
Jordan Rager Signs With APM Management
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Andrew Perlowich, Jordan Rager
Riser House artist Jordan Rager has inked a deal with Andrew Perlowich of APM Management for exclusive management representation. Rager is set to release a new single (the title has yet to be announced) on May 22.
“We’re excited to have Jordan on our roster,” said Perlowich. “His work ethic and talent is something that any management team would be lucky to represent. We are very eager to get to work on his project.”
Rager signed a label deal with Riser House in 2018, and has earned more than 52 million streams to date.
ACM Lifting Lives To Introduce COVID-19 Response Fund On Upcoming Special
/by Lorie HollabaughiHeartMedia country radio host and ACM Radio Award National On-Air Personality of the Year Bobby Bones will introduce the fund in a special package during the ACM Presents: Our Country special, which will be broadcast April 5 on CBS and CBS All Access.
The ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund will begin with an initial endowment of $250,000, with an additional matching fund against Academy of Country Music partners, sponsors and third-party donors of up to $250,000. Partners, sponsors, and donors include The Bobby Bones Show, FirstNet, Built with AT&T, and Amazon Music. This fund will be available to country industry professionals who demonstrate immediate financial needs due to COVID-19 and meet the outlined criteria. Those in need can apply for funds at ACMLiftingLives.org.
“ACM Lifting Lives is proud to have a long-standing history of supporting individuals in the Country Music industry who need some assistance getting back on their feet during these unfortunate times, with the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund,” said Lyndsay Cruz, Executive Director of ACM Lifting Lives. “With this new ACM Lifting Lives COVID-19 Response Fund, we hope to help alleviate some of the burden our music community faces; including the musicians, bus drivers, tour crews, songwriters, the list goes on and on during these unprecedented times.”
ACM Lifting Lives remains dedicated to improving lives through the power of music during the fight against COVID-19. Those interested in donating as a third-party donor should visit ACMLiftingLives.org to learn more.
Spotify Launches Standalone Kids App In The U.S.
/by Jessica NicholsonSpotify has officially launched a standalone app for youth, titled Spotify Kids, in the United States, France and Canada, after first introducing the venture last year. The ad-free app is available exclusively for Spotify Premium Family subscribers and designed for youth ages three and older.
The app includes more than 8,000 songs and 125 playlists, as well as over 60 hours of stories, such as Disney Music Group stories and short stories.
Spotify is working with brands including Disney, KIDZ Bop and Nickelodeon to craft custom content for the app and will have custom content for United States users, such as including Spanish-language, country, Christian, Motown and soul dance party playlists. The app also includes music from popular movies and events, such as the Trolls World Tour playlist and an official Frozen playlist.
Cecilia Castleman Inks With Big Yellow Dog Music
/by Lorie HollabaughCecilia Castleman
Cecilia Castleman has signed a publishing deal with Big Yellow Dog Music.
Castleman joins a roster that includes Josh Kear, Jessie James Decker, Meghan Trainor, Logan Mize, Tenille Townes, Daniel Tashian and more.
“All my life I’ve been playing and writing songs,” says Castleman. “I’ve never had a guitar, bass or keyboard lesson — I learned by listening to records and trying to pick up what I could. When I was 16, I took a studio engineering course at The Blackbird Academy so I could track the songs I wrote myself. Every form of art, whether it’s painting or photography, helps me with my music — it helps me create the person I am and who I aspire to be.”
Asleep At The Wheel’s Ray Benson Tests Positive For Coronavirus
/by Jessica NicholsonRay Benson.
Asleep At The Wheel’s Ray Benson has revealed he has tested positive for the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, sharing the diagnosis on Tuesday (March 31) on social media.
Benson noted that he went to be tested on March 21 after feeling tired for several days. He says no tests were available at that time, so he returned home. He was able to be tested yesterday (March 30) and received a call this morning saying he had tested positive for the COVID-19 novel coronavirus.
“Hoping for the best don’t have the usual symptoms but feel tired head ache [sic] no fever no cough!!” he said via a post on Facebook. “I’ll be ok sure do miss playin [sic] music and seein [sic] everyone!”
He also issued a warning to others to stay safe, noting that he “wore mask washed hands used hand sanitizer still got it!”
Benson is only the latest artist to reveal he has contracted the virus. On Sunday, country artist Joe Diffie died from complications with COVID-19, while songwriting legend John Prine has been hospitalized with the virus. “F U Forever” singer Kalie Shorr was also diagnosed with COVID-19.
According to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, there are more than 177,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and more than 3,400 deaths in the United States to date.
Brett Young To Join Levi’s 5:01 Live Music Series
/by Jessica NicholsonBrett Young will join Levi’s 5:01 Live Music Series Tuesday night (March 31), via Instagram Live. The “Catch” singer will offer a performance and Q&A beginning at 5:01 p.m. PST (7:01 p.m. CST).
Others who have taken part in the live music series include Snoop Dogg, The Roots’ Questlove and more. Young will also donate his $10,000 in performance earnings to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, which helps people in the music industry who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and subsequent live event cancellations.
Kalie Shorr Reveals COVID-19 Diagnosis
/by LB CantrellKalie Shorr
25-year-old singer-songwriter Kalie Shorr has revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19.
Shorr called into The Bobby Bones Show this morning (March 31) to talk about her experience.
“About a week ago I woke up in the morning and felt completely fine. I was already self-quarantining, so it was just business as usual that day. At the middle of the day I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I needed to fall asleep. I’m a pretty high-energy person, I haven’t felt that tired in so long,” Shorr told Bones.
Shorr said she soon developed a fever and body aches. She was tested the next day.
“I think that there might be a misconception, at least in the greater Nashville area, about how difficult it is because I went in and I was probably out in 45 minutes. I just went to the Urgent Care through Vanderbilt [Hospital],” Shorr said.
Shorr suspects that she contracted the virus at the CMT’s American Red Cross Telethon for Tornado Relief, where there was a confirmed case.
“I did the tornado telethon and then they found out that somebody had had coronavirus there. I hadn’t interacted with him directly, I hadn’t been in the general vicinity as him but we’re still learning how contagious this is and that’s the one person I know that was confirmed to have it that I saw within a two-week period,” she said.
Shorr said that her roommates, songwriters Taylor Acorn and Emma Lynn White, also had it, but that all are recovering.
Shorr released her first full-length album Open Book in 2019, which includes the singles “Lullaby” and “F U Forever.”
Hear Shorr’s call to The Bobby Bones Show below:
Spotify’s New Country Playlist ‘Indigo’ Highlights Yola, Jason Isbell, Margo Price
/by Jessica NicholsonThe new playlist, which launched Tuesday (March 31) features artists such as soul-country technician and Grammy nominee Yola, premier Americana troubadour Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Aubrie Sellers, Orville Peck, The Highwomen, John Prine, Brent Cobb, and more.
“We are excited to introduce the new Indigo playlist to our diverse spectrum of country music listeners,” says Laura Ohls, Senior Editor, Spotify. “Spotify continues to be deeply committed to supporting the country music community and culture, and with the launch of Indigo, we hope that fans will explore the many facets of the genre to find new music they will love.“